Wednesday August 23, 2023 ~ Catherine Cetta

Palindromes on Parade

Happy Hump Day Cornerites. Today, we get words vertically spelled the same forwards & backwards hidden (oooh, another little puzzle for us to solve - sans circles!) in the starred clues. They...

17d. Move like tides and stock prices, or what the hidden words do in the answers to the starred clues?: RISE AND FALL.

3d. *Forensic expert on many a crime drama: DNA ANALYST. NAAN - Indian bread (not Rupees)

8d. *"Is this a smile on my face?": HOW MAD AM I. MADAM (I'm Adam).

29d. *Warning from the paranoid: TRUST NO ONE. NOON as in high- for a shoot-out.
 

Trust No One

33d. *Like Viola and Sebastian's ship at the start of "Twelfth Night": LOST AT SEA. Shakespeare & STATS.

Cute, eh? I think we need appropriate music here:

They Might Be Giants - I Palindrome I

Across:
1. Remove for security reasons, say: REDACT.
 

7. "Aw, darn it!": OH HELL. Saucy fill (we're allowed to ink that? Sweet.)

13. "Atlas Shrugged" author: AYN RAND. RUSH's 2112 acknowledged her "genius" in the liner notes. I will be kind to the reader and not embed a link as I'm sure no one has 16:08 to listen.

15. Roster newbie: ROOKIE.

16. Trucker in a union: TEAMSTER. I should have been paid OT moving Youngest into her first apartment last week.  Six hours of driving and 3 hours moving her goods in 104F heat.

18. __ manual: OWNERS. I had "online" first. Who else gets into the Catch-22 of needing to access online support when your online thing isn't working in the first place?

19. Five dollar face, for short: ABE. USoA's 16th Prez.

20. Olive center: PIT.

22. Small plateaus: MESAS.

23. Mama's mama: NANA. An anagram of NAAN! :-)

25. "No worries": IT'S OKAY. Don't know if anyone heard about a "suspicious package" found at Defcon. I was there just leaving the Vetcon party (for .mil vets) and going to the ChillOut Zone when we were evacuated.
I must say, panic never ensued. The Goons were assertively polite telling everyone to find a door and the venue evacuated calmly. On the way out, I asked two Goons I know, WTF? One said, "It's now or later. Go. Be safe."  Nerds are the best.
 

27. Tony-winning musical "Dear __ Hansen": EVAN. I handed-out an award?

28. Enjoyed some gum, say: CHEWED.

29. Some ESPN highlights: TDS. Touchdowns are in the short-reel of the Football game on ESPN.

32. Without restraint: WILDLY.

34. "True Blood" star Paquin: ANNA. Another anagram of NAAN!

35. Sleep cycle letters: REM.

36. Final authority: SAY SO. What you have, to tell your kids, when too many "why" questions follow your request.

37. Clinic staffers: Abbr.: RNS. Registered Nurses.

38. Lab rodent: MOUSE. Or wait...

40. Tiebreaker periods, briefly: OTS. Over-Times.

41. Skidded: SLID.
 

SLED

43. Strands in a tree: TINSEL. Oh, Christmas and not a dog treeing a cat who subsequently waits on the fireman.
 

Probably not what she had in mind...

44. Converged: MET. Estimates are there were ~30k hackers who converged at/on Vegas for Defcon.

45. Skor bar center: TOFFEE. Skor is Hershey's go at the Heath toffee bar.

47. Key in a PC reboot combo: CTRL.

48. Taxi money: CAB FARE.

49. Tolkien tree creatures: ENTS. Lord of The Rings reference.

50. Vision: SIGHT.

53. Pro's 35mm camera, maybe: SLR. Single-lens Reflex.
 

54. Pigeon sound: COO.

55. "Spider-Man: __ the Spider-Verse": ACROSS. Marvel (or DC?) movie franchise.
 

Can't remember which Universe, just say "Both"

57. Neighborhood diner?: LOCAVORE. Cute. Not the local grill but someone who dines on near-sourced yummies.

61. Grunts and groans: NOISES.

62. Restored to mint condition: LIKE NEW.

63. Make sympathetic: ENDEAR.

64. Perfectly calm: SERENE.

Down:
1. Lab rodent: RAT.  [from 38a] ...for it.
We have RAT & MOUSE clecho'd in a grid. This calls for
 

I gotta link an interview with the voices

2. Hurricane center: EYE. California is starting to dry out. Last recorded TS in CA was 1934 (so I read).

3. [See: theme]

4. Accessories worn by soccer captains: ARM BANDS.

5. "__ closed!": CASE.

6. Explosive initials: TNT. It's dynamite fill!

7. Spanish gold: ORO.

8. [See: theme]

9. Baklava sweetener: HONEY.

10. Barely gets (by): EKES.

11. Old Italian bread?: LIRA. Not stale focaccia.

12. "More or __": LESS.

14. Profundity: DEPTH.

17. [See: theme].

21. Small dots on a map: TOWNS.

23. California governor Gavin: NEWSOM. There were thoughts he might run for President in 2024. We'll see.

24. Fly: AVIATE.

25. Unwelcoming: ICY.

26. "Detective Pikachu" actor Watanabe: KEN. Pokemon reference.

29. [See: theme]

30. Climate for much of Nevada: DESERT. In Vegas, it was nice to occasionally step outside to warm up from the over-AC'd conference halls.

31. Requires Febreze, maybe: SMELLS. Some of the folks at Defcon needed a spritz.

33. [See: theme]

37. Jazz licks: RIFFS.
 

Charlie Parker & His Trio

39. Quick appraisal: ONCE OVER.

42. High tennis shot: LOB.

43. Shape of a "timeout" hand signal: TEE.

46. CBS News correspondent Barnett: ERROL.

48. Picked: CHOSE. Hand-up if you were always last on playground divvying up.

50. Of sound mind: SANE.

51. Envelope opened with a click, e.g.: ICON. Your email ICON.

52. Sudoku diagram: GRID. This could have been meta-clued as we were solving ;-)

54. Dessert with icing: CAKE.

56. Abbreviation on old Russian maps: SSR. Stealing from my last expo: "Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, is Latin alphabet transliteration of Russian: Союз Советских Социалистических Республик (СССР) //yeah, I Googled the translation."

58. Prefix with gender: CIS.

59. Driver's "Star Wars" role: REN.

60. Barnyard female: EWE.

The Grid:
 

The Grid

WO: online -> OWNERS
ESPs: EVAN, KEN, ERROL
Fav: LOCAVORE

There you have it folks -- another Wednesday in 2023's books. Christmas is only 124 days away, so get your TINSEL [43a] now.

