Sunday March 23, 2014 Annemarie Brethauer

Theme: "Call Me" - The last parts of all 7 theme entries are all cell phone related.

22A. Precursor to reality shows like "Punk'd" : CANDID CAMERA. "Punk'd" is a bit cruel. I do like Ashton Kutcher.

34A. "Oh, I give up!" : FOR THE LOVE OF MIKE. So who's the original Mike?

54A. Unlikely job for one with acrophobia? : STEEPLEJACK. The only one word entry.

71A. Deceptive action : SMOKE SCREEN

88A. 1952 Groucho Marx film : A GIRL IN EVERY PORT. Never heard of the film. In fact, I parsed the answer as A GIRL I NEVER * & could not make any sense.

107A. General Lee, in "The Dukes of Hazzard" : DODGE CHARGER

14D. "That proves it" : I REST MY CASE

Reveal entry:

63D. Where the ends of 22-, 34-, 54-, 71-, 88- and 107-Across and 14-Down can be found : MOBILE PHONE

I smiled at the puzzle title. Reminded me of those crazy "Call Me Maybe" days.

This puzzle has a perfect 100 themes squares. Rich's minimum is 84. Things get tricky when you venture into the +100 territory.

I think this is Annemarie Brethauer's first Sunday puzzle. And it's amazingly smooth and clean. Hardly any "Owen's Law" (every puzzle must have nits) moments. Congrats, Annemarie! 

Across:

1. Matter of faith : DOGMA. CREDO is 5-letter also.

6. Statutes : LAWS

10. Plays the harpy : NAGS

14. Puckish sort : IMP

17. Brooks Robinson, notably : ORIOLE. He spent his whole career with the Orioles. I once pulled a Brooks Robinson auto. Highlight of my card-collecting career.

19. John's 2008 running mate : SARAH (Palin)

20. Schubert classic : AVE MARIA

24. Least likely to make a faux pas : POLITEST. Also 105. Most fair : BLONDEST

25. Blackthorn fruit : SLOE

26. Beach feature : DUNE

27. Test in a small room, maybe : TRY ON. "Small room" here refers to "Fitting room", right?

29. Comes in last : LOSES

30. Sploshed : SPILT

32. Apothecary's bottle : PHIAL. I just call it Vial.

33. Guard : SENTRY

39. Singer Grant : AMY

40. Plant sometimes called a false shamrock : OXALIS. Unaware of this trivia. They do look similar, Irish Miss.

41. Australia's lang. : ENG

42. Intimate : IMPLY

44. __ Martin Cognac : REMY

45. Collar target : FLEA

47. Hank who voices Moe Szyslak : AZARIA.  "The Simpsons".

50. Soup holder : CUP. Most Cantonese have long-simmered soup every day. Have you been to Chinatown, Splynter?

53. "Annie" couple? : ENS. Letter N in Annie.

57. Pet shop purchase : LEASH

59. Perch : ROOST

60. Spinner in the wind : VANE. Nice clue.

61. Fell from grace : LAPSED

62. Slide preparations : SMEARS

64. North Pole explorer : PEARY (Robert). Must be a gimme for Spitzboov.

66. Straightened (up) : TIDIED

67. "Walk on By" singer Warwick : DIONNE

68. Narrated : TOLD

69. Honda, even in reverse? : CIVIC. Pangram. Hence "Even in reverse" (I meant Palindrome. Thanks, Lemonade.)

70. Reporter assigned to a platoon, e.g. : EMBED. When will "60 Minutes" bring back Lara Logan, Bill G?

74. Dancer Charisse : CYD

77. Mario Kart console : WII

78. Lampoon : SATIRE

80. Shells out : PAYS

81. Botanical balm : ALOE

82. Bath sponge : LOOFA. Or Loofah. Made from silk gourds. Common summer food for me. The Hmong farmers here grow all kinds of veggies I eat in China.

84. A pop : PER

85. Seal, in a way : TAPE UP

87. Girl o' my heart : PEG. "Peg o' My Heart".

94. Many a cottonwood : POPLAR. Also 99. Colorado resort : ASPEN

96. River nymph : NAIAD

97. Solo : ALONE

98. Rose pest : APHID

100. Smart __ : ALEC

101. Nimbus : AURA

110. Sexy sleepwear : LINGERIE. Does your daughter still work at Victoria's Secret, Dave?

111. "Silas Marner" novelist : ELIOT

112. Lacing aid : EYELET

113. Opposite of six, on a die : ONE

114. Gather : REAP

115. Phoned : RANG

116. Uplift : EDIFY

Down:

1. Severinsen and a dwarf : DOCS. The dwarf clue is enough for me. I don't quite get Johnny Carson's appeal. Was he that good?

