Sunday January 19, 2014 John Lampkin

Theme: - "Oh, No!" - O is removed from a common phrase with an OU bigram.

23A. "$%*#& computer!"? : CRASH CURSE. Crash course.

25A. Spillane's inspiration? : MICKEY MUSE. Micky mouse. Mickey Spillane.

54A. Like PETA members? : DOWN ON ALL FURS. Down on all fours.

83A. Sugar daddy? : FUNDING FATHER. Founding father.

112A. Keyboard technique suggested by the instruction "attacca"? : PIANO LUNGE. Piano lounge. John is a pianist.

116A. Well-mannered sisters? : PROPER NUNS. Proper nouns.

37D. "Thanks, Pierre, nice mug!"? : MERCI, BEAU CUP. Merci beaucoup.  A rare word split, but John's OU to O candidates are very limited. You'll know when you try this approach.

42D. Short anchor? : CURT REPORTER. Court reporter. 

Of the 8 entries, 2 have O's removed from the first word. Quite consistent.

Naturally it's a pangram grid (every letter is used at least once) & cheater free & full of fun clues, John's hallmarks.

This puzzle also has lots of sparkly long fill. Just look at the left quadrant alone: OKAY BY ME, SQUEEZE IN, BARE SKIN, STEAMY & SABBATH. All done without any cheater. Incredible craftsmanship.

Across:

1. Fix things : ATONE

6. Egret kin seen in hieroglyphs : IBIS. He is a picture John took. He said it's "American White Ibis, hunting for aquatic prey".

10. "Paw" on "The Beverly Hillbillies" : JED

13. Courage : METTLE

19. Give room for growth, as seedlings : RE-POT

20. Slacker's word : CAN'T. And 22. Slacker's lack : ENERGY

21. Program file extension : EXE

27. Networking, maybe : ON-LINE. The first time I went on line is 1999. How about you?

28. Predictions affected by storms, briefly : ETAs

30. Dance step : TOE TAP

31. Fancy wheels : ROLLS

33. Apt name for a truck driver? : MAC. Oh, Mack truck.

35. Wagner's "__ Rheingold" : DAS

36. ER part: Abbr. : EMER

40. Armor-breaking weapon : MACE

43. "Sure" : OKAY BY ME. Lovely entry.

46. Sherlock's adversary Adler : IRENE. River Doc just mentioned her yesterday.

47. Add to a busy schedule : SQUEEZE IN. Another great entry.

50. Prior to A.D. : BCE

51. Some OPEC ministers : QATARIS

53. It's about 10% larger than Australia : EUR

57. Fresno campus inits. : CSU (California State University)

58. Birch flower clusters : CATKINS

60. Pigged out : ATE A TON. I can eat a ton of rice noodle rolls.

61. __ of fare : BILL

62. Mechanical learning : ROTE

63. Way up : HIGH

65. "No way!" : NOT ON A BET

67. Takedown expert? : STENO. Great clue.

69. Sculls : OARS

70. Father : SIRE

71. Mr. Rogers and others : FREDS

72. Flash mob? : PAPARAZZI. Look at the crossings. So clean.

74. Tear : REND. Verb "tear".

75. Goya's "The Duchess of __" : ALBA

76. Bygone theaters : RKOS

77. Antlered Eurasians : ROE DEER

79. The 2006 novel "Hannibal Rising," for one : PREQUEL. Never saw it. Must be the prequel to "The Silence of the Lambs".

82. "__ durn tootin'!" : YER

86. 1880s pres. monogram : CAA. Chester Alan Arthur.

87. Interweave : ENTWINE

89. Actress Hagen : UTA

90. More than dull : DRY AS DUST

92. Mug at a bar : STEIN. I like this clue also.

93. Detect intuitively : SMELL OUT

95. Fencing tool : EPEE

96. On the fence : TORN

97. __ room : REC

99. Old touring car : REO

100. Sniggler : EELER

103. Kitschy garden figures : GNOMES

106. Scary contest : DUEL

108. Where to find baked blackbirds : IN A PIE. I once had IN A RUG in a grid. Rich said it's a partial.

118. Drawing power : ALLURE

119. When Le Havre gets hot : ETE

120. Rain-deflecting aid : EAVE

121. Grimm baddies : OGRES

 

122. Cleaver : MEAT AX

123. Leb. neighbor : ISR

124. One in a flight : STEP

125. 2013 Daytime Emmy winner Gibbons : LEEZA

Down:

1. Violist's direction : ARCO. "With the bow". Learned it from doing xwords.

2. "One good __ deserves another": birder's quip : TERN. Fun clue.

