Sunday, November 9, 2025 ~ Zhouqin Burnikel

Theme: "Academic Circles"

Or, as 77a indicates:
77. End-of-term cry, and an alternate title for this puzzle: SCHOOLS OUT.

Hi All!
Today, C.C. graces us with another Sunday puzzle. This time, she splits SCHOOLS on the OUTside of each theme answer and then circles them to provide what they call in Academic Circles, um, well, just that -- academies in circles. Let's study them:

XKCD

Oh, sorry, C.C.'s Academic Circles:

24. Seeking a seat: RUNNING FOR OFFICE. Houston's own Rice University.

38. Explains something in simple terms: BREAKS IT DOWN. Brown University.

55. "Roman Holiday" star: AUDREY HEPBURN. Auburn University.

Hepburn & Peck in the 1953 Classic.
 It was her debut.

81. Auto-erased item on a hard drive: TEMPORARY FILE. Temple University.

98. Connecticut state song: YANKEE DOODLE. Yale.

114. Fluffy brunch item baked in a skillet: DUTCH BABY PANCAKE. Duke University.
 

I had to Google the Dutch Baby variety.

3. "Oh boy, that's uncomfortable": HOW AWKWARD. Howard University.

Well, what do you non circle-haters think? Prety neat, eh?
There's only one thing to do before moving onto the fill and that's introduce Detroit's Vincent Furnier:

Alice Cooper's Schools Out

Across:

1. Org. on workplace posters: OSHA. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

5. Sweet-toothed crawlers: ANTS.

9. Financial resources: MEANS.

14. Clubs for chips: IRONS. Golf. Woods to drive; IRONS for chip shots. And that's all I know. HG?

19. More than expected: ALOT.

20. Adversaries: FOES.

21. Group of eight: OCTET.

22. Unaccustomed to: NEW AT.

23. Mike of "Dirty Jobs": ROWE. Did you also know Rowe sang with the Baltimore Opera? I read it on the internet.

24. [See: Theme]

27. Pacific coast barkers: SEA LIONS.

Going Pro?

29. __ Estados Unidos: LOS. Translation: The United States.

30. Feeling of gloom: PALL.

31. Hard-to-split wood: ELM.

32. Comes out on top: WINS.

33. Not trans or enby: CIS.

34. Unsubstantiated: TENUOUS.

36. Staged: FAKED.

38. [See: Theme]

41. Playful growl: RAWR.

42. Yukon gold rush region: KLONDIKE.

What would you do?

43. Uses a sieve: SIFTS.

47. 401(k) alternatives: IRAs. Individual Retirement Accounts.

48. De-iced?: NEAT. Cute.

49. State flower of New Mexico: YUCCA.

Eatable?

53. Pucker-inducing: TART.

54. The Blue Jays, on sports crawls: TOR. Toronto, Canada.

If you know, you know.

55. [See: Theme]

59. GameCube successor: WII. One year, Santa brought a Wii for the girls. We played games all of Christmas break and then almost never again :-(.

Nintendo's Wii

60. Burned, in a way: ON DISC. Remember burning your data to CD?

62. "The Pioneer Woman" host Drummond: REE.

My copy of Dinnertime.

63. Bearing: DEMEANOR.

65. Scolding sounds: TSKS.

67. Tossed dish: SALAD.

A caprese I "tossed" together

70. Herring kin: SHAD.

71. Harmless fib: WHITE LIE.

75. Angry growl: GRR.

76. Time-honored maxim: OLD SAW. From One Word A Day: "The "saw" in old saw comes from the Old English word sagu, meaning "saying, speech, story, or report." This is related to Old Norse saga and Old High German saga - all stemming from the Proto-Germanic sagō ("saying, report")." Read more.

80. House Stark patriarch: NED. Game of Thrones reference [thanks Google!]

81. [See: Theme]

86. Exec overseeing accounts: CFO. Chief Financial Officer.

87. Healing ointment: BALM. Myrrh is a balm...

Monty Python's "Life of Brian" Manger Scene

89. Spacious hotel offering: SUITE.

90. Core constituency: BASE.

91. "Get outta here!": SHOO.

