Wednesday, March 9, 2016 Bruce Haight

Theme: Will my do do for you? The second words of common two-word phrases are relocated to a common location, as indicated by the unifier, so let's start there.

62. Permanent place, and a hint to the ends of the answers to starred clues : HAIR SALON.  Nice play on "permanent" indicating something of long duration, or, as in this case, a coif treatment. The SALON, of course, is the place where it all happens.

17. *Seriously indoctrinate : BRAIN WASH.  Generally BRAIN WASHING involves some radical or extreme set of ideas, and some powerful coaxing.  A HAIR WASH might be the first step in the SALON's process.

21. *Improvised rap : FREE STYLE.  New usage to me, but it's a real thing.  HAIR STYLE is the way the actual tresses are arranged.

28. *Risqué : OFF COLOR.  Of questionable taste, not suitable for polite company, or as we say here: DF.  The phrase evidently arose ca. 1860 in the diamond industry, referring to stones that are not pure white or of any definite color, and therefore of poor quality.  Hair COLORing is a SALON service.

37. *Weight-training exercise : BICEP CURL.   Demonstrated below.  People with straight HAIR want to acquire a CURL.  This seems to work the other way, as well.

49. *Markdown : PRICE CUT.  Of course, those of us with HAIR need to have it CUT occasionally, even if, as in my case, there's not a lot of it.  A PRICE CUT means you can save money on your purchase - but not as much as if you opt not to make it.

56. *Brand created in Toronto in 1904 : CANADA DRY.  Soft drinks.  And drying the HAIR is what completes the process.

Hi gang - JazzBumpa here, doing my part, so to speak.  With 6 theme entries plus a unifier, this puzzle is unusually thematically rich.  Let's see if we can make it through without getting either clipped or locked up.

Across

1. Computer whose 27-inch version has a Retina 5K display : I-MAC.  Apple product.

5. Down in the mouth : BLUE.  As in "I haz a sad."

9. Rum-soaked cakes : BABAS.  Yo ho ho!

14. Part of rock's CSNY : NASH.  Graham, of Crosby, Stills, NASH and Young.

15. Midterm, e.g. : TEST.  Usually we get EXAM.

16. Eel, to a sushi chef : UNAGI.   If you say so.

19. 13-Down actress Normand : MABEL. [1892-1930]  She collaborated with Mack Sennett.

The Queen of Comedy

20. Miracle-__ : GRO.  Plant food.

23. Medical screening system : TRIAGE.   The assignment of degrees of urgency to prioritize the treatment of a large number of patients.

26. Tell (on) : RAT.  Spill the beans.

27. Fiver : FIN.  Slang for a $5 bill.

31. Hill-building stinger : RED ANT.

Not only that - they're also communists

33. LAX summer setting : Pacific Daylight Time.

34. Director Kazan : ELIA.   Elias Kazantzoglou [September 7, 1909 – September 28, 2003] brought us On The Waterfront, East of Eden, and many more films.

36. "Blue Bloods" actor Will : ESTES.

Will testament

40. Nurse at a bar : SIP ON.   Another nice word play.

43. 1956 Mideast crisis site : SUEZ.  Seems like it's always a crisis in that part of the world.

44. Mensa concerns : IQ'S.  Intelligence Quotient.

47. Hometown of the Ivy League's Big Red : ITHACA.  Cornell University.

52. Chinese menu general : TSO.  Of chicken fame.

53. Nev. neighbor : IDAho.

55. Binges : SPREES.

60. Chow line? : ARF.   Chow is a dog variety, and ARF is the line it speaks.

61. More than chubby : OBESE.  Seriously over weight.

66. "__ Black" : MEN IN.   Will Smith movie.

67. River to the English Channel : ORNE.  In French Normandy.  

68. "Don't look at me" : NOT I.   Somebody else did it.

69. Brown ermine : STOAT.  Either way, it's a weasel.

70. Hard to box in, ironically : CAGY.  Secretive, cautious, wary, noncommittal.

71. 52 Pickup need : DECK.  Playing cards. 

Down

1. Having five sharps, musically : IN B.  B Major, specifically - not a common key, and quite awkward on the trombone.  The notes in the scale are B, C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A#, B.  

2. Scratch, say : MAR.  Cause a defect.

3. At no cost : AS A GIFT.  Freebie.

4. President before Sarkozy : CHIRAC.   Jaques, b. 1932, president from 1995 - 2007.

5. Digression lead-in, in texts : By The Way.

6. Table extension : LEAF.

7. Cold War initials : USSR.  Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, where many of the residents had red aunts.

