Sunday April 20, 2014 Matt Skoczen

Theme: "I'll Be Waiting" - "Call me" needs to be inserted to all answers to the starred clues.

25A. *2012 Hot 100 #1 song in both the U.S. and Canada : MAYBE. "Call me Maybe".  And 98A. See 25-Across : CARLY RAE JEPSEN HIT. Every girl & her mother were singing this song 2 years ago. Linked relentlessly on our blog. This is still my favorite cover.

47A. *Source of the song "The Hostess With the Mostes' on the Ball" : MADAM. "Call me Madam". And 27A. See 47-Across : BROADWAY MUSICAL

 

71A. *Memorable 1851 novel line : ISHMAEL. Call me Ishmael. And  34A. See 71-Across : OPENING OF MOBY DICK

91. *Parting request : LATER. Call me later. And 58A. See 91-Across : DO KEEP IN TOUCH

78A. *Van Heusen/Cahn classic : IRRESPONSIBLE. "Call Me Irresponsible". And 110A. See 78-Across : SINATRA STANDARD.

119. *"This is going to sound dumb ..." : CRAZY. Call me crazy. 65A. See 119-Across : AM I NUTS?

122A. 1980 Blondie chart-topper, and what's needed to make sense of the answers to starred clues : CALL ME

I grokked gimmick early on, still a difficult solve. Cross-references drove me crazy.

This puzzle is very tough to construct as well, as all the long & short entries have to be placed symmetrically. Heavy themage. Total 124 theme squares & 13 theme entries. As I mentioned before,  the more theme answers you have, the more challenging the gridding become. So, a total 124 theme squares of 7 or 9 theme entries is much much easier than 12 or 13. Hence a special black square allowances today: 86. Rich's Sunday limit is 78.

Across:

1. Hardly orderly : SLOPPY

7. Angler's quarry : BASS

11. Suffix with einstein : IUM. Thought of IAN, though I knew Rich would not clue a solid name as a prefix or suffix.

14. Clench : GRIP

18. More arch : WILIER

19. Type of exam : ORAL

20. Kinshasa-to-Cairo dir. : NNE. Kinshasa the capitol of Democratic Republic of the Congo, the largest French-speaking country.

21. Inclined (to) : PRONE

22. Cherubim, e.g. : ANGELS

23. Storybook meanie : OGRE

24. HCH successor : FDR. Never knew Hoover's middle name: Herbert Clark Hoover. And 11D. "... a date which will live in __": 24-Across : INFAMY

26. "Cool!" : NEATO

30. Golfer Aoki : ISAO

32. Humble : DEMEAN

33. Some airport displays, briefly : LEDs

41. "I Guess __ Rather Be in Colorado": John Denver song : HE'D

42. Bogus blazer : GAS LOG. Blaze-r. I was picturing a jacket.

43. Breakfast pastry : DANISH. Have you tried avocado toast for breakfast? Heaven!

50. Regretful one : RUER

51. Actress Joanne : DRU

54. Chiwere speakers : OTOES

56. Most clichéd : STALEST

62. Literary hodgepodge : ANA. The girl in "Fifty Shades of Grey" is called Ana also.

63. Pod-bearing tree : ACACIA

64. Ship substitute : SHE

69. It may be false : LABOR

74. Blot : MAR

75. Of last month : ULTIMO. So what are "Of this month" & "Of next month" then?

77. Energizer choice : AAA

83. Hurling goo at : SLIMING

87. Wintry mix component : SLEET

88. Small bit : TAD

89. Henriette, to Henri : AMIE. I don't know who Henriette is.

92. Lakota tribe : OGLALA

95. Rapscallions : KNAVES

97. X, to Xanthippe : CHI

104. Serious, as a reader : AVID

108. Clarifier beginning : I MEANT

109. Fluency : EASE. I don't get this clue either.

115. Lion __ : TAMER

120. Courtroom VIPs : DAs (District Attorneys)

121. Emilia's husband : IAGO.  "Othello".

123. Eyes a little too long : OGLES.  Marti must have seen "Jupiter and Io" in person. The painting will be in Minneapolis next year. Can you see Jupiter's head? I'd like to hear PK's musings on dark clouds or this particular dark cloud.