92. Starting lineup: A TEAM.

94. Crude structures: OIL WELLS. Cute.

97. Spot for solar panels: ROOF.

98. [See: Theme]

102. Hilarious sorts: RIOTS.

103. Leaves high and dry: MAROONS.

104. Calendar divs.: WKS. Weeks.

105. Noble above a viscount: EARL.

106. High euchre card: ACE.

108. Classical closing: CODA.

109. Copa Mundial cheer: OLE.

110. Products that help prevent chapping: LIP MASKS. For the uninitiated: "Lip masks and lip 87a [balms] are both formulated to hydrate your lips, however lip masks are generally thicker and more intensive than a lip 87a." [Google again]

114. [See: Theme]

118. Wind like a snake: COIL.

119. Solo: ALONE.

120. Anne of fashion: KLEIN. Nee Hanna Golofsky (3 AUG 1923 - 19 MAR 1974)

121. __-Ball: SKEE.

History here.

122. "Shogun" streaming service: HULU.

123. Lightheaded?: BLOND. Cute.

124. Put in stitches: SEWED. Also cute.

125. Leaves in hot water: TEAS. Hat Trick!

126. Really small matter: ATOM.

Down:

1. Steering implements on dragon boats: OARS. Every Fall, the community just north of me has a dragon boat race.

The Woodlands' Dragon Boat Race

2. Blackthorn berry: SLOE. Flavors the SLOE gin in the fizz.

3. [See: Theme]

4. Drawing rooms?: ATELIERS. WikiP says "An atelier (French: [atəlje]) is the private workshop or studio of a professional artist in the fine or decorative arts or an architect."

5. Picked hairstyles: AFROS.

6. Plus or minus: NOUN.

7. Change for a 20, maybe: TENS.

8. ID with hyphens: SSN.

9. Snowboard cousin: MONOSKI. So it's a snowboard but with your feet side-by-side(?)

A Monoski.

10. Heart charts, briefly: ECGS.

11. Org. concerned with traffic: ATF. Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms

12. Virtual animal such as Xweetok: NEO-PET. I'll just let the internet explain what a Xweetok is. Here's an image for the TL;DR:

Xweetoks

13. Leave high and dry: STRAND.

14. Tributary streams: INFLOWS.

15. Penalty caller: REF.

16. Injuries, to a tot: OWIES.

17. Salt, in a chem lab: NACL. Na (Sodium) + Cl (Chloride) = salt.

Salt's Crystalline Structure 

18. Thorn's spot: STEM.

25. "Odyssey" prequel: ILIAD.

26. "Be a Revolution" author Ijeoma: OLUO.

Her WikiP

28. Neither Rep. nor Dem.: IND. An Independent is neither a Republican nor a Democrat.

33. Part of CDC: CENTERS. Centers for Disease Control (and Prevention).

34. Traffic jam: TIE UP.

35. Newton or tesla: UNIT.

36. Corn chip: FRITO.

37. "The West Wing" creator Sorkin: AARON.

His WikiP

38. Ran in the wash: BLED.

39. Crowd noise: ROAR.

40. "The __ Boat Song": classic Scottish ballad that opens "Outlander": SKYE.

42. Oft-cracked joints: KNUCKLES.

44. Babe in the woods: FAWN.

45. Destiny's Child, for one: TRIO.

46. Mix: STIR.

50. Chem. in some dispensary products: CBD. Cannabidiol derived from hemp.

51. Sticks in a pool hall: CUES.

52. Tank top openings: ARM HOLES.

55. Good thing to have: ASSET.

56. Vote in favor: YEA.

57. "Hey Arnold!" bully: HELGA.

Helga G Pataki

58. Writer Zora __ Hurston: NEALE.

Neale's WikiP

61. Hairy Addams cousin: ITT.

64. Contribute: ADD.

66. Shang-Chi player Liu: SIMU.

Simu's WikiP

68. Flight board abbr.: ARR. Arrival.

69. Signs of drought: DRY BEDS.

71. Org. for the Fever: WNBA. Indiana's Women's National Basketball Association team.

72. Preliminary race: HEAT.

73. Doing nothing: IDLE.

74. Prefix with dermis: EPI. Skin.

77. [See: Theme]

