Thursday, September 22nd, 2016 Roger Wienberg

Theme: A mob of Sicilians? No, as the reveal elegantly states:

34D. Raise stakes in a game ... and a hint to a hidden feature of five Down puzzle answers : UP THE ANTE

3D. Europe's highest active volcano : MOUNT ETNA. Nice to see the mountain getting a starring role for once, rather than consigned to the supporting cast of fill.

5D. Cold War Baltic patrollers : SOVIET NAVY. The US Navy was patrolling as well, but out of sight under the surface.

10D. "The Deer Hunter" setting : VIETNAM. A beautiful country - it's on my bucket list to visit.

30D. Green sign information, traditionally : STREET NAME. They're blue in my part of the world. 

43D. Wings eaters' needs : WETNAPS. When I first moved here I was amused to see that these things had instructions on the back. I can still remember verbatim: "This is a moistened towelette. It is a towelette, moistened. Open and use".

Thursday already? Roger's theme is all in the downs as the direction-change wouldn't work with the reveal if the entries ran cross-wise.

I'm guessing that MOUNT ETNA was the seed entry for the theme and a rummage through the dictionary pulled out the other four. Some lively fill and some cluing trickery makes for a satisfying Thursday. Let's go for a meander through the fill and see what jumps out.

Across:

1. It's often a stretch : LIMO

5. Grim, as a landscape : STARK. You can be a stark landscape without necessarily being grim. This looks pretty grim though:

10. Debit card choice : VISA. Both of my debit cards are Visa-branded. I recently opened a checking account with Chase because they offered me $300 if I'd direct-deposit at least $500/month and keep the account open for at least six months. Two weeks later, the $300 was in my account. Never turn down free money.

14. Superstar : IDOL

15. Command : ORDER

16. Troublesome tykes : IMPS

17. Bad-blood situation : FEUD

18. One out for blood : VAMPIRE BAT. Nasty-looking little buggers. The common vampire bat will feed off any mammal, including humans.

20. Some browns : TANS

21. Number in an outline, perhaps : III. More likely to be seen as iii. Most style guides recommend using western numerals for major outline points, lowercase roman numerals for sub-outlines. Same goes for Shakespeare citations (see my comment at 48D)

22. Put in stitches : SUTURE

23. Variety show array : TALENTS

26. Disdainful look : SNEER

27. Holes in sneakers : EYELETS

29. Cruising : ASEA

31. Slender-stemmed palm : RATTAN

32. Where to see a wake : AFT. More nautical references this week after a slew of them on Monday.

33. Botch : MUFF

37. Lease alternative : OWN

38. Babies, or what some babies wear : PAMPERS. The verb "babies", not the noun. Had me thinking for a second.

41. Historic beginning? : PRE-

42. Kentucky Fried side : SLAW. KFC have their own branded Wetnaps. 

44. Brewery fixture : VAT

45. In-groups : ELITES

47. Irish New Age singer : ENYA. Let's have a quick "Orinoco Flow" before we get to the downs.

49. Runs aground : BEACHES

50. Striped quartz : AGATE

53. Pork-filled pastry, e.g. : MEAT PIE. Food! Here's a batch of famous Melton Mowbray pork pies from England. They have their own association too.

 
55. Ruined in the kitchen : BURNED. I tend to burn myself, not the food.

57. Brooke Baldwin's network : CNN

58. Auto parts giant : NAPA. Or the National Automotive Parts Association, to be posh about it.

61. Pearl Harbor battleship : USS ARIZONA

63. Third-generation Genesis name : ENOS. Grandson of Adam and Eve. Depending on who you read, his Dad, Seth was either 105 or 205 when Enos was born.

64. Remote button with a square : STOP

65. Capital on the Willamette : SALEM

66. Pedometer measure : STEP

67. Many millennia : EONS

68. Sky scraper? : SPIRE. Here's a picture of Salisbury Cathedral in England, built between 1220 and 1258. The spire is the tallest in the UK, standing 404ft above Salisbury Plain.

 
69. Stage layouts : SETS

Down:

1. Garage contraption : LIFT.

2. What a light bulb may mean : IDEA

4. Veteran seafarer : OLD SALT

6. Coaches : TRAINS. This could be read two ways - either in the sports sense, or as I just noticed, rakes of coaches forming trains?

7. Acknowledge : ADMIT

8. Account exec : REP

9. Angel who replaced Jill, in '70s TV : KRIS. Charlie's Angels. Cheryl Ladd's character Kris replaced Farrah Fawcett's Jill in 1977.