124. Bracketing criterion : AGE

125. Place for a coin : SLOT

126. Apathetic : STOLID

127. Ratted (on) : TOLD

128. Many a pol. talk show guest : SEN

129. Voiced relief : SIGH

130. Group doctrines : TENETS

Down:

1. Adult cygnet : SWAN

2. Conga formation : LINE

3. Actress Kurylenko of "Oblivion" : OLGA. Never saw "Oblivion". But Olga is in "Quantum of Solace".

4. Cobbler holder : PIE TIN

5. Hastert's successor : PELOSI. House Speaker. Dennis Hastert.

6. Jr. and sr. : YRS

7. Philistine : BOOR

8. 2012 political thriller : ARGO

9. Poet Teasdale : SARA

10. Iditarod critter : SLED DOG. Our JD met with Iditarod Hall of Famer Jeff King.

12. Staying gray, say : UNDYED

13. Siren relative : MERMAID. I don't know if Mermaids agree.

14. Holy quest vessel : GRAIL

15. Rolls partner : ROYCE

16. __ shape: not well : IN BAD

17. Preps, as potatoes : PEELS

21. Cameron and Blair of Eng. : PMs. Prime Ministers.

27. Spade player : BOGART. Sam Spade.

28. www word : WEB

29. Donald Duck, to his nephews : UNCA

31. Luanda is its cap. : ANG (Angola). I'd prefer Lee of course.

34. Electrician's units : OHMs

35. Three-__: consecutive sports titles : PEAT

36. Historic Icelandic work : EDDA

37. Corvallis sch. : OSU. Oregon State University.

38. Ran away : FLED

39. WWII Italian river : MORO. Learning moment for me.

40. Tie feature : KNOT

44. "Was __ blame?" : I TO. Of course.

45. March composer : SOUSA

46. Leigh's counterpart in the 1998 version of "Psycho" : HECHE (Anne)

48. Shepard in space : ALAN

49. Bill of fare : MENU

51. Art __ : DECO

52. Raise : REAR

53. Bars in stores : UPC

55. Silverstein of kid-lit : SHEL

57. Ate in bed, say : SAT UP. Do you eat in bed? I don't.

59. Skewered dish : KABOB

60. Shakespeare's "Richard __" : III

61. Sounding stuffy : NASAL

65. Novelist Kingsley : AMIS

66. Actress Thomas : MARLO

67. Like some marked-down mdse. : IRREG

68. __-mo : SLO

69. "Mona __" : LISA

70. Enclosed in : AMID

72. Thunderstorm formation, perhaps : HAIL

73. Bear whose porridge was too cold : MAMA

76. "We Know Drama" network : TNT

79. Unadon fish : EEL. Unadon is literally "eel bowl".  Did your daughter-in-law ever treat you with grilled unagi, Yellowrocks?

80. Opp. of legato : STAC

81. Climbing or fast follower : LANE

82. Key of Haydn's Symphony No. 29 : E MAJ

83. Oozed : SEEPED

84. Hard-to-reach problem, at times : ITCH. Lovely clue. 

85. Classic pop : NEHI

86. Backbone : GRIT

90. "__ been had!" : I'VE

93. Private retreat : LAIR

94. Large fleets : ARMADAS

95. "The Hunger Games" heroine : KATNISS. This might stump some. Katniss Everdeen. Played by Jennifer Lawrence.

96. FICA funds it : SSA

99. "Gil Blas" novelist : LESAGE. I learned this name from cluing BLAS. 

100. China's Sun __ : YAT-SEN. The lady on the left is his wife Soong Ching-Ling. Sun & Chiang Kai-shek were brothers-in-law. The three Soong sisters were all married to the rich & powerful.

101. Genetic code carrier : RNA

102. Big spread : ESTATE

103. Kevin of "SNL" : NEALON

104. Cravat cousin : ASCOT

105. Sign of the maiden : VIRGO

106. Counting everything : IN ALL

107. Confused partner? : DAZED. Dazed and Confused.

111. Burrell and Pennington of TV : TYs

112. Spanish surrealist: DALI

113. All excited : AGOG

114. Van Halen's David Lee __ : ROTH

116. Lille girl: Abbr. : MLLE. De Gaulle was born in Lille.

117. Discharge : EMIT

118. Bordeaux, e.g. : REDs. Tricky clue. No obvious hint for plural.

122. Ala. clock setting : CST. Alabama. I first thought of Alaska.

C.C.

Sunday April 13, 2014 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: "Breaking Par" - Par bookends each theme entry.

