Sunday December 15, 2013 Jeff Chen

Theme:  "And 100 More!" - C is added to each familiar phase. Love the title.

22A. Big tips on cruises? : LINER C-NOTES. Liner notes.

32A. Beginning piano student's first scale? : C MAJOR DISASTER. Major disaster.

49A. Shockproof battery? : PADDED C CELL. Padded cell.

63A. Channel for channel surfers? : SHORT ATTENTION C-SPAN. Short attention span.

79A. Food problem at the front? : C RATIONS OUT. Rations out.

93A. Tech news site's nefarious plan? : NOTHING BUT CNET. Nothing but net.

107A. Painfully out-of-tune note? : RAZOR C SHARP. Razor-sharp.

 

This would be very cool if there were no other C's other than those in the theme entries. But then the fill would not be sparkling.

Typical Jeff Chen grid. Fun theme/fill and super smooth. Spoiler alert: Jeff also has today's NY Times. A rare Sunday doubleheader.

I've been enjoying Jeff's notes on those NYT puzzles. He points out the strength and weakness in each grid and his comments are always observant & informative. Sometimes he's goofy.

Across:

       

1. Brief regrets, maybe : RSVPs

6. Agitated state : STEW

10. Order from on high : FIAT

14. DJIA stock : IBM. Their ThinkPad is owned by Lenovo, a Chinese company.

17. Nobelist Root : ELIHU

18. Source of heat : STOVE

19. It's for the dogs : ALPO. Indeed.

20. Campus center : QUAD

24. Chicken __ : KIEV. Boomer made more General Tso's Chicken last night. But he added in some cashew nuts, which are mostly used in Kung Pao Chicken.

25. Many a jazz combo : TRIO

26. Willing to listen : OPEN

27. Peace Nobelist Wiesel : ELIE

28. One good at stretching? : LIAR. Stretching the truth. Of course I was thinking of Ichiro.

29. Tubular carb source : PENNE

30. Green sage of films : YODA. Why is he green?

36. Stars and Stripes squad : TEAM USA

39. They're noted for their neutrality : SWISS

40. Civil offenses : TORTS

41. LAX listing : ARR (Arrival)

42. Sassy : PERT

44. Fútbol cheer : OLE

45. Panther's color? : PINK. Pink Panther.

46. Nigerian people : IBO. Learned from doing xwords.

52. Stumblebums : OAFS

53. Multiple millennia : AEON

54. Latin 101 verb : ESSE. In esse.

55. Code breakers' cries : AHAS

56. Sugar bowl fans : ANTS. Ha ha.

57. Capital of Belarus : MINSK

58. __ Aires : BUENOS

61. Twosome in the news, or the news itself : ITEM. Nice clue as well.

62. Appear eventually : TURN UP

67. Sitcom lover of Chachi : JOANIE. Was unaware of "Joanie Loves Chachi", a spinoff of "Happy Days".

68. Give up : CEDE

69. Start of a balcony delivery : O ROMEO

70. Queen __ lace : ANNE'S

71. Via, informally : THRU

72. Locking horns : AT IT

73. City on the Arno : PISA

77. Manufactured locks : WIGS. Another great clue. "Locks" always refer to "hair" in xwords.

78. Startled cries : EEKS

82. One of several H.S. subjects : SCI

83. Black Friday event : SALE

84. Owing : SHY

85. Rough patch? : ACNE. Oh I have a question: can you pluralize ACNE?

86. Slick, perhaps : WET

87. Hugo title word : NOTRE. "The Hunchback of Notre Dame".

89. Deliveries at Lincoln Center : ARIAS

91. "CHiPs" co-star : ESTRADA (Erik)

97. Sorority letters : PHIS

98. Nonspecific checkbox : OTHER

99. "Born Free" lioness : ELSA

100. Skye of film : IONE.  "Say Anything..." is pretty good.

102. Classic muscle cars : GTOS

105. URI's hoops conference : A TEN. Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10). I drew a blank.

106. "Sometimes you feel like __ …" : A NUT. Hence the 105A clue. Jeff does not want two consecutive "a..." style partial clues.

110. Hamburger man : HERR.  So people from Hamburg are called "Hamburger"?

111. Miller __ : LITE

112. John Paul's Supreme Court successor : ELENA

113. Out-and-out : UTTER

114. Playa del __: L.A. coastal region : REY

115. Pic to click : ICON

116. Binds : WEDS

117. Arnold's art : POESY. Which "Arnold" are we talking here?

 

Down:

1. HR dept. concern : RELO

2. Err : SLIP

3. Oenophile's vacation destinations : VINEYARDS

4. Promising whiz : PHENOM

5. California's Big __ : SUR

6. Vulcan in demeanor : STOIC. Spock.

7. Tribal emblems : TOTEMS

8. Holiday preceder : EVE

9. Director Craven : WES

10. Muslim ascetics : FAKIRS. Forgot. We had this before. 

11. Homer classic : ILIAD

12. Appetite stimulants : APERITIFS

13. "Mazel __!" : TOV

14. Measure of brightness : IQ TEST

15. Color in the original "Crayola 48" : BURNT SIENNA. And 64. Motto on an inspirational cat poster : HANG IN THERE. Jeff made great use of the long slots.

