Sunday Feb 18, 2018 Alan Arbesfeld

Theme: "Political Insiders" - Presidential monogram spans across each theme entry.
 
23A. Kiddie lit hero created by Hans and Margret Rey (#18) : CURIOUS GEORGE. Ulysses S. Grant.

33A. It usually begins "How many (whatever) does it take ... " (#36) : LIGHTBULB JOKE. Lyndon B. Johnson.

51A. Film based on the novel "Shoeless Joe" (#32) : FIELD OF DREAMS. Franklin D. Roosevelt.
 
82A. Arizona tourist attraction (#34) : PAINTED DESERT. Dwight D. Eisenhower.

101A. Athletic retiree? (#37) : UNIFORM NUMBER. Richard Milhous Nixon.

114A. Religious high point? (#33) : CHURCH STEEPLE. Harry S. Truman.

69A. What's hidden in answers with an apt "#" in their clues : PRESIDENTIAL MONOGRAMS

With "apt" in the reveal clue, I thought there's a further layer to the theme. Nope.

We don't see Alan Arbesfeld's byline often here at LAT. He is a very accomplished constructor, with many puzzles published by the NYT and other major venues.

Don't think I've seen a LAT Sunday with only 134 words. 

Across:
     
1. Truckers' competition : ROADEO. Portmanteau of Rodeo and Road.

7. Finish behind : LOSE TO

13. Adenauer sobriquet meaning "the old man" : DER ALTE. We see ALTE more often often.

20. Turns inside out : EVERTS. Not a word I use.

21. Available : ON HAND

22. Dressing choice : ITALIAN. What's your favorite dressing?

25. Sways on a curve : CAREENS

26. Space cadet? : ALIEN. Got via crosses.

27. Suspense novelist Tami : HOAG

28. Fields of comedy : TOTIE

30. '70s-'80s batting instructor Charlie : LAU. Learned from doing crosswords.

31. Must : NEEDS TO

37. "Mi casa __ casa" : ES SU

38. Bk. after Proverbs : ECCL

40. Raise : REAR

41. Winnebago descendants : IOWAS

42. Winter wear : PARKA. Been looking for a light, short and warm jacket in red.

44. Dining __ : CAR

45. "__ to eat and run ... " : I HATE

48. Gain a lap : SIT

54. __ Gimignano: walled Tuscany town : SAN

57. "It's __ wind ... " : AN ILL

59. KOA visitor : RVER

60. Menu option : UNDO

61. Website page : HOME

62. Rhythm rattler : MARACA

64. Longtime rock 'n' roll disc jockey Dan : INGRAM. D-Otto might know him. Not me.

67. "It's suddenly clear" : I SEE NOW

72. 1991 Steve Martin film set in Calif. : L.A. STORY

73. Front line? : ISOBAR

74. Spiced up : ZESTED

75. Big ones are found on Wall Street : EGOS. Why Wall Street?

76. Altar agreements : I DOs

78. Austrian expressionist Schiele : EGON. Another stranger. Here is his self-portrait.

80. Former "60 Minutes" debater __ Alexander : SHANA
  
81. Judge of hoops : REF

86. Dorm room, perhaps : STY

87. Cartoon strip : PANEL

88. Small team : DUO

89. Put a stop to : CEASE

91. Mtge.-offering business : S AND L

94. Mosque leader : IMAM

96. Wine characteristic : BODY

97. Revelations : AHAs

105. Mr. Clean competitor : LESTOIL. Never tried this brand.

107. "M*A*S*H" extra : ROK. Solider of Republic of Korea.

108. Knight clubs : MACES

109. River to the Rhein : AARE

111. "__ woods these are I think I know": Frost : WHOSE

112. Letting it all hang out, theatrically : EMOTING

118. What love and hate share? : SILENT E. Just the last letter of love and hate.

119. "It's My Party" singer Gore : LESLEY

120. Shakespearean attendant : VARLET. I only know VALET.

121. Hybrid with thorns : TEA ROSE. I can smell it. Lovely.

122. Overage : EXCESS

123. Main squeeze : STEADY
 
Down:
 
1. Fix, as a rattan chair : RE-CANE. I'd buy a new chair.

2. Small eggs : OVULES

3. Cliff dwellings : AERIES

4. Ran out, as a supply : DRIED UP

5. Preppy jackets : ETONs

6. The Beavers of the Pac-12 : OSU. Ohio State. Oregon State University. Thanks, Dave.

7. Macy's red star, e.g. : LOGO

8. Low tie : ONE ALL

9. Japanese chess : SHOGI. Sho = General. Gi = Game. So, "General's Game".

10. Hammer site : EAR

11. "Star Trek" spin-off, briefly : TNG. The Next Generation.

12. One-named folk singer : ODETTA

13. Mirabile __: wonderful to say : DICTU. New to me.

14. Amazon business : E-TAIL

15. Cheesy "Welsh" dishes : RAREBITS

16. Brown __ : ALE

17. Stay under the radar : LIE LOW

18. Yankees' pitcher Masahiro : TANAKA. Must be Rich's clue. He's avid Yankees' fan.

19. Happens as a result : ENSUES

24. Stunning surprise : SHOCKER. Caesars Palace now charges a $10 parking fee. Sigh! Used to be fun window-shopping at the Forum.