23A. Schoolyard promise : PINKY SWEAR

25A. Engrossing read : PAGE TURNER

 

36A. Molson Golden, e.g. : PALE LAGER

38A. Milwaukee Brewer in the Hall of Fame : PAUL MOLITOR. He grew up here in Minnesota. Graduated from the same school as Joe Mauer. Played his last season with the Twins.

   

66A. Time honoree : PERSON OF THE YEAR

96A. Economical vacation option : PACKAGE TOUR

98A. Arctic denizen : POLAR BEAR

112A. One interpreting lines : PALM READER

114A. Nothing to be afraid of, really : PAPER TIGER

 

Now I see Rich saved this puzzle for the Masters' weekend. It was accepted earlier than the "Home, Sweet Home" puzzle I made with Lemonade.

PAUL MOLITOR was originally PARTY POOPER. As you can see, the first three letters is an intact PAR. This is the kind of mistake I hope I won't make in the future.

You can read my original clues here.

Across:

1. Have a big mouth? : GAPE

5. Power yoga aftermath : ACHE. I don't practice yoga, but a friend does.

9. Proud papa's present : CIGAR

14. Feature of a bad air day : SMOG.  Lots of bad air days in Beijing. Way too many coal & steel plants in areas surrounding Beijing.

18. Together, in scores : A DUE

19. Circular : ROUND

21. City near Kobe : OSAKA

22. Skateboarder Hawk : TONY. I confuse him with Bode Miller.

27. Liberal arts maj. : SOC

28. JFK's UN ambassador : AES (Adlai Ewing Stevenson). "Owen's Law" moment. Bad fill.

29. Skin care giant : MARY KAY

31. Workout portmanteau : TAE BO

32. On display : SHOWN

34. Puzzle-solving asset : LOGIC. And 1D. Flaws in 34-Across : GAPS

35. Dodge __ : CITY

44. In the thick of : AMID

45. Farm expanse : LEA

46. In jeopardy : AT STAKE

47. Tech sch. since 1824 : RPI (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute). Oh, Spitzboov & Splyner this is how much I love you two :-)

48. Pitching stats : WINS

49. Old vitamin label nos. : RDAs. Now replaced by RDI.

52. "Project Runway" topic : STYLE

53. Lancelot's strong suit? : MAIL

54. Scotch datum : AGE

55. Stays under the radar : LIES LOW

58. Celestial altar : ARA

59. Two-time Oscar winner Michael : CAINE

60. Add : TOSS IN

62. Toledo snacks : TAPAS. Steve sent me a picture of the beautiful Aria from his Hilton Elara suite. Don't think he will miss their famous tapas bar.

 

64. Showed serious anticipation : DROOLED

70. File holder : CABINET

73. Auctioned autos, often : REPOs

74. "Am I the only one?" : IS IT ME?

78. Takes it easy : LOLLS

79. Pvt. address : APO. Army Post Office.

82. Beaming : RADIANT

84. Dashed : RAN

85. Stuck in __ : A RUT

86. Surprised jerk : START. Oh, I like this clue. Rich's of course.

88. February Revolution victim : TSAR

89. They're in one year and out the other : FADS

90. Sault __ Marie : STE

91. Some sightings : SAUCERS

93. Dakota, to Elle : SIB. Fanning. Elle towers over her older sister.

95. Chevy subcompact : AVEO

100. Dinner crumbs : ORTs

101. Have leftovers for dinner, e.g. : EAT IN

103. Bridal accessories : VEILS

104. Spread apart : SPLAY

106. Sticks it out : HANGS ON

109. Opening night nightmare : PAN

110. National Pizza Mo. : OCT. We'll celebrate then! Hopefully Dave will be in his pizza making mood.

117. "Dies __" : IRAE

118. Crepes for Putin : BLINI

119. Skyy shelfmate, familiarly : STOLI

120. Dior fragrance : DUNE

121. Alaska, once: Abbr. : TERR

122. Lisa of "Enemy of the State" : BONET

123. Role for Skippy : ASTA

124. Hunt for : SEEK

Down:

2. "Hasta la vista, pal!" : ADIOS AMIGO

3. They make you laugh, hopefully : PUNCH LINES

4. "A mouse!" : EEK

5. Weapons center : ARSENAL

6. Milk sources : COWS

7. Jade or ruby : HUE. Did you want GEM also?

8. Win over : ENAMOR

9. Mimics : COPYCATS

10. "Out of Africa" author Dinesen : ISAK

11. "Do What U Want" Lady : GAGA

12. Play __ role in : A KEY

13. First animal in the Chinese zodiac : RAT. Rich did his research. He always does. See here. Pig is the last. I'm a pig. What are you? Click on the year, let me know if the descriptions fit you.

