Sunday February 14, 2016 Jake Braun

Theme: "Cherish the Thought" - Valentine's Day puzzle.

33A. With 35- and 60-Across, request for today : BE.  And 35A. See 33-Across : MY

60A. Today's honoree, nicknames for whom begin the answers to starred clues : VALENTINE

25D. Informal message for one's 60-Across: I LUV U. The only entry point to the heart formed by the black squares in the middle.

24A. *120-year-old candy : TOOTSIE ROLL

95A. *Ingénue's benefactor : SUGAR DADDY

98A. *Venezuelan wonder : ANGEL FALLS. Wiki says "they are named after Jimmie Angel, a US aviator, who was the first person to fly over the falls. Angel's ashes were scattered over the falls on 2 July 1960."

115A. *Weasel relative : HONEY BADGER.  Looks mean and scary. Nothing "honey" about it. 

16D. *Innocent : BABE IN THE WOODS

3D. *Offer that can't be refused : SWEETHEART DEAL

  

C.C. here. Thanks to dear Gary for covering me the past two Sundays.

I figured we might get a Valentine's Day puzzle after Rich ran the "Presidential Firsts" last Sunday. Presidents' Day tribute puzzle is normally run today or tomorrow.

What a sweet puzzle. So deftly designed. We have two two-letter entries and an unchecked letter U in I LOVE U. But all theme answers are placed symmetrically in this left to right mirror grid. 

Across:      

1. Kitchen qty. : TBSP. Steve might have this. Cute bamboo salt box.

5. Band of schemers : CABAL. Like China's Gang of Four, led by Chairman Mao's wife.

10. Orgs. on 84-Across signs : AGCYS. All crosses. 84. Sign of success : SOLD. Real estate agencies.

15. Touch : ABUT

19. Swerves at sea : YAWS

20. Pine Tree State campus town : ORONO

21. One who gives you chills : CREEP

22. Taberna snack : TAPA.I wonder if someday we'll see Banchan, the Korean appetizers.  Most are veggies and seaweeds. Looks like roasted eel on the top left, Jayce.

23. Hunter's target : PREY

26. Way to the top : T-BAR

27. Put together : ERECTED

29. Chicago rumblers : ELS

30. Like a good waiter : PATIENT. And attentive.

32. Dumas duelist : ATHOS. "The Three Musketeers".

37. Withdrawn : TIMID

38. Hurt : ACHED

39. Puts on the air : TELEVISES

43. Isn't resolved : PENDS

45. Brought to court : SUED

46. Dishonesty : FRAUDULENCE. Sparkly one-word entry.

48. Cut it out : STOP

49. St. with both Lewis and Clark counties : IDA. We also have Clark County here in MN. But no Lewis. We have a city called ORONO (20A) also.

50. Rolls up, as a flag : FURLS

51. Covered with spots, in a way : ACNED

52. I-road? : HWY.  No abbr. mark? Or is I- enough?

53. Jamie of "M*A*S*H" : FARR

55. Consumer protection org. : FTC

56. __ quandary : IN A

57. Coop group : HENS. Also 5. Farm houses : COTES. Not BARNS.

58. Butter container : TUB

66. Methodology word : HOW

67. Vet : OLD PRO

70. Runway activity : TAXIING

71. Jai alai ball : PELOTA. Nailed it. That basket is called CESTA.

74. Intensifies : DEEPENS

76. Get up : WAKEN

77. Indistinct : SHADOWY

78. Some trial evidence : DNA

79. Where she blows : THAR

81. Sea of France : MER. Also the brand of  pricey facial cream. Brad Pitt knows.

82. It was orig. the State School of Mines and Metallurgy : UTEP. Unknown trivia to me.

83. Place for pips : DIE

  

86. Over : ANEW

88. Birth announcement words : A SON. 102A. "__ today is better than a hen tomorrow": Franklin : AN EGG. 113D. Take __: swing hard : A RIP. Three partials. Rich allows four in a Sunday grid.

89. IRS IDs : SSNS

90. Agree to pay later : RUN A TAB

93. Code : ENCRYPT

103. Gave one's word : SWORE

105. Clinton's FBI chief : FREEH. Learned from doing crosswords.

106. Start of a project : PHASE ONE

110. 1995 World Series winner: Abbr. : ATL. Not CLE. Two more baseball entries: 6D. Shortstop who made his MLB debut at age 18 : A-ROD And 59D. Two-time A.L. Cy Young Award winner Saberhagen : BRET. Easy crosses for non-baseball fans.

