Theme: "You Oughta Be in Pictures" - U is added to each movie.
23A. Heroic medal whose recipient didn't feel worthy of it? : THE RUED BADGE OF COURAGE. The Red Badge of Courage.
37A. Formal acknowledgment of the end of the calla season? : A FAREWELL TO ARUMS. A Farewell to Arms.
50A. Warnings for Rio sailors? : BUOYS FROM BRAZIL. Boys from Brazil. Unfamiliar to me. Google shows this entry misses "The".
71A. Not a colorful restaurant list? : MENU IN BLACK. Men in Black.
94A. Midnight distress call? : A SHOUT IN THE DARK. A Shot in the Dark.
104A. Clever maneuver by a grade school class? : KINDERGARTEN COUP. Kindergarten Cop.
127A. Classy vehicle for actor Elliott? : THE SOLID GOULD CADILLAC. The Solid Gold Cadillac. Elliott Gould.
Very tight and focused theme set, all movies.
Construction-wise,
this grid is very demanding, with 115 theme squares (I can handle up to
100). And 6 of the 7 theme entries are pretty long. Often grid-spanning
15's make things easier on a weekday grid, but grid-spanning 21's are
nightmares.
Across:
1. Impedes : RETARDS. Put in ?E???DS, then moved on.
8. Trendy : A LA MODE
15. Break the law, in a way : SPEED. Nice clue.
20. Like some reasoning : A PRIORI. I like everything in the NW corner, except LOTTED (30A. Divided into groups for auction). Not a word I use.
21. In vino __ : VERITAS. In wine, there's truth. Similar to a Chinese saying "Drink in, truth out".
22. Threshold : VERGE
26. Distinguishing quality : TRAIT
27. "Mangia!" : EAT
28. Heavy weight : ONE TON. ONE Dupe with 107D. A hundred bucks :ONE C.
29. Cognac bottle letters : VSOP. Very Special Old Pale or Very Superior Old Pale.
32. Argue : JAW
34. Rampant : RIFE
36. "And Winter Came..." album maker : ENYA. Guessed.
46. Game with marriage and kids : LIFE. Never played it.
48. Count in music : BASIE. Count Basie.
49. River rat : NUTRIA. This guy probably knows D-Otto's various cats.How many are in your care now, Tom?
56. Hurdles for future attys. : LSATS
57. Justice Dept. arm : ATF
58. Wonder Woman portrayer Carter : LYNDA
59. __ historique: opera genre : FAIT. Complete stranger.
61. USN officers : LTS. Lieutenants.
62. Jackie's predecessor : MAMIE
64. Bay, say : INLET
68. Role for Ingrid : ILSA. "Casablanca".
70. Throat-clearing sound : AHEM
75. Stat for getting people home : RBIs. Where were you thinking?
79. Like D's, gradewise : POOR
81. __ buddy : BOSOM
82. Body __ : IMAGE
83. Shade of blue : SKY
86. Capital overlooking the Pacific : LIMA
88. Breeze (through) : COAST
91. Garden tool : HOE
92. Save like mad : HOARD. I don't waste stuff, but I don't hoard either.
100. Many a ski house : A-FRAME
102. Tasteless : TACKY
103. Weary : TIRE
108. Cat in a casa : GATO
112. About, legally : IN RE. I used to be stumped by INRI all the time.
113. South end? : ERN. Southern.
114. Pitcher known as "Tom Terrific" : SEAVER. The only Hall of Famer wearing a Mets cap.
116. Doesn't seed, perhaps : SODS
119. 1998 Masters champion : O'MEARA (Mark). Tiger's old buddy. Good old times. Been to the Masters, Husker Gary/Big Easy/Chairman Moe?
