Sunday November 10, 2013 Gail Grabowski

Theme: "Working Overtime" - OT spans across each theme entry.

 27A. Chocolate source : CACAO TREE

29A. One working with hammers : PIANO TUNER. Don G is one.

49A. Pest-snaring device : MOSQUITO TRAP. Summer in MN is lovely, except the mosquitoes. Ferocious.

64A. Classroom reminder : NO TALKING

83A. Cold War concept advanced by Eisenhower : DOMINO THEORY

101A. Outdoor furniture piece : PATIO TABLE. The Amish guy at our Annadale flea market makes beautiful patio furniture.

104A. Martial arts maneuver : JUDO THROW

36D. "That Girl" actress : MARLO THOMAS. Wife of Dr. Phil. (Edited later: She's married to Phil Donahue. Not Dr. Phil. Thanks for pointing out my mistake, D-Otto and others.)

40D. Naval weapons launcher : TORPEDO TUBE. Argyle can tell you more about it.

Reveal entry:

109D. NFL tiebreakers hidden in this puzzle's nine longest answers : OTs

You probably noticed that nearly all theme entries start in Row 3. Gail started this one in Row 4, similar to her "Tee Time" puzzle here.

Many of Gail's weekday 15*15 grids feature the classic pinwheel design, two theme entries Across, two entries Down. And you'll always find two theme answers in Down in her Sunday grids.

Across:

1. Tournament exemptions : BYEs

5. Sourpuss : PILL

9. Evaluate : JUDGE

14. Leaves at the last minute, in a way : JILTS

19. Fly, at times : LURE. Fishing.

20. Trendy berry : ACAI. I love Organix. They have a shampoo with Acai berry ingredient.

21. Australian exports : OPALs

22. Cat Nation people : ERIES. Did not know Cat Nation. Carrie Nation, Yes.

23. Overlook : OMIT

24. Registered, with "in" : SANK

25. __ Bell: Emily Brontë pen name : ELLIS. Here is the first edition of "Wuthering Heights". Ellis Bell. Never knew this trivia.

26. Up to this point : SO FAR

31. Bold move : DARE. Love Spitzboov's Mark Twain quote last week: Explore. Dream. Discover.

32. Suit : BEFIT

33. Enthusiasm : VIM

34. Cath. church eponym : ST. MARY

37. Heart container : CHEST

39. Probate concerns : ESTATES

43. Qualifying races : HEATS

44. Scored 75, say : HAD A "C". This kind of HAD A B/C answer is always hard for me.

45. Stretched to the max : TAUT

47. "Don't think so" : NOPE

48. Spread unit : ACRE

52. Cartoon dog : REN

53. Flyers' org. : NHL. I had this in my LAT on Tuesday. Barry G did not like it as it's an Abbr. It's a perfectly fine entry to me,  and I won't hesitate to use any time. Same with MLB, NBA, NFL, PGA, etc.

54. Sealing supplies : TAPES

55. Museum opening? : ART. Art museum.

56. Gathered : REAPED

58. Anka song with the phrase "kiss me mucho" : ESO BESO

60. Shot with lots of English : MASSE. Here, English is the spin.

62. Underline, say : STRESS

63. Work on an arm, maybe : TAT (Tattoo)

68. Flaky fish : COD

69. African hot spot : SAHARA

72. APB targets : PERPS

73. Galena, for one : LEAD ORE

77. Big name in food safety : ECOLAB. Based here in MN. Huge.

78. P.I. : TEC (Detective)

79. Captain's reference : CHART. Sea captain.

81. Daly of "Wings" : TIM. Tyne Daly's brother.

82. CD-__ : ROM

87. Starkers, across the pond : NUDE. Dictionary says British use "Starkers" for "naked". Learning moment for me, Steve! I actually read the clue as "Stalkers".

88. Snap up : GRAB

90. Vessels at banquets : URNS

91. Golfer's choice : WEDGE. DRIVER, PUTTER, IRON, that's all.

92. Cotton thread : FIBER

93. Like attached baths, in Bordeaux : EN SUITE

95. Ends of the earth : POLES

96. Sunday best : FINERY

97. Retired boomer : SST. This clue always makes me smile.

98. Image Awards org. : NAACP

100. "What __ could I do?" : ELSE

109. Ripley's closing words : OR NOT

110. Cousteau's realm : OCEAN

111. Rush job letters : ASAP

112. O'Neill's daughter : OONA

 

113. O'Neal's daughter : TATUM. Nice pair of clues.

114. "I can't go all my life waiting to catch you between husbands" speaker : RHETT

