Wednesday, August 8 - Donna S. Levin

Today's puzzle seemed a little tougher than your typical Wednesday puzzle. I'll be curious to know if others felt that way...maybe I was a little slow. I caught on to the theme fairly quickly, but there were several answers that just stayed blank for far too long.

The theme--adding PA to common phrases, resulting in new phrases that are clued in very different ways.

20A: Back-to-the-slammer order? (PArole reversal).

30A: Reason the kids were left alone? (PArent strike).

40A: Reward for a Ringling invention? (circus PAtent). This one clinched the theme for me and was my favorite of the bunch.

54A: Scuff marks on the prairie? (Buffalo PAwings). Without a doubt, this looked the strangest in the grid. Buffalopa wings?

Things I didn't know that caused me to tear my hair out:

14A: 1980 John Carpenter chiller (The Fog). Don't see scary movies, don't read scary books. It sure didn't help that I didn't have a clue about 4D: Music from across the Atlantic (Afro pop). WTF?

29A: Cheerful (sunny). Didn't know 29D: 1970s tennis great Smith (Stan) and was guessing Alan when I had the last two letters in place. That made for a strange-looking word for cheerful.

11D: "Oklahoma!" gal (Ado Annie). I think I've fallen for this one before. I hereby resolve not to fall for it again. I might have been able to get sunny if I had figured this one out.

Things I wasn't sure about, but my guesses panned out:

25A: Son of Judah (Onan). I know the story of Onan, but I didn't know he was the son of Judah. IMOO, it's one of the strangest stories in the Bible. I mean, if God were to kill everyone who...well, never mind. Read the story if you don't know it.

3D: Looked like a wolf (leered). I wasn't thinking that kind of wolf.

12D: Ceylon, now (Sri Lanka). I am almost as geographically impaired as I am sports impaired. I only got this because I had the first three letters in place, and it couldn't have been anything else.

33D: 1969 and 2000 World Series venue (Shea). I get so excited when I get a sports clue! I have to admit that having the H and A pretty much made it a dead giveaway.

I'm ashamed to admit that I laugh every time I look at the top line and see 7A: Dietary needs (fats) and 11A: Balaam's beast (ass) sitting next to one another. It would be even funnier if the clue was dietary need. My bad.

Absolute gimmes:

1A: Toyota Camry model (Solara). My graduation present to myself was a 2004 Solara. I'd always wanted a car with a sunroof but had always been too practical to justify paying for one. Practicality be damned! I love my Solara and I love having a sunroof. Sometimes I run the air conditioner with the sunroof open. Decadent, I know.

58A: "Young Frankenstein" hunchback (Igor). That has to be one of the funniest movies ever. It's hard to believe it's over thirty years old...or that I am.

65A: Alley pickups (spares). This was great, especially on the heels of Monday's bowling theme.

7D: Dalmatian's master, sometimes (fireman). I've never seen a dalmatian at any of the fire stations here. Do firemen still have dalmatians...or is that a thing of the past?

41D: Do (coif). I don't know why I was thinking hairdo, but I was.

42D: Least favorably (at worst). Maybe this falls under good guess, since I had a couple of the letters in place.

43D: Starchy dessert (tapioca). The last time this was in the puzzle it was clued as Calvin's least favorite dessert...the thermos of phlegm. Gross kid. Gotta love him.

And a few things I really liked:

28A: Hard-rock connector (as a).

39A: Get stuck with, as the cost (eat).

59A: TV's Howser (Doogie). I had my gallbladder removed seven years ago by a doctor who looked about the same age as Doogie Howser. I asked him if he had his mother's permission to cut on me. Fortunately he had a good sense of humor.

That's it for tonight. Here's the grid...I don't think there are any errors in it.



See you tomorrow.

Linda G

Tuesday, August 7 - Daniel Kantor

This one came together fairly easily tonight, despite the fact that I don't watch any of the TV shows where the theme answers might have been spoken.

20A: "Just like that!" (badabing). I'm not even sure if that's one word or two, but it probably doesn't matter.