16. It was admitted as a free state as part of the Missouri Compromise : MAINE. Also a learning moment. I know nothing about Missouri Compromise.

18. NBC staple : SNL

21. Shaker, so to speak : DOER. Not your salt/pepper shaker. Tricky clue.

23. Quit : CEASED

28. Get shellacked, say : LOSE

29. Part of PRNDL : PARK

31. Pigeon : DUPE

33. Delinquents of a sort, briefly : AWOLS

34. Memorable climber : JILL. Jack and Jill.

35. George Foreman's five Georges : SONS. This would be very confusing to me.

36. Record, in a way : TAPE

37. Historical periods : ERAS

38. Things known to a select few : ARCANA

43. Knickknack : TCHOTCHKE. Yiddish, isn't it?

45. He played Arnold on "Happy Days" : PAT MORITA. More familiar with his role in "The Karate Kid".

47. Short deck hand? : BOSUN (Boatswain)

48. Doing mil. drudge work : ON KP

50. Fillets : DEBONES

51. Hunters' holidays : EASTERS. Egg hunters.

52. A smidgen : ONE IOTA

53. Preps for a snack, as corn : AIR-POPS

56. Long-distance letters : AT&T

57. Ponder : MUSE. Hi there Gary!

59. "Exodus" novelist : URIS

60. Hot time in Quebec : ETE

61. Like Beethoven's Sonata Op. 109 : IN E

62. Airer of vintage films : TCM

63. NBAer until 2008 : SONIC. Now the Thunder.

65. URL tag : EDU

66. Observe : NOTICE

67. Steel-toothed Bond villain : JAWS. In "The Spy Who Loved Me".

71. Like some anchors : TELEGENIC. Who's your favorite TV anchor?

72. Early Indo-European : ARYAN

74. Big 12 wrestling powerhouse : IOWA STATE

75. Went after : SUED

76. "__ boy!" : ATTA

78. Make : EARN

79. In : CHIC

80. Without a buyer lined up : ON SPEC

81. Belg. neighbor : NETH

83. The cooler : STIR

84. Span. miss : SRTA

88. Writer with an award named for him : O HENRY

89. "Pride and Prejudice" novelist : AUSTEN

90. Grabbed : SEIZED

92. "You betcha!" : RIGHTO

93. Father of Shem, Ham and Japheth : NOAH

94. Aquatic frolicker : OTTER

95. Belushi's "Animal House" role : BLUTO. Needed crossings.

96. Cel mates? : TOONS. Cute clue.

101. Org. that sticks to its guns : NRA

103. Metal refinery input : ORES

104. Nimble : SPRY

106. Frazier's Fight of the Century foe : ALI. Have you seen this clip from the Jack Parr show? Ali is a good rapper.

107. Clicker button : REW

108. Microbrew selection : ALE

109. Slangy "How's things?" : SUP

1) Our local Star Tribune has a nice article on Twin Cities crossword community. Click here. George Barany & Victor Barocas are featured. Nodding my head at George's comment: "It’s probably one of the lowest-paying jobs you could find on a hourly basis. It’s strictly a labor of love." Victor's puzzle is not for the LA Times, by the way, it's for the Chronicle of Higher Education.

2) For those Gmail users, if you don't want Google to group all your emails with the same subjection into one line in the inbox, please click on Settings, then under "Conversation View", click  "Conversation view off". I really dislike the one lump. So messy and hard to file.

C.C.

Sunday December 8, 2013 Jean O'Conor

 Theme: "Drollery" - ERY sound is added to each familiar phrase, resulting spelling changes in a few theme entries.

 23A. Rush hour traffic reporters? : ARTERY CRITICS. Art critics.

 36A. List that includes "full," "round" and "wide"? : LIP GLOSSARY. Lip gloss.

 

 56A. Foes with bows? : ARCHERY ENEMIES. Arch-enemies.

 77A. Reason for a strange smell coming from the trunk of the car? : GROCERY NEGLECT. Gross neglect.

95A. "Chantilly Lace" and "Blue Velvet"? : FINERY TUNES. Fine-tunes.

114A. Group of sweet-talking experts? : FLATTERY PANEL. Flat panel.

3D. Hasty remark? : CURSORY WORD. Curse word.

69D. Food for thought? : BRAIN CELERY. Brain cell.

Two of the theme entries have second word altered. Two of the theme entries are in plural form. So no odd man out in the theme set. Consistency is very important in theme entry selection.

This puzzle only has 138 words. 144 is always the magic number to me.

Across:

1. Tex-Mex casserole : TACO PIE. Has anyone tried Korean taco?

8. Woodworking tool : LATHE

13. Where tie-dyeing may be done : AT CAMP

19. Came to : EQUALED

20. Phylicia of "The Cosby Show" : RASHAD. Won Tony for "A Raisin in the Sun".

21. Muse of comedy : THALIA. We often see her sister ERATO.

22. Foster : NURTURE

25. Confrontation-ending device : TASER

26. What the Tin Man had : NO HEART. He thought he didn't have.

28. Krypton, for one : RARE GAS

29. Like some contracts : ORAL

31. More than cool : RAD

32. Diplomatic office : EMBASSY

34. Like auxiliary vbs. : IRR.  Like "Be", in many languages. Chinese "Be" is the same for  you, I, we, etc. All Chinese verbs are.

