Saturday, February 23, 2019, Jim Quinlan

Themeless Saturday by Jim Quinlan

On the last Saturday in February we celebrate National Tongue Twister Contest Day. So let's see how you would do with these two beauties. For this contest let us know which you think, the Guinness or MIT nomination, is the winner of hardest limerick ever.

Guiness Candidate               M.I.T Candidate

Today's constructor is Jim Quinlan. I could not find much about him on the web but did run across this "musing" from him that sounds like something that crosses my mind on many occasions:

I can't help but anagram and make wordplay with stop signs when I'm driving. It's annoying. Those big white letters just ask to be messed with. POTS, TOPS, SPOT, OPTS. Am I alone in this? I hope so. Anyway, "Stop Sign" sounds an awful lot like "Stop Sighin'!" ["Quit feeling sorry for yourself!"]  or "Stop lyin! [Quit telling falsehoods!] 

Four speed bumps for me:

26. "A Farewell to Arms" setting: Abbr.: WWI - I wasted time trying to think of a country. I associate Hemingway with the Spanish Civil War but that book would have been For Whom The Bell Tolls not this one set in Italy

33. Strauss creation: LEVIS - I wasted time with OPERA before LEVI's riveted blue jeans came to mind  

32. Start to stop?: NON - I wasted time with ESS

51. "Wow!": OOH - I wasted time with GEE

Let's what else Jim has for us before I have to go see Sally selling seashells by the seashore.

Across:

1. Like some VIP treatment: ALL ACCESS - I think I'd rather have gone to Crystal's party

10. Global Chic designer: IMAN - The now 63-yr-old widow of David Bowie

14. Dog trainer's hand signal, say: VISUAL CUE - Awww

15. It'll blow over soon: CRAZE - Cabbage Patch Kids, fidget spinners, hula hoops, etc.

16. Running smoothly: IN A GROOVE - I'm sure Boomer has been in one of these frequently for his many high scores in bowling

17. Schindler with a list: OSKAR - I've said it before, it's a movie where I couldn't stay until the end

18. Stings: SET UPS - Real movie fans will remember when Johnny Hooker and Henry Gondorff SET UP Doyle Lonnegan Give me my money back! (4 min.)

19. Academic acronym: STEM.

21. The past, in the past: ELD - An archaic use, better known now as the root for ELDER

22. Beat but good: ROUT  and 58. Shut out, in a game: BLANK

48. Writer of anthropomorphic tales: AESOP - AESOP's tortoise did ROUT the hare

24. Absorption processes: OSMOSES

29. Algerian seaport: ORAN - Where America started WWII in across the Atlantic in November of 1942 during Operation Torch 

31. __ Pig: British preschool TV show: PEPPA - I landed on this show once as it is near ESPN on our channels. It is a syrupy departure from the Looney Tunes, et al of my ute

35. Mexican president after Calderón: NIETO.

37. Gets all mushy: BREAKS INTO TEARS.

40. Kipling's "Lone Wolf": AKELA.

41. Feudal servants: SERFS - Not peons this round

42. Daffy depiction?: CEL - hurry, only one left!

43. Can't get enough of: ADORE.

45. Abounding: RIFE.

46. Anti-discrimination initials: EEO.

47. Mexico's largest lake: CHAPALA - Just south of Guadalajara 

49. Cunning: ARCH - Iterations of Batman's most attractive ARCHENEMY (Halle Berry's my fav)

52. Passed on: OKED -  _ _ E D was not DIED. I then OKED the correct fill

54. Very little: A TASTE.

60. "Pardon, sir ... ": SAY MISTER - "SAY MISTER Burnikel, did you get this one?"

62. Salon option: RINSE.

63. Counting-out rhyme opening: ONE POTATO - ONE POTATO, two potato, three potato, four...

64. Flexible, in a way: AC/DC - We have this radio and it can go either way

65. Secretly communicate in class, pre-texting: PASS NOTES - I see very little of this in 2019 schools post-texting


Down:

1. Dollar competitor: AVIS - EURO currency gave way to a rental car company

2. Feature of a busy amusement park: LINE - Everyone says how they "hate" the It's A Small World Ride at Magic Kingdom, but even it has very long LINES

3. What needs to be passed on the way to the bar, briefly?: LSAT.

4. Foretell: AUGUR - Shakespeare's Sonnet CVII - "And the sad AUGURS mock their own presage; Incertainties now crown themselves assured" says these foretellers aren't always successful

5. Musical "Late Late" segment: CARPOOL KARAOKE - A lovely 23 minute version with Sir Paul singing his timeless music in the car while touring Liverpool with a big finish!

