Sunday December 7, 2008 Arlan and Linda Bushman

Theme: Must "C" Movies

23A: Movie about George M. Cohan's sweet tooth?: YANKEE DOODLE CANDY (DANDY)

43A: Movie about interpreter fees?: COST (LOST) IN TRANSLATION

63A: Movie about a rain forest chef?: THE JUNGLE COOK (BOOK)

91A: Movie about a kennel owner's purchase: A FISTFUL OF COLLARS (DOLLARS)

114A: Movie about a versatile container?: A CAN (MAN) FOR ALL SEASONS

16D: Movie about a dance troupe?: THE CAST (LAST) WALTZ

62D: Movie about a sleuth's heavenly helper? THE CLUE (BLUE) ANGEL

Such a clever theme. Perfect theme title as well.

I thought of the movie "Some Like it Hot", but the "C" change will result "Come Like it Hot", probably too DF. "Annie Hall" is a great candidate too, but it's impossible to clue "Annie Call" grammatically. "Fargo" (Cargo) does not have enough letters to be a theme answer.

Of the above 7 movies, the only movie I've seen is LOST IN TRANSLATION. And the only movie I've never heard of is A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS.

I seriously doubt the GOLD clue (109A: Fort Knox cache) is the constructors' original. They are far too experienced a team to make clue/answer (65D: Military stronghold: FORT) duplication mistake.

The cluing mistake for DETENTE (17D: International accord) somehow comforts me. I thought I am the only one who is often confused by DETENTE and ENTENTE. What can I say? Confused minds think alike?

I loved the clue for SPA (117D: Bath, for one). Very clever. Bath is a city in England famous for its spas. See the map? It's to the west of London, close to Bristol.

Across:

1A: Fuzzy fruit: KIWI. Fuzzy indeed. But really we don't call KIWI "Chinese gooseberry" in China.

5A: Use elbow grease: SCRUB. I wonder why NASA prefers SCRUB over cancel when they call off the shuttle launch.

10A: 6-pointers: TDS. I still think "NFL" is needed in the clue for abbreviation hint. 6 is not good enough for me.

19A: Seed protector: ARIL. Testa is the hard, outer coating.

20A: Bath sponge: LOOFA. This is how it looks like before it enters your bathroom. Very tasty when stir-fried with a little bit of meat.

21A: Location of Bradley University: PEORIA. I googled. Caterpillar Headquarters is based here also. And WACO (57A: Baylor U. location). U should not have been abbreviated. Dr. Pepper Museum is in WACO.

29A: Printer's measures: PICAS

30A: Beckham's game: SOCCER. We call it football in China.

36A: Yarn bundle: HANK. Like a skein? I've never heard of HANK used as "Yarn bundle" before.

37A: Close-knit group: CLIQUE. Coterie is one letter too long.

39A: Salami type: GENOA. Can you believe that I've never had salami?

40A: Adriatic gulf: TRIESTE. See Gulf of TRIESTE. It's at the north end of Adriatic Sea. New to me also. Such a sad looking word, so close to TRISTE in spelling.

48A: Deserve: RATE. How so? I wanted EARN.

50A: "Leave it to Beaver" co-star: TONY DOW. Would not have got his name without the surrounds.

63A: Grilled sandwich: PANINI. This veggie PANINI looks so good. When do you use the singular form panino then?

67A: Bremen exclamation: ACH. I guessed. Not familiar with this city/state Bremen.

75A: Twisted treat: PRETZEL

79A: Rose extract: ATTAR. I wonder how many rose petals it takes to make a drop of rose oil.

80A: Rhine siren: LORELEI. Also spelled as LORELEY, which can also refer to the rock along the Rhine River where the siren LORELEI lured the sailors. Too bad, Kazie, I simply forgot it again. All I could think of is Circe.

83A: Legendary Hun king: ATLI. I can't understand why Attila the Hun is also called ATLI.

89A: Disco of "The Simpsons": STU. Learned his name from doing Xword. MOE is the bartender in "The Simpsons".

96A: Hack's question: WHERE TO

99A: Baker's item: PIE PAN. What kind of pie did you have for Thanksgiving?

104A: Ancient letters: RUNES. The first six letters of RUNES are F, U, TH, A, R, K, hence Futhark.

108A: "Over the Rainbow" composer: ARLEN (Harold). Normally I like the original song, but this medley of "Over the Rainbow" and "What a Wonderful World" is so beautiful.

110A: Osaka Okay: HAI. The same with "Cantonese Okay". "Mandarine Okay" is "Shi".

119A: Block: SCREEN

123A: Grandstander: HOTDOG

Down:

1D: Danny or Stubby: KAYE. Got this name from across fills. I know neither of them.

5D: Make glossy: SLEEKEN. New verb to me.

6D: Musical wrapups: CODAS

9D: Undesirable individual: BAD PENNY. New slang to me.

15D: "Banana Boat" shout: DAY-O. I've never heard of "Banana Boat" before. I like that guy's voice. The tune sounds so similar to "Come Mr. Taliban".

18D: Breathing device: SNORKEL

24D: Boredom: ENNUI

33D: Brainpower meas.: IQ TEST. Nice answer.

39D: Small cave: GROT. Only knew grotto. Also, I did not know that cavern is a big cave. Always thought cavern is smaller.

44D: Final strike: THREE. Great clue. Oh by the way, Babe Ruth’s jersey number is 3. Mantle's is 7. Kirby Puckett's number is 34. He died too young.

55D: Hit by the Stones: ANGIE. Is that Mick Jagger? He looks so different.

60D: Kin of CHiPs: LAPDS. But the official acronym for California Highway Patrol is CHP, isn't it?

63D: Opinion leader: PUNDIT

64D: Biotic beginning?: ANTI. Antibiotic. Very unexpected clue.

66D: Home decor co.: IKEA. Do you like the Swedish style food at IKEA?

73D: Bout-stopper: TKO (Technical knockout). The clue needs "for short".

82D: Immature newt: EFT

83D: Estrange: ALIENATE. I like this word "Estrange". I also like espouse.

86D: Hines footwear: TAP SHOES. I guessed. Have never heard of "Hines footwear" before.

89D: Eddied: SWIRLED. I wanted TWIRLED.

94D: Richly appointed: OPULENT. I did not know that "appoint" can mean "furnish".

103D: Monteverdi opera "L'__": ORFEO. Another google. ORFEO is Italian for Orpheus. He shouldn't look back when he tried to bring his wife Eurydice from Hades. Kind of like Lot's wife Pillar of Salt story, isn't it?

104D: Pine product: ROSIN. Never know when to put ROSIN and when to put RESIN.

106D: Pulverize: MASH

107D: Behold, to Guido: ECCO. Italian for ECCE I presume. Guido is the guy who invented the musical notation. Remember the ELA (Guido's high note)?

