Tuesday, February 19 - Victor Fleming

A snappy Tuesday puzzle from my favorite crossword judge. Victor Fleming left out all references to law in this one...that will make some solvers happy, but they're often gimmes for me.

The three theme answers are clued identically...Enjoying an outing, of sorts...20A (on the golf course), 39A (playing eighteen) and 56A (hitting the links). Aside from some of the basics (Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Sam Snead), I don't know a whole lot about golf...but these were easy enough for the likes of me.

And that one reminds me of one of my father's favorite golf jokes. Three guys are out playing eighteen holes. A funeral procession passes by, and one of the men stops, bows his head and makes the sign of the cross. His friends are amazed and say, "Gee, Bob, I didn't know you were so devout." Bob nods his head and says, "Well, she was a good wife."

Not to worry...I won't quit my day job.

Favorites answers in this puzzle include:

15A: Di or da preceder in a Beatles song (obla). You know I love all things Beatles. I also loved the clue.

17A: "What __ Did" (classic children's book with a punny title) (Katy). That reminds me of a rather old song. "What did Delaware, boys, what did Delaware? She wore a brand New Jersey..." Does anyone else remember it?

18A: __ Spee (old German warship) (Graf). The parenthetical addition was much appreciated. When I see Spee (by itself), I picture Smee...from Peter Pan.

19A: Catcher's position (squat).

23A: "Gets the red out" sloganeer (Visine).

51A: Edit (revise).

1D: Comic Smirnoff (Yakov).

8D: Port of Israel (Jaffa). Didn't know...guessed right.

9D: Treat leniently, with "on" (go soft).

10D: Talkativeness (loquacity)...is that a beautiful word?

27D: Ad infinitum (no end).

33D: Former Connecticut governor Grasso (Ella). She was the first woman governor of Connecticut, as well as the first woman to be elected governor who was not the wife or widow of a governor. According to this article, she resigned from her second term because of ovarian cancer, and died just a few weeks later. I didn't know that.

35D: "I can't blame anyone else" (my mistake).

37D: Latvia's capital (Riga).

41D: Georg who wrote "The Philosophy of Right" (Hegel).

I brought work home and I need to spend at least another hour on it, so I'd better wrap this up. Here's the grid...



...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Wednesday, December 19 - Victor Fleming

If I'm not mistaken, Judge Victor Fleming's last puzzle had no evidence of legal clues or answers. If that's the case, this makes two in a row.

The theme is revealed at 36A: What shall be first...or words that can precede 17-, 23-, 52- and 60-Across (THE LAST). When preceded by them, you have the name of a well-known book or movie...probably both.

17A: Guy ready to sing the national anthem? (MAN STANDING).

23A: Era ended by Vesuvius? (DAYS OF POMPEII). How many of you thought you had something wrong with II at the end?

52A: Belonging to a Hudson Valley tribe? (OF THE MOHICANS).

60A: Museum exhibit? (PICTURE SHOW). Here's a very young Cybill Shepherd as she appeared in the film...directed by a very young Peter Bogdanovich.

I struggled to stay awake to finish this. It was a nonstop day and I need to head to bed fairly soon.

Noteworthy answers include 14A: Massey of old movies (Ilona)...her third appearance in the last six weeks, 15A: Embassy figure (envoy), 20A: Meditation goal (oneness), 27A: Cold one, so to speak (beer), 33A: Kind of acid (oleic), 42A: Maker of the game Combat (Atari), 48A: Martini's partner (Rossi), 59A: Janis __, with the 1975 hit "At Seventeen" (Ian), 69A: Funny Fields (Totie), 3D: Unable to hit a pitch? (tone deaf), 6D: Bleep out (censor), 11D: Title brother in a 1973 Elton John hit (Daniel), 12D: Mr. Gorgeous (Adonis), 25D: Negri of silent films (Pola), 40D: Former Texas governor Richards (Ann) and 45D: Unidentified planes (bogies).

My favorite answer...39D: Less than wonderful (not so hot).

I loved the cross of 39A: Vote against (nay) with 41D: Vote for (yea).

