Sunday November 14, 2021 Gary Larson

Theme: "Creature Features" - Each phrase with animal in the first part is punnily rephrased, fitting each fictional creature in the clue. 

23A. Playlist for Bullwinkle?: MOOSE TRACKS.

25A. Pot for Sebastian of "The Little Mermaid"?: CRABGRASS. Sebastian is crab in ""The Little Mermaid".

47A. Soul mate for Jiminy?: CRICKET MATCH.

92A. Emotional triggers for Mickey?: MOUSE BUTTONS.

116A. Topping Daffy created?: DUCK SAUCE.

118A. Online news source for Henny Penny?: CHICKEN FEED.

31D. Healthy snack for Yogi?: BEAR FRUIT.

33D. Old joke told by Quick Draw McGraw?: HORSE CHESTNUT. Quick Draw McGraw is a white horse. Learning moment for me.

60D. Ping-Pong gear for Goofy?: DOG PADDLE.

Cute theme. Quite a tight set. Gary is fond of this kind of punny rephrasing theme type.

Across:

1. Folksy greeting: HOW DO. Not HOWDY.

6. "Skip to __": 1840s partner-stealing dance: MY LOU.

11. Tree on the Lebanese flag: CEDAR.

16. At all: ANY.

19. Square: UNHIP. Super unhip to wear skinny jeans these days. But I've been wearing them since high school.

20. Long periods: AEONS.

21. One of the ABC islands: ARUBA. ABC islands consists of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao.

22. Bambi's cousin Faline, for one: DOE.

27. Prevents from draining: CLOGS UP.

28. Really good thing to live: THE DREAM.

29. Little bit: DAB.

32. Have-__: disadvantaged ones: NOTS.

33. Made haste, old-style: HIED.

34. Vaccine pioneer: SALK. Jonas Salk. And Albert Sabin.  Neither patented and profited from their vaccines.

37. Restless: UNEASY.

40. "Everything's fine": IT'S OK. And  42. "I need this ASAP!": DO IT NOW.

45. Abnormally tense: IN A STATE.

50. Somewhat, informally: SORTA.

51. Gray ones are hard to resolve: AREAS.

53. Defunct Houston hockey team: AEROS. Now called Iowa Wild, affiliate Minnesota Wild.

54. Online message board: FORUM.

56. Shin armor that's a homophone for a synonym of "mourn": GREAVE. Grieve. New to me.

58. Obstacle: HURDLE.

63. Preserve, in a way, as beef: CORN.

65. Soybean paste: MISO. I've been loving this brand lately.

67. Goatee site: CHIN.

68. Johnny's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" role: RAOUL.

69. Name on a "Little Women" book jacket: LOUISA. May Alcott.

71. "The Elements of Style" co-author: E B WHITE.

73. The Indian Ocean's Bay of __: BENGAL.

74. Sambuca flavoring: ANISE. Liquor.

75. Model position: POSE. I think Imaan Hammam is super pretty.

76. Wild about: INTO.

78. PC "brains": CPUS.

79. Hot dog entrepreneur Handwerker: NATHAN. I know Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, not the founder's name.

81. Muss: TOUSLE.

83. Obama daughter: SASHA.

85. Puts out there: BARES.

87. Edison rival: TESLA.

89. Deceived: LED ON.

97. Annual 103-Across-planting event: ARBOR DAY. 103. Peach or beech: TREE.

99. Least considered: RASHEST.

100. __ space: OUTER.

102. Horseshoe-shaped fasteners: U-BOLTS.

104. Absorbed: RAPT.

106. Gritty film genre: NOIR.

108. Private __: EYE. Part of the Pinkerton logo.

109. Technical drawings: DIAGRAMS.

113. Didn't do well at all: STUNK AT.

122. Tony winner Hagen: UTA.

123. Foreign: ALIEN.

124. Valium maker: ROCHE.  Swiss pharmaceutical company. Basel-based.

125. Score: TALLY.

126. Possessive pronoun: HER. Also the name of this singer.

127. Remains unsettled: PENDS.

128. Like some jackets: TWEED.

129. Snail trail: SLIME.

Down:

1. Run smoothly: HUM.

2. Plastic __ Band: ONO.

3. "Horton Hears a __!": WHO.

