Sunday Oct 25, 2015 Mike Peluso

Theme: "Now You See It ..." - C is removed from each theme answer.

22A. Coleridge love poem? : RIME OF PASSION. Crime of passion.

34A. Knight's comment when he was mistakenly put in the corner? : I'M NOT A ROOK. I'm not a crook. Nixon.

49A. King of the sea? : LEAR SAILING. Clear sailing. Does this answer sound a bit stretched to you?

68A. North African hops drier? : BARBARY OAST. Barbary Coast.

85A. Citrus high? : ORANGE RUSH. Orange Crush. I grokked the theme gimmick here.

102A. Encouraging simian? : APE OF GOOD HOPE. Cape of Good Hope.

2D. Backtalk in the Everglades? : ALLIGATOR LIP. Alligator clip. New term to me.

 

55D. John and Peter's woodwind? : APOSTLES' REED. Apostles' Creed.

Look, no stray C 's in the theme answers. You know Mike put extra effort in getting us this tight set. Three deletions occur at the first words, five the last words,  but all removed C's are consistently the starts of the key words. Pure letter deletion, no spelling changes involved.

Most of our Sunday grids have 144-words. This one only has 140, with four intimidating corners. Even with cheaters in four corners, those space are very hard to fill cleanly. I'd have chickened out and broken 20D/74D into two.

Across:

1. Varnish resin : MASTIC. New word to me.

7. Online cash-back deal : E-BATE. Never got an e-bate. You? I seldom shop on line.

12. God for whom Wednesday was named : WODEN. I forgot. We had this a while ago.

17. Peru's El Misti, e.g. : VOLCANO. Got via crosses. And 74. 17-Across output : ASH

18. Submit servilely : GROVEL

19. Sounded alike : RHYMED

21. Not kosher : ILLEGAL. I was thinking of TREF.

24. Problems for parades : RAINS

25. Nerds : DWEEBS

27. Quick way to reduce fat? : LIPO. Thought DIET first.

28. N.Y. engineering sch. : RPI. Why did you quit after one year, Splynter?

29. Yen : URGE

30. Form : SHAPE

 

31. NFL great Brown and meteorologist Cantore : JIMs

32. Bern's river : AARE

33. Fed. benefits agency : SSA

 

37. Words after lost or missed : A STEP

38. Hardly laid-back : TYPE A

40. La Corse, par exemple : ILE. La Corse is French for Corsica.

 

41. Early ascetic : ESSENE. Nailed it.

42. "Ain't gonna happen!" : NO SOAP

43. Serious oil problem : SPILL

46. To's partner : FRO

47. Sun. delivery : SER

48. Sides in a Wells—or Welles—war : WORLDS. The War of the Worlds. Orson Welles. H. G. Wells. We also have 77. 1938 broadcaster of Welles radio dramas : CBS

52. Workers' gp. in a 1955 merger : AFL

53. Step : PHASE

54. Easy chore : CAKEWALK

58. Welcoming rings : LEIS. So happy that they're now married.

60. Actor Kinski : KLAUS. Crossing 60. Pink Nintendo icon : KIRBY. The crossing K is knotty. I'd go with this KIRBY, of course!

 61. Sporty Nissans : Z-CARS. Not into sports cars, so draw a blank on this entry.

63. Lodge letters : BPOE

64. Sheriff's assistants : DEPUTIES

66. Sierra __ : LEONE

67. Charity's URL ending : ORG

71. Equilibrium : STASIS

78. "Jersey Boys" role : VALLI

79. Bikini blasts, briefly : N-TESTS

80. Like some protein drinks : CHALKY. All crosses. Never had protein drinks.

82. Vocalized "Psst!" : HEY

83. Ford flop : EDSEL

84. Maguire of "Spider-Man" : TOBEY

90. Waffle center? : EFS. Waffle.

93. Permeate : SOAK. Tried SEEP first.

94. Alternatives to fries : TOTS. I call them full name "Tater tots". You?

96. Ripley's closing words : OR NOT

97. GM sticker datum : MSRP (Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price).

98. RR stop : STN

99. Celestial sci. : ASTR

100. Little burger : SLIDER

101. Natalie's "West Side Story" role : MARIA

105. How gazelles bound : AGILELY

107. "Dang!" : DARN IT. Same root, no?