124. NRC forerunner : AEC. Atomic Energy Commission. NRC is Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
126. One of the Allmans : DUANE. Same letter count as GREGG, ex of Cher.
131. Cravat cousin : ASCOT
132. Not on any side : NEUTRAL
133. Folksy TV attorney : MATLOCK. Played by Andy Griffith. I drew a blank.
134. Benefits : BOONS
135. Where some ticket selling is done : IN A CAGE. Oh, this is like how they sell tickets at our state fair.
136. Ancient ascetics : ESSENES. Learned from doing crosswords.
Down:
1. Jar : RATTLE
2. Either "You've Got Mail" co-screenwriter : EPHRON. Nora and Delia.
3. Accord : TREATY
4. Carrier that merged with Meridiana in 2013 : AIR ITALY. Got via crosses.
5. Itinerary component : ROUTE
6. Rap Dr. : DRE
7. Team : SIDE
8. Online self-image : AVATAR. Hi there "Stud Chicken"!
9. Conducted : LED
10. Vessel for Jason : ARGO. Hi there, Charlotte's grandpa! Lucky you, Thai chef girlfriend!
11. Countenance : MIEN. This looks like it should be French for "mine", doesn't it?
12. Native Nebraskan : OTOE
13. Foolish : DAFT
14. Usher : ESCORT
15. "Law & Order: __" : SVU
16. Deliberately misconstrues : PERVERTS. Always use this word as a noun.
17. Big times : ERAS
18. "WARMING! Keep within reach of children" brand : EGGO.
Never had Eggo. Jayce, I saw a box of eggless mooncakes in our Asian
store two weeks ago. It's like having salsa without tomatoes.
19. __ South : DEEP
24. Cabo's peninsula : BAJA
25. Cause of kitchen tears : ONION. So, what's your signature dish, Anon-T? You sound like a great cook.
31. 77-year-old duck : DAFFY. He was born in 1937 then.
33. Friday player : WEBB (Jack)
35. Groundbreaking discoveries? : FAULTS. Great clue.
38. Fronded plant : FERN
39. Major conflict : WAR
40. That, in Taxco : ESA
41. Tina's "30 Rock" role : LIZ
42. First name in exploring : LEIF. Son of Eric the Red.
43. Kazakhstan river : URAL
44. Diamond tool : MITT. Baseball diamond.
45. Get wise with : SASS
47. Vacation site : ISLE
50. Ole Miss rival : BAMA
51. Where I-15 and I-80 intersect : UTAH
52. "For the life __ ..." : OF ME
53. Asgard head : ODIN
54. Premier League soccer team, briefly : MANU. Short for Manchester United?
55. Nonclerical : LAIC
60. Sort : ILK
63. Devil : IMP
65. Lending inst. : LIB
66. Bowie's "Berlin Trilogy" collaborator : ENO (Brian). I was unaware of this trivia.
67. "Very funny" TV station : TBS
69. Slot machine's one : ARM
71. Word spoken in mock indignation : MOI
72. Funny Bombeck : ERMA
73. Places : LOCI
74. Main Theban deity : AMON. Quite a few 4-letter Egyptian deities.
76. Island band The __ Men : BAHA. Famous for their "Who Let the Dogs Out?".
77. Composer Stravinsky : IGOR
78. Go for : SEEK
80. "Grumpy" film title characters : OLD MEN
82. Old Roman road : ITER. Nailed it!
83. Often-seen abbr. in English drama : SHAK. I sure need a "Bard" hint.
84. Ex-UN chief Annan : KOFI
85. Tale : YARN
87. Film dog : ASTA
89. Alaskan site of the only WWII battle on U.S. soil : ATTU. No idea. See here.
90. Sends, in a way : SHIPS
93. Minnesota-based hotel chain : RADISSON. Yay! For me.
95. Laughing sound : HAR
96. Birth mo. for some Scorpios : OCT
97. Island strings : UKE
98. Actress Daly : TYNE
99. President with an airport named for him : DE GAULLE. Did not expect a French president.
101. Flynn of film : ERROL
105. Sign of spring : GEMINI
106. Rocking place : CRADLE
109. Toyota model : AVALON
110. Bridge holding : TENACE. I can never remember this word, Spitzboov!
111. Hoover rivals : ORECKS
115. Fixes a column, say : EDITS
116. Try : STAB
117. Very : OH SO
118. Like San Francisco's Coit Tower : DECO. Pretty in the evening.
Theme: ALL THAT BLOWS IS NOT THE WIND. [With a H/T to Bill G from comments yesterday.] The first word of each theme answer can follow the word BLOW, yielding a common, in-the-language phrase.