2. Spoken : ORAL

3. Futurist painter Severini : GINO. Total stranger to me. So what does this picture try to convey?

4. Without pretension : MODESTLY

5. "Fight of the Century" contender : ALI

6. Barely believable : LAME

7. "... such stuff / As dreams __ made on": Shak. : ARE

8. Wild African pig : WARTHOG

9. "Funny Girl" actor : SHARIF (Omar). I wonder if he still lives in Egypt.

10. Italia seaport : NAPOLI

11. Stratford's river : AVON. Our Ol' Man Keith lived there for a short period.

12. Brylcreem, e.g. : GEL

13. Request at a sitting : SMILE. I don't get this clue. What sitting?

 

15. King novel : MISERY

16. Sitting duck : PATSY

18. Swirling currents : EDDIES

19. __ Domingo : SANTO

21. Without a key : ATONAL

23. Select : CULL

28. Edible tuber : YAM. Not YAM related, but what do you call those stacked bread in the left? Too thick to be nan.

31. Upsilon follower : PHI

32. __ code : PENAL

33. "Ice Road Truckers" truck : SEMI

34. Links cry : FORE. For golfers like Husker Gary.

35. Team in a field : OXEN. Loved the clue.

36. Ewes' guys : RAMS

37. Second in command : VEEP

38. Starfleet captain : KIRK. Star Trek.

43. Legendary attendant of Charlemagne : PALADIN. Not legendary enough. Never heard of him.

45. Own (up) : FESS

46. "Never __ Me Go": Kazuo Ishiguro novel : LET

47. Slightly open : AJAR

48. Screwball : ZANY

49. Lowest gin card : ACE

51. Secondhand : USED

52. Prof's degree : PHD

54. What's-his-face : SO AND SO

55. Went like the dickens : TORE

56. Skirt : EVADE

58. Really amazing, to a dude : EPIC. So EPIC success for Kenye West to lobby and put Kim K on Vogue cover? Don't remember Anna Wintour had to defend her cover choice before. Probably an epic fail for her.

59. Artist Magritte : RENE

61. Not taped : LIVE

62. __ Valley, Calif. : SIMI

64. Slipshod : POOR

65. Actress Sommer : ELKE

66. Binds : TIES

67. Web revealer : DEW. This refers to dew drops on a spider web, yes?

68. "OMG, stop telling me all this!" : TMI

69. Call out : CRY

71. Doe's beau : STAG

72. Use : SPEND

73. Give a hoot : CARE

74. "Pinocchio" goldfish : CLEO. Saw this clue before. Still forgot.

75. "In __ Eyes": Peter Gabriel hit : YOUR

 76. Agcy. : DEPT

79. Miles off : AFAR

81. Stood before the court : APPEARED

83. Flashing flirtatious looks : OGLING

84. Self-playing instrument : PIANOLA

85. Lozenge : TROCHE

86. Writer Rand : AYN

87. Ribbed fabric : POPLIN. Learning moment for me.

89. Keeping up (with) : IN STEP

90. Kool Moe Dee genre : RAP

91. German ballads : LIEDER. Plural of Lied.

92. Worker with many keys : VALET. Car keys.

93. Fridge juice: Abbr. : ELEC. V8 moment!

94. Cellist Casals : PABLO

95. One doing sums : ADDER. I'm a preferrer of the snake clue.

99. Cambodia setting : ASIA. Hope they find the plane soon. The tone in various Chinese blogs is getting extremely harsh.

100. All aflutter : AGOG

102. Hybrid citrus fruit : UGLI. It's in our grocery store.

103. Snorkeling site : REEF

104. Affectedly cultured : ARTY

106. Before, to Byron : ERE

108. Continuous babble : DIN

109. "I see," at sea : AYE

 C.C. 

Sunday March 16, 2014 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: "Foresees" - Each theme entry has Four C's.