4. Computer insert: DISC.

5. Hesse-based automaker: OPEL.

6. Harshman of "Even Stevens": MARGO. Not familiar to me.

 

7. More frothy: YEASTIER. Not beer related. Any of you like Bolillo rolls. So soft inside.

8. Plague bug: LOCUST.

9. Doing mess work: ON KP.

10. Seagoing letters: USS.

11. Store: CACHE.

12. Transposed letters, say: ERRED.

13. Pair: DUAD.

14. Briefly, briefly: ABBR. 

 15. Steamed state: RAGE.

16. Unyielding: ADAMANT.

17. Refusals: NOS.

18. "Owner of a Lonely Heart" band: YES.

24. Skater Harding: TONYA.

26. Many a Marley fan: RASTA. They follow Jah.

 

28. __ torch: party light: TIKI.

29. MADD concerns: DUIs.

30. Year in Tuscany: ANNO.

35. Rapper Tone-__: LOC.

36. Elec. bill unit: KWH.

38. Floor: ASTONISH.

39. Target of a wish?: STAR. Wish upon a star.

41. Emotional injury: SCAR.

42. German article: DER.

43. However, in texts: OTOH. On the other hand.

44. "Yeah, right": I'M SURE.

46. "Ashes to Ashes" author Hoag: TAMI  Wikipedia summery. Set in Minneapolis. Sounds terrifying.

48. Hollows: CAVITIES.

49. A Wayans brother: KEENEN. Keenen Ivory Wayans. MARLON has 6-letter also.

52. Bit of encouragement: EGO BOOST.

55. Actress Thurman: UMA.

57. Sushi serving: AHI. Tuna.

59. Southwestern farm owner: RANCHERO.

61. Hilo feast: LUAU.

62. Some additions: ELLS.

63. Close-knit group: CLAN.

64. O'Neill's daughter: OONA. Chaplin. Here's her granddaughter with the same name.

66. Deadly sins, e.g.: SEPTET.

70. Naval builder: SEABEE.

72. Cougars of the Pac-12: WSU. Washington State Cougars.

73. Feathery wrap: BOA.

77. Old Russian ruler: TSAR.

80. Snatches: NABS.

82. "__ we forget": LEST.

84. Untidy sort: SLOB.

86. Boring routine: RUT.

88. '70s-'80s NHLer Pierre: LAROUCHE. No idea. Canadian.

90. Like Cheerios: OATY.

91. Nasdaq rival: NYSE.

92. "The A-Team" actor: MR T.

93. Dinghy mover: OAR.

94. It may be a lemon: USED CAR. The newspaper said that used cars are 10-15% higher than a year ago. New cars are also more expensive. We were lucky to get our Santa Fe in 2020.

95. Mideast chief: SHEIK.

96. Klutz's cry: OOPS.

98. Delta of "Designing Women": BURKE.

101. Inveigle: ENTICE.

104. Vied for the America's Cup: RACED.

105. Cries from flocks: AMENS. I started to attend Church a month ago. When the priest gives you a wafer, you're supposed to say "Amen!", not "Thank you!" as I thought.

107. Signed: INKED.

110. Rush job letters: ASAP. You should also eat the wafer ASAP. You can't hold it in your hands. It's also very bland.

111. Serious blow: GALE.

112. Wreckage: RUIN.

113. Vegas draw: SHOW.

114. Sugar bowl marchers?: ANTS. Cute.

115. Nonstick cookware brand: T FAL. My saute pan brand.

116. "Obviously!": DUH.

117. Beehive State native: UTE.

118. Old PC component: CRT.

119. Peyton's brother: ELI.

120. Shade tree: ELM.

121. Coloring medium: DYE.

Dave has mentioned Carol many times in our blog. Here's a recent picture of them. It's taken on Thursday Sept 11, 2021. 

Carol and David 11/11/2021

Friday, November 5, 2021, Gary Larson

Title: Furniture for a $1,000.00 please, Mayim.

I had to resist my inclination to be sad when I finished solving this Friday from Gary "Taking over the World" Larson because for me it is a take off on JEOPARDY . Naturally I do not relish missing the incomparable Alex Trebek but we soldier on.

Gary creates every kind of puzzle and this one is Friday hard based on (1) no reveal; and (b) some very thoughtful but deceptive cluing. I still enjoy the aha moment when I find a theme without having to call any of my co-bloggers and this was one of such puzzles. I also have the advantage of having written-up 400+ puzzles so I should be pretty good. For example, we know that the convention is to not have non-theme fill longer than the theme fill. We find the four longest and BINGO, we have a place to begin. More solving tips next week. 

The themers:

18A. Furniture for an angler?: WATER TABLE (10). This puzzle is so apt after Joseph discussion on polysemous words, which are the key to today's puns. Table is the furniture but when you add water it doesn't grow it becomes the level below which the ground is saturated with water. Very important in South Florida construction. 

