Sunday April 5, 2020 Paul Coulter

Theme: "The Other Half" - One part of a familiar phrase is replaced by its partner in a "A and B" phrase.

23. Pasta on the barbie?: GRILLED MACARONI. Grilled cheese. Macaroni and cheese.

32. Like the club that Sinatra, Zappa and Capra belonged to?: FULL OF FRANKS. Full of beans. Franks and beans.

51. "Don't forget we're having omelets"?: BRING HOME THE EGGS. Bring home the bacon. Bacon and eggs.

68. Town group that decides what kinds of lawns are allowed?: TURF BOARD. Surf board. Surf and turf.

88. Unexpected eccentric skydiver?: A NUT OUT OF THE BLUE. A bolt out of the blue.

101. Lucky one at the dairy raffle?: BUTTER WINNER. Breadwinner. Bread and butter.

118. Sniffing the jalapeños?: SMELLING PEPPERS. Smelling salts.

Love the first four as the base phrases are all food items and the changes are so smooth.

The last three still have a food item in the theme entries. 88A & 118 are a bit odd-man out to me as the phrases are "nuts and bolts" & "salt and pepper". 

Across:

1. Haunt: OBSESS. This Coronavirus model seems to be the most reliable. Click on United States of America, then scroll down to your own state. Minnesota will peak on April 22, 2020. Louisiana and New York on April 9th.

7. Mountain geography feature: GAP.

10. Calypso offshoot: SKA.

13. Pond buildup: ALGAE.

18. Arrive onshore, perhaps: ROLL IN.

19. Slate or Salon: E-MAG.

21. Plop or plunk preceder: KER.

22. Nobelist Bohr: NIELS.  Physics Nobelist.

26. Bill with billions: GATES. Great clue. Great visionary. Thank you, Bill Gates!

27. Brother of Andrew the Apostle: ST PETER.

28. Detective's aid: LEAD.

29. Chilled: ON ICE.

30. Churchill's "so few": Abbr.: RAF. Royal Air Force.

35. Like Stout's Wolfe: OBESE.

40. Buxom: BOSOMY. Not a word I use.

42. Hawaiian for "long": LOA.

43. Some summer shows: RERUNS.

45. Each: A POP.

46. Defense gp. since 1948: OAS.  Organization of American States.

47. Give or take, say: VERB. Another great clue.

55. Sea of troubles: ARAL.

56. On the job, for short: TCB. Take Care of Business.

57. Havens: OASES.

58. Au pair's subj.: ESL. English as a Second Language.

59. How early LPs were recorded: IN MONO.

61. Roswell sightings, briefly: UFOS.

63. Johnson of "Laugh-In": ARTE. Learned from doing crosswords.

64. Peke or Pom: LAPDOG.

65. Angry reaction: SNARL.

73. Legal claims: LIENS.

74. Court contest: TENNIS. Not legal court.

76. Ravel's "Gaspard de la __": NUIT. Listen here.

77. Banned fruit spray: ALAR.

79. Kiwi or rhea: RATITE.

80. "Anderson Cooper 360°" channel: CNN. Also 123. Atlanta-based channel: TBS.

81. Facebook option: SHARE.

84. "The Gold-Bug" monogram: EAP. Edgar Allan Poe.

87. School near Windsor: ETON.

93. Basic video game: PONG.

94. "Saving Private Ryan" craft: Abbr.: LST. Landing Ship, Tank. Also 102. WWII sub: U BOAT.

95. "I, Claudius" role: NERO.

96. "You left me no choice": I HAD TO.