23A. South Temperate Zone border : ANTARCTIC CIRCLE

34A. Pope's realm : CATHOLIC CHURCH

50A. NFL wide receiver who once changed his name to match his uniform number : CHAD OCHOCINCO. Now back to Chad Johnson. Ocho Cino is 8 & 5 rather than 85.

73A. Challenge for Henry Higgins : COCKNEY ACCENT

93A. Proof of payment : CANCELED CHECK

111A. It's barely legible : CHICKEN SCRATCH

124A. Current path : ELECTRIC CIRCUIT

As usual, lots of clue changes. Rich always makes me look smarter than I really am.

Click here to see my original submissions. I actually had CHAD OCHOCINCO clued as "6-time NFL Pro Bowl wild receiver" initially.  Rich said:

"... I had to chuckle at your "wild receiver" typo--an apt one for Mr. Ochocinco, I'd say.  ;-)..."

 Across:

1. Data theft target: Abbr. : SSN

4. Bowler feature : BRIM. Hat.

8. Instant, in product names : REDI

12. Brightly colored foam shoes : CROCS

17. Traffic noise : TOOT

19. It may be cracked: CODE

20. Green shampoo : PRELL. So what's your favorite shampoo?

22. Like most of western China : RURAL. Xi'An, my hometown, means "Western Peace". It's the gate to Western China.

26. Ma-__ store : AND PA. Dreaded 5-letter partial. Owen said last Thursday"...Every puzzle must have nits, its a LAW!". I've got to obey the law. Owen's Law.

27. Do without : FORGO

28. Outfielder Crisp : COCO. He has 3 C's.

29. Helps with a job : ABETS

31. Some Caltech grads : EES

32. Sprite Zero alternative : FRESCA

38. Airline that co-founded Star Alliance : SAS. See here. United is a founding member also.

39. Maker of Total Effects skin care products : OLAY

41. Colin Hanks, to Tom : SON

42. Common article : THE

43. Gin fizz fruit : SLOE

44. Wore out the carpet : PACED

46. Ready to eat : RIPE. So ready for the nectarine/peach season.

48. Company that insured Bruce Springsteen's voice : LLOYDS

55. Tiger's 2004 bride : ELIN. Tiger is now dating Linsey Vonn, a Minnesota Native.

56. Sly tactic : RUSE

57. Pickle pick : DILL

58. Island near Corsica : ELBA

60. NASA moon landers : LEMs. I'm not sure Rich will accept YUTU, China's moon rover. It means "Jade Rabbit".  In Chinese myth, there's a rabbit living in the moon.

63. Haunt : OBSESS

66. Gullible one : NAIF

68. Actor Morales : ESAI. I missed the last episode of "NYPD Blue".

70. "__ open!" : IT'S

72. Asian sash : OBI. This one is so elaborate. I bet it costs a fortune.

77. Wood cutter : SAW

78. Sister : NUN

79. Online magazine with a "Runway" section : ELLE.  I referenced Elle Fanning.

80. With 102-Across, Japanese golfer : ISAO. And 102. See 80-Across : AOKI

81. Cascades peak : SHASTA

83. Bug-__: Ortho garden product : B-GON. Owen's law.

85. Glorifying poems : ODES

88. Boy with a bow : EROS

90. Quick ride : SPIN

91. Guinness serving : PINT

97. Sam's rival : COSTCO. Not my type. Everything is so big.

100. Morro Castle site : CUBA. Never heard of the castle.

101. "Over the Rainbow" composer : ARLEN (Harold)

103. Picasso's aunt : TIA. And 65D. Picasso's sun : SOL. 123D. Picasso's here : ACA

105. Some Bronx trains : ELS

107. Palm Pre predecessor : TREO. Look how Rich simplified my wordiness.

108. Tiny songbird : TIT

115. Call-to-action response to one's own rhetorical question : I SAY NO

117. Merged Dutch carrier : KLM. Owen's Law. One airline per puzzle is enough.

118. Daisylike flower : ASTER

119. Et __ : ALIA

121. Wear down : ERODE

122. East Texas university : LAMAR. My clue is too gossipy.

128. Put in : ELECT

129. Drink from a bowl : LAP UP

130. Pod veggie : OKRA

131. Other, in a bodega : OTRA

132. Pops, to tots : DADAs

133. Intricate patterns : WEBS. Are you surprised by Bill Gates' comment on Snowden, Jayce?

134. Caught, as a show : SEEN

135. Occurrence : HAP

Down:

1. Fills vacancies in : STAFFS

2. Mexico's second-largest state : SONORA

3. Warning sign : NO TRESPASSING. The kids in our neighborhood just ignore the sign.

4. Discreetly send a dupe email to : BCC

5. Campus military gp. : ROTC

6. Folly : IDIOCY

7. Muslim holy city : MECCA

8. Troy, N.Y., tech sch. : RPI. Hi there Spitzboov & Splynter. By the way, Irish Miss, where were you born?

9. Bungle : ERR

10. Tattoo alternative for the squeamish : DECAL

11. "No more guesses, just tell me" : I'LL BITE

12. Computer problem : CRASH

13. Download option : RUN

14. Well-organized : ORDERLY

15. Its southern shore is on Nantucket Sound : CAPE COD

16. Budget overhauls : SLASHES

18. Diamond thieves' undoings? : TAGS. Baseball diamond. Rich's doing. Loved the clue.

21. Hanger-on : LEECH

24. Like Louis XV chairs : ROCOCO

25. Private beds? : COTS

30. Immune system defender : T CELL

33. D'Urberville who seduced Tess : ALEC. Real jerk.

35. Cornucopia shape : HORN

36. Not neat : ON ICE

37. Me.-to-Fla. route : US ONE

40. Condition that affects focusing, briefly : ADHD

45. ''Zip-__-Doo-Dah'' : A-DEE. Owen's law

47. C-SPAN figure : POL

49. Bebe's "Cheers" role : LILITH

50. Sing like Michael Bublé : CROON. Do you like him, CanadianEh!?

51. Noisy disturbance : HUBBUB

52. Grunted, in a way : OINKED

53. Group sharing a crest : CLAN

54. French Open winner before Björn : ILIE (Nastase)

55. Alleviate : EASE

59. "Chill out!" : BE COOL

61. Squandered early years : MISSPENT YOUTH. Santa gave me this clue. Must be from his personal experiences. He looks so innocent in this 1960 photo.

15-year-old Argyle

62. Reception disruption : STATIC

64. Like California's 17-Mile-Drive : SCENIC. Oh, I'm not familiar with the drive. Pebble Beach is there. No wonder. JJM might have played there.

67. Memo opener : FYI

69. Brief reply? : ANS (Answer)

71. Posh : SWANK

74. Thicken, as cream : CLOT

75. "Gimme __" : A SEC

76. Feel concern : CARE

82. "I don't want to be remembered for my tennis accomplishments" speaker : ASHE

84. __ nerve : OPTIC

86. Old French coin : ECU

87. Civil War weapon : SABER

89. Slightly burn : SEAR

92. Jots down : NOTES. I still write my notes in Chinese. Strange, isn't it? I also count in Chinese.

94. Simba's love : NALA

95. A third of neun : DREI (3)

96. Dennis Eckersley, e.g. : CLOSER. Gimme!!

97. Laughed demonically : CACKLED

98. "Très chic!" : OOH LA LA

99. Went over cursorily : SKIMMED

100. Source of legal precedents : CASE LAW

104. Inside company? : INTEL. Intel Inside.

106. Headliner : STAR

107. "Blurred Lines" singer Robin : THICKE. He and Miley Cyrus performed this infamous song at the 2013 MTV VMA Awards. Too much for me to link. Very gifted. He's the son of Alan Thicke.

109. Former Indian prime minister Gandhi : INDIRA

110. Dance click : TOE TAP

112. Mini racers : KARTS

113. Breakfast treat : CREPE. Oh, I have a question for D-Otto or other foodies on our blog:  How do you prepare your oatmeal? I've only used the quick-cooking rolled oats. Alton Brown's steel cut  looks quite creamy.

114. Advertising awards : CLIOs

116. Gas acronym : ARCO

120. Corn maze measure : ACRE

125. Young lion : CUB

126. Decorates with Angel Soft, briefly : TPs. Where are you, TTP?

127. Actor Holm : IAN

C.C.

Sunday March 9, 2014 Doug Peterson

Theme:"Incidental Music" - Musical notes are orderly added to the start of each theme answer.

23A. Donut lover's discipline? : DOZEN MEDITATION. Zen meditation. My landlord (a Buddhist) in Shanghai chanted in front of burning incense every day. His meditation.