11. Saturate (with) : IMBUE

12. Let off the hook : SPARE.

13. Late bloomer? : ASTER. Late summer to fall, according to the American Horticultural Society, who know about such things.

19. Bit of subterfuge : RUSE

24. Entrechat, e.g. : LEAP. Ballet trickeration.

25. Call at home : SAFE. I'm taking my visiting brother to Dodger Stadium tonight, his first ever baseball game.

27. Lover of Psyche : EROS

28. Ketch kin : YAWL. What does a third baseman from the South say when he throws to home plate? "ketch it, y'awl!". The ketch and the yawl are both two-masted vessels, the difference is that the mizzen mast on a yawl is stepped behind the rudder post, rather than in front of it.

32. Suitable : APT

35. Like many apps : FREE

36. Cop to the crime, with "up" : FESS

39. Address with an apostrophe : MA'AM

40. Smack : SLAP

46. Aloof demeanor : ICINESS. Tricky letter progression to parse.

48. "In thy dreams!" : NE'ER!

ROMEO: Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight, for I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.

Romeo and Juliet, Act 1, scene v 

49. Hung sign : BANNER

50. Treat badly : ABUSE

51. Zest : GUSTO. Great word!

52. Illegal firing : ARSON

54. USDA inspector's concern : E.COLI. Ick.

56. Ph.D. hurdle : DISS. Dissertation.

59. Well-versed artist? : POET

60. Deadly slitherers : ASPS. These have been rearing their heads quite a few times recently.

62. Fast-forward through : ZAP. I record most of the shows that I watch so I can zap through the ads. I watch the Premier League soccer live though; but the great thing about soccer is - no commercial breaks, except at half-time.

I think that's it from me. Heeeeere's the grid, all color-coded and everything!

Steve

Wednesday, Sept 21, 2016 Don Gagliardo and C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Heave-Ho - The first words (all nouns) are all synonyms.

16A. "Good Guys Wear Black" star : CHUCK NORRIS. I only knew him in "Walker, Texas Ranger."

24A. Post-performance celebration : CAST PARTY

36A. Stroke with a wedge : PITCH SHOT. Like this.

51A. Display for lecture illustrations : FLIP CHART

61A. Sofa decor : THROW PILLOW

Boomer here. Live from Minnesota. Home of the 3M Company. Believe it or not, Scotch tape is not made in Scotland. It's made right here in St. Paul.

Boomer at 3M Championship, August 5, 2016

Minnesota is known for 10,000 lakes, and that does not include the ones that eat my golf balls.  I feel a fishing theme in this puzzle.  You CAST your line from your reel.  PITCH the lure into the weed bed.  FLIP the fish into the boat; then THROW it back ... Too small.

Across:       

1. Pour love (on) : DOTE. Maresey Dotes and Doesey dotes ...

5. Sledding spot : SLOPE.  Did not like the clue slopes are for skiing. Hills are for sledding.

10. Work the aisles, slangily : USH. Ush is no word that I've ever heard. Hey I'm a poet and didn't know it.

13. Very familiar with : UP ON

14. Not spontaneous : STAGED

15. Howe'er : THO. Hope you got this with down clues, because I don't get it.

18. Haul to the shop : TOW

19. Sailor's pronoun : HER. I guess this refers to a ship. Why they are all female, I'll never know.

20. Full of energy : ALIVE. Golfer Jim Furyk touts 5 hour energy and he is still alive.

21. Stereotypical Geek Squad employee : NERD

22. Mass-mailing tool : E-LIST. I'm surely on a few of these, my junk mail box is full

27. Went astray : SINNED

29. Pupil's cover : EYELID

30. Drawn-out account : SAGA

31. Not as demanding : EASIER. That's what I am talking about. Better clues would be easier.

35. USN clerk : YEO. Never heard of this - but I was in the US Army

39. Take steps : ACT. Take steps is to walk.  Thespians act.

42. Defiant retort : MAKE ME

43. __-Seltzer : ALKA. Remember Speedy with the funny hat?

47. Touchdown spot : TARMAC. I suppose you wanted people to think "Football". Well football teams fly 10 times per season. 

49. Log-shaped pastry : ECLAIR.  Eau Claire, Wisconsin is about 100 Miles from the Twin Cities.  I suppose you could get an Eclair there.

55. "Siddhartha" author : HESSE.  I'm not good at books. The last one I read was "Harps in the Wind".

