Saturday, Jun 25th, 2016, Martin Ashwood-Smith & George Barany

Theme: 16x15

Words: 69 (missing J,Q,W,Z)

Blocks: 34

 Today's offering is another expanded standard grid from the duo of Messrs Martin and George to allow for the triple quad stack in the middle, and that's not all; an additional pair of spanners, one at the top and bottom of the construction with nifty 11-letter climbers that cross the quad stack and one of the other 15-letter fills.  This is our second puzzle from the pair, the other being 23 Jan of this year - I looked back and reported that I did OK with the spanners, but not so well everywhere else.  This time, I did better, but still got stuck with one - just one - red letter cheat to get me thru due East.  Oh well.  The spanners;

16a. It's airtight : THE PERFECT ALIBI

29a. Light carrier : FIBER OPTIC CABLE - I knew the first part, but the 'CABLE' part didn't occur to me right away - which is odd, because in my local area, there's a 'cable war' going on between Verizon FiOS, which is Fiber optic, and Cablevision, which is standard; my brother tried FiOS, and switched back.

35a. Text ending in Panama? : A MAN, A PLAN, A CANAL - a palindrome; the same forwards and backwards, when you add PANAMA to the end

36a. Eviction consequence : VACANT APARTMENT - I once worked for a cleaning company that specialized in apartment complexes - we had mixed feelings about evictions because the ex-tenant usually ended up leaving valuables behind ( leather jackets, guitars, liquor, porn ) but also some really vicious mess to clean up - used appliances never once wiped down, and in one case, out of spite, sugar in the carpet and ketchup on the walls

37a. Investment in a relationship : EMOTIONAL ENERGY - well, it fits, but I have never really heard this as a "term" before

54. Retire : PUT OUT TO PASTURE - I had the "-TO PASTURE" part, but my first fills in the SW Down were wrong, so it took a while

I'm on vacatiON WARD~!
 

ACROSS:

1. Line at the supermarket : SOUP CANS - nothing about BAR CODE(s)

9. Tapering part : SPIRE - my first thought was candles, and table legs - and then other kinds of legs....

14. Freezer bar with Sir Isaac Lime and Alexander the Grape flavors : OTTER*POP

15. Aleichem who created Tevye : SHOLEM - filled via perps

18. Short and sweet : TERSE

19. Sea lion, e.g. : EARED SEAL

20. Galeón cargo : ORO

21. Etym. : DERIVation - the etymology of a word is where it comes from; I especially like "neighbor" - see here

22. Base address : SIR - dah~!  Not APO

24. Confession starter : MEA

26. "Just __" : ASK

38. Medicare card fig. : SSN

39. Go down : SET - think sun

40. __ Banos, California : LOS - one of those has to be LOS or LAS, but with an obscure (for this east-coaster) town

41. Spring time : APRIL - two words, but it wasn't MAY, JUNE, or MARCH

44. Courses for coll. credit : APs - I took two in high school

47. Teachers' lounge : STAFFROOM

52. Berkshire attraction for race fans : ASCOT

56. Charge : ONRUSH - oops, not AMBush

57. Mae West's final film : SEXTETTE - semi-WAG; not in my wheelhouse.  The IMDb

58. Lacerations : TEARS - ah, I tried SCARS - and then again one other place

59. Get smashed : TIE ONE ON - haven't done so in over 11 years - now I tie two on - each of my shoes....

DOWN:

1. __ voce : SOTTO - as we have discussed here before, the bigger the stacks, the shorter the crossing fill is, and thus usually easier to fill

2. Remaining : OTHER

3. Unborn, after "in" : UTERO

4. Fires (up) : PEPS

5. Algonquian language : CREE

6. Credit fig. : APR - I am looking into this Lending Tree Credit Card offer of $0 balance transfer; semi-clecho with -  7a. Credit card come-on : NO FEE

8. Fishing tool : SPEAR

9. Sardine cousin : SHAD

10. D.C. in-crowd : POLiticianS

11. "__ awake at night": "Pretty Boy" lyric : I LIE - made sense, so I put it in....