78. Underway: AFOOT. "Come, Watson, come!' [Holmes] cried. 'The game is afoot. Not a word! Into your clothes and come!'"

79. Dog sounds: WOOFS. What the dog says when asked, "Where do the solar panels go?"

82. Great Plains Natives: OTOES.

83. Tara of "Sharknado": REID.

Tara's WikiP

84. Leaf-peeping season: FALL.

85. Archipelago part: ISLE.

88. Guatemala native: MAYA.

91. Hot sauce served with pho: SRIRACHA. A buddy loves this stuff and puts it on everything. Yes, even ice cream.
 

93. Moved in step: MARCHED.

95. Area prone to flooding: LOW LAND.

96. No longer asleep: WOKEN.

99. Gaming greenhorn: NOOB. Typed n00b; the opposite of 1337.

100. Some classic cameras: KODAKS.

101. Make possible: ENABLE.

102. Sheep with horns: RAM.

103. "Same here!": ME TOO.

105. Swords with bell guards: EPEES.

106. Tiny amount: A DAB.

107. Cherry-pick: CULL.

109. Mayberry boy: OPIE. Ron Howard but y'all knew that.

110. Michigan, for one: LAKE.

111. Store with a Swedish food market: IKEA.

112. Metric weight: KILO.

113. Urban renewal target: SLUM.

115. "Inside Politics" channel: CNN.

116. Wood used in cabinetry: YEW.

117. Duluth winter hrs.: CST. Central Standard Time

The Grid:

The Grid

My $0.02:

WO: HaLGA @57d
ESPs: ATELIERS, OLUO, DUTCH BABY (but I inked DUKE from just the K in IKEA :-))
Fav: ROOF crossing WOOF 'cuz of the implicit dog joke.

There you have it folks. Have a great Sunday and, for those of you in the path of the Polar Vortex, stay warm tonight!*

Cheers, -T
*Forecast where I am: Today is in the 70's; tomorrow I'll wake to 38F.
 

Sunday November 2, 2025 Marc Goldstein

Theme: "RETRACE YOUR STEPS" - The second word or second part of each common phrase is dance style, which is repeated like taking the same step twice.

22. Dance of the moonlighters?: SIDE HUSTLE HUSTLE.

40. Dance of the mothers-to-be?: BABY BUMP BUMP.

32. Dance of the anglers?: SANDDAB DAB.

69. Dance of the homebodies?: PORCH SWING SWING.

98. Dance of the flamboyant?: SHOW PONY PONY.

106. Dance of the investigators?: WIRETAP TAP.

123. Dance of the pickpockets?: OLIVER TWIST TWIST.

I like these new dance crazes and the images they project. 

We have another Sunday debut. Congrats, Marc! I wish there's a site like XWord Info that analyzes all the LAT puzzles. I bet we debuted more Sunday puzzles than other papers. 

Across:

1. Comforting touches: PATS.

5. Perceived: SEEN.

9. Puck's flagship restaurant: SPAGO. Wolfgang Puck

14. Wound remnant: SCAR.

18. 2-Down's love interest: ERIC. 2. Rebellious mermaid: ARIEL.

19. Long skirt: MAXI.

20. Classic quilted handbag maker: CHANEL. A bit heavy due to the chain.

21. Goddess of marriage: HERA.

25. Garden spot: EDEN.

26. Many a first-time voter: TEENAGER. Also 29. Wiser companion?: OLDER.

27. Night, in the Eternal City: NOTTE.

28. Blow up, in a way: TREND.

30. Terra firma: LAND.

35. Tear: RIP.

37. Upper limb: ARM.

39. Blessed event?: SNEEZE. Bless you.

46. Middle sch. math class: ALG.

47. Temporary repair material: TAPE. Our old water pipe had a pin hole a few weeks ago. No tape worked.

51. __ cube: ICE.

52. First-year student working toward a JD: ONE L.

53. Poet's "at no time": NE'ER.

55. Troubled: HASSLED.

57. "Whiskey Lullaby" singer Paisley: BRAD.

59. Prefix with -pathic: IDIO. Idiopathic is a new word to me: medical term that describes a condition with an unknown cause.

61. Savor: RELISH.

63. Work unit: ERG.

64. Coin from the Royal Mint: SOVEREIGN. Also unknown to me. From Wikipedia: The sovereign is a British gold coin with a nominal value of one pound sterling and contains 0.2354 troy ounce of pure gold. 

66. Roman garb: TOGA.

67. Concern: ISSUE.

73. Sleepy housemate: HAPPY. The Disney dwarfs.

76. Flag: TIRE.

77. MLB team playing in Sacramento ahead of their move to Las Vegas: ATHLETICS. The move is planned for the 2028 season. "Juiced!"