22A. Furniture for an efficiency expert?: SNAPPY DRESSER (13). Dresser can be both a bureau/armoire and someone with clothes on. Snappy is an old fashioned compliment.

49A. Furniture for a military officer?: SERVICE BUREAU (13). Back to putting away clothes, this time in the miltary.

56A. Furniture for an event planner?: PARTY CHAIR (10). Chair may be the most common piece of furniture but  it first developed as early as 3100-2500 B.C. The first items created for household use were made of stone, as wood was not readily available during the Neolithic time period. Dressers, cupboards and beds were amongst the first forms of furniture.

Now that we know all that...

With only 46 spaces of theme there is plenty of room for longer fill: AIR BASE, CLOAKED, IKETTES, LIE IDLE, NOT WITH, OPEN PIT, SECULAR, SHAPERS, SWEEP UP, PRESORTS, and REBIRTHS are all interesting. Let us see how he weaved his web.

Across:

1. Simple starts: ABCS. A fun misdirection and not a simple fill. 

5. Move unsteadily: LURCH. My favorite will always be TED CASSIDY .  

10. Mex. title: SRTA. Senorita. 

14. Yawn-inducing: SLOW. Like my write-up this week.

15. "That's __": 1953 Top 10 hit: AMORE.

16. Close relative, often: HEIR.  Or legatee, or beneficiary?

17. Stuffing ingredient: SAGE. Poor parsley, rosemary and thyme.

20. German article: EINE. Drei?

21. Kind of barbecue: OPEN PIT. Great in our non-winter cool nights. 

26. Worldly: SECULAR. Hmm, I know it refers to attitudes, activities, or other things that have no religious or spiritual basis. But do you have to be worldly?

27. Highways: Abbr.: RTES. Routes.

30. Small game pieces: PAWNS. In our game. 

32. Alphabetically fifth of Santa's reindeer: DASHER. Blitzen, 

Comet, Cupid, Dancer, Dasher, Donner, Prancer, Rudolph, and 

Vixen. The naughty one.

34. Phone download: APP. I need two hands to carry my phone these days. 

37. Hidden: CLOAKED.

39. One attached to a binding, perhaps: SKI. Stand height influences leverage on the ski as well as the ski's feedback on your body parts ...so bindings definitely make a difference.

40. Organized set: SERIES. Many different variations of the same meaning.

42. Family group: MAFIA. Not mine.

44. Cheat, in a way: PEEK. People did like sitting near me on test day.

45. Gather dust: LIE IDLE. A wonderful mash-up of vowels.

54. Against: NOT WITH. Sorry, I am not with your program. 

55. Anna Pigeon mystery series writer Nevada __: BARR.  She is a very open book. BIOGRAPHY.

59. Plus: ALSO.

60. You won't get cards without it: ANTE. Noy xmas, but playing cards for poker etc.

61. Actress Knightley: KEIRA. A puzzle favorite.

62. Barely go (through): SEEP.

63. Red ink: LOSS.

64. Touch, say: SENSE. One of many. 

65. White-tailed shore bird: ERNE. Now you know why they call them sea eagles.

Down:

1. Weigh: ASSESS. Important in assaying ores.

2. Illusionist David known for death-defying stunts: BLAINE.

3. Hennessy product: COGNAC. Very big seller at the liquor store accross the street. Also voted the MOST POPULAR

4. Remove with a broom: SWEEP UP. 

5. __ of diminishing returns: LAW. One of the first things I learned in law school is that you could study too much...

6. First name in "Pulp Fiction" credits: UMA. We have seen her so often.

7. Turbine part: ROTOR. Part of the spinning process. 

8. __ paper: CREPE. Not to be confused with Suzette'

9. "__ a bottle and an honest friend!": HERE'S.

Here's A Bottle And An Honest Friend!

Here's a bottle and an honest friend!

What wad you wish for mair, man?

Wha kens before his life may end,

What his share may be o' care, man?

Then catch the moments as they fly,

And use them as ye ought, man?

Believe me, happiness is shy,

And comes not ay when sought, man.

Robert Burns

10. Woodworking tools: SHAPERS. A machine for woodworking.

11. New beginnings: REBIRTHS. An oversued term

12. List: TILT. A boat will list/tilt.

13. Equals: ARE.

19. Heavy wts.: TNS. Tons.

23. Word after fire or first: PLACE. You have others?

24. Two-masters: YAWLS. Sailing craft. 

25. 1962 villain played by Joseph Wiseman: DR NO.

