Thursday November 12, 2026 Chris Gross & Zhouqin Burnikel

It is my pleasure to review this duet from two of our own, Chris Gross and Zhouqin Burnikel, better known around here as Chairman Moe and C.C. Our hostess is very generous with her talents, and has constructed numerous puzzles with folks from the Corner, including myself. Chris often works solo, and his crosswords have appeared in several major publications. Together, they are a formidable team.

The revealer tells all:

37. With 40-Across, salad staple, or what a black square creates in rows 3, 5, 11, and 13 of this puzzle?: CHOPPED ⬛ LETTUCE. Hidden inside each of four pairs of theme answers are the names of common LETTUCE varieties, "CHOPPED" (BISECTed!) by a black square. Thursday appropriate with no circles - thanks, guys!

With what are essentially five grid-spanners, it chopped up the rest of the fill into small pieces. I guess that's the price you pay for going green. Sometimes when we get a puzzle such as this, the theme is only realized after the fact. This time, however, it helped with the solve. I temporarily skipped the GOBI part of ALOO GOBI, but when I filled in BBC ONE, I saw the double Bs. Theme to the rescue, I divined BIBB and back-tracked for the win. Good fun.

Lettuce not delay endive right in. Chop-chop! Don't worry, it won't make your head spin. 

Across:

1. Snatch suddenly: GRAB.

5. Spot protected by a sun hat: NAPE. 

9. Coding shortcut: MACRO. A MACRO is a saved sequence of commands or keystrokes that can be played back with a single trigger to automate repetitive tasks.

14. Home of the "American Gothic" house: IOWA. Grant Wood's 1930 painting depicts an IOWA farmer and his daughter standing before a house with a Gothic-arched window. Because the expression on their faces is emotionless and severe, viewers can never quite tell if Wood is celebrating these rural figures or quietly mocking their lifestyle. This ambiguity has made it iconic (and won the artist a $300 prize).

Wood used his sister and his dentist as models.

15. Woes: ILLS.

16. Filmmaker Coen: ETHAN. ETHAN, along with his brother Joel, have written, directed and produced such classics as Fargo and The Big Lebowski.

ETHAN (left) and Joel Coen winning Oscars for No Country for Old Men in 2008

17. First experience with screen sharing?: FILM DEBUT. 1st half of BUTTER lettuce. Fun clue. The Coen brother's FILM DEBUT was Blood Simple in 1984.

19. Semesters and quarters: TERMS. 

20. Turned into: BECAME. My youngest son BECAME an amateur magician (true!). He once turned my car into a driveway (sorta true!).

21. Multnomah Falls st.: ORE. On one of our family jaunts to the Pacific Northwest (our son lives in Seattle), we climbed to the top of Multnomah Falls in Oregon. Our reward was spectacular views of the Columbia River Gorge just east of Portland. The pedestrian bridge in the background is about halfway up.

The hat looks like it's keeping my brain from getting rusty!

22. Heads or tails, e.g.: CHOICE. 1st half of ICEBERG lettuce.

25. Citrus flavor in Earl Grey tea: BERGAMOT. Not my cup of tea, but learning new things is one reason I love crosswords (as long as they're fairly crossed as here). A BERGAMOT orange is a fragrant, natural hybrid of sour orange and lemon. 

29. Owns: HAS. We own mango and avocado trees, but have no oranges. 

30. GPS heading: SSE. South-SouthEast is a random compass point, yes, but preferable the direction between two unknown places, such as from Springfield to Centerville.

32. Encouraged: URGED.

33. Writer/actress Rae: ISSA. Additionally, ISSA Rae is an advocate for civil rights and women's rights movements. She's been listed twice in the annual Time list of the most influential people in the world.

35. World's largest peninsula: ARABIA.

37. [theme]

40. [theme]

44. Cut in half: BISECT.

46. One-named New Age singer: ENYA. She's a popular gal in xword land. With 80 million records sold, she's also popular with everyone else. That's why she can live in a castle.