56. Charitable gift : ALMS

57. Instagram upload : PHOTO. I don't have Instagram. Facebook upload would be an easier clue for me.

59. "__ matter of fact ... " : AS A. Better clue for me would be Hutchinson Family Singers leader, ___ Hutchinson OR the governor of Arkansas ____ Hutchinson.  (See "Harps in the Wind". Asa Hutchinson was my great great grandfather and founded the town of Hutchinson).

60. Young __: tykes, in dialect : UNs. Too much Beverly Hillbillies watching.

64. Shear (off) : LOP. I recently lopped off my hair. I was starting to look too much like Donald Trump (only thinner and with a smaller mouth).

65. Residences : ABODES

66. __ Romeo : ALFA

67. Onetime rival of Delta : TWA. Founded by Howard Hughes (AKA The hermit at the Desert Inn.) TWA flew from 1925 !! to 2001.  Flight 800 hurt them a lot.

68. Having a key, in music : TONAL

69. Go against : DEFY

  

Down:

 1. Title for Prince William's wife : DUCHESS of Cambridge. See also 17. Prince William's wife : KATE

2. The "thee" in "Get thee to a nunnery" : OPHELIA

3. Seeing the sights : TOURING

4. Letter-bottom letters : ENC. I usually see this as ENCL. Another crossword shortcut I suppose.

5. Dispassionate : STOIC. NFL often used this adjective to describe former Vikings coach Bud Grant. Now nearing 90, did you see him blow the big horn at US Bank Stadium Sunday night?

6. Cocoon contents : LARVA.  These are ugly.  Some use them for bait to catch panfish.

7. Ungentle giants : OGRES. They live under bridges and under kids' beds.

8. Shar-__: wrinkly dog : PEI.  I never saw a wrinkly dog, I never hope to see one.  But I can tell you anyhow, "I'd rather see than be one".

9. Paper staff, briefly : EDS. some of these three letter answers are starting to look like abbreviations for illness or drugs.

10. Downright : UTTERLY

11. Skimpy nightgown : SHORTIE.  If you say so.  Spellcheck says it's a word,  I would spell it Shorty, but then it would screw up the puzzle.

12. Folksy greeting : HOWDY DO. I may have heard Barney Fife of Mayberry say this.

14. NBC skit show broadcast from 30 Rock : SNL. Another drug abbreviation. Many people are hooked on this show.

21. Scottish isle denial : NAE. I always thought it was "NAY".  But ask a Scot if they make Scotch Tape and he will say NAE. 

23. Finger-clicking sound : SNAP. Also a really good Ginger cookie.

25. A little laughter : TEE HEE

26. Prefix with technic : PYRO. I've always liked the pyrotechnics at Comiskey and US Cellular Field. I hope the White Sox will continue the explosions at Guaranteed Rate Stadium.

28. Unhook, say : DETACH

32. "Crikey!" : ACK.  Now this really makes no sense.

33. Sailor's pronoun : SHE. There's the ship again

34. Doctrinal suffix : ISM

37. Desktop with an AppleCare option : iMAC

38. "Canterbury" story : TALE

39. Guilty : AT FAULT

40. "Operators are standing by!" : CALL NOW.  I dislike TV commercials that beg you to call. 

41. Bygone weight-loss pills : TRIMSPA. People were duped by Fen Phen. If you want TrimSpa I guess you have to call now - Operators are standing by.  There's a reason this stuff is not sold at stores.

44. French explorer who named Louisiana : LA SALLE

45. Rude dismissal, in slang : KISS-OFF

46. Passage between buildings : AREAWAY. This could also be viewed and clued as ARE AWAY.  (On Vacation ??)

48. AWOL seekers : MPS.  Military Police, Not a drug.

50. Kenneth __, portrayer of Judge Lance Ito in "The People v. O.J. Simpson" : CHOI. Korean surname.

52. Baker's protection : APRON. Or concrete at the end of your driveway.

53. Valerie Harper sitcom : RHODA. Great show. Rhoda got her start on the Mary Tyler Moore epic sitcom - staged in Minneapolis.

54. Item draped on a rack : TOWEL

58. Scout gps. : TPS. Sorry, I have noooo idea what this is. Troops???

61. Skin pic : TAT. Tattoo.

 

62. "True Detective" network : HBO

63. Stripling : LAD

Tuesday, September 20 2016, Patti Varol

Theme: Watch Your Step!

