Thursday, Jun 13 2013, Julian Lim

Theme: STAGE DIRECTIONS : Each theme clue has two parts - the first part clues the "stage" upon which a particular athlete plays a sport, the second part is a straight definition and the two-word answer forms a new noun.

17A Tennis player’s meal request? : COURT ORDER

20A Ping-Pong player’s etiquette? : TABLE MANNERS

36A Runner’s music choice? : TRACK RECORD. I thought at first that this was a little too close to the sport in the clue, but then realized that if you use the "body of work" definition of the phrase it fits perfectly well with the rest of the theme.

53A Golfer’s bank advance? : COURSE CREDIT

58A Football player’s map? : FIELD GUIDE

Hi Gang - Steve here, pinch-hitting for Marti who is saying "Buon giorno, Italia!" today. There wasn't much of a musical nature in the puzzle today, so I'll use Marti's Italian trip as an excuse to post today's ear worm!

Nice work here from Julian, five snappy theme entries with the top and bottom pair partially stacked - I always find that impressive! Some nice long downs too, so plenty to like. Let's get started!

Across:

1 Desktop offering an AppleCare warranty : iMAC

5 Man of la casa : SEÑOR. I know that in French you don't use diacriticals on capital letters, but I'm not sure if the same rule applies in Spanish. Throwing the tilde in here just in case.

10 Chew : GNAW

14 Wine lover’s destination : NAPA.  If you've not seen the movie "Bottle Shock", it's definitely worth checking out - it's based on the true story of the "Judgment of Paris" competition that put Napa wines on the international map. Very entertaining.

15 Micronesian nation once called Pleasant Island : NAURU. I confuse my Micronesian islands and my Indian Prime Ministers, so I wait for the perps.

16 San __, Italy : REMO

19 Announce assuredly : AVER

22 Worshipers of Quetzalcoatl : AZTECS. Of course they are. And OLMECS doesn't fit.

25 Fry’s former BBC comedy partner : LAURIE. Hugh appeared with Stephen both in their own show, and with Rowan Atkinson and Tony Robinson in one of the funniest comedy series - "Blackadder". It was odd at first to see him playing a straight role in "House".

26 Renaissance painter Uccello : PAOLO. Crosses and more crosses.

27 Genuine article? : THE. Great clue!

30 Close of “Albert Nobbs” : GLENN

31 Coin first minted in 13th-century France : ECU

32 Movie trainer of Daniel-san : MIYAGI. The "G" here was the last letter to fall - the cross with EGEST didn't help at all - I'd never seen that word before. Something of a WAG between G and K.

35 Clause joiners : ANDS

39 Grammy winner Erykah : BADU. Crosses again!

41 Corners : HEMS IN

42 Producer of wall flowers : IVY. Nice cluing again, and it made me revisit my assumption that all ivy is green and non-flowering.

45 Area of activity : ARENA

47 Old speedster : SST. Sadly, I never got to fly on Concorde, the Supersonic Transport jointly developed by the British and the French. I heard it plenty of times though - I used to live under the flight path into London's Heathrow Airport and Concorde was LOUD!

 

48 Bath-loving Muppet : ERNIE

50 Make even smoother : RE-SAND

52 Span that can’t be shrunk : AGE GAP. This caused me some confusion - I had 44D as YES and was scratching my head wondering what the heck an AGEGAS was.

57 Ovid’s others : ALII Needed to fish in my Latin memory banks. We studied Ovid back in High School - his poems were pretty racy; there's nothing like a bit of sex and sizzle to get schoolboys concentrating on their translations! Caesar's "Conquest of Gaul" was another one to get the adolescent attention - that seemed to be all battlefields and sex.

62 “Oh, criminy!” : RATS

63 Totally enjoy something, with “up” : EAT IT

64 Muddy up : ROIL. I didn't know that this specifically meant "muddying the waters" - I always thought roiling waters were simply turbulent. Nice learning moment for me.

65 Quest after : SEEK

66 Event with buckjumpers : RODEO. Another new term for me. Is this the same as a bucking bronco?

67 “__ said!” : 'NUFF

Down:

1 IRS concern : INC. I wish they weren't so concerned about my income and let me keep more of it.

2 Familiar face in Tiananmen Square : MAO. The square itself is enormous and Mao's portrait looks down from the northern side at the entrance to the Forbidden City. When I visited in 2008 I was intrigued by the presence of a green Astroturf basketball court located through the arch below Mao. I think it must be the only turf court in the world and the location is certainly incongruous!