32A. Kicking back with the drones? : RESTING LIKE A BEE. Sting like a bee.

41A. Japanese soup, apparently? : MISO, IT SEEMS? So it seems. I love the simple  Wakame & Tofu miso.

67A. So-so joe? : FAIRISH COFFEE. Irish coffee. Ha ha, Avg Joe!

 

74A. Bangle, often? : SOLID BRACELET. ID bracelet.

99A. Snorkeling area patrol unit? : LAGOON SQUAD. Goon squad.

106A. Broadcaster who goes on and on and on? : TIRING ANNOUNCER. Ring announcer. I met Gophers' announcer Dick Jonckowski at Twin Cities Sports Collectors' Club banquet 2 weeks ago. He was an AWA Wrestling ring announcer sometime ago.  Look at his bobblehead collection.

122A. "Water that poor plant before all the leaves dry up!"? : DOUSE IT OR LOSE IT. Use it or lose it.

What a delightful theme from Doug Peterson! Nothing heavy metal related. Doug loves heavy metal noise :-)

Doug Peterson

The fill is incredibly clean, Doug's hallmark. He's one of the very limited few constructors who can make Monday/Tuesday puzzles, themeless puzzles & Sunday grids. Rich Norris, Patrick Berry, Jeff Chen & Liz Gorski are the other few that come to mind. Who else?

Doug is also a fast solver. Look at here. He's currently 14th. See Rich Norris & Patti Varol? LAT rocks!

Across:

 

1. Campfire residue : ASH

4. Volkswagen sedan : PASSAT. And 21. Four-ring-logo company : AUDI. Owned by

Volkswagen.

10. Speak for yourself? : BRAG. Got me!

14. Office __: Staples rival : DEPOT

19. Suffix with señor : ITA. Senorita. Like our -ette, feminizing.

20. Outfielder who had a single-season record 262 hits in 2004 : ICHIRO. With the Mariners then. Love this Ichiro stretching picture.

22. Hidden repository : CACHE

26. C.S. Lewis lion : ASLAN

27. Symbol of steadiness : EVEN KEEL

28. School-wk. start : MON. And 72. Honoree on the third 28-Across in Jan. : MLK

29. Shell lobbers : MORTARS

31. Copy editor's mark : DELE

36. Emulate Eminem : RAP

39. "CSI" actor George : EADS. I can never remember his name. Quite handsome.

40. Literature Nobelist Canetti : ELIAS

46. Gander, e.g. : MALE. Trick clue.

47. Player with earbuds : IPOD. So what's your favorite podcast? Mine is  Fresh Air.

51. Lyricist Gershwin : IRA

52. Dustin's "Midnight Cowboy" role : RATSO

53. One of a hotel room pair : TWIN

55. Medina native : SAUDI

56. Feeling sluggish : LOGY. I think I learned this word from another Doug P puzzle.

58. Defunct '80s gridiron gp. : USFL (United States Football League)

60. Recipe quantity : ONE CUP

63. Missile stabilizer : FIN. Learning moment to me.

64. Shinbone neighbor : KNEECAP

70. Forbidden : TABOO

73. Squiggly diacritic : TILDE. The stuff in Jalapeño.

79. Julius and Augustus, e.g. : CAESARs

83. Blubber : CRY

84. Haile Selassie followers : RASTAs

85. De Matteo of "The Sopranos" : DREA

87. Many a Royal Troon golfer : SCOT. Held a few British Opens. JD visited St Andrews last year.

88. Be on the same page : AGREE

90. State secrets? : BLAB. Nice clue. Verb "State".

92. Longhorn rival : AGGIE

95. Baton Rouge sch. : LSU

96. Romney's 2012 running mate : RYAN (Paul)

97. 1/640 of a square mile : ACRE

102. __ cotta : TERRA. Some of you saw these terra-cotta warriors in person. The biggest tourist draw in Xi'An.

104. Singer Tennille : TONI

105. The "t" in Crete? : TAU. Just their T.

112. Farm Belt state : IOWA

116. Swallowed one's pride : ATE CROW

117. MD workplaces : ORs

118. Item kept near brushes : PAINT CAN. Poor Marti must be tired to see those cans.

121. Name on many video games : MARIO

126. Fallback option : PLAN B

127. "And don't forget ..." : ALSO

128. Break : RECESS

129. "__ Maria" : AVE

130. "The Playboy of the Western World" dramatist : SYNGE (John). Not familiar with the play or the author.