39. Hardly rah-rah : TEPID

43. One-named "I Do!" singer named for a Jackson : TOYA. OK, named after La Toya  Jackson.

45. National No Socks Day month : MAY. May 8. New trivia to me.

46. 13 for Al, e.g. : AT NO. Aluminum.

47. Music genre heard in the film "The Big Easy" : ZYDECO

48. Ticket seller's query : HOW MANY

50. Happy : GAY

52. Rival of 56-Down : DDE. 56. Rival of 52-Across : AES. No-clue clues. I like when one of the cross-referenced entries is clued. The other can be "Rival of ? -Across/Down".

54. H.S. offering : DEG

55. Makes up (for) : ATONES

61. Kitchen gadget : CORER

62. Activity center : BEEHIVE

63. Lacquered metalware : TOLE

64. "Then ..." : AND SO

65. Tony's portrayer on "NYPD Blue" : ESAI. Very irrational when it came to his ex-wife.

66. Adjective for a 93-Across : OLDE. And 93. Quaintly named lodging : INNE.

68. Ready to bloom : IN BUD

72. Certain girder : I-BAR

74. More like a mountain road : SNAKIER. And 85. Like a dirt road vis-à-vis pavement : DUSTIER

76. MLB exec Joe : TORRE

81. Commercially, it started in the U.S. around the time of the Boeing 707 launch : JET AGE. Never heard of this term. Are we still in this age?

82. Pal of Harry and Hermione : RON. Just for Jazzbumpa!

83. Second-century date : CLI. 151.

84. NFL scores : TDs

86. Exceedingly : EVER SO

89. Pentagonal plate : HOME. Home plate.

92. Fr. neighbor : BEL (Belgium)

94. "__ the Beat": 1982 hit for The Go-Go's : WE GOT

99. No. after a dot : CTS. Oh, money.

100. Divulged : SPILLED

102. Hockey legend : ORR

103. Love-crazy Le Pew : PEPE

105. Go along with : AGREE TO

108. Make an error on, as a check : MIS-DATE

111. Early 20th-century Oklahoma boom town : TULSA

116. Pittsburgh skyscraper builder : US STEEL

118. Baseball's Posey : BUSTER. 2012 National League  MVP. For our River Doc. Hondo follows the Giants also.

119. Hun king: ATTILA

120. Pension collector : RETIREE

121. Guides : STEERS

122. Nos from Nikita : NYETS

123. Jules Léotard and Amelia Bloomer, for two : EPONYMS. It can refer to people after whom things are named or  things that derived from people.

 

Down:

 

1. It's pitched : TENT

2. Blue shade : AQUA

4. Genre featuring big hats : OATER

5. Deer or elk, sometimes : PLURAL. So irrational. They can be counted, why can't they take plural forms?

6. Court suffix : IER. Courtier.

7. Adam's first home : EDEN

8. Texas border city : LAREDO

9. Hollywood canine : ASTA

10. What's left : THE REST

11. Clinton imitator on "SNL" : HARTMAN (Phil)

12. Big name in ice cream : EDY

13. Gillette razors : ATRAS

14. Dry : THIRSTY

15. Having good night vision : CAT-EYED

16. Sacha Baron Cohen alter ego : ALI G

17. Flaky mineral : MICA

18. Hand at dinner : PASS. Please hand/PASS me the wild rice.

20. 1986 Indy champ : RAHAL (Bobby). I don't follow racing. Is the Letterman/Rahl team good?

24. Supercomputer maker : CRAY. Drew a blank, TTP!

27. Wild revelry : ORGY

30. Depicts in words : LIMNS

33. "Homeland" terrorist Nick : BRODY. JD likes the show. Read more here. Fascinating series.

34. Ivy League city : ITHACA

35. Encourage with cheers : ROOT ON

37. Fork over : PAY

38. Greet with two letters? : SAY HI. Great clue.

40. Cab starter : PEDI. Pedicab.

41. Slush Puppie maker : ICEE

42. Shepherds, perhaps : DOGS

44. Inclined to forget : AMNESIC

47. Greek known for paradoxes : ZENO.  The guy from Elea.

49. Oxygen-dependent organism : AEROBE

50. Stubborn stain : GREASE

51. Sore : ACHING

53. Thwart : DETER

 

57. Called forth : EVOKED

58. Bits of antiquity : RELICS

59. Privileged classes : ELITES

60. "Amahl and the Night Visitors" composer : MENOTTI

62. New Hampshire state mineral : BERYL. Minnesota does not have one. See here. Just learned from D-Otto's comment last week that we don't have State dog either. What's wrong with us? So cold here right now. I thought of Dr. Zhivago & Lara while walking through the thick snow & biting wind last Thursday night to attend a party.

