Friday, May 9 - Jim Page

Jim Page's Friday puzzle has nine long answers...stacks of three in each corner...and pretty spicy fill all around.

I'm not operating at full capacity this evening...turns out it wasn't just allergies bothering me this week. I'm on a hefty dose of antibiotics, as well as some delightful cough syrup with codeine...two teaspoons and I slept for three hours. I took a half dose two hours ago, but I'm a real lightweight and I'm pretty groggy.

That said, I'm truly amazed that I finished this. I came to a standstill at one point and Googled for one answer...5D: "Doonesbury" journalist Hedley (Roland). Part of my confusion in the northwest was 10D: Actress Morelli of "The Leopard," 1963 (Rina). I read it as Moreno and filled in Rita.

Long theme answers in the northwest:

1A: Terrifying tales (hair raisers).

15A: One might have a stunt double (action movie)...filled in action right off the bat but I was trying to fit in something like actor.

17A: Bit of ballistic evidence (shell casing).

In the northeast 12D: Predawn period (small hours)...I prefer wee, 13D: Potential reputation ruiner (dark secret)...love that one and 14D: Secondary arrangements (subsystems).

The southwest corner was the easiest for me, with 25D: Yellowish-orange spread (apricot jam), 26D: Rummage (root around) and 27D: It tells you where else to look (cross reference). Nice connected clue at 43D: Word in a 27-Down (see).

And in the southeast...58A: It often includes surround sound (home theater), 61A: One who may do a wire transfer (electrician) and 63A: Chips and such (party snacks).

I liked the similarity between 40A: Builder of a hanging nest (oriole) and 46A: Projecting bit of architecture (oriel). I'm not sure what the latter looks like, but I'm pretty partial to the former...and all birds.

I just dozed off while uploading that picture...[UPDATE Friday morning: Thanks for your kindness in ignoring the typos in that last paragraph. I've corrected them and am now heading back to la-la land.]

The standard crossword fare didn't take away in the least from the rest of the good fill...19A: Weber per square meter (Tesla), 21A: Organization originally called the Jolly Corks (Elks)...nice Friday clue for that one, 60A: Suffix of some cyclic coumpounds (ane), 3D: Plural suffix for urban (ites), 21D: Fill up on (eat), 28D: One passing notes? (ATM), 34D: Certain character sketch (cel) and 56D: Flying piscivores (erns). That, by the way, is the best clue we've ever had for erns.

15A: Egyptian __ (cat breed) (Mau). I'm not up on my cat breeds, but that good guess panned out. They're awfully cute little guys.

And I keep finding myself dozing off, so I'd better wrap things up...take a full dose and get a good night's sleep.

Here's the grid...



...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Wednesday, December 26 - Jim Page

More good Christmas Eve memories with our girls. After dinner and midnight Mass (well, kind of...we were actually home by midnight), we opened our pajamas...Big Dogs all around...then went downstairs to watch the video of Christmas 1995, our first with both of the girls. I was absolutely amazed by how young we looked, how little the girls were, the cute things they said and did, how old our dogs and cat looked (that would be the last Christmas for two of the three). I can't believe we didn't watch those old movies more often. It would have been especially helpful during their difficult teen years...serving as a reminder that they weren't always so hard to live with.

Because of a winter storm warning, everyone had to leave fairly early, so we spent a quiet Christmas afternoon at home...just the two of us. Mike and Elaine have made it safely home...Leslie and Candy are almost home following an afternoon with her family.

Yes...another wonderful Christmas. I hope you and your family have some warm memories to cherish for years to come.

Okay...the Wednesday puzzle. I thought we were looking at a pangram...even read over the grid two or three times looking for V and W, but I'm not finding them.

The theme is revealed at 38A: Song from 65-Across that's hidden in 20- and 54-Across and 10- and 35-Down. The song is NYC...from 65A: Hit Broadway musical based on a comic strip (Annie).

And the theme answers are:

20A: "The Defiant Ones" co-star, 1958 (Tony Curtis). My sister and I swooned over Tony Curtis in the early sixties. I'm sure we weren't alone.