111D: Egyptian cross: ANKH. Very easy to mix ANKH with the Punjab religion SIKH.

C.C.

Saturday November 29, 2008 Arlan and Linda Bushman

Theme: None

Total blocks: 30

I think I will enjoy themeless puzzles more once I get better at solving. I really like the open field and long words.

This is a nice puzzle. No strained or forced entries, except ELA (35D: Old time high note). I wonder how many people know about this high note on Guido's Music Notation.

I love the crossing of AMERICANA (16A: Bits and pieces of U. S. history) and VALUABLE (12D: Great worth). It reminds me of "Antiques Roadshow" and our local flea markets. I have yet to find something of "Great worth" though.

Across:

1A: Trudge (on): PRESS. I definitely need a "Iron" clue for the answer to come to me immediately.

6A: Ralph Kramden, for one: BUS DRIVER. Easy guess. I did not know who Ralph Kramden is.

17A: Buzzing: ASTIR. I thought of AROAR, too strong for the "Buzzing" clue I suppose.

19A: Stone Age implement: NEOLITH

21A: Dowel: PEG. Got it from the down clue. I did not know the meaning of "Dowel".

22A: Spoon-bender Geller: URI. This looks interesting.

25A: Chronicle: SAGA. They are not the same to me. A "Chronicle" is a real account of the event, right? SAGA is often mythified and romanticized.

26A: Team player: SPORTSMAN. I don't like this clue. A PGA Pro is a SPORTSMAN, but he is not a "Team player", unless it's for the Ryder Cup.

30A: Donnybrook: MELEE

31A: Jumper cable connection: ANODE. NY Times puzzle once had TENDONS (53A: Kin of ligaments) clued as "Jumper's cables?".

36A: Dauphin's dad: ROI. Another guess. I did not know that Dauphin means "the eldest son of the king of France from 1349 to 1830". Kind of like Prince of Wales.

37A: Leafy garnish: CRESS. It's the same as watercress, isn't it? You will more likely find dried CRESS and pickled rutabaga in Asian Stores. They are seldom eaten fresh in China.

39A: New Rochelle college: IONA. Don McLean's alma mater. I never get tired of "Starry Night". I also like his "American Pie", very touching.

42A: Shown, as in a museum: ON EXHIBIT

50A: Pacific weather pattern: LA NINA. I could only think of EL NINO.

51A: Guess at LAX: ETA

54A: Game often stalemated: TIC- TAC- TOE

57A: Miser Marner: SILAS. I have difficulty remembering this George Eliot book.

58A: Puts up with: TOLERATES

60A: Jokes like Dangerfield's: ONE LINERS. Here are some of his best ONE LINERS.

61A: Jazz vocalist Mercer: MABEL. I forgot. She appeared in our puzzle before. We just had " Normand of the silent movie" two days ago.

Down:

1D: Shop tools: PLANES

2D: Rebel: RISE UP

3D: La corrida beast: EL TORO. The clue is asking for TORO, not "EL TORO", isn't it?

4D: Admiral or cabin boy: SAILOR

5D: Actor's lines: SCRIPTS

7D: Diamond arbiter: UMP. I can't remember clearly, did they make UMP bobbleheads in the 1960's? These are adorable. Senators became the Twins.

8D: Sinuous: SERPENTINE

13D: Efforts: ENERGIES

14D: Branches out: RADIATES

20D: Check out: TEST

27D: Performer with strings attached: MARIONETTE. "Performer"? What do you call the person who manipulates the MARIONETTE then?

28D: Run _ of Hip Hop fame: D.M.C.. The answer emerged after I got the across fills. Had no familarity with this Hip Hop group.

31D: Almond liqueur: AMARETTO. I've never had it. Is it bitter?

32D: Marginal marking: NOTATION

33D: Impediment: OBSTACLE. Obstruct has the same amount of letters.

40D: Rod in a car: AXLE

43D: Horsedrawn carriage: HANSOM

44D: Gandhi of India: INDIRA. She had two sons, Rajiv and Sanjay.

45D: Cloning spot, for short: BIOLAB

46D: Present at birth: INNATE. And ENATE is "Maternally related", AGNATE is "Paternally related) and COGNATE is "Related by birth".

47D: Mortarboard fixture: TASSEL

53D: Mrs. Dick Tracy: TESS. Does any one collect Kellogg's Pep pinbacks?

C.C.

Wednesday November 19, 2008 Arlan and Linda Bushman

Theme: Methods of Travel

20A: Jet parked on a hill?: INCLINED PLANE

35A: Genoa-based ship?: ITALIAN SUB

42A: Ragu on rails? GRAVY TRAIN

56A: Bus on a bumpy road?: PITCHING COACH

Ragu is not GRAVY, is it? I don't understand the clue and answer for 56A. How is "on a bumpy road" connected with "PITCHING"? So strained, why not "Visitor to the Mound?"

I like how ITER (29D: Cicero's road) anchors the puzzle and intersects two theme entries. Excellent placement. I cannot tell whether the clue for SHEA (9D: George Beverly or John) is the constructors' original or not. It just strikes me as very obscure, though easily obtainable from the across fills.

For those who are interested in Merl Reagle's NY Times crossword puzzle & "The Simpsons" episode, this is Part I, this is Part II. If you don't have access to NY Times, try Philadelphia Inquirer. Merl also wrote a recap. There are some hidden diagnol messages for you to discover.

Across:

1A: Took wing: FLEW. I am not familiar with the idiom "Take wing". The first word that popped into my mind is ATE. I was thinking of the buffalo wings.

14A: Burt's ex: LONI. Here they are. Interesting, Reynolds dated both Adrienne Barbeau & Dolly Parton before. I just find it so hard to believe a 36-24-36 measurment. 34-24-34 is more real to me.

15A: Ancient mariner: NOAH. SINBAD is clued as "Mythical mariner" last time.

17A: Asian inland sea: ARAL. Often clued as "Shrinking Asian sea".

30A: Fragment: PIECE. And ITEM (57D: Article).

38A: Relevant: GERMANE. Is this word derived from "German"?

41A: Frankie's beach blanket partner: ANNETTE. From this movie I suppose. I've never heard of ANNETTE and Frankie.

46A: Family of Indy winners: UNSER. Learned from doing Xword. Not a racing fan.

61A: Vamp's accessory: FEATHER BOA

65A: Shady stand: ELMS. I could not figure why the clue is singular, then I remembered the clue for TREE ("A member of the stand") last Sunday. How can "stand" refer to "a group of trees" is beyond me.

66A: Golf hazard: TRAP. Our puzzle regular Ernie Els is brilliant at bunker shot.

67A: The Orlons 1963 hit: NOT ME. I got it from the down fills. Had no idea who The Orlons are.

Down:

1D: Natural talent: FLAIR. And ECLAT (54D: Great brilliance). I like positive & sunny words. AIDS & DIE depress me, even if they are innocently clued as "Lends a hand" & "Casino cube".

