Thursday, September 29, 2011 Don Gagliardo and C.C. Burnikel

Theme: MADE IN CHINA. Nine items that were invented in CHINA - the unifier - over the course of millenia, are arranged in perfect symmetry.

1A. *Rock conqueror? : PAPER. Rock-PAPER- scissors game. Oh - and that stuff you write letters on.

10A. *Soy milk brand : SILK. I'll pass on the soy milk, thank you. But high quality fabric made from the cocoon fiber of silk worms is OK by me.

17A. *Dental checkup freebie : TOOTHBRUSH. I always take a red one.

28A. *Wile E. Coyote buy : GUNPOWDER. Ka-Boom stuff.

35A. *Gets creative : NOODLES. I usually think of NOODLING as thinking deeply on a challenging subject, but OK.

39A. *Extent : COMPASS. Not the most obvious sense of this word. Is it within the COMPASS of your vocabulary?

45A. *Flashy display : FIREWORKS. Clever clue, and a carefully NOODLED use for GUNPOWDER.

59A. *Beginner's piano piece : CHOPSTICKS. The eating utensils used in Chinese restaurants that can be tricky to use if you don't know how to hold them.

64A. *Forged check : KITE. We had a discussion of check-kiting recently. I will defer to the resident legal staff. But the other meaning is a cloth or paper form that flies in the wind on the end of a string.

And the unifier -- 66A. It celebrates National Day on October 1 (and it's where the answers to starred clues were invented) : CHINA

Wow - this is some dense themage in another virtuoso technical masterpiece by our dynamic duo. Note that only some of the theme answers have double meanings. Symmetrical pairings GUN POWDER - FIREWORKS and TOOTHPICK - CHPSTICKS add to the impressive fun. Would you make a KITE out of SILK? If so, add that one in, too. And PAPER plates for CHINA?!?

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here. C. C. is rightfully very proud of the rich heritage and culture of her original homeland, and shows them off here to good effect. Let's explore the rest of this puzzle.

Across:

6. Ilk : TYPE. Categories

14. Diminish, as trust : ERODE. A virtual wearing away.

15. Court target : HOOP. Basketball

16. Singer with the platinum 1992 album "The Celts" : ENYA. Eithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin is a fine lass from County Donegal. Potential ear worm.

19. Hungarian spa city : EGER. I did not know that, sad to say. But I do know of the famous, full-bodied red wine from the surrounding region, EGRI Bikavér - Bull's Blood of Eger.

20. "30 Rock" is loosely based on it, briefly : SNL. Saturday Night Live. Having never watched 30 Rock, I didn't know that either.

21. Georgia campus : EMORY. Pretty frequent crossword grid campus, as well.

22. Transparent personality? : GHOST. This one gave me eyestrain and brainstrain.

23. Webber's partner : PAINE. PAINE, Webber & Co. was an asset management firm founded in Boston in 1880, now a part of trans-national mega-corporation UBS AG, headquartered in Switzerland.

25. Are proper for : BEFIT

32. Napoleon, before seeing Elba? : ABLE. From the palindrome that everyone knows.

33. Its symbol is "$" : PESO. And its country of origin is the United States of Mexico.

34. West Bank initials : PLO. Palestine Liberation Organization

41. "Alice" spinoff : FLO. Everyone remembers her famous quote, right?

42. Gives goose bumps, maybe : AWES. Like Papa Grande shutting down the Indians for his 49th straight save this year.

44. Pennsylvania port : ERIE. On Cleveland and Toledo's Lake of the same name.

48. Umbrella brand : TOTES. Boots, too.

49. Idiot : LUNK. As in LUNKhead, or "Ya big LUNK!"

50. Finalize, as a comic strip : INK IN. Converting a sketch to the final drawing. Now you can do it electronically.

52. Pub drinks : SWIGS. This one fooled me. I was looking for the actual drinks, not the action of drinking them.

54. Sudden outpouring : SPATE. Another learning moment. I thought it was just a large quantity.

55. Sch. with a Phoenix campus : ASU. Arizona State University, home of the Sun Devils.

58. Comic book buyer of old? : DIME. Can't go along with this. As a kid, I was the buyer of many comic books -- with my dimes.