29. Conan of "Conan" : OBRIEN

32. Garr of "Tootsie" : TERI

34. Tennis great Steffi : GRAF. Great match for Agassi.

35. Group in a drive : HERD

36. Veep between Dick and Mike : JOE (Biden)

39. Friend of Hobbes : CALVIN

43. Gp. created by a 1955 merger : AFL-CIO

44. Welsh herding dogs : CORGIS. Favorite dogs for Queen Elizabeth.

46. Invited to one's place : HAD IN

47. Israeli author who wrote "A Tale of Love and Darkness" : AMOS OZ

48. Array of chocolates, say : SAMPLER

49. Seething : IN A RAGE
 
50. Loses interest in : TIRES OF

52. X-ray examiner, perhaps : DENTIST. Going to see mine next week.

53. Odds and ends : RUMMAGE

54. Many Beethoven pieces : SONATAS

55. "One sec" : A MOMENT

56. Long Island paper : NEWSDAY. They also have crosswords, but not to open submissions, I don't think. Gail is one of the constructors there.

58. Has legs : LASTS

61. Pulitzer journalist Seymour : HERSH. He sure has lots of anonymous sources.

63. "Rocky" role : ADRIAN

65. '90s Indian prime minister : RAO. Nailed it.

66. Planetary reflected-light ratio : ALBEDO. New word to me.

68. Discharges : EGESTS

70. Singer Gorme : EYDIE

71. Pitcher Jesse with a record 1,252 regular-season appearances : OROSCO. He was a Twin.

77. Surfing indoors, say : ONLINE

79. Pine forest floor covering : NEEDLES

82. Trigger was one : PALOMINO. Great fill.

83. Dutch export : EDAM

84. Oversimplify, with "down" : DUMB

85. Funny Martha : RAYE

87. Common attached file : PDF

90. Diner come-on : EAT HERE. Santa loves lo mein and string beans.

91. Most confident : SUREST

92. Breakdown of social norms : ANOMIE

93. Inventor Tesla : NIKOLA

95. Physical strength : MUSCLE

96. Prepares (oneself) for impact : BRACES
 
98. Fanfare : HOOPLA

99. Like supermarkets and stadiums : AISLED. Never used this word form.

100. Cold and wet, maybe : SLEETY

102. Goes on a tirade : RANTS

103. Bobby in a 1971 #1 hit : MCGEE. "Me and Bobby McGee".

104. Country rocker Steve : EARLE

106. Exercise beads? : SWEAT

110. Matthew of "The Americans" : RHYS. Looks who he's dating? Felicity!

113. Thrice, in Rx's : TER. Gluey fill.

115. Bad spell : HEX

116. 2017 Pac-12 champs : USC

117. Sharp products : TVs.. Great clue.
 

Oh, I need to show you this sweet picture again! You'll know who that lucky guy is.

Sunday, November 13, 2016 Alan Arbesfeld

Theme: "Jam Session" - Each theme entry is a pile up of items hinted by the first word in each clue.

22A. Traffic jam? : TOYOTA JEEP AUDI KIA FORD. Veteran solvers probably recall Merl Reagle's traffic jam puzzle. He had two lanes of cars all jammed up in a 21*21.

35A. Raspberry jam? : YOU STINK BOO HISS GO HOME. This one made me laugh.

52A. Log jam? : ELM FIR OAK PINE ASH CEDAR

76A. Pearl jam? : BAILEY HARBOR BUCK ONION

93A Space jam? : VENUS NEPTUNE PLUTO MARS

111A. Paper jam? : GLOBE POST TIMES SUN NEWS. Newspapers.

So we have 6 spanners (total 126 theme squares) in a 134-word grid. Astonishing. We often see 142 or 144 worder with less than 100 theme squares.

Alan Arbesfeld is a veteran constructor. He has many many puzzles published by the New York Times and L.A. Times. He's also one of the constructors for the CrosSynergy puzzles. Look at those names, best in the business.

Across:   

1. Best Supporting Actor nominee for "Forrest Gump" : SINISE. Lieutenant Dan.

7. Terra __ : FIRMA. Not COTTA.


12. Glass raiser's opening : A TOAST. We also have 77. Glass raiser's opening : HERE'S TO

18. Warren Buffett, for one : OMAHAN. Gary lives in Fremont.

19. Get off : DETRAIN. Do you actually use this word, or DEPLANE? 

21. Entertain at bedtime : READ TO

25. Giraffe cousin : OKAPI. Hello there!

26. Sitcom planet : ORK

27. Less concerned with your privacy : NOSIER. I don't get it. You get nosy when you're less concerned other's privacy, right?

28. Was second to none : LED

29. Like many Richard Matheson stories : EERIE

31. Holy : SACRED

33. Remains at the butcher : OFFAL

40. Ticks off : ANNOYS

41. Nashville venue : OPRY

42. Traditional tomato paste fruit : ROMA

43. Moldova currency : LEU. Romania's too. Albanian is LEK.

44. Just make : EKE OUT

47. Oversupply : GLUT

49. Pub order, briefly : IPA

58. Belgian expressionist James : ENSOR. Gimme for veteran solvers.

59. Fed lines : CUED

60. __ Mae : SALLIE. Same letter count as FANNIE & GINNIE.