28. Startled cry: EEK. Not eke.

29. Hindu title: SRI.

31. Short beer order: SAM. Adams. Meh.

32. Emergency room treatment, for short: DEFIB. Defibrillator. 

33. Parting word: ADIEU. Buh bye.

34. Hieroglyphics creature: ASP. The snake made famous by Cleopatra, but was Cleopatra killed by an asp? LINK?

35. One of a peppery trio?: PEE. I never tasted mine.

36. Does a laundry task: PRESORTS. A weird answer never used before. 

38. Mustard family member: KALE.  They are characterized by herbaceous plants having alternate leaves, acrid or pungent juice, clusters of four-petaled flowers, and fruit in the form of a two-parted capsule, and including broccoli, cabbage, candytuft, cauliflower, cress, mustard, radish, sweet alyssum, turnip, and wallflower.

41. Aptly named backing group for the Turners: IKETTES. 

43. Flight center: AIRBASE.

46. Place to get wheels: DEALER. I only heard they sold eightballs, dime bags, or keys.

47. Yankee Don who pitched the only no-hitter (a perfect game) in World Series history: LARSEN. A fun self reference (spelling be damned) to the rarest feat in baseball. 

48. Iceland is in it: EUROPE. I am seriously thinking about going after talking to two of Devin's friends who go often.

50. Letters after either Cowboy St. senator's name: R-WY. Republican from Wyoming. Tricky.

51. Maker of NyQuil and DayQuil: VICKS. VaPoRub

52. "... __ wed": I THEE.

53. Mountain __: CHAIN. I see many mountains, lions and peaks and passes.

54. Technology start: NANO. Not nanu.

56. Amigo: PAL. No hint of language change.

57. Org. that takes many forms: IRS. Very amusing clue.

58. Issa of "Awkward Black Girl": RAE.

So now November is here with many events ahead from Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving still to come. In order to relax from all the stress remember do a puzzle and you won't need a muzzle, and your SO will want to nuzzle as you both guzzle your holiday spirits.  As I mentioned a challenging but great puzzle; thank you Gary, and thank you all who voted for me to stay in office.

lemonade out.

Friday, October 29, 2021, Gary Larson

Theme: HOMOPHONES

Good Friday morning! Today I have the pleasure of recapping my fourth Gary Larson puzzle. To say that he is a prolific constructor is an understatement. I'm sure that if I had done some research I could share just how many crossword puzzles Gary has created. But it has to be in the hundreds. This one focuses on homophones and play-on-words. But unlike most homophonic words/phrases, Gary's are all about the sounds represented by certain letters.

"A," you ask? G, will U bear with me for a second? Here's an example:

16-Across. Submits a racy version of a film to the MPAA?: CHANCES R. Right off the bat, Gary hits a home run with a clever play-on-words. CHANCES "R", as in submitting an R-Rated movie to the Motion Picture Association of America. Or is it CHANCES ARE, a very iconic Johnny Mathis hit single?

And not to B undone, we next have: 25-Across. Trouble at the family rec center?: Y BOTHER. Y as in "why", or Y as in YMCA (a rec center, of sorts)? And Moe, Y bother putting this next video clip into the blog? B caws, it will remain as an earworm for the rest of the morning!!

Moving on 2 the next example: 36-Across. Filling in for rapper Cardi?: SPELLING B. As in the "artist" Cardi B. CAUTION: If you click on this link and listen to the video, you could be offended by her language. I don't think she was "chancing R". Here is an example of her work

Or maybe you thought of this SPELLING BEE?

Now that U C where Gary is going with the puzzle, here are the last two "themers":

49-Across. Deans, professors and undergrads?: U PEOPLE. Of the five, this was my least "favorite", but it still fits just fine. The "U" is a term used to abbr. University. Of which Deans, undergrads, and prof's are all a part of. On the flip side, there are so many images to choose from with the phrase: "YOU PEOPLE!" I finally decided on this (with a mini-SO to Canadian, Eh?):

And last, but not least, this: 60-Across. Mediocre bakery item in home ec class?: C BISCUIT. Brilliant. I can just imagine Gordon Ramsay reaming out a chef on an episode of "Hell's Kitchen" for making a mediocre BISCUIT, and giving it a "C" grade. The flip side of this answer is one of my favorite movies based on the book by Laura Hillenbrand. Here is a trailer:

Across:
1. Bad-mouth: DIS. My immediate thought was that the word for this clue should be spelled "DISS". But as we recappers are known to do, I found this on the internet, which explains it perfectly. Yellowrocks, you concur??