3. Aussie gem : OPAL

4. "Fat chance!" : NO SIREE

5. Centric opening : ETHNO

6. "ER" setting : ICU

7. Nudist's covering? : BARE SKIN. Nice clue/answer. Have you ever been to a nude beach?

8. Technical sch. : INST

9. Hot and heavy : STEAMY

10. Atticus Finch's son : JEM

11. Way out : EXIT

12. Figure out : DECODE

13. Boy-girl link : MEETS. Boy meets Girl.

14. Grammy-winning Celtic musician : ENYA

15. Andrew Wyeth medium : TEMPERA. This word is so close to Tempura.

16. "__ Calling": 2000s Eliza Dushku TV series : TRU. Never heard of it.

17. Optimus F3 cellphones : LGs

18. Batting organ : EYE.  Here is another photo from John. He said: "The compound eye of a Crane Fly, which is approximately 1 mm in diameter".

24. Frame of Bugs, e.g. : CEL. 55. Bugs : NAGS.

26. Mauna __ : KEA

29. Holy day : SABBATH

32. Chain with popcorn : LOEWS

34. Bike : CYCLE

38. Like Crusoe : ENISLED. Only in xwords.

39. Outcomes : RESULTS

40. 1/60,000 of a min. : MSEC

41. Cyan shade : AQUA

44. "Wheel" purchase : AN "O"

45. Biological pigment : MELANIN

46. Commonly mistyped word : IT'S. I mistyped THE more often.

48. Piece polisher : EDITOR

49. Region : ZONE

51. Repeat exactly : QUOTE

52. New Yorker cartoonist Peter : ARNO

56. Former Calif. base : FT. ORD

59. Hawaiian storms : KONAS. I only know Kona the coffee.

61. Backyard Jul. 4 event : BAR-B-Q

63. Obscured : HAZED

64. Metal named for a blue line in its spectrum : IRIDIUM. Does this word have the same root as Blue Iris? (Added later: The Across Lite clue is: Metal named for the Greek goddess of the rainbow.)

66. Jags or Vikes : NFLers. Star Tribune has lots of coverage on the new head coach for the Vikings.

67. Most nimble : SPRYEST

68. Fallen for : TAKEN TO

69. Protective layer : OZONE

70. One whose efforts were feudal : SERF. What a great clue! Futile.

73. Have __ of good luck : A RUN

74. Entertained : REGALED

75. Field : AREA

78. Key with an arrow : ENTER. Does your SHIFT have an arrow also?

79. Neo- or bryo- ender : PHYTE

80. Comfort : EASE

81. Overdue : LATE

83. Dart part : FIN. Don't play darts. No idea on FIN.

84. Flap : ADO

85. Soul mate : TRUE LOVE. Hope Splynter finds his soon.

88. Hand-tightened fastener : WING NUT. We had this entry a few years ago, and the constructor is ???. Guess!

91. Make bananas? : DERANGE. So many nice clues today.

93. Curtain-raising time : SCENE I

94. Watchmakers' aids : LOUPES

97. Pricey watch : ROLEX

98. Avian Aussie : EMU

101. Concern in the rough : LIE. Golf.

102. Join, in London : ENROL. We use Enroll.

104. __ Barnacle, wife of James Joyce : NORA. Gimme for Misty, our expert on James Joyce.

105. Snorkel et al.: Abbr. : SGTS

107. Q.E.D. part : ERAT

109. Utter : PURE

110. R&B singer Foxx : INEZ. Not a familiar name to me.

111. She, in Salerno : ESSA

112. Spray in the pantry : PAM

113. Seine sight : ILE

114. Bit of culinary jargon : A LA

115. Bard's adverb : E'ER

117. Spirit : PEP

C.C.

Sunday January 12, 2014 Ed Sessa

Theme:  "Storm Front Coming" - The end of each theme entry could be blowing in the wind.