61. Kim's last name, in Kipling's novel : O'HARA. No idea. Never read the novel.

64. U.S. Army specialists' underlings: Abbr. : PFCs

67. __ Mawr: Pennsylvania college town : BRYN

69. Braves, but not Indians, briefly : NLERS. Gluey entry.

70. Stinging crawler : RED ANT

72. Of the flock : LAIC

74. Moistening liquid : BASTE

83. Penn in NYC, e.g. : STN

84. 9, at times: Abbr. : SEPT (September). Tiny answer/clue dupe with 93. Many September births : VIRGOS

85. Modern research aid : GOOGLE. Let's see how long it takes Google engineers to solve this "Bad Request" issue. The blank/double dupe glitch has been on forever.

86. Praise that's usually not prose : ODE

87. New Look designer : DIOR

89. Rope fiber : HEMP

90. Follow-up to a finish : EPILOG

100. "Let's give __" : IT A GO. Three-part partial. 

101. Reach, as great heights : SOAR TO

102. Sock material : LISLE

103. Urgent knock : RAP

104. Morning prayers : MATINS. Have not seen this entry for a while, Lucina!

106. Pinky __ : TOE

107. Snap course : EASY A

116. Gretzky's first NHL team : OILERS. Boomer bought a fake Gretzky rookie card on Craigslist two years ago. Be careful about sports cards there.

117. Hot stuff : EROTICA

118. Pain in the side : STITCH

119. Stated with authority : SAID SO

120. Hamlet and others : DANES

121. Hong Kong airline __ Pacific : CATHAY. Used to take Cathay Pacific to Paris via Hong Kong.

Down: 

1. Explorer Hernando de __ : SOTO
 
2. "Don't worry about me" : I'M OK

3. Poland Spring competitor : NAYA. What's your preferred water brand? Some of the caps are just so hard to open.  

4. "With any luck!" : I HOPE SO

5. Fullness : SATIETY

6. "Bambi" doe : ENA

7. Data-uploading initials : FTP (File Transfer Protocol). TTP just solved a thorny issue for my Ginger Roots blog last week. Man, a bad DKNY link can put a post in jail for three years.

8. Author Levin : IRA

9. Off-color, as a joke : RAUNCHY

10. Olympic skater Ito : MIDORI

11. Liqueur-flavoring plants : ANISES. I never grow anise, you?

12. Two-time Indy 500 champ Luyendyk : ARIE. We had him before.

13. Spot for a spot : TEAROOM. Hmm, dim sum. 

14. Clumsy sort : OAF

15. Big name in menswear : ADOLFO. Are you a fan of this brand?

16. Transfer for immediate viewing : STREAM

17. Take baby steps : TODDLE. Is this a common verb form?


19. "Criminal Minds" agent Morgan : DEREK. Unknown to me.

20. Fearful sound : EEK

23. Participate : JOIN

24. Former apparel store with a backwards letter in its name : KIDS R US

30. Staircase components : RISERS

31. Absorb : SOP UP

32. __ valve: heart part : AORTIC

34. Govt. mortgage agency : FHA. Federal Housing Administration,

35. Beinecke Library site : YALE, Not familiar with the library.

36. Scott Turow memoir : ONE L

37. Coin word : UNUM

38. Hire : BOOK

39. Black-clad subculturists : GOTHS. There's a Lady Goth in our flea market. She wears the same black outfit every Sunday, for over 10 years. 

45. Surgeon general under Reagan : KOOP.  I'm thinking the next one will be Ben Carson.

46. Winter hat feature : EARFLAP

47. "The Waltons" actor Will : GEER

48. Insect making spotty appearances? : LADYBUG. Cute clue.

49. Just sitting, say : IDLE

50. Scissors need : PAIR

51. Son of Zeus : ARES

53. Wild : FERAL

54. Cockamamie : INANE

55. Central point : NUB

56. "The Divine Comedy" division : CANTO

57. Pompeo of "Grey's Anatomy" : ELLEN. She plays Dr. Grey.

61. Eyes, poetically : ORBS

62. Pressure : HEAT

63. Server's edge : AD IN. Tennis.


65. Amazon icon : CART

66. Bro or sis : SIB

68. Shaker contents, chemically : NACL

71. Boxing's "Iron Mike" : TYSON

73. Convincing : COGENT

75. '50s-'60s country singer McDonald : SKEETS. No idea. Was he popular then, D-Otto/Argyle?

78. "Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs" speaker : ROMEO. Deep thought from a 13-year-old.

79. 1995 comet observer : BOPP (Thomas Bopp). I drew a blank.

80. Kansas city: IOLA. I forgot. But our PK must knows. By the way, she can read all the posts/comments. She just can't comment. Her iMac is still sick.

81. Olfactory stimulus : ODOR

82. Requirements for prints, for short : NEGs

87. Was really into : DUG

88. Related compounds : ISOMERS

89. Author Zora Neale __ : HURSTON. We see NEALE often.

91. Cornmeal dish : POLENTA. You can't tempt me with Polenta!

92. "My mind is made up!" : I MEAN IT

94. List closing : ET ALIA

95. City near Monte Vesuvio : NAPOLI

96. Composed : POISED

97. Indian spiritual tradition : TANTRA

98. 2010 Literature Nobelist Mario Vargas __ : LLOSA. Peruvian novelist.

99. Road reversals, for short : UIEs

105. Lhasa __ : APSO

106. Gumshoe : TEC

108. First family brother : SETH

109. Female leadership org. : YWCA

110. Pale : ASHY

112. Bunk, e.g. : BED

113. Meteor tail? : ITE. Meteorite.

114. Start to represent? : MIS. Misrepresent. Jazzbumpa is averse to this type of clue, esp if the entries are wobbly.

115. Trojans' sch. : USC

Happy Birthday to the real Big Easy (George Simpson), who's an excellent golfer and volunteers at the Zurich Classic where he meets with Ernie Els every year. George and I made two puzzles for the L.A. Times, he was just amazing. A natural.

