Sunday, January 10, 2016 Matt Skoczen

 Theme: "Mixed Doubles" - Both words in each made-up phrase can follow "Double".

 24. Dinner and a movie? : DATE STANDARD. Double date. Double standard.

31. Rotten luck in Rotterdam? : DUTCH WHAMMY. Double Dutch. Double whammy. Great clue.

47. Ceremony for the Jetsons? : SPACE WEDDING. Double space. Double wedding.

70. Citations from an underwriter? : INDEMNITY QUOTES. Double indemnity. Double quotes.

94. Earthquake? : FAULT TROUBLE. Double fault. Double trouble.

110. Lenscrafters employee? : VISION AGENT. Double vision. Double agent.

120. Answering in the form of a question? : JEOPARDY DUTY. Double jeopardy. Double duty.

Very manageable grid. Seven entries with 85 theme squares. The minimum for a 21*21 grid is 84 squares (35 for a 15*15).

The more I construct, the more I realize how hard it is to come up with perfect clues for this type of theme. You need the phrases to have basic surface sense, and you need them to be funny.

Across:

    

1. Holiday dinner choices : BRISKETS. Meaty start. Stacked 8's at upper left/lower right corners.

9. Happen : BEFALL

15. Bond villain with a "great football of a head" : MR BIG. I only know Mr Big from  "Sex and the City".

20. "1984" superstate : EAST ASIA. All crosses. Never read "1984".

21. Bibliography catchall : ET ALIA

22. Pop singer __ Marie : TEENA

23. Georgia native : ATLANTAN. Not the country Georgia.

26. Equine shade : ROAN

27. World's first independent credit card company, initially : DCI.  Diners Club International. Normally it's clued as a Roman numeral. Avoided the angle today due to the crossing CML  (28. Roman 950).

29. Compound with a fruity aroma : ESTER

30. Shades : HUES

36. Cast out : EXILE

 

38. Cyclist's obstacle : STEEP HILL. I presume all's flat in your area, D-Otto?

39. Genesis setting : EDEN

42. Patty Hearst alias : TANIA

46. Abbr. under a dotted line : SIG (Signature)

50. Org. concerned with whistleblower laws : OSHA. I associate them with workplace safety only. 

54. SeaWorld splasher : SHAMU. And 87. 54-Across, e.g. : ORCA

57. 20 Mule Team brand : BORAX

58. Within: Pref. : ENTO

59. Couch potato's acquisition, perhaps : PAUNCH. It's perfectly fine to have some belly fat. The paunch protects our stomach and other organs.

61. Many hits : SONGS. Was thinking of Google hits.

63. Masters : HAS DOWN

65. In a way, casually : SORTA

66. Unisex designer fragrance : CK ONE. Tried it once. Did not like the smell.

67. Floor : SHOCK

69. Kind of milk : SOY. When I lived in Shanghai, my standard breakfast was a mug of hot soy milk and a big rice ball (Fantuan). Changed to two fried rice balls after I moved to Guangzhou.

74. CBS-owned cable sta. : SHO. All crosses.

77. Heraldic shield borders : ORLES. This used to stump me. 

78. Grammar topic : NOUNS. Wanted USAGE. Clues without a clear "plural" hint always get me.

79. Ultimately become : END UP

83. Harbor : CONCEAL. Can you give me an example on how these two equate?

85. Canadian author and environmentalist Farley __ : MOWAT. Total stranger.

86. Piece of poetry : STANZA

 

88. TV golf analyst Nick : FALDO. Sir Nick Faldo. Biting at times. Just like Johnny Miller.

91. "No big deal" : IT'S OK

93. Sandcastle maker's aid : PAIL

 

97. Street cred, say : REP. Reputation.

99. Tests, with "out" : FEELS

100. Mozart's "__ fan tutte" : COSI

101. Food coloring and such : ADDITIVES

107. Real stinker : SKUNK

112. Alaskan island closer to Russia than to the Alaskan mainland : ATTU

 

