Sunday April 14, 2013 Amy Johnson

Theme: "Subway Series" - ELS is added to each theme entry.

23A. "I say! Lovely places to worship!"? : JOLLY GOOD CHAPELS. Jolly good chap.

36A. Teflon advisory groups? : NON-STICK PANELS. Non-stick pans.

 

57A. IOU? : VOWELS OF POVERTY. Vow of poverty. Great clue!

81A. Really bad nursery color schemes? : CRIMINAL PASTELS. Criminal past.

99A. Ones who control the markets? : GROCERY CARTELS. Grocery cart.

120A. What to grab for an early morning flight? : BAGELS AND BAGGAGE. Bag and baggage.

I always try to guess the theme after I download the puzzle and read the title. So my mind immediately went to the baseball Subway Series! But the theme quickly revealed itself. Loved the title!

Only 6 theme entries, but they're all quite long, a total of 90 squares. Rich's minimum is 6 entries with 84 squares.

Across:

1. "___ Mia!" : MAMMA

6. Botanist's study : FLORA. I'm going to plant yellow tea roses this year, if spring ever comes to Minnesota. Still snow on the ground. I can almost smell the scent.

11. Economics pioneer Smith : ADAM

15. Evite letters : RSVP

19. Victim of Artemis : ORION. She unwittingly killed him. Love stories often have a sad ending.

20. Chewy chocolate treats : ROLOS

21. Wrap alternative : PITA. Do you like alfalfa sprouts? I don't. Bean sprouts, yes.

22. Sport with touches : EPEE

26. Summers of Food Network's "Unwrapped" : MARC. I like "Unwrapped". Fun to learn food history.

27. Ancient concert venues : ODEA

28. European chain : ALPS. Mountain chain. Not IKEA.

29. Functional clothing accessory : TIE TAC

30. Mount near Olympus : OSSA

31. __-am: kids' book character : SAM I

33. Symphonic finale : CODA

34. Sleep inducer of a sort : SANDMAN. Mr. Sandman.

42. Cry over, maybe : RUE

43. Division word : APIECE

44. Surg. workplaces : ORs

45. Concerns in substance abuse therapy : ENABLERS. Not an easy clue for me.

50. Insert "@#$%!," say : CENSOR. Shouldn't you remove the curses rather than insert?

51. RAZR MAXX manufacturer : MOTOROLA. They have a big factory in Tianjin, hometown of Barry G's wife. Hope everyone is feeling better today, Barry.

55. Its first maps were pub. in 1905 : AAA

56. Central Eur. power until 1806 : HRE

61. Western treaty gp. : OAS

62. Speakeasy difficulty : RAID. "Difficulty" did not make me think of RAID.

64. Horn of Afr. country : ETH

65. King and queen : TITLES. So literal.

66. Filled Italian fare : RAVIOLI. Like Chinese dumplings, except no cheese in Chinese cooking.

69. Showed (in) : USHERED

72. White House middle name : DELANO. The D of FDR.

75. Religious sch. with the motto "Make no little plans here" : ORU.  I like the new clue.

77. Latin I word : AMAS

78. Pod resident : PEA

86. 24-hr. banking service : ATM

87. She played Mia in "Pulp Fiction" : UMA

88A. It was held outside of California only once, in 1942 : ROSE BOWL. From Wiki: "Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the 1942 game was moved to Duke University's Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, North Carolina, as officials were wary of allowing such a large crowd to congregate anywhere on the West Coast due to World War II security concerns."

89. "Memoirs of a __" : GEISHA. The Geisha's real name was disclosed in the book. A big no-no. She later did write her own biography "Geisha, a Life". Yellowrocks probably read it.