97. Mag man with a mansion: HEF.

98. Square: EVEN UP.

100. Condition: STATE.

107. Splitting target: LOG.

109. Opposite of love: ABHOR.

110. Yours, to Yvette: A TOI.

 111. Largest of the Balearic Islands: MAJORCA. Rafael Nadal was born and got married here.

117. Lush: SOUSE.

122. Makes less unruly: TAMES.

124. Ad headline: SALE.

125. Biblical miracle units: LOAVES.

126. In check: AT BAY.

127. Approx.: EST.

128. Nintendo's Super __: NES.

129. Suppressed anger: SPLEEN.

Down:

1. Assns.: ORGS.

2. Diamond used as an abrasive: BORT. Never heard of the term.

3. Tongue trouble?: SLIP. Slip of the tongue.

4. W competitor: ELLE. W magazine is now on hiatus.

5. Bank deposit: SILT.

6. Contemptuous look: SNEER.

7. Beauty: GEM.

8. Doc bloc: AMA.

9. __-12 Conference: PAC.

10. "Cheers!": SKOAL.

11. Martial art with bamboo swords: KENDO. Literally "sword way". Japanese "do" is like Chinese "Dao"/"Tao", meaning "way".

12. "Exodus" hero: ARI.

13. Sweater material: ANGORA.

14. Jungle climber: LIANA.

15. Arrive: GET IN.

16. Smart follower: ALECK.

17. Saint-Saëns trio: ESSES. Just the three letters in Saint-Saëns.

20. Walk clumsily, like the Jabberwock slayer: GALUMPH.

24. Blah: DRAB.

25. Bank (on): RELY.

31. Features of beer and sponges: FOAMS.

32. Pays: FOOTS.

33. June 14 honoree: FLAG. We have the best flag in the neighborhood. Thanks, Spitzboov!

34. Fuddy-duddy: FOSSIL.

35. Uranus, e.g.: ORB.

36. Ernie's pal: BERT.

37. Obama attorney general Holder: ERIC.

38. Getting too many rays: SUNBURNING.

39. Coll. major: ENG.

41. WWI battleship Graf __: SPEE.

44. "Beat it!": SHOO.

46. Leering sort: OGLER.

47. Colonial bloodsucker: VAMPIRE BAT. "Colonial" because they live in colonies. Wish all the bats would just disappear from this world.

48. Wear down: ERODE.

49. Wouldn't stop talking: RAN ON.

50. Modern sources of reflections: BLOGS. Most blogs, yes.

52. Brewer's oven: OAST.

53. Architect Saarinen: EERO.

54. This, in Toledo: ESTA.

60. Kiara's mother in "The Lion King": NALA.

62. Dart: FLIT.

63. NYC dance troupe: ABT. American Ballet Theatre.

65. Throat problem: STREP.

66. "Cool beans!": NEATO.

67. Austrian composer Webern: ANTON. Also unknown to me.

69. Full-length: UNCUT.

70. "Babe" in the 1995 film, e.g.: RUNT.

71. Dry Spanish sherry: FINO. We had this before.

72. Sticker in a bar: DART.

75. Undercoat: SEALER.

78. Mormon prophet, or the Utah city named for him: LEHI.

81. One in a roundup: STEER.

82. Pedestrian startler: HORN.

83. In conflict with, with "of": AFOUL.

85. "Crimes and Misdemeanors" actor: ALDA (Alan)

86. Short stroke: PUTT.

89. Brief warning about the links?: NSFW. Not Safe For Work.

90. Shows for the first time: UNVEILS.

91. "How's that again?" words: EHS.

92. Help-wanted ad abbr.: EOE.

97. Luther's crime, per the Diet of Worms: HERESY.

98. Carbon compound: ENOL.

99. Splendor: POMP.

101. It's enough for Juan: BASTA.

103. Hitching aid: THUMB.

104. Where mariners go: TO SEA.

105. Poetic feet: IAMBS.

106. Bikini blast: N TEST.

108. Iona College athletes: GAELS.

112. Asian genre influenced by The Beatles: J POP. When I left Guangzhou in 2001, Namie Amuro was hugely popular.

113. Australian export: OPAL.

114. Debussy's dream: REVE.

115. Hudson Bay nation: CREE.

116. NBA part: Abbr.: ASSN.

118. Canonized Mlle.: STE.

119. "At Seventeen" singer Janis: IAN.