54A: Cornmeal dish often served with maple syrup (johnny cake). Sounds interesting...maybe like a crunchy pancake.

10D: 2003 Kentucky Derby winner (Funny Cide)...funny name for a beautiful horse.

35D: Vehicles at a petting zoo (pony carts).

I've always liked hidden words or letter combinations in a themed puzzle. Just something enjoyable about it. There are the occasional gimmes...you have the NY in a theme answer, so you know the next letter is C. That's not the real draw, but I couldn't tell you what is. I just know that I like it.

I also loved the plethora of Scrabbly letters in answers such as 10A: Daunt (faze), 42A: Massages (kneads), 6D: Bleach brand (Clorox), 9D: Field utensils (mess kit), 12D: Microwaves (zaps), 41D: 2008 Olympics host (Beijing)...the IJI sequence is just too good, and 49D: Six-foot-tall African animal (okapi).

Other favorite answers include the Pantheonic 15A: Orsk's river (Ural), 22A: Rocket launcher (NASA)...clever cluing, 28A: Sony music player introduced in 1984 (Discman), 37A: Yo-yo (idiot), 40A: Hashish source (cannabis), 43A: Some socks (argyles), 1A: Glacial ridge (arete)...a favorite because I actually remembered it this time), 4D: Rakish sort (satyr), 32D: Easily split mineral (mica), 33D: Month after Shevat (Adar)...although I needed the crosses to get it, 44D: 1984 gold-medalist marathoner Joan (Benoit)...a gimme, as this was during the time I was running regularly, 47D: Show contempt toward (scorn), and 48D: Kite's clutcher (talon).

Per se appears again today...at 50D, clued as [As such].

That's it for today. We were up until 3:00 last night...and up at 7:30...so I need to get myself to bed. Here's the grid...



...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Wednesday, November 14 - Jim Page

Jim Page has had some good puzzles since I started this Madness...here's one of my favorites from about six months ago. That was some fun theme.

Today's was pretty enjoyable as Wednesdays go. The theme is revealed at 36A: Slogan popularized in the 1980s...and a hint to 17-, 25-, 28-, 48-, 51- and 60-Across (JUST SAY NO).

But in this case, we don't say it.

17A: À la a free-for-all (holds barred).

25A: Really easy decision (brainer). Here's where I caught on. Knew the answer (it was a no-brainer), and I took it from there.

28A: Bum (goodnik).

48A: Restricted airspace (fly zone).

51A: Pitcher's coup (hit game). Having recently watched plenty of baseball games, I wanted no-hitter (or hitter, in this case). Don't know how I finally figured it out. There were some tough crosses in that area.

60A: Mediocre (great shakes)...my favorite.

I always love to get 1-Across, and I hate when I don't. Today I didn't. The only NPR person I know of is Noah Adams...they wanted [NPR host __ Conan] (Neal). Didn't help that I didn't know if he was Neil or Neal, and I absolutely did not know the cross at 3D: Wing part (aileron). That just looks like it's spelled wrong, but I checked it out. Airplane wing, not chicken wing. Here's where you'll find out all about ailerons...and to the right is Neal Conan.

One of my favorite legal words makes another appearance today. 5A: Prevents, in legalspeak (estops). He was estopped from taking their children across the state line. Does that not sound so very cool? Was estopped...

15A: Blubber (boo hoo) made me laugh. I wanted a word that had to do with whale blubber.

I am totally clueless on 36D: Self-professed ultrapatriot (Jingo). I'm pretty certain about all the crosses, though, so I don't think that's the wrong word. I'm sure someone will set me straight on this. Jingo and aileron...the only two never-before-heard words in this puzzle.

There were several gimmes, in addition to my beloved estops.

30A: Mimieux of "Where the Boys Are" (Yvette). I think I've said here before that I remember her from an episode of Dr. Kildare called Tiger, Tiger. She played a surfer who had epilepsy. Despite Dr. Kildare's warnings, she continued to surf, had a seizure and drowned. So very sad.