3 Homer’s doughnut supplier : APU. Proud owner of Springfield's Kwik-E-Mart and purveyor of the finest victuals to the Simpson family.

4 Trustbuster’s target : CARTEL

5 High-horse sorts : SNOBS

6 Rank above viscount : EARL

7 Feature of Manet’s “The Luncheon on the Grass” : NUDE. I wasn't sure why the title of the painting was translated, but realized that French in the clue would imply a French answer, and that's not what's needed here. I found this version which made me laugh:

Translations: "Hey boys! Come and see all these magic mushrooms!" - "Cool! Here, take the weed, it's kick-ass" - "Sheesh, this is it - I'm stoned" and finally "I think I forgot something - but what?"

(Note from C.C.: I don't get the joke. What made Steve laugh?)

8 Provo neighbor : OREM

9 Bucolic : RURAL. Nice tie-in with 7D

10 Like table salt : GRANULAR

11 Interminable : NEVER-ENDING

12 Language family spanning two continents : AMERIND. This came together on its own - it's not a term with which I'm familiar. It appears to be something of a discredited theory that the individual languages can actually be grouped together in a formal way.

13 Declines : WORSENS

18 Washington city : TACOMA. I first came to know of Tacoma by way of a physics lesson and the Tacoma Narrows bridge breaking up due to resonance at a certain wind speed.

21 Badger : NAG

22 Copycat : APE

23 Tween heartthrob Efron : ZAC. More crosses! I excuse my ignorance of Mr. Efron's first name, I'm a little older than his fans.

24 Immediately : TOUT DE SUITE. This foxed me for a little while - for some reason I had TOUTE SUITE stuck in my brain and couldn't figure out why it wasn't going to work when I had TOUT already filled in from crosses.

27 Little ones : TYKES

28 Damages : HARMS

29 Spew out : EGEST. New word for me, and as previously noted the G was my last letter fill due to the MIYAGI perp at 32A

33 Freud’s I : ICH. It's a good job I already had the "I", otherwise I'd have confidently filled in EGO and left myself with a mess to fix. German, Latin, Spanish, French and English today.

34 Fifi’s here : ICI. More French on our pentalingual Thursday.

37 Gamble : RUN A RISK

38 Small flash drive capacity : ONE GIG. I guess "gigabyte" doesn't need an abbreviation indication in the clue as the contraction is so common now.

39 Where some commuters unwind : BAR CARS. I used to commute on a train with a bar car and it was full of regulars. Sometimes I'd purposely miss my station because I was enjoying the company and get the next train back.

40 Biological rings : AREOLAE. Yay! I get to post the blog's famous (and quite delightful) link. In the meantime here's a teaser ..

43 Flight connection word : VIA

44 “Sure thing!” : YEP

46 A or B on a test, maybe: Abbr. : ANS is the answer you're looking for.

[A style question for the constructors amongst us - do you prefer to clue without using the "Abbr." clarification? Something along the lines of  "A or B on the CSAT, maybe:"? The same question for 55D - maybe "Like so many Fla. snowbirds:"?]

49 E-filed document : RETURN. Sent to my good friends at 1D.

51 Shelve : DEFER

52 Increase : ADD TO.

54 “Later!” : CIAO

55 Like many snowbirds: Abbr. : RETD. I guess you can't use AARP in the clue as "Retired" is part of the acronym?

56 Wiesel who wrote “The Night Trilogy” : ELIE

59 Promising paper : IOU I enjoyed this one!

60 Brief dissimilarity : DIF, as in difference. As an ex-computer coder, this one came naturally - we used to 'DIF' two versions of a program to find the changes made in the newer version. It sounds about as exciting as it was.

61 Brownie, for one : ELF

I think that's a wrap - thanks to Marti for traveling today and giving me a bonus Thursday to write up!

Steve

Wednesday, Jun 12 2013, Jack McInturff

theme: FATHER FIGURES - each theme entry is an actor in a film with "Father" in its title.  timely theme, with father's day just around the corner. couldn't have been easy to fit all these full names in one grid. 

18a. "Father of the Bride" co-star : STEVE MARTIN. recently became a father, at 67.