115. Doesn't let go of : KEEPS

118. Massage site : SPA

119. Chocolate craving, e.g. : URGE

123. Millard Fillmore's birthplace : LOG CABIN. I only know Lincoln was born in a cabin.

127. Cage or Penn : ACTOR

128. Honey : DEARIE

129. Mini follower : IPOD NANO. Gary and I exchanged our favorite podcasts two weeks ago. My top 5 is not in his top 5.

130. River through Lake Geneva : RHONE

131. Approval : ASSENT

132. Figure that includes returns : NET SALES

Down:

1. Features common to Yosemite Sam and Uncle Sam : BEARDS

2. Squeal on : RAT OUT

3. Runs behind : IS LATE. So, can I put IS EARLY in a grid also? How about IS RUDE?

4. Position : STANCE

5. National Teachers Hall of Fame state: Abbr. : KAN. 15. Any of Colorado's fourteeners: Abbr. : MTN. Both unknown trivia to me.

6. Educ. guess : EST

7. Spanish relative : TIA

8. Summer footwear : SANDAL. So cold here.

9. Make murky : BEDIM. Not a word I use.

10. Touchdown letters : ETA

11. The way it goes : FATE. Simple in retrospect. That's how it goes in crossword solving.

12. Pale orders : ALES

13. Talk radio fan : LISTENER

14. Swim cap material : LATEX

16. Like Anne of Green Gables : RED-HEADED

17. Suitor : BEAU

18. About, in memos : IN RE

19. Traipses : GADS

25. Former press secretary Fleischer : ARI. Tiger's adviser for a very short time.

32. Some printers : HPS. Ours is HP Envy.

33. Sibilant sound : WHISH. Not SWISH.

34. Word with seas and spirits : HIGH

35. "You betcha!" : YEP!

37. Inc. kin : LTD

40. Small applications : DABS

41. Friendly opening? : ECO. Eco-friendly.

43. Benito's boys : NINOS

44. Parted : IN TWO

45. Intense feeling : AGONY

47. Branch of Islam : SUNNI

48. Fast tropical swimmers : WAHOOS. Can you pluralize CARP also?

49. More than demand : EXACT

50. Special __ : OPS

51. Common word on Brazilian maps : SAO

52. "Ben-__" : HUR

53. Opponent : ANTI

55. Information desk sign : ASK ME

56. Titania and Oberon, e.g. : MOONS

60. Craft pointed in two directions? : CANOE. I liked the clue once I grokked the "point".

62. "I can't __ ...": Stones lyric : GET NO

64. Sport invented by hunters : SKEET. Oh, good to know. Slight dupe HUNTS (68. Searches).

66. Wine holder : CELLAR

67. Thickset : SQUAT

71. Breeze : DRAFT. And 73. Breeze : SNAP

72. "That hurts!" : YOWIE

74. Thumb one's nose (at) : SCOFF

75. Greek goddesses of the seasons : HORAE. This trio. Learning moment for me.

76. When to enter : ON CUE

80. Type of profiling : DNA

81. Arm of Israel : UZI

82. __ around with : PAL

84. Requires : CALLS UPON

85. Crowds around : MOBS

86. V-formation group : SKEIN. When they're not flying, it's a GAGGLE.

89. Connect across the room : LOCK EYES. Great entry.

90. Thelma and Louise, e.g. : DUO

92. Novus __ seclorum: dollar bill phrase : ORDO

95. "How disappointing!" : TSK

96. Two-time Oscar nominee Ullmann : LIV

98. School gp. : PTA

101. Curtains for Cleopatra? : ASP. Three -letter answer for Cleopatra has to be ASP.

102. Access via phone : DIAL IN

103. Tropical lizard : IGUANA

104. Spoken : VERBAL

105. It purrs when it's cared for : ENGINE. Loved this clue also.

106. Gregg users : STENOS

108. Largest country entirely in Eur. : UKR

109. Silvio's lover in "Pagliacci" : NEDDA. Complete stranger to me as well.

111. "The best __ to be": Browning : IS YET

112. Not quite shut : AJAR And 124. Not shut, poetically : OPE. Quite a few clue echoes today.

113. Apple worker : TECH

114. Baum canine : TOTO

116. Smartphone ancestors : PDAs

117. Unwavering : SURE

121. "__ we okay?" : ARE. Remind me of Marc Maron.