12. Name on the 1984 album "My Kind of Country" : REBA - really my only four-letter go-to fill for country

13. __ Sinclair, protagonist of Hesse's "Demian" : EMIL - again, perps

15. "The Office" star : STEVE CARELL

17. Record holder? : CRIMINAL

21. Be affected by gravity : DROP TO EARTH - I had "drop toWARDS", which made sense, but baffled me in the SW corner

22. French governing group : SÉNAT

23. Qom inhabitants : IRANIs

25. Bankbook ID : ACCT. No.

26. Marryin' Sam presided over his wedding : ABNER - OK, I tried ELVIS....

27. Word on the street : SLANG

28. Big name in backpacks : KELTY - my one red-letter was the "K"

29. Pets : FAVES

30. Muslim clerics : IMAMS

31. Strips for brunch : BACON

32. Nursery item : PLANT POT

33. Bite with un aperitivo : TAPA

34. Willie of "Eight Is Enough" : AAMES - didn't watch the show - "Buck Rogers" was more to my liking

first guy on the top

42. All-night bar? : ROOST

43. JFK Library architect : I.M. PEI - I knew this one

44. Less than right? : ACUTE - angles - har-har

45. __ Alegre, Brazil : PORTO

46. Rembrandt contemporary : STEEN

47. Blemish : SPOT - I went with SCAR here, first, and it was altogether wrong

48. Harmony : TUNE

49. Sharp brand introduced in 1977 : ATRA

50. Lou Gehrig's number : FOUR - I thought it was NINE, and so I was never going to succeed until I came to the conclusion that I was wrong

51. Stir : FUSS

52. On the subject of : AS TO

53. Acronymous WWII gun : STEN - I knew this one, too

55. Pink-slip : AXE

Splynter

Saturday, Jun 18th, 2016, Ed Sessa

Theme: None

Words: 68 (missing J,K,Q)

Blocks: 29

 I bounced back from last week's disaster pretty well with Mr. Sessa's latest, even though it did not look promising to start - but I have to admit to one Google in the NE. Again the grid was replete with proper names, but I was pleased with myself for getting some of the longer fill right off, and that gave me some traction in the other corners - big chunky corners of 8x5s and nearly 9x6s, and two 9s and two 10s in the Down as well.  The two "B" climbers;

9. Britain's Yeoman Warders, familiarly : BEEF EATERS - I knew the term "beef eaters", but not the 'proper' name for the now ceremonial royal guard - the Wiki

 27. Some house-to-garage links : BREEZEWAYS - nailed it

 

(~!)

ACROSS:

1. Alaska's Alaskan Malamute, for one : STATE DOG - It fit, so I went with it

9. Have rounds all around : BAR HOP - The "P" showed via perps early, so I pondered "something - UP"....bzzzt

15. Locks maintenance : HAIRCARE - tresses or transportation for ships~?

16. Tennyson's "lily maid of Astolat" : ELAINE - my one cheat....the Wiki

17. Volcanic glass : OBSIDIAN - nailed it

18. Omitted from a speech? : ELIDED

19. Calms : ALLAYS - I had --LA-S, and was tempted to go with RELAX(e)S - har-har

20. Spells out : DEFINES

22. __ United: English soccer team : LEEDS - my dad was a Manchester United fan

23. Serious order shortage? : MELEE - stared at this too long, then the V-8 can flew; when a riot breaks out, there's little order to be found

24. Ideal: Abbr. : STD

26. Where Andorra is : IBERIA - nailed it, but then SPAIN didn't fit at the true clecho; 36a. Where Andorra is : EUROPE, so I contemplated ESPANA - dah~! Europe is too easy~!