115. Lowers : DIMS

116. Created fiction? : LIED

117. Whack, biblically : SMITE

118. Rainy day brand : TOTES. Umbrella.

119. Not a challenge : EASY

120. Fraternal group : ELKS. For Abejo. He's very active in volunteer work.

Down:

1. Voting coalition : BLOC

2. Arizona county or its seat : YUMA

3. Stonestreet of "Modern Family" : ERIC. Gimme for Bill G, who's a fan of the show, or maybe just the lady in red.

4. Begin wedding plans : SET A DATE

5. Baklava, e.g. : PASTRY. Its texture seems to be similar to that of moon cakes.

6. Comforting comment : I CARE

7. Roped-off pool area : LANE

8. Facebook option : LIKE

9. "Casino" co-star : JOE PESCI

10. Elevate : UPLIFT.  Terry Gross had a great interview with Chris Hadfield last week. Very uplifting. He lives what Mark Twain preached (Great quote last week, Spitzboov): Explore. Dream. Discover.

11. __ Lama : DALAI. Good guy, though I do strongly believe Tibet is part of China.

12. Sun-on-ocean effect : GLINT

13. Canadian pump sign : ESSO

14. Like Boston College, say : JESUIT

15. Certain triathlete : IRONMAN

16. "... a tale / Told by an idiot": Macbeth : LIFE. How sad!

17. Forgo scissors : TEAR

18. Outdated geopolitical letters : SSR

28. They're secured in locks : OARS. Great clue!

30. Emmy winners, often : TV STARS

32. Inamorato : BEAU

34. Western classic : SHANE

35. Geek Squad pros : TECHS. Costly.

37. Discounted buy : CASE

38. Command posts: Abbr. : HDQS. I just use HQ.

39. Where to leave Port. : EUR. OK, I saw the . after Port, so does Port. here refer to Portugal?

41. Duel tools : EPEES

42. Ships : SENDS

44. Biker's welcome : HOP ON

45. Many sculptures : TORSI

46. When some folks retire : AT TEN. To bed!

49. Postgrad degrees : MAs

50. They may be assigned : TASKS

51. Family adoptee : PET CAT

54. The classical elements, e.g. : TETRAD. Chinese had 5: Fire, Earth, Metal, Water  & Wood.

57. Yankee slugger, familiarly : A-ROD. Here are just 3 of his ex-girlfriends. He dumped Cameron Diaz.

59. False god : BAAL

60. Florida's __ Island, near Naples : MARCO

61. Wildspitze, for one : ALP. We had the same clue earlier this year.

65. Agree to join : OPT IN

66. Typical Nome winter highs : TEENS

67. Driving hazard : GLARE

69. Twilled fabric : SERGE. Left, not the fabric on the right.

70. Squash variety : ACORN

71. On the verge of doing it : ABOUT TO

74. Hatch back? : ERY. Hatchery. Did you read the story about that New Hampshire farmer who feeds beer to his turkeys? 

75. Subway patron : RIDER

76. Rough stuff : EMERY

79. Turn over : CEDE

80. Fails to share : HOGS

84. One of a G.I.'s three squares : MRE

85. Unsolicited opinion : TWO CENTS

86. Toolbar offering : HELP

87. Like a short golf round : NINE HOLE. Gail plays golf. So does Rich, who used to be a scratch golfer. 

89. Escape, as a con : BUST OUT

92. Ring weapon : FIST. OK, boxing.

94. "Am I the problem?" : IS IT ME

95. It's a matter of taste : PALATE

96. Sister of Peter : FLOPSY. Peter Rabbit.

 98. Chip with cheese : NACHO

99. Red as __ : A BEET

100. Coated cheeses : EDAMS

101. Bath buggy : PRAM

102. Foe : ANTI

103. Civil wrong : TORT

104. Shade of green : JADE. Cantonese girls like to wear jade on a red string.  Jade is supposed to bring you good luck.

105. Old Voice of America org. : USIA (United States Information Agency, 1953 to 1999)

106. Muddy up : ROIL

107. .62 mi., in a race : ONE K. It's clued as "Short run, for short" yesterday. You won't find identical clues for the same entry for at least a month in LAT puzzles.

108. Rolls of notes : WADS

C.C.

Sunday November 3, 2013 Arthur S. Verdesca

Theme: "The Doctor Is In" - MD is embedded in the middle of each theme entry.

23A. Perry Mason story, e.g. : COURTROOM DRAMA. Which is your favorite? I never understood the fun in #23.  I like "A Few Good Men" the most.