92. Ristorante topper : PARMESAN

96. Comfy top : TEE

97. Salon supplies : RINSES

98. Pretense : ACT

104. Curious box opener : PANDORA. Also the music station.

108. February deity : EROS. For Marti, who was born on Valentine's Day.

109. Frankfurt's river : ODER

110. Suffix with smack : EROO. Smackeroo.

111. "Food, Glorious Food" musical : OLIVER

113. Lyon lover's word : AIME. "Je t'aime."

115. Shopping list entry : ITEM

119. __ hall : TOWN

123. Agt. after tax evaders : T-MAN

124. DOE part: Abbr. : ENER

125. Half a historic bomber : ENOLA. Enola Gay.

126. VW and BMW : AUTOS

127. Sisterhood name in a Rebecca Wells novel : YA-YA. "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood".

128. Hardly leave wanting : SATE

129. Latin for "he holds" : TENET. Etymology!

130. Food often spilled? : BEANS. Not MILK.

Down:

1. Charm : MOJO

2. Fading star of the East? : A-ROD. AL East. So true.

3. 1,760 yards : MILE

4. Sugar refining byproduct : MOLASSES. Important part of Spitzboov's breakfast.

5. Whichever : ANY

6. Gambol : FROLIC

7. Roller coaster inversion : LOOP

8. Road travel pioneer : OLDs

9. Mythical flying giant : ROC

10. Kutcher of "That '70s Show" : ASHTON

11. Word with sex or snob : APPEAL

12. Downsizing program? : DIET. Another great clue.

13. World carrier : ATLAS

14. Maybelline purchase : MASCARA. Lots of LIARs (74. Makeup artist?) tout Maybelline's Great Lash mascara. It smudges so badly. Get yourself a water-proof Clinique.

15. Update, in a way : REMODEL

16. Muscle malady : SPASM

17. Vice __ : VERSA

18. Pie nut : PECAN. Never liked pecan.

24. More sordid : GAMIER
 

25. Helper : AIDE

32. Onetime Yes label : ATCO. ATlantic COrporation. So, what's the most famous song of Yes?

33. Social group : CASTE

35. Crux : NUB

36. Cheese-topped chip : NACHO

37. Palais Garnier performance : OPERA. I always call it Opéra de Paris.

38. Tiger's front and back? : NINES. Tiger Woods. So strange what he did on Friday. He knew the rules.

39. Dragon's island : KOMODO. Komodo dragon is a giant lizard. Is that a dead tree branch in his mouth?

40. Figurehead place : PROW. Wiki said "A figurehead is a carved wooden decoration found at the prow of ships largely made between the 16th and 19th century".

41. Confident leader? : SELF. Self-confident.

46. Siesta : NAP

47. Eponymous inventor Tupper : EARL. Tupperware. Did not know this trivia.

48. It might be going : RATE. Going rate.

49. What Simon does : SAYS

52. Soccer stadium shout : OLE

53. Alphabetic run : RSTU

54. July 4th reactions : OOHs

57. Jury trial Amendment : VII. Here is a detailed list.

58. Señorita's other : OTRA

59. Joins the race : VIES

60. SFO approximation : ETD

62. Indian royal : RANI

63. Lady's business? : AVON. Avon lady.

66. St. Louis player : RAM.  Originally Cleveland Rams (1936–1945), then LA Rams (1946-1994).

67. Prunes : LOPS

68. Wrath, in a hymn : IRAE. Dies Irae.

70. Eponymous comet tracker : HALLEY

71. Maximum trio? : EMS

72. Bra spec : D-CUP. And 102. Victoria's Secret purchase : CORSET.

73. Funny Bombeck : ERMA

76. PC port : USB

78. Far from in vogue : PASSE. Splynter linked a similar shoe image a few weeks ago. Lady Gaga is actually a sweet person.

79. Merman of Broadway : ETHEL

80. Squirrel away : AMASS

82. College Football Hall of Fame inductee 29 years after Knute : ARA (Parseghian). Notre Dame.

83. Like epics : LONG

84. Beach bags : TOTES

85. Still-life vessel : EWER

89. Like drinkable milk : GRADE A. Did you ever drink sheep milk?

90. Beckett's homeland : EIRE

91. Mystery writer's forte : INTRIGUE.  Yes, Gary, “What's up, Tianlang?”. Or possibly "What's up, Ah Lang", or "What's up, Lang Zai". Cantonese like to add "Ah" in front or "Zai" after the last character to show familiarity.