4. Times to call, in ads: AFTS. Since the word "ads" in the clue is an abbreviation, the implied word should be one as well. And the plural (times) makes it likewise. Not a big fan of pluralizing abbreviations, but I don't think that the word AFT - as in the rear of the boat - can have an S at the end. Moe rambling here . . .

8. Descendants of Muhammad, in Shi'ism: IMAMS. And Dictionary dot com agrees: IMAM is a title of various Muslim leaders, especially of one succeeding Muhammad as leader of Shiite Islam

13. Mag for execs: INC.

14. Down: BLUE. This is an example of a homonym. BLUE can be a description for sadness or one of the three primary colors

15. Irritate: GNAW AT.

18. Certain war hero: AIR ACE. His battles with the Red Baron are legendary!

19. Fictional spread near Jonesboro: TARA. Well I'll be darned! Just look here, then scroll down to Movies and Literature for confirmation of the clue

20. "La Dolce Vita" co-star: EKBERG. A former Miss Sweden. She made her home Italy after the movie was released

22. Sailor's pronoun: SHE. As I like to have my blogs be interactive, I defer to Spitzboov to expound on this. My first thought was that nearly everything seen by a sailor is referred to as "she", as the image below implies

23. Come down: ALIGHT. But if this were clued as a two-word answer

27. Wound up: TENSE. TENSE? I was thinking that if there were enough spaces, a fitting answer to "wound up" would be: PAST PARTICIPLE OF WIND UP

28. Scottish refusal: NAE. Here is something that if I were a Scot I would say NAE to

30. Serious observance: RITE. RITE of Passage and RITE of Spring were the first "RITES" that came to mind. But wanting to explore further (the last line is a hyperlink - open only if curious) . . .

I love traditions
But sometimes they go too far
These RITES just seem wrong

31. Work unit: ERG. Every time I see the word "ERG" used in an xword puzzle, I just want to say, "ARRGGH"

32. Passionate: AVID. I do believe that all of the Crossword Corner bloggers are AVID

34. Started to overtake, with "on": GAINED. Word has it that they are nearly neck and neck!

38. Watercolor user: ARTIST. An ARTIST also uses oils, pen and ink, glass, tempera, bronze, and marble, to name a few others. And while many of the images below are quite ARTISTIC, if they were done in watercolor it might not be so tough to undo

41. Water color: AQUA. Not quite a clecho, but close! According to Pantone dot com, here is what AQUA looks like

42. On the __: famous: MAP. Check out these "famous" locations on America's show

45. Sailor's emergency container: BAIL. Sailors might also call their "emergency container" a PAIL; pretty sure Bert Reynolds called his a "Motorman's Friend" in the movie Semi-Tough

46. Frank McCourt memoir: TIS. As in "TIS:, A Memoir". Order it here if you like

47. Govt. security: T BILL. T BOND also fits. "T" for treasury. The letter "T" could've subbed for one of the other theme entries, I suppose. How about this instead? 47-Across (modified). Shirt sorter at an AA meeting?: T TOTALER

52. Qajar dynasty's domain: PERSIA. According to Wikipedia dot com: In the Western world, PERSIA (or one of its cognates) was historically the common name for Iran. On the Nowruz of 1935, Reza Shah asked foreign delegates to use the Persian term Iran (meaning the land of Aryans in Persian), the endonym of the country, in formal correspondence

53. Wilt: SAG. I don't think I ever saw this guy "SAG"

54. Ebert's partner in the 2000s: ROEPER. Richard ROEPER. Roger Ebert's film critic partner the year after Gene Siskel passed

57. Library ID: ISBN. International Standard Book Number. ISBNs were 10 digits in length up to the end of December 2006, but since 1 January 2007 they now always consist of 13 digits. ISBNs are calculated using a specific mathematical formula and include a check digit to validate the number. Akin to a UPC, in a sense. A bar code for books??

58. Win over: ENAMOR. I think of ENAMOR more of "being attracted to", or having deep feelings for. Wonder what the Thesaurussaurus has to say?

62. Muss: RUMPLE. RUMPLE - from the Old Dutch "rompel" (wrinkle).

It's impossible
To muss Iron Man. Guess you
Can't RUMPLE steel skin

63. "Roll Tide" school: BAMA. They have an exemplary record in college football: Since their first season in 1892 and going into this year, their overall record is 931 wins, 331 losses, and 43 ties, for a winning percentage of .730. I believe they trail only the University of Michigan for the most total victories. They claim 18 National Championships. The nickname "Crimson Tide" dates back to 1907 and probably was coined after the school's primary color, crimson. Certainly a polarizing team; kind of like the NY Yankees (baseball) or New England Patriots (recently, in pro football); you either like them or hate them. And again, there were far too many images to choose from with regard to BAMA and "Roll Tide" . . . here's one I chose due to the futility of trying to beat them

64. Witness: SEE. Or in this puzzle, the abbreviated answer would be "C"

65. Battle tactic: SIEGE. Could Gary Larson have spelled this Cge?

66. Kid stuff: SNAP. As in a breakfast cereal, perhaps?

67. Word in a recipe: ADD. We are trying not to ADD more salt to our dishes

Down:
1. Command: DICTATE. I wonder where the "command" button was on THIS keyboard that contains the root word, DICTATE?