108. Put out : DOUSED

109. Mistletoe may hang from them : LINTELS. Also a learning moment to me. The empty spot is called LINTEL?

110. Original environment : ROOTS

111. Energetic mount : STEED

112. Reliable : STEADY

 

Down:

1. Canine cousins : MOLARS. I"m seeing the periodontist on Nov 24. My poor teeth!

3. Crime __ : SCENE

4. Facebook links : TAGS. Photo tagging. I don't associate tags with "links".  They actually are. 

5. Like Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 : IN A. Put in IN?, then waited.

6. Winter time : COLD SNAP

7. Port NE of Canton, OH : ERIE PA

8. B-47, for one : BOMBER

9. Madison et al.: Abbr. : AVEs

10. Racer Fabi : TEO. This has become a gimme.

11. Diminutive : ELFLIKE

12. Deli offerings : WRAPS

13. Very : OH SO. Tricky little words.

14. Start to function? : DYS. Dysfunction.

15. Dubai-based airline : EMIRATES. The answer filled itself.

16. Synthetic used to insulate wet suits : NEOPRENE. Fashion world's new fabric darling.

17. Bug : VIRUS

18. Awe-inspiring : GREAT

20. Kiev's river : DNIEPER. Totally stranger.

23. Absent-minded Milne title character : PIM. Mr. Pim.

26. Immortal first baseman : WHO. "Who's on First?".  I loved this clue so much that I shouted at Boomer who was watching TV downstairs:

Me: Lao Gong, the clue is "Immortal first baseman", three-letter answer,  who's the guy?

Boomer: OTT.

Me: Who?

Boomer: OTT, O-T-T...

31. La __: San Diego resort area : JOLLA

32. Intractable beast : ASS

34. Apple product : IPOD.  The only Apple stuff I have.  

35. Ft. or in. : MEAS (Measurement)

36. Essential __ : OILS

37. In unison : AS ONE

39. Haute couture monogram : YSL

41. Composer Satie et al. : ERIKS. Et this Erik.

Erik Agard

42. Free, as a checking account : NO FEE

43. Hall of Fame linebacker Junior : SEAU

 44. Mountain route : PASS

45. Where Gubbeen Cheese is made: Abbr. : IRE. Never heard of the cheese. I had I?? and figured it might be Italian.

46. Highway warning : FLARE

48. Saxony woodland : WALD. German for "wood". New to me also.

49. High capital : LHASA

50. Risky boot camp response : I CAN'T

51. BHO's predecessor : GWB. Oh, hello, I drew a blank on your initials.

53. Common people : PLEBS

56. Nocturnal Indian primate : LORIS. Oh, hello, I don't know your name.

57. Powder holders : KEGS

59. Hero : SUB

61. Ardor : ZEAL

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

65. Like paint when it's nearly dry : TACKY. Had STICKY first.

66. Texter's guffaw : LOL

69. KOA users : RVers

70. Sisterhood name in a Rebecca Wells novel : YA-YA

71. Regs. : STDs

72. Radio host John : TESH

73. Enzyme ending : ASE

74. Mopes : ACTS SAD

75. What duffers don't expect to do : SHOOT PAR. True for me.

76. Hot, hot pepper : HABANERO. You'll lose your mind eating these peppers.

79. Gray and tan : NEUTRALS

81. Coin in Tirana : LEK

82. Souped-up cars : HOT RODS

86. Like an ideal negotiation : NO-LOSE

87. Complained : GRIPED

88. Done : ENDED

89. Sturgeon delicacy : ROE

91. Ruffled : FRILLY

92. Renders unproductive? : SPAYS. Nailed it.

94. Some NCOs : TSGTS (Technical Sergeants). SSGTS fit the clue also. So you have to wait.

95. Plains tribe : OTO

97. European island nation : MALTA

99. Have __: lose it : A FIT

100. "Adventures in Babysitting" co-star : SHUE. Again, the answer filled in itself.

101. Cry under a pop-up : MINE

103. Plastic __ Band : ONO

104. Ellipsis element : DOT

106. "Scram, ya varmint!" : GIT

 

So I finally got my enhanced ID yesterday. It looks the same as my last driver's license, but with an American flag to the right of Class D. I needed birth certificate, my citizenship papers and some tax return stuff. All forms have to be original.

Boomer is still waiting for his, after several visits to the place. He lost his SSN card some time ago, and just did not have the correct document.

Do you have enhanced IDs in your state?

C.C.

Tuesday, October 13, 2015 Mike Peluso

Theme: "therein lies a tale" - to paraphrase Shakespeare.

18A. Ruthless adversary : MORTAL ENEMY

27A. Serious software problem : FATAL ERROR. Dreaded blue screen.

39A. '60s-'70s "Hollywood Squares" semi-regular : RUTA LEE. Her website.