Thanks for the fun Catherine!
Cheers, -T
//If you like what you read, Subscribe and click the Bell below :-)

Wednesday, July 19, 2023 ~ Brian Callahan & Katie Hale

Alliance Consolidation

Good Wednesday Cornerites.
[Note: Today's expo will be terse as I drafted yesterday's expo before going on vacation only to later learn that I had solved the wrong puzzle(?!?).  Below is the best I could do in short-order.]

Today's puzzle brings ALL sides together to form a unified PACT. What do I mean? Let's take a gander:

17. Garb Maria creates from curtains in "The Sound of Music": PLAY CLOTHES. Curtains implies a play and not a musical(?)

23. Administer in small portions: PARCEL OUT. Dole OUT was too short.

34. Practical advice for an overnight stay: PACK LIGHT. Any more than a backpack and it's too much stuff.

50. The NCAA's "Conference of Champions": PAC TWELVE. The PAC-12 is known as the "Conference of Champions," for having won more collegiate championships than any other conference.

56. Formally agreeing to terms, and what this puzzle's sets of circled letters are gradually doing: MAKING A PACT.

The word PACT came together as the four theme answers progressed.
P
PA
PAC
PACT

Clever. MAKING A PACT can be a step by step process. One step at a time.

Now that we've agreed on that, let's see if we can come together (like the theme's circles) on the rest of the fill.

Across:
1. Chicago MLBer: CUB.  Not a [White] Sox.
 

Cub's Logo

4. 9000 and 9-5 automaker: SAAB. A Man Called Ove loved his SAAB.

8. Flourish: BLOOM.

13. Singer DiFranco: ANI.
 

Folk-y

14. Spanish "she": ELLA.

15. Like Ralph Lauren clothing: PREPPY. Preppy as in "from Prep School." Like, totally '80's.
 

The Rich Kids' Duds

16. Apple co-founder, casually: WOZ. Steve Wozniak [Berkeley Profile].

17. [See: Theme]

19. Hold a cattle call: CAST. A broad-net casting call is a "cattle-call" (or Southwest Airlines' boarding)

21. Cattle calls: MOOs. Tee-hee.

22. Email status: SENT.

23. [See: Theme]

25. Oklahoma city: TULSA. Cute - lower-case "city" and not Enid, OK.

26. Printing goofs: ERRATA. Latin for a list of errors post-printing.

27. More like a cord: ROPIER. Um, OK.

28. Megastar: IDOL.

29. Fragments: PIECES.

33. Need for some noisy toys: AAs. Small "Batteries not included."

34. [See: Theme]

37. "Poldark" airer: PBS.

40. Salad option: CAESAR. It's only proper with discernible anchovy flavor. Anyone else ask for extra anchovies if you can't taste 'em?

41. Minnesota representative Ilhan: OMAR. Somalia-born Representative from Minnesota's 5th District. IIRC, she's now in her 3rd term.

45. Surgical knife: LANCET. Also the name of England's oldest medical journal.

47. Jalisco, por ejemplo: ESTADO. Jalisco is Mexico's 7th largest ESTADO (state).

49. Zones: AREAS.

50. [See: Theme]

53. Multifunction printer function: SCAN.
 

My Multifunction HP

54. Get along nicely: MESH.

55. See 62-Across: IDLE. //wait for it...

56. [See: Theme]

59. X-ray kin: MRI.  Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

61. Large concert venues: ARENAS.

62. With 55-Across, "Spamalot" co-creator: ERIC. Eric Idle is one of the founding Pythons and my (28a) IDOL. He is still quite active on Twitter as @EricIdle

63. Start of a kindergarten tune: ABC. Stephen Write asked why the alphabet is in that order?  He postulated that it's because of that song.

64. Sprinkle about: STREW.

65. Snack (on): NOSH. Nom nom nom.

66. Therapist's maj.: PSY. Psychology: the study of non-phonetic spelling's effect on the mind.

Down:
1. Crow's cry: CAW.

2. Draw Two or Skip: UNO CARD.

3. Stranger than strange: BIZARRO.
 

Bizarro Jerry

4. Deadly sins, e.g.: SEPTET. Sept = 7 -- of which the count of sins that mars the soul.

5. The "A" of GOAT: ALL. Greatest of ALL Time.

6. Avis rival: ALAMO. I barely remembered it ;-)

7. "The __ City": Houston nickname: BAYOU. Aka Clutch City, Space City USA, H-Town - anything to keep your mind off the fact you're in an over-developed swamp and it's 100F outside.

8. "My guy!": BRO.

9. Eases off: LETS UP.

10. Daughter of Polonius: OPHELIA. From The Bard's Hamlet.

11. Briny deep: OPEN SEA.

12. "Zounds!": MY STARS.

15. "If you don't mind," in a text: PLS. Please.

18. Air mattress alternative: COT. Air mattress was not an option in Basic Training.

20. Head massage target: SCALP.

23. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame architect: PEI.
 

Looks like a 45RPM spindle. Read more

24. Purrr-manent fixture when sitting: LAP CAT. Cute.

25. Reggae singer Peter: TOSH.

27. Rue: REGRET.

30. 1950s prez: IKE.

31. Couple of fellows?: ELS. There are two "L"s in feLLows.

32. Jack Ryan's org.: CIA. Ryan is a fictional character who works in the very-real Central Intelligence Agency.

35. Las Vegas WNBA team: ACES. Makes sense that a team name in Vegas deals with playing cards :-)

36. Hauled: TOTED.

37. Once-common flat-screens: PLASMAS.

38. Spot for drinks in a small apartment, say: BAR CART.

39. Athletic shoe: SNEAKER. What do you call 'em? Tennis shoes?, sneakers?, tennies?, or just shoes?

42. Aid in finding the food court, perhaps: MALL MAP.

43. Sometimes and often: ADVERBS. Part of speech. An adverb is a word that can modify or describe a verb, adjective, another adverb, or entire sentence.
 

Schoolhouse Rock

44. Sushi topper: ROE.

46. Incisor neighbor: CANINE. #Teeth

48. Animal Crossing console: SWITCH. Animal Crossing is a video game played on the Nintendo SWITCH platform.

50. Gravel size: PEA.

51. Colorado ski destination: ASPEN.

52. One-named actress/flamenco guitarist: CHARO.
 

What I found - link if you know better (please!)

