Monday, February 18 - Lynn Lempel

It's always nice to see Lynn Lempel's name on a byline. Her puzzles are always fun, with a better-than-average share of fresh fill. In addition to today's puzzle, Lynn also has the syndicated puzzle for today.

The theme is political positions...all far from the right...and the theme answers are:

17A: Free health and dental care, and then some (liberal benefits).

25A: Math symbol for extraction of a root (radical sign).

45A: In limbo (left hanging).

57A: Eyeglass option for different distances (progressive lens).

The nontheme multiword answers are 1A: Bounce to the surface (bob up), 34A: Entree in a bowl with beef or lamb, say (meat stew), 39A: "Hey, come back a bit" (not so far), 42A: Enter en masse (pour in), 42D: Home viewing for a price (pay TV) and 43D: Subscription period, often (one year)...I liked them all.

I guess I should have watched more of the Star Wars movies. I didn't know 23A: Luke's twin sister in "Star Wars" (Leia)...the letters were playing out that way, and Elaine confirmed it. I can't help but wonder why no one told me once it was discovered...that was big news, even for (especially for?) those of us who only saw the first movie. Look how much in love they were!

I'm still in shock, but I have to get on with this post.

Favorite clues:

16A: Present opener? (omni)...a gimme.

44A: Peppermint __ of "Peanuts" (Patty). I always liked her...and the candy that bears her name is also a favorite. This was Peppermint Patty's debut in the comic strip.


1D: Pitcher's faux pitch (balk).

3D: One often needing a change (baby).

6D: Pertaining to a son or daughter (filial). I realize it comes from the Latin filialis (of a son or daughter), but it almost sounds as though it should pertain to a young female horse.

46D: Loathing (hating). I like the word, although it reminds me of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." I tried to read it and got physically sick in the first couple of pages...felt like I was on a really bad trip. I had never had that experience with a book before...or since.

Favorite answers in the grid include 6A: Botch (flub), 14A: Belittle (abase), 22A: Limerick or sonnet (verse), 33A: Warnings (alerts), 47A: Wood-shaping tool (adz), crossing with a fun three-letter word at 41D: Turk's topper (fez), 60A: Early state in the presidential campaign (Iowa), 10D: Errand runner (gofer), 27D: God or goddess (deity), 31D: His tomb is in Red Square (Lenin), 32D: Banjo sound (twang) amd 47D: Aquatic plant life (algae).

The next three days will be crazy at work with our annual fundraiser. I hope I still have a brain tomorrow night.

Here's the grid...



...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Monday, January 7 - Lynn Lempel

I think it's time to put Lynn Lempel on the New York Times payroll. Not only is this her second puzzle in a row...it's her third in the last week!

After her tough Sunday puzzle, though, it was kind of nice to nail Monday.

The theme is revealed at 64A: Theory of the universe, or a hint to the starts of 17-Across and 7-, 10-, 35- and 40-Down (Big Bang)...and the five theme answers are:

17A: High hit behind the catcher, say (pop foul).

7D: Prosperous place (boomtown).

10D: Extreme effort at weight loss (crash diet). Have you ever noticed that the first three letters of the word diet are d-i-e. That's why you'll never catch me going on one.

35D: Skilled marksman (crack shot).

40D: Baloney (claptrap).

As always, Lynn's nontheme fill is entertaining...and often out of the ordinary.

13A: Kansas city where Dwight Eisenhower grew up (Abilene). I have no idea why, but this was a gimme.

15A: Symbol of sturdiness (oak tree)...that contrasts nicely with 50D: Symbols of meekness (lambs).

18A: Do surgery (on) (operate).

23A: Ward off (repel).

39A: Spotty (erratic). A favorite word...don't know why.

41A: Tidy savings (nest egg)...what we're trying to build so we can retire at some point. Don has always been self-employed, and I've never worked for a company with a retirement plan that would really provide for retirement. It's always been up to us. It's a good thing one of us is a saver.

47A: Stretchy fabric (Lycra). It feels good on, but it sure doesn't look good on everyone.