93. Frequent child companion? : MADONNA. Oh, Madonna and Child.

94. Earth-friendly prefix : ECO

95. Some disco lighting : STROBES

100. Admire to the max : REVERE

101. Hurler Hershiser : OREL

103. Fight : COMBAT

104. Picayune : PETTY

105. Therapy prefix : AROMA. Aromatherapy.

106. "When pigs fly!" : NO WAY. NO CHANCE yesterday.

107. Ex of Rod Stewart : ALANA

112. "__ a Kick Out of You": Cole Porter : I GET

113. Soon : ANON

114. Like chitchat : IDLE. And 122. Chitchat : GAB. Look forward to Lucina & California Coven's gabbing report! Argyle has been thinking of a similar gathering in NY area. Anyone interested?

116. "Bye" : TA TA

117. Bespectacled Ghostbuster : EGON. Got me last time.

118. Neatnik's bane : MESS

121. Prop- suffix : ANE

C.C.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013 Amy Johnson

Theme: Gangster's Gotchas: Four tools in the grab-bag of crime-fighting.

20A. Shot from the side: PROFILE PICTURE. I looked for a picture of Barbra Streisand to illustrate the point, but instead found this rather neat example:

34A. End of Ali's memorable boast: STING LIKE A BEE. Not Ali MacGraw's "Love means never having to sting like a bee"? - no, wait.

42A. Diner’s cell app: TIP CALCULATOR. Please tell me no-one uses this app. I once had lunch with a business associate who got a tip card out of his wallet to calculate the tip on a $99 check.

56A. Makeshift radio antenna: WIRE COAT-HANGER. Almost every car in the UK had one of these when I was growing up. The "disaffected youth" had a habit of breaking off the factory-installed telescopic ones. People got creative with them:

and the unifier:

71A. Agts. who might use the starts of 20-, 34-, 42- and 56-Across: G-MEN. George "Machine Gun" Kelly's nemeses according to the official history of the F.B.I.

Hi everyone! Steve here with Wednesday's offering from Amy Johnson. I liked the theme and I found some fresh cluing and fill. A couple of long downs too, so a lot to like. I think I had just one grumble or gripe and that was it. Let's see what else we've got.

Across:

1. Beavers’ projects: DAMS

5. Eat on the run, as a sandwich: GRAB

9. Dainty drinks: SIPS

13. Thick-furred dog: SPITZ. This one is called Boov:

15. Opera that premiered in Cairo in 1871: AIDA

16. Make ribbing with needles: KNIT. I tried to learn to knit once to make a beanie to ski in. After six months I gave up and bought one.

17. Ski lodge mugful: COCOA. Not my first thought here - Glühwein, Vin chaud, Mulled wine, Hot Toddy. After a day out there I need warming up with something stronger than cocoa!

18. Febreze target: ODOR

19. Wine bucket, e.g.: ICER

23. Bygone full-size Ford: LTD. Pronounced "El-Tee-Dee" and still going strong in some places:

24. Federal air marshals’ org.: T.S.A. I'm very familiar with the Transportation Safety Administration who have limited the size and quantity of items which may be carried through the security checkpoint. For further information, I can contact my carrier or the nearest T.S.A official. Ya think I go through airports much?

25. __ Nashville: country music label: MCA

26. Cosmetics mogul Mary Kay: ASH. I had no idea this was her full name.

29. Physics particles: IONS

32. Celeb with all the answers: TREBEK. I read today that Alex will probably not sign a new "Jeopardy" host contract when his current one expires next year, and Matt Lauer, Anderson Cooper and Dan Patrick are all being mentioned as possible replacements.