 

23A. *"Brace yourself" : HOLD ON TO YOUR HAT. Love this butterfly hair clip.

41A. *Signal surrender : RAISE A WHITE FLAG. Spitzboov sent me this Annin flag when I became a US citizen.

August 16, 2010

56A. *1965 Rolling Stones hit : GET OFF OF MY CLOUD. Here is the clip.

66A. *Pasta choice : ANGEL HAIR

71A. *Image on a North American flag : MAPLE LEAF

84A. *Sloshed : HIGHER THAN A KITE. This is a new expression to me.

101A. *The company one keeps, often : BIRDS OF A FEATHER

 
Reveal entry:

121A. Bob Dylan classic, and what this puzzle's starred clues' answers' endings could be: BLOW' IN IN THE WIND 

What a great theme, Ed! So unexpected. Perfect reveal entry. I love puzzles with a big "Aha" in the end.

The stars are used in the theme clues as there are quiet a few long non-theme entries, esp 19A & 127A. Constructor and editor do not want solvers to get confused as to which are theme answers.

Across:

1. Anti-DUI org. : MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving)

5. Plays with, as a toy mouse : PAWS AT

11. Dove purchase : BAR. Oh, soap.

14. Burning up : AFIRE

19. Motel patron, usually : OVER-NIGHTER.

21. Get __ for effort : AN A. I thought it's AN E.

22. Setting for 103 World Series games : BRONX. This might be Rich's clue. He's Yankees fan, by the way!

25. With 34-Across, pitcher who holds the major league record for career appearances : JESSE. And 34. See 25-Across : OROSCO. 1,252 game. No google, who's Met's #57 now?

26. Ugly looks : SNEERS

27. Within: Pref. : ENDO. Opposite of ECTO.

28. Vaudeville presentation : REVUE

30. Reconcile, with "up" : MAKE. Once the trust is gone, it's hard to make up.

32. Former auto financing org. : GMAC

38. Classic movie motel : BATES

46. Mideast sultanate : OMAN

47. Gut course : EASY A

48. Internet chat option : SKYPE. Does any of you skype?

49. Court setting : BAIL

50. Alaska's __ Sound : NORTON. Learning moment for me.

52. Shakespearean villain : IAGO

54. "The Flower of My Heart," in an old song : ADELINE. "Sweet Adeline".

61. Barn roof gadgets : VANES

62. Support for a start-up co. : SBA (Small Business Administration)

63. Egg __ yung : FOO

64. Skin suffix : DERM

65. Kipling's young spy : KIM

75. Ballot word: Abbr. : IND (Independent)

76. Genetic chains : RNAs

78. Stellar sort : GEM

79. Down the tubes : BAD

81. Spiritual essences : SOULS

89. Chrysler Building style : ART DECO. Guess who owns Chrysler Building now?

91. Bounder : ROUE

92. Of a battery terminal : ANODAL

93. Busy as __ : A BEE

94. Runner-up : LOSER

98. Turkish empire founder : OSMAN

100. Move, to a Realtor : RELO

104. Hands over : CEDES. I remember vividly the day when Hong Kong was handed back to China.

105. Like licked lollies : STICKY

106. __ Helens : MT ST

107. Gillette shaver : ATRA

109. Ancient fabulist : AESOP

111. Straddling : ATOP

114. __-weensie : EENSIE

118. Composer Boccherini : LUIGI. Total stranger to me.

125. Museum Folkwang city : ESSEN

126. For keeps, to Keats : E'ER

127. Ski patrol, at times : RESCUE PARTY

128. 1980 Laura Ingalls Wilder Award recipient : SEUSS. Unaware of this trivia.