49A: Self-assurance (aplomb). That is just one of the best words ever. Period.

67A: Scene at a natural history museum (diorama).

16D: Musical chord (triad). I love playing triads...something about the sounds.

27D: Abductors' demands (ransoms). Not often heard as a plural, but sometimes you just have to do things to make the puzzle work out. I'm okay with that.

32D: Lady and the Tramp, e.g. (dogs). Dooley and Barnabas wanted me to point this out. It's one of their favorite movies.

There were just a couple of things I didn't know but was able to get from crosses.

14D: Twisty-horned antelope (eland). Never heard of these guys, but they're kind of cute.

34D: Air France destination (Orly). Hmm...an airport in Paris. I should make a note of that.

There were several answers that make their way into the puzzle fairly often, including 19A: End of a school Web address (edu), 20A: Salves (balms), 28A: Refused (said no), 38A: Nuptial agreement (I do)...clever clue, 69A: Summer hrs. in D.C. (EDT), 5D: Old auto inits. (REO), 9D: __ out (barely make (eke), 37D: Aviation-related prefix (aero), 45D: Sporting sword (epee)...a word I'd never heard of before I started doing crossword puzzles and 60D: Nurses a drink (sips).

In addition to the theme answers, there were a couple of good multiword answers that I liked...62A: Miss terribly (ache for)...the last time it was pine for, 68A: Observed secretly (spied on) and 3D: Shred (rip up).

Identical cluing at 21D and 29D [Eye part]...lens and iris, respectively.

Like many of you, I've gotten spoiled by two long weekends. I hope I can get myself up and around tomorrow. It was kind of nice having Mondays off.

That's it for today. Here's the grid...



...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Sunday, January 6 - Lynn Lempel

I think Lynn Lempel has hit the big time! She's had several early week puzzles in the New York Times, but I think this is her first Sunday.

It was also, I'm embarrassed to say, the hardest Sunday puzzle I've done in a long, long time. Way to go, Lynn.

After my initial run through the across and down clues, I had fewer than a dozen answers, including 35A: "__ dreaming?" (Am I)...I wasn't, 49A: Weekend warrior's woe (ache), 52A: Reagan attorney general (Meese), 72A: Room sharer, often (sib), 12D: Lover boy? (Eros) and 42D: Title with a tilde (señor). Not much of a toehold.

I had a hard time making sense of the title, The Inside Dope. At first, I thought the name of a drug (probably illegal) would be hidden in each theme answer. No...wrong kind of dope. The theme answers are:

23A: Feature of some kids' cereals (cocoa flavor).

29A: Regular provider (gas station). Tee-hee. I just got that.

37A: Holder of the world record for the longest ovation on the operatic stage (80 minutes) (Placido Domingo). I didn't know that about him, but I would probably have joined in.

60A: Let the mind believe what it likes (humor oneself). This was the first one to fall into place, although I tried to fit in morphine when I was on the wrong track...no pun intended.

76A: Bastion of brotherhood (Masonic Lodge).

98A: Elementary school test package (reading battery). This is the only one I got because of the theme. Had battery...so it was easy to guess ding and go from there. Sadly, the word always reminds me of Edith Bunker.

109A: Dress for the return of cool weather (fall outfit).

117A: Not even close (worlds apart).

3D: Alaskan cruise sighting (Pacific humpback).

46D: Wasn't clear, as one's future (seemed uncertain). I thought that was the most clever theme answer.

There were several obscure (to me) answers. I got a few from Dogpile, which opened things up a little bit...worked the opposite direction and got a couple more. I just kept plodding along, but it felt like it took me forever to finish. I felt a real sense of accomplishment when I did!

Some of the obscure ones:

27A: Rita Hayworth title role of 1946 (Gilda).

50A: Grauman of Grauman's Chinese Theater (Sid).

85A: 1920s anarchist in a celebrated trial (Sacco).

95: Mexican revolutionary __ Hidalgo (Miguel).

106A: Portrait photographer Arbus (Diane). Why don't I know that?

107A: Ralph __, 1974 N.L. batting champ (Garr). I know why I don't know that one.