3D: Ratify: ENACT. My first thought is "endorse". ENACT is often clued as "Make into law".

4D: "Die Hard" star: WILLIS. Unless specified, the movie star clue is always asking for the surname of the actor/actress.

10D: Jazz flautist Herbie: MANN. Here is a nice clip. See Tito Puente? I did not know that "flautist" means "flutist".

11D: Holds the attention of: INTERESTS

26D: Grill brand: WEBER. Nice sign. New name to me also. I've never paid attention to our grill brand.

28D: "__ That a Shame": AIN'T. I guessed. Not familiar with this song.

31D: Serpent tail?: INE. Serpentine. "Hero tail?" too (Heroine).

34D: International accord: TRADE PACT

51D: Chucked: THREW. I kept reading the clue as "Chuckled".

59D: Iditarod destination: NOME. See this trail map. Why "Willow restart" instead of "Willow start"?

C.C.

Sunday, September 28, 2008 Arlan and Linda Bushman

Theme: Chem Lingo

23A: Einstein with no more einsteinium in stock, e.g.?: OUT OF ONE'S ELEMENT

36A: Incipient chemical concoction? INFANT FORMULA

54A: Caustic chemical couriers?: BASE RUNNERS

78A: Caustic remark about a litmus test result?: ACID COMMENT

97A: Report concerning chemical ions?: CHARGE ACCOUNT

112A: Attention given to a chemical mixture? COMPOUND INTEREST

16D: Where one buys chemical supplies?: MASS MARKET

71D: Neither black nor white chemical stuff?: GRAY MATTER

Where is ORGANIC/INORGANIC?

I really liked this puzzle, so well constructed. I had expected something complicated after I saw the titled theme, so I was elated when I got most of the themed entries without encountering too much resistance.

Wasted a long time on SNORE (73D: Saw wood in bed). I had actually heard of the idiom "saw wood" before, but I could not remember the exact meaning. I just kept wanting a past tense word and SLEPT sounded perfect.

I thought "Dorothy's surname" would be a better clue for GALE (22A: Whitecap weather) since we have AUNT EM (49D: Dorothy's guardian) in the grid.

It warmed my heart to see THAMES clued as "Flower by Big Ben" (35A), so comforting after my repeated pleas for a "flow-er" clue last week. But there should definitely be a "?" in the clue. Otherwise, it's too startling and senseless for a unsuspecting solver. I thought "Spanish flower?" would be a great clue for (48D: River of Spain) too.

There are so many things that flow: river, cash, air, hot lava, champagne, thought, information, idea, words, sweat, love and tears. But a broken heart is indeed like a river that won't flow.

I've been enjoying the real flowers and music in this Ravel Bolero clip. I hope you like it too.

Across:

1A: Natural fountain: SPRING. This flows too. What's the real difference between SPRING water and mineral water?

20A: Unbroken view: PANORAMAS. For those who only solve Sunday's crossword puzzle, enjoy this Outer Space flash movie Sallie linked yesterday. Beautiful!

27A: West coat seagull: MEW. Here is a picture. New to me.

40A: Ranch name in "Giant": REATA. I forgot. Saw this clue long time ago on a TMS puzzle. Have you seen "Giant" before? So many people collect James Dean memorabilia.

47A: Roskalnikov's refusals: NYETS. Is Roskalnikov from Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment"? Or is it just a popular Russian name? I had never heard of it before.

67A: Mr. Peanut's spiffy legwear: SPATS. New to me also. Is it the same as gaiter? SPATS was clued as "Rhubarbs" earlier this week.

68A: Kevin Klein movie: DAVE. It's a pretty good movie.

84A: Niels or Aage of physics: BOHR. Both of them won Nobel prize in physics.

92A: Pers. with a handle?: CBER

96A: "All Men Are Whores" dramatist: MAMET (David). I've never heard of his name before. But what a terrible play title. I dislike so much the word "whore".

105A: Canvas colors?: OILS. What do you think about this clue?

111A: Dated leader?: ANTE. A nice change from "Feed the kitty' clue.

119A: Combo bet: EXACTA. And trifecta. What else?

Down:

4D: Forge output: IRON BAR

5D: Letters on a rubber check: NSF. I did not know that a bounced check is also called a rubber check.

6D: Euclid's province: GEOMETRY. I also did not know that province also means "a department or branch of learning or activity".

18D: Loudly laments: KEENS. And 80D: Poetic lament: ELEGY

33D: Trivial stuff: DROSS. New to me also. I always thought of DROSS as "discarded waste matter".

38D: Old French bread?: FRANC. It's the "Stale Swiss bread" too.

39D: Series of eight: OCTAD. Basically there is no difference between OCTAD and OCTET, right?

50D: Bearded grazers: GNUS. I only remembered his horns, had never paid attention to his beard .

58D: Goalie's feat: SAVE. A closer can achieve this feat too.

61D: Robin Cook thriller: COMA. Learned this from doing Xword. Have you read this book?

65D: Novi Sad resident: SERB. Novi Sad is Serbia's second largest city, after Belgrade. New to me also.

68D: Moral obligation: DUTY. I vodka Dennis so much. He has done such a great job fulfilling his morel moral obligation for this country.

72D: Polecat defense: ODOR. Did not know that skunk is also called polecat.

75D: "As You Liked it" forest: ARDEN. I just learned that Shakespeare's mother's name is Mary ARDEN.

76D: Cereal box fig.: NET WT. Ha, I always thought it's NT WT.

91D: Big-billed bird: PELICAN. Gimme for Chris I am sure. It's their state bird. I really liked Denzel Washington's role in "The PELIAN Brief".

92D: Pause in conversation: CAESURA. Completely foreign to me. What exactly is a CAESURA?

98D: Spartan drudge: HELOT. I forgot. All I could think of was SERF. Have difficulty remembering any Spartan/Laconian stuff.

108D: Orlop or poop: DECK. I've never heard of poop deck before. What a strange name!

109D: Italian noble family: ESTE. I forgot how they are related to Ferrara.

115D: Joanne of films: DRU. I googled her name, and found out that she did quite a few movies with John Wayne.

116D: Outer: pref.: EXO. The opposite prefix is ENDO.

C.C.

Friday September 19, 2008 Arlan and Linda Bushman

Theme: B, literally (Words/Phrase that start with letter B)

17A: B, literally: BANDLEADER

61A: B literally: BOBBLEHEAD

10D: B literally: BRITISH OPEN

25D: B literally: BATTLEFRONT

Hmmm, the farm boy Westley of "The Princess Bride" probably wants a BUTTERCUP COVER. How about BATMAN FACE? What else can you think of?

