Saturday, Dec 28th, 2013, Steve Salitan

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing F,J,Q,Z)

Blocks: 28

   Thank you all for last week's get well comments; I had such a high fever I thought I was going to lose my mind - literally.   This is the first time I've gotten to a crossword in two weeks.  I was able to review the last three LAT this week, and I have to say thank you to C.C. for covering my part last Saturday, and for a stellar effort on Thursday's puzzle.  As for today, when I saw Steve's name at the top, I figured I was looking at a DNF - I am usually thwarted by his misdirection and vagueness, but with only one cheat,  I was able to finish this one.  Nothing longer than the two 11-letter cross fills today;

 31A. "Violator" band : DEPECHE MODE - JUDAS PRIEST fit, too - but I knew that was wrong; I was finally able to tune in to Pandora for the first time in a month yesterday, and Depeche Mode pops up on my favorite channel with this song

39A. 1996 film with the tagline "YIKES! They've Landed!" : MARS ATTACKS! - Hysterical parody of science fiction and horror directed by Tim Burton with a cast of big names - and Tom Jones, too~!

Onward~!

ACROSS:

1. There may be tears in them : DUCTS - Right off we have ambiguity; tEErs, or tAIrs~???

6. Track event : GRAND PRIX - the Indy car kind of track; clecho 16A. Track event : RELAY RACE - the human leg kind of track

15. Like some office boxes : IN/OUT

17. Yellow-flowered medicinal plant : SENNA

18. Champing at the bit, and then some : OVEREAGER

19. "__ Cheerleaders": 1977 comedy-horror film : SATAN'S - I wonder if the people at IMDb feel like they really, really need to include these types of films; then again, the summary does sound intriguing....

21. Campus not far from LAX : USC - well, I figured it was University of something/something California

22. Camera that uses 70mm film : IMAX - So far, I've only seen Skyfall in IMAX (and a nature film at the Museum of Natural History)

23. Exploit : USE

24. Casual evening? : NITE - night (evening) spelled casually

26. Inedible orange : OSAGE

27. Aspire to greatness : AIM HIGH

29. "84, Charing Cross Road" novelist Hanff and others : HELENEs

33. Deco designer : ERTE

34. Agreeing words : "SO AM I"

35. Latin quarters? : CASA

41. Arizona retirement community : SUN CITY

45. Black-footed albatrosses : GOONEYS - also the nickname of the Douglas C-47

46. Ring material : ONION - steel? nylon? oh, duh

47. Savory, e.g. : HERB

48. Tex.-based carrier : SWA - Southwest Airlines - they are the leading airline at my 'local' jet airport, MacArthur; gets so little respect being in the neighborhood of JFK and LGA....

49. "Such a shame" : PITY

50. It's a mess : STY

52. Zen awakening : SATORI

54. Daily reading for many : HOROSCOPE - NEWSPAPER fit, too - and I DO read my daily horoscope each morning; said nothing about getting sick, tho

57. Nitpick : CAVIL

58. New members : INITIATES - Rookies, probies, neophytes (hey, that one fit) - I am a 'new member' of the driver's group at UPS - but I have not made their UNION yet

59. Whence Icarus fled : CRETE

60. Ones on the way up : ASCENDERS - yes, they, are....

61. Had a row : OARED - and another ambiguous word; roe, or rOW

DOWN:

1. Convince otherwise : DISSUADE - took a little too long to let go of PERSUADE

2. More disturbed : UNEASIER

3. Disdain : CONTEMPT

4. Skipjack, perhaps : TUNA - my one look-up; I was sure it was a boat, and it turns out it's also a block cipher, and the one we needed - TUNA

5. Tinny : STANNIC - which means "containing TIN"
- STANA KATIC is better

6. Nursery product word : GRO - Miracle-Gro, e.g.

7. Follies : REVUE

8. Draft picks : ALES

9. Traffic blocker? : NARC - the drug traffic

10. Shade provider? : DYE - the "?" meant it was NOT "ELM"

11. Extol : PRAISE

12. Dealer in old clothing : RAGMAN

13. Way more than a cold snap : ICE AGE

14. Darius I's successor : XERXES - Persian (likely Bibilical) kings

20. Reacts to with an eye roll, perhaps : SIGHS AT - wasn't there a 'Friends' episode where Joey wasn't allowed to roll his eyes at what Phoebe said?

25. Something to test : THEORY

26. Cry of approval : OLE - I had O-HO, then OYE, and I wondered what other "Heyenes" there could be (29A)

28. Laugh line? : HEE - hee-hee

29. Respect : HOMAGE - if you're being really reverent, it's an OH-MAHJE

30. Corrections staff? : EDITORS

32. Humanities degs. : MAs

35. Soup holder : CAN - sometimes, the simplest answers....

36. Best kind of full house : ACES OVER - I had ACE/KINGS, and that stopped me from getting anywhere in the SE for the longest time

37. Use lofty words? : SKYWRITE - HAR-HAR~!!!

38. Pounced on : ASSAILED

39. Short time? : MINute

40. Caldwell's "__ Road" : TOBACCO

41. Most popular baby girl's name of 2011 and 2012 : SOPHIA - what's the inspiration? Usually there's a super-popular female singer/star that causes the increase in popularity; Britney Spears was one I recall

42. They may be civil : UNIONS - wars, rights, engineers

43. __ acid : NITRIC

44. Prairie predator : COYOTE

47. Bouncing off the walls : HYPER

50. Large amount : SCAD

51. Haul : TOTE

53. Frank Kennedy saved it from foreclosure : TARA - the plantation from "Gone With the Wind"

55. Moral lapse : SIN

56. Twisty character : ESS - as in

Splynter

Saturday, Dec 14th, 2013, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie

Words: 72 (missing J,Q,X,Z)


Blocks: 34

     I really like the look of this labyrinthine grid - I hope it was not as hard for you to work through as it was for me - but I might just be tired.  I got blanked in the NE, had to Google a couple of things in order to get anything at all.  One grid climber today:

6. The Falcons of the Mountain West Conference : AIR FORCE ACADEMY - Colorado Springs, CO

and some of the two pairs of 10's and 9's in the corners;

17. Honda CRF, e.g. : TRAIL BIKE - one I had to look up; I pondered ELECTRIC CAR, but it ran out of juice

28. Its English version has more than 3.5 million entries : WIKTIONARY - Started with DICtionary, and that was close enough

3. Silly goose or sitting duck : NOUN-PHRASE - learning moment for me - the Wiki

54. Loretta Lynn's father was one : COAL MINER - is a child who was bad this year going to be a "COAL MINOR" at Christmas?

ward on~!

ACROSS:

1. Fiji neighbor : TONGA

6. Round server? : ALEHOUSE - DAH~! I tried BARMAID, too short, BARTENDER, too long....

14. Cutter cousin : SLOOP - boats - or should I say, ships

15. Research activity : FIELD TRIP - I took a "field trip" this week; UPS sent me to Queens for two days to deliver - what a completely different operation~!  I spent my 10-hours yesterday on FOUR blocks, period, delivering 300 packages.