45A. Symbol of a bettor's certainty : BOTTOM DOLLAR

54A. Post-hurricane assessment : STORM DAMAGE. Guangzhou is a subtropical city. I always dreaded when we had big typhoons. I lived in the very old part of the town. The water drainage was so bad that I couldn't go home without a raft.

73A. Like some locomotives : STEAM-DRIVEN

81A. Coen or Stone : FILM DIRECTOR. Here is my favorite director: Zhang Yi-Mou. He directed "Red Sorghum" (based on Nobel laureate Mo Yan's novel), "Hero" (Jet Li movie), the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Most importantly, he grew up in my hometown Xi'An.

103A. Made-to-order : CUSTOM-DESIGNED

32D. Winners can be determined by one : RANDOM DRAWING

36D. Coffee break treat : CREAM DOUGHNUT. I always spell it as "Donut".

104D. Puzzle title people hidden in eight long answers : MDS

Look what I found! Today's constructor Arthur S. Verdesca is a MD. One other website shows he's 83 years old, 16 years younger than our other LAT constructor Bernice Gordon.

Simple theme. I grokked the gimmick very early on.

Across:

  

1. Obama attorney general Holder : ERIC. Easy start.

5. Rattle : FAZE

9. Bros : BUDS

13. Online letters : EMAILS

19. Commandment opener : THOU. "Thou shalt not...".

20. One missing roll call, perhaps : AWOL

21. Per person : A POP

22. Deadhead's idol : GARCIA (Jerry)

26. Insatiable : GREEDY

27. Some deer : BUCK 

28. Shorten, as a skirt :RE-HEM. And 60D. Revealing garb : MINIs. Every girl seemed to wear this Zara skirt this past summer. Zara, Zara, please come to Minnesota!

29. Bad acting : SIN

30. Onetime Rus. state : SSR

33. Busy buzzer : BEE

34. Strains : TAXES

35. Restraint usually seen in pairs : MANACLE. Big D'oh!

39. Montana motto metal : PLATA. "Oro y Plata".

41. Yemen's capital : SANA'A

42. Do clerical work : FILE

43. Stimpy's pal : REN. Popular dog in xwords.

44. Zest source : RIND

48. SFO listing : ETD

49. Everyday connectors : ANDs

50. Jesus of baseball : ALOU. 3/4 are vowels, hence its frequent appearances our grids.

51. Durban dough : RAND. Here is what Wiki says: Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa and Africa. Shanghai is the busiest in the world.

52. Bloom holder : VASE

53. Fight stopper : TKO (Technical Knockout)

58. Disney king : SIMBA. "The Lion King"

59. "Fearful" feature of Blake's Tyger : SYMMETRY. Read here.

61. Tasman and a Genesis shepherd : ABELs

62. Sneeze cause : DANDER

63. Took the plunge : DIVED

64. Tapestry behind which Polonius hid : ARRAS

65. Abstain from : FORGO

66. "The Weaver of Raveloe" : MARNER (Silas)

68. Unit or sect suffix : ARIAN. Strange suffix.

69. Surgical tie : LIGATURE. New word to me.

72. Oil well firefighter Red : ADAIR

75. Catch : GET

76. Shooting marbles : TAWS. Has any of you played TAWS before?

77. Stub __ : A TOE

78. Voyaging, say : ASEA

79. Scorch : CHAR

80. Letters seen before Fridays : TGI

85. Where TV's "Charlie's Angels" was set : IN LA

86. A, for Mozart : EIN

87. Riles up : IRES

88. Gets ready to shoot : COCKS

89. Dick Tracy creator Chester : GOULD. Another learning moment for me.

90. Access, in a way : LOG ONTO

92. Cats in Cádiz : GATOS. Los Gatos!

93. Seek redress : SUE

95. Rope on the briny : TYE. For Spitzboov. I was stumped.

96. Classic auto : REO

97. Irish tenor Tynan : RONAN. Gimme for Irish Miss.

98. Brazilian range __ do Mar : SERRA. Never heard of it.

100. Minor league baseball level : CLASS A

108. House minority leader : PELOSI (Nancy)

109. '40s film critic James : AGEE

110. Nihilistic art movement : DADA

111. Follow : OBEY

112. Carl with Emmys : REINER. Bob Reiner's father. (Edited later: Rob Reiner! Thanks, TTP.)

113. Supply in a farm country store : FEED

114. Certain terrier's isle : SKYE

115. Big wind : GALE

Down:

1. And so on: Abbr. : ETC

2. Letter after pi : RHO

3. Signed promise : IOU

4. Restrain : CURB

5. Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest," e.g. : FARCE

6. Stirred : AWOKE

7. Madhouses : ZOOS

8. Disease-struck tree : ELM. Hard to find fresh way to clue ELM, or OREO.

9. Legal hurdle : BAR EXAM

10. Toward the front : UP AHEAD

11. Stadium protectors : DOMES

12. Cyberjunk : SPAM

13. Deli sandwich : EGG SALAD. Not for my taste. I do like Potato salad with eggs in it though.

14. Coleridge storyteller : MARINER

15. __ football : ARENA

16. Curling surface : ICE

17. Eye protector : LID

18. Utter : SAY

24. Big wind : TUBA

25. Pipe cleaner : DRANO

30. Jack and the missus of verse : SPRATS

31. Spring toy : SLINKY

34. "The Genius of Keyboard" jazzman : TATUM (Art). I was unaware he's called that.

35. "Toad of Toad Hall" playwright : MILNE

37. Doesn't disturb : LETS BE

38. Make cherished : ENDEAR

40. NFL six-pointers : TDs

41. It may be long : STORY

42. Loses strength : FLAGS

45. Baker's preparation : BATTER. I had never used an oven until I came to the states. We don't bake bread there. We steam.

46. Prayer opener : O LORD

47. Scary tests : ORALS

52. 20, in Toulouse : VINGT. French for Abejo!

54. Lop off : SEVER

55. "Beavis and Butt-head" spin-off : DARIA. Total stranger to me.

56. Milhous : Nixon :: __ : Garfield : ABRAM

57. Lennon's "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except __ My Monkey" : ME AND

58. Kitchen wrap : SARAN

62. Mark for future reference : DOG-EAR. Please Don't! And please don't be so mean and hide behind your anonymous mask and attack regulars on our blog.

64. Thin as __ : A REED. I use A RAIL.

65. McGarrett's outfit, familiarly : FIVE-O. Hawaii Five-O.

66. Hot Wheels maker : MATTEL

67. Slow work : ADAGIO

68. Basic building material : ATOMs

69. Leans : LISTS

70. "No kidding" : REALLY

71. Online financial site : E-TRADE

73. Pope in Attila's time : ST LEO. They met each other, correct?

74. Book displays : RACKS

77. Like a dogfight missile : AIR-TO-AIR

79. AFL partner : CIO

81. Tactful handling : FINESSE

82. Song title words before "for Miles" : I CAN SEE.  No idea. The Who's  "I can see for Miles".

83. Took turns in succession : ROTATED

84. Budget, in brand names : ECONO

89. Spice Girl Halliwell : GERI

91. Small-screen Bean : ORSON

92. Overcharge : GOUGE

93. Run-down : SEEDY

94. Bears, to Ovid : URSAE

97. North Amer. WWII fliers : RCAF. OK, Royal Canadian Air Force.

98. The Missouri R. runs through it : S DAK

99. All excited : AGOG

100. ER procedure : CPR

101. Dixie general : LEE

102. Poetic fighter : ALI

105. Bird's org. : NBA. Larry Bird.

106. Slippery one : EEL

107. Salon stock : DYE

The fifth annual Crosswords LA tournament was held in Santa Monica on October 26. For those who weren't able to attend, the puzzles are now available for purchase. The cost is $10, with proceeds donated to support the charity Reading to Kids (http://readingtokids.org). You'll receive crosswords by Elizabeth Gorski, Jeffrey Harris, Aimee Lucido & Zoe Wheeler, Todd McClary, Andrea Carla Michaels, Pete Muller, Trip Payne, and David Steinberg. All expertly edited by Tyler Hinman. The Puzzle Pack also includes a fun Ferris wheel-themed puzzle suite by John Doppler Schiff.

Please head on over to http://crosswordnexus.com/store/ to download the Puzzle Pack!

C.C.

Sunday October 27, 2013 Ed Sessa

Theme: "Catching Some Zs" - Z sound is added to the end of a long vowel in each theme entry. The transformed new words are all in the pattern of *ZE.

24A. Really big hangover? : A DAZE LIKE NO OTHER. A day like no other.

36A. Mythical siren's boast? : I CALL 'EM AS I SEIZE 'EM. I call 'em as I see 'em.

50A. Couch potato's preparations? : LAZE AWAY PLAN. Layaway plan.

66A. North Pole resident's motto? : LIVE FREEZE OR DIE. Live Free or Die.

89A. "You might wanna clean your glasses"? : THAT AIN'T HAZE. That ain't hay.

100A. Harvest time in the Corn Belt? : MERRY MONTH OF MAIZE. Merry month of May.

117A. "L, XL, XXL—who cares?"? : A SIZE IS JUST A SIZE. Double action here. A sigh is just a sigh. From the lyric of "As Time Goes By": ... a kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh..."