8. Early anesthetic : ETHER.

9. Foul tip? : BUM STEER.   Word play for a bit of bad advice.

10. Med. school subject : ANATomy.

11. Newborn's natural insulator : BABY FAT.   Still - you shouldn't leave them out in the cold.

12. Botox target : AGE LINE.   Wrinkle.

13. Films that usually had live music : SILENTS.

18. Scrubbed, at NASA : NO GO.

22. Word with bud or flap : EAR.  For a personal music device or hat.

23. Bikini part : TOP.   Usually it's BRA.

24. Country mail svc. : Rural Free Delivery.

25. Utility abbr. : ELECtricity.

29. Chihuahua cheers : OLES.   Not a dog this time, but a state in the United States of Mexico, or the capital city of that state.

30. Tear to pieces : RIP UP.

32. ISP option : Digital Subscriber Line - technology used to transmit data over phone lines..

35. Service pro : ACER.  Tennis, I assume.

37. Feathery neckwear : BOA.

38. Contentious border happening : INCIDENT.

39. Israeli guns : UZIS.

40. "Maude," "Phyllis" and "Rhoda" : SIT-COMS.

41. "You're on!" : IT'S A BET.   Wagering agreement.

42. Dir. assistance info : PHONE NO.

44. Frozen floater : ICE FLOE.   Berg also fits.

45. "¿__ pasa?" : QUE.  What's happening? in Chihuahua.

46. Beale and Bourbon: Abbr. : STreetS.  Bourbon is in Nashville, Beale is in Memphis.

48. Canine care gp.? : American Dental Association, which apparently is not going to the dogs.

50. Tax time VIPs : CPAS.  Certified Public Accountants.

51. Thing to run : ERRAND.  Places to go, things to do, people to see.

54. For this purpose : AD HOC, as a committee.

57. Pacific Rim continent : ASIA.  Large, with lots of people.

58. Avis modifier : RARA.   Rare bird.

59. Hip-hop's __ Yang Twins : YING.   Of whom I know nothing.

63. King of Spain : REY.

64. Non-Rx : Over The Counter.

65. Neat ending? : -NIK.  Referring to someone overly fussy about keeping things in order.  Well, I'm not fond of this type of affix clue, so we end on my nit-NIK.

We have 22 each of 3 and 4 letter fill, giving the puzzle a Monday-level average word length.  But that's the kind of trade off you face with so much themeage. Nothing ever comes for free.  Overall, a nicely done puzzle.

Cool regards!
JzB

Thursday, February 18th, 2016 Bruce Haight

Theme: Kerannng! Car crash calamities. Eight cars are involved in accidents around the grid.

As explained by the grid-spanning reveal:

38A. Car mishaps that occur at this puzzle's four circles : T-BONE COLLISIONS.

No crash-test dummies were injured in this experiment

If you didn't have circles in your puzzle then look at the grid at the bottom of the post and the "t-bones" should become clear (if you hadn't spotted them already).

1A. "Pay attention!" (Ford) : FOCUS! & 3D. Type of pride (Honda) : CIVIC

9A. Minute Maid Park player (Chevy) : ASTRO & 11D. Beat (Ford) : TEMPO

46A. Venomous snake (Dodge) : VIPER & 48D. Space explorer (Ford) : PROBE

51A. Atlas, for one (Nissan) : TITAN & 53D. Western skiing mecca (Chevy) : TAHOE.

Very slick puzzle from Bruce. There's a lot to admire here - the theme itself, the quintuple-stacked 5's in each corner, the bisecting grid-spanners across and down, the long downs, and the tricky single-entry points to the corner blocks. This could have been a beast without solid crosses, and there would be a real temptation to load up the 3's with crosswordese.

I'm not sure the car brands in the clues were necessary and might actually have detracted from the challenge, but I wonder if test solvers struggled without them.

I don't think the theme entries themselves need any clarification - maybe non-sports folks would like the confirmation that baseball's Houston Astros play at Minute Maid Park; Atlas was one of the Titans in Greek mythology for the non-classicists among us.

Let's see what else we've got:

Across:

6. Time for new growth: Abbr. : SPR.

"This spring as it comes bursts up in bonfires green,

Wild puffing of emerald trees, and flame-filled bushes,

Thorn-blossom lifting in wreaths of smoke between

Where the wood fumes up and the watery, flickering rushes."

(D.H.Lawrence)

14. Select group : A-LIST

15. Eastern ideal : TAO

16. Absolute : SHEER

17. Summer Olympics competitor : DIVER

18. Symmetrically placed Monopoly sqs. : R.R.S. Railroad Stations. Liverpool Street, King's Cross, Marylebone and Fenchurch Street in the London version.