120. 2019 MLB World Series champs' division: NLE. National League East.

121. Some appliances: GES.

Happy 79th birthday to dear Irish Miss, the sunshine of our corner. This picture is so precious. Those simple, loving and chatty days! Thanks for being my friend and supporting me and this blog all these years, Agnes! Boomer cherishes and always finds strength and comfort in your cards.

 

L-R: Anne, Agnes, Eileen, Mary, and Peggy.

St Patrick's Day, 2019

2) Happy Birthday also to Abejo (Bradley), the certified master gardener! Bradley worked in Iran for a few years, hence his handle Abejo, Persian for "beer".

Left to Right: Abejo, WikWak, Madame DeFarge and TTP, 7/19/2018

Sunday March 29, 2020 Gary Larson

Theme: "Inner Cities" - Seven capital cities are hidden in the theme entries.
 
22A. *Alternative to a pizza oven: BAKING STONE. Jamaica.

38A. *Office group leader: TEAM MANAGER. Jordan.

60A. *Online gaming attraction: VIDEO SLOTS. Norway.

77A. *Mathematical abstraction with evenly spaced integers: NUMBER LINE. Germany.

100A. *Only occupant of Vostok I: YURI GAGARIN. Latvia.

15D. *Lead singer of a group whose first two Top 40 hits reached #1: FRANKIE VALLI. Ukraine And 89. 15-Down singing style: FALSETTO.

62D. *Breakfast order usually made with ham, onion and green pepper: DENVER OMELET. Italy.

118. Startup funds ... and a hint to what's hidden in the answers to the starred clues: SEED CAPITAL.

What a great title and reveal entry. Solid rationale for a hidden theme gimmick.

The clue and answer reminds me of my START UP CAPITAL for the LAT two years ago.

Across:

1. Plot again: RE-MAP.

6. Brand created by a periodontist in the 1950s: ORAL B. Love their tongue brush.

11. Zap: TASE.

15. Kite user's verb: FLY.

18. Yawning: AGAPE.

19. Iris aperture: PUPIL.

20. Being broadcast: ON TV.

21. Toledo's lake: ERIE.

24. Word derived from the underworld god Orcus: OGRE. I only know Hades. This Orcus guy has a big mouth.

25. Quarterback's option: PASS.

26. "Romanian Rhapsodies" composer: ENESCO (Georges)

27. Birds that tell time?: CUCKOOS. Nice clue.

29. Tolkien race: ENTS.

30. What Brits cross to get here: THE POND. Best wishes for Jill, Steve!

34. Forsaken: LORN.

35. Orange __: PEKOE.

36. Like some airports: Abbr.: INTL.

42. Those with clout: INS.

43. Reef dweller: POLYP.

45. Line of clothing: INSEAM.

46. Harsh: SEVERE.

48. Blow away: AWE.

49. Latin being: ESSE.

51. Part of a court game name: ALAI. Jai alai.

53. Elimination: REMOVAL.

56. General on a menu: TSO. General Tso's chicken.

57. Rat: SNITCH.

59. Antique shop transaction: RESALE.

65. Designer Cassini: OLEG.

67. Street in Mason's office: DELLA.

68. Sews up: ICES.

69. Dynamic start?: AERO. Aerodynamic.

70. Norse patron: OLAV.

72. Encouraging words: OLES.

73. Rotund man in a bright suit: SANTA. Sure miss our Santa.

 