26a. "Father Dowling Mysteries" star : TOM BOSLEY

34a. "Father Knows Best" star : ROBERT YOUNG

41a. "Father Goose" co-star : CARY GRANT

55a. "Father Murphy" star : MERLIN OLSEN

and a beautifully placed vertical crossing the center theme answer:

24d. Father's Day "award" : BEST DAD

melissa here. don't know if jack is a dad or not, but he deserves a relaxing day off for this one. (From C.C.: Jack is a 83-year-old grandpa.)

across

1. Bank offerings, briefly : CD'S. certificates of deposit.

4. Emmy winner Edie : FALCO

9. Stockholm native : SWEDE

14. Pewter with 80% tin : LEY. did not know that. wikipedia says it was used for items that did not come into contact with food or drink.

15. First husband of Bathsheba : URIAH

16. Hermit : LONER

17. Ques. response : ANS

20. Star on the stand : WITNESS. courtroom.

22. Mean : NOT NICE

23. It's uncertain when it's gray : AREA. nice clue.

24. Rite performed by a mohel : BRIS

25. USSR successor : CIS. commonwealth of independent states.

30. Force : DINT. not a word you hear often.

31. Cardinal and carmine : REDS. pretty.

32. "In that case, scram!" : THEN GO

37. Belief in one god : THEISM

39. Put in stitches : DARN. nice.

40. Disapproving sound : HISS. as in boo, hiss!

46. Freud's "The __ and the Id" : EGO

47. Cattle unit : HEAD

49. Out of the wind : ALEE

50. Brouhaha : RHUBARB. i didn't know these were synonyms, must start using this word.

52. One settling a score : AVENGER

57. Keats opus : ODE

58. First name in wieners : OSCAR. anthony wouldn't fit.

59. Carried : TOTED

60. Legal thing : RES. another obscure one for me. "An object, a subject matter, or a status against which legal proceedings have been instituted."

61. Marks on a manuscript : STETS

62. Reaches great heights : SOARS. like this.

63. LeShan who wrote "It's Better to Be Over the Hill Than Under It" : EDA

down

1. Use for scratching : CLAW AT

2. "GoodFellas" actor : DE NIRO

3. One may be used to pick Powerball numbers : SYSTEM. not my favorite clue.

4. Oft-blown circuit component : FUSE

5. Crafts partner : ARTS

6. Alibis, sometimes : LIES

7. Cleveland NBAer : CAValier.

8. Storywriter known for twists : O HENRY

9. Mattress supports : SLATS

10. Tattered : WORN

11. Like a Greek siren : ENTICING

12. Cold weather wing maintenance : DE-ICING. dig the rhyming.

13. Che, at birth : ERNESTO. guevara.

19. "Who, me?" : MOI

21. Arrest : NAB

27. Globes : ORBS

28. Appear : SEEM

29. Pres. or CEO : LDR. leader.

30. __ of iniquity : DEN

32. British Conservative's ancestor : TORY. political faction.

33. Unable to reach a verdict : HUNG

34. Natural or renewable supply : RESOURCE

35. Grafton's "__ for Outlaw" : O IS

36. Pirate's cry : YAR

37. Insulated container : THERMOS

38. Like Mount Everest : HIGHEST

41. Explorers John and Sebastian : CABOTS

42. Sought a seat : RAN. tricky.

43. Dan Quayle's successor : AL GORE

44. Had to have : NEEDED

45. Saintly Mother : TERESA

47. What hagglers split : HAIRS

48. Sea eagle : ERN

51. Sheep's sound : BLAT

52. Hammett hound : ASTA. dashiell hammet, author of the thin man series.

53. Swerve : VEER

54. Extremes : ENDS

56. Head of Hastings? : LOO. great.

melissa

 

Tuesday, June 11, 2013 Robin Stears

Theme: Male Twins - A young man can be placed following the first and the second part of the theme answers.

17A. *Campus brother's residence : FRAT HOUSE. Fraternity member can be called a FRAT BOY. If it is a really rich fraternity, they might have a HOUSE BOY.

39A. *Bossy's neckwear : COWBELL. Bossy is a cow. A COW BOY would tend her. A BELL BOY would tend to her if she had been made in to luggage.

59A. *Student's transport : SCHOOL BUS. The wheels on the bus go round and round. The SCHOOL BOY would be on the bus. The BUS BOY is on break with the BELL BOY.

11D. *Christmas hit for Roy Orbison written by Willie Nelson : "PRETTY PAPER". The SONG. There are those(I'm not mentioning names) that think Tony Dorsett is a PRETTY BOY. The PAPER BOY just brings the news. Tony used to big in the sports section.

