Thursday, May 31 2018 Bruce Haight

Theme: Thievery - Five synonyms, five plural nouns, five common phrases clued punningly.

19A. Steal items on parking lot windshields?: LIFT TICKETS. I got a ticket recently when I forgot that it was Saturday, not Sunday, when I went to get breakfast at the deli on Ventura Boulevard - the meters are free on Sundays. Then I forgot to pay the darn thing until it was a day too late and the charge doubled. That was one expensive plate of pastrami & eggs.

24A. Steal kitchen tools?: POCKET KNIVES. You'd make a mess of your pockets if you tried to make off with mine. They're sharp.

40A. Steal plastic?: SWIPE CREDIT CARDS. Will "swipe" cease to be a thing when all cards have chips and all readers have a slot in which to insert the card?

53A. Steal wishing well money?: PINCH PENNIES. Or redistribution of wealth, depending on how you look at it.

64A Steal watch components?: PALM SPRINGS. LCD's, batteries and solid-state movements don't work so well.

I sprinted through the top half, then waded through treacle for the bottom half of this one. The theme is solid and the grid is stretched to accommodate the 16-letter grid spanner across the center, so there's a slightly-unusual 16x15 layout today.

Across:

1. Tax time VIPs: CPA'S

5. GE competitor: AMANA. Kitchen appliance showdown.

10. "Stranger Things" actress: RYDER. The first actress/actor of the day I've never heard of.

15. A studio may be in one: LOFT

16. Doughnut-shaped: TORIC

17. Line from the heart: AORTA

18. Folksy Guthrie: ARLO

21. Bottleneck problem: SNARL

23. Neatened a bit: TIDIED UP

28. Fashion icon London: STACY. "What Not To Wear" personality.

29. Adjective for fighter Joe Frazier: SMOKIN'

34. Drivel: ROT

37. Hold responsible: BLAME

39. Western casino city: RENO

45. Trattoria bar order: VINO. Rosso or bianco. Or rosato.

46. Island east of Java: TIMOR. The sovereign state of East Timor is on the eastern part of the island (!) and Indonesia occupies the west.

47. Reuben bread: RYE. I had rye bread with my aforementioned expensive breakfast.

48. Lassie, for one: PET DOG

51. Sushi bar array: TUNAS. Back to the fish plural debate. I say "tuna" for both one and many.

59. Have an average day on the links?: SHOOT PAR. In my dreams. My average day looks a LOT different from that.

63. Buddy: KIDDO

68. "Voilà!": TADA! Beloved of online crossword solvers everywhere.

69. __ planner: EVENT

70. French film award: CÉSAR

71. Crispy snack: CHIP. CHEX, my first thought, didn't work too well.

72. Synthesizer brand: CASIO

73. Intense exams: ORALS

74. Breaks up a plot: HOES. Nice clue.

Down:

1. Necklace part: CLASP

2. X-rated stuff: PORNO. Not the first time in the LAT, but this is one of those entries that I'm surprised that Rich lets go.

3. Company whose mascot uses fowl language: AFLAC

4. Wading birds: STORKS

5. Only city from which two NHL hockey teams relocated (both went to Canada): ATL. I didn't think twice about this and I'm not even a particularly keen hockey fan. The Atlanta Flames went to Calgary (now I think about it, the name makes sense, I thought it was something to do with oilfield fires.) The Thrashers went to Winnipeg and became the second incarnation of the Jets.

6. "You can't mean me!": MOI

7. 48-Across sound: ARF

8. Capone henchman: NITTI. I knee-jerked GOTTI first before I had to unpick part of it.

9. When the "Macbeth" witches add "eye of newt": ACT IV. With the V in place, nothing else could work.

10. Subject of the film "42": RACISM

11. Farm link: YOKE. Ox-to-ox link, making yoked oxen.

12. 1857 litigant Scott: DRED

13. Caesar's last gasp: ET TU. Nice connection with the neighboring 20D

14. Rough file: RASP

20. Caesar's last day: IDES

22. Don't bother: LET BE. LET GO at first. Didn't work.

25. Powder source: TALC

26. 1980s Chrysler offering: K-CAR. Look at those sleek, elegant lines and the subtle color palette:

27. Citi Field MLBer: NY MET

30. "... boy __ girl?": OR A

31. Actress Deborah: KERR

32. 500 nickname: INDY

33. Wine quality: NOSE

34. Short answer?: RSVP. "Answer" in the sense of the instruction. Yes, No or Maybe are the answers.

35. Boo-boo: OWIE

36. Shade: TINT

38. Gloria's mom in '70s TV: EDITH. Bunker. Of course I knew this. (I didn't).

41. Okra unit: POD

42. Morning mumble: I'M UP. Alright, already.

43. Shade: TONE. 36D clecho.

44. Model T feature: CRANK. My Dad's first car had a starting handle as backup for when the battery went flat, a not-unusual occurrence.

