Well maybe this closes the circle after we've had A-LINE, A-FRAME, A-LIST, A-SIDE, A-BOMB, A-TEST, A-PLUS, A-GAME, A-TRAIN, yadda, yadda, yadda.
C.C. has given us a lovely puzzle for our Sunday consideration where her clever theme is the names of men whose name contains only the vowel A: hence A-MEN. The men all seem to be very well known except perhaps for MAX PLANCK who might be more familiar to us science peeps.
I remember AMEN being the last word in the final M*A*S*H episode (title slide below) seen by 61% of America and its star is included in our A-MEN roster.
101. "The Aviator" Oscar nominee : ALAN ALDA - Yes, he was great in The Aviator, but he'll always be Hawkeye.
Across theme answers
22. Novelist whose works were banned in his native land from 1968-'89 : FRANZ KAFKA - From which we get Kafkaesque - situations that are nightmarishly complex or bizarre
40. TV host who was an Army DJ in Vietnam : PAT SAJAK - In his pre-Vanna days in Nam
59. Voice of the title character in "Kung Fu Panda" : JACK BLACK - Jack and his 'toon alter-ego
79. Neil deGrasse Tyson mentor : CARL SAGAN - I love Neil but Carl's the man!
118. Two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee : GRAHAM NASH - He got inducted for being a member of Crosby, Stills and Nash (and later Young) and this 60's group
121. Three-time Oscar-winning director : FRANK CAPRA - Here directing Gable and Colbert in It Happened One Night, the first film to sweep all the major Oscar Awards
Down theme answers
39. The Packers retired his #15 in 1973 : BART STARR - Here he is presenting the the eponymous Bart Starr Award in 2014 for Leadership And Character to Aaron Rogers
54. Quantum theory pioneer : MAX PLANCK - Seen here in 1929 presenting the Max Planck medal to another guy I think was in science ;-)
Off we go starting with the A-CROSS clues:
Across
1. Applies gently : DABS - Brylcreem memory for those of us of a certain age
5. Lowers in intensity : DIMS
9. Record flaw : SKIP - Didja ever put a coin on the tone arm to stop this?
13. Intros may be brief ones : BIOS - The BIOS for our A-MEN would be impressive
17. Folklore monster : OGRE
18. Parlement français division : SENAT - Also contains the Assemblée nationale
19. Sunning sites : POOLS
21. Rice of Gothic fiction : ANNE - Of Vampire Chronicles fame
26. Bit of trivia : FACTOID - Always useful in this venue
27. "Yadda yadda yadda": Abbr. : ETC
29. Implied : TACIT - Possible downside
30. Covert __ : OPS - James Bond's bailiwick
31. Mark of a hothead : TEMPER - Did you know the former Baltimore Oriole was an author?
33. Dress with a flare : A-LINE - Ah, a possible off shoot of A- theme
35. WWII Enigma machine user : U BOAT - Breaking this code, as seen in The Imitation Game, helped win the Battle of the North Atlantic
37. Call lead-in : ROBO - Get ready for election season and ROBOcalls!
42. Pizza chain : SBARRO - Found in most malls
43. Old court org. : ABA - American Basketball Association that played with a red, white and blue ball until it merged with the NBA in 1976
44. Pres. Carter's alma mater : USNA -United States Naval Academy
45. "I see" : GOT IT - or if you don't...
47. Sighs of content : AHS - Gotta love a foot rub!
48. They may be French : HORNS - Featured in Beatles' All You Need Is Love
50. Pitchers' deliveries : SPIELS - A famous TV pitchman with a strong delivery
52. ''See if I care!'' : SO SUE ME - Talk about shallow pockets!
56. Field : METIER - Max Planck's METIER was physics. New word to me!
58. Maritime raptor : ERNE - A frequent flier here
61. Old Detroit brewer : STROH
63. "Most likely ... " : ODDS ARE - ODDS ARE you'll love any C.C. puzzle!
65. 91, at the Forum : XCI - We seem to only see Roman Numerals in Super Bowls anymore
66. Favorite : PET
68. "Burnt" shade : SIENNA
70. Marked down : ON SALE
73. Cast lead-in : POD - I have three PODCASTS to which I listen regularly
74. Model Mendes : EVA - Movie career started with Children Of The Corn V (Hey, another Roman numeral)
75. Letting fly : LOOSING - He has LOOSED the fateful lightning...
77. Rival of Djokovic : NADAL - Tennis star Rafael, whose surname follows the A-MEN theme
83. Hot streak : ROLL
85. Photo-sharing website : PICASA - I use Photobucket
88. Crustacean used in Cajun cuisine : CRAWDAD - "You get a line, I'll get a pole. We'll go down to the CRAWDAD hole" - A hit for George Jones.
