Saturday, June 25, 2011

Saturday, June 25th, Julian Lim

THEME: None


WORDS: 70


BLOCKS: 26

Wow, just a brutal second themeless offering from Mr. Lim, with some clues that were very vague, and others that I downright had to just wince at. Just the one grid spanner today,

36. "The sea was angry that day," e.g. : PATHETIC FALLACY


an "expanded" metaphor, so to speak, with what I thought was the original answer - PERSONIFICATION....and that was just the first of many mistakes :-((

ACROSS:

1. Bounce : DRIBBLE - Ugh, Basketball - I was on the Echo/Toss Out wavelength...

8. Site of the largest WWII Allied Pacific amphibious assault : OKINAWA - IWO JIMA fit, too

15. Pigment used in some primer paints : RED LEAD - Did not know this

16. Worldly : SECULAR - I was on the "global" wavelength

17. Glowing, perhaps : PLEASED - started with RADIANT

18. "You're in charge!" : SEE TO IT

19. Courage : HEART

20. Fightin' with : AGIN' - Against, in "drawl-speak"

22. Exobiologist's org. : SETI - Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence - shoulda got this from the "Exo-" part, but I was thinking bugs...

23. Covering an outfield position : IN LEFT - good baseball answer, I had center at first

25. Byzantine emperor known as "the Armenian" : LEO V - here's his Wiki

27. Some hosps. : VAs - Veteran's Affairs Hospitals

28. Mil. officers : LTs - Lieutenants

29. Demolish, in Durham : RASE - the Anglo version of RAZE

31. Most recently introduced : NEWEST

33. Summons : TICKET - Argh~! I started with this, and took it out

35. One putting on shows : AIRER - Meh, but yeah

40. Hatch of Utah : ORRIN - knew it wasn't Estes, but I couldn't think of him at first

41. Neil Diamond title words after "I am the tune" : PLAY ME - I'll leave the links to you

42. One may be packed with Oreos, briefly : PBANDJ - a Peanut Butter and Jelly sa'mich - really~!?  Are there any of us out there that put Oreos in there too~?  Yecht - I'll keep mine for dessert....

44. Uma's role in "The Producers" : ULLA - Uma, Ulla, Uma, Ulla

45. Label for Nilsson : RCA - WAGed EMI, MCI, but ultimately, did not know this guy

48. Yom __: holiday, in Hebrew : TOV

49. Kosovo resident : SERB

51. Hawks' contacts, perhaps : ARMERS - Ugh, as in those who supply arms to militant types, also known as "hawks"

53. Uncultivated, probably : ARID - well, not necessarily, but what can I say....

55. Banter : JEST - I don't see the synonym here - Banter is light talk, Jest is to joke, for me.

57. Does a word-processing task : SAVES - EDITS, DELES, STETS, TYPES, nope - what every application file needs - to be saved; not limited to word-processing....

58. Reacts in fear, in a way : REARS UP

60. Like some soap : ON A ROPE - Cute GAG GIFT ( last week ), and a necessity in prison, I would think....

62. "Eugene Onegin" heroine __ Larina : TATIANA

63. NBAer orig. from Minnesota : L.A. LAKER - great, more basketball - getting to be like French around here - when is MY puzzle going to show up with all the hockey in it?

64. Made red-faced? : SLAPPED - this was a good one - had ANGERED to start, knew I was not quite right with the "?"

65. Evidence provider : DNA TEST

DOWN:

1. "Family First" author, familiarly : DR.PHIL - a phony, if you ask me

2. Give in : RELENT

3. Epitomes : IDEALS

4. Play up to the max? : BLARE - is this true, JzB~?

5. Some buds : BEST FRIENDS - got stuck on a "plant-like" wavelength

6. Papua New Guinea port : LAE - Map, in the middle

7. Snorri Sturluson's "Prose __" : EDDA - the Wiki

8. Walter's "I'm Not Rappaport" co-star : OSSIE - not familiar with this

9. Really into : KEEN ON

10. Plans may be put on it : ICE

11. More than just touched : NUTS

12. Herbal medicine plant : ALOE VERA - the whole name

13. "Not so fast!" : WAIT A SECond

14. Craft : ARTISTRY - Nice clue/answer for a Saturday

21. Competitors in a Fox comedy-drama : GLEE CLUBS - the EE gave it to me

24. Bumpkin's lack : TACT

26. Trattoria offering : VEAL MARSALA - had VEAL_, couldn't recall the second half - I have had Chicken Marsala, which I believe is wine & mushroom sauce - I am not the chef here, but I do "use pot"....

30. Problem with an old record : SKIP - "...like a rhinestone...like a rhinestone...like a rhinestone..." my 45 had a SKIP right there

32. Bit of cunning : WILE

33. Like a poor argument : THIN - WEAK, TAME, nope

34. Maker of nonstick cookware : T-FAL

36. Toaster brand : POP-TARTS - ugh - tried to hard to make Oster fit, etc.

37. Like kinkajous : ARBOREAL - Here's a pic

38. "Fallen woman," in an opera title : - La TRAVIATA, by "Joe Green" (Victor Borge)

39. "The Clan of the Cave Bear" protagonist : AYLA

43. Not exciting : JEJUNE - that's French~!

45. Take away : REVOKE

46. Brunch fare : CREPES - had MIMOSA and OMELET to start - fare is one of those single/plural words, like fish

47. Maintain : ASSERT

50. Fix, as brakes : RE-PAD - I have fix brakes, but never said "RE-PAD"

52. Corday victim : MARAT - French revolution, she slayed him in the bath

54. Cone eater's concern : DRIP

56. Let in on : TOLD - TELL and TALK did not work

59. Enervate : SAP

61. Turkic flatbread : NAN

Splynter, going back to bed to heal the brain damage....

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Saturday, June 18th, Peter A. Collins

Theme: None

Words: 70

Blocks: 28


A tough offering from one of our regular constructors - I went with the Downs first, and so I didn't nail the first grid spanner right away -

17. Top 10 single on the 1970 album "Abraxas" : BLACK MAGIC WOMAN - Santana

...had me a grid that was predominately blank for most of the time, until I hit on

29. They're not near the action : CHEAP SEATS

... which broke it open for me; before that, I was considering throwing in the towel -

and the other spanner

54. Didn't just go : ASKED PERMISSION - a simple, yet thoughtful fill

Splynter, here with another Saturday offering for your perusal

Across:

1. Old Eurasian letters : USSR - did anyone else start with CCCP, the Cyrillic version?

5. Bean counter : NUMBERS GUY - stared at "_u_bers guy" for a long time...

15. Home of H. Rousseau's "The Sleeping Gypsy" : MOMA - TATE? had to be a museum or art gallery, I figured

16. How travelers' bags are screened : ONE AT A TIME - I have not traveled by air for 8 years, was thinking "IN AN XRAY _ _"

19. Old-style street show : RAREE - I have heard of this

20. Tub contents : BATH - I had oleo to start

21. Depend : REST - I had RELY to start

22. Affected : ARTSY

23. A, B or C, perhaps: Abbr. : ANS - thought KEY, GRADE, etc.

24. Like an alias : FALSE - I usually hear "FALSE ALIBI", not FALSE ALIAS

25. Writ word : HABEAS - we have legal experts on the blog who can step in here

27. Wane : SAG - I had EBB to start

28. 1992 gold medal-winning Dream Team coach Chuck : DALY - I don't do basketball - personally, a waste of time and good hardwood....