19. Bambino's parent : MAMMA

20. Musical narrated by Che : EVITA

21. Squeeze (out) : EKE

22. Cosmetician Adrien : ARPEL. Close to a personal natick with the "A" crossing "ASMARA", but I guessed right.

23. Info-gathering mission : RECON

24. Entanglement : WEB

25. Guffaw evokers : RIOTS

26. Way up the mountain : GONDOLA. A lot more comfortable than the old chair lifts and t-bars.

29. Slowpokes : SNAILS

33. 1945 battle setting, familiarly : IWO. Jima.

34. "Macbeth" witches, e.g. : TRIO. Shakespeare's "weird" or "weyward" sisters were never named.

41. Jabbers : YAKS

42. Lip-reading alternative: Abbr. : A.S.L. American Sign Language. Did you notice at the start of the singing of the National Anthem at the Superbowl that CBS put a camera on the ASL interpreter for about three seconds, and the producer never showed her again? Somewhat defeats the purpose.

43. Subtlety : NUANCE

44. Writer who used his actual middle name as a pen name : DR. SEUSS

50. Place for a key: Abbr. : IGN. If one of the puzzle's eight cars hadn't put a key in the ignition this morning, that would have been one fewer accident.

56. Pianist known for his Beethoven interpretations : ARRAU. Thank you, crosses

57. Most preferred, in texts : FAV

58. RollerCoaster Tycoon World publisher : ATARI. A video game. I don't play them.

59. Pope after John X : LEO VI

60. Seine sight : ILE. The famous cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris is located on the Ile de la Cité.

61. Can't be beaten : IS HOT

62. Not yet up : IN BED

63. Yalie : ELI

64. Calf-roping loop : NOOSE

65. Monopoly stack : DEEDS

66. 67-Acr. has one : SYL. Syllable.

67. Show contempt : SNEER

Down:

1. Sound mixing control : FADER. Take your pick.

2. Bar staple : OLIVE

4. Be of __: help : USE TO

5. Suppress : STRANGLE

6. Scattered : STREWN

7. Subject to ticketing : PARKED ILLEGALLY. Very nicely automotive-related in tune with the main theme.

8. NCAA's "Granddaddy of them all" : ROSE BOWL. So nicknamed because it's the oldest college football bowl game. Played on New Year's Day just up the road from me in Pasadena.

9. Capital of Eritrea : ASMARA. I didn't know this, and as I mentioned, was almost naticked with ARPEL. Guessed right.

10. Lewis with Lamb Chop : SHARI.

12. Convened again : RE-MET. Grammatically OK, but have any of us actually used this?

13. Educational hurdles : ORALS. EXAMS went in, EXAMS came out.

27. Prize for a picture : OSCAR

28. Beef cuts : LOINS. In legend, a particularly tasty loin was knighted by King James I to become the Sir Loin.

29. Rooting place : STY. I tried BED first for plant roots.

30. Larry O'Brien Trophy org. : N.B.A. The championship trophy named for the Postmaster General turned NBA Commissioner.

31. "Fine with me!" : A-OK

32. Connections : INS

34. Familia member : TIA

35. Harry's Hogwarts cohort : RON. Potter's buddy Weasley.  I read about 100 pages of the first book, but never got into it.

36. Firm ending? : INC.

37. Verb ending : -OSE

39. Hardens into bone : OSSIFIES

40. Keeps up : SUSTAINS

44. Ancient Celtic priests : DRUIDS

45. Present to the public : UNVEIL

46. Well-founded : VALID

47. Adler of Sherlock Holmes lore : IRENE. She appears in "A Scandal in Bohemia" and Holmes scholars like to refer to her as Sherlock's love interest.

49. Like many roofs : EAVED

52. "Challenge accepted!" : IT'S ON

54. Got up : AROSE

55. Gunpowder ingredient : NITER. Along with sulfur and charcoal.

I think that's it from me. Here's the grid, complete with circles and the "T" patterns shown in blue.

Steve

Wednesday, January 27, 2016 Bruce Haight

Theme: Wealth well within the dreams of avarice.  Phrases representing large sums of money are clued in such a way that the phrase relates to a person's occupation or avocation.  

17. Tidy sum, to a coin collector? : PRETTY PENNY.   This phrase is known to go back to the 1760's.  In this instance, PENNY is a synecdoche for money in general, as contrasted to its usual indication of an insignificant amount, so the phrase incorporates a modicum of sardonic humor.  A coin collector would have above average appreciation for a literal PRETTY PENNY, if it were of sufficient rarity.   Alternatively, one may consider  .  .  .

