Thursday, October 27, 2011 Peter A. Collins

Theme: Henry and Hannah, sitting in a tree…

Peter Collins likes to play with words, and today is no exception. I blogged his recent "Element-ary" puzzle on October 6th, and we had his "West Side Story" tribute last week. We have another charmer today, with these entries:

20A GRADE SCHOOL (11 letters)

56A SWEETHEARTS (11 letters)

39A SITTING (7 letters) 41A IN A TREE (7 letters)

67/68/69A (every other letter, for emphasis) K_I_S_S_I_N_G_(7 letters) [kay-eye-ess-ess-eye-en-gee]

And it is based on a poem by Nicolas Knudde (I think) (Where is Clear Ayes when I need her??):

“Henry and Hannah,

Sitting in a tree,

K-I-S-S-I-N-G…

First comes love,

Then comes marriage,

Then comes baby

In a baby carriage!”

[...and an appended verse, sometimes:]

That’s not it!

That’s not all!

The baby’s drinking alcohol!!

Very unusual placement of the rhyming theme entries, due to symmetry concerns in the grid. I didn't have circles in my grid, did you?

Marti here, for your regularly scheduled Thursday program…

PHEW! I almost thought I wouldn’t be able to finish this one. The clues were so devious and obscure, I was thrown off in many spots. Were you?

Like:

1A “Mystery writer Nevada” clues BARR…OK, I admit. I am not a “mystery novel” or detective story person. Hahtool knows what I like. And I think Yellowrocks, who loves well-researched historical novels, would appreciate my choices of reading material.

22A “Farmer’s ___ " clues TAN?? Really?? Windhover, help me out here!! I wanted “market”, “almanac” or even (as a last resort) “dell”…but none would fit!!

37D "David Byrne collaborator" clues ENO. Really?? “My life in the Bush of Ghosts”….hmmmm, I bet that was on everyone’s mind, right???

OK, so moving on…

Across:

5. Penny profile. ABE. I can live with that one!

8. “Tao Te Ching” author. LAO TSE. Actually, Laozi, the founder of “Taoism”. Literal translation from Chinese means “old master”. C.C.??? (From C.C.: Yes, "old master". Lao = "Old". Lao Zi is Mandarin. Lao Tse is Cantonese.)

14. 1986 Nobelist Wiesel. ELIE. Yay!! One that I knew!

15. China’s Chou En-___. LAI. Another one that I nailed!

16. Fixed for all time. ETCHED. Like, “in stone…"

17. Treating again, as an ankle injury. RE-TAPING. Ummmm…I guess they were referring to Dan Koppen of the N.E. Patriots on his ankle injury?

19. Take turns. ROTATE

23. QB’s dread. INT. Interception. Yep, Brady doesn’t like INT’s or center’s ankles being taped…

24. Government IOUs. T-BILLS

26. Getting on. AGING. Hey! I’m like “fine wine”.

29. Drain-clearing chemical. LYE

30. “Are not!” retort. AM SO!! OK, so we have our regular playground argument here…

33. Bug-eyed toon. REN. This dog.

34. OPEC member. UAE. United Arab Emirates.

36. Shove off. SET SAIL

42. Micronesia’s region. OCEANIA. Somewhat obscure region as defined here. Map. Or, one of the three fictional superstates in George Orwell’s novel “Nineteen Eighty-Four”

43. Rocky peak. TOR

44. 1930s power prog. TVA. Tennesee Valley Authority. Federal program for flood control.

45. Standard. NORM

46 Scotland’s longest river. TAY. Surely, this was the first thing you all thought of, right??

48. Cleveland Indians legend Al. ROSEN. Nicknamed “Al”, “Flip” and “The Hebrew Hammer”, he played his entire career with the Cleveland Indians (1947-56). I was 5 years old when he retired. So, why don’t I remember him????