28. __-American : AFRO

29. Picketing displays : PLACARDS

33. Iranian city known for its carpets : TABRIZ - OK, so I went with PERSIA, which IS  Iran, I know....

35. Rest : REPOSE

37. Ascribe (to) : IMPUTE - one of a few new words for me today

38. Few are chosen : SURNAMES - ah.  Clever.

40. Hamlet : DORP - went down the four-letter list; TOWN, BURG, BURB - but this one is new to me; it's Dutch

41. "Moulin Rouge" (1952) co-star, familiarly : ZSA-ZSA - once I had a "Z"....

43. Storm dir. : ENE - total WAG, considering the combinations, but this one always fits best

44. __-wip : REDDI - I knew that the "ready" part was spelled wrong, but never noticed the "H" was missing from the other half

45. Underhanded undertaking : THEFT

50. Bonus : THROW-IN

52. Southwestern native : PUEBLO - oops, not NAVAJO

53. Hyphenated frozen food brand : ORE-IDA - I like mini-taters

54. Ear-piercing : OVERLOUD - what do you wanna do with your life~?!?!?

I wanna rock

56. Analgesic rub : BENGAY - this was in another Saturday puzzle not too long ago

57. Gave the business : TORE INTO

58. Auto options : SEDANS

59. Blows : EXPLODES - I just watched the "Lego Movie", which was really funny in parts - Batman especially - but the explosions were done with the blocks, too, and I can only imagine the work that went into them - the ocean waves, too

The Kra--gl-e~!

DOWN:

1. Marine hazard : SHOAL - ah.  Not sToRM

2. China setting : TABLE

3. Theater access : AISLE

4. F-A-C, e.g. : TRIAD - musical reference; I got it, but only because I play guitar; leave off the open e string, and you have F-A-C.  I've been toying with this song, which has really great power chords

5. One barely working? : ECDYSIAST - this is new to me, too - according to Dictionary, it's a euphemism for stripper - one "bare"ly working....

6. Place of honor : DAIS - or the pole, if you're part of the previous clue's working class

7. __ pro nobis : ORA - also a learning moment; "pray for us"

8. Pair in many languages : GENDERS - um....

10. "Hyperbole and a Half" blogger Brosh : ALLIE - all perps and a WAG

11. __ check : RAIN

12. Avoids being seen by : HIDES FROM

13. Private sign? : ONE STRIPE

14. __ XING : PED

21. "The Good Wife" crisis manager Gold : ELI - I don't watch the show - IMDb

23. Rx : MEDication(s)

25. Drops off : DOZES

28. Yellow Pokémon species that ultimately evolves to Alakazam : ABRA - total unknown; and the "B" was my last fill

29. Roaring group : PRIDE - Lions, get it~?

30. What "love is like," in a 1960s hit : LEMON TREE - before my time; I can't justify posting it here along with Twisted Sister - so here's a link

31. Take in : APPREHEND - ah, not the ALTER clothing kind

32. No small feat : COUP

34. Bare : AU NATUREL - I think a woman is sexier in clothing

38. Bad news metaphor : SAD NOTE - and on a "Sad Note", the hockey season is over, and unfortunately, the trophies were awarded to the "wrong" players....just one Ranger fan's opinion....

39. Eponymous weapon : UZI

42. Star Wars, initially : SDI - Space Defense Initiative

44. Godzilla ally, at times : RODAN - how I miss those Saturday afternoon matinees

46. Prefix with tropic : HELIO

47. FDR bought the first one in 1941 : E BOND - "war" bonds - the Wiki

48. Champagne holder : FLUTE

49. Kerfuffles : TO-DOS - more MELEE

51. University of Latvia locale : RIGA

52. Lineup member, hopefully : PERPetrator, not the perpendiculars of crossword fame

53. Delivery pros : OBStetrician - I had "OB-" early, so it was not UPS

55. __ populi : VOX

Splynter

Saturday, Jun 11th, 2016, Mark Bickham

Theme: None

Words: 72 (missing Q)

Blocks: 28

I had to cave in to red-letters to solve the NE corner, and even then, I was not able to come up with any logical answers, so I resorted to alphabet runs, and once the ta-DA~! came, I was severely disappointed with the results.  I don't care if they are acceptable answers, even for a Saturday, a couple were just too much of a s-t-r-e-t-c-h, and therefore a major fun-sponge gets called on this puzzle.  Too bad, really, as I am usually not very successful with Mark's constructions, but today - other than in the NE - I did well (OK, there were some groaners in other places, too).  Oh, and did I mention the circumreferential clues, too~?  Triple 10s and paired 10s in the corners, with two 9s and four 8s;

17a. Where the Walking Piano scene in "Big" was filmed : FAO SCHWARZ - Nailed it; great scene, fun movie, can always watch it when it's on regular TV - from 1988, same as 12d.