25A: "Not on your life!" (fuhgedaboudit). Again, I'm clueless., but it very definitely looks wrong no matter how I write it.

42A: "Yeah, wanna start something'?" (you talkin' to me). I do remember this from The Lion King, but I don't think that's what they mean.

50A: "The Sopranos" clip?...or where you might hear 20-, 25- and 42-Across (mob scene).

So while this was a little bit (or a lot) over my head, there was enough good fill to keep me happy, many of which I've never seen in a puzzle.

1A: Liquor holder in a coat pocket (flask).

14A: Milk: Prefix (lacto). [Update: Thanks to reader JD for pointing out that 5D was kit bag, which makes this lacti.]

22A: Electronic toll-collecting system in the Northeast (EZ pass). The one in Denver has a similar name...enough that I was able to guess this one.

30A: Torment (harass). I worked with a lawyer about 30 years ago, who pronounced it with the accent on the first syllable. Come to think of it, Ross is the one who got me started on the New York Times puzzle way back then. Too bad I didn't keep it up.

9D: Army barber's specialty (buzz cut). It's also my specialty...actually, it's the only haircut I can give. Don's my best (and only) customer.

26D: Heavens: Prefix (urano).

28D: Religion with the Five Pillars (Islam).

41D: Start of an Ella Fitzgerald standard (A Tisket). Never heard of it...thank urano for the crosses!

44D: Like some sacred art (iconic). Good word.

Nice tie-in between 2D: Content of some cones (lava) and 11D: Italian source of 2-Down (Etna).

Uzi is back at 58A (Israeli-invented gun). Other regulars returning include 3D: Nailed (aced), 10D: Ran off to the marrying judge (eloped), 23A: Walk in water (Wade)...nice to see it clued other than in relation to Roe...and 36A: Rick's "Casablanca" love (Ilsa).

Here's an update (43D: Timely news bulletin). In the past (that is, the blog for the syndicated puzzle), a reader asked to see pictures of Dooley and Barnabas. For anyone else who'd like to see my sweet boys (and my girls), you can find them here.

I just noticed that a letter is missing in the grid. 32A: Temporary drop (saG), crossing with 33D: Good time, slangily (Gas). Oversights like this could cost me at ACPT! [Update: Error at 16A. Should be lacti.]

See you tomorrow.

Linda G

Monday, August 6 - Allan E. Parrish

A fairly typical Monday puzzle with a theme that will bowl you over. The six theme answers are:

17A: Result of hitting the pause button on a movie (freeze frame).

38A: Extra (to spare).

61A: Old-time songwriters' locale (Tin Pan Alley). This should have been a gimme for anyone who did Thursday's puzzle. Today's clue was slightly different, and we didn't have to remember that Sn is the symbol for tin.

11D: Dairy Queen offering (banana split). That brings back childhood memories. A banana split was our special treat for an A and B report card. I ate plenty of them then, but I can't remember the last time I ate one.

25D: Attack before being attacked (first strike).

27D: Millinery accessories (hat pins). [Thanks to reader Howard B for pointing out that this was also a theme answer. How could I have missed it...crossing to spare so beautifully in the center?]

There were a few other answers that were in recent puzzles. Yesterday we had parrots as part of one of the long theme answers. Today it reappears as a noun at 56A, clued as Chatty birds. 48D: Playwright Sean (O'Casey) was in the puzzle on July 26...the one where all the words at the left margin were clued with a dash, and the clues for all of the two-word answers appeared on the right side. I'm probably not describing it any better now than I did when I blogged it!

I'm always excited to get sports-related answers of any kind. 29A: Hall-of-Fame QB Johnny (Unitas) and 46D: Baltimore nine (Orioles).