54. Booker T.'s band: MGS. Booker T and the MG's
 

You know this tune

57. Casual denial: NAW.

58. Opposite of trans: CIS. -gender.

60. Like unsalted winter roads: ICY.

And without further ado, The Grid

The Grid

Cheers, -T

Sunday June 18, 2023 ~ Susy Christiansen & Doug Peterson

Human Resources

Happy Father's Day!

Today, Susy & Doug offer a simple theme with "in the language" phrases where the second word of each phrase is a body part.

23a. *Witch's dialect?: WICKED TONGUE.

39a. *Snowman's joint?: COLD SHOULDER.

44a. *Rocket scientist's trap?: SMART MOUTH.

66a. *Baker's digits?: BUTTER FINGERS.

87a. *Gingerbread man's chomper?: SWEET TOOTH.

92a. *Soda jerk's noggin?: FOUNTAIN HEAD. Fountain Head is a book by Ayn Rand.

15d. *Smurf's plasma?: BLUE BLOOD.

77d. *Comic's humerus?: FUNNY BONE.

112a. Nonverbal communication, and what can be found in the answers to the starred clues?: BODY LANGUAGE.

Let's see what else we can get our hands on...

Across:
1. Puff up: BLOAT.

6. Brief survey: APERCU. (?) 1: a brief survey or sketch : outline 2: an immediate impression; especially : an intuitive insight.

12. Gestation location: WOMB.

16. Printer spec.: DPI. Dots Per Inch

19. Word of thanks: MERCI. French.

20. Holy scrolls: TORAHS.

21. Former sea in Central Asia: ARAL.

22. Geologic age: EON.

23. [see: theme]

25. French Calvinist of the 16th and 17th centuries: HUGUENOT.

27. Fed. benefits agency: SSA. Social Security Administration.

28. Unfreeze, as a plane's wing: DE-ICE.

29. Avian crop: CRAW.

31. Kid-lit character who says, "It's not much of a tail, but I'm sort of attached to it": EEYORE.
 

EEYORE

32. Jazz drummer Max: ROACH. One of two leading drummers of the bebop era.

33. Slopes headgear: SKI CAP.

35. __ nut chewing: BETEL. Betel nutis the seed of an areca palm that grows in tropical parts of the Pacific, Asia and eastern Africa. It is chewed, usually in combination with other substances like tobacco, and is said to have both stimulant and relaxation effects. (wikiP)

36. Insect appendage: ANTENNA.

39. [see: theme]

41. Chimney residue: SOOT.

42. Organ array: PIPES.

43. Psych 101 topic: EGO.

44. [see: theme]

48. Accepted doctrine: ORTHODOXY.

54. Unfavorable renown: NOTORIETY.

55. Bill of fare: MENU.

57. Messing of "Will & Grace": DEBRA.

58. Breaks a commandment: SINS.

59. "Hamilton" creator: MIRANDA. Lin-Manuel Miranda.

62. Teller of tall tales: LIAR.

63. Umami source, briefly: MSG. Monosodium glutamate.

66. [see: theme]

70. "Danny and the Dinosaur" writer Hoff: SYD.
 

You remember this?

71. "Woe is me!": ALAS.

73. Marine creatures: SEA LIFE.

74. Greek campus group: FRAT.

76. Ariz. neighbor: CALIF. Arizona & California.

78. Smooch: KISS.

79. Sneaker strings: SHOE LACES.

84. Withdraws to safety: EVACUATES.

87. [see: theme]

88. Ultimate degree: NTH.

89. Preadolescent: TWEEN.

91. Actress Skye: IONE.

92. [see: theme]

97. Feline grooming sites: CATSPAS.

100. Outfielder Ramirez who won two World Series with the Red Sox: MANNY.
 

Manny Ramirez

101. Offend: INSULT.

102. Wine grape: PINOT.

103. Game-enhancing toy by Nintendo: AMIIBO. These are little figurines that can interact with video games. WikiP.

105. Traffic blocker?: NARC. Cute.

106. BLT part: BACON. BACON, Lettuce, and Tomato.
 

Yum!

107. Golfer's goal: PAR.

110. Oscar-winning film featuring a bunny named Judy Hopps: ZOOTOPIA.
 

Trailer

112. [see theme]

115. Pressure for payment: DUN.

116. Fit together neatly: NEST.

117. Hammed it up: EMOTED.

118. Crèche figure: ANGEL. Crèche == Nativity Scene.

119. Crèche figure: ASS.

120. Salinger title heroine: ESME.
 

121. L.A. suburb mentioned in Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'": RESEDA. At 0:48
 

Tom Petty

Down:
1. Some autobahn autos: BMWs.

2. Luau wreaths: LEIS.

3. Killer whale: ORCA.

4. "Yikes!": ACK.

5. Secured, in a way: TIED ON. I had TIED up.

6. Aegean region that includes Athens: ATTICA. Attica is an administrative region in Greece.

7. Doggie: POOCH. Pup.

8. Fish-eating bird: ERNE.

9. Dust cloth: RAG.

10. Laugh: CHUCKLE.

11. Login handles: USER IDS.

12. "Sad trombone" sound: WAH WAH. Anyone else listen to Market Place on NPR? When the market is down for the day, Kia will play the "Wah Wah trombones." He got corrected.

13. Christian sch. in Tulsa: ORU. Oral Roberts University.

14. 2023 Kentucky Derby winner: MAGE.
 

Mage breaks out

15. [see: theme]

16. Mean: DENOTE.

17. Not as prosperous: POORER.

18. Recon acquisition: INTEL. Reconnaissance : Intelligence.

24. Official at Oberlin, e.g.: DEAN.

26. Gave the once-over: EYED.

30. Runners in hot weather: Abbr.: ACS. Air Conditioners run when it's hot out.

32. Auxiliary rockets, for short: RETROS.

33. JV player, perhaps: SOPH. Sophomores play Junior Varsity level.

34. Verse writer: POET.

36. Focused gp.: ASSN. Association.

37. 1995 NL Rookie of the Year Hideo: NOMO. Pitcher from Japan.
 

Hideo Nomo

38. Perfectly: TO A T.

39. Map dot: CITY.

40. "That's just nasty": UGH.

42. "To __ it mildly!": PUT.

45. Chi-Town daily, with "the": TRIB. The Chicago Tribune.

46. Calculator button: MINUS.

47. Left, on un mapa: OESTE. Spanish for West.

48. __ annual basis: ON AN.

49. Ladder step: RUNG.

50. Argentine tennis player Juan Martín __ Potro: DEL.
 

Retired February, 2023.

51. Silk ties: OBIS.

52. __ vision: XRAY.