12d. "The Accidental Tourist" Oscar winner : GEENA DAVIS - IMDb

64a. Wait follower : "...THERE'S MORE~!"

27d. Classic film words of self-revelation : I'M A REAL BOY

NO WRD Answer

ACROSS:

1. "Star Wars" High Council member : JEDI MASTER

11. Co. leaders : MGTS - ???  What~? Say again~?  Managements~?  Really~?  NOT.

15. Writing desk : ESCRITOIRE - Le Frawnche

16. Realize : REAP - Argh~!  Too much of a s-t-r-e-t-c-h

18. Toy since ancient times : PEKE - ugh.  the Dog, not YO-YO or KITE

19. Laughs : FUN

20. Text giggle : HEE - ugh, not LOL

21. ZzzQuil competitor : SOMINEX

23. Military actions : RAIDS - police actions, too

25. Spanish uncle? : NO MAS - cry uncle~!  No more~! Leave out the fun-sponge answers~!

26. Toys since 1964 : G.I. JOEs - I have part of the 80's collection of "action figures" that were about 4" tall; including the Hovercraft and a few other vehicles

29. Discombobulated : ASEA

31. Single dose? : DAT - ugh.  Not HIT

33. It's often made at parties : SMALL TALK - I'd like to talk with this girl at a party

35. Part of a suit : SPADE - not PANTS

37. Unlikely to bite : TAME

38. Join for a session : SIT IN - musical jam session

40. Base path? : EVIL

41. Proper 53-Down : AREN'T - circumreferential with; 53. Improper 41-Across : AIN'T - if you Ain't got a clue, you Aren't solving this without perps

43. Many a single : LINE DRIVE - baseball, not lonely guys/girls

45. Ds, in the key of C : REs - the key of C is C - D - E - f - G - A - b, so "D" corresponds to the Re of Do - Re - Mi....I play guitar, so I got it, but I can see this one being a fun-sponge, too

46. Sum is a form of it : ESSE - similar to "SERA" being part of ÊTRE from a few weeks ago, "I am" in Latin from the verb "To be"

48. Like many salons : UNISEX

49. Chance to hit : AT BAT - ah.  baseball, not blackjack

51. Country : RURAL - dah~!  Totally in "REALM", not "bumpkin/backwoods" mode

53. Chemical bases : ALKALIS - for some reason I kept telling myself this is the answer, but swore it wouldn't fit, even with --K-LI- filled....I can't explain it

55. Word with wire or water : HOT - you get caught doing a hot wire, you'd be in hot water

56. Gambling initials : OTB - Off-Track Betting

59. Once-venerated bird : IBIS - popular with the Egyptians

60. Homeric island dweller : LOTUS EATER - not the one I was thinking of; couldn't get SIRENS to fill in all spaces

63. Agreement with a refusal : NOR I

65. Kid : TYKE - oops, not JOke

66. No longer fashionable : "SO LAST YEAR"

DOWN:

1. Buckley who covered Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" : JEFF - WAG

2. Son of Rebecca : ESAU

3. Anti-rodent brand : d-CON

4. Return letters : IRS - tax return, that is

5. Most popular boy's name in 44 of the last 100 years : MICHAEL - mine was 11th in NJ for the year I was born - the site