16. Hot-and-cold feelings : AGUES - meh

18. Cost : RAN TO - this one still gets me; needed some perps to remind me

19. Honda et al.: Abbr. : MFRs - slight clecho from 17A; manufacturers

20. 1969 Tommy James and the Shondells hit : "SHE" - The other one I needed to look up

21. Canadian road sign letters : KPH - Kilometres per hour - no, wait that's British....Columbia???

22. Recent delivery : NEONATE - I just couldn't think of anything but NEWBORN

25. Architect Mies van der __ : ROHE

26. Cellphone display : BARS - signal strength

27. Midwestern tribe : IOWAs

31. Like some discount mdse. : IRRegular

32. "Powerage" band : AC/DC - going with a gratuitous Hard Rock music link from their previous album

33. Go away : VANISH

34. Org. led by David Stern : NBA - All perps; don't follow basketball

35. Infuse with : STEEP IN

37. The Wildcats of the Big 12 Conf. : KSU - A bit of a redundancy with the grid climber

38. Composer Holst : GUSTAV - English composer, famous for "The Planets"; his "Mars" piece was the inspiration for this number from the godfathers of Heavy Metal

40. Is not misused? : AIN'T - Isn't, misused

41. Noir protagonist : TEC - Detective, from the genre

42. Power : STEAM

43. Troubling spots : ACNE

44. Drop : SINK

45. Haberdashery items : TIETACS

47. On a roll : HOT

48. Devil : IMP

51. Bank deposit : LODE

52. Philatelist's purchases : PANES - of stamps

57. Get around : EVADE

58. "Li'l Abner" Tony winner, 1956 : EDIE ADAMS

59. iComfort maker : SERTA - hey~! NOT an Apple product~!

60. With equanimity : SEDATELY

61. "Shame __!" : ON YOU

DOWN:

1. Peter the Great, e.g. : TSAR

2. First International Gymnastics Hall of Fame inductee : OLGA KORBUT - seemed like the best WAG money could buy

4. "Faust" author : GOETHE

5. It roughly translates to "bearded" in Tibet : APSO

7. Picks up : LEARNS

8. Woman in a "Paint Your Wagon" song : ELISA

9. Aerobic exercise can raise it, briefly : HDL - ah, not BPM (heart-rate)

10. Wagering option, briefly : OTB - Dah~! not I.O.U.?

11. "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" screenwriter : URIS

12. Punjab sect member : SIKH

13. It's almost pointless : EPEE - tough way to clue a crossword staple - I could think of so many items without a point - even considered "KNEE" for a moment

15. NSA headquarters site : Ft. MEADE

22. "Grimm" network : NBC-TV - I WAGed ABC-TV, and was 80% right

23. Red Sox Hall of Fame pitcher Luis : TIANT - I defer to our C.C., who is proabably jonesing for some baseball these days

24. Forever and a day : EON

25. Gymnastic event : RINGS

29. Gave the go-ahead for : ASSENTED TO - started with SAID ---- TO

30. Peel off : SHUCK - not SHAVE - that showed up at 44D

32. "Same here" : AS AM I - what's an "asami"?

33. Jungle features : VINES

36. Grasping organ : PINCERS - not very useful on those VINES in the Jungle, though.   Some singular/plural deception

39. Bit of ink : TATtoo

43. Like some Hindemith works : ATONAL - If Mr. Silk says so....

44. Cut off : SHAVEN

46. Fail to say : ELIDE

48. Secures : ICES

49. Way : MODE

50. Took care of, in a way : PAID

52. Chilean cabbage? : PESO

53. Junior on the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team : SEAU

55. Rural area : LEA

56. Door closer? : MAT - Doormat - I've seen some funny ones at work (some harsh language on a few of these)

Splynter

Saturday, Dec 7th, 2013, Bruce Venzke

Theme: None

Words: 68 (missing Q,X,Y,Z)

Blocks: 34

   This is my third Saturday LAT from Bruce, and I think it's a spectacular looking puzzle with nearly perfect symmetry - and a very solvable puzzle at that~!  Not much to start with, but the solitary fill I had in each corner was just enough to work out some of the common language spanners - we have six today (and two 11-letter climbers);

17. Emergency strategies : EVACUATION PLANS - there was a HazMat fire at the UPS terminal in Uniondale, NY, in Nassau County; my center is in Suffolk; they had to call in FIVE fire deparments, plus a spill team.  That closed the operation for most of the morning sort - not a pretty scene.  No one hurt.

20. Mattered : MADE A DIFFERENCE

23. Post-election governmental meeting, perhaps : LAME DUCK SESSION - when the president knows he's not coming back in January - Wiki

42. Number? : LOCAL ANESTHESIA - Didn't fool me~!  Numb - ers, so I was looking for Novocaine, etc

47. Takes an opposite position : CHANGES ONE'S TUNE

56. Alters some game parameters : RAISES THE STAKES

ON WA RD~!

ACROSS:

1. Overseas county : SHIRE - anyone else read this as countRy?  I had CHINA to start

6. Zurich highlight : ALP - was looking for the German word for song/solo, "ARIA"

9. Golden Gate element : CABLE - tried TOWER first

 14. Saved for later, in a way : TAPED - not much these days; everything I watch is digitally recorded on the cable company DVR

15. Architectural prefix : NEO - nice alternative to "Matrix" character and "opposite paleo-"

16. Providers of added light : ATRIA

 21. NBA great : Dr.J - Not a basketball fan, but I DID know it was not "OTT" nor "ORR"

22. Bush led it for about a yr. in the '70s : CIA

32. March middle : IDES

33. They may lead to risky moves : DARES

34. Many a reference book : TOME

35. Like some tempers : BAD - had it in, took it out; I had the wrong idea for the crossing "suit" (23D)

36. "Reversal of Fortune" Oscar winner : IRONS - Jeremy

37. Brimless hat : TAM - Took a gamble and tried FEZ; BZZ

38. Home of Phillips University : ENID - Oklahoma

40. Secretary of State after Colin, familiarly : CONDI - Condoleezza Rice

41. Candy __ : CANE - anyone try "GRAM" here?

45. Seinfeld specialty : WIT - meh

46. Electrical particle : ION

57. Great enthusiasm : ARDOR

58. Classified abbr. : EOE - Equal Opportunity Employer

59. Part of a meet : EVENT

60. Disengages, as from a habit : WEANS

61. High degree : Ph.D - not "Nth"

62. Comes up short : LOSES

DOWN:

1. Arise (from) : STEM

2. "__ Nagila" : HAVA

3. Jobs news of 2010 : iPAD - Steve Jobs, of Apple

4. Moves back : RECEDES

5. Former Georgian president Shevardnadze : EDUARD - mostly perps

6. Freeze beginning : ANTI - Antifreeze; my water pump went on the Dodge this past Wednesday - it's still sitting in the parking lot at UPS.  The car owes me nothing - it's got 242,000 miles, and it's 14yrs old - I am seriously considering the Dodge Dart come January

7. Hero in Treece's "Vinland the Good" : LEIF - Henry Treece, who wrote this juvenile historical account of Leif Ericsson

8. Magic word : "POOF"

9. Mid-calf pants : CAPRIs

 10. That much or more : AT LEAST

11. Grain layer : BRAN

12. Omar's role in "The Mod Squad" : LINC

13. No effort : EASE

18. Settles : ADJUDICATES - healthy $2 word

19. Bare things : NECESSITIES - the 'bare necessities' - OR - Bear?

23. Suit material : LIBEL - ah, THAT kind of (law) suit

24. Hersey's bell town : ADANO

25. Front VIP : MEDIC - my first thought was front office, but this is the battlefield front

26. Leslie of "Fanny" : CARON - stuck on Nielsen

27. Danish capital : KRONE - capital as in money

28. Enthralls : SENDS

29. Whits : IOTAs - not a whit (iota) of truth

30. Arabian peninsula native : OMANI

31. Mythical lion's home : NEMEA - I tried ASLAN, but that's THE lion ( and the wrong one )

39. Suddenly occurs to : DAWNS ON

41. 1/100 of a Brazilian real : CENTAVO - more money

43. Hybrid cats : LIGERS - LIon/tiGERs - oh MY~!

44. Low-cost stopover : HOSTEL

47. Sticking place : CRAW

48. Memorable napper : HARE - Aesop fable where the slow and steady tortoise wins - I did not know there was some 'controversy' over its interpretation

49. Radamès' love : AIDA

50. Flight feature : STEP - A flight of stairs

51. "We're in trouble!" : OH-OH

52. Call for : NEED

53. They usually have four strings : UKES

54. Birds seen by players of 53-Down : NE-NE

55. Body shop figs. : ESTimateS - I fiugre the water pump on the old Dodge is going to cost me $300-400, and that sounds like a new car payment to me....