49. Decides one will: OPTS TO

50. Reagan role in a Notre Dame football movie: GIPP. "Rock ..."

52. Teller?: SNITCH

54. DEA cop: NARCO

55. Old news source: CRIER. Oyez! Oyez!

56. State bordering six others and the Canadian mainland: IDAHO. Didn't we see this self-same clue a few weeks ago?

57. Redmayne of "The Theory of Everything": EDDIE. Thank you, crosses.

58. Some daytime TV: SOAPS

59. Building guideline: SPEC

60. "__ Nagila": HAVA

61. World Cup cheers: OLES

62. Potent start?: OMNI

65. Govt. code crackers: N.S.A. I recently hired a new analyst who previously worked for the N.S.A - her office was in a bunker on Oahu. Nice place to live, but you're still working in a bunker.

66. Square dance dancer: GAL

67. H.S. yearbook section: SR'S Seniors. Adios!

I picked up a potential new client from one of the recent Vegas expos. They're based in Australia. I smell some long-haul air travel in my tea leaves.

With that, here's the grid and g'day mates!

Steve

Wednesday, May 30, 2018, C. C. Burnikel

Theme: SHORT WEIGHT LIST.  Three entries have circled letters at their beginnings and endings that spell out units of weight measurement.  Might be tough to spot if you didn't get the circles.

16 A. Latter Day Saints' sacred text : THE BOOK OF MORMON.   Also an irreverent Broadway musical that mocks Mormon beliefs and practices.

26 A. Occupy oneself with trivial tasks : PUTTER AROUND.   The story of my retirement.

45 A. Like a budget with more expenses than income : OUT OF BALANCE.  Deficit spending.  

And the unifier -- 59 A. Radical solutions ... and what this puzzle's circles literally represent : EXTREME MEASURES.   Exceeding what is usual or reasonable to achieve some end. Here, the names of English System weights are divided and the chunks placed at the extremes, so to speak, of the theme entries, presented in descending order.

Hi Gang, Jazzbumpa here, sadly having hit a several-month-long plateau in the personal weight loss program.  Maybe this theme, with a couple of grid-spanners, will inspire me to greater effort.  Meanwhile, let's see if this puzzle, presented by a Lady we all know, is heavy or light weight.

Across

1. Young chaps : LADS.  This word, going back to Middle English is of unknown origin.

5. Stitchless? : NUDE.  Absence of threads.  I get it, but it's kind of a stretch.  So, possibly double-knit?

9. Right-leaning print: Abbr. : ITAL. Italics.  Are they prim and proper? No politics!

13. Tan shade : ECRU.  From French "écru," meaning "unbleached," describing the light tan color of unbleached linen. 

14. One picking a rock : MINER.   You can select the rock to have at with your pick.

 GIF found here

15. It may fly by : TIME.  If you're having fun.

19. Pirate's milieu : SEA.  The setting, background or environment for a pirate is on the briney.

20. Mop & __: floor cleaner : GLO.  Multi-purpose cleaner that also helps shine and protect vinyl flooring.

21. The bubbles in bubble tea, usually : TAPIOCA.  Learning moment.

22. Youngest ever Nobel Prize laureate __ Yousafzai : MALALA.

Her Story

25. Architect Saarinen : EERO.  [1910-1961] Finnish-American architect and industrial designer.  One of his most notable creations is the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Mo.

30. Butter substitute : OLEO.  Aka Margarine.  But not in this tasty Sonny Rollins tune.

31. How, to José : COMO.   Spanish translation.

32. Retirement place : BED.  When I retire for the night.  Not to be confused with my other retirement from the daily rat race.