ENYA's Manderley Castle near Dublin, Ireland

47. Guarded areas in soccer: SHINS. Winner: Best Clue. 🏆

49. Condo management gp.: HOA. Home Owner's Association aka "Condo Commandos."

51. German article for neuter nouns: DAS. Equivalent to "the" in English.

52. Curry dish with potatoes and cauliflower: ALOO GOBI. 1st half of BIBB lettuce. ALOO GOBI  is a simple Indian vegetarian dish made with potatoes (aloo) and cauliflower (gobi), along with spices and herbs.

54. The U.K.'s oldest TV network: BBC ONE. The flagship channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation. 

57. Ballerina's hairdo: BUN. They wear their hair in a BUN for safety, balance and unobstructed vision. The identical hairstyles also keep the audience's eye focused on group symmetry rather than individual distractions.

58. Venue for shucked oysters: RAW BAR. As you'd expect, there are some great ones on the water down here in South Florida. 

The ever-popular Southport Raw Bar in Fort Lauderdale.

60. Scent: AROMA. 1st half of ROMAINE lettuce.

63. Comment after a big meal, perhaps: I NEED A NAP. Especially on Thanksgiving in a few weeks!

67. Small bouquet: SPRAY. Now available in cans*.

* not recommended for prom dates.

68. Site for artisans: ETSY.

69. Common mixer: COLA.

70. Shiitake Happens nail polish brand: ESSIE.

It'll make your nails look like shiitake!

71. Suits: FITS. This clue gave me FITS!

72. Understood: KNEW. But this one I KNEW. 

Down:

1. Animated pic: GIF. Graphics Interchange Format for short, looping animations. I was thinking CEL. 

2. King, in Marseille: ROI. Return On Investment? It's good to be the king! Unless you're in France, that is.

3. Tool used in manual lockstitch sewing: AWL. The lockstitch sewing manual says, "AWLways use the pointy end."

4. Thumper's deer friend: BAMBI. Punny clue!

Thumper with his "dear" friend Bambi.

5. Some reunion attendees: NIECES.

6. Jessica of "Machete": ALBA. Jessica is an actress, entrepreneur, and advocate for health and wellness.

7. Pipe pro: PLUMBER. Nice alliteration.

8. Cosmetician Lauder: ESTEE. ESTÉE and her husband Joseph founded the beauty company in 1946.

9. Sat: MET. I needed to add "with" to figure this one out. Sat with or MET with. 

10. Put away: ATE.

11. Safari alternative: CHROME. Two popular web browsers.

12. Muzzle-loading aid: RAMROD. During the American Civil War, well-trained infantrymen using standard muzzle-loading rifles were expected to complete a full loading and firing cycle in 15 or 20 seconds. That's amazingly quick for a soldier under fire.

13. First wave: ONSET.

18. Mo. for Advent calendars: DEC. Advent calendars count down the days of December leading up to Christmas. They often have little doors that are opened each day to reveal a surprise.

I'm starting my Santa wish list early...

22. In vogue: CHIC.

23. Resolve, with "out": HASH.

24. __ buco: OSSO. An Italian dish traditionally made with veal shank.

26. __ Goldberg machine: RUBE. RUBE Goldberg was American cartoonist, sculptor, author, engineer, and inventor. He created drawings of complicated gadgets performing simple tasks in convoluted ways.

Here's his pencil sharpener.

27. Tenacious quality: GRIT. It's true!

28. Banded rock: AGATE. Rock band: AGATE.

AGATE is a progressive rock band from Norway.

31. One-named smooth jazz singer: SADE. The Nigerian singer/songwriter is one of the most successful British female artists in history.

SADE proved to be a Smooth Operator with this hit release in 1984.

34. HS class covering genetics: AP BIO. A high school Advanced Placement Biology class.

36. Silicon Valley city Palo __: ALTO.

38. Signal: PING. A PING is a notification in chat platforms. It's also a test signal sent by a computer network to an individual computer.

39. Canadian gas brand: ESSO. The regional name derived from S.O., the initials for Standard Oil, following the 1911 U.S. Supreme Court breakup of John D. Rockefeller's monopoly.

They now call it Exxon, but it's still the same old gas.