I liked this puzzle tremendously. Very creative theme idea and smooth cluing. A bit of musical instrument sub-theme:

41A: Slender reed: OBOE

47A: Luau music maker: UKE

50D: Big brass: TUBAS

I also thought of CHEERLEADER, CLUBHEAD, COLD FRONT, CANADIAN OPEN for a "C, literally" themed puzzle, with a golf-sub theme.

Across:

1A: Top points: ACMES. If it's a 5-letter blank, then it could be APICES, the plural form of APEX.

10A: Rorshach image: BLOT

20A: Pack animal: ASS. My first though was RAT.

22A: Wrestling ring duo: TAG TEAM. I learned this morning that only one match is allowed in the ring at one time. Such aggressive wrestling match types: Last Man Standing, Hard Ten Match, Strip Matches (Bra and Panties, Tuxedo), Pillow Fight, Mud Match, etc.

24A: Hitchcock thriller: THE BIRDS. Only saw the very end of the film, horrifying! I like Hitchcock's "To Catch a Thief", lovely! "Rear Window" is a bit scary too.

29A: Spot for reporters: PRESS BOX

34A: Latte topping: FROTH. Holy hot wick FROTH. What caused it?

38A: Mia of soccer: HAMM. Very nice clip.

40A: Garden perennial: PEONY. Here is a beautiful PEONY for you. China does not really have a national flower. People simply can not decide whether to pick PEONY or winter plum blossom. We also have lotus for summer and chrysanthemum for autumn. So basically, China is one country, 4 flowers (for 4 seasons).

44A: Watch furtively: SPY ON

46A: Road marker: MILEPOST

49A: Potency: STRENGTH

54A: Austere: SPARTAN

65A: Kinks' title woman: LOLA. Here is the song. Not very familiar to me. LOLA is always the "Damn Yankees" girl to me.

66A: Ballet __ of Monte Carlo: RUSSE. No idea. Got it from the across fills.

69A: Thomas and Green: SETHS. Another educated guess. Have never heard either of them.

Down:

1D: No longer on deck: AT BAT. Wouldn't it be awesome if the clue for the intersecting TRADE (14A: Line of work) is "Baseall news"?

9D: Game plan: STRATEGY

12D: Southern side dish: OKRA. I always associate OKRA with Gumbo.

26D: Brussels ___: SPROUTS. Have you ever grown Brussels SPROUTS? The stems are so long.

31D: Mollycoddle: BABY. "BABY, I Love You."

33D: Wolverine' s group: X-MEN. The Marvel Comics.

34D: O'Hara's "___ the Terrace": FROM. Another unknown. Easy to infer though. Have you seen the movie?

44D: Kabob holders: SKEWERS

47D: River to the Caspian: URAL. Or URAL Mountains (Europe/Asia separator).

C.C.

Sunday July 20, 2008 Arlan and Linda Bushman

Theme: Break Up to Make Up

23A: Result of an XL body in S clothing?: SEAM STRESS (SEAMSTRESS)

28A: Dinner servings for an NFL athlete?: PRO PORTIONS (PROPORTIONS)

50A: Kisses done in error?: BLUNDER BUSSES (BLUNDERBUSSES)

80A: Best-in-class vessels?: CHAMPION SHIPS (CHAMPIONSHIPS)

103A: Testimonials for reformed prisoners?: CON TRIBUTES (CONTRIBUTES)

111A: Nutty reason for doing something?: LOCO MOTIVE (LOCOMOTIVE)

42D: Alarms on certain vehicles?: VAN GUARDS (VANGUARDS)

46D: Prop boulders?: SHAM ROCKS (SHAMROCKS)

Out of the 8 theme answers, I was confused by 50A for a long time. I did not know that BUSS means KISS, nor did I know that BLUNDERBUSS is an actual word. I still have difficulty understanding 46D. How does "Prop" connect with "SHAM"?

Except 21A & 111A, all other theme answers are in plural forms. So symmetrically balanced. I truly appreciate this attention to details. I also like how JIMMY (66A: Pry open) anchors the whole grid.

This is a very solid, well constructed puzzle, with no annoying affixes or obscure proper names crossing one another. The grid covers a broad range of topics, not just dead/old movie stars and singers who frustrate me all the time. I think our fellow solvers in Asia (esp those in India) will enjoy this puzzle too.

I wonder if the clues for SCARCE (10D: Hard to come by) and CIDER (80D: Drink that can be hard) are the original submission. Theoretically they are not allowed due to HARD TOP (97A: Car style). But I really like the CIDER clue, hard but sweet!

Across:

1A: Sign of sadness: TEAR. Now I start to understand why SWEAT (102D: Fret about) is not clued as a noun (like "Perspiration" for example). The more the parts of speech are used, the livelier the puzzle is I think.

10A: Kind of card or bomb: SMART. Know SMART bomb, not the SMART card.

19A: Spokane event of '74: EXPO. '74 World's Fair. Unknown to me. I had no idea where Spokane is 'til today.

22A: "The Lion King" character: NALA

25A: Range name: AMANA

27A: Pile of discarded stuff: SCRAPHEAP

30A: Up and about: ASTIR

31A: Shortfall: DEFICIT

33A: Much searched-for-guy: WALDO. Why? I don't understand this.

37A: Fall toiler: RAKER

40A: Macadamize: PAVE. I did not know the meaning of "Macadamize", which is to "Pave road with macadam". Macadam is named after "J. L. McAdam, the Scottish engineer who invented it."

45A: Calm area of the Atlantic: SARGASSO. Wikipedia says "the Sargasso Sea is the only "sea" without shore, and it is sometimes called the "graveyard of ships" due to its closeness to the Bermuda Triangle.

49A: Just like: A LA

58A: "Thief" star: CAAN (James). I've never heard of this movie before, have you?

59A: Tabby: TIGER CAT. Is TIGER CAT a cat?

65A: World War II prowler: U-BOAT

70A: Popular aquarium fish: GUPPY. Strange peacock looking GUPPY.

74A: cloud of comet: OORT. Named after the astronomer Jan Hendrick OORT who first proposed the existence of the cloud. Unknown to me.

78A: At the right moment: ON CUE

92A: Songwriter Laura: NYRO. Here is "Wedding Bell Blues" written by NYRO, whom I had never heard of before.

94A: Party ticket: SLATE. SLATE.com is probably the best known Ezine (Web Mag).

112A: Salinger girl: ESME. "For ESME – with Love and Squalor".

117A: Male red deer: HARTS. Really, are they red-colored? That's 3-day in a roll we have a deer in our puzzle.

DOWN:

1D: Judith Krantz title heroine: TESSA. "The Jewels of TESS Kent". Another unknown. I had never heard of Judith Krantz before.

3D: Off to one side: APART. Are you OK with this clue?

4D: Iceberg alternative: ROMAINE. The lettuce for Blood Type O.

7D: Mountain nymph: OREAD. Wood nymph is DRYAD, River nymph is NAIAD. All gimmes for Dennis I am sure. He said that the 3 things he would bring to an island should he be stranded were "nymphomaniac, a pistol and an airplane".