50. Promo. TEASER. Like the one for Johnny Depp’s new movie "The Rum Diary".

53. Sloth, for one. SIN. Were you thinking of the animal?

54. Punch line. POW. Pow!! Hit me with a V-8 can!!

61. Oh-so-stylish. CHI-CHI. Did anyone else think of C-C ??

63. Not very potent potable. NEAR BEER. Tinbeni, I know you only go for “potent potables”!!

64. Assateague denizens. PONIES. I have seen this yearly pony penning and swim. Amazing!

65. River that rises in the Bernese Alps. AAR. Bern, Switzerland.

66. Bone used in pronation. ULNA. Pronation is the action you use to do a “thumbs down”.

67. Yarn units. SKEINS. Not stories.

68. Word with run or jump. SKI. Yaaaaay!! One for Marti!!

69. Nutmeg-flavored drinks. NOGS. A little early, but I can still relate to New Year’s Eve, and my annual “nog” toast.

So lets go down town:

1. Glacier breakaway. BERG. Go ask the Titanic…

2. A or Jay, e.g. AL'ER. I s’pose this means “American League-r”?

3. Funny Rudner. RITA.

4. Transfer to memory, as data : READ-IN

5. Top-tier invitees : A-LIST

6. Judge's seat : BANC

7. Mercury's atomic number : EIGHTY. Just checked my periodic table...yep, that's correct!

8. "Vive __!" : LE ROI. "The King", in French. My grandmother could not speak English, so we had to speak French to her, in order to get candy and other goodies...

9. Any of the Marshall Islands : ATOLL

10. Mo. for leaf-peeping : OCT. We have had lots of leaf-peepers here in the N.E. this year.

11. "Yeow!" : THAT SMARTS. ouch...

12. __ precedent : SET A

13. Place that means "delight" in Hebrew : EDEN

18. Black-and-white critter : PENGUIN. ( I was thinking "skunk"...)

21. "The Biggest Loser" concern : OBESITY

25. Go the distance : LAST

26. Bad lighting? : ARSON. Punny clue!

27. Insurance company founded in 1936 for government employees : GEICO. (...and for southeast Asian lizards..)

28. Weave together : INTERTWINE

29. Named beneficiary : LEGATEE

31. It won't hold water : SIEVE. Wait a minute, let me try... ...nope, it doesn't hold water!

32. Fat substitute : OLEAN. Proctor and Gamble's brand is "Olestra", a zero-calorie fat substitute.

35. Singer DiFranco : ANI. I like her song "The Atom", link.

38. Slowpoke : TARRIER. I s'pose, if you tarry, then you would be a "tarrier".

40. Rein in : TAME

47. Hippodromes : ARENAS

49. How Sloppy Joes are served : ON A BUN. Well, duh...did you think they were served in a martini glass?

51. Far from ruddy : ASHEN

52. __ chard : SWISS

53. Emmy-winning Lewis : SHARI. I remember her puppets "Lamb Chop" and "Charlie Horse".

54. General MDs, to insurers : PCPs. Primary Care Physicians

55. "Aw, what the heck, let's!" : OH, OK, let's bungee jump off this bridge with a questionable cord from that guy with the '72 Ford Pinto...

57. Shipbuilder's wood : TEAK

58. Move, in brokerese : RE-LO. Re-location.

59. 1% of a cool mil : TEN-G. Ten grand.

60. Madrid Mmes. : SRAs. Get it right: SRAs are "señoras", SRTAS are "señoritas", SRS are "seniors". But, señors get no respect!

62. VI x XVII : CII. 6 x 17 = 102 (Do the math, Caesar!!)

Answer grid.

Thanks for letting me into your 'puters today!

Marti

Note from C.C.:

Happy 64th birthday to Boomer! That picture was taken in 2002 when we went to Myrtle Beach for a golf vacation. First time I had sweet tea and hush puppies.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011 James Sajdak

Theme: ROUND AND ROUND WE GO. Each of four theme entries - two of them grid-spanning - ends in a word signifying some type of revolution or rotation.

17A. Latitude between the South Frigid Zone and South Temperate Zone : ANTARCTIC CIRCLE. It's around the South Pole.

27A. Tried something out : GAVE IT A WHIRL. Origin uncertain: perhaps related to taking a chance at a roulette wheel, or trying your hand at a whirlygig toy.

48A. Test-drove, with "in" : WENT FOR A SPIN. Took a short drive in that sexy new car. Could this be from going ROUND the block?

63A. Macroeconomic theory to explain inflation : WAGE PRICE SPIRAL. Remember cost of living adjustments from back in the 70's? Prices went up, wages went up, rinse, repeat. Not now, though. Wages are stagnant.