61. Analogous : AKIN.

62. Forceful takeover : COUP.

63. John who played Gomez Addams : ASTIN. Father of Sean Astin who played Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings.

65. Maker of Kate Moss fragrances : COTY. Anybody remember MY SIN?

Down:

1. Bo and Barney, e.g. : PETS. The two most recent Presidential Pups.

2. Mountain climber Ralston, subject of "127 Hours" : ARON. No idea.

3. Hustler's game : POOL. AKA billiards, not swimming. The Hustler was a famous movie about a sand-bagging POOL player.

4. Atlanta summer hrs. : EDT. Easter Daylight-savings Time. Toledo, too.

5. Warm up : REHEAT. I thought about playing scales and arpeggios, not nuking leftovers.

6. Crowd : THRONG. Good old Anglo-Saxon word for a multitude.

7. Words to one on deck : YOU'RE UP. Could it be a C.C. puzzle without a baseball reference? Playoffs start Friday. Consult your local listings.

8. Nosegay : POSY. This is correct. I thought a posy was actually a variety of flower, not a small bouquet or single blossom.

9. Bk. before Philippians : EPH. The Epistle to the Ephesians in the Christian Bible.

10. Envision a way : SEE HOW.

11. To a great extent : IN GOOD PART. I guess this is in the language, but it feels very clumsy.

12. Caustic fluids : LYES. Solutions of sodium hydroxide. Would I lie about LYE?

13. Go-__ : KART.

18. ASCAP rival : BMI. Broadcast Music Incorporated collects license fees from businesses that use music, which it distributes as royalties to songwriters.

22. Union member? : GROOM. Along with the bride, he enters into a marriage union. Clever!

23. Like pintos : PIED. Of two or more colors in blotches. Perfect.

24. Lhasa __ : APSO. A small, hairy dog. Terminally cute.

25. Alberta national park : BANFF. Majestic.

26. "Christ Stopped at __" : EBOLI. A social realist political novel by Carlo Levi.

27. Amount requiring a credit card authorization : FLOOR LIMIT.

29. Japanese chip maker : NEC. "One of the world's leading providers of Internet, broadband network and enterprise business solutions." Sounds like another trans-national mega-corporation.

30. Borden mascot : ELSIE. The spokesbovine for Bordon since 1936.

31. Derby prize : ROSES. The Kentucky Derby.

36. Some green acres : LAWNS. My 0.4 acres is more than enough to cut.

37. "Star Wars" tree-dweller : EWOK. Lhasa APSO look alikes?

38. Sun. talk : SER Sermon.

40. Drudge : PEON. Hard work, long hours, low pay.

43. Abandon, with "on" : SKIP OUT.

46. Oregon Ducks' home : EUGENE. City in Oregon where the University is located.

47. Irritable : SNAPPY. I thought SNIPPY. SNAPPY to me means lively or quick.

48. Pin in a shirt : TIE TAC.

51. Gold units: Abbr. : KTS. Karats. A unit of fineness for gold equal to 1⁄24 part of pure gold in an alloy.

52. Mt. Rushmore's state : S.DAK. South Dakota.

53. Joint Web project : WIKI

54. "Buzz off!" : SHOO. Scram

55. When Emile sings "Some Enchanted Evening" : ACT I. Where: Across a crowded room.

56. Word with care or cream : SKIN. An in-depth look.

57. Oliver North's alma mater: Abbr. : USNA. United States Naval Academy.

59. V x LX : CCC. 5 x 60 = 300, no matter where or when. Or, it could be C.C. - See?

60. -like relative : ISH. Somewhat comparable, relatively speaking.