53. Cloth measure: YARD.

55. Annoys a little: MIFFS.

56. Empire State canal: ERIE.

59. Diagnostic pics: MRIS.

60. "Moll Flanders" author: DEFOE. Daniel Defoe (1660 to 1731) also wrote Robinson Crusoe.

61. Stop, in Strasbourg: ARRET. French for "stop."

63. Nutmeg spice: MACE.

64. Balkan native: SLAV.

65. Glitzy gathering: GALA.

67. Make off with: TAKE.

68. New Haven alumni: ELIs. Yale graduates.

69. Tots seasoning: SALT. Tater-tots, not tykes.

72. [Not my mistake]: SIC.

75. Disciple of Laotzu: TAOIST.

77. [see: theme]

79. Scand. nation: SWED.

80. 81-Down resident: HEN.

81. Structure with layers?: COOP. Is it also a co-op in there?

82. Italian rumbler: ETNA.

83. Billy Joel's "__ Got a Way": SHES.
 

Billy Joel

85. NFL stat: ATT. Attempt in football.

86. Asian cuisine with drunken noodles and massaman curry: THAI.

87. Boarding pass information: SEAT.

89. Walter Mitty creator James: THURBER.

90. Greet warmly: WELCOME.

92. Widely known: FAMOUS. There's an Amos that's Famous for cookies.

93. Kitchen bulbs: ONIONS. Cute.

94. Military group: UNIT.

95. Not learned: INNATE.

96. Wiretapping org.: NSA. National Security Agency.

97. Insect that resembles a locust: CICADA.

98. Soon, poetically: ANON.

99. Citizen of a Polynesian archipelago: TONGAN.

100. Miata maker: MAZDA. Zoom, Zoom, Zoom.

102. Grew ashen: PALED.

104. "See how the morning __ her golden gates": Shakespeare: OPES.

106. Mega- or giga- ending: BYTE.

107. Leaf (through): PAGE.

108. On in years: AGED.

109. Depend (on): RELY.

111. Doctrine suffix: ISM.

113. Tijuana pair: DOS. Spanish for two.

114. French article: UNE.

The Grid

WOs: TIED up, SKI hat, sICADA
ESPs: APERCU, SYD, HUGUENOT AMIIBO
Fav: NARC's clue

Hope you all had fun and enjoy the day ahead.

Cheers!, -T

Wednesday, June 7, 2023 ~ Jared Goudsmit

What Nonsense!

Happy hump day folks. Today we have three words that are synonyms for "Oh, BALONEY" spread at both ends of each theme entry (in circles that were too lightly printed for me to notice).

Why is this nonsense, you ask? Well, 1) baloney is spelt wrong and 2) the bologna words are outside the bread! 😀

Let's first visit the gobbledygook:

17. Über-genius: ROCKET SCIENTIST. Not a brain surgeon nor a "rocket surgeon." A bunch of ROT.

33. National Historical Park in Boston that commemorates a 1775 battle: BUNKER HILL. "Don't fire until you see this whites of their eyes." Ah, BULL - that wasn't really said. //Note the bonus:  There's  a lot of BUNK in there.

40. Prominent feature of many a Jimi Hendrix song: GUITAR RIFF. A bunch of GUFF (not Jimi!).
 

Purple Haze

56. Classic grade-school lunch, and what's literally found in 17-, 33-, and 40-Across?: BALONEY SANDWICH. Classmates thought I was full of Bologna and my nickname was... well, you can put it together.

How I learned to spell BOLOGNA

Now, let's see what other hogwash we have today:

Across:
1. "Ray" Oscar winner Foxx: JAMIE. JAMIE played RAY Charles in the MOVIE (38a).
 

Ray Charles in a Different MOVIE

6. Beef or pork: MEAT.

10. Hon: BABE.

14. Sicily's country: ITALY. Also Bologna's county.

15. Make one's mark?: ETCH. Cute.

16. Skills barometer: EXAM.

17. [See: theme]

20. Pound pts.: OZS. 16 ounces are parts of a pound (which doesn't contain puppies).

21. __ Vegas Raiders: LAS. The Raiders (NFL team) left Oakland for Las Vegas 22 JAN 2020.

22. Puts on clothes: DRESSES.

23. Oily compound: LIPID. Natural oil & waxes insoluble in water.

25. Banh mi spread: MAYO. With a large Vietnamese population in Houston, we have great Banh mi all over town.

Recipie

26. Michael of "Alfie": CAINE. Don't think I've seen the MOVIE.

28. Distant: AFAR. Opposed to 19d - aNEAR (where the Blazing Saddles' sheriff was #AuthinticFrontierGibberish, er, Bologna).

30. New Deal pres.: FDR. Franklin Delano Roosevelt served as 32nd US president from 1933 to 1945.

33. [See: theme]

35. French father: PERE.

36. Clothesline alternative: DRYER.

37. In the vein of: ALA.

38. "Philadelphia" or "Chicago": MOVIE.

39. Stratford's river: AVON.  I think I should say something about a Bard upon there.

40. [See: theme]

42. Tender in Tokyo: YEN. Tender, cash, money.

43. Washed-out: PALE.

44. Used a prayer rug: KNELT.

45. Actress __ Rachel Wood: EVAN. Her IMDb.

47. Billionaire financier George: SOROS. Here thar be politics...

49. Where to watch Kings battle Senators: ICE RINK. NHL's Los Angeles Kings vs Ottawa Senators.

52. __ goo gai pan: MOO.

 Recipe

53. Prosecutors, for short: DAS. District Attorneys.

56. [See: theme]

59. "Supposing that's true ... ": IF SO.

60. Disney film featuring light cycles: TRON. A MOVIE and an old-school video game (which I filled with quarters).

1982 Trailer

61. The Scales of the Zodiac: LIBRA.
 

Our ancients had a heck of an imagination.

62. Come off as: SEEM.

63. Cab: TAXI.

64. And the following, in footnotes: ET SEQ. "What follows (used in page references). Eg: "see: vol2 p3 et seq" #Googled post solve.

Down:
1. "__ Dreams of Sushi": documentary about a Japanese chef: JIRO. I highly recommend it.

Trailer

2. Encyclopedic in range: A TO Z.

3. PC alternatives: MACS. Apple's Macintosh.

4. Sort: ILK.

5. Cosmetics item: EYELINER.

6. Argentine soccer superstar Lionel: MESSI.
 

Kinda looks like Ted Lasso's Roy Kent, no?