122. Altoids holder : TIN. Some of you were led astray by Tinbeni's comment yesterday. He turned 64 on August 23, 2016, so his "2,000,000,000 seconds old" mile-stone" is misleading but true.

125. Figured out : GOT

126. Fixed-term investments: Abbr. : CDs

C.C. 

Answer Grid by Owen

Wednesday, January 6, 2016, Matt Skoczen

Theme: I Hear Ya Knocking (But You Can't Come In) - (1955 R & B hit covered by Fats)

Unless you're selling Girl Scout Cookies or you've got a huge check from Publisher's Clearing House, I ain't interested! Matt's tricky puzzle serves up a strategy to avoid anyone peddling politics, religion or other unwanted commodities at your door.

17. Visitor's first attempt : DING DONG 

30. Visitor's second attempt : KNOCK KNOCK - I ain't answerin' that door!

50. Visitor's third attempt : ANYONE HOME?

64. Visitor's last words : FORGET IT - Or if you speak a foreign language...

Maybe they're there or maybe they're not. Matt's puzzle was a big Wednesday challenge for me. His clever gimmick and cluing made me labor longer than usual for a humpday. The very last cell was a natick for me but E seemed to complete colettE and alE satisfactorily and so all was well on the southeastern front. 

ACROSS 
        
1. Big initials in tobacco : RJR 

4. Devices with scroll wheels : MICE

8. Many an old-movie criminal mastermind : MAD MAN - He was a master at that role

14. Perrier, par exemple : EAU - In France (French) EAU (water) costs more than huile (oil)

15. Sick as __ : A DOG

16. Jittery : UNEASY - What losing coaches are this time of year

19. Emphatic type : ITALIC

20. Training group : CADRE

21. Like milligrams and kilograms : METRIC  - USA, Liberia and Burma (Myanmar) are the only countries that aren't using this system

23. Baseball family name : ALOU - They live on in Crosswordland 

24. Actress Thompson of "Family" : SADA - A favorite show of ours

25. "My bad!" : OOPS

29. Queen-to-be, maybe : PAWN - Black PAWN advances to last row (rank), becomes a Queen and delivers a Checkmate (give it a few seconds).

33. Hum a lullaby for : SING TO - A parental joy

35. Common starting time : NINE

36. Justice Dept. division : FBI

37. Sean's mom : YOKO - Guess what happened when my Beatle fanatic friend and his family  walked by NYC's Dakota in November. Her daughter Kyoko took the picture and Jim said YOKO was very gracious

39. Unlikely Monopoly outcomes : TIES - We quit playing with my too-competitive friend

41. Student carrier : BUS 

44. Peeled-off item : RIND

46. "Big crunch" pickle brand : VLASIC

53. Asti export : VINO - Gosh I miss Marti! 

54. Kids' __: restaurant offering : MENU - From Shanghai. C.C., what looks good?

55. "The Dukes of Hazzard" deputy : ENOS 

56. Indigo source : ANIL

57. Ottoman shelter : IMARET - Hostels or hotels originally built for the poor and needy. Yeah, I knew that! :-) 

60. Playing marble : AGATE

61. Nixes : VETOES

66. How megastores buy goods : IN BULK - Our Super Walmart had hundreds of TV's for Black Friday. How many must they have purchased nationwide?