35. Beverage with a "Real Facts" Web page : SNAPPLE.  A brand of tea and fruit drinks.

39. Curious box opener : PANDORA.  From Greek mythology.  She was the first woman created by the gods. She opened a jar that released all the evils of humanity.  Echoes of mother Eve.

41. Meat in a typical Denver omelet : HAM.  Diced small.

42. Succotash bean : LIMA.  Mixed with corn.  The name is derived from a Narragansett word meaning "broken corn kernels."  The combination of corn with a legume provides complete protein.  it was poplar during the great depression because the ingredients were readily available and relatively inexpensive.

44. Sportscaster Andrews : ERIN. [b. 1978]

Sorry, guys - she's married

49. Jockey strap : REIN. A narrow strap attached to each end of a hoerse's bit, used to guide the horse while riding.

51. Bright blue shade : COBALT.  Made from a pigment containing the element COBALT.  Think of the color of Phillip's Milk of Magnesia bottles.  Or this.

52. Bygone heating fuel : COAL GAS.  A gas mixture containing hydrogen, methane and carbon monoxide, made from the desturctive distillation of coal.

55. Wall St. maneuver : LBO.  Leveraged Buy Out.   An acquisition method in which the assets of the purchased company are used as collateral for a large loan, so the transaction can be completed with minimal capital expenditure.

56. Select, with "for" : OPT.  Make a choice, via French from the Latin optare, chose.

62. "In __ of flowers ... " : LIEU.  Instead of.  From Middle English, via French again, back to the Latin, locus, place.

63. Mideast dignitaries : EMIRS. Indicating various high positions, such as military commender, local chieftain, or head of state.

64. Disk slapped by Ducks : PUCK.  The Anaheim Ducks are a team in the National Hockey League.  This year they finished 2nd in the Pacific Division and got swept out in the first round of the playoffs by the San Jose Sharks.

65. Croat neighbor : SERB. Citizens of Eastern European countries Serbia and Croatia.

66. Boy, in Bilbao : NINO. LAD, in Spanish.

67. Tattoo parlor supplies : INKS.  For body decoration.

I would OPT out

Down

1. "Why don't we?!" : LET'S.  As one vegetarian said to another, "Let us eat lettuce.

2. Tylenol target : ACHE.  Pain killer.

3. Superstar lineup : DREAM TEAM.  A collection of the best athletes.

4. Pinch hitter, say : SUB. One who substitutes for another.

5. Electricity pioneer Tesla : NIKOLA. [1856-1943] Serbian-American Engineer and inventor who made contributions to the design of electricity delivery systems

6. Kid-friendly card game : UNO.  And frequent X-word entry.

7. Nimble : DEFT.  Agile.

8. "At Wit's End" columnist Bombeck : ERMA. [1927 - 1996]   Wrote humorously about daily life.

9. "Did my best" : I TRIED.  But probably didn't succeed.

10. Divided island north of Australia : TIMOR.  East Timor is a sovereign nation.  The western part of the island belongs to Indonesia.

11. BP merger partner : AMOCO.  Big oil gets bigger.

12. Actress Olin : LENA.  In THE NINTH GATE

14. Canine neighbor : MOLAR.  Teeth, not pets.

17. Eye wolfishly : OGLE.   

Let's not be rude about it

18. Premiere, datewise : OPEN ON.   This seems kind of clumsy, but it works.

23. At the pinnacle of : ATOP.  

24. Semicircle, e.g. : ARC.    Any portion of a circle.

26. Like five-star hotels : POSH.   High class and expensive.

27. Radius neighbor : ULNA.   Bones of the forearm.

28. "Alley __" : OOP.   Erstwhile cartoon caveman.

29. Thurman of "Kill Bill" : UMA.

2003 Quentin Tarantino revenge movie

32. Springsteen's first Top 40 hit : BORN TO RUN.

33. Red explorer? : ERIC.  Eiríkr Þorvaldsson; [950 – c. 1003]  Following the family tradition, Eric was exiled for killing a man.  His explorations then took him to Greenland, but he was probably not the first European to land there.  [Wikipedia]

34. Victor Borge, by birth : DANE.   Pianist and comic.

36. Fall precipitously : PLUNGE. Plummet.

37. Short stories? : LIT.  Literature, abbreviated.

38. Broody rock genre : EMO.  Emotional punk rock, for emotional punks.

40. "Sold!" : DEAL.  Artful agreement.