According to Theory

28. Tidy sum, to a chairmaker? : AN ARM AND A LEG.  This phrase is not known to go back any further than 1949.  It may be derived from 19th century phrases like "I'd give my right arm for . . ." which seems familiar and " . . . even if it takes a leg," which does not.  In any event, it's more in-the-language than A SEAT AND A BACK, which the chairmaker must also consider.

43. Tidy sum, to a soothsayer? : SMALL FORTUNE.  This phrase is more literal, and I can't find any information on where it came from.  It indicates a sum beyond what is reasonable in some circumstance, but certainly less than a large fortune.   A soothsayer can presumably use some occult mechanism to predict your future.  But - can you afford it?

56. Tidy sum, to a chess player? : KING’S RANSOM.  Now we're talking real money.  The phrase is only known to go back to the 13th Century.  In 1260, during the 7th Crusade, King Louis IX of France was captured in Egypt by Turks, who demanded a large amount of money to secure his release. However, during the 3rd Crusade, Richard I Plantagenet of England was captured in December, 1192 by Duke Leopold of Austria who had a real or imagined grudge.  The amount demanded for his release was more than twice the annual income of the English crown.   Taxes were raised, the churches were looted of their treasures, and eventually the money was delivered.  Richard was released on Feb. 4, 1194.  As a side note, Richard's brother John offered a tidy sum if Richard would be detained until Michaelmas - Sept 29th.  This offer was rejected.   It's highly unlikely that any chess piece, even the King, would demand such a quantity.

Hi gang,  JazzBumpa here - sadly, no richer than the last time we met.  We were shopping that day, and today we can consider if we perhaps paid too much.

Onward, then, to the rest of the puzzle.

Down

1. Musical with the song "Another Suitcase in Another Hall" : EVITA.

6. Petty distinctions, metaphorically : HAIRS.  As in splitting them.

11. Midriff punch reaction : OOF.  Onomatopoeia for the sound of air thus forcibly expelled.  

14. Noble gas : XENON.  Along with helium, neon, argon, krypton and radon.  These gases are chemically inert and considered noble due to their non-reactivity.

15. Former Illinois senator : OBAMA.   Whatever happened to that guy?

16. "Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!" network : National Public Radio.

19. Golf prop : TEE.  Little wooden peg that slightly elevates the ball for the first shot on any hole.  It's considered gauche to use it on the second shot.

20. "Most Excellent" U.K. award : OBE.

21. Emcee : HOST.  Master of Ceremonies initials, phonetically spelt.

22. Gooey treat : S'MORE.   Contraction of "some more" because that's what you are expected to want after a taste of this marshmallow cum chocolate cum graham cracker confection.  I am not a fan.

24. Muralist Rivera : DIEGO.

Well known in Detroit

26. Places for rejuvenation : DAY SPAS.

31. Clobbers : BONKS.

32. Regrets : RUES.

33. Rain-__: gum brand : BLO.   Classic gum ball since 1940, coming in a variety of color coded flavors.

Feel like a kid again

36. Financial pros : Certified Public AcountantS.

37. Tries : STABS.    Has a go at.

39. Many millennia : AEON.  

40. Fall mo. : SEPtember.

41. Only person to win both an Academy Award and a Nobel Prize : SHAW.   George Bernard won the Nobel prize for literature in 1925 "for his work which is marked by both idealism and humanity, its stimulating satire often being infused with a singular poetic beauty".   The Academy Award came in 1938 for his film adaptation of Pygmalion.

42. Clock button : ALARM.   I really wanted SNOOZE.  [I know it doesn't fit, but still  .  .  .]

46. Alleviate : ASSUAGE.  The word came into Middle English via Old French, and ultimately traces back to Latin ad + suavis, hence to sweeten.

49. Baggage carousel aid : ID TAG.  

50. Color in une cave à vin : BLANC.   A wine cellar might contain some whites, as indicated here.

51. Angers : IRES.

52. Kin of org : EDU.   URL extensions.

55. Japanese capital : YEN.   Money, not the seat of government.

60. Ready, or ready follower : SET.   Nicely formed clue, illustrating two different senses of the target word.

61. Theme park with a geodesic sphere : EPCOT.   Part of Disney World.

62. Slacken : LET UP.   Reduce the amount of applied force or effort.

63. Calypso cousin : SKA.   Jamaican music from the 50's.

64. They may be Dutch : DOORS.   This is a two part door divided horizontally, roughly in the middle, designed so that the top half can be open and the bottom half left closed.  This allows fresh air into the room while keeping animals out and small children in.