129. The "10" in "first and 10": Abbr. : YDS

130. French card game : ECARTE

131. Speed Wagons, e.g. : REOS

Down:

1. Mineralogist Friedrich : MOHS. Mohs scale.

2. Warwickshire river : AVON

3. A stet cancels it : DELE

4. DJ who first promoted "Weird Al" Yankovic : DR. DEMENTO. Faintly recall his name.

5. City in southern Belarus : PINSK. Only know MINSK.

6. MLB VIP Scott Boras, e.g. : AGT. Agent for Prince Fielder, Matt Holliday, Barry Zito, etc.

7. Question of recognition : WHO

8. Lid malady : STYE

9. Long, long time : AEON

10. Walk wearily : TRUDGE

11. "Phooey!" : BAH

12. "Tyranny and __ are never far apart": Bentham : ANARCHY

13. __ of return : RATE

14. Solemnly renounce : ABJURE

15. Innocent : FREE OF BLAME. OK, read here. You might be appalled that he's fined for so much for having 3 kids. But rules are rules. Zhang is probably the most well-known Chinese director in the world.

16. Cyclades island : IOS. And 45. Apple product : iPAD. Fair and balanced.

17. Hosp. employees : RNS

18. PC file extension : EXE

20. Writer Ephron et al. : NORAS

24. Plum tomatoes : ROMAS. Food! What's your secret to make chicken breasts tender and juicy? I'm gonna try this one.

29. Raised one's hand, say : VOTED

31. Pitching stat : ERA

33. Parrot's cry : AWK

35. Done in : SLAIN

36. Wouk's mutinied minesweeper : CAINE. "The Caine Mutiny".

37. Leers at : OGLES

38. Loud bell sounds : BONGS

39. Lab slide creature : AMOEBA

40. Highland wear : TARTAN

42. "I highly doubt that!" : AS IF

43. Start and end of a trademark cartoon credo : I YAM

44. Like some poultry stuffing : SAGY. Never used this word before. I like stuff chivy, not sagy.

 

47. Swaddle : ENFOLD

51. Team with the football : OFFENSE

53. Anxious med. condition : OCD

55. One "trapped by his sinful talk," in Proverbs : EVIL MAN. Got via crosses.

57. Awe-ful sound? : OOH. Nice.

58. Armstrong's carrier : LEM. Neil, not Lance.

59. Paganini's hour : ORA

60. Caller with a mask : UMP

65. Actor Wynn : KEENAN

67. Posh prisons, metaphorically : GILDED CAGES. Also a new expression to me. Makes sense.

68. NPR journalist Shapiro : ARI

69. Like Haydn's "Surprise Symphony" : IN G. Always needs crossing help.

70. "Go, team!" : RAH

72. NYC airport : LGA

73. Withstood : ABIDED

74. Natasha __, Boris' partner in spydom : FATALE

77. Mass delivery: Abbr. : SER (Sermon)

80. Birthplace of Apollo : DELOS

81. Swedish imports : SAABS

82. Trip around the world : ORBIT

83. Where embryos grow : UTERI

84. Ox foot : HOOF

85. Underground support : ROOT

86. Behind : TUSH

87. Blood pigment : HEME

88. '50s conflict : KOREAN WAR. Our 92-year-old neighbor Andy is a Korean vet.

90. Is excessively sweet : CLOYS

95. Tasted or tested : SAMPLED. I wish I could sample D-Otto's potato dumplings.

96. Juvenile newt : EFT

97. Cut again : RE-SAW

99. First name at old Notre Dame : ARA (Parseghian)

102. Geese flocks in flight : SKEINS

103. Wear : ATTIRE

104. Obnoxious sort : CREEP

108. Titter : TE-HEE

110. Comply : OBEY

112. A hundred smackers : ONE C

113. Galileo's birthplace : PISA

115. Medieval address : SIRE. "Your Majesty".

116. Digging : INTO

117. Ice cream name : EDY'S

118. "__ Miz" : LES

119. Mileage, so to speak : USE

120. Pocatello sch. : ISU (Idaho State University).

122. Surg. centers : ORs

123. ATM initials : NCR

124. Mummy discovered by Howard Carter in 1922 : TUT

C.C.

Sunday January 5, 2014 Joel D. Lafargue

Theme:  "Name Game" - Name can follow the first word in each theme entry.

24A. 1983 novel partly set in a graveyard : PET SEMATARY. Pet name. The novel is by Stephen King. Cemetery is purposely misspelled. Read here (the fourth one).

45A. Classic detective played by William Powell : NICK CHARLES. Nickname. Asta!

54A. Bibliophile's prize : FIRST EDITION. First name. I had the first edition of "The Godfather" once. Alas, it's not worth much.