111. When many fans come out : HEAT WAVE. Not sports fans.

114. Dutch astronomer who lent his name to a cloud : OORT. You can't put this in Monday/Tuesday grid. Rich will ask you to remove it.

118. "Permit Me Voyage" poet James : AGEE. Avoided Tommie.

119. Learning method : ROTE

120. Frequently framed words : MOTTO

121. Lab dish eponym : PETRI

122. Sorry sort : RUER

123. Hershey's toffee bar : SKOR

124. Improv bit : SPOOF

125. Online admin : SYSOP

126. Mtg. with a therapist : SESS (Session)

Down:

1. Kind : TYPE

2. Double-dealer : BARRACUDA. Only know the fish meaning. Lovely entry.

4. Motivated, with "up" : PSYCHED

7. Cause of a start : BOO. That "start".

8. Tiny worker : ANT

9. Drop a game : LOSE

10. Hard-to-beat foursome : ACES. Cards.

11. "Get out of my yard!" : GRR

12. Corp. top banana : CEO

13. TripAdvisor alternative : YELP. Both sites review restaurants, hotels, etc.

14. Snowball impact sound : SPLAT

15. On occasion : AT TIMES

17. Fluctuating : UP AND DOWN. As I'm writing this post, Boomer's nerve pain flares up. The pain is like someone stabs at your foot with a needle every few seconds. This normally lasts 3 days. He just can't get much sleep. Breaks my heart to see him suffer.

18. Sharp-tasting : TART

 

28. "Dracula" (1931) director Browning : TOD

31. Racetrack edge : TIP. Learning moment for me.

33. University of Cincinnati athlete : BEARCAT

34. Month after Av : ELUL. Regular in our Wayne R. Williams days.

35. PC time meas. : MSEC

36. Craving : YENNING. Yen can be a verb??

38. "I sincerely doubt it!" : AS IF

39. "Storage Hunters" network : TRUTV. Unfamiliar with the show.

40. Masthead VIPs : EDs

41. Pier gp. : ILA

42. It may require a set change : SCENE. Nice clue.

44. 1974 CIA parody : S*P*Y*S. Wiki says this: The asterisks in the title are designed to remind users of M*A*S*H, which also starred Gould and Sutherland, and whose title is generally rendered with the same asterisks. Beyond this, there is no connection between the films.

46. Musical climax letters : FFF. Opposite of PPP, right?

47. Author LeShan : EDA

54. College basketball coach with a trophy named for him : RUPP. Gimme for PK. I drew a blank.

57. Frustrating thing to be on : HOLD

61. __ firm : LAW

62. It's taken sitting down : EXAM. I smiled once I got it.

63. Swoosh company : NIKE

64. Level : TIER

65. Room renter : INN And 72. Hotel choice : TWIN. Beds.

66. Jalopy : HEAP

67. They may be long : ODDS. And 104. 67-Down poster, briefly : OTB

68. Carson's successor : LENO. Who's your current favorite comedian? I subscribed then unsubscribed to Nick DiPaolo's podcast in one day. So many F words.

69. In stock : ON HAND

71. Derived from benzene : PHENYL. Learning moment to me as well.

73. Agreements aboard : AYES

75. Capital near the Red Sea : SANA'A

77. Put away : STORE

80. Getting a pension: Abbr. : RET'D

82. Hurricane Katrina rescue gp. : USCG. Also 100. Overflow protection : LEVEES

85. Fast racer : DRAGSTER

87. Dough amounts : WADS

88. Poet Sexton : ANNE

89. 1977 film retitled in 1981 : STAR WARS. No idea. What was it called in 1977 then?

91. Push : URGE

92. Via : BY WAY OF

93. Winter warmers : EARLAPS

94. Sputtering sound : PFFT

95. Flavors : SAPORS. Did not know it's plurable, D-Otto!

96. Detach, as a trailer : UNHOOK

97. Tailor for : GEAR TO

99. Confederacy : LEAGUE

101. Changes course, as a ship : SHEERS. Did not know it can be a verb, Spitzboov!

107. Resistance units : OHMs

108. Slangy refusal : NOOP

109. Opposite of ecto- : ENTO. Prefix for "Inner". Also ENDO.

111. APB stats : HGTS (Heights)

112. Architect Saarinen : EERO

116. WWII command : ETO. European Theater of Operations.

117. Elder Partridge daughter player : DEY (Susan)

  

Happy Birthday to dear Marti, who brought so much joy and love to us when she was active on the blog. I thought of you the whole time while solving this puzzle, Marti. We all miss you.