2. Asthma sufferer's relief: INHALER.

3. Working hard to find, with "up": SCARING. Will the day after tomorrow be "normal", or will we find it hard, "SCARING up" trick-or-treaters?

4. Fox competitor: ABC. A nice mis-direction clue. Fox, as in the TV network. American Broadcasting Company

5. Sails force?: FLEET. Punny clue. Not SALES force. But not this, either!

6. Narwhal feature: TUSK. Would help to know what a Narwahl is

7. Macedonian's neighbor: SERB. SERB is the term used to identify a resident of SERBia

8. __ Montoya, "The Princess Bride" role: INIGO. Mandy Patinkin's role of this fictional character

9. Scrape, say: MAR. MAR and not EKE??!

10. Flooded with: AWASH IN. Merrium-Webster defines it as: flooded with or covered by water or another liquid. : floating in a large amount of water or another liquid

11. Tool for the jungle: MACHETE. Or for the Everglades, as this picture depicts

12. Guided: STEERED.

15. Duds: GARB.

Past century fad
That women wore in their hair?
A Greta GARB-bow

17. Won't leave alone: NAGS. Or, the colloquial term for old horses?

21. "__ of the Needle": Ken Follett novel: EYE. "I" of the Needle wouldn't fit

24. Piles: HEAPS. Kind of what my dirty clothes are in when I forget to toss them into the laundry basket

26. Common newspaper nickname: TRIB. Here is a list from Wikipedia

28. Zippo: NIL. This wouldn't fit!

29. Two-time loser to Ike: ADLAI. Adlai Ewing Stevenson II was an American lawyer, politician, and diplomat. Raised in Bloomington, Illinois, Stevenson was a member of the Democratic Party, and twice (1952 and 1956) ran against Dwight David (IKE) Eisenhower for the US Presidency. He also failed to secure the nomination in 1960; the Dem's chose John F Kennedy instead

33. Check for accuracy: VET.

Animal doctor,
Turned investigator, now
VET's candidate's pets

34. Safari sight: GNU.

Serengeti TRIB
Headline reports "none were killed"
No GNUS is good news

35. Rock with bands: AGATE. Cute clue. I remember having these as a kid. AGATEs were used as "shooters"

36. Rural skyline feature: SILO. Did this guy go a bit overboard during the pandemic?!

37. Nos. averaging 100: IQS. Intelligence QuotientS. Based on a score of standardized tests to measure one's intelligence

38. Ones who take too much advantage of a privilege, e.g.: ABUSERS. The clue doesn't really speak to the "severity" of this noun, IMO. Not sure that "privilege" fits, but YMMV

39. Easter Island, to natives: RAPA NUI. Not a word that I knew, and IIRC, I had to LIU. The words RAPA NUI translate to the indiginous people of Easter Island

40. Draw: TIE GAME.

Ascot and Cravat
Played football. Would you guess it
Ends in a TIE GAME?

42. Pageant held in Memphis in 2020: MISS USA. Past winners

43. Said, "She was with me all day," say: ALIBIED. The verb form, past TENSE

44. Put in the ground: PLANTED. The verb form, past TENSE

46. Three-way joint: TEE. Not the implement that holds a golf ball? Not the name for a casual shirt? OH, this!

48. __-a-brac: BRIC. As in "BRIC-a-brac", miscellaneous objects and ornaments of little value. Originated in the Victorian Era

50. Worker, informally: PROLE. Short for PROLEtartiat

51. Stuff of legends: LORE. Like my blogs??!! LOL!!

52. __ ballerina: PRIMA. __ donna works, too. But this is what I think of when I see the word "PRIMA":

55. Banned pollutants, for short: PCBS. From Wikipedia dot com: PolyChlorinated BiphenylS, are organic chlorine compounds, now recognized as an environmental toxins and classified as a persistent organic pollutants

56. Meir contemporary: EBAN. Abba Solomon Meir EBAN was an Israeli diplomat and politician, and a scholar of the Arabic and Hebrew languages. During his career, he served as Foreign Affairs Minister, Education Minister, and Deputy Prime Minister of Israel. Later, he formed a Swedish rock band

59. It's usually higher on the hwy.: MPG. Miles Per Gallon. Tesla's measure theirs in MPKW

61. Weaken: SAP. Many definitions for this word; now don't be a SAP and believe EVERYTHING I included today!!

Here is the grid:

Comments are always welcome! See you again in a couple of weeks . . .

