Thursday, February 25th, 2016 C.C.Burnikel

Theme: "And the Oscar goes to ..."

60A. Award to be announced February 28, previously won by the first words of 17-, 23-, 39- and 51-Across : BEST PICTURE

17A. Intensive study program : CRASH COURSE. Somewhat of a controversial winner for this 2004 release. The director, Paul Haggis, was quoted later as saying "Was this the best picture of the year? I don't think so".

23A. It's the opposite of a flying one : ROCKY START. Yo, Sylvester! This 1976 original in the franchise has been cropping up quite frequently in crosswords recently.

39A. Mighty clash : TITANIC STRUGGLE. Kate Winslet recently said of this 1997 tear-jerker "There was plenty of room for Jack".

51A. 2014 WNBA Finals runner-up : CHICAGO SKY. I got myself into a terrific mess down in this area when I decided that the movie title was GHOST. ON TOW seemed more natural than IN TOW, and AGAI berries sounded familiar. ETHOS got shoehorned in too. Never mind that "Ghost" never won Best Picture. The 2002 "Chicago" deservedly did. 

Closing in on Oscar weekend with a C.C. movie boxed set. As I mentioned above, I made a huge mess of the SE section, and, rarely for me, had to walk away and come back to it later, at which point things finally fell into place. A nice challenge.

Across:

1. Beach tube letters : SPF

4. Tube in Paris : METRO. Here's the Anvers station entrance in Montmartre which I snapped on my visit in January. I love the art deco signage on some of the older stations.

9. __ butter: cosmetic moisturizer : SHEA

13. Roofing sealant : TAR

14. Gem weight unit : CARAT. Carat is a unit of weight, karat is a unit of purity. Repeat until klear. I mean clear.

15. Home extension? : STEAD

16. __ standstill : AT A

19. Classic laundry soap : RINSO. Do they still make this stuff?

21. They're drunk at socials : TEAS. Not at my socials, they're not. But then again my socials are more commonly referred to as "happy hours".

22. Fish in hamo, a Japanese delicacy : EEL. Food! Hamo is the pike eel. If you want some zen-chill moments, check out the videos from three-star Michelin chef Seiji Yamamoto showing how to prep and serve the fish here.

26. Auto racer Busch : KYLE. If you just have the K you need to wait for the crosses - big brother Kurt is also in the same business.

27. "Uh-huh" : I SEE

28. Miscellany : OLIO. I always smile when I see this - C.C. was kind enough to explain the difference between OLIO and OLEO to me when I was a crossword puzzle rookie and confused on a daily basis.

30. Faux pas : SLIP

33. Certain king's pride : MANE. Nice wordplay on the lion's pride.

36. Nunavut people : INUIT

42. Simple type of question : YES/NO. Or a really difficult one - "The chicken came first. Yes or No?".

43. "Good one!" : HA HA

44. Dumped, perhaps : SOLD

45. Sister brand of the Sensor razor : ATRA. I joined Dollar Shave Club a couple of years ago and stopped spending crazy amounts of money on razor blades.

47. "You've found the right person" : I'M IT

49. D.C. bigwigs : POLS

57. Wood-scratching tool : AWL

58. Pakistani bread : NAAN. Food! It gets its traditional teardrop shape from hanging off the inside of the tandoor while it cooks.

59. Loosen, as laces : UNTIE

64. Cellular messenger : RNA

65. Take the helm : STEER. Aye, aye, Skipper.

66. Trees yielding caffeine-rich nuts : KOLAS

67. Staples of many websites : ADS

68. Giveaway bag : TOTE

69. One-for-one deals : SWAPS. Did people ever swap things at swap meets?

70. Touch gently : PAT. Could have been PET. Wasn't.

Down:

1. British Invasion drummer : STARR. RINGO went in. Then came out. Richard Starkey, MBE. Replaced the Fifth Beatle Pete Best as drummer. Wait, the Fifth Beatle was Stu Sutcliffe? See 9D.

