Theme: Many Happy Returns - The last word of each common phrase is spelled backward. The resulted phrases are then humorously clued.
23A. "Honest, Professor, I studied very hard for this test"? : ALLEGED PREP. Alleged perp.
25A. Visibly shaken king? : PALE REGAL. Pale lager.
37A. Rejection at McDonald's? : HAMBURGER SNUB. Hamburger buns.
64A. Error that just got bigger? : DILATED SLIP-UP. Dilated pupils.
91A. What Red Riding Hood wisely didn't do? : GO WITH THE WOLF. Go with the flow.
109A. Green poet? : OLIVE BARD. Olive drab.
112A. Effect of Pepé Le Pew battling a romantic rival? : DOUBLE STINK. Double knits.
40D. Quick look across the moat? : CASTLE PEEK. What is "Castle keep"?
45D. Fowl injustice? : TURKEY TORT. Turkey Trot.
I initially thought the last word is only an anagram and couldn't quite grok the "Many Happy Returns" title.
Neat theme. Must have taken the constructor lots of time to find phrases ending in "returnable" words. I like the grid design too. All theme entries (9) are spread out.
Across:
1. Hussein : Obama :: __ : Garfield : ABRAM. Both middle names.
6. Comforter : DUVET
11. Taking badly? : ABDUCTION. Nice clue.
20. Dunces : BOOBS
21. Informal bid : ONE NO. Bridge bid.
22. Zap : MICROWAVE
26. Circus leaper : FLEA. Not real fleas, right?
27. Ad gp. : AGCY
28. U.S. tender : DOLs.
30. Oddly amusing : DROLL
31. It affects your take-home pay : TAX RATE
33. Civil War authority Shelby : FOOTE. Not familiar with this Civil War historian.
35. Per : A POP
40. Things used in semi circles? : CBs. "Semi circles" = Those who drive semis.
43. Bucky, in "Get Fuzzy" : PET CAT. What's your favorite comic strip?
47. Concludes : ENDS
48. Photographing giraffes, perhaps : ON SAFARI
50. Reunion attendees : ALUMS
51. Technology prefix : NANO. Nanotechnology
52. Pico de gallo holders : TACOS. Is pico de gallo similar to salsa?
54. Pronto, to execs : ASAP
55. Scarlett's refuge : TARA. "Gone With the Wind".
56. Like granola : OATY
57. Deck out : ARRAY
58. Bar orders for the calorie-conscious : LITES
59. Laser alternatives : INKJETS.
61. Expected to land : DUE IN
62. Gloomy atmosphere : PALL
63. Dedicated verse : ODE
68. PC panic button : ESC. I wonder if Al uses this button often.
71. The "Y" in YSL : YVES
73. Wise guys : SAGES
74. Detailed : IN DEPTH
76. Unlock the door for : LET IN
78. House reporter? : C-SPAN. House of Representatives.
79. Harlem sch. : CCNY (City College of New York)
81. Princess born on Polis Massa : LEIA. "Star Wars".
82. Love, to Caesar : AMOR. Then we also have 116. All, to Caesar : OMNIA. "Omnia vincit amor" = "Love conquers all".
83. Acts skittish : SHIES
84. Vidal's Breckinridge : MYRA. Second encounter with the book.
85. Lurches : REELS
86. Fighting practice : WAR GAMES. Nice entry.
88. Kemo __ : SABE
89. Like the Finger of Fate on "Laugh-In" : FICKLE. "The flying, fickle finger of fate". Unfamiliar reference to me.
90. Friday, e.g.: Abbr. : SGT. Sgt Joe Friday."Dragnet".
95. Betty Grable's were insured : LEGS. How tall is Grable?
96. Show again : RE-AIR
97. Source of inside info? : CAT SCAN. Saw similar clue before.
102. Suite spot : HOTEL
105. "Mr. Mom" actress : GARR (Teri)
106. Do some bartending : POUR. Hey, Jerome!
108. Wrist-to-elbow bone : ULNA
115. Pretends to be what one isn't : LIVES A LIE. Funny, I couldn't parse my answer earlier.
117. Els on the links : ERNIE
118. Backyard buildings : TOOL SHEDS
119. One you might not want to meet? : MAKER. Meet one's maker = Die.
120. Carried on : WAGED
Down:
1. Sternward : ABAFT
2. Italian vintner : BOLLA. Got me last time with the "125-year-old wine company" clue.
3. Subject of the book "The Best of Time" : ROLEX. Intuitable
4. Tough test metaphor : A BEAR
5. Stir-fry additive : MSG. No one uses it any more.
6. Former bumper car trademark : DODGEM. Learning moment to me.
7. Like "waitress," e.g. : UN-PC
8. "Ha ha" : VERY FUNNY
9. L.A.-to-N.Y. dir. : ENE
10. Champs : TOP DOGS. I always associate this phrase with big potato/cheese, not champ.
11. More copious : AMPLER
12. Preconception : BIAS
13. MCCC halved : DCL. Half of 1,300= 650
14. Cult following? : URE. Culture. Awesome clue.
15. City on the Guadalquivir River : CORDOBA. Capital of Spain under the Moors. South of Madrid. Another learning moment for me.
16. Insignificant one : TWERP
17. Othello's betrayer : IAGO
18. Like many a palette : OVAL
19. "Little" Dickens girl : NELL. Is this from the book "The Old Curiosity Shop"?
24. Bother : EAT AT
29. Suffix with Capri : OTE. Capriote.
32. Cries of clarity : AHAs
34. Novus __ seclorum: Great Seal motto : ORDO. We just had this a few weeks ago. Ordo = Order.
35. Bother : ANNOY
36. Kisser : PUSS
38. Lick : BEAT. Are you familiar with "smear" meaning "decidedly defeat"?
39. "Me too!" : SO CAN I
41. Bluff in Banff : BRAE. Scottish hillside. Banff is a town in SE Scotland. I always connect it with Canada.
42. Small samplings : SIPS
43. House party setting : PATIO
44. Serengeti grazer : ELAND
46. Key of Bizet's most popular sym. : C-MAJ. No idea.
49. Bomb : FAIL
51. Chicago Sting org. : NASL (North American Soccer League, 1968-1984). Chicago Sting was its last champion in 1984. Complete unknown to me.
52. Hair piece : TRESS
53. Seed covering : ARIL. Classic crosswordese.
56. Publisher Chandler : OTIS. Of LA Times.
57. "September 1, 1939" poet : AUDEN. W. H. Auden. Hahtool might have quoted him before.
58. Lt. Columbo's employer : LAPD. Have never seen "Columbo".
60. Starting place? : EDEN
61. Painter of ballerinas : DEGAS
62. Small and weak : PUNY
65. St. Clare's town : ASSISI. St Clare was a follower of St. Francis (of Assisi).
66. Word with deck or drive : TAPE. Got the answer via crosses.
67. __ colada : PINA
69. Unmoving : STILL
70. Scene with stuntmen : CHASE
72. Shenandoah Natl. Park site : VIRG. Was ignorant of the park, Lois!
75. Wire service?: Abbr. : ELEC (Electricity)
76. Code contents, maybe : LAWS
77. Webzine : E-MAG
78. Scolds, with "out" : CHEWS
79. High tech/lowlife sci-fi genre : CYBERPUNK. Just learned this term not long ago.
80. Hands across the water? : CREW. Oh, sailors.
83. Skyline obscurer : SMOG
84. Half a fish : MAHI. Mahi-mahi.
85. Falling-out : RIFT
87. Eternal : AGELESS
88. "Overnight" surprise for some : STARDOM. Overnight success.
89. Turnpike alert : FLARE
92. Sports page deals : TRADES. Shaq seems to have fun in Boston.
93. Ship designation : HER
94. Eye-related : OCULAR
95. Flatten : LEVEL
98. Kama __ : SUTRA. Then you can't kiss in public in India. What a complicated culture!
99. Stick : CLING
100. "Tomorrow" musical : ANNIE
101. Starkers, across the pond : NAKED. Starkers look like a plural noun rather than an adjective, isn't it, Nice Cuppa?
102. Romance novelist Victoria : HOLT. Alien to me. Man, she had so many pen names.
103. Eclectic assortment : OLIO
104. Show recorder : TiVO
105. Crisscross pattern : GRID. Like crossword.
107. Tony's cousin : OBIE. Tony: Broadway award. Obie is for off-Broadway shows.
110. Dissatisfied cry : BAH
111. Bar quaff : ALE
113. Medical suffix : OMA. "Tumor", like lymphoma.
114. Alter, perhaps : SEW
Answer grid.