123A: Heinrich who wrote "Atta Troll" (Heine).

127A: Synthetic fabric (Arnel). I thought I knew fabric pretty well, but I've never heard of it. I did get 87A: Some cottons (lisles) with a letter or two in place.

17D: Documentary filmmaker Morris (Errol).

33D: Pay increase to keep up with inflation, in brief (COLA). Guessing that stands for Cost Of Living Allowance...or something like that. I must not work for the right places...I've never gotten a cost of living raise. Fortunately, merit raises work well for me.

82D: 1945 Colette novel (Gigi).

114D: Island-dotted lake of Northern Ireland (Erne).

At least those could be Googled...then there were the somewhat arbitrary answers...could have been anything, so nothing came to mind. 19A: Shooter's target (agate), 31A: Bollix up (flub), 44A: Eremites (loners), 51A: Swift gift (satire), 66A: Governessy (prim), 67A: Covers up (shrouds), 103A: Approaches aggressively (accosts), 113A: Overdo it, in a way (emote), 122A: Ones being shot at (enemy), 126A: Unpadded (terse), 11D: Some tubes (macaroni), 24D: Title on a child's bookshelf (fables), 86D: Spread some holiday joy (carolled), 88D: Quaint garden fixtures (sundials), 89D: O.K. (legit) and 95D: Reached the due date (matured).

There were some good multiword answers...again, several things might have fit, so it took some time to flesh them out. 5D: Preliminary events (lead-up), 8D: Gave up at last (caved in), 13D: Lights (sets fire to), 15D: It's sour (flat note), 69D: Show annoyance with (snap at) and 75D: Like some electronics (solid state).

Favorite words include 6A: Decorative inlay material (nacre), 34A: Aniselike herbs (fennels), 84A: Bird baked in a pie (squab)...mostly for the Q, 94A: "My Way" lyricist (Anka)...think I've heard that before but didn't remember, 96A: Brush makeup (sage)...clever, 9D: Ran amok (rioted), 14D: Speeds up (hastens), 16D: Disney duck (Louie)...took forever to think of him, 18D: Gets off the bottle (weans)...thought they meant the other bottle, 36D: Former Portuguese colony in China (Macau), 39D: Core groups (cadres), 47D: Where Monferrato wine comes from (Asti), 71D: Chef's hat (toque), 79D: Virulent virus (Ebola), 101D: Company whose production goes in cycles? (Yamaha) and 112D: Poor returns? (alms).

Most clever clue/answer pairing is 29D: Object of a vain wait (Godot). Too funny.

I had two very good sports guesses, so I'm quite proud. I got 72D: Sportsman of the Year co-winner of 1998 (Sosa) with only the first letter in place. Growing up in Florida made it fairly easy to guess 78D: Seminole's archrival (Gator) with the OR.

I'd best mention our biology lesson...the connected cluing at 80A: Uniters with 51-Down (ova/sperm). Does that pass the breakfast test? Doesn't matter...I did the puzzle in the afternoon.

I enjoyed my no-driving day. I baked bread, made beef stew for dinner, balanced my bank statement and solved the puzzle...all in my pajamas. It's been great.

That's it for this one. I'll be interested to see how you fared with it. Here's the grid...



...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Monday, December 31 - Lynn Lempel

We're all in for a treat today--a double shot of Lynn Lempel! Not only does she get the last New Yorks Times puzzle for 2007, she's also the author of today's syndicated puzzle (see link in sidebar).

The theme includes the main duties of a clerical position, with four theme answers.

17A: A magnet attracts it in a physics experiment (iron filing). Not a word you often hear used in the singular...definitely necessary for the theme, though.

57A: Star's marquee position (top billing).

10D: Pre-tranfusion procedure (blood typing). This young woman has attracted quite an audience. I don't recall that typing was that fascinating.

25D: Some verbal abuse (name calling).

Multiword answers (in addition to the theme answers) include 28A: Divorces (splits up), 32A: Locale for a New York diva (The Met), 43A: Zilch (not a whit)...all excellent...and a crossword standard at 62A: Have a meal at home (eat in).