67. Boo-boo : OWIE

68. Snitch : RAT - Sammy "The Bull" Gravano got a pass on 19 murders for RATTING out his boss John Gotti 

69. Assumes to be true : POSITS

70. Ring units: Abbr. : RNDS - Mike Tyson's early fights did not go many RNDS

71. Porter kin : ALE - Not a clue, but it seemed plausible with AL_

 
Down
 
1. Baggage handlers : RED CAPS - In the 1860's George  Pullman hired former slaves as Porters on his train cars. Later black men were also hired to handle baggage in train stations and were called RED CAPS

2. Game with cestas and pelotas : JAI ALAI - Here we see the pelota (ball) leaving the cesta, at a speed that can reach 188 mph.

3. Seedy : RUNDOWN

4. Good way to have it? : MADE

5. Knot-tying words : I DO

6. One with a racket : CON MAN - In a Downton Episode, cash-strapped Robert toyed with the idea of investing with "a chap in America" named Charles Ponzi

7. Stirred up : EGGED ON

8. Conservationist John : MUIR

9. Against : ANTI

10. Church official : DEACON - Rector didn't cut it

11. Start to practice? : MAL - This doctor left our town quickly and fled back to Pakistan to escape MALpractice suits due a hepatitis outbreak at his unsanitary clinic 

12. "__ live and breathe!" : AS I

13. B'way setting : NYC

18. Seedy : GRUNGY

22. Unspoken : TACIT - No answer is sometimes an answer

24. Chicago suburb : SKOKIE

26. Stomach-punch response : OOF

27. Banned chem. contaminant : PCB - Possible cancer source

28. Snow glider : SKI - Gosh I miss Marti! 

31. Sushi chef's array : KNIVES - $569.99 but free shipping!

32. Ship's spine : KEEL

34. Unable to choose : TORN

38. "Rings __ Fingers": 1942 Fonda/Tierney film : ON HER - Starring one of Omaha's favorite sons

40. Wild and fierce : SAVAGE - What my uncle used to call all us kids when we were growing up

41. Emeril exclamation : BAM

42. Le Mans article : UNE

43. Peek, for peep: Abbr. : SYN - How 'bout SIN for SYN?

45. Toast, so to speak : DONE FOR

47. Ol' Blue Eyes : SINATRA

48. Monogram component : INITIAL

49. "Gigi" author : COLETTE - Pen name for Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette

51. "Right away, madame!" : OUI OUI - Don't you think this phrase was in Madame Colette's Gigi

52. Four Tops' record label : MOTOWN

58. Get all mushy : MELT

59. Invites : ASKS

60. Long stretches : AGES

61. Bigwig : VIP - View from a VIP Suite at AT&T Stadium, home of Dallas Cowboys

62. Brian of Roxy Music : ENO

63. Airer of some MLB postseason games : TBS - Turner's Braves haven't won a post season series since 2001

65. Clear (of) : RID

"Knock, knock. Who's There? Ima? Ima who? I'm about done!" Now lets go see who answers the bell for today's comment page. I know you're out there!

Answer Grid

Wednesday, November 27, 2014 Matt Skozcen

Theme:  I'M OUTTA HERE.  But first, I have a puzzle to blog.  The second word of each two-word theme answer is a synonym for "makes an exit." But in each theme fill, the word of interest is used in a different sense.

17. Titillating passages : JUICY PARTS.  Interesting sections of salacious literature.  Feel free to make DF jokes. Parting is such sweet sorrow.

28. "You're the Top" musical : ANYTHING GOES.  A phrase meaning something like "without limits."  This is the only instance where the target word is a verb in fill context.  The others are all nouns.  On we GO.

Cole Porter Classic

 47. Indulgent desserts : BANANA SPLITS.  So many possibilities.   But we'll just go bananas with sliced bananas, ice cream scoops and assorted toppings.  SPLIT is the slangiest of these synonyms.

Indulgent Indeed - Oil on Canvas

63. October tourist attraction : FALL LEAVES.   Those things that fall off of trees, leaving them bare.  When Fall leaves, Winter is coming.

Try as I might, I could make nothing of JUICY ANYTHING BANANA FALL.  Hi gang, JazzBumpa here, ready to go all the way with Matt's puzzle.