Big Easy and his wife Diane

Sunday May 19, 2013 Alan Arbesfeld

Theme: "PG-13" - 13 entries all start with letters P & G.

23A. It's designed not to be noticeable : PLATE GLASS. Windows. Pretty little corner.

25A. Lawman who killed Billy the Kid : PAT GARRETT. The Sheriff.

30A. Ibsen play with music by Grieg : PEER GYNT. Hey, I even know his mother's name: ASE.

37A. Subject with no depth? : PLANE GEOMETRY. Fun clue.

50A. Former park near the Harlem River : POLO GROUNDS. NY Giants.

53A. Fun-loving female : PARTY GIRL. One of Boomer's favorite bowling centers was closed. They held a fun funeral yesterday.

68A. Where to see an inflation index? : PRESSURE GAUGE. Nothing economy related.

85A. Co-chair of John McCain's 2007-'08 presidential campaign : PHIL GRAMM. I missed him up with Bob Graham.

88A. View from Kuwait City : PERSIAN GULF.  Hi there, Doha Doc!

96A. Hardly luxury boxes : PEANUT GALLERY. This always reminds me of Dan Naddor.

102A. Military monetary scale : PAY GRADE

115A. Court quarterback : POINT GUARD. Basketball.

119A. Fictionary, e.g. : PARLOR GAME. Never played Fictionary.

You grokked the theme immediately, right? The title is so self-explanatory.

Despite the fact that there are no tricky to place letters (Q, Z, X or K) in the theme set, 13 entries take up huge space in the grid. Once you construct puzzles yourself, you'll know that this grid is for no rookies & weak entries like IERE (91A. French suffix with jardin) are needed to make the grid work. Jardinière (Gardener). Love Jardin du Luxembourg. Nice picnic spot.

 

Across:

1. Within : AMID

5. Earthy tone : OCHRE. Or Ocher.

10. In the neighborhood : LOCAL

15. Riot control weapon : MACE

19. Grabber's cry : MINE

20. Kansas City athlete : ROYAL. For Husker Gary.

21. Cole Porter classic from "Can-Can" : I LOVE PARIS. I really do.

26. Single : UNWED

27. Significant ones? : OTHERS

29. Bad-mouthed : DISSED

32. Rulers in a line : DYNASTS

36. -y plus -y? : IES. Just Y pluralized.

43. Dewlapped critter : IGUANA

47. Grafton's "__ for Alibi" : A IS

48. Bistro : CAFE

49. Battery that's 8.3 millimeters in diameter : AAAA

56. Env. directive : ATTN

57. Wise : SAGE

58. "Angela's Ashes" sequel : 'TIS. I bet Irish Miss & Lucina read both.

60. Jewish campus organization : HILLEL. What does this word mean?

61. Begets : SIRES. This is the year for O* horses. Orb, Oxbow.

63. Swollen : TURGID

65. Dummy : STUPE

67. Union in D.C., e.g. : STA

71. Support : AID

74. Vex : HAUNT

75. Political theorist Hannah : ARENDT. Forgot. We had her before.

76. Have a feeling : SENSE

78. Actress Dahl : ARLENE

81. School in Big D : SMU

82. River isles : AITS

84. "Don't look at me!" : NOT I

92. Scottish turndowns : NAES

94. PC key : ALT

95. Dud : TURKEY

100. Ticked off : MAD

101. Toledo time-outs : SIESTAS

107. Petulance : SPLEEN

111. More cool, man : NEATER

114. Caught congers : EELED

121. "You had your chance" : IT'S TOO LATE. Great entry.

122. Leadoff hitter's asset : SPEED. So, who do you think is MLB's best leadoff hitter right now?

123. Egyptian deity : AMON

124. Winter Palace resident : TSAR

125. Bold type : DARER. No BOLD for this answer!

126. Mitigated : EASED

127. Insurance policy contingency : LOSS

Down:

1. Energize : AMP UP

2. Pooh penner : MILNE

3. Amazed : IN AWE. I'm in awe of this guy's humor & curiosity.

Who Am I? Ask Manac!

4. Block : DETER

5. Web address ending : ORG

6. Ratio indicators : COLONS. I remember someone talked about Golden Ratio on the blog sometime ago. Forgot what it's about. Something to do with hourglass figures.

7. __ Regency : HYATT

8. Not at all patient : RASH

9. Ultimatum ending : ELSE

10. Fake it, in a way : LIP SYNC

11. Motor add-on? : OLA. Motorola.

12. Crash site? : COT

13. Part of DJIA: Abbr. : AVG

14. Result in : LEAD TO

15. Romans' 16-Down : MARS. And 16. Greeks' 15-Down : ARES. Skillful placement.

17. Ticket : CITE

18. Founded, on signs : ESTD (Established)

22. Rainbow maker : PRISM

24. Trim : EDGING

28. Nutrition letters : RDA. Old. Now it's RDI.

31. Quite a spell : YEARS

33. They follow springs by about seven days : NEAPS. Happy to learn it.

34. Former Belgian camera brand : AGFA

35. One looking ahead : SEER

37. Yearning ones : PINERS. 69. One wishing for a real-life "undo" button? : RUER. And 90. Poker? : NUDGER. Two ER is enough.