65. Potters' pitchers : EWERS.   Large wide-mouthed jugs for carrying water.  The clue suggests they are made from ceramic, but this is not necessary.

Down

1. Big show : EXPO.  An exposition or trade fair and convention venue.

2. Beg, borrow or steal : VERB.  A self-referential clue relating to examples of a part of speech.  Meh! 

3. "My bed is calling me" : I NEED A NAP.  As occasionally does happen.

4. Kid : TOT.  Child.

5. Country music? : ANTHEMS.  Songs of loyalty or devotion associated with particular countries, groups or causes.

6. Climbs aboard : HOPS ON.

7. Distract the security guards for, say : ABET.   Assist the perp in his criminal endeavor.

8. Actor Somerhalder of "The Vampire Diaries" : IAN.

Is it true that he bites?

9. LBJ successor : RMN.   Richard Milhous Nixon.

10. Agrees : SAYS YES.

11. Winning : ON TOP.   But it ain't over 'till it's over.

12. Art form with buffa and seria styles : OPERA.  If you say so.

13. Emancipates : FREES. Especially from legal, social or political restrictions.

18. Meditative practice : YOGA.  Distinct from but associated with Hatha YOGA.

23. Flavor intensifier : Mono Sodium Glutamate.

25. Bugs a lot : IRKS.

26. Smear : DAUB.  Apply something in an irregular manner.

27. Some Full Sail brews : ALES.   Full Sail is an independent employee-owned brewery in Hood River, Oregon.

Won the World's Best Dark Beer Award

28. Basics : ABC's.

29. "Forget it" : NOPE.

30. Country inflection : DRAWL.  Y'all tahk lahk this, ya see - and dawg is a three syllable word.

33. Noble act, in Nantes : BEAU GESTE.  French, but easy enough guess with a little perp help.   the fact that there are an English language novel and movies of the same name also helps.

34. Forsaken : LORN.  The same as forlorn.  The German cognate, verloren, means lost.

35. "My treat" : ON ME.  Now we're back to buying.

37. Thick carpet : SHAG.   Deep pile.  Very 70's.

38. Grimm story : TALE.   Kinder- und Hausmärchen [Children's and Household Tales], their collection of German fairy tales, was published in 1812.  Many of the tales are indeed grim, disturbing, and unsuitable for children  

39. Ski resort near Salt Lake City : ALTA.   Where's Marti when you need her?

41. Kissed noisily : SMACKED.

42. Gallery event : ART SALE.

43. Day light : SUN.   Often obscured by clouds.

44. They haven't been done before : FIRSTS.

45. Frankfurt's river : ODER.  The other Frankfurt is on the Main River.

46. Hardly a miniature gulf : ABYSS.   Deep chasm, and a nice word play in the clue.

47. Smooth and stylish : SLEEK.

Pony tail

48. Blitzen's boss : SANTA.  Sled-pulling reindeer and his driver.

51. "Young Frankenstein" role : IGOR.

53. Ill-humored : DOUR.   Gloomy and stern.  Is that a good match?

54. World Series field sextet : UMPS.   Regular season games have 4 UMPires - one behind the plate and one at each base.  Major league post season games add two in the outfield.

57. Wall St. debut : Initial Public Offering.   First general opportunity to acquire equity in the corporation.

58. Sgt. or cpl. : Non Commissioned Officer.

59. Fresh : NEW.

Well, that's all for today.  Nice puzzle with a bit of sparkle and couple of outstanding clues.  Hope you got your money's worth.

Cool regards!

JzB

Thursday, January 7th, 2016 Bruce Haight

Theme: Solve for A=πr², A=(hb)/2, A=wl, or find the areas!

17A. *Figure out, as someone's poker strategy : GET A READ ON. I'm sure I'd make a terrible poker player. I grin when I figure out a crossword answer, I can't imagine what my poker face would look like if I was dealt a royal flush.

21A. *Frighten off : SCARE AWAY

33A. *Disney film cry of discovery : I'M A REAL BOY. From the movie "Pinocchio" released in 1940. The line got a reprise in 2004 in Shrek 2

42A. *Chinese, say : FAR EASTERN. Only if you use a map centered on the zero meridian. If you use a Pacific-centric map then Brazil and Greenland are in the far east.

52A. *Ride crosstown together, perhaps : SHARE A CAB

61A. Group space, and a hint to the answers to starred clues : COMMON AREA

G'day everyone. A straightforward enough theme from Bruce, and the theme did help me with the Pinocchio quote. 60 theme squares, more "A"'s than any other letter due to all the AREAS and sundry other trivia. A pleasant enough ride, patently fair crosses to unlock the unknowns and some other interesting stuff. Let's take a look.

