Sunday, June 12, 2016, Ron Toth and C.C. Burnikel

Title: GOING TO SCHOOL

A lesser man would say there is something fishy about this puzzle but not I. Wait a minute... 

Our friends Ron (Jazzbumpa) and C.C. used nine fish names as clues to which most of the answers were in-the-language phrases far afield from their piscatorial prompts.

Here's the type of SCHOOL referenced by Ron and C.C.'s title being broken up by the neighborhood bully.

Theme Entries: I thought the fill was pretty straight forward and so I opted to show each type of fish prepared for consumption after, uh, school was out

23. SOLE : ONE AND ONLY - Unique OR Dover SOLE with leeks and shrimp

25. SKATE : GLIDE ON ICE - Sonja Heine specialty OR SKATE with chicory and anchovies

41. FLUKE : STROKE OF LUCK - Winning the lottery OR Pan Seared FLUKE with Warm Wild Mushroom & Lentil Salad, Sunchoke Smear & Lardon

45. BASS : LOW VOICE - Requirement to sing Old Man River OR whole roasted BASS with lemon salt and potatoes

68. RAY : BEAM OF LIGHT - Flashlight emanation OR Stir-fried Stingray With Fermented Black Bean And Chinese Celery

92. PIKE : TOLLROAD - A pay-to-drive thoroughfare OR, while not gourmet, PIKE shore lunch  by a lake is incredible!

94. CARP : MOAN AND GROAN - Complaining OR how CARP is prepared and served around here in every small town restaurant 

115. SHARK : CARD EXPERT - Also card sharp OR Grilled Shark with Pebre sauce

117. SNAPPER : MOWER BRAND - My mower OR a pan-fried Red Snapper filet served with a basil cream sauce

Let's cast out a line and see what else we can reel in:

Across

1. Space exploration vehicle : PROBE

6. Power couple : ITEM

10. Bowled over : AWED

14. Key holders : MAPS - Keys for two MAPS

18. Regatta entrant : RACER

19. __ noho: dance performed while seated or kneeling : HULA

20. Holder of 14 Grand Slam titles : NADAL

22. Sheltered at sea : ALEE

27. Majors won five times by Jack Nicklaus, familiarly : PGAS - Also six Masters, four U.S. Opens and three British Opens. It once looked inevitable that Tiger would catch him...

28. Weapon with a three-sided blade : EPEE

29. Map unit : MILE

30. Words after "If mom finds out" : I'M DEAD

31. Menu list : ENTREES - See theme entries

33. Drive to the airport, say : SEE OFF - Remember when you used to walk clear out to the boarding gate to SEE them OFF?

35. Tot tender : NANNY

36. Investment vehicle, briefly : IRA

37. Horace's "__ Poetica" : ARS - Even I figured out that means The Art Of Poetry

38. Blue Devils' conference : ACC

39. "Have a seat!" : PARK IT

49. Employee's hope : RAISE - Teachers all get RAISES based on experience and advanced hours. Not a nickel for excellence.

