Saturday, Mar 26th, 2016, Mark Bickham

Theme: MB

Words: 72 (missing J,X,Z)

Blocks: 34

   I typically cringe when I see Mr. Bickham's name in the title, though upon reviewing his last two Saturday offerings, I see that I fared well on the last one, and claimed to have breezed through the one prior to that.  This week, I have to say, I threw in a few WAGs and they worked out for the best; they helped my long answers tremendously, and led to a fast solution.  I might have discovered the wavelength that Mark operates on.  I will admit I had one letter wrong, which I discovered when there was no "Ta-DA~!" at the end.  I'll take it.  One climber, and one spanner, with a pair of 12-letter fills stacked either side;

7d. Loan document : PAYMENT SCHEDULE

35a. Response acknowledging familiarity : I GET THAT A LOT

38a. Couple getting away together? : PARTNERS IN CRIME

41a. Beyond reproach : SQUEAKY CLEAN

вперед~! (62a.) 

ACROSS:

1. She played Madeleine in "Bel Ami" (2012) : UMA - did not see this movie

4. Get really excited : FLIP

8. Mug shot result? : FAT LIP - not sure which "mug" and "shot" we might be looking at; the one involving arrest, or the one involving 'arrested development' ( that is, consuming alcohol excessively ).  Turns out neither - instead it's a shot to the mug

14. __ data : RAW

15. "The Diana Chronicles" author Brown : TINA - filled via perps

16. Rooks, e.g. : AVIANS - I was on a chess wavelength; here it's the bird

17. Social follower? : ITE - socialite

18. Levitate : DEFY GRAVITY - that's what it means

20. Fashionable : CHIC - I did technically post a pic of legs last week, but just to be clear, this is still what I call "chic"

22. "Enough, José!" : "NO MAS~!"

23. Shout after a muleta manipulation : OLÉ - Spanish uno mas - a muleta ( having had to look it up ) is a red cape fixed to a stick.  I pretty much figured out what the answer was without knowing, though the actual definition of the word is "crutch"

24. Hard-to-hit pitch : HIGH C - ah, not baseball

26. __ fail : EPIC - this was my first thought, but I hesitated

28. Carrier of many old couples : ARK
 

30. Historic Buddhist temple : SHAOLIN

33. You can count on them : ABACI - got it

42. Lemony spice used in Middle Eastern cuisine : SUMAC - I'm guessing it's not the poisonous kind....

43. Question of time : "HOW LONG~?" - I tried "HOW SOON", and two "O"s were good to go

46. Half a drink : TAI - and of course, I tried MAI

47. Not out : SAFE - ah, here's the baseball

50. 2000s Showtime series, with "The" : L WORD - heard of it, have not seen it

52. "Star Trek" initialism : TNG - "The Next Generation", which truly was MY generation's Star Trek; I could not get into the original, tho the movies with the original cast were to my liking.  Now we're being shown Star WARS, the next generation

54. In a big way : BADLY

57. Party where lomi salmon may be served : LUAU - I tried BRIS to start; bzzzt.  The internet claims it's actually lomi-lomi

58. Runway highlight : BEAUTY QUEEN - I have been communicating with a girl who was the beauty queen of a dance at her college - and she is a cutie; 29, with beautiful green eyes - maybe more next week....

61. Treasury Dept. variable : GNP

62. Fitting game : TETRIS - one of my all-time favorite video games

I also found this, this and this

63. 1970 Kinks hit : LOLA

64. Stand in a barrel : AGE - think the verb

65. Outsmarts : ONE-UPS

66. Good place to see plays : ESPN - more likely to see RE-plays, actually

67. Rocker Nugent : TED

DOWN:

1. "Spenser: For Hire" actor : URICH - It took a moment to recall his last name; I knew his first name was Robert; I knew him from "The Ice Pirates" from way back in 1984

2. He's no Johnny One Note : MATHIS - I have one his Christmas albums

3. Barely clear of the bottom : AWEIGH

4. Co. with a bouquet in its logo : FTD - Florists' Transworld Delivery - the Wiki

5. Bank security : LIEN

6. Scoop : INFO

8. Iranian language : FARSI

9. Clark's "Mogambo" co-star : AVA

10. It helps you avoid seeing spots : TiVO - the "spots" being TV ads; I DVR all my stuff so I can skip the commercials, too