2. Hibachi spot : PATIO. Somewhere to grill your hamo.

3. Mali money : FRANC

4. Real people? : McCOYS. Clue of the day for me. "The real McCoy".

5. Maestro's forte : EAR.

6. Refrain bit : TRA. La. La.

7. Many a reggae musician : RASTA. I'm reading Paul Theroux's book "Dark Star Safari" on my current trip, and discovered yesterday that Haile Selassie's birth name was Ras Tafari, hence the Rastafarians. Learning moment.

8. Additional : OTHER

9. "Fifth Beatle" Sutcliffe : STU. This might be a questionable clue for a Beatles purist. The original drummer, Pete Best, usually gets the "fifth Beatle" moniker. As far as recorded material was concerned, Billy Preston is commonly termed the "fifth Beatle" and played with the band at their final public appearance on the rooftop of Apple in 1969.

10. "Sure, take it!" : HERE YOU GO

11. Picasso supporter : EASEL

12. "Set Fire to the Rain" singer : ADELE

15. Call for help : .S.O.S.

18. "The Censor" of Rome : CATO. The Elder. Apparently a divisive character: "Cato was hated for his pedantic bigotry, but respected as an able politician and good orator." Difficult to reconcile those two.

20. Part of a winter suit : SKI PANTS

24. Penultimate contest, for its winner : SEMI. Ultimate contest for the loser.

25. Work with pupils : TEACH

26. Bob Marley Museum city : KINGSTON, Jamaica.

29. The Blackbirds of the NCAA's Northeast Conf. : LIU. Long Island University, Brooklyn as I'm sure we all knew :) Thank you, crosses.

30. Babe's pen : STY. Movie pig Babe.

31. Falsity : LIE. "I cannot tell one". Oh wait, I think I just did!

32. "Everything's ready to go!" : IT'S ALL SET

34. Surveillance org. : NSA

35. Moral principle : ETHIC. I forced ETHOS in here to work with my GHOST woes.

37. Not close to 100% : ILL

38. Texas senator Cruz : TED. Topical Ted.

40. Neither partner : NOR

41. Avatar of Vishnu : RAMA

46. Faddish berry in smoothies : ACAI. Not AGAI, Steve. Have a word with yourself.

48. Hesitant okay : I GUESS

49. Old Milwaukee maker : PABST

50. Have because of : OWE TO

52. Accesses illegally, in a way : HACKS

53. Hitched behind : IN TOW. I got fixated on the car-breakdown "ON TOW" usage and ignored the possibility of anything else for quite some time.

54. Camera holder : STRAP

55. In a way, slangily : KINDA

56. Old Milwaukee-making ingredient : YEAST. Both the maker and the means today.

58. "Morning Edition" airer : NPR

61. Links supporter : TEE

62. Suffix with form : ULA

63. Criticize : RAP. Tried RIP first, then couldn't make sense of KOLIS. Sanity prevailed. As I said, the SE corner was a whole slew of mess for me until I stepped away for a while (and a couple of glasses of wine, maybe that was the trick!)

Here's the grid, and have a good day!

Steve

Note from C.C.

JD is now vacationing in Hawaii. Here are two fantastic pictures she sent to me yesterday. I never heard of Mount Haleakalā before.

Wednesday Feb 24, 2016, Kenneth Berniker

Title: SYNERGY 

Husker Gary back at the helm and after shuffling some vowels around, I got 'er done. Even I got Kenneth's fun theme of five, count 'em five, different ways of prefacing a word or phrase with SIN or one of its homophones. What a hoot!

