Thursday, November 19th 2015 Ed Sessa

Theme: Disturbed night - the theme entries share a jumbled word as explained in the reveal

20A. Kiss a frog, so it's said : BREAK THE SPELL. "Someday my prince will come", or, as the photographer said to her assistant waiting for a delivery from the lab "someday my prints will come".

27A. All out : AT  FULL SPEED. That's fast!

45A. Evasive language : DOUBLESPEAK. There's an annual Doublespeak Award for truly excellent new examples. One of my favorites is the "meaningful downturn in aggregate output" phrase coined by the then-Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan to avoid saying "recession".

56A. Snoring, e.g., and a literal hint to what's hidden in 20-, 27- and 45-Across : SLEEP DISORDER. Tends to cause a mood disorder in one's bed-mate.

Hola! Steve here with a very fresh and interesting offering from Ed Sessa. There's a whole slew of words or phrases that you don't see around crossword-land too often including all of the themers, plus LIMBO POLE, REPULSION and SPIDERY. Good stuff.

Elsewhere there's some neat cluing misdirection, some frankly baffling stuff and everything in between. Let's check it out.

Across:

1. __ Men, pop band whose name derives from its members' homeland : BAHA. Bahamian-origin band formed in London.

5. Bit of a speech : WORD

9. Prolonged look : STARE

14. Instruments for Israel Kamakawiwo'ole : UKES Here's the Wonderful World/Over The Rainbow mash-up from IZ.

15. Case for notions : ETUI. Yikes, this one's a doozie! Notions in the sense of small items like buttons, threads and ribbons. That's a pretty obscure definition.

16. Attach : AFFIX

17. Bar for some dancers : LIMBO POLE. The dance originated in Jamaica where it was popular at wakes.

19. "The Grand Budapest Hotel" actor : DAFOE. I loved the movie.

22. Org. that holds your interest? : S AND L. I was staring at this wondering what on earth a SANDL was when I realized that it needed spaces. Savings and Loan.

23. LBJ agency : OEO. Somewhere, a black and white snack is missing its "R". The Office of Economic Opportunity.

24. Reuters competitor : UPI. The wire service United Press International.

32. Complain : CARP

36. Attic forager : RAT

37. Family nickname : AUNTY

38. Went too far with : OVERDID

40. Street vendor's snack : PRETZEL

42. Cosmetic surgeon's procedures, briefly : LIPOS. The quite charming process by which you get fat vacuumed out of you.

43. Nursery supply : SOD. Nothing to do with babies. Grass.

44. Salts : TARS. Ahoy, Matey!

49. NBC sketch comedy : SNL

50. Portuguese king : REI

51. Not connected : APART

61. Case study? : TRIAL. A case comes in for some close scrutiny when it goes to trial.

63. Like one who really gets IT? : TECH SAVVY. When I meet someone socially for the first time I never tell them I work for a tech company, because then I generally get asked questions about what's wrong with their computer/printer/iPad.

64. Sea divers : LOONS

65. Switch ending : -EROO

66. Carpe __ : DIEM. Seize the day. Carpe Carp - Seize the fish. Carpe No Oil - Seize the engine.

67. Cuban music genre : CONGA

68. Daly of "Judging Amy" : TYNE. Thank you crosses. Never heard of him/her or the show/movie. I should go look it up.

69. Everyone, in Essen : ALLE. Curiously, ALLES is the singular form, familiar from the German National Anthem line: "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles". Funny old language, German.


Down:

1. Light sources : BULBS

2. "Ran" director Kurosawa : AKIRA

3. Ones with fab abs : HE-MEN

4. Similarly sinful : AS BAD

5. Broke down : WEPT

6. "Then again," in tweets : OTOH. On the other hand

7. Dismiss : RULE OUT

8. Fuel type : DIESEL. Last time I was in England I rented a stick-shift Audi with a diesel engine. I was really impressed by the performance - now we all know why.

9. "Soldier of Love" Grammy winner : SADE

10. Nonstick cookware brand : T-FAL. Don't buy a non-stick wok, you want to be able to push food up the side and have it stay there.

11. Anti-consumerist portmanteau popularized in a 2001 best-seller : AFFLUENZA. Great word. The book was "Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic".

12. 2011 animated film set in Brazil : RIO

13. PC file extension : EXE An executable file on a PC. Mac computers also have executable files, but they're named differently.

18. Stillwater's state: Abbr. : OKLA

21. Capitol insider : POL

25. Novelist De Vries : PETER. "Life is a zoo in a jungle".

26. Pastoral poems : IDYLS

28. Athlete lead-in : TRI-. I'm thinking about revisiting my triathlon days by competing again in 2016. I might have to go and lie down until the urge goes away. It's been 25 years since the last one.

29. It's not hot for long : FAD

30. Submission encl. : SAE. Stamped, Addressed Envelope in England. I didn't encounter the "SASE" version until I moved to the US.

31. Last stroke, usually : PUTT. It's a shame to be remembered for a missed putt, but this is one of those iconic moments. Bernhard Langer's miss in the 1991 Ryder Cup meant that the USA took the trophy from Europe after a decade of domination by the Europeans.

32. Common maladies : COLDS

33. French postcard word : AVION. Hmm. You used to stick "Par Avion" labels on mail that was going by air (par avion). Quite what this has to do specifically with a postcard I'm not sure. Do postcards always go by air? Peculiar clue.

34. Utter disgust : REPULSION

35. "No __!" : PROB.

39. ISP alternative : DSL. Now this one is flat-out weird. An ISP is an Internet Service Provider, such as AOL. DSL stands for Digital Subscriber Line, which is a physical means of connecting to your ISP. One is not an alternative to the other. What am I missing?

40. Author of macabre tales : POE. We had his monogram yesterday.

41. Old cereal box stat : RDA. Recommended Dietary Allowance. They're called RDI's now - Recommended Daily Intake - apparently.

43. Weblike : SPIDERY. I always associated SPIDERY with writing, not with webs, but I'll treat this as a learning moment.

46. Before, of yore : ERE

47. Largish jazz ensemble : SEPTET. Depends on your definition of an ensemble. To a full orchestra, a septet might be construed as "smallish".

48. Maxwell Smart's nemesis : KAOS. From the TV series "Get Smart".

52. "The Devil Wears __" : PRADA. Another cracking movie.

53. Motrin competitor : ADVIL

54. Party hearty : REVEL. Another odd one. I've heard of a "reveller" before, but never seen REVEL used in the sense of an individual.

55. "Go ahead, make my day!" : TRY ME

57. Lana of Superman lore : LANG. Compare and contrast with Lois Lane.

58. Film feline : ELSA. The lioness from the movie "Born Free".

59. Silhouette of a bird, for Twitter : ICON

60. You might pick up a pebble in one : SHOE

61. Attention from Dr. Mom : TLC

62. Milne marsupial : ROO. This original by Ernest Shepard, not the abominable Disney mockery of the character:

That should do it from me for today. I'm off for a trip back to the old country tomorrow for a few days, apparently just in time for some really atrocious weather. I'm staying in Bloomsbury over the weekend, home to yesterday's Virginia Woolf. I'll follow this advice:

Toodle-oo!

Steve

Saturday, Nov 7th, 2015, Ed Sessa

Theme - What cracker~?