8D: Outlaw: DESPERADO. Enjoy this Eagles' DESPERADO, "... You better let somebody love you, before it’s too late."

11D: Personal account: MEMOIR

12D: Go with the flow: ADAPT

16D: Holiday tune: CAROL. I don't think our CAROL gets the Sunday TMS puzzle though.

17D: Large antelope: ELAND. Look at his twisted horns. Huge!

18D: Authority: SAY-SO

24D: Light-footed: SPRY

28D: Cheapskate: PIKER. New word to me.

36D: Premier pointillist: SEURAT (Georges). His name is not familiar to me. I've barely heard of pointillism. Here is his "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte".

39D: Trudged (on): PRESSED. I wanted PLODDED. PRESSED does not have a "Trudged" connotation in my opinion.

40D: Concordat: PACT. "Concordat" is a new word to me also. Is it a commonly used word to you?

41D: Kirghiz mountains: ALAI. I simply forgot. I wanted URAL. ALAI is part of Tien Shan Range. I cannot find the word ALAI in the map though.

50D: Shelley cohort: BYRON. I always thought "Cohort" has a negative undertone (like an accomplice in criminal activities).

51D: Mild and pleasant: BALMY

58D: Marker made of stones: CAIRN. Another new word to me. From the Gaelic word "carn" (heap of stones, rocky hills). See this picture, so aesthetically simple.

60D: Become all the rage: CATCH ON

61D: "Adoration of the Magi" painter: LIPPI (Filippino). Here is LIPPI's "Adoration of the Magi". Here is Sandro Botticelli's "Adoration of the Magi". Which one do you like better?

62D: Diamond arbiter: UMP (Umpire). I like every baseball-related clue.

76D: Maui retreat: HANA. No idea. I got it from the across clues.

77D: Science of signs?: ASTROLOGY

83D: Thickness: PLY. I have difficulty connecting thickness with PLY, which is always "layer" to me.

86D: Paid, as a bill: SETTLED

90D: Made no changes: SAT PAT

93D: __-Rooter: ROTO. This refers to the ROTO-Rooter company, right?

95D: Unattached: LOOSE. The cluing does not feel tight to me. Are those two words really synonymous?

96D: Japanese cartoon art: ANIME

105D: Silent films vamp: BARA (Theda). The "Cleopatra" in 1917.

108D: Apple offering: IMAC

111D: Resinous secretion: LAC. What's the difference between LAC and Lacquer?

C.C.

Sunday June 15, 2008 Arlan and Linda Bushman

Theme: Casting Re-Calls

23A: Movie not starring Queen Latifah?: THE KING AND I

36A: Movie not starring Sid Caesar?: ROMAN HOLIDAY

61A: Movie not starring Vincent Price?: CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN

73A: Movie not starring Billy Crystal?: ROMANCING THE STONE

97A: Movie not starring Orlando Bloom?: CACTUS FLOWER

119A: Movie not starring Robin Williams?: BIRD ON A WIRE

16D: Movie not starring Robert Morse?: THE DA VINCI CODE

49D: Movie not starring Gregory Peck?: PRELUDE TO A KISS

A decent puzzle, isn't it? No Roman numerals for a change! Are you bothered by the exceeding amount of suffixes "S"?

Given that today is Father's Day, I would have clued SIRE (113A: Royal address) as "Father", and POP (47A: What a weasel goes) as "Dad". Shouldn't the clue be "How a weasel goes" instead of "What a weasel goes"? The clue for LEMON (72D: Pop flavoring) needs to be changed to "Citrus fruit" or "Dud". I simply hate the word POP popped up twice.

Besides, the clue for OSTIA (74D: Port city of Rome) is incorrect, it should be "Port City of ancient Rome". It's not there any more. OSTIA the town yes. And STE (92D: Fr. title) should be "Fr. Holy woman". It has to be a Mlle.

Lots of 3-letter words in the grid, and "EE" combinations, CEE, DEEP, GEESE, SMEE (31D: Neverland pirate), FOR FREE, REDEEM (20A: Win back) and LEE (44A: Stan of Marvel Comics). By the way, I am eagerly waitinging for LEE Westwood to pull off an upset at US Open later today. I like Geoff Ogilvy too. Who are you rooting for? Tiger?

ACROSS:

21A: Soap Box Derby Site: AKRON OHIO. Knew AKRON, had no idea what was "Soap Box Derby". AKRON is also the location of National Inventors Hall of Fame.

25A: In an unhurried manner: LEISURELY. And then 107D: Rash: HASTY

26A: Greenhorns: NOVICES

29A: Struts: PARADES.

30A: Rugged mountain ridge: ARETE. I just learned that ARETE also means "the aggregate of qualities, as valor and virtue, making up good character". Greek origin.

31A: Disconnected musically: STACCATO. Another musical term: 58D: Slow musical passage: ADAGIO

34A: Writer LeShan: EDA. Not a familiar name to me. A rather short Wikipedia bio.

39A: __out (be a couch potato): VEG

42A: Goggle: STARE

45A: Resolve: DECIDE. Do you like the Cranberries "Free to DECIDE"? I am listening to their Linger right now..."you know I am such a fool for you..."

50A: When asked for: ON DEMAND

54A: Payback: REVENGE. "It's sweet and not fattening".

56A: At no cost: FOR FREE

60A: Andean tubers: OCAS. Has anyone tried them before? Does they taste like sweet potatoes?

68A: Author of "The Hundred Secret Senses": TAN (Amy). Only read her "The Joy Luck Club", and it's good.

81A: Queen of Sparta: LEDA. Ah, the Swan lady, mother of Helen of Troy. I am slowly learning this Greek mythology stuff.

85A: Backed off: EASED UP

88A: Bleak: DESOLATE. And 89D: Depressions: LOWS. How can I cheer you up? How about some Spanish OMELETS (86A: Folded dishes) and mozzarella ROTINI (91A: Pasta choice) salad? Now, are you feeling a bit ZESTFUL (114A: Spirited)?

90A: Hellenic vowel: ETA

94A: In the open: OVERT

96A: Year in Yucatan: ANO. And 51D: Yucatan dwellers: MAYANS.

102A: Kachina maker: HOPI. Look at these ones. Tough to identify the artist I suppose.

106A: "Take on Me" trio: A-HA. Here is the clip. I've never heard of this Norwegian band before, have you?

108A: Biddy condos?: HEN COOPS

109A: Body of rules: CANON. Wish it were clued as CANON camera to pair up with 13D: Camera adjunct: TRIPOD.

110A: Capital of Indonesia: JAKARTA. Too hot and humid there.

116A: Being: EXISTENCE. This reminds me of Sartre's Being and Nothingness.

121A: Intervening spaces: DISTANCES

122A: Titled: LEANED

124A: Suburb of Paris: ISSY. ORLY is another 4-letter city in the suburb of Paris.