6. Foxhole absentees, so it's said : ATHEISTS - as a "Friend of Bill W.", I am familiar with "foxhole prayers"

7. Scattered : SOWED - STREWN and SOWN were not working

8. __ Maria : TIA

9. Goes thataway instead of thisaway : ERRS

10. Do a city planner's job : RE-ZONE

11. Absent-minded A.A. Milne title character : Mr. PIM - Don't know this character, so I was totally "ASEA"

13. Goes down as planned : TAKES A DIVE

14. Informal glasses : SPEX - meh.

22. Extinct birds : MOAs

23. Seven-time All-Star third baseman Scott __ : ROLEN - more baseball

24. More thirst-inducing : SALTIER

26. The sun, for one : G-STAR

28. TV hero who famously kissed 52-Down : JAMES T. KIRK - paired to; 52. See 28-Down : UHURA - if you didn't know it, this was fun-sponge, too.  I am a big fan of the "Next Generation" version; the original was too boring for me, but I did like the movies - I liked Shatner; can't get into the "latest" re-re-version.

30. Bones' partner : SKIN - Ironic that this should follow Kirk - Dr. McCoy "Bones", also from Star Trek

32. Bygone messager : TELEX

34. Feels off : AILS

36. "__ at End House": Christie mystery : PERIL - perps

39. Complex parts : NEUROSES

42. Color on San Jose Shark uniforms : TEAL - San Jose lives~!  At least one more game, tho I'd like to see them go two more and take it all

44. Evidence provider : DNA TEST

47. Circus equipment : STILTS - drywall mudding, too

50. Musical count : BASIE - ah.  That kind of Count

54. NYC gallery district : SOHO - SOuth of HOuston Street; the Wiki

56. Plains tribe : OTOE

57. Trillion: Pref. : TERA

58. Fictional rabbit's title : BR'ER

61. Address bk. info : TELephone

62. Pulitzer poet Lowell : AMY

Splynter

Saturday, Jun 4th, 2016, Gareth Bain

Theme: None

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

Blocks: 32

  This would have been an even quicker solve had it not been for the rash of proper names - and the fact of the matter is that it's the "Bain" of today's offering from Gareth.  Not only did I count 13 or more in the puzzle, but they crossed, too, and if you didn't know, well, then, you just didn't know.  And I did not know three squares, which I have to call fun-sponge on.  Not a particularly intimidating grid, with 2 11's and 2 10's in the Across, and paired 10's in the Down;

25. Film for which Anthony Quinn won an Oscar : VIVA ZAPATA - Never saw the movie, but there is this clip from Ocean's 13 which I did know - and proper name #6

11. 1980s scandal : IRAN-CONTRA - I remembered this news item from my high school days, with Oliver North and (a gratuitous leg image of) Fawn Hall; my earliest recollection of "news" was ABSCAM, and Claus von Bülow's trial

26. Angel on one's shoulder, so to speak : INNER VOICE

56. Genre of Madonna's "Ray of Light" album : ELECTRONICA - I thought this referred to her "gospel" album, Like A Prayer, but no.  I do remember this song, and it's along the lines of the "electronica" I listen to these days.  The Wiki on "Ray of Light"

blONdeWARD~!

ACROSS:

1. Indian state bordering Bhutan : ASSAM - filled via perps; proper name #1

6. Lab glassware eponym : PETRI - OK, a proper name, but I knew this one (#2)

11. AOL, e.g. : ISP - Internet Service Provider

14. Bridges : SPANS - got it; the verb, not the noun(s)

15. Hamal's constellation : ARIES - thought I got it with "ORION", and it jibed with POPS, ERAT, and TIN....but left me with a mess at the end - and proper name #3

16. Indianapolis' __ Dome : RCA - #4 or....

17. 2008 Jack Black title role : KUNG FU PANDA - #4~?

19. Shipping nickname : ARI - OK, I tried UPS....more at 41d.

20. Considers with disdain : SNEERS AT

21. Spoke quietly? : SIGNED - Sign language, very cute

23. Sch. with a Riverhead campus : LIU - Uh, OK, drew a blank on this one - and I literally live like 5 miles from it; in my defense, it's on the Suffolk County Community College Campus - #5~?