50. Book with a year on its cover : ALMANAC - You can buy this Back To The Future 2 prop replica on eBay 

52. Interrupt : HORN IN

53. Java neighbor : BALI - The 1.5 mile wide BALI Strait separates BALI on the right and Java on the left

54. Bargain : BUY

55. Grandson of Adam : ENOS - Also known as ENOSH and must have had descendants that could swim

57. U-Haul rival : RYDER

58. How many autographs are signed : IN PEN - Hating fame, he became a recluse and his autograph is now worth $7,500

60. Put a stop to : HALT

62. Actor's aid : CUE

64. U.N. workers' agcy. : ILO

65. Amaze : STUN

71. Singer Redbone : LEON

72. Fire : CAN

73. Cheese companion : MAC - Mark's Bistro in Omaha was judged Omaha's best MAC and Cheese. Where is it in your town?

74. Woes : ILLS

75. Watch company logo : OMEGA - Is any watch worth $5,000?

77. "I'm __ here!" : OUTTA

79. Back : HIND

81. Mop partner? : GLO

82. Within : AMID

85. System based on urgency : TRIAGE - Where I first heard this word

87. Annoyed : NEEDLED

90. Five-time presidential candidate : NADER

97. The Brits call it an identity parade : LINEUP -Kramer stylin' in a LINEUP

99. Recipient of Bart's prank calls : MOE

100. Wide shoe size : EEE - The president got one of Shaq's size 23's. Width? Not listed.

101. Org. that promotes hunter safety : NRA

102. In __: trapped : A SPOT

105. Works one's fingers to the bone : SLAVES

107. Spells during a vacation, perhaps : CAT SITS

109. Old Athens enemy : SPARTA

111. Coll. seniors' tests : GRES

112. Oral history : LORE

113. Org. that fills bowls? : NCAA

119. "I'll buy" : ON ME

120. Cap : LIMIT

121. "Rock of __" : AGES

122. "Counting Sheep" company : SERTA

123. Many an Ivan : TSAR

124. Zaire's Mobutu __ Seko : SESE - The archetypical African dictator that amassed billions for himself in an oppressive reign in the Congo

125. Legal wrong : TORT

126. Defame : SMEAR

Down

1. Actor's aid : PROP - Like Yorick's skull 

2. Infantry combat school decoration : RANGER TAB

3. Saltwater aquariums : OCEANARIA - Oceanarium seems more common

4. Wild thing : BEAST

5. Marine eagle : ERN

6. Wishful words : I HOPE SO

7. Works for a pianist : TUNES - This pianist's guy TUNES with a wrench and a electronic tuner in the middle of the picture

8. Fashion monthly : ELLE

9. Is allowed to : MAY - C'mon, we all played "Mother MAY I", didn't we?

10. Rolling Stones title woman : ANGIE

11. It might be packed : WALLOP - The late Muhammad Ali certainly packed one

12. She played Carmela Soprano : EDIE FALCO

13. Pop : DAD

14. Imperative : MANDATORY 

15. Sci-fi staple : ALIEN - I wonder if Sigourney still has nightmares

16. Pie nut : PECAN

17. Run-down : SEEDY

21. Welcoming symbol : LEI

24. "Nothing runs like" it : DEERE

26. Hardly a picky eater : OMNIVORE

29. Popular place to visit : MECCA

32. Acquire abundantly : RAKE IN - After he RAKED IN his chips, Rick asked him to leave

33. Pond gunk : SCUM - The fate of our golf course ponds once the spring runoff ends

34. Back again : FRO

36. State since 1948: Abbr. : ISR - May, 1948 headline

38. Partner : ALLY

40. Elec. bill unit : KWH - Our rate here is 6.7¢/KWH. So I can run my 1,500 Watt heater for 10 hrs for 67¢

42. Singer K.T. : OSLIN - Not k.d. LANGE 

43. Animals : FAUNA

44. Ominous peals : KNELLS

46. Small studio production : INDIE - This biggest grossing INDIE netted $51M in 2015

47. Spanish sky : CIELO - I'll bet you can translate "El cielo es azul en España"

48. Company infamous for shredding : ENRON

51. Arguing against : ANTI

54. Tree with delicate bark : BEECH

56. Hard-to-like person : SCHMO

59. Strikers' org.? : PBA

60. Game that reportedly originated in Texas : HOLD 'EM - 2-7 off suit is considered the worst starting hand in this game