37. Green Hornet’s driver: KATO

38. Habit wearer: NUN

39. Sack lead-in: KNAP

47. Like cheerleaders: RAH-RAH

49. __ majesty: high treason: LESE. I'd seen this phrase before but I don't think I knew the definition. Apparently from the Latin and translated as "Injured Majesty". Nice to know!

50. Scheming: SLY. I like that a sly plan could be a scheming scheme.

51. Legal ending: -ESE

52. Lamb’s pop: RAM

54. Billy’s bleat: MAA. Of course, I can always tell if it's a goat or a sheep behind me. Sheep go BAA.

62. Valentine’s Day deity: AMOR. Now this one I have a little problem with. I'd call the deity the god or goddess of love, not the love itself. Cupid or Venus would be the dio or dea dell'amore? What think ye?

63. “Modelland” author Banks: TYRA

64. Scrabble’s blank pair: TILES. Not my Scrabble Blank Stare when I'm looking at a rack of ZXTKQDJ

66. Respond to hilarity: ROAR

67. “A likely story”: I BET

68. Bridge bid, briefly: ONE NO. Slight misstep here when I filled in ONE NT for those No Trumps.

69. Netflix rentals: DVDs These will be joining VHS tapes as "Bygone Rentals" before very long when we're all beaming digital movies directly into our brains, or at least into our Google Glasses.

70. So-so grades: CEEs It's relative. I was delighted when I got my first C in math when I'd been mired in the D-territory for so long I despaired I'd ever get out.

Down:

1. Gallantry-in-combat mil. award: D.S.C. The Distinguished Service Cross.

2. Per: A POP. I like this!

3. Very small: Pref.: MICR. Hmmm. Not convinced. I've been trying to think of something very small where the prefix wasn't actually MICRO and I've drawn a blank.

4. Island seating: STOOL. Kitchen island aha! I was wondering why stools were peculiar to maritime islands.

5. Brit’s joint: GAOL. Oscar Wilde wrote a fine poem "The Ballad of Reading Gaol" when he was incarcerated there. The nature of the conviction against him forced the publication of the work under the pseudonym "C.3.3" which stood for Cell block C, Landing 3, Cell 3.

6. Hitchhiker’s hope: RIDE

7. Get a pound pooch, say: ADOPT

8. Coffeehouse specialist: BARISTA. A few years ago we'd all have been scratching our heads "wha'?". Now it goes straight in.

9. Satirical miniature: SKIT

10. Officeholders: INCUMBENTS. I was on the filing cabinets or paper trays track for a while.

11. Fillmore’s successor: PIERCE. Franklin following Fillmore; POTUS numbers 13 and 14 respectively.

12. Bolt in the buff: STREAK. Fun clue.

14. Full-figured: ZAFTIG. More learning for me today. I must have seen the word at some time because I did recognize it, but I sure had some non-PC ideas when I had -A--IG. "DAM BIG" was the least offensive.

21. Superstar search show, to fans: IDOL. Not an American Idol fan, I don't think I've ever seen an episode in it's entirety.

22. Atkins no-no: CARB. Funny how some eating plans work for some and not for others. Probably 50% of my diet are carbohydrates.

26. Pose: ASK

27. RR stop: STA

28. “Get lost”: HIT THE ROAD. I think only people called Jack can be told to hit the road.

30. Simone of jazz: NINA.  And a perfect excuse to hear the wonderful voice of the lovely Nina Simone

31. Hard head?: SKULL

33. “__ mouse!” EEK! A I know some purists might not like this partial, but I did for some reason.

35. Bleak film genre: NOIR.

36. Suffix with differ or defer: ENCE

40. Pioneering ISP: AOL.

41. Meddle: PRY

43. Jardin du Luxembourg, par exemple: PARC. A big park in Paris. My favorite is the Parc des Princes, the national soccer and rugby stadium. The landscaping is a little different.

44. Utterly confused: CHAOTIC

45. West Point inits.: U.S.M.A. The United States Military Academy. Looks like a nice, tranquil place to complete your Bachelor's degree and I'm sure the food is good.