Splynter

Another two-letter word game;

What are these lists which use one letter from the first pair to the next?

AL LA AR RI IN NM MN NY

GW WW WH HT TJ JB BO

NA AS SI IR RN NE

Saturday, Nov 30th, 2013, Julian Lim

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing J,K,Q,X)

Blocks: 32

   There was a point during this solve that I started thinking there might also a steady increase in the difficulty of these Saturday puzzles as the year progresses, too - I struggled last week, and there was way too much white this week, as well.  But, little by slowly, by digging into the depths of my brain, and with a few crossword educated WAGs, I was able to close this one out - with one goof-up on my end.  Deceptive looking grid, with paired 10's hiding inside the edges, crossing two more:

33. Setting for the 2001 film "No Man's Land" : BOSNIAN WAR - IMDb - I have not heard of this film

42. Inexplicable, in a way : PARANORMAL - I learned this word in my "ute" from Ghostbusters, and 'paranormal activity'

11. Sneaker inserts : ODOR-EATERS - old commercial, I originally went with "---GELS"

12. Short-term residence, usually : FOSTER HOME - Pretty sure we were looking for a "---HOME", but had to wait for the kind of home

27. "Song based on a letter," per McCartney : P.S.I LOVE YOU - Also a movie

28. Bigoted : INTOLERANT - straight up definition, and for me the hardest part of late-week puzzles; the one-word clue/answer

O             N           W        a    R D ~!

ACROSS:

1. Leafhopper relative : CICADA - Well, I was pretty sure a leafhopper was a kind of bug, and once the "C-C" appeared....

7. 2002 Man Booker Prize-winning novel : LIFE OF PI - also a movie; never heard of this prize

15. Oath : AVOWAL

16. Show of confidence : "I CAN DO IT~!" - I think I would have preferred "Shout" over 'Show'

17. Evict : REMOVE

18. Accounting concerns : NET COSTS

19. Ad infinitum? : PR BLITZ - my only goof; for some reason, a P.A. Blitz made sense (see this clip); plus, crossing the totally unknown 2D....

21. Having a dark complexion : SWARTHY

22. Clipper target : NAIL - started with HAIR - 50% right - I think I have my math right this time~!

24. "Permit Me Voyage" poet : AGEE - I like our Corner poet, Owen - and his handicapped points reminds me of "Death Race"

25. Dish prepared hot and served cold : ASPIC - dug up from the dredges

29. Ones, e.g.: Abbr. : NOs - remember when this "#" meant number???

31. Fonda's "My Darling Clementine" role : EARP

36. Like Singha beer : THAI

38. Correction : EDIT

39. Astronomical scales : LIBRA

 40. Tremendous spans : EONS - Time spans

41. Olympic hurdler Jones : LOLO - her website

44. Stop wearing down? : MOLT - Har-Har~!  Down, the under plumage of a bird, that is

46. Fa follower : SOL - Do, re, me, fa, SOL?, la, ti, do - why does this one get three letters? Speaking of two-letters, see below

47. "I don't care if you __ again": The Cars lyric : USE ME - from "You're All I've Got Tonight"

48. Coal container : VEIN - I tried MINE - 75% right, but in the completely wrong squares

50. Showed grief : WEPT

52. Mr. Peabody's boy : SHERMAN - before my time; Rocky & Bullwinkle

55. Conic section : ELLIPSE - I wanted PARABOLA, but it didn't fit

60. Balance sheet items : PAYABLES

62. Make less musty : AIR OUT

63. Like some decals : IRONED ON - Ah, the past tense

64. Easier to see, perhaps : NEARER

65. It's not charged : NEUTRINO - subatomic particle

66. Cakewalk : BREEZE

DOWN:

1. Kvetch : CARP - Started with CRAB - again, 75% right, but only 25% in the right squares

2. 2011 Best New Artist Grammy winner Bon __ : IVER - I think I am getting to that age where the music of today makes me feel like my father did as I was growing up, when I thought Iron Maiden was the best band ever - he preferred Dean Martin, so you can see the discrepancy - I suppose it could be worse - I could have kids that actually listen to this stuff

3. Parting aid : COMB - I liked this, but it took a moment to 'get it'

4. Taps absentee, possibly : AWOL

5. Renaissance standout : DA VINCI

6. Hal Foster's Queen of the Misty Isles : ALETA

7. Author Yutang : LIN

8. Refreshing treats : ICES

9. Islamic ruling : FATWA - another one I dredged up

10. Put behind bars : ENCAGE

13. Substance : PITH

14. Far from substantial : ITSY

20. Hummingbird attractors : ZINNIAS -  went with PISTILS - can you tell I skipped Biology?

23. Like some humor : LOWBROW - according to one source, phrenologists of the late 19th century claimed that the height of one's brow was a clear indicator of intelligence

25. Genesis son : ABEL - and a slight clecho;

26. Genesis city : SODOM

30. Ball Park Franks owner : SARA LEE

32. 2011 ABC show with multiple pilots : PAN AM - subtle misdirection, as a 'pilot' of a show is the first one the producers make

34. The tallest one is nearly 16,000 feet high : ALP - If this were Jeopardy!, the response would be "What is Mount Blanc?"

35. Took off : RAN

37. Emerald __ : ISLE

43. Statistical anomaly : OUTLIER

45. Building material : TIMBER - Ha-HA~!  I had LUMBER, and that's 67% right, and in the proper squares~!!!

49. Nita of early filmdom : NALDI

51. Backup : PLAN B

52. __ doctor : SPIN - I had EXPENSES at 60A, and this answer made me change it

53. Hopping game? : HARE - Game as in hunter's prey

54. __ Carrot: Crayola color : NEON - well, I can see that

56. Requiem title word : IRAE - "Dies Irae", crossword staple

57. Plant's stoma, e.g. : PORE - yeah, see 20D.

58. 1956 crisis site : SUEZ

59. French 101 word : ÊTRE

61. __-Cat : SNO

 This week's discussion on M & Ms (@9:15am) reminded me of a similar game I came up with back in my bar days.  I will give two letters, and I'm looking for two words that start with those letters, but having opposite meanings.  Some easy ones to start;
L - R
H - C
U - D
and some maybe a little more difficult - and there's more than one answer in some cases
S - S
B - E
B - F
 Have fun - let me see what you come up with

Splynter

Saturday, Nov 23rd, 2013, John Lieb & David Quarfoot

Theme: None

Words: 72 (missing F,J,Q,Z)

Blocks: 29

     Started out really well, but this one crushed me and good - nothing really difficult word-wise, but the cluing was so vague that red-letters came up early, and even that wasn't good enough.  John Lieb has appeared here before; C.C. credits David Quarfoot with the pinwheel grid design of 9-letter and 8-letter corners, and nothing longer.  No spanners, and as discussed before, when you get a 15-letter answer, it usually opens the puzzle up a bit.  Some answers of note;

1. Holiday portmanteau : TURDUCKEN - The combination of a turkey, duck and chicken, one stuffed inside the other - have to say I have not tried this dish yet....

13. Kyoto-based entertainment company : NINTENDO - They make the Wii console, too - I tried the golf, and it just frustrated me; bowling was more enjoyable

35. Minor obstacle? : BABY GATE - Oh, so good~! Took a long time for anything in the south to take shape for me....now, if I can just work this thingy here, and then slide that over there....