16. Form by combining elements : SYNTHESIZE - The shuttle's 3 main engines SYNTHESIZE H₂ + O₂  from the orange fuel tank into H₂O in the exhaust 

22. "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" singer : CYNDI LAUPER - Obviously in any language

33. Fictional voyager : SINBAD THE SAILOR - As I said, in any language

49. Sparkle : SCINTILLATE - Nothing SCINTILLATES like a girl's best friend

59. Host of the 2015 MLB All-Star Game : CINCINNATI - One of the biggest stars of that night was this ex-CINCINNATI player Pete Rose that MLB allowed to participate despite his lifetime ban from the game for betting 

And the reveal

44. Wicked ... and, homophonically, like five long puzzle answers : SINFUL - SINFUL desserts on a SIN City (Las Vegas) cart

Not one SCINTILLA of criticism or SINISTER comment from this corner. Let's examine the SINEW of Kenneth's fine puzzle! (Stop me before I SIN again!!)

Across  

1. Lobsters' sense organs : PALPI - Sensory organs on the mandible in the middle of the picture. What a 1 Across!

6. Celebs : VIPS

10. Flight from the law : LAM

13. Poker declaration : I'M OUT - Uh, I'M OUT!

14. "__ my guard down" : I LET 

15. Famille patriarch : PERE - Paris pop

18. One-piece garments, slangily : UNIS - UNIsuitS on 2012 Women's Olympic Rowing Team

19. Rome-based carrier : ALITALIA - Wake me when we land at da Vinci Airport

20. Toll road timesaver : E-Z PASS - It's faster but not this much!

24. Performer's supporters : FAN BASE

28. Guacamole, e.g. : DIP

29. Twisty letter : ESS

30. Diva delivery : ARIA - On Fridays, it's clued Nessun Dorma

31. Snoozed : SLEPT - Yes we did. 

40. Retired New York senator Al D'__ : AMATO

41. Rational : SANE

42. DDE rival : AES - Adlai Stevenson was the Democratic sacrificial lamb against Ike

45. Esteemed league member : IVY

46. N, in Morse code : DASH DOT .-- .... .- -  .-  ..-. ..- -.  .--. ..- --.. --.. .-.. . is "What a fun puzzle" in Morse code. Can you find the "N"?

52. Currencies : MONEYS

53. Irrationality : UNREASON -  "To be loyal to rags, to shout for rags, to worship rags, to die for rags -- that is a loyalty of UNREASON...invented by monarchy" Mark Twain - A Connecticut in King Arthur's Court

58. Bravo preceder : ALFA  - NATO alphabet

61. Not masc. or fem. : NEUT

62. Prod : URGE

63. Gold brick : INGOT - An INGOT of gold is 400 oz. and worth about $500,000 - give or take

64. Fashion monogram : YSL

65. Jury member : PEER

66. Fluff, as hair : TEASE

Down

1. Italian capital of its own province : PISA

2. Kind of nitrite : AMYL - An ingredient that can be found in these "poppers"  to give you a quick rush

3. Actress Anderson : LONI - My fav WKRP In CINCINNATI character!

4. Golf stroke that can be practiced in a hallway : PUTT

5. Cornell University city : ITHACA - A 45 Across member

6. Brand that "gets the red out" : VISINE

7. Epic with a very big horse : ILIAD 

8. Refillable candy : PEZ

9. Metal playing marbles : STEELIES - Is that a STEELY Dominic is using?

10. Delaware Valley tribe : LENAPE - Most were eventually were forced into Indian Territory/Oklahoma by the 1860's

11. Comes into view : ARISES

12. Salutation abbreviation : MESSRS - Dear MESSRS Spock, Kirk and McCoy, Please beam us up some residuals. Scotty, Sulu and the Gang