49A. Wisenheimer : SMART ALECK

62A. Truth known only to a few ... and a hint to a word hidden in 18-, 27-, 39- and 49-Across : INSIDE STORY

Argyle here. A little twist; a synonym for STORY is what's hidden in the theme entries. All three ways to split TALE are used with two and two in the center. A step up from Monday.

Across:

1. Attorneys' degs. : JDs. (Juris Doctor)

4. Clipper or Laker, briefly : NBAer. Basketball player.

9. Up to now : SO FAR

14. Sup : EAT

15. Get up : ARISE

16. Jigsaw puzzle unit : PIECE

17. Norse war god : TYR

20. Planting ground : SOIL

22. Have debts : OWE

23. Joints often sprained : ANKLES

24. Words before card or lock : PICK A. Any card.

26. Precious : CUTE

30. "Rats!" : "DANG!"

34. Hyundai luxury model : AZERA. Currently the AZERA slots between the midsize Sonata and the Genesis sedan. Car and Driver were not impressed. Story.

35. Victor's cry : I WIN

37. Besides : TOO

38. Actress Hagen : UTA. Bio.

42. __ bind: stuck : IN A. The Devil was in a bind when he down to Georgia.

43. Video game letters : NES. (Nintendo Entertainment System)

44. Circular imperfection in wood : KNOT

45. Slip-on shoes : PUMPS. Jimmy Choo's idea of pumps.

47. One with a killer serve : ACER

52. Obsessed whaler captain : AHAB

54. Boating stopover : ISLET

55. Half of the hip-hop duo Black Star : MOS DEF

58. Certain NCO : SGT.

59. Billions of years : EONS

65. Agcy. with narcs : DEA. (Drug Enforcement Administration)

66. Mark with a sale price, say : RETAG

67. Greek goddesses of the seasons : HORAE. ( literally translated as "the hours")

68. Vex : IRK

69. Airline seat choice : AISLE

70. Hinged fasteners : HASPS

71. McMahon and Sullivan : EDs

Down:

1. One of two MetLife Stadium NFL teams : JETS. The other's the Giants.

2. Belafonte hit : DAY O. (The Banana Boat Song)

3. Erotic dance : STRIP TEASE

4. "Platoon" war zone : NAM

5. WWI era English poet Rupert : BROOKE. Bio.

6. High-flying battles : AIR WAR

7. East, in Mexico : ESTE

8. "Michael Collins" actor Stephen : REA

9. Exhausted : SPENT

10. Made a pig of oneself? : OINKED

11. Have a hunch : FEEL

12. Summit : ACME

13. Husband-and-wife creators of Curious George : REYS. Margret and H. A. Rey

19. Doctor House portrayer Hugh : LAURIE. More links please.

21. Prevaricator : LIAR

25. Lewis' partner : CLARK. Can you believe I drew a blank here?

26. Monastic hood : COWL

27. Flora's partner : FAUNA

28. Ancient Mexican : AZTEC

29. Rodeo rope : RIATA

31. Life-ending season in Ecclesiastes : A TIME TO DIE

32. Socially insensitive, in a way : NON-PC

33. "__ your mother" : GO ASK

36. Tibet neighbor : NEPAL

40. More than a little risky : UNSAFE

41. Mausoleum : TOMB

46. 1997 movie beekeeper : ULEE

48. Tire type : RADIAL

50. Hardships : RIGORS

51. Letter-shaped shoe fastener : T-STRAP

53. Line of shrubbery : HEDGE

55. Juan's "Look!" : "¡MIRA!"

56. "Dedicated to the __ Love" : ONE I

57. Grounded fast planes, briefly : SSTs. (Supersonic transport)

58. Spartan promenade : STOA

60. Techie, stereotypically : NERD

61. Fifth Avenue retailer : SAKS

63. Librarian's rebuke : "SHH!"

64. "Amen!" : "YES!". The end. After my write-up I realize this is harder than I originally thought.

           Dang me! I forgot to color the center TALE.

Argyle

Note from Mike Peluso:

"Joe Krozel helped me design the grid. It was quite tricky with a 7-letter word right in the middle, and I was having no luck designing the grid. I e-mailed Joe and he was happy to help me, and I was able to complete the puzzle. Thanks, Joe!"

Tuesday, June 2, 2015 Mike Peluso

Theme:  SPIT IT OUT. The first word can precede TALKING.

4. *Round before the Elite Eight : SWEET SIXTEEN. Sweet talking. Elite Eight are the eight final teams in the NCAA regional finals or national quarterfinals.