Answer grid.

Jazzbumpa

Constructors' note:

The theme was inspired by one of Dennis' "Did You Know". Don and I managed to fit in 9 of the inventions & CHINA, a rather heavy themage with 70 squares. It is customary in this type of theme to asterisk the clue when there are many theme answers and they are not very long. We also clued each in away that's far from the product itself and with no hint to China. We're happy with the grid and I'm very proud of my heritage. A special "Thank you" to Rich for running this puzzle as close to China's National Day as possible.

Wednesday, Sep 28, 2011 Bruce Venzke and Gail Grabowski

theme:

20A. *Test that sounds easier than it often is : OPEN BOOK EXAM

26A. *"End of discussion" : AND THAT'S THAT

36A. *Z's : SHUT EYE

43A. *Thing to do before a heist : CASE THE JOINT

51A. What the first words of the answers to starred clues describe : LAWYER'S DREAM. (OPEN AND SHUT CASE)

meliss here.

wasn't sure about the theme until the unifier, and then it was clear. nice shout-out to lemon and hahtool. the grid is visually interesting, looking a little like stair steps. i like the way SHUTEYE looks right in the center.

across:

1. Olds compact : ALERO. a bit obscure for me, needed perps.

6. State secrets? : BLAB. love this clue.

10. "Casablanca" character : ILSA

14. Logger's competition : ROLEO. clever word, like a rodeo with logs. an america's funniest videos grand prize winner waiting to happen.

15. Get to : RILE

16. Like Switz. in WWII : NEUTral.

17. Bottomless pit : ABYSM. did this remind anyone else of their kids?

18. Strike callers : UMPS

19. Major-__ : DOMO

23. Fill with bubbles : AERATE

25. Major stories : EPICS

30. Weather map figures : LOWS

31. Symbol of strict control : IRON HAND

35. Cycle opener : UNI. unicycle.

39. Compete : VIE

40. She has a memorable smile : MONA LISA.

42. Hamlet, for one : DANE. brilliantly portrayed by kenneth branaugh.

47. Scrub, at NASA : ABORT

50. Either "Cathy's Clown" singer : EVERLY. i'll spare us all the ear worm. don't think about it!!!

55. Genesis victim : ABEL

56. Swedish furniture giant : IKEA

57. Egg holders : NESTS

61. Hindu royal : RANI

62. Tumbled : FELL

63. Corkers? : IRISH. cork is the second-largest city in ireland.

64. Howard's wife, to the Fonz : MRS. C. from 'happy days' sitcom. the original cougar.

65. Offended, with "off" : TEED

66. Homework assignment : ESSAY

down:

1. Notre Dame's Parseghian : ARA. football coach.

2. Tennis tactic : LOB. a ball hit high and deep into the opponent's court.

3. Bridge guru Culbertson : ELY. i had no idea there was a bridge guru.

4. Vacation destinations : RESORTS

5. Brass band sound : OOMPAH. ♪♫•*¨*•. i've got a perfect puzzle for you ¸¸.•♫♪♬ ♫

6. Brown-haired boy : BRUNET. wikipedia defines brunet as 'a person, male or female, with brown hair.'

7. Trunk attachment : LIMB

8. Chow chow : ALPO. clever.

9. Affectionate gesture con los labios : BESO. spanish. con los labios - with the lips. beso = kiss. muy bueno.

10. Thorough : IN DEPTH. see above.

11. April 1605 pope : LEO XI.

12. "Poison" shrub : SUMAC

13. Elemental bits : ATOMS

21. Greek vowel : ETA

22. "The Family Circus" cartoonist : KEANE.