67. Lt. Columbo, e.g. : DET

70. Pressing : URGENT

71. Some farm machinery : DEERES

73. Gas station acronym : ARCO

75. Trim to fit : ALTER

77. Sprouted : GREW

78. Travel randomly : ROVE

79. 10 C-notes : ONE G

80. It's nothing to Nero : NIHIL

81. Cocktail with a sprig of green : JULEP

85. Scout group : DEN

87. Prize ribbon feature : ROSETTE

88. Noted gatekeeper : ST. PETER

90. Almost out of gas : ON EMPTY

91. Try to make peace : MEDIATE

92. Actor Reynolds : BURT. Of course I thought of RYAN first.

95. Señorita's blossom : FLOR (Flower)

96. Alpine tunes : YODELS

97. Merry refrain : TRA LA

98. Gets busy with : SETS TO

101. Anatomical canals : ITERS. Learned from doing xwords.

104. Applied (for) : PUT IN. Tricky clue for me. Tricky tense too.

105. Homes for B-52s, briefly : AFBs

106. Superfluity : GLUT

107. Demolish, in Dorset : RASE

109. Bad mood : SNIT

110. __-et-Loir: French department : EURE. According to Wiki, Eure-et-Loir is named after the Eure and Loir rivers.

112. Come across as : SEEM

113. Many microbrews : ALES

115. TV chef Martin : YAN. He was born in Guangzhou also. The real Cantonese food is very light. Fresh veggie, fresh seafood, lightly steamed or sauteed. Most restaurants have live fish, snakes, etc. You pick what you want, the chef will then cook for you..

117. Pennant race mo. : SEP

Today we celebrate the birthday of Jazzbumpa (Ron),  who always gives us all he has every time he blogs. Click here for more pictures of his talented grandchildren. Amanda the ballet dancer spent a week with the Rockettes this past summer. Nate is a great baseball player.

(Updated later. Click here for 3 updated pictures Ron just sent to me.)
 

Gloria & Ron

In the yard: Gloria, Lauren, Josh, Me, Abby.

Happy 80th Birthday to Misty's husband Rowland as well! Hope it's an extra sweet day for both of you.

C.C.

Sunday December 1, 2013 Pawel Fludzinski

Theme: Misstakes (Miss-takes) - Take is missing from each them entry.

23A. Accept unpleasantness : (Take) THE GOOD WITH THE BAD

37A. Be skeptical about :  (Take) WITH A GRAIN OF SALT

56A. Demonstrate unselfishness : (Take) ONE FOR THE TEAM

75A. Find a path of least resistance : (Take) THE EASY WAY OUT

91A. Start to deteriorate : (Take) A TURN FOR THE WORSE

110A. Tackle a problem head-on : (Take) THE BULL BY THE HORNS

  

3D. Use a roundabout route : (Take) THE LONG WAY HOME

51D. Emulate a bank robber : (Take) THE MONEY AND RUN

I actually misread the puzzle as "Mistakes". You?

Can't tell you how impressed I am with Dr. Fludzinski's grid today. Read more about him here. 

Let's count. Total 120 theme squares. Very high. And only 136 words and  65 black squares. Very low. Our norm is 144 words & 78 black squares. Simply amazing.

 

Pawel Fludzinski

  

Across:    

 
1. Mystery writer Cornwell : PATRICIA. We don't often see a 8-letter for 1-Across.

9. Former clandestine org. : KGB

12. Ruler of Asgard : ODIN

16. Beer choice, briefly : IPA (India Pale Ale)

19. Command levels : ECHELONS

20. Subatomic particle : NEUTRINO. The Saturday Stud just had this yesterday, clued as "It's not charged".

22. Lass : GAL

25. Neil Armstrong's L.A. alma mater : USC

26. First word of Dante's "Inferno" : NEL. I forgot. I've seen identical clue before.

27. Lid troubles : STYES

28. Like non-oyster months, traditionally : R-LESS

29. Cold War defense acronym : SEATO (South East Asia Treaty Organization). The Asian equivalent of NATO.

31. In concert : AS ONE

33. Worked undercover : SPIED

35. Browning output : SONNET. Browning the poet, not food.

36. Part of MSG : MONO

42. Certain RPI grad : ENGR. Hi there Spitzboov & Splynter & Dr. Fludzinski! Who else on our blog went to  RPI?  Argyle went to Cornell, so did Bill G.

43. Relevant, in law : AD REM

44. Greek vacation spot : CORFU

45. Finagle : WANGLE. More familiar with WRANGLE.

47. Bear witness : ATTEST

50. To be, to Bizet : ETRE

54. MLB stat : ERA

60. Snookered : HAD

61. Lighter yet warmer, as winter wear : LAYERED

63. Covered walls : PAPERED. This reminds me of Marti's walls.

64. "The Three Faces __" : OF EVE

66. More pale : ASHIER

67. Champagne word : SEC

68. Hank Schrader's org. on "Breaking Bad" : DEA

69. Record listings? : CRIMES. Oh, criminal record.

70. Screen gems : ICONS

71. Sources of soft wool : MERINOS

73. Corrupts : POISONS

74. "Platoon" setting, briefly : NAM

78. Clandestine org. : NSA

79. Part of a CSA signature : (Robert) E. LEE

81. Feelings of dread, in Düsseldorf : ANGSTE. We just had this last Sunday.

82. Like Craig Ferguson's show : ON LATE

84. Cunning : GUILE

86. Boorish : CRUDE

88. Gomer or Goober : PYLE

97. Film critic Pauline : KAEL. For "The New Yorker".

98. Parking garage location : LEVEL A

99. Totaled : RAN TO

100. __ hand: help : LEND A

101. Magna __ : CARTA

102. Destines, not in a good way : DOOMS

104. French for "chewed" : MACHE.  So Papier-mâché = "Chewed paper". Learning moment for me.

108. A few minutes in the pool, say : DIP

109. Mama bear, in Madrid : OSA

114. "Oy __!" : VEY

115. Openings to fill : CAVITIES

116. Official state dog of Alaska : MALAMUTE. Alaskan Malamute. I have no idea what's Minnesota's state dog.

117. O staff, briefly : EDs (Editors). Oprah's magazine O.

118. Wellness gps. : HMOs

119. Org. for marksmen : NRA

120. Many divas : SOPRANOS

Down:

1. Sugar or cookie : PET NAME. Never been called "Cookie".

2. Truman secretary of state : ACHESON (Dean). I forgot also. We had him before. Here is what Wiki said: "Acheson helped design the Marshall Plan and played a central role in the development of the Truman Doctrine and creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization."

