Theme: "The '60s*" - Each theme entry has 6 T's.
39A. *Congressional authorization of its creation was partly contingent on its forbidding
polygamy : UTAH STATE CONSTITUTION. Some sects there still practice polygamy.
45A. *Gossip : TITTLE-TATTLE
67A. *1976 Doobie Brothers hit : TAKIN' IT TO THE STREETS. Gimme, D-Otto?
93A. *Knocking sound, in Joyce's "Ulysses" (longest palindromic word in the OED) :
TATTARRATTAT. Neat trivia. Learning moment for me.
98A. *"No lie!" : THAT'S THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH!
28D. *Jolson classic : TOOT, TOOT, TOOTSIE
So did you get the theme before coming to the blog?
Very
seldom do we get an asterisk mark in the theme title. Rich might be
worried that the theme is tricky for solvers to grasp. Some might think
those long 10's in the Across spots are theme answers. Normally when we
have asterisk marks in theme entries, we have a reveal entry.
Construction-wise, this puzzle is technical feat.
Across:
1. Alice's cat : DINAH. "Alice in Wonderland".
6. Dix follower : ONZE. 11 in French.
10. Site of the house that inspired "American Gothic" : IOWA
14. Bikini specs : C-CUPS
19. "Fear of Fifty" author Jong : ERICA
20. Vacuum : VOID
21. Diagnostic tool : MRI SCANNER. And 25. Criminals are often behind them : PRISON BARS. Lovely stack of 10's crossed by WIIMOTES (12D. Nintendo controllers).
23. Kid : JOKE AROUND. One more 10.
26. Blood-typing letters : ABO
27. Show mastery of : SHINE AT
29. Parrot : MIMIC
30. Tenn. athletes : VOLS. Tennessee Volunteers.
32. Money changers?: Abbr. : EDS (Editors). Money magazine.
33. Purposeless : OTIOSE. Not a word I use.
36. IRS hiree : CPA
46. Skipped town, maybe : MOVED
47. Newsman Roger : O'NEIL. Hey, AILES has the same letter count.
49. Ship staff : MAST. Tricky "staff".
50. From one tone to the next, in music : STEPWISE. New concept to me.
53. Vouchsafes : BESTOWS
56. Han River capital : SEOUL. Of course I was thinking of the Han River in China.
59. Henri's here : ICI
60. Fleur in heraldry : LYS. Or LIS.
61. Ward with Emmys : SELA
62. "So-o adorable!" : AWW
64. Mild, chili-wise : ONE ALARM. How high can you go?
73. Terminus : END POINT
74. With 123-Across, personal annoyance : PET. And 123. See 74-Across : PEEVE
75. Judge : DEEM
77. Pacific finger food : POI. Never had it. But I like baked taros & taro cakes.
80. "You Gotta Be" singer Des'__ : REE. We had this singer before.
81. Zenophile? : STOIC. Zeno the Stoic.
84. "Plum Island" author Nelson : DEMILLE. Marti & Hahtoola might have read this book.
86. Apple sites : ORCHARDS
89. Bone: Pref. : OSTE. Also OSSE.
91. Metroliner successor : ACELA
92. Shrek creator William : STEIG
103. Red team : SOX
104. Little work for a gardener? : BONSAI. Cute clue/answer.
105. Educational org. : PTA
106. The Aragón feeds it : EBRO
107. As a companion : ALONG. Oh, like in "Come along".
109. 1930s Rhine/Zener experiment : ESP TEST. Another learning moment for me.
113. L.D.S. school : BYU. Why did you go to BYU, Barry G? Were you a Mormon for sometime?
114. When vacations often don't start? : SOON ENOUGH. True.
119. Experiment subjects : GUINEA PIGS. Great entry also.
121. Alabaman, e.g. : SOUTHERNER
122. Walked : TROD
124. They're under heads : TORSI. Not NECKS.
125. "A Series of Unfortunate Events" villain Squalor : ESME. No idea. But inferable given Salinger's "For Esme – with Love and Squalor".