Allen and Marti

C.C.

Sunday September 27, 2015 Jake Braun

Theme:  "Aluminum Siding" - AL (symbol of Aluminum) is inserted into each theme answer.

23A. Easy summer listening? : BEACH ALBUM. Beach bum.

25A. Important exam for shady lenders? : SHARK FINAL. Shark fin. We used to have the expensive shark fin soup at our annual company New Year's dinner. It's supposed to be aphrodisiac and good for your skin.

41A. Thoroughbreds' annual dance? : RACING FORMAL. Racing form.

49A. Diet for conspirators? : CABAL FARE. Cab fare. Fare changes its meaning also. Same as the SHARK in 25A. Nice.

61A. Really bad bubbly? : BRUTAL CHAMPAGNE. Brut champagne.

78A. Lager shipping route? : BEER CANAL. Beer can.

85A. Prayer book for kids? : JUNIOR MISSAL. Junior/Miss.

104A. Last-minute jilters? : ALTAR HEELS. Tar Heels.

106A. Flower hater's bugbear? : PETAL PEEVE. Pet peeve.

Our second encounter withwho added AH sound to his LAT debut.

Another well-designed grid, with all 9 themers are placed Across, exactly how I'd handled the gridding. I love grids with four or more pairs of splashy long non-theme fill. 

Across:

1. Seriously deteriorates : ROTS

5. Item sold in sheets : STAMP

10. "Social contract" philosopher : LOCKE (John)

15. Pit-__ : A-PAT.  Fill-in-the-blank is often a partial. So slim chance for BULL.

19. To be, to Bizet : ETRE

20. Pelican State sub : PO BOY. Food! Never had one.

21. Behavioral guide : ETHIC

22. Moneyed, in Málaga : RICO

27. "I have to go out!" : ARF.  Or GRR.

28. Van Gogh setting : ARLES
 

29. Kadetts, e.g. : OPELS. My last-filled area. I did not know what Kadetts are.

30. "Let me repeat ... " : I SAID

31. Mixes, as cards : RIFFLES

33. Set out : EMBARK

35. Novelist Waugh : ALEC

36. Wrath : IRE

37. Record player : STYLUS. Would have nailed it with a "needle" hint.

38. Ciudad Bolívar's river : ORINOCO. Know it because Enya's "Orinonco Flow".

45. De Matteo of "The Sopranos" : DREA

46. Black dog : LAB. And 47. King dog : CUJO

48. Calm : ALLAY.  And 52. Substitute for a bad word : BLEEP. Both clues are verbs. I like this kind of misleads.

51. Celestial altar : ARA

 

53. Reheats : WARMS

55. Nutritional figs. : RDAs. Not any more.

56. "Cheers" role : SAM. And  57. "Cheers" order : ALE

58. Island setting for the 10th season of "Survivor" : PALAU. Nailed it. Had to put it in one of my grids once.

59. Words to a captain : AYE AYE
 

65. Inept shepherd : BO PEEP

68. Biker's invite : HOP ON

69. Gettysburg Campaign VIP : LEE

70. Dairy sight : COW. Not EWE.

73. Adidas competitor : AVIA

74. Horse of the Year, 1960-'64 : KELSO. All crosses.

75. City SSW of Seville : CADIZ. Had C???Z earlier on. So, easy fill.

77. Old studio letters : RKO

81. Ones wrapping around a pole? : ELVES. Oh, wrapping gifts in North Pole.

82. Casual top : POLO. Thought of TANK first.

83. Crescent piece : ARC

84. Prayer starter : O GOD

88. Leave for a bit : STEP OUT

90. Memorable 1893 defendant : BORDEN. Stumped me. I sure need "Lizzie" in the clue.

91. "__ a pity" : 'TIS

92. Ready to eat : RIPE. We only harvested one cucumber this year. So weird. Next year we'll only grow tomatoes & green beans.

93. Follower : MINION

94. Boxster maker : PORSCHE

98. Rustle (up) : SCARE

100. 2000s NCAA president __ Brand : MYLES. No idea. 