Across

1. Black-tie affairs : GALAS.

6. Suffragist Carrie : CATT.  Among other things, she founded the League of Women Voters

10. Antelope's playmate, in song : DEER.  Oh, give me a home . . .

14. "Show your cards" : I CALL.  Poker

15. Waikiki wingding : LUAU.  Tropical beach party.

Maui

16. Concerning : IN RE.  In regard to.

19. Mouselike critter : VOLE.  AKA field mouse, a small rodent resembling a mouse but with a stouter body, a shorter, hairy tail, a slightly rounder head, smaller ears and eyes, and differently formed molars. [Wiki] 

20. Beantown hockey great : ORR.  Bobby of the Boston Bruins.

1970 Stanley Cup winning goal

21. Missay, say : ERR.  A verbal mistake, for example.  ERR + ORR = ERROR.

22. Courtroom figure : ACCUSED.  The alleged perp.

24. Opposite of 60-Down : EAST.  Two entries consisting of exactly zero clues.  MEH!

26. Postal service : AIR MAIL.  One of the services offered by the U. S. Postal Service.

33. "A plague o' both your houses" speaker : MERCUTIO.  Romeo's moody, temper mental, and occasionally humorous chum.

36. Pianist Gilels : EMIL.  Flying fingers.

Back to Bach.

37. Mt. Hood locale : OREgon.  Idaho neighbor, potato supplier.

38. Arles approval : BON.  Good French.

39. Graffiti signature : TAG.

42. Wrath : IRE.  IRE-ish eyes are not smiling.

43. Brest friend : AMIE.  Good French, possibly bosom buddy.

45. Fixed firmly : CEMENTED.  Glued in place.

51. __ cheese : GRILLED.  Lunch sandwich.

52. Friend : CHUM.  Possibly an AMIE.

56. Words from a Latin lover : YO TE AMO.  I love you, if by "Latin" you mean "Spanish."

59. "Batman" sound effect : POW.  From the comics or the old, campy TV series.

61. Mil. address : A P O.  Army Post Office.

62. "... a Loaf of Bread ..." poet : OMAR. Khayyám, a Sufi mystic, Persian polymath, philosopher, mathematician, astronomer and poet. He also wrote treatises on mechanics, geography, mineralogy, music, and Islamic theology.  [Wiki]

66. Make oneself heard : YELL.  Voice raising.

67. Most fit for duty : ONE-A.  Military draft status.

68. All too public spat : SCENE.  Don't make one.

69. Just : ONLY.  Here, "just" is an adverb, meaning "by a small margin."

70. "Ratatouille" rat who aspires to be a chef : REMY.  Cartoon movie.

 You can take a quiz

71. Is inclined : TENDS.  We all have our tendencies.

Down

 1. Fatigued action figure? : G I JOE.  The fatigues, in which this figure might be clothed, is attire designed for non-combat duty assignments.

2. Lexus rival : ACURA. Automobiles.

Competition

3. Burrows : LAIRS.  Here, "burrows" is a plural noun, indicating the sheltered homes of some critters.

4. "__ 13.5% BY VOL": wine label phrase : ALCohol.

5. Leonard __: Roy Rogers : SLYE.  Star of a TV cowboy show. Did he have a family stone?

They're outta here

6. Bayer allergy relief brand : CLARITIN.

7. Gold: Pref. : AUR-.    From the Latin aurum.

Auric Goldfinger

8. Teahouse floor mat : TATAMI.

9. Native of Florence, e.g. : TUSCAN.  Resident of a city in a region of Italy.

10. Disclose : DIVULGE.

11. Grandson of Eve : ENOS.  Son of Seth, Adam and Eve's 3rd son.

12. First name in whodunits : ERLE.  Complete name: Erle Stanley Gardner, best known for appearing in crossword puzzles.  He also wrote the Perry Mason mystery novels.

13. Stalk by the swamp : REED.  I'm quite fond of this clue, which could also refer to stealthily hunting frogs, but here refers to the main stem of a plant.