6. Snowstorm news: CLOSURES - This last big show is going to happen today on a weekend so NO CLOSURE. Sorry teachers, er, kids!😏

7. Prefix with tourism: ECO - ECOtourists and ECOwarriors are frequent puzzle visitors

8. Explorers, e.g.: SUVS - Ford's version

9. Manage: SEE TO 

10. Gp. concerned with cheaters: IRS 

11. Stops the fight: MAKES PEACE - Teddy won the Nobel Peace Prize for helping MAKE PEACE and end the Russo-Japanese War in 1906

12. Rhododendron family bloomer: AZALEA TREE - AZALEAS ring the famous 12th hole at the Master's and are a sure harbinger of spring

13. __ out: gets excited in a geeky way, in slang: NERDS

15. Popular place for lurking trolls: COMMENT SECTION - Our COMMENT SECTION follows my diatribe. Trolls should remain under the bridge

20. Psychic's claim: ESP.

23. Former TV talk show host Smiley: TAVIS - TAVIS has some issues these days

25. Taylor tot: OPIE - That's sheriff Andy's boy

26. Sun and Sky org.: WNBA - I just blogged these two teams two weeks ago and still got fooled for a while. Arrrggghhh!

27. Unlikely "TGIF" exclaimer: WORKAHOLIC.

28. "Little help?": I NEED A HAND - The clue is short for, "Can I get a little help here?"

30. Pilot's digit: NINER - Can you see the 29 on the runway amid the tire marks. Runway 29 is short for a heading of 290 (WNW) where the 0 is dropped and we get Runway Two-NINER

34. Narrow furrow: STRIA - Nourison's twilight, twister, STRIA carpet

36. 2017 Tony winner about the '90s Israel-PLO accords: OSLO The Playbill

38. Somewhat off: ALOP - Merriam Webster Dictionary says, "Huh?" Oxford English says, "Lopsided"

39. Cloverleaf segments: OFF RAMPS.

44. Mammal with a rack: ELK - That's one... 

47. G.I. Joe nemesis: COBRA.

50. Lacks choices: HAS TO.

53. Perfumery that created Tabu: DANA - DW's fragrance when we were dating. Ahhh...

55. Bit of sports trivia: STAT - "Whose home run record did Babe Ruth break when he hit 60 in 1927?" (*Answer at the bottom)

56. French bean?: TETE.

57. Winged god: EROS.

59. Situation Room gp.: NSC - The National Security Council was formed by President Harry Truman

61. Assent: YES.

Time for you to toot your own horn:

* Babe broke his own record of 59 home runs in 1921

Note from C.C.:

Happy 80th Birthday to dear  Keith Fowler (Ol' Man Keith), longest-living Fowler on record. How are you celebrating this milestone, Keith?

  This picture is more recent.

Friday, July 13, 2018, Jim Quinlan

Title: Is that Splynter I see back in brown? No, it is just UPS.

Happy Friday the 13th.

Mr. Quinlan is back for his 4th LAT and second Friday. I had the pleasure of blogging the debut of this middle-school teacher here in April 2015. He quickly had his first NYT that May. His most recent here was last October which featured controversy about his fill FIVE-O and the introduction of a celebrity solver RB. Jim who has been kind enough to stop by and clarify his work, uses a Friday staple - add letters. Today the trigram UPS, which is confirmed in a reveal. With 63 letters in the theme, there was not much room for long sparkly fill but I SAY SO, IT IS SO (?), ODD LOT, TEE HEE, BEER CANS  and UNLISTED added to the challenge.
I hope none of you all (Y'awl?) have ever had a package stolen from your porch; as Splynter was wont to say, ON*WARD*

18A. Calendar model's argument?: PINUPS POINT (11). I doubt that it is easy to pinpoint an argument a calendar model was putting forth.

