Sunday June 15, 2014 Elizabeth C. Gorski

Theme: "Pa de Deux" -  All theme entries are two-word answers in the pattern of PA* PA*.

22A. Van Eyck's "Ghent Altarpiece," for one : PANEL PAINTING

32A. Baking pan liner : PARCHMENT PAPER

49A. Eaten or drunk : PAST PARTICIPLE. Chinese is so simple. No "a", "an", "the", no conjugation for verbs either.

 

66A. Restaurante cookware : PAELLA PANS. Never had paella before.

73A. Comedian the Smothers Brothers convinced to run for President : PAT PAULSEN

90A. Swirly fabric design : PAISLEY PATTERN

104A. Breakdancing garb : PARACHUTE PANTS

120A. Sleepovers with pillow fights : PAJAMA PARTIES

Timely theme from Liz to celebrate Father's Day!  I mentioned in the interview how I love Liz's clues. Look at these few:

55A. Messages from Mozart? : NOTES 

75A. Private organization? : ARMY

1D. Fat head?: LIPO. "Head" because LIPO is a prefix for "fat", correct?

52D. Fowl language? : PEEP

103D. Acts inappropriately? : EMOTES

Across:

1. Judges' concerns : LAWS

5. 2002 Winter Games host, initially : SLC. Mitt Romney was really in his element then.

8. Pyramid, to Tut : TOMB

12. Has because of : OWES TO

18. Ape : IMITATOR

20. Auction site : EBAY. Has any of you tried uBid?

21. More eminent : GREATER

24. Learning experiences : LESSONS

25. "SNL" alum Cheri : OTERI

26. 2001, in letters : MMI. The year I came to the US.

27. Adorable to the max : CUTEST

29. Sugary finish : OSE

30. Mongolian wild ass habitat : GOBI. Onager (Asian wild ass) guess! See, Liz found new angle to clue an old stand-by.

36. Not averse : WILLING

39. "... boy __ girl?" : OR A

40. Classical music hall : ODEON

41. Maestro __-Pekka Salonen : ESA. No idea. Wiki said "He is currently Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London and Conductor Laureate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic". Finnish.

42. Cork, for one : COUNTY

45. Utterly ridiculous : ASININE

56. Captain's command : TO SEA

57. Buddy : PAL

58. Can refuse to : NEED NOT

61. Airline to Oslo : SAS

62. Showed happiness, with "up" : LIT

64. Easy to like : GENIAL

65. Tightly bound bundle : BALE

76. All-in-one component : COPIER

78. Storm dir. : NNE

79. Lobster eater's protection : BIB. Too bad these four people stole others' hard-earned bib numbers in Boston Marathon.

80. City on Lake Ontario : TORONTO

81. Casual greetings : YOS

84. "Heart Shaped World" singer Chris : ISAAK

88. Infection cause : STAPH

93. Tried to bean : THREW AT

96. Mr. and Mrs. : TITLES

97. 1970s court alias : ROE

98. Cheese-topped chip : NACHO. Never had nachos.

100. No-seats-available shorthand : SRO (Standing Room Only)

101. Cough medicine additive : CODEINE. Addictive drug.

110. Hurricane response org. : FEMA

111. Ipanema locale : RIO

112. 1999 Top 10 hit for Sixpence None the Richer : KISS ME. I know the song, not the singers.

113. Net exchange : IMs

115. Pocahontas' husband John : ROLFE

118. Teach bit by bit : INSTILL

124. In a no-nonsense manner : STERNLY

125. Enterprise counselor : TROI (Deanna)

 

126. Approve of : SAY YES TO

127. Guide the team : MANAGE

128. Belgian river : YSER

129. Otto I's realm: Abbr. : HRE. D-Otto, did your ancestors come from Germany?

130. D.C. Metro stops : STAs

Down:

  

2. Bit of beginning Latin : AMAT. "Amo, amas, amat"

3. Red or white container : WINE GLASS. Oh, red or white wine container.

4. Waxy compound : STEROL

5. Indy additive : STP

6. Fertile soil : LOAM

7. Pinch and press, as pie crust edges : CRIMP. Chinese dumplings also take lots of pinching and pressing along the edges.