126. Six-yr. pols : SENS (Senators)
127. De-pressurized? : EASED
Down:
1. "I've seen this before" feeling : DEJA VU. Sparkling fill.
2. Asimov classic : I, ROBOT
3. Inventor on Serbia's 100-dinar note : NIKOLA TESLA. Full name!
4. Opening day starter : ACE. And 43. One making many calls : UMPIRE
5. 2011 FedEx Cup winner Bill : HAAS. Son of Jay Haas.
6. Egg-shaped : OVOIDAL. Same as Oval, right?
7. Morphological component, in linguistics : NOUN STEM. Another word I never used, but inferable.
8. Fan mag : ZINE
9. Source of Norse mythology : EDDA
10. Mischief-maker : IMP. Hi there Spitzboov!
11. "Catch-22" pal of Yossarian : ORR
13. St. Francis' home : ASSISI
14. "Is it okay, mom?" : CAN I
15. "Mad Money" network : CNBC
16. Italian article : UNA
17. Rate word : PER
18. Many AARP members: Abbr. : SRs
22. Tailed orbiter : COMET
24. Butler created by Mitchell : RHETT. "Gone With the Wind".
31. Asian mushroom : SHIITAKE. When I worked in Guangzhou, my lunch was often rice noodles with shiitake.
34. Blowup cause : TNT
35. U.K. component : ISL (Island)
36. __ service : CIVIL
37. Art of verse : POESY
38. Long range : ANDES
40. 1944 invasion city : ST LO
41. DFW postings : ETAs. Dallas–Fort Worth.
42. Docket item : CASE
44. Trailer, say : TOW
47. Dictionary cousin of arch. : OBS. Obsolete.
48. Bygone depilatory : NEET
51. Out of vertical : TILTED
52. French game in which the king is the highest card : ECARTE. Do any of you play this game?
54. Roam : WANDER
55. Ran through a reader : SWIPED
57. Durham sch. : UNH
58. Jack Reacher creator Child : LEE
63. Yemen became its 160th mem. in June, 2014 : WTO. Unaware of the trivia. But it was a big deal when China joined WTO in 2001.
65. Ophidiophobe's fear, perhaps : ASP. OK, fear of snakes.
66. Great Society program : MEDICARE
68. Shabbily dressed : IN RAGS
69. "My country __ ... " : 'TIS
70. Prov. bordering four Great Lakes : ONT
71. Kids' TV quartet : TELETUBBIES. Four main characters from left to right: Tinky Winky, Laa-Laa, Po & Dipsy.
72. Get cash for : SELL
76. __ culpa : MEA
77. Goal pair : POSTS
78. Bug-B-Gon maker : ORTHO
79. Climber's implement : ICE AX
82. World Golf Hall of Famer Aoki : ISAO
83. Corner key : CTRL
85. Falcons quarterback Ryan : MATT
87. Good guess in Battleship : HIT. Another game I never played.
88. WWII weapons : STEN GUNS
90. 1991 Pinatubo event : ERUPTION
94. Common batteries : AAS
95. Sched. opening : TBA
96. Doesn't blow off : ATTENDS
97. Coquette : TEASE
99. Sirloin alternative : T-BONE
100. Writer __ de Balzac : HONORE
101. __ Lie, first U.N. secretary-general : TRYGVE. One more learning moment for me. He's Norwegian.
102. Contained : HOUSED
107. "A Bug's Life" colony : ANTS
108. City near Provo : LEHI. We see OREM more often.
110. Boot camp NCOs : SGTS
111. Immaculate : PURE
112. Gift-wrapping aid : TAPE
114. Retiree of 2003, briefly : SST
115. Winning combo : OOO
116. Possession indicator : OUR
117. Marvel : GEM
118. The Battle of Austerlitz precipitated its end: Abbr. : HRE. Stumper for me.
120. Royal pain? : PEA. "The Princess and the Pea".
C.C.