75. Metalworking union: WELD.

79. Farriers' tools: ANVILS.

81. Like some mistakes: STUPID.

83. Ode title starter: TO A.

84. Shooting marble: STEELIE.

86. Passion: ZEAL.

87. Daring exploit: GEST.

89. Luthor, to Superman: FOE.

92. Not for kids: R-RATED. Restricted.

94. Sign up: ENLIST.

96. Wrangles: SPARS.

98. Former General Motors division: GEO.

102. Varieties: ILKS.

103. Teaspoon equivalents, roughly: LUMPS.

105. Goddess with cow's horns: ISIS.

106. Track wagers: EXACTAS.

109. Conception: IDEA.

110. Not full: UNSATED.

113. Judging groups: PANELS.

116. Ring at the chapel: TOLL.

117. YA fiction reader: TEEN. YA= Young Adult.

122. Manitoba tribe: CREE.

123. Fails to be: ISN'T.

124. Beach, in Baja: PLAYA.

125. Futuristic toon dog: ASTRO. "The Jetsons" dog.

126. Monopoly token: HAT.

127. D-Day craft: LSTS.

128. Gunpowder ingredient: NITER.

129. Feed, as a fire: STOKE.


Down:

1. "Streamers" playwright: RABE (David). Unknown to me.

2. Pulitzer-winning novelist Jennifer: EGAN.

3. "The Egg and I" woman: MA KETTLE. Read more here.

4. In an imitative way: APISHLY.

5. Parts of a pound: PENCE.

6. Special __: OPS.

7. Same old same old: RUT.

8. GI's address: APO. VA hospital here in Minnesota is so overwhelmed with the coronavirus that they canceled Boomer's blood tests for the next two months. They're just going to send him oral chemo pills without seeing the blood work.

9. "The Mod Squad" role: LINC.

10. __ cheese: BLEU.

11. Began to deal with: TOOK ON.

12. Fluffy felines: ANGORAS.

13. Like gales vis-à-vis breezes: STRONGER.

14. Gift-wrapping times, perhaps: EVES.

16. Champ dethroned by Clay in 1964: LISTON (Sonny)

17. Approvals: YESSES.

21. Duel tool: EPEE.

23. Political initials since 1884: GOP.

28. V8 relative: CLAMATO.

31. Elevator name: OTIS.

32. Hawaiian goose: NENE.

33. Court figs.: DAs

35. Program for future docs: PRE-MED.

36. Draft pick: IPA.

37. When repeated, a cautioning word: NOW. Now, now.

39. Wherewithal: MEANS.

40. Timbuktu's land: MALI.

41. Incessantly: EVER.

44. Cancún cash: PESO.

47. Reddish rash: ROSEOLA.

50. McGwire rival: SOSA. Boomer once pulled an autographed of Sosa from an Upper Deck set. Luckily he sold on eBay before Sosa's stock crashed.

52. Apple storage place: ICLOUD.

54. __ wrench: ALLEN.

55. Limited-term usage contract: LEASE.

56. More irritable: TESTIER.

57. Eric of "Pulp Fiction": STOLTZ. I watched the movie ages ago. Never understood it.

58. Position of control: HELM.

60. Travel docs: VISAS.

61. Defeatist's words: I CAN'T.

63. "Ben-Hur" author Wallace: LEW.

64. Valuable rocks: ORES.

66. Idle talk: GAB.

71. "Cone of shame" docs: VETS. Here's why it's called "Cone of shame".

74. Quiets: ALLAYS.

76. 90 degrees: DUE EAST.

77. Wafer brand: NILLA.

78. Goes bad: ROTS.

80. In __: as found: SITU.

82. Twinge: PANG.

85. Strange quality: EERINESS.

87. Unofficial EU leaders group: G SIX.

88. Peak seen from Messina: ETNA.

90. TV planet: ORK.

91. Start to save?: ESS. Just the starting letter.

93. Political opposition: DISSENT.

95. Cause of yelling, often: IRE.

97. One working on a bench?: PIANIST. Nice clue also.

98. Snag: GLITCH.

99. Writer Welty: EUDORA.

101. 2014 World Series champs: GIANTS.

104. __ ale: PALE.