24A. Ones who curry favor in Cannes?: FRENCH KISS-UPS (13). French kissing is nice, but ass kissers are not. 

41A. Booms in the poultry industry?: CHICKEN UPSWINGS (15). Thank Buffalo for the modern importance of the lowly chicken wing. 

51A. Northern New York gallery, say?: UPSTATE MUSEUM (13). The TATE is a CSO to our British brethern. 

And the reveal:

61A. Package on the porch ... or what's been brought to 18-, 24-, 41- and 51-Across: UPS DELIVERY.

Across:

1. Adobe extension: PDF. Portable Document Format is a keystone to all modern law work, for saving, transmitting,  and studying documents, eliminating the incompatibility of word perfect (the favorite of legal writers) and word.

4. Food: EATS.

8. Formal affirmation: IT IS SO. This must be the appropriate response to Captain Jean Luc Picard.

14. Amazement: AWE.

15. "Logan" superheroes: X-MEN.

16. Bib, essentially: NAPKIN. One I would not have thought of, but it is true.

17. Cooking acronym: PAM. Learning moment! PAM is a cooking spray currently owned and distributed by ConAgra Foods. Its main ingredient is canola oil. The name PAM is an acronym for Product of Arthur Meyerhoff. Wiki.

20. First word of The Beach Boys' "Kokomo": ARUBA. The first stanza.
Aruba, Jamaica, oh I want to take ya
Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama
Key Largo, Montego, baby why don't we go, Jamaica...

22. David Caruso starred in the Miami version: CSI. It crashed and burned after 10 seasons and 232 episodes. Before that, in 2006, BBC News published an article stating that CSI: Miami was the world's most popular television series, featuring in more countries' top ten rankings for 2005 than any other series. BBC online.

23. __ periculo: at my own risk: MEO. This is inferable from the clue, sort of. Just Latin- periculum = danger. Friday challenge.

29. Jackie portrayer on "Nurse Jackie": EDIE.

30. Spike TV, once: TNN. The Nashville Network.

31. He finished hosting "The Tonight Show" 12 years before Fallon was born: PAAR. Jack.

34. Tool points: NIBS. I think of pens not tools.

37. Long past: OLDEN.

44. Wrap label: SARAN. When we were kids we had Alcoa Aluminum foil, Cut-rite wax paper and Saran. In 1949, it became the first cling wrap designed for commercial use. It was sold for household use in 1953. SC Johnson acquired Saran from Dow in 1998. SC Johnson had some concerns about the safety of PVDC and subsequently took steps to eliminate it from Saran's composition. The popularity of the product, as well as sales, suffered as a result. If you’ve noticed recently that Saran isn't much different than Glad or Reynolds products, that’s why.

45. Isaac's eldest: ESAU.

46. Extended tale: SAGA.

47. "Just joking!": NOT. Popular response for  while.

49. Narrow cut: SLIT.

57. Latin lover's word: AMO. I love you.

58. Cup holder?: BRA. Cute, and then 66A. Main man: BRO.

59. Seller of spots: ADREP. Advertising Representative.  Like Mad Men.

67. Snicker: TEE HEE.

68. Anticipatory times: EVES.

69. Beauty preceder?: AGE. Age before beauty. The phrase is often given as part of a supposed exchange between the U.S. writer, politician and diplomat Clare Booth Brokow, who later became Clare Boothe Luce, and Dorothy Parker. It is said that, in the archetypal circumstances for uttering the phrase, that is, while holding a door open for Parker, Brokow said "Age before beauty". Parker's reply was "Pearls before swine".

70. Small stock purchase: ODD LOT.  Mulitples of 100 shares of stock is the normal lot.

71. Pudding starch: SAGO.

72. Amount realized: NET.

Down:

1. Smurf with a red hat: PAPA.  I think he was a derivative from the seven...

2. Fictional miner: DWARF.

3. Longest human bone: FEMUR.

4. Open a satellite shop, say: EXPAND.

5. Bizet's buddy: AMI.

6. Base __: TEN.

7. Moved furtively: SNUCK.

8. Demand: INSIST.

9. One in a pub lineup: TAP.                                                      21D. Six-pack makeup: BEER CANS.

10. Google's was in 2004, briefly: IPO. Initial Public Offering.

11. Be very thrifty: SKIMP. Skimp and save or is it SCRIMP?

12. Trig functions: SINES. So many and so far in the past in my life.

13. In the know about: ON TO.

19. Penultimate Greek letter: PSI. Which leads me to...

25. Picture at Cannes: CINÉ. From the Greek κῑ́νημα (kī́nēma) which means movement from which we also got kinetic.

26. "Die Lorelei" poet: HEINE. Heinrich - born Harry.  The first stanza-
Ich weiss nicht, was soll es bedeuten,
Dass ich so traurig bin;
Ein Märchen aus alten Zeiten,
Das kommt mir nicht aus dem Sinn.