35. Some six-pack contents : ALE - Felt good about my "ABS" here

36. Six-pack alternative? : BEER GUT - great answer, I had BEER KEG

37. It's best if it's well-seasoned : WOK - cast iron pans, too

38. Party stipulation : NO CHILDREN - I agree

40. Gentle way to go : EASY

41. Picker-upper's concern: Abbr. : ETA - Did anyone else think "Bounty", the paper towel?

42. Shuts out, in slang : SKUNKS - Both the Bruins and Canucks got shut out twice in the Stanley Cup finals; Vancouver in game 7, at home - they just plain "STUNK" in the series.  My brother drove up to Boston for the parade

44. Takes it slow : LOLLS

47. Eastern way : TAO - getting to be a crossword standard

49. '70s toothpaste with "green sparkles" : GLEEM

51. Call, in a way : HAIL - as a cab

52. Pot user : CHEF - uh, not my first thought....

53. Language that gives us "shampoo" : HINDI

57. Very loud : STENTORIAN - A STRAIGHT UP ADJECTIVE I HAVE NEVER HEARD BEFORE - BUT TYPING IN CAPITALS TENDS TO IMPLY SHOUTING; DOES IT BOTHER YOU ????

58. Wood fastener : T-NUT - this do-dad

59. Certain tax determinant : ASSESSMENT

60. They may be first class: Abbr. : SGTS

Down:


1. Sunspot center : UMBRA - Latin for shadow; in this case, it's actually a "cool" spot on the sun's surface, relatively speaking

2. Phenomenon caused by ice crystals between the Earth and sun : SOLAR HALO - I don't think I have witnessed this; I have seen something similar, at night with the moon, so I thought "LUNAR" at first - I did have the HALO part....and two Astrological clues in a row....

3. One making cracks : SMART ALEC

4. Happens quickly : RACES BY

5. Camus, for one : NOM - see 43D - Albert Camus was "French", hence his "name" in French

6. Brazen : UNABASHED

7. Kid-lit Judy Moody series author McDonald : MEGAN - new movie coming out based on this popular character when I was a kid - but I was a boy, I didn't read about 'girls', with their cooties....

8. Entices : BAITS

9. Permanently mark : ETCH

10. Word with deal or nerves : RAW - First fill for me

11. Possible reason for folding : STORAGE

12. Letter on a dreidel : GIMEL  - I am not up on my Hebrew alphabet

13. Sch. with a Lowell campus : UMASS - so here's a map, just because there isn't much to link today

14. "Fiddler on the Roof" matchmaker : YENTE - Did consider YENTA to start

18. __ Luke of Charlie Chan films : KEYE

24. Ritual abstinence : FAST

26. Rapid Northeast train : ACELA - AMTRAK

27. Moxie : SPUNK

28. Castellaneta who voices Homer Simpson : DAN - the man who improvised "D'oh", which is now in the dictionary

30. Transpose digits, say : ERR

31. Golden, Silver, Bronze and Iron, to Ovid : AGES OF MAN - tried "precious" here

32. One may be rude : AWAKENING

33. Ejected : TOSSED OUT

34. Diving milieu : SKY - had SEA first

36. Smithereens : BITS

39. Athens native : HELLENE - Tried GRECIAN early on

40. Volunteers : ENLISTS

43. Disgusted chorus : UGHs - like seeing French in my crosswords....

44. High capital : LHASA - DENV'R didn't fit

45. Hops driers : OASTS

46. Fancies : LIKES

47. 100,000 BTU : THERM - Learning moment for me

48. John Denver album with an eagle's silhouette on the cover : AERIE - I am a HUGE fan, but this one I did not know - came out when I was 9 months old....