63. Stud revelations : HOLE CARDS - Poker; oh, THAT kind of stud; it annoys me when I get into a mindset, then stay trapped inside - I was thinking 2x4 framing lumber and males the whole time.  Hole Cards are the two you're ( usually ) dealt face down to start a hand

$F%X&#ONWARD~!

ACROSS:

10. Turned up : ON END - ugh, that kind of turned "up"

15. Hoops situation involving a bonus free throw : ONE AND ONE - Basketball, when a player is fouled (?) - not my game

16. Odds, essentially : RATIO

17. Tennessee's state reptile : BOX TURTLE - Aww

18. Pointless : INANE

19. Mental health org. : APA - well, I figured it was an "A - A" group, the "P" is for Psychological, and here's a music link

20. Longest-serving Dodger coach Manny : MOTA - echo (echo)(echo) "...now batting - Manny (Manny)(Manny) Mota (Mota)(Mota)

21. Puts forth : POSITS

22. Bucks : GELT - Money slang

24. Like some sins : MORTAL - Yay~! I got one~!

26. Holiday serving : LEG - Oh so vague....I can think of a better clue for this;

27. Dental crown alternative : ONLAY

29. People magazine Sexiest Man Alive of 1999 : GERE - I started with gOre - Um, that's not right

30. Harmonia's daughter, in Greek myth : INO

31. Vituperate : CURSE AT

34. Menu option : UNDO - Just had this - SEND, EDIT, VIEW, FILE, etc

35. Program, perhaps : BOOKLET

38. Chaac, to Mayans : RAIN GOD -various spellings


40. Looking frightened : ASHY

41. Pretend, in a way : LIP SYNC

43. NCAA year-end games system : BCS - Bowl Championship Series - the Wiki; My buddy Mike is in Philly this weekend, I worked too late to go; next weekend he starts a whirlwind tour of the East Coast NFL and college games to promote his new "Quarterback Touchdown" game

44. Word with sugar or spice : MILL - Sugar Mill, Spice Mill - took forever to see this; again, I got stuck on Spice GIRL, and Sugar PILL

45. Put in : ELECT - Ugh, that kind of  "PUT"

49. Slangy agreement : YAH - Yea, Yep, just keep at it

50. Common hand span : OCTAVE - I am bruised on the forehead from the V-8 can; the hand can span the keys of a keyboard, which is an octave ( 13 keys )

53. Catch in pots : EELS - DAR~! Seen it before, couldn't remember

54. Receives : GREETS

56. Shakespearean "over there" : YONDer - Poetic

58. Go on : YAK

59. Doddering : ANILE - SEnile, yes, Anile, no.  Denile is not just a river in Egypt

60. Cut : EDITED OUT

62. Sign of emptiness : TO LET - as in apartments for rent; the one at mom's house has finally been filled, and the guy seems OK - let's see what happens Dec 1

64. Toponymic dairy items : EDAMS - toponymic meaning name derived from a place; in this case, the Dutch cheese

65. Summer TV offering with a "Jaws of Steel Collection" DVD : SHARK WEEK - I am pleased to say this one did actually come to me, sort of a logical educated WAG; I do not care for the show; not a big fan of sharks - they are cool, but I like

DOWN:

1. Lesser Antilles island : TOBAGO

2. Sealed : UNOPEN - meh

3. Old drugstore chain : REXALL - I tried READES, and it got me part-way there

4. "Can't Help Lovin' __ Man" : DAT

5. Word on a bill : UNUM - E Pluribus Unum - Latin; 'One from Many'

6. Storage medium : CD-ROM

7. Actor Yaphet __ of "Midnight Run" : KOTTO - also Parker in Alien (on the right in the image) - what was the cat's name?  Anyone?

8. Swell : ENLARGE - I started with ENGORGE - say, where's my mind?

9. Formerly : NEE

10. Yankee foe : ORIOLE - baseball for C.C.

11. Some flatbreads : NANS

12. Selling using servers : ETAILING - "E" word; online shopping, and Cyber Monday happens to be "BLACK MONDAY" at UPS

14. Acts altruistically : DOES GOOD

21. Bash, affectedly : "PAR-TAY~!"

23. Tasteless : TACKY - like the preceeding answer?

25. Rushes : TEARS - tAres, not tEErs

28. Co-star of Steve in "The Magnificent Seven" : YUL

32. They may be dug up : RELICS - had it in, took it out, put it back in

33. Circus elevator : STILT - D-oh~!  Took W-A-A-A-A-Y too long to get

34. Godfather, sometimes : UNCLE

36. Academy affirmation : OSCAR NOD - great clue/answer

37. 1985 #1 hit for Ready for the World : OH SHEILA - I grew up with the song, but didn't recall the artist's name

39. Like Vivaldi's "Spring" : IN E - put in the "IN" and wait....

42. "Imagination Taking Shape" sloganeer : PLAY-DOH - Great slogan, too~!

44. Church compositions : MOTETS

46. Kiddie lit character with a detachable tail : EEYORE - Learning moment; I did not know this

47. Composer Debussy : CLAUDE

48. Reproachful warning : TSK TSK - my biggest "MEH" of the day

51. "There!" : VOILA - I definitely did not get my "Ta-DA~!!" on this puzzle

52. Join : ENTER

55. He or I, e.g. : ELEMent - way cool clue that did not fool me; Helium and Iodine

57. Sea level? : DECK - I had DOCK, which stumped me for the longest time; I was thinking dry land - sailors (tars, etc.,) might have been on the ship's deck wavelength

60. Half-hearted responses : EHs

61. Crow cousin : DAW

Splynter

Saturday, Nov 16th, 2013, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie

Words: 70 (missing K,Q,X)

Blocks: 30

   Again I sensed we were getting a Silkie....Lots of 'awards' * in this one. Triple 9's in two corners, and double 10-letter climbers in the other two; curiously, but probably not unplanned, the first pair both end in "-DAY", which resulted in baseball related crossings:

2. Event celebrated in "Through the Looking-Glass" : UNBIRTHDAY

3. When "you're gonna want me for your girl," in a 1963 hit : "ONE FINE DAY"

30. Album that includes "Michelle" : RUBBER SOUL - The Beatles
 
31. Disbeliever's comeuppance : "I TOLD YOU SO~!" - I seem to say this a lot; guess I need to be a little more insistent the first time....

o n w a r d

ACROSS:

1. Elevates : BUOYS - I was feeling jaunty today, and just went right ahead with whatever thought came to mind; so this was "LIFTS" at first - hey, I figured the "S" was right....

6. Nearly : JUST ABOUT - and this went right in as well - and stayed

15. Reaction to flatness : ENNUI - I thought we might be looking for a variation of "PTUI", spitting out flat soda

16. Not predestined : AVOIDABLE - UPS has a category of accidents they classify as "avoidable" - in other words, one that they can blame on "ME".  We did get our computers installed for the new "ORION" system this past week - see D-Otto's comment from Tuesday

17*. 1975 Pulitzer winner for criticism : EBERT - well, now that I see it, seems pretty obvious

18. Early German fliers : ZEPPELINS

19. Whiskey purchase : FIFTH - not QUART

20. Jolts : ZAPS

21. Substantive part : MEAT

22. Sanskrit term of respect : SRI

23. Old Spanish bread : PESETA - money slang

25. Safe investment choices : T-NOTES - went with T-BONDS, which was 67% right

28. Bad mark : DEMERIT

33*. "Monster" Oscar winner : THERON - Charlize

34. Court service : JURY DUTY

35. Accessory : ADD ON

36. "Shirt Front and Fork" artist : ARP - Image

37. Drum accompanying a fife : TABOR - ah, not snare, but essentially, a portable snare drum; the classic image

38. Team nicknamed the Halos, briefly : L.A. ANGELS

40. Risk : GAMBLE

41*. Five-time 30-game winner of early baseball : CY YOUNG - and the MLB pitcher's award