32A: World Series prize (ring). I guess I didn't really know this. I know a ring is the Super Bowl prize, so it seemed likely.

46A: Hunky sort (Adonis). I can't hear (or read) the word without thinking about someone I knew about 35 years ago. He once commented that women loved his Adonis body. I worked with seven or eight women, and none of us thought that. A legend in his own mind...

2D: Wind and rain cause it (erosion).

8D: "The Dick Van Dyke Show" catchphrase (oh, Rob). Can't you just hear Laura?

12D: Wheaties box adorner (athlete).

22D: Muralist Rivera (Diego). Here he is with his equally artistic wife, Frida Kahlo.

26D: "__ calling!" (Avon).

43D: Handle (moniker). Love the word.

Others I liked, either because of the clue or the answer...or both. 23A: Become bored by (tire of), 35A: Double curves (ogees), 39A: Fabled "snowmen" (Yetis), 53A: Good horseshoe toss (leaner), 67A: Hal David output (lyrics)...Raindrops Keep Fallin' on my Head, 9D: "The bill and coo of sex" per Elbert Hubbard (poetry), 11D: Warming, of sorts (detente), 41D: 100 percent (totally), 44D: Like Carter's presidency (one term), 47D: Excessively flattering (smarmy), and 50D: 1952 Brando role (Zapata).

58A: "Whoso diggeth __ shall fall therein": Proverbs (a pit)...there's a lesson for all of us.

64A: Suffragist Bloomer (Amelia). A good guess on my part...I only had one vowel in place, but I don't remember which it was.

That's all for tonight. Here's the grid...



...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Saturday, August 18 - Jim Page

I went to a benefit concert last night and didn't get home until 11:00. I dozed off between words, filling in what I knew, Googling a few obscurities, then crashed on the couch. It had been a long day.

Today is our 26th anniversary. I came home last night to a gorgeous arrangement of red roses (always with one yellow rose) from my sweetie. Our favorite coffee shop is doing something special for us this morning. Life is good. Very good.

The puzzle...not so good. Don't get me wrong...the puzzle itself was better than very good, but I was too tired to do well. Maybe too tired to care. As I look it over now...damn! There are some great words in here. I didn't check the grid, so there may very well be some wrong letters here and there.

Of the three long answers, one of them was a gimme/good-guess-that-panned-out. 31A: Face attack (come under fire). The other two needed the help of the downs before they'd come together:

15A: Construction material (corrugated steel).

51A: Early (ahead of schedule). Dooley barked way ahead of schedule this morning...at 3:40 a.m. to be precise. I was in that druggy state of sleep and managed to ignore him. At 4:00, I scolded him to be quiet. Didn't hear another peep out of him until 6:40, a much more appropriate time to awaken.

If I listed all the things I didn't know, it would take forever, so here are just a few:

24A: Feature of some classical architecture (stoa). The only four-letter word I could think of was ogee, and that may not be classical.

50A: "__ Work" (George F. Will best seller) (Men at). Didn't read it and am not familiar with it. If anyone out there suggests that I should read it, I'll take it under advisement.

13D: Banjolike Japanese instrument (samisen).

31D: Eastwood played him in five films (Callahan). I never saw any of the Dirty Harry movies and didn't know his last name...or that he had one.

42D: It rises in the Black Forest (Danube). Of course I know the Danube, just didn't catch it from the clue. Good one.

Some of my favorite wrong answers, although they didn't stay in place for long:

17A: Applies polish to? (edits). I didn't catch the question mark...had daubs. Is that even a word? Anyway, very good/tricky cluing...most appropriate for a Saturday puzzle.

54A: Some bygone roadsters (Datsuns). I don't think of a Datsun as a roadster. I had Model Ts.

56A: Fluish, perhaps (sneezy). I had sickly, so at least the cross at 49D: Sharp rival (Sony) worked with it.

A few of my favorites:

35A: Writ introduction? (habeas).