46. Primitive shelter: LEAN-TO

47. Wanted poster offer: REWARD

48. “Foundation” author: ASIMOV. I had the "S" and the "V" and I'd struggle to think of any other author that would fit

53. “It could happen”: MAYBE

55. Gerontologist’s concern: AGING

57. Gets the wrong total, say: ERR. And the erring never seems to be in your favor when it happens.

58. Branch locale: TREE

59. Small business owner’s figurative array: HATS. Is there a theoretical maximum to the number of hats one can wear?

60. Ne or Na: ELEM. The elements Neon and Sodium. New game - best word you can make with two elements and a conjunction? Mine's PANDAS for phosporus AND arsenic

61. Artist Magritte: RENE

65. George W., to George H.W.: SON. Four presidents in today's puzzle.

I discovered the phrase "Post Turtle" last week and I'm still laughing about it. I'll leave it at that in case you think I'm implying that one of our 11D or 65D gentlemen prompted me to mention it. See you next time!

Steve

Notes from C.C.:

1) Happy Birthday to dear Spitzboov (Al), who served in the Navy in the late 50s. He also  served in the Navy Reserve for 21 years. When he retired at age 60, Al was a Commander. Now you know his love for the Navy! Al made it possible that Boomer and I have the best flag in the neighborhood.

Spitzboov & his lovely wife Betty, US Coast Guard Academy, New London, CT,
August 2012

 

2) Argyle  commented "Oh-oh, one of those words" on yesterday's entry AREEL (54A. Spinning dizzily). I received this email from Don in California. He said:

"I do the LA puzzle every weekday (too "crazy-hard" on the weekend!). I'm a casual reader of your blog who enjoys your daily write-ups and I don't want to post anything. I was wondering what you think of, or how you deal with, puzzles that contain "words" that don't appear to be real words like "AREEL" and are not found in the dictionary. Isn't there some sort of rule that they need to be in the dictionary? It's bad enough with all of the "sayings" that appear constantly like "NODUH".

I did not find AREEL in my Webster's College dictionary, or any online dictionary. But I remember once complaining about ALOP, then someone found ALOP in a dictionary. I'd like to hear your thoughts on Don's email. What words/abbrs do you hate to see in a crossword grid?

Monday, December 10, 2012 Amy Johnson

Theme: Ear Worm - This Video(4:04) was all the rage when it came out.

20A. *“I’m counting on you!” : "DON'T LET ME DOWN". Title of a Beatles song, could be a theme sometime.

27A. *Nervous Nellie : WORRYWART. I wonder how many will be familiar with this term but I'm not worried. The Word Detective will explain it. Link.

36A. *“By all means!” : "BE MY GUEST"

46A. *Bar’s business booster, in theory : HAPPY HOUR. It's five o'clock somewhere. Cheers!

53A. Singer of the feelgood a cappella #1 hit whose title begins the answers to starred clues : BOBBY McFERRIN

Happy Argyle here. I was half way through a clip when I realized it wasn't McFerrin's, so I linked the original. Sorry about any ad you had to watch.

I wasn't getting the theme until the unifier. And while it seemed a little tough while I was doing it, looking back, it doesn't seem that hard. Some nice down fill and a shortage of foreign words makes me happy.

Across:

1. Jellystone Park bear : YOGI. He made Mister Ranger worry.

5. Mazda roadster : MIATA

10. Pre-K basics : ABC's

14. Mary Kay competitor : AVON

15. Crop up : OCCUR

16. Female WWII gp. : WAAC. Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, changed to just WAC in 1943.

17. __ ring : MOOD

18. Cub-turned-radio co-host Ron : SANTO. A Chicago Cub legend, who was also a diabetic who lost the lower half of both legs before succumbing in 2010.