14. Low-hanging clouds : STRATI

15. Laundering evidence : MONEY TRAIL

16. Seat usually in first class : ONE B

17. Athens street food : GYRO

20. Wet blanket : DRAG

24. Two-master : YAWL

26. Serviceable : UTILE

30. TV morning co-host : RIPA (Kelly)

33. Hefty refs. : OEDs (Oxford English Dictionary)

34. Results in : LEADS TO

35. "Life Begins Here" sloganeer : COKE

36. Probe in a catlike way : PAW AT

37. "Chicago" star : GERE (Richard)

39. Court org. : USTA. Tennis court.

40. "Star Trek" meas. : LT-YR (Light-years)

41. Affliction : MALADY

42. Speak out : OPINE

43. In a lather : RILED

50. Hooper's Store proprietor on "Sesame Street" : ALAN. No idea. Never watched "Sesame Street".

51. Deep sleep : SOPOR

53. One of New Zealand's official languages : MAORI

55. Legal claims : LIENS

56. Concerning, to a dictator? : IN RE. Dictation dictator.

57. Thin cookie : WAFER

59. Vacation destination : COAST

61. In need of mopping up : SPILT

63. Mar. honoree : ST. PAT

65. Silver checker : REIN.  Lone Ranger's horse Silver.

67. Great Sphinx, e.g. : STATUE

68. Mortar carriers : HODS

69. "The NFL Today" analyst : ESIASON (Boomer)

70. Hold tight : CLASP

71. Vital line : AORTA

72. Like Jeff Foxworthy's "Comedy Tour" : BLUE COLLAR. Never saw the show. Rich's clue.

75. Picture-packed presentation : TRAVELOGUE. Thought of Kazie.

76. Acted out publicly : MADE A SCENE

77. Belgian artist James : ENSOR. Learned from doing xwords.

80. Peace talks goal : PACT

81. Snack that's been a kosher food since 1998 : OREO

83. Seed cover : ARIL. Foodies all call pomegranate seeds as arils. This word won't be a crosswordese once the term gains steam, like Umami. Just remember, Uma= Delicious. Mi= Taste.

86. Droops : SAGS

87. John Wayne classic : TRUE GRIT

89. Teo of Formula One fame : FABI. Definitely "Owen's Law" moment. We need a more famous Fabi.

91. Creature seen on some antique wine cups : SATYR

92. Mmes., in La Mancha : SRAs

94. State bordering Austria : BAVARIA

97. "Seinfeld" goofball : KRAMER. Nuts.

98. Party gift holder : PINATA

99. Let : RENT

102. The best, or bests : TOPS

104. Patio cooking aid : SPIT

105. Rid of rind : PARE

106. California baseball cap image : HALO. Angels.

107. Court edge : AD IN

108. Island goose : NENE.  Hawaii's state bird.

109. Hit with hail, say : PELT

111. Slog : TREK

113. Dwindle : EBB

115. +, on a batt. : POS (Positive)

116. Verification docs : IDS

C.C.

Sunday April 6, 2014 Jason Chapnick & C.C. Burnikel

Theme: "The Living End" - The last word is a living spot. 

23A. 50 different ones were released over a 10-year period starting in 1999 : STATE QUARTERS

29A. Get no laughs, as a joke : FALL FLAT

35A. Brillo, for one : SCOURING PAD

48A. Archeological sites : FOSSIL DIGS. Getting this is a key in our theme set search. Not many * DIGS phrases to work with.

68A. Everywhere : ALL OVER THE PLACE

90A. Electronics chain : RADIOSHACK. The only one-word entry.

97A. It merged with Penguin in 2013 : RANDOM HOUSE

105A. Bed with bars : BABY CRIB. Lemonade's original clue. Sweet!

Reveal entry:

117A. Embroidery slogan, and an alternative title for this puzzle : HOME SWEET HOME

Jason is Lemonade, our witty & hard-working Friday Sherpa since March 2010. This is his debut puzzle, and I'm so happy to be part of his effort. Congratulations, Charlotte's grandpa!