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



...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

November 24, 2007 - Victor Fleming

The only downside to not cooking Thanksgiving dinner at my house...no leftovers. I'll probably have to cook a turkey next week just so I can have a proper sandwich. The saving grace was that I'd made an extra pumpkin pie, so we at least had that for dessert tonight. Pumpkin pie is one of my favorites. I also made a pecan pie this year...at the request of our southern hostess...and it turned out pretty darn good. I might have to make one for Christmas.

Enough about food. Time to pay attention to Victor Fleming's delightful puzzle. If I haven't already mentioned it, he's another of my favorite constructors...and I'm not just saying that because he reads this blog. Check out the vertical stacks:

1A: Called for (necessary)

15A: Common bank deposit (O positive)...I think that's mine, so the blood bank likes me.

17A: 1976-85 sitcom setting (Mel's Diner). I wanted to come up with a city name...this is so much better. If you weren't a fan of Alice, you can kiss my grits! Actually, I preferred the movie to the series. Ellen Burstyn was incredible as Alice...and have I mentioned that I love Kris Kristofferson?

51A: Drop off (go to sleep). With several letters in place, I had hit a slump...that works with the clue but not with the downs.

54A: Clumsy (inelegant)...a clumsy word, but the fact that it's clued as it is makes it okay in my book.

56A: Some Mozart works (serenades). I did not know that. Maybe someone can name one of them.

I just saw two gross answers. 3D: They may accompany fevers (cold sores) and 30D: Game sticker? (arrowhead)...I didn't get that one until just now. Ick.

I loved the cross of 10A: Not get along (clash) and 14D: They frequently become locked (horns).

Favorite clues include 24A: Where things may be neatly ordered? (tavern), 28A: Lash with a whip (LaRue), 39A: They may be done in a salon (nails), 40A: Results of some glances (caroms), 50A: Lead-in to phobia (agora), 5D: It's usually spun first (side one), 6D: Performs awfully (stinks)...countered with 34D: Perform superbly (shine), 13D: Draft holder (stein), 40D: King of pop (Carole)...Tapestry was my favorite album of hers, and 51D: They're found in a mess (GIs).

Things I absolutely didn't know...or even have a clue:

16A: Slow in scoring (lento)...a musical term I haven't heard.

19A: Philologists' work, for short (OED). I didn't get the answer until just now when I looked it up. Why, what an ass am I! (Hamlet soliloquy line, at 55A). Oxford English Dictionary...appropriate for one who studies written records, especially literary texts. [Update: Thanks, anonymous...that was really more of a typo.]

35A: Israeli opera conductor Daniel (Oren). I'm okay with not knowing that one.

38A: __ Diamond, author of the 1998 Pulitzer-winning book "Guns, Germs, and Steel" (Jared). Haven't heard of him or the book.

1D: Pitcher who was the 1995 N.L. Rookie of the Year (Nomo). Also 7D: 1980s-'90s N.B.A. star Danny (Ainge). Are these guys obscure, or am I completely out of touch with things? I thought I'd at least heard of the more well-known athletes...like 34A: Three-time 1990s French Open winner (Seles).

42D: Duke of Cornwall's wife (Regan).

Some clues and/or answers I really liked...some just because they're multiple word answers.

29A: Source of political support (power base).

36A: Encore setting (music hall).

44A: Fast-food chain known for its floats (A and W).

10D: Butcher's need (cleaver).

11D: Display at a golf tournament (leader board).

23D: Open competitors, often (touring pros).

38D: Star of TV's "The Fugitive" (Janssen). My mother and I were both big fans of the show. I don't think we ever missed an episode.

43D: Massey of film (Ilona). We just had her a couple of weeks ago, but I wouldn't have gotten it without the crosses. Must remember her...good crossword letters in her name.

I'm off to bed. Here's the grid...



...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Thursday, September 13 - Joe Krozel & Victor Fleming

If I'm not mistaken, Victor Fleming is a judge. He teams up with Joe Krozel to give us a puzzle that's laden with legalese.

I had no idea that twenty years as a paralegal would make me a better crossword solver. It did at least one time.