Another crossword regular makes an appearance at 64A: "Born Free" lioness (Elsa). It's hard to believe that the original movie is from 1965...but I just saw that in print, so it must be.

Other crossword regulars taking a final bow in 2007 include 15A: Diva's song (aria), 21A: County seat NNW of Oklahoma City (Enid), 27A: Tire filler (air), 35A: What the number of birthday candles signifies (age), 36A: Olden times (yore), 56A: Java neighbor (Bali), 60A: Genesis garden (Eden), 63A: Orange-flavored powdered drink (Tang), 65A: Medicinal amounts (doses), 3D: Enticing smell (aroma), 30D: __ Mountains, Europe/Asia separator (Ural), 51D: Help illegally (abet), 52D: Zilch (nada) and 59D: Neighbor of a Vietnamese (Lao).

Not exactly a regular, but it appeared in the last couple of weeks. 2D: Deep pink (coral). I still think of coral as a shade of orange, rather than pink. Deep pink is fuchsia.

Other entries of note, for one reason or another:

1A: Oodles (scads)...both words are amusing for some reason.

14A: Seoul's land (Korea). I love seeing the letter K in the puzzle...almost as much as Z.

22A: Relieve (soothe).

24A: At a tilt (slanted).

26A: Praise (laud).

37A: Jinxes (hexes). I love that there's an X in both the clue and the answer.

39A: Tomato-hitting-the-floor sound (splat). The clue is too funny.

5D: Two-point plays in football (safeties). A sports clue and I knew it...woo-hoo!

9D: Event before moving (tag sale). We did that when we moved to Colorado from Kansas City...it wasn't worth all the work we had to do to get ready. If we move again, we'll just donate everything to charity. Much easier.

13D: Amusement park shout (whee). Reminds me of the girls on roller coasters...arms up in the air and shouting. I'm glad they didn't shy away from amusement park rides just because I wouldn't go on them.

39D: Shot up, as inflation (spiraled).

41D: Gleeful laugh (chortle).

42D: Hindu teacher (Swami).

49D: Old TV comic Kovacs (Ernie). I remember hearing the name growing up, but I didn't remember that he was a comedian.

53D: "Galveston" crooner Campbell (Glen).

And a final tribute to 54D: Inspectors of fin. books (CPA)...in honor of my sweetie. He'll take tomorrow off, but then he'll work every day until April 15. I'm hopeful that this will be his last tax season...last year took a toll on him.

I hope all of you will celebrate safely this evening. We lost a friend in an accident on New Year's Eve in 1971...one is one too many.

Here's today's grid...



...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Monday, December 10 - Lynn Lempel

Is it my imagination...or has Lynn Lempel had several puzzles in the last couple of months?

Today's was standard Monday fare...an easy theme, better than decent theme answers, and some interesting nontheme fill.

The first word (or part of word) of the six theme answers all rhyme...and each starts with S.

16A: Appetizer with sweet and sour sauce (spring roll). I just had dinner, but that makes me hungry. I love spring rolls.

26A: Deadly long-tailed fish (stingray).

48A: Monotonous voice (singsong).

63A: Gangly guy (stringbean).

10D: Goliath's undoing (slingshot).

33D: Make-or-break election bloc (swing vote).

Three multiword answers in this one...2D: Even, on the leaderboard (at par), 5D: Merely suggest (hint at), and 17D: "Oh, I see" (got it)...and a fair share of three-letter words. The best of them...69A: Wood in archery bows (yew). The best clue for one is at 47A: All U.S. senators until 1922 (men)...simply because I didn't know that and it's good information.

Favorite fill includes 20A: Puccini heroine (Tosca), 22A: Take turns (rotate), 24A: Dangler on a suitcase (ID tag), 31A: Schiaparelli of fashion (Elsa), 35A: Interlocks (meshes), 37A: Bride's bounty (dowry), 58A: Young cod for dinner (scrod), 3D: Slow, in symphonies (largo), 6D: Ray who created the McDonald's empire (Kroc), 7D: Custardy dessert (eclair), 9D: City where Galileo taught (Padua), 14D: Weapons stash (arsenal)...scary as it is, 27D: One of the Allman Brothers (Gregg), 45D: Lamebrain (moron)...makes me think of some of our elected officials, 54D: 11- or 12-year-old (tween), and 56D: 1920s art movement (Dada).