43. Pro Bowl team, briefly : AFC.   America Football Conference.

45. Massage option : OIL RUB.  All of my massage therapists have used essential oils.

46. Ravel classic used in the film "10" : BOLERO.

47. Palestinian leader Mahmoud : ABBAS. [b 1935]  Palesinian president since 2005.

48. Thailand neighbor : LAOS. East of Thailand, West of Viet Nam.

49. "Chicago" showgirl : ROXIE.

50. Diner patron : EATER.  Literal consumer.

52. Roger Rabbit frames : CELS.  Pick one.

53. "I totally agree!" : AMEN.  "So be it."

54. Rig on the road : SEMI. A tractor-trailer rig.

57. Quick kiss : PECK.  Usually on the cheek.

58. Disapproving sounds : TSKS.  Tongue clucks.

60. 60 secs. : MIN.  One minute

61. AP competitor : UPI.  United Press International

That wraps it up.  C. C. took us around the world and provided a lot of musical options, with no major nits.   Pretty good Wednesday, IMHO.

Cool regards!
JzB

Tuesday, May 29, 2018, Ed Sessa

Holding Hands

20. Basic cocktail with Dewar's: SCOTCH AND SODA.

24. Live frugally: PINCH AND SCRAPE.

42. Political entities subject to Constitutional separation: CHURCH AND STATE.

48. Exhortation to come together ... and a hint to 20-, 24- and 42-Across: LET'S JOIN HANDS.

Each phrase holds (contains) the word hands. 

Across:

1. Learn to fit in: ADAPT.

6. "Sí," on the Seine: OUI. 

9. Nasser of Egypt: GAMAL.

14. Oscar winner Marisa: TOMEI.   1993 Oscars, Best Supporting Actress award,  as Mona Lisa Vito in My Cousin Vinny

15. "What was __ expect?": I TO.

16. Martini garnish: OLIVE.

17. "The Sixth Sense" writer/director M. Night __: SHYAMALAN.  Perps made it easy.  Otherwise, no clue. 

19. "Mack the Knife" singer Bobby: DARIN.

22. Spanish "other": OTRA.

23. Acorn producer: OAK.

31. What truants "play": HOOKY.   I thought of Senior Skip Day.

32. 2010 Apple release: IPAD.

33. Application file suffix: EXE.  File suffix being file type.  Short for executable.

35. Pests in a pantry: ANTS.

36. Like very serious errors: FATAL.   "Error 1603: A fatal error occurred during installation" is a catchall when your application's executable doesn't install correctly. 

38. Octopus octet: ARMS.

39. Muscle spasm: TIC.

40. Chore: TASK.

41. Most of Wile E. Coyote's gadgets, brand-wise: ACMES.

46. Forget-me-__: NOT.  

Your birth flower if you were born in September.

The Alaska state flower.

Symbolism 



47. Ohio border lake: ERIE.

54. Hawaiian hi: ALOHA.

55. Embarrasses deeply: MORTIFIES.

58. Bourbon Street cuisine: CAJUN.

59. Boston skyscraper, with "the": PRU.

60. Nick of "Cape Fear": NOLTE.

61. Shoelace problems: KNOTS.

62. Stockholm airline: SAS.  SAS is an abbreviation of its former full name, Scandinavian Airlines System or legally Scandinavian Airlines System Denmark–Norway–Sweden.   The main hub is in Copenhagen, while the company headquarters is near Stockholm.   Wikipedia

63. Wear away: ERODE.


Down:

1. @ signs: ATs.   I first learned this symbol meant each at.   Internet Hall of Famer and inventor of email,  RPI & MIT grad Ray Tomlinson, used the @ symbol to distinguish host name from user name so that messages could be sent from one host to another on ARPANET, the precursor to the internet. 

2. "I am so stupid!": DOH. Popularized by Homer Simpson.    You're telling me Grumpy and Doc weren't in Sleeping Beauty ?  Oh, Snow White.  DOH !

3. Actress Poehler and singer Grant: AMYS. Actress and comedian Amy Poehler and contemporary Christian singer Amy Grant.

4. Birds with eyelike spots on their tails: PEACOCKS.

5. Youngest-ever Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner Hutton: TIMOTHY. Won for "Ordinary People."   I confused him with his father Jim.