4. Gas pump spec. : REG

5. Words of defeat : I LOSE. I say "I LOST".

6. Rail family bird : COOT

7. __ 500 : INDY

8. "Even __ speak ..." : AS WE

9. Dubbed one: Abbr. : KNT

10. Ripken broke his record : GEHRIG (Lou).  For consecutive games played. Gehrig: 2,130. Ripken: 2,632. 

11. Whodunit cliché : BUTLER

12. They're mined for metal : ORES

13. Schoolyard claim : DIBS

14. Grieg's "Piano Concerto __ minor" : IN A

15. Dozes : NODS OFF

16. Exotic pet : IGUANA

17. Muted color choice : PASTEL

18. "Little Women" writer : ALCOTT (Louisa May)

21. Silents star Bara : THEDA

24. "This __": formal phone response : IS SHE

30. Follow : ENSUE

32. "A Doll's House" heroine : NORA

34. Canola oil spray : PAM

35. More or less, informally : SORTA

37. Baseball great Honus : WAGNER. His T 206 card is the Holy Grail of baseball card collection. It's worth over $1 million in "Very Good" condition. Over $2 for "Near Mint".

38. Killed time : IDLED

39. Not kosher : TREF. This stumped some last time.

40. Cooler in hot weather : ICE TEA.  No D.

41. Poked : NOSED

46. Gripe from the weary : NO REST

47. Netmen's org. : ATP

48. It has its ups and downs : THE DOW

49. Mother with a Nobel prize : TERESA

52. Super Bowl XLVII champs : RAVENS. Can't they just change Roman numerals to the year? 

53. Ancient capital of Macedonia : EDESSA. In modern day Turkey. Learned from doing xwords.

54. With 106-Down, 2000s Secretary of Labor : ELAINE. And 106. See 54-Down : CHAO. She was born in Taiwan, where Jayce spent a few years. The best snacks are made in Taiwan, in my opinion.

55. Scamp : RASCAL

57. Covent Garden offerings : OPERAS

58. Intolerant sort : RACIST

59. "The Karate Kid" co-star Pat : MORITA

62. German article : EIN

65. Hi-__ : FIs

67. "If I Had a Hammer" co-writer : SEEGER (Pete)

69. Washington's Grand __ Dam : COULEE. Is this pronounced the same as "Cooli"? 

71. __ Park, N.J. : MENLO. And 83. I-95 comprises most of it in N.J. : TPKE

72. Science guy Bill : NYE

73. Swimming spots : PONDS

76. Israeli port : HAIFA

77. "__ move" : YOUR

80. Marsh bird : EGRET

85. Open, in a way : UNLATCH

86. 100 lbs. : CWT. Another answer I only see in xwords. It stands for "Centum weight". Centum= Hundred.

87. Spacious : ROOMY

89. Prefaced : LED INTO

90. Ticks by : ELAPSES

91. Breakfast spot : ALCOVE

92. Ribbed : TEASED

93. Beach hazard : UV RAYS

94. Steelhead, e.g. : TROUT

95. Lincoln's first vice president : HAMLIN. Hannibal Hamlin.

96. Tony-winning playwright Eve : ENSLER. No idea. But I must have googled her before. I remember seeing her play title: "The Vagina Monologues".

100. "The Merry Widow" composer : LEHAR (Franz)

102. "Whip It" band : DEVO

103. Ties in Tokyo : OBIs

105. Bank offerings : ATMS

107. Menu that includes suggestions : HELP. Computer menu.

111. It's often cured : HAM

112. Eagles' org. : BSA. Boy Scouts.

113. Medical suffix : OMA

C.C.

Sunday November 24, 2013 Mark Feldman

Theme: "Cooked Books" - Each theme entry sounds like a well-known novel. (Added later:  I did not catch the theme fully. Please click here to read Orange's explanation. Two of the words in each book title rhyme with the original words.)

25A. Tolstoy novel about game hunting? : BOAR AND GEESE. "War and Peace".

 

31A. London novel about gentlemen coming to blows? : BRAWL OF THE MILD. "Call of the Wild".

 

52A. Salinger novel about an alien abduction? : SNATCHER IN THE SKY. "Catcher in the Rye"

70A. Dreiser novel about a prominent British prince? : MISTER HARRY. "Sister Carrie".

82A. Brontë novel about the rigors of ballet training? : SMOTHERING TIGHTS.  "Wuthering Heights".

104A. Forster novel about the mysterious death of Tutenkhamen? : A TOMB WITH A CLUE. "A Room with a View". King Tut.