Fellow blogger Green Genius has told us repeatedly that Mata Hari [see 63A: Mata Hari, for one] was much more than a spy. You can read what he has to say about it here.

Time to wrap this one up so I can nestle (49A: Get cozy) with Barnabas in the big chair. Here's the grid...



...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Monday, November 19 - Lynn Lempel

I spent a couple of hours today working our booth at the Alternative Christmas Fair, an alternative gifting opportunity that benefits local and international agencies. You can honor a friend or loved one with a gift of a latrine in San Salvador, a forest planting in Haiti, or gorilla protection in Rwanda. Right here at home, we could provide a doorbell or window for Habitat for Humanity, a case of canned goods for the local food bank, or meals at our Soup Kitchen. Every year I buy something for everyone in my family. This year my gifts include snacks and milk for preschoolers in the Gaza Strip, a case of peanut butter, a solar cooker for a family in Kenya, a day of skiing for a disabled person...and a latrine. There's something for everyone.

Just being there left me feeling incredibly good all day. While I was gone, beef stew simmered in the crockpot, so we had a hearty dinner without a lot of work. Yep...just a good day all around.

And an easy puzzle on top of that, with just enough of a Monday challenge and some interesting words.

The theme is revealed at 40A: Where you may find the ends of 17-, 23-, 52- and 63-Across (paper), and the theme answers are:

17A: Subversive group (FIFTH COLUMN). I'm not familiar with the expression, but here's what Wikipedia has to say.

23A: Soap or lotion, say (TOILET ARTICLE). As a kid, I thought that was a funny expression. I guess I still do.

52A: Notorious stigma (SCARLET LETTER). In the old movies, it looked like an applique on her dress...this one looks like it means business. I don't know about you, but I'd definitely behave myself.

63A: Coveted film honor (BEST PICTURE).

Not incredibly inspiring, but I don't think Monday themes need to be. There was some fill that I found particularly good, though.

5A: "Jeepers!" (cripes). That's not something I've ever said, but my friend's grandmother used to say something like that. It made me smile to think about her.

15A: Native name for Mount McKinley (Denali).

29A: Gardner of Hollywood (Ava). It's always a good day when Ava's in the puzzle.

34A: Suspect's excuse (alibi).

68A: Drooling dog in "Garfield" (Odie). I don't much care for Garfield, but I think Odie is sweet. Then again, I'm a dog person.

3D: One who'll easily lend money for a hard-luck story (soft touch). If you're that kind of person, do not become a social worker. I have been known to help out some of my favorites once or twice...truth be told, most of us have...but they always think the money has come from a local church. Some people just need a hand up.

4D: Fuel by the litre (petrol). I'm also a soft touch for all things Brit.

9D: New York city where Mark Twain is buried (Elmira).

33D: Marsh plant (sedge). Have never heard of it or seen it, but here's the scoop on it.

35D: Period between (interlude).

37D: Curve-billed wader (ibis). I know it's in the puzzle fairly often, but I've always liked the word. And it's a very cool-looking bird.

I liked the crossing of 22A: Repulsive (vile) with 22D: Pharmacy containers (vials).

Also liked the crossing of 1A: Bit of smoke (wisp) with 1D: Blow gently (waft). The word wisp brings back a very old memory...Will o' the Wisp, the Leon Russell CD (actually, what I had was the album) with one of my very favorite songs, Lady Blue. You can hear Leon sing it here. I just listened to it again...it's just as beautiful now as it was back then.

I should also mention 36D: Jefferson's first vice president (Burr). I didn't know it, and I'd be willing to bet there are others who don't. It will probably be the reason for most Google hits today...on this blog and others.