101. Shinto temple entrance : TORII. Literally "Bird perch". Tori = Bird.

103. General Arnold of WWII : HAP

108. Old Nair rival : NEET

109. Draft recipient : PAYEE

110. Fail to say : ELIDE

111. Spread measure : ACRE

112. Two caplets, say : DOSE

113. They may follow teams : SLEDS. Dog teams. Great clue.

114. Do a lawn repair job : RESOD

115. Luau music makers : UKES

Down:

1. Concrete-reinforcing rod : REBAR

2. '90s "SNL" regular Cheri : OTERI

3. Accident consequence, perhaps : TRAFFIC JAM. Lovely Down.

4. Triple __ : SEC

5. Just-in-case item : SPARE

6. Part of a traveler's budget, perhaps : TOLLS

7. Chartres cleric : ABBE

8. Board game with cheese-shaped tokens : MOUSE TRAP. Both of the Down 9's are great as well.

9. British novelist Barbara : PYM

10. Electric guitar innovator : LES PAUL. And 64. Electric guitar wood : ALDER

11. End of a list : OTHERS

12. Attribute, with "up" : CHALK

13. White wine apéritifs : KIRs

14. Theologian who opposed Luther : ECK (Johann). Total stranger to me.

15. Gotten up : ARISEN

16. Cocktail invented in Puerto Rico : PINA COLADA. Lovely as well.

17. Trendy berry : ACAI

18. Related : TOLD. Verb again.

24. Rockers Van __ : HALEN

26. Like sons and daughters : FILIAL. Filial piety (Xiao) is an extremely important virtue in Chinese culture.  Respecting and taking care of your parents and elders are instilled in us from an early age.

29. Beatles nonsense syllables : OB-LA. "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da".

32. Cold, to Carlos : FRIO

34. "Oh dear!" : MY MY

35. Specialty : AREA

37. Only : SOLE

38. Jupiter and Saturn : ORBs. Thought of GODS first.

39. Chip, Skip or Harry of broadcasting : CARAY. Holy cow! I did not know this: Chip is Skip's son. Skip is Harry's son.

40. Quite big : OBESE

41. Some TVs : RCAs

42. Surrounding glow : AURA

43. Poll man : GALLUP

44. Company cars, as a group : FLEET

45. Block, beaver-style : DAM UP

49. Stuff : CRAM

50. For nothing : FREE. And 52. Wearing nothing : BARE

53. Large mackerel : WAHOO. Huge! I tried a can of broiled mackerel from our Asian grocery store yesterday. So so. The only canned fish I really like is roasted eel. Do you know that brand, Jayce?

54. Actor Ladd : ALAN

58. Patients' main MDs, to insurers : PCPS (Primary Care Physicians)

59. AARP concern : AGEISM

60. Santa __ Valley: California wine region : YNEZ

61. Endure : BEAR

62. Leading : AHEAD

63. Take it easy : LOLL

65. Spiked cakes : BABAs. Baba au rhum. Never had it.

66. Hardly secret : OVERT

67. Per-unit pay scales : PIECE RATES

70. Verify with several sources : CROSS-CHECK. Some of Seymour Hersh's articles are really thinly sourced.

71. Norman's home: Abbr. : OKLA. I was thinking of the 1066 invaders.

72. Winter fabric : WOOL

74. Stomach discomfort : KNOT

75. Customers : CLIENTELE

76. Romance novel publisher : AVON. New to me. I read lots of romance novels in my college years.

79. Barrel maker : COOPER

80. Hot-and-cold fits : AGUE

81. Prefix with morph : ENDO

82. Three-pronged letters : PSIs

85. Generic trendsetters : JONESES. Oh, Keep up with the Joneses.

86. "Redemption" author : URIS (Leon)

87. "Let __!": "Get going!" : IT RIP

89. PNC Park player : PIRATE. Hi there, TTP!  Thanks for the Spaetzle idea. So what happened at the golf awards dinner two weeks ago? Were you voted the league secretary again?

90. Charged : BILLED
 

93. "Not a chance!" : MY EYE

94. Where to see many El Greco works : PRADO

95. No longer squeaky : OILED

96. Le __, France : HAVRE

97. Pentathlon blades : EPEES

98. Painting medium : SAND

99. "Pinocchio" goldfish : CLEO. I forgot.

100. One of a daily trio : MEAL. Felt stupid blanking on the answer.

102. Publisher Chandler : OTIS. L. A. Times.

105. ENVY and OMEN laptops : HPS. Don't own their laptop. But our printer is HP ENVY.

106. Distribution word : PER

107. Water under le pont : EAU. Water under the bridge.

Merl Reagle's memorial service will be held today (Sept 27, 2015) from 5pm-8pm. The gathering will be at the University of Tampa’s Vaughn Center, 9th floor, and all are invited.