7. Space-saving abbr.: ETC. ETCetera.

8. Low-pH substance: ACID.

9. The "T" of BTU: THERMAL. British THERMAL Units or 1054.35 Joules.

10. Brandt of "Breaking Bad": BETSY.

11. Mid-2000s comedy tour featuring Ahmed Ahmed and Maz Jobrani: AXIS OF EVIL.

Trailer (w/ light #politics)

12. High-pH substance: BASE. Dumb me put in ACID first (and I was a lab-tech!).

13. CPR-performing team: EMTS. Emergency Medical Technicians.

18. Become pointed: TAPER.

19. Within a stone's throw: NEAR. Unless you can skip it on the lake AFAR.
 

Wait, there's professional stone skipping?

23. Compare: LIKEN.

24. Newsstand spread: DAILIES.

26. Learning __: CURVE.  Calculus III had many high ones.

27. "Who's next?": ANY ONE ELSE?  Not The Who's 1971 album?
 

Backstory behind the album cover

29. Unfizzy: FLAT. Or still ;-)

31. Get sidetracked: DRIFT.

32. Snorkeling locale: REEF.

33. Party time, casually: BDAY. Birthday abriv.

34. Heist loot: HAUL. I like this one.

35. Skin openings: PORES.

38. Mime played by Bill Irwin on "Elmo's World": MR NOODLE.
 

Elmo's World

40. Media giant that owns USA Today: GANNETT. I used to feel ashamed, sitting in my hotel room solving their doormat-DAILy crosswords, but Erik Agard has really up'd the game over there.

41. Ohio birthplace of LeBron James: AKRON.  He got game.
 

LeBron James - 6' 9"

43. Apt rhyme for "sprain": PAIN. Cute.

46. Race car sound: VROOM. Zoom, zoom, zoom.

48. Muscat citizen: OMANI. Muscat is Oman's port capitol.

49. Hieroglyphics bird: IBIS. This is interesting.

50. Bistro: CAFE.

51. Actress Sedgwick: KYRA.

53. "I claim that!": DIBS.

54. Land division: ACRE.

55. "Inside the NBA" analyst, to fans: SHAQ.
 

Shaq - 7'1" 325 pounds. 
//conversion to OZs is an exercise left to the reader.

57. Fenway team, briefly: SOX. The Bo[Red]-Sox. Not to be confused with the Chi[White]-Sox who play at Guaranteed Rate Field (nee: Comiskey Park).

58. Clever one: WIT.  No one has accused me of that.

Theme was "rubbish" and the fill solid. Thanks Jared (and Patti's team).

The Grid

WOs: acid -> BASE, papers(oops) -> DAILIES, area -> ACRE
ESPs: JIRO (couldn't recall his name), MESSI, BETSY, PERE, EVAN, KYRA, ET SEQ
Fav: HAUL was old-timey fun but TAXI made me think of one of the funniest sitcoms ever.

And, now, for Weird Al's

My Bologna

Cheers, -T
Coda: From what (little) research I did: Jared attended Tulane and has been constructing puzzles since then. He's currenly at St. Louis Aquarium entertaining. He also did a stint at the Magic House, St. Louis Children's Museum. His LinkedIn and a 2021 interview.

Wednesday, May 10, 2023 ~ Emma Lawson & Shannon Rapp

Who Let the Dogs Out?

Happy Wednesday folks! Anon -T here reporting for duty.

Emma and Shannon Rapp (aka Norah Sharpe) bring us three breeds of "Rover" that "Range" across the fill (in the circles) and unifies it with an SUV that will likely fit all the pups (but,... it's not a Subaru :-)).

17. Dog relaxing across a foam flotation device?: POOL NOODLE. Poodle. Pick which second O gets the circle.

//Here's where I got my wires crossed for a bit. I though "POOL POODLE; theme is dog-breeds with the first few letters making another first or second word."
You try to think of a breed that begins with TRI at second themer fill - ain't gonna work.
Anyway, when I got to the reveal, I realized the dogs are in the circles (which were light on my printout - I'll add toner to my Amazon cart), fixed my pOODLE to NOODLE, and filled the rest of the grid lickety-split.

28. Dog traveling through a mysterious section of the North Atlantic?: BERMUDA TRIANGLE. Beagle.
 

Our favorite Beagle

49. Dog spreading out at a minimal performance venue?: BLACKBOX THEATER. Boxer.

63. High-end SUV, and an apt description of each set of circled letters?: RANGE ROVER.

Cute and much more simple that I was trying to make it. Thanks Emma & Shannon for the entertaining puzzle.

Across:
1. "Between Two Ferns" host Galifianakis: ZACH.
 

Obama played along for ACA

5. German woman: FRAU.
 

Cloris Leachman played along.

9. Brief "Don't know yet": TBD. To Be Determined.

12. __ mutter: potatoes and peas dish: ALOO. I think we've all learned this by now - foreign (not French) potatoes == ALOO.  Don't get me wrong - I love a good Indian dish but never understand them as printed.  I make Youngest order -- she grew up Montessori, knows Indian food, and knows what I like.

13. "Birmingham" sculptor Simone __: LEIGH. Perps. I Googled so you don't have to. Chicago artist born in '67. Amazing work!

15. Trick or treat: VERB. Ha!! "Fool" or "buy for." Also, noun: (magic) trick; (sweet) treat.  Halloween is only 173 days away.

17. [see: theme]

19. Garden need: SOIL. "Fence" to keep out the critters was too long.

20. Respected figure: ELDER. Am I an ELDER yet? I've waited 52 years...

21. Round Table titles: SIRS. Trust me, I'm holding myself back from linking yet another Monty Python clip.

23. Cavaliers sch.: UVA. University Virginia.

24. Way out: EXIT. The egress.
 

Believe it or Not - That's how Ripley got 'em out the door.

26. Realms: EMPIRES.

28. [see: theme]

32. What "will be" will be: ARE. Cute. Very cute.

33. Window part: SASH. Pane also fit :-(

34. Short pants?: TROU. Short for Trousers.

35. 2019 documentary about fatherhood: DADS. Sussable.

37. "Designated Survivor" actor Penn: KAL. I Googled for an image and... "Kalpen Suresh Modi, known professionally as Kal Penn, is an American actor, author, academic lecturer, and former White House staff member in the Barack Obama administration." Fandom Link.

39. Robin's residence: NEST.
 

Robin, aka Mork, resided here with Mindy.

42. Spanish house: CASA.

45. Court dividers: NETS. Tennis courts not basketball nets.

48. __ of Tranquility: SEA. Lunar geography and Apollo 11's landing site.

49. [see: theme]

53. Expression of love that doesn't quite land?: AIR KISS. Didn't land the kiss? Tsk. Tsk.

54. Stitches: SEWS.

55. Car care brand: STP.   Scientifically Treated Petroleum. Or, if you visit STP's website: Science. Technology. Performance. Not to be confused with a Stone Temple Pilots' performance.