8. Lunar Asian holiday : TET. And 9D. Asian sash : OBI

10. La __: Spanish region : MANCHA

11. Old-fashioned oath : BY GUM!

12. Electra's brother : ORESTES

13. Academy since 1802 : WEST POINT. So glad the VA scandal was exposed. The VA here in MN drove me nuts.

14. __ in echo : E AS

15. Urban hangout : STOOP. I was thinking of  mall style "hangout".

16. In a knot : TENSE

17. "Carmen on Ice" Emmy sharer Brian : ORSER. Here is a clip. New to me. 

19. Tall story, often : ALIBI

21. Jackson of "Mary, Queen of Scots" : GLENDA

23. Actress Vardalos : NIA

28. Racecar driver Fabi : TEO

31. Empire that stretched as far south as Chile : INCA

33. School mil. program : ROTC

34. In tears : CRYING. And 36. Was in tears : WEPT

35. A.D. part : ANNO

37. Senior golfer Aoki : ISAO. Champions Tour (Senior PGA) has a stop in MN. They play at a course fairly close to our home. Never saw him.

38. Nutty trail snack : GORP

43. Acting teacher Hagen : UTA

44. None : NIL

46. "__ I said ..." : IT'S AS.  Sunday puzzles will always have a few undesirable entries, even if the constructor is Liz.

47. Hall of Fame football coach Earle "Greasy" __ : NEALE.  Escaped me. We had him before.

48. Ruhr city : ESSEN

50. William and Kate's set : TELLY

51. Water carrier : PAIL

53. Contemporary of Ella : LENA (Horne)

54. Add or delete, say : EDIT

59. Little break : NAP

60. "The Good Earth" wife : O-LAN. Loved the book. Very compassionate portrayal of the China my grandma grew up.

63. Snack in a shell : TACO

65. Favored : BLEST

66. Owner of Lone Star Beer : PABST

67. Grade sch. subject : ARITH

68. Put in prison : EMBAR

69. __ favor : POR

70. Per : APOP

71. Jazz singer Simone : NINA

72. "The X-Files" gp. : SETI

74. Storage __ : UNIT

77. Talking points? : ROSTRA. Nice clue also.

80. What a piñata gets at a kids' party : THWACKING. Cool word.

81. So far : YET

82. Popeye's "goil" Olive : OYL

83. What some build on : SPEC

85. Circus performer : AERIALIST

86. "Moses und __": Schoenberg opera : ARON. Click here. So, is Aaron spelled as Aron in German?

87. Guitar support : KNEE

89. Transportation secretary under Clinton : PENA (Federico)

91. Feline king : LION

92. Since : AS OF

94. __ Lauro: ship in 1985 news : ACHILLE. No memory of the incident at all.

95. Like so : THUSLY

99. Extra NFL periods : OTS

100. Plant shoots : SPEARS

102. Fictional town in Stephen King works : DERRY

104. Spectroscope part : PRISM

105. AC/DC's "Hell __ Bad Place to Be" : AIN'T A

106. Cleveland Indians legend Al : ROSEN. Hondo can recognize the year of this card immediately.

107. Ready for a refill : EMPTY

108. "Make it work" fashion mogul Gunn : TIM. "Make it work" is his signature catchphrase. He has a great column at "StyleWatch". 

109. Big hit : SMASH

114. Practice for a prizefight : SPAR

116. Salad cheese : FETA

117. Those, to Jorge : ESOS

119. Singing syllable : TRA

121. Morning cup : JOE

122. Lung filler : AIR

123. Word a captain likes to hear : AYE

Happy 49th wedding anniversary to Bill G and his wife Barbara! Bill, where are you doing today?

Barbara & Bill

Sunday June 8, 2014 Alan Olschwang

 Theme: "You Too" -U is added to each theme entry

23A. Being on hands and knees? : SCOURING POSITION. Scoring position.

45A. Follow the proverbial crowd? : VENTURE FOURTH. Venture forth. 

  

67A. Soda fountain? : SWEET SPOUT. Sweet spot.

71A. Town boor in a western capital? : SALEM'S LOUT. Salem's Lot.