8D: 1932 Garbo title role (Mata Hari). No doubt Green Genius will be happy to see Mata Hari clued this way. Green Genius is to Mata Hari as Linda G is to Ava Gardner...but for totally different reasons.

10D: Who's a critic? (everyone). One of the few gimmes in this puzzle, and it made me laugh.

Normally seeing the same clue for two answers confuses me, but not when they're one right after another. And these two were funny. At 33D: Thighs may be displayed in it (meat case)...at 34D the answer was (erotica). The answers aren't really all that different...

Here's the grid...



...and I'm out of here. See you tomorrow.

Linda G

Sunday, May 13 - Jim Page

This was just a delightful puzzle. Not too easy, but nothing major that tripped me up. We're not going to mention the recent puzzle that did.

The theme--Two Times Three--applies to the nine asterisked clues in the puzzle, each of which has a sequence of three letters repeated two consecutive times in the answer.

23A: What someone who looks at Medusa does (turns to stone)

32A: 1850 American literature classic (The Scarlet Letter)

42A: Demonstrate the method (show how it's done)

70A: Push aside (shove over)

94A: Walk in the park, say (simple pleasure)

103A: Put at bay (paint into a corner)

119A: Miami baseball list (Marlin lineup)

15D: Toothless South American animal (giant anteater)

55D: Not so important (less essential). This was the first one to fall into place, although I didn't quite get the theme at that point. Two times three equals six, and S only appeared four times. Once I got the Medusa clue, though, it all came together...quite beautifully.

Several gimmes. Most of them short, but they either confirmed a guess or let me know I was way wrong.

12A: Copper head? (Abe). Also one of the most clever clues.

56A: It has gutters on each side (lane).

69A: Agnus __ (Mass prayers) (Deis). Not usually plural, but easy enough to know that's what they wanted.

81A: Hair-raising cry (eek). Just having the K in place made me remember that Kim was Mrs. D.

85A: Becker on "L.A. Law" (Arnie). One of my favorite 1980s TV shows, along with Hill Street Blues and thirtysomething.

Several fill-in-the-blank gimmes, including 27A: "__-La-La" (Al Green hit) (Sha), 37A: From __ Z (A to), 52A: __-mo (slo), 73A: TV's "__-Team") (The A), 98A: Wouldn't __ Loverly?" (it be), 114A: __ Schwarz (FAO), 115A: "Well, look __!" (at you), 123A: Have __in mind (a goal). And those are just the acrosses not mentioned earlier. Several downs, notably 7D: "Steady __ goes" (as she) and 86D: "__ life!" (get a).

Some of the fill was eminently guessable, with just a letter or two in place. I'd never heard of Erroll (66D: "Misty composer Garner"), but I had the double R in place, as well as the L from 90A: __ 88 (Olds). I was also unfamiliar with 84A: Boxer Trinidad (Tito), but was able to guess from the I and O. Didn't know 12D: McMurry University site (Abilene) but figured it out with the A and L.

Other easy-to-guess answers: 46D: Son of Cedric the Saxon (Ivanhoe) and 82D: Kinetoscope inventory (Edison). I haven't heard of a kinetoscope, but with the E in place, I knew that had to be the right inventor.

60D: Place for a star (tree top). I had theater at first. That and heavens would both be good wrong guesses.

94D: Lush fabrics (sateens). I had velvets as first--definitely more lush than sateen, IMOO.

Nails is back (106D: Accomplishes perfectly, as a dismount), as is eerier (68D: More chilling).

We've had an Olaf before, but I'm not sure if he and 44D: Sainted king called "the Stout" (Olaf II) are one and the same. I have finally learned that if a word ends in II, it doesn't necessarily mean that something's amiss.

Oh, there are just so many more good things to say about this puzzle, but I'll have to leave it at this. My husband would probably enjoy spending some time with me. He has suggested that the hours I spend on the computer--both here and at work--might be a cause of the pain that kept me flat on my back all of yesterday. Except for the time I was blogging, and reading other blogs...

To mothers everywhere -- Happy Mother's Day. And to the rest of you -- be sure to give someone the break she deserves.

Linda G