42. Got tight : TENSED

43. Moisture overload results, in plants : EDEMAS

45. Manhattan part : RYE - the mixed drink, which was popular with my family, but not me

47. Door support : JAMB

51. Source of a cc : ORIGinal - the carbon copy cc, not a "VIAL" cc - and a shout out to our host~!

52. "Lolita" co-star, 1962 : MASON - IMDb

54. Side unit : ONION RING - side DISH would have to be plural

56. One way to think : ALOUD

57. Court expert : TENNIS ACE

58. "The Liberty Bell" composer : SOUSA

59. Made more attractive, as a deal : SWEETENED

60. Serf : HELOT

DOWN:

1. Gripes : BEEFS

4. Mongolian dwelling : YURT - fixed my "LIFTS"

5. Jedi foes : SITH - fear of the "Darths"

6. Spices (up) : JAZZES

7. Eye parts : UVEAs

8. Absorbed : SOPPED UP

9. Adviser of a sort : TIPSTER

10. Cannon attachment : ADE - Cannonade

11. Soother : BALM

12*. Drama Desk relative : OBIE - Broadway Awards

13. Prismatic bone : ULNA - well, you can sort of see it in this image - 

14. Lab work : TEST

23. Parker product : PEN

24. "The Joy Luck Club" author : AMY TAN - won a BAFTA award

26. Campus town near Bangor : ORONO  - Ha HA~! I knew this would come around sooner or later

27. Shoe part : TONGUE

29. Semi-hard cheeses : EDAMS

32. London flat? : TYRE - British spelling for the rubber that meets the road - and sometimes a nail or screw in that same road

33. It's 1 on the Mohs scale : TALC - Hardness - for minerals, that is - see here

34. Some coll. students : JRs

36. Constantine native : ALGERIAN

39. Back : ENDORSE

40. Some microwaves : GEs - I went with LGs first

42. Caught stealing, say : TAGGED - I tried NABBED, but the two crosses ending with "B" seemed a bit too much

44. Chop up : MINCE

46. Stop by : END AT

47. Little bits : JOTS

48. Fresh : ANEW

49. Place for a rock group? : MINE - nice

50. Something to pick? : BONE - "I've got a bone to pick with you~!" - a bit of history

52. Plymouth potato dish : MASH

53. 11-Down substance : ALOE - good way to avoid having to clue this "lotion ingredient"

55. Young louse : NIT - and those little things in crosswords that tend to irk some solvers~!

Splynter

Saturday, Nov 9th, 2013, Norm Guggenbiller

Theme: None

Words: 68 (missing J,Q,W,X)

Blocks: 38

   This is a new constructor for me, but Norm's last LAT was this year in May.  As for the puzzle, lots of white on the first Across pass, but then some solid perp(endicular)s on the Down run filled in enough to go back and take some W.A.G.s.  Triple 9's in two corners and then a nifty little 4-way spiral of 9-letter words in the center, plus two 11-letter spanners intersecting two 11-letter climbers;

20A. Questionable strategy for a runner? : SMEAR TACTIC - Political office runners, that is

45A. Golf tournament display : LEADER BOARD - Lee Westwood is sponsored by UPS

11D. Bring up something sensitive : TOUCH A NERVE - Didn't quite "Nail It", more like I "pre-drilled" the hole for it - I pre-filled in "-N-E-S-S" for 29A, since a clue using "quality" usually implies this attribute

22D. Bodybuilding goal : SCULPTED ABS - I knew where this was going, but I started with SIX PACK, which was too short, then ROCK HARD, and that wasn't working.  So, for the ladies -

(dreaming) ONWARD~!

ACROSS:

1. Long-odds track bets : PERFECTAS - I never understood horse racing bets - here's a link for anyone else who feels the same

10. Early launch rocket : ATLAS - some history

15. Marketing resource : EMAIL LIST - ends up in my SPAM folder

16. Gear part : TOOTH

17. Small-time : PENNY ANTE

18. All, in Assisi : TUTTO - like this?

19. Piece of work : ERG - Ah - not "ART"

22. Tastes : SIPS - had it in, took it out, put it back in

23. Kept from spreading : IN CHECK

24. Media __ : CIRCUS

27. Kind of colorful shirt : ALOHA - I wanted Hawaiian, but it didn't fit - never heard it called an aloha shirt before today

28. Bad blood : ODIUM

29. Stale quality : TRITENESS

33. Fire : ZEAL - Early on, I cannot tell if it's the "AXE" kind of fire, or this, the enthusiasm kind

34. A cup may be one : PRIZE - So where was my mind?  I had --IZE, and thought B-SIZE cup, C-SIZE cup, D-SIZE....oh, a trophy, like in hockey....

 35. Computer menu option : EDIT - gee, FILE, SAVE, UNDO, VIEW, COPY....

36. Polite assent : YES, PLEASE

38. Scrubber's target : GRIME

39. Comedian Fields : TOTIE - quick bio

40. Capitulate : CAVE IN - DAH~! I had giVE IN, which messed me up

41. Soil test measure : PH LEVEL

44. Reduce : PARE - my first thought, and yet one of my last fills

47. Cristal maker : BIC - Totally baffled me - Cristal is Champagne, the 'good stuff'; here the reference is to the pen from the company of disposable products

50. "__ Smith and Jones": '70s TV Western : ALIAS - IMDb

51. Available to order : ON THE MENU

53. "__ honest ..." : I'LL BE

54. Like a tense person's teeth? : SET ON EDGE

55. One who's doomed : TOAST - see 52D

56. Read impatiently : SKIP AHEAD - Like this scene ( @ 0:46 )?

DOWN:

1. Latino Muppet prawn : PEPE - Never heard of him, but I do recognize him

2. It calls for immediate attn. : EMERgency

3. Buzzed : RANG

4. "Jaws" omen : FIN - Na-num.

5. Mythological paradise : ELYSIUM - because Utopeea is not how you spell it

6. Woodworking devices : CLAMPS - ah, not LATHES
Na-num
7. They have points : TINES - they ARE points

8. Dog star : ASTA

9. Make safe for use, in a way : STERILIZE
Na-num Na-num
10. Diplomacy figure : ATTACHÉ - I went with LIAISON - BZZZT~!!!

12. Singer Lenya : LOTTE - recognize her in "From Russia With Love"

13. Where to see some old clothes : ATTIC

14. Culture __ : SHOCK
Na-num Na-num Na-num Na-num
21. Fed. security : T-NOTE

24. Conspiratorial : COZY - I went with CAGY - seemed more appropriate

25. French bean product? : IDEE - Frawnch for 'idea'

26. River inlets : RIAs
Na-Na Na-Na Na-Na Na-Na Na-Na Na-Na Na-Na Na-Na~!
27. Come about : ARISE - like him?

29. Head out West? : TRAIL BOSS

30. Emmy winner Falco : EDIE

31. __ Valley : SIMI

32. Uzi predecessor : STEN

34. Actor Gallagher : PETER

37. Tennis shutout : LOVE SET

38. Floral-sounding Los Angeles suburb : GARDENA - down in the grey area on this map - never been to L.A.

40. Sonic server : CAR-HOP

41. Braid : PLAIT

42. First response to a call : HELLO

43. Former boxer Ali : LAILA - Daughter of Muhammad

44. Page of music : PATTI

46. Short run, for short : ONE K

47. Eliot title character : BEDE - Adam Bede - a WAG, since I was not sure of BIC

48. "Listen to Your Heart" singer in the musical "Young Frankenstein" : INGA - could have been IGOR for all I know - loved the movie, didn't know there was a musical

49. Prompted : CUED

52. "Big deal" : MEH - and a crossword solver's response to an answer that seems a bit of a stretch for the clue

Splynter

Saturday, Nov 2nd, 2013, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie

Words: 70 (missing X,Z)

Blocks: 32

    I expected a Saturday Silkie, and was not disappointed.  Today's offering was pretty straight forward, at least for me.  Not too many obscurities, and enough 'easy' crossings to take a healthy stab at the longer fills.  Interesting middle stack of a spanner and two offset 14-letter words, and triple 8's and 6's in the corners.  For today:

 33. Sirius B, for one : WHITE DWARF STAR - I knew we were looking for a "STAR" here, but on my first pass, I thought it was a BINARY, um, something-something STAR.  I am a huge fan of "Ancient Aliens", and the show repeatedly mentions how this star system has something to do with extra-terrestrials

38. Food safety aid : MEAT THERMOMETER

39. They included Chopin's "Prelude in E Minor," in a film title : FIVE EASY PIECES - funny, but now that I know the movie has a character who was once studying piano, the title makes much more sense....