Sunday October 24, 2021 Gary Larson

Theme:  "Sporting Chance" - Each theme entry consists of two sports team in singular form.

23A. *Grizzly, for one: BROWN BEAR.  Cleveland Browns. Chicago Bears. Two NFL teams.

25A. *Olaf II of Norway, notably: VIKING SAINT. Minnesota Vikings.  New Orleans Saints. 
Two NFL teams.

46A. *It goes up in cold weather: HEAT BILL. Miami Heat (NBA).  Buffalo Bills (NFL).

69A. *Nickname for Joe DiMaggio: YANKEE CLIPPER. New York Yankees (MLB).  LA Clippers (NBA).

93A. *The sun will eventually be one: RED GIANT. Cincinnati Reds (MLB). San Francisco Giants (MLB) Or New York Giants (NFL), whatever you prefer..

117A. *ICBM booster until 1987: TITAN ROCKET. Tennessee Titans (NFL).  Houston Rockets (NBA).

36D. *Kipling's Shere Khan is one: BENGAL TIGER. Cincinnati Bengals (NFL). Detroit Tigers (MLB).

42D. *"Virtuous Woman" reggae singer: WARRIOR KING. Golden State Warriors (NBA). Sacramento Kings (NBA) or LA Kings (NHL)

Reveal:

120. They're on the same side ... and a hint to the answers to starred clues: TEAMMATES.

I explored a similar theme a few months ago (with D-Otto's help), but I gave up after I found out this puzzle last October with a DOUBLE TEAM reveal. I wonder if MM and TTP recall that theme.

Glad to see that Rich now allows 84 black squares. His limit used to be 78.

Across:

1. Model in the Beach Boys' "Fun, Fun, Fun": T BIRD. Also 35. Hose clamp tightener: T BOLT.

6. "Nightmare" street: ELM.

9. Middles: WAISTS.

15. Demonstrating skill: ABLY.

19. Subtle glows: AURAE.

20. Wasikowska of "Damsel": MIA. Australian actress.

21. Allergic outburst: AHCHOO.

22. Hudson Bay nation: CREE.

27. Ornamental vase: URN.

28. Earthly: TERRENE. Not a word I use.

30. MLB Hall of Famer Fox and journalist Bly: NELLIES. Here's Fox.

31. __ a soul: NARY.

32. Va. winter hours: EST. Eastern Standard Time.

34. Genesis twin: ESAU.

37. More klutzy: GAWKIER. So different from the GAWK meaning.

40. Prepare, as a contract: DRAW UP.

45. Like some dorms: COED.

48. Sound of shock: GASP.

49. Sharply hit baseball: LINER. 68. NL Central club: STL. And 12. Slugger's creation: SHINER.

51. Relax, maybe: LIE. Lie down. Helps when Boomer's hernia acts up.

52. Wolf down: EAT.

54. Guru's residence: ASHRAM. My landlord in Shanghai was a Buddhist. He burned incense and chanted every night.

56. Pool concern: ALGAE.

57. Loses steam: FLAGS.

60. Claim no longer allowed on cigarettes: LESS TAR. Remember this type of ads? Amazing what you can find in those old Life magazines.

62. Fortune: WEALTH.

64. Show with constant cliff-hangers: SOAP.

66. Cell division: MITOSIS.

73. Words of understanding: OHS.

75. Uses, as a scale: STEPS ON. We have a mechanical scale. It's not accurate, maybe it's old.

77. Candy bar with a Nordic name: SKOR.

78. Self-reproach: REGRET.

80. Thinks: IDEATES.

82. Played really badly: STANK. These are infamous Stinky Tofu. The tofu is fermented.

85. Comic book artist: INKER.

86. Mentally assimilate: DIGEST.

88. A musician usually has a good one: EAR. 92. Willing to listen (to): OPEN.

90. Originally called: NEE. Chinese women keep their names at marriage. Same tradition in Korea.

91. Bête __: NOIRE.

97. Button alternative: SNAP.

98. Posse carriers: HORSES.

101. Max Ernst, for one: DADAIST.

102. True: ALIGN.

104. Yearn: ACHE.

106. Eye, to a poet: ORB. Also the horse who won the 2013 Kentucky Derby.

107. Pickup relatives, briefly: UTES.

108. Condemnation: REPROOF.

111. Zip one's lip: KEEP MUM.

114. "Rugrats" dad: STU.