19. Thornfield Hall governess : EYRE. From Charlotte Brontë's. "Jane Eyre".

23. Foil giant : ALCOA

25. Chi.-based flier : UAL. (United Air Lines)

26. Rebellious Turner : NAT. Led a slave rebellion before the Civil War.

31. Wind-borne silt deposit : LOESS

33. Set (down) : LAY

34. Suffix with hero : INE. (heroine)

35. Last inning, usually : NINTH

39. Miserly : CHEAP

41. “__ little teapot ...” : I'M A

42. Rank above cpl. : SGT.

45. Unhappy spectator : BOOer

49. Saturn, for one : ORB

50. SoCal ball club, on scoreboards : LAA. (Los Angeles Angels)

52. Teeny-tiny : EENSY

58. Madison Avenue award : CLIO. (for advertising and design)

59. Congo creature with notable stripes : OKAPI

60. Look (like) : SEEM

63. Vocal quartet member : ALTO

64. Send payment : REMIT

65. Sporty car roof : T-TOP

66. Piece of work : TASK

67. Like a Siberian Husky’s ears : ERECT

68. W-2 IDs : SSN's

Down:

1. Thanksgiving veggie : YAM

2. Lacto-__ vegetarian : OVO. A vegetarian who does not eat meat of any kind, but consumes dairy and egg products.

3. One way to relieve pent-up emotion : GOOD CRY

4. Like some pools : INDOOR

5. Majority : MOST

6. Suffix with myth : ICAL. (mythical)

7. OXY target : ACNE. Their website, link

8. “Shame on you!” : "TUT, TUT". Well, tsk tsk if you didn't get it the first time.

9. Bakery lure : AROMA

10. Spellbound : AWED

11. Civil War weapon : BAYONET. Why the Civil War?

12. School fundraiser : CAR WASH

13. Hunting dogs pick them up : SCENTS

21. Aye’s opposite : NAY

22. Novelist Bret Easton __ : ELLIS. 1985 bestseller "Less Than Zero". Any reviews?

23. Shoemaker’s holemaker : AWL. Not Willie Shoemaker.

24. Hawaii’s Mauna __ : LOA

28. Chicken : WIMP

29. Whichever : ANY

30. Aqua __: platinum dissolver : REGIA. Why would you want to dissolve platinum? Wikipedia link.

32. Great Lakes prov. : ONT. (Ontario)

35. Spring tide counterpart : NEAP

36. Quilting party : BEE

37. Ahead of schedule : EARLY

38. Plate cleaner, at times : UMP

39. Top-selling Toyota : COROLLA

40. Tolkien’s Shire dwellers : HOBBITS. The movie is opening next week here.

42. Petrarchan works : SONNETS. Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch), was an Italian scholar and poet.

43. “Good Will Hunting” director Van Sant : GUS

44. Test, as one’s patience : TRY

45. Lynx family member : BOBCAT

46. Unauthorized user? : HACKER

47. “__ out!” : Y'ER. Last of the baseball clues.

48. Stickups : HEISTS

51. Dean Martin’s “That’s __” : AMORE

54. Reserve : BOOK

55. Starlet’s goal : FAME

56. Homer’s “Iliad,” for one : EPIC

57. “Hud” director Martin : RITT. IMDb.

61. Forever and a day : EON

62. AWOLs avoid them : MP's

Argyle

Sunday Oct 7, 2012 Amy Johnson

Theme: "High Jinks"- UP is inserted into common phrases.

23A. Dear John? : BREAKING-UP NEWS. Perfect clue. Breaking News.
 

34A. Extortion amount, perhaps? : COVER-UP CHARGE. Cover charge.

66A. Raise some prices in the 19th-century literature section? : MARK UP TWAIN. Mark Twain.

97A. Revolting Oscar also-rans? : UPRISING STARS. Rising stars.

116A. View from the Transamerica Tower? : BALTIMORE SUNUP. Baltimore Sun.

15D. Hired prankster on the set? : DIRECTOR'S CUTUP. Director's cut.

 50D. One-liner from the pulpit? : UPSTANDING JOKE. Standing joke.