Words: 70 (missing Q)

Blocks: 27

UGH~! - I was so pleased with myself for getting 80% of this beast solved without any cheating - no Google, no red-letter, despite some very clever cluing that did NOT get past me.  I was plugging away, one cell at a time, and making my way from the bottom up - but the NW corner was just not giving in, and once I caved and checked my 1a. answer, I realized it was never going to work out.  Oh well.  Big chunky 9x6 corners, and triple 8's in the down;

1. Four Corners collectible : NAVAJO RUG - *%$&^#@~!  I was so, so pleased I came up with NEVADA FLAG, as the Four Corners consist of the four US States that meet at a single point; however, NEVADA is not among Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado - duh.

57. Strips at a party : STREAMERS - oh, uh, the um, noun, not the verb. Right.  Maybe the anons are right about me....

13. 1964 World's Fair giant tire Ferris wheel creator : UNIROYAL - a major flub as far as I am concerned - at the fair  in Queens, NY, the one with the Unisphere, the wheel was U.S. Royal; maybe all the same company, but it doesn't jibe with me

32. Colorful fall tree : RED MAPLE

ON
WA
RD!

ACROSS:

10. Edit, as a soundtrack : RE-DUB

15. "Be right there" : ONE MINUTE - I considered this, but because I had FLAG, I put in FAIR for "Just" @ 6d.

16. Dior style : A-LINE - dress style; at least Mr. Sessa was on my "fashion wavelength" today

17. Window-adjusting tool : SCROLL BAR - the doohickey on the side of your screen;

18. Sheep or goat : BOVID - Someone correct me - this is totally wrong; I thought this category of animals was O-vine; BO-vine is cattle; cows, bison, buffalo, etc.

19. Two after love? : THIRTY - I knew this was going to be tennis scoring;  0-30 or 30-0 is two points scored after the opening of a game

20. Aria from "Carmen" : HABANERA - perps and a WAG

22. Some drills : ROTES - meh.  period.

23. Champagne toast : SALUT - I had saluD; close enough, and 80% correct

24. English lit pseudonym : BOZ - perps - learning moment for me; the Wiki

25. Father of Phobos : ARES

26. Bounty maker, briefly : P AND G - think "P&G" - Proctor and Gamble, the makers of the paper towel

27. R&B's __ II Men : BOYZ - they were popular when I was in school - but not with me

28. Murky milieus : FENS - Ugh.  SEAS was my thought

29. __ cracker : ANIMAL - # 1

31. Facing dauntlessly : BRAVING

35. Like sparkling wine : ABUBBLE - crossed with another "A-" clue

36. Real estate pioneer with a Long Island town named for him : LEVITT - Nailed it - but that's not saying much - I live on Long Island

37. Clan member : SCOT - dah~!  Not CELT

38. Ruler of Asgard : ODIN

39. American Leaguer since 2013 : ASTRO - I thought this was wrong, too - but then I remembered that they were once a National League team

41. Ray : BEAM

45. 1975 ABC debut, for short : GMA - Good Morning America

46. Like music to one's ears? : ON KEY

47. Skater Harding : TONYA

48. Best ever : CAT'S MEOW - the Bee's Knees

50. Evil : ROTTEN

51. Splatter catcher : APRON - catcher~? deflector or collector maybe

52. will.i.am, for one : RAP ARTIST - from the Black-eyed Peas.  Sorry, but I think their stuff is at best amateur

54. Baggage carousel feeder : SLIDE - we have lots of slides at UPS - here's a pic of my "office"

55. Eatery serving 47-Downs : TRATTORIA - this  week is "restaurant week", and the Italian one I work at, aMano, was jimm-jamming on the frim-fram last night

56. State with a red, white and blue flag : TEXAS

DOWN:

1. Pisan possessive : NOSTRA - I WAGed from my understanding of "Cosa Nostra"

2. It's dropped on purpose : ANCHOR

3. Cinema __ : VERITE - dredged up from somewhere deep in my brain; "truth in cinema", or documentary style - I found a great list on IMDb - some titles you have heard

4. Ovid work : AMORES - written in 16BC; love stories are eternal

5. Dumps : JILTS - with my "NEVADA", DIVES worked here.  Talk about a cluster***k

6. Just : ONLY - not FAIR, nor EVEN; this is the "I was just going to eat one piece of candy"

7. Prepare for a grilling : RUB - BBQ related

8. Jazz followers : UTAHANS - gave myself a big pat on the back for NOT confusing this basketball team Jazz with musical jazz

9. Memorable '70s Ford : GERALD - ha HA~! - not TORINO; in fact not even a car....

10. Capital SSW of Tangier : RABAT

11. Tar Heel State campus : ELON - half perps; a little misdirection here, as the Tar Heels of UNC are sports foes of the college at Elon

12. Attack from above : DIVE BOMB

14. Enchant : BEDAZZLE

21. Cause of worry : BUGABOO - think "boogeyman"; there's also a stroller of the same name - sort of paradoxical, if you think about it

23. Blabbed : SANG

26. Compound with five carbon atoms : PENTANE - formula C₅H₁₂ ; C₅H₁₀ is pentEne

27. Crab house accessory : BIB

28. In good shape : FIT

30. Fruit served with a cracker? : NUT - # 2

31. Online clip : BLOGCAST - I filled in BLOG----, the rest was perps; is this post a blogcast, or just a blog~?

33. Anne Morrow Lindbergh, but not Charles : AVIATRIX - clever; only women can be the -TRIXes

34. Café quaff : VIN

35. "__ in the Dark": 1988 Neill/Streep film : A CRY

37. Noah's predecessor : STEWART - not a clue; turns out, Trevor Noah replaced Jon Steward on the Daily Show

40. Hybrid apparel : SKORTS - I love them; the looks of a skirt, the fit of shorts - and followed up with 41d.~?  Mr. Sessa, you're the man~!

41. Rear end : BOTTOM

42. Complete : ENTIRE

43. Bos'n's response : AYE, SIR - sailing term; a boatswain is a crewman

44. Large rays : MANTAS - this time, MANTA was correct

46. Exeunt __: all go out : OMNES - straight Latin

47. 55-Across dessert : TORTA

49. __ cracker : SODA - # 3

50. Assign value to : RATE

53. Four on Augusta's fifth : PAR - the golf course, and it's 'Magnolia' hole

Splynter - # 4, former "cracker" from Jacksonville, FL

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2015 Ed Sessa

Theme: Four of a kind ... Four Jacks in this case, as explained by the reveal entries:

39A. With 40-Across, toy with a crank ... and what each set of four circled puzzle squares graphically represents : JACK IN

40A. See 39-Across : THE BOX

Welcome to Wednesday, everyone. Steve here with an Ed Sessa "circles" theme. If you're one of the circle-less solvers amongst us you weren't at any disadvantage today, you just didn't get the post-solve "oh look, there's some names of people there" moment. 

We've got two actors - WEBB and LORD (Dragnet and Hawaii 5-0 respectively), one talk show host PAAR and one football player/politician KEMP.

I'm treating this more as a "Wednesday themeless", unless I'm missing something deep and mysterious about the names or the placement in the grid. 

Moving on ...