Well, I see that I posted four pictures instead of three, but it will have to do. Sometimes this OCD stuff just isn't worth the trouble.

Here's the grid...



...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Monday, October 22 - Lynn Lempel

I've often said that I love circles in a grid. This time, though, they didn't do much.

The theme is revealed at 57A: One who lost what's hidden in 19-, 34- and 42-Across (Little Bo Peep), and what she's lost are found at:

19A: Bandleader in the Polka Music Hall of Fame (LAWRENCE WELK)

34A: Creamy soup (CLAM BISQUE)

42A: Substantial portion (FAIR AMOUNT)

The theme answers...and the whole puzzle, in fact...seemed awfully easy, even for a Monday. Maybe I was just on Lynn Lempel's wavelength. I'm curious to see what you thought.

A couple of really good long answers.

3D: Made a stand and would go no further (drew the line). Good phrase and well clued.

25D: "Fantastic Voyage" actress (Raquel Welch).

And some out-of-the-ordinary answers as well.

14A: Like a manly man (macho). Much better answer than the often-seen hairy. I know plenty of manly men who aren't.

38A: City where Van Gogh painted sunflowers (Arles)...if it's been in the puzzle lately, I don't remember it.

41A: Pacific republic (Nauru). Didn't know it but got it from crosses.

68A: Branch of Islam (Shia).

70D: Jean who wrote "Wide Sargasso Sea" (Rhys).

6D: Color of fall leaves (ocher). Ours are orange and red, although the wind yesterday and today blew most of them off. It was lovely while it lasted.

8D: Rhinoplasty (nose job).

43D: Latin American with mixed ancestry (Mestizo).

I struggled briefly in the southeast. Didn't know 55D: Explorer who proved that Greenland is an island (Peary). Didn't help that I couldn't remember the middle initial for 54A: New Deal program inits. (WPA). Don to the rescue...he knew WPA.

Of course I loved seeing 28A: Dance with a wiggle (hula) and 60A: Hawaiian isle (Maui) in the puzzle. Here we are on the beach in Maui...I think this is behind Mama's Fish House, the best place to eat on the island.

Time to wrap this up. Here's the grid...

...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Friday, October 5 - Lynn Lempel

Hello, Howard B here stopping by for one last time. Had some technical difficulties earlier tonight, and had to wrestle an unruly Microsoft to the ground in order to get this connection back up and running.

So what do you do when you run into a puzzle that has you frustrated every which way, both by just not understanding the wordplay in some clues, but also knowing that you aren't going to know a lot of the answers?
a) Throw various objects at the paper or the screen, in increasing size and density.
b) Pray to the crossword gods for mystical enlightenment
c) invent new, creative swear words while you solve to clear your mind
d) Stay calm, walk away for a minute or an hour, come back fresh...Google if necessary.

If you answered (d), you're a better human than I tonight... I briefly dabbled with (b) and (c) before finally settling on (d) to finish the thing. here we have a challenging Lynn Lempel creation, which requires all sorts of esoteric knowledge combined with a smattering of quite literal clues. This left me off-balance a bit, not sure when a clue was either very vague, or very literal. So, what here confuzzled me? Here's a few examples:

1A, 32D: both 'Navigational hazard'. The first was DENSE FOG, the second SHOAL. Nothing tricky there, except the unexpected two-word phrase. Quite literal.

53A:Quiet craft (GLIDER) - again, quite literal, but also rather vague. If you got this with less than two letters, congratulations!

56A: Bunny backer? (HEFNER). OK, there's a '?' on the clue, so it's a tricky warning. But I just couldn't figure this one out until it slammed into my brain late in the puzzle. Just not on the wavelength tonight.

57A:Where workers gather (APIARIES). No question mark, just trickiness. That's an apiary, where they keep bees. As in 'worker bees'. Yep. That stings, alright.

32A Famously fussy pair of diners (SPRATS). I liked this clue; it's quite vague and yet clever. No, I didn't get this one easily either.

Finally, 4D: Some athletes shoot them (STEROIDS). Oh man, that's brutal; quite sneaky, and I like the currency of the clue. Didn't see it coming.

