google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner

Advertisements

Dec 9, 2017

Saturday Dec 9, 2017 Craig Stowe

Theme: None - LAT Saturdays are always theme-less, though occasionally we have a mini-theme, two phrases are placed in symmetrical spots.

Words: 66 - Pretty low. 70-72 are our norm. Just FYI, the lowest ever themeless word count is 50  (NYT by Joe Krozel).

Blocks: 28 - Average. The lowest is 17 for a themeless (Again, NYT by Joe Krozel.) Neat right?

C.C. here. Yeah, I'm surprised to find myself here also.

Today is a typical themeless, total twelve 9's, with triple-stacks on top and bottom, and two double 9's on Down, crossing by another pair of 9's: 31A and 37A, both important connective tissues.

I myself have never made a 66-word. 68 is my lowest. Craig might have started with a 64. The black squares after MONTE (27A) and before MAINE (42A) might not have existed when he first designed the grid.
 
Across:

1. Arctic Winter Games gear : SNOWSHOES. Yes, PK, white stuff on our ground. 15F as I'm writing this post. We're having January-like weather.

10. Follows a cookbook direction : WHIPS

15. Apparent : EASY TO SEE. Also 31. Apparent : OSTENSIVE. I only know OSTENSIBLE.

16. Red River city : HANOI

17. Nomadic : ITINERANT

18. Pertaining to : AS FOR

19. Nucor and POSCO, industry-wise : STEELS. Wiki says Nucor is the largest steel producer in the US and POSCO is a steel company based in South Korea. Alas, I know neither.

20. Steak __ : TARTARE

22. Fragrant shrubs : MYRTLES. Must be how Myrtle Beach got its name.

24. Stretches out : EXTENDS

25. Try : TASTE

27. Con game : MONTE

28. Longtime foe of Rafael : ROGER (Federer)


34. Commotion : ADO

35. Rap sheet entry, perhaps : ARSON

36. Jar head? : LID. Nice clue.

37. Available employment : JOB MARKET. Senator vacancy here in MN.

40. Songwriter Green : CEELO

42. New Brunswick neighbor : MAINE

43. Propellant in ion thrusters : XENON

45. Patellar and Achilles : TENDONS

47. Hired help : SERVANT. In Hong Kong, many family have Amahs, who are mostly from the
Philippines.

51. Popular blend of seasoning : ITALIAN

52. Small 1-Down : TREMOR. OK. 1. Quake : SEISM. Jayce's expertise.

53. Ulyanov's alias : LENIN. Holy smokes! I always thought Lenin is his real name. This poster was everywhere when I grew up. 


54. Unyielding : OBSTINATE

57. Player selection process : DRAFT

58. Browbeats : BULLDOZES

59. Long-eared critters : ASSES

60. Party decorations : STREAMERS

Down:

2. Like some dressers : NATTY

3. Flexible wood : OSIER. Learned from doing crosswords.

4. 1998 Country Music Hall of Fame inductee : WYNETTE (Tammy). Only know her "Stand By
Your Man".

5. Finer than fine : STELLAR. Been enjoying Picard's pictures. These Amazon ones are lovely.




6. Fools (around) : HORSES

7. Baja bear : OSA

8. Poetic contraction : E'EN

9. Roman numeral : SETTE. Followed by D-less Otto.

10. Penn's business school : WHARTON

11. Moves quickly : HASTENS

12. Childish : INFANTILE

13. Unfortunate one : POOR DEVIL. New phrase to me.

14. Many retired Kentucky Derby winners : SIRES

21. Forestry workers : AX MEN

23. Flier that delivers? : STORK. Babies.

26. County in four Northeast states : ESSEX

28. Indian filmmaker Kapoor : RAJ. Another learning moment. Wiki says he's also known as "the
greatest showman of Indian cinema".


29. Devices used on trips : ODOMETERS

30. Freak out : GO BANANAS. Another sparkling fill.
 
32. Lugs : TOTES

33. Old Tokyo : EDO
 
35. Air Canada Centre, e.g. : ARENA

38. __ crisis : MIDLIFE. Ahh, both Splynter and I have entered that age range.

39. Consecrates, in a way : ANOINTS

40. Bullfight : CORRIDA

41. "Did Hamlet so __ with his envy ... ": Shakespeare : ENVENOM. Our Ol' Man Keith'e milieu.