27. __ day: school contingency: SNOW.

28. Not in the book: UNLISTED.

31. Cubicle fixtures: PCS.

32. "I got it!": AHA.

33. It's all around you: AIR. I always say money is like air, it really only is important when you have none. I am not sure who I stole that from.

35. School __: BUS.

36. Unavoidable jerk: SPASM. I always wondered what that guy's name was.

38. What might reveal the answer to "Who's your daddy?": DNA.

39. Custard base: EGG.

40. Org. that abhors leaks: NSA.

42. Windsor, for one: KNOT.  I learned this STYLE before my teens.

43. "Star Trek" lieutenant: SULU.

48. Smartphone alternative: TABLET. We are a two tablet family; Oo seldom leaves home without hers.

50. Parental words of finality: I SAY SO. But why? Because...

51. Decided on a diamond: UMPED. A baseball clue for C.C.

52. Sat: POSED.

53. Start to cycle?: TRI.

54. Wasp nest sites: EAVES. I am allergic to bees but I was more afraid of the damn wasps.

55. __ Dictionary: URBAN.

56. Road sign with a double-tailed arrow: MERGE.

57. One on a driveway: AUTO.

60. One who works with feet: POET. I am an Iambic pentameter fan.

62. FedEx alternative: DHL.

63. Want ad abbr.: EEO. Equal Employment Opportunity.

64. Actress Gabor: EVA. Green Acress is the place to be...

65. Gas pump spec.: REG.

Tough day at work yesterday; I hope you enjoy this effort and have a great weekend. Thank you JQ and all of you. Lemonade out. 

Saturday, Oct 14th, 2017, Jim Quinlan

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing J,Q,X)

Blocks: 34

Another new constructor for our Saturday - Jim Quinlan has 2 other LA Times puzzles under his belt, a Friday and a Sunday.  A very satisfying puzzle, I must say - no Google, no red-letters, and when I didn't get my ta-DA~!, I had the patience to go through the grid to find my error.  A spiral grid with a lot of three-letter words, triple 10-letter corners in the across, 8-, 9-,10-letter stacks in the down, and a group of three answers with a central 15- letter spanner;

34. Samoa or Caramel deLite : GIRL SCOUT COOKIE

15. Offer a libation (for) : POUR ONE OUT - The winery/vineyard I now work for offers bottles, of course, but also boxes, and recently kegs - next year, they introduce wine in a can; my thought was that it sounds like this 'cheapens' the whole wine thing.  We'll see.

12. Pot without speed : SLOW COOKER - oh, that kind of pot.  Somehow, I managed to think of a joint not laced with speed....

26. Sometime substitute for bread crumbs : CORNFLAKES

57. Experience for Marty McFly : TIME TRAVEL - right up my alley

The flux capacitor is...fluxing

 WARD~!


ACROSS:

1. Floors : ASTONISHES - ah, then verb, not the noun

11. Beliefs : ISMS - Crosswordese

16. Polar explorer's concern : FLOE - I figured SNOW was too easy

17. President leaving office, perhaps : END OF AN ERA

18. Commercial name abbr. : CORPoration

19. Redden, say : DYE - I pondered "IRK" here, but waited; then it appeared at 53d.

20. William Tell Monument city : ALTDORF - I know of the "apple on the head" shot, but didn't know the whole story - here's the Wiki on it

22. Venus is in it: Abbr. : WTA - I went with ATP, the Association of Tennis Professionals, but that's a "men's club"; we're looking for the Women's Tennis Association