92A. Auto equipment supplier? : RADIATOR HOUSE. Radiator hose.

117A. Prescription for extremely potent medicine? : OUNCE IN A BLUE MOON. Once in a blue moon.

14D. One hyping the spud industry? : TATER TOUT. Tater tot.

78D. Court case involving a British tennis player and a rake? : ROUE V. WADE. Roe V. Wade. Not familiar with Virginia Wade. Very accomplished career.

Alan Olschwang is the constructor who used to give us a quote/quip puzzle every Thursday in our old Tribune Media Daily days.

Read my interview with him here. He retired 4 years ago.

 Alan Olschwang, ACPT 2005

Across:

     

1. Bar stock : RYES. So many fun bars in Guangzhou/Hong Kong.

5. Work on copy : EDIT. And 46D. Work on copy : REVISE

9. Student of Socrates : PLATO

14. Lemony characteristic : TANG. Also the name of the big Chinese dynasty whose capital was in Xi'An.

18. Carefree walk : AMBLE

20. Cowboy quarterback Tony : ROMO

21. Red River capital : HANOI

22. Botanical cover : ARIL. Interested to see when Rich will clue it as "pomegranate seed".

26. Small monkey : TITI

27. Closet accessory : HANGER

28. Fill fully : SATE

29. Ain't the way it should be? : ISN'T.  Nice clue.

30. Bring home : EARN

 

31. Schooner drivers : SAILS

33. Many an outdoor eatery : CAFE

35. Red in a cellar : MERLOT

37. Story surprise : TWIST. Like the end of "Call Me Maybe". I think only Jayce watched the whole thing when I linked it two years ago.

41. Remains on the shelf : SITS

43. Beginning to exist : NASCENT

48. To such an extent : INSOFAR

52. '70s Israeli prime minister : MEIR. My "Call Me Maybe" guy Daniel Craig is in "Munich" too. Who is your "Call Me Maybe" guy or girl? 

53. Ahead of, in verse : ERE

54. Honey source : BEE

55. Seuss's "The 5000 Fingers of ___" : DR T

56. Indic language : URDU

57. Clear : ABSOLVE

59. Enduring work : CLASSIC

61. "The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas" author : STEIN. Who else could it be? I support some sex marriage!

62. High crime, briefly : DUI

63. Asserted one's innocence, perhaps : PLED

64. Frequent co-star of Sylvester : TALIA (Shire)

66. Bust gp. : DEA

73. __ de mer : MAL

74. Not natural : EERIE

75. Low wetlands : FENS

76. Little, in Lille : PEU. Un peu.

77. Activist Medgar : EVERS. I only learned today that he was assassinated.

79. Place to go when it rains : INDOORS

81. Stomach-related : GASTRIC

85. His show had a "Jaywalking" segment : LENO

86. "Haven't we __?" : MET. Our Splynter is too shy.

87. Family that's not kin : MOB. Great clue as well.

88. Hindu honorific : SRI

89. Lanford Wilson's "The __ Baltimore" : HOT L

90. Emotional wounds : TRAUMAS

95. Like clay pots : EARTHEN

97. "Right away!" : ASAP

98. Cohort of Threepio : ARTOO. 3PO &  R2-D2.

99. Support for the Lone Ranger? : SILVER. His horse.

 102. Finished a flight : ALIT

104. Leaves alone, in a way : STETS

106. Once more : ANEW

107. Pelvic bones : ILIA

109. Pouting grimace : MOUE

111. Butting heads : AT ODDS

116. Dial alternative : LAVA. Dove for me.

120. Toy on a hill : SLED

121. Stuck up? : TREED. Tricky clue.

122. Alike, to Alain : EGAL. Somehow Alain Delon was very popular in China in the late 1980s.

123. American of Japanese descent : NISEI. Ni=Two/Second. ISSEI is First-generation Japanese-American. Is = One/First. SANSEI is third-generation. San = Three/Third. SEI means "birth" literally.

124. Sailor's direction : ALEE

125. "The Gondoliers" lass : TESSA. Total unknown.