131. Scrabble two-pointers : DEES

132. Enthusiastic : RAH-RAH

133. Folk hero Kelly : NED

Down:

1. Gave a ride, say : AIDED

2. Log cabin warmer : STOVE

3. Eye color : HAZEL

4. Best of health, figuratively : PINK.  Also Victoria Secret's lingerie line.

5. Climber's goal : ACME

6. Hosiery variety : SHEER

7. Move furtively : SIDLE

8. D-backs, on a sports ticker : ARI

9. Typical "Yo Gabba Gabba!" viewer : TOT

10. Relay sticks : BATONS

11. Feeling sorry about : RUING

12. Stir : ADO

13. Cheap saloon : GIN MILL

14. Beltway region, briefly : DC AREA

15. Taiwan's locale : EAST ASIA. This missing Malaysian Airlines is so mysterious. Could it be hijacked somewhere?

16. Programming class setting : PC LAB

17. Orchard Field, today : O'HARE

18. Keyed up : TENSE

24. Año opener : ENERO

25. In the thick of : AMIDST

30. Great Depression migrant : OKIE

33. Take to the airport, say : SEE OFF

34. Floppy topper : TAM

35. Most pleasing to Jack Sprat : LEANEST

37. Bubble filler : AIR

38. Sch. meeting group : PTA

41. Cereal go-with : MILK

42. Weights, when pumped : IRON

43. Judicious : SAGE

44. Zombielike states : STUPORS

45. Suffix with lion : ESS

46. Skimpy skirt : MINI. And 91. Skirt companion : BLOUSE. Try it, it's not easy to find a pretty Blouse & Mini picture, Dave!

48. Powder __ : PUFF

49. Patient of Dr. Liz : ODIE. I drew a blank of Dr. Liz.

50. Enjoy a meal : DINE

54. Got the job done : WORKED

55. Fine china name : SPODE. LENOX also has 5 letters.

57. High-elevation enigma : YETI

59. San Diego suburb whose name means "the table" : LA MESA. Very helpful clue.

61. Loop site : CHICAGO

62. Pac-12 school : UCLA

65. Core group : CADRE

66. "Take a Chance on Me" quartet : ABBA

68. Down with something : ILL

69. Come clean, with "up" : FESS

71. Muffin stuff : OAT BRAN. I don't eat any bran stuff. Or brown rice.

74. Dueling memento : SCAR

75. Unrestrained party : ORGY

76. Constellation named for an instrument : LYRA

77. NASCAR Hall of Famer Yarborough : CALE

78. Like some flaws : TRAGIC

80. Scopes Trial gp. : ACLU

81. Historic Parks : ROSA. Noticed P is capitalized.

82. Simple earring : STUD

86. Psych 101 topic : EGO

89. Hard to resist : ENTICING

93. Mtge. feature : INT

94. Panamanian pronoun : ESA

97. 2012 Best Picture : ARGO

98. Crustacean used in Cajun cuisine : CRAWDAD. I don't think I've had any authentic Cajun food.  (From Marti: I chuckled when I saw CRAWDAD in the grid today. Here is a picture of a Crawfish Boil we had down in Florida with friends from New Orleans.  It was the gen-u-ine thing!)

100. "Barbara __": 1960s hit : ANN

101. Bails : QUITS

103. Dress like a justice : ENROBE

104. Statue subjects : TORSOS

106. Packs down : TAMPS

107. Land of the Apennines : ITALY

108. Showed again : RE-RAN

109. Futile : NO USE

110. Period in history : EPOCH

111. More valuable, possibly : RARER. Like the Mickey Mantle rookie card.

113. Giant squid's home : OCEAN

 114. Give up : WAIVE

115. Paid to play : ANTED

119. Rick's flame : ILSA. "Casablanca".

120. Light bite : NOSH

123. Ringside cheer : OLE

124. Clearance rack abbr. : IRR

125. Genteel gathering : TEA

C.C.

Sunday March 2, 2014 Robin Stears

 Theme: "Dance Partners" - Both words in this theme entry can proceed "Dance".

 23A. Admirer banned for overzealousness? : FORBIDDEN FAN. Fan dance, yes! What is "Forbidden dance"?

