Sunday June 4, 2023 Gary Larson & Amy Ensz

Theme: "Shh!" - S is changed into SH sound, changing spelling as needed.

23A. Startling revelation for a couch potato?: TUBE SHOCK. Tube sock.

25A. Menu of family-sized KFC options?: BUCKET SHEET. Bucket seat.

50A. Full-time employee at a corn processing plant?: ALL-DAY SHUCKER. All-day sucker.

82A. Did too much heavy lifting?: OVER- SCHLEPPED. Overslept.

107A. Really, really cheap liquor?: DOLLAR SHINE. Dollar sign.

111A. Ruse for crashing family reunions?: UNCLE SHAM. Uncle Sam.

36D. Food Network production featuring a chef's work surface?: COUNTER SHOOT. Counter-suit.

41D. Sweeping segment of a prop comic's act?: BROOM SCHTICK. Broom stick.

Somehow I thought this puzzle was by our own Jeffrey. Very much his style. 

In case you're not aware,  Gary Larson & Amy Ensz are husband and wife. Here's the Cruciverb interview of Gary. He's so good at wordplay.

 Across:

1. Fairy tale brute: OGRE.

5. Bamako's country: MALI. Bamako is on the Niger River.

9. Lethargy: TORPOR.

15. Bygone Swedish car company: SAAB.

19. Maggie Smith's "Good Bones," e.g.: POEM. Not famliar with Maggie Smith the poet.

20. Agenda: PLAN.

21. Oat Milk Blend shampoo maker: AVEENO.

22. Combustible pile: PYRE.

27. Just-in-case item: SPARE.

28. "Let Me Love You" R&B singer: NE-YO. He also wrote "Let Me Love You" for Mario.

30. Like many a safari cat: LEONINE.

31. Water cooler sound: GLUG.

33. Had to have: NEEDED.

35. Apex predators of the ocean: ORCAS.

39. Rowan Atkinson character: MR BEAN. Feels like forever ago.

42. Butters up, perhaps: GREASES.

44. Religious residence: PRIORY.

45. Not theirs: OURS.

46. More oozy: GOOIER.

48. Makes jigsaw puzzles, perhaps: DIE-CUTS. Did not know this can be a verb.

49. Brief "If you ask me": IMO.

54. Tiny criticism: NIT.

55. Kanga's kid: ROO.

56. Credit __: Zurich bank: SUISSE.

57. Director Reitman and tennis great Lendl: IVANS.

58. Golf bag item: TEE.

59. Fred of "Schmigadoon!": ARMISEN. He was also in "Portlandia".

61. __ now and then: EVERY.

62. Heat unit: THERM.

64. Sp. titles: SRAS.

65. 12-Down and 50-Down, maybe: HOT TEAS. 12. Aromatic Sri Lankan exports: PEKOES & 50. Aromatic Indian export: ASSAM. Black tea.

68. Pride sound: ROAR. Lion.

69. Command to a guard dog: SIC 'EM.

71. Bits: IOTAS.

72. Feels like: WANTS TO.

75. "I hate it": UGH.

76. Chat with online: EMAIL. And 71D. Chatted with online, for short: IM'ED.

77. Fine: CHOICE.

80. Hornswoggled: HAD.

81. "On the other hand ... ": BUT.

84. Med. condition with repetitive behavior: OCD.

85. Bistro VIP: MAITRE'D.

87. Paged: BEEPED.

88. Garden center bagful: SOIL.

89. Ruler divisions: INCHES.

90. Mexican market: MERCADO. Wikipedia says it's both Portuguese and Spanish word for "market".

93. Like an overtired child, maybe: BRATTY.

95. Co-star of Nimoy and Shatner: TAKEI.

96. Type of canoe: DUGOUT.

97. Russian refusal: NYET.

98. Derek's ex-wife on "Grey's Anatomy": ADDISON. Played by Kate Walsh.

100. Sushi bar drink: SAKE.

103. Wall recess: NICHE.

113. Genre for some Tokyo-based bands: J POP. Here's "The Queen of Japanese Pop" Namie Amuro.

114. Does the job perfectly: ACES IT.

115. Costa __: RICA.

116. Blob's lack: FORM.

117. Small tastes: SIPS.

118. __ out of: slyly avoided: WORMED.

119. Particle accelerator particle: ATOM.

120. Jedi Council leader: YODA.

Down:

1. Backs (out): OPTS.

2. Ascend: GO UP.

3. "For My Broken Heart" singer McEntire: REBA. She'll replace Blake Shelton on "The Voice".

4. Surfaces: EMERGES.

5. Radar gun reading: Abbr.: MPH.

6. Parallel to: ALONG.

7. Shoestring: LACE.

8. Blue Pac-Man ghost: INKY.

9. Can opener: TAB.

10. Small eggs: OVULES.

11. Flow back: RECEDE.

13. Upturned, as a box: ON END.

14. Naan alternative: ROTI. Derived from Sanskrit for "bread".

15. Ball-shaped: SPHERIC.

16. Sailor's affirmative: AYE.

17. Equal: ARE.

18. Exacta or trifecta: BET.

24. Actress Ward: SELA.

26. Dormitory annoyance: SNORER.

29. Cyclops feature: ONE EYE. I don't want to link it.

32. Separates, in a way: UNGLUES.

34. Mouse hat feature: EARS.

37. More chichi: ARTIER.

38. Modus operandi: SYSTEM.

39. Catherine's "Schitt's Creek" role: MOIRA. Catherine O'Hara.

40. Buzz: RUMOR.

42. Mercury and Mars: GODS.

43. River inlets: RIAS.

44. Pizzeria output: PIES.

47. Actor/director Ken: OLIN. He's in "thirtysomething"

48. Fashion letters: DKNY.

51. Busy place: HIVE.

52. Iris layer: UVEA.

53. Roller coaster parts: CARS.

60. Wrath: IRE.

61. Some Spielberg movie collectibles: ETS. Ah, OK, figurines.

62. In shape: TONED.

63. Sombrero, e.g.: HAT.

65. Icy coating: HOAR.

66. Elevator name: OTIS.

67. Soft mineral: TALC.

68. Zoomed past: RACED BY.

69. Turn in: SUBMIT.

70. Large lizard with dewlaps: IGUANA.

72. Moist towelette: WIPE.

73. Implied: TACIT.

74. "Strange to say ... ": ODDLY.

76. Nights before: EVES.

77. Some athletic shoes: CLEATS.

78. Listen to: HEED.

79. Research on a political rival, briefly: OPPO. Opposition research.

82. Frozen fries maker: ORE-IDA.

83. Howard or Alcorn, for short: HBCU. Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

86. Tour de France mountains: THE ALPS.

88. Hit the spot: SATISFY.

90. Iditarod driver: MUSHER.

91. Narcissist's problem: EGOISM.

92. "Be My Baby" memoirist Spector: RONNIE.

94. Actress Russo: RENE.

96. Hustle genre: DISCO.

97. Maker of sweet wafers: NECCO.

99. Sketch: DRAW.

101. Preternatural glow: AURA.

102. Make a scarf, say: KNIT.

104. Jimmy __: fashion brand known for expensive shoes: CHOO.

105. Difficult: HARD.

106. Actress Thompson: EMMA.

107. Pros using mixers, for short: DJS.

108. Nail polish brand: OPI.

109. Cut (off): LOP.

110. Takeoff approx.: ETD.

112. Hasty escape: LAM. Also a popular Cantonese surname, as in singer George Lam or fashion designer Derek Lam. 

So happy that my book is now available on Amazon. Thanks for the review, acesaround, thanks for supporting me whenever you can!

C.C.