Across:

1. Flier among hangers : MOTH

5. Hurt : ACHE

9. Exams for future attys. : LSATS

14. Alpine feedback : ECHO. Yodeling probably wouldn't be as much fun without the sound rebound.

15. Something to chew on : FOOD

16. Open courtyards : ATRIA. "Open" in the sense of "uncluttered", not necessarily "open to the air".

17. Some Broadway theater handouts : SHOWBILLS. Hand up for HANDBILLS first. Interestingly, the only Broadway theater that gives you a showbill is the New Amsterdam, for reasons explained here. Who knew?

19. Green shampoo : PRELL. Crosses for me. I thought it might be eco-friendly, but no, it's just green.

20. Raised on one's own ranch, as a horse : HOMEBRED

21. Pilot-licensing org. : F.A.A. Our friends at the Federal Aviation Authority. The UK equivalent is the Civil Aviation Authority, which sounds to me like they must be jolly polite.

22. Like many senior part-timers : SEMI-RETIRED

27. Hemingway nickname : PAPA

31. Yours, in Toulouse : A TOI

32. Stadium level : TIER. You need one cross to decide between TIER and the also-popular LOGE.

33. __ husky : ALASKAN

36. PC exit key : ESC

38. Tournament advantage : BYE

42. D-backs, on scoreboards : ARI. Officially, the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball, but that would need to be one heck of a wide scoreboard to fit that lot in.

43. "Little Red Book" author : MAO

45. It's not pretty to look at : EYESORE

46. Certain bond, briefly : MUNI

48. Tae __ do : KWON

50. "The __ lama, he's a priest ... ": Nash : ONE L

51. Sherry in a Poe title : AMONTILLADO. A jaunty, cheerful and uplifting tale of burial alive.

55. When doubled, a number puzzle : KEN. From the Japanese word for cleverness, 賢 ken, so I'm told.

56. "Beatles '65" song : I'M A LOSER. Not one of their best-known, that's for sure. The album the song was on was released as "Beatles for Sale" in the UK, not the album title in the clue, so I thought '65 referred to the release year, but that was actually 1964. Confused yet?

61. Common news hr. : TEN P.M.

64. Intensely active state : OVERDRIVE

65. Greek storyteller : AESOP

66. Reject suddenly : JILT, as a lover.

67. Field : AREA

68. Land maps : PLATS. Learning moment for me. I had PLANS at first until INKPON showed up at 47D.

69. Ornamental band : SASH

70. Socially awkward type : NERD

Down:

1. Interlock : MESH

2. Nueve menos uno : OCHO. Spanish math.

3. McAn of footwear : THOM. Crosses for me. Never heard of the brand.

4. NHL great Gordie : HOWE

5. In flames : AFIRE

6. Camping gear company with a lantern in its logo : COLEMAN

7. "Wait a minute!" : HOLD IT!

8. People working for People, briefly : EDS. Magazine editors.

9. Wash gently against : LAP AT. This one seems to have been cropping up a lot recently, or perhaps I'm just noticing it more. Funny how that happens.

10. Narrow waterway : STRAIT. "Narrow" would appear to be a relative term. The Bass Strait, which separates Tasmania from mainland Australia, is approximately 220 miles wide.

11. "__ you coming?" : ARE

12. Up to, casually : 'TIL "Open 8 'til Late".

13. Mineo of "Exodus" : SAL

18. Air rifle ammo : BB'S

21. Full of gumption : FEISTY

23. Caviar, e.g. : ROE

24. Award often blue : RIBBON. The alternately-spelled BLUE RIBAND trophy is held by the liner United States for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic by a passenger ship.

25. Pooh pal : EEYORE. With Piglet, my favorite character from the books (don't get me started on the Disney abominations). Is his rundown house EEYORE'S EYESORE?

26. Philadelphia university : DREXEL. Oh, so that's where it is. I wondered.

27. __ party : PAJAMA. PYJAMA in British English, so I waited for ALASKAN to resolve matters for me.

28. Shakespearean call to arms : ALARUM. Great word.

29. "Scarface" (1983) star : PACINO

30. "Try me" : ASK

34. "Bette Davis Eyes" singer Carnes : KIM. Gravelly-throated songstress. Good stuff.

35. Luke and Leia's father : ANAKIN. Get your Star Wars nerd on today.

37. Friend of Fidel : CHE. Cue iconic image:

41. Spanish "that" : ESO

44. Woodland mouser : OWL

45. Glossy coats : ENAMELS

47. Place to dip a quill : INKPOT. Corrected my erroneous PLANS at 68A

49. Piglet of children's books : OLIVIA. Cute looking pig!

52. Holiday hires : TEMPS

53. 35-Down, as a Sith lord : DARTH. I can't remember if I linked this before, but it tickles me to death every time I watch it. Adult language warning for a couple of F-bombs.

54. Rusted, perhaps : OLD

57. Setting of Camus' "The Plague" : ORAN. Algerian city which suffered a repeat outbreak in 2003.

58. Many a retired racehorse : SIRE

59. At any time : EVER

60. Spent time with Time : READ. You could clue either "Spend" or "Spent" and just change the pronunciation of the answer, which is neat, no?

61. Gentle touch : TAP. I had PAT first, which amused me when I noticed that I simply had it backwards.

62. Oft-smoked fish : EEL

63. DOD intel arm : N.S.A. The National Security Agency, brought to prominence (unhappily for them!) in recent times by Edward Snowden.

64. Drinks at IHOP : OJ'S 

That's about it from me. Here's the grid while I get my coat.


Steve

Wednesday June 3rd, 2015 Ed Sessa

Theme: Sheik's Peer Group - the ends of the six theme entries homo-phonically reveal the start of one of the Bard's most famous soliloquies

19A. *Split apart : IN TWO

20A. *Working, working, working : AS BUSY AS A BEE

35A. *1967 NHL Calder Memorial Trophy recipient : BOBBY ORR. Hockey's "Rookie of the Year" trophy presciently awarded to this Hall of Famer and Boston Bruins legend.

41A. *Half-hitch kin : SLIP KNOT. Pull the loose end to release it. 

56A. *"And it took long enough!" : ABOUT TIME TOO. On finishing the crossword?

59A. *Backup option : PLAN B. I once worked for a company that liked to have Plans C thru Z too, just in case. It was a tad tedious, to say the least.

and then all the way at the bottom, the hint:

48D. Speaker of the ends of the answers to starred clues : HAMLET

Royal Shakespeare Company 50th Anniversary UK Stamp

"To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life;"

Talented chap, that Shakespeare bloke. So is Ed Sessa, come to that. I found this a little tricky for a Wednesday and took a little while to get a foothold, but then a couple of spirals around the grid and things started to fall into place. I enjoyed the POE/MAELSTRÖM connection, and could easily visualize a HAM ACTOR making a mess of HAMLET. Let's get into the details:

Across:

1. Gothic literature middle name : ALLAN. Mr. Poe.

6. Sound of relief : AAH.

9. Tells : BLABS

14. Olympus competitor : LEICA. Always need to wait for crosses with these - you've got Nikon and Canon as other possibilities.

15. Lobster __ Diavolo : FRA. Yay - Food! making an early appearance. The tomato-and-chilli Fra Diavolo sauce is Italian for "Brother Devil", so named because of the spicy heat.