17. Adjusted sales figure on which some royalties are based : NET RECEIPTS. SAFETY NET.

28. Wood-finishing tool : BELT SANDER. SAFETY BELT.

37. Brass instrument played like a trumpet : VALVE TROMBONE. SAFETY VALVE.

45. Long, narrow mollusks : RAZOR CLAMS. SAFETY RAZOR.

60. Motto for the cautious ... or a hint to the starts of 17-, 28-, 37- and 45-Across : SAFETY FIRST

Melissa here. Straightforward theme, although I needed 60A to get it. Kept wondering what a VALVET was before the rest of 37A filled in. 

Across 

1. Pilothouse wheels : HELMS. Started off with an unknown - the clue meant nothing to me. A d'oh moment later.

 
6. Sphere in a library : GLOBE
 
11. Cheering syllable : RAH 

14. Use a broom : SWEEP
 
15. Lubricate again : RE-OIL
 
16. Touchdown approx. : ETA

19. Bus. get-together : MTG
 
20. Gentle touch : CARESS
 
21. Letter that opens with a click : EMAIL
 
23. Headache treatment : ASPIRIN
 
26. Concerning, on memos : IN RE. In Regard.
 
27. Seasonal bug : FLU

33. Tennessee senator __ Alexander : LAMAR. Unknown.
 
36. Zoo critter with striped legs : OKAPI

42. "Sure, I'll give you a ride" : GET IN
 
43. Sleep audibly : SNORE

 
50. Hotel divs. : RMS. Rooms.
 
51. Poet Khayyám : OMAR
 
52. Place for meditation : YOGA MAT
 
55. Intense personality : TYPE A
 
57. Response to a clever put-down : OH SNAP!
 
59. Actress Hagen : UTA. Learning moment.

65. Washington MLBer : NAT. Washington Nationals.
 
66. Mount in Exodus : SINAI
 
67. Lucky break : FLUKE
 
68. Genetic info letters : DNA
 
69. Seagoing mil. training group : NROTC. Naval Reserve Officers Training Corp.
 
70. Spine-tingling : EERIE   

Down

1. QVC rival : HSN. Home Shopping Network.
 
2. Baaing mom : EWE
 
3. Tennis do-over : LET

 4. Gracias, across the Pyrenees : MERCI
 
5. Hurled weapon : SPEAR
 
6. "The Heart of the Matter" novelist Graham : GREENE

7. Hawaiian floral rings : LEIS
 
8. "Uh-oh!" : OOPS
 
9. Stand-up routine : BIT


 
10. Besides : ELSE
 
11. Send back, as to a lower court : REMAND 

12. Clothing : ATTIRE
 
13. "Marvelous" Marvin of boxing : HAGLER
 
18. Bed with high sides : CRIB
 
22. Yellow "Despicable Me" character : MINION
 
23. CIO partner : AFL
 
24. Balkan native : SLAV
 
25. Shoe company with a cat in its logo : PUMA
 
29. Doone of Exmoor : LORNA

 
30. Ref's ruling : TKO. Technical Knock Out.
 
31. Retired newsman Donaldson : SAM
 
32. LAPD alerts : APB'S
 
34. 1990s veep : AL GORE
 
35. Camper driver, for short : RV'ER
 
38. And so on: Abbr. : ETC
 
39. Shop __ you drop : TIL
 
40. Par : NORM
 
41. Clever Bombeck : ERMA 

44. Contractor's fig. : EST
 
45. Portly : ROTUND
 
46. "The Joy Luck Club" novelist : AMY TAN
 
47. Mexican revolutionary played by Brando : ZAPATA

48. Word before "Pizza" or "River," in film : MYSTIC
 
49. PlayStation maker : SONY. This was my one wrong entry - tried SE for SEGA. Nope.
 
53. Social faux pas : GAFFE
 
54. Lots and lots : A PILE
 
56. Part of AAA: Abbr. : ASSN
 
57. Point __ return : OF NO
 
58. Qualifying race : HEAT
 
61. __ conditioner : AIR
 
62. Capek's robot play : RUR. Another learning moment.

63. Slide down the slopes : SKI
 
64. Collarless shirt : TEE

Monday, September 19, 2016 Grant Boroughs

Theme: ARR! - I'll be hornswoggled; it's International Talk Like a Pirate Day 2016.

17A. Ship-fouling organisms, on Talk Like a Pirate Day?: BARRNACLES

32A. What kids ask on a long trip, on TLAP Day?: "ARR WE THERE YET?"