107. Tax pro: CPA.

108. Calamares or caracoles: TAPAS.

110. Elec., e.g.: UTIL.

111. Locker room shower, at times?: ESPN.

112. Where to find a hero: DELI.

114. Bit of mischief: LARK.

115. Wild plum: SLOE.

119. Wolf down: EAT.

120. Salon coloring: DYE.

121. Saturn or Mercury: CAR.

Stay safe, everyone! Back in late January and February, I mentioned how the streets were all deserted in Xi'an/Guangzhou. The daily numbers were scary. But now even the night street food market is Xi'an is open.

We'll overcome this.

C.C.

Sunday March 22, 2020 Gail Grabowski

Theme: "Components Lacking" - ING is deleted from each familiar phrase.

23A Roadway closed for repairs?: DOWN STREET. Downing Street.

45A. TV show about Amtrak services?: TRAIN PROGRAM. Training program.

66A. Cornfield maze, e.g.?: LAND PATTERN. Landing pattern.

88A. Free-for-all debate?: OPEN ARGUMENT. Opening argument.

112A. Unarmed spy?: CLEAN AGENT. Cleaning agent.

114A. Sidewalk vendor's supply request?: STAND ORDER. Standing order.
 
37D. Incidental music at a race?: TRACK NUMBER. Track number.

41D. Make sketches of Barbie dolls?: DESIGN WOMEN. Designing Women.

DESIGN WOMEN is the only phrase clued as a verb phrase. Did you know that constructor Andrea Carla Michaels was a writer for "Designing Women"?

Seeing Gail's byline just makes me so happy. She never fails to deliver a solid puzzle. So many sparkling long fill in this grid.

Across:

1. Thin coating: FILM.

5. Square things: ATONE.

10. Hi-tech training site: PC LAB.

15. City on the Aare: BERN.

19. Palm native to South American swampland: ACAI. You can get the frozen acai packets at Trader Joe's.

20. Precept: TENET.

21. Family name in Civil War fiction: O'HARA.

22. Golfer Aoki: ISAO. Saw lots of legends at 3M Championship over the years. Not him.

25. Sturdy piece of lumber?: SOUNDBOARD. Fun clue.

27. "Not interested" feeling: ENNUI.

28. Maintain control (over): RIDE HERD.

30. Oater orphans: DOGIES.

31. Online biz: E-TAIL.

33. Quirky: ODD.

34. Prop for Mr. Monopoly: CANE.

35. Hot Wheels maker: MATTEL.

38. "Nixon in China" tenor role: MAO.

40. Showed up for: ATTENDED.

44. Omits an attachment, say: ERRS. I do this at times.

50. "Dumbo" actress Green: EVA. She was the Bond Girl in "Casino Royale".

51. Stephen of "Counterpart": REA.

52. Had a stable baby: FOALED.

53. Insignia automaker: OPEL.

54. Presentation prop: EASEL.

56. __ 5000: annual list of the fastest-growing privately held companies: INC.

57. "Stranger Things" actor: ASTIN (Sean)

58. Despicable sort: TOAD.

59. Surface: ARISE.

60. Pay attention: TAKE NOTE. And 76. "Right this way": FOLLOW ME. 92. Rutted route: DIRT ROAD. 105. Preempts the following show, perhaps: RUNS LATE. These are just four.

62. Cold War st.: SSR.

63. Pequod co-owner: PELEG.

65. HR dept. data: SSNS.

70. Agitated state: SNIT.

73. Apply to: USE ON.

75. Mdse. category: IRR.

78. Boiling words: I'M MAD.

80. PepsiCo-owned chip brand: LAYS. Cucumber-flavored.

81. Command to start playing: HIT IT.

82. Choose: OPT.

83. Plane part: CABIN.

84. Carson's successor: LENO.

85. "I won't miss it": NO LOSS.

86. Put a nick in: MAR.

87. Chemistry suffix: ENE.

91. Mother of Ares: HERA. Sister and wife of Zeus.

94. "You're a fine __ to talk": ONE.