61. Indoor gridiron org. : AFL

63. Colorado native : UTE

65. Great guy? : SCOTT - Clever!

66. Prefix meaning "bull" : TAURO

67. Up to : UNTIL

69. Valuable tunnel : MINE

70. Prime minister before Yitzhak : GOLDA - Kiev-born GOLDA became Israel's Prime Minister in the country's 21st year

71. Texas university in Beaumont : LAMAR

73. Belgian surrealist : MAGRITTE - Rene's depiction of a decision we make everyday

76. Sacred Indian river : GANGES

78. Challenge : TALL ORDER

80. "Let’s do it my way" : INDULGE ME

81. Inheritance factor : GENE

83. "Whatever" : I DON'T CARE

84. Heading for an annual list : DEAR SANTA - Asking for world peace AND a Barbie Doll doesn't fool the big guy!

86. Many millennia : EON

88. Capitol tops : DOMES - We will definitely have some here who will know the only U.S. Capitol without a DOME.

89. Land along the Mekong : LAOS

91. Strand under a microscope : RNA

93. DDE rival : AES - Adlai got the silver medal in '52 and '56

95. Least remote : NEAREST

96. Dissuade : DETER

98. __ Island: South Carolina training base : PARRIS

102. Accessory named for a racetrack : ASCOT - Do you remember when Liza shocked the highbrows at ASCOT by yelling, "C'mon Dover, move your bloomin' arse!"

103. Intervals : SPANS

104. Cleveland suburb named for an Italian city : PARMA 

106. Iconic sportster : VETTE

107. Quail : COWER

108. Against a thing, legally : IN REM

110. Rose of Guns N' Roses : AXL - AXLE and AXEL also available in our gift shop

112. Target's target, e.g. : LOGO

114. Month before Nisan : ADAR

116. Circle ratios : PI'S

117. Yoga accessory : MAT

118. Some coll. degrees : BS'S 

Well, we didn't find NEMO but the ones we did were wonderful. Now observe the daily limit at our own Lake Comment:

GRID

Notes from C.C.:

1) You seriously rock, Gary! Amazing visuals.

2) The fifth Minnesota Crossword Tournament will be held at the Landmark Center in St. Paul today. You can click here for more details. I just learned that the incredible Eric Maddy is flying in from California to compete. Eric sat in the same table as our own Steve at Crosswords LA a couple of years ago and won the title. He's won many crossword tournaments.

Saturday, Jun 11th, 2016, Mark Bickham

Theme: None

Words: 72 (missing Q)

Blocks: 28

I had to cave in to red-letters to solve the NE corner, and even then I was not able to come up with any logical answers, so I resorted to alphabet runs, and once the ta-DA~! came, I was really disappointed with the results.  I don't care if they are acceptable answers, even for a Saturday.  A couple were just too much of a s-t-r-e-t-c-h, and therefore "fun-sponge" gets called on this puzzle.  Too bad, really; other than in the NE, I did well (OK, there were some groaners in other places, too) and I am usually not very successful with Mark's constructions.  Oh, and did I mention the circumreferential clues~?  Triple 10s and paired 10s in the corners, with two 9s and four 8s;

17a. Where the Walking Piano scene in "Big" was filmed : FAO SCHWARZ - Nailed it; great scene, fun movie, can always watch it when it's on regular TV - from 1988, same as 12d.

12d. "The Accidental Tourist" Oscar winner : GEENA DAVIS - IMDb

64a. Wait follower : "...THERE'S MORE~!"

27d. Classic film words of self-revelation : I'M A REAL BOY

NO WRD Answer

ACROSS:

1. "Star Wars" High Council member : JEDI MASTER

11. Co. leaders : MGTS - ???  What~? Say again~?  Managements~?  Really~?  NOT.

15. Writing desk : ESCRITOIRE - Le Frawnche

16. Realize : REAP - Argh~!  Too much of a s-t-r-e-t-c-h

18. Toy since ancient times : PEKE - ugh.  The Dog, not YO-YO or KITE

19. Laughs : FUN

20. Text giggle : HEE - ugh, not LOL

21. ZzzQuil competitor : SOMINEX

23. Military actions : RAIDS - police actions, too

25. Spanish uncle? : NO MAS - cry uncle~!  No more~! Leave out the fun-sponge answers~!

26. Toys since 1964 : G.I. JOEs - I have part of the 80's collection of "action figures" that were about 4" tall; including the Hovercraft and a few other vehicles