126. Idea beginning : GERM

127. __ pilot : TEST

Down:

1. Headlong : RASH

2. 1979 disco hit : YMCA

3. Odist's deep black : EBON

4. Vending machine tricker : SLUG

5. Directional finish : ERN. Like western.

6. Less-than-happy lot : DOG'S LIFE. Oh, I've got to share with you a story of how Jose Armenta, an ex-Marine dog handler, eventually adopted his dog Zenit. Nat Geo has a great article.  Click here.

7. Thickly applied paint : IMPASTO. This is a new word to me.

8. Binge : TOOT

9. Key letter : PHI

10. Queen of rap : LATIFAH. Queen Latifah.

11. Cordial flavorings : ANISES

12. Homer, for one : TOON

13. Topical medication : OINTMENT

15. Sans serif typeface : ARIAL

16. Big bang material : NITRO

17. Flash : GLINT

19. 1974 Top 10 hit whose title means "You are" : ERES TU

24. "The Stepford Wives" novelist Levin : IRA

25. Flash : SEC

32. Rhone feeder : ISERE

34. Gets in on the deal : ANTES

36. Neon borders? : ENS. Neon.

37. "Game of Thrones" rating : TV-MA

38. Super Bowl III coach Ewbank : WEEB. He stumped me last time. Here he was with Joe Namath (1965).

39. "Last one __ a rotten egg!" : IN IS

40. Proceeded confidently : STRODE

42. Lease prohibition : SUBLET

44. Group of friends : CIRCLE

47. Interpret : READ

49. Corleone traitor : FREDO. Michael Corleone's traitor.

50. It may be bid : ADIEU

51. Charge : RUN AT

55. Calls on a retro phone : DIALS

58. Guitar ancestors : LUTES

59. Filled (in) : CLUED

60. Getz and Kenton : STANS

61. Freelancer's supply: Abbr. : SASEs (Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope)

63. Act rudely, maybe : POINT

65. Render less effective : IMPAIR

67. Extract metal from : SMELT

68. Be in doubt : WAVER

69. "Uncle Vanya" woman : ELENA. Has any of you read "Uncle Vanya"?

70. Clerical worker : PRIEST

71. Montenegro neighbor : SERBIA

72. Superman nemesis : LUTHOR (Lex)

75. Meat and potatoes : FOOD

80. Arabian peninsula native : OMANI

81. Feel (for) : GROPE

82. Game ended by the mercy rule : ROUT. I know the concept, not the term "Mercy rule".

83. "Wishing won't make __" : IT SO

84. Old African queen, familiarly : CLEO

86. Residence Inn company : MARRIOTT

88. Attorney regulator : STATE BAR

91. Author Rita __ Brown : MAE

92. Tightens, perhaps : RELACES

93. Take the edge off : ASSUAGE

94. Accelerate : HASTEN

96. Alaska Panhandle city : HAINES. Never heard of it. I don't even know that Alaska has a Panhandle as well.

99. Burrito dressing : SALSA. I love Pace Chunky salsa.

100. As a whole : IN ALL

101. Bad place for a breach : LEVEE

103. "I didn't need to hear that!" : TMI (Too Much Information)

105. Cross shape : TAU

108. End-of-the-line item : LURE. Oh, fishing.

110. Universal donor's type, briefly : O NEG

112. Don't mention : OMIT

113. Capsule contents : DOSE

114. Forest prancers : DOES

115. Agitated state : SNIT

118. Child expert LeShan : EDA

119. Advanced attorney's deg. : LLM. Master of Laws. LLD is Doctorate of Laws. LLB is Bachelor of Laws.

 

C.C. 

Sunday June 1, 2014 Gia Christian

Theme: "The Sound of Victory" - V sound is added to the end of the first word in each theme entry.

22A. Traveler's nightmare due to a road crew strike? : PAVE AS YOU GO. Pay as you go.

27A. Wait on a knight? : SERVE GALAHAD. Sir Galahad.

52A. Rocky in a serious mood? : GRAVE SQUIRREL. Rocky the Flying Squirrel. The base phrase is "Gray squirrel".