!~DRAWNO

ACROSS:

 1. Some legal cases : ATTACHES - DAH~! Right off the bat, I got "43A" thinking this was a court 'case', not a brief 'case'

9. Its results commonly fall between 70 and 130 : I.Q. TEST - I was tested in high school; care to guess what my number was?

15. Take inventory? : SHOPLIFT - "Marriage is a punishment for shoplifting in some countries"  - What movie~!?!?!?

16. Shade : NUANCE - ooh, good Saturday clue for this word

17. Nurturing : MOTHERLY

18. Shilling spender : KENYAN - I threw in BRITON, but was pretty sure it was wrong - a Kenyan shilling is worth about .012 US dollars as of yesterday

19. O or A, e.g. : ALer - ARGH~!  Got me again~!  The Athletics and Orioles of MLB; I went with "TYPE", because they're both blood types; it wasn't until Aphrodite showed up ( alas, only in today's puzzle ) did I give it up


20. Bottom topper : TALC - Ah, yes, a quick pat on the bum with the baby powder

22. Old-school lament : EGADS~!

23. Discharged British soldier : DEMOB - to be demobilized - got it

25. Electronic music genre : TECHNO - I like the electronic genre - odd, coming from a kid who grew up on Iron Maiden.  An electronica sample

27. Cologne article : DER

29. Sign of summer : LEO Astrological sign; I've been reading my horoscope a lot lately - it seems to be a day behind, instead of ahead....

30. Roxy Music alum : ENO

40. Princeton Review subj. : GRE - Graduate Record Examinations, follwed by -

41. MIT Sloan degree : MBA - Master of Business Administration

42. Wheels : CAR - I'm going to have to wait on new wheels - I am officially "cut" as a driver on Jan 15th, and then all trainee drivers will be brought back s-l-o-w-l-y

43. Took in : MISLED - not the sewing/altered took in, not the "movie" took in

46. Staircase support : NEWEL - Meh - this is more of a stair handrail support, but I'm a nit-picking carpenter

50. Arabic for "struggle" : JIHAD - a WAG, but a sensible one - the SW was my last corner to fill in

53. Salts : TARS - Slang words for sailor

55. "The Diana Chronicles" author Brown : TINA

56. Fulfills a need : AVAILS

58. They get high on occasion : SOPRANOS - Har-har~!

60. More futile : VAINER

61. Ring : ENCIRCLE - the verb today

62. Makes hot : ANGERS - ah, not ANNOYS

63. 2012, e.g. : LEAP YEAR - partial hybrid solar eclipse tomorrow AM

DOWN:

1. Equally hot : AS MAD - ah, the same kind of "hot" found in 62A

2. Oarlock pin : THOLE - sticking up from the gunwales

3. Tribal emblem : TOTEM - this is what I wanted to fill in, but it was not agreeing with my "TYPE"

4. Venus counterpart : APHRODITE - sheesh~!  Check out from whence she was born....

5. Indians' home, on scoreboards : CLEveland - always a little baseball for C.C.~!  (BTW, "Major League" was on the other night - still funny, IMO )

6. "Cotton Candy" musician : HIRT - I'll let you link away

7. Key for some clarinets : E FLAT - fill in "FLAT", and wait....

8. Panache : STYLE

9. Newspaper supply : INK

10. Nickname for Leona Helmsley : QUEEN OF MEAN

11. Sierra follower, in the NATO alphabet : TANGO - see below

12. Singer born Eithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin : ENYA - crossword staple, and pretty much an educated WAG

13. Whole lot : SCAD

14. Place for an adder? : TENS - one who 'adds' uses ones, tens, hundreds, etc., columns to line up for summing

21. Wood shop device : C-CLAMP - great for doing you brake pads, too - which is on my to-do list this weekend

24. Author of the children's book "The Saga of Baby Divine" : BETTE MIDLER

26. Valiant : HEROIC

28. Therapy goals : REHABS - sober house goals, too

30. Major finale? : ETTE - majorETTE

31. Highland rejections : NAEs

32. Bruin great : ORR - Hockey; the NY Rangers are starting to improve; EddyB's Sharks are 10-1

33. Small dam : WEIR

34. Eat : HAVE - ah, not DINE

35. Make potable, as seawater : DESALT

36. Like some humor : WRY - minor change from Dry to Wry

37. Cabinet part : SECRETARY - Government cabinet, that is - I was all in carpentry mode; stile, rail, panel, shelf, etc.

38. Plant activity: Abbr. : ManuFacturinG - industrial plant, that is

43. Bates College locale : MAINE - Oddly, I WAGed ORONO, because of the "O" from ANNOYS; HEY - I was in the right state~!

44. Oil holder : EASEL - ooh, a bit of a stretch, but yes, an oil painting can be supported by an easel

45. Go (on) dully : DRONE

47. Recoil : WINCE

48. Name on a WWII flier : ENOLA - Gay, dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima

49. Surgery tool : LASER

50. Language of software engineers : JAVA

51. Novelist Turgenev : IVAN

52. White House chief of staff after Haldeman : HAIG

54. Humane org. : SPCA

57. Yearbook sect. : SRs - Here's my senior pic, 24yrs ago

59. Criticize : RIP - and yes, you can "RIP" into my photo all you want~!!!

 SierraPapaLimaYankeeNovemberTangoEchoRomeo

 

Saturday, Oct 26th, 2013, Ned White

Theme: None

Words: 70 (misssing J,Q,X,Z)

Blocks: 30

   How's this for an early Halloween scare???  My first look at the triple triple-15-letter spanners and I immediately ran for the DOWNS.  And that didn't help much.  Too many abbrs., names and vagueness to be of any good - at first.  The key to solving this construction, for me, was to go with my 'crossword instinct', meaning that the long answers would most likely end with E, S, T, R, etc. - and then, with my smattering of DOWN fill, I literally worked my way from the bottom up.  I'll admit to one bad cell (*), and I cheated and went to my analog dictionary for the spelling of 1A.  

The Spanners:

1. Wedding reception fare : HOT HORS D'OEUVRES - I missed the "U", and jumbled my "R" and "V"

16. Hunter's accessory : AMMUNITION POUCH - I delivered a box of ammo to a guy today who was questioning why I required a signature; it had nothing to do with his 2nd Amendment rights, but UPS does require an adult to sign for explosives.  Period.

17. Fourth-generation relative : GREAT GRAND-NIECE

32. Certain cohabitant : DOMESTIC PARTNER - when I was in the Sober House, everyone would talk about their "S.O." - I thought it was a variation on a P.O. - parole officer.  Turned out to be their "significant other" - sounds pretty cold to me

37. Anglican leader : EPISCOPAL PRIEST

38. Beethoven work completed the same year as the "Moonlight" : PASTORALE SONATA - let's hear a little

53. Have a considerably negative effect on : MILITATE AGAINST - about the only one that is not a 'common phrase'

58. Recipe datum : PREPARATION TIME

59. Fitness specialist : STRENGTH TRAINER

O~N~W~A~R~D~!