24D. *Color with a military name : SOLDIER BLUE. Funny that the color is lighter than the blue used for the Union soldiers, the original soldiers blue. In that conflict, a SOLDIER BOY bled red no matter the color of his uniform. The BLUE BOY (PICTURE) was not involved.

25D. *An outfielder may call it : FLY BALL. Doesn't mean he will get it, sometimes. A FLY BOY (A member of an air force) might be in the stands watching. Meanwhile, the BALL BOY is watching tennis.

61D. Word that can follow both parts of the answers to starred clues : BOY. Oh BOY, that part's done.

Argyle here.(just a boy at heart). I didn't sign up for this much work. Seven entries on a Tuesday! I'm only kidding; I'm impressed with Robin's offering.

Across:

1. Résumé writer's quest : JOB. Don't get the need for French(maybe something was lost in the translation).

4. Maker of WorkForce printers : EPSON. I have a Brothers myself.

9. Pet adoption org. : ASPCA. American SPCA

14. More than vexation : IRE

15. Sports deal : TRADE

16. Pasta wheat : DURUM. Stay away, if you're gluten-intolerant.

19. Grenoble's river : ISÈRE. Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère.

20. Room divider : WALL

21. Vanquished : BEATEN

22. Atlantic City attraction : CASINO. So gambling is bad unless the government is getting their cut.

25. Display shamelessly : FLAUNT

27. Up to speed about : IN ON

28. Extravagant affairs : GALAS

30. "Imagine greater" cable network : SYFY. (formerly Sci-Fi Channel)

33. Loggers' balancing contest : ROLEO. Two men on a log in the water, rolling it back and forth to dump the opponent in said water.

35. Damascus's land : SYRIA. Not the place to be.

37. Bake sale purchase : PIE. "Umm, pie!"

38. Spain's El __ : CID

41. California's Santa __ Mountains : ANA

42. Aussie's college : UNI. A gimme, thanks to Kazie.

43. Golf legend Sam : SNEAD. A recent entry.

44. Camcorder inserts : TAPES. Then transfer them to CD's to play them.

46. Suffix with hip or quip : STER

48. Green-light : ALLOW. 66A. Green-lights : OKs. Verb or noun.

50. Dry run : TEST

51. Seconds from the soda fountain : REFILL. I was looking for a plural.

53. Robust : HEARTY

55. Unskilled sailor : LUBBER. (landlubber) Perhaps we can get the reason why?

57. Gallup specialty : POLL

58. Attorney-__ : AT-LAW

64. Pan-fry : SAUTÉ

65. Make sense of : GRASP

67. Transparently thin : SHEER. For Splynter.

68. Ten percent pledge : TITHE

69. Robin Hood's wood : YEW. For his bow, you know.

Down:

1. Peanut butter brand : JIF

2. Hockey legend Bobby : ORR

3. Actress Arthur : BEA

4. __ Allen furniture stores : ETHAN

5. Literary intro : PROLOG

6. First king of Israel : SAUL

7. Pigs out (on), briefly : OD's

8. Born, in a bridal bio : NÉE

9. "Farewell, mon ami" : "ADIEU". "Non, pas encore."

10. Sarandon and Sontag : SUSANs

12. Make all better : CURE

13. "You're so right!" : "AMEN!"

18. Bale bond : TWINE. Get that, sounds like bail bond.

21. Pizza sauce herb : BASIL

22. Tent entertainment : CIRCUS. Three rings, the Big Top.

23. Apply oil to : ANOINT

26. Rio Grande city : LAREDO.

29. Too : AS WELL

31. Crème de la crème : FINEST

32. Like bread dough or beer : YEASTY

34. Military training sch. : OCS. (Officer Candidate School)

36. Flight height: Abbr. : ALT. (altitude)

40. How the elated walk : ON AIR

45. In any way : AT ALL

47. Consumer lure : REBATE. But jump through hoops to redeem.

49. Wind tunnel noise : [WHOOSH]

52. Five, to ten : FEWER

54. Take the honey and run : ELOPE. A cutey.

55. Scottish miss : LASS

56. Four Corners state : UTAH

57. "Kewl" relative : "PHAT"

59. Cpl.'s superior : SGT.

60. Dernier __: the latest thing : CRI. French: literally, last cry.

62. Maui music maker : UKE

63. Lincoln-to-Lubbock dir. : SSW

Argyle

Monday, June 10, 2013 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: On The Refrigerator Door - The four theme entries are comprised of two words. The first starts with TO and the second starts with DO. The reveal is in the center.