88A. Make statues of leading reps? : CARVE SALESMEN. Car salesman

113A. Computer maintenance tool? : DRIVE CLEANER. Dry cleaner. Do you clean your keyboard with Gas Duster? I think I might have ruined our last keyboard that way. The spray was so powerful that  a few keys did not re-bounce easily.

121A. Throw out all your stuff? : SAVE NOTHING. Say nothing.

 

3D. Ancient greeting? : WAVE BACK WHEN. Way back when.

65D. Crack up during a jackknife? : DIVE LAUGHING. Die laughing.

I mentioned this before: sound addition is more interesting and challenging than simply letter string addition. You need to be really imaginative.

Gia Christian is Rich's alias name, it's an anagram of "Again It's Rich". I love when theme entries intersect, Rich makes it so easy. He did it in his last Sunday also (Nora Pearlstone byline). The only time I made it happen, I was so excited!

  

Across:

1. Cal. sequence : M T W T F. Cool cluster of consonants.

6. One pulling in pushers : NARC. Pushers the drug dealers. Yellowrocks might have seen these professional pushers when she visited Japan.

10. They're grabbed on corners : CABS

14. Fashionable fold : CUFF

18. "__ Ben Jonson": literary epitaph : ORARE. Misspelled in the inscription as O RARE.

19. Similar: Pref. : HOMEO

20. Other, in Oaxaca : OTRA

21. Paris possessive : A TOI

24. Checking aid : REIN

25. Glacial lake : TARN

26. 1954 Emmy winner for Best Female Star of a Regular Series : EVE ARDEN. "Our Miss Brooks".

30. Credit report item : DEBT

31. "Just like that!" sound : SNAP

33. Domingo, e.g. : DIA. Domingo = Sunday. Not the tenor.

34. Enviable mark : A PLUS

35. List of candidates : SLATE

37. Stake for Keats?: Abbr. : ANAG. Stake and Keats are anagrams.

39. Faux pas : SLIP

42. Unacceptable : NOT OK

44. They aren't major players : COGS

46. Social worker's backlog : CASELOAD

49. Actress Rowlands : GENA. Loved "The Notebook"

50. Legendary rescue boat : ARK

56. Pepper's title: Abbr. : SGT. Sgt Pepper.

57. Hems, say : SEWS

59. Dressy accessories : TIE CLIPS

60. Letter-shaped fastener : T NUT

62. Baseball commissioner before Ueberroth : KUHN (Bowie). OK, TTP, Husker Gary & Buckeye Bob, what did this guy achieve? He's before my time (2001).

63. Eighth Avenue subway in New York : A TRAIN. Never been to NY.

64. Joined : SIGNED UP

68. Wee hr. : ONE AM

70. 2000 Gere title role : DR. T

71. Chickadee cousin : TIT

73. Deli specialty : KNISH

74. System used in home decor : FENG SHUI. Cantonese and Hong Kongese are very into Feng Shui.

77. Largest Bay Area county : SONOMA. New trivia to me.

80. Kind of round : OVAL

81. Dated : SEEN

82. Bag on the back : RUCKSACK. Oh, I Just call it backpack.

84. __ Park: Queens area : REGO

85. Log shaper : ADZ

91. Villain Luthor : LEX.  And 95. Singer McEntire : REBA. And 6D. Reagan biographer Peggy : NOONAN. And 89D. Kilmer of "Top Gun" : VAL. And 98D. Wallace of "E.T." : DEE. And 118. Jazzy James : ETTA. All straightforward clues.

92. Ancient mountain crossing, say : TREK

94. Where keyboard users can get tips : PIANO BAR. Rich plays piano. Lots of constructors are musicians.

97. Got on : FARED

99. Gooey stuff : GLOP

100. Small-runway aircraft acronym : STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing). Gimme for Dudley.

103. Pale wine : BLUSH

106. Jewish folklore creature : GOLEM

108. Part of KJV: Abbr. : VER. KJV = King James Version. We had this clue before.

110. Wine seller : SHOP

112. Turkish general : AGHA

117. Became harder to bear : WORE THIN

119. Rajah's spouse : RANI

120. Serious surprise : JOLT

123. Revered one : ICON

124. Bassoon kin : OBOE

125. Continental boot? : ITALY

126. Nearing the hour : TEN TO

127. Personnel office array : PENS

128. Curve : BEND

129. Substance in the sea's H2O : NACL

130. Element #18 : ARGON

 