18. Seek divine guidance from : PRAY TO.  Religion.

23. Oft-mooched item, briefly : CIGarette.

25. Center X, in a game : TAC.  The game is tic-tac-toe.  I cannot verify the alleged fact IN RE: the center X, nor the location of the toe. 

27. Sorority letter : RHO.  Seventeenth Greek letter, uppercase Ρ, lowercase ρ or ϱ.

29. Well-used pencil : NUB.  Remnant of a worn out, oft-sharpened pencil.

30. Forget to put in : OMIT.  Also can be done on purpose.

31. Where the Shannon flows : EIRE.  Or Erin.  Mind your perps. Either way, the Emerald Isle.

32. "Call of the Wild" vehicle : SLED.  Pulled by dogs in Jack London's 1903 Klondike gold rush adventure story.

33. Ancient kingdom bordering Judah : MOAB.  Along the eastern shore of the Dead Sea in modern Jordan.

34. Witty Bombeck : ERMA.  Humor writer.

35. Check : REIN. Here, a verb, from the act of slowing or stopping a horse [or possibly dogs] by pulling on its reins.

39. Work for the small screen : TELEPLAY.  Here, "work" is a noun, indicating a screen play written specifically for television.

40. Photo developing compound : AMIDOL.   2,4-Diaminophenol,  C₆H₃(NH₂)₂OH, for the chemist in you. 

41. Understand : GET.  Get it?

44. With gusto : EAGERLY.

45. Lowest-ranking NCO : CPL. Army corporal.

46. Defense advisory gp. : NSC.  National Security Council

48. Org. that publishes America's 1st Freedom : NRA.  National Rifle Association.

49. Target : AIM FOR With one's rifle, I suppose

50. Everett of "Citizen Kane" : SLOANE.  Prolific stage, screen and TV actor.

 Screenshot from the trailer

53. Safe harbor : HAVEN.  Cognate of Hafen, the German word for harbor.

54. Flip over : UPEND.  The up end ends up down.  Get it?

55. Three-time NBA MVP Malone : MOSES.  He went directly from high school to pro ranks in the ABA in 1974, and had a 21 year career playing for several ABA and NBA teams.  He was admitted to the Hall of Fame in 2001.

516. It can walk the dog : YO-YO.  Like this.

57. Comet, to some : OMEN.  Frex:  "When the red star bleeds and the darkness gathers, Azor Ahai shall be born again amidst smoke and salt."

58. Starbucks size : TALL.  Short, TALL, Grande, and Venti coffee orders.

60. Opposite of 24-Across : WEST.  Sure.

64. Apollo vehicle, briefly : LEM.  Lunar Excursion Module.  American space program on the moon.

65. Kiss guitarist Frehley : ACE.   Paul Daniel.  How can I resist sealing this with a Kiss?

That's it gang.  Now I am Outta here.

Cool regards and happy trails!
JzB

Sunday, October 12, 2014 Matt Skoczen & Patti Varol

Theme: "Twelve-Step Puzzle" -The end of each theme answer can precede "Step".

23A. Door holder's quaint invitation : LADIES FIRST.  Indeed the very "First step" of the theme set.

25A. "Hurry!" : COME QUICK. Quickstep.

39A. Native American ritual : RAIN DANCE. Dance step. In this type of Precede/Follow theme type, it's desirable when the key word has different meanings. But sometimes it's not possible.

41A. Comic collected in "Cows of Our Planet" : THE FAR SIDE. Sidestep.

50A. Where stars come out : STAGE DOOR. Doorstep. I saw two "door" in the theme answer clues. Don't bother me as my solving is very jumpy.

71A. Secure door feature : DOUBLE LOCK. Lockstep.

73A. Where many tweens may be seen : JUNIOR HIGH. High step.

93A. "No, No, Nanette" number : TEA FOR TWO. Two step.