23. "Bullying is __!": school rule : A NO-NO

24. Dickens's Drood : EDWIN. the mystery of edwin drood, charles dickens's last, and unfinished, mystery.

26. Homecoming guest : ALUM

27. Occupy, in a way : SIT AT

28. Roman numeral : TRE. very sneaky. italian for three.

29. Today, in Toledo : HOY. toledo, spain. hoy is spanish for today.

32. Help : AVAIL

33. Dolt : NINNY

34. Bug bugger : DEET.

36. November ticket : SLATE. list of candidates.

37. Embroidered word : HIS

38. Put to the test : USE

41. Painter's medium : ACRYLIC

42. Half-story windows : DORMERS. a dormer pops up from the main roofline, like a small house with its own walls, roof and window. a gable is a triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof, often used as an opening for a window. a

44. Cape May County weekly : HERALD

45. Time for celebration : EVE

46. Foster's dream girl : JEANIE. stephen foster's 'i dream of jeanie with the light brown (brunet) hair." covered by sam cooke. hi jeannie!

47. Security device : ALARM

48. Kid-lit elephant : BABAR

49. "Hee Haw" host : OWENS. buck owens.

52. Break : RIFT

53. __-Ball : SKEE

54. Manuscript marking : DELE

58. Family nickname : SIS

59. Org. with body scanners : TSA. "you know, if i wanted somebody half-heartedly patting my groin without eye contact, i'd get married." - seth meyers

60. Retiring : SHY

Answer grid.

melissa

Tuesday, September 27, 2011 Steven J. St. John

Theme: Oh, Bother! - Self-explanatory theme.

17A. Invasive airline inconvenience : BODY SCANNER

29A. Uncomfortable airline inconvenience : CRAMPED SEAT

46A. Wearying airline inconvenience : LONG LAYOVER

64A. Excruciating airline inconvenience (the last straw!) : LOST LUGGAGE

Argyle here. This appears to be a debut puzzle for Mr. St. John. Well done.

Across:

1. Dinner wear for the highchair set : BIBs

5. Talisman : AMULET. Just in time for Halloween. Image.

11. Spoil : MAR. As in "My great vacation was marred by the horrible flight home!"

14. Working without __ : A NET

15. Next to : BESIDE

16. Sam Adams product : ALE

19. Groovy relative? : RAD. Dead relative, I think. But then groovy doesn't look too healthy either.

20. One with an office couch, maybe : ANALYST. Possible connection to our constructor, I don't know.

21. Untrustworthy : KNAVISH. Knave, which formerly meant merely a boy or servant, in modern use emphasizes baseness of nature and intention.

23. __ garden : ZEN. Maybe you could fit this in your carry-on luggage and find inner peace while waiting on the tarmac. Image.

24. A/C measure : BTU

26. Durante's "__ Dinka Doo" : INKA. Clip (3:31) and I pity anyone who gets an earworm from THIS!

27. Wood-dressing tool : ADZ. Another How To clip.(3:35)

33. President when Texas was annexed : POLK. In 1845, the Republic of Texas annexed and admitted it to the Union as the 28th state.

35. With 1-Down, discoverer of cave treasure : ALI. 1D. See 35-Across : BABA

36. Island ring : LEI

37. Salon polish target : TOE NAIL

39. Flippable card file : ROLODEX

43. Mag. edition : ISS. Magazine issue

44. Father's Day mo. in Australia : SEP. The first Sunday in September.

45. Congenial : NICE

51. Lawn strip : SOD

52. Moonfish : OPAH. Image. Check out the site it's from.

53. Lumberjack's tool : AXE. An axe and an adze together.

54. Subj. with x's : ALG. Algebra.

56. Faraway : DISTANT

59. Paid no attention to : IGNORED

63. Roam (about) : GAD. Do you remember this guy?

66. Due-in hr. : ETA

67. One way to share : EVENLY

68. Clickable image : ICON

69. Not optional: Abbr. : REQ. Required.

70. French film festival site : CANNES. On the south coast of France.

71. "__ la vie" : C'EST. French, "Such is life".

