Friday, April 18 - Joe DiPietro

Last night was the after-tax-season dinner for Don's employees. Everything was excellent...the company, the food (bacon-wrapped filet...yum) and just the right amount of wine. To top it off, Joe DiPietro's puzzle was one of the most enjoyable Friday puzzles I can remember. I got hung up a bit in the northwest, but the rest of it came together so nicely.

The long stacks were all multiword. As much as I love them, I don't always get them...but several of these were gimmes. I may have just been on his wavelength...but is it possible that meat is brain food for me?

6A: "This is how it's really done..." (step aside). Not quite a gimme, but I got it with only the TE.

16A: Tried to buy (put a bid on).

18A: Improving (on the mend)...one of the gimmes.

57A: Site of Mackinac Island (Lake Huron). Come to think of it, I struggled a bit here. A wrong answer at 45D: "You __ kidding!" threw me...I had must be, rather than the correct weren't. Once I had some of the downs, though, I worked through it.

62A: Begins to attack (opens fire).

64A: Retired (went to bed). At first, I was thinking of retired in the normal sense.

1D: Certain rental arrangements (net leases). I was befuddled by the cross at 1A: Films are shown in them (nabes). I just looked it up...it's slang for neighborhood theater. We never said that in my neighborhood.

2D: Spirits (aqua vitae)...Latin for "water of life."

3D: Quit meddling (butted out). We had that not too long ago, and I was happy to remember it.

34D: Americana symbols (apple pies). Happily, one of the gimmes.

35D: Takeover (coup d'etat)...with a few letters, it couldn't have been anything else.

36D: Bygone Montreal event (Expos game). The cross at 40A: Curse (pox) always reminds me of the scene in "It's a Wonderful Life" when George Bailey says, "A pox upon me for a clumsy lout."

Other favorite answers or clues:

17A: It's all for the Italians (tutto).

28A: "About Last Night..." co-star, 1986 (Rob Lowe). Either I didn't see it or I don't remember it...or I don't want to remember it...but it was based on David Mamet's award-winning play "Sexual Perversity in Chicago."

38A: Florida island (Sanibel). It pays to have grown up in south Florida.

47A: Rival rival (Alpo). I was thinking of the Rival that makes appliances...but a clever clue.

51A: Exam takers now, exam givers later (premeds).

7D: Main ingredient in tekka maki (tuna).

13D: "Holy Sonnets" poet (Donne).

25D: "Indeed!" (to be sure).

26D: "The Seven Year Itch" co-star (Ewell). I only knew that Marilyn Monroe was it, but the crosses put it together.

29D: Ocean blue (briny). I was thinking of a color at first.

49D: Freak out (go ape). This was too good to pass up...and funny even if you happen to like Bush.

I took the day off so that Don and I can do something fun, and it's nice to be able to blog leisurely with a cup of coffee. He and the boys are still asleep, so I think I'll go watch the birds.

Some of the comments are getting through...others still aren't. Blogger doesn't really have a way to contact them...you "join" their support group and post your question or problem. If you're lucky, someone sees it and responds. Basically, there's no support...but I don't pay them for the Blog, so what's to complain about?

Here's the grid...



...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Saturday, June 16 - Joe DiPietro

Joe DiPietro's Saturday themeless was one tough puzzle. After my initial read-through of clues, I had only a couple of answers:

19A: Fisherman's supply (worms). Thought that was it, wrote it, erased it, wrote it again.

21A: Defibrillator users, for short (EMTs). That one ends up in the puzzle fairly regularly, although they keep finding different ways to clue it.

22A: [Just like that!] (snap). Got it--just like that!

31A: Passed-down strands (DNA). One of those plural answers that doesn't end in an S.

54A: Son of Leah (Levi). It pays to know some of the Bible names.

Those few answers didn't really open up a lot for me. I ended up Googling to get a couple of obscure answers...like 46A: Delaware, the __ State. I thought it was First State, but that wasn't working. Apparently, it has other nicknames, including Diamond State.

That gave me a little more to work with in the lower right quadrant, confirming that 40D: Words from the wise was actually proverb. A bit tricky, since it seemed at first that the answer would be plural. But a proverb does contain words--seven on average, according to Wikipedia.

There were several two-word answers that ended with...are they prepositions? Someone help me here...it's late and I'm tired.

15A: First in line (next up)

23A: Follow (go after)

25A: Falls at the hands of (loses to)

8D: Want in the worst way (ache for)

39D: Went for (aimed at)

The award for funniest clue goes to 3D: Like some T-shirts and eggs (extra large). I didn't see that answer until I had the X, then I felt rather stupid for not having seen it sooner. I couldn't figure out what those two could possibly have in common.

My three favorite answers:

16A: Woman who's just too cool? (ice queen). Ooh, love it.

59A: Place to order rolls (sushi bar). Too clever.

61A: Further evidence (Exhibit B). I had the last two letters in place and was sure I had something wrong. What word could possibly end in TB?

That then threw me with 52D: Sauce thickener (roux). I had the UX but roux just didn't come until I got the O. Thank you, poolside (56A: Where many people may lie).

We had a clue in a recent puzzle, and I tried to put New Delhi in for the answer. It was wrong, but it was the right answer tonight and it came right to mind for 36D: Residence of some Indians.

I was totally baffled by the answer to 28D: Wicker work (A Time to Die). I was thinking baskets, furniture, and the like. Thank you, Dogpile. Tom Wicker wrote the book, A Time to Die: The Attica Prison Revolt.

See you tomorrow night.

Linda G

Saturday, May 26 - Joe DiPietro

After the New York Times straightened out its problem with the Print and Play version, my computer pulled a few stunts of its own. I didn't even print out the puzzle until almost midnight.

...but was ecstatic to see an immediate gimme at 1D: Singer with the 1980 #1 hit "Upside Down" (Diana Ross), which made it easy to infer 1A: Fandangles (doodads).

Reading quickly through the clues, I knew that 31A: __ of assistance (search warrant) was writ. I never thought that fifteen years as a paralegal would come in so handy.

Another long gimme was 33D: Game in which crosses are used (tic tac toe), probably because of Patrick Blindauer's clever May 15 puzzle.

That was it for the gimmes, but I had a few guesses that panned out, and I was able to piece this together.

A few proper nouns I wasn't sure about. 10D: Designer Schiaparelli (Elsa), 21D: Arizona's __ Peak National Observatory (Kitt), 40A: 1992 Pulitzer poet James (Tate) and 47D: River from the Savoy Alps (Isere). And while I know of Dante, I didn't know that he was the answer to 4D ("De Vulgari Eloquentia" author). Again, those were eventually easy enough to guess from the crosses.

Some clues/answers that I especially liked:

8A: It can aid one's climb to the top (toe hold). I was initially thinking of climbing the corporate ladder.

42A: How apples and oranges may come (in crates.). Originally had the pound.

34D: Glares (evil looks). Love it.

35D: Special kind of treatment (red carpet). Ditto.

58A: Fashionable part of N.Y.C. (Park Ave). Dahling, I love you, but give me Park Avenue. Lisa singing to Oliver on Greenacres...yes, I'm old enough to remember that one very well.

Many other initially wrong answers, but it would make this post waaaaay too long.

And I just heard the coffee finish brewing. Don and the deck are waiting.

A long weekend. Delightful.

Linda G