ACROSS:

18. Wrong : SIN

19. 1980s pop duo with an exclamation point in their name : WHAM!

20. Stowe novel : DRED - more here

21. Chanel competitor : COTY - They used to make "IRON" cologne, and I loved it: I miss it, too - it really defined "me" - it's a Ferro-pheromone alloy....

22. Chihuahua chatter : ARFs - eh, not YIPs

25. Rent-__ : A-CAR

28. Jolly Roger crewman : SMEE

29. Desperate letters : S.O.S.

39. Cobb and others : TYs

40. Get up : RISE

41. Scrapes (out) : EKES

42. Moments : SECs

43. One may be zapped : TV AD - I zap every one of them, because I watch everything from my DVR - and there's no one else in the UPS truck to spoil a show for me~!

46. Deuce follower : AD IN - advantage in - when the server is one point up after deuce on his/her opponent, and could take the next one and win - the Wiki if you really want to get confused

49. Cup part : BRIM

50. One of Can.'s Maritime provinces : P.E.I. - Prince Edward Island - one of those crossword instinct answers that does NOT end in E, S, T, R.

DOWN:

1. Crones : HAGS - I put in PALS, but that's cronies.

2. "Dallas" actor Katz : OMRI - IMDb

3. Bootleggers' foes : T-MEN - I put in FEDS to start

4. '70s Chinese leader : HUA - I defer to our very own C.C. for more on this

5. Huddle directive : ON TWO....

6. In order : RIGHT - and an anti-clecho 27D. Not in order : AMISS

7. Cattle drive concern : STRAY - I tried DINGO, but the word I was meant to fill in was DOGIE

8. Spherical meas. : DIAMeter

9. Suffix with bass : OON - BassOON

10. Close : END - the verb

11. "Buffy" airer after The WB : UPN

12. Cancels : VOIDS

13. Penitent : RUER - The noun, in this case; I always think of the scene from "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" when I hear penitent

14. Old Roman cry : ECCE~!  Behold~!

15. Discard : SHED - Not TOSS, going with my instinct

21. Peak : CREST - hey, nice peaks

22. Liberal : AMPLE - quite ample

23. Takes in : REAPS

24. Alloy prefix : FERRO - "Iron", like in these fine examples

25. Pro : ADEPT

26. Pharmacy figure : CO-PAY and a semi-clecho with;

28. Bygone pharmacy fixture : SCALE

29. Preview opener? : SNEAK - sneak preview

30. Montevideo-to-Buenos Aires dirección : OESTE - map

31. Sp. lasses : SRTAs

33. Tie, perhaps : SCORE - you bet your ASCOT I got this one~!

34. Like doughnuts : TORIC - OK, so I went with HOLEY - I had a very white grid....

35. "Not for me" : "I PASS"

36. Pointed, in a way : TINED

42. Marsh bird : SNIPE - STORK, EGRET~?

43. It may be inherited : TRAIT

44. Bounce : VIGOR - yes, she's got some 'vigor' to her....

45. Appliance maker once owned by Raytheon : AMANA

46. Intensifies, with "up" : AMPS

47. Skinny : DIRT - and the title of Mötley Crüe's biography

48*. Robert of "The Sopranos" : ILER - the "L" got me

49. Three-time LPGA Player of the Year Daniel : BETH

50. Nabokov novel : PNIN - pronounced P'neen

51. Edward's adoptive mother in the "Twilight" series : ESME - a WAG, since I have not, and do not care to see any of these movies - but it worked well with my E, S, T, R instinct

52. Anatomical passage : ITER - Latin for journey - I can see that

54. A spray might be used for one : TAN

55. Uru. neighbor : ARGentina, constructor Ned must like the area - see 30D.

56. Parlor work, briefly : TATtoo - and a chance for a music link

57. "Lord, is __?": Matthew : "IT I?"

Splynter

Saturday, Oct19th, 2013, Doug Peterson & Brad Wilber

Theme: DP&BW

Words: 72 (missing Q,X,Z)

Blocks: 30

   This one from our flip-flopping Saturday Duo was 50/50 for me.  I smoked through the top half, but then faltered in the bottom.  Ended up taking my usual solve time.  Two grid spanners:

17A. Irish folk song that was a Grammy-winning vehicle for Metallica :  

WHISKEY IN THE JAR - Nailed it - a music link must....the 'offical' video is more to the point, but it won't pass the "breakfast test"

but then....

53A. Woolf pack? : BLOOMSBURY GROUP - a complete unknown; learning moment

Six 10's:
1. Italian for "little ribbons" : FETTUCCINE

12. Asian aluminum exporter : TAJIKISTAN - Crossword constructors gotta love places with these names - map

15. High anxiety? : ACROPHOBIA - nailed it; I know my "fear of heights" $2 word

25. Late 1990s Nasdaq phenomenon : DOT COM BOOM - anyone here fall into this bust?

57. Iron Man and Captain America, e.g. : TITLE ROLES - I wanted "-- HEROES", or something like that

59. One who goes out regularly : STEADY DATE - I'm accepting applications today

And four 8's:

6. Subcompact that debuted in 1975 : CHEVETTE - My buddy Jeff owned one in high school, and he used to like to say he had a " 'Vette "

26A. Neurologist's concern : MIGRAINE

41A. Goldbricks : GOOF OFFS - I tried GOOSE (E)GGS, but it had only one "E"; definition

35. Seemed to own the runway, say : SASHAYED

ONWARD~!

ACROSS:

11. Site of the Delicate Arch : UTAH - not featured in Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade, tho

16. Cold caller's reward : SALE

19. Montréal label : NOM

20. Anxious times for some : EVES - Like kids at Christmas

21. One of the halogens : IODINE - I had "SODIUM" (BZZZT~!), which is the other half of the "salt" equation; alkali metals + halogen gas = salt; periodic chart

22. Pressure source : PEER - "everybody's doing it; you're nobody if you don't~!"

23. Criticize : KNOCK

24. Make some concessions : ADAPT

29. "Get real!" : C'MON

30. Old autocrat : TSAR

32. Problematic lighting? : ARSON - firebug crime

34. Cranky : PECKISH

36. Be a burden to : TRY - "You're peckishness is TRYing my patience~!"

37. Come about : OCCUR

39. Cave-dwelling princess in Donald Duck comics : OONA

40. Mariner's org. : NASA - Dang it~! Fooled me again - not sports related; Husker got it, I'm sure

43. Rise to the top : SHINE

45. Unifying idea : MOTIF

46. Great Lakes catch : CHUB - I had SOLE, then CRAB, then CRUB....which doesn't sound any less appetizing than the actual answer

47. "Epitaph for a Spy" novelist : AMBLER - Eric, and the Wiki

49. "The Godfather" Oscar nominee : CAAN - I tried PUZO; I was 'right' - list of awards

50. Union busters of the 19th cen. : CSA - the Union of the North, and the Confederate States of America

56. Venting venue : BLOG - No one vents on OUR blog....

58. __ Martin: cognac brand : RÉMY - another potable NEVER over ice

DOWN:

1. Play the sycophant to, with "over" : FAWN

2. Agree by repeating : ECHO - like sycophants - "oh, yes, yes, sir~!"

3. Barber shop request : TRIM

4. Set-__: rows : TOS - a Set-to is a fight; a rOW, not rOE

5. Homeowner's concern : UPKEEP - Now that I am working as a driver 7am to 6, 7, 8, 9pm, my UPKEEP is a lot harder

7. Not as forthcoming : COYER

8. Winged University of Miami mascot : IBIS

9. Writer who said "What I cannot love, I overlook" : NIN - Anais

10. Busy with courses : EATING - Those courses

11. With 33-Across, Saturn or Mercury site : USED CAR and 33A. See 11-Down : LOT

13. Freed from radio music : ALAN - Perhaps could have used a "?", since this is a proper name here; Alan Freed - his Wiki

14. Present : HERE

18. Shout of triumph : HOORAH - DAH~!!!  I had hooraY, and that just messed me up

22. One-star write-up : PAN


23. Heineken distributor in Japan : KIRIN

24. Standard Oil offshoot : AMOCO

26. Sharks whose teeth were used in Maori jewelry : MAKOs

27. Old tongue that gave us "rotten" and "egg" : NORSE

28. Gaelic music star : ENYA

29. Thick-soled shoe : CLOG

31. Speak derisively : SCOFF

34. For now : PRO TEM - Latin, pro tempore

38. Focus of an annual festival in New Mexico : UFOLOGY - Once I put the "U" and New Mexico together, this became an 'educated' WAG - Roswell; a "great place to crash~!"