So, 3 insertions are in the middle, 2 in front and 2 in the back. Very consistent. You don't want an odd man out in your theme selection.

Looks like this is Amy Johnson's debut, and a Sunday! Congrats.

Across:

1. Saucers in the air : UFOs

 

5. Jewelry holder : CHEST. Sounds old-fashioned.
 

10. You won't see them in N.L. ballparks : DHs (Designated Hitter)

 

13. Shanghai : ABDUCT
 

19. Raise Cain : RANT
 

20. Miniseries opener : PART I
 

21. Turn state's evidence : RAT. Not famliar with the term "Turn state's evidence".

22. Book with Dick and Jane, say : PRIMER

26. Alice Walker title color : PURPLE. "The Color Purple".
 

27. Playing marble : AGATE
 

28. Response to "Was it that bad?" : DON'T ASK. I'll never tell...

 

29. What liars lack : HONESTY
 

30. So-called : NOMINAL
 

32. Mordor monster : ORC. "The Lord of the Rings".
 

33. Colorado-based sports org. : USOC (United States Olympic Committee)

39. Greenish blue hue : TEAL
 

43. James and Natalie's "Rebel Without a Cause" co-star : SAL (Mineo). Never saw the movie. You? I do like James Dean in "East of Eden".

46. Yemeni seaport : ADEN
 

47. Rest stop sights : SEMIs

 

48. Star of the 1981 revue "The Lady and Her Music" : HORNE (Lena).
 

49. "Ice cream castles in the air," in a Mitchell song : CLOUDS. "Both Sides, Now". This constructor might be a Joni Mitchell fan.
 

52. H.S. math course : ALG
 

54. Fabled flier : ROC
 

55. Frito-Lay chip : DORITO. Speaking of chips, what are your must-buys in Trader Joe's? I like their salsa & fig butter.
 

56. Manufactured goods : OUTPUT
 

57. Sullen look : POUT
 

59. Graduate's award : SHEEPSKIN. How does it become diploma? Strange.
 

61. Opulent : PLUSH
 

62. Stocking shades : ECRUS. Splynter's leggy girls often wear black colored stocking.
 

64. Of the flock : LAIC
 

65. Steinbeck title starter : EAST. "East of Eden".

70. Where Brigham Young settled : UTAH
 

74. Bio lab gel : AGAR
 

76. Glad alternative : SARAN. Wiki says "Saran" was coined by a combination of Sarah and Ann, the names of the Dow Chemical engineer's wife and daughter.

77. Screen partner : STAGE

78. Not even slightly different : IDENTICAL. Cute haircut for these quadruplets. From left to right, 4, 1, 3 & 2 in Chinese. So the teachers can tell them apart.

 
 

 

83. New Eng. state : CONN
 

84. Boosters, often : ALUMNI
 

85. Once in a blue moon : SELDOM
 

86. Landscaper's purchase : SOD
 

88. Mine in Rome : MIO. "'O sole mio" = "My sunshine".
 

89. Took a short trip : HOPPED
 

90. "American Psycho" author : ELLIS. Bret Easton Ellis. Unknown to me.
 

91. Aweigh : ATRIP
 

93. NASDAQ competitor : NYSE
 

95. "__ Grew Older": Hughes poem : AS I
 

96. Vivacity : ELAN
 

101. H.S. dropouts may earn them : GEDs

 

103. Cat lead-in : SNO
 

104. School : EDUCATE
 

108. Beatles hit with a four-minute coda : HEY JUDE

111. Measure that's often square : FOOTAGE
 

114. Household cleanser : BORAX
 

115. Fútbol shout : OLE OLE

 
 118. Dairy worker : MILKER. And 97D. 118-Across targets : UDDERS. The cow looks very burdened, PK/Spitzboov.

 