15. Bite-size Chinese appetizer : PU PU - Tastes better than the name

17. Tarzan portrayer Ron et al. : ELYS

21. Mothers of Invention musician : ZAPPA

23. Empty, as threats : IDLE - Must be an election year

24. Fourth notes : FAS - Long, long ways to run...

25. "Entourage" agent Gold : ARI

26. Diarist Anaïs : NIN

27. Rum-soaked cake : BABA - One way to add the rum!

31. "The Affair" airer, briefly : SHO

32. Morticia, to Gomez : TISH - Ah, great TV, The Addams Family

34. Peaceful relations : AMITY

35. Annual tennis team event : DAVIS CUP - This year's pairings if you're interested

36. Texting farewell : TTYL - Talk (probably Text) To You Later

37. Chap : LAD - It's time for Name That Tune with this lyric "When I was just a LAD of ten, my father said to me..."

38. Lennon partner : ONO

39. On Soc. Sec. : RET

42. The same number : AS MANY 

43. Places where élèves study : ECOLES - Even Splynter and I can translate this 

46. One of the reindeer : DANCER - Not DASHER I find out

47. "The Bell of __": Longfellow : ATRI

48. "Don't need to watch that movie again" : SEEN IT - What's the record for Caddyshack?

50. Spiffy : NEAT

51. Fencing attack : LUNGE

54. Celebrity chef Burrell : ANNE

55. Lengthy story : SAGA

56. Nebraska natives : OTOS - Let's play Find That County (alt. spelling)

57. Evening, in ads : NITE

60. Anger : IRE

Why do I keep hearing a McGuire Sisters song rolling around in my head?  Oh well, Let he that is without SIN cast the first snarky nit!

The Grid:

Tuesday, February 23, 2016 Mark McClain

Theme: aka - Alternate appellations.

17A. One raising a hand (TN) : VOLUNTEER. (Tennessee)

22A. Wedge-shaped arch piece (PA) : KEYSTONE. (Pennsylvania)

26A. Byzantine or Roman (NY) : EMPIRE. (New York)

35A. Piled-high hairdo (UT) : BEEHIVE. (Utah)

38A. Fictional Korean War surgeon Pierce (IA) : HAWKEYE. (Iowa)

46A. At an earlier date (OK) : SOONER. (Oklahoma)

49A. Word in a fair forecast (FL) : SUNSHINE. (Florida)

55A. What seven puzzle answers are with reference to abbreviations in their clues : NICKNAMES

Argyle here. (Santa) Almost as much theme as yesterday, 60 vs. 68. Definitely a tick harder for me. I wonder; do all states have a nickname?

Across:

1. Egg-shaped tomato : ROMA

5. Molecule part : ATOM

9. Winter outerwear : COATS

14. Suit on a board : EXEC. A executive on a board of directors.

15. Plumber's piece : PIPE

16. Playful trick : ANTIC

19. Pedro's "I love you" : "TE AMO"

20. Answer (for) : ATONE

21. More confident : SURER

27. Many California wines : NAPAs

28. Motel charges : RATES

30. Hockey legend Bobby et al. : ORRs

31. Milk: Pref. : LACTO

32. Abbr. for some Garden State senators : D NJ. Democrat, New Jersey

40. '60s radical gp. : SDS. (Students for a Democratic Society)

41. Loved ones : DEARs

43. Tribulations : ILLs

44. Coeur d'__, Idaho : ALENE

45. One of the Musketeers : ATHOS

52. Part of USDA: Abbr. : AGRIC. (United States Department of Agriculture)

53. Top grade : A+PLUS

54. Below, poetically : 'NEATH

60. Colorful tropical fish : TETRA

61. Genealogy diagram : TREE

62. Course with ratios : MATH

63. "Save me __" : A SEAT

64. Ranch group : HERD. The Gary Larson ranch.

65. Seek divine intervention : PRAY

Down:

1. Sermon giver: Abbr. : REV. (Reverend)

2. Tic-tac-toe loser : OXO

3. Actor Gibson : MEL

4. Puncture prefix : ACU. Acupuncture.

5. Likely will, after "is" : APT TO

6. Attach with string : TIE ON

7. Tennis period since 1968 : OPEN ERA

8. Trivial : MERE

9. "Bee's knees" equivalent : CAT'S MEOW

10. Gets the better of : ONE-UPs

11. Video game pioneer : ATARI

12. Microwave beeper : TIMER

13. Composer's creation : SCORE

18. Washington MLB team : NATs

22. Drawer openers : KNOBS

23. Dog-__: folded at the corner : EARED

24. Belgian city where the In Flanders Fields Museum is located : YPRES. (Ieper, Belgium) (Ypres is the French name)

25. Window framework : SASH

26. James of jazz : ETTA. More Etta.

29. German cries : ACHs

31. Tilt : LEAN

32. Indian metropolis : DELHI

33. Paintbrush bristles material : NYLON

34. James of the Old West : JESSE

36. Small talk : IDLE CHAT

37. Change course suddenly : VEER or sheer, remember?

39. __ and kin : KITH

42. Breathe : RESPIRE

44. "Peer Gynt Suite" dancer : ANITRA

45. Part of NBA: Abbr. : ASSN. (National Basketball Association)

46. Seasonal gift giver : SANTA. Will work for cookies.

47. Curved moldings : OGEEs

48. Deliver a speech : ORATE

50. Stomach problem : ULCER

51. Microwaved : NUKED

53. Lit. collection : ANTH. (anthology)

56. Band equipment component : AMP

57. Blemish : MAR

58. Pilot's prediction: Abbr. : ETA

59. Bashful : SHY

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy 77th Birthday to Keith Fowler (Ol' Man Keith), who has his own Wiki page. Keith knows all about Shakespeare plays. He even lived in Stratford-upon-Avon for some time. Keith has been with the blog for a long time, since 2009, I think.

 

Monday, February 22, 2016 Janice Luttrell

Theme: Magician's Trick - Pulling a coin out of thin air.

1A. Nickel or dime : COIN and 65A. After 1-Across, pregame football ritual, and what's literally found in this puzzle's circles : TOSS

16. "You almost had it" : "CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR"

24. "Mork & Mindy" or "Mike & Molly" : SITUATION COMEDY

42. Event where many dress as Stormtroopers or Klingons : SCI-FI CONVENTION

57. What polar opposites have : NOTHING IN COMMON

Argyle here. The lack of circles shouldn't have barred you from getting this Monday mega-theme filled gem. Four grid spanners! Nice fill. Great way to start the week.

Across:

5. Zenith : ACME

9. Toboggan, e.g. : SLED

13. Fairy tale villain : OGRE and 2D. Look at wolfishly : OGLE. If ogled by an ogre, RUN.

14. Visitor from space : ALIEN

15. Soft drink nut : KOLA

19. 2016 Hall of Fame inductee __ Griffey Jr. : KEN. For those that didn't get enough baseball Sunday.

20. Weighty books : TOMES

21. Curved fastener : U-BOLT

22. Flabbergast : STUN

23. UPC-like product ID : SKU. (stock keeping unit)

32. Beef cut : LOIN

33. Reason for a cold sweat : FEAR

34. GI chow : MRE. (Meal, Ready-to-Eat)

35. Writing fluids : INKS

36. Parking __ : METER

38. Gaucho's weapon : BOLA

39. Dental suffix with Water : PIK. WATERPIK is a brand of water flosser. I'm not thrilled with PIK clued as a dental suffix.

40. Slim racetrack margin : NOSE. N.Y. Daily News picture of yesterday's Daytona 500 finish.

41. Slightly open : AJAR

47. Question : ASK

48. Grandson of Eve : ENOS

49. Malice : SPITE

52. Sans serif font : ARIAL.  not ARIAL

54. Hawaiian tuna : AHI

60. Tiny pasta used in soup : ORZO

61. Washington's __ Sound : PUGET. The near-by San Juan Islands.

62. "Agreed!" : "AMEN!"