If I gave an award for the best Pope clue and answer, it would go to 14A: Pope before Paul V, whose papacy lasted less than four weeks (Leo XI). Not only is it good, but it looks good in the grid...LEOXI. It crosses at the X with 4D: Carry out, as an assignment (execute). And if that's not Scrabbly enough, sitting atop it is 1A: Do very well (at) (excel), crossing with 2D: Generation __ (thirty-something) (X-er). That, of course, reminds me of my favorite eighties show, thirtysomething, which Lifetime plugged as, The show that's just like life, only with better writers.

Moving from the eighties to a little bit of sixties history...6A: Alabama march city (Selma) and 28A: The "B" in L.B.J. (Baines). It was real life for many of us, not just something we read about years later. And it seems like it was just yesterday.

We also have a little bit of British humor in the northeast...11A: U.K. channel (BBC), crossing with 13D: John who starred in "A Fish Called Wanda" (Cleese). According to this article, he also wrote it, in addition to writing for BBC Radio. I loved Cleese as Basil Fawlty (in Fawlty Towers) and the Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Fun words to see in the puzzle include 9D: "Goldilocks" character (Mama Bear), 67A: Online birthday greeting, e.g. (e-card), and 71A: Channel with cameras in the Capitol (C-Span), officially, the Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network.

It's late...time to call it a night. Here's the completed grid.

See you tomorrow.

Linda G

Sunday, August 5 - Caroline Leong

Sunday's theme is Winging It, with six theme answers...each consisting of three names of birds, which are then clued in odd ways. Two of the theme entries span the grid at 21 characters.

The theme answers are:

23A: Nurse Florence sells adventures? (Nightingale hawks larks). It's always nice to have a partial gimme in a long answer.

31A: Actor Steve repeats what geezers say? (Martin parrots coots). This was the one that gave me the theme, so I knew what I was looking for with the other theme answers.

57A: Lawyer Atticus avoids crazies? (Finch ducks cuckoos). I was sure that loons was the last bird, which made it a little difficult to find the middle word.

69A: Architect Christopher gobbles bannisters? (Wren swallows rails).

93A: Famed magician cheats chumps? (Merlin rooks boobies).

106A: Disney's Captain Jack dupes church leaders? (Sparrow gulls cardinals).

I actually had to dig out To Kill a Mockingbird, because I couldn't for the life of me remember his last name. I also hesitated on magician, because I could think of several...none of which were bird names. Actually, I've never heard of a merlin. According to Wikipedia, it's a falcon, formerly known as a pigeon hawk.

I was off to a good start with the first line of acrosses...all gimmes:

1A: "Downtown" singer (Petula)

7A: Wheat __ (bran). I talked about the importance of fiber in my commencement speech. Years later people remembered that. Fortunately, they remembered the most important thing...that we're more alike than we are different.

11A: Kohada, on a sushi menu (shad). I don't know if I would eat it. I'm still working up the nerve.

15A: Ernst & Young employees, for short (CPAs). If you're fairly new to this blog, you may not know that Don is a CPA. Most people think it stands for Certified Public Accountant. Those of us who are married to one know that it's really Constant Pain in the Ass. (Those of you who are regular readers know that I'm just kidding. Don is the best, and I absolutely adore him. We'll celebrate our 26th anniversary later this month.)

I do love multiple word answers, especially when I'm on the constructor's wavelength...apparently I was tonight.

88A: Conversed (had a talk). My younger daughter and I did this briefly today. We'll meet for breakfast tomorrow morning to do more of it. I think she may be more receptive to Mom's wisdom than she was a month ago. We'll see.

100A: "Stop equivocating!" (yes or no). God, I love this answer. It just looks so good in the grid.

7D: Gourmand (big eater).

13D: Personal offer to help (ask for me).

15D: School souvenir (class ring). That took me longer to get than it should have because of 37A: Annual event celebrated outdoors (Arbor Day). I had Earth Day, which gave me H where the R would have been, so nothing was making sense.

45D: Turn unpleasant (get ugly). Ick...I hope tomorrow's breakfast doesn't do that.

55D: How a rose by any other name would smell, according to Shakespeare (as sweet). I'm surprised we had this much detail in a Sunday clue.