6. *Ball carrier's maneuver depicted by the Heisman Trophy : STRAIGHT ARM. Straight talking.

26. *Two over par : DOUBLE BOGEY. Double talking.

23. Pundits ... and what the first words in the answers to starred clues literally are : TALKING HEADS

Four wrong answers snagged me until I got those untangled, aside from that, very do-able, just right for a Tuesday. 

melissa here.

Across:

1. Tostitos dip : SALSA

6. #, in music : SHARP

11. Swabbing need : MOP

14. Makes furrows in fields : PLOWS

15. Universal donor's group : TYPE O

16. Sports drink suffix : ADE

17. Roof overhangs : EAVES

18. Check the total of : RE-ADD.  Tried ADDED first.

19. Musician's booking : GIG

20. Gallic gal pal : AMIE.  Tried LASS first.

21. Paving goo : TAR

22. Adorable ones : CUTIES

24. Thor Heyerdahl's raft : KON-TIKI. I had no idea of this interesting story.

26. Lady of Lisbon : DONA. Portuguese title of address equivalent to Mrs. or Madam.

27. Beijing skyline haze : SMOG. Awful.

28. Home of the Raiders : OAKLAND

32. Video game brother : MARIO

35. High, in the French Alps : HAUT

37. Swiss painter Paul : KLEE. Very recognizable and colorful style.

38. Green card in the credit world : AMEX

39. Wild guesses : STABS

40. Brainchild : IDEA

41. Breathe heavily : PANT. Tried GASP first.

42. Hair clipper brand : WAHL

43. Twist into knots : GNARL. Tried BRAID first.

44. More vertical : STEEPER

46. Periodical with a URL : E-MAG

48. Oater actor Jack : ELAM

49. Chess pieces that move only diagonally : BISHOPS

53. Venus, e.g. : PLANET

56. Dress for success, with "up" : TOG.  If this is common crosswordese, I didn't remember. So out of practice.

57. Gardner of mystery : ERLE. 

58. Old nuclear agcy. : AEC

59. Repair, as faulty software : DEBUG

61. Morocco's capital : RABAT

62. Pixar collectible : CEL

63. Loon kin : GREBE

64. Official command : EDICT

65. Nonstandard product-tracking no. : SKU. Stock Keeping Unit.

66. College paper : ESSAY

67. "Bone" prefix : OSTEO

Down:

1. Command to Fido : SPEAK

2. "Drive Happy" rental company : ALAMO

3. "Good __": 1966 Young Rascals hit : LOVIN

5. Biblical mount : ASS

7. Martha of "Some Came Running" : HYER. 1959 Movie.

8. Therapists' org. : APA. American Psychological Association.

9. Revolutionary soldiers : REDCOATS

10. Middle-of-nowhere town : PODUNK

11. Star-struck trio? : MAGI.  Nice clue.

12. Drooly toon dog : ODIE

13. Cribbage pieces : PEGS

21. Bout decision : TKO

25. Texter's "I think ..." : IMO. "In My Opinion."

29. "M*A*S*H" star : ALDA. Hawkeye Pierce. IMO, Radar is the most endearing character. 

30. At no time, in poems : NE'ER.  Fare thee well, for ne'er shall we meet again ...

31. Negotiation ender : DEAL. Sneaky clue.

32. Plans (out) : MAPS

33. Amo, amas, __ : AMAT

34. Philosopher Descartes : RENE

36. Contented sigh : AAH

39. Cool weather clothes : SWEATERS

43. Fun time : GAS

45. Telethon promise : PLEDGE

47. Russian fighter : MIG

50. Heavenly path : ORBIT

51. "Peyton __" : PLACE

52. Spat : SET-TO. Got hung up here, thinking of Spat as a verb. The first T, crossing RABAT was my last to fill in. 

53. Lobbying orgs. : PACS

54. Scallion kin : LEEK

55. First Amendment defender: Abbr. : ACLU

56. Oom-pah maker : TUBA

60. Wanna-__: pretenders : BE'S

61. Popular Roaring Twenties auto : REO

melissa

Sunday, May 17, 2015 Mike Peluso

Theme: "Elements of Style" - Each element is replaced by its atomic symbol.

22A. Pirate once portrayed by Orson Welles : LONG JOHN AG. Long John Silver.

24A. Relative of the Marquis and Montclair : HG MONTEREY. Mercury Monterey. It's a bit tricky to fill the area cleanly with this type of HGM* cluster of consonants.