17 A. *Bit of formalwear : TOP HAT. To BLOW one's TOP is to get very angry. But nobody could be angered by Fred Astair showing us the entire formal outfit.
18 A. *Interrupt : HORN IN ON. This implies a forceful and unwelcome interruption or coercion -- or something a trombonist might happily do.
39 A. *Scandal management ploy : COVER UP. You can run, but you can't hide. I'm sure you can think of an example or two. Seems like somebody always BLOWs the COVER, though.
60 A. *Less intense workout after a workout : COOL DOWN. Self explanatory, I hope. After working on my feeble high register, I COOL DOWN by playing low notes. BLOWing one's COOL is similar, but perhaps less severe than BLOWing one's TOP.
11 D. *Psychologically manipulative tactics : MIND GAMES. A series of deliberate ploys planned to achieve some advantage or superior position. To BLOW one's MIND is to make a particularly strong impression.
33 D. *Snoop : NOSE ABOUT. I'm not sure this is a common phrase, but the meaning is clear enough. As for BLOWing one's NOSE - well, it's allergy season, s'nuff said.
And, of course, the unifier. 62 A. Lose when you should have won, and a hint to the start of the answers to starred clues : BLOW IT. But viewed from the other side, it's a clutch come-from-behind victory. It all depends on whose ox is being gored. But why am I thinking about Joe Nathan?
Hi gang, it's JzB, your humble resident trombonist and frustrated Tigers fan, in case you haven't guessed by now. Today we have a very rich and well-executed, perfectly symmetrical theme, with horizontal and long vertical crossing entries. Did it BLOW your MIND? Let's see if I can lead the way through without BLOWing IT.
Across
1. Looking at the stars : GAZING. Astronomy perhaps. Star gazing can also imply absorption in chimerical or impractical ideas, or the quality or state of being absent-minded. How do you spend your nights?
7. Dog star's first name? : RIN. RIN Tin Tin. And I'm Sirius.
10. Singing an olde-fashioned love song? : SMIT. Derived from "smite" to strike forcefully - yet another kind of BLOW. Here, pierced by Cupid's arrow -- but --
I've heard of being SMITTEN, but not being SMIT,
There are old-fashioned love songs, but this doesn't quite fit.
So SMIT can be today's odd SMITTEN nit.
14. Saudi neighbors : OMANIS. To the East.
15. Poetic preposition : ERE. I've heard this before
16. Opera set in Egypt : AIDA. Premiered in Cairo in 1871. The story of a love triangle between AIDA, an Ethiopian Princess captured and enslaved by the Egyptians; Ramides, an Egyptian military commander torn between duty and his love for her; and Amneris, the Pharaoh's daughter, whose love for Ramides is unrequited. "In fact, a perfect opera."
20. Wear a long face : MOPE. I have granddaughters who have raised this to the level of high art.
21. Lucrative way for a handicapper's bet to pay off : TENFOLD. A long shot winning at 10-1 odds.
22. Supply with weapons, old-style : ENARM. The erstwhile arms race, as 'twere.
24. Letters for the Queen Mary : HMS. Her Majesty's Ship.
25. Numeral : DIGIT. Any number, suitable for counting on your fingers.
28. Mideast ruler : EMIR.
30. Delaware tribe : LENAPE. Also known as the Delaware tribe. Because of displacements from their native territory along the Delaware River watershed, they are now mainly located in Ontario, Wisconsin, and Oklahoma.
31. "General Hospital" extra, for short : LPN. Licensed Practical Nurse
34. Territory in dispute between Russia and Ukraine : CRIMEA. The OTHER Crimean war occurred from 1853 to 1856. Either way, a sad story.
37. FBI agent : G-MAN. Government Guy.
38. U.N. workers' rights agcy. : I. L. O. International Labor Organization.
41. Memphis-to-Nashville dir. : ENE. East North East.
44. Like Enya's music : NEW AGE. Eithne Patricia Nà Bhraonáin has shown up as fill so many times in puzzles I've blogged. It's refreshing to see her in a clue. As a music genre, NEW AGE is rather bland and amorphous, intended to inspire relaxation, optimism and NEW AGE spirituality, sadly characterized by a conspicuous absence of trombones. It probably will not BLOW your MIND.