63. Smile ear to ear : BEAM

64. Enjoy a novel : READ

Down:

1. Tilt to the side, as one's head : COCK

3. Small laundry room appliance : IRON

4. Nintendo's Super __ : NES. (Nintendo Entertainment System)

5. Homecoming attendees : ALUMNI

6. Refer to in a footnote : CITE

7. Clothing store department : MENS

8. Music producer Brian : ENO

9. Slopes fanatic : SKI BUM

10. Letterhead emblem : LOGO

11. Israeli airline : EL AL

12. Missile in a pub game : DART

14. Regarding : ABOUT

17. Singer James : ETTA. Just a taste; a little sip...of Etta James.

18. "My Fair Lady" director George : CUKOR

22. The "Star Wars" planet Tatooine orbits two of them : SUNS

23. Lasting mark : SCAR

24. Mishaps : SLIPS

25. Greek column style : IONIC

26. Kipling mongoose Rikki-__-Tavi : TIKKI. A short story in The Jungle Book.

27. Many times : OFTEN

28. Bridal bio word : NÉE

29. Texting icon : EMOJI

30. 1964 Tony Randall title role : DR. LAO

31. Thirst (for) : YEARN

36. Lampoon : MOCK

37. Spanish "that" : ESO

38. Array on a dugout rack : BATS

40. Japanese-American : NISEI

43. Get to the bottom of : FATHOM. The meaning "take soundings" is from c.1600; its figurative sense of "get to the bottom of, understand" is 1620s.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

44. Marked with streaks, as cheese : VEINED

45. Put into law : ENACT

46. __ contendere: court plea : NOLO. "I do not wish to contend"

49. Stuffed shirt : SNOB

50. Peruse, with "over" : PORE

51. Chichén __: Mayan ruins : ITZA

52. Fever and chills : AGUE

53. Capital of Latvia : RIGA

54. Bullets and such : AMMO

55. Soil-shaping tools : HOEs

56. Wayside lodgings : INNs

58. "Talk of the Nation" airer : NPR. (National Public Radio)

59. Yoga class need : MAT

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Ray Hedrick (Rainman) and I made today's Wall Street Journal crossword. You can click here to print out the PDF file. Congratulations on your debut, Ray. Thanks for the theme, the inspiration and fun.

Sunday, Feb 21, 2016 Nora Pearlstone

Theme: "Wait, What?" - Long A sound is changed into short U sound.

 23A. Good-natured complaint? : SMILEY FUSS. Like Gary and D-Otto's nits, if they have any. Base phrase is "smiley face".

 29A. Everything you eat? : GUT RECEIPTS. Gate receipts.

 36A. Skilled diver's advantage? : JUMPING OFF PLUS. Jumping off place.

 65A. Fashion show photographer? : STRUT SHOOTER. Straight shooters.

 71A. Inept painter? : MUCK-UP ARTIST. Make-up artist.

 99A. Shore breezes caused by flapping wings? : GULL- FORCE WINDS. Gale force winds. NEAR GALE (86D. 7 on the Beaufort scale) should not have been in the grid. Easy to overlook this kind of dupe in a sound change grid.

106A. Potato expert? : KING OF SPUDS. King of spades.

119A. Prop for the gravedigger scene in "Hamlet"? : SKULL MODEL. Scale model.

Great title. Captures the puzzle gimmick perfectly. 

Nora Pearlstone is Rich's alias, anagram for "Not a Real Person". Always a treat when Rich makes the puzzle. Can you believe he has not made any puzzle for the NYT  since 2008 yet he still is the 3rd most published constructor under Will Shortz era?

I'm always grateful that Rich allows 144 words for LAT Sundays. He's a pro and totally understands the difficulties in coming up with clean fill for a 21*21 grid, esp for rookie  constructors. Can Rich go low on word count? Of course he can. He made tons of themeless puzzles for LAT, NYT & other venues. He also authored this great book (don't think it has anything to do with USA Today puzzles). But he chose a 144-worder, which gives us a  cleaner and smoother grid.