126A: Literary compositions: ESSAYS

DOWN:

1D: Refreshing rest: CAT NAP

2D: Shudders at: ABHORS

3D: Irks: PEEVES. See also 65A: Pique: IRE. Not in good mood today...

4D: Nevis partner: ST. KITTS. Got it this time.

5D: "Judith" composer: ARNE (Thomas). Took an educated guess. Only keow ARNE as the "Rule, Britannia" composer.

7D: Nabokov novel: ADA. Have you read this book? Oh, ADA Lovelace is Byron's daughter.

8D: Diva Scotto: RENATA. Completely unknown to me. Got her name from across clues. Here is more information about this diva.

9D: Highway divider: MEDIAN

10D: Dishonor: SMIRCH

14D: Homer-hitter Sammy: SOSA. Not anymore, not without steroid!

15D: ICBM watchdog: NORAD (North American Air Defense Command)

17D: ___ E. Coyote: WILE. Learned this from doing crossword of course.

22D: Rudolf of ballet: NUREYEV

24D: Saloon rocks?: ICE

28D: Upbraid: SCOLD

32D: Schooner fill: ALE

33D: Make fast: TIE. I don't understand this one. What is "make fast"? And how is "TIE" related to "Make fast"?

36D: Hindu aristocrat: RANEE. Or RAJAH. The 4-letter answers would be RANI and RAJA.

37D: Harmony: ORDER

38D: Fashionable Simpson: ADELE. She was on April 22 TMS puzzle.

40D: Mystery award: EDGAR

41D: Silly skein?: GEESE. I like this clue.

43D: Lethargy: TORPOR

47D: Platoon mem: PFC

52D: Lark: ANTIC

54D: Peri on "Frasier": ROZ. I got her name from the across clues. Vaguely remember seeing this name mentioned in a comment long time ago.

56D: CAB successor: FAA. This should have become a gimme to you.

59D: Refuses to: WON'T . Why "refuses to" instead of "refuse to"? Why "s"?

62D: Reveal secrets: BLAB

63D: Old lab burners: ETNAS

64D: Egyptian leader: NASSER. There is also a Lake NASSER in Egypt.

71D: Botanist's study: FLORA

75D: Lambda followers: MUS. No idea. Why?

80D: MPG monitor: EPA

82D: Larter of "Heroes": ALI. Unknown to me. She is pretty.

87D: Wikipedia alternative: ENCARTA. Did you get this one?

88D: Data storage units: DISCS

95D: Direction giver's phrase: THAT WAY

98D: Serendipity: CHANCE. "Can once in a lifetime happen twice?" Silly movie.

99D: Quirk: FOIBLE

100D: Brightly colored parrots: LORIES. So pretty.

101D: Bizet creations: OPERAS

104D: Add, as a liquid: POUR IN

109D: Coastal recesses: INLETS

110D: "Star Wars" group: JEDI. Ha ha, I know this one.

111D: Chart line: AXIS

114D: Nickelodeon's "___101": ZOEY. Jamie-Lynn Spears TV series.

120D: Strand of evidence: DNA

Here is to you, Dr. Dad, and to all those who are Dads, Happy Father's Day!

C.C.

Friday May 30, 2008 Arlan and Linda Bushman

Theme: Put 'ER There

17A: Mail carriers' mascot?: POST OFFICE BOXER

37A: Winning bowman?: ARCHER OF TRIUMPH

58A: Artist's good fortune? LUCK OF THE DRAWER

Very interesting: SUPER (1D), TWO (60D) letter X's, and DENT (65D: Fender blemish). Does this remind you of Richard DENT and SUPER Bowl XX? DENT was the SUPER Bowl MVP in 1986.

ER... not an easy puzzle to PLOD (53D: walk heavily) through though. Had to overcome quite a few STERN (49D: Unyielding) HURDLES (47D: Track obstacle) this morning. I was mainly stumped by various names. I did not know Johnny's bandleader DOC. Knew Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but I had no idea who the author was (DAHL 31D: Willie Wonka's creator). HARTE (25D: "The Outcasts of Poker Flat" writer) was another unfamiliar name to me, later I did find him clued as "The Lost Galleon Poet" on a Feb TMS puzzle. Sadly, I was not familiar with OVID's "Tristia" at all. I would have got his name if clue were "Metamorphoses" poet.

This is only the 3rd Arlan and Linda Bushman puzzle we've done since I started blogging on Jan 21. In contrast, we've been offered 20 Alan P. Olschwang puzzles. Oh those dreadful QUIPS!

ACROSS:

5A: Part of LED: DIODE. Could not retrieve this word easily from my brain. LED is "Light-Emitting Diode".

14A: River to the Caspian: URAL. Or URAL Mountains.

23A: Jay-Z, for one: RAP STAR. Of course I filled in RAPPERS first. Here is Jay-Z with Beyoncé. Feel the STEAM (32A: Word with engine or iron)? They just got married.

27A: Website visit: HIT. And another computer term: ICON (55D: Symbol)

36A: Tom Clancy subj.: CIA. Jack Ryan. My favorite is Patriot Games because it's IRA related.

42A: Canal of song: ERIE. Not familiar with the song.

44A: Dancing on air: EXULTANT. This word just looks so happy.

48A: Resistance units: OHMS. Have not seen this word for a while.

49A: Abate: SUBSIDE

56A: Juanita's other: OTRA. Obviously not ESTA or ESA.

57A: Navajo creation: RUG. I always associate RUG with SHAH (24D: Persian monarch)'s IRAN.

63A: Wield a baton: TWIRL

66A: Fictional Lorna: DOONE. Written by Richard Doddridge Blackmore.

DOWN:

1D: Fantastic!: SUPER. Familiar with this Invisible Woman in Fantastic Four?

5D: Crush: DEFEAT. It's just a little Crush, a vision of you and me...

7D: "Tristia" poet: OVID. He said "At night there is no such thing as an ugly woman".

8D: Johnny's bandleader: DOC (Severinsen). Given today's puzzle theme, it could be clued as "ER" character, don't you think so?

10D: Rakish: SPORTY. I was only familiar with the "Dissolute" Rakish, not the SPORTY one.

13D: "Chicago" star: GERE. Here is Richard GERE's famous kiss in India. Hello Dr. Dad, don't be Unfaithful in Bollywood.

18D: Punctual: ON TIME

25D: "The Outcasts of Poker Flat" writer: HARTE (Bret). Here is more information.

31D: Willie Wonka's creator: DAHL (Roald). He also wrote Kiss, Kiss.

33D: Silly Rabbit's cereal: TRIX. Tough for our fellow solvers in Asia who do not eat cereal for breakfast.