Hi gang. JazzBumpa here with a fine entry from James Sajdak, involving circular reasoning and a bit of misdirection, some of which is musical . Let's play around with it.

Across:

1. Finish using TurboTax, say : E-FILE. File your tax return electronically, and you'll get your refund quicker.

6. They have scales and keys : MAPS. This musical misdirection gave me pause, but it is spot on.

10. Avon lady, e.g.? : BRIT. Not musical, but another misdirection. Instead of a cosmetics sales lady who rings your bell, it's any lady from the no-longer-existent county of Avon on the west coast of - 62 D. Merrie __ England : OLDE. Olde English spelling of a fine olde Anglo-Saxon word.

14. Pitch man? : TUNER. Not an aggressive, flamboyant salesman or promoter, but the guy who tunes your piano. Another musical misdirection.

15. Little bit of everything : OLIO. A miscellaneous collection, a hodgepodge. I've always known about OLEO, the ersatz butter substitute, but only learned about OLIO from crosswords. It might be derived from olla podrida, a traditional Spanish rich, spicy stew of meat and vegetables.

16. Tip-top : A-ONE. ¡Lo mejor! Probably not ersatz.

20. Surfboard fin : SKEG. Really?!? Thank you, perps. By the time you read this, I will already have forgotten - what was that again . . . ?

21. Native of Lima : OHIOAN. Ha! Can't fool me. I are one - or was before I became a displaced person. More misdirection, not musical, but still of the cartographer's scale and key variety.

22. Novelist Kesey : KEN. His most famous work is One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.

23. Hindquarters : RUMP. But -- but . . . I had to back into this one, and almost fell behind. No link.

25. Arms treaty subjects, briefly : N-TESTS. Nuclear test ban treaties.

32. Cleaned one's plate : ATE. Figuratively. Even after cleaning my plate, I still wash it.

33. Indian megalopolis : DELHI. Located in North-central India.

34. Copious : AMPLE. Abundant. More than sufficient.

38. Agent under M : BOND. James Bond, Secret Agent 007, licensed to kill. No?

40. Highways and byways : ROADS. Lines on MAPS.

42. Chimney sweepings : SOOT. Mandatory link.

43. Lipstick mishap : SMEAR. Might need the Avon Lady.

45. Springs, in a way : FREES. From prison. Not very obvious.

47. Ref's decision : TKO. Technical Knock Out. The Ref stops a boxing match, lest the under-performing opponent get injured.

51. Environmental activist Jagger : BIANCA. Mick's first Ex.

54. Copyeditor's catch, hopefully : TYPO. What you get when you press the wrong key

55. Commentator Coulter : ANN. Moving right along . . .

56. 16th-century Spanish fleet : ARMADA. In 1588 the Spanish fleet attempted to attack the BRITS, but were repelled by fireships - literally, boats loaded with combustibles set afire and directed toward enemy ships. The ARMADA retreated north of Scotland where they were further damaged by severe storms. Only about 50 of the original 130 ships made it back to Spain.

60. Science fiction prize : HUGO. Named for Hugo Gernsback.

66. Faded in the stretch : DIED. Like the Tigers many times over and the Red Sox this year.

67. Dust Bowl migrant : OKIE. Pejorative term for impoverished Oklahomans who migrated to California during the dust bowl years of the other Great Depression,

68. Denoting a loss, as on a balance sheet : IN RED.

69. Every twelve mos. : YRLY. Abbrv. in cl. & ans.

70. Unites : WEDS.

71. Napoleon, ultimately : EXILE. Nap was EXILED to the isle of Elba. Hence our favorite palindrome. Recite it if you're able.

Down:

1. Guesstimates at Maryland's BWI : ETAS. Estimated Times of Arrival.

2. Name on a dictionary : FUNK. Along with Wagnalls.

3. Involve oneself : INTERVENE. More than just involvement. One intervenes to affect the outcome.

4. Roughly three miles : LEAGUE. I remember reading Roughly 60,000 Miles Under the Sea.

5. Push the wrong button, e.g. : ERR. A TYPO, frex.

6. Candlelight visitor? : MOTH. Great imagery.

7. Et __: and others : ALII. Latin.

8. Trillionth: Pref. : PICO. We just discussed this a few days ago.

9. "You're not the only one!" : SO CAN I. Anything you can do . . .