So we caught 8 Z's in 7 theme entries, mostly are all fairly long. Theme answers with 16 or more letters are not easy to handle, esp if you have Z's or J's or X'es. Actually K's are tricky too.

But Ed is a pro, every Down *Z* is a clean fill. Ed is one of the very few constructors who make both themed and themeless grids. I think themeless experience is very important when it comes to Sunday grids.

Ed Sessa, Xword Info

Across:

1. Cry from the heartbroken : ALAS

5. All-in-one Apple : iMAC. Does it work better than PC, D-Otto?

9. Masterful, pitching-wise : NO-HIT.  Who is your all-time favorite pitcher?

14. 92-Across newbie : PLEBE. And 92A. Annapolis inst. : USNA. Our Navy guy Spitzboov graduated from RPI, so did the Saturday Stud.

19. Bits of fibrous fuzz : LINT

20. Second ballot, often : RUN-OFF VOTE. This is plurable, isn't it?

22. Marathoner, e.g. : RACER

23. Dole (out) : METE

26. Bond film title beginning : A VIEW.  "A View to a Kill".

28. Title for Lancelot : SIR

29. Blow-ups : ERUPTIONS

30. Video file format : MPEG. Did not know what it stands for until today: Moving Picture Experts Group.

32. Online read, for short : E-MAG. So, TTP, what do you read for fun? I hope it's not those boring tech stuff.

35. Nada, to Nanette : RIEN. "De rien" = "You're welcome".

42. Demolition material : TNT

45. Rain delay result : LATE START

46. Prefix with scope : TELE

47. In __ of: replacing : LIEU

48. NYC subway : IRT

49. Better part of a loaf? : HALF. Half a loaf is better than none. 

54. George Smiley portrayer Guinness : ALEC

56. Rihanna song title meaning "I love you" : TE AMO.  Thanks for  the additional "I love you". I don't really know any of her songs.

58. Nicholas II's consort : ALEXANDRA

59. Florida's "Blue Monster" golf course : DORAL. Lemonade played there once.

61. Museum gift shop offering, briefly : REPRO

64. Loser to DDE : AES (Adlai Ewing Stevenson)

65. Balaam's mount : ASS

72. Toon Chihuahua : REN. Ren & Stimpy.

75. Crab eater's neckwear : BIB

76. Treat with disdain : SCORN

77. Belarusian bread : RUBLE. Money! I bet Joe Biden will be stumped by this clue.

81. Whatever the price : AT ANY COST

85. Nasal airways : NARES. Learned from doing Xwords.

88. Unlike fiction : REAL

94. Wheel spinner's purchase : AN "I". "Wheel of Fortune".

95. Foot segment : INCH

96. Aviation prefix : AERO

97. Valedictorians, e.g. : A STUDENTS. Yellowrocks must be one.

99. Alley-__ pass: hoops play : OOP

104. Prescription indication : DOSE

105. List catchall : ET AL

106. Mardi Gras, for one : FETE

107. Caddies of old : EL DORADOS. Cadillacs. Not the likes of Steve Williams I had in mind. Good old days, Tiger!

112. Yak : JAW 

114. Big name in bookselling : NOBLE. Barnes & Noble. I was upset Amazon upped their free shipping to $35 a few days ago.

122. Bigheaded : VAIN

123. Debussy contemporary : RAVEL. No "Boléro" today. Let's try "Daphnis et Chloé".

124. Steinbeck novel set in the Salinas Valley : EAST OF EDEN. I saw the movie because of James Dean. He's OK. No Daniel Craig.

125. Iberian river : EBRO

126. Nixon fundraiser Maurice : STANS. No idea. Look, Shakopee, he was born in MN! I've been to Shakopee. The big racing track Canterbury Park is there. Also a big casino.

127. Path to a wedding : AISLE

128. Posted : SENT

129. Breads for Reubens : RYES. EddyB liked his Reubens.

Down:

1. __ mater : ALMA

2. Actor Schreiber : LIEV. Did you see "Glengarry Glen Ross"?

 3. Part of the Enterprise's power source : ANTIMATTER. "Star Trek" stuff. No idea.

4. Pealing place : STEEPLE

5. CPA's recommendation : IRA

6. Strong java : MUD. Do you drink "Strong java", PK?

7. Santa __: offshore winds : ANAs

8. Like the best fireplace fire : COZIEST

9. Org. with Bucs and Broncos : NFL

10. Duct opening? : OVI. Oviduct.

11. Manipulate, as statistics, with "up" : HOKE.  I fogot. We had this before.

12. Old Roman way : ITER

13. Teacher's security : TENURE

14. President __ : PRO TEM

15. Language of many a motto : LATIN

16. It's repetitive : ECHO. Indeed.

17. "Someone's __ sleeping in my bed" : BEEN

18. Slips : ERRS

 21. 1938 Physics Nobelist : FERMI (Enrico). This guy is never a gimme for me.