35D: Brass: HORNS

45D: Keepsake jewelry: LOCKET

46D: Cosby's TV son: THEO. I don't know this one. Only know THEO as van Gogh's brother. Here is the sculpture The Scream in memory of the film director THEO van Gogh who was murdered in 2004. It's made of stainless STEEL (43A: Beam makeup: STEEL). I could not understand the symbol though.

50D: Golfer Hale: IRWIN. I always want his name to be ERWIN. This guy is good. Tremendous success in Sr. PGA Tour (I just can not get used to this Champions Tour name) as well.

54D: Yokel: RUBE. I wonder where this word RUBE came from.

56D: Louisville's river: OHIO

59D: Bouquet letters: FTD (Florist's Transworld Delivery). I want this.

60D: Tenth of a score: TWO. Looks like our Editor is really trying to settle some scores with us. Half a score (TEN) was in yesterday's puzzle.

A question for you: Do you guys also have the problems seeing the Chinese characters (中文) in my blog or Thomas is the only one?

C.C.

Saturday, April 5, 2008 Arlan and Linda Bushman

Theme: NONE

An uphill battle today, brutal! Without a theme guidance, I felt like I was playing golf under foggy (and cold) weather. I could not see the fairways clearly, not to mention the pin positions. I was in the rough on almost every hole.

To make things worse, I kept wanting AVE, HEXAGON and ORT to be merged and form an open parallel to balance 20A and 53A. This needless mental knot caused me quite a few strokes.

My first several tee shots were actually perfect, right down in the middle. But I could not follow through. Had no idea how to chip and where to land the ball on the green.

Take the lower right corner for example: I got SONICS for 49A, then I wrote down OWED (confused it with owned) for 61A: Have, in the past, and I filled in DOES for 64A: Unnamed others, thinking of John/Jane DOE. I had no idea what was Knicks coach Thomas' given name. I did not know the meaning of "thurible", imagining it was a kind of sewing tool like thimble. Have never heard of actress Gershon. So, a bloody mess there. I could not even get AT NIGHT for 41D. Stupid! What can I say?

Except the ugly double appearances of STAIR (20A & 11D) & HAMMER (53A & 54D), this puzzle was very well designed and constructed. Lots of quality fills. I think I would've enjoyed it were I a better solver.

Grid: Total letters filled: 193. Total blank squares: 32

FRONT NINE:

1A: Bungle: FLUB

5A: Gem weight: CARAT

10A: Flat-topped rise: MESA. OK, a non-MESA related question for you: Are you or anyone of your family a MENSA member? Send me a private email if you do not want go public with this information.

14A: Mrs. Chaplin: OONA. O'Neill's daughter. But what an enviable & magical marriage they forged! 35 years. Incredible. By the way, Oona's daughter Geraldine Chaplin played Tonya in Dr. Zhivago.

15A: Florida citrus city: OCALA

16A: Dog-eared: USED

17A: Marketed: SOLD. Really? I thought marketing was different than selling. (Update: drdad says they are the same)

18A: Upstairs storage room: ATTIC

19A: Former "SNL" rival: SCTV (Second City TV). Wikipedia says it's a "Canadian TV sketch comedy show offshoot from Toronto's The Second City troupe thatran between 1976 to 1984". Is it well-known?

20A: Lighthouse feature, often: SPIRAL STAIRCASE

23A: Condition of life: ESTATE. Not aware of this meaning of ESTATE. I might have penned in STATE if the clue was asking for a 5-letter fill.

24A: Outstanding: STELLAR. That's Johanna Santana. So weird to see him in Mets uniform.

25A: Green sauce: PESTO. Wasabi is green too, but I guess you call it condiment. My husband simply can not stand wasabi. He gets all teared up just by looking at it.

28A:Does field work: REAPS

29A: Mason totes: HODS

32A: Occult doctrine: CABALA. Or KABALA. Madonna spent over $12,000/month just for her Cabala water. Crazy! She is one mystifying bird: She does Yoga, she lives on a Microbiotic diet, and she practices CABALA. They are of totally different religious concept.

35A: Skater Babilonia: TAI. Did not know her before.

36A: Old-style greeting: AVE. Only in old Rome I suppose. Latin for "hail". Would be very nice if the A here intersect with the A in SALVO.

37A: Honeycomb shape: HEXAGON. Have never seen a honeycomb in my life. So I have no idea what's the shape.

40A: "I, Robot" author: ASIMOV. Have you seen the movie (Will Smith)?

42A: Shift or sack: DRESS

46A: Low-altitude cloud: STRATUS. Plural is STRATI. I guess it would be STRATA if not for STRATUM.

48A: Military tribute: SALVO

49A: Seattle team, informally: SONICS. SuperSonics. Does Seattle Mariners have a nickname also?

53A: Rodin implements: HAMMER AND CHISEL

56A: X or Y line: AXIS

57A: Sound loudly: BLARE

58A: Actress Gerson: GINA. No idea. She looks pretty.

59A: Numbers game: KENO. Have never played this game.

60A: Birdlike: AVIAN

61A: Have, in the past: HAST. Could be clued in better way. I don't like the HA repetition.

62A: British PM Anthony: EDEN. Much better than Eve's garden clue.

63A: Nick of the screen: NOLTE. Repeat offender! How proper!

Back nine:

1D: "Cabaret" director: FOSSE (Bob). He won Oscar for this movie in 1972. I've never seen the movie. The only Liza Minnelli movie I've seen is New York, New York.

2D: Aerial stunts: LOOPS

4D: Undeserved imputations: BAD RAPS

5D: Comes together: COALESCES. I am so proud that I filled in this word without looking at other across clues after I got letter C from CARAT and O from OCALA.

7D: "Round and Round" band: RATT. No, not familiar with the band or the song.

8D: Miscreant's dodge: ALIAS. Did not know the meaning of "miscreant", but the word itself looks very bad to me, you know, with "mis", so I made an educated guess.

10D: Brawn: MUSCLE

11D: Moving stairway: ESCALATOR

12D: Distinguishes: SETS APART. I start to really like this kind of adverb/preposition embedded answer. Crossword is made more challenging NOT by MOSSY obscure words, but by intelligent cluing, in my view.

13D: Hard times: ADVERSITY

21D: Bolted down: ATE. Did not know that "bolt" can mean "eat' before. I don't think I want to bolt down any food. I am a slow picky eater.

22D: Put on once again: RERAN. I was in the direction of "put on weight" or "put on clothes".

26D: Hack: TAXI

27D: Illinois democrat: OBAMA. democrat, not Democrat? Shouldn't the D be capitalized?

29D: Deal clincher, perhaps: HANDSHAKE

30D: Given too much work: OVERTAXED

31D: Figure out: DETERMINE

33D: Highly worked up: AGOG

34D: Romance movie staple: LOVE SCENE

37D: Undue speed: HASTE

41D: When star comes out: AT NIGHT

43D: Biblical strong man: SAMSON

45D: Japanese stage offering: NOH. From Nogaku. Japanese musical drama (masked). No/Noh means talent, "gaku" means music.