56. Fold: TUCK.

58. Pronoun pair: HE/HIM.  You'll see this on some folks' Social Media profile -- pronouns to be used when addressing.

61. Call-and-response response: AMEN. #Church

63. [see: theme]

66. Renaissance fair instrument: LUTE.

67. Dentist's tool: DRILL.  Open wide.

68. Angry outburst: RANT.

69. Opposite of NNE: SSW. Points on a compass rose.

70. Octagonal sign: STOP.

71. Codas: ENDS.

Down:
1. Comic book onomatopoeia: ZAP. Onomatopoeia - a word that sounds like what it means. But y'all knew that.

2. Soothing succulent: ALOE.

3. Like early spring weather: COOL.

4. Poker variety: HOLD 'EM. How to play.

5. Home of Everglades National Park: FLORIDA.

6. __ Speedwagon: REO. The car or the band from Champaign, IL? We should be told.

7. Helps: AIDS.

8. Less appealing: UGLIER.
 

UGLIer fruit

9. Best Buy wallful: TVS. Have y'all seen some of the new TVs? I don't think I want to watch News Hour with that kind of definition.

10. "Beauty and the Beast" song: BE OUR GUEST.
 

Classic fun animation.

11. Tripe: DRIVEL. [see: this expo]

14. __ crab: HERMIT.
 

Hermit Crab Changes Shells

16. Nonchalant: BLASE. I think I spelled it with a "Z" first 'cuz there's extra ink in that square.

18. Connection: NEXUS.

22. Trade jabs: SPAR. Boxing.

25. Undertaking: TASK.

27. Party to: IN ON. Privy didn't fit.

28. Billie Eilish's "__ Guy": BAD. If you're so inclined. //It's not that BAD.

29. Notable slice of time: ERA.

30. Fancy places to see the stars?: RED CARPETS. Planetarium didn't fit //and there's no Pink Floyd at the RED CARPET.

31. Quick note of appreciation: THANX. Saves only one letter typed. Thx is what I use - saves three keystrokes.

36. Bag of potatoes: SACK.

38. "Shall we?" response: LET'S. Do it!

40. "Told ya!": SEE.

41. Roof goo: TAR.

43. Comic vignette: SKIT.

44. Ridiculous: ABSURD. Inane. //CED came to mind ;-)

46. Viola Davis film whose tagline was "Change begins with a whisper": THE HELP.
 

Trailer

47. Ninja Turtle home: SEWER.
//want a story? As undergrads, DW would do some babysitting for extra cash.
Being an educator, she'd teach the kids literature and art.
She introduced one kid (about 7yrs old) to Michelangelo.
"Mrs. K, I didn't know he painted too!"
He was talking about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

49. Rudimentary: BASAL.

50. Chemistry paper?: LITMUS.  Stick in the stick and ph will show acid or base via color. Always fun to have a handful of these on hand for playing with, erm teaching, the kids.

51. 2023 awards for "Everything Everywhere All at Once": OSCARS.

52. On land: ASHORE.

57. Make mittens, say: KNIT.

59. Tennis star Lendl: IVAN.

60. Repair: MEND.

62. Just out: NEW.

64. __ Worm: 1980s bedtime toy: GLO.
 

My lil' Sis had one of these.

65. Shares again, on Twitter: RTS. RE -Tweets.  Honestly, I've never gotten the hang of the TwitterVerse and I probably make myself look like an old dude when I RT a response.  Frankly, Musk is making it worse (NPR & BBC #StateAffiliated. Really?). I'm still waiting on BlueSky to accept my "Let me play, please!" request. //end RANT

The Grid:
 

The Grid

WOs: noun->VERB, TanK, pane->SASH, BASic -> BASAL
ESPs: LEIGH, IVAN (as clued), KAL.
Fav: Trick or treat == noun or VERB

Well, another expo in the books here at The Crossword Corner. Hope y'all had fun too.
Looking forward to y'alls take and expo corrections / additions.

Cheers, -T

Sunday April 9, 2023 ~ Gary Larson & Amy Ensz

Title: Back Issues

You can get it for $3K

Nothing to do with the sciatica nor reprints of old magazines to see here. Nope. Gary & Amy offer us common phrases where the last (back) word in each phrase is another word for an "issue" with whimsical cluing. Let's roll....

But first - Happy Easter!

22a. Trouble for an orthodox rabbi?: KOSHER PICKLE. The MOTIF (81d) finally broke the NW to get a FIR with 2 only two #Cheats.

27a. Trouble with the sewer line?: MAIN SQUEEZE. I thought the MAINs was the ingress not the egress(?)

65a. Trouble in a candy store?: SWEET SPOT.

100a. Trouble for a barista?: CAFFEINE FIX.

107a. Trouble with an alibi?: STORY PROBLEM.

30d. Trouble with a movie promo?: TRAILER HITCH.

40d. Trouble with a Bronx cheer?: RASPBERRY JAM.

Another? Trouble for an oyster?: Pearl Jam. //Or does that just not make me a Better Man :-)

If you still don't "get the issue," comment below and I'm sure the early-riser Cornerites will set you straight.  

And slow down, relax, take your time reading the blog today.  There might be humour that takes a second. //or, there might not :-)

Across:
1. Contemporary: AGE MATE. Really? Thumper.

8. Place to grab a pint: PUB. And usually a good sandwich or shepherd's pie.

11. Smitten Kitchen blogger Perelman: DEB. ESP. Wait, um, [see: 73a]...

14. Butterfingers: OAF.

17. Quaint desktop item: ROLODEX.
 

Remember These?

18. Not to be trusted: OILY. I was going for wILY.

19. Lyrical: ODIC.

21. AC meas.: BTU. Air Conditioners' capacity is measured in British Thermal Units which is ~1.06 Joules.
C, Eh!, friendlies to the North, do you measure ACs in Joules or BTUs?
//Story?: In EE everything is done in metric. I had to take a MechE Thermodynamics class and it was all in Imperial Units. To do the maths, I'd hafta covert everything to metric, solve the problem, and then convert back. PITA [Pain In The Arse] but I passed.

22. [See: Theme]

24. Place to clean up: WASH ROOM. Kitchen didn't fit; nor did rehab ;-)

26. Appearance: ASPECT.

27. [See: Theme]

29. Fighting: AT IT.

31. "Hallelujah" songwriter Cohen: LEONARD.