38A. Ship's right-front section, on TLAP Day?: STARRBOARD BOW

57A. Cold northern region, on TLAP Day?: THE ARRCTIC

3D. Food storage area, on TLAP Day?: LARRDER

40D. Bill for drinks, on TLAP Day?: BARR TAB

ARRgyle here, matey and we have a new skipper, Cap'n Boroughs. I feels he's done a fine job and if'n ya don't arrgree, you'll hang by your thumbs from the yarrdarm 'tils we get back in port. If you check among the booty, you will find many seafaring entries.

http://fotoforum.fr/photos/2014/02/04.5.jpg

Across:

1. Dangerous wind for small boats: GALE

5. "You're gonna need a bigger boat" movie: JAWS. Completely off-script ad-lib.

9. Barbecue rod: SPIT

13. Actor Sharif: OMAR

14. Verbal exams: ORALS

16. Actress Lollobrigida: GINA

19. Lights-out tune: TAPS

20. Horse hue: ROAN

21. Spyglass component: LENS

23. With 48-Down, mediocre: NOT 48-Down. See 23-Across: SO HOT

24. "Alas ... ": "SADLY..."

26. Cry of fright: [EEK!]

27. Burning: AFIRE

29. Key lime __: PIE

30. Pigpen: STY

31. Story surprises: TWISTS

36. What George Washington could not tell, according to folklore: A LIE

37. Oregon Trail wagon pullers: OXEN

43. Sends to the Hill: ELECTS

45. Agrees to: OKs

46. Wonderment: AWE

47. Wood-shaping tool: LATHE

48. Urgent distress signal: S-O-S

49. When right turns are sometimes permitted: ON RED

51. Tax agcy.: IRS. (Infernal Revenue Service)

52. Dire fate: DOOM

54. Two of a kind: PAIR

55. The color of tropical seas: TEAL

61. "The Sopranos" actress Falco: EDIE

62. Human trunk: TORSO

63. Ring of light: HALO

64. Flatfish sometimes served stuffed: SOLE

65. Recipe amts.: TSPs. (teaspoon)

66. Online auction site: EBAY

Down:

1. Dollop: GOB

2. Doctors' org.: AMA. (American Medical Association)

4. Swashbuckler Flynn: ERROL

5. __ of 6-Down: French heroine: JOAN

6. 5-Down of __: French heroine: ARC. (Joan of Arc)

7. Minnesota's state fish: WALLEYE

8. Like a smooth-sailing clipper ship: SLEEK

9. Rank above cpl.: SGT. corporal/sergeant

10. One tickling the ivories: PIANIST

11. Sitting at the dock of the bay: IN PORT

12. Tries a bite of: TASTES

15. Taxpayer ID: SSN

18. Dissenting vote: NAY

22. Fictional Tom or real-life Diane: SAWYER

24. Massage facility: SPA

25. Balloon filler: AIR

26. Old anesthetic: ETHER

28. Wicked one: FIEND

30. Mixes: STIRS

31. __ Hold 'em: TEXAS. Poker game.

33. Enjoy, as television: WATCH

34. Overjoyed: ELATED

35. Chess castles: ROOKS

38. Shove off: SET SAIL

39. Post-WWII babies: BOOMERS. CSO.

41. Be indebted to: OWE

42. Married: WED

43. Upper crust groups: ELITEs

44. Rio Grande city: LAREDO

49. Rowboat propeller: OAR

50. Specialized market segment: NICHE

53. Giants slugger Mel: OTT

54. All in favor: PROs

56. Director Ang __: LEE

58. Deadly snake: ASP

59. Dockworkers' org.: ILA. (International Longshoremen's Association)

60. Playfully shy: COY

Argyle

Sunday, Sept 18, 2016 Paul Coulter

Theme: "Doctor Hoodoo" - An rhyming syllable is added to the last word of each theme entry.

 

23A. Wimpish newspaper writer? : EDITORIAL WIENIE. Editorial we.

36A. Corleone family member providing free downloads? : SONNY AND SHAREWARE. Sonny and Cher. Sonny is the hot-tempered brother killed by the rival mob.

59A. Succeed after leaving the band? : REAP WHAT YOU SOLO. Reap what you sow.

 

87A. Gardening during karate training? : RAKING IN THE DOJO. Raking in the dough.

103A. Old Aspen music maker? : ROCKY MOUNTAIN HI-FI. Rocky Mountain High.