17A. '70s-'80s Dallas Cowboys running back : TONY DORSETT

24A. The highest price : TOP DOLLAR

34A and 36-Across. Agenda that consists of 17-, 24-, 51- and 59-Across : TO-DO. 36-Across : LIST

51A. "Hang down your head" guy in a Kingston Trio #1 hit : "TOM DOOLEY"

59A. Comes in for a landing : TOUCHES DOWN

Argyle here. If you don't have a to-do list, you're one of few. I think C.C. missed a chance to add some other terms, like CLEAN, PAINT, WASH, but then, who wants to be reminded? We come here to forget those things for a while and enjoy a nice crossword puzzle. Strong stacks fill two corners and, how does Splynter put it, two more inside the other corners. C.C. also has a similar style of theme in the NYT today. Congratulations.

Across:

1. Operatic superstar : DIVA

5. Home of principal Norse gods : ASGARD

11. Long, fluffy wrap : BOA

14. Cries of discovery : AHAs

15. Sporty Mazdas : MIATAs

16. Towel holder : ROD

19. "That feels so good!" : "AHH!"

20. Jetties : PIERS. Dock of the bay.

21. Shade of color : HUE

22. Nail shaper : FILE

23. American rival : DELTA. Airlines.

26. Communication syst. for the deaf : ASL. (American Sign Language) and for the blind, 11D. Alphabet read with the fingers : BRAILLE Another type of code. 57A. Samuel with a telegraph code : MORSE

27. Sailor's jail : BRIG

29. Decorative metal grate : GRILLE. example

30. Extinct New Zealand birds : MOAs

32. Sci-fi visitors : ET's

33. Sandwich loaf : BREAD. Odd clue.

38. Moth-repellent closet wood : CEDAR

41. Tend a tot : SIT

42. Use UPS, say : SHIP

46. Unmanned planes : DRONEs

48. Swiss painter Paul : KLEE. Not my kind of art.

50. Alias letters : AKA. (also known as)

53. Cher's TV partner : SONNY. They actually dressed like that, back in the day.(like a Klee painting)

55. Bluesman Redding : OTIS. Find him on the dock of the bay.

56. Tippler : SOT. (heavy drinker)

58. Take the title : WIN

62. Prefix with system : ECO

63. Title for Nature : MOTHER. Don't mess with her ecosystem.

64. Nobelist Wiesel : ELIE

65. Dorm mgrs. : RA's. (Resident Assistant)

66. On the same page : IN SYNC

67. Mechanical learning : ROTE

Down:

1. "Who __?": Saints fans' chant : DAT. (New Orleans Saints)

2. "Fingers crossed!" : "I HOPE SO!"

3. Basic ice cream flavor : VANILLA

4. Up to now : AS YET

5. "Famous" cookie guy : AMOS. More cookies! 35D. Pulled-apart cookie : OREO

6. Madam's partner : SIR. This Madam will partner with any "Sir".

7. Fuel guzzlers : GAS HOGS

8. Really enjoyed : ATE UP

9. Like movies for the whole family : RATED G

10. This year, it ends Nov. 3rd : DST. (Daylight Saving Time)

12. "Très chic!" : "OOH LA LA!"

13. Stuck as if glued : ADHERED

18. Far from flashy : DRAB

22. Bats one's eyelashes, say : FLIRTS

23. River blocker : DAM

24. Jackson 5 brother : TITO. (the third eldest)

25. Planets : ORBs

28. Sunburn color : RED

31. Place for fans to sit : STANDS. Bit of silliness.

36. __ of the valley : LILY

37. Suffix with Canaan : ITE

38. Tall media storage cabinet : CD TOWER. (compact disc)

39. Blue writing? : EROTICA

40. Pizza chain with a rectangular three-dot logo : DOMINO'S

41. Merely outlined : SKETCHY

43. Princess Leia rescuer : HAN SOLO. (Star Wars)

44. "You didn't fool me!" : "I KNEW IT!"

45. Pony up : PAY

47. "Already?" : "SO SOON?". Yes, we are almost done.