  

41A. Where "Hissing 101" is offered? : SNAKE SCHOOL. Loved the clue. Snake dance. School dance.

44A. Contemporary poetry competition? : MODERN SLAM. Modern dance. Slam dance.

69A. Something the plumber's never seen before? : EXOTIC CLOG. Exotic dance. Clog dance.

73A. Hardly hipsters? : SQUARE FOLK. Square dance. Folk dance.

95A. San Diego mascot's topper? : CHICKEN HAT. Read here about the Chicken. Chicken dance. Hat dance.

100A. Follow the Scarlet Speedster? : SHADOW FLASH. Scarlet Speedster is the nickname of Flash. Shadow dance. Flashdance.

122A. Eating contest winner's paunch? : VICTORY BELLY. Victory dance. Belly dance.

Such an apt puzzle title. And so many dances! This puzzle should delight our Yellowrocks, who's the president of their square dance club.

Across:

     

1. Page 1 or 3, usually : RECTO. Right-hand page (Odd-numbered). Vs. Verso.

6. Perplex : BEMUSE

12. Digital readout abbr. : LCD

15. Workout target : FLAB

19. Hitching post? : ALTAR. Nailed it.

20. Cocky self-reference end : AREN'T I.  Oh, I'm so ...., aren't I?

21. Sushi tuna : AHI

22. Rolling rock : LAVA

25. It's read monthly : GAS METER. Not magazine!

27. Farmer: TILLER

28. Begets : SIRES

30. Comparatively poor : NEEDIER

31. Table d'hôte alternative : A LA CARTE. Still remember you first day in Paris? I went to a party in a Paris suburb and ended up missing the last Métro.

34. Coveted annual honor : OSCAR. Timely.

36. Tuscaloosa-to-Huntsville dir. : NNE

37. Stretch named for a leader, perhaps : ERA. Clinton era, e.g.

40. Not even part-time : IDLE. So, IDLE here is an adjective, right?

48. Curse : EVIL EYE

49. .jpg file contents : IMAGE. I'm saddened by the passing of PK, Dave. But you loved her and took great care of her.

Dave & PK

50. Scintilla : SHRED

52. Imitate a hot dog? : PANT. The HOT dog, not food.

56. Like the worst excuse : LAMEST

58. Beersheba locale : NEGEV. Not familiar with Beersheba. Wiki says:  it's the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev".

60. Dolphins' order : CETACEA. Whales belong to the same order. Learning moment to me. This word looks like some kind of disease.

63. Picked up a split, say : SPARED. Bowling.

65. Handel work : MESSIAH

68. Shop _ you drop : TIL

75. __ & Perrins: Worcestershire sauce : LEA. Never heard of it, but I'm so happy Robin finds a new clue for LEA.

76. Macho sort : REAL MAN. Don't be deceived by the Macho look.

78. Shoppe sign words : YE OLDE

79. Some printers : INKJETS

81. Flower children? : SEEDS. Sweet clue.

83. Long-faced : SULLEN

87. "Meh" : SO SO

88. Grateful, maybe? : ASHES. Oh, she means Grate-ful.

90. Marsupial sometimes called a bear : KOALA

91. Ancient fertility goddess : ASTARTE. The Phoenician goddess.

104. Wind in a pit : OBOE

105. Frat letter : RHO

106. Not 'neath : O'ER

107. Assist with : DO FOR

108. Victuals : ALIMENTS

112. Apportion : PRORATE

114. Hamlet and Ophelia, e.g. : ROLES. Not enough space for LOVERS.

116. Payday, for one : NUT BAR. Never had this.

120. Nostalgic, in a way : HOMESICK. This is horrifying. Those ethnic separatists are Muslims. China has 56 ethnic groups. Han is the largest. Over 91% of the Chinese are Han, including me.

125. __ uproar : IN AN

126. Kingston Trio hit for whose hero Boston's CharlieCard was named : MTA

127. Daughter of Zeus : ATHENA

128. __ Gay : ENOLA

129. Standard Oil brand : ESSO

130. "Errare humanum __": Seneca : EST. To err is human.