38. Cause of some '60s trips : LSD. So glad I did not get into drugs.

39. Giant rival : EAGLE. Man, football!

40. Follow : TAIL

41. Outback order : RARE. This is the only beefsteak I like.

42. Dixie group? : Y'ALL

43. "No thanks" : I PASS

44. "I follow" : GOT IT

45. Extreme : ULTRA

46. Exceptional : A-ONE

47. What "8" may stand for : AUGUST. So simple. 8 is a lucky number in China/Japan.

51. Like granola : OATEN

52. Mounting aid : STIRRUP

54. Hood with a rod : THUG

55. "Egad!" : YIPES

59. Auteur's starting point : IDEE. But "Auteur" is an English word, despite its French root.

62. Smack-dab : SPANG. Wow, never heard of this word before.

64. Largest of the Mariana Islands : GUAM

65. Cruel type : SADIST

66. All, in scores : TUTTI. Gimme for Pas de chat & Jazzbumpa.

70. Really cool : GNARLY

71. Actress Aimée : ANOUK

72. Agave fiber : ISTLE. Learned from doing Xword.

73. Respect and then some : DEIFY

74. Oscar winner Mirren : HELEN. Truly beautiful. Witty too.

77. Ga. Tech grad : ENGR

78. "Edith, you're __": Archie Bunker : A PIP

79. South Korea's first president : RHEE. Same character as Chinese Lee/Li, as in Ang Lee/Jet Li.

80. Former capital of Italy : LIRA. I bet this clue would stump the Pope (Call me, maybe?). Capital refers to "money" here. Euro now.

81. Process, as ore : SMELT

83. Skewered Thai dish : SATAY. Do you like peanut sauce?

86. Auréole wearer : ANGE. Angel. Auréole is French for "halo" I suppose. What's their AURA then?

87. "The Valachi Papers" author Peter : MAAS. Vaguely familiar. He  also wrote the biography Frank Serpico.

89. Hammer home? : EAR. Hammer bone.

93. Bad-mouth : SLANDER

97. Be of __: help : USE TO

98. Self-important authority figure : TIN GOD

99. Computer terminal? : ESE. Computerese.

100. 1986 Best Actress Matlin : MARLEE. No idea. For Children of a Lesser God. She's deaf.

102. One of three 1994 Peace Nobelists : PERES (Shimon). The other two are Rabin and Arafat.

103. Fit for a king : REGAL

104. It shares its airport shuttle with National : ALAMO. Oh, car rental.

105. Distributions to DJs : DEMOs

106. Idyllic places : EDENS

107. Jutting shoreline formation : SPIT

108. Kitchenware : POTS

109. Alaska senator Murkowski : LISA. Won via write-in votes.

110. __'acte : ENTR

112. Recess near an altar : APSE

113. Spanish snack : TAPA

116. Form follower : ULA

117. Rhine tributary : AAR

118. Way to get there: Abbr. : RTE

120. Perplexing : ODD

Happy Birthday to dear Grumpy, who was once very active on the blog. Grumpy's posts were always cheerful & funny. Click here to see more of Grumpy, Sallie & Spitzboov.

Grumpy & his lovely wife Wilda

Also want to share with you this wonderful link Bob sent to me. Be sure to watch in full screen. Bob has also been with the blog for a long long time. He rarely comments, but he reads our posts/comments and writes to me at times.

C.C.

Sunday March 17, 2013 Alan Arbesfeld

Theme: Disorderly Conduct - The initial consonant sounds of the "A THE B" phrases are switched. All conversions experienced spelling changes.

23A. Avoid caviar? : SHUN THE ROE. Run the show.

28A. Rouse a duck? : WAKE THE TEAL. Take the wheel.

34A. Back beachgoers? : STAKE THE TANNED. Take the stand. Was surprised by the two "Takes".

51A. Strongly desire daredevils? : CRAVE THE BOLD. Brave the cold.

61A. Respond to a face-licking? : KISS THE MUTT. Miss the putt. (Correction: Miss the cut. Thanks, Barry!)

77A. Work for nothing? : WAIVE THE PAY. Pave the way.

88A. Forgo long stories? : SKIP THE TALES. Tip the scales.

102A. Select one's jousting weapon? : CHOOSE THE LANCE. Lose the chance.

111A. Apportion a side dish? : DOLE THE RICE. Roll the dice.

  

121A. Bench a cab company softball team player? : SIT THE HACK. Hit the sack.

Quite a sophisticated theme for a non-English speaker. Spelling changes always make the gimmick harder for me. When did you grok the theme?

Bold grid arrangement today, esp considering there are 10 theme entries. Four 10-letter non-theme entries placed in Across. Sometimes they confuse solvers as to whether those are theme entries. But today's theme clues all have question marks, so there shouldn't be any confusion. 

I'd be a coward and black out squares 20, 25 & their symmetrical partners. Alan Arbesfeld (on the right) is a real pro.

 

Across:

 1. 1994 Nobel Peace Prize sharer : RABIN. Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin.