115A. Steinbeck novel about a spiritual vegan? : OF RICE AND ZEN. "Of Mice and Men".

Did I miss any extra layer that further coheres the theme? 

When I read the puzzle title "Cooked Books", I thought it might be an anagram. Consulted with our Oracle Argyle, he said "It doesn't pay to analyze puns too much".

I'm eager to read what you guys have to say.

Across:

1. Skye cap : TAM. Saw this clue before, so an easy start.

4. Long yarn : SAGA. Bob, who reads but not comments on our blog, sent me these pictures last night. It's carved from a single tree trunk.  Total length: 12.286 meters. Click here to for more. 4 years. Talk about patience.

8. Wide open areas? : SPACES

14. Fix after an outage, as a clock : RE-SET

19. Genetics lab study : RNA

20. Yemen neighbor : OMAN

21. Old Spanish sailing force : ARMADA

22. Small egg : OVULE

23. Fingers : IDs. Verb.

24. __ the Merciless: Flash Gordon foe : MING

27. Most texts : MESSAGES. Do you texting  or calling your kids, PK?

29. Informer : RAT

30. Intimidated : DAUNTED

35. Assembled : MET

36. Computer acronym : ASCII

37. Get : SEE

38. DDE rival : AES (Adlai Ewing Stevenson)

40. "__ Miniver" : MRS

43. Murder mystery staple : CORPSE

45. Credit (to) : ASCRIBE

49. Court happening : TRIAL

51. Spot for a pad : KNEE

56. Good, in Hebrew : TOV.  "Mazel tov!"

57. Clear : RID

58. Bygone bringers of blocks : ICEMEN

59. Spanish appetizer : TAPA. I like Korean appetizers (Banchan). I like all pickled stuff.

63. Stir up : WAKEN

65. Tinted : HUED

68. Despicable : BASE

69. "What a shame!" : ALAS

72. Big name in elevators : OTIS

73. Daffy : BATS

74. NFL pick sixes, e.g. : INTS (Interceptions)

75. Red dye : EOSIN. Rooted in Eos, the Greek goddess of the dawn. Hence red, I suppose.

 76. Guy dolls : KENS

77. Check : ARREST. One-word clue can be very tricky.

79. Belief: Suff. : ISM

80. Cleo's undoing : ASP

87. One may overlook a loch : BRAE

91. Perfume with myrrh, say : CENSE. Valid word, as Yellowrocks showed us once. Please ignore those snarky anons, Kathy, do tell you about your visit to Israel. What's their typical breakfast? Do they have bagel shops there?

92. Crowd __ : PLEASER

93. Crowd : THRONG

95. More than feasts (on) : ODs

96. Pancake-making facilitator : MIX

97. Photo __ : OPS

100. Swiss mathematician : EULER

101. Email attachment, briefly : PDF

109. Gulf War missile : PATRIOT

113. Former president of Pakistan : ZIA. Wiki said he's Pakistan's longest-serving head of state, ruling eleven years.

114. Lozenges, e.g. : SOOTHERS

118. "__.0": Comedy Central show : TOSH. Never watched the show. Hosted by Daniel Tosh.

119. Bad opening? : DYS. Like Dysfunctional.

120. Booze : SAUCE. Drunk.

121. R or X : RATING

122. Curved molding : OGEE

123. Not leave, with "up" : USE

124. Corners, in a way : TREES

125. Preoccupy : OBSESS

126. "O, let me not be mad" speaker : LEAR. I bet no Shakespearean clue can stump our Keith. He and Misty are both professors at the University of California, Irvine, though I don't think they've met each other.

127. Times in want ads : PMs

Down:

1. Sculpt, as hedges : TRIM BACK

2. "Winesburg, Ohio" author Sherwood : ANDERSON. Never heard of this guy or the book. 

3. Total drubbing : MASSACRE

4. Horn of Africa natives : SOMALIS

5. Baja buddy : AMIGO

6. Crooks, in slang : GANEFS. Learned from doing xwords.

7. Unsettled feelings, in Frankfurt : ANGSTE. New word to me. Quite close to our Angst.

8. Buffalo hockey player : SABRE.  I don't think I know any player from Buffalo Sabres, Splynter.

9. Tournament kickoff, perhaps : PRO-AM

10. Cremona craftsman : AMATI. Violin.

11. Beetle, for one : CAR.

12. Author LeShan : EDA

13. Bank deposit : SAND. Great clue.

14. Scoundrel : ROGUE

15. Affair : EVENT

16. Haggis ingredient : SUET. Suet is beef fat. Lard is pig fat.

17. "What __ is new?" : ELSE

18. Began a round, with "off" : TEED

26. Farm mom : DAM

28. Lift : SWIPE

32. __ wave : HEAT

33. Den : LAIR

34. Actress Mazar : DEBI

39. House mate?: Abbr. : SEN. Senate. I was stumped.

40. Pair, as two odd socks : MIS-MATE. This is the clue & Answer dupe (mate/MATE) Anon-T referred the other day.

41. Earns copiously : RAKES IN

42. Cunning : SLYNESS

44. Approx. : EST

46. Cliffside debris : SCREE

47. Violin parts : CHIN RESTS

48. Great American Ball Park player : RED

49. Cannabis compound : THC

50. Nike rival : REEBOK. Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, some kind of gazelle.

53. Sure to end badly : NO-WIN

54. "Stop, sailor!" : AVAST

55. Considerable : TIDY

59. Hot stuff : TABASCO. I bet Lucina has a bottle in her fridge.

60. Fearful : ALARMED

61. Arts supporters : PATRONS

62. Furniture and fixtures, say : ASSETS

64. Gold meas. : KTs (Karats)

65. Eats : HAS

66. Dickens' Heep : URIAH

67. "The Hat Makes the Man" artist : ERNST (Max)