The seven theme answers--each fifteen letters long--all refer to some aspect of the legal process...and they are:

14A: Serious crimes (capital offenses).

17A: Perry Mason line (the defense rests). That's actually a real life line as well.

32A: Order sought by an accused before trial (admission to bail).

39A: Hearing, e.g. (court appearance).

40A: Lawyers' requests at trials (motions to strike).

57A: Equals at a trial (jury of one's peers).

63A: Specialist's offering (expert testimony).

The last two were gimmes, but I didn't really struggle with any of them. Once I had a few letters in place from the downs, they all just fell nicely into the grid. I can't help but wonder how difficult this must have been for anyone without a legal background.

A few things I didn't know:

2D: Family name in Olympic skiing (Mahre). Never heard of them.

26A: "__ Robin Gray" (classic Scottish ballad) (Auld). Definitely not the Monday clue for that word.

28A: Dr. __ Schneider, historian who was a love interest of Indiana Jones (Elsa). Again, it wouldn't have been such an out-there clue early in the week.

42A: De bene __ (of conditional validity) (esse). Similar words I didn't know were 11D: Mythical mount (Ossa), 13D: What she is in Italy (essa) and 41A: You are, in Aragón (eres). Actually, I do know that one...from this song.

It made me smile to see 4A: Johnny Carson persona (Swami). I don't remember much about him, but I do remember that role.

Favorite clues include 35D: Lucky sorts? (Irish) and 44D: Key component (ivory).

Foreign words that were easy to guess were 22D: Meal, in Milan (pasto) and 37D: French cup (tasse). You know, like antipasto (food served before the meal) and demitasse (little cup).

I liked the crossing of homonyms at 60D: Abbr. on a firm's letterhead (Esq.)...very appropriate for this puzzle...and 65A: Relative of -ish (esque). We have frequently discussed hononyms vs. homophones, but my understanding is that the word homophones more appropriately describes identical letter sounds, such as the C in civil and the S in servant. Either way, I liked it.

I just realized we have a pangram. Damn, these guys are good!

I've never heard the expression if say (8D: Suppose), and I don't quite get 51D: From Nineveh: Abbr. (Assyr). Maybe someone can shed some light on those two.

Time to call it a night. Here's the grid...

...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Thursday, August 30 - Victor Fleming and Bruce Venzke

I recognize the names of both of these constructors, but I don't recall seeing a joint effort between the two of them.

Their questions for us today are...who, what, where and when? In that order:

61A: End of a line about "friends" (...who needs enemies).

12D: "Huh?!" (What in tarnation!). That's not something I would say, but I can picture a cartoon character saying it. I was able to figure it out anyway, so I must have heard someone say it.

17A: 1961 Connie Francis hit (Where the Boys Are). Sometimes it just pays to be this old. A 15-letter gimme is a nice way to start a Thursday puzzle. It wasn't just a song...it was also a movie about spring break in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, very close to where I lived.

3D: 1952 Doris Day hit that was an even bigger hit for the Lettermen in 1961 (When I Fall in Love). Okay, I'm not old enough to remember it by Doris Day, but I do remember the Lettermen. According to Wikipedia, it was recorded by almost everyone. Another long gimme.

Some of the fill is nothing short of terrific.

15A: Dig up (exhume). That's not a word you see in puzzles every day. It crosses with 2D: Thrill (exhilarate), another good word.

16A: Vicious sorts (piranhas). Whenever I hear the word, I think of the scene in Tarzan...the little elephant who worries that there are piranhas in their watering hole.

19A: Up to no good (sinister). Could have been clued, "like Snidely Whiplash."

37A: Eponymous rink jump (Salchow). I never remember how to spell it. The jump was named for its inventor, Ulrich Salchow.

44A: __ Beach, Fla. (Delray). It could have been confusing for some that Florida was abbreviated. For those of us who lived near there, it was simply called Delray...Beach was redundant.

4D: __ Acid (old name for hydrochloric acid) (muriatic). Why would they have to change the name of an acid? Here's everything you wanted to know about it but were afraid to ask.

I'll have to brush up on my Jewish months. I would never have gotten 25D: Passover month (Nisan) but for the crosses.