81. Mathematician Lovelace: ADA.

82. Spotless: CHASTE.

85. Israeli airline: EL AL.

86. Give kudos at a poetry slam: SNAP.

87. Stressful position: HOT SEAT.

89. Tolkien's Shepherds of the Trees: ENTS.

92. Surrounded by: AMID.

94. Evergreen with upright cones: FIR.

95. Tennis icon Arthur: ASHE.

96. King or queen: BED. 93. King or queen: DYNAST.  I love clue echoes.

101. Principles: VALUES.

104. Musician and peace activist Yoko: ONO.

105. Once __ while: IN A.

110. Biblical mariner: NOAH. Our lesson next week is "Creator of Heaven and Earth".

113. Insider parlance: ARGOT.

117. Not moving: INERT.

118. White Rabbit follower: ALICE.

120. Silica gel packet target: MOISTURE.

122. Undershirt, briefly: CAMI.

126. Put in stitches: KNIT.

127. "__ percent of the game is half mental": Yogi Berra quip about baseball: NINETY.

128. How to get in on a deal?: ANTE. Fun clue.

129. Natural balm: ALOE.

130. Tantalizing: SEXY.

131. "Hedda" actress Thompson: TESSA.

132. Drive up a phone bill, in a way: ROAM.

133. Longings: YENS.

Down:

1. Sauce made with basil and pine nuts: PESTO. My favorite sauce has been miso peanut butter lately. 

3. Helped through hard times, with "over": TIDED.

4. Set crew's responsibility: SCENERY.

5. Arrogant: SMUG.

6. Support for a work in progress: EASEL. Artwork. 

7. Over-the-top: EXTRA.

8. World Cup score, maybe: NIL.

9. Closes: SHUTS.

10. Angel hair and linguine: PASTAS. Been loving edamame pasta lately.

11. Radio receiver: ANTENNA.

12. Take shape: GEL.

13. World Cup "Score!," maybe: OLE.

14. Fruity, frozen desserts: SHERBETS.

15. Surrendered: CEDED.

16. Final Four venue: ARENA.

17. H.E.R.'s genre: R AND B. H.E. R. stands for "Having Everything Revealed". Her "Fight for You" won an Oscar.

20. Margaret of "Drop Dead Diva": CHO.

23. Big name in gummy bears: HARIBO.

24. Evasive maneuver: END RUN.

28. Toon devil: TAZ.

31. Catch: NAB.

33. India Gate city: DELHI. War memorial. Looks like Arc de Triomph.

34. "L'Absinthe" painter: DEGAS.

36. Less sizable: PUNIER.

38. Butterfly honorific, for short: MME. Madama Butterfly. Such a sad story. 

40. Lobster dinner accoutrements: BIBS.

41. Prefix with -polis: ACRO.

42. Wally's sitcom bro: BEAV.

43. Combat caregiver: MEDIC.

44. Predicaments: PLIGHTS.

45. "Evita" name: PERON.

48. Some Belgian blondes: ALES. Belgian blonde ales.

49. Cradle of the Inca Empire: PERU.

50. Slight advantage: EDGE.

54. Jamaican genre: REGGAE.

56. Gleam: SHINE.

58. "Nosferatu" actress Lily-Rose: DEPP. Daughter of Johnny Depp.

60. Not remote: ON SITE.

62. Racer's final chance to win: LAST LAP.

65. Rolls-__: ROYCE.

66. Precursor to overtime: TIE.

68. Some military figs.: SGTS.

70. Small but loud songbirds: WRENS.

71. Hula Hoop maker: WHAMO.

72. "Fighting" team of the Big Ten: ILLINI.

73. "Ur so funny!": HA HA.

74. Kerfuffles: ADOS.

75. Trail: PATH.

78. Facts, for short: INFO.

79. Abel's brother: CAIN.

80. Chipper: SPRY.

83. "Se __  español": HABLA. "Spanish spoken here".

84. Devoured: ATE UP.

88. Harshness: SEVERITY.

90. E'en if: THO.

91. Many a Petrarch poem: SONNET.

97. Holds back: DETAINS.

99. Curry favor with: WOO.

100. Not quite (there): PART WAY.

102. Court fig.: ATT.

103. Ointments: SALVES.

106. Candle threads: WICKS.

107. Silly: INANE.

108. New version of an existing song: REMIX. What's the your favorite remix of a popular song?

109. Michelangelo masterpiece: PIETA.

111. __ acid: AMINO.