44. Aggravate : NETTLE

45. Alternative nickname to Mattie, perhaps : TILDA. Stumped me. They sound so different.

46. Hardly humble sorts : SNOBS

48. Knock over : AMAZE
49. Observant one : NOTER. Gluey entry. Much needed in a low-count grid.

50. Barrette target : TRESS

55. "__ I digress" : BUT

56. Type of camera, briefly : SLR



I'm sad to tell you that Splynter (Richard Monsaythe) has decided to leave our blogging team. He's been guiding us since March 2011, missing only two Saturdays when he was sick. 

I was stunned by his decision. Then I read his his last write-up again and again. Sad that I did not catch his hints last Saturday.

Splynter has a wide-ranging interests, from film-making to game design to wood-working. He's very creative, resourceful and subtle. I'm glad we had the chance to get to know him and enjoy his work and creativity for six and a half years.

Thank you so much for your hard work, Splynter, please stay in touch and check in with us from time to time. We'd love to know more about your job, hobbies and life in general.

Splynter the Saturday Stud

At the same time, I'm also happy to inform you that the incomparable Husker Gary has agreed to take up the Saturday helm. He'll be our guide starting Dec 16th, 2017.

Gary and Joann
Happy Birthday to Hahtoolah (Susan), who's been with our blog since 2009. She never comes to our blog without an thought-provoking quote. And her quotes are never random. She's amazingly thoughtful and observant.

Dec 8, 2017

Friday, December 8, 2017, Paul Coulter

Title: Strange bedfellows.

Paul Coulter is back with very inventive and entertaining Friday theme sure to irritate those who do not like themes. He pairs two completely unrelated characters (they may be fictional) and posits a common bond. Natasha Fatale and Apollo Creed both battled foes named Rocky. Mr. Spock- Dr. Spock, Homer the Greek - Homer Simpson and Blondie Bumstead - Debbie Harry and her band are the other pairs sharing a commonality that can be expressed in 15 letters (grid-spanners). I am so impressed by the thought process and the execution of this theme. Thank you, Paul. He also squeezes in DABS AT,  GETS AT,  IN A WAY,  SHANDY, BEDSIDE, PARSONS, HOTFOOTING and RAISE COSTS to complete the offering. Excellent. The themers:

                                   

17A. Two foes of Rocky: NATASHA AND CREED (15).  June Foray voiced both Rocky the Flying Squirrel and Natasha. Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed both were products of Sylvester Stallone's mind.

27A. Two loves of Homer: POETRY AND MARGE (15). The Greek POET responsible for The Iliad and The Odessey, and Marge Simpson's LOVE. He is known for coining "D'Oh."

43A. Two specialties of Spock: LOGIC AND BABIES (15).  We have Mr. Spock for LOGIC and Dr. Spock for BABIES.

54A. Two priorities of Blondie: DAGWOOD AND MUSIC (15). Blondie Bumstead loved DAGWOOD and Blondie (Debbie Harry) made some beautiful music.


Across:

1. "Yeah": UH HUH. Nailed it, felt good.

6. Whack: STAB.

10. They're corny: COBS. He tricked me here for a bit.

14. Spaghetti Western director Sergio: LEONE. He made CLINT (2:41) famous.

15. Refine: HONE. Hone your craft, not just your knife.

16. Spread for dinner, say: OLEO. Not at my house.

20. Request to go out, maybe: ARF. Cute.

21. Cease: END.

22. Airs: SONGS. The perps are solid but the choice of the clue is beyond me. I may have to use a Homer 'D'Oh' when it is explained.

23. Mountain nymph: OREAD. More from Ancient GREECE.

26. Form of love in Paris? : AIME. Je t'aime, je t'adore.

32. Implies: GETS AT.

33. One may accompany a finger snap: IDEA. Got it.

34. Small battery: AAA.

35. Mine entrance: ADIT. From the Latin ADITUS, this is old-fashioned crossword fill.

36. Meddle: PRY. Third time in recent memory- hmm.

37. Artist's array: OILS. If he is a painter.

38. Large brewer: URN.

39. Blunted blade: EPEE.

41. Blots: DABS AT.

46. "Heartburn" novelist Ephron: NORA. Nora Ephron was also the author of Wallflower at the Orgy. She received Academy Award nominations for Best Original Screenplay for When Harry Met Sally..., Silkwood, and Sleepless in Seattle, which she also directed. Her other credits include the film Michael, I believe a John Travolta film and the play Imaginary Friends. She died in 2012

