Sunday Oct 7, 2012 Amy Johnson

Theme: "High Jinks"- UP is inserted into common phrases.

23A. Dear John? : BREAKING-UP NEWS. Perfect clue. Breaking News.
 

34A. Extortion amount, perhaps? : COVER-UP CHARGE. Cover charge.

66A. Raise some prices in the 19th-century literature section? : MARK UP TWAIN. Mark Twain.

97A. Revolting Oscar also-rans? : UPRISING STARS. Rising stars.

116A. View from the Transamerica Tower? : BALTIMORE SUNUP. Baltimore Sun.

15D. Hired prankster on the set? : DIRECTOR'S CUTUP. Director's cut.

 50D. One-liner from the pulpit? : UPSTANDING JOKE. Standing joke.

So, 3 insertions are in the middle, 2 in front and 2 in the back. Very consistent. You don't want an odd man out in your theme selection.

Looks like this is Amy Johnson's debut, and a Sunday! Congrats.

Across:

1. Saucers in the air : UFOs

 

5. Jewelry holder : CHEST. Sounds old-fashioned.
 

10. You won't see them in N.L. ballparks : DHs (Designated Hitter)

 

13. Shanghai : ABDUCT
 

19. Raise Cain : RANT
 

20. Miniseries opener : PART I
 

21. Turn state's evidence : RAT. Not famliar with the term "Turn state's evidence".

22. Book with Dick and Jane, say : PRIMER

26. Alice Walker title color : PURPLE. "The Color Purple".
 

27. Playing marble : AGATE
 

28. Response to "Was it that bad?" : DON'T ASK. I'll never tell...

 

29. What liars lack : HONESTY
 

30. So-called : NOMINAL
 

32. Mordor monster : ORC. "The Lord of the Rings".
 

33. Colorado-based sports org. : USOC (United States Olympic Committee)

39. Greenish blue hue : TEAL
 

43. James and Natalie's "Rebel Without a Cause" co-star : SAL (Mineo). Never saw the movie. You? I do like James Dean in "East of Eden".

46. Yemeni seaport : ADEN
 

47. Rest stop sights : SEMIs

 

48. Star of the 1981 revue "The Lady and Her Music" : HORNE (Lena).
 

49. "Ice cream castles in the air," in a Mitchell song : CLOUDS. "Both Sides, Now". This constructor might be a Joni Mitchell fan.
 

52. H.S. math course : ALG
 

54. Fabled flier : ROC
 

55. Frito-Lay chip : DORITO. Speaking of chips, what are your must-buys in Trader Joe's? I like their salsa & fig butter.
 

56. Manufactured goods : OUTPUT
 

57. Sullen look : POUT
 

59. Graduate's award : SHEEPSKIN. How does it become diploma? Strange.
 

61. Opulent : PLUSH
 

62. Stocking shades : ECRUS. Splynter's leggy girls often wear black colored stocking.
 

64. Of the flock : LAIC
 

65. Steinbeck title starter : EAST. "East of Eden".

70. Where Brigham Young settled : UTAH
 

74. Bio lab gel : AGAR
 

76. Glad alternative : SARAN. Wiki says "Saran" was coined by a combination of Sarah and Ann, the names of the Dow Chemical engineer's wife and daughter.

77. Screen partner : STAGE

78. Not even slightly different : IDENTICAL. Cute haircut for these quadruplets. From left to right, 4, 1, 3 & 2 in Chinese. So the teachers can tell them apart.

 
 

 

83. New Eng. state : CONN
 

84. Boosters, often : ALUMNI
 

85. Once in a blue moon : SELDOM
 

86. Landscaper's purchase : SOD
 

88. Mine in Rome : MIO. "'O sole mio" = "My sunshine".
 

89. Took a short trip : HOPPED
 

90. "American Psycho" author : ELLIS. Bret Easton Ellis. Unknown to me.
 