Pretty clever clues to pep up some of the 3-letter answers: 24A: Madras title (Sri); 36A: Gore follower (tex); 50A: Long on screen (Nia).

55A: Children's author/photographer Alda (Arlene). Many years ago, I read that Alan Alda had surprised his wife, Arlene, with a trip to...somewhere like Paris. He'd arranged with her assistant to clear her calendar, had all her clothes packed...he'd taken care of everything. Fast forward more than twenty years. I remembered her name and guessed that she was a children's author and photographer.

Did not know 40D: One of the men waiting in "Waiting for Godot" (Vladimir). Once I had the VL in place, though, it was pretty easy to guess what should follow.

There were plenty of multiple word answers in the puzzle.

7A: En route (on the way). Good guess that panned out, although I missed the cross at 7D: Be in charge of (operate). I had oversee until it just wouldn't work.

32A: Hold 'em challenge (I raise). I know zero about the game, but I figured there were bets involved.

58A: "Here, I can help you" (permit me). That sounds like pretty fancy talk. I'd just say, "Here, I can help you."

63A: Not be honest about oneself (live a lie). I'm sure I've seen this phrase in a puzzle in the past, clued pretty much the same. But it works.

65A: Derides (sneers at). One of those where you initially might have put an S at the end. I know I did.

66A: Become, as mush (turn to). That's what my banana did in my tote bag the other day. Great cluing there.

I can hardly keep my eyes open another minute, so I'll call it a night.

Here's the grid. For the third night in a row, it's 100% correct.



See you tomorrow.

Linda G

Saturday, July 14 - Victor Fleming

I didn't solve Victor Fleming's Saturday puzzle until close to 11 last night and was way too tired to blog.

I've started contemplating the blank grid before I start to solve...you know, the design made by the black squares (which are actually light gray the way I print...to save ink). Anyway, I wasn't under the influence of anything. Just liked the patterns these last couple of days.

Now on to the puzzle, starting with the wrong answers I initially had.

20A: Former Shea players (Beatles). I was trying to put in a team name, and you know I know squat about sports.

40A: Shucks, so to speak (lies to). Like shuck and jive, I guess. I was thinking like shuck corn. Any day now we'll start getting Olathe sweet corn, the very best corn grown anywhere. For weeks on end, we will eat one or two ears of corn for dinner...occasionally with nothing else. It is to die for.

49A: Cape wearer's field (magic). I was thinking Batman and Superman, so I had crime.

51A: Focus provider? (Ford). How clever was that! After trying to think what you'd call that part of a camera, I realized where they were going.

1D: Waldenbooks alternative (BDalton). We don't have either of those here anymore. They've been replaced by Barnes & Noble and Borders, which is what I entered.

2D: It's sweet, it's said (revenge). I had success at first, but I guess it's more the smell of success that's sweet. Anyway, revenge is so-o-o-o-0 much sweeter. Just kidding, folks. I'm more likely to forgive (37D: Not hold something against) than to take revenge.

Things I liked:

14D: View coral reefs, maybe (snorkel). I love snorkeling. In just nine weeks, we'll be in Kauai where I plan to do a lot of it. By the way, be thinking about being a guest blogger during the two weeks I'm gone!

28D: Folks guilty of disorderly conduct (slobs). I love the answer, but slobs disgust me. I was in an apartment yesterday that was just awful. I don't understand how people can live that way...dirty dishes in the sink, cigarette butts (disgusting anywhere) floating in glasses of Pepsi. Yecch!

49D: One of the Gospels, in a Spanish Bible (Mateo). I loved this! Bible and foreign language rolled into one!

You had to love 8D: "Hey!?" (What's the big idea!?) running vertically down the center of the grid. After I ran through the across clues, I had only the B and the final A, so it took some time to piece that together. The B was from 37A: Molotov cocktail, e.g. (firebomb) and the A from 63A: Levied (assessed), both gimmes/good guesses that panned out.

Ooh, and I loved 15A: Infernal (devilish). Such a good word. It conjures up images of something...well, devilish.