112. Shade-loving perennial: HOSTA.

114. Cunning: GUILE.

115. "Citizen Kane" director Welles: ORSON.

116. Heads of France: TETES.

119. Get teary: CRY. Jinx, there aren't words for this sorrow. We're holding you and your wife in our thoughts and prayers. And we'll keep holding you in the days after. 

121. One thing alone or two people together: ITEM.

123. Que. neighbor: ONT.

124. Whopper: LIE.

125. "Why Can't We Be Friends?" band: WAR.

C.C.

Sunday October 26, 2025 Adam Landau

Theme: "FOUR OF A KIND" - Each theme entry contains four words that share a same ending sound. 

22. Expensive streaming ad error?: RICH TWITCH PITCH GLITCH.

36. Carrier for casino winnings?: BLACK JACK BACK PACK.

56. "Apparently, it's better not to dye your hair"?: THEY SAY STAY GRAY.

82. "Masala tea is getting so expensive," e.g.?: SKY HIGH CHAI SIGH.

96. Tie-dyed quilt?: DEAD HEAD BED SPREAD.

117. Shooting star?: QUITE BRIGHT NIGHT LIGHT.

I think this is Adam Landau's LA Times debut. Congrats, Adam! 

It's been a while since we saw this type of full-on rhyming theme. A tough feat to pull off cleanly with fun clues.

Across:

1. Palindromic address: MADAM.

6. Around: ABOUT.

11. Taylor-Joy of "The Queen's Gambit": ANYA.  She also voices Princess Peach in "The Super Mario Bros. Movie".

15. Prelude to a kiss?: I DO.

18. Classic Camaros: IROCS.

19. Beatles drummer: RINGO. Sir Richard Starkey.

20. Appearance: MIEN.

21. Ghost calls: BOOS.

26. Northern Nevada city: ELKO.

27. Carded at a club, casually: ID'ED.

28. The Emerald Isle: EIRE.

29. Dwelling for una familia: LA CASA.

30. Knitter's medium: WOOL.

32. Oft-fried vegetable: OKRA.

33. Father: SIRE.

34. Edebiri of "The Bear": AYO. It means "Joy" in Yoruba.

44. Ballet studio support: BARRE.

46. Feels bad about: RUES.

47. LAX info: ETA.

48. Actor Astin: SEAN.

49. Streetwear designer Marc: ECKO. He wanted ECHO in the first place.

50. Ingredient amt.: TBSP.

51. Change beds?: RE-PLANT. Garden beds.

55. Guatemalan gold: ORO.

59. Playground retort: AM NOT.

61. Wander: TRAIPSE. Aimlessly. 

62. Duplo maker: LEGO.

63. Rifts: SCHISMS.

65. Meadow: LEA.

66. Sault __ Marie: STE.

68. Digital art hosted on a blockchain: Abbr.: NFT. Non-Fungible Token. 

70. 84-Down edge: RIM. 84. Basketball target: HOOP.

71. Attracted by: DRAWN TO.

75. Lhasa __: APSO.

77. Albuquerque minor leaguer: ISOTOPE. Learning moment for me.

81. Like some wine barrels: OAKEN.

86. Mario Kart avatar: MII.

87. Most sore: ACHIEST. I got jabbed five times the past 3 weeks. The first was the worst, the spot got swollen immediately. The infusion nurse then took a mulligan. That spot remained purple for over 2 weeks.

89. "I heard you! Enough!": OK OK.

90. Plot measure: ACRE.

91. "¿Cómo __ usted?": ESTA.

93. Solo's son: REN.

94. One who walks the walk: DOER.

95. Slightly off: ASKEW.

102. Tagging symbols: ATS.

103. Cones' counterparts: RODS.

104. Travel option: RAIL.

105. Fall pile component: LEAF. Just had some rain. Most of the pretty leaves in our neighborhood are gone.

107. Charcuterie meat: SALAMI.

110. Bad habit: VICE.

111. Big __: Red Sox nickname: PAPI. He was just David Ortiz when he was a Twin.  

114. Corleone played by Marlon Brando: VITO.

121. Liberate: FREE.

122. Hunger (for): LONG.

123. Abated: EASED.

124. Fantasy Football domain: YAHOO. I like this new clue angle. 

125. Caribbean vacation souvenir?: TAN. Ha. 

126. Manchego sources: EWES. From Wikipedia: It's a cheese made in the La Mancha region of Spain from the milk of sheep of the Manchega breed. It is aged between 60 days and 2 years. 