119. Quad bike, for one : ATV
 

120. Pigeon shelters : COTES
 

121. Two-time All-Star Martinez : TINO
 

122. Fishermen with pots : EELERS. Every puzzle has a few undesirable fill to glue things together.
 

123. Raised golf course feature : TEE
 

124. Strengthen's opposite : ERODE
 

125. Film crew locales : SETS

Down:

 1. __ sprawl : URBAN
 

2. Wells's partner : FARGO. The bank was hacked a couple of weeks ago.

3. Late show hr. : ONE AM

4. At a standstill : STATIC
 

5. Inflation no. : CPI (Consumer Price Index)
 

6. Dealt with : HANDLED
 

7. Cogito __ sum : ERGO
 

8. __ gun : STUN
 

9. Best of the best : TIPTOP
 

10. "Happily Divorced" star : DRESCHER (Fran). A "Fran" in the clue would make the fill easier.

11. Aggressive type : HAWK

12. Part of USA: Abbr. : STs

13. Place beside : APPOSE

14. German philosopher Bauer : BRUNO. No idea. What's his philosophy?

16. Out callers : UMPS
 

17. Gael or Breton : CELT
 

18. Small diamond : TREY. I was picturing a real diamond.
 

24. Popular bar game : KENO
 

25. Busters : NARCS
 

29. Half of XOXO : HUGS
 

31. Sailor's "Stop!" : AVAST
 

35. Grim guy? : REAPER
 

36. Open, in a way : UNLOCK
 

37. "Famous" cookie creator : AMOS
 

38. Drummer Buddy : RICH
 

40. Christine's phantom admirer : ERIK. "The Phantom of the Opera".
 

41. Prefix with knock : ANTI
 

42. "Exodus" author Uris : LEON
 

43. Check (out) : SCOPE
 

44. "Be-Bop-__": Gene Vincent hit : A-LULA
 

45. Meditative position : LOTUS. I can't seem to meditate. Deep thinking does not fit me.
 

48. Navajo neighbor : HOPI

51. Cry with a head slap : DUH
 

53. Spiritual leaders : GURUs

 

55. List maker : DEAN
 

58. Rapper __ Shakur : TUPAC. Dennis likes Pitbull, the rapper. Can you picture Dennis raps?
 

60. Yale Bowl rooter : ELI
 

63. Longtime senator Thurmond : STROM. Where is Trent Lott nowadays?

66. Seriously impair : MAIM
 

67. Crescent component : ARC
 

68. Diminishing : WANING
 

69. Rattles one's cage : ANNOYS
 

71. Florida city on the Gulf Coast : TAMPA. No OCALA  today.

72. Mother Teresa's birth name : AGNES. Also the name of our Irish Miss.
 

73. "Project Runway" host Klum : HEIDI. She's always so bubbly.

75. Souped-up Pontiacs : GTOs

77. __-mo : SLO
 

78. Following words : I SEE
 

79. HP competitor : DELL
 

80. Big name in scat : ELLA
 

81. Celestial sci. : ASTR
 

82. Petty of "A League of Their Own" : LORI. The movie is OK.
 

84. Winning : AHEAD
 

87. Break up, as a union : DISSOLVE
 

91. Notre Dame recess : APSE
 

92. Red choice : PINOT
 

94. Guided : STEERED
 

98. It may be given before leaving : NOTICE
 

99. Massages : RUBS
 

100. Youngsters in uniforms : SCOUTS
 

102. Swiss mathematician : EULER
 

105. Masters champ between Gary and Jack : ARNIE (Palmer). Gary Player. Jack Nicklaus.
 

106. Tease : TAUNT

107. Olympic Stadium team through 2004 : EXPOS. Now the Nats.

108. Five-sided plate : HOME

109. Author Wiesel : ELIE

110. Hardly one's library voice : YELL

111. It can be cruel : FATE

112. Valentine's Day deity : AMOR. To this guy, it's the girl in white.

113. Good kind of guy to have around : GO TO. I have two on the blog.

116. Belfry denizen : BAT

117. Oakland-to-Vegas dir. : ESE

Answer grid.

C.C.