89. Education, e.g. : CAREER - I had me one of those
91. Choir voice : TENOR - I was a soprano at 12
92. Gunpowder is a type of it : TEA - Tea is a C.C. specialty! This TEA is said to resemble black gun powder.
93. Former "60 Minutes" debater Alexander : SHANA - She carried the liberal banner against James J. Kilpatrick
95. Funhouse cries : EEKS
97. ''Evita'' narrator : CHE - Role of CHE Guevara
98. Improved : BETTER
103. Ref's calls : TKOS - Technical Knock Out - Out on your feet
103. Ref's calls : TKOS - Technical Knock Out - Out on your feet
104. General Assembly member : UN REP - Impervious to Manhattan parking tickets
105. Surprises in bottles : GENII - Or a Laotian group with big hit Yorm Jai Orn
107. Lincoln was one : LAWYER - Riding the Illinois circuit
109. Hilo keepsake : LEI
110. Tinker with text : EMEND
112. Turn bad : ROT - We can't eat our tomatoes fast enough
114. Sci-fi memoir : I ASIMOV - Didn't Don Gagliardo have this a few weeks ago?
123. Wafflers maker : EGGO
124. "Same here" : ME TOO - Sung around the fire at Camp Sycophant
125. Ticket prices? : FINES - An average speeding ticket will cost you $150
126. Placed : LAIN - Hear 'ya go -
127. Recently blond, say : DYED
128. Wedding venue : TENT
129. Comments : SAYS
130. Gives in to gravity : SAGS
Down
1. Remove politely : DOFF - Hats off when meeting a lady
2. Yamuna Expressway terminus : AGRA - Next stop, The Taj Mahal
3. Bric-a-__ : BRAC - Kept in our cwd friend the etagere?
4. Mailed : SENT TO - For those still using snail mail
5. Delivers à la Steven Wright : DEAD PANS - He's the master
6. Like Gershwin's piano concerto : IN F
7. Creators : MAKERS
8. Sports page item : STAT - Statistic
9. Place to kick back : SPA
10. Raft in an Oslo museum : KON-TIKI
11. Hawkeye fan : IOWAN -Not so popular on my side of the Missouri.
12. Not quite win : PLACE - A PLACE bet on winning Horse #9 would get you $48.60, on second place Horse #13 would get you $10.00 and on third place Horse #1 would get you bupkis.
13. Lamb's lament : BAA
14. Like some running tracks : INDOOR - Banked ones are the best
15. Even (with) : ON A PAR
16. Gets started on : SETS TO - A daily cwd event for me
18. Cuts corners : SKIMPS - C.C. never SKIMPS on creativity
20. __ Lankan : SRI - Former a Ceylonese
23. Kravitz of "Divergent" : ZOE - Yup, her dad is Lenny
25. Ticket exchange giant : STUBHUB - Best Yankee/Red Sox ticket - $1038.38
28. Sweet-talked : CAJOLED
32. Tour de France stage : ETAPE - L'E'tape du Tour is literally "stage of the tour"
34. Pull-up targets : LATS - Latissimus (broadest) dorsi (back) muscles
36. Roger Federer's birth city : BASEL - Third largest Swiss city
37. Chicago mayor Emanuel : RAHM - Windy city's first Jewish mayor
38. Slender black reed : OBOE
41. Plans for chairs : AGENDAS
42. Prince Albert's prov. : SASK - 3rd largest city in Saskatchewan
44. Geek Squad callers : USERS
46. Romanov royals : TSARS - They had a rough 1918
49. Minor gripe : NIT - None for me
51. Heat-sensitive patch : IRON ON - Saved the knees in the jeans of my yute
53. Very large amount : OCEAN - Remember, "It's gonna take an OCEAN of calamine lotion"
55. Maker of Golf Street shoes : ECCO
57. Dauphin's father : ROI - King (ROI) Louis XIV seated and his son Louis le Grand Dauphin behind him. Nice hair!
59. Sound of keys : JANGLE - I remember a Gene Autry song where his spurs did this
60. Taunt : KID
62. Hägar's wife : HELGA - I've read that comic everyday but needed perps for her name
64. Desert partly in Arizona : SONORAN
66. Upper bod muscle : PEC - On the other side of the torso from the 34. Down LATS
67. Brush fire op : EVAC - EVACUATION - very relevant in California this summer
69. Policy of many dot-gov websites : NO ADS - The 'net is a bottomless pit of ADS
71. Seat for toddlers : LAP
72. Tinkers with text : EDITS - Similar to EMENDS
76. Flier to Shiraz : IRAN AIR
78. King topper : ACE - My ACE takes your king
80. __ art: barista's creation : LATTE
81. Kid in the 1941 cartoon "Child Psykolojiky" : SWEE PEA - Adopted by Popeye
82. Month before Nisan : ADAR - 6th month of the Hebrew civil calendar
84. One-eyed "Futurama" character : LEELA - If C.C. says so
86. TriBeCa neighbor : SOHO - South of Houston (Hows' ton) Street
87. Greek war god : ARES
89. Colombian city : CALI - Santiago de Cali with a population over 2,000,000
90. Cabs, e.g. : RED WINES - Cabernets, etc.
94. Practical, as experience : HANDS ON
96. Inuit craft : KAYAKS - Oh yeah, its second letter is an A
98. Stuck out : BULGED - The less said about BULGED and SAGS the better
99. Zip or zing : ENERGY
100. Emergency sorting process : TRIAGE - Used in M*A*S*H units. French for sort or sift
102. Philip Morris parent company : ALTRIA - Never heard of 'em
103. Court events : TRIALS - Do you remember the movie where Lt. Caffey wanted to plea bargain and not go to TRIAL?
105. "Our Lady of the Flowers" author : GENET - Jean GENET
106. Maternally related : ENATE - ENATIC as an adjective
108. Top-left key : ESC
111. "Dee-lish!" : MMM - MMM good! Campbell's Soup slogan since radio days of the 1930's
113. Gets rid of, mob-style : OFFS - Like during the baptism scene in The Godfather
115. NC-17 issuing org. : MPAA - Motion Picture Association of America. PG-13 seems to allow you one "F bomb"
116. Copier insert: Abbr. : ORIG - ORIGinal
117. Enterprise vehicles : VANS - Rental car company, not Capt. Kirk's transportation
119. Coal carrier : HOD
120. All the rage : HOT - Remember Nehru Jackets?
122. "__ takers?" : ANY
Blogging C.C.'s Sunday puzzle frees up a lot of time for me and so I look forward to reading your take on our A-LIST constructor's wonderful puzzle.