6. Campfire rod : SPIT. 26. Camp sight : TENT

10. Biblical king of Israel and a captain : AHABs. Not familiar with the king.

15. Small matter? : ATOM. Can't fool me.

19. Coral reefs, e.g. : ECOSYSTEMS

21. Amazon tributary : NEGRO. Never heard of it.

22. Roof pointer : VANE

24. Sheets for jotting : SCRAP PAPER. I have my pretty little notebooks.

27. Sign : OMEN

29. Stella __: cookie brand meaning "star of gold" : D'ORO. Very helpful clue.

31. "__ tree falls ..." : IF A

33. Cigarette ad phrase : LESS TAR

39. 2000 title role for Renée : IRENE. In "Me, Myself & Irene". Not an easy clue.

42. HMS component : HER

43. Marx observation : QUIP. The Marx Brothers.

44. Tiny : WEE

45. Düsseldorf direction : OST. East.

47. See 82-Down : CAN. 82. With 47-Across, 2008 campaign slogan : YES WE.

48. Saharan : ARID

50. NBA scoreboard item : PTs

55. Weirdo : CREEP

57. What an applauding audience may want : MORE

59. Academy founder : PLATO. I was thinking of Oscar.

 

60. Word on a dollar : ORDO. Novus Ordo seclorum. Latin for "New Order of the Ages".

64. Over : ATOP

65. Thor's father : ODIN

66. Python in "The Jungle Book" : KAA

67. Guesses : STABS

69. Routine : ACT

71. For fear that : LEST

74. Golfer Jay : HAAS. Saw him in 3M Championship. His son Bill Haas plays in the PGA Tour. 

83. Iams competitor : ALPO

84. Title role for Michael and Jude : ALFIE

86. Whole bunch : SCAD. Often in plural.

87. V-formation fliers : GEESE

91. __ Fáil: Irish coronation stone : LIA. We used to have fun with this entry.

93. Mmes., across the Pyrenees : SRAs

94. Polite title : SIR

95. Put a coat on? : WAX. Nice clue.

96. Inside look, briefly? : MRI

97. LAX postings : ETDs

99. "Charlotte's Web" monogram : EBW. E. B. White.

100. In reserve : ON ICE

106. "Can you imagine?!" : THE IDEA. Can you imagine TTP goes 0/7 this week?

109. N.L. Central team : STL

110. Massachusetts Bay city : LYNN. Unknown to me also.

114. Jeté, say : LEAP

117. Familia members : TIAS

120. With "The," Frederick Forsyth thriller : ODESSA FILE. Lemonade might have read this book. He's into thrillers.

123. Menu : LIST

124. Doctor's orders : DOSES

125. Pasta that doesn't sound very appetizing : VERMICELLI. "Little worms". Have you ever had Chinese bean thread noodles? They're often translated as Vermicelli.

126. Hardy heroine : TESS

127. New followers? : AGERS. New Agers.

128. Roles : USES

129. Bear, to Brutus : URSUS

Down:

1. Leftovers : REST

2. Feel pain : ACHE

3. Parental settings : BOUNDARIES. Oh, set the boundaries.

4. Falls short of being acceptable : ISN'T OK

5. News initials since 1851 : NYT. Let me check LA Times... 1881.

6. Part of a goblet : STEM

7. Parent to Philippe : PERE

8. "Leave that to me" : I'M ON IT

9. "The Waste Land" monogram : TSE

10. Looped handle : ANSA. Classic Xword word.

11. Give a hard time at the comedy club : HECKLE
 
12. "Deal!" : AGREED!

13. Nightmares for nana : BRATS

14. Campus group : SOPHS

15. 2009 James Cameron epic : AVATAR

16. Save for later playing : TAPE-RECORD. Wish I had tape-recorded some family stories my grandma & dad told me.

17. Most fit to serve : ONE-A

18. Jazz keyboardist Saunders : MERL. The guy on the left. I must have googled him before.

20. Grow dramatically : SHOOT UP

25. Dress designation : PETITE

28. Baseball Hall of Famer Paul or Lloyd : WANER. Husker Gary mentioned last time that Paul is the "Big Poison". Lloyd "Little Poison".

30. Like basic courses: Abbr. : REQ

32. "The Burning Bed" star : FAWCETT (Farrah). Never saw the movie.
 

34. Hovel : SHACK

35. Country singer Clark : TERRI

36. Casino request : HIT ME. Boomer will be bowling at Treasure Island today. Fantastic buffet at the casino.

37. __ Downs : EPSOM

38. Tide table term : NEAP

40. Nita of silents : NALDI

41. __ a sour note : END ON

45. "Beetle Bailey" dog : OTTO. And 112. "Garfield" pooch : ODIE

46. Patronize : SHOP AT

49. Big Apple locale? : DESKTOP. Not New York.

52. Big name in pickles : VLASIC. Love this word. Love pickles.

53. Put away : EAT

54. Coverings for tiny toes : BOOTEES. Do you spell it as BOOTIES as well?

56. Educ. fundraiser : PTA

58. Georgia neighbor : RUSSIA. Georgia is always the country in Xwords, unless it's Ty Cobb related.

62. Comedy club sounds : HA HA HA

63. Fancy marble : TAW. Learned from doing Xwords.

68. Grateful Dead's Phil Lesh, e.g. : BASSIST

70. Use MC or Amex : CHG. OK, MasterCard. Charge.

71. Roy Rogers prop : LASSO

72. "The Magic Kingdom" novelist Stanley : ELKIN. No idea.

73. Lethargic : SPIRITLESS

75. "Potent Potables for $200, __" : ALEX. Misty loves him. Not me.