45. Emulated Miss Muffet : SAT. On a tuffet. Said Miss Muffet to the Spider: "Get out of my whey!"
50. Jazz player, briefly : NBA- ER. As you can well imagine, this had me entirely down the wrong track. I hold this fill in the same high regard that I hold NFL-ER, AL-ER, and NL-ER. Which, I suppose, makes me a nitter.
51. "__ seen enough!" : I'VE. Well placed fill, IMHO.
53. Stavros superior, in '70s TV : KOJAK. Another famous show I never watched. But I still know "Who loves ya!"
57. "Star Wars" weapon : BLASTER. Which makes me wonder why the Imperial troops even bothered with their totally ineffective armor.
65. When repeated, a Kenyan rebel : MAU. The MAU MAUs revolted against British occupation in the 50's.
66. Puccini's "La __" : BOHEME. More opera. Its premier was in Turin in 1896, conducted by Arturo Tuscanini. The Bohemians were the dirty hippies of a by-gone time.
67. Times in the p.m. : AFTS. AFTernoonS. Also, I'm guessing, the best time to go to the back of a boat.
68. Suffix with Canton : -ESE. Food, language, people.
69. Quarters : ABODES. Living quarters, not fourths of things.
Down
1. "I dunno" : GOT ME.
2. "There's __ Out Tonight": 1961 hit : A MOON. When you get tired of Star GAZING, you can go MOONing.
3. Rock legend Frank : ZAPPA. Pappa of Dweezil and Moon Unit.
4. Response from the next room : IN HERE. Where are you, Pappa?
5. Singer Peeples : NIA. Virenia Gwendolyn Peeples is also an actress.
6. Clock-setting std. : G.S.T.Greenwich Sidereal Time. More astronomy.
7. Sew up again : REHEM. A HEM is a narrow cloth edge folded over and sewn
to provide a finished look and prevent unraveling. REHEMing a dress or
skit would make it shorter. Selena Gomez demonstrates.
56. Beckinsale and Chopin : KATES. Kathrin Romary Beckinsale (b. 1973) is a British actress. Katherine Chopin (nee O'Flaherty, 1850 — 1904) was an American author of short stories and novels.
58. A few : SOME. Not many.
60. Awards often co-hosted by Carrie Underwood: Abbr. : C.M.A.Country Music Awards. No link. I'm not a fan.
62. Mgr.'s degree : B.B.A.Bachelor of Business Administration.
63. Toss : LOB. A soft throw.
We made it. Nice puzzle, with some musical interludes. There were a couple of nits, but nothing to BLOW your COOL over. I had a lot of fun with this one, and hope you did, too.
[Not BLOWN] Cool regards!
JzB
Note from C.C.:
Below are 2 sweet photos of JD, Bob and their grandsons. JD, who is now in Amsterdam, said:
"This was taken on Sat.
at Cameron’s 4th birthday. Grady will soon be 5, and Truman will be 7.
Dylan was already down for the night when we took this. They are growing
up fast."
Left to Right: Cameron, JD, Grady, Bob & Truman
Here they were in 2010:
Taken on July 5, 2010.
From left to right: Grady (11 months), Truman 3 & Cameron (2 weeks)
Theme: Suddenly it all becomes clear, or Bring on the V-8 can. Each two word theme entry starts with the letters A, and HA, respectively, and represents the unifier in a literal way. Without the unifier, there would have been no AHA MOMENT for me. I can't think of anything else these four entries might have in common.
17A. "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" collaborator : ALEX HALEY. More famous for ROOTS, perhaps.
24A. "The helpful place" sloganeer : ACE HARDWARE. Ace is the place with the helpful hardware man.
36A. Many a circus employee : ANIMAL HANDLER. Somebody has to clean up after the elephants.
53A. Wayne Manor resident : AUNT HARRIET. I know nothing about this character. Do they keep her locked in the attic?
And the unifier - 62A. Light-bulb-over-the-head instance, and a hint to 17-, 24-, 36- and 53-Across : AHA MOMENT.