Rich and his wife Kim

Across:

1. Relieved reaction : WHEW

5. __ fit : HISSY. Not HONDA.

10. PC debut of 1981 : MS-DOS

15. Cabbage dispensers? : ATMs. Gimme for veteran solvers. 

19. Emanating quality : AURA
 

20. Sadat of Egypt : ANWAR

21. Ring-shaped ocean formation : ATOLL

22. Fellow : CHAP

25. Wynonna's mother : NAOMI.  The Judds. Look so young.

26. Olympian queen : HERA

27. "Key & __": Comedy Central series : PEELE. Anon T's favorite comedians.

28. Meditation class chorus : OMs

 31. Cousin of com : ORG

33. Computer stylus battery : AAAA

35. Big strings : CELLI. One more I plural word: 112. Voices below soprani : ALTI

 

43. Exercise in a pool : DO LAPS. Also  7. Like some triathlon segments : SWUM

 46. One, to Juanita : UNA

47. Political fugitives : EMIGRES
 

48. Sgt., e.g. : NCO

50. Tampico tots : NENEs
 

51. Slap (on), as cologne : DAUB

53. Attorney-__ : AT-LAW

54. Flora and fauna : BIOTA

56. Bank material : SILT. Not SAND. We also have 69. Bank construction : LEVEE

57. Teen attachment? : AGERS. Teenagers. Hard to tell if the answers is singular or plural with this type of clue.

59. Quincy of '70s-'80s TV et al. : MES. Never watched the show. I figured it might be MDS.

60. Outfits : EQUIPS

62. "... against a __ of troubles": Hamlet : SEA

63. Saharan dust swirlers : SIROCCOS. Sparkly fill.

68. Cote call : COO

70. Like some marked-down mdse. : IRR. Do you have Marshalls in your area? I scored quite a few great deals there over the years.

76. Book supplement : ADDENDUM

81. Angle preceder, in texts : IMO. Viewpoint "angle".

82. Playtime : RECESS

83. 2016 Cactus Bowl sch. : ASU. No idea. Never paid attention to those bowls. Wiki said West Virginia beat Arizona State. Rich is an avid sports fan. He knows these updated sports trivia.

84. Not cramped : ROOMY

85. Bread sometimes prepared with chutney : NAAN. Also 93. Indian lentil dish : DAL. Split peas or lentils. 

87. 11-Down, say : DATUM. And 11. Sports figure : STAT. I wanted STAR.

88. Kama __ : SUTRA

90. Key in : TYPE

91. First name in skin care : ESTEE

94. Limited carry-on items : LOTIONS. Boomer always gets the TSA-Pre lane. No idea why. Big relief though, as taking off & putting on shoes is getting difficult for him, then you have added pressure from the agent and the impatient passengers behind.

96. Always, in verse : E'ER

97. Key below E : D SHARP. Already  had DS* in the slot.

102. Present in court : ARGUE. Verb "Present".

104. Garden resident : ADAM. Eden.

105. Gum ball : WAD

110. "There you are!" : AHA

113. __ Alavesa: Spanish wine : RIOJA. All crosses. Not into wines.

117. Sitar music : RAGA

118. Language that gave us "shawl" : FARSI

121. Law school newbie : ONE-L

122. Esteemed group : ELITE. Not A-LIST.

123. Hides : PELTS

124. Modest dress : MIDI

125. Close attention : CARE

126. "The Dance Class" painter : DEGAS

127. Product, as of labor : FRUIT

128. Huff relative : SNIT

Down:

 1. Winged stinger : WASP

2. "A propensity to hope and joy is real riches" philosopher : HUME (David).  I don't remember studying him in schools.

3. Pennsylvania snowbelt city : ERIE

4. Smack : WALLOP. Another nice word.

5. __ fever : HAY

6. Dope : INFO

8. Root beer source : SASSAFRAS. The root is also widely used in traditional Chinese medicine. Cantonese slow-cooked soup tends to incorporate some kind of dried root & herbal stuff.