10. Block : BAR. Ban. Veto. INTERVENE, perhaps.

11. Is way cool : ROCKS. Did your teen years ROCK?

13. "The Wonder Years" years : TEENS. Blunder years in my case.

18. Whirlybird : 'COPTER. Helicopter, that is. Note slang in clue and ans.

19. Prefix with mural : INTRA. Refers to sports competition between teams from the same institution.

24. Near the center : MID.

26. Shady group? : ELMS. Famous shade trees from by-gone Americana, depleted by Dutch Elm disease, alas.

27. Ties up the line : GABS. or YAKS. Needed perp help to decide.

28. Element element : ATOM. The basic building block of matter - and an internal clecho. Nice!

29. High, as a kite : ALOFT. Up above, and less rankling than the typical A- word.

30. Quay : WHARF. What's updock? The other end of the pier.

31. Pitcher Nomo : HIDEO. Japanese baseball player who had an up and down career in the Major Leagues, playing for the Dodgers, Mets, Cubs, Brewers, Tigers, Red Sox, Dodgers again, Devil Rays and Royals. Plus other teams in other countries. You need a MAP.

35. "Jeopardy!" category : POTPOURRI. Why don't they call it OLIO?!?

36. Mischief-making Norse god : LOKI. Nothing low key abut this guy, in some very confusing mythology.

37. Henry VI's school : ETON. Four letters, School in Merrie Olde England: enter ETON and be on your way.

39. "Rosy-fingered" time of day, per Homer : DAWN. That is downright poetic.

41. "Counting Sheep" mattresses : SERTAS. Hmmm. Not up on my mattress adverts.

44. Postgame rundown : RECAP. Sort for recapitulation, which has way to many syllables for the 21st century.

46. "I just had an idea!" : SAY. Say what? I'd say the correspondence of clue and fill is quite strained.

49. __-minded : NARROW. Lacking tolerance, breadth of view, or sympathy. Vide supra.

50. Egyptian with a riddle : SPHINX. The SPHYNX sat by the side of the road and asked his famous riddle of all who passed by. Woe to him who got it wrong.

51. Like some limericks : BAWDY. There once was a blogger named Bumpa / Who sat overlong on his RUMPA / When finally he stood / (He felt that he should) / He fell with a hideous thumpa. (Cut me some slack, OK - it's after midnight.)

52. ". . . the bombs bursting __ . . ." : IN AIR. From the Star Spangled Banner. BTW, Detroit has the best anthem singers. No contest.

53. California pro : ANGEL. Could not think of this team. Needed lots of perp help.

57. Karaoke prop : MIKE.

58. Stomach product : ACID. For digesting proteins.

59. Unenviable grades : DEES. And a bit of unenviable fill.

61. Highlands native : GAEL Per Wikipedia, "The Gaels or Goidels are speakers of one of the Goidelic Celtic languages: Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx."

64. Joseph of ice cream fame : EDY. And an occasional treat in crosswords

65. Diner dessert : PIE. Mmmm - PIE. For PIE a la mode, vide supra.

Answer grid.

I'd say James took us for a nice spin. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Cheers!

JzB

Oppostion Leaders

#8 of our Curious Conundrums series.

Don & Marti constructed this puzzle. Marti said "Rich liked the idea, but had done a similar one before, so he couldn't take our version".

I don't recall such a gimmick. I found the theme unique and refreshing. Heavy theme content & amazing symmetry. Tricky too. Hope you enjoy the challenge.

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.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011 David Poole

Theme: Funny Business - Humorous re-interpretation of four common phrases to relate them to four comedians.

20A. Posh digs for comic Billy? : CRYSTAL PALACE. Billy Crystal clip. (2:54) The original Crystal Palace was a cast-iron and glass building erected in Hyde Park, London, England, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. Image.

34A. Rumors about comic Eric? : IDLE GOSSIP. Eric Idle Clip.(3:49) A founding member of Monty Python.

41A. Theme song for comic Chris? : ROCK ANTHEM. Chris Rock Clip.(2:33) An American comedian, was on SNL.