47D: Type of renewal or sprawl: URBAN

50D: Knicks coach Thomas: ISIAH. Wow, looks like he has had a illustrious career. Sorry for my ignorance Sir!

51D: Use a thurible: CENSE. This word "thurible'" just looks so wrong to me. Weird spelling.

52D: Bluish-gray in color: SLATY. Did not know that "SLATY" also mean slate-like color.

C.C.

Sunday, Feb 3, 2008 Arlan and Linda Bushman

Theme: Product Placement

23A: Offer really big reward?: PLEDGE hefty BOUNTY

38A: Watch over fledgling avian?: Safeguard DOWNY DOVE

56A: Promote West African nation?: Boost IVORY Coast

76A: Wreak havoc on hidden forest clearing?: RAID secret GLADE

89A: Flatter muscular Trojan War Hero?: Soft soap BRAWNY AJAX

109A: Observe Kilauea's huge outpouring?: Behold lava CASCADE

Those are all the brands I have identified, did you find more?

Very tough to bite into this puzzle. I almost used up my bottle of Liquid Paper. I googled like crazy, and still could not fill in 1/3 of the blanks. Then my husband woke up, and helped me a lot, but we still could not finish the damned thing.

Across:

1A: Cartoon apparition: CASPER. Put CASPAR first.

7A: Overcharge: SOAK. Never know "soak" has such a meaning.

11A: Premiere notables: STARS

19A: Programs with pop-ups: AD WARE. My mind is fixed with Spyware.

20A: Glazier's Piece: PANE. I didn't know the meaning of Glazier.

27A: Stephen of "The Crying Game": REA (not RAE). I cannot say how much I am moved by this movie. I also enjoyed The Devil's Own, which is also IRA related.

28A: Sent to the canvas: KOD (knocked out). I was thinking of CANVASS, Get out and Vote.

29A: Editorial symbols: CARETS.

30A: Tibetan monk: LAMA. Love Dalai Lama as a spiritual person. But I can not support his cause.

31A: Display of oils: ART SHOW

34A: Rubberneck: STARE

36A: Equal-angled figure: ISOGON

42A: Slop contraptions: T BARS

46A: One of the "Pump you up!" duo: FRANZ. Hans & Franz. Never heard of their names before.

47A: Hockey defensive great: ORR. Gimme for me.

48A: Curly-tailed pooch: AKITA

51A: Vacation option: CRUISE

60A: Info-gathering mission: RECON

62A: Title city in a Russell Crowe flick: YUMA, "3:10 to Yuma". Never watched it.

64A: Livid: IRATE

65A: Crazy Horse tribe: OGLALA

66A: Bonnet holder: HAT PIN

68A: Scoffs: JEERS

69A: Printer fill-up: DRY INK? Not sure of this why. Pls help me with this one.

80A: Tanker mishaps: SPILLS

84A: Motor or mechanism starter: SERVO. Never heard of it.

87A: Bridge seats: EASTS

96A: Except that: UNLESS

97A: Fluctuates repeatedly: YOYOS

98A: Word for Word: LITERAL.

102A: Muffed: BLEW

103A: Gaucho domain: PAMPAS

106A: Gumshoe: TEC

107A: __ du Diable: ILE

108A: Sock end: TOE

114A: Resinous secretion: LAC

116A: Novelist Murdoch: IRIS

117A: Call together: MUSTER

119A: Cornered: AT BAY

120A: Beekeeper's milieu: APIARY. A beekeeper is called Apiarist.

Down Clues:

1D: "Meet John Doe" director: CAPRA. I should put this movie on our Netflix Q.

2D: Freud colleague: ADLER (Alfred Adler). I know Jung.

4D: Energy unit: ERG

6D: Assault with nostrils with: REEK OF

8D: Galoot: OAF. I was thinking of Ape.

11D: Made a basket, say: SCORED. I was picturing a real basket is being made.

14D: Greek wines: RETSINAS. No idea. I don't drink any wine.

17D:"Foundation" series author: ASIMOV. Our Newspaper carries Asimov Quiz every day.

18D: Fuel for a lighter: BUTANE. New to me.

24D: Inventor Elias: HOWE

25D: National poet: BARD

30D: Polish city: LODZ. Would you believe that I actually got this one?

32D: Old map abbr: SSR

33D: Does after: HAS AT. I was trapped again, put "s" in the end first.

34D: Molasses base: SUGAR

35D: Menlo Park initials: TAE (Thomas Alva Edison)

37D: Enhanced combined effect: SYNERGY? Not sure of this one.

39D: Gainesville athlete: GATOR My husband got this one quickly.

40D: Helpful: OF USE

41D: Court order: WRIT

42D: Drinking mug: TOBY Very silly looking mug.

43D: Commotion: BROUHAHA

44D: Fragrant: AROMATIC

49D: Fuzzy fruits: KIWIS. Full of Vitamin C.

50D: Lendl or Pavlov: IVAN

51D: Uncouth: COARSE.

52D: Piper following: RATS. Why?

53D: Tabloid fare: SCANDALS. I used to watch E! News for their endless scandals. Now my mind is set on Super Tuesday.

54D: Spot pattern: POLKA DOT

57D: Smooth fabric: SATIN

61D: Architect Sarrinen: ELIEL. I know his son's name EERO.

65D: Sound off: ORATE?

67D: Take over: POSSESS

68D: Monopoly corner: JAIL

70D: Networked units: PCS

71D: 19th-century round dance: GALOP. Brutal, never heard of this dance.

72D: Matter-of-fact: PROSY (Sorry for the mistake earlier).

76D: __ Ridge (Derby winner, 1972): RIVA. Unknown to us.

77D: Highland units: CLANS

81D: Potential customer: PROSPECT

84D: Brood: STEW

85D: Wage Receipt: PAYSLIP

86D: Brace or span: TWO? Why?

88D: Chopper: AXE

89D: Not obvious: SUBTLE

90D: Borrowed: ON LOAN ( I put loaned at first)

91D: Take to the cleaners: FLEECE. This reminds me of that greedy DC judge who sued his cleaner for $54 million over his stupid lost pants.

92D: Side action: BYPLAY

93D: Course: ROAD

94D: Writer Waugh: ALEC

95D: Turnip-shaped root vegetable: JICAMA Saw this tuber before. Never eat it.

99D: Rodeo-accessory: RIATA. I just hate this word.

100D: Pile wood: ALDER. Unknown to me.

101D: Suspicious and distrustful: LEERY

104D: Pequod skipper: AHAB. "Moby Dick" again. Never read this book.

105D: Colorful fabric panel: MOLA. It's a "colorfully appliquéd piece of fabric handcrafted by the Cuna Indian women of the islands in the Gulf of San Blas and used for clothing, decoration, etc." Dictionary.com says so.

Now I am done.

C. C.