Hi
Gang, JzB reporting for duty. It's been over three months since the
Christian Feast of the Epiphany, but that doesn't mean we can't have our
own little experiences of sudden and striking realization.
I had one once in a graduate level class on organic photochemistry. I
was spinning my wheels for half the term, then suddenly one day I got
it. Then I couldn't understand why I had ever thought it was hard.
Baffling experience. Let's see if we can find any startling
revelations in today's puzzle.
Across:
1. Spice organizer : RACK.
You can alphabetize your spice jars on a wooden structure specifically
defined for that purpose. Or you can randomly place them on a lazy
susan, as I do, and hope for the best.
5. 48-Across brand : SOBE. An abbreviation of SOuth BEach,
as in Miami's upscale area. They make teas, fruit-juice blends and
enhanced water beverages, and are owned by PepsiCo. Along with 48. Iced
drink : TEA. Tin Man - Is ice in tea acceptable?
16. Slightly moisten : BEDEW. As if moistened by dew [or whatever.] Goes back to the 14th century.
19. Green hue : OLIVE. The only color I allow in a martini. When Bluto made off with Popeye's best girl, was he OLIVE with envy?
20. Camcorder button : RECord.
21. Google executive chairman Schmidt : ERIC. Alternate clue, JzB's son. I would have known it then.
22. Had too much, briefly : OD'ED. OverDosed, as on Easter candy.
23. Antlered animal : ELK. Cervus canadensis, one of the largest species in the deer family.
28. Mu followers : NUS. Mind your mus and NUS. It's all Greek alphabet to me. Is that news?
29. Pt. of a sentence : PHR. Phrase. Seems like an odd abrv.
30. Vote against : NAY.
31. Certain commuter's destination: Abbr. : STN Station.
32. Belmonts frontman : DION. DiMucci. Do you wonder why?
34. 1930s migrants : OKIES Escapees from the Oklahoma dust bowl. About 15% of the population of the state fled to California along Rt. 66.
42. Scheherazade's milieu : HAREM. The "forbidden place," home to the many wives [and concubines] of a polygynous household, off limits to men.
43. Designer St. Laurent : YVES.
45. Tech sch. overlooking the Hudson : RPI. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Founded in 1824, it is the oldest technological university in the English speaking world.
49. "Just an update" letters : FYI. For Your Information.
52. Pipe bend : ELL.
56. Actress Peeples : NIA. AKA Virenia Gwendolyn Peeples. She was once young and restless.
18. Accumulation : HEAP. Pile up, not necessarily involving a rear end.
25. "Eso Beso" singer : ANKA. Paul. That kiss.
26. Picnic worry : RAIN. Ants, too.
27. Turned green, say : DYED. She dyed from envy, turning OLIVE.
33. Bethesda-based medical org. : NIH. National Institutes of Health. American medial research agency, part of the Department of Health and Human Services.
34. Resistance unit : OHM. Electricity
35. Devious : SLY.
37. Field with roots and logs : MATH. Clever clue
38. __ rug : AREA.
39. King with three daughters : LEAR. Regan, Cordelia, and the unfortunately named Goneril.
40. Symbol of balance : EVEN KEEL.
41. Faith : RELIANCE.
44. Italicized : SLANTED. Some think I have Italicized political views.
47. Altogether : IN TOTO.
"What happened to the meat balls I was going to have for lunch,"
inquired the Wizard. "I believe they are all together IN TOTO," Dorothy
replied.
49. Fireworks highlight : FINALE. A big end, not to be confused with REAR END
50. Naval petty officers : YEOMEN. Maybe Spitz can elaborate.
51. "Make __": Picard catchphrase : IT SO. Go get 'er done.
54. Movie listing listings : TIMES.
55. Bring up again? : REHEM.
Another clever clue. A HEM is a narrow cloth edge folded over and sewn
to provide a finished look and prevent unraveling. REHEMing a dress or
skit would make it shorter.
Theme: "I'll Be Waiting" - "Call me" needs to be inserted to all answers to the starred clues.