95. Triathlon segments: EVENTS. Hope Tokyo Games will be delayed rather than canceled.

97. Address bar letters: HTTP.

98. Played for a sap: HAD.

100. Guitar-making hardwood: ALDER. And 121. Key wood: EBONY.

102. V8 veggie: CARROT.

108. Ford named for a legendary flier, briefly: T BIRD.

116. They're often scrambled: EGGS.

117. Big dos: GALAS.

118. Sure rival: ARRID.

119. It's near the humerus: ULNA.

120. Recipe smidge: DASH. Looking forward to my salt kelp.

122. Besmirch: TAINT.

123. Often-pickled veggie: BEET.

Down:

1. Lose steam: FADE.

2. Quicken's boxed Q, for one: ICON. Any of you use Quicken?

3. Scotts Turf Builder target: LAWN.

4. French social dances: MINUETS.

5. NFL pass, complete or not: ATT.

6. Gibbs of country: TERRI.

7. Ninja Turtles' human pal April __: O'NEIL. No idea. Read more here.

8. Requirement: NEED.

9. Kin of -kin: ETTE.

10. Prepared for a selfie: POSED.

11. Bit of guitar music notation: CHORD.

12. Heap kudos on: LAUD.

13. Prince Valiant's son: ARN.

14. Statistician's concern: BAD DATA.

15. Giant in the development of neurological disease therapies: BIOGEN. This Biogen employee has been widely ridiculed in China. I feel sad for her.

16. Actor Morales: ESAI.

17. Hard to come by: RARE.

18. Affirmative actions: NODS.

24. Webmaster's creation: SITE.

26. Animal-based fertilizer: BONE MEAL. Never used it.

29. Hula __: HOOP.

32. "He Was Despised," in Handel's "Messiah": ALTO SOLO.

34. PC corner key: CTRL.

35. Is worthy of: MERITS.

36. Concert venues: ARENAS.

38. Personal bearing: MIEN.

39. "So?": AND.

40. Improved in a barrel: AGED.

42. Pre-event periods: EVES.

43. Glen relative: DALE.

46. Porch furniture material: RATTAN.

47. Sci-fi visitor: ALIEN.

48. Stick in a cage: ROOST.

49. Genre of Vasarely's "Zebra": OP ART.

52. Twitter follower, often: FAN.

55. Recess rebuttal: ARE SO.

58. Bygone despots: TSARS.

61. Advanced French class assignment: ESSAI. Essay.

63. Positive particle: PROTON.

64. Signed up: ENLISTED.

67. Krall of jazz: DIANA.

68. Richard __, first black "SNL" host: PRYOR.

69. IRS convenience: E-FILE.

71. Convey: IMPART.

72. Colorful swimmers: TETRAS.

74. Sewer worker in a '50s sitcom: ED NORTON. "The Honeymooners".

77. Sgts.' superiors: LTS.

78. Like most cupcakes: ICED.

79. Salon service with a pedi: MANI.

80. Give for a while: LEND.

81. __ office: HOME.

84. Go for a rebound: LEAP.

85. "Sister Act" extra: NUN.

89. Thick soup: POTTAGE.

90. Jupiter and Mars: GODS.

91. Fragrant coating for grilling: HERB RUB.  I seldom use herb.

93. Clobber: THRASH.

96. Preventative power: VETO.

98. Spicy Asian cuisine: HUNAN. Originated in Hunan province, which is south of Hubei province where Wuhan is the capital. Hu means "lake".  Hunan means "south of the lake". Hubei means "north of the lake". The two provinces are neighbors separating by a big lake.

99. Pacing, perhaps: ANTSY.

100. Gaming pioneer: ATARI.

101. Bolshevik leader: LENIN.

102. Duped?: CC'ED.

103. Bit of plankton: ALGA.

104. Short standards?: REGS. Regulations.

105. Move, for short: RELO.

106. Six-part undergrad exam: LSAT.

107. Blade brand: ATRA.

109. Not occupied: IDLE.

110. Surrealist Magritte: RENE.

111. "Phooey!": DRAT.