11. Boxer who retired undefeated : LAILA ALI

12. Building security device : INTERCOM

13. Humanities dept. : PSYchology; I see that it might be considered a science instead

19. Clothing giant : GAP

21. Starbucks latte order : CHAI TEA

25. Courvoisier and Hennessy : COGNACS

27. Taunt : CATCALL

29. Surfer's option : KITE - my one wrong letter was the "K"; I had SITE, which makes internet surfing sense; I did not check my crossings

31. Garlic relative : LEEK

32. "Just doing my job" : "I TRY." - this week I had a new truck in my UPS line-up, and it was a disaster the first day of the week; I did not feel very good about the job I did.  I recovered pretty quickly, however, as the driver told me I did an outstanding job two days later.  I try.

34. Nocturnal bird : BARN OWL

36. City name that looks like an oxymoron : HILO - High, or Low~?

37. Over : ANEW

38. "Hey!" : PSST - oops; with my MAI, I tried AHEM

39. "__ Hunger Force": Adult Swim cartoon : AQUA-TEEN - I have seen a few episodes of this show, but I was more a fan of "Robot Chicken"

40. Ponder : RUMINATE

44. Milky Way component : NOUGAT

45. Farm : GRANGE - my first AA home group was in a community center we called "The Grange"; I am guessing it was once a part of a local farm, as it is now an historic landmark

48. Profundity metaphor : ABYSS - this one goes "deep"

49. Provider of answers, briefly : FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

51. Had : DUPED - "I've been duped~!"

53. Provider of answers : GURU

55. Some summer births : LEOS

56. Kennel noise : YELP

58. "Takin' Care of Business" rock gp. : BTO - Bachman-Turner Overdrive; classic rock of the 70's

59. Bills left behind, perhaps : TIP

60. Indian bread : NAN

Splynter

Saturday, Mar 19th, 2016, Gail Grabowski

Theme: GG

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

Blocks: 28

An enjoyable puzzle from Mrs. Grabowski, though it might have had a few too many proper names for some - I would have been included, except I knew enough of them to get a foot hold, and the rest were helped along nicely by perps.  One or two WAGs, and nary a Google search nor red-letter exposed.  Nothing intimidating about the grid, with triple 10- and 9-letter corners, and two more 9-letter entries in the middle across;

15a. Meteorological record : ALL-TIME LOW - my personal all-time low here on Long Island was going to work overnight at Roadway Express when it was -4° and snowing inside the covered dock

13d. It's beside the point : ONES PLACE - clever; number 'locations'  _ _ . _ _

67a. 1998 National Toy Hall of Fame inductee : ERECTOR SET - once I had the "-S-T" at the end, I got it, though I never actually had an Erector Set - it was all Lego when I grew up

35d. Church music source : ORGAN LOFT

ONWARDski~!

ACROSS:

1. Some kids' parties : SLEEPOVERS - I once had a two-friend sleepover for my B-day in February, about 1980; it snowed, and I was depressed because I figured it was all off, but the moms of the two kids made it to my house ( I'm guessing they wanted some peace and quiet themselves in their houses~!)

11. Tag word : FROM

16. Driving area : LANE - I suppose that's how you'd describe it....

17. Can't imagine : HAVE NO IDEA

18. Available : OPEN - tried FREE, had one "E" correct

19. Longtime Parlophone record label owner : EMI - RCA, RKO~?; I waited

20. Edge : HONE - think verb, and it works

21. Document preparer : TYPIST

23. Roundup line : LASSO - good guess; could have been RIATA

25. Chicago mayor after Richard : RAHM

27. Start to cure? : EPI - epicure

28. Minnesota's St. __ College : OLAF - close by, C.C.~?

31. "The Munsters" actress Yvonne : DE CARLO - I thought it was spelled with an "I"; her Wiki; had it been clued with a different role, I would not have known.