Down:

2. Part of, as a plot : IN ON

3. Awe : BEDAZZLE

4. Panache : STYLE

5. Basics : ABCs

6. Spaghetti go-with : MEATBALL. I had marinara first.

7. Mil. branch : USN

8. Connection : LINK UP

9. Barbara who played a genie : EDEN

10. Giga- x 1,000 : TERA. 10¹²

11. Oceanic : MARINE

12. State with the Big Dipper on its flag : ALASKA. Flag.

13. Papa Smurf's headgear : RED HAT. Image.

18. Pop music's 'N__ : SYNC

22. Sight : VISION

25. "More than I need to know!" : TMI. Too Much Information.

27. Suited : APT

28. Scooby-__ : DOO

30. Mrs. Gorbachev : RAISA. Here with Rev. Moon.

31. Skip church, in a way? : ELOPE

32. Sci-fi's Lester __ Rey : DEL. American science fiction author and editor. Del Rey is especially famous for juvenile novels.

34. Jumping chess piece : KNIGHT. Moves are L-shaped.

38. Comm. for the hearing-impaired : ASL. American Sign Language. COMM stands for communication, in this case?

39. Military day starter : REVEILLE

40. Shame : DISGRACE

41. Green prefix : ECO

42. Struck (out) of the text : Xed

44. Red or White team : SOX

46. Inn resident : LODGER

47. Morphine, e.g. : OPIATE

48. Where YHOO stock is traded : NASDAQ. Yahoo!, not Yoo-Hoo.

49. China's Sun : YAT-SEN. The foremost pioneer of Nationalist China, Sun is frequently referred to as the "Father of the Nation" (國父), a view agreed upon by both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China.

50. Pealed : RANG

55. Spock's forte : LOGIC

57. Baldwin of "30 Rock" : ALEC

58. Bright star : NOVA

60. Dolls' dates : GUYs

61. They may not be quiet on the set : EGOs

62. Small body-shop job : DENT

65. Former Opry network : TNN. The Nashville Network, is usually referred to as TNN. The Opry was aired from 1985 until 2000 on TNN.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

I'd like to share with you this beach "postcard" I got from JD. So sweet! Here are a couple of Nenes. JD said: They plan to catch all of them and transfer them to Maui. When we first started going to Kauai, about 15 years ago, there were about 20 pairs (they mate for life) and were on the endangered list. They have multiplied and nest and congregate too close to the airport. Many of them live at the Kauai Lagoons Golf Course which is next to the airport.

Previewers

#6 of our Curious Conundrums series. Happy Birthday, Dennis!

The theme was inspired by Dennis' love for Coast soap. Rich liked the idea, but he had already accepted (and later published) a theme with similar gimmick.

Don thought it would be fun to experiment with the theme clues a bit. We hope you enjoy the result.

Puzzle:

Here is PDF (click on File, then Download).

Here is puz file (click on Download).

Spoiler: Here is the answer grid.

Thanks for solving, and we look forward to your comments.

C.C.

Monday, September 26, 2011 Robert Fisher

Theme: Fill It Up - First word of the first four theme entries represents the descending levels of the unifier leaving just a drop at 66A.

18A. Ceremonial uniform : FULL DRESS

23A. Necktie knot : HALF-WINDSOR

38A. NCAA Elite Eight team : QUARTER-FINALIST. Between the Sweet Sixteen and the Final Four.

50A. Parent whose kids have moved out : EMPTY NESTER.

59A. Dashboard device, and a hint to the starts of 18-, 23-, 38- and 50-Across : FUEL GAUGE

66. What to add when the 59-Across gets low : GAS

Argyle here. Cute theme. 1-Across sets the level for the puzzle, I felt. Some of the cluing was dodgy. Neat how GAS fit under the GAUGE; that's when I buy gas.

Across:

1. Minister's home : MANSE

6. Inst. that turns out lieutenants : OCS. Officer Candidates School.

9. Poker game similar to Texas Hold 'em : OMAHA. Player receives four down cards instead of two but must play only two of them.