101A. Birds Eye rival : GREEN GIANT. Giant step. Green Giant is based here in MN. Here is their Jolly Green Giant mascot.

103A. 1974 #1 hit for Helen Reddy : ANGIE BABY. Baby step.

 

123A. Prepare for the ring : SHADOW BOX. What is "Box step"?

126A. Like some test questions : TRUE OR FALSE. False step.

I thought of Splynter and his AA when I saw the "Twelve-Step" title.

Heavy themage. Total 116 theme squares. As I mentioned before, 12 entries is more challenging to grid than 9 entries with the same theme squares. I like that they're all arranged horizontally. There's a continuity in the 12-step.

Matt and Patti did a solid job with their fill today. They made all their long entries count and got all the 3's and 4's as clean as possible, which is not easy when you have 74 of them to deal with. 

Across:

1. Takes great pleasure (in) : BASKS

6. It may be fit for a queen : TIARA. Lovely clue. Queen Elizabeth has the world's most precious tiara collection.

11. Loathe : ABHOR

16. Sushi bar tuna : AHI. Yellowfin.

19. Three-time Wimbledon champ : EVERT (Chris)

20. Rigel's constellation : ORION

21. Alla __: music notation : BREVE

22. Big __ : SUR

27. Nebraska settlers : OTOS. Or OTOEs.

28. "G'day" sayers : AUSSIES

30. Network with regular pledge drives : NPR.  And 132. Network with regular pledge drives : PBS

31. Fifth Avenue retailer : SAKS

32. Unprovoked : WANTON. I associate this word with "Willful".

34. John of Scotland : IAN

35. Part of i.e. : EST. Id est.

37. Bolt, back in the day : HIE

46. Zesty start in London? : ZED. Just letter Z in Zesty.

47. TV production company co-founder, familiarly : DESI. I need Arnaz or Ricky or Lucy in the clue.

49. Like gossip : RUMORED

56. Quarterback Marino : DAN

57. Immortal Russian ballerina Galina : ULANOVA. Never heard of this "Immortal" lady.

58. Hard work : TOIL

59. Car and Driver check : ROAD TEST

62. Alain, par exemple : NOM. Alain Delon!

63. When two hands meet? : AT NOON. Nailed it.

66. Minute : ITSY. Not the time.

67. Work __ : ETHIC

78. Capital mentioned in "M*A*S*H" : SEOUL. So where is Kim Jong-un? I sure don't think there's a coup.

 

79. __ colada : PINA

80. Rubeola spot : MEASLE. I did not know the meaning of Rubeola.

81. GPS option : RTE

84A. "Gimme a break!" : GET OFF IT! I like all the four 8-letter entries in this puzzle.

87. "Are you __ not?" : IN OR

88. Likely will : IS APT TO

92. Dog park sound : ARF

97. Like helium : GASEOUS

98. It may be flat : RATE

100. Mal de __ : MER

109. Foto Hut owner on "That '70s Show" : LEO. Never watched the show. But I'm happy to see Ashton Kutcher & Mila Kunis together. Sweet couple.

110. Fresno-to-Bakersfield dir. : SSE

111. Three times, in Rx's : TER

112. Doesn't agree to : DENIES

114. Complex course : MAZE

117. __ cat : FAT

119. Conceal : SECRETE. OK, I need to start using this word then.

122. Short side? : SLAW. Vividly remember the first time I tried coleslaw at KFC in Xi'An. Right before I left college in 1994.

128. Household cleaner : RAG. I like this clue. I was thinking of a person.

129. Polynesian tongue : MAORI

130. Chalet beverage : TODDY

131. Garbo of "Grand Hotel" : GRETA

133. Flagrant, as injustice : GROSS

134. Somewhat far : A WAYS. Quite a ways.

135. Mythical reveler : SATYR

Down:

1. Word after see or go : BELOW. Always need crosses for this type of clue.

2. Gamer's game face : AVATAR. Don't be fooled by Avg Joe's. He's a total standup guy who tolerates no nonsense. Great cook too.