Beyond that level, there were simply answers that I knew I wasn't going to know; I felt like I was in one of those nightmares where you're back in school taking a final exam in a subject you know nothing about:
---
29A: When repeated, A 'Funny Girl' song (SADIE) - Not in my neighborhood of knowledge. Not in my area code. Likely not in my galaxy. Always humbling to learn stuff like this.

16A: Special delivery? (PREMIE) - Was my first instinct, but I've never encountered this alternate spelling, so it threw me for a few loops.

17A: Married man who had long been a bachelor (BENEDICT) - Help me please, I'm drowning here... is this a name of a character, or a literal clue for a word I haven't heard?

Also the clues for KAFKA, EIRE, SPARROW, and HARTE, which were no doubt 'gimme's for some poeple, but just chewed me up, every one of 'em.

Quite a construction and cluing feat - I'm tired, but feel this was a thoroughly challenging, mind-bending solve.
Be sure to welcome the guest bloggers this weekend as before, and to welcome back Linda G from her Pacific adventures.

Moral: Even the toughest puzzles, with a bit of practice and some random knowledge picked up through life, can become solvable with enough patience and stubbornness ;). Here's my finished grid, which I'll consider a badge of honor tonight just for completing it.

Monday, August 20 - Lynn Lempel

Clever theme for a Monday...THREE OF A KIND. The five theme answers are all famous trios:

17A: Fortune-seeking trio (Little Pigs).

36A: Grass-eating trio (Billy Goats Gruff). That was one of my favorite stories as a kid, so this was a gimme.

57A: Gift-giver's trio (French Hens). I'm probably not the only solver who wanted the Wise Men in there...wondering what other adjective might make it fit. In retrospect, that would have been clued Gift-giving trio.

11D: Trio at sea (Men in a Tub). Had most of the acrosses, so this was easy.

33D: Trio on the run (Blind Mice). Same thing here.

5D: "Nonsense!" (malarkey). By far, my favorite word in the puzzle. My father didn't swear (my mother once remarked that he wouldn't say shit if he had a mouthful), and this was a word he often used instead of BS.

Symmetrically opposite that, we have 38D: Minor hang-ups (glitches), another good word.

Don't believe I've ever seen 28A: Peru-Bolivia border lake (Titicaca) in a puzzle before. It was on the tip of my tongue, but I needed a couple of crosses to get it.

The only place I bungled was 52A: Respectful tribute. I had eulogy...when the first three letters were revealed to be HOM, I changed it to homily. Finally got to the real answer...homage.

Other good ones:

1A: Town known for witch trials (Salem). It's always nice to get 1-Across.

14A: Politician who wrote "The Audacity of Hope" (Obama). Haven't read it but might. Don read something of his and gave it a good review, but I don't remember if this was the one.

43A: Pedestrian's intersection warning (Don't Walk). We used to think that didn't much matter in this fairly small city, but there have been a lot of pedestrian fatalities in the last year. Maybe folks had better start paying big-city attention.

9D: Peaceful interludes (respites). It's nice to finally have some of those in this house...the joys of an empty nest.

10D: Titillating (erotic). We had erotica the other day...one of two answers clued identically as Thighs may be displayed in it. The other answer was meat case.

46D: Painter Chagall (Marc) is back in the puzzle. He's a favorite, and I expect we'll see him more often. Maybe he'll make it to the next Pantheon.

49D: Alpha's opposite (Omega). Those are two Greek letters I never forget.

The award for most clever clue/answer goes to 1D: They're always underfoot (soles).

45D: Jokester (wag). That doesn't sound even vaguely familiar.

A quick diversion before I get to the grid. In yesterday's comments, I mentioned that Elaine and Mike were officially engaged. Here's a picture of the happy couple, who are planning to wed on July 26, 2008. Mike has a 2-year-old son who's currently living with his Grandma. Once he and Elaine get settled, Franklin will move to his new home. And Don and I will become instant grandparents. They're pretty darn happy, and Don and I are happy for them.

Okay...here's the grid you've been waiting for.

I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G