33. Supplies site : STOREROOM

37. City in southern Egypt : ASWAN - The Nile makes two appearances today

38. Catnip, e.g. : HERB - good WAG for me, but then again....

39. Spam, perhaps : EMAIL - all my SPAM is in email form

41. They sit on pads : MICE - whoops, I had Rice, and well, uh, that is technically correct

42. Flowed furiously : RAGED

44. Tossed out a number : ESTIMATED - hah~! Nailed it

46. High spirits : ELATION

48. Provoke : SPUR

49. __ mother : DEN

50. They might be hard to crack : NUTS - I put in SAFE, tho the pluralizing didn't match

52. Awestruck sort : GAPER

56. Stars home : DALLAS - NHL - hockey.  We're closing in on the playoffs

58. Caps, say : TOPS

61. Satisfied sigh : AAH - I put in the first "A", then I waited to see if it was AAH or AHH

62. Cooking staple, to Rachael Ray : EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil - learned from crosswords

63. City on the Wabash : TERRE HAUTE

66. Money-raising option, briefly : RE-FI - it is time to refinance my mother's house, and start the process of fixing it up; it's in a bad way

68. Old Atl. crossers : SSTs - you know it's been so long since I've seen this answer in a crossword that I had to look up what it was~?  Granted, I was thinking boats, not planes, and I don't get the chance to do many puzzles in the week; editor Rich has probably tried to avoid it. Super-Sonic Transport, like the Concorde

69. Section : DEPARTMENT

DOWN:

1. Saharan region : SAHEL - all perps

2. Wool source : LLAMA - WAG, and it stuck

3. Newsworthy inductee of March 24, 1958 : ELVIS - US Army induction - there's a dedicated Wiki page; before my time, and I am now older than the age at which he died

4. Évry summer : ÉTÉ - Frawnche

5. Elementary camera feature : PINHOLE

6. 1847 work with the chapter "Life at Loohooloo" : OMOO - Once the last "O" appeared, this was crosswordese

7. Marble characteristic : VEIN

8. Tribal leader : ELDER

9. Eggs sometimes served with grits : ROE - didn't know this, but it did fit

10. Wrap up : SWATHE

11. Probably not a really good show : FLOP

12. Joan Rivers' asset : RAPIER WIT

14. Touched on : MENTIONED - it's been "mentioned" that I like legs pics

it's art....get it~?

22. Interactive party song : YMCA - did my fair share of this drunken dance

24. Frozen dessert : SORBET

26. Doesn't turn away : ADMITS  - think bouncers

29. Lionel Richie's "You __" : ARE

30. Inflame : FOMENT

32. Capital east of Khartoum : ASMARA - Eritrea

33. Tracks-covering vehicles : SHREDDERS - I understand the need for a little deception on a Saturday, but shredder as a "vehicle" is a bit of a s-t-r-e-t-c-h

34. Reading material? : TEA LEAVES

36. Western alliance: Abbr. : OAS

40. Edge : LIP - dah~! Not RIM

43. Manzo of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" : DINA - no desire to watch

45. It's usually not a pretty picture : MUGSHOT

Mr. Larry King, in the year I was born

47. Sent packing : OUSTED

51. __ throat : STREP

53. Breathing spell : PAUSE

54. All gone : EATEN

55. "Never, at any crisis of your life, have I known you to have a handkerchief" speaker : RHETT

57. "The Giver" author Lowry : LOIS - perps

59. Subject of the 2013 documentary "Blackfish" : ORCA - never heard of the film, but the title makes sense, now

60. '80s-'90s tennis star Korda : PETR

64. Poetic preposition : ERE

65. Coat part : ARM

Splynter

Saturday, Mar 12th, 2016, Bruce Venzke

Theme: Two Triple Stacks

Words: 68 (missing F,J,Q,Y)

Blocks: 38

I am always fascinated when I see spanners grouped in threes (and fours) with crossings (perpendiculars) that are not such a stretch that the puzzle seems forced; and then I get that feeling that it's going to be a tough grid to solve.  Today, however, I seemed to breeze through with very little trouble - but I had some incredible WAGs that were solid from the get go.  Our regulars here at the blog will be quick to point out that big groups of 15-letters usually leads to shorter Downs.  Not so much today, though we did have a high block count - and a good-looking grid, at that.   The spanners;

1. Where to see pop-ups : ELECTRIC TOASTER

16. Holding capacity : SATURATION POINT

17. Doesn't do anything : SITS ON ONE'S HANDS

57. Security employees : STORE DETECTIVES

60. Doesn't care for : TAKES A DISLIKE TO

61. Prepare for a ball : DRESS TO THE NINES - the origin~?

O                 N                 W                 A                 R                D             ~            !