49. Those, to Juan : ESOS

52. Oafs : LOUTs

54. Judge's demand : ORDER

57. Autodom's Cougar, briefly : MERC. (Mercury)

59. 1979 Pa. meltdown site : TMI. (Three Mile Island)

60. Layer in a coop : HEN

61. Word between surnames : NÉE

Argyle

Sunday June 9, 2013 Ed Sessa

Theme: "Strictly Speaking" -  Clues are key here. Each consists of 2 words. The second word describes each spoken phrase type: words/expression/request/talk/assertion/statement; the first word aptly describes the content of each phrase.

 

24A. Heated words? : GREAT BALLS OF FIRE. Heated, FIRE. 

32A. Blanket expression? : I'VE GOT YOU COVERED. Blanket, COVERED. 

56A. Formal request? : SAVE THE LAST DANCE FOR ME. Formal, DANCE.

82A. Frank talk? : HOT DOGS, GET YOUR HOT DOGS. Frank, HOT DOGS.

110A. Bald assertion? : THAT'S GOT TO BE A WIG. Bald, WIG.

118A. Mission statement? : REMEMBER THE ALAMO. Mission, ALAMO.

Hard to describe this theme succinctly & clearly. Thank God for Argyle, who's always there for me. 

Ed gave us 2 grid spanners & lots of nice long words today. The grid only has 68 black squares. I definitely need 76 to 78.

 

Across:

1. "Thick & Fluffy" breakfast brand : EGGO

5. He edged TED in 1948 : HST. I don't know who TED is. OK, Thomas Edmund Dewey.

8. __ out: thoroughly : INSIDE

14. Brutus accomplice : CASCA. He was the  first to stab Caesar.

19. Mouthy minor : BRAT

20. 18-Down reaction : OOH. And 18D. Wonder : AWE

21. British magazine founded in 1709 : TATLER. Click here. The magazine was founded in 1901. But the first issue was 1709? Needs Yellowrocks' though research.

22. On the bias : ASKEW

23. Head honcho : BOSS. And 64. Head honcho : MR. BIG

27. Symbolic yet insubstantial : TOKEN

29. Dash letters : RPM

30. Kitty's bit : ORT

31. Performed an entrechat : LEAPT. I'll leave the comment to Pas de chat.

37. Winding way, maybe : ROAD. And 39. Winding way, maybe : DETOUR.

40. Tulsa sch. : OSU

41. One rushing into a relationship? : ELOPER

43. Pinocchio's peccadillo : LIE

44. Plural maker : ESS. Can't be more straightforward.

45. Big oil source : GUSHER

47. Luau garland : LEI

48. Justice Kagan : ELENA. I linked the love letter Ruth Bader Ginsburg's husband Marty wrote to him shortly before he died. No one commented? Sigh. It was so moving.

50. "What __ God wrought?" : HATH

51. Org. with an Arrow of Light award : BSA

54. Hook's mate : SMEE

66. Peterhof Palace resident : TSAR. Oh, I just noticed yesterday that the newspaper call Putin's soon-to-be-ex-wife Putina. Does it mean that my surname would be Burnikel-na in Russian?

67. Foundry waste : SLAG

68. "La Bohème" heroine : MIMI

69. News item : REPORT

70. Where most states have their own page : ATLAS

72. Sky : FIRMAMENT. Oh well, you guys never said "blue firmament" on the blog. How could I know?

75. "First Blood" hero : RAMBO

76. Opening bout, briefly : PRELIM

78. Verging on : NEAR

79. 1-Down relative : NEAP.  1D. Coastal recession : EBB TIDE

81. Dancer's restraint : REIN. Santa's Dancer.

86. One way to make up for lost time : RUSH

87. Suggest, as a price : ASK

88. Unfolds, in verse : OPES. Opens.

89. White House nickname : DUBYA. He'll be sad to learn that Mel Brooks refused the earlier Kennedy Center honor because he was the president.

92. Mil. support gp. : USO

95. Old Flatbush field : EBBETS. Ebbets Field.

98. First word of Dante's "Inferno" : NEL. Who knew?

101. Dossier letters : AKA

102. New Hampshire city : NASHUA. Looks pretty. What is it famous for?

105. Miss Piggy's pronoun : MOI

106. Comfy (with) : AT HOME

108. Friends : BUDS

113. Not the best plan for becoming a millionaire : LOTTO. Our neighbor won 100K then gambled all his money away. He even lost his house.

115. Orch. section : STR

116. Confessional music genre : EMO

117. Ecuadoran province once famous for its gold : EL ORO. Makes sense. Do you use Ecuadorian or Ecuadoran as the adjective?