Lemonade's granddaughter Charlotte

Lemonade originally came up with 4 phrases with 2 work places and 2 living spots (PRESCRIPTION PAD (sorry for the typo earlier) & STUDIO APARTMENT). I proposed we narrow down to living spaces only & tighten up the set with answers where the last word has a non-living context (so out * APARTMENT phrases ) and use "HOME SWEET HOME" as a reveal entry.

Lemonade liked my suggestions, so together we worked out this current set. He did not have Compiler at the time (now he does & happily works at his own grids), so I filled the grid. He then did the most time-consuming part of a Sunday puzzle: cluing. 

I knew how much he loves words and wordplay, but I was still amazed by his creativity and brillance. You can see his original clues here. I changed a slightly few & submitted this final version. Just to add a new "Now-ness" & avoid duping previously used clues.

Today's title is Rich's. We had Lemonade's "Main Domain" in our submission.

Across:

1. Start bubbling, perhaps : BOIL

5. 2004 Grey Goose acquirer : BACARDI. Also owns Dewar's, favorite of Irish Miss.

12. Feels a strong need (for) : STARVES

19. Wise leader? : OTHER. Otherwise. Lemonade's creation, of course!

21. Red-hot : ON A TEAR

22. Fancy-sounding bedroom piece : ARMOIRE

25. Paper in a frame : DIPLOMA

26. New England swimmer : COD

27. Clucks of disapproval : TUTS

28. Brew choice : ALE. Lemonade's son (left) brews his own beer.

Lemonade & Montana, Denver, 2013

30. Final Four org. : NCAA

32. Salinger title 13-year-old : ESME. "For  Esmé - With Love and Squalor".

34. Two-time U.S. Open winner Trevino : LEE. He talks 150 miles/hour.

41. Baja bear: OSA

43. California nine, in sports crawl lines : LAA. Los Angeles Angels.

46. Brest milk : LAIT

47. Forum talk was in it : LATIN

52. Include : ADD IN

54. Chocolate Mr. : GOODBAR. Never had it.

56. Slide subjects : AMOEBAS

57. King Minos, e.g. : CRETAN

59. Sochi no : NYET. Now Sochi has become a past.

60. Guidelines : CRITERIA

61. Mauna __ : KEA

62. Number of hills di Roma : SETTE. 7.

65. Enjoy Olive Garden, say : EAT OUT

67. Dancer Sally with just a few fans? : RAND. Rich polished a bit of  Lemonade's lovely clue.

71. City on Utah Lake : OREM

74. Trap setter, when it works : SNARER

75. Deal with : SEE TO

76. Yosemite Sam's "Scram!" : GIT

79. OneStep 600 producer : POLAROID

81. -y to the max : IEST.  Very bad. And I know it. Just could not get better fill here.

83. Break indicator : EM DASH

85. It may involve pasting : EDITING

86. Back : ENDORSE

89. Ball queen : BELLE. I can picture Yellowrocks dancing away in her college days.

92. One of the Allman Brothers : DUANE

94. Skelton's Kadiddlehopper : CLEM

95. Wheel spinner's buy : AN "E"

96. However, briefly : THO

99. Short smoke? : CIG. Anon-T uses e-cig.

102. Pharaoh's cross : ANKH

104. Criticize : CARP

109. Wall St. locale : NYC

111. Lummoxes : APES

113. Faux __ : PAS

116. Thoroughbred ancestor : ARABIAN

120. Mortgage feature? : SILENT T.  I made a change to Lemonade's "Castle feature" since I saw the "Castle" clue in another puzzle.

121. Built : ERECTED. Isn't this lovely? Splynter built it.

122. Swiss calculus pioneer : EULER

123. Do stuff : HAIR GEL

124. 2002 Adam Sandler role : MR DEEDS

125. "Lohengrin" heroine : ELSA

 

Down:

 1. Slender-necked pear : BOSC. Have any of you tried Asian pears? Very juicy. Pricey too. I only buy one at a time.

2. "The Simpsons" bus driver : OTTO. Gimme for D-Otto! Was the tax season over for you?