47. San Diego State athlete: AZTEC.

48. Advances: LOANS.

50. Chemical suffix: ENE.

51. Fertility clinic supply: OVA. Egg.

58. Between ports: ASEA.

59. Bridge site: NOSE. Very funny.

60. A lot: OFTEN.

61. Milk by-product: WHEY. I loved Moe's poem about helping Miss Muffit finding her whey.

62. Oracle: SEER.

63. Entourage: POSSE.

Down:

1. It parallels the radius: ULNA. In the arm, not a circle.

2. Get wind of: HEAR.

3. Hurrying, with "it": HOTFOOTING. A really fun word.

4. Acapulco article: UNA.

5. Cock and bull: HES. Male animals.

6. Sterne's Tristram: SHANDY.

7. Hopper on a pad: TOAD. Mr. Toad? I went with Frog at first.

8. Gothic novelist Radcliffe: ANN. Radcliffe is said to have influenced many later authors, including the Marquis de Sade (1740–1814), Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), and Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832), and many lesser imitators of the "Radcliffe School", such as Harriet Lee and Catherine Cuthbertson. LINK.

9. Important place for good manners: BEDSIDE. Why is it bedside manner when it is no longer at home that you see the doctor?

10. Pupil's cover: CORNEA. My personal specialty, still working with two borrowed ones.

11. Cassini of fashion: OLEG. Father of Tini Cassini.

12. Honey bunch: BEES. Of oats?

13. Ground cover: SOD. Such language!

18. Soul mate? : HEART. I miss marti.

19. Feature of many a list: COMMA.

24. Common medical advice: REST.

25. In-flight info: ETA.

26. Name at the end of many a "60 Minutes" episode: ANDY. Rooney.



27. MLB Network analyst Martinez: PEDRO.

28. Put on: AIRED.

29. What supply shortages often do: RAISE COSTS. Supply and demand.

30. Big dos: GALAS. Not hairdos.

31. Bridge column word: EAST.

32. Caesarean section? : GAUL. "Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres"

36. Clinton transportation secretary Federico : PENALINK.

37. Tony relative: OBIE. Off-broadway awards.

39. Low-price prefix: ECONO.

40. Service aces? : PARSONS. Do parsons really run religious services?

41. Stunned: DAZED.

42. NYC dance troupe: ABT. Since 1940, American Ballet Theatre has performed in the greatest theatres around the world, creating a tradition of passion, innovation, and athleticism that transcends cultural boundaries and touches the soul of ballet lovers old and new.



44. Kind of: IN A WAY.

45. Stadium sign: BANNER.

48. Eye piece: LASH. No.

49. Arch type: OGEE.

50. Convenience: EASE.

52. Competes: VIES.

53. Bad marks in high school? : ACNE. A semi-cruel remark about those marks.

54. Margery of nursery rhymes: DAW.



55. Female antelope: DOE.

56. Floor cleaner: MOP. Which is my clue to mop up my comments.

57. Tabloid topic: UFO. But not without an Unidentified Flying Object.

I really enjoyed the puzzle, the solve, and Paul is one of the constructors getting regular Friday slots, with this his 4th this year, along with 5 Sundays. Thanks, Paul and thank you all for being here.


Notes from C.C.:

1) Here is our Lemonade enjoying his hamburger last Sunday. Great to see him healthy and happy. He's getting younger too!




2) Happy birthday to our cool Jazzbumpa (Ron), who's taking December off from blogging. Ron often has a packed December. Lots of rehearsals and performances during Christmas season. Have anyone in Detroit area attended Ron's concerts in the past?

Jazzbumpa

Dec 7, 2017

Thursday, December 7th 2017 Mark McClain

Theme: No, Why? The "Y" is dropped from the end of the theme entries and the resulting phrase is clued accordingly. As the hint says:

61A. Make smart remarks ... and a phonetic hint to the answers to starred clues : WISE OFF

And the themers:

19A. *Award-winning defense unit? : TOP FORT. Top Forty.

31A. *Manchester hospital hookup? : ENGLISH IV. English Ivy. Hedera Helix, aka common ivy, or simply ivy. This theme entry is interesting as the pre- and post- "Y" versions are homophones, and techinically "IV" is an abbreviation and not clued as such.