41. Walk back: UNDO.

42. One shade in the CMYK color model: CYAN. CYAN, Magenta, Yellow and Key (a term used for the black plate in traditional printing).

43. Lack of difficulty: EASE.

45. Tuscan red: CHIANTI. As we learned last week, CHIANTI is made from Sangiovese grapes. 

47. Noisily enjoys soup, say: SLURPS. It's also a great way to eat oysters at a RAW BAR.

Some add a drop of lemon juice and a dash Tabasco. 

48. Pays tribute to: HONORS.

50. Homes for brothers or sisters: ABBEYS.

52. Cut down to size: ABASE.

53. To the point: BRIEF. This is a terse answer.

55. Like moldy food: BAD. Try these sandwich bags if someone is stealing your lunch at work!

56. Sound from a bat: CRACK. Sound from my bat: WHIFF.

59. Dominic of "The Wire": WEST. Dominic is an English actor, director, producer, and musician.

As Detective Jimmy McNulty in HBO's The Wire

61. Juin preceder: MAI. May and June in Marseille.

62. "Yes, sailor!": AYE. "Hello, sailor...": EYE.

64. Persona __ grata: NON.

65. Taproom pour: ALE. 

66. Bear hand: PAW. Another fun clue.

Kudos to Chairman Moe and C.C. for their soulful ballad. I mean bowlful salad!

Be good. RB

Monday, October 26, 2026, Zhouqin Burnikel

Theme:  CAST your mind back ...

Zhouqin Burnikel -- our C.C.

Today's constructor, Zhouqin Burnikel, grew up in Xi'an, China, and moved to the Minneapolis area in 2001.  She started this blog in 2008, and started making her own crosswords in 2010.  Since then, she has become one of the most prolific and popular crossword constructors in the country.  We know her in this space as C.C., where her band of bloggers collaborates to educate and entertain everyone enjoying crossword puzzles in the Los Angeles Times.

C.C. helped us out today with circled letters to highlight the theme.  Note that the theme entries are symmetrically placed in the grid.  That's elegant!  The theme clues and answers are:

17-Across. "Piece of cake!": IT'S A CINCH.  Two ways of saying "easy!" -- just like a Monday puzzle.

29-Across. Airport screening spots: TSA CHECKPOINTS.  Where the Transportation Security Administration scans for prohibited items and holes in your socks.

47-Across. Landmark antidiscrimination legislation of 1964: CIVIL RIGHTS ACT.  Proposed by President John F. Kennedy in 1963, and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, this act outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

64-Across. Shoe with a strap behind the heel, or what can be found in each set of circled letters: SLINGBACK.  Slingback shoes can be high- or low-heeled, but "it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that sling."  Did you see the circled letters, which if read BACKwards, spell CAST?  CAST, as a verb, is a synonym for the verb SLING.  In the theme answers, the SLING (or CAST) goes BACK.

Slingback shoe

It took this blogger a moment to grasp the theme.  I was picturing my father, CASTing a fly fishing line, which involved SLINGing the entire line backward and forward before letting it settle on the water's surface, and eventually the synonyms hit me.

It is my duty and pleasure to TOSS a few more explanations of today's puzzle your way.

Across:

1. Mani-pedi spots: SPAS.  Spas are nice places to get MANIcures and PEDIcures.

5. Muscles targeted by leg raises: ABS.  You can do leg raises lying down, hanging from a bar, or in a "captain's chair" as shown below.

8. Pumpkin's place: PATCH.

13. Like a trusted mentor: WISE.

14. Not of the clergy: LAIC.

16. Windy City airport: O'HARE.  O'Hare is a massive global hub in Chicago.

17. [Theme clue]

19. Harder to come by: RARER.

20. Stingray relative: MANTA.  Manta rays can be as large as 29 feet wide.  They have one of the highest brain-to-body ratios of all fish and exhibit self-awareness.  They are endangered by overfishing.

Human diver and manta ray with suckerfish

21. Search for: SEEK.

23. "Well, golly!": GEE.