113. Yak it up: GAB.

115. "Silent Spring" subj.: DDT.

   

Today we celebrate the 79th birthday of Pat (PK on our blog). Stealing this nice cake from CrossEyedDave again. Happy birthday, PK, you're a special person!

C.C.

Sunday March 15, 2020 Pam Amick Klawitter

Theme: "No Rhyme, No Reason" - The two words in each theme entry have similar spellings but different pronunciations.
  
23. Costuming choice for a "Cats" performance?: LEOPARD LEOTARD.

37. Proctor's nightmare?: GREAT CHEAT.

41. Tree surgeon's challenge?: TOUGH BOUGH.

51. One skilled at squandering?: MASTER WASTER.

70. Sweeping thoroughfare?: BROAD ROAD.

84. Expert on current energy options?: SOLAR SCHOLAR.

95. Dud of a car that Stephen King might write about?: DEMON LEMON.

100. Chophouse bandit?: STEAK SNEAK.

118. Lazy son, vis-à-vis his lazy dad?: YOUNGER LOUNGER.

Are these called eye rhymes?

I feel English pronunciations are mostly rational, but the above are great examples of the exceptions. And of course, the classic set of Bough, Cough, Through & Dough.
 
Across:

1. Just one of the fam: SIS.

4. Quayle successor: GORE. Not much climate talk lately.

8. Part of PBR: PABST.

13. Brazilian dances: SAMBAS. Rio Carnival goes on.

19. 1881 face-off spot: OK CORRAL.

21. "... only God can make __": Kilmer: A TREE.

22. How some bills are paid: IN CASH.

25. Move to protect a king: CASTLE. Oh, chess move.

26. Put away: EATEN. Look at the empty shelves at the toilet paper section at our local grocery store. Just can't find sushi rice in any of the stores.

27. Mag. edition: ISS.

28. "Hulk" director Lee: ANG.

29. Retired flier, briefly: SST.

30. Fair-hiring abbr.: EOE.

31. Narrow inlets: RIAS.

33. Crowded subway metaphor: SARDINE.

36. Prince in "Frozen": HANS.

44. Just right: TO A TEE.

45. Yucatán's yesterday: AYER. Opposite "Manana"'.

47. Reeves of "Point Break": KEANU.

48. Self-descriptive adjective: OLDE.

49. Prof's assistants: TAS.

57. "Mamma Mia!" song: SOS.

58. See 87-Down: BELT. 87. With 58-Across, area with severely declining industry: RUST.

59. Midori in a rink: ITO.

60. Brother of Macaulay and Rory: KIERAN. I only know Macaulay.

61. Like each succeeding eye chart line: TINIER.

63. Butterflies: NERVES.

66. Broad bean: FAVA.

67. Fathered, biblically: BEGAT.

72. Mont Blanc's range, to its west: ALPES.

73. News source, perhaps: LEAK.

74. Pool slip-up: MISCUE.

75. Author of kids' Busytown books: SCARRY (Richard). Not a familiar name to me.

77. Showing faith in: TRUE TO.

79. Bit of animation: CEL.

80. "We're gonna be late!": C'MON.

81. Utter: SAY.

88. Classic ending?: IST. Classicist. 109. Piece of TNT?: TRI. Trinitrotoluene. 127. Self starter?: ESS.

89. "Mi __ es tu __": CASA.

90. Wide receiver Don who played in five Super Bowls: BEEBE.

91. Shanghai money: YUAN. All have Mao's face.

93. Part of a Norwegian-sounding ice cream name: HAAGEN. I visited Haagen-Dazs Shanghai ages ago.

102. All over: ANEW.

103. Lasagna layer: RICOTTA.

105. More than half: MOST.

106. H.S. dropout's goal: GED.

107. Small shot: BBS.

110. First lady Hoover: LOU.

112. Garlicky spread: AIOLI.

116. "Aladdin" backdrop: ARABIA.