33. Unfeeling: NUMB.

I saw them in '95(?) in Dallas - Great Show 

(and contact-high from everything billowing to the mezzanine)

34. Black-footed pet: FERRET. If you FERRET-out something, did you EKE (110d) by?

36. Public relations effort: SPIN.

Popular in the '90s. Where they are now.

37. "Mm-hmm": I SEE.

39. Thermometer type: ORAL. I thought of the other insertion area first but I knew that wouldn't pass the "Breakfast Test." "Meat" also fit.

43. Rideshare predictions, briefly: ETAS. Estimated Time of Arrival(s) for your Uber or Lyft. I took the latter home at 3am after [see: 95d's story]

44. "But to no __": AVAIL. Didn't turn out as hoped.

46. Frosty coat: HOAR.

47. Bingham of "Baywatch": TRACI. "Traci A. Bingham is an American actress, model, and television personality. Beginning her professional career in the early 1990s, Bingham is best known for her role as Jordan Tate on the NBC action drama television series Baywatch." [WikiP]

48. Jewelry retailer Alex and __: ANI. ESP. Anyone actually know of/shop them? [apparently, DW (editor-in-chief) knows of them and has two of their bracelets(?!?)]

49. Makeup pencil target: BROW.

50. Perfume name: COTY. If Gary, Amy, & Patti say so. ESP.

51. Sparkly threads: TINSEL. Mostly perps - I was thinking "threads" as in groovy clothing...

52. Guinness superlative: TALLEST. Superlative -- ink "EST" and wait.

54. Lasting impression: SCAR. I had dent :-(

56. Quran scholar: IMAM.

58. Inflation fig.: PSI. Tires' Pounds/Square-Inch - nothing re: macro-economics.

59. Ragtime legend Blake: EUBIE. Lucky WAG crossing BEBE (49d).

Eubie Blake doing Charleston Rag

60. Port-of-Spain's island: TRINIDAD. Once IDAD perp'd, fill was easy!

62. Playwright's prize: OBIE.

63. Jazz singer Carmen: MCRAE. No idea. I inked RAE hoping for the best.

65. [See: Theme]

67. Sharpens: WHETS. Sharpen a knife on a whet-stone or an appetizer to whet your palette.

68. Interstate H-1 locale: OAHU. H-1, thankfully, gave it away.

69. Zoological kingdom: ANIMALIA.

70. TWA rival: US-AIR. Both defunct.

72. Slugger's stat: RBI. Runs Batted In. Who else is happy Baseball is back?

73. Write online: BLOG. A little meta for me "write" now ;-)

74. Warmhearted: KIND. Nice also fit.

75. Comebacks: RETORTS. Give 'em (109d) LIP.

78. Squeal: TATTLE. "Tell on" also fit.

80. Gathering clouds, say: OMEN.

82. Boxing champion's prize: BELT.
 

Yo, Adrian!

83. Word of support: YEA. Hand up: You filled YES, no?

84. Dried poblano: ANCHO.

85. Part of Q.E.D.: QUOD. Latin: quod erat demonstrandum - Which was to be demonstrated / proved mathematically (well, math class is the only place I've ever used QED).

86. __ parade: PRIDE.

88. Open some: AJAR. When is a door not a door? When it's a jar! //I loved joke-books in the 3rd grade.

89. Cowardly Lion portrayer: LAHR.
 

Resting Lion Face

90. Green shot: PUTT. I was thinking Absinthe.

91. "How've you __?": BEEN. "Life still good, CHUM?"

92. Djibouti language: SOMALI.

94. Calvary inscription: INRI. Written on the Cross He was crucified on before he rose again today ~33AD. //religion - I was thinking The Cavalry that rides in at the last minute. #Dyslexia

96. Tony Stark's alter ego: IRON MAN. Robert Downey Jr. was brilliant as.

Got 17:03? - Note: Stan Lee's cameo @13:44.

99. Tire holders: RIMS. I thought "lugs" first.

100. [See: Theme]

104. World's largest peninsula: ARABIA.

106. Keeps safe: PROTECTS.

107. [See: Theme]

112. Afflict: AIL.

113. "Whoa ... that's food for thought": DEEP.

Edie Brickell - Married to Paul Simon

114. Oddball: KOOK. Love it!

115. Long and slippery: EEL LIKE.

116. Melancholy: SAD.

117. Farm area: STY.

118. UV-blocker rating syst.: SPF. Ultra-Violet (sun) rays can be blocked by Sun Protection Factor lotion/spray. DW & dermatologist wants me to use sun-screen every day. Anyone remember when we all used Coppertone to look "healthy"?
 

119. Like tea leaves: STEEPED.

Down:
1. Deluge refuge: ARK. Ha! Love the alliteration.

2. Failed fudge, maybe: GOO. I thought "F" in home-ec(?)

3. Thrilling pair?: ELS. Two Ls in Thrilling. 'Nuff said.

4. Some expensive sweaters: MOHAIRS. Cashmere fit only if you spell it wrong [guilty].

5. "__ Fideles": ADESTE. SEMPER went in just fine; too bad it was wrong #inkymess in the NW

6. Maryland athlete, for short: TERP.

7. Kick out: EXPEL.

8. Dental care suffix: PIK.

9. "Tracey Takes On ... " comedian: ULLMAN. Tracy's show is funny but not fit for all.  Note: 47a is a different spelling of TRACI.

10. How some musicians play: BY EAR. B-YEAR didn't make any sense ;-)

11. Blue: DOWN. Sad, Melancholy (116a), Mopey

12. Santa portrayer in "Elf": ED ASNER. He also hates Spunk.

13. Lobster soup: BISQUE.

14. Soprano woodwind: OBOE. One tunes to the other; don't make me Google.

15. The whole shebang: A TO Z. Ever notice Amazon's logo? The "smile" points A->Z.

Logo History

16. Stew: FUME. Gets in a huff.

18. Pixar's Pearl and Hank, e.g.: OCTOPI. They can make an inky-mess too!

20. Bud: CHUM. Pal, mate, but not necessarily, a BFF.

23. Winter fishing tool: ICE-SAW.

25. Converted, in a way: REBORN. I assume this has a religious connotation. The clue made me think of things like turning a lawnmower into a go-kart.

28. "It is a tale / Told by an __": Macbeth: IDIOT. Or, an ID-10-T error code a young helpdesk consultant writes on the invoice [guilty].

29. Prudential alternative: AETNA. I inked EATNA. #UNTIE!

30. [See: Theme]

32. Zilch: NIL. Nada.

34. Achievement: FEAT.

35. Anklebones: TARSI.

38. Tie the knot: SAY I DO. Just a Sec (not 51d),.. Here's another HITCH! :-)

40. [See: Theme]

41. Crushes the final: ACES IT. I nailed the Continuous & Discrete Signals final bringing my D up to a B. Took me all semester to learn the math.