6. Lube shop container: OIL CAN. Red Sox fans like Wilbur would remember "Oil Can" Boyd, a starting pitcher for the Beantown nine.

7. D-Day beach: UTAH.

8. Hebrides isle: IONA.

9. NASA's __ Space Flight Center: GODDARD.

10. Where Nome is: ALASKA.

11. Surrealist painter Joan: MIRO.

12. Gung-ho: AVID.

13. "Girls" creator Dunham: LENA.

18. Gillette blade: ATRA.

21. Diet-friendly: NO-CAL.

24. Cool, in '90s slang: PHAT. Not an acronym, but a deliberate misspelling of fat, in the sense of rich, abundant, or desirable.  A couple of backronyms - phrases constructed after the fact - are Pretty Hot And Tempting and PHysically ATtractive.  Paraphrased from Snopes.com

25. Greek column type: IONIC.

26. V-shaped cut: NOTCH.

27. Football's "Iron Mike": DITKA.


28. Place for a waxing: SPA.

29. Prefix with frost: PERMA.

30. Ron Darling or Tom Seaver: EX MET. Starting pitchers for the NY Mets.

34. To be, to Livy: ESSE.   "Livy, Latin in full Titus Livius, (born 59/64 bc, Patavium, Venetia [now Padua, Italy]—died ad 17, Patavium), with Sallust and Tacitus, one of the three great Roman historians. His history of Rome became a classic in his own lifetime and exercised a profound influence on the style and philosophy of historical writing down to the 18th century."  - Britannica.com

36. De __: actual: FACTO. "In fact or in practice; in actual use or existence, regardless of official or legal status." Wiktionary.

37. Campfire remnant: ASH.

38. Represented: ACTED FOR.

40. Some "Iliad" warriors: TROJANS.

41. Utterly absurd: ASININE.

43. Left open, as a door: UNSHUT.

44. Indian political family: NEHRUS.

45. "Dagnabbit!": DRAT.

48. Absence: LACK.

49. Splashy style: ELAN.

50. Axis dictator who ordered the Pearl Harbor attack: TOJO.

51. Little rascals: IMPS.

52. "Julie & Julia" director Ephron: NORA.

53. Grain tower: SILO.

56. Flight board abbr.: ETD.

57. "Just like I said!": SEE.

Monday May 28, 2018 Roger & Kathy Wienberg

Theme: PH SCALE (39. Acidity measurement range ... and where you'll find 17-, 23-, 50- and 60-Across?) - Each theme entry starts with P and H.

17. Simon & Schuster, for example: PUBLISHING HOUSE.

23. Jimi Hendrix classic: PURPLE HAZE.

50. Sort in compartments: PIGEON HOLE.

60. One's cleanliness habits: PERSONAL HYGIENE.

 

Boomer here.  

Hello all of you Mamas and Papas. Monday, Monday Can't trust that day. Monday, Monday, sometimes it just turns out that way. There I go reliving my youth of the 60s. Speaking of the 60s, this puzzle reminded me of my Dad's employer in the 60s. Physicians and Hospital Supplies. Also known as P & H.  However in those days, the drug industry was acceptable with prescriptions mostly around $3.00, Not like it is today with "Ask your Doctor" ads and Big Pharma was a term that had not yet been coined.

Across:

1. Emulated Pinocchio: LIED. I enjoy it when the Washington Post awards Pinocchios.

5. Gas and oil: FUELS.  Where is it at where you live?  In Minnesota, we are at around 2.85 per gallon of regular.  I heard in Manhattan it's around $5.00

10. Puppy sound: YIP.

13. Charitable gift: ALMS.

14. "How awful!": OH DEAR. Something Edith Bunker used to say.

16. Artist Yoko: ONO. Then I think Archie would say OH NO

20. Sch. in Charlottesville: UVA.

21. Leave speechless: STUN.  Milwaukee police are facing questions regarding their use of a stun gun on Sterling Brown of the NBA.

22. Path around the sun: ORBIT.  Also the path of an Aaron Judge home run.

27. Longtime senator Kennedy: TED.  Maybe could have been President except for that night in July, 1969.

28. Poetic "above": O'ER. - O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave, and the NFL.

29. Like stretchy waistbands: ELASTIC.

32. Spot on the tube: TV AD.  The number of ads I see for car insurance and prescription drugs, makes me think those two products might be over-priced?