25A. *2012 Hot 100 #1 song in both the U.S. and Canada : MAYBE. "Call me Maybe". And 98A. See 25-Across : CARLY RAE JEPSEN HIT. Every girl & her mother were singing this song 2 years ago. Linked relentlessly on our blog. This is still my favorite cover.
47A. *Source of the song "The Hostess With the Mostes' on the Ball" : MADAM. "Call me Madam". And 27A. See 47-Across : BROADWAY MUSICAL
71A. *Memorable 1851 novel line : ISHMAEL. Call me Ishmael. And 34A. See 71-Across : OPENING OF MOBY DICK
91. *Parting request : LATER. Call me later. And 58A. See 91-Across : DO KEEP IN TOUCH
78A. *Van Heusen/Cahn classic : IRRESPONSIBLE. "Call Me Irresponsible". And 110A. See 78-Across : SINATRA STANDARD.
119. *"This is going to sound dumb ..." : CRAZY. Call me crazy. 65A. See 119-Across : AM I NUTS?
122A. 1980 Blondie chart-topper, and what's needed to make sense of the answers to starred clues : CALL ME
I grokked gimmick early on, still a difficult solve. Cross-references drove me crazy.
This puzzle is very tough to construct as well, as all the long & short entries have to be placed symmetrically. Heavy themage.
Total 124 theme squares & 13 theme entries. As I mentioned before,
the more theme answers you have, the more challenging the gridding become. So, a total 124 theme squares of 7 or 9 theme entries is much much easier than 12 or 13. Hence a special black square allowances today: 86. Rich's Sunday limit is 78.
Across:
1. Hardly orderly : SLOPPY
7. Angler's quarry : BASS
11. Suffix with einstein : IUM. Thought of IAN, though I knew Rich would not clue a solid name as a prefix or suffix.
14. Clench : GRIP
18. More arch : WILIER
19. Type of exam : ORAL
20. Kinshasa-to-Cairo dir. : NNE. Kinshasa the capitol of Democratic Republic of the Congo, the largest French-speaking country.
21. Inclined (to) : PRONE
22. Cherubim, e.g. : ANGELS
23. Storybook meanie : OGRE
24. HCH successor : FDR. Never knew Hoover's middle name: Herbert Clark Hoover. And 11D. "... a date which will live in __": 24-Across : INFAMY
26. "Cool!" : NEATO
30. Golfer Aoki : ISAO
32. Humble : DEMEAN
33. Some airport displays, briefly : LEDs
41. "I Guess __ Rather Be in Colorado": John Denver song : HE'D
42. Bogus blazer : GAS LOG. Blaze-r. I was picturing a jacket.
43. Breakfast pastry : DANISH. Have you tried avocado toast for breakfast? Heaven!
62. Literary hodgepodge : ANA. The girl in "Fifty Shades of Grey" is called Ana also.
63. Pod-bearing tree : ACACIA
64. Ship substitute : SHE
69. It may be false : LABOR
74. Blot : MAR
75. Of last month : ULTIMO. So what are "Of this month" & "Of next month" then?
77. Energizer choice : AAA
83. Hurling goo at : SLIMING
87. Wintry mix component : SLEET
88. Small bit : TAD
89. Henriette, to Henri : AMIE. I don't know who Henriette is.
92. Lakota tribe : OGLALA
95. Rapscallions : KNAVES
97. X, to Xanthippe : CHI
104. Serious, as a reader : AVID
108. Clarifier beginning : I MEANT
109. Fluency : EASE. I don't get this clue either.
115. Lion __ : TAMER
120. Courtroom VIPs : DAs (District Attorneys)
121. Emilia's husband : IAGO. "Othello".
123. Eyes a little too long : OGLES. Marti
must have seen "Jupiter and Io" in person. The painting will be in
Minneapolis next year. Can you see Jupiter's head? I'd like to hear PK's musings on dark clouds or this particular dark cloud.