50. Cashier's counter bowlful : MINTS - the progress was PENNY, COINS, CENTS, MINTS

52. Naval noncoms : CPOs - Chief Petty Officer

55. AA issue : DTs - Delirium Tremens, more of a medical issue - THEN they suggest you start going to meetings....trust me, I have been there, and I am still there - see "Leaving Las Vegas" for a good example

56. QB's miscue : INT-erception, that is, passing it to the other team

Splynter

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Saturday, June 11th, Doug Peterson & Barry Silk

Five Spanner Saturday

An intimidating, but do-able Saturday grid from one of my "regulars" in a duo with another constructor whom I've seen before - Doug's "Run" puzzle from May 10th with Angela Olson Halsted.  Today we have three spanners, and two climbers;

34A. Copyright, e.g. : INTANGIBLE ASSET

38A. "Right on!" : NOW YOU'RE TALKING

39A. It can help you carry a tune : TRANSISTOR RADIO

5D. Song sung by Pinocchio : I'VE GOT NO STRINGS

10D. Lab synthesis substance : CHEMICAL REAGENT

Very blank grid to start, wondered if I had any chance at all ~!

Theme: None

Words: 70

Blocks: 36


Splynter



ACROSS:  ( I actually started with the DOWNS )

1. Chia Pet, perhaps : GAG GIFT

8. "That's too close!" : BACK OFF

15. Stop flowing, in a way : ICE OVER - good misdirection; I was thinking clot

16. Daughter of Polonius : OPHELIA - From Shakespeare's Hamlet - not that I know any line from her

17. Drawing room? : GALLERY - First thought was Drafting Studio, but, uh, it wouldn't fit

18. Foil : PREVENT

19. Security item : I.D. TAG

20. Fancy wraps : MINKS

21. Handles abroad : NOMS - names, in French; handles, as in CB radio 'nicknames'

24. Key : MAIN

26. Non-coml. interruption : PSA - Public Service Announcement; I still zip through on the DVR

29. Body image, briefly : TAT - D'oh~! I had MRI, CAT, PET...TATtoo, body art

30. __ lamp : ARC - Thought I was sharp with OIL here

31. American leader? : ALL - ALL-American, like Bob Hope used to 'host' when I was a kid

40. Anthem elision : O'ER - "over the ramparts we watched" does sound a bit strained

41. "__ Calling": 2003-'05 supernatural drama : TRU - don't remember this show; two seasons on Fox

42. Will's "Glee" adversary : SUE - I do not watch this show

43. Bill holder: Abbr. : ENV - ENVelop(e), depending on where you are, I guess

44. Word in some school names : PREP - I figured this was going to be some Latin, like "Omni"

45. Quaint interjection : EGAD

47. "Romeo Must Die" star : JET LI

50. Power systems : GRIDS

54. Shake up : UNHINGE - Love this line from "Addams Family"

57. Curse : SWEAR AT

59. Deceiving : LYING TO

60. Conservative commentator who wrote "Let Freedom Ring" : HANNITY - I so do not buy into any of these "all news, all day" programs; truly, just talking heads.  Sean Hannity, another Fox TV show

61. Jerks, as a bell rope : YANKS ON - hey now, down in front....

62. Wind in a combo : ALTO-SAX - Isn't this Bill's instrument? ( the other one...)

DOWN:

1. 1958 film with the song "The Parisians" : GIGI

2. Sch. : ACAD

3. Yiddish dough : GELT - got this from the clue last week - one of the few answers I had to start

4. __ Heights: disputed Mideast territory : GOLAN - took a moment for me to remember; had GAZA on the brain, and that's the strip, not the geography

6. Tableau Périodique #26 : FER - FER-ench for IRON, on the Periodic Table - actually, I like this better than "not agin"

7. Effort : TRY

8. Dizzy music? : BOP - Be-bop, from Dizzy Gillespie, and probably a shout-out to our own Jazzbumpa ~!

9. Loan letters : APR - you can tell my state of mind - I had IOU to start....

11. Bacon from Philadelphia : KEVIN - first answer I got, then wondered if it was Roger

12. Author Robert __ Butler : OLEN - Prize winner

13. Rat : FINK

14. Nuts are rich in them : FATS - this is where i got my first toe-hold, and finished the NE corner, inspired me to carry on

22. 1996 Cruise title role : MAGUIRE - Also from '96 was Ethan Hunt, Mission Impossible, but it didn't fit; SAMURAI did, but that was from "The Last Samurai", 2003

23. Provokes : STIRS UP

24. Brewery sugar : MALTOSE - so it actually helped that I brewed my own beer in college - and man, that stuff was strong ~!