70. Wee bit : MITE

71. Pal, slangily : HOMIE

78. Lady, e.g. : SHE

79. Supermarket franchise initials : IGA

81. L.A. hours : PST. I think Rich does read our blog, Bill G, probably not every day, as he's extremely busy with all the puzzle submissions/editing/reader mails and other newspaper stuff we're not aware of.

83. Turning meas. : RPM

84. Hip bones : ILIA

85. Call in a bakery : NEXT

86. Develop : GROW

87. "Scottish Fantasy" composer : BRUCH (Max). Jazzbumap knows him. Not me. German composer. Died in 1920.

 

88. In a ball : ROLLED UP

89. Arterial problem : ANEURYSM

90. Exits : EGRESSES

94. Subtly mottled, as fabric : HEATHER. Oh I know the pattern. Just don't know it has a specific name.

98. Starter's gun : PISTOL

99. Easy mark : STOOGE

101. Damage, so to speak : PRICE. I don't get this one. Can you give me a sentence to show how these two are equivalents?

102. Cubes in the kitchen : DICES. Verb "Cubes"!

103. Antagonist : FOE

105. Harriet's TV spouse : OZZIE

106. Appearances : MIENS. Also learned from doing xwords.

107. Beatle trademark : BANGS

108. Old Testament prophet : HOSEA. Needed crossing help.

109. Put up : POST

110. At a distance : AFAR

111. Faithful : TRUE

112. Poi source : TARO

116. Collar : NAB

117. Sot's problem : DTS

I'm excited to show you a recent picture of Agnes, our loving and witty Irish Miss. She said:

"I am on the right next to my sister, Eileen. This was taken Friday night (Nov 22, 2013)  at my sister Peggy's house, celebrating her 6 year old granddaughter's Luau-themed birthday party."

Notice her rings? Read here for details. She has since added a new ring.

Sunday November 17, 2013 C.C. Burnikel

 Theme: "Logical Connections" - ERGO is hidden in the middle of each theme entry.

 

24A. Imaginary kids' author : MOTHER GOOSE

31A. NFL commissioner since 2006 : ROGER GOODELL. The most powerful man in sports. 

49A. Zeus or Thor : THUNDER GOD

52A. Job interview subject : CAREER GOAL

 

87A. Sport with orange balls, perhaps : WINTER GOLF. Argyle gave me this clue. Golf is his passion.

89A. Lynne Cheney's predecessor : TIPPER GORE

103A. Hand-crafted belts, e.g. : LEATHER GOODS

114A. Vision-distorting condition caused by a few too many cold ones, slangily : BEER GOGGLES

And reveal entry:

122A. Logical connection hidden in eight puzzle answers : ERGO

C.C. here. 

This puzzle title is Rich's. Most of the clues are his too. You can click here to see my original submitted clues.

I initially had ERGO placed as the last Across entry, but it resulted in a pair of dupes:

1) SEES FIT (35A) &  SEE NO (107D)

2) ELSA (48D) & ELSIE  (113A)

So I moved ERGO one row up. Little 3-word dupes are tricky on Sundays, esp for fill like EAT/ATE.

  

Initial Lower Right Corner

Across:

1. Like Narcissus : VAIN

5. Tiny tiff : SPAT

9. The pyramids, for 28-Across : TOMBS. And 28. Pyramid figures : PHARAOHS. Too close not to be cross-referenced.

14. Yawn : GAPE

18. Two-time Italian prime minister Moro : ALDO. He stumped me last time. He was kidnapped and killed.  Wiki said this: When Moro was abducted, the government immediately took a hard line position: the "State must not bend" on "terrorist demands".

19. Zero __ : HOUR

20. Troubled greatly : ATE AT

21. Affected : ARTSY

22. Rewards for Fido : PATS

23. Kitchen add-on? : ETTE. Kitchenette.

26. Missouri River city : OMAHA

30. Flies into a rage : ERUPTS

33. [Like that!] : SNAP

34. Scrub : SCOUR. I like scouring my pots and pans. Therapeutic.

35. Deems proper : SEES FIT

38. "The Newsroom" channel : HBO. Created by Aaron Sorkin, the guy behind "You can't handle the truth!"

41. "Oh no!" : ACK

44. Miss the mark : ERR

45. Bob and bun : DOs

46. Cold cube in Cologne : EIS. Just ice.

47. Sign of life : PULSE

54. Bausch & Lomb brand : RENU

55. Bitty bites : NIPS

56. End of time? : SILENT E. Rich's clue.

57. Calendar rows: Abbr. : WKS

58. Prank : ANTIC

60. Gave a darn? : SEWED

62. Indulge, with "on" : DOTE

63. Lamb's lament : BAA

64. Bitty bits : ATOMS

67. Utter : SHEER. The sheer meanness of some anonymous posts on our blog! So glad our regulars don't engage them. They don't deserve our attention.