Down:

1. Tourists' rentals : MOPEDS. I never rented a moped.

2. Tour : TRAVEL

4. Buy for, as dinner : TREAT TO

5. Trepidation : FEAR

7. Asia's __ Darya river : AMU

8. Rules, briefly : REGS

9. Murmured from a cote : COOED

10. Oregon State city : CORVALLIS. Beavers. The Ducks are based in Eugene.

11. Exactly, with "to" : A TEE

12. Two-masted vessel : BRIG

13. Capital SW of Muscat : SANA'A

14. Mail-order purchase enclosure, often : CATALOG. Don't order flowers/plants/seeds from Michigan Bulb. Awful!

15. Pac-12 team : UTAH UTES

16. Really cheap : FOR A SONG

17. Discovery : FIND

19. Doglike scavenger : HYENA

23. Active campus gp. during the Vietnam War : SDS (Students for a Democratic Society)

28. Rebel : RISE UP

29. Hosp. staffer : LPN

32. Racing safety vehicle : PACE CAR

36. Breakfast food : EGG. OK, tell me what's your typical breakfast in the summer?

38. Like old Paris streets : GAS-LIT

40. High school suffix : IOR. Oh, like Junior or Senior.

41. Story opener : PART I

43. Kit __: candy bar : KAT

45. Span. lass : SRTA

47. Newspaper ad meas. : SQ IN (Square Inch)

48. Leader after Mao : DENG. In fact, Hua Guofeng succeeded Mao in 1976, but was ousted by Deng in 1978. This is like cluing OBAMA as "President after Clinton".

50. Would like from : ASK OF

51. Meet with the old gang : REUNE.

53. River islet : AIT

54. "Rigoletto" composer : VERDI

55. Blockhead : LUNK. I need to use this word.

58. Stocking mishaps : SNAGS

61. Domingo, e.g. : TENOR

64. Old porticos : STOAS

66. Dictionary note subject : USAGE

67. Showy flowers : PHLOX. I think JD has this in her garden.

69. PC time meas. : MSEC

71. Gertrude Stein confidante Alice B. __ : TOKLAS. Her lover. Lots of juicy gossip in this book.

72. Many newspaper ads : INSERTS

75. Sloppy stack : HEAP

76. Strip of gear, as a ship : UNRIG

77. Walkout walk-in : SCAB. Nice clue.

78. Year McKinley was reelected : MCM.  1900.

79. 1966 A.L. Fireman of the Year Jack : AKER . Relievers are called "Firemen". I have no memory of this guy at all. Seattle Pilots! Long long time ago.

82. Fixed up : RENOVATED

83. Event to be played in Pinehurst, N.C., in 2014 : US OPEN. Gimme for Argyle.

85. DOJ enforcer : ATF

86. Contest that's over in seconds : DRAG RACE

87. Prepare to shoot at : ZERO IN ON

90. Cornhusker's st. : NEB

93. Temperature units : KELVINS. Learning moment to me.

96. Poppycock : BLATHER

101. Sighed line : OH WELL

102. Senseless : LOONY

104. Eastern faith : SHINTO. Literally "way of the gods". Japanese "To" = Cantonese "Tao". Shin = Gods. In Chinese, it's SHEN.

105. "Please hold" equivalent : HANG ON

107. Not usually an opportunity for advancement : McJOB

109. Amber, for one : RESIN

111. With 116-Down, shared equitably : PRO. And 116. See 111-Down : RATA

113. Plumbing problem : DRIP

114. Hoop site : LOBE. Hoop earrings.

115. North Carolina school : ELON. Rich saves Musk references for Saturdays.

122. Little sucker? : VAC. Nice clue. Little indicates abbreviation.

C.C.

Sunday, May 25th, 2014 C.C. Burnikel

Theme:  "Intel Inside" - My God, the NSA is even hiding in our puzzle now!

What a treat to blog one of C.C.'s Sunday offerings! The puzzle represents her wide-ranging knowledge of many cultures and semantic acuity.