35. Hitching post?: ALTAR. I get it, but it's a stretch.

37. Dove's call: COO.

38. Rolled-up bunch of money: WAD.

41. Sing with a closed mouth: HUM. That's not singing, that's humming.

42. Memorable boxer: ALI.  He put boxing on the map!  Everyone knew who the heavyweight champ was in the day.

43. Highways and byways: ROADS. Country Roads, take me home, to the place I belong.  West Virginia????

44. Stinging insect: WASP.

45. Solarium: SUN ROOM.

47. CIA relative: NSA.

49. Series-ending abbr.: ETC. Abbreviation for Latin et cetera."and so on".  Also a gift shop in Hudson, Wisconsin.

56. Mascara mishap: SMEAR.

58. Westernmost of the Aleutian Islands: ATTU.

59. Chicken __: POX. I thought of LEG and KFC.  I had chicken pox once and that was enough.  Odd name for an illness.  What did chickens ever do to deserve this ?

64. Young Skywalker's nickname: ANI.

65. Lighter filler: BUTANE. Yeah - these things are dangerous.  Glad I don't smoke.

66. Uncle Remus rabbit's title: BR'ER. Born and raised in the briar patch

67. "Delish!": YUM.

68. Ply with alcohol: BESOT.

69. Shopping place: MART. Always seems to indicate lower price.  K-Mart, Walmart etc.  Any more? 

Down:

1. Drink from a bowl: LAP UP. No, I just lift the bowl to my mouth and tip it.

2. Candy heart words: I LUV U.

3. Imprison: EMBAR.

4. ISP alternative: DSL.  The computer age has smothered us with three letter acronyms.

5. Kind of child or parent: FOSTER. Half a pair of sunglasses.

6. "Yup": UH HUH.

7. Twin Cities suburb: EDINA.  Edina is known to host the first indoor shopping center I believe in the US, circa 1957.  C.C. and I were there last week.  Southdale Mall has expanded and added and changed tenants, and it seems to want to compete with Mall of America.

8. Novelist Deighton: LEN.

9. Hollywood's __ Awards: SAG.

10. "Darn tootin'!": YOU BETCHA. - This phrase is tied to us Scandinavians Don'tcha know.

11. Treacherously sneaky: INSIDIOUS.

12. Frost or Browning: POET. He's a poet but don't know it, but his feet show it, They're Longfellows.

15. Pi follower: RHO. It's Greek to me.

18. Cruise stop: ISLE.

19. Disposal scraps: ORTS.

24. Sci-fi escape vehicle: POD. I would pick UFO.  Not even peas can escape from a pod.

25. Greek Zs: ZETAS.  Z is our last letter.  I think Zeta comes early in the Greek lineup.  Somewhere near Gamma Beta Epsilon.

26. Israeli airline: EL AL.

30. Exist: ARE.

31. Give a free pass: COMP.

32. First word in Moore's Christmas poem: 'TWAS.  Contraction for "It was". 

33. Eatery list including 99-cent items: VALUE MENU. Nothing anymore for less than a dollar.  McDonald's has a $1, $2, $3 and others have two for $6.

34. For now, in Latin: AD INTERIM. Technically translates "In the meantime" but I will okay it for now.

35. "Me too": AS AM I.

36. PC monitor type: LCD. I know this is an acronym for liquid crystal display, but I never understood it.  I know you get a clearer picture, but I'm not sure why.

39. Expert: PRO.  Short for professional, also means pretty darn good.  All of you are PRO crossword solvers.

40. Hula __: HOOP. The hoop went public in 1958 and I think everyone in the US had at least one.  I believe they were originally sold for .99 each.

44. Sob syllable: WAH.

46. Early color TVs: RCAS.  Before color TVs, RCA was a leading maker of "Victrola" sound equipment.  Remember The mascot dog "Nipper" ?

47. "Wait a bit longer": NOT YET.

48. Like a bug in a rug: SNUG.

51. Fancy parties: GALAS. Do you pronounce this GAY LA or GALLA ?

52. Prefix with centric: ETHNO. My puzzle's better than your puzzle

53. Rossini work: OPERA. Or a noontime soap.

54. No social butterfly: LONER.

55. Apply, as pressure: EXERT.

56. Fix at the vet: SPAY.

57. Knock over, as a bank: ROB.  I'm now thinking of Mary Tyler Moore's (Laura Petrie's) husband on the Dick Van Dyke show.