123. Preceders of las : TRAs

124. Coeur d'__ : ALENE

125. Fluoride beneficiary : ENAMEL. And 126. Fluoride-in-water meas. : PPM. Man, parts per million.

127. Italian noble family : ESTE

128. Mortise mate : TENON

129. One-person craft : KAYAKS. For Marti.

130. Gender-specific pronoun : SHE. She's in Italy right now.

131. It's in Off! : DEET

Down:

2. Record tracks : GROOVES

3. Seals that avoid water? : GASKETS. Not the cute seal.

4. Cooperstown's Lake : OTSEGO. Anyone visited Cooperstown?

5. Slop slurper : HOG

6. Rueful : SORRY

7. Winnie's title? : THE POOH

8. Old comm. giant : ITT. GTE for Abejo.

9. Queen Amidala's "Star Wars" home : NABOO. I forgot. We had this before.

10. Crave, with "for" : STARVE

11. Schoolyard threat : I'LL TELL

12. Sun City developer Webb : DEL. Lucina might know him.

13. Interjections of indecision : ERs

14. Stylish eatery : CAFE

15. Equidistant : AS FAR

16. It's planted in the snow : SKI POLE. Needs Lucina's V-8 Splash.

17. Sure : CERTAIN

25. Play the jester : AMUSE

26. Like many shoppes : OLDE

28. Chewy confection : NOUGAT. Do you have a sweet tooth?

33. Aphorisms : TRUTHS

34. Sidewalk sides : CURBS

35. Eggs from the sea : ROE

36. Protestant denom. : EPISC

38. Latin goddess : DEA. Feminine form of DIO?

42. Pea jacket relative : REEFER

46. China supporter : SHELF. Most of the starting China in clues is just china.

49. Smallest of the roaring cats : LEOPARDS. What are the biggest?

50. Coat-of-arms science : HERALDRY

52. Common church name : ST. MARY'S

53. Take __ view of : A DIM

55. La Méditerranée, e.g. : MER

56. Bacteria in grapelike clusters : STAPH

57. Houston player : ASTRO. Gary mentioned that Ed Grimes (who? from me too) holds the MLB record of 17 consecutive games with an RBI. Click here. Look at the stats on the right. Total 18 career RBIs.

58. Double-parker who gives out tickets : VALET

59. "The Divided Self" author R.D. : LAING. No idea. Scottish psychiatrist.

60. Come to terms : AGREE

61. Waiter's question ending : A MENU

62. Forty-__ : NINER

63. He said "I die," and then did : ROMEO. Thus, with a kiss I die.

65. School collars : ETONs

71. Great Plains language family : SIOUAN

73. First name in spydom : MATA. Mata Hari.

74. Sierra Nevada resort : TAHOE

77. Classic British two-seaters : MGs

80. Can opener : POP TAB

83. "Cut out the racket!" : SHUSH

84. Vermont ski resort : OKEMO. Wanted STOWE.

85. One who sits for SATs : TESTEE

89. Brief application : DAB

90. A pricey one may be made of koa wood : UKULELE. Gary showed  this clip of Warren Buffet playing ukulele on CCTV last time. What a classic guy, esp the way he handled his unusual love affair.

91. Broken mirror, for some : BAD OMEN

93. __ Na Na : SHA

94. Remain beyond, as one's welcome : OUT-STAY

96. Waterside stopover : BOTEL

97. Computer image formats : BITMAPS

98. Stable : NO WORSE

99. Dubai or Sharjah : EMIRATE. All parts of UAE, whose official religion is Muslim. Man, can you imagine US has an official religion?

100. You can build a 5,922-piece Taj Mahal replica with the largest one ever made : LEGO SET. Nice trivia.

103. First step in a progression : A TO B

104. Often-allergic condition : ASTHMA

107. Suspended : HALTED

109. Note taker using symbols : STENO

111. With "The," L.A. theater at which Neil Diamond recorded "Hot August Night" : GREEK. Is this very well-known?

112. Pizazz : OOMPH

114. Govt. agents : T-MEN

118. See 119-Down : RAT. 119. Reaction to a 118-Down : EEK. No-clue clue.

120. Genetic building blocks : RNA

121. Michaels and Franken : ALs

122. Partner of 'earth? : 'OME. Hearth & home.

Happy Birthday to dear Annette, who was very active on the blog for some time. Any special plans today, Annette?

Annette & Lemonade, April 2012

C.C.