16. Talked a blue streak : RAN ON

17. Violent whirlpool : MAELSTRÖM. Our 1A friend Mr. Poe wrote a short story in 1841 "A Descent into the Maelström" which captivated me when I read it as a child.

"I'm guessing this is not good"

22. Bashful : SHY

23. Per person : APIECE

24. Pinch : DASH

28. Part of Q.E.D. : QUOD. "Erat Demonstrandum" rounds out the phrase. Tada! in mathemetician-speak.

29. Asian holiday : TET. I'm sure there are more Asian holidays than this one, but it's a crossword-fave.

31. Transcript fig. : G.P.A.

32. Géorgie, to Georgette : ÉTAT. The French spelling of the State of Georgia. I learned in French lessons years ago that if you replace the "e-acute" at the start of a word with the letter "S", you'll often get closer to the English meaning of the word. Not a hard-and-fast rule, but it works in this case.

37. Sound : AUDIO

39. Game show prize : CAR

40. Long tales : SAGAS

43. With 64-Across, tax shelter since 1998 : ROTH

44. "Power" accessory : TIE. I used to wear a tie pretty much every day, but now businesses are much more relaxed about such things.

45. Updike's "Rabbit Redux," e.g.: Abbr. : SEQ. The sequel to "Rabbit, Run"

46. Longtime Saudi king : FAHD

49. Tater : SPUD. Food! I'm liking Ed's puzzle today.

51. Ancient Israeli fortress : MASADA. Crosses all the way.

53. Workout "washboards" : ABS. Let's ask USA Olympic sprinter Torri Edwards to illustrate what these look like:

62. Vibrator in the larynx : VOCAL CORD. My thought process here went "voice box .. no wait .. "vocal chord" ... no, what? ah! Got it!

63. Public opening? : JOHN Q. Does Mr. Public live in Peoria?

64. See 43-Across : IRA

65. Low-price prefix : ECONO- Yee-ha! Nancy Griffith extols the virtues of the Ford panel van.

66. Really cracks up : SLAYS

67. Volleyball barrier : NET

68. Carved emblem : TOTEM

Down:

1. Soprano Gluck and composer Mahler-Werfel : ALMAS. On the "I know this" scale of 1-10 I was was a solid zero. Thank you, crosses.

2. Chihuahua lead : LEASH. I was expecting something fiendishly Mexican-Spanish here. Nope.

3. Stretch out next to : LIE BY

4. Censorship-fighting org. : A.C.L.U.

5. Bahamas port : NASSAU. Port of Registration for many cruise liners.

6. Hiding under the covers : AFRAID

7. Tossed off the covers : AROSE

8. Poor choice to play 48-Down : HAM ACTOR. Good choice to play "Babe" though?

9. Creamy cheese : BRIE

10. Like Olympic pools : LANED. Also seems a darned long way from one end to the other when you're in the middle of sprint training.

11. Picnic invader : ANT

12. Moment of stage gratitude : BOW

13. __-Cat: winter vehicle : SNO

18. Proofer's find : TYPO

21. U.K. network, with "the" : BEEB. Fondly, the BBC - the British Broadcasting Corporation.

25. Disco phrase : A GOGO. The famous Whisky a Go Go nightclub here in Los Angeles was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. Pretty good for a building.

26. Nursery rhyme surname : SPRAT. Jack and his wife. We never learned Mrs. Sprat's first name. Maybe it was Jill, of "tumbling after" fame.

27. Strident : HARSH

28. Cotton swab brand : Q-TIP

30. "Conan" channel : TBS. Ted Turner's TBS, based in Atlanta was the first "Superstation" - the first basic cable channel to transmit programming via satellite, enabling it to be carried on cable networks in all 50 states by 1978.

32. Bridge positions : EASTS

33. Cup-shaped bloom : TULIP

34. "Cheers," across the Channel : ADIEU. I tried SANTÉ first. Bottoms up!

35. Ball striker : BAT

36. Play area : YARD

38. Endorsements : OK'S

39. Chicken-in-wine stew : COQ AU VIN. Food! I learned early to use the same wine you were planning to drink with the meal, rather than throw in some cheap stuff and hope it magically tasted great when it cooked out. I use a nice Californian Pinot Noir, the same primary varietal in French burgundy.

42. Movie clownfish : NEMO

46. One with money to burn : FAT CAT

47. 1998 Sarah McLachlan song : ADIA. This song is following me around on crossword Wednesday. No matter, it's a beautiful song.

50. Boy in an Irish song : DANNY. Here's the Irish Tenors

52. Target, for one : STORE

53. On __: reveling : A TOOT

54. Carried : BORNE

55. City destroyed in Genesis : SODOM. It's near-neighbor Gomorrah didn't fare too well either. As Danny Boy would have said "Begorrah, Gomorrah"!

57. Tailgaters' cookers, for short : BBQ'S

58. __ Domani: Italian wine brand : ECCO. I'm very familiar with the name and the label, although I don't believe I've actually tasted any. Marti?

59. Sleepover attire : PJ'S

60. Cyberyuk : LOL. Laugh Out Loud. Great clue.

61. "Just as I thought!" : AHA!

Time for me to shuffle off the crossword coil. Here's the grid:

Steve

Note from C.C.:

Happy birthday to our talented Owen! Thanks for the time and hard work you put into your poems. You bring smiles to many regulars and we're grateful for your presence.

Owen & his wife Brenda (Feb 28, 2009)

Wedneday, April 29, 2015 Ed Sessna

Theme: WHY AREN'T YOU IN BED? or WHY iS THERE A TV IN YOUR BED ROOM?  The first words of the theme answers are the first names of a sequence of hosts for a TV show that airs too late to stay up for - at least for me in my time zone.

17 A. *Knave in a black suit : JACK OF CLUBS.   A most excellent clue!  In Britain, and among bridge players,  the Jack of a card suite is known as the knave.  This guy's counterpart is the JACK of Spades, offering another theme opportunity, depending on how many letters were needed.  The host referred to is JACK Paar [1957-62], who got into a big dust-up with the network suits for making a joke about a toilet.

24 A. *Griddle-cooked corn bread : JOHNNY CAKE.  Southern fried fare, and the iconic, always impeccably dressed JOHNNY CARSON [1962-92.]

38 A. *Symbol of nakedness : JAY BIRD.  If you ever wondered where this expression came from, here is your answer.  In my 'ute, a common insult, slightly bowdlerized was," If you stuck your brains in the hindquarters of a JAY bird, he'd still fly backwards."  JAY Leno [1992-2009, 2010-14] is known for his car collection and his chin.

48 A. *Like a well-made lock : JIMMY PROOF.  A JIMMY is a short pry-bar used to force open a door or window, and by extension a device to force open a lock.  JIMMY Fallon [2014 - ] is the current host of the program yet to be identified.

If you haven't sussed it by now, the unifier completely gives it away.   60 A. With "The," post-prime time fare since the '50s, four of whose regular hosts appear in sequence in the answers to starred clues : TONIGHT SHOW.  Since its inception in 1954, this is the longest running regularly scheduled talk and entertainment program on U.S. TV.  Not included in this list are the first host, the brilliant Steve Allen, [1954-7] and Conan O'Brien [7+ months spanning 2009-10] whose short stint was sandwiched between Jay Leno's two runs.  Carson had the longest tenure, but Leno had the greatest number of hosted episodes. 