126A. "The comedian just wasn't funny"? : NOT MY CUP OF TE-HEE. Not my cup of tea.

As the title "Doctor Hoodoo" ("Doctor Who") subtly hints, all the last words go through spelling change before the extra syllable is added. The theme really needs an creative mind to make it happen.

I was in a Vietnamese-style mooncake coma and stalled quite a few times in the solving. I thought the extra syllables might spell out something. Asked Argyle, who said he saw nothing special.

Across:

1. Agcy. that does searches : TSA

4. Curry spice : CUMIN. Also the essential seasoning in Xi'an style shish kabob. Lots of hot red peppers too.

9. Letter-moving gp. : USPO

13. Kind of cookie? : SMART. Sweet clue.

18. Song and dance : RIGAMAROLE. Not a word we often see in grids.

21. Auction cry : SOLD

22. Have second thoughts : WAVER

 25. Patsy's "Ab Fab" pal : EDINA. I only know the city Edina here in MN.

26. Divvy up : ALLOT

27. Bourbon and others: Abbr. : STs

28. Small birds with complex songs : WRENS

29. Fit the facts : ADD UP

30. Home on the range : TEEPEE

32. Mine, in Marseilles : A MOI. Alliteration.

34. Winter Palace resident : TSAR

44. Bowlers, e.g. : HATS

48. Biol. or chem. : SCI

49. With 17-Down, warning cry : IT'S A. 17. See 49-Across : TRAP

50. Heather family shrubs : ERICAs. Learning moment for me.

51. Blew it : ERRED

53. Bermuda Triangle locale: Abbr. : ATL

55. Comes down with : GETS

58. "JAG" spin-off : NCIS

64. Katniss' "Hunger Games" ally : PEETA. Another learning moment.

65. South Carolina river : SANTEE. I only know PEE DEE.

66. Foreword : INTRO

67. Closet concern : MOTH

69. Muddy home : STY

70. Game ragout : SALMI.  Never heard of it. Wiki says this: A salmis is a preparation from classical French cooking. When a roast or sautéed piece of meat is sliced and reheated in sauce, the result is a salmis.

72. Fields who founded Mrs. Fields : DEBBI

74. Carpet manufacturers' contraptions : LOOMS

76. It's generally higher on the hwy. : MPG. Also 14. Highway safety org. since 1980 : MADD

78. Fuzz : LINT

80. Bring up : RAISE

82. Vehicle with caterpillar treads : SNO-CAT. Oh, that's interesting trivia.

85. Jays and Rays : ALERS. Every puzzle needs a few glue entries.

90. Jupiter's wife : JUNO

91. Emperor after Claudius : NERO

92. "Your point being ... ?" : SOO. Not AND,

93. Driver's choice : SEDAN

94. Good-for-nothing : OTIOSE. Not a word I use.

96. PGA part: Abbr. : ASSN

100. __ de coeur: pained outburst : CRI

102. Insignificant : MERE. Not PUNY or TINY.

108. Desolate : LORN

109. Hammett hound : ASTA

110. Soft sweater : ANGORA

115. Ocean ring : ATOLL

119. Champagne buckets, e.g. : ICERS. I guess so.

121. Medicinal amt. : TSP

124. "America's Funniest Home Videos" host : SAGET

125. Craze : MANIA

129. Long-distance commuter's community : EXURB

130. Actress Gershon : GINA

131. Capital on the Danube : BRATISLAVA. Slovakia's capital. Great fill.

132. Japanese-American : NISEI. Or ISSEI.

133. Painful rebuke : SLAP. I thought it might be ET TU.

134. Common thing? : SENSE

135. Came upon : MET

Down:

1. Late October option : TREAT. Felt silly not nailing it.

2. Move furtively : SIDLE

3. Quick : AGILE

4. It's driven : CAR

5. "The Haj" novelist : URIS (Leon)

6. Zoo barrier : MOAT

7. "And how!" : I'LL SAY

8. Just out : NEW

9. Log-in requirements : USER IDS

10. Loudness unit : SONE

11. Statue base : PLINTH. Consonants-heavy.

12. Black Sea port : ODESSA

13. One on the stand : SWEARER. Same letter count as WITNESS.

 

15. All fired up : AVID

16. Eye care solution brand : RENU

 

19. Crowning : ATOP

20. Tiny particles : MOTES

24. "Forget it!" : I WON'T

31. Daybreak goddess : EOS

33. Printemps period : MAI. May. Printemps is also a huge department store in Paris. I got this double-layered chiffon top there at the end of last century. Gosh, been so many years. It still fits nicely. The colors probably confuse D-Otto.