24. Lure : SEDUCE - dah~! Had ENTIce

30. Author Morrison : TONI - #7

32. Benz finish : ENE - too bad the space wasn't longer, as I was thinking "clear coat" - the 'finish' on a Mercedes-Benz.  Nope, just BenzENE

33. Tender in Warsaw : ZLOTY - thought it was a kopek - #8

34. Proceeds : WENDS - I had "GAINS", as in the proceeds from a sale

35. Georgia of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" : ENGEL - proper name #9, filled via perps

37. Bapt., e.g. : RELigion

38. Austrian composer Webern : ANTON - proper name #10; via perps

39. Pet problem? : PEEVE - not fooled

40. Some cake layers : TIERS

42. Grill guard : U.S. :: __ bar : Australia : ROO - Nailed it, but not too hard to figure out.  I know what an automotive grill(e) guard is, and just expanded the idea....

43. Span. title : SRTA

44. Holder of an affectionate message : CANDY HEART

46. Destructive type : VANDAL

48. JFK, for one : DEMocrat

49. Tidbit : MORSEL

50. Most like a dive : SEEDIEST

55. Richard __ : III - I had it, then took it out because it didn't jibe with EMI at 58a.

58. Longtime Elton John label : MCA - dah~!! Not EMI

59. Show shown over : RERUN

60. Discussion venue : FORUM

61. Poetic twilight : E'EN

62. Fluid accumulation : EDEMA

63. Ridges on the neck : FRETS - I was in the wrong wheelhouse when I filled in MANES, which I knew was wrong, but....and then when the answer was revealed, I felt even sillier, since I play guitar....

DOWN:

1. Wants in payment : ASKS - tragedy has struck; my Dodge Stratus snapped a ball joint on Sunday, and because of various other ailments, I think it's time to upgrade; 293,475 miles, and it does not owe me anything.  Now I am looking for a Dodge Caravan, and they are ASKING for $10-13K, used

2. Like some flax : SPUN

3. Levelheaded : SANE

4. German chancellor Merkel : ANGELA - proper name #11

5. "The Magic School Bus" teacher : Ms. FRIZZLE - never heard of the book, show, or her; the Wiki - and proper name #12

6. Family nickname : PAPA - yeah, POPA is not quite right

7. Proof word : ERAT - part of Q.E.D., frequently seen in crosswords

8. Element in some solder : TIN

9. Site of a major part of the Bible? : RED SEA - RODS-- was just not going to give me any positive result - and "part(ing)" should have clued me in

10. Start of a repeat : "I SAID..."

12. Bug barrier : SCREEN DOOR

13. Like a pro : PAID

18. Everyday : USUAL - here's the "usual" gratuitous leg image

22. "__ Morgen!" : GUTEN - das German~! (see, I can knock more than just Frawnche)

24. Arranged : STYLED

25. Nixon and Ford : VEEPS

27. Flier's request : VEGETARIAN

28. Classical entrance : PORTAL - I want a drawbridge and gate on my castle home when I build it

29. Used the dining room : ATE IN

31. Tot's rebuttal : "IS NOT~!!"

34. Cleaned : WASHED OFF

36. Novak's TV partner : EVANS - no clue, but a good WAG on my part - #13

41. Its first truck was a Ford Model A : RYDER - I did not know this; UPS' first vehicle was a Model T car

44. Canceled due to rain, say : CALLED

45. Key of Sibelius' First Symphony : E MINOR - you know the drill; fill in -M--OR, and wait; once I got "SEEDIEST", I knew it was not MAJOR

47. Big name on the farm : DEERE

49. One apparently trapped behind glass : MIME - couldn't find a Spinal Tap link

50. Pond build-up : SCUM

51. Peak west of the Ionian Sea : ETNA

52. The Auld Sod : EIRE

53. Rabbit's tail : SCUT

54. Highland tops : TAMS

57. "And Venus sets __ Mercury can rise": Pope : ERE

Splynter