23. "S" on an invitation : S'IL - Frawnche; réspondez s'il vous plait, or RSVP

24. Vehicle-sharing company : ZIPCAR - I know about Uber, but never heard of this; their website er, explains it all

26. "Born on the Bayou" band, briefly : CCR

27. __ bar : WET - there's a Tasting Room at the front of the vineyard office/warehouse, but really it's a wine bar - it's like upscale happy hour

30. It's tuned an octave higher than a cello : VIOLA

31. 1988 noir remake : DOA

32. Unconcealed enmity : NO LOVE LOST

36. Certain baron : LANDHOLDER

37. King's value, at times : TEN - as in cards

38. Gather : INFER - D'oh~!  Not AMASS

39. Sch. period : SEMester

40. Backwoods preposition : FER

41. Combined : MELDED

43. King or queen : BED - ah, good clue, since the previous 'regal' clue (37a.) had me thinking along the lines of "REX"

44. Chinese military gp. : PLA - filled via perps

45. Grew : WIDENED - my only bad cel; I had WIDE FED

49. Pipe in a song : COB - corn cob, Frosty the Snowman

52. Pen name that sounds like a drink : SAKI - technically, Sake IS a drink

54. Cry at the craps table : COME TO PAPA

56. U.S. dept. with a bolt on its seal : ENERgy - nailed it

58. Classroom fixture : DESK

59. Unable to continue : AT A DEAD END

DOWN:

1. Did : APED

2. Pioneer in portable music : SONY - and the company who gave us Betamax; see 33d.

3. Arrogant manner, slangily : TUDE

4. Top medalla : ORO

5. "You peeked!" : "NO FAIR~!"

6. Totally : IN ALL

7. Heaven-__ : SENT - I'll let you know if this one ever stops in for a glass....

8. Helped make a bed : HOED - a garden bed

9. Mark's replacement : EURO

10. Premium movie channel that dropped its "!" in 2005 : STARZ

11. "Portlandia" airer : IFC

13. Serious transgression, in Catholicism : MORTAL SIN

14. Split : SEPARATE

21. Coppers : FIVE-O - one of my top TV show themes; I'm glad the re-make of the show didn't go with something different

23. Burned with steam : SCALDED

25. Led : PILOTED

27. Some sweaters : WOOLS - I tried KNITS

28. Get by : ELUDE

29. Venerated symbol : TOTEM

31. Martha Kent portrayer in recent Superman films : DIANE LANE - I had no idea, tried a total WAG, and it worked

32. Barracks VIP : NCO

33. Betamax player : VCR - at first I thought this was a huge gaffe, but then I realized the fierce (according to Wiki) format war was between VHS and Betmax; both tape formats played on a "Video Cassette Recorder"

34. Barely caught : GLIMPSED

35. Mole-like mammal : SHREW

40. Hat for Indiana Jones : FEDORA - Raiders of the Lost Ark might be my favoritest movie of all time

42. Decrees : DICTA - argh~!  I threw "S" in there for plural, and tried WRITS

43. 2017 Dolly portrayer on Broadway : BETTE

46. "Finish the job!" : "DO IT~!"

47. "Handsome, clever, and rich" Austen character : EMMA

48. Food or water : NEED - I had fEED, which made sense to me if you "feed" a plant with water....

49. Finally give : CAVE

50. Tournament format : OPEN

51. Likely to skid : BALD - I need to get tires before the end of the month in order to pass inspection; however, I'd like to get white letter tires, and the only way to do that on my vehicle is to buy larger rims for that particular size tire - I'm willing to go sporty on the minivan~!

53. Get to : IRK

55. Enhance, as a résumé : PAD - no need to pad my résumé, there was barely space to list my qualifications for the new job - but I listed enough

Thanks for all the positive support - I especially appreciate those who know me and are 'concerned' about the "vocation" of my new employer~!

Splynter

Sunday June 28, 2015 Jim Quinlan

Theme: "Slightly-off Broadway" - One letter is dropped from each play.

24A. Show about shoeless Shem? : BARE FOOT IN THE ARK. Barefoot in the Park.

39A. Show about auto club service? : ON THE TOW. On the Town.

57A. Show about an unusual car? : THE ODD COUPE. The Odd Couple.

71A. Show about sorry predators? : THE PIRATES OF PENANCE. The Pirates of Penzance.