24. Vipers in the Sahara: ASPS.  The asp, or Egyptian cobra, is highly venomous.  The Egyptian queen Cleopatra committed suicide through the bite of an asp, reputed to bring on sleepiness and death without pain.

27. Feel the same way: AGREE.

29. [Theme clue]

34. Actor Lowe: ROB.  Rob Lowe was a Brat Pack actor in the 1980s, and has achieved critical acclaim this century with roles in The West Wing, Brothers & Sisters, and other television productions.

Rob Lowe

35. "That sounds cool!": OOH.

36. Below, poetically: 'NEATH.  Simon & Garfunkel used this shortened version of "beneath" in their 1964 song, The Sound of Silence.

In restless dreams I walked alone

Narrow streets of cobblestone

'Neath the halo of a street lamp

I turned my collar to the cold and damp

When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light

That split the night

And touched the sound of silence

38. Individual: ONE.

39. Heartburn reliever: ANTACID.

42. Title for Louis XIV: ROI.  "Roi" is French for "king."

43. Tennessee NFL player: TITAN.  I knew this one only because DH is from Tennessee, and follows sports.

45. Snowboarding great Chloe: KIM.  Chloe Kim is an American professional snowboarder and two-time Olympic gold medalist.

Chloe Kim

46. German 101 article: EIN.  "Ein" is German corresponding to the English article "a."  Courses numbered "101" are usually introductory classes for college undergraduates.

47. [Theme clue]

52. Girl Scout Cookie with coconut: SAMOA.  In some regions, Samoas are labeled Caramel deLites, but they're made by a different bakery and have key differences.  Samoas have darker chocolate and more coconut.  Caramel deLites have milk chocolate and less coconut.  I wonder whether the deLites inspire the same level of devotion as the Samoas?  

53. Relax in the bath: SOAK.

54. Oral health org.: ADA.  American Dental Association.  If you use one of the major toothpaste brands, you're probably used to seeing the ADA Seal of Acceptance on the package.

56. Line on a graph: AXIS.

58. Golf course halves: NINES.  A full course has eighteen holes.  Playing half the course takes less time and may benefit beginners.

62. Automaton: ROBOT.

64. [Theme clue]

67. "You had to be __": THERE.

68. Currency in Cyprus: EURO.  Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004, and adopted the euro in 2008.

69. Woe after a long hike: ACHE.

70. Filled to the brim: SATED.

71. Shoot the breeze: GAB.

72. Shine from within: GLOW.

Down:

1. First leg of a traditional triathlon: SWIM.  A triathlon is an endurance race consisting of swimming, cycling, and running.

2. Falafel bread: PITA.  Falafel is a deep fried ball of chickpeas and/or fava beans, often served in pita bread.

Falafel in pita

3. Professional gp.: ASSN.  "Gp." stands for "group."  "Assn." stands for "association."

4. Closest airport to Mt. Rainier, familiarly: SEA-TAC.  The 14,411-foot active volcano is about 60 miles from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in the state of Washington.

5. Mahershala of "Green Book": ALI.  Mahershala Ali's acting has been rewarded with two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award.  Ali won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in Moonlight (2016) and in Green Book (2018).  Green Book tells the true story of a 1962 tour of the deep south by African-American pianist Don Shirley, relying on The Negro Motorist Green Book to find restaurants and hotels accepting black customers.

6. Declare off-limits: BAN.

7. Sets the dogs (on): SICS.

8. Salty fried snack: PORK RIND.

9. "I get it now!": AHA.

10. Bull's-eye vicinity: TARGET AREA.

11. One of Canada's First Nations: CREE.  The Cree are a North American indigenous people whose homelands occupy most of eastern and central Canada.

12. "Present!": HERE.  Both are responses to roll call.

David?  Here!  Alice?  Present!

15. Low-priced: CHEAP.

18. Fat wallet fattener: CASH.

22. Sense of self: EGO.

25. Laborer: PEON.  A low ranking worker, or debtor bound to servitude.

26. Edinburgh native: SCOT.  We encountered these good looking folks in Edinburgh last month:

Edinburgh natives

28. U-turn from WSW: ENE.  Opposite points on a compass.

29. Slow and steady run: TROT.

30. Lightning-fast hedgehog of video games: SONIC.  Sonic the Hedgehog is a video game series for Sega which debuted in 1991.