122. Pizzazz: ELAN.

123. Spiritualist Deepak: CHOPRA.

124. Bagpiper's topper: TAM.

125. Past pudgy: OBESE. You won't find this word in any of Don G's grids.

126. Target of a military press: DELT.

127. "Dear Evan __": 2015 musical: HANSEN.

128. Mahershala of "Moonlight": ALI. He won an Oscar for his role in "Moonlight".

129. Grown-up efts: NEWTS.

Down:

1. Perfume that sounds forbidden: TABU. Taboo.

2. VP under Jefferson: BURR.

3. Par-3 choice, often: IRON. Not a long par-3. You'll need a driver.

4. Not even rare?: RAW.  Mmm, sashimi!

5. Insurance that covers dams?: DENTAL. Dental dams.

6. Manicurist's board: EMERY.

7. Yarn spinner: LIAR.

8. Dark area on the moon: MARE.

9. Surfboard/kayak hybrid: WAVESKI. Amazing.

10. Yellowfin tuna: AHI.

11. Response to goo: ICK.

13. Shades: TONES.

14. "I'm __ to hear from you!": SO GLAD. Rare 6-letter partial.

15. Smoothie fruit: ACAI.

16. Cheese on crackers: BRIE.

17. Telescope part: LENS.

18. To this day: YET.

24. Docking place: BERTH.

26. Result of one too many, maybe: SLUR.

29. Rookie, briefly: NEWB. Newbie.

31. "I can't agree to this": NO DEAL.

33. Scrabble piece: TILE.

35. Going places?: TOILETS. Any of you have a heated toilet seat?

37. Author Sheehy: GAIL.

38. Relaxed: AT EASE.

39. Airline with an all-kosher menu: EL AL.

41. Turkish bigwigs: AGHAS.

43. Solheim Cup team: USA. It was held here in Edina, MN in 2002. We saw lots of big potatoes there.

44. Fluoride-in-water meas.: PPM. Parts Per Million.

45. Cat's weapons: CLAWS.

47. Little trickster: ELF.

50. Confirms, as a password: RE-TYPES.

53. Sub: TEMP.

54. China __: showy bloom: ASTER. So pretty.

55. Use for preservation, as wine barrels: STORE IN.

58. Takes off: GOES.

59. Pass rusher's stat: SACKS.

61. Small intake: SIP.

63. Attacks: HAS AT.

65. Story line: PLOT.

67. Singer Ed featured in the 2019 film "Yesterday": SHEERAN. The guy in glasses.

70. "Just kidding!": NOT.

71. Place for a pad: KNEE.

72. Modern Persians: IRANIS. Iranians more common.

74. __ throat: STREP.

76. Utopias: EDENS.

79. Knowledge of spiritual matters: GNOSIS. Not a word I use.

81. Bareilles of "Waitress": SARA.

83. Without ice: NEAT.

84. Understanding: KEN.

86. Quote from Homer: D'OH. Homer Simpson.

87. 2012 Facebook event, for short: IPO. The wise guys on our blog are not on Facebook.

89. Overhaul: REDO.

94. Sunbather's pride: DARK TAN.

95. Poke fun at: GIBE.

96. Best Supporting Actress before Ingrid: TATUM. Tatum O'Neal ("Paper Moon"). Ingrid Bergman ("Murder on the Orient Express").

99. Merit: EARN.

100. Discolor by burning: SCORCH.

101. Military alert state: DEFCON. Defense Ready Condition Levels.

103. Jack of "Some Like It Hot": LEMMON.

105. To-do: HOOHA.

107. It was added to create an everyday quintet in 1990: UMAMI. Fish sauce. Soy sauce. Miso paste, etc.

108. Tick off: RILE.

109. Series finale: Abbr.: ET AL.

110. Huff and puff: PANT.

112. R&B great James: ETTA. We really need another famous ETTA.

113. Ring at a wedding: PEAL.

114. State of suppressed worry: STEW.

115. Reason to cram: TEST.

116. List for a versatile tool: USES.

117. Talk acronym: TED. Ted Talks.

118. Mil. mess duties: KPS.

119. Before, poetically: ERE.

121. Presidential nickname: ABE.

Dear Agnes (Irish Miss) is feeling better, still weak but no more coughing. I'm just so happy to be able to email her and receive emails from her again. 

C.C.