3. Arizona cultural resort : SEDONA

4. Olympic skater Yamaguchi : KRISTI. Gimme. Her husband grew up here in MN. She won "Dancing with the Stars" a few years ago.

5. Sault __ Marie : STE

6. Veggie burger ingredient : TOFU. I can't picture life without Tofu.

7. Expanding-circle film effect : IRIS-IN

8. Respiratory cavity : AIR SAC

9. Prepared for use, as a violin bow:  ROSINED. Rosin can also be a verb?

 

10. Get in the game : ANTE

11. Easy as __ : ABC

12. Heathcliff's creator : BRONTE

13. Natural rope fiber : HEMP. Have you ever seen hemp plant? So tall.

14. Thorough repair : OVERHAUL

15. Like core courses: Abbr. : REQ

16. China setting : ASIA

17. Pap's son, in Twain stories : HUCK

18. Bugs : IRKS

24. Prepared for painting, perhaps : SANDED

26. Tries to charm with, as a pickup line : USES ON. When I met with Norm Duke in August, he asked me "Are you married?"

29. Goes after : SETS AT

33. Quatre et sept : ONZE. 4+7.  I feel like I need water after pronouncing "Quatre".

36. Glow : SHINE

38. "Joy of Cooking" writer Rombauer : IRMA

40. Fuss : ADO

42. Tutti-__ ice cream : FRUTTI

43. Waffle maker : IRON

44. "Whip It" band : DEVO

45. Red-wrapped import : EDAM. Also 50. Dutch burg : STAD

48. Swirl : EDDY

51. Cinematic pet : TOTO

52. Aborigine of Japan : AINU. Commit this to your memory. You'll see it again. It sounds like "I knew".

53. Lava lamp lumps : GLOBS

54. Camden Yards athlete : ORIOLE. Yeah, Royals rock, Gary.

55. Campus mil. group : ROTC

60. "Don't __" : ASK

61. "I come to fetch you to the __-house": Decius Brutus : SENATE

64. Grand __ Opry : OLE

65. Opposite of paleo- : NEO

68. Same: Pref. : HOM

69. Yeats' land: Abbr. : IRE

70. Support for a hora honoree : CHAIR

72. "The Black Cat" (1934) co-star : LUGOSI (Bela)

73. Skippy rival : JIF

74. Yard, e.g. : UNIT

75. "Money __ everything" : ISN'T. So true.

76. Pre-sunrise effect : GLOW

77. Sandwich choice : HERO

79. Sputtering sound : PFFT

81. 1997 Emmy winner for TV's "Rebecca" : RIGG (Diana) And 89D. Showed signs of age, as paint : PEELED

82. Peter or Paul : TSAR

83. Soften : EASE

85. Mountain lakes : TARNS

86. Declaims : ORATES

90. Signal to start talking : TONE

91. Beach party challenge : TUG OF WAR

94. Cannes chum : AMI

95. It's for the birds : FEEDER. I think D-Otto's have cameras in.

96. "Awake, arise __ forever fallen!": Milton : OR BE

99. Admit an embarrassing mistake : EAT CROW. or DIRT.

102. Furrier family : ASTORS

104. Poet depicted in "Il Postino" : NERUDA. The Postman.

105. Hardly generous : GREEDY

106. Cochise player of '50s TV : ANSARA (Michael). Learned from my own cluing experience.

107. Soldier's lodging in a private home : BILLET

108. Beer critic's adjective : YEASTY

113. Cross one's heart : SWEAR

114. Car sticker no. : MSRP (Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price)

115. Fictional skipper : AHAB

116. Veers suddenly : ZAGS

118. Peek or bug ending : ABOO

120. Rider on Butch's handlebars : ETTA. Oh, this girl. Etta Place.

121. Messes (with) : TOYS

124. Texter's "Holy cow!" : OMG

125. Followers of nus : XIS

127. NFL overtime margins of victory, often : FGS (Field Goals)

C.C.