47A. Annoying with trivialities : NI AND DIMING. Nickel-and-diming.

67A. Electronics tool : SOLDERING FE. Soldering iron.

90A. "Quit dilly-dallying!" : GET THE PB OUT. Get the lead out.

114A. Cartoonist known for his intricate contraptions : RUBE AUBERG. Rube Goldberg.

118A. Music publishing nickname : SN PAN ALLEY. Tin Pan Alley.

35D. Kesselring comedy about the murderous Brewster sisters : AS AND OLD LACE. Arsenic and Old Lace.

40D. Dickens classic : DAVID CUFIELD. David Copperfield.

So when did you grok the theme? I cottoned onto the gimmick early on, but I did not remember some of chemical symbols. So I struggled a bit.

Lots of theme material in today's grid. Nine theme entries with 97 dedicated squares. Mike could have skipped the middle 11 and gone with eight entries & 86 squares (Rich's minimum is 84), but he's not one to take the easy way out. And he's a skilled grid builder.

  

Today's puzzle reminds me of this huge periodic table George Barany showed us when we toured their chemistry department (University of Minnesota) last winter. You can even touch some of the elements.

Across:       

1. Light wood : BALSA

6. Purged : RID. So is OFF.

9. Tray contents : ASHES

14. "High Voltage" band : AC/DC. I was confused by the ACD* start in Kevin's puzzle last Thursday.

18. With 108-Down, tired comment : I NEED. And 108. See 18-Across : A NAP

19. "O mio babbino __": Puccini aria : CARO

20. Speed : TEMPO

21. It's sometimes held in a deli : MAYO. I saw Wasabi mayo in our local grocery store.

26. Genesis twin : ESAU

27. Enjoys an afternoon snack, across the pond : TAKES TEA

29. Old Burma neighbor : SIAM

30. Paradise : EDEN

32. Defense secretary under Nixon : LAIRD (Melvin). Not familiar with the guy. Nixon looks happy in this picture.

34. Pond sounds : CROAKS. Frogs.

38. Shake : DODDER

41. Autobahn rollers : OPELS

43. Some MIT grads : EEs

45. "Got it" : I SEE

46. Co-star of Janeane in "The Truth About Cats & Dogs" : UMA. I like the movie. Just couldn't get into Uma's "Pulp Fiction".

50. Inside information? : X-RAYS

51. __ ordo seclorum: Great Seal words : NOVUS. Latin for "New order of the ages". Such a gap between "age" & "seclorum".

53. Rural expanses : LEAS

54. Smoke source : STACK

56. Sask. neighbor : NWT (Northwest Territories). Unknown abbr. to me.

57. Quiet : NOISELESS

59. Composer Saint-Saëns : CAMILLE.  "Danse Macabre".

61. Forest female : DOE

62. Rash type : DARER

63. The Dodgers' Yasiel Puig, for one : CUBAN. Harrowing journey to the US. Every immigrant has a story to tell.

64. Accompany : ESCORT

66. It may be applied: Abbr. : SCI

71. Honorary legal deg. : LLD

72. Sites for sweaters? : SAUNAS. Sweat-ers.

74. Say "ma'am," say : ELIDE

75. Syrian president : ASSAD. Maybe it's better that he's still in power.

77. E.T. from Melmac : ALF

78. With an edge : TESTILY

80. Grainy course : RICE PILAF. Simple & tasty clue.  I like my rice bland though.

84. Him, in Le Havre : LUI

85. Shortens : TRIMS

86. Grassy cluster : TUFT

87. Gulf State native : OMANI

88. Skipped Denny's, say : ATE IN. Do you like Denny's?

94. CCV doubled : CDX. 410.

95. Target of a military press : DELT

96. Bigeye tuna : AHI

97. 10-Down creation : WIMPY. And 10. "Thimble Theatre" creator : SEGAR. I totally blanked on the creator. We also have 98. Friend of 97-Across : POPEYE

100. Attaches : ADDS ON

102. Civil rights org. : NAACP

104. File __ : MENU

105. Coastal raptor : ERNE

107. When some seafood is available : IN SEASON. Miss fresh seafood.

110. 1987 "Crying" duettist with Orbison : LANG (K. D.). Gimme for Argyle.