14. Polynesian greeting : "ALOHA"

15. Rock music's __ Fighters : FOO. Foo Fighters - Bridges Burning (Snippet)(0:30)

16. Tied, as shoes : LACED

17. Crest dispensers : TUBES. May have ADA on them.

20. Turf grabbers : CLEATS. Cartoon of a ball player, wearing cleats, making a shoestring catch.

22. Yo-yo string feature : LOOP

25. Tidal return : EBB

28. Ample shoe width : EEE

29. Temple with a minaret : MOSQUE. Image.

31. PC key for getting out of trouble : ESC

34. Way up : STAIR

37. Emanation detected by psychics, so they say : AURA

42. __ no good : UP TO

43. Kept secret : SAT ON

44. Faux __: blunder : PAS. May result in a "mea culpa".

45. Main thoroughfare : ARTERY

48. 41-Down sound in the comic "B.C." : "ZOT!". This guy. 41D. Threat to tiny workers : ANTEATER. This action.

49. __ of the land : LAY

57. Civil rights org. : ACLU. American Civil Liberties Union.

58. Work that ridicules folly : SATIRE

64. Carryalls : TOTEs

65. Out of port : AT SEA

67. Create, as a statute : ENACT

68. Back at the track : BET ON

69. The USA's 50 : STs. States

70. Takes in tenants : RENTS

Down:

1. Fire lighter : MATCH

2. Gene Vincent's "Be-Bop-__" : A-LULA. A significant early example of rockabilly. (2:35)

3. __ Prize : NOBEL

4. Grain bundle : SHEAF

5. How latitude lines run : EAST/WEST

6. On vacation : OFF

7. "This __ be the last time": Stones lyric : COULD. Clip(4:03)

8. Goes it alone : SOLOs

9. Rookie's mentor : OLD PRO

10. Make a dent in : MAR

11. Poker "bullet" : ACE

12. Bucks and rams : HEs

13. Commercials : ADs

19. Weaver's machine : LOOM

21. Seven, in Sinaloa : SIETE. Sinaloa is a Mexican state. Map.

24. Approaches : NEARS

25. Supply with gear : EQUIP

26. Sac between a bone and tendon : BURSA. Inflammation of a bursa is bursitis, most commonly of the shoulder.

27. Cop's rounds : BEATS

30. Gal of song : SAL. Clip.(1:08)

31. The same : EQUAL

32. Old sporty Toyota : SUPRA. Early, Late.

33. Spiteful, as gossip : CATTY

35. "__ tree falls ..." : IF A. Did you hear that?

36. Swanky : RITZY

39. Fish eggs : ROE

40. High hours? : NOONS

46. '80s Cold War leader : REAGAN

47. Song spelled with arm motions : YMCA. No, no, no! No clip!

51. Spark providers : PLUGS. Barney Google and Spark Plug.

52. Pull on : TUG AT

53. Rosetta __ : STONE. Image. The Rosetta Stone is an ancient Egyptian stele inscribed with a decree issued in 196 BC. The decree appears in three scripts: the upper text is Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, the middle portion Demotic script, and the lowest Ancient Greek. Because it presents essentially the same text in all three scripts (with some minor differences between them), it provided the key to the modern understanding of Egyptian hieroglyphs.

54. Giant : TITAN

55. Standing upright : ERECT

56. Concludes one's court case : RESTS

59. Detergent brand : FAB

60. Jeep or Land Rover, briefly : UTE. Any type of utility vehicle.

61. Superlative suffix : EST

62. Lion sign : LEO

63. Dollar sign shape : ESS

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday September 25, 2011 Jeffrey Lease

Theme: It's a Surprise -IT is inserted into each common phrase.

23A. Stakeout? : SITTING OPERATION. Sting operation.

28A. "May I cut in?" speaker? : POLITE DANCER. Pole dancer.