91. Aweigh : ATRIP
 

93. NASDAQ competitor : NYSE
 

95. "__ Grew Older": Hughes poem : AS I
 

96. Vivacity : ELAN
 

101. H.S. dropouts may earn them : GEDs

 

103. Cat lead-in : SNO
 

104. School : EDUCATE
 

108. Beatles hit with a four-minute coda : HEY JUDE

111. Measure that's often square : FOOTAGE
 

114. Household cleanser : BORAX
 

115. Fútbol shout : OLE OLE

 
 118. Dairy worker : MILKER. And 97D. 118-Across targets : UDDERS. The cow looks very burdened, PK/Spitzboov.

 

119. Quad bike, for one : ATV
 

120. Pigeon shelters : COTES
 

121. Two-time All-Star Martinez : TINO
 

122. Fishermen with pots : EELERS. Every puzzle has a few undesirable fill to glue things together.
 

123. Raised golf course feature : TEE
 

124. Strengthen's opposite : ERODE
 

125. Film crew locales : SETS

Down:

 1. __ sprawl : URBAN
 

2. Wells's partner : FARGO. The bank was hacked a couple of weeks ago.

3. Late show hr. : ONE AM

4. At a standstill : STATIC
 

5. Inflation no. : CPI (Consumer Price Index)
 

6. Dealt with : HANDLED
 

7. Cogito __ sum : ERGO
 

8. __ gun : STUN
 

9. Best of the best : TIPTOP
 

10. "Happily Divorced" star : DRESCHER (Fran). A "Fran" in the clue would make the fill easier.

11. Aggressive type : HAWK

12. Part of USA: Abbr. : STs

13. Place beside : APPOSE

14. German philosopher Bauer : BRUNO. No idea. What's his philosophy?

16. Out callers : UMPS
 

17. Gael or Breton : CELT
 

18. Small diamond : TREY. I was picturing a real diamond.
 

24. Popular bar game : KENO
 

25. Busters : NARCS
 

29. Half of XOXO : HUGS
 

31. Sailor's "Stop!" : AVAST
 

35. Grim guy? : REAPER
 

36. Open, in a way : UNLOCK
 

37. "Famous" cookie creator : AMOS
 

38. Drummer Buddy : RICH
 

40. Christine's phantom admirer : ERIK. "The Phantom of the Opera".
 

41. Prefix with knock : ANTI
 

42. "Exodus" author Uris : LEON
 

43. Check (out) : SCOPE
 

44. "Be-Bop-__": Gene Vincent hit : A-LULA
 

45. Meditative position : LOTUS. I can't seem to meditate. Deep thinking does not fit me.
 

48. Navajo neighbor : HOPI

51. Cry with a head slap : DUH
 

53. Spiritual leaders : GURUs

 

55. List maker : DEAN
 

58. Rapper __ Shakur : TUPAC. Dennis likes Pitbull, the rapper. Can you picture Dennis raps?
 

60. Yale Bowl rooter : ELI
 

63. Longtime senator Thurmond : STROM. Where is Trent Lott nowadays?

66. Seriously impair : MAIM
 

67. Crescent component : ARC
 

68. Diminishing : WANING
 

69. Rattles one's cage : ANNOYS
 

71. Florida city on the Gulf Coast : TAMPA. No OCALA  today.

72. Mother Teresa's birth name : AGNES. Also the name of our Irish Miss.
 

73. "Project Runway" host Klum : HEIDI. She's always so bubbly.

75. Souped-up Pontiacs : GTOs

77. __-mo : SLO
 

78. Following words : I SEE
 

79. HP competitor : DELL
 

80. Big name in scat : ELLA
 

81. Celestial sci. : ASTR
 

82. Petty of "A League of Their Own" : LORI. The movie is OK.
 

84. Winning : AHEAD
 

87. Break up, as a union : DISSOLVE
 

91. Notre Dame recess : APSE
 

92. Red choice : PINOT
 

94. Guided : STEERED
 

98. It may be given before leaving : NOTICE
 

99. Massages : RUBS
 

100. Youngsters in uniforms : SCOUTS
 

102. Swiss mathematician : EULER
 

105. Masters champ between Gary and Jack : ARNIE (Palmer). Gary Player. Jack Nicklaus.
 

106. Tease : TAUNT

107. Olympic Stadium team through 2004 : EXPOS. Now the Nats.

108. Five-sided plate : HOME

109. Author Wiesel : ELIE

110. Hardly one's library voice : YELL

111. It can be cruel : FATE

112. Valentine's Day deity : AMOR. To this guy, it's the girl in white.

113. Good kind of guy to have around : GO TO. I have two on the blog.

116. Belfry denizen : BAT

117. Oakland-to-Vegas dir. : ESE

Answer grid.

C.C.