Across:

1. Mrs. Garrett on "The Facts of Life" : EDNA. Who? Never saw the show. Apparently played by Charlotte Russe Rae (who?).

5. Bring shame to : ABASH. This is one of those words where I'm more likely to use the opposite meaning in conversation - I'm sure I've been unabashed a few times, but rarely abashed.

10. Twitter's bird, e.g. : ICON. I had LOGO first. Wrong!

14. Dire fate : DOOM

15. "An Essay Concerning Human Understanding" author : LOCKE. Published in 1689. I should read it, but I probably wouldn't understand it.

16. Poet's preposition : THRO'

Thro’ the ghoul-guarded gateways of slumber,
Past the wan-moon’d abysses of night,
I have liv’d o’er my lives without number,
I have sounded all things with my sight;
And I struggle and shriek ere the daybreak, being driven to madness with fright.
Nemesis — Howard Phillips Lovecraft

19. Brief moments : SECS. Seconds, abbreviated.

20. "Un Ballo in Maschera" aria : ERI TU. Thank you, crosses. Verdi's opera, which translates as "A Masked Ball". The aria appears to be properly known as Eri tu che macchiavi quell'anima / "It was you who stained this soul" but I guess that wouldn't fit.

23. Office suite door letters : ESQ.

25. "Hollywood Squares" immortal : LYNDE. Thank you, crosses. Paul Lynde.

26. Not surprisingly : AS USUAL

30. Full of bubbles : SUDSY. Tried SOAPY first. Took it out.

36. Qatar's capital : DOHA. Don't get me started on the fact that the 2022 FIFA World Cup was awarded to Qatar.

37. Fifth of a dozen : MAY

38. Solar __ : FLARE

39. Promise : VOW

40. "On the double!" : ASAP

45. Place to follow politics : C-SPAN

47. "Told ya!" : SO THERE

48. "__ Daughter": 1970 film : RYAN'S

51. Match at the poker table : SEE. I'll see your $5, and raise you $10.

56. Diary component : ENTRY

60. Go up and down : YO-YO

63. Seasonal refrain : NOËL. Heard more than a few times recently.

64. Assembly line worker : ROBOT

65. Equipment : GEAR

66. Key used in combinations : CTRL. It doesn't do anything by itself other than allow you to exercise your left hand pinkie finger. My last Dell had the key positioned in the lower-left corner of the keyboard with the "Fn" key to the right of it; my new Lenovo reversed the positions so it took a little while to get used to it.

67. Films with many extras : EPICS

68. "College GameDay" airer : ESPN. Founded by Scott and Bill Rasmussen in 1978 and launched in 1979. It is now famous for allowing Chris Berman to appear with one of the worst haircuts in the history of broadcast television.

Down:

1. Advantage : EDGE

2. No couch potato : DOER. Relative of a mover or a shaker.

3. "It was someone else!" : NOT I!

4. Greenhorn : AMATEUR

5. Brown __ : ALE. I was born a few miles from the Tyne Brewery which produced Newcastle Brown Ale until 2004. It's brewed in Yorkshire now, a fact that the company don't promote heavily. The advertising is pretty funny though.

6. Feathery wraps : BOAS

7. "High Voltage" band : AC/DC. Australian rockers. Lead singer Bon Scott was found dead in his car on the morning of February 19th 1980 in East Dulwich, London, two blocks from where I lived at the time.

8. "Bottoms up!" : SKOAL

9. "Give me liberty, or give me death!" speaker : HENRY. Here's Patrick engaged in a little rabble-rousing at the Virginia Convention in 1775. In a church too - shame on him!

10. "That fizzled out" : IT'S A DUD

11. Considered carefully : CHEWED OVER

12. Marine threat : ORCA

13. Getting into the wrong business? : NOSY

18. Charlotte __ : RUSSE. I thought she was an actress, but I discover it's a clothing retail chain. Hey, I'm not exactly in their target demographic - I'm not in my teens nor twenties, and I'm not a woman.

22. USN one-striper : ENS. Navy rank of Ensign. Am I right in saying that a graduate of the Naval Academy at Annapolis is assigned this rank?

24. 5-Down, for one : QUAFF. Skoal!

26. Stockpile : AMASS

27. Supplicate : SAY A PRAYER

28. "It was __ dream" : ALL A. A common-enough trope in TV, film and comics. Usually extremely annoying unless done really well.

29. Letter-shaped supports : L-BARS. Lacer bars. I looked at a picture of one and have no idea what it's used for.

31. Vacation destination : SHORE

32. Opening at an early-morning class? : YAWN. Lovely clue.

33. 1998 Apple debut : IMAC. It looks ugly as heck now, groundbreaking back then. Steve Jobs hadn't discovered his gray polo-neck period at that point.