124. Bracketing criterion : AGE
125. Place for a coin : SLOT
126. Apathetic : STOLID
127. Ratted (on) : TOLD
128. Many a pol. talk show guest : SEN
129. Voiced relief : SIGH
130. Group doctrines : TENETS
Down:
1. Adult cygnet : SWAN
2. Conga formation : LINE
3. Actress Kurylenko of "Oblivion" : OLGA. Never saw "Oblivion". But Olga is in "Quantum of Solace".
4. Cobbler holder : PIE TIN
5. Hastert's successor : PELOSI. House Speaker. Dennis Hastert.
6. Jr. and sr. : YRS
7. Philistine : BOOR
8. 2012 political thriller : ARGO
9. Poet Teasdale : SARA
10. Iditarod critter : SLED DOG. Our JD met with Iditarod Hall of Famer Jeff King.
12. Staying gray, say : UNDYED
13. Siren relative : MERMAID. I don't know if Mermaids agree.
14. Holy quest vessel : GRAIL
15. Rolls partner : ROYCE
16. __ shape: not well : IN BAD
17. Preps, as potatoes : PEELS
21. Cameron and Blair of Eng. : PMs. Prime Ministers.
27. Spade player : BOGART. Sam Spade.
28. www word : WEB
29. Donald Duck, to his nephews : UNCA
31. Luanda is its cap. : ANG (Angola). I'd prefer Lee of course.
34. Electrician's units : OHMs
35. Three-__: consecutive sports titles : PEAT
36. Historic Icelandic work : EDDA
37. Corvallis sch. : OSU. Oregon State University.
38. Ran away : FLED
39. WWII Italian river : MORO. Learning moment for me.
40. Tie feature : KNOT
44. "Was __ blame?" : I TO. Of course.
45. March composer : SOUSA
46. Leigh's counterpart in the 1998 version of "Psycho" : HECHE (Anne)
48. Shepard in space : ALAN
49. Bill of fare : MENU
51. Art __ : DECO
52. Raise : REAR
53. Bars in stores : UPC
55. Silverstein of kid-lit : SHEL
57. Ate in bed, say : SAT UP. Do you eat in bed? I don't.
59. Skewered dish : KABOB
60. Shakespeare's "Richard __" : III
61. Sounding stuffy : NASAL
65. Novelist Kingsley : AMIS
66. Actress Thomas : MARLO
67. Like some marked-down mdse. : IRREG
68. __-mo : SLO
69. "Mona __" : LISA
70. Enclosed in : AMID
72. Thunderstorm formation, perhaps : HAIL
73. Bear whose porridge was too cold : MAMA
76. "We Know Drama" network : TNT
79. Unadon fish : EEL. Unadon is literally "eel bowl". Did your daughter-in-law ever treat you with grilled unagi, Yellowrocks?
80. Opp. of legato : STAC
81. Climbing or fast follower : LANE
82. Key of Haydn's Symphony No. 29 : E MAJ
83. Oozed : SEEPED
84. Hard-to-reach problem, at times : ITCH. Lovely clue.
85. Classic pop : NEHI
86. Backbone : GRIT
90. "__ been had!" : I'VE
93. Private retreat : LAIR
94. Large fleets : ARMADAS
95. "The Hunger Games" heroine : KATNISS. This might stump some. Katniss Everdeen.Played by Jennifer Lawrence.
96. FICA funds it : SSA
99. "Gil Blas" novelist : LESAGE. I learned this name from cluing BLAS.
100. China's Sun __ : YAT-SEN. The lady on the left is his wife Soong Ching-Ling. Sun & Chiang Kai-shek were brothers-in-law. The three Soong sisters were all married to the rich & powerful.
101. Genetic code carrier : RNA
102. Big spread : ESTATE
103. Kevin of "SNL" : NEALON
104. Cravat cousin : ASCOT
105. Sign of the maiden : VIRGO
106. Counting everything : IN ALL
107. Confused partner? : DAZED. Dazed and Confused.
111. Burrell and Pennington of TV : TYs
112. Spanish surrealist: DALI
113. All excited : AGOG
114. Van Halen's David Lee __ : ROTH
116. Lille girl: Abbr. : MLLE. De Gaulle was born in Lille.
117. Discharge : EMIT
118. Bordeaux, e.g. : REDs. Tricky clue. No obvious hint for plural.
122. Ala. clock setting : CST. Alabama. I first thought of Alaska.
13. Date bk. entry : APPT. (appointment)