31. "No weaseling out! Pay up!": A BET IS A BET.

32. Uniform color for some park rangers: KHAKI.

33. Showing no emotion: STOIC.

37. Helpful suggestion: HINT.

39. Like Pixar movies: ANIMATED.

40. Slangy smokes: CIGS.  Short for cigarette, of course.

41. Intro to a texter's two cents: IMHO.  IMHO stands for "in my humble opinion."

44. "Selma" director DuVernay: AVA.  Ava DuVernay is a recipient of two Primetime Emmy Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, a BAFTA Film Award, and a BAFTA TV Award, as well as a nominee for an Academy Award and Golden Globe.  Her Academy Award nomination was for the 2014 film Selma, about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Ava DuVernay

48. Fishy bagel topping: LOX.  Lox is a fillet of raw salmon that has been soaked in salt water for at least several days and then thinly sliced.  It is typically served on a bagel with cream cheese.

49. Reward for a job well done: RAISE.

50. Zesty flavor: TANG.

51. Carrier for poles, boots, and goggles: SKI BAG.

54. Bonsai and saikei: ARTS.  Bonsai is the Japanese art of pruning trees or shrubs in shallow containers to create miniature versions of mature trees.  Saikei goes a step further by adding stones, moss, gravel and other elements to create miniature landscapes.

Saikei

55. Gulf capital known for its futuristic skyline: DOHA.  Doha is the capital of Qatar.

Doha

57. Slimy garden pest: SLUG.

59. Table salt, to a chemist: NACL.  NaCl is the chemical formula for sodium chloride, commonly known as table salt.

60. Sound in an empty chamber: ECHO.

61. Distort, as data: SKEW.

63. Mined find: ORE.

65. 401(k) kin: IRA.  Individual Retirement Account.

66. San Francisco's __ Hill: NOB.  An historic, affluent neighborhood in San Francisco, with steep hills, luxury hotels, and great views of the city and the bay.

Here's the grid:

Solvers,

Were you WISE to the theme today?  Was it a CINCH for you?

Or did you encounter a rough PATCH?

We love to hear from you -- beginners and old-timers alike.  All are welcome in the comments.

-- NaomiZ

Notes from C.C.:

Here's a picture of CrossEyedDave, all dressed up for a fancy French restaurant. He said "This is my first time tasting Crepe Suzette. I don't like crepe Suzette any more than I like French in my crosswords..."

 

At least he didn't have to solve the dessert before eating it.

Sunday, October 4th, 2026 ~ Zhouqin Burnikel

RANGE OF MOTION

Good morning Cornerites. You got the Big Dash T here coming to you on the Corner's frequency.
Do you copy? Over.

Now y'all respond with "That's a big 10-4 good buddy" and we'll kick off National CB Radio Day just right.

Hi Y'all!
Today we get another beauty from our fearless hostess, C.C.. And this one's a doozy of a thinker - I'm not even sure how she came up with the concept. I'm going to start with the reveal just so the themers make a bit more sense:

106 Down. Wyoming range, or when read as three parts, how the answers to the starred clues were formed?: TETONS.

If you solved this puzzle with no idea of the goings on, consider parsing 106d as "TE" TO "NS" (TE -> NS).

It's really just a two letter substitution puzzle in common phrases turning them whimsical but, it's so cleverly done, I didn't notice until after a brief study post solve.

Let's review the themers:

22. *Motto of a calligraphy enthusiast?: FOR THE LOVE OF PENS. "[Oh,] For the love of PETE" is the common phrase.

34. *Transgressions included in textbooks?: HISTORIC SINS. Many texts omit the SINS of the winners 'cuz the winners write the history. Proper tellings include those SITEs' sins.

52. *Devoted followers of painter O'Keeffe?: GEORGIA STANS. Georgia STATE is a .edu but super-fans (STANS) of Georgia O'Keeffe enjoy her suggestive(?) flowers.
 