47A. Part of an excavated skeleton? : ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIGIT. Archaeological dig.

62A. Voracious vampire's mantra? : BITE ALL THAT YOU CAN BITE. Be all that you can be. Surprise! Surprise! Fun clue too.

77A. Pot with limited seafood portions? : A FINITE KETTLE OF FISH. A fine kettle of fish.

100A. Unaffected horse movements? : NATURAL GAITS. Natural gas.

106A. One pirating Springsteen CDs? : THE E STREET BANDIT. The E Street Band.

Surprise indeed. I grokked the theme only after BITE ALL THAT YOU CAN BITE. You?

Would you be happy if the puzzle title is just "See 79 Down?"? ("Unhelpful response to "How did you do that?": IT'S MAGIC.)

We don't often see overlapping theme entries on Sundays. They tend to bring out undesirable fill (3-letter abbreviations, prefixes, etc). But terrific result today. Overlapping happens when there are heavy themage to consider, as in many Merl Reagle puzzles. We have 7 entries in this grid, a total 115 squares, 5 of which are very very long. Easier to move around when theme answers are 8, 9, or 10 letters in length.

Across:

1. Jason's ship : ARGO. Nice start to Lemonade.

5. One often found by a king or queen : BISHOP. Oh, chess then.

11. Ventriloquist Dunham : JEFF. Fun clip.

15. Exam with a Writing Skills section, briefly : PSAT

19. Spotted : SEEN

20. Using Wi-Fi : ONLINE. 104. 20-Across letters : EMAILS.

21. Morlock prey : ELOI. From "The Time Machine".

22. __ account: never : ON NO

26. Start over : RE-DO

27. Mad : INSANE

30. Runs slowly (through) : SEEPS

31. Called : PHONED

33. Looked lecherously : LEERED

35. NY subway line past Yankee Stadium : IRT (Interborough Rapid Transit)

36. Laudatory words : PRAISE

38. Letters on some tubes : ADA (American Dental Association). Toothpaste tubes.

41. Justice since 2006 : ALITO (Samuel). Right!

42. Papa Smurf feature : BEARD

43. Cell phone feature : CAMERA

46. Con : ANTI

51. Baker's dozens, maybe : DONUTS. "Sweet ring" for DONUT yesterday.

53. Brand promoted by Michael Jordan : HANES

54. "Mission: Impossible" actress : BAIN (Barbara)

55. Fix, in a way : EDIT

56. Blue Moon maker : COORS. Not familiar with Blue Moon brand. Do you know what's the most popular beer brand in the world?

58. Chihuahua child : NINO

59. Baseball's Bando : SAL. He has 3 World Series rings. With the A's.

68. Four O'Clock is a brand of it : TEA. Again, not familiar with the tea brand. I only drink loose tea.

69. Rail family bird : COOT

70. Cigna competitor : AETNA. Insurance.

71. 62, to Augustus : LXII

72. "I just don't know why they're shooting __": Hawkeye Pierce : AT US

73. __ Park, Calif. : MENLO

75. One-named folk singer : ODETTA. The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement", a la Wiki.

83. Big name in apple products : MOTT. In love with Zestar lately.

84. Spacious accommodations : SUITES

85. Grain holders : SILOS. The restrooms are inside two silos in the flea market we haunt on Sundays.

86. By land __ : OR SEA

88. Sch. group : PTA

89. Community standout : PILLAR

91. Improved partner? : NEW. New and improved.

94. Like many old movies : REMADE. Bill G likes the originals.

96. Prodigy : PHENOM

98. Unaccompanied : ALONE

105. Blow a fuse : RAGE

109. Dubai bigwig : EMIR

110. Singer in a Salinger story : ESME. Salinger's "For Esme – with Love and Squalor"

111. Pestle go-with : MORTAR

112. Ricky portrayer : DESI (Arnaz). Of "I Love Lucy".

113. They're big on bodybuilders : PECs

114. Long bath : SOAK

115. Matador's opponent : EL TORO. The bull.

116. Fill fully : SATE

Down:

1. Birthplace of St. Francis : ASSISI

2. "This is Spinal Tap" director : REINER (Rob).