3. "Who knew?" : I HAD NO IDEA

4. Court call : LET

5. Ring event : BOUT

6. Santa __: offshore winds : ANAS

7. Garage unit : CAR

8. "__ girl!" : ATTA

9. Pulled (in) : REELED

10. Challenges : DARES

11. Form letters? : IRS. Nice clue. Rich's creation.

12. Thompson of "Family" : SADA. I don't know why her name is so hard to remember.

13. Sound from a nest : TRILL

14. More than enough : AMPLE

15. Pocahontas' spouse : ROLFE (John)

16. Fretted fiddle : VIOL

17. Aunt with a "Cope Book" : ERMA

18. It's often reserved : SEAT

20. Pave over : RE-TAR

24. Bird in a covey : QUAIL.Quail eggs are quite popular in Southern China. I miss Guangzhou so so much.

29. Admit, with "up" : FESS

31. Make the grade : CUT IT

33. Secure with lines : MOOR

35. Play in a line : SLACK. I don't get this clue.

36. Leadership nucleus : CADRE

37. Badger : NAG

38. Classic muscle car : GTO

39. Trailblazer : PIONEER

40. Writer Rooney : ANDY. Can you imagine he blogged a crossword puzzle? He'd be kvetching all the time.

42. In most cases : AS A RULE

43. Many an October baby : LIBRA

44. "Encore!" : AGAIN

45. Syrian leader : ASSAD. Surprised he's still in power.

48. Palestinian political party : FATAH

49. Copy : IMITATE

50. Garage alternative : LOT

51. John on the farm : DEERE

53. Minnesota United FC org. : NASL (North American Soccer League). Holy Guacamole, Rich! Click here. Their stadium is not far from our home.

55. Visibly embarrassed : BEET RED

58. Wrestling holds : NELSONS

60. Deal : COPE

63. "West Side Story" duet : TONIGHT

64. Plug in the den? : TV AD. Nice "Plug" mislead.

66. Beta release, e.g. : TEST RUN

68. Maker of old strings : AMATI

69. Sign again : RE-INK. I'm always amazed by  by the high pain threshold of those with tattoos.

70. Vanity item : COMB

71. Verdi creation : OPERA

72. Sometime ally of Godzilla : RODAN

73. Say somethin', say? : ELIDE

76. Collector of views : GALLUP POLL. Rich's clue.

77. Key chain : ISLES

78. Central idea : THEME

80. Where agua flows : RIO

82. Party supply : SODA

84. Martha Stewart Living topic : DECOR

86. Bus. course : ECON

87. Blue : SAD

88. "Microsoft sound" composer : ENO (Brian). He composed with his Mac.

91. Melville tyrant : AHAB

93. Roast host : EMCEE

97. Matched shirts and skirts? : RHYMED. Oh, I had "Like shirts and skirts" originally. Lovely 85A.

98. Waste creator : HASTE

99. __ Monday: post-Thanksgiving event : CYBER

100. Cupcake cover : ICING

101. Prepare, as Parmesan : GRATE

103. Big name in packaged soups : KNORR

105. Big party : BASH

106. Met solo : ARIA. Can you see "Met solo" on the windows? Steve our Foodie dined at their tapas restaurant.  

107. Indonesian island on its own sea : BALI

108. Like LAX : INTL

110. Gospel singer Winans : CECE

111. Blown away : AWED

112. Anti-doping targets, briefly : PEDS (Performance-Enhancing Drugs). Glad Rich used this clue.

114. Iowa city : AMES

115. Evening at Lake Como : SERA

117. Shut (in) : HEM

118. Canonized mlle. : STE

119. Peach or cherry : HUE. Two of my favorite fruits.

C.C.

Sunday March 30, 2013 Nora Pearlstone

Theme:  "CB Switches" - C sound is switched to B sound, resulting in consistent spelling changes.

23A. Sidewalk vendor's income? : STREET BREAD. Street cred. English has lots of words for "money", or "drunk".

25A. Steeped salad topping? : BREWED OIL. Crude oil. (What was I thinking with Crud, Owen?)

64A. Accident report? : BLAME FORM. Claim form.

107A. Sketched a Gibb brother? : DREW BARRY. Drew Carey. Barry Gibb.

109A. Villain's backwoods hideout? : BADDIE SHACK. Caddyshack. A favorite of many on our blog. Never watched it myself.

  

15D. Robin selling Roquefort? : CHEESE BIRD. Cheese curd.

37D. Qualifying exam for opera school? : VOCAL BOARD. Vocal cord. Are any of you familiar with Beijing Opera? (Sorry for the chord error earlier.)

46D. Undersea party pooper? : MARINE BORE. Marine corps.

69D. Official loafer of the realm? : KINGDOM BUM. Kingdom come.