120. Tiny particle : ATOM

121. Morning staple for some : LATTE

122. Sharp-tasting : TART

123. More fetching : CUTER

124. Thriller set in the seaside town of Amity : JAWS

125. Hair net : SNOOD

126. One of two Mad rivals : SPY. Oh. "Spy vs. Spy".

127. VP before Nelson : SPIRO

Down:

 1. Acrimony : BILE

2. Yucatán years : ANOS

3. Singer Horne : LENA

4. Naturally followed : SEGUED

5. Sm., med. or lge. : ADJ. Of course I was thinking of Sizes.

6. Standing : RANK

7. "Dies __" : IRAE

8. Iditarod conveyances : DOG SLEDS

9. State of disbelief? : ATHEISM. Great clue. I'm still in a state of disbelief.

11. "Let me see ..." : HMM

12. "Aeneid," for one : EPOS. Learned from doing xwords.

13. Thunder predecessors : SONICS. Seattle Sonics relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008.

14. Autobiographical subtitle : A MEMOIR

15. Elevator feature : CAR

16. Color : DYE

17. Like one saying "Moi?" : COY

19. Detective fond of aphorisms : CHAN (Charlie). Chan = Chen. Same character in Chinese. Chan is the Cantonese spelling. So you know just from the name that Jackie Chan is from Hong Kong where Cantonese is spoken.

23. Funny Cheri : OTERI

25. Salt : TAR

28. Anklebones : TALI

31. Worse, as fog : DENSER

33. Making an impression : DENTING

36. Google entry : KEYWORD. Type in Tilt in your Google search and see what happens.

37. Six-line sonnet section : SESTET

38. Brooks' singing partner : DUNN

39. "Typee" sequel : OMOO

41. Most of a deceptive wad : ONES. I got via crosses. Dumb!

42. Apples, sometimes : PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants)

44. Alike, to Pascal : EGAL

48. 1999-2004 Olds : ALERO

49. "What __?": Twain dialogue : IS MAN

50. Sporty Jags : XKEs

52. Bolt of Jamaica : USAIN. Fastest man on earth.

55. Idle colleague : CLEESE (John). Eric Idle. Another great clue. John Cleese had a fantastic interview with Fresh Air last winter.

58. Inferior : LESSER

59. Like cottage cheese : CURDY

60. Rose's title partner : ABIE. Abie's Irish Rose.

63. Provide with a roof : CEIL. Don't see this verb often. 

65. It may be filed : CLAIM

66. Showed respect, in a way : SALUTED

68. Rapper's demand : LET ME IN. Of course I was thinking of the singer "Rapper". Here it refers to "knock on the door" rap.

69. Hardly paparazzi quarry : D LIST

70. De __: actual : FACTO

72. Brand named for an old Indian tea garden : SALADA. Did not know this trivia.

73. Envelope abbr. : ATTN

76. Precise : SPOT ON

79. [Alas!] : SIGH

80. Kentucky's __ Arena : RUPP. Name after their basketball coach Adolph Rupp. 

81. "One __ land, ..." : IF BY

82. Barney's boss : ANDY. "The Andy Griffith Show"

83. Idée __ : FIXE

86. Storms : TEMPESTS

89. Evidently : IT SEEMS

91. Performed like Buck Owens : TWANGED

92. Minute Maid drinks : HI-Cs

93. Ivy League sch. : U PENN. We have two kids here in Mpls who were accepted by all the Ivy League schools.

96. Invalidates : ANNULS

99. Come to a halt : PULL UP

101. Vivaldi's hour : ORA

103. __-surface missile : AIR TO

104. Protective trench : MOAT

106. '60s Israeli deputy prime minister : EBAN (Abba)

109. Agile : SPRY. One of Boomer's bowling buddy is 92 years old. Still rocks his motorcycle.

111. Some choristers : ALTI

112. Elided adverb : NE'ER

113. Lamb sandwich : GYRO. Gosh, I feel like my screen is still tilted.

114. "The Big Bang Theory" astrophysicist : RAJ

115. Hagen of the stage : UTA

116. Hair accessory : BOW

117. Eisenhower's WWII purview : ETO

119. Carrier units, briefly : ACs

Jazzbumpa sent me these two beautiful pictures from her mom's 94th birthday dinner yesterday. Does your mom solve crosswords, Ron?

Ron, his sister Pat and their Mom

Ron's mom (standing) with her twin sister

Sunday December 21, 2014 Mike Peluso

Theme: "It's a Start" - A? is added to the start of the second word of each theme entry. The ? repeats the starting letter of the original phrase, so essentially "A" sound is inserted.

25A. Speech at a revival? : TENT ADDRESS. Tent dress.

27A. Variety of stars on a clear night? : COSMIC ARRAY. Cosmic ray. Four of the phrases have ARR structure.