76. Back on board : AFT. Back of the ship.

78. Parking lot runner, perhaps : VALET
 
79. Head of Hollywood : EDITH. Edith Head the costume designer.

80. Tulips and dahlias : PERENNIALS. We had an awful experience dealing with Michigan Bulb last year.

81. Easy __ : AS ABC

85. Sesame Street giggler : ELMO

89. Brief online updates : TWEETS

90. Uneven : EROSE

92. Long Island university : ADELPHI. Well, I'm sure the Saturday Stud nailed it. Splynter has beautiful handwriting, by the way.

98. Shifty : SLY

101. Storage units : CHESTS

102. Red shade : CERISE

103. Arm raiser on the street, often : HAILER. Hail a taxi.

104. Magazine awards : ELLIEs. From Wiki: They are generally considered the highest award in the magazine industry; in the magazine world, they are roughly equivalent to the Pulitzer Prizes.

105. Stamen part : ANTHER

107. "If __ Hammer" : I HAD A

108. Get the mist off : DEFOG

111. Knucklehead : DOLT

113. British tax : CESS

115. To be, to Brigitte : ETRE

116. 20 holders, briefly : ATMs

118. Rights gp. : ACLU

119. They're worn on moguls : SKIs. Slope moguls.

121. "Law & Order: __" : SVU. I don't like this spinoff at all.

122. Bygone French coin : ECU

C.C.

Sunday October 21, 2012 Alan Arbesfeld

Theme: Alphabetical Pairings - AB, CD, EF, GH, IJ, KL, MN, OP, QR, ST, UV, WX & YZ are the initials of each theme entry.

 23A. Catherine of Aragon's successor, marriagewise : ANNE BOLEYN

 24A. High-volume pesticide deliverer : CROP DUSTER. Do you use this in your farm, Windhover?

 34A. "Cimarron" novelist : EDNA FERBER

41A. Best Picture of 1932 : GRAND HOTEL

 55A. Lively folk dances : IRISH JIGS. Is Jig part of your family reunion activities, Irish Miss? We had Polka dance last time. Boomer's mother was of Polish/German roots, mostly Norwegian on his father's side.

58A. Citrusy pie flavor : KEY LIME. Have some!

67A. Attempts to smooth ruffled feathers : MAKES NICE. I wonder if TTP likes Adele's "Skyfall". Amazing voice.

74A. Crankcase components : OIL PANS

77A. Page-turner : QUICK READ. I'm not sure if "Red Sorghum" by Mo Yan (the new Nobelist) is available in English. But it's a beautiful book. Definitely not a quick read.

86A. Cardiologist's exam : STRESS TEST

92A. Burkina Faso, once : UPPER VOLTA. Not familiar with Burkina Faso.

113A. Procedures for detecting carpal fractures : WRIST X-RAYS

115A. Restricted parking area, in some cases : YELLOW ZONE

Some key points in this theme:

1) Orderly letter progression;

2) Each symmetrically placed pair must have the same number of letters (AB= YZ letter count wise)

3) All the theme entries should be placed Across for visual effect

4) Most of the theme entries will be on the short side, as there are 12 theme entries (13, Dummy! Thanks, John Lampkin) and it's challenging to put them all Across. More often we see 7 to 9 on Sundays.

When I first started, I thought CREDIT LINE and LOSING TIME are parts of the theme due to their grid placements. But the gimmick quickly revealed itself. 

Across:

1. Dominant theme : MOTIF

6. "... __ a puddy tat!" : I TAW

10. Collectible game system : ATARI. I bet its collectible value is not as high as those old baseball cards in Dennis' boxes. He's currently unpacking and just discovered that he had a few 1908 tobacco cards.

15. Confident words : I CAN

19. MasterCard offering : CREDIT LINE

21. Beset by delays : LOSING TIME

25. They could go either way : TOSS-UPS.  And 32. Ratio for 25-Across : EVEN ODDS

26. When many lunch : AT NOON. Mine is 11:00am. Yours?

28. Plan : INTEND

29. "Stay" singer Lisa : LOEB. Haven't seen her for some time.

31. PBS benefactor : NEA (National Endowment for the Arts)
  

38. Physician's gp. : AMA. Boomer's VA doctor said that he could take a handful of Aleve next time his arthritis flared up. The bottle said you should not take no more than 3 per day. Whom to trust?

39. Brush fire op : EVAC (Evacuation)

40. Latin king : REX

48. Fronton balls : PELOTAS. Jai alai balls. Costs over $100/each? Wow! Fronton is Jai alai court. Cesta is the basket. I learned from doing Xword. 

52. Lenin's successor : STALIN. This picture (Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin & Mao) was in all our classroom walls.