23. "When it rains, it pours" brand : MORTON SALT.  Arbor Day founder Nebraskan J. Sterling Morton's son Joy founded this company.

29. 1954 Kurosawa classic : SEVEN SAMURAI. An American derivative

43. Only player to appear in both the Super Bowl and World Series : DEION SANDERS

52. Game with many imitators : SIMON SAYS

65. Cecilia, to musicians : PATRON SAINT

84. Baseball closer's nightmare : BLOWN SAVE. Too many of these and it's bye, bye New York, hello Scranton.

91. Investment firm founded in 1869 : GOLDMAN SACHS

103. Classic sci-fi gesture : VULCAN SALUTE

113. Leafy course : GREEN SALAD. Grow one in a single planter

Theme reveal:

123. Intel collector hidden in nine puzzle answers : NSA. Go ahead, read my email

ACROSS
  1. "Holy Smokes!" : WOW.

4. Like bodyguards : ARMED

9, Stinger : WASP. In what play is Muriel Tate's drink of choice a vodka stinger?

13. Dip : SWIM

17. Japanese band : OBI

18. Dashboard array : GAUGES. Dash in first car I ever owned

20. Stars at the Forum? : ASTRA. Ptolemy's stars?

22. "Oh Dear" : AH ME

25. More distant : ICIER. Our yard was icier after a mid-spring frost last week

26. Raised in a way : TEED. I've TEED up and then been TEED off!

27. Cold Draft : BEER

28. Eye protector : LID.

32. Apples on a desk : IMACS. 

34. Blows off steam : VENTS. Once you VENT, it's hard to take it back!

35. Battleground : ARENA

36. "Enough already" : OH STOP. 

39. Wide awake : ALERT. Sadly, we were NOT on 12/7/41 and 9/11/01

41. Changes course : TURNS.

46. Old 45 player : HI-FI. Talk about your artifact!

47. Org. for heavyweights : WBA. Can you name the heavyweight champ. Nah, I can't either.

50. Muscat Daily reader : OMANI. An English-speaking daily in Oman with a circulation of 33,000

51. Bird feeder cakes : SUETS. The Starlings go nuts for this goop and so I pitched it

54. Golden Fleece source : RAM

55. Égoïste maker : CHANEL. Not Mennen?

57. Silver hair? : MANE. Hi Yo! Fun!

58. Issues for fashionable readers : ELLES

59. Vice squad operation : RAID. Be careful the mayor isn't in there.

60. With no break : ON END

62. Camp David Accords signer : SADAT. Jimmy's proudest moment

63. Emmy-winning sportscaster Buck : JOE. Jack Buck's son shows that there might be something to this DNA stuff

70. Lisbon's land, to the IOC : POR

71. Aquatic birds : TERNS.

73. Pink flowers in a Van Gogh still life : ROSES.

74. Base figures : UMPS. Now UMPS have instant replay. That's all baseball needs - something to slow down the game.

76. Totally lost : AT SEA

77. "Forget it" : NOPE. Ain't happenin'!

78. Sexy one : HOTTIE. Aw, go link yourself! ;-)

81. Athenian cross : TAU

86. __ gun : RADAR. Ever talked your way out of a ticket?

87. French twist need : TRESS

89. Envy, e.g. : SIN. If that's my worst SIN...

90. "I'm Not There" actor : GERE

93. Like toads : WARTY. These are too

 95. Post grad hurdles : ORALS

96. Choice word : EITHER.

97. "SNL" alumna Cheri : OTERI

99. "Hasta la vista" : ADIOS

101. Washington, for one : STATE

106. Way to stand : PAT

107. Lox stocker : DELI. I like this clue

111. On Vine St., say : IN LA. Hey, Wilbert Harrison sang that in KC you could "be standin' on the corner, 12th Street and VINE"

112. Improves : HONES.

116. Grant factor : NEED  ...or a friend in DC

117. Cabbage? : LUCRE

118. Pet on a wheel : GERBIL

119. 39, for Derek Jeter : AGE. The captain has lost a step but is still the standard for "classy athlete"

120. Celtic tongue : ERSE

121. "I took the one __ traveled by": Frost : LESS

122. Like cigar bars : SMOKY.

DOWN

1. Baby carrier? : WOMB

2. High wind : OBOE. This High Wind provides a haunting introduction in Judy Collins' Send In The Clowns

3. Current carrier : WIRE

4. Back in the day : AGO

5. Went around in circles? : RAN LAPS. Jazz, Did you ever see a trombone player run laps for messing up at practice like a football player? ;-)


6. __ video : MUSIC. MTV used to play these.