61. Pencil remnant: NUB.

62. Had lunch: ATE.

63. PC pioneer: IBM. I don't remember an IBM personal computer.  Most of IBM's computers were the size of a cruise ship.

Boomer

Note from C.C.:

Here is Boomer's 700 Club champion's plaque. The lights were knocked out due to the severe storm last Thursday night when they had the banquet, so all the bowlers enjoyed a candlelight dinner in hot hot weather.

Sunday May 27, 2018 Gail Grabowski

Theme: "Suppressed Urges" - YEN spans across each theme entry.

25A. No-fuss course: EASY ENTREE. Surprised to see ENTREE and ENTRY (104A). Thought they have the same root. 

27A. "Spin" that really doesn't affect the ball: BODY ENGLISH. Is this a golf term?

44A. Invitation enclosure: REPLY ENVELOPE.

83A. "Curious though it may seem ... ": FUNNILY ENOUGH. Lovely debut answer.
    

99A. Fairy tale feature: HAPPY ENDING.

104A. Frank account, e.g.: DIARY ENTRY. Anne Frank.

35D. Focusing completely: FULLY ENGAGED.

40D. Military construction expert: ARMY ENGINEER.

Reveal:

107. Urge hidden in this puzzle's eight longest answers: YEN.

YEN is trapped in the middle, hence "suppressed".

Simple but never-done theme from Gail. That's her hallmark. Looks easy, but it's not. The grid design is also very Gail, with six in Across and two in Down slot.

Across:

1. Read digitally: SCAN.

5. Songs in Bollywood soundtracks: RAGAS. Don't think I know any Indian song.

10. Stopped stalling: ACTED.

15. Nincompoop: BOOB.

19. __ Bell: fast-food chain: TACO.

20. Donovan of "Clueless": ELISA.

21. 45 player: PHONO.

22. Alternative to de Gaulle: ORLY.

23. Back up on a job?: ABET. We also have 34. Help dishonestly: LIE FOR

24. On the take: DIRTY.

30. Motive: REASON.

31. Berkshire jackets: ETONS.

32. Cardiology concern: AORTA.

38. Floods: SPATES.

41. Katz of "Hocus Pocus": OMRI.

42. Rural expanse: PASTURE.

43. Rarity for a duffer: PAR. Not hard to get a par on a short par 3 though.

49. Inc. relative: LLC.

50. Governing gp.: ADMIN. Ah, no comments have been forwarded to my email since Thursday night. Widespread Blogger glitch.

52. Property attachment: LIEN.

53. Signs often numbered: EXITS.

54. Entreaty: PLEA.

55. "You wouldn't dare!" response: TRY ME.

56. Wood-shaping tool: ADZ.

57. Apothecary's measures: DRAMS.

58. Like some early hieroglyphics: MAYAN.

59. Trickle: SEEP.

60. They may rest on sills: Abbr.: ACS. What temp do your set your thermostat in summer? Ours is 76.

61. Wine label first name: CARLO.

62. Gift: TALENT.

63. "Affliction" actor: NOLTE (Nick). Never saw the movie.

65. Key next to F: G FLAT.

66. Cheney's successor: BIDEN.

67. Document often framed: DEGREE. I've only seen them framed at the doctor's office.

69. Landlord's sign: TO LET.

70. Surfer's shade?: TAN. Here's the master. Kai Lenny.

71. Eligibility factors: AGES.

74. Skips past: OMITS.

75. Cope: GET BY. Do you guys sleep on your side or on your back? I wonder if sleeping on the back will relieve Boomer's shoulder pain. But that's not a comfortable position. He's used to sleeping on his left side.

76. Part of LGBTQ: GAY.

77. Texas tourist spot: ALAMO.

78. Gimlet options: GINS.

79. Language group that includes Swahili: BANTU.

80. Lengthy lunch?: HERO. Sweet clue.

81. "Night Moves" singer: SEGER (Bob)

82. L, at times: Abbr.: LGE.

86. Sinus dr.: ENT.

87. By and by, to a bard: ERELONG. We also have 28. Perpetual, poetically: ETERNE.

89. Needing a nap: BEAT.

90. Feuding (with): AT ODDS.

92. He pardoned Richard: GERALD

93. Syrian leader: ASSAD.

95. "Li'l Abner" critter: SHMOO.