75A. Simple to operate : USER- FRIENDLY. Username.

86A. Office staple :  FILE CABINET. File name.

107A. Any top-25 NFL career scoring leader : PLACE KICKER. Place name.

38D. Cheating deterrent : CODE OF HONOR. Code name. 

41D. A 36-Across may be one : TRADE SECRET. Trade name.  And 36A. Proprietary formula, perhaps : RECIPE

This is a classic 8-themer design: 6 Across, 2 Down. Though often the first theme entry starts or ends at the grid edge rather than in the middle.

I think crossword answers often reflect the interests & background of the constructor. How old do you think Joel D. Lafargue is? 

Simple theme, a few tricky spots for me.

Across:

1. Pacific island nation : FIJI. Vijay Singh is the Big Fijian.

5. Eastern teachers : LAMAS

10. __ bar : SNACK

15. Frequent autograph signer : IDOL

19. Quaint plaint : EGAD

20. Man with memorable thumbs : EBERT (Roger)

21. Really cold : POLAR. I don't remembering a colder winter. The highs today is 8 below. Tomorrow is worse.

22. Extra : MORE

23. Singular : LONE

26. Bakery buys : BUNS

27. Arboreal rodents : TREE RATS

29. From square one : ANEW

30. Tap : SPIGOT

32. Steams (up) : FOGS

33. Cannes conclusion : FINIS

35. Baffled "Jeopardy!" contestant's effort : STAB. Take a stab.

39. Salon treatments : MANIS. And 112. Salon treatment : PEDI. Hi there Lucina and Dudley? :-)

40. Frankie Valli singing style : FALSETTO

44. Bonding agent : EPOXY

47. Needing training : RAW

48. Sourdough's strike : LODE. I suppose those sourdough guys invented the sourdough bread.

49. Item sold in a kit : MODEL

50. Ohio pro : CAV (Cavaliers)

51. Letter successor, to a large degree : EMAIL

53. Non-metallic rocks : ICE. Fun clue.

58. "Spamalot" co-creator : IDLE (Eric)

59. 2000 film set in a confectionery : CHOCOLAT. With Juliette Binoche. Love her. "Damage" is one of my favorites. "Damaged people are dangerous..."

61. __ exam : ORAL

62. Fitting to the max : APTEST

64. Cold, in Calais : FROID. We all know sang-froid (cold blood). Cool!

65. Stupefies : DAZES

67. DeMille specialties : EPICS

68. Taken as __: in its entirety : A WHOLE. A rare 6-letter partial.

70. Secret rival? : SURE. Deodorants. Not familiar with SURE.

71. Greatly disliked thing : ANATHEMA

74. Engage in braggadocio : CROW

79. Rip off : COP

80. Salon dye : HENNA

82. Back in time : AGO

83. Least quantity : MINIM. I always use "Minimum".

84. Actor's accessory : PROP

85. That, in Toledo : ESO

90. French peninsular city : BREST. We've seen LAIT clued as "Brest milk?" before.

91. It won't hold water : STRAINER. Another great clue.

93. Horse features : MANES. Have any of you used Mane 'n Tail shampoo? They were originally for horses. My hair grows like weeds. I hope to gallop someday.

94. Marks common in stories : QUOTES

95. Landings: Abbr. : ARRS

96. Muffet fare : CURDS

97. Bedroom community, briefly : BURB

98. Joe or java : COFFEE

101. Major affair : GALA

102. He played Arnold Vinick on "The West Wing" : ALAN ALDA. Full name.

106. Diva's moment : ARIA

111. Transmission speed unit : BAUD. Wiki said "the baud unit is named after Émile Baudot, the inventor of the Baudot code for telegraphy". Learning moment for me also.

113. One often turned on : LIGHT. Great clue.

114. Top-tier invitees : A-LIST

115. Gospel writer : LUKE

116. What one star may mean : POOR

117. Nods, often : YESES

118. Freebies on pillows : MINTS

119. Fall locale : EDEN. Biblical fall.

Down:

1. Pool surface : FELT

2. "M*A*S*H" mess server : IGOR. Is this a gimme to you? Totally stranger to me.