69. "Toy Story" composer Newman : RANDY. Very impressive career.

71. Water__: dental gadget : PIK

73. Us, in Cannes : NOUS.  Every girl was reading "Entre Nous" a few years ago.

75. Relevant, to lawyers : AD REM

77. Unlit? : SOBER. Also Rich's clue.

80. 1996 Olympic torch lighter : ALI

81. Short-range weapons : MORTARS

83. Too colorful : LOUD

86. Pure delight : GLEE. My feeling after watching Spitzboov's Guangzhou clip last week. Want to see the historical sites in my hometown Xi'An?

91. Kept under wraps : SAT ON

92. U.K. record label : EMI

93. Paper Mate rival : BIC

94. "Eww, spare me the details!" : TMI

95. Panda Express cooker : WOK. Boomer prefers the Super Grand Buffet here in MN.

96. California's Marina __ Rey : DEL. Five miles north of where Bill G lives. This photo is exactly 1-year-old. Jordan is now 9.

Bill G & his grandson Jordan

97. Toaster treat : POP TART

99. Henchmen : THUGS

101. Interpol home, locally : LYON. We add S, we also add S to Marseille. I don't know why.

108. Grocery load : ARMFUL

111. "Carmen" aria : HABANERA

113. Kama __ : SUTRA

116. Close link : BOND

118. Baseball feature : SEAM

119. Small part : CAMEO. I had a trivia for this one.

120. Square one : START

121. Being aired : ON TV

123. Wild plum : SLOE

124. Support staff: Abbr. : ASSTS

125. Unwanted sprout : WEED. And 56D. Sprouts-to-be : SEEDS

126. Slugger who hit his first home run off Clemens : SOSA. Did you know this trivia, TTP & Husker Gary?

Down:

1. Steam, e.g. : VAPOR

2. Texas landmark : ALAMO

3. Luggage clip-on : ID TAG

4. Bites : NOSHES

5. Every other hurricane : SHE

6. Mishmash : POTPOURRI

7. Name on a spine : AUTHOR. Book spine.

8. Tire pattern : TREAD

9. They may be hot : TAMALES. Lucina, do you prepare tamales for Thanksgiving also?

10. "Lawrence of Arabia" star : O'TOOLE

11. John Wesley's relig. : METH

12. Words of disgust : BAHs

13. Holy mlle. : STE

14. Occasionally awkward show of affection : GROUP HUG. I'm sure Dave and Manac will find the awkward ones.

15. Perching on : ATOP

16. Hushed "Hey!" : PSST

17. Spud's buds : EYES

21. Bhopal Shatabdi Express stop : AGRA. Easily guessable, right? It's hard to come up with fresh clues for AGRA or OREO.

25. Flat rate? : RENT

27. Like most golf shots : ARCED

29. Patch, as a lawn : RE-SOD

32. Bridge immortal : GOREN

33. Assent showing respeto : SI, SENOR. Respect.

36. Close tight : SEAL

37. Let go : FIRED

39. Detailed : BLOW BY BLOW

40. Yodo River city : OSAKA. Never head of Yodo River.

41. Razor handle : ATRA

42. "Big Brother" host Julie : CHEN

43. Gambian-born "Roots" character : KUNTA KINTE. I learned about slavery from watching "Roots".

45. Teaspoons, maybe : DOSES

47. Fusses in front of a mirror, say : PREENS

48. Model/actress Pataky : ELSA. She dated Adrien Brody for a few years.

50. Nantes night : NUIT

51. Rte. finder : GPS

52. Apple product : CIDER. Not iSomething. How do you like your Mac so far, D-Otto?

53. Jazz legend James : ETTA

59. Scam artists : CON MEN

61. Berth place : WHARF

65. Keep from drifting away : MOOR

66. Operation VIP : SURGEON

68. Dig find : RELIC

70. Big name in rap : DOGG. Snoop (Lion now) or Nate.

71. Bear hands : PAWS

72. Trojan War epic : ILIAD

74. Jazz dance : STOMP

76. Swabbing need : MOP

78. Gateway Arch designer Saarinen : EERO

79. Smell bad : REEK

82. Made a touchdown : ALIT

84. Play for higher stakes : UP THE ANTE

85. Beg to differ : DEMUR

88. Like most customer support numbers : TOLL-FREE

89. Powerful deity : TITAN

90. Mid-'40s World No. 1 tennis pro Bobby : RIGGS

93. Chicken servings : BREASTS

97. Sport with horses : POLO. I've got to link Nacho Figueras, the face of Polo.

98. Nobelist Camus : ALBERT

99. High chair : THRONE

100. Barflies : SOUSES

102. '80s-'90s Serbian auto import : YUGO

104. Quarterback known for kneeling : TEBOW (Tim). I thought he'd be another Tom Brady.

105. Alamogordo's county : OTERO

106. Party poopers : DRAGS

107. Island group near Fiji : SAMOA

108. Early lessons : ABCs

109. Bona fide : REAL

110. Staff note : MEMO

111. 5'4" and 6'2": Abbr. : HGTS. That's mine and Boomer's.

112. "Poor me!" : ALAS

115. Govt. property agency : GSA

117. Redbox rental : DVD

C.C.