A few straying C's. We'd have lost 3 colorful entries had Nora excluded them. This type of theme (with spelling changes) is a bit more challenging than those single letter replacement, as you need to be very imaginative.

Total 89 theme squares, not a lot, but there are 9 of them (4 intersect!). With the same number of theme squares, the more entries you have, the trickier the gridding get. So a total 89 theme squares grid of 7 entries is easier than a 89 squares with 9 entries. Same applies to  the weekday grids.

Nora Pearlstone is another pseudonym of Rich Norris, editor of LA Times Daily Crosswords. It's an anagram of "Not a Real Person". Rich has not made any puzzle for NYT for many years, he's still the 3rd most published constructor. See here. He's also a very fast solver, finishing 71st in this year's ACPT.

Across:    

1. "Waverley" novelist : SCOTT. Sir Walter Scott.

6. Sch. with a Waterbury campus : UConn. New trivia to me.

11. Early computer acronym : ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer).

16. Standout : GEM. I'd like to share with you this clip about crossword constructor Andrea Carla Michaels. She's so sweet and mild-mannered, not what you expect from a standup comedian.

19. Many a network : AIRER

20. Competition with ropes : RODEO

21. One of a dozen : MONTH.  So simple, I was picturing Chinese Zodiac animals.

22. Pres. or P.M. : LDR (Leader)

27. Romantic request : KISS ME

28. High land : TIBET. They drink butter tea there every day. Made of tea, yak butter & salt. D-Otto's dream drink :-)

30. Fill with bubbles : AERATE

31. Foot on a farm : HOOF

33. "It matters to us" : WE CARE. I've never seen a more inefficient and uncaring place as the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis.

34. Trypanosome transmitter : TSETSE. Hey, a full fly. We saw half the fly in the old puzzles all the time.

35. Really enjoy : SAVOR

38. All-Star outfielder Raul : IBANEZ. Now with the Angels. Another one with a Mariners tie. A-ROD, ICHIRO & Edgar MARTINEZ two weeks ago, all ex-Mariners. Maybe Rich is secret Mariners' fan.

40. Pondside stalk : REED

41. More than walk : TROT

42. Equals : PEERS. And 43. Equally, say : ADVERB. Nice consecutive "Equal" clue combo.

46. E.T. policers of film : M. I. B. (Men in Black)

49. Notre Dame's conf. : ACC. Look at our Steve!

Notre Dame London Campus, Nov 2012

 50. Smoothie fruit : BERRY. Not ACAI today.

51. "Say it soft and it's almost like praying" girl of song : MARIA. "West Side Story" .

52. Old Bristol-Myers toothpaste : IPANA.  Brusha Brusha Brusha.

54. Online meeting place : CHAT ROOM. So, TTP, do you think that Japanese guy might indeed be the creator of Bitcoin? Why can't those geeks crack his real identity by his chat room handle?

56. Announce : HERALD

57. Backwoods : RURAL

58. Scientology guru Hubbard : L RON

59. Silent : MUM

60. Turn right : GEE. "Turn left" is HAW.

61. What you can't get if you pass the bar? : DRINK. "Pass the bar" made me think of the bar exam. Clever clue.

62. Cake with a kick : BABA. The kick comes from the rum.

67. Model Sastre : INES. She was the face of  Trésor.

68. Aimée of "La Dolce Vita" : ANOUK

70. L.A.'s __ Center : AON

71. Confrontational opening : NON. Non-confrontational.

72. All there : SANE

74. Eastern guru : SWAMI

75. Like slalom courses : TWISTY. For Marti. Did you fix the leak?

77. Roaring Twenties Hollywood sex symbol : CLARA BOW. The "It Girl". 

81. Leftovers cover : SARAN

82. Lotto variant : BEANO

83. Base shade? : KHAKI. Military base.

84. Kimono accessory : OBI

85. Chicago airport code : ORD

86. Liftoff sensation : G-FORCE. Like CanadianEh, I really like Chris Hadfield.

88. Patriot and Liberty : JEEPS

89. Hosp. scanners : MRIs

90. Howdy to a mate : G'DAY

91. Puzzle : ENIGMA. And 97. Puzzled reactions : SHRUGS

93. Gear features : TEETH. 

94. Diacritic for a long vowel sound : MACRON.  I can only think of ACCENT.

99. Mount sacred to Judaism : ZION

101. Poise : APLOMB. Made me think of Argyle & Splynter, those two never panic. Always  in control. 

102. Goes for : COSTS

103. Restful break : CATNAP

113. Baloney : ROT

114. Regular's request, with "the" : USUAL

115. "C'mon, pal!" : AW MAN. Dave's signature line is "Aw nuts!"