25. Role for Ronny : OPIE

27. Llanfairpwll citizens : WELSH. Never heard of Llanfairpwll. See here. Steve might have stopped there before.

31. Imply : GET AT

33. Nick and Nora's dog : ASTA. And 39D. Line for 33-Down : ARF ARF

34. "Shoot" : GEEZ

36. 24-part epic : ILIAD

37. "Two Women" producer Ponti : CARLO. Husband of Bill G's Sophia Loren.

38. Like all bucks and some broncos : MALE

40. Intestinal parts : ILEA

41. Enthusiasm : ZEAL

42. Oscar winner Swinton of "Michael Clayton" : TILDA. The George Clooney movie. Glooney is single again!! (Sorry, Clooney, typo, Call Me, Maybe?)

43. Approaches : NEARS

44. Albacore and ahi : TUNAs

47. Hosp. worker : LPN

50. Easy strides : LOPES

51. Sport : WEAR

52. Felled in the forest : AXED

53. PLO chairman before Mahmoud : YASIR

55. "Iron man" Ripken : CAL. Very classy guy. He was at Kirby Puckett's funeral.

57. Sea, overseas : MER

60. Tripoli's country : LIBYA

62. R&R component: Abbr. : REC. Wow, Recuperation? I always thought R & R stands for "rest and relaxation".

63. One of the greenhouse gases : OZONE

67. One of a Caesarean trio : VICI. "Veni, vidi, vici"!

68. Poet's deep black : EBON

69. Reagan __ : ERA

70. Torrent : ONRUSH

71. Aus. setting : EUR

72. 9 to 5, e.g. : RATIO. Great clue.

73. Prefix with botany : ETHNO

74. Rights gp. since 1909 : NAACP

78. Collectible stuffed animal : BEANIE BABY. Lots on sale at the flea markets.

79. Woody Woodpecker's creator : LANTZ. I only know his given name Walter.

80. Beethoven's "Für __" : ELISE

82. Degree in math : NTH

83. Guide to Bethlehem : STAR

84. "__ are the we of me": McCullers : THEY. What does the quote mean?

86. Juan's "this" : ESTO

87. Put (out) : SNUFF

90. Weapon for Napoleon : ARME

91. __ suit: '40s apparel : ZOOT

93. Commercial developers : AD MEN

97. They have legends : ATLASES

98. Dine next door, say : EAT OVER. If it's Chez Jayce's.

100. Honeycomb-like fungi : MORELS. Our grocery store has the dried ones. Very pricey.

101. Morales of "NYPD Blue" : ESAI. Tony. LaLaLinda's faovrite TV cop is Andy Sipowicz. Or maybe Lennie Briscoe? I forgot.

102. Exodus obstacle : RED SEA

103. City south of Baghdad : NAJAF. In red. Does the "An" mean "the"?

104. Pair of sixes : DOZEN

107. Hammer sites : EARS. Tricky clue.

108. Future jurist's exam, for short : LSAT

109. Prima donna : DIVA

110. California home of the Bionic Woman : OJAI

111. Figure (out) : SUSS

113. Like EE shoes : WIDE

115. Old Pisa dough : LIRE. Money again. "Pisa dough" for Dave!

116. Slaughter in the field : ENOS. And 118. Letters for baseball's Cards : STL. What is Pujols thinking now?

119. Kid's piggy : TOE

120. Buddhism sect : ZEN

121. Tonsillectomy MD : ENT

Happy Birthday to my husband Boomer, who's going to bowl at the Midwest Senior Classic today. Boomer has been coaching the bowling team at his old high school and found the volunteering work extremely rewarding.

C.C.

Sunday October 20, 2013 John Farmer

Theme: "Grid Lines" - Familiar phrases are re-interpreted as if they are lines spoken in the situation specified in the clues.

23A. Borderline? : PAPERS, PLEASE. The airport immigration officers actually just looked at my visa. The visa guy at the American Consulate in Guangzhou checked my various papers.

29A. Deadline? : I'M IN HEAVEN. I'm still undecided about heaven.

43A. Beeline? : I LOVE YOU, HONEY. For Melissa, who is taking extended leave from our blog due to family matter.