54. Entertain with extravagance : REGALE

57. Classical lead-in : NEO. Neo-classical.

59. Rival of Cassio : IAGO. "Othello".

60. Oil used in paint : LINSEED

62. "Lordy!" : EGAD

63. Units in nutrition : GRAMS
 

69. __ fatty acid : TRANS
 

70. Russian wheels : LADA. Stumped me last time. Again today.

71. Emit : RADIATE

72. Tach measures: Abbr. : RPMs 

76. "Dude!" : BRO

82. Belgian lager, familiarly : STELLA. Stella Artois.

83. Browning's "How Do I Love Thee?" e.g. : SONNET. Have you dated anyone who never said "I love you" to you?

85. In a stuffed-up way : NASALLY
  

88. It fell after about 15 years : MIR. Hard clue. 1986 to 2001.

90. Pet food brand : IAMS. I also think Marti should keep the new cat. It looks so pert.

91. Landlocked Afr. land : ETH (Ethiopia)
 

96. Adds moisture to : HYDRATES. I'm a firm believer in moisturizers.

102. Batman after Michael : VAL (Kilmer). Michael Keaton.

103. Sweetheart : BEAU

104. Gold compound : AURATE. Makes sense, AU.

105. Civil War battle site : SHILOH

108. Took in, say : ALTERED

117. Avoids a confrontation : STEPS ASIDE

118. Go through : EXPERIENCE

119. Swedish actress Persson : ESSY. I belong to those 47% who don't know this lady.

120. Marketing data : SALES
 

121. Brown and Patrick : DANs.

122. Took a shot : TRIED

Down:

1. Hurdle for a would-be doc : MCAT

2. "Just answer yes __!" : OR NO

3. Place in math class? : TENS. Clever clue.

4. "Et tu, Brute?" day : IDES

5. Bone below the femur : FIBULA

6. "Let me get back to you" : I'LL SEE

7. Reason for sudden death : TIE. I hope you thought of sports immediately, otherwise, the clue is pretty heavy.

8. "Dragonwyck" author Seton : ANYA

9. Followed : WENT NEXT 

10. Metal giant : ALCOA. Always the first to report quarterly earnings, among the Dow components.

11. Picador's target : TORO

12. Without dissent : AS ONE MAN
 

13. Mending target : RIP

14. Non-studio pic : INDIE

 15. "__ die for!" : IT'S TO.  Must be Lucina's homemade tamales! I bought a block of taro cake yesterday and fried some for lunch. Too much rice flour and not enough taro flour, Jayce.

 

16. Credited in a note : CITED

17. Improve : AMEND

18. Unhip types : NERDS

20. Riding, with "on" : TOP OF

22. "Project Runway" mentor Tim : GUNN. "Make it work!". Like Emeril's "Bam!"

27. __ Tamid: synagogue lamp : NER. Gimme for Lemonade/Hahtool. Completely unknown to me.

30. "Crank up the heat!" : BRR

33. Carpooling convenience : VAN

34. At all : EVER
 

35. Catalan surrealist : DALI

36. Sgts., e.g. : NCOs

37. First lady before Mamie : BESS

38. Melodic segments : ARIOSI. Plural of Arioso.

39. Dermal opening : EPI. Epidermal. 

41. Headly of "Dick Tracy" : GLENNE. No idea.

42. Stowe novel : DRED

43. "Ahem" relative : HEY

44. Lustful looker : OGLER. Here is the most famous Chinese actress: Gong Li. I think she's more beautiful than Bill G's girlfriend Sofia Vergara. Gong Li's debut film is Mo Yan's "Red Sorghum".

45. Subarctic forest : TAIGA

46. Jazz trumpeter Ziggy : ELMAN. Gimme for Pas de chat, or her husband.

47. British city whose natives are called Loiners : LEEDS. Loiners? What does it mean?

49. "I'm holding it!" : THIS

50. Multi-platinum Steely Dan album : AJA

51. Odysseus trio, to Homer : SIGMAS. The three S in Odysseus, I suppose.

53. "The Good Girl" star : ANISTON (Jennifer). I've watched almost all of Aniston's movies. "The Good Girl" is so so. Did you see "Derailed"? It's terrifying.

56. Use spurs on : GOAD

58. Not cut : KEEP IN

60. Picked up : LEARNT

61. Beige shade : ECRU

63. Lip protection : GLOSS

64. "Nick of Time" singer : RAITT (Bonnie)

65. Freud contemporary : ADLER

66. Colorful autumn tree : MAPLE

68. Put the __ on: squelch : KIBOSH. Spitzboov used this phrase at times.

69. Impatient sounds : TSKS

71. Genetic chains : RNAS

73. '70s Lynyrd Skynyrd label : MCA

75. Racing's Unsers : ALs

77. Canal-cleaning device : Q-TIP

78. Way to travel : RAIL
 

79. Israeli port city : ELAT. It appeared often in the old Wayne R. Willams' puzzles.

80. __ mater : ALMA

81. Peptic opening? : DYS. Dyspeptic. 

83. Leaves the harbor : SETS SAIL

84. Working : EMPLOYED

87. Shirt prohibited at most golf courses, ironically : TEE.

89. Yank's foe : REB

92. Initials at O'Hare : UAL

93. Old Spanish coins : REALES. I belong to those 47% who don't know these coins.

 

94. Knight's quality : VALOR

95. Stay one step ahead of : OUTWIT

96. Anchor cable opening : HAWSE. Forgot. We had this before. CCnesia.

97. Mongolian tents : YURTS

98. Hangs on a line : DRIES

99. Rough, in a way : RASPY

100. Court figs. : ATTs

101. State with a panhandle : TEXAS

102. Shop class holders : VISES

106. __ Park: FDR home site : HYDE

107. Twice tri- : HEXA. "Six" prefix.

109. Israeli statesman Weizman : EZER

110. Package word with a cable car in its "o" : RONI

111. Suffix with defer : ENCE

112. Monopoly card : DEED

114. Pretoria's land: Abbr. : RSA (Republic of South Africa)

116. Hosp. staffer : LPN. Hi there, Blue Iris.

C.C.