90A. Show about inventions in the military? : PRIVATE LIES. Private Lives. The only unknown musical to me. 

104A. Show about baseball's Hodges as the life of the party? : FUNNY GIL. Funny Girl. Gil Hodges was the winning manager of the 1969 World Series.

122A. Show about a pageant contestant with rhythm? : BEAUTY AND THE BEAT. Beauty and the Beast.

I don't think the dropped letters P, N, L, Z, V, R & S (no dupes!) spell out anything. Just a tight set of  7 musicals that make surface sense once a letter is dropped.

I think this is Jim Quinlan Sunday debut. Lemonade blogged his first LAT back in April. Jim took advantage of the moderate theme material (total 89 squares) and gave us a solid grid. No obscure names or places or words in this puzzle.  Very clean.

Across:

  

1. Performs like Drake : RAPS. Drake is the Taylor Swift of rap.

5. Holy struggle : JIHAD

10. Seek guidance, in a way : PRAY

14. Start of a waste line? : HASTE. Haste makes waste.

19. Like zero : OVAL

20. Speak : ORATE. And 61. Speak : STATE

 

21. Madden : RILE

22. Toss out : EXPEL

23. Man, for instance : MALE. Tried ISLE first.

27. Indigenous Alaskans : ALEUTS

29. Tropicana option : PULP. Orange juice. Not the Vegas casino.

30. Baked __ : ZITI. Never tried it. No cheese for me.

31. Ruler divs. : CMs

32. Hole in the head : NOSTRIL

 

34. Sound often prohibited? : PEEP. "Not a peep out of you!"

36. "A Delicate Balance" playwright : ALBEE

41. Hoarse condition : CROUP. Got via crosses. I can never remember this word.

44. Snuck by : ELUDED

47. Word after top or trade : SECRET

49. Southern stew thickener : OKRA

51. Greeted the day : AROSE

52. One of 256 in a gal. : TBSP

56. Hide : SKIN

59. Common default font : ARIAL. Our blog default is Georgia.

63. Camper's utensil : SPORK

64. "Falling Skies" airer : TNT

65. VIP : BIGWIG. What Marc Maron is now. 

67. Chinese-born poker star Johnny : CHAN. No idea. Wiki said he was born in Guangzhou. That red character on his T-shirt spelled out CHAN in Cantonese.

69. Curved fastener : U-BOLT

77. Sink hole : DRAIN

78. One of three squares : MEAL. Square meals.

79. Modern reading : eBOOKS

81. Place to check your balance : ATM

84. Stop by : END AT

86. Bronze place : THIRD

89. Expensive : STEEP

93. Mustard weapon, possibly : ROPE. Colonel Mustard. Stumped me.

95. Good name for a Whirlpool spokesman? : EDDY

96. Buff : TONED

97. Turn at the tables : ROLL. Casino action, right?

98. Satisfied comment : IT'LL DO. This section remained elusive for a long time. I just could not get the crosses easily.

100. Man cave setup : STEREO

102. Close in films : GLENN. Glenn Close.

109. Weight watcher's concerns : CARBS. Not me. I love carbs.

111. Bee's knees : MOST. I wanted BEST.

113. Elton John's "__ Saved My Life Tonight" : SOMEONE

114. National Humor Mo. : APR. Crosses makes the answer easy.

116. Idina Menzel voiced her in "Frozen" : ELSA

119. One may be taken in desperation : STAB. Take a stab.

121. Give in : RELENT

127. Exam for jrs. : PSAT

128. Fab : BOFFO. Learned from doing crosswords.

129. Hedge formation : MAZE

130. Enterprise competitor : ALAMO

131. Rock follower? : ETTE. Rockette.

 

132. Composer Bruckner : ANTON

133. Went 76 on Route 66, say : SPED

134. Possessive type? : DEMON. I had DEMO? early on, but could not nail it. Stupid.

135. Slacker's opposite : DOER

 

Down:

 

1. Pizzeria shaker contents : ROMANO. So what's your favorite junk food? Pizza? This is mine.

2. Arthurian isle : AVALON

3. Most susceptible to burning : PALEST. Sunburn.

4. Clue seeker : SLEUTH

5. Contractors' destinations : JOB SITES

6. "This American Life" host Glass : IRA

7. Only nonvocal instrument in Britten's "A Ceremony of Carols" : HARP

8. Really enjoyed : ATE UP. Very similiar to how I eat my Shin noodles. Boiled egg and green onions.

 

9. Ricochet : DEFLECT

10. Ace : PRO

11. Cracker with a scalloped edge : RITZ

12. Et __ : ALII

13. Gossip : YENTA

14. Laugh syllable : HEH

15. 83-Down tool : AXE. And 83. Video game involving breaking and placing blocks : MINECRAFT. Fell easily. Never played it though.