We rarely make it through a week without a couple of Pope clues. I liked today's at 16A: Any of six popes (Adrian). I could only remember John, Paul, George and Ringo. No irreverence intended...any series that starts with John and Paul has to end that way. For me anyway.

17A: It's heard at many a wedding (Ave Maria). It wasn't done at mine, and I don't recall hearing it at any of the weddings I've attended. Did any of you have it at your wedding? It's a beautiful song, to be sure. I'm not a big Celine Dion fan, but we have her Christmas CD. She sings Ave Maria better than I have ever heard it. It's well worth $13.98, and it qualifies for Super Saver Shipping!

While I'm not crazy about the answer, I'll bet all mothers out there liked the clue for 59D: Family V.I.P.'s (mas). I do not ever want to be called Ma, or Mama. My younger daughter will call me Mama just to irritate me, which she does very well and very often. Anyway, our importance is acknowledged, and not just on Mother's Day.

Well, Don and the dogs are out on the deck waiting for me. I was invited to join them, but I said, "in a bit" (56A: "Not right now"). It's been a half hour, though, so I think it's time.

Have a good weekend. Be safe.

Linda G

Wednesday, June 20 - Bonnie L. Gentry and Victor Fleming

I always get a good feeling when I see a puzzle with circles in the grid, and today's was no exception.

I knew 1A and 1D, clued as 1982 Richard Pryor/Jackie Gleason film (The/Toy). Great start, but it didn't tell me much about the theme. When I got to 19A: Draftsman's tool (and a hint to this puzzle's theme), I hit the jackpot with T-square, one of the few drafting tools I know. At that point, I just put all the Ts in place and went from there.

It goes without saying that a grid like this is going to have a lot of three-letter entries, but I didn't mind. Tat (34D: Fashion a doily), Tut (50A: King in a celebrated 1970s U.S. tour), tit (32D: Relative of a chickadee), Tex (23D: Singing Ritter), rut (46D: Endless 9-to-5 job, e.g.), and rat (59D: Disloyal sort). By far the best was 12D: Plays a campus prank on, informally (TPs). I never did this, and I'm happy to say I never had it done to me.

Some of the other T-fill was entertaining. 27D: Go __ (deteriorate) (to pot), 62A: Hand-color, in a way (tie dye), 15D: Dutch beer brand (Amstel), and 41D: "__ Cheerleaders" (1977 film) (Satan's). Don't have a favorite, though. Especially liked 14D: Gridiron formation (winged T) and 52A: Attend to the final detail (cross a T).

We see JaiAlai in the grid often, but it threw me this time because of the way it was clued. 4A: Half court game? (Jai). I was pretty sure about 4D: Title guy in a 1980 Carly Simon hit (Jesse), but I just couldn't figure out what half court game meant. Eventually it came together.

Interesting clue at 61A: Field of unknowns? (algebra). Initially had nothing, then the downs gave me EBRA. I thought it might be a two-word answer...you know, some kind of bra. That's been a recurring word of late. Also in that corner was 56A: Ferris in film (Bueller), giving the final nod to 57D: Wall St. action (LBO) -- leveraged buy-out for those who aren't familiar with the term.

To the left of that, 55A: Commits to, as an interest rate (locks in), sitting atop 60A: Intent, as a listener (all ears). Cross a T and tie dye (see above) combine to make that the best corner in the grid. IMOO, of course.

38D: Big name in cellular service (T-Mobile). Not my choice of phone, but it's in the grid fairly often. The longer words usually open up a lot of the grid, but in this case, it didn't help much...I had most of the acrosses over there. Where I needed the long answer was 22D: Influential group (inner circle). Couldn't remember 20A: Satchel in the Hall of Fame (Paige), and wasn't sure what kind of tax they wanted in 31A (land).

Not many (42A: A few) comments these days. I enjoy reading your take on the puzzle, too. You can always post anonymously if you're feeling shy ; )

And thanks to Orange for pointing out that Victor Fleming's co-constructor was Bonnie L. Gentry, NOT Bobbie L. Gentry as the online puzzle showed. Some of you may remember that Bobbie Gentry sang Ode to Billie Joe.

Linda G