3. Boy's mother : JANE. Boy is Tarzan's son? Wiki said the boy is called Jack (ape name Korak).

4. Parisian obsession : IDEE FIXE

5. Classic French firearms company : LEPAGE. Also a learning moment to me.

6. Does lookout duty for, say : ABETS

7. Subway Series team : METS. And Yankees of course.

8. MGM motto word : ARS.  "Ars gratia artis" (art for art's sake)

9. Multi-office rental: Abbr. : STE. Never saw "Suite" abbreviated this way.

10. __ rice : SPANISH

11. Staff figures : NOTES

12. What there oughta be : A LAW

13. Jam ingredient? : CAR. Nailed it.

14. Mrs. Blake Carrington on "Dynasty" : KRYSTLE. Another stranger to me. Played by Linda Evans.

15. Drink : IMBIBE

16. Henning of magic : DOUG

17. "Deal __ Deal" : OR NO

18. For fear that : LEST

25. More than excited : MANIC

28. Like challah dough : ROPY.  I had some nova lox yesterday. It's smoked. Lox itself is not smoked, isn't it, Lemonade/Hahtoola?

31. No longer in : PASSE

33. Diamond side : FACET

34. Trimming tape : INKLE. I forgot. We had this before.

35. Cannon barrage : SALVO

36. Thing of the past : RELIC

37. Significant period : EPOCH

39. Center : MIDST

40. Weak : FRAIL

42. Call before the game? : TAILS. Oh, heads or tails.

43. Immature hooter : OWLET. It still amuses me that Rich won't allow HOOTERS in a grid.

45. Org. headquartered near Colorado's Cheyenne Mountain : NORAD. Needed crossing help.

46. Assume the role of : ACT AS

49. Surroundings : MILIEU

52. Author Albom : MITCH. He wrote "Tuesdays with Morrie".

54. Blockhead : FOOL

55. Leveling machine : DOZER

56. High dudgeon : IRE

57. Flamethrower compound : NAPALM. "I love the smell of napalm in the morning".

60. Broken nursery rhyme item : CROWN. Jack and Jill.

63. "Bummer" : PITY

65. Red pig : DUROC. Alien to me as well. I wonder if Windhover raises these pigs. This one has an incredibly long body.

66. Bit of setter speech : ARF

67. Say "Enough!" : END IT

68. Liniment targets : ACHES

69. Grab forcefully : WREST

70. "Like a Rock" singer : SEGER (Bob). So, what's your favorite song of 2013? I really loved Lana Del Rey's "Young & Beautiful".  Give Lorde's  "Royals" a try. Like it?

71. Frank and Rice : ANNES

72. Seuss' Thidwick, e.g. : MOOSE

73. Date bk. listings : APPTS

76. Quarterly report line : SALES

77. "Yes, it does bother me!" : I MIND. Not an objection I use.

78. Some, in Stuttgart : EINES

81. In flames : AFIRE

84. Likely : PROBABLE

87. As an answer : IN REPLY

88. Charms : AMULETS

89. Israeli prime minister before Sharon : BARAK (Ehud)

90. Expend, as fuel : BURN

92. Cool and Lam detective series pen name : A A FAIR. Erle Stanley Gardner's pseudonym. Read more  here.

94. Milk buys : QUARTS

96. Buried treasure : CACHE

97. Consecrated : BLEST

98. Smythe's comics barfly : CAPP (Andy). Reg Smythe is the cartoonist. Another unknown figure to me.

99. Oft-twisted treat : OREO

100. Generic pet name : FIDO

101. Jokes : GAGS

102. Related : AKIN

103. Praise highly : LAUD

104. Blue Devils' home : DUKE. Coach K.

105. Arabian Peninsula port : ADEN

108. Invention: LIE

109. Seuss' Sam-__ : I AM

110. MDX ÷ X : CLI. 151.

Husker Gary's Crossword Corner map is now linked under Olio in our blog front page. If you want to be on the map, please contact Gary (gschlapfer@gmail.com).

C.C.

Sunday December 29, 2013 Gail Grabowski

Theme:  "Interjection" - TER is added to each familiar phrase. I don't quite get the title "Interjection" and the theme gimmick connection. Can you explain to me? Should I just parse it as "In-TER-jection"?