40. Penpoint : NIB

42. Ones for the record book : FIRSTS

44. Strongly motivated : HUNGRY

46. "Cheers" role : CARLA - Coach, Cliff, Diane and Woody fit, too

47. 48-Down, e.g. : ABBReviation

48. M.'s counterpart : MademoiseLLE

49. Clever : CUTE - this stymied me for a long time

50. It gets flat over time : COLA - or SODA....

51. Steak-and-kidney-pudding ingredient : SUET - Eww

52. Abbey nook : APSE - or NAVE....

54. Was taken in : BIT - I had "FIT", like clothing taken in; this is like the people taken in, or 'bit', but the DOT COM BOOM

55. Fly __ : ROD


Splynter

Saturday, Oct 12th, 2013, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie

Words: 70 (missing X)

Blocks: 27

 OH, the deception~!  I had so many good answers that were wrong, and at one point, I thought for sure I was going to have to go Googling, but just a few minor tweaks and I was almost perfect; one bad cell - at two crossing names - a WAG that ZAGged and did not ZIG.  Oh well.  We did not have any spanners or climbers, but a pretty pinwheel gave us two 9's and fourteen 8's:

1. Monument on the Yamuna River : TAJ MAHAL - beautiful - a visit is on my 'to-do' list

18A. The Joker or The Penguin : EVIL-DOER - I know who they are - BAT FOES? nah. 

35. Hwange National Park setting : ZIMBABWE - I did have ----BWE, which pretty much narrowed my choices down

54. How World Series winners celebrate : ELATEDLY - don't ALL winners celebrate in such a fashion?  I think Mr. Silk put this one in just for C.C.~!

ACROSS:

1. Home to Iran's Iron Age Museum : TABRIZ - Early on, I tried TEHRAN, TIGRIS, and finally TABRIJ - because JOE sounded like a Muppet - maybe not a ballet Muppet....

7. Like some closet findings? : SKELETAL - nice twist; SKELETON was just not going to work

15. Time's 1986 Woman of the Year : AQUINO - the only news I could recall from 1986 was the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster - now a TV movie; Corazon Aquino was the first woman president of The Philippines

16. Float, in a way : LEVITATE - had to wait on perps

17. Mix up : JUMBLE - jOSTle was not getting me closer to done; does your paper carry the "JUMBLE" puzzle?


19. Steep-angle shot : MASSE - my first fill; a billiards shot struck down on the cue ball

20. Kuala Lumpur native : MALAYSIAN - DAH~!  Not TAIWANESE

21. Sailor's direction : AFT

22. Hero who first appeared in 1912 : TARZAN - oh, right

24. Needle point? : SSE - C.C. got me with this one in her puzzle - the needle of a compass, that is

25. Hustles : HIES

27. Card, e.g. : NLer - Ugh, more deception; a Cardinal, in the N.L. Central division - apparently, they are still playing in October - sorry, C.C., hockey is on....

28. Shorten, maybe : ALTER

30. Jellyfish relatives : ANEMONES

32. Year in Nero's reign : LVI - 56 in Roman times

33. University of Wyoming city : LARAMIE - Argh~! Not Cheyene ( OK, so I was missing an N )

34. Guatemalan currency, or the colorful bird it's named for : QUETZAL

38. Capital of 35-Down : ZEE - D'oh~!  I was so sure that this was money 'capital' that I never looked twice

39. Ratatouille ingredient : ZUCCHINI - #$%^~!  Not RED BEETS - I don't cook, OK?

40. Quaker in the woods : ASPEN - the tree, because PENN did not fit

43. Next in line : HEIR - I had to send up a V-8 can alert....England now has the top three; Charles, William, and now George - hey, I'm 100% English, so I might be on this list somewhere....

44. Revival figs. : EMTs - oh, for the love of....THAT kind of revival - the ones that don't end up as "skeletons" - Emergency Medical Technicians

45. STARZ competitor : SHO - premium TV channels; Google has just made internet viewing on your HDTV easier

46. Tapped trees : MAPLES - had it, then tossed it for "HONEY" (q.v. 34D.)

48. Risk : BET

49. Waits : SITS TIGHT - I heard this a lot growing up

52. Bit of wisdom : PEARL

55. Jazz pianist Hancock : HERBIE - I first heard him (and the art of record 'scratching') on this tune

56. Not anymore : NO LONGER

57. Like some biblical boarders : IN TWOS - Rrrr - I put in PAIRED

58. Play areas : THEATERS

59. Directs : STEERS - Wow - this and bum STEER in the same grid....


DOWN:

2. Maker of FlavorSplash beverages : AQUAFINA - Pepsi's bottled water

3. Piece of crummy advice : BUM STEER

4. Kids : RIBS - Nope, not TOTS

5. Sound, maybe : INLET - Aw, man, I live on a SOUND, so I don't think of it as an INLET - but it does have a lot if inlets in it


6. Ballet-dancing Muppet : ZOE - JOE, MOE, I took a guess

7. Lowlifes : SLEAZES

8. Defensive fiber : KEVLAR

9. 2-Down alternative : EVIAN

10. Water __ : LILY - Not gonna say a word

11. LAX listings : ETDs - departures, not arrivals this time

12. One seeking the way? : TAOIST

13. Not tense : AT EASE

14. "Camelot" lyricist : LERNER - filled in via perps


20. 1957 R&B chart-topper inspired by a schoolteacher : MR. LEE - The Bobbettes

23. Hall of fame : ANNIE - Annie Hall - movie from the same year as Star Wars; I tried Monty Hall, of Let's Make a Deal

26. Urban air problem : SMAZE - Smoke and Haze

28. Paris preposition : AVEC - "with" in Frawnch

29. Graceful : LITHE

31. It might be a warning : OMEN

32. Money : LUCRE

34. Bee output : QUILT - Geez, a quilting bee

36. Preceding : ANTERIOR - I hear this in a mostly in a medical sense, meaning "in front of"

37. Dragging : LISTLESS

39. Gentle breezes : ZEPHYRS

40. Agreement : ASSENT

41. 1862 battle site : SHILOH

42. Distillery waste : POT ALE - used for animal feed

43. 1980s middleweight champ : HAGLER - "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler - the Wiki

46. One in a humming swarm : MIDGE

47. Beat : SPENT

50. Column-lined walkway : STOA - it's all Greek to me

51. Fair sight : TENT

53. Deco pseudonym : ERTE - I like Art Deco, like the Chrysler Building; some other details of that era

55. Presley's "__ Latest Flame" : HIS - There's one guy who calls me "Elvis" at UPS - and I had to trim my sideburns down a LOT to become a driver.  

 Splynter