25. Decorator's suggestion : AREARUG - was on the wavelength, tried ART _ _ to start

26. Mottled horse : PINTO - since ARAB and ROAN wouldn't stretch - maybe an AROAN?

27. "Boring" : SNORE - "Snore ~!" - I had ENNUI to start

28. Not just squabbling : AT WAR

31. Out of the way : ASIDE

32. Red head : LENIN - I had HENNA here, but knew it was a lead-in to "red", as in communist Russia, and ask me about my "Vladimir" story....

33. Statehouse official: Abbr. : LT. GOV - Lieutenant Governor, like here in NY -David Paterson rose to the first seat after Elliot Spitzer wound up in the hot seat....

35. First name in objectivism : AYN - AYN Rand, of the "Fountainhead" and "Atlas Shrugged" books - nailed it.

36. It's made by one who doesn't go out : BET - not sure I get this

37. Jamaican genre : SKA - since REGGAE didn't fit

44. Xylophone sound : PLINK - when the answer's blank, a Xylophone can make a whole lot of sounds

46. Liquid lye brand : DRANO

47. Pioneer Day month, in Utah : JULY - only two choices, right?  June, and July - I guessed wrong

48. "Watermark" musician : ENYA - got it

49. Watery : THIN

51. Romance novelist Johansen : IRIS

52. Excel fodder : DATA - Excel, the Microsoft application software for compiling information into a spreadsheet

53. Netherworld flower : STYX - well, I seriously doubt there are fl-OW-ers in Hell....

55. Song from the same era as "Little Deuce Coupe" : GTO - the Beach Boys with "Little Deuce Coupe", and this number, from the days of my youth

56. Quite a stretch : EON - well, it's not "ages", right?

57. Oldie syllable : SHA - as in SHA-NA-NA

58. Retail store opening? : WAL - Wal-mart, the super chain - I don't shop there - I won't go near the place....

Thanks, and we'll see you next week - Same Spy Time, same Spy Channel

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Saturday, June 4th, Gareth Bain

Theme: None

Words: 70

Blocks: 32

Four criss-crossing "theme" answers, two spanners, two climbers;

20. Line before "Et tu, Brute?" : SPEAK HANDS FOR ME - Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

54. Ethical concern for a bar association : AMBULANCE CHASER - I shoulda known this

3. Symbol of phoniness : THREE-DOLLAR BILL

11. Dearborn attraction : HENRY FORD MUSEUM - this one I nailed

Wow, this one kicked my butt - too many obscure references in the NW for me to complete it without red-letter help

ACROSS:

1. Candy vehicle : SCTV - Canadian skit show, at least I guess - I have no clue on the "Candy" part....{ it just came to me, about 2 hours later - John Candy }

5. Imported wheels : SAAB - I once owned an '83 900

9. Gone crackers? : HIHOS - crackers, no longer available; Sunshine, then Keebler, then Kellog's were the companies

14. Education acronym : ELHI - ugh, I don't think of this as an acronym; it's abbreviation for EL-ementary thru HI-gh school....

15. Brad's role in "Inglourious Basterds" : ALDO - great movie; this guy's performance outdid Brad's

16. Certain Yemeni : ADENI - again, ugh, really? Am I a "Long Island-i" ?

17. Brings out : AIRS

18. Side of beef part : SLAB

19. Like some raincoats : LINED

23. Tailless mammal : APE - had "MAN" first

24. Self-titled 1988 R&B album : LATOYA - one of the Jacksons

25. Initial response to a yenta? : MYOB - Mind Your Own Business - Yenta is yiddish, originally a woman's name, comes to mean a "busy-body" or gossip

26. Skyscraper feature : LEDGE - UGH~!  There are ledges here in my one-story house....

28. Part of psi?: Abbr. : LBS - now this was a good one - psi, for Pounds per Square Inch, like tire pressure,  and the imperial abbreviation for pounds - lb., from the Roman libra, a weight measure.