55A. Topics for comic Martin? : SHORT SUBJECTS. Martin Short Clip. (5:06) A Canadian actor who also is an alumnus of SNL.

Argyle here. Interview with David here. I thought today was harder than yesterday but many didn't agree with my assessment yesterday, so what do I know. Maybe these comedians are more familiar than yesterday's old songs.

Across:

1. Persian __ : GULF

5. Argentina's Perón : JUAN

9. Spectrum producer : PRISM

14. One of two Monopoly squares: Abbr. : UTIL. The utilities: the water works and the electric company.

15. Not a supporter : ANTI

16. Greek column type : IONIC

17. Morro Castle site : CUBA. Castillo de los Tres Reyes Magos del Morro is a picturesque fortress guarding the entrance to Havana bay in Havana, Cuba. Image.

18. Desktop image : ICON

19. Bakery array : CAKES

23. Owing too much money : IN A HOLE

24. Getaway for Gandhi : ASHRAM. A religious retreat or community where a Hindu holy man lives.

27. Feathery accessory : BOA

28. Barley beards : AWNS. Barley beards fan out. Anyone who has handled barley knows that the beards have serrated edges.(I didn't know. Maybe that's why they have the separate name for them. AWNS). Tiny barbs catch when you rub from the ends towards seeds. Image.

30. Latin 101 verb : AMO

31. Fine cotton : PIMA. The name Pima was applied in honor of the Pima Indians, who helped raise the cotton on USDA experimental farms in Arizona in the early 1900s.

37. Decree : EDICT

39. Spring mo. : APR.

40. Public commotion : SCENE

44. Yankee nickname since 2004 : A-ROD. Alexander Emmanuel "Alex" Rodriguez, third baseman.

45. Radius starting point: Abbr. : CTR. Center.

46. Lower intestinal parts : ILEA. We had this last Friday, October 21.

47. Work in a museum : ART

49. Major or Mrs. of old comics : HOOPLE. The Major. The strip was "Our Boarding House".

51. Deo __: thanks to God : GRATIAS

58. Sunday singers : CHOIR

60. Part of IBM: Abbr. : INTL.

61. "The Man Who Fell to Earth" director Nicolas : ROEG. Image.

62. Plunder : RIFLE

63. Abate : EASE

64. Give off, as light : EMIT

65. Sculls in a quad scull, e.g. : OCTAD. Eight.

66. 1974 Gould/Sutherland spoof : "SPYS"

67. Retreats with remotes : DENS

Down:

1. Name on some fashionable sunglasses : GUCCI

2. Complete reversal : U-TURN

3. Algeria neighbor : LIBYA

4. Scene from the past, in films : FLASHBACK

5. Game called zesta-punta in Basque : JAI ALAI

6. "I give up!" : "UNCLE!"

7. On : ATOP

8. 1492 caravel : NINA. Maybe like this ship.

9. Some cubist paintings : PICASSOs

10. Exterminator's target : ROACH

11. Feature of some pens : INK ERASER

12. "Sprechen __ Deutsch?" : SIE

13. Game show VIPs : MCs Master of Ceremonies

21. Furthermore : TOO

22. January 1st song word : LANG. "Auld Lang Syne"

25. Kind of acid in protein : AMINO

26. Hybrid bike : MOPED

28. Leader in Athens? : ALPHA. Greek alphabet.

29. Existed : WERE

31. Roost : PERCH

32. "What did __ deserve this?" : I DO TO

33. Windows manufacturer : MICROSOFT

35. Go out with : DATE

36. Strewn : SCATTERED

38. Like a well-fitting suit : TAILORED

42. D'back or Card : NLer

43. Aggies and steelies : MARBLES

48. British rule in India : RAJ

50. Temple U. setting : PHILA. Founded in 1884 in Philadelphia, PA.

51. Bold : GUTSY

52. "Ready or not, here __!" : I COME

53. Ordered takeout, say : ATE IN

54. NCOs two levels above cpl. : SSGTs. Staff Sergeant.

56. Exec's rackful : TIES

57. Breeze : SNAP

58. Zagreb's country, to the IOC : CRO

59. Blazin' Blueberry drink brand : HI-C

Answer grid.

