Thursday, December 22, 2011 John Lampkin

Theme: Who Wears the Pants in the Family? Different kinds of pants are hidden in this puzzle's theme entries.

17A. *Neat, practical types, so it's said : CAPRICORNS. CAPRIS are pants named for the Isle of Capri in Italy. They were popularized by Grace Kelly, who often wore them while visiting the island.

58A. *Easter Bunny's delivery : JELLY BEANS. The now ubiquitous JEANS were originally the working man's pants, until they were popularized among teens in the '50s when James Dean sported them in "Rebel Without a Cause".

10D. *Ceremonial flag carriers : COLOR GUARDS. CORDS, or corduroy pants were never popularized. They do, however, have their own "Appreciation Day" on 1/11 and 11/11 each year. 11/11/11 was considered the holiest of corduroy appreciation days...

24D. *Arch supports, e.g. : SHOE INSERTS. SHORTS come in many styles, including cargo shorts, bermuda shorts, cut-offs and boxer shorts, among others. But I'll just link a picture that includes one popular style.

And the amusing unifier:

38A. Different kinds of them are split (but not in an embarrassing way) in the four starred answers : PANTS.

Marti here, happy to be blogging this delightful offering from John Lampkin. I like the fact that all four theme entries are plural. Having them in a pinwheel pattern adds to the visual effect of splitting, don't you think?

Across:

1. Popped (out) : FLIED. I was thinking "appeared", as out of nowhere. But of course, a baseball term referring to a high flying ball would throw me off!

6.Pet welfare org. : SPCA. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. My pets have them on speed dial, because they always feel like I am starving them to death...

10.Swear : CUSS. Anyone else have "avow"?

14.One drawing a bead : AIMER

15. Feeds, as cattle : HAYS. We had the discussion of straw Vs. hay yesterday. I will call on those same experts to let me know if this is the term commonly used when feeding cattle?

16.Kevin's "A Fish Called Wanda" role : OTTO. Kevin Kline. Funny movie.

19.Father of Cordelia : LEAR. The king. Shakespeare.

20.Slip : ERR

21.Swore : VOWED. Not enough letters for "cussed"...

22.Piano's opposite, in a score : FORTE. "Piano" meaning "soft", not to be confused with 25. Keys for a music room? : IVORIES.

23.Rhone feeder : ISERE. Seine, Loire, Saone...how many five letter rivers can you name?

27.Department store employees : CASHIERS

30.Dog days mo. : AUG

31.Sing like Michael Bublé : CROON. I guess this guy is a little more modern than Big Crosby.

32.Is leery of : MISTRUSTS

37.Kin of -ess : ENNE

39.Make __ with: impress : A HIT

40.Radiation detection device : DOSIMETER

42.Inclined (to) : PRONE

43.Here-there link : NOR. Yes, but that's neither here nor there...

44.Invaded, with "on" : WAGED WAR

46.Epitome of thickness : PEA SOUP. No, the epitome of thickness is me at 11:00 at night, trying to figure out a crossword puzzle...

50.Clutch : GRASP

51.Insect-trapping resin : AMBER. This would creep me out if I had to wear it around my neck...

52.Man of many words : ROGET. Thesaurus man.

54.Le Mans law : LOI. Abejo, another French word for you to learn!

57.Kind of miss : NEAR.

60.Bar peel : ZEST. Like the zest of a lemon or lime, not the bar of soap!

61.Pulitzer-winning author James : AGEE. "A Death in the Family" (autobiography).

62.As if it were scripted : ON CUE

63.Mars, to the Greeks : ARES

64.Lout : BOOR

65.Ninnies : GEESE

Down:

1.Deal with : FACE

2.Whopper creator : LIAR. I was trying to think of the name of the Burger King owner. But Kramer and Burns wouldn't fit.

3.Puts away : IMPRISONS. I was still off on that Burger King tangent, and wanted "wolfs down".

4.It's always in Shakespeare : E'ER. Clever clue for the poetic "always".

5.Big screen locale : DRIVE-IN

6.Slip preventer : SHOWER MAT

7.Peel : PARE. Not to be confused with zest.

8.Singer Lauper : CYNDI. I'll let her fan link a song.

9.Beast of burden : ASS

11.Wombs : UTERI

12.Country : STATE. "Sovereign state".

13.Abrasions : SORES

18.Innermost part : CORE. Not to be confused with peel...

22.Final complement, perhaps : FOUR. ??As in, final four teams competing for the play-offs?? I had trouble with this clue. (From C.C.: NCAA's Final Four. Elite Eight. Sweet Sixteen.)

26.Relatives of drums : VATS. Lots of tricky clues today. In this case, "drums" refer to metal containers (like oil drums), not the things you play.

27.Emailed a dupe to : CC'ED. And a hat tip to our fearless leader.

28.Cartoonist Peter : ARNO. Now deceased, his political cartoons once appeared regularly in "The New Yorker".

29.Resilient strength : SINEW. Again, a tricky meaning for the word.

33.Poky follower : STRAGGLER. I was thinking "MON?", until I realized that poky was being used as an adjective here. Anyway, it's Pokémon, not Pokymon.

34.Hearst Castle, for one : SHOWPLACE. Has anyone else been there? No argument from me about it being a showplace!

35.Brown of publishing : TINA. I think she is still editor of "Newsweek" and "The Newsweek Daily Beast" (its joint venture)?

36.Dump closing? : STER. Dumpster.

38.Chincha Islands country : PERU. I tried to get you a map, but the islands are so small, even google maps can't see them...

41.Marshy wasteland : MOOR. Anyone else think of Heathcliff? And then there is the clecho with: 42.Marshy fuel source : PEAT BOG.