ACROSS:

18. Caning material : RATTAN - oops, not WICKER

19. Shows frugality : STINTS

20. N.S. setting : AST - Nova Scotia, and Atlantic Standard Time; I happen to know they are 1 hour ahead of my time zone, EST

21. Word on some dipsticks : ADD - just looked at the one in my van yesterday - and it was at the "ADD" mark

22. Thickening agent : AGAR

25. '70s congresswoman known for wearing wide-brimmed hats : ABZUG - 3 perps and 2 WAGs

29. 15th-century golfer, probably : SCOT - ah, a 'generic' answer

33. Likely to skid : BALD - tires

34. Train puller : BRIDE - bang~! Nailed it

35. Iolani Palace locale : OAHU - seen before in crosswords

36. Search result : URL - dah~!  Not HIT

37. Org. with a WaterSense program : EPA - sensible WAG

38. Mad man of film : MAX - I have yet to see the 2015 remake of the 1979 film

39. Letter-shaped beam : Z-BAR - went with I-bar first; a genuine 75% correct

41. Early 17th-century pope : PAUL V - I tried 'PIUS -' with early crossings

43. "If wishes __ horses ... " : WERE

44. Sector : ZONE - not AREA

45. Liberal : AMPLE

46. They're frequently tapped : ALES - not KEGS

47. Incidentally, briefly : BTW - texting shorthand for "By The Way"

49. __ Karate: old aftershave : HAI

51. Cricket official : SCORER - I tried UMPIRE; then I had to look to see if this was an actual 'official'

54. Certain summons : TICKET

DOWN:

1. First of September? : ESS - September

2. Cave, say : LAIR

3. Kett of old comics : ETTA

4. Crème brûlée preparation : CUSTARD

5. Hambletonian events : TROTS

6. Deferred payment : RAN A TAB

7. Get __ the record : IT ON -

8. Rose team, on scoreboards : CINcinnati; Pete Rose of the Reds - C.C. must be thrilled we are at Spring Training - just means we are close to the Stanley Cup playoffs for me....

9. Word in a readiness metaphor : TOES - "be on one's toes"....eh

10. Performing : ON STAGE - sometimes on your toes here, too

11. Orchard pest : APHID

12. Dirty rat : SO-AND-SO

13. Glare reducer : TINT

14. Circle's lack : ENDS - I was close with EDGE

15. NFL linemen : RTs

22. Talking excitedly : ABUZZ

23. "The Kiss" was her last silent film : GARBO

24. Historian Nevins : ALLAN - I guessed the two "L"s

26. Another name for bluegill : BREAM

27. Close, as a parka : ZIP-UP - how about 'close, as heels' for Saturday cluing~?

28. 1960s Interior secretary Stewart __ : UDALL

30. Alpaca relative : CAMEL - I like camels

I found so many other funny ones (add 9d.), but....

31. Orchard Field, today : O'HARE - I knew this from crosswords

32. Spiffy attire : TUXES - sort of a mini-theme going on

40. Engine rebuilding jobs : REBORES

41. Checked out, feline-style : PAWED AT

42. Jam component : VEHICLE - nice misdirection, if you tried some sort of fruit

43. Surfing mecca : WAIKIKI - great fill

48. Bun element : TRESS

50. Join the cast of : ACT IN - second semi-theme going on, with 10d. and the next clue;

51. Beverly Hills sighting : STAR

52. Old beehive oven product : COKE - new to me; the Wiki

53. Change in appearance : RE-DO

54. Sellecca's "Intelligence for Your Life TV" co-host : TESH - didn't see this filled in until I came to write the blog

55. Still : EVEN

56. Toque spot : TÊTE - I knew a toque was chef headware, and that it was Frawnche

57. Benchmark: Abbr. : STD - standard

58. "__-Willow": "The Mikado" song : TIT

obdurate definition

59. Cleaning product with two periods in its name : S.O.S

remember "Wacky Packages~?"

Splynter