Argyle

Monday, October 24, 2011 Michael Wiesenberg

Theme: Witty Ditties - Early rock-n-roll songs with rhyming, two-word titles.

18A. 1966 Tommy James and the Shondells hit : HANKY PANKY. Clip(2:53) Song Facts

26A. 1958 Connie Francis hit : STUPID CUPID. Clip(2:13) Wikipedia

44A. 1956 Little Richard hit : TUTTI FRUTTI. Clip(2:27) Song Facts

56A. 1965 Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs hit : WOOLY BULLY. Clip(2:21) Song Facts

Argyle here. A lot of you probably solved this faster than you could have listen to the songs. Michael Wiesenberg has only given us themeless puzzles before today's. Interview.

Across:

1. Use a rotary phone : DIAL

5. Common movie theater name meaning "jewel" : BIJOU

10. Cheat (out of) : BILK

14. Regarding : AS TO

15. Accustom (to) : ENURE. Variant spelling.

16. Cad : ROUE

17. Armstrong who took a "giant leap for mankind" : NEIL

20. Release : LET LOOSE

22. Comes up, as the sun : RISES

23. Not working : IDLE

24. Knock for a loop : STUN

30. Printer's widths : EMs

33. Is wearing : HAS ON

34. First application line to fill in : NAME

35. Sheep sound : BAA

36. "My turn to bat!" : "I'M UP!"

37. Untrue : FALSE

39. List of choices : MENU. 52A. Dinner alternative, on a 39-Across : À LA CARTE. Cousin to À LA MODE.

40. Fed. pollution monitor : EPA. Environmental Protection Agency.

41. Rani's wrap : SARI

42. Gave a hoot : CARED

43. Mineo of "Rebel Without a Cause" : SAL. Picture of Mineo, Dean and Wood.

47. Puts on : DONS

48. 1982 Disney sci-fi film : "TRON". TRON: Legacy (2010) was the follow-up.

49. Wedding site : ALTAR

59. Cat that roars : LION. Pop quiz: Non-roaring big cat is __?

60. Auditorium : HALL

61. Remark between actor and audience : ASIDE

62. Aware of : ON TO

63. Nothing but : ONLY

64. Do a lawn job : RESOD

65. Mellows, as wine : AGES

Down:

1. Pioneer Boone, folksily : DAN'L

2. "Understood" : "I SEE"

3. Working busily : AT IT

4. Sweet sucker : LOLLIPOP

5. "Look!" : "BEHOLD!"

6. "Right away!" : "IN A SEC". I guess "IN A SEC" is an answer to "Right away!" but hardly means the same thing.

7. Popular wedding month : JUNE

8. Comedic TV alien's planet : ORK. Mork from ORK, "Nanu Nanu!".

9. Turn you hang, in slang : UEY. Just one of the spellings.

10. Scarecrow's lack : BRAIN

11. Electrified particles : IONs

12. Gospel writer : LUKE

13. Islets : KEYS

19. Bluenose : PRUDE

21. Thor's father : ODIN

24. Luxury hotel bathroom features : SPAs

25. Clock readout : TIME

26. Acts skittish : SHIES

27. Florida city on its own bay : TAMPA

28. Pub order, with "the" : USUAL

29. Dark : UNLIT

30. Thumbs-up reviewer : EBERT. Roger.

31. "Olympia" painter Édouard : MANET. Painting.

32. Riyadh resident : SAUDI. Take a peek at some of the buildings, Google.

37. Goat-man of myth : FAUN. Like this old goat.

38. Painting and sculpture, e.g. : ARTS

39. Hawaiian volcano : MAUNA LOA

41. Building level : STORY

42. Swamp beast : CROC

45. "That's good enough" : "IT'LL DO"

46. On edge, as nerves : FRAYED

47. Dawdle : DALLY

49. Dr. Seuss's "Horton Hears __" : A WHO. "Boil that dust speck!"

50. Bank offer : LOAN

51. Bridge crossing charge : TOLL

52. Father-daughter boxers : ALIs. Laila and Mohammed.

53. Workplace for the 52-Down : RING

54. Handy bag : TOTE

55. Grandson of Adam who reputedly lived to 905 : ENOS

57. Place for a drink : BAR

58. Consume : USE

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday Oct 23, 2011 MaryEllen Uthlaut

Theme: "Gee Whiz" - G is added to the start of each common phrase.