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here.  Not really a TV maven, but I assume everyone knows about this program and its roster of celebrity hosts.  Let's get through this quickly so I can go to bed at a decent hour.

Across

1. Senate electee : MEMBER.  One who joins, or in this case is [s]elected to be in a group or organization.

7. Russia-Manchuria border river : AMUR.  The world's 10th longest river meanders generally west to east, making the border between the Russian far east and northeastern China.

11. Simile center : AS A.  Right now I'm feeling smart AS A mule.

14. Esoteric : ARCANE.   Secret, mysterious and/or understood by few.

15. Without help : LONE.  

Four and a half minutes of misery

16. Amendments 1-10 subj. : RTS.  The Bill of Rights from the U.S. Constitution.

19. Prefix with state : TRI-.  Referring to a town, city or region that encompasses parts of three states.  There are several such in the U. S.  

20. Maldives landform : ATOLL.  A ring shaped coral archipelago.  The Maldives islands are one such, located in the Indian Ocean, 470 miles south west of Sri Lanka.

21. Taxi pickup : FARE.  Here is a not at all typical example. 

A sad smile, just the same [6:40]

22. Corrosive compound : ACID.  In either of a couple different senses.

23. Tofu source : SOYA.  Glop made from bean curd.

26. By way of : VIA.

28. Former Yankee manager who's now an MLB exec : TORRE.  Joe, who managed the Mets from 1987 to 81, Braves from '82 to 84, Cardinals from '90 to '95, Yankees from 1996 to 2007, and Dodgers from 2008 to 10.  

29. Comedy team who voiced the Piel Brothers of beer fame : BOB AND RAY.  

BOB AND RAY, the Two and Only 

35. Things to avoid : NO-NOS.  Just ask Nanette.

37. Goya's year : ANO.   En Español y sin tilde.

40. Clinker in a Glas : EIS.  And now,  in German, ICE in a glass.  Tin Man, just skip this one.

41. India's first prime minister : NEHRU.  Jawaharlal, in office from 1947 to 1964.

43. Pulitzer-winning WWII journalist : ERNIE PYLE. He died in combat in Okinawa on April 18, 1945.

45. Learns : HEARS.  Well, that is one way to learn.  If you listen.

47. Casual day, perhaps: Abbr. : FRIday.  Dress down day at work.  I never could get myself to wear denims, though.

52. Low-__ diet : CARB.  A la Atkins.

56. Big name in elevators : OTIS.  Big name in crosswords, too, though he had his ups and downs.

57. N.Y. commuter line with a Hempstead Branch : LIRR.  Long Island Rail Road.

58. Malia's sister : SASHA.  Obama, first and second daughters, respectively.

59. Flight-tracking fig. : ETA.  Estimated Time of Arrival.

62. Craving : YEN.    Derived from obsolete English argot for opium craving.   Meanwhile, I considered going to Japan, but didn't have the Yen to travel.

63. Some Alcan Highway pumps : ESSO.  Canadian petrol brand.

64. Email again : RESEND.

65. Soon-to-be grads: Abbr. : SRS.  Last year's JRS.

66. Afterwards : THEN.  Refers to the ensuing subsequent event that followed.

67. "__ End": 1970-'71 Streisand hit : STONEY.  

I forgot about this one

Down

1. Subjects of two Goya paintings : MAJAS.  Anything worth doing is worth doing twice - right?

Pose in repose

2. Muse for Millay : ERATO.  The muse of lyric poetry, especially of the romantic erotic, or perhaps even BAWDY variety.  Her name, meaning "desired" or "lovely," derives from the same root as Eros.  This muse is especially appropriate for Edna St. Vincent Millay, who was both a Pulitzer Prize winning poet and wildly promiscuous.

3. Kelley's "Star Trek" role : McCOY.  

Dammit, Jim

4. Syrup-topped pastry : BAKLAVA.  Filo dough, nuts and honey.

5. Organic compound : ENOL.  This always bothers me, first, because the clue is so vague - there are literally millions of organic compounds, and second, because enols are inherently unstable, and quickly transforms into ketones.

6. One who whistles while he works : REFeree.  Cute clue

7. God of Islam : ALLAH.   Same God as Christians and Jews, just a different name.

8. Grieve : MOURN.

9. Not having yielded : UNBENT.  House Martell of Dorne has this motto as it's House Words: "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken."

10. Hi-__ image : RESolution - clarity of image, having nothing in particular to do with New Year's Eve..

11. Ed Norton player : ART CARNEY.  From the Jackie Gleason sit-com, The Honeymooners; not to be confused with Ed Norton, the actor who played the un-named protagonist in the movie Fight Club.

This guy, being shown the door

12. Drill successfully : STRIKE OIL.  My dentist did some drilling a couple weeks ago.  Nothing this exciting ensued, I'm happy to say.

13. Parenthetical comment : ASIDE.  A comment a stage-play character makes to the audience, rather than as part of dialogue; or more generally, a comment in a text that is ancillary to the main topic.

18. Fiscal exec : CFO.  Chief Financial Officer.

22. Phobia lead-in : ACRO-.   Fear of heights.  I can relate.

24. Actress Pinkett Smith : JADA.  Veteran of many movies and TV shows, including the voice of Gloria the Hippo in the animated Madagascar movies.

Source

25. Over there : YONDER.

27. Strain or sprain : INJURY.

29. Interdict : BAN.

30. Game that's close to perfect : ONE HITTER.  A baseball game in which the pitcher gives up only one hit to the opposing team.   In a perfect game, there are no hits and no walks.

31. Dvorák and Smetana : BOHEMIANS.   Two gentlemen from that geographic region in the Czech Republic, rather than the artsy-fartsy proto-hippies of the 19th century.  Though both were composers, so who knows. 

32. Deli option : RYE.  Bread.  Of course, there are also RYE whiskey, and RYE beer, for the trifecta.  

33. Like many dicts. : ABR.  I guess "dict." is the ABReviation for "dictionary," but I'm have a hard time making sense of this entry.  UPDATE:  As Argyle and some others pointed out, ABR is short for ABRIDGED, so we have, in ABRIDGED form an ABRIDGED dictionary.  Thanks, guys! 

34. Feminine force : YIN.  The make counterpart is Yang.

Two curves in perfect fit

36. Kalamazoo-to-Cincinnati dir. : SSE.  South-South-East.  There's also a song about Kalamazoo, which has been my ear worm for about the past month.

Everything's O-K- . . .  

39. Jazz solo : RIFF.  Not really.  It's more of an ostinato phrase that might support an improvisation.  Here's a classic example.

Frank Rosolino on the trombone solo

42. Lambs' kin : RAMS.  The kids' dads and uncles.

44. Artist who had a Blue Period : PICASSO.  Pablo had his blue period from 1901-4, painting mostly in shades of blue.  These works were unpopular at the time, but are very popular now.