38A. *Either of a historic PGA pair? : ARNIE'S ARM. Arnie's Army. Golfer Arnold Palmer's legions of fans were known as "Arnie's Army". Notice that the pre- and post- versions of this entry actually refer to the same person.

49A. *Enforcer of greenhouse gas restrictions? : CARBON COP. Carbon Copy. I wonder if carbon paper actually exists any more?

Well, good day to you all. An interesting theme from Mark today. I got ENGLISH IV first, and as I mentioned above I thought that all the themers were going to be homophones, so that put me off track for a couple of minutes. I put myself firther off-track in the north-east corner when I jumped to an IAMS conclusion without waiting for any cross-confirmation, but that was easily fixed.

The Z was my final fill, and actually a WAG - Both ZESTA and AZERA were unknowns; the alphabet run turned up Z as feeling the most likely, and I guessed right. Phew!

Let's see what else we've got going on:

Across:

1. Not insignificant : BIG

4. LeBron's hometown : AKRON. Basketball star LeBron James, who famously decamped from Cleveland to Miami to win "not one, not two, not three ..." championships. He got his ego under control after a couple of years. He won two championships with Miami, then returned to Cleveland and won his third in one of the best Finals for years against the Golden State Warriors.

9. Pet food brand : ALPO

13. Discontinued iPod model : NANO. I've still got one of these somewhere, it's probably at the bottom of one of my laptop backpack pockets.

14. Saltine brand : ZESTA

15. Action word : VERB

16. Words after an estimate : ORSO

17. Divisions politiques : Ã‰TATS. I enjoyed seeing the close proximity of ROI in the grid; it reminded me of Louis XIV and his famous statement "L'etat c'est moi."

18. Those, to Pablo : ESOS

21. Sculler's blade : OAR

23. Capri suffix : OTE. A couple of entries filled themselves in for me today, this was one of them. A native of the island of Capri is a Capriote.

24. Trattoria menu suffix : INI. Two suffixes in a row. One would suffix - I mean suffice.

25. Chaucer offering : TALE. The Canterbury Tales. Bane of many a schoolboy's life when read in medieval English.

27. "Stagecoach," for one : OATER

29. Birdcage feature : PERCH. 

34. Multichannel : STEREO. I guess two is "multi." Quadrophonic was all the rage when I was growing up, but if you didn't sit dead center of the four speakers it was rather a waste of time. Great for lonely audiophiles though.

36. Saturn SUV : VUE

37. One of the Nereids : IONE. This was another of the entries that filled itself in for me. There are 50 of these sea-nymphs, daughters of Nereus and Doris. You've got a minute to name them all - GO!

41. Neatnik's opposite : SLOB

44. Pioneering ISP : AOL

45. Warm-weather wear : SHORTS. I wear shorts in most weathers, I've got so used to the California climate. I got some odd looks in England a couple of weeks ago, I guess an overcoat and a pair of shorts is an odd sartorial combination.

52. Three-time Wimbledon champ : EVERT. The great Chris. Her record is quite amazing - she reached the semi-finals or better in 52 of 56 of the Grand Slam tournaments she entered, and she one at least one Slam tournament for 13 consecutive years.

53. Directive : ORDER

54. One of the three bears : PAPA

56. Mai __ : TAI

57. Arctic coast explorer : RAE. Scotsman John Rae. He probably didn't wear shorts - he would have been wearing a kilt.

58. Consume : EAT

63. Mosque figure : IMAM

65. Big name in craft stores : JOANN. This had me foxed for a little while - I knew the store, but I didn't realize the name lacked a final "E"

67. Response to being slain, in texts? : ROFL. "Slain" in the "Wow, that's funny" sense. Rolling On the Floor, Laughing".

68. Khartoum's river : NILE

69. Match : AGREE

70. "Would __?" : I LIE. Usually the answer is "Yes, through your teeth."

71. Notable deed : GEST. Learning moment for me. I know the French "Geste", I didn't realize there was an English equivalent, but there it is in the dictionary.