60A. Skyline? : GET OFF OF MY CLOUD. The Rolling Stones song. Slight dupe with the OFF at the intersecting RUNOFF.

68A. Dateline? : YOUR PLACE OR MINE. So apt.

90A. Neckline? : KISS ME, YOU FOOL. Argyle said it's "A classic line from romantic comedies". Where did it originate?

102A. Unemployment line? : YOU'RE FIRED. Donald Trump.

111A. Foul line? : THAT'S NOT FAIR. So who are you rooting for: Cardinals or the Red Sox? Ortiz was never that good when he was with the Twins.

Total 100 theme squares. Perfect. 

I'm so happy to blog a John Farmer puzzle. As I mentioned before, John always delights me with his creative themes or innovative approach to a tried theme.

John Farmer, Xword Info

In today's puzzle, John arranged all his theme entries in Across. Since his shortest theme entries have 10 letters, he did not put any 10-letter non-theme fill in Across to confuse solvers. He put them (4) in Down. The grid also features two smooth 9's and eight lovely 8's.

Across:

1. Chocoholic, e.g. : ADDICT. I'm not. You?

7. Stadium near Citi Field : ASHE

11. Young socialite : DEB

14. Corsica neighbor : ELBA

18. Maternity dress choice : MUUMUU. How unusual. Four U's.

19. Agenda details : ITEMS

21. Actress Gardner : AVA

22. Cry out for : NEED

25. McCarthy era paranoia : RED SCARE. Thank God I did not join the Chinese Communist Party. US government would not have approved my immigration.

27. "Citizen Kane" prop : SLED. Rosebud.

28. Civil rights leader Chavez : CESAR

31. Course expectation : PAR. Golf course.

32. Copier abbr. : LTR

34. Progressing according to plan : ON TARGET

35. Natural selection adherent : DARWINIST

40. Port for a mouse : USB. Remember the old days when we had to use wired mouse & keyboard?

42. Anger : IRE

45. Refrain syllable : TRA

46. Beaut : GEM

49. Arizona tribe members : PIMAS. So are HOPIS.

50. Timber fungus : DRY ROT

51. Remedy for wearing of the green? : SOD. Golf green, correct?

52. Emerald City pooch : TOTO. "The Wizard of Oz".

53. Precursor to rocksteady music : SKA. Wiki said Rocksteady is "a successor to ska and a precursor to reggae".

54. Airport accessible via BART : SFO

55. Almond-flavored cordial : AMARETTO

57. She brought Tzeitel and Lazar together : YENTE. Saw "Fiddler on the Roof" long long time ago. Don't remember those names.

64. Children's author Asquith : ROS. She stumped some last time. Click here.  I presume she writes those posts herself?

65. Apt. ad spec : RMs

66. Number on some watches : VII

67. Chem. pollutant : PCB

74. Some former polliwogs : TOADS

77. Get together at the factory, in a way : UNIONIZE

78. Words With Friends 10-pointer : ZEE.

79. Art to dye for? : TAT (Tattoo)

80. Big biceps, at the gym : GUNS

81. Reason for a 33-Down : TIE. 33D. Post-election election : RUNOFF

82. "The quality goes in before the name goes on" manufacturer : ZENITH. Owned by LG now.

86. Pal of Porky : DAFFY

88. Old spy gp. : OSS ( Office of Strategic Services). 1942-1945. Later became CIA.

89. Raided the fridge : ATE

92. Cholesterol abbr. : HDL. The good one.

93. "__-haw!" : YEE

94. Source of "helicopter seeds" : MAPLE TREE. I don't know those seeds are called "helicopter seeds".

95. 1989 Roseanne Barr title role : SHE-DEVIL. Never saw it. With Meryl Streep.

99. __ Paulo : SAO

102. Popular : HOT. Lots of girls are rocking these Phillip Lim for Target bags.

104. Shrub in a patch : BRIER

106. West Coast sch. : UCLA

110. Spider-Man, for Peter Parker : ALTER EGO

114. MS Word files : DOCS

115. Big time : EON

116. Lucifer : SATAN

117. What John has and Joan does not : SHORT O. Tricky clue. Joan has LONG O.

118. Washed-out : ASHY

119. "Do, or do not. There is no __": Yoda : TRY

120. Respond to flattery, maybe : MELT. Ha ha.

121. Shown the door : OUSTED

Down:

1. Current units : AMPS

2. __ citizenship : DUAL

3. Bamboozle : DUPE

4. Chatted with online : IM'ed

5. Mangy mutt : CUR

6. Birthplace of the Italian Renaissance : TUSCANY. And 20D. Six, in 6-Down : SEI

7. Feels bad : AILS

8. Underhand : STEALTHY

9. Cupid's target : HEART

10. Ambulance letters : EMS

11. "Dream Lover" singer : DARIN (Bobby)

12. It may be blessed : EVENT

13. Reason to keep something under your hat? : BAD HAIR DAY. Now my hair grows longer and I'll have lots of bad hair days in winter.