34. __ cookies 'n creme: Jell-O flavor : OREO

35. "Leda and the Swan" poet : YEATS

41. Business expense : PAYROLL

43. Radiance : SHEEN

44. Like high-school years : TEENAGE

46. "Fat chance, laddie" : NAE. "If there's nae wind, and nae rain, it's nae golf".

49. Abalone shell layer : NACRE

50. Exclusive : SCOOP

52. Lip-__ : SYNC. Milli Vanilli came a cropper with this one when they tried to lip-sync at the MTV music awards in 1989 and, as the backing track skipped, it became apparent that they weren't actually singing. Research showed that they'd never sung "their" songs, and were stripped of the Grammy for Best New Artist awarded earlier that year. Whoops #1 (See 62D for Whoops #2)

53. Knee-slapper : HOOT

54. Prefix with valence : AMBI. Ouch. I've got mixed feelings about this one :)

55. Class pres., say : B.M.O.C. Big man on campus.

57. Very French? : TRÉS

58. Bring in : REAP

59. Entertaining tale : YARN

62. Extra periods: Abbr. : O.T.S Overtimes. Oregon were leading TCU 31-0 at half-time in the Alamo Bowl on January 2nd. They promptly contrived to lose, 47-41, in triple overtime. Whoops #2.

And ... here's the grid, today's colored version courtesy of OwenKL!

Steve

Sunday, Nov 15, 2015 Bruce Haight

Theme:  "Going on a Bender" - Each of the eight theme entries takes a 90-degree turn.

1A & 6D: Gets hitched : TAKES THE PLUNGE. That's how our TTP got his avatar name.

 

7A & 12D:  Unpopular party gal : DEBBIE DOWNER. Not familiar with this phrase.

13A & 17D. Goes 0 for 20, say : HITS A SLUMP

43D & 65A. PRESS FORWARD. This is where I cottoned onto the gimmick.

48A & 51D: How some Niagara stunts are done : OVER THE FALLS

 

76D & 99A: Passenger's direction at the corner : HANG A RIGHT. Also an easy corner.

74D & 100A: Play a trick (on) : PUT ONE ACROSS

68D & 101A: More than breaking even : COMING OUT AHEAD. A few tricky clues in that corner.

Reveal entry:

58A. Wax eloquent ... and what to do to solve eight puzzle clues : TURN A PHRASE

Across Lite does not allow empty clues, so Rich normally uses a dash to indicate that there's no clue for that word. Dashes often hint at a turning gimmick.

None of the turning phrases is random. Every themer has a key word indicating a downward or forward turn. 

The total symmetry added an extra layer elegance to this grid. It also made filling challenging for the fun-loving Bruce.

Across:

18. Get some fresh air : BREATHE. I just turn to NPR for Terry Gross. 

20. Complained : RAILED

21. Drives unsteadily : WEAVES

22. Give an edge to : SHARPEN. And  81. Giving an edge to : HONING

 23. Maestro Toscanini : ARTURO. My very first entry.

24. Half of a storybook duo : HANSEL. Same letter as Gretel.

25. Knocks in the theater : PANS

26. Seafood entrée : PRAWNS. Isn't strange that PRAWN is plurable but not SHRIMP? Same food.

28. Put an edge on : WHET

30. Big Ten sch. : PSU. The Nittany Lions. All crosses for me.

31. "The Simpsons" disco guy : STU

32. Director's cry : PLACES. I wanted ACTION. When does a director shout "Places"?

33. Already : BY NOW

35. Growth period : BOOM

36. Former South African president for whom a gold coin is named : KRUGER. The coin is  Krugerrand. Named after this guy Paul Kruger. Both stranger to me.

37. Caine captain : QUEEG

38. Stopped lying? : SAT UP. I thought of AROSE first. At least I was in the right direction.

39. One may be personal : TRAINER. And 71. They may be seconded : MOTIONS. Quite a few clue echoes in this puzzle.

41. Harold's film partner : KUMAR

42. Leading : FIRST

43. Book intros : PROLOGS

44. Wisecracks : QUIPS

45. Pac-Man feature : MAZE

46. Call it a night : RETIRE

47. Salad veggies : CUKES. Trader Joe's has these wonderful Persian cucumbers. So crisp and tender.

 

52. Buttermilk rider : EVANS. And 78. Trigger rider : ROGERS

 

53. Bee output : QUILT. Sewing bee! I just can't keep my mind of beeswax.

54. Rains cats and dogs : POURS

56. Zebra on a court : REF

57. Link clicker's destination : SITE

 

60. "The Clan of the Cave Bear" heroine : AYLA. This has become a gimme for me.