Flower Abstraction, 1924

71. *Timepiece worn by a "Star Wars" pilot?: HAN'S WATCH. A HATE WATCH is viewing a despised show or movie to mock it. I'm sure they made Harrison Ford remove his wristwatch after the test episode.
// j/k -- HAN was the Pilot of the Millennium Falcon

92. *Dropping hints about the release of a director's cut, perhaps?: TEMPTING FANS. Only true FANS TEMPT FATE & watch the director's cut. Oy! there's a reason those scenes are not in the movie.

107. *Blueprints for a new wardrobe?: FASHION PLANS. A FASHION PLATE is an illustration of a clothing style. I, of course, had to look that up.

123. *Like a sawmill without disposal facilities?: ALL BARK AND NO BINS. LOL! Once the logs are milled with the BITE of the saw, sans BINS, there's nowhere to put the leftover BARK. My fave of the themers. *chefs kiss*

Across:

1. Beauty entrepreneur Elizabeth: ARDEN.

Her WikiP

6. Resort near Snowbird: ALTA.

10. 28-Across flow: [28. Sicilian peak: ETNA] LAVA.

14. Captain with an ivory leg: AHAB. I didn't recall it was ivory.

18. Frisbee maker: WHAM-O.

19. Like samosas and wontons: FRIED.

20. Vein contents: ORES.

21. Spanish "nothing": NADA.

22. [See: Theme]

25. Turning point?: KNOB.

26. Mono- kin: UNI.

27. Brand of kitchen gadgets: OXO.

28. Sicilian peak: ETNA. 10a told us it flows LAVA.

29. Locale for clam diggers: SEASHORE. Beach was too short.

31. Weapon in Clue: LEAD PIPE.

Upper Left

34. [See: Theme]

36. Second chance for a student: RE-TEST. Did y'all ever get these? I had profs that would 2x test you and then give you average of grades but never a "try again, dummy." //oh, I take that back - one prof would give you a second chance but you'd get worst of the two grades - that's so you couldn't boost your score.

38. Canonized Mlle.: STE. A Holy Lady of France.

39. In the style of: ALA.

40. Like much music of the 1990s: ON CD. I was looking for Grunge (#Nirvana) but ON Compact Disc works.

43. Jaguar's roar: VROOM. Har, har.

45. Inexact no.: EST. Estimate

47. Birds similar to crows: ROOKS.

Rook v Crow v Raven

52. [See: Theme]

56. Dessert that may have a lattice crust: PEACH PIE.

Yum!

58. Alfa __: sports cars: ROMEOS.

Obligatory

59. Cause of a quick blessing: SNEEZE. Cute.

61. College official: REGENT. Dean was too short and NCAA Ref too long.

62. Chemical suffix: ENE.

63. Scratchy sound: RASP.

66. Most twisted: WRIEST.

68. Indoor rowers: ERGS.

69. Part of LGBTQ+: GAY. #2 in the list.

71. [See: Theme]

74. Actress Arthur: BEA.

She refused Comicus his Vnemployment Insvrance

75. Video file format: MPEG.

77. Country that borders 14 other countries: RUSSIA.

78. Jekyll's counterpart: HYDE. Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of those two.

80. __-pitch softball: SLO.

83. Off the mark: ASTRAY.

85. Sudden bursts: SALVOS.

88. 46-Down deliverer: [46. Public address: SPEECH] ORATOR.

90. Trial version of a puzzle app, e.g.: GAME DEMO.

92. [See: Theme]

95. Take the wheel: STEER.

Dare ya' to STEER this STEER

96. Hill worker?: ANT. Is a "?" needed?

98. User without an account: GUEST.

99. Small ensemble: TRIO.

100. Assn.: ORG.

102. Hard water?: ICE.

105. Backspace over: DELETE.

107. [See: Theme]

113. Nonconformist: MAVERICK.

James Garner as Maverick

117. Invisible ink?: UV TATTOO. A tat with specialized fluorescent inks that glow brightly under blacklight or UV. Huh, new to me.

118. "This instant!": STAT.