14. Keep in a coop : ENCAGE

15. Pull up stakes : LEAVE

16. Artist's headgear : BERET

17. Yemen coastal city : ADEN

24. "... and that's final!" : PERIOD

26. California mission founder Junípero : SERRA

30. Stage name of musician Richard Melville Hall : MOBY

31. Fruity concoctions : PIES


35. Green Teletubby : DIPSY. Learning moment for me.

36. How great minds think? : ALIKE

37. The Colosseum, the Forum, etc. : ROMAN RUINS

38. Ky. neighbor : WVA

39. __ La Table: high-end cookware shop : SUR. Never heard of it. Google shows they have one store in ritzy Edina.

41. Words before keys or wheels : SET OF

44. Approximately : OR SO

45. Agee of '60s-'70s baseball : TOMMIE. I think I have this card. Not worth anything.

46. Defend : GO TO BAT FOR

47. Response to a double-crosser : ET TU

48. Atmosphere : MOOD

51. 2000 US Open champ Marat __ : SAFIN. Unknown figure to me.

52. AT&T, e.g. : TELCO

56. Dept. store slip : RCPT

58. TimeCutter mowers, e.g. : TOROS

59. "A Season on the Brink" airer : ESPN. About Bobby Knight. It's ESPN's first TV movie, per Wiki.

60. Torino thanks : GRAZIE

61. Show runner : EMCEE

62. J.A. Prufrock's creator : TSE (T.S. Eliot)

63. Egg: Pref. : OVI

68. Old Serbian auto : YUGO

69. Heavy load : ONUS

70. Source of patter? : LITTLE FEET. Pitter patter of little feet.

71. Hall of Famer who played the same position as Pee Wee : OZZIE (Smith). Shortstop. My first reaction is ERNIE (Banks). Anyone thought of ROBIN (Yount) or even HONUS?

72. Big name in little candy : REESE'S

73. Saks department : MEN'S

75. Green Goblin portrayer in Spider-Man films : DAFOE (Willem)

76. Fashion : STYLE

83. Forever celebrated : IMMORTAL

84. Constant Comment, e.g. : TEA. Wow, never heard of this tea. But I drink loose Chinese tea anyway.

85. Character in "Ben-Hur"? : HYPHEN. Wickedly clever clue, John!

86. "Happy Trails," e.g. : DUET

87. p.m. : AFT

89. Dangerous snake : ADDER

90. Petty on a track : KYLE. Son of Richard Petty.

91. Medium-dry sherry : OLOROSO. Mean "scented" in Spanish.

92. Charge against Galileo : HERESY

95. Some parts of Handel's "Messiah" : SOLOs

96. Storage cabinet : HUTCH. China hutch.

97. Snap : VIGOR

98. Dramatic __ : IRONY

100. Wind down : ABATE

102. "Blah ..." : YADA. I bet Husker Gary watched every "Seinfeld" episode. I probably missed a few.

103. Skid row woe : DTS

105. "__ It Romantic?": Rodgers and Hart song : ISN'T

106. Roswell craft : UFOS

107. Express lane roller : CART

108. Diet-friendly : LITE

109. Yankee nickname : A-ROD. Aroid.

112. Play killer : HAM

113. Cal. column : THU (Thursday). Calendar.

For those solvers whose paper only carries LA Times Sunday grid, I'd like to share with you this lovely poem our regular OwenKL wrote:

Ode to Crossword Puzzles

Owen Lorion, 5/11/98

Oh, grid of lines, squares black and white,
You can ofttimes be my delight
As I wrack my brain at your odious challenge,
Then try for the crosswords, an olious melange.
My spelling was poor -- you helped to improve it.
My hubris was great -- you helped to reprove it.
I once thought I had a wide vocabulary,
But often you send me to thumb my dictionary.
Proper names are the worst, of people and places;
I'm forgetful of maps, I'm forgetful of faces.
And then there's those words, archaic, obscure,
That I'm learning to use with aplomb so demure.
But my favorite task, that makes puzzles a dream,
Is to guess at the thesis, to determine a theme.
Some puzzles don't have this. Fie on them, fie!
I want puzzles with riddles, like ice cream on pie.
I want puns, I want wordplay, and what is more
I want to wish cruciverbalists my thanks galore!