 

56A. Only matchmaker in town? : LONE ARRANGER. Long Ranger. (Lone Ranger! Thanks, Owen!) My parents' marriage was arranged, so were the marriages of all my three aunts and uncle. Zi You Lian Ai (Free Choice of Romantic Love) came to us in early 1980s. Quite a western concept then.

83A. Approval from above? : HEAVEN ASSENT. Heaven-sent.

 

114A. St. Louis tourist? : ARCH ARRIVAL. Archrival.

119A. Rap sheet listing? : BACK ARRESTS. Backrests.

36D. Ambush during a "wrestling" match? : THUMB ATTACK. Thumbtack. Three of the original phrase are one-words. No odd man out.

41D. Extra clothes? : SPARE ATTIRE. Spare tire.

Just when you think the letter addition/deletion/alteration options are exhausted, Mike came up with this creative approach.

The grid is expertly laid out. Mike places 6 theme entries Across and 2 Down. He also makes sure his longest non-theme entries are shorter than his shortest theme entries.

Also, no cheater square (very difficult to achieve on Sundays) and only 67 black squares.

Across:

1. Anjou relative : BOSC. I loved the juicy pears Don G sent me via Harry & David.

5. Sleeveless garment : VEST

9. Chimú conquerors : INCAS

14. Give credit for : OWE TO

 

19. Russian city near the Ukraine border : OREL. Go eat a worm if you miss this city again. Our third encounter with it this week. See it?

20. Will-wisp connector : O'- THE

21. Fed. security : T-NOTE

22. Preferences : LIKES

23. Black Sea region : ASIA MINOR. Four of Mike's 9 non-theme entries intersect.

 29. Indulged : CATERED TO

30. 1969 Three Dog Night hit : ONE. I got via crosses. I just kept thinking that annoying "Who Let the Dogs Out" song. The Baha Men.

31. Alley prowler : TOM. Poor D-Otto!

32. Protected whale : SEI. It's not clued as "Italy six" because we also have SEIS (3D. Ocho menos dos) in the grid.

33. Scand. kingdom : NOR (Norway)

34. Neaten again, as a mustache : RE-TRIM. I just had my hair trimmed again yesterday. 2 inches off, as usual. Some day I'll get courageous and cut it really short like Marti's.

37. Putting up : ERECTING

40. "Sorry to hear that" : SO SAD

44. Essen exclamation : ACH

45. Primary : MAIN

47. Metz milk : LAIT

48. Grand venue : OLE OPRY. Feels like a partial to me.

50. Tag announcement : YOU'RE IT

52. Transp. to the Hamptons : LIRR (Long Island Rail Road)

53. Like Vivaldi's "Spring" : IN E. I filled in IN?, then waited.

54. First name in spydom : MATA

55. "My treat" : ON ME

60. Angling tool : ROD

61. Ora pro __ : NOBIS. Pray for us.

63. Gershwin's "Rialto Ripples," e.g. : RAG. Difficult clue for me.

64. Gobi abode : YURT. Look at this polling yurt.

65. Missouri NFL team : CHIEFS. Oh, Kansas City Chiefs.

67. "... some kind of __?" : A NUT

69. Rum __ Tugger: "Cats" character : TUM

71. More, on a score : PIU. Tricky little word.

72. Prefix with decimal : HEXA. Oh, another six.

73. Send with an email : ATTACH

75. Mosque leader : IMAM

77. Hush-hush maritime org. : ONI (Office of Naval Intelligence). Navy's CIA. Not well-known, but important.

79. Bit of mischief : ANTIC

82. Word with bird or call : CAT

87. Aleutian island : ATKA. And 120D.  Nautical rope : TYE. Both gimmes for Spitzboov. ONI too, of course.

88. Financial pros : CPAs

90. Jeanne d'Arc, e.g.: Abbr. : STE

91. Buck ending : AROO

92. Like trees in the wind : SWAYING

94. Badminton item : RACQUET. Lovely 7-letter entry.

96. Query indicating betrayal : ET TU

97. Mil. addresses : APOs

98. Sturgeon delicacy : ROE

99. Invite to one's penthouse, say : ASK UP

100. Club for a short par-3, perhaps : NINE IRON. Nailed it, though I need at least a 7 iron for a short par-3.

 

103. Cunning : SHREWD

105. I problem? : EGO

107. Frau, across the Rhine: Abbr. : MME

108. That, in Tampico : ESA

109. Eastern path : TAO. Or DAO in Mandarin.

 

110. Bart Simpson catchphrase : AY, CARAMBA. Sparkling!

121. Heathrow lander : AEROPLANE. And 1D. Former Heathrow lander : BOAC. British Overseas Airways Corporation.Read more here. It ceased existence in 1974 but merged with another airline and became today's British Airways.