116. Map type: Abbr. : TOPOG. OK,  Topographic then.

 

117. Portland-to-Helena dir. : ENE

118. Come together : MERGE

119. Declines with a check, maybe : RSVPs. Lovely clue.

120. Plenty : SLEWS

Down:

1. Moose Jaw's prov. : SASK

2. Diamond Preferred credit card offerer : CITI. That's the bank you don't like, right, D-Otto?

3. Hockey legend Bobby et al. : ORRS

4. Drive, often : TEE SHOT. Rich is a skilled golfer. Single-digit handicap.

5. Aftershock : TREMOR

6. Ending for sub- or ex- : URB. This kind of clue often stumps me. Same with "Words with this or that".

7. __ anglais: English horn : COR

8. Keats work : ODE

9. Spiffs (up) : NEATENS

10. "Out of the question" : NO DICE

11. Glower? : EMBER. Parse it as "Glow-er".

12. Up from Méjico : NORTE

13. Having four sharps : IN E

14. Central California city : ATWATER. What's it famous for?

16. Smug look : GLOAT

17. Proof jobs : EDITS

18. 1957 Bobbettes hit : MR. LEE. Learned from doing xwords.

24. Auto racer Fabi : TEO. Hey, we just had Manti Te'o last week. What a cruel hoax!

26. Scott who sued for his freedom : DRED

29. Market : BAZAAR

32. Sporty '80s Pontiac : FIERO. Oh guess what, it means "proud" in Italian. I thought it means "Fire".

33. On alert : WARY

35. What a dot may mean, in mus. : STAC

36. Prefix meaning "primary" : ARCH. As in Archbishop.

39. Earthen wall : BERM

40. One may weep after being told to do this : READ 'EM. Poker.

42. McJob holder : PEON. The first time I visited McDonald's was in 1995. Loved the French fries. We don't cook potatoes that way in Xi'An. We just stir-fry in hot wok, sprinkled with hot red pepper flakes and a splash of vinegar. 

44. Continue interminably : DRAG ON

45. More repulsive : VILER

47. Hardly well-thought-out : INANE

48. Pitching slips : BALKS. And 64. One helping swingers? : BAT BOY. And 96. '50s-'60s Yankee Boyer : CLETE. This might stump some, but not Husker Gary, TTP or Buckeye Bob. Here he is.

 50. Fella : BRO

51. Seashell, maybe : MEMENTO

53. Pet food giant : PURINA

55. Emotional shock : TRAUMA

56. Run well : HUM

59. Fanatic : MANIAC

62. Rossini's Doctor Bartolo, e.g. : BASSO

63. Sadat of Egypt : ANWAR. Their next president will be El-Sisi. I don't think anyone but he can get those Muslim Brotherhood guys under control.

65. Not so elevated : LOWER

66. Vaudeville family name : FOY. Eddie Foy. Complete stranger to me.

72. Nordstrom rival : SAKS

73. Agent Gold on "Entourage" : ARI

76. Derisive looks : SNEERS

77. __ lab : CHEM

78. Two-mile-high city : LAPAZ

79. Memorial news item : OBIT

80. Something made on a star? : WISH. Nice clue.

83. Brewery lineup : KEGS

87. Boosters, as a group : FAN BASE

88. Their parts are hard to tell apart : JIGSAWS. Exactly. I don't know how others have the patience to pieces everything together. Do you like Jigsaw puzzles, LaLaLinda?

89. Cough drop flavor : MENTHOL

90. Increase : GROW

92. Hiker's snack : NUT BAR. Love Larabars.

93. Salutes of a sort : TOASTS

94. Familia member : MADRE

95. Kitchen protection : APRON

97. Skinny sort : SCRAG

98. Rules immortal : HOYLE.  According to Hoyle. Edmond Hoyle.

100. Nail down, as victory : ICE

104. Scruff : NAPE

105. Have __: flip out : A COW

106. P.O. deliveries : PKGs

108. Classic Capek play : R.U.R. It introduced the word "Robot".

110. Lic.-issuing bureau : DMV

111. Skip, as stones : DAP

112. Ones with seats : INs. Oh, congressional seats.

C.C.