30. Dom alternative : FRA - not really sure; I think this is airport codes, but it could be types of champagne for all I know....

31. Metaphors, e.g. : TROPES - never heard this; from Greek tropos "to turn"

33. Ice cream parlor order : MALT - hey, I got one ~!

34. "... lay the sod __ me": "Streets of Laredo" lyric : O'ER - poetic contraction, over

35. Celebrity mentioned in Warren Zevon's 1978 hit "Werewolves of London" : LON CHANEY, JR. - super fun song 2:38

38. World Chess Champion after Botvinnik : TAL - sure, OK

40. Valley in the first book of Samuel : ELAH - um, OK, here's a map?

41. Heavy hitter : SLEDGE - I typo'ed Stylish as styhish, so it took a moment for this to appear.

44. Santa __ : ANA - California

45. Some signatures : XES - makes me think of the Blues Brothers, right Melissa Bee?

46. Blend : IMMIX - yup, it's a "word", from Latin

47. "Beetle Bailey" cartoonist Walker : MORT

49. Members of an Afrocentric movement : RASTAS -short for Rastafarian

53. Exhaust : USE

57. Daughter of Muhammad : LAILA - the boxer, Ali - she boxes, too.

58. Court ritual : OATH

59. Green : GELT

60. Coty Award winner Perry : ELLIS - designer

61. Fonda's beekeeper : ULEE - from the movie, Ulee's Gold - popular crossword answer

62. Golden __ : RULE

63. Willowy woman : SYLPH

64. Polanski film based on a Hardy novel : TESS

65. Wrote, as an AOL buddy : IM'ed - Instant Message

1. Epicure's condiment : SEASALT - an epicure is a connoisseur, did not know

2. Fast ship : CLIPPER - I went down my list of ships, and forgot this one

4. Traveler's need : VISA

5. White House girl : SASHA - Obama

6. __ once : ALL AT - "all at once, it came to me that I was NOT going to finish"

7. Hersey setting : ADANO - "A Bell for Adano", by John Hershey.  Total stumper - was thinking Pennsylvania for the park

8. Winner of a 2008 Pulitzer Prize Special Citation for his "profound impact on popular music and American culture" : BOB DYLAN - not a fan

9. Game division : HALF - really only soccer; all others are quarters, periods and innings

10. Way of putting things : IDIOM - I wanted a Monty Python link; this is, um the scene, at 1:19

12. Encore, basically : ONE MORE ~!!!

13. News supplement : SIDEBAR - this is more legalese than news related, for me

21. Box for a cold : KLEENEX - had tissues to start, funny how a lot of words and phrases have same letter-number commonality

22. Luxury furs : SABLES

27. Mail hub: Abbr. : GPO - General Post Office, more British

29. In : STYLISH

32. White of the eye : SCLERA

33. __-jongg : MAH - a game

36. Isn't trapped : HAS AN OUT - always leave yourself an "out" when driving - I have avoided many a cell-phone driver this way....

37. "To Kill a Mockingbird" brother : JEM

38. Cantina servings : TAMALES - not the Cantina I was thinking of....

39. Unusual occurrence : ANOMALY - like in Star Trek, or the X-files, an "anomaly" was usually the seed for the episode.

42. Princess in Disney's "Enchanted" : GISELLE - image

43. Applied : EXERTED - as force

48. __ mania, 17th-century Dutch phenomenon : TULIP

50. Model aspect : SCALE -had ratio to start

51. Sorbonne heads? : TETES - French for head, Sorbonne, France

52. Inflammation symptoms : ACHES

55. Tie securely : LASH - had bind to start

56. Business intro? : AGRI - frequently appears in crosswords

OK, I am ready for a Monday/Tuesday now ~!

Splynter