23A. Period after one round too many? : TEETER TIME. Tee time.

28A. Fertilized egg? : CHILD STARTER. Child star.

53A. Benefit from barn raising? : BETTER THE FARM. Bet the farm.

87A. Where Monet got his physical? : PAINTER CLINIC. Not familiar with "Pain clinic".

109A. Tipsy gym helper? : TIGHT SPOTTER. Tight spot. You need a spotter in lifting weights.

120A. Joking after a midterm? : TEST BANTER. Test ban.

36D. Need some trough repair? : BUST A GUTTER. Bust a gut.

43D. 1970s presidential fundraiser? : CARTER RALLY. Car rally.

Classic Gail Grabowski grid, always 5 or 6 theme entries Across, and 2 Downs. She also likes pinwheel style for her weekday puzzles.

Half of the TERs are added to the end of first word, half to the second word. Very consistent.

Across:

1. Speech therapist's concerns : LISPS

6. Work on the street : PAVE

10. DOL division : OSHA

14. The Christina in Wyeth's "Christina's World" : OLSON. Got via crosses. Wiki said she suffered from Polio.

19. For this purpose : AD HOC

20. Rotten to the core : EVIL

21. Be inclined : LEAN

22. Scope : RANGE

25. "Shoot!" : DANG

26. Duplicity : GUILE

27. "Golf Begins at Forty" author : SAM SNEAD. I nailed it.

31. Capital of Denmark? : DEE. The capital letter in Denmark.

32. It may be blank : STARE

33. Signal to begin speaking : TONE. Answering machine.

34. Out-of-favor sunscreen compound : PABA

37. Certainty : FACT

40. Flock member : BIRD

42. Reacted to a sour note : WINCED

46. Like many laps : SWUM

47. Herding dogs : CORGIS

49. Vichy vacation times : ETES. Paris is empty in summer.

51. Thing to grind : AXE

52. State legal VIPs : AGS. Attorneys general.

56. Stephen of "Interview With the Vampire" : REA

57. Pretends : LETS ON

59. Oil can letters : SAE. I can never remember what it stands for: Society of Automotive Engineers)

60. Paretsky's Warshawski and Grafton's Millhone, briefly : TECS. Detectives.

61. Key not used by itself : CTRL

62. Isn't kidding : MEANS IT

64. Tom : MALE CAT. All the three Toms I know via this blog are incredibly nice guys.

67. "Never, at any crisis of your life, have I known you to have a handkerchief" speaker : RHETT (Butler). "Gone With the Wind".

68. Semisoft cheeses : GOUDAS

70. Advertisers say it sells : SEX. Sex sells.

71. Musical weakness : TIN EAR

73. Reject with contempt : SPURN

75. Suitable for most audiences : RATED PG

78. Complete with crayons : COLOR IN

 81. Mention : CITE

82. Whirled : SPUN

83. Rosy-fingered goddess : EOS

85. Herbal tea : TISANE. Remember the tisane scene in "Le Divorce?". Read here.

86. Social pest : ANT

91. JFK alternative : LGA

92. Surname for an unknown : DOE

93. Jazzy James : ETTA

94. Take a turn : ROTATE

95. Tremendously : A LOT

96. Low clouds : STRATI

98. "Breaking Bad" lawyer Goodman : SAUL. Finally. I linked this poster a few times in the past.

 

100. Usher's find : SEAT

102. Pandora's box, e.g. : MYTH

103. Three-part figs. : SSNS

105. Dropped-egg sound : SPLAT

107. Magnolia St. campus : USM (University of Southern Mississippi)

113. Flash drive connections : USB PORTS. With Drop box, now flash drives are almost unnecessary.

118. Sister of Calliope : ERATO

119. School acronym : EL-HI. Elementary (school) + high (school). Super friendly letter combo, hence its frequent appearance in crosswords.

122. Box cutter, e.g. : RAZOR

123. Wheels that are longer than cars? : LIMO. Nice clue.

124. Push for : URGE

125. City near Florence : SIENA

126. Cockamamie : INANE

127. Car buyer's aid : LOAN

128. Chew (out) : REAM

129. Rigged supports : MASTS

Down:

1. Pull-down beneficiaries : LATS.

2. Mind matter : IDEA

3. Son of Noah : SHEM. I also know HAM.

4. 1945 conference site : POTSDAM. Faintly recall this name. It's close to Berlin.