C.C.
23A. "Honest, Professor, I studied very hard for this test"? : ALLEGED PREP. Alleged perp.
25A. Visibly shaken king? : PALE REGAL. Pale lager.
37A. Rejection at McDonald's? : HAMBURGER SNUB. Hamburger buns.
64A. Error that just got bigger? : DILATED SLIP-UP. Dilated pupils.
91A. What Red Riding Hood wisely didn't do? : GO WITH THE WOLF. Go with the flow.
109A. Green poet? : OLIVE BARD. Olive drab.
112A. Effect of Pepé Le Pew battling a romantic rival? : DOUBLE STINK. Double knits.
40D. Quick look across the moat? : CASTLE PEEK. What is "Castle keep"?
45D. Fowl injustice? : TURKEY TORT. Turkey Trot.
I initially thought the last word is only an anagram and couldn't quite grok the "Many Happy Returns" title.
Neat theme. Must have taken the constructor lots of time to find phrases ending in "returnable" words. I like the grid design too. All theme entries (9) are spread out.
Across:
1. Hussein : Obama :: __ : Garfield : ABRAM. Both middle names.
6. Comforter : DUVET
11. Taking badly? : ABDUCTION. Nice clue.
20. Dunces : BOOBS
21. Informal bid : ONE NO. Bridge bid.
22. Zap : MICROWAVE
26. Circus leaper : FLEA. Not real fleas, right?
27. Ad gp. : AGCY
28. U.S. tender : DOLs.
30. Oddly amusing : DROLL
31. It affects your take-home pay : TAX RATE
33. Civil War authority Shelby : FOOTE. Not familiar with this Civil War historian.
35. Per : A POP
40. Things used in semi circles? : CBs. "Semi circles" = Those who drive semis.
43. Bucky, in "Get Fuzzy" : PET CAT. What's your favorite comic strip?
47. Concludes : ENDS
48. Photographing giraffes, perhaps : ON SAFARI
50. Reunion attendees : ALUMS
51. Technology prefix : NANO. Nanotechnology
52. Pico de gallo holders : TACOS. Is pico de gallo similar to salsa?
54. Pronto, to execs : ASAP
55. Scarlett's refuge : TARA. "Gone With the Wind".
56. Like granola : OATY
57. Deck out : ARRAY
58. Bar orders for the calorie-conscious : LITES
59. Laser alternatives : INKJETS.
61. Expected to land : DUE IN
62. Gloomy atmosphere : PALL
63. Dedicated verse : ODE
68. PC panic button : ESC. I wonder if Al uses this button often.
71. The "Y" in YSL : YVES
73. Wise guys : SAGES
74. Detailed : IN DEPTH
76. Unlock the door for : LET IN
78. House reporter? : C-SPAN. House of Representatives.
79. Harlem sch. : CCNY (City College of New York)
81. Princess born on Polis Massa : LEIA. "Star Wars".
82. Love, to Caesar : AMOR. Then we also have 116. All, to Caesar : OMNIA. "Omnia vincit amor" = "Love conquers all".
83. Acts skittish : SHIES
84. Vidal's Breckinridge : MYRA. Second encounter with the book.
85. Lurches : REELS
86. Fighting practice : WAR GAMES. Nice entry.
88. Kemo __ : SABE
89. Like the Finger of Fate on "Laugh-In" : FICKLE. "The flying, fickle finger of fate". Unfamiliar reference to me.
90. Friday, e.g.: Abbr. : SGT. Sgt Joe Friday."Dragnet".
95. Betty Grable's were insured : LEGS. How tall is Grable?
96. Show again : RE-AIR
97. Source of inside info? : CAT SCAN. Saw similar clue before.
102. Suite spot : HOTEL
105. "Mr. Mom" actress : GARR (Teri)
106. Do some bartending : POUR. Hey, Jerome!
108. Wrist-to-elbow bone : ULNA
115. Pretends to be what one isn't : LIVES A LIE. Funny, I couldn't parse my answer earlier.
117. Els on the links : ERNIE
118. Backyard buildings : TOOL SHEDS
119. One you might not want to meet? : MAKER. Meet one's maker = Die.
120. Carried on : WAGED
Down:
1. Sternward : ABAFT
2. Italian vintner : BOLLA. Got me last time with the "125-year-old wine company" clue.
3. Subject of the book "The Best of Time" : ROLEX. Intuitable
4. Tough test metaphor : A BEAR
5. Stir-fry additive : MSG. No one uses it any more.
6. Former bumper car trademark : DODGEM. Learning moment to me.
7. Like "waitress," e.g. : UN-PC
8. "Ha ha" : VERY FUNNY
9. L.A.-to-N.Y. dir. : ENE
10. Champs : TOP DOGS. I always associate this phrase with big potato/cheese, not champ.
11. More copious : AMPLER
12. Preconception : BIAS
13. MCCC halved : DCL. Half of 1,300= 650
14. Cult following? : URE. Culture. Awesome clue.
15. City on the Guadalquivir River : CORDOBA. Capital of Spain under the Moors. South of Madrid. Another learning moment for me.
16. Insignificant one : TWERP
17. Othello's betrayer : IAGO
18. Like many a palette : OVAL
19. "Little" Dickens girl : NELL. Is this from the book "The Old Curiosity Shop"?
24. Bother : EAT AT
29. Suffix with Capri : OTE. Capriote.
32. Cries of clarity : AHAs
34. Novus __ seclorum: Great Seal motto : ORDO. We just had this a few weeks ago. Ordo = Order.
35. Bother : ANNOY
36. Kisser : PUSS
38. Lick : BEAT. Are you familiar with "smear" meaning "decidedly defeat"?
39. "Me too!" : SO CAN I
41. Bluff in Banff : BRAE. Scottish hillside. Banff is a town in SE Scotland. I always connect it with Canada.
42. Small samplings : SIPS
43. House party setting : PATIO
44. Serengeti grazer : ELAND
46. Key of Bizet's most popular sym. : C-MAJ. No idea.
49. Bomb : FAIL
51. Chicago Sting org. : NASL (North American Soccer League, 1968-1984). Chicago Sting was its last champion in 1984. Complete unknown to me.
52. Hair piece : TRESS
53. Seed covering : ARIL. Classic crosswordese.
56. Publisher Chandler : OTIS. Of LA Times.
57. "September 1, 1939" poet : AUDEN. W. H. Auden. Hahtool might have quoted him before.
58. Lt. Columbo's employer : LAPD. Have never seen "Columbo".
60. Starting place? : EDEN
61. Painter of ballerinas : DEGAS
62. Small and weak : PUNY
65. St. Clare's town : ASSISI. St Clare was a follower of St. Francis (of Assisi).
66. Word with deck or drive : TAPE. Got the answer via crosses.
67. __ colada : PINA
69. Unmoving : STILL
70. Scene with stuntmen : CHASE
72. Shenandoah Natl. Park site : VIRG. Was ignorant of the park, Lois!
75. Wire service?: Abbr. : ELEC (Electricity)
76. Code contents, maybe : LAWS
77. Webzine : E-MAG
78. Scolds, with "out" : CHEWS
79. High tech/lowlife sci-fi genre : CYBERPUNK. Just learned this term not long ago.
80. Hands across the water? : CREW. Oh, sailors.
83. Skyline obscurer : SMOG
84. Half a fish : MAHI. Mahi-mahi.
85. Falling-out : RIFT
87. Eternal : AGELESS
88. "Overnight" surprise for some : STARDOM. Overnight success.
89. Turnpike alert : FLARE
92. Sports page deals : TRADES. Shaq seems to have fun in Boston.
93. Ship designation : HER
94. Eye-related : OCULAR
95. Flatten : LEVEL
98. Kama __ : SUTRA. Then you can't kiss in public in India. What a complicated culture!
99. Stick : CLING
100. "Tomorrow" musical : ANNIE
101. Starkers, across the pond : NAKED. Starkers look like a plural noun rather than an adjective, isn't it, Nice Cuppa?
102. Romance novelist Victoria : HOLT. Alien to me. Man, she had so many pen names.
103. Eclectic assortment : OLIO
104. Show recorder : TiVO
105. Crisscross pattern : GRID. Like crossword.
107. Tony's cousin : OBIE. Tony: Broadway award. Obie is for off-Broadway shows.
110. Dissatisfied cry : BAH
111. Bar quaff : ALE
113. Medical suffix : OMA. "Tumor", like lymphoma.
114. Alter, perhaps : SEW
Answer grid.
C.C.