120. Accessory for a fish tank: NET.

121. Versailles monarch: ROI.

122. Rotary phone part: DIAL.

123. [See: Theme]

127. Walking pace: GAIT.

128. Piece in Azul or mahjong: TILE.

129. Patronage: AEGIS.

130. Spanish boys: NINOS.

131. Concludes: ENDS.

132. Sunrise locale: EAST.

133. "Hey, c'mere!": PSST.

134. Like a haunted house: SCARY.

Down:

1. Just terrible: AWFUL.

2. River past Arles: RHONE.

3. Classmate of Beavis: DARIA.

4. AED-trained pro: EMT.

5. Zero chance: NO HOPE.

6. __/ace: LGBTQ+ orientation: ARO.

7. In real time: LIVE.

8. Saw things?: TEETH.

9. Lover of Aphrodite: ADONIS. Greek mythology.

10. Chop (off): LOP.

11. Playground retort: ARE SO.

12. Put on a pedestal: VENERATE.

13. Criticize harshly: ASSAIL.

14. Symbols in Egyptian iconography: ANKHS.

Symbol of Life

15. Capital city that's home to Turtle Tower: HANOI.

It's Turtles All The Way Down

16. Embellish: ADORN.

17. Naive ones: BABES.

19. Series of setbacks, in slang: FLOPERA. A portmanteau of FLOP and OPERA #S***Show

23. Travel permit: EXIT VISA.

24. Like sprinters: FAST.

30. In short supply: SCARCE.

32. Hip-hop pioneer from Compton: DR DRE.

33. Those, in Tijuana: ESOS.

35. Support for a driver: TEE.

37. Little ones: TOTS.

40. Fantasy monster: OGRE.

41. Very bright: NEON.

42. "I need a ride home": COME GET ME.

44. "I'll be!": MAN.

46. Public address: SPEECH. An 88a, ORATOR, delivers these.

48. "I'll be!": OH GEE.

49. Marian Anderson, for one: OPERA STAR I doubt she was in any FLOPs.

Her WikiP

50. "It's Too Late" singer Carole: KING.

51. Scenographer's designs: SETS.

53. Like many horror films: GORY.

54. Genre for Talking Heads: NEW WAVE.

55. Repeated word in a Doris Day classic: SERA.

57. Works in a gallery: ART.

60. Concealer target: ZIT.

64. Moo __ shrimp: SHU.

65. Relay: PASSON.

67. Hesitant around strangers: SHY.

70. Reach consensus: AGREE.

72. Govt. intel org.: NSA. No Such Agency.

This sign made me giggle when I saw it in the 2000's

73. Bank deposit?: SILT.

74. North Atlantic hazard: BERG.

75. GQ and Cosmo: MAGS.

76. Exam for HS jrs.: PSAT.

77. Reuben bread: RYE.

Kenny & Ziggy's Rubin

79. "Stop right there": DONT EVEN.

81. "The Real" co-host Love: LONI.

82. Approximately: ORSO.

84. Deft: ADROIT.

86. "R u kidding!?": OMG.

87. Root veggie: SPUD.

89. Subsequently: AFTER.

91. Flower on Mississippi's state quarter: MAGNOLIA.

Yep, there it is.

93. Swarm (with): TEEM.

94. Christmas and Easter: ISLANDS. Nice misdirection.

97. "__ we meet again": TIL.

101. Take turns: ROTATE.

103. "Mi __ es su ... ": CASA.

104. Catch in a snare: ENTRAP.

106. [See: Theme]

107. Sundae topping: FUDGE.

108. Like swifts, but not Swifties: AVIAN. Cute clue.

109. Prim and proper: STAID.

110. Hits the brakes: HALTS.

111. Matters of opinion?: POLLS.  Nice.

112. Sushi bar bottles: SAKES.

114. Supermodel Shayk: IRINA.

115. "The Weir" playwright McPherson: CONOR.

116. __-face: smooching: KISSY.

119. Social media labels: TAGS.

124. Get in a pool: BET.

125. Trivial complaint: NIT.

126. Shaving brand: BIC.

The Grid:

Range of Motion

Y'all have a great Sunday!
Cheers, -T