29. Discombobulated : ASEA

31. Single dose? : DAT - ugh.  Not HIT

33. It's often made at parties : SMALL TALK - I'd like to talk with this girl at a party

35. Part of a suit : SPADE - not PANTS

37. Unlikely to bite : TAME

38. Join for a session : SIT IN - musical jam session

40. Base path? : EVIL

41. Proper 53-Down : AREN'T - circumreferential with; 53. Improper 41-Across : AIN'T - if you Ain't got a clue, you Aren't solving this without perps

43. Many a single : LINE DRIVE - baseball, not lonely guys/girls

45. Ds, in the key of C : REs - the key of C is C - D - E - f - G - A - b, so "D" corresponds to the Re of Do - Re - Mi....I play guitar, so I got it, but I can see this one being a fun-sponge, too

46. Sum is a form of it : ESSE - similar to "SERA" being part of ÊTRE from a few weeks ago, "I am" in Latin from the verb "To be"

48. Like many salons : UNISEX

49. Chance to hit : AT BAT - ah.  baseball, not blackjack

51. Country : RURAL - dah~!  Totally in "REALM", not "bumpkin/backwoods" mode

53. Chemical bases : ALKALIS - for some reason I kept telling myself this is the answer, but swore it wouldn't fit, even with --K-LI- filled....I can't explain it

55. Word with wire or water : HOT - you get caught doing a hot wire, you'd be in hot water

56. Gambling initials : OTB - Off-Track Betting

59. Once-venerated bird : IBIS - popular with the Egyptians

60. Homeric island dweller : LOTUS EATER - not the one I was thinking of; couldn't get SIRENS to fill in all spaces

63. Agreement with a refusal : NOR I

65. Kid : TYKE - oops, not JOke

66. No longer fashionable : "SO LAST YEAR"

DOWN:

1. Buckley who covered Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" : JEFF - WAG

2. Son of Rebecca : ESAU

3. Anti-rodent brand : d-CON

4. Return letters : IRS - tax return, that is

5. Most popular boy's name in 44 of the last 100 years : MICHAEL - mine was 11th in NJ for the year I was born - the site

6. Foxhole absentees, so it's said : ATHEISTS - as a "Friend of Bill W.", I am familiar with "foxhole prayers"

7. Scattered : SOWED - STREWN and SOWN were not working

8. __ Maria : TIA

9. Goes thataway instead of thisaway : ERRS

10. Do a city planner's job : RE-ZONE

11. Absent-minded A.A. Milne title character : Mr. PIM - Don't know this character, so I was totally "ASEA"

13. Goes down as planned : TAKES A DIVE

14. Informal glasses : SPEX - meh.

22. Extinct birds : MOAs

23. Seven-time All-Star third baseman Scott __ : ROLEN - more baseball

24. More thirst-inducing : SALTIER

26. The sun, for one : G-STAR

28. TV hero who famously kissed 52-Down : JAMES T. KIRK - paired to; 52. See 28-Down : UHURA - if you didn't know it, this was fun-sponge, too.  I am a big fan of the "Next Generation" version; the original was too boring for me, but I did like the movies - I liked Shatner; can't get into the "latest" re-re-version.

30. Bones' partner : SKIN - Ironic that this should follow Kirk - Dr. McCoy "Bones", also from Star Trek

32. Bygone messager : TELEX

34. Feels off : AILS

36. "__ at End House": Christie mystery : PERIL - perps

39. Complex parts : NEUROSES

42. Color on San Jose Shark uniforms : TEAL - San Jose lives~!  At least one more game, tho I'd like to see them go two more and take it all

44. Evidence provider : DNA TEST

47. Circus equipment : STILTS - drywall mudding, too

50. Musical count : BASIE - ah.  That kind of Count

54. NYC gallery district : SOHO - SOuth of HOuston Street; the Wiki

56. Plains tribe : OTOE

57. Trillion: Pref. : TERA

58. Fictional rabbit's title : BR'ER

61. Address bk. info : TELephone

62. Pulitzer poet Lowell : AMY

Splynter