46. Jumping-in-puddles sound : SPLOSH.  Not SPLISH nor SPLASH?

All wet

48. Young hoppers : JOEYS.  Kangaroo offspring.

49. Car wash cycle : RINSE.   Heavy metal laundry.

50. Hunter seen at night : ORION.   The constellation that is home to Rigel and Betelgeuse.

Use your imagination

51. Kin of gov : ORG.  Two top level domain url suffixes, for government agencies and organizations, respectively.   The ".org" designation was originally intended for non-profits, but now includes other types of organizations such as schools, opens source projects, and communities.

53. Pale : ASHEN.

54. French wine region : RHONE.  In southern France along the Rhone river, where wine grapes have been cultivated since around the year 600 A.D.

55. Off-color : BAWDY.   Lewd, or, more specifically, dealing with sexual matters in a humorous way.

58. Editor's mark : STET.  From the Latin for "let it stand," indicating that a previously noted editorial change should be ignored.

60. Vietnamese holiday : TET.  The lunar new year.

61. Billing nos. : HRS.  For attorneys and other professionals who bill according to time spent on a project. 

Well, that wraps it up.  Good puzzle, nice theme, well executed, albeit with a couple questionable entries.  Hope you didn't lose any sleep over it.

Cool regards!

JzB

Wednesday, April 15th, 2015 Ed Sessa

Theme: Split the Distance - as the reveal explains at 60A, the three theme entries are book-ended by 1,760 yards.

17A. Key collection of records : MASTER FILE.

27A. Canadian crooner with four Grammys : MICHAEL BUBLE. I could link a song here, but I'll spare you the schmaltz.

45A. Telltale white line : MILK MUSTACHE. I could link a "Got Milk" topless David Beckham here, but I'll spare you the torso.

60A. Not even close to an agreement ... or, literally, what 17-, 27- and 45-Across have in common : MILES APART

Happy Tax Day, if there is such a thing. Hopefully everyone has come to an agreement with our friends at the IRS over how much figurative blood should have been sucked from our 2014 income. It's a sobering thought that Tax Freedom Day for the average American - the day you stop working for the IRS and start working for the state and finally yourself - doesn't arrive until April 21st. Now I've cheered you all up, let's dig into what Ed created for us today.

Its a straightforward theme, with the MILE separated on a 1-3, 2-2, 3-1 pattern. Is MASTER FILE still a thing? It's been quite some time since I've heard anyone refer to such a thing.

Across:

1. Request an ID from : CARD

5. Classic milk flavoring : BOSCO. Dick Van Dyke was a pitchman. His cockney accent in "Mary Poppins" was a thing of beauty. Not.

10. Degs. for choreographers : M.F.A.S. Masters degrees in Fine Arts.

14. Yours, to Yves : A TOI. What if you're an Yves who isn't French?

15. One making a leaf pile : RAKER

16. Wild speech : RANT

19. Command to Fido : STAY

20. Trophy : PRIZE

21. Slyly suggest : INSINUATE

23. Religious offense : SIN

24. Common "terrible twos" responses : NOS. Usually accompanied by a foot stamp, followed by a clip around the ear by a parent (back in the good old days), then squawking.

26. Quiet time : LULL

32. Came out with : ISSUED

35. Protein-rich beans : SOYS

36. Sushi fish : EEL. Food! Smoked eel is delicious in sushi rolls.

37. Scratching post users : CATS

38. Peeper : EYE. Jeepers, Creepers!

39. "Divergent" heroine __ Prior : TRIS. Thank you, crosses. This young lady has never before visited my wheelhouse.

40. Uplifting wear : BRA. OK, have at it, all you linkers.

41. Oil magnate Halliburton : ERLE. He also designed aluminum suitcases and was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame (What?) in 1957.

43. Feared African fly : TSETSE. Nasty little buggers, these. They cause sleeping sickness in humans and animals.

48. Home to Sean O'Casey : ERIN. "E" and wait for the crosses to decide between ERIN and EIRE.

49. Take to court : SUE

50. Buzzy body : BEE

53. Aspiring rock star's submissions : DEMO TAPES. Do these even exist any more? I'd have thought A&R men would today expect an emailed link to a YouTube clip, not a cassette tape in a padded envelope.

57. Mineral used in water softening : BORAX. We had a discussion about mule teams, muleteers and borax recently.

59. Dr. Seuss' "If __ the Circus" : I RAN

62. Like some beers : LITE. I'm not sure if these actually qualify for the term "beer". All the ones I've tried are a little bland for my taste.

63. Visually teasing genre : OP-ART

64. Continuously : EVER

65. Creepy look : LEER

66. Smallville family : KENTS. Jonathan and Martha were farmers in Smallville who adopted an alien from the planet Krypton named Kal-El. He grew up to be a pretty good journalist at the Daily Planet.

67. Zilch : NADA

Down:

1. Tent sites : CAMPS

2. Centipede video game creator : ATARI

3. Pitcher's gripping aid : ROSIN. Versatile stuff, it's also used on violin bows.

4. Ding-a-ling : DITZ

5. "Close the window!" : BRR

6. Like a boor : OAFISH

7. Crispy fried chicken part : SKIN Food! Sinful, but oh so good! I'm in Atlanta for a couple of days, I should go hunt down some righteous soul food.

8. Cartoon collectibles : CELS

9. "No Spin Zone" newsman : O'REILLY

10. Enterprise helmsman, to Kirk : MR SULU

11. "Hey hey hey!" toon : FAT ALBERT. Also a new visitor to my wheelhouse. He caused me a couple of problems in the nor'east today.

12. Gross subj.? : ANAT. If you want to be educated and entertained by all things human anatomical and dead, read "Stiff" by Mary Roach. She followed up with "Gulp", an entertaining journey through our alimentary canal. I love her writing.

13. 38-Across sore : STYE

18. Counting word in a rhyme : EENIE. I caused something of a stir before when I mentioned that this could also be spelled "EENY". I was surprised by the reaction, so I won't say that again. Oh dear, I think I just did.

22. Well-worn pencils : NUBS

25. Med. condition with repetitive behavior : O.C.D. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Excuse me while I go and make sure all the labels on my spice jars are facing the same way. There's only 60 or so jars to check.

27. Conservatory subj. : MUS. Oh - not the "greenhouse" definition. Although you could play music in the greenhouse, apparently tomatoes enjoy Mozart. I'm not kidding.

28. So far : AS YET

29. Fair-hiring initials : EOE. Equal Opportunity Employer

30. Flowery rings : LEIS

31. Ultimatum ender : ELSE. Back to the bratty two-year-old? Stop that squawking or else!

32. Long-range nuke : I-C.B.M. Inter-continental ballistic missile.

33. Rani's wrap : SARI. Vibrant, colorful garb for this Indian "Queen"

34. Deadlock : STALEMATE

38. Aboveground trains : ELS

39. Golf gadget : TEE. I think "gadget" is a bit of an elaborate description for a stick that you put your ball on.

41. Exude : EMIT

42. Go wild : RUN AMOK

43. Ft. Worth campus : T.C.U. Texas Christian University, home of the Horned Frogs.

44. Queen of __: noted visitor of King Solomon : SHEBA

46. Copenhagen coins : KRONER. I had "KRONAS" first, then saw sense.

47. State as fact : ASSERT

50. Cry to a prima donna : BRAVA. Bravo! to the tenor, Brava! to the soprano.

51. Dog-__: folded at the corner : EARED

52. Spare : EXTRA

53. Pickle herb : DILL

54. Albany-to-Buffalo canal : ERIE. When it was first built, "Clinton's Ditch" was dug only four feet deep to save on construction cost, to the befuddlement of potential suicides who tried to drown themselves in it by leaping from various bridges. It's 12 feet deep now.