9. Cen. components : YRS

10. How-to : MANUAL

12. Means of access : DOOR

13. Early Mexican civilization : OLMEC

14. Did a deli job : SLICED

15. Greek warrior famous for his weak spot : ACHILLES

16. Title role for which Adrien Brody won an Oscar : THE PIANIST. Haunting survival story. Did you see the movie, Jayce? There's a pickle scene.

17. Shopping spot : MART. Not MALL.

18. Body wrap offerers : SPAS

24. Like "Halloween" music : EERIE

29. Mountain passes : GAPS

30. Tesla Motors CEO Musk : ELON.  I tried his full name in a puzzle two years ago. Rich asked me to remove it, as it's not widely familiar to solvers.  Might be good for a themeless. No one debuted it yet.

32. HUD financing gp. : GNMA. Ginnie Mae. FNMA as well.

34. Number of good men? : A FEW

36. Traitor : JUDAS

37. Eel, at sushi bars : UNAGI. The smell of freshly grilled unagi is pure heaven.

38. Joe __, only MLB catcher with three batting titles : MAUER. Met him a few times. Incredibly gracious. He has twin daughters.

39. Cuban base, familiarly : GITMO

40. Unwelcome looks : OGLES

41. Sole : UNIQUE

42. Enemy lines infiltrator : SCOUT

44. Martinique volcano : PELEE. Got via crosses.

45. Astronomical red giant : S STAR

49. Singer Redding : OTIS

52. Record-breaking base stealer Lou : BROCK. We pulled an augrophed card of him from a Topps Heritage set a while ago.

54. Flat hat : BERET

55. Rose pest : APHID

58. Really clean : SCOUR

61. Hurting more : SORER

64. Dealt : COPED

65. Quake : SEISM

66. Sets in dens : TVs

67. Contrary afterthought : OR NOT

69. "Star Trek" regular ultimately promoted to Cmdr. : LT. SULU. Easy crosses a well.

71. Worked in a shaft : MINED. Before I read the clue, I already had ?INED in this slot, then ?UCK UP in Across. Was dazed for a second.

72. Member of the NCAA's A-10 Conf. : UMASS

73. Makeshift car door opener : COAT HANGER. Does this work on modern cars?

74. West Point, e.g.: Abbr. : ACAD

75. Label again : RE-TAG

76. Not still anymore : ASTIR

77. Red pig : DUROC. This got me last time. Again today.

78. Elder statesman : DOYEN. Don't associate this word with "statesman". Elder/senior, yes.

79. Called on the field : UMPED. Thought of CAWED.

80. "SNL" alum Mike : MYERS

83. Ford, for one : AUTOMAKER. I was not fooled, but it does have the same letter count as PRESIDENT.

88. Dozing place, perhaps : SOFA

89. Once more : ANEW

92. Therefore : ERGO. Hello Husker Chuck!

94. Honorary legal degs. : LLDs

95. Bee team : SWARM

98. Swollen, with "up" : PUFFED

100. LPGA member? : LADIES. First word of LPGA. Ryder Cup will be played here in MN this year. Too stiff a price. We do go to Sondheim Cup though. Much more affordable & fun. (Correction: Solheim Cup. Thanks, KenoRunner.)

101. They're not literal : IDIOMS

103. Virtual transaction : E-SALE

106. Ray of fast food : KROC

107. Collector's suffix : IANA. ANA suffix is more common.

 

108. Prude : PRIG

109. Court org. : USTA. WNBA too.

111. Netflix competitor : HULU

114. Chief Norse god : ODIN

115. Yoda trainee : JEDI

116. Landed : ALIT

119. Sunblock letters : SPF. Do any of you take Vitamin D? I feel that I should with the cold Minnesota winter.

120. Versatile ETO carrier : LST

C.C.