(Added later: Here is a short clip of Merl at the movie "Wordplay". Thanks, Tony!)

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to those who celebrate! This is my favorite Chinese holiday after Spring Festival. It always takes place on August 15th (full moon) in Chinese lunar calendar. The sweet mooncakes are available only for a short period of time.

C.C.

Sunday October 4, 2014 Jake Braun

Theme: "Say Ah" - "Ah" sound is added to each theme entry.

23A. Haggling over a parrot purchase? : POLLY BARGAINING. Plea bargaining.

48A. Hug in the pool? : WATER CARESS. Watercress. The added sound is a schwa sound for me.

73A. Excitement about boxing practice? : SPARRING FEVER. Spring fever.

97A. Venue for unwise investments? : FOLLY MARKET. Flea market. Similar to 23A.

126A. Post-Renaissance gal pals? : TWO BAROQUE GIRLS. 2 Broken Girl. Also a schwa sound for me.

16D. Walden Pond headrest? : THOREAU PILLOW. Throw pillow.

60D. Cold spell in Manama? : BAHRAIN FREEZE. Brain freeze.

Hey, we have another new constructor!  I did not find Jake Braun's name in our blog labels. Sunday puzzles are very challenging to make, the sheer size is daunting. I'm always in awe when others make their debut on a Sunday.

This type of sound change is always hard for me, as my English is very Chinese. I pronounce ISIS as "Asses".  I wish the White House and newspapers would stop dignifying those thugs with ISIL.

Across:

1. Rush order shorthand : ASAP

5. Heart, basically : PUMP

9. Expand : SWELL

14. Prefix with sexual : METRO. Metrosexual like Clooney. Armani all the way.

19. 1944 invasion city : ST LO

20. Eye part containing the iris : UVEA

21. Salk vaccine target : POLIO

22. "... O, be some __ name": Juliet : OTHER

 

26. Soprano Kiri Te Kanawa, e.g. : MAORI

27. Domestic sci. : HOME EC

28. Crunch's rank : CAP'N

29. Get real? : COME TRUE. Nice clue/answer.

31. In the style of : A LA

32. MGM motto word : ARS

34. Acknowledge quietly : NOD TO

37. Last word of Kipling's "If—" : SON. Can you recite the whole poem, Yellowrocks? Also, have you tried long beans? They're very good with almonds too. You should find them at Asian grocery stores.

38. Big picture?: Abbr. : ENL (Enlarged)

39. Rapper __ Jon : LIL

40. Sounds of uncertainty : HAWS

42. Pizazz : OOMPH

44. Bluesy James : ETTA

46. Overflow : TEEM

51. Forgets the words, maybe : HUMS. What's your favorite song to sing in the shower?

54. Story set to music : BALLAD

56. One may be wired : NARC

57. Each : A POP

58. Capital near Casablanca : RABAT

61. Easy-to-make breakfast brand : EGGOS

64. Ding Dong relative : HO HO

66. Cairo's river : NILE

67. Does a classroom chore : ERASES

69. Gutter locale : EAVE

70. Saintly : ANGELIC. That's Argyle, who just got his second puzzle accepted by the NY Times. His first one was published last Oct. He has a 100% acceptance rate with the NYT!

72. "Phooey!" : BAH

78. Tennis do-over : LET

79. DVD box caution : UNRATED

81. Takei role : SULU

82. Capital of Pakistan's Punjab province : LAHORE

84. North __ : STAR

85. Something you break when you leave it : CAMP. Tricky for me. Never been to a camp.

88. Goolagong rival : EVERT (Chris)

90. World __ : POWER

91. Leave : EXIT

92. Kindle competitor : NOOK

94. More spine-tingling : EERIER

96. Level-headed : SANE

100. Makes a move : ACTS

104. Diamond irregularity : FLAW

106. Alpine Austrian state : TYROL. We just had this yesterday. Innsbruck is its capital. Marti mentioned she stayed there last year.

107. Entry level pos. : ASST

109. Item on a Billboard list : HIT

110. Certain camera, for short : SLR

112. Hamm of soccer : MIA. Bill G, next time you bump into her, just say "Hello Mia, my name is Bill, do you solve crosswords? Your name appear there often." Maybe you should print out this puzzle and get her autographed.