72. Saratoga action : RACES

73. PC panic button : ESC. Escape. It usually doesn't do very much.

Down:

1. British nobleman : BARONET

2. Motivate : INSPIRE

3. Mess (up) : GOOF

4. Korean sedan to be discontinued in the U.S. after 2017 : AZERA

5. Whistling vessel : KETTLE. It took me a loooong time to see this, and it was so obvious when I did.

6. Nation surrounding 10-Down: Abbr. : R.S.A. The Republic of South Africa.
.
7. Director Preminger : OTTO

8. "Hidden Figures" org. : NASA

9. "__ Maria" : AVE

10. Enclaved African land : LESOTHO.  The beautiful Maletsunyane Falls:


11. Tofu nutrient : PROTEIN

12. Watch : OBSERVE

13. Custom on some cruises : NO TIPS. I've never been on a cruise; at least not one where I wasn't sailing the boat myself.

20. Multiple-choice choice : OTHER. I like this one. I was thinking of different letters at first.

22. Louis XIV, par exemple : ROI

26. Wrap around : ENVELOP

28. "I, Robot" writer : ASIMOV

30. Champion swimmer/actor Buster : CRABBE. Clarence Linden Crabbe II. He made over a hundred movies and played Flash Gordon in the TV series. However, I'm sure his middle child didn't thank him for the name "Sande".

32. Director Van Sant : GUS

33. Where ewes can hang out : LEAS. Meadows, by another name.

35. __ even keel : ON AN

39. Biennial games org. : I.O.C. The transparently honest and wholly uncorruptable International Olympic Committee.

40. Flightless birds : RHEAS. I always forget these fellas, I get stuck on EMU and go no further.

41. Making a touchdown : SCORING. Except you don't actually have to touch the ball down. The equivalent in rugby is a try, and you do have to touch the ball down, under control, otherwise the try doesn't count.

42. Metro area SSE of Casper : LARAMIE. Wyoming. I've flown over it a ton of times, but never actually been there.

43. Major hassles : ORDEALS

46. Updates the plant : RE-TOOLS. Of course I was on the flora track for the longest time.

47. Rush hour report topic : TRAFFIC. 

48. Suppress : STIFLE

50. Vein contents : ORE

51. Plains tribe : PAWNEE

55. Source of hard and soft lumber : PINES

59. A bit cracked : AJAR. I was thinking "cracked" in the mildly insane sense. I was wrong.

60. Forum attire : TOGA

62. Lackawanna's lake : ERIE. Nailed it! Thank you, hundreds of crosswords.

64. Ran into : MET

66. __ welding : ARC

That's all from me!

Except that's not all from me - here's the grid!

Steve



Dec 6, 2017

Wednesday, December 6, 2017, Neville Fogarty

TITLE: BURIED TREASURE

Husker Gary here again on a search for buried (or at least concealed) treasure. Neville has constructed a hunt for us where GEM has been hidden in bigger phrases much as these Emerald Crystals that can be found in veins of calcite in the Muzo area of Columbia.



Our friend Neville has literally taken the word GEM and hidden it where the GE portion ends the first word of a phrase and the begins the second word. If you search carefully below, you can see where Neville has hidden the GEM in these theme answers:

17. *Intricate feature of some Victorian gardens : HEDGE MAZE - Here is a MAZE near London along side a domestic CORN MAZE in Gretna Nebraska



24. *Politician for whom a Virginia university is named : GEORGE MASON - George Mason refused to sign the U.S. Constitution in 1787 because it had no national bill of rights (if you enlarge the picture below, you will see James Madison's signature in the Virginia section). He then helped author the Bill Of Rights that were added in 1791.



33. *Disney miser who swims in his money : SCROOGE MCDUCK - As seen here



49. *Game to settle a score : GRUDGE MATCH - These "matches" have sold a lot of tickets!



... and the reveal:

57. Diamond in the rough ... or a literal feature of each answer to a starred clue : HIDDEN GEM - American Idol was looking for a hidden GEM in the group of 4,000 hopefuls in 2013 auditions in Omaha



Here are some more of Neville's Gems:

Across


1. Rope often coiled : LASSO - Here's one attached to the cockpit of a working cowboy

6. __ Lanka : SRI - Formerly Ceylon located just off 30. Nepal's continent : ASIA 

9. Selassie of Ethiopia : HAILE 

14. "One more time!" : AGAIN - Rick actually said, "You played it for her, you can play it for me!"

15. See 16-Across : EAR and 16. With 15-Across, cochlea site : INNER - A cochlear implant can have an external component which can be recommended by an 29. Sinusitis-treating MD : ENT - Ears/Nose/Throat M.D.



