Theme: "Island Hopping"- Seven islands are hopping in the grid.
24A. Preliminary negotiations : INFORMAL TALKS. Malta. With the L in 22A: "I didn't mean that": NOT REALLY and 25A. - : TALKS
48A. Former Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale component : VERBAL IQ. Bali. With the A in 43. Italian peaks : ALPS and 50A. - : LIQ
51A. Fluorescent bulb element : KRYPTON GAS. Tonga. With the O in ' 44. "Seriously?" : YOU DO? and 52A. - : NGAS
67A. "On the Good Ship Lollipop" performer : SHIRLEY TEMPLE. Leyte. With the Y in 63. Fine-grained wood : YEW and 69. - : TEMPLE
84A. Lesser clergy member : MINOR CANON. Minorca. With the R in 81A. Show some teeth : GRIN and 86A. - : CANON
88A. Confirmed : BORNE OUT. Borneo. With the N in 82. Washington soccer team : DC UNITED and 89. - : EOUT
110A. Check out a wreck, perhaps : GO SCUBA DIVING. With the B in 105. Lacking what it takes : UNABLE. And 112. - : ADIVING. Cuba.
As I mentioned before, Across Lite can't handle no clues, hence the "-" in the last part of each theme entry.
Amazing grid from John! The starting & ending phrases are all symmetrically placed. I especially loved those few where the finishing parts are real words, like TALKS, TEMPLE and CANON.
Tons of sparkling long fill, despite various theme restrictions.
Across:
1. Pond organism : ALGA
5. Traffic sound : BEEP
9. Spin, for one : CYCLE
14. Niger neighbor : MALI. Ali Farka Touré!
18. Slight mitigation? : NO OFFENSE. And 20. One dressed for dinner? : CAESAR SALAD. And their symmetrically partners: 115. Babysitters' woes : HOLY TERRORS. 119. Romcom, perhaps : DATE MOVIE. Gorgeous 11's.
23. Defense opponent, briefly : ASSISTANT DA
27. Bivouac structure : TENT
28. Sportage automaker : KIA
29. Olympic skater Ito : MIDORI. We see ITO more often.
31. Mag. edition : ISS
33. Obliterate : ERASE
37. Blow bubbles into : AERATE
40. Canberra school : UNI. University.
41. Benjamin of "Private Practice" : BRATT. He was in "Law & Order" also.
46. Teachers' org. : NEA
24A. Preliminary negotiations : INFORMAL TALKS. Malta. With the L in 22A: "I didn't mean that": NOT REALLY and 25A. - : TALKS
48A. Former Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale component : VERBAL IQ. Bali. With the A in 43. Italian peaks : ALPS and 50A. - : LIQ
51A. Fluorescent bulb element : KRYPTON GAS. Tonga. With the O in ' 44. "Seriously?" : YOU DO? and 52A. - : NGAS
67A. "On the Good Ship Lollipop" performer : SHIRLEY TEMPLE. Leyte. With the Y in 63. Fine-grained wood : YEW and 69. - : TEMPLE
84A. Lesser clergy member : MINOR CANON. Minorca. With the R in 81A. Show some teeth : GRIN and 86A. - : CANON
88A. Confirmed : BORNE OUT. Borneo. With the N in 82. Washington soccer team : DC UNITED and 89. - : EOUT
110A. Check out a wreck, perhaps : GO SCUBA DIVING. With the B in 105. Lacking what it takes : UNABLE. And 112. - : ADIVING. Cuba.
As I mentioned before, Across Lite can't handle no clues, hence the "-" in the last part of each theme entry.
Amazing grid from John! The starting & ending phrases are all symmetrically placed. I especially loved those few where the finishing parts are real words, like TALKS, TEMPLE and CANON.
Tons of sparkling long fill, despite various theme restrictions.
Across:
1. Pond organism : ALGA
5. Traffic sound : BEEP
9. Spin, for one : CYCLE
14. Niger neighbor : MALI. Ali Farka Touré!
18. Slight mitigation? : NO OFFENSE. And 20. One dressed for dinner? : CAESAR SALAD. And their symmetrically partners: 115. Babysitters' woes : HOLY TERRORS. 119. Romcom, perhaps : DATE MOVIE. Gorgeous 11's.