45.Neutral shade in London : GREY. As opposed to "gray" spelling, in New York.

46.Quixote's squire Sancho : PANZA

47.Arab chieftain : EMEER

48.Demean : ABASE

49.Barilla rival : PREGO. I use Barilla pasta, but always make my own sauce.

53.Butter alternative : OLEO.

55.Albatross : ONUS. Like an albatross around your neck...

56."Got it" : I SEE.

58.Punch that might make you reel : JAB. HaHa, I wanted to somehow fit "spiked eggnog" in there.

59.Yachtsman's course: Abbr. : ENE. Now I'm off to set my course for bed!

Answer grid.

Hugs,

Marti

Notes from C.C.:

1) Welcome back, Jeanie! I miss your presence and the warmth you always bring to the blog.

2) Here is a beautiful photo from John Lampkin, taken in October. He said "This is a cloud of Queen butterflies taken at Falcon Dam, near Roma Texas. A group of volunteers maintain a natural garden there packed with native butterfly-friendly plants. As a result, it's a mecca for butterflies and butterfly enthusiasts of which there are many. At times it's like walking through a fairyland."

Wednesday, December 21, 2011 Donna S. Levin

Theme: Je suis chaude* aka FEVER, aka "I got the hots!"

17A. Crisp cylindrical appetizer : SPRING ROLL. Translation from the Chinese, 春卷 (Thank you Wikipedia.) A rolled, filled appetizer common in Asian cuisine, with lots of local variation in wrapper, filling and nomenclature. SPRING FEVER: an ill-defined feeling of restlessness, excitement or laziness, brought about the onset of Spring.

27A. Tango necessity : DANCE PARTNER. One with whom you dance, natch. Example. DANCE FEVER: a disco-era TV variety show featuring couples in dance-off competitions.

38A. Jaunt that might get straw in your hair : HAY RIDE. I'll let Windhover riff on the differences between HAY and straw. (Sorry for the omission earlier.)

46A. Pleasure craft : CABIN CRUISER. A power boat with inside accommodations for passengers and crew. Pick the one you like. CABIN FEVER. A feeling of claustrophobia, restlessness, boredom and/or depression resulting from being confined for an extended period with little or nothing to do.

And the unifier: 63A. State of excitement (generated by the starts of 17-, 27-, 38- and 46-Across?) : FEVER PITCH. This also implies energetic or frenzied activity. Origin is not well known, but feverish can relate to an over-wrought or delirious state, so there might be that kind of connection.

* We recently had a discussion about how one must be careful in translating "I am hot," into German, with obvious opportunities for unintended misunderstanding. I believe the same hazards exist with translating into French, but will defer to the resident expert on such matters. Kazie?

Hi, gang. JazzBumpa here. Let's try not to get too overheated as we explore today's entry.

Across:

1. Powder for Junior : TALC. Talcum powder, sure. I don't like this kind of imprecise clue. How about for sis, or mom -- or dad, for that matter?

5. Cyberzines : E-MAGS. For virtual reading.

10. Sudden show of energy : BANG. "Sudden" is a bit of understatement for something explosive.

14. Ho-hum : BLAH. Bored with the banality. I can't remember the last time I was unbusy enough to feel that kind of blah.

15. Prepare for a road trip : GAS UP. Fuel for the auto.

16. Barbra's "Funny Girl" co-star : OMAR Sharif, aka Michael Demitri Shalhoub, an Egyptian actor best known for playing the part of a Russian. Funny how these things work out.

19. Iditarod destination : NOME. End point for the famous Alaskan dog sled race. Also the capital of Nome Man's land.

20. Brazil discoverer Cabral : PEDRO. Will anybody remember this historical fact the next time it comes up?

21. Season to be jolly : YULE. The Winter solstice, back in the day; now Christmas, etc. Be jolly, or YULE be sorry!

22. At liberty : FREE.

23. Founding father? : ADAM. Leading man from the Book of Genesis. Unlike Rhett, ADAM did give A DAMN. Especially after the encounter with that DAMN COBRA.

25. Superlatively spooky : EERIEST. Not to be confused with EYRIEST, superlatively like an Eagle's nest, or ERIEST, superlatively like that lake by Put-In Bay.

31. Collegiate climber : IVY. There has to be a great poem about those IVY covered walls. C.A,?

32. Fury : IRE. White hot anger. Can sometimes be seen at a FEVER PITCH.

33. Country with a five-sided flag : NEPAL. A small South-Asian country high in the Himalayan Mountains between China and India. The five-sided flag.

37. Strive : VIE. Not exactly. One may strive - that is, make great goal-directed effort totally alone, and disconnected from anything else. To VIE indicates competition for something. Per Mirriam-Webster on line, derivation is via Anglo-French envier to invite, call on, challenge.

41. Samuel Adams Summer __ : ALE. Now this is a popular topic at the corner. I've recently discovered Detroit Lager, and recommend it highly (so to speak.)

42. Words on a fictional cake : EAT ME. Alice in Wonderland.

44. Article in Le Monde? : UNE. More French.

45. 1988 Ryan/Quaid remake : D.O.A. Quaid plays Dexter Cornell, an English Professor who finds people around him dying, - well, murdered actually - and also gets comfort from Sydney Fuller, one of his students, played by Meg Ryan. I do find the thought of 1988 vintage (pre-technical augmentation) Meg Ryan to be rather comforting.

51. Collapsed : CAVED IN. Apt description.

54. Not domestic, as a flight: Abbr. : INTL. International

55. Available, as a job : OPEN. Not nearly enough of them these days.