19. Anglican leader : VICAR - Enter Murder At The Vicarage in YouTube and you can view an entire Miss Marple adventure (1:20:00)

20. Rainbow hue : INDIGO - ROY G BIV

21. Eye part that may become detached : RETINA
22. What circled R's may indicate: Abbr. : TMS ®

26. Point of giving up : WITS END - The Giants were at their WIT'S END with QB play and so...

28. Quarterback Manning : ELI - After 210 consecutive starts, ELI's mediocre play in 2017 got him benched last Sunday



31. Swig or sip : DRINK

39. Clock radio feature : ALARM

40. Valley : DALE - "Over hill, over DALE" is now "First to fight, for the right"

42. Word after black or photo : OPS - Some celebrities and politicians are avoiding photo OPS these days


45. Nike's __-FIT fabric : DRI - DRI-FIT fabric can be found in all manner of Duck clothing like this hooded sweatshirt which 46. Guarantees : ASSURES you it will wick sweat away from your body

52. Badminton court divider : NET

53. President after Jimmy : RONALD - Reagan "The Gipper"

54. "Bob's Burgers" daughter : LOUISE - I have never seen this cartoon! I might have opted for 54. Maurice Chevalier's woman of song (Man, I'm old!)

56. Emcee's opening : INTRO

60. Give direction to : STEER

61. Salinger's "Franny __ Zooey" : AND - Would people think me more literate if I wore this t-shirt?




62. Tender beef cuts : LOINS

63. Frost-covered : HOARY - I had a picture of this last Wednesday



64. "Certainly!" : YES - Alternate pronunciation



65. Lived : DWELT


Down

1. __-di-dah: pretentious : LAH

2. Number on many a birthday card : AGE

3. Extremely cruel : SADISTIC

4. Communicate with a deaf person : SIGN


5. Antsy : ON EDGE - What's that dog doing?

6. Neptune, for one : SEA GOD

7. Shaving device : RAZOR - I'm a straight edge kind of guy

8. Boiling blood : IRE


9. Collective intelligence : HIVE MIND - Alll 31. Obama, e.g.: Abbr. : DEM's - voted against the tax bill last Sunday and all REP's but one voted for it. Tell me again why they waste hours and hours debating?

10. Baker with Grammys : ANITA

11. Cut into : INCISE

12. Use for support : LEAN ON - The wonderful lyrics from Bill Withers' song



13. Knight-__ : ERRANT - Literature's most famous



18. Demeanor : MIEN

21. Artifact : RELIC - What? You were alive when JFK got shot?

22. Bankrupt airline : TWA


23. Battleship call : MISS - Hasn't every math teacher used Battleship® to teach coordinates?

25. Microbe : GERM

27. Poet Teasdale : SARA - Okay

32. African antelope : KUDU - An amazing looking animal



34. The Stars and Stripes : OLD GLORY

35. Rowed : OARED - It ranks right up there with "APED" on my Verb dishonor roll.

36. Dreadful : GRIM

37. Manhattan concert hall : CARNEGIE - How do you get to CARNEGIE Hall? [You all know the punchline]

38. Bauhaus artist Paul : KLEE - An icon for the Bauhaus Art School in Weimar, Germany and an example of work by one of its students Paul Klee (Senecio 1922)



41. Superlative suffix : EST

42. Like Shrek : OGRISH - My Spell Checker said, "Huh?" and Dictionary.com offered OGREISH as the preferred form

43. "ASAP!" : PRONTO

44. Beverage brewed outdoors : SUN TEA - A summer tradition here in the hinterlands 

46. Not seeing eye to eye : AT ODDS - I know our tea connoisseur friends Steve and C.C. would be AT ODDS by my choice of Lipton tea bags

47. Gulf War missile : SCUD - Saddam Hussien's futile weapon of choice

48. Lancer's protection : SHIELD - Here's a Lancer using his SHIELD for protection by shattering his opponent's weapon



50. Challenger : DARER

51. Flared skirt : A-LINE


55. It may come down in winter : SNOW - It can be pretty before you have to get out the blower

57. Stable serving : HAY - For the unbridled appetite.

58. Photo blowup: Abbr. : ENL

59. Salt Lake City hrs. : MST - 14th largest city with MST. Seven AZ cities are bigger












Now we await the GEMS you uncover in your mines/minds:

DA GRID:



Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Lucina, who's been with our blog since Feb 2010. So sweet to see this picture again. Lucina travels to CA once a year, and she often meets with our Californian Coven there.