22A. Potentially comforted by a bottle of Beefeater? : GIN CONSOLABLE. Inconsolable. The only entry where the base phrase is one word.

34A. Place for a complainer? : GRUMBLE SEAT. Rumble seat.

57A. Forty-niner after a lucky strike? : GOLD YELLER. "Old Yeller". And 109D. 49ers' org. : NFL. I'm guessing the constructor is a 49ers' fan. Constructors like to put their local teams in the clues/answers.

68A. Christian path to salvation? : GRACE TRACK. Race track.

89A. Stagehand splitting his sides? : GRIP ROARING. Rip-roaring.

107A. Like a baseball player who couldn't find his way to the field? : GLOVED AND LOST. Loved and lost. "Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."

16D. Ineptly prepared mess hall offering? : GRUB THE WRONG WAY. Rub the wrong way. Change the verb "rub" into a noun "grub".

42D. Man at the altar yet again? : GROOM FOR ONE MORE. Room for one more. The answer feels a bit awkward for the clue.

The theme makes me smile. Don and I have been working on a similar project.

It would very very cool not to any other G-word in fill. But it's quite challenging if not impossible in a 21*21 grid. Lots of Down 7's.

The puzzle was tough for me at a few spots. I had a much easy time with Gareth Bain's "Gas" last Sunday.

Across:

1. Marshy ground : MORASS. One more blank for my SWAMP.

7. Parties for royalty, say : FETES

12. Finger lever : TRIGGER. Did not come to me readily.

19. Too : OVERLY

20. Lively Baroque dances : GIGUES. Stumper. I think we've seen the singular GIGUE before.

21. Bench warmer : RESERVE

24. Cruel partner : UNUSUAL. Cruel and unusual.

25. Loosen, in a way : UNTIE

26. Rescued orphan in Byron's "Don Juan" : LEILA. No idea. Haltool might know.

27. Cutlass maker : OLDS

28. Eagle's org. : BSA. First thought was PGA.

29. Be inclined : LEAN. And 51. Is inclined : TENDS.

30. 1994 World Cup host : USA. Any important event in your life in 1994? I graduated from the college and broke up with my first boyfriend of 7 years.

31. Carts without fixed sides : DRAYS

33. "Take __ from me ..." : A TIP

39. Community character : ETHOS. This word always gives me trouble.

40. Boxer's greeting : WAG. Dog.

43. Catch sight of : ESPY

44. Blue gem, briefly : LAPIS

45. Worry-free : SERENE. JD always has a serene look.

46. Scrape : ABRADE

48. Kept talking, and talking ... : RAN ON. Any man who's been in Bangkok for even one night can talk hours and hours about his story. Sin city, Santa!

49. Spread here and there : STREW

50. Some electron tubes : DIODES

52. Mailing ctr. : GPO

53. Johnson of "Laugh-In" : ARTE

56. Run to Reno, maybe : ELOPE. Or get divorced.

59. Double-minded : TORN. Roberto hates when I hesitate. He's the most efficient person I know.

60. Rep.'s opponent : DEM

61. Dolphin's home : MIAMI. Don't follow football. Are Miami Dolphins historically good? Vikings suck.

63. Is in need of : LACKS

65. Critic's pick : NIT. Ha ha!

66. Data : INFO

72. Celtic, for one : CAGER

74. Inert gas : NEON

75. Show stoppers : ADs

76. Hag : CRONE

77. Be half-asleep : DROWSE

78. Chaucerian estate manager : REEVE. I bet it's a gimme for Nice Cuppa. I'm lost if the clue has no "Christopher" in it.

80. San Antonio landmark : ALAMO

81. Treat with carbon dioxide : AERATE. I have no idea what they put in.

82. Quality : CHOICE

84. Word with land or sea : SCAPE

85. Seem less important : PALE

87. "You betcha!" : YES. Very Minnesotan.