23. Defense opponent, briefly : ASSISTANT DA
27. Bivouac structure : TENT
28. Sportage automaker : KIA
29. Olympic skater Ito : MIDORI. We see ITO more often.
31. Mag. edition : ISS
33. Obliterate : ERASE
37. Blow bubbles into : AERATE
40. Canberra school : UNI. University.
41. Benjamin of "Private Practice" : BRATT. He was in "Law & Order" also.
46. Teachers' org. : NEA
53. Functions : OPERATES
55. Ring holders : TOES. Tiny dupe with 26. "Single Ladies (Put __ on It)": Beyoncé hit : A RING
56. Fish eggs : ROE
58. Toffee candy bar : SKOR
60. Alloys, e.g. : MIXES
61. Corner office execs : CEOs
62. Word spoken con affetto : CARA. Google Translate "Con affetto" means "with love". Looks like "with affection" to me.
64. Sleep it off : SOBER UP. Also 72. Youth support group : ALATEEN
66. "Shame!" : TSK
71. Tach figure : RPM
74. Antique : OLD
76. Storage facility sometimes found underground : SILO
77. New Mexico's __ Ski Valley : TAOS. Never skied. You?
78. "What __": "Ho-hum" : A BORE
79. Scoop : INFO
80. Part of TNT : TRI
90. Balaam's mount : ASS
91. Vade __: handbook : MECUM, New phrase to me.
92. Old Vatican bread : LIRE
94. Port of __: Trinidad and Tobago's capital : SPAIN
96. Fashion initials : YSL. Lovely.
102. Plane wing parts : SLATS
104. Driver's lic. figure : HGT
107. Mauna __ : LOA
108. Blood prefix : HEMO
121. Piton user : MOUNTAINEER. Looks dangerous.
123. Sludge : OOZE
124. Wonder Woman's __ of Truth : LASSO
125. Chinese: Pref. : SINO. We also have 6. China's Zhou __ : ENLAI
126. From Denver to Topeka : EAST
Down:
1. Golfer Sorenstam : ANNIKA. She is a special VIP during the annual 3M Championship here in MN.
2. Canadian coin : LOONIE
3. Had success : GOT FAR
4. Picked hairdo : AFRO
5. Classic "Star Trek" order : BEAM ME UP
8. Manning in Nationwide ads : PEYTON
9. Amontillado holder : CASK
10. Base reply? : YES SIR
11. "__: Miami" : CSI
12. Final part of a task : LAST STEP
13. Art Deco artist : ERTE
14. Watchword : MANTRA
16. Bloke : LAD
17. Early civil rights activist __ B. Wells : IDA. Wiki says she "was an African-American journalist, newspaper editor, suffragist, sociologist, feminist, Georgist, and an early leader in the Civil Rights Movement. She was one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909."
19. Pro, country-style : FER
20. Colombian city : CALI
21. Clear-minded : SANE. Nothing seems to rattle D-Otto.
30. Pair : DUO
32. Relish : SAVOR
34. ATV part : ALL-TERRAIN
35. Watches secretly : SPIES UPON
36. Legal titles: Abbr. : ESQs
38. Actor Lew : AYRES
39. Some action figures : TOYS
41. Successful shot : BASKET
42. Vocal effect : TREMOLO
45. Subway line with a Yankee Stadium stop : D TRAIN. Have any of you been to the Yankee Stadium?
47. "Whoa!" : EASY
49. Payoff : BRIBE. Common practice in my first job near Tsingtao. My boss knew how to bribe those local mayors.
51. "Laughing" Australian bird : KOOKABURRA
52. "SNL" alum Kevin : NEALON
54. Paul Bunyan tool : AXE
55. Chicago Museum of Science and Industry showpiece : TESLA COIL. Got via crosses.
57. Bobby on the ice : ORR
59. Has a loan from : OWES TO
61. Windy City transp. org. : CTA. Chicago Transit Authority.
62. Frito-Lay product with a spokes-feline named Chester : CHEETOS
64. Put together, as film : SPLICE
65. U.K. heads : PMs
67. __ A: Italian soccer league : SERIE. New to me also.
68. "The Simpsons Theme" composer Danny : ELFMAN
70. 105-Down launch : MIR. And 105. 70-Down launcher : USSR
73. Slew : TON
75. "... the worst thing you can __ nothing": Teddy Roosevelt : DO IS
77. Clobber : TROMP
79. Attaché attachment : ID TAG
81. African bovines : GNUS
82. Two-baggers: Abbr. : DBLS. Doubles. Also 91. Commissioner's Trophy org. : MLB
83. High : EUPHORIA
85. Timberlake's former band : NSYNC
87. Approve : ACCEDE TO
93. Welding fuel : ETHYNE
95. "And So __": Billy Joel song : IT GOES. Rare 6-letter partial.
97. Riyadh residents : SAUDIS. One of our readers lived there for a few years as a diplomat.
99. Kid-lit pig : OLIVIA
100. Elixirs : TONICS
101. Like the best wisdom : SAGEST
103. Paving stone : SETT. Regular in our old Wayne R Williams days.
106. Classic language : LATIN
109. Dinner, for one : MEAL
111. It has a Double Stuf variety : OREO. Three characters in Chinese. O RE O. The first character and the last one are the same.
113. The Beatles' "__ Loser" : I' M A
114. Burrowing rodent : VOLE
115. Aetna offering : HMO
116. Tic-tac-toe win : OOO
117. Spanish light : LUZ. New to me also.
118. ER workers : RNs
120. Young Skywalker's nickname : ANI
Mike Alpern told me that only three spots remain for the Cru Dinner. So email Mike (alpernm@aol.com) now if you don't want to miss the chance to mingle with other solvers and constructors.
C.C.
C.C.