Left to Right: Chickie, JD, Garlic Gal and Lucina.
June 3, 2015 

Dec 5, 2017

Tuesday, December 5 2017, Kurt Krauss

Theme: Old MacDonald 


20A. *Company that maintains network messages : E-MAIL HOST
30A. *Apple music player : I-POD NANO
36A. *Springsteen's ensemble : E-STREET BAND
46A. *"My stars!" : I DECLARE
52A. *Willa Cather novel set in Nebraska : O PIONEERS

1A. Place that can precede the starts of 20-, 30-, 36-, 46- and 52-Across : FARM
69A. Bird that can precede the starts of 20-, 30-, 36-, 46- and 52-Across : DUCK
13D. Animal that can precede the starts of 20-, 30-, 36-, 46- and 52-Across : PIG
57D. Animal that can precede the starts of 20-, 30-, 36-, 46- and 52-Across : COW
Get it? E-I-E-I-O?


Melissa here. I DECLARE, this was new and different - not to mention a tricky theme. Above a Tuesday level I thought, all the way around.

Across

5. Spanish red wine : RIOJA

 
10. Office fill-in : TEMP

14. Yours, in Tours : ATOI. French.

15. Sign up, in Sussex : ENROL. According to the Grammarist, enrol is the preferred spelling outside of North America.

16. Jai __ : ALAI

17. The Volunteer St. : TENN. Ah. State, not Street. The nickname originated during the War of 1812, in which the volunteer soldiers from Tennessee, serving under Gen. Andrew Jackson, displayed marked valor in the Battle of New Orleans. Tennesee was named after Cherokee Indian villages called Tanasi.

18. Putting the squeeze on : PRESSURING 

22. Bygone Toyotas : SUPRAS. On a personal note - another bygone Toyota is their FJ Cruiser - my brother's car that was declared a total loss a few months ago. So sad. That thing was a tank and probably saved my life.

25. Lets up : EASES

29. '60s United Nations secretary general : UTHANT. Who??

33. Beauty at a ball : BELLE

 
34. Ivan the Terrible, e.g. : TSAR

35. Crime family leader : DON

40. "Mazel __!" : TOV

42. Take a chance : DARE

43. Soft leather : SUEDE

 
49. Counterbalance : OFFSET

50. Instruments for Yo-Yo Ma : CELLI

51. Traveled like Huck Finn : RAFTED

57. Arms-around-knees swimming pool jump : CANNONBALL

60. Gillette brand : ATRA

64. Curved molding : OGEE

65. Written reminders : NOTES

66. Worker finishing an éclair : ICER

67. Invasive plant : WEED

68. Terse summons from the boss : SEE ME

Down:

1. __ Tuesday: Mardi Gras : FAT. What is Fat Tuesday?

2. Chowed down : ATE

3. Potter pal Weasley : RON

4. Necessary nutrients : MINERALS

5. Meal : REPAST

6. Cross inscription : INRI

7. Baseball analyst Hershiser : OREL

8. Kid around : JOSH

9. "Not to mention ... " : ALSO

10. Kilt pattern : TARTAN

11. Inventor Whitney : ELI

12. Superhero suffix : MAN

19. Employed : USED

21. Painter Édouard : MANET

22. Long sandwich : SUB

23. Versatile vehicle, for short : UTE

24. Soil acidity measure : PH LEVEL

26. Most mournful : SADDEST

27. Eclectic musician Brian : ENO

28. Prince, to a king : SON

30. Grenoble's river : ISERE. In southeastern France.


31. Liver spread : PATE

32. Heavenly body : ORB

34. Drop of sadness : TEAR

37. Old cereal box no. : RDA. Recommended Daily Allowance. Interesting history.

38. To the same extent : AS FAR

39. Informal "No more talk" : 'NUFF SAID

40. Twitch : TIC

41. Poetic tribute : ODE

44. Low grade : DEE

45. Itinerary approx. : ETD

47. Copied genetically : CLONED

48. Fat-reducing procedure, briefly : LIPO

49. Words ending a threat : OR ELSE

53. Quaint lodgings : INNS

54. Bassoon kin : OBOE

55. Basketball Hall of Famer Archibald : NATE. Maybe a gimme to basketball fans?

56. Grade sch. level : ELEM

58. Single-malt datum : AGE

59. Family tree word : NEE

61. Longhorn State sch. : TCU. Texas Christian University - in Ft. Worth.

62. DVR button : REC

63. Genesis craft : ARK

E-I-E-I-O.