35. Chariot-riding god : ARES

37. Sweet Sixteen org. : NCAA

38. Capone colleague : NITTI

39. Starch-producing palm tree : SAGO

40. Press release? : WINE. Great clue.

41. Online security feature : ACCESS CODE. Great fill.

42. "Something to Talk About" singer : RAITT (Bonnie)

43. Bacon serving? : ESSAY. Francis Bacon.

44. Half a matched set : HERs

45. Atlas stat : AREA

46. Like some organisms modified in labs : TRANSGENIC. Got via crosses.

47. Anatomical walls : SEPTA. Plural of septum.

52. Fixates (on) : DWELLS

54. "Casino Royale" Bond girl Vesper __ : LYND. Played by Eva Green. This girl might be Splynter's type.

56. 20th-century blight victim : ELM

57. Item on a belt : TOOL

60. Spherical opening? : HEMI. Not ATMO.

61. "SNL" castmate of Ferrell and Gasteyer : OTERI

62. Name of eight popes : URBAN

63. Pulitzer-winning Ferber novel : SO BIG. Nailed it.

64. Calls : PHONES

68. Baloney, to Brits : TOSH. I thought it's BOSH.

71. As to : IN RE

73. Sister of Osiris : ISIS

75. Data transmitter : MODEM

76. Very important : MAJOR

77. Demotion in 2006 news : PLUTO

79. Bluejacket : TAR.  I did not know "bluejacket" means sailor, Spitzboov!

81. Methuselah's father : ENOCH

83. A bit cracked : AJAR

84. Color quality : TONE

86. Hornswoggle : ROOK.  Is "Hornswoggle" a word you use in your daily life?

88. Zen riddle : KOAN

89. Doughnuts, shapewise : TORI

91. Captain of the Nautilus : NEMO

95. Class guides : SYLLABI

97. Astronomer's aid : STAR MAP

98. Pert : SASSY

99. It might be picked : NIT

101. "__ tree falls ... " : IF A

104. Circular gaskets : O RINGS

105. Straighten out : UNCOIL

106. Simple life some strive to get back to : NATURE. It feels good to be off line one day a week.

107. Tech. schools : INSTs

111. Highlands native : GAEL

112. Early Irish alphabet : OGHAM. Maybe Irish Miss knows. Never heard of it.

113. "Still Me" memoirist : REEVE (Christopher)

114. Bothered big-time : ATE AT

115. "Right on!" : AMEN

116. Curbside call : TAXI

117. Responsibility : ONUS

118. Old Italian capital : LIRE

120. Italian hot spot : ETNA

122. Cross : SPAN

123. Kitties : POTS

127. It has an eye on television : CBS. Simple in retrospect.

128. "Shame on thee!" : FIE. This clue makes me smile.

C.C. 

Saturday, Sep 17th, 2016, Mark Diehl

Theme: None

Words: 66 (missing Q,X,Z)

Blocks: 27

 This is my first puzzle from Mark Diehl, and when I checked, his last and only two contributions to the LA Times were both Saturday constructions, both before my blogging time.  See here and here.  With no experience to go on, I simply plugged away at any clues I might have had a shot at.  Some proper names slowed me down, and ultimately, I had to cheat for one cel with red-letters.  Dang.  Big chunky corners, two 12-letter spanners and two 10-letter climbers;

26a. Formulation in Newton's "Principia" : LAW OF GRAVITY - I knew what we were looking for, but I waited to see where the word "GRAVITY" would fall

See "The Law" @ 2:05

35a. Height is an exception to it : "I" BEFORE "E" RULE - Height, weight, eight - yeah, it's wEIrd.  More of a guideline, really

15d. "Paradise Lost" style : BLANK VERSE - I did not know anything about this style; it has no rhyme, but a steady meter

21d. One whose business is growing : DIRT FARMER - I filled in the "FARMER" part, and waited.  Basically a poor farmer.  We have lots of sod farms here on L.I., and after harvest, it looks like they're in the dirt farming business

dOwNWARD gravity~!