55. Water carrier : PIPE

56. Spirited style : ELAN

58. Major tennis event : OPEN. Three Opens (Australian, French and US) make up three-quarters of the tennis Grand Slam. The fourth event, "The Championships, Wimbledon" is the only one played now played on grass. Those Brits have to be different, eh?

61. MD and ME, e.g. : STS. Which T in STATES is the abbreviation? I think we should be told.

That's enough from me - here's the answer grid.

Steve

Note from C.C.:

I got below note from Irish Miss. Can any of you help her? I recall JD had the same problem with her iPad before.

"Every time I go to the blog to post, I have to sign in to Google.  I have never signed out but this happened once before, although it eventually cleared itself up, until recently.  When I go to the blog home page, in the upper right hand corner, it shows only Sign In, there is no Dashboard.  When I post my comments and sign in, then go back to the home page, my email address shows and Dashboard, too.  If I go back to the blog later, no email address or Dashboard appears, just Sign In.  I'm at a loss how to get signed in and stay signed in.  Any ideas?  Thanks."

Thursday, March 19, 2015 Ed Sessa

Theme: "Day at the Spa"

20. Area : NECK OF THE WOODS.

32. SONIC's Quarter Pound Coneys, e.g. : FOOT LONG HOT DOGS.

39. 1985 sci-fi classic : BACK TO THE FUTURE.

And the reveal:
56. Hamlet's satisfied comment about the starts of 20-, 32- and 39-Across? : AY, THERES THE RUB. I stumbled with this entry by putting "Ah" at first, instead of AY. The first editions of the play actually say "I, there's the rub."

So we have three types of massage on the table:
NECK RUB, FOOT RUB or BACK RUB.  I'll take one of each, than you!

Across

1. Dancing shoe item : TAP.

4. Initially : AT FIRST.

11. Doo-wop syllable : SHA...na na.

14. Modern address : URL.

15. Seedless raisin : SULTANA.

16. Oakley forte : AIM.  Annie, get your gun!

17. Cape Town's nation: Abbr. : RSA. Republic of South Africa.

18. Farm hauler : TRACTOR.

19. Jurist in 1995 news : ITO. "People of the State of California vs. Orenthal James Simpson."

23. "Come __!" : ON IN.

24. Govt. stipend provider : SSI. Supplemental Security Income.

25. __ Addict: fragrance brand : DIOR.

27. Spot relative : FIDO. Immediately followed by:
28. Hound : NAG. Naturally, I was on the "cur" wavelength.

31. Fictional Melbourne Dame : EDNA. Such a character!

37. "Sweet as apple cider" girl of song : IDA. Eddie Cantor made it a standard.

38. Extinct emu relative : MOA.

48. "Argo" setting : IRAN.

49. Flying Cloud, for one : REO. They are also known for their "Speed Wagon."

50. "... __ is given": Isaiah : A SON.

51. Sub builder : DELI.

52. It may be pitched : WOO. Hmm, the AV crossword yesterday had a theme entry of "Pitch WOO." I had never head the phrase before, and now it's hit me two days in a row.

55. High-level predator : PUMA. They are also known as "Mountain Lions."

61. Dadaism founder : ARP. Jean or Hans.

62. Virgin America's frequent-flyer program : ELEVATE. Easily inferable.

63. Pipe turn : ELL.

64. Commuter's choice : BUS.

65. Backs out : RENEGES.

66. "The Murders in the __ Morgue" : RUE. Gimme.

67. Star quality : EGO.

68. Ballpark officials : SCORERS.

69. Old atlas abbr. : SSR. Soviet Socialist Republic.


Down

1. Alienate : TURN OFF.

2. Hall of fame : ARSENIO. Nice misdirection!

3. Tenor Domingo : PLACIDO. Drat - I already used my music link!

4. Concerning : AS TO.

5. Gang lands : TURFS.

6. Reasons for breakdowns : FLATS.

7. Result of many a bite : ITCHING.

8. Deserve : RATE.

9. Storm output : SNOW. Enough already!!

10. Hawaiian root : TARO.

11. Took marriage vows : SAID I DO.

12. Top-ten tune : HIT SONG.

13. Latin trio word : AMO. amas, amat.

21. Unit of speed : KNOT.

22. Had too much : ODed. Over Dosed.

26. Dorm figs. : RAs. Resident Assistants (or Advisors.)

29. Words of woe : AH ME.

30. Idle, with "off" : GOOF.

33. Fired : LIT.  I just fired my fireplace?

34. Potpourri quality : ODOR.

35. "The Great" boy detective : NATE. WAG.

36. Greek consonant : TAU.

39. Bridge column datum : BID.

40. Decorator's recommendation : AREA RUG.

41. Nymph in Homer's "Odyssey" : CALYPSO. Ack - I filled in CAListO without thinking. But that nymph is spelled with two L's.

42. Baby bootee, often : KNIT.

43. "Wait, there's more" : HOWEVER.

44. Ticker __ : TAPE.

45. Loan sharks : USURERS.

46. Eponymous city founder : ROMULUS. Founder of Rome.

47. Co-dependency figure : ENABLER.

53. Oklahoma tribe : OSAGE.

54. Playful fish-eater : OTTER.

57. "His," per Ambrose Bierce : HERS. From The Devil's Dictionary.

58. Juice you can't drink: Abbr. : ELEC.tricity.  Cute.

59. Attorney general after Barr : RENO.

60. Gas company with a green-bordered logo : HESS.

61. Profiled penny prez : ABE. Not sure it needed the word "profiled," but it makes for some nice alliteration.

That's it for me - your turn!
Marti

Sunday March 8, 2015 Ed Sessa

Theme:  "Hide and Seek" - GEO is hidden (cached) in the middle of each theme answer.

 23A. *Come (to), more or less : AVERAGE OUT. This added "to" in the brackets makes the entry look like a partial. It's not.

 38A. *Subject of lengthy debate : AGE-OLD QUESTION.

 60A. *Union proposal? : MARRIAGE OFFER. Reminds me of the "Union agreement" for I DO.

 81A. *Play it safe : HEDGE ONE'S BETS

 98A. *Mitigate : TAKE THE EDGE OFF

 15D. *Sulu, for one : BRIDGE OFFICER. Our Spitzboov reached "Commander" rank. Commander Spitzboov!

 59D. *Trial movement : CHANGE OF VENUE. Two pairs of theme entries intersect in this grid. This often makes filling easier, but it takes skills & luck to make crossing happen..

Reveal entry:

120A. Hide-and-seek activity utilizing GPS ... and what is literally done in the answers to

starred clues : GEOCACHING

Very few word start with EO*, so Mr Ed's break pattern is consistently *GE O* (quite a few OF*).

Thought of CrossEyedDave immediately when I came to the reveal entry. He's into Geocaching. How's your knee lately, Dave?