 

Dec 4, 2017

Monday, December 4, 2017 ~ Jeff Stillman

Theme: Seeing Double - Heteronyms, the last word and the last syllable of the preceding word are spelled the same but sound different.

17A. Devotee of singer Gloria: ESTEFAN FAN

24A. Precise price: ACCURATE RATE

39A. Mata Hari story, e.g.: FEMME FATALE TALE

51A. Garden purchase from a Lowe's rival: HOME DEPOT POT

63A. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, it's 63 for retirement: AVERAGE AGE

Argyle here. No reveal and five entries yet still an easy Monday.

Across:

1. Knight's "shining" protection: ARMOR

6. Elegant: POSH

10. WWII servicewomen: WACs. (Women's Army Corps)

14. Car body style: COUPE. 45D. Family car: SEDAN

15. Mennen shaving lotion: AFTA

16. Get one's ducks in __: A ROW

19. Heavy book: TOME

20. Buck or doe: DEER

21. Beluga yield: ROE. The Beluga sturgeon, not Beluga whale.

22. Viewed to be: DEEMED

27. Mineral springs: SPA

30. Believer's suffix: IST

31. Five-time Wimbledon champ Bjorn: BORG. "Resistance is futile."


32. Portion out: ALLOT

34. "Westworld" network: HBO. (Home Box Office)

35. Bon Ami alternative: AJAX

43. Simplicity: EASE

44. The "I" in TGIF: IT'S

46. Disney's "__ & Stitch": LILO. (2002)

48. Above-the-street trains: ELs

50. Chapter in history: ERA

56. Truck capacity: ONE TON

57. Coffee order: Abbr.: REG. (regular) Does that mean with cream and sugar to you?

58. Image to click on: ICON

62. Gadget's rank: Abbr.: INSP. (Inspector) Animated TV series.


66. Slugger Sammy: SOSA. Baseball.

67. Earth orbiter: MOON

68. Wafer brand: NILLA by Nabisco.

69. Jacob or Esau: TWIN

70. Choice word: ELSE

71. Not reached, as a goal: UNMET. Like most fund drives, right down to the wire.

Down:

1. Scored 100 on: ACED

2. Went up: ROSE

3. Sound-off button: MUTE

4. Wagner work: OPERA

5. Striped-shirt wearer: REF

6. Happen as expected: PAN OUT

7. Buyer's proposal: OFFER

8. BART stop: STA. (Bay Area Rapid Transit)

9. Hammer or screwdriver: HAND TOOL

10. Nixon Era scandal: WATERGATE

11. Pleasing smell: AROMA

12. Tailed celestial body: COMET

13. 31-Across, by birth: SWEDE. "Resistance is futile."

18. Rainbow shapes: ARCs

23. Poetic "always": E'ER

25. Credit in a footnote: CITE

26. "Dancing Queen" group: ABBA



27. Place for valuables: SAFE

28. Not guilty, for one: PLEA

29. Gift for the poor: ALMS

33. Skillet for folded egg dishes: OMELET PAN

34. Growth chart nos.: HTs. (height)

36. Green stone: JADE

37. Banned apple spray: ALAR

38. TV warrior princess: XENA

40. It's often followed by .pdf: FILE NAME

41. On the summit of: ATOP

42. Old U.S. gas brand: ESSO

47. Swearing-in words: I DO

48. Timeless, in verse: ETERNE

49. Women's links gp.: LPGA.(Ladies Professional Golf Association)

51. Lift up: HOIST

52. Televised as we speak: ON NOW

53. Soccer great Lionel: MESSI. I still haven't learned his name.

54. Black-and-white cookies: OREOs

55. Marketing gimmick: TIE-IN

59. Period "before the storm": CALM

60. Look at lasciviously: OGLE

61. Without ice, at the bar: NEAT

64. TV loud-soft control: Abbr.: VOL. (volume)

65. Bearded antelope: GNU. Available in the gift shop.



Argyle