3. Shout shortly before a race : GET SET. Go!

4. Available : ON TAP

5. Radius, e.g. : BONE

6. Gerund letters : ING

7. Cal Poly's city, initially : SLO (San Luis Obispo). Stumped me.

8. "Hungry Hungry" game critters : HIPPOS

9. Common World Cup score : ONE ONE

10. Hostess Mesta : PERLE. "Call Me Madam."

11. Singer with The Blackhearts : JETT (Joan)

12. Nobelist Wiesel : ELIE

13. Grub : FOOD

14. Grade component : FINAL

15. Doll or vase material : PORCELAIN. Nice entry.

16. Scornful behavior : SNEERING

17. Racing family name : ANDRETTI (Mario). EddyB is nuts about racing.

18. Also : TOO

24. Look over closely : INSPECT. Well, Splynter is going to be a Home Inspector. Not really a surprise!

25. Financial __ : AID

29. Grant gp. : NEA

31. Normal lead-in? : PARA. Paranormal.

32. Pelt : HIDE

34. "I dare you!" : DO IT

37. Stadium cries : RAHS

38. Friends abroad : AMIs. In France/Belgium, e.g.

39. Present time?: Abbr. : DEC. Present = Gift. Sweet clue.

40. Coffee bean variety : ARABICA. I like this answer too.

42. Hulking sort : BRUTE

43. Pi and others : CONSTANTS. 3.1415926 is all I can remember. How many digits can you go?

44. Bartender's concern : AGE

45. Rod Stewart's ex : ALANA

47. "Hotel du Lac" author Brookner : ANITA. No idea. The book won Booker Prize in 1984.

48. "I know! I know!" : OH OH

49. Fictional archaeologist Croft : LARA. No "Moneyball" for me. Loyal Aniston fan.

50. "My Heart Will Go On" singer : DION (Celine).

51. It may lead to bankruptcy : DEBT

52. Garfield foil : ODIE

56. Macro lens shot : CLOSE-UP

57. Polo Grounds legend : OTT (Mel)

58. Sister : NUN

59. Like F or zeta : SIXTH

60. Words after keep or have : AT IT

61. Princess from Alderaan : LEIA. "Star Wars".

63. Play starter : ACT I

64. Dolts : LOUTS

65. Whisper's opposite : YELL

66. Plains native : OTOE

67. Hallow : BLESS

72. Colonial enemies? : ANTEATERS. Very clever clue.

73. Prefix with physics : META

74. Saison avant l'automne : ETE. Saison avant l'automne = Season before autumn.

75. "Man __ Mancha" : OF LA

76. Historical display : DIORAMA. In 3-D.

77. Latin love : AMOR

78. Peter, Paul or Mary : FORENAME. Another good clue.

80. Survival __ : KIT

81. European capital : OSLO

82. Festival entry : FILM

87. Ghanian-born soccer great : ADU (Freddie). Doesn't really live up to the hype.

89. Fuel for a lorry : PETROL

90. Previously missing letter, e.g. : INSERT

91. [Shrug] : NO IDEA

92. Sign up : ENLIST

93. White terrier, informally : WESTIE

95. Some Deco works : ERTEs

96. Dads : PAs

97. Casino request : HIT ME

99. Alights : LANDS

101. Facetious "Of course" : AH SO

102. Champagne Tony of '60s golf : LEMA

103. Nerd : GEEK

104. Spain's longest river : EBRO

105. Agent : REP

107. WWII arena : ETO (European Theater of Operations)

108. La Brea goo : TAR. La Brea Tar Pits.

Answer grid.

C.C.