127. Takes in a text: READS.

128. __ nous: ENTRE.

Down:

1. Bog down: MIRE.

2. Pomegranate seed: ARIL. I always love arils on all the Thanksgiving dishes.

3. Waterfront laborer: DOCKWORKER.

4. "Gesundheit" prompt: ACHOO.

5. Colorado hrs.: MST.

6. Lacking precipitation: ARID.

7. More than a nibble: BITE.

8. Like most recorded music from the 1990s: ON CD.

9. "Hate it!": UGH.

10. Midwest capital: TOPEKA.

11. California Zephyr operator: AMTRAK. Scenic.

12. "Love it!": NICE.

13. Slangy assent: YEH.

14. Like St. Paul's Cathedral: ANGLICAN.

15. Itty-bitty bit: IOTA.

16. Ob-gyns and ENTs: DOCS.

17. Org. concerned with employee well-being: OSHA.

21. Curl targets: BICEPS. Someday Splynter will show his. 

23. Estate document: WILL.

24. Texter's qualifier: IIRC.

25. Morning songbird: LARK.

31. U.K. honor for Naomie Harris: OBE. Order of the British Empire. She's been in a few Bond movies.

32. 60-Down, minus the champagne, for short: OJS. 60. Bottomless brunch drinks: MIMOSAS.

33. Skewered Thai dishes: SATAYS.

34. Help a bad actor: ABET.

35. Luxury boat: YACHT.

37. "We have the meats" chain: ARBY'S.

38. Swears: CUSSES.

39. Didn't throw away: KEPT.

40. Lugosi of "Dracula": BELA.

41. Forever and a day: AEONS.

42. Ricochet, in billiards: CAROM.

43. Nautical speed units: KNOTS.

45. Majestic pronoun: ROYAL WE.

50. Knock softly on: TAP AT.

51. Deli bread: RYE.

52. Festive beverage: EGGNOG.

53. Undergrad lecturer: PROF. 113. 53-Down degs.: PHDS.

54. Surfing site for the 2024 Olympics: TAHITI.  It's part of France. French Polynesia.

57. Toyota minivan: SIENNA.

58. First Hebrew letters: ALEPHS.

64. [I'm a frog]: CROAK.

67. "Ariel" voice actor Diggs: TAYE. He made his debut in "How Stella Got Her Groove Back".

69. Heart: TICKER.

71. Like the Capitol building: DOMED.

72. Confident poker action: RAISE.

73. Curly-tailed guard dog: AKITA.

74. Irish-themed casino on the Vegas Strip: O'SHEA'S.

76. Heed the theater warning bell: SIT.

78. "Jersey __": MTV reality show: SHORE.

79. Stir up conflict: PICK A FIGHT. Great fill.

80. Everglades wader: EGRET.

83. Granola bar brand: KIND.

85. Chops down: HEWS.

88. Trustworthy: CREDIBLE.

92. Around $8 million, for the Super Bowl: AD RATE. Imagine the money Budweiser has spent on Super Bowl ads.

94. ISP option: DSL.

95. Gator follower: ADE.

97. Where the heart is, proverbially: HOME. Our home is the only home I've lived in the US.

98. Myers-__ personality tests: BRIGGS.

99. A pop: EACH.

100. Keto adherent, perhaps: DIETER. Both Bill and Margaret were on Keto for a while. Then Margaret's blood sugar dropped too low. 

101. Landed: ALIT.

106. For the birds?: AVIAN.

107. Room meas.: SQ FT.

108. Vibe: AURA.

109. Bank claim: LIEN.

110. Bygone video app: VINE.

111. Leaning tower locale: PISA.

112. Like good balsamic vinegar: AGED.

115. Asgardian Avenger: THOR.

116. Plains people: OTOE.

118. Excel line: ROW.

119. Scot's "I'd rather not": NAE.

120. Soap-making chemical: LYE.

C.C.