114. Medicare section : PART B

116. Spotted : SAW

117. Physician's org. : AMA

118. Lively folk dances : HOEDOWNS

121. Fictional plantation : TARA

123. More risky : DICIER

125. "It's my concern ..." : I FEAR

130. "Zoom-Zoom" sloganeer : MAZDA

131. Artist's aid : EASEL

132. "I'm __ here!" : OUTA

133. Durable wood : TEAK

134. Great buy : STEAL. I normally find some spectacular stuff at flea markets, not this year.

135. Fries-to-be : SPUDS

136. Movie critic Pauline : KAEL. Never read her reviews. Was she harsh?

137. Pacing, perhaps : EDGY

Down:

1. Road crew supply : ASPHALT

2. Info provider : STOOLIE

3. Like many barbershop quartets : ALL MALE. And4. Barbershop symbol : POLE

5. Barhopping tour : PUB CRAWL. I used to barhop all the time. Guangzhou is full of great bars & great food.

6. Sch. founded by Jefferson : UVA

7. Grand Marquis, for short : MERC

8. Certain polytheist : PAGAN

9. PR specialist: SPIN DOC

10. Acquired : WON

11. Connecticut Ivy Leaguer : ELI

12. Omar's "Mod Squad" role : LINC

13. Firm symbols : LOGOS

14. Point in time : MOMENT

15. State, to Jacques : ETAT

17. "Breaking Bad" marathon component, e.g. : RERUN

18. Cantilevered window : ORIEL

24. Word repeated after "She loves you," in a '60s hit : YEAH

25. "It's __ sort of memory that only works backward": Carroll : A POOR

30. Homer's watering hole : MOE'S. I'm amazed by Chairman Moe's prediction on Ryder Cup. He said on Sept 26: "My not so welcome or popular prediction: Final Score after Sunday, Euro's 17, Yank's 11".  The result: 16½ points vs 11½.

33. Low area : SWALE

35. IRS employee : T-MAN

36. Long-running talk show : OPRAH

41. Play producer : STAGER

43. Sub in a bag : HERO

45. Macbeth, vis-à-vis Glamis : THANE. The Thane of Glamis.

47. Grad school degs. : MBAs

49. Award named for a mystery writer : EDGAR

50. Chilled soup : SCHAV. Cold sorrel dish. Never had it. I don't think I've had sorrel before.

52. "Le Misanthrope" playwright : MOLIERE. His Chinese name sounds very sad.

53. Ghost : SPECTER

55. '50s nuclear trial : A TEST

58. Puzzles in the game show "Concentration" : REBUSES

59. Three-time French Open champ __ Sánchez Vicario : ARANTXA. No idea. Looks harder to pronounce than my Zhouqin.

62. Prefix with sac : OVI

63. Sixth __ : SENSE

65. Scott Turow work : ONE L. One of the few English books I've read.

68. Job detail : SPEC

71. Pinot, for one : GRAPE

74. Fictional bell town : ADANO

75. Mate : GUV

76. Baseball card brand : FLEER. Bygone brand. Nowadays only Topps and Upper Deck.

77. "I have it!" : EUREKA

80. Soviet cooperative : ARTEL. I forgot. Wiki said this term was used "between the 1860s through 1950s".

83. Circle dance : HORA

86. Jump out of one's skin? : MOLT. Cute clue.

87. Coral component : POLYP

89. Head lock : TRESS

 

93. Sedgwick of "The Closer" : KYRA

95. "I'm ready to sign" : IT'S A DEAL

97. Text message qualifier : FWIW (For What it's Worth)

98. Fools, to Puck : MORTALS. Lord, what fools these mortals be!

99. Wedding site : ALTAR

101. Led : CHAIRED

102. Interval between related events : TIME LAG

103. TV partner of Hutch : STARSKY

105. Unconcerned with right and wrong : AMORAL

108. Branch branch : TWIG. Tree branch.

110. Leveling wedges : SHIMS

111. Dieter's catchword : LoFat

113. Pot starters : ANTES

115. Runner in the woods : BROOK. Lovely clue.

119. Arp genre : DADA

120. Switch : SWAP

122. Cyan shade : AQUA

124. Use as a reference : CITE

127. The Beavers of the Pac-12 : OSU. The Oregon State.

128. Breakfast companion? : BED. Bed and breakfast.

129. Colorado native : UTE

C.C.