 

Did any of you have trouble with the BLEW (15A. Left, in slang) clue? I just could not figure it out. Finally asked the "always there: Santa Argyle. He explained:

"Left, as in "didn't stay" 

The party was a drag so we blew the joint and went to the club."

Across:

1. Head up, in a way : CLIMB. Also 19. One on the trail : HIKER

6. Future MD's exam : MCAT (Medical College Admission Test). And 71D. 6-Across takers, e.g. : TESTEES

10. Pick-me-up pill : NO-DOZ

20. Short-cut pasta : ORZO. Never had it. You?

21. Windy City hub : O'HARE

22. Opposite of a pan : RAVE. Of course I was picturing a cooking pan!

25. Many a worm : BORER

26. Emphatic type: Abbr. : ITAL

27. Adjust, as a spreadsheet : RE-SIZE

28. Company VIP : PREZ

30. Observation platform : ROOF DECK

32. E Street Band guitarist Lofgren : NILS

34. "Mr. Pim Passes By" playwright : MILNE. This I learned from PIM clue.

37. "Thank Heaven for Little Girls" musical : GIGI

 

43. Versailles assembly : SENAT. French Senate.

46. Line partitions: Abbr. : SEGS (Segments)

47. "Friendly Skies" co. : UAL

48. Observed : SAW. And 49. Observes : BEHOLDS

51. Former red state: Abbr. : SSR (Soviet Socialist Republic). Nice clue angle. "Red state".

52. Like the bell of a trumpet : FLARED

55. Biblical shepherd : ABEL

57. South Korean sportswear company : FILA. Very popular in China. South Korean soap operas are extremely popular in China also. Lots of girls visit South Korea just for the plastic surgery.

58. Was duly humiliated : ATE CROW. Are crows actually edible?

 

64. IMO, in "Hamlet" : METHINKS. To answer your question, Dudley, there's beauty in symmetry.

66. Spare tyre sites : BOOTS

67. Old "Oyez!" shouters : CRIERS

68. "__ of robins ..." : A NEST

69. "Give Peace a Chance" co-writer, per Lennon : ONO

70. Colonial story : ATTIC. And 84. 70-Across function : STORAGE

72. Holds tight : CLINGS

75. Metal-threaded fabrics : LAMES.  Fabrics with "metallic threads". Metal-threaded brought up a different image for me.

77. Diminished : LESSENED

85. Fit to __ : A TEE

86. Of no consequence : MOOT

87. London borough : SUTTON. Not familiar to me.

89. Network with a three-box logo : BBC. Never thought of them as three boxes.

90. Admission of error : I GOOFED. Lovely 7-letter fill.

92. Swipe from : ROB

95. Cedar Rapids college : COE

96. Fountain order : SODA

97. Chief Powhatan's son-in-law : ROLFE

 

102. Reproductive cell : OVUM

104. Lee __, first African-American to play in the Masters : ELDER. I confused him with Calvin Peete.

105. Bearing a grudge : SORE

106. Scroll key : PAGE DOWN. So, what keyboard are you using? Mine is an old Microsoft Comfort 5000. Love it.

109. Where lines may be read : PALM. Nice clue.

112. Pity-evoking quality : PATHOS. Like what?

116. St. Patrick's land : ERIN

117. Medical co. in the DJIA : J AND J. Big plant in Shanghai.

122. In __ of: replacing : LIEU

123. "Shaq Diesel" rapper : O'NEAL

124. Regarding : IN RE

125. Standing tall : ERECT

126. Facility : EASE

127. __-Croatian language : SERBO

128. Word with waffle or sugar : CONE. Are you familiar with Kakigōri? So popular in Japan.

129. Bros : DUDES

Down:

1. Scorch : CHAR

2. Like many old soaps : LIVE. Soap operas.

3. Turner and others : IKEs

4. Soft-wool sources : MERINOS

5. 2014 World Cup site : BRAZIL.  And 106. Sports legend of 5-Down : PELE

6. Comedian Howard with a bowl-cut hair style : MOE. Hi there, Chairman Moe!

7. Whip handle : CROP

8. Bleu shade : AZUR

9. Aboriginal emblems : TOTEMS

10. Noodle : NOB

11. "What do we have here?!" : OHO

12. __ Criss, who plays Blaine on "Glee" : DARREN. He looks very familiar.

13. Twistable treat : OREO. National Oreo Day is March 6.

14. "Gravity" effect : ZERO G

 

16. Well beyond one's prime : LATE IN LIFE

17. FEMA concern : EVAC

18. Old TV host with an accordion : WELK

24. Neuter, as horses : GELD

29. Comic strip about a high schooler : ZITS

31. Flounder, e.g. : FISH

33. Complains : SQUAWKS. Another snazzy 7-letter fill.

35. __ Fáil: Irish "stone of destiny" : LIA. We just had it last Monday.

36. "Don't go yet" : NO, WAIT

38. State in northeast India : ASSAM

39. "Beau __" : GESTE

40. Heron relative : EGRET

41. Former Mideast org. : UAR.  Don't google. Guess who is the second Most Powerful Arab Woman in 2015?

42. K-5 or K-6: Abbr. : ELEM

44. Freud contemporary : ADLER

45. Nicholas and Alexander : TSARS

49. Mooch : BEG

50. Puts in, as a political office : ELECTS TO

52. __ benefit : FRINGE

53. Like the town in a Ricky Nelson hit : LONESOME. "Lonesome Town". Unfamiliar to me.

54. Tops, slangily : DA BOMB. For Jayce! I Really Really Like You.

56. Fundamental : BASAL

 

61. Blakley of "Nashville" : RONEE

62. Digs for bats : ROOSTS. "Digs for..." is a great misdirection.

63. Prayer : ORISON. I learned from doing crosswords. Same root as Orate.

65. Canonized fifth-cen. pope : ST. LEO

72. Offer to a guest : CHAIR

73. Move on : LET GO. I've learned to let go.

74. Guiding doctrines : IDEOLOGIES

76. Starlike : ASTRAL

78. Jar Jar Binks' home planet : NABOO. We had this before.

79. Staff sequence : EGBDF

80. "Unleaded" drink : DECAF

82. Sign of approval : NOD

83. "We are __ stuff / As dreams are made on": Prospero : SUCH

88. Tot's piggy : TOE

91. Duel precursor, perhaps : FEUD

93. Signed off on : OK'D

94. Road alert : BEEP

96. Sexy, in a way : SEE-THRU. I linked this before. Fake see-thru skirts.

98. Sawbuck : TENNER. Not a word I use.

99. Lamentable : TRAGIC

100. L-__: Parkinson's treatment : DOPA

101. Honored : GRACED

103. Magic charms : MOJOS. Argyle has magic power!

107. Musical highlight : ARIA. Still waiting for the "Vegas luxury hotel" clue for ARIA, Steve!

108. Taper off : WANE

110. Fallon's predecessor : LENO

111. Poetic time : MORN

113. Ran, old-style : HIED

114. Fairy tale start : ONCE

115. Mil. base drillers : SGTS

118. Small application : DAB. I've concluded that we don't really need eye creams/eye gels.  Moisturizers are enough.

119. "Idol" judge, familiarly : J. LO

121. Central opening? : CEE

C.C.