122. Raise : BREED

123. No-brainer course : EASY A

124. Milieu for Sharks and Penguins : RINK. For JD & Splynter.

125. Nevada city on I-80 : ELKO. We have an ELKO in MN also. They have a big flea market.

 

126. Literature Nobelist Gide : ANDRE

127. Expensive : STEEP

128. Barrie baddie : SMEE

129. School official : DEAN

Down:

2. About : OR SO

4. Din : CLAMOR

5. Message medium : VOICE MAIL

6. View from Catania : ETNA. I did not know Catania. Wiki said it's the "second-largest city in Sicily and the tenth in Italy".

7. Edit, in a way : SHORTEN. What Rich does to my clues. I'm not a wordy person, but sometimes I can't express what I want to say concisely.

8. Intense fear : TERROR

 

9. __-bitty : ITTY

10. Shreveport-to-Little Rock dir. : NNE

11. Vanity : CONCEIT

12. Reach : ATTAIN

13. It may be saved : SEAT. I thought of FILE first.

14. Grayish-pink color : OLD ROSE. Stumped me last time it appeared in our puzzle. I'd like to be a red rose in my next life. You? What kind of flower do you want to be?

15. Teletype machine area : WIRE ROOM. New term to me. We need our newswoman PK back.

16. Barely managed, with "out" : EKED

 

17. Try out : TEST

18. Bologna bone : OSSO

24. Villainous "Austin Powers" alter ego : MINI-ME. I don't like his picture. Please don't link.

26. Wide-screen TV spot : DEN

28. Florida's __ Island : AMELIA. Never heard of it. I thought it's named after Amelia Earhart. Nope.

32. Saddle attachment : STIRRUP

34. Synthetic silk : RAYON

35. Budget prefix : ECONO

 

38. Have in stock : CARRY

 

39. Old game show prop that contestants didn't want to hear : GONG. I'll try Gong Li next time. Rich probably will change the clue. He might not if he sees this picture. Gong Li is the most recognizable actress in Asia.

42. Fromm's "The __ Loving" : ART OF. Have any of you read the book?

43. Twosomes : DYADS

46. "Use __ lose ..." : IT OR

 

49. Freeloader : LEECH

51. Isabella, por ejemplo : REINA

52. Pea, e.g. : LEGUME

 

53. Pitched properly : IN TUNE

57. Indigenous : NATIVE. Xi'an has it own dialect. Much easier than Cantonese but outsiders can't understand it.

58. Melodious piece : ARIOSO. Rooted in Aria.

59. Ostrich's cousin : RHEA

62. Similar items : SUCH

66. Slangy veto : IXNAY. Zippy 5-letter entry.

68. More than just this : THESE

70. Dugong relative : MANATEE

73. Gulf of Guinea capital : ACCRA

74. __ bar : TAPAS

76. Cuban patriot José : MARTI. Hey, our Marti got a rare shout-out! Thanks, Mike.

78. Javert's rank: Abbr. : INSP.  Javert is that jerk inspector in ' "Les Misérables".

80. "You don't have to tell me" : I KNOW

81. Behind bars : CAGED

84. Business letter abbr. : ATTN

85. More like a lemon : SOURER

86. Like some golf penalties : TWO-STROKE. Hate when this happens. One stroke is enough.

89. Narrow victory : SQUEAKER

93. B-flat equivalent : A-SHARP

95. Go from coach to business, say : UPGRADE

96. As one : EN MASSE

97. Angels' home : ANAHEIM. Mike's team is Mariners.

101. "What a long day!" : I'M BEAT

102. Glitzy winter event, with "the" : OSCARS

104. Muddied : ROILED

106. Crew member : OAR

110. "The Winner Takes It All" singers : ABBA

111. It may be spun, in more ways than one : YARN. Indeed.

112. Kept in the loop, briefly : CC'ED. Oh me!

113. Mil. rations : MREs

114. Ominous letters after "See me" : ASAP. I had ??AP very early on.

115. Secretary of Education Duncan : ARNE

116. Low-lying area : VALE

117. "My Way" lyricist : ANKA

118. Spanish province or its capital : LEON. No idea. But its Google images are gorgeous.

Congratulations to Lemonade, who's getting married today. Lemonade has been blogging for us since March 2010. I can count the days he missed his write-ups. So happy to see him find his soul mate and settle down.