85D: Without exception (bar none). I like this expression and will use it in a future blog...unless I forget to.

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

21A: "__ fan tutte" (cosi). Haven't a clue. Oh, it's Mozart...and opera. I'm not surprised I didn't know it.

63A: __ fatuus (ignis). This is too cool. I can't believe I'd never heard of it.

117A: Title hero of a classic western (Destry). Small wonder I never heard of it. Destry Rides Again was a 1939 film, starring James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich.

Interesting clue at 53A: Ratiocinative (logical). I had to chew on the clue for a few minutes.

Other words I liked seeing in the grid:

49A: Static (inert). Not static, as in electricity. Clever.

78A: Some military helicopters, familiarly (Hueys). Don't know how I knew that...probably from a puzzle in the past.

103A: Prefix with 94-Down (aero), which was clued as Voyagers: Suffix (naut). I prefer ties when they cross one another as this one did.

44D: 40 days and 40 nights event (deluge). Even if you don't know much about the Bible, you know this story.

59D: Rejects, with "off" (kisses). Such a nice expression for an unpleasant experience.

Euler makes another appearance today at 98D, clued as Mathematician who introduced the function symbol f(x). In the future, if an answer is the name of a mathematician and it's five letters, I'm just going to enter Euler. It worked today, and it will probably work most of the time.

I see more things to write about, but it's getting late. If I didn't hit on your favorites, feel free to mention them in a comment.

Here's the grid.



And I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Saturday, August 4 - Byron Walden

I don't know why I always panic when I see Byron Walden's name on a puzzle, but I do.

The man is brilliant, and his puzzles always reflect that. But how does he do it? How does he come up with a puzzle that has three 15-letter stacks at the top, with three more at the bottom...and all of them are superb fill.

1A: First (before the others).

16A: Dante characters? (Italian alphabet).

17A: The "she" in the lyric "And when she passes, I smile" (Girl from Ipanema). The only gimme of the six long answers.

56A: Interdisciplinary college major (American Studies).

59A: Patch alternative (nicotine lozenge).

60A: Last (keep on keeping on).

Did you notice how the first and last long answers were clued? First...and last. Brilliant, I tell you. Also see 29A and 58D: Highest quality (top/end). That's Byron Walden.

Things I didn't know but hope to remember when I see them again:

49A: Mallow family members (okras). I don't mean that I don't know okra. I didn't know it was a member of the Mallow family.

2D: Saint-__-du-Mont, church containing the remains of the patron saint of Paris (Etienne).

8D: Villain in the book of Esther (Haman). If I'm going to be a serious solver, I'm going to have to do some serious Bible reading.

13D: "Over the Rainbow" vocalist Ray (Eberle). Have never heard of him. I thought it was Ray Charles so briefly entertained the possibility that this was a rebus. Didn't they pull that trick on us just recently? Maybe last Friday?

50D: Eastern royal (Ranee).

Good guesses that panned out include 30A: Discoverer of the law of quadratic reciprocity (Euler). I'm sure it's fascinating stuff. Here's a link to information about it...I promise I'll read it later. Also 21A: First word of "Shrek" (Once). Isn't that how all fairy tales begin? And we recently had after, clued as how fairy tales end...or am I making that up?

There were several favorite clues and answers, so I'm not sure I can award a prize for the very best. But some of the best were:

20A: 50 Cent cover (do rag). Can you believe that do-rag has its own Wikipedia entry? Here it is, although Slim Thug is the featured model.

38A: With 55-Across, MgSO4.7H2O (epsom/salts). I didn't really know that one, but with a few letters in place, it was gettable.

4D: Hardy one? (Ollie). In case you're not tracking...it's Stan Laurel and Oliver (Ollie) Hardy.

15D: Like some disappearances (staged). Some years ago we lived in a mountain town, and one of the locals disappeared. Unsolved Mysteries came and filmed an episode. His body was found more than a year later, but a friend of his disappeared the day of the service...many of us thought that one was staged.