121. They bite: MOLARS.

122. Sleep disorder: APNEA.

123. Fib: TELL A LIE.

124. Prominent Syrian family: ASSADS.

125. Bette's "Divine" nickname: MISS M.

126. Editor's backpedaling: STET.

Down:

1. What's underfoot?: SOLE.

2. DIY furniture brand: IKEA. Has any of you tried their cod roe?

3. Robbie Coltrane, e.g.: SCOT.

4. Curling stone: GRANITE.

5. Hockey great: ORR.

6. Salad slice: RADISH. I love daikon.

7. Some annexes: ELLS.

8. Kung __ chicken: PAO.

9. Rose oil: ATTAR.

10. 1971 Peace Prize awardee: BRANDT (Willy). Unknown to me. He looks friendly.

11. Golfer Garcia: SERGIO. His daughter is named Azalea.

12. Talks acronym: TED. Ted talks.

13. Unleashes (on): SICS.

14. Med school subj.: ANAT.

15. Mic wielders: MCS.

16. Flat-bottomed boat: BATEAU. Here is the pic from Wiki.

17. Comparable in distance: AS LONG.

18. "Blimey!" cousin: SHEESH.

20. Run or work: OPERATE.

24. English homework: ESSAY.

29. Rocker Bob: SEGER.

32. Blackjack holding: ACE TEN.

34. "Up and __!": AT 'EM.

35. Zap in the kitchen: NUKE.

36. Indoor buzzer?: HOUSEFLY.

37. Sporty muscle cars: GTOS.

38. Milk Dud rival: ROLO.

39. "CSI" actor George: EADS.

40. Egg-hunt holidays: EASTERS.

42. Sells aggressively: HAWKS. So glad Amazon deleted many accounts of of those price gougers.

43. __ B'rith: BNAI.

46. Deluge result, perhaps: RAIN DELAY.

50. The best one is airtight: ALIBI.

52. Ending for hip: STER.

53. Bilbao bulls: TOROS.

54. Con game, say: TRAP.

55. Roof edge: EAVE.

56. Genetic strands: RNAS. Odd pluralized.

58. Trace: BIT.

61. "Brava!": TAKE A BOW.

62. Cookbook author DiSpirito: ROCCO. What's his signature dish?

64. Protective shot: VACCINE.

65. Dutch wheels: EDAMS.

67. Diner menu staples: BLTS.

68. MIT Chapel designer Saarinen: EERO.

69. Caesar's France: GAUL.

71. Writer of really old stories?: AUEL. Read more here.

72. Valiant's son: ARN.

74. German wine region: MOSEL. Must be gimme for Marti.

76. Abstract expressionist Mark: ROTHKO.

78. Chihuahua choo-choo: TREN. And 96. Juarez winter months: ENEROS. 89. Bar in Baja: CANTINA.

81. Stuffing stuff: SAGE.

82. Well offshore: ASEA.

83. Reb's rival: YANK.

85. Transmitting truckers: CBERS. Thought or Argyle.

86. Sphere opener: HEMI.

92. Dickens title starter: A TALE.

94. Verbal attack: ASSAULT.

95. First European to sail to India: DA GAMA.

97. Gold and silver: MEDALS.

98. Well-armed swimmers?: OCTOPI. Cute clue.

99. Shutout feature: NO RUNS.

101. Good luck charm: AMULET. My friend Roberto used to wear an evil eye.

104. Fork "fingers": TINES.

107. Frequent flier: BIRD.

108. Singer Lance, or the part he sang with *NSYNC: BASS.

111. Leftover scraps: ORTS.

113. Check out creepily: OGLE.

114. Island chains: LEIS.

115. Ticks off: IRES.

117. Barnyard bleat: BAA.

118. Thanksgiving tuber: YAM.

119. Whale group: GAM.

120. World Cup cry: OLE.

C.C.