88. Many an Indian : HINDU. Hi there Vidwan! Don't be a mouse.

92. Surface statistic : AREA

93. Aromatic compound : ESTER

95. Three abroad : TRE

96. Spell opening : ABRA

100. Sleep lab letters : REM

101. Vintage autos : REOS

102. Hyperion, for one : TITAN

104. Challenging winds : OBOES. Why is it challenging?

105. Riot figures : LOOTERS

110. The Urals divide it : EURASIA

111. Like a jack-o'-lantern's eyes : AGLARE

112. Time of merriment : FIESTA. I like the sound of this word.

113. Completely absorbed (in) : STEEPED. This is a fascinating video. Can you guess what the song is about? It's in Cantonese.

114. Striking hammer parts : PEENS

115. "Help!" film director Richard : LESTER

Down:

1. Mound on the slopes : MOGUL. For Marti.

2. Woolly, in a way : OVINE. In a way, yes.

3. Oscar de la __ : RENTA. Laura Bush's favorite designer.

4. Like an arrow in the air : ARCING

5. Blackthorn fruit : SLOE

6. Genuine, for real: Abbr. : SYN. Genuine is a synonym of "real".

7. Befitting offspring : FILIAL. This kid is already pondering on his filial duty.

8. Alike, to Alain : EGAL. The only Alain I can think of is Alain Delon.

9. Big brass : TUBA

10. Snaky fish : EEL. Yum! Snake meat is quite tasty too.

11. Boston-to-Nantucket dir. : SSE

12. Indeed : TRULY

13. Tears apart : RENDS

14. "We have met the enemy and he __": Pogo : IS US

15. Some microwaves : GEs

17. Taxpayer's crime : EVASION

18. Take a turn for the worse : RELAPSE

20. Is called : GOES BY

23. Stretch with no hits : SLUMP. Boomer loves Pujols. So, go Cardinals!

27. Porridge, essentially : OATS

31. State under oath : DEPOSE

32. "Still Falls the __": Edith Sitwell poem : RAIN

33. "You're in for __!" : A TREAT

35. Cash in : REDEEM

36. Exploits : USES

37. Twisty-horned antelope : ELAND. Horny!

38. Like many beaches : SANDY

39. Always, in verse : EER

40. Began energetically : WADED IN. This phrase always has a "careful and tentative" connotation to me.

41. Texas city near Dyess Air Force Base : ABILENE

45. Baby carrier? : STORK. Fun clue.

47. Payroll service giant, initially : ADP. Automated Data Processing.

48. Civil War cannon, e.g. : RELIC

49. Paint droplet : SPECK

51. Inquisitor __ de Torquemada : TOMAS. Spanish for Thomas, right?

52. Iced, as cake : GLACE

54. Italian seaport : TRIESTE. So similar to TRISTE.

55. Main courses : ENTREES

57. Avant-__ : GARDE

58. South American plain : LLANO. Still remember LLANERO?

62. "__ my love a cherry ..." : I GAVE

64. Filter out : SCREEN

67. Iroquois tribe : ONEIDA

69. Food that's French for "flash of lightning" : ECLAIR. Did not know the entomology.

70. "The Sound of Music" family name : TRAPP

71. Former Colorado governor : ROMER (Roy). Complete stranger to me. Looks like he's late for a date.

73. "__ b?" : A OR

77. Spanish surrealist : DALI

79. Coin first minted under Louis IX : ECU. Two choice: ECU or SOU.

80. It might be a whole lot : ACRE

82. Dickens's Darnay : CHARLES. from "A Tale of Two Cities".

83. Offer one's services for a fee : HIRE OUT

84. Certain NCOs : SGTs

85. Mardi Gras event : PARADE

86. Boston's TD Garden, e.g. : ARENA

90. Web-footed mammals : OTTERS

91. Triangular house sections : GABLES. Melissa linked a good one last time.

93. Spine-tingling : EERIE

94. "Alas!" : SO SAD

97. Upward thrust : BOOST

98. Rouen remainder : RESTE. French for "rest" I suppose.

99. Sirius, for one : A-STAR

101. Breathing: Abbr. : RESP. Respiring?

102. Gilded metalware : TOLE. Like this.

103. One of the Karamazovs : IVAN

104. Comic strip drooler : ODIE

106. __ kwon do : TAE

107. Mountain pass : GAP

108. T-shirt size : LGE

Answer grid.

C.C.