ACROSS:

1. Studio department : CASTING - I contemplated "COSTUME", and that would have been 100% 42% correct

8. Fills with mortar, as tile : GROUTS - don't tell me - I just finished my bathroom, which I built from the plumbing up; I happen to like tiling, as opposed to just installing a plastic surround.  Here's a pic; I noticed that "Picasa" is no longer - it's all about Pinterest now

14. Invite : ASK OVER - and they consistently, politely decline....

15. Traditional slow cooker : BEAN POT

16. 1963 Best Actor : POITIER

17. '70s-'80s sitcom roommate : LAVERNE - ah, yes, the other one was Shirley - and Lenny was their friend, played by Michael McKean, who played David St. Hubbins of Spinal Tap fame

18. "By all means!" : "INDEED~!"

19. Central California county : MARIPOSA - the second half was perps, the first half a WAG about a place that I seemed to have heard of before

20. Contract details : TERMS - oops, not ITEMS

21. Slips on : DONS

22. Put down : LAID

23. Latin I word : AMO

24. Pen output : OINK - I did not know which "pen" this was; the writer's ( BOOK, e.g. ) or the farm one; it was the latter

25. __ warning : EARLY - I had -A-L- and thought it was "FALSE" - but FASLE looked wrong....

30. Jokingly : IN SPORT - ooops, not 'in sHort'

31. "Coming Out of the Dark" singer : ESTEFAN - Gloria, half perps and WAGs

37. Stylish beach resorts : LIDOS

40. Sanctuary part : APSE - ah, but which the part of the church~? APSE or NAVE~?

41. Eponymous 2001 album : J.Lo

42. MBA subject : ECON - good WAG on my part

43. Part of a name on the 1989 album "Dr. Feelgood" : CRÜE - Nailed it - I can't help it - these guys defined the whole 80's big hair thing, and the music was good, too.  In fact, the first puzzle Mark Diehl had for the LA Times featured "TEN SECONDS" as an answer - and here's Mötley Crüe's version

44. Congo jungle denizen : CHIMP

46. Sprint and others : TELECOMS - I went with TELCOMS, and found it too short

48. Ice cream baron William : DREYER

49. NSA home : Ft. MEADE

50. "You had your chance!" : "TOO LATE~!"

51. Certain permit holder : LEARNER - driving permits

52. Pitching pro? : AD WOMAN - ooh, nice gender misdirection.

this is one gorgeous ad woman

53. Mahmoud's PLO predecessor : YASSER

54. Lose freshness : GO STALE

DOWN:

1. First person indicator : CAPITAL I

2. Without dissent : AS ONE MAN

3. Rundown areas : SKID ROWS - Ironically, I thought this was SKI related, but it certainly helped to correctly guess the first 3 letters

4. Revered emblem : TOTEM - popular lately

5. Brown is one of them : IVIES - I knew where this was going, but was reluctant to fill in "IVIES"

6. Triage basis : NEED

7. Lab warning : Grr - the LABrador breed

8. First, second and third : GEARS - and many more, depending on the car.  My crappy work van has a hard time getting out of second gear; I have to get to 42mph.  Reminds me of this song

9. Norah's dad : RAVI - it took a moment to remember Norah Jones' dad is Ravi Shankar;  her Wiki

10. Like solitaire : ONE-PLAYER

11. Hue and cry : UPROAR

12. Uvula neighbor : TONSIL

13. Regular : STEADY

19. Bart Simpson's grandma : MONA - I dredged this one up from the cerebral depths

24. No gentle giant : OGRE

25. Novel ending : ETTE - novelette; I submitted a short story to Dan's Papers Literary Contest, but I didn't win - read more here,  Sep 9th issue, pg 32

27. First book of the Great Plains trilogy : OPIONEERS - no clue, and the "P" was "H" for my first guess

28. Key chain attachments : FOBS

29. "Say no more" : "I SEE."

32. Roller coaster named for a mountain : FUJIYAMA - mostly perps and a WAG - not a big roller-coaster fan

33. Like some storage shelves : ALL METAL - and F%*&ing heavy when they ship thru UPS

34. Wetsuit material : NEOPRENE - nailed it - big help in the SE

36. Sonata, e.g. : OPUS - toyed with "AUTO", since it's a Hyundai

37. Heave : LET FLY

38. Summer beverage : ICE TEA - I've come to accept the missing "D"; look away, Tin~!

39. Middle Eastern stuffed vegetable dishes : DOLMAS - ah, yes, I've had them, and they're good - I get the vine leaf stuffed with rice

43. Software whiz : CODER

44. They're often involved in murders : CROWS

45. Serf of Sparta : HELOT

47. Mr. Peanut trademark : CANE

48. Doofus : DODO

50. Touch and go? : TAG - the game - "you're IT~!"

Splynter