7. "Great Scott!" : EGADS

8. U.S. State with three counties : DEL. See:

9. Release relatives : WAIVERS

10. Way up : ASCENT

11. Tour of duty : STINT

12. When printing starts : PRESS TIME

13. Ring site : SATURN. Same goes for Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune and my bachelor bathtub


14. 1987 kid's best-seller : WHERE'S WALDO.

15. "That is ..." : I MEAN. Old punch line, "No, young lady, what I MEAN to say is 'I want two tickets to Pittsburgh'"

16. Mass __ : MEDIA

19. Some GPS lines : STS

21. 1966 Sporting News College Coach of the Year Parseghian : ARA. All I remember is he went for the tie in 1966 against MSU

24. Largest moon of Neptune : TRITON

30. Tinker to __ to Chance: classic double-play combo : EVERS

31. "The Few. The Proud" group : MARINES. We all honor Dennis' STINT here. Semper Fi!

33. "Friends" friend : MONICA. Another MONICA has re-emerged

36. Scent : ODOR

37. Blood: Pref. : HEMA

38. "The King and I" kingdom : SIAM

39. Chick chaser? : ADEE. Chickadee. Ah yes, W.C. and Mae


40. Free : LET LOOSE

42. Tabloid subj. : UFO

44. Carne __: Mexican beef dish : ASADA

45. One with a habit : NUN

46. Language that gives us "shampoo" : HINDI

48. One way to play : BY EAR. It's hard enough using a pick in my fingers


49. Mgr.'s helper : ASST

52. Yemen's capital : SANA

53. Waves-against-rocks sounds : SLAPS

56. Not square : HIP

57. Private eatery : MESS HALL. Yes, I'll have the S.O.S. almondine please

59. Get more Money : RENEW. Money magazine.


61. Atlanta-to-Charleston dir. : NNE

63. "Once Upon a Time in China" star : JET LI. All right Jet, you can have the last pizza roll!

64. 1938 "The War of the Worlds" narrator : ORSON WELLES

66. Treasure cache : TROVE

67. Ring barrier : ROPE as in Ali's rope-a-dope


68. ___Sweet: sugar substitute : NUTRA

69. "No details, pls!" : TMI. Hey, I believe you have a rash down there.


71. Bar pickups : TABS

72. Spanish wine punch : SANGRIA

75. Feed a friend's feline, say : PET SIT

77. Nobody : NARY A SOUL

79. Sports figures : ODDS. The ODDS on Florida State repeating as National Champs are 5:1. The Huskers? 75:1

80. Dundee topper : TAM

81. Virginia __ : TECH

82. "Off the Court" author : ASHE

83. Cold War initials : USSR

85. Good to go : SET

86. Event with mocking : ROAST. The good-natured fun of Dean Martin's ROASTS have been supplanted by the filth on Comedy Central's version

88. Top-notch : RATED-A

91. Puts up a fuss : GROUSES

92. One who's quick to pick up? : NEATNIK. I live with one but that gene must skip a generation


94. Where many quarters are used : ARCADE

95. Rexall Place team : OILERS

97. Like merinos : OVINE

98. Upright worker : TUNER

100. Gym event : DANCE

101. __ whale : SPERM

102. Martial arts-based regimen : TAEBO

104. 95-Down's org. : NHL

105. Person, slangily : EGG

108. Dashing style : ELAN

109. Gets behind : LAGS

110. What's on your mind : IDEA

114. Hi-__ monitor : RES

115. Underhand : SLY

What a Herculean effort by our lovely blogmaster. The time and effort it took to ferret out these nine fills and then all the clever cluing is amazing!

Husker Gary