22D: Chihuahua fare (burrito). Very clever. I was trying to think of some kind of mini-kibble that would fit in there.

36D: Higher calling? (yodeling).

Right in the center of the grid we have 34A: Sideshow staple (bearded lady). The D crosses with the equally excellent 35D: Charity carnival feature (dunk tank), although I originally had cake walk there.

And today's confusing (to me) sports clue is at 57D: N.L. Central team, on scoreboards (CIN). Here's my interpretation/guess. N.L. means National League, Central has something to do with a division (as opposed to East or West), and CIN is Cincinnati. Are we talking football? Is N.L. supposed to be a hint?

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



...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Friday, August 3 - Charles Barasch

Charles Barasch is unknown to me, but he sure turned out a tough puzzle.

The 15-letter entries crossing the grid were some of the best I've seen:

35A: "The Da Vinci Code" sequence (Fibonacci Series). I read the book so long ago that I couldn't remember it...had to rely on the downs. It even has its own website, so you can read all about it.

8D: Derogatory term popularized by George H.W. Bush (voodoo economics). You can read more about supply-side economics (its real name) here.

There were several things I absolutely did not know in this puzzle. Yeah, I had to Google a few things to get through the roadblocks.

17A: County whose seat is Redwood City (San Mateo). I knew it would be in California, but that was the extent of my guess.

23A: Beaucoup de Louises (Rois). I don't understand the clue or the answer.

2D: Stuff in a bomb (amatol). Gee, I haven't made one in so long...

26D: France's first minister of culture, 1959-69 (Malraux). I love those French names that end in X.

44A: __ Bay (South China Sea inlet) (Subic). Makes me want to say, "Ya got me!" (18A: I dunno).

There were several words that I just plain enjoyed seeing in the grid:

1A: Celebratory cry (Mazeltov). I don't recall ever having seen it in a puzzle before this one.

33A: Handicap, say (equalize). A word that has a Q and a Z in it! Downright Scrabbly! And I just noticed that this puzzle is a pangram..a text that contains all 26 letters of the alphabet. This site tells you more about pangrams and gives you an example of an isogrammatic pangram. Very cool.

39A: Sly slur (innuendo). That's a pet peeve of mind. If you want to say something, just say it. But it's a good word nonetheless.

53A: Undercover wear? (jammies). I hesitated before entering that...I was sure it couldn't be right. It's too hot right now to wear jammies under covers, so that means skipping one or the other.

58A: Horror cry (it's alive). Don't ask me why, but we recently watched Attack of the Killer Tomatoes...the closest I get to a horror movie. Every time I see a tomato on the counter now, I have an uncontrollable urge to roll it toward Don...it's alive!

6D: "Soap" family (Tates). Good thing that was the answer, because I can't remember the other family's name. When we were first dating, Don and I watched it without fail. Occasionally we recite lines from it. ("Toledo...a hobo" in response to amnesiac Chester's question, "Where am I? Who am I?")

27A: Three Stooges' actions (slaps) ties in nicely with 50D: "__ have no..." (yes, we). Yes, we have no bananas. Other nice tie-ins:

42A: Temp takers (RNs) and 52A: Place for 42-Across (ICU)

26A: "Well, I declare (my, my) and 46D: "How dare you!" (I never!). Both sound like something from Gone With the Wind.

I didn't know that zinnia (3D) was named for a German botanist, Johann Gottfried Zinn.

I also didn't know that Billy Graham wrote "Peace With God" (60A) but it seemed like a really good guess.

Best clue in the puzzle goes to 37D: Note offering good advice for life? (B natural).

And the best intersection in the grid is 49A: Out there (kooky) and 49D: Belief in Hinduism (karma).

Here's the Friday grid...



...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Thursday, August 2 - Robert Dillman

We've seen variations on this theme in the past, but I'm giving this one the award for the best execution.

The five theme answers are common phrases, each of which contains a metal in its name...gold, silver, iron, tin and lead. The brilliance lies in substituting each metal's two-letter element.

17A: "Shake a leg!" (Get the Pb [lead] out!).

59A: Sound out? (Cast-Fe [iron] alibi). Excellent cluing...once I had the answer, it took me a few minutes to figure it out.

11D: Try to win (Go for the Au [gold]). This one was the theme giveaway for me, although I initially had GO in one square and LD in the next.

24D: Christmas song since the 1950s (Ag [Silver] Bells). At this point, I realized that SIL and VER weren't going to cut it. I went back to 47A: Warthog feature (tusk)...and there was my real aha moment.

28D: Songwriters' home (Sn [Tin] Pan Alley). And with this one, I was on a roll.

In addition to a superb theme and outstanding theme answers, there was plenty of exciting fill in this one, as well as several two- and three-word answers:

20A: Generally (as a rule). A gimme for me, which gave me an edge with the downs in that corner.

40A: Get on (see to).

50A: Lose freshness (go stale). Another gimme. Sometimes you get 'em immediately, and sometimes you stare stupidly for minutes...

54A: Jeer (scoff at).

39D: Expects (waits for). I had enough of the crosses that this one was way too easy.

Things I didn't know:

14A: Minneapolis suburb (Edina). When I went online to download the puzzle, I read about the bridge collapse on I-35. If you haven't already done so, please take a moment to remember those who were affected by this tragedy.

25A: Alternative to Le Bourget (Orly)...the two Paris airports. Have never been to Paris and didn't have a clue.

26A: Sobriquet for Charles V, with "the" (Wise). I thought he was Sage, but there wasn't an element that began with G that was going to work for 28D.

31A: Start of many Arabic names (Ibn). Do I have something wrong here? Because that makes zero sense. I can't think of a single Arabic name that begins with those letters. Okay, here's what Wikipedia says about it. While the ibn/bin prefix is still commonly used in names, its use is declining; in some places, this prefix is only used in government interactions, and in other places it is dropped altogether. Oh...well, of course I've heard of Bin.

Wasn't sure about but ended up getting:

29A: Suddenly changes course (zigs). When I thought SIL/VER was in the theme answer, though, I thought this must be reVERses.

32A: Car driven by Seinfeld on "Seinfeld" (Saab). I never saw the show, but it was either that or Audi. One of the many tips in Amy Reynaldo's book, How to Conquer the New York Times Crossword Puzzle, is to pay attention to last letters of words. In this case, it was unlikely that 18D (clued as "Uncle Tom's Cabin" woman) would end in a U, making Saab the more likely answer. The woman's name was Eliza...and if you haven't bought Amy's book yet, what are you waiting for? It's under $10 but would be a bargain at twice the price!

Some words that I don't recall seeing in a puzzle.

1A: Whiz (maven). A great word, especially since it rhymes with raven, which reminds me of Edgar Allen Poe. Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary... That aptly describes me right now, although it isn't close to midnight here.

15A: Dimwit (moron). Boy, I've seen my share of them this week. Today I saw a dog tied to a fence with no water while the owner was inside having lunch. I found a bowl and filled it with water from my bottle. The other night at Red Lobster, a dog was left in a Cadillac, out of water and panting uncontrollably. I called Animal Control, who didn't get out there in time. The next day I called to follow up and to report the license plate. They assured me they would track down the owner and issue a warning. Nothing ticks me off more than seeing children and animals being mistreated by the very people who are supposed to be caring for them.

Stepping off my soapbox now...

52A: Ones standing around monuments? (pillars). The best clue/answer in the puzzle.

47D: Kitchen coat (Teflon). This was a close second.

50D: Object of a knight's quest (Grail). 'Tis but a scratch!

5D: Prophet who predicted the destruction of Nineveh (Nahum). Good Bible clue...I especially like the alliteration between clue and answer.

6D: Like old Rome (Imperial). I'm not sure I'd have gotten that without the crosses I had. It didn't come together, though, until I figured out that the two-letter symbol for lead was Pb. Not to be confused with PB & J.

8D: Ticks off (frosts). See comment at moron.

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



and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G