131. Looked impolitely : LEERED

132. One-named Swedish pop singer : ROBYN. First time encounter with this lady.

Down:

1. Finn's vessel : RAFT

2. Sci-fi people : ELOI

3. Shift neighbor : CTRL

4. Sitar accompaniment : TABLA

5. Bay window : ORIEL

6. Good, in some cases : BAD

7. Preposition with multiple homonyms : ERE. Air, Heir, Aer.

8. Criminal intent, in law : MENS REA

9. Not qualified : UNFIT

10. Rubbernecks : STARES

11. Article in Die Zeit : EINE. Die Zeit= The Time. German national weekly newspaper well-regarded for its journalistic quality, a la Wiki.

12. Jet __ : LAG

13. Pulpit locale : CHANCEL. I'm surprised I know this word.

14. Part of CDC : DISEASE

15. Skedaddled : FLED

16. Bodega patron : LATINO

17. Skin care brand : AVEENO. I like their tinted moistuizer.

18. Rodeo prop : BARREL

24. Pull the plug on : DRAIN. Literally.

26. "Heavens to Betsy!" : MERCY

29. Dry Italian wine : SOAVE

32. They're burned on purpose : CDs

33. Pledge of Allegiance ender : ALL

35. Road mark cause, maybe : SKID

37. Disney's "__ and the Detectives" : EMIL. No idea.

38. Italia's capital : ROMA

39. Biblical Rodin work : ADAM

42. Pre-performance feeling : NERVES

43. Air filter acronym : HEPA. I have to Google: High-Efficiency Particulate Absorption.

45. Cast out : EGEST

46. Inhale and exhale : RESPIRE

47. Flavor enhancer : MSG. Have you tried Chinese dumplings, D-Otto? Trader Joe's has a veggie version that I really like.

51. Sewer line? : HEM.  Nice clue.

53. X-__: tool brand : ACTO

54. Playwright Simon : NEIL

55. "Confess!" : TALK

57. Musical "don't play" : TACET

58. Snidely Whiplash fearer : NELL. Drew a blank.

59. Ancient Dead Sea land : EDOM

60. "See ya!" : CIAO. I seldom use this word in daily conversion,  too similar to Chinese F word.

61. British noblemen : EARLS

62. Wayne nickname : THE DUKE. The only Republican Orson Welles really admired.

64. Some TVs : RCAs

66. Carpet meas. : SQ YD. Square Yard.

67. Petitions : SUES

69. The Whiffenpoofs of a cappella fame : ELIs

70. Alien: Pref. : XENO. As in Xenophobia.

71. Cork sources : OAKS

72. Deep cuts : GASHES

74. Record holder? : FELON. Another nice clue.

77. Bridal bio word : NEE

80. Steinbeck hero Tom : JOAD

82. Key that cancels : ESC

84. Comic actor Bert : LAHR

85. David and Goliath's battlefield : ELAH. The Valley of Elah.

86. Defense gp. : NATO

88. Janis' comics mate : ARLO

89. First Super Bowl MVP : STARR (Bart)

92. What jerks serve : SODAS

93. Betray : TWO-TIME. Chilling when you discover your husband has another email account.

94. Touches : AFFECTS

96. Block and tackle, e.g. : HOISTER. Had to consult Argyle. He said "Block and tackle is used to hoist things up".

97. Creator of Watson : IBM. Hi there Chicago!

98. Cedar Rapids college : COE. I learned from doing Xwords.

99. G on a sax? : KENNY. Kenny G.

100. Oscar role for Meryl : SOPHIE. Sophie's Choice.

101. Long-legged waders : HERONS

102. Kitchen emanations : AROMAS

103. Ice cream-making supply : HALITE. New trivia to me.

109. Café con __ : LECHE

110. Rutabaga or yam : TUBER. One of our readers told me that real African yams are white-fleshed. So all these years I've been just eating sweet potatoes, even if they're marked "Yams" in our grocery store.

111. Gregg user : STENO

113. Gambling town on I-80 : RENO

115. Like an oeil-de-boeuf window : OVAL. French for  "bull's eye". Another learning moment to me.

117. Shapeless mass : BLOB

118. Friend : ALLY

119. Actor Gosling : RYAN

121. Dennings of "2 Broke Girls" : KAT

123. Number of Beethoven operas : ONE. Fidelio.

124. "Far out!" : RAD

Mike Alpert told me yesterday that you don't have to be a ACPT competitor to attend the Cru Dinner. I hope some of our NY area readers can make it. Precious opportunity to mix and mingle with other solvers & constructors. The Saturday Stud might be there if his work schedule works out.

Splynter

C.C.