5. Crime locale : SCENE

6. Gp. opposed to factory farming : PETA

7. Enthusiastic : AVID. And 8. Enthusiasm : VIM

9. Campaign poster word : ELECT

10. Pre-1000 Celtic language : OLD IRISH

11. Caulk, e.g. : SEALER

12. Crew member : HAND. Oh, deckhand.

13. Inner turmoil : ANGST

14. Life form : ORGANISM

15. Actress Ambrose of "Six Feet Under" : LAUREN. Stranger to me. Never watched  "Six Feet Under". I wanted embed that picture, but Google sent me below email 2 days ago. How am I supposed to know which pictures I can or can't embed?

 

"Blogger has been notified, according to the terms of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), that certain content in your blog is alleged to infringe upon the copyrights of others. As a result, we have reset the post(s) to \"draft\" status. (If we did not do so, we would be subject to a claim of copyright infringement, regardless of its merits. The URL(s) of the allegedly infringing post(s) may be found at the end of this message.) This means your post - and any images, links or other content - is not gone. You may edit the post to remove the offending content and republish, at which point the post in question will be visible to your readers again."

16. Tizzy : SNIT

17. Not look well? : OGLE. A smile after I got it.

18. "When hell freezeth over!" : NE'ER

24. Atoll former : REEF

29. Behavior pattern : HABIT

30. Airport structures : TOWERS

32. Broadcast online in real time : STREAM

34. Miserere, for one : PSALM. Wow, I never heard of Miserere before. It's Latin for "Have mercy".

35. "Shucks!" : AW GEE

38. Do one's part : ACT

39. No-frills beds : COTS

41. Loss : DEFEAT

44. Bring to bear : EXERT

45. Coped (with) : DEALT

48. "You're the One That I Want" musical : GREASE. Was this a gimmie to you?

50. Bit of strategy : TACTIC

53. Merchant vessel elision : BOSUN

54. Oklahoma's "Wheat Capital" : ENID. New trivia to me.

55. And such: Abbr. : ETC. Do you think plural ETCS is legit?

58. Big yawn : SNORE

61. Complete confusion : CHAOS

63. Site of some mammoths' demise : TAR PIT

65. Spearheaded : LED

66. Consider it likely : EXPECT

67. Museum artifact : RELIC

69. Places for sweaters? : SAUNAS. Sweat-ers, those who sweat.

72. "Me? Uh-uh!" : NOT I!

73. Quite a bit : SCADS

74. Wine grape : PINOT

76. Big bang producer : TNT

77. Bring up the rear : GO LAST

79. Cash bar? : INGOT. Great clue also.

80. "'__ the Arizona Skies": 1934 John Wayne movie : 'NEATH

82. Glossy materials : SATINS

84. Location : SITE

87. Place to buy a tank : PET STORE. Fish tank.

88. Violent outburst : ERUPTION

89. "Good Times" actress : ROLLE (Esther)

90. Museum funder: Abbr. : NEA

95. Pungent cleanser : AMMONIA

97. Actor Kutcher : ASHTON. He and Mila Kunis are a great couple. Hope this embed is safe.

99. Bronchial woe : ASTHMA

101. Ernest of country music : TUBB

104. Write letters? : SPELL. I like this clue also.

106. Pianist Rubinstein : ARTUR. Or Arthur. Click here.

108. Twitch : SPASM

109. Actress Polo : TERI

110. Country on the Caspian : IRAN

111. Disputed strip : GAZA

112. Mixed bag : OLIO. You all think of me, right?

113. Open-organizing org. : USGA (United States Golf Association)

114. Mushroom piece : STEM

115. Hwys. with nos. : RTES

116. No-frills shelter : TENT

117. Toledo titles: Abbr. : SRAS

121. Quaint "before" : ERE

Dudley sent me this sweet picture yesterday. He said:

"Within the blog family, there are certainly some cute little kids, but I submit that my grand-niece Lillie is the cutest of all. Here she is thanking a dear family friend who had done a very generous favor."

C.C.