61. __-Cat : SNO

62. Beauty's admirer : BEAST. Beauty and the Beast.

63. Hardly seaworthy : LEAKY

64. Divulge : SPILL

 

67. Violin-playing comedian : BENNY. Drew a blank. Sadly I don't know much about Jack Benny. I do know his age though.

68. Price-fixing bloc : CARTEL

69. Spots to crash on the road : INNS

70. Physics particle : QUARK

72. Hogties : BINDS

74. __ willow : PUSSY

75. "Now We Are Six" author : A. A. MILNE. Big fat gimme.

76. __ Sack : HACKY

77. Extremely : QUITE

78. Confrontations : RUN-INS

79. Vanquishers of kings : ACES. Oh, poker.

80. "Designing Women" actress Annie : POTTS.

82. Large vessel : VAT. First thought is URN.

85. Collar : NAB

86. Staff note : MEMO

87. Motley, as a crew : RAGTAG

88. Options list : MENU

89. Matured : GREW UP

91. Ewan's "Moulin Rouge!" co-star : NICOLE. Gimme.

94. Fill with crayons : COLOR IN

96. Commercial charge : AD RATE. And 15. Plugs for tubes? : TV SPOTS

97. Charm : ENAMOR

98. "I'm okay with that" : SUITS ME

Down:

1. Recipe amts. : TBSPs

2. Buddhist who has attained Nirvana : ARHAT. Wiki said it's Sanskrit for "one who is worthy". My landlord in Shanghai completely ruined Buddhism for me. He drank every night. He also burned incense and chanted every night.

3. Reeves of "The Lake House" : KEANU

4. Wave catchers? : EARS. Lovely clue.

5. Indy letters : STP

 

7. Bureau division : DRAWER

8. Merits : EARNS

9. Comic's routines : BITS

10. __-ray Disc : BLU

11. Comparative suffix : IER

13. Cops : HEAT

14. Creator of Q and M : IAN. James Bond.

16. Escorts to the door : SEES OUT

 

19. Infuriates : ENRAGES

21. "That was a close one!" : WHEW

27. Taiwan-based computer company : ACER. Our monitor. Great quality.

29. Monopolize : HOG

32. Group below abbots : PRIORS

33. Removes from the schedule : BUMPS

34. Affirmative votes : YEAs

35. Having less coverage : BARER

36. Tigers Hall of Fame outfielder Al : KALINE.  And 39. Two-time U.S. Open champ : TREVINO. I nailed both. Just saw Lee Trevino at the 3M this summer. He was surprisingly quiet that day. A bit name heavy in this area.

37. "Shh" : QUIET PLEASE. What a great entry.

38. Hat stats : SIZES

40. __ cuff: shoulder muscles : ROTATOR

41. One of Fran's puppets : KUKLA

42. Only NFL quarterback with more than 10,000 pass attempts : FAVRE. I'd not have played for the Vikings.

 44. "Jaws" shark hunter : QUINT. Unknown to me.

45. Timid : MOUSY

47. Junkyard dogs : CURS

49. Fitting comment? : TRY IT ON. Lovely clue/answer.

50. Greek : HELLENE

53. Campus areas : QUADS

54. Popular frat activity : PRANK

55. Like some chards : OAKY. Wine. I kept thinking of the veggie.

58. Shore fliers : TERNS

59. Name of eight English kings : HENRY

60. Typically wet times : APRILs

62. Toss about, as ideas : BANDY

64. Filling fully : SATING

66. Flirtatious signals : WINKS

67. Arrests : BUSTS

 

70. Pack it in : QUIT

71. Rock band 10,000 __ : MANIACS. No idea. Of course I thought of 10,000 lakes for MN.

72. Captain Morgan rival : BACARDI

73. Emotionally cold type : ICEBERG

 

75. Close relative : AUNT

77. Iranian holy city : QOM

80. Toon skunk Le Pew : PEPE

81. Anaheim team, in sportscasts : HALOS. Angels.

82. Frost lines? : VERSE. Robert Frost.

83. Jungian principle : ANIMA

84. Pitched well? : TUNED. This corner was hard for me.

86. Many a shelter resident : MUTT

87. Cowboys quarterback Tony : ROMO

88. Light-loving flier : MOTH

90. Nursery noise : WAH

92. Business magazine : INC

93. Monopoly token : CAR

95. __ Fáil: Irish coronation stone : LIA. This I learned from the Wayne R. Williams era. We had this all the time.

C.C.