42. Monet flowers: LILIES.
 

Pond Lilies - Time to bring in a little class to the expo

45. Says nay: VOTES NO.

46. Meddles: HORNS IN. I wanted "noses IN" but it didn't fit. Nor did any of the Mystery Machine kids. [a Scooby Doo ref.]

47. "The Things They Carried" writer O'Brien: TIM. If you say so.

49. Tony winner Neuwirth: BEBE. ibid.

50. Sanchez who voiced Dora the Explorer: CAITLIN. ibid. I had to Google this but Kathleen Herles kept coming up(???). I kept Googling until CAITLIN matched the clue. #Cheat

51. Just a __: TAD. Who else ink'd "sec"?

53. Island feast: LUAU.

54. Originate (from): STEM.

55. Sounded like a loose floorboard: CREAKED. Squeaked was too long.

57. Got older and wiser, perhaps: MATURED. We may age but nobody said we had to grow up.

61. GarageBand device: IPAD. GarageBand is an app for your iThing to aid in mixing music.  My (CEO) Bro uses it for his Dad Band.

62. Oberlin's state: OHIO. Oberlin is a Uni.

63. __ Kombat: video game franchise: MORTAL. Body-blow, Body-blow! I played this but never had enough quarters to get good AT IT.  //Oh, wait that was Punch-Out!

64. Beach shelter: CABANA. Oh,... Should I tell the story of a helpdesk new-hire that confided in us that he worked as a cabana-boy to help pay for college? And, that every time a MATURE lady had a problem with her computer, we'd tell him to grab the Coppertone and don his Speed-Os?
No, I probably shouldn't embarrass him like that.

66. Lose it: WIG OUT. Really lose your cool.

67. Power measure: WATT. 1 Joule/Second. [Exercise left to the reader: Calculate in BTUs]

69. Drink in a mug: ALE. Joe [coffee] fit :-(

71. Tennis great Monica: SELES. BigE probably didn't need perps.

73. Rain-__ gum: BLO.
 

76. Freshwater ducks: TEALS.
 

77. Dress of draped silk: SARI. They are so colorful/beautiful.
 

79. "__ Shop": Macklemore & Ryan Lewis hit: THRIFT. I sussed it w/ a few perps.

81. Theme: MOTIF. The motif of this puzzle is an "issue" ;-)

82. Twofold: BINARY. There are 10 types of people in this world. Those who understand binary and those who don't.

85. The Dave Clark Five, e.g.: QUINTET. Even if you don't know who The Dave Clark Five is, the answer is(ish) in the clue.
 

Glad All Over

86. Farm area: PEN. Wait, I thought it was a STY [117a]. Nice clecho.

87. Comment: REMARK. Not quite a RETORT.

88. Friendly: AMIABLE. Ok, that's a better definition for "nice" when KIND was asked for.

90. Consumer Reports data: PRICES. Anyone still subscribe? I have the eScription but DW says everything I buy on their recommendation sucks. I'm not sure that's fair -- the DustBuster we purchased sure does. *rimshot*

91. Proof of purchase: BOX TOP. Hand-up: You collected these from Kellogg's'/Post's' boxes to get pencils or whatever for school. They also had us collect Campbell's soup can labels [which was easy-peasy to SNAG [another "issue"] from Maternal Grand's kitchen bin.]

93. Colorful songbird: ORIOLE. Did I mention Baseball is back?

95. Have to have: NEED. Oy!, I found out two weeks ago that you NEED salts.

 
//Story I promised: 

I'd gone to drinking nothing but water (except when commuting T,W,Th - a coffee FIX is NEEDed at 6am!).
To make water fun, I got a SodaStream to give it bubbles and little squirty-flavors (cucumber-lime is my Fav!) to add.
I ended up washing out my salts by drinking too much water(? what a PICKLE!) and landed in the ER thinking I was having a heart attack.  My BP has always been high (~140/99) but 168/112 scared me (a good buddy had a stroke and he's younger than I!)  and I had shortness of breath.
ER gave me a swig of potassium (nasty stuff) and a saline drip.  Within an hour I was right as rain!
Here I was trying to be healthy and... 

Pop has oft said: "All my 'healthy' friends are dead." (I should go back to beer & coffee, eh?)
//End PSA.

97. Hazards: RISKS. I didn't think water would be a Hazard outside of a golf-course.

98. Scruffs: NAPES. Cats pickup kittens by the scruff/nape of their neck.

100. IRS form experts: CPAS. Welcome to April Americans :-). Internal Revenue Service forms require a Certified Public Accountant if/when your taxes get more complicated than just income of simply working a 9-to-5. If nothing else, a CPA gives you peace of mind you didn't mess up/get in a PINCH [issue] with the IRS.
//D-O: What/who certifies you? Is the cert good across state-lines (unlike Law)?

101. Solo often sung in Italian: ARIA. I wish I had a video of Eldest singing Ava Maria to share - brought Pop to tears, she did.

102. Soufflé recipe word: FOLD. Any Cornerite ever make one of these right? I just settle for Frittata [what real-men call quiche 'cuz we don't eat that (see: Sunday 4/2) :-)]

103. Glimpse: ESPY. Not to be confused with the ESPN Award you've eyed for your physical prowess.

105. Cy Young winner Saberhagen: BRET. Pitcher from Chicago Heights who played with the Royals, Mets, Rockies and Bo. Sox.  While with the Royals, Bret won Cy Young (and World Series against St. Louis) in '85 and another Cy Young in '89 with an ERA of 2.16.
 

Bret Saberhagen

108. "That sounds painful": OOF. An onomatopoeia.

109. Guff: LIP. Usage: "Don't give me your guff." Sass, RETORT, LIP.

110. Make (out): EKE. Not smooching/snogging but just getting by.

111. Club __: MED. I was thinking about last Tuesday and, first to mind, Club Fed :-)

The Grid:
 

The Grid

Whew!  That was long winded.  The skinny:
WOs: aplenty in the NW; sec->TAD.
ESPs: names save LAHR; INRI (I really was thinking 1st Cav #Ft.Hood)
Cheats: Google for CAITLIN, dictionary for CAFFEINE's spelling.
Fav: KOOK is just such a fun word. Shakespeare's IDIOT was also a hoot.

I know -- Sunday's grids are a lot of words but I hope y'all had as much fun as I.
//end expo|brain ramble.

Cheers!, -T