16. In la-la land : SPACED OUT

17. Academic period : TERM

18. Chicago-based order : ELKS. Did not know they're based in Chicago.

25. TUV neighbor on some phones : OPER

26. Game piece : TILE

28. "__ chic!" : TRES

33. Hair : LOCKS

35. "Hunny" lover : POOH

37. Golden relatives? : BLACK LABS. Nailed it also.

38. Cannes coin : EURO

40. Legal document : WRIT

42. Lute family members : UKES

43. Support : PROP UP

45. British Open network : ESPN

46. Anti-bug compound : DEET

48. Pass : ENACT

50. PDF creator : ADOBE

52. PC key with two arrows : TAB

53. Brolly carrier : BRIT. I did not know the meaning of Brolly, British for umbrella. Answer slightly dupes the clue for ESPN. Hard to avoid this on Sundays.

54. [Ah, me!] : SIGH

55. Poked, puma-style : PAWED

57. Dollhouse staples : TEA SETS

58. Remotely piloted craft : DRONE

60. Many a deaf person : LIP-READER. Also got via crosses.

62. Foes of us : THEM

66. __ squid : GIANT

68. First name in lexicography : NOAH (Webster)

70. Govt. security : T-NOTE

72. Shotgun caller : RIDER. I had to ask Boomer what it means. He said the front passenger seat next to the driver is called a shotgun seat.

73. Two-handed, perhaps : ANALOG. Oh, clock.

74. Try a new line, say : FLIRT. I want RE???.

75. Like Vassar since 1969 : CO-ED

76. Scratched (out) : EKED

80. Binoculars user : SPY

81. Flats, in the U.S. : APTS. So U.S. indicates an abbreviated answer?

82. Home run pace : TROT

85. Cash box : TILL

87. Massage deeply : ROLF

88. Mark above a "See me!" note : D PLUS. I mentioned earlier, I was bogged down in this area.  Wish I had attended some sort of school here. Felt very disadvantaged over lots of simple stuff.

91. __ Bradley handbags : VERA

92. Sch. level : ELEM

94. Sitcom sewer worker : ED NORTON. "The Honeymooners". Saw similar clue before. Still got me. Never watched the show.

98. As an option : INSTEAD

99. Complimentary words from a bartender : ON ME. I was thinking of something flattering.

101. Get in line : OBEY

103. Munch : NOSH

105. Cried out, as in pain : YELPED

106. Attends : GOES TO

107. Not learned : INNATE

108. Varsity athlete's honor : LETTER. Those stacks in lower right and upper left are not easy to fill cleanly. Great job by Jim.

110. Poetry contests : SLAMS

112. Put aside : TABLE

114. Palindromic pop group : ABBA

115. Lowly worker : PEON

117. [Just like that!] : SNAP

118. Carving tool : ADZE

120. Show elation : BEAM. Lots of 4-letter words in this puzzle.

123. Supposed abduction vehicle : UFO

124. Whole bunch : TON

125. Stevens of Alaska : TED. Bridge to nowhere.

126. "Yo te __": Spanish lover's words : AMO

Joann has kindly kept me in the loop of Husker Gary's progress. Things look very promising at the moment. Gary does lots of diligent walking every day, and  X-rays are performed every morning to monitor his progress. Joann emailed me this yesterday:

"Gary called me this morning and said that the x-ray of the can barium stuff they gave him earlier in the week is now moving through out his intestinal system which is so great to hear! Gary is thinking the Doctors will start him on a diet of cream soups and puddings later today. Then they can monitor how that flows as well. We both want to make sure everything is glowing normally before he is dismissed. "

Looks like he can go home to Joann and Lily soon. You've been through so much, Gary!

Joann & Gary

C.C.