97. Miss the beginning: BELATE. I've only used "Belated". (Added later: BE LATE. Thanks, Lemonade and D-Otto.)

108. Sarcophagus holder: CRYPT.

109. Bonkers: LOCO.

110. Parcel measure: ACRE.

111. Bring together: UNITE.

112. One in training, perhaps: HIREE.

113. City near Vance Air Force Base: ENID. Unaware of this trivia.

114. Test release: BETA.

115. Mixed nuts tidbit: PECAN.

116. Dubai dignitaries: EMIRS.

117. Attitude: SASS.

Down:

1. Shot in the dark: STAB.

2. Baja resort: CABO.

3. Completed with a stroke: ACED.

4. "Have patience": NOT YET.  Hopefully the Blogger team can solve the Comments forwarding glitch soon.

5. Common cold sign: RED NOSE.

6. Square up: ALIGN.

7. Some Little Leaguers: GIRLS.

8. Wine city near Turin: ASTI.

9. Ends a prayer: SAYS AMEN.

10. Make fun of: APE.

11. Plan, as a course: CHART.

12. Where sailors go: TO SEA.

13. "A Day Without Rain" New Ager: ENYA.

14. Exercises in a pool: DOES LAPS. Nice fill.

15. Invasive spam spreader: BOTNET.

16. Hockey immortal: ORR.

17. Shout after un pase: OLE. So I googled "un pase", this showed up.  Pass.

18. Playoff pass: BYE.

26. __ pollution: NOISE.

29. Road warning: HORN.

33. Semiaquatic rodent: RIVER RAT. Another great fill.

36. "The Orchid Thief" author Susan: ORLEAN. Hahtoola probably read this book.

37. Go back on one's word: RECANT. Followed by 38. Words with friends?: SPATS. Cute word play.

39. Base adviser: PADRE.

41. Courtroom cry: OYEZ.

42. Piles of chips: POTS. Oh, poker.

45. __ mat: PLACE.

46. Starbucks stack: LIDS.

47. Glorify: EXALT.

48. Long ride?: LIMO.

51. Corona and Tsingtao: IMPORTS. I worked at Lai Yang for a short period of time. Traveled to Tsingtao frequently. Amazing seafood there.

54. Light beer?: PALE ALE. Great clue/fill.

57. Mayor before Emanuel: DALEY.

58. Boiling: MAD.

60. Worked on a course?: ATE. Gimme for our regulars.

61. Spiral-shaped light sources, briefly: CFL BULBS. Consonants-rich.

62. Old star makeup: TIN. Tin star.

64. Guitarist Paul: LES.

65. '80s-'90s crime boss: GOTTI.

66. Louisiana wetland: BAYOU.

67. Fairway challenge: DOGLEG. What's your best round, Gary?

68. Asylum seeker: EMIGRE.

69. Home to Dollywood: Abbr.: TENN.

70. Islands staple: TARO.

72. Fix text: EMEND.

73. Puts in order: SORTS.

75. Our __: GANG.

76. Refined chap: GENT.

77. He plays Steve in "Jobs": ASHTON. Kutcher.

79. "It's cold out there": BUNDLE UP.

80. Big pain: HEADACHE.

83. Scott of "Scandal": FOLEY. I first learned his name while watching "Felicity". That's the annoying Ben on the left.

84. Fist-pump cry: YEAH.

85. Reproductive cells: GAMETES.

88. Attraction in L.A.'s Hancock Park: LA BREA.

91. Tons: OODLES.

93. Web site: ATTIC.

94. Perfect Sleeper, e.g.: SERTA. We bought this for summer. Alas, there's no gel. It's not cool.

95. "Heidi" author: SPYRI (Johanna). I forgot. We had her before.

96. Excited to the max: HYPER.

98. Celebrity chef Burrell: ANNE. Always bubbly.

100. Proper partner: PRIM.

101. Macbeth's burial isle: IONA.

102. CBS military drama: NCIS.

103. Jupiter and Mars: GODS.

104. Small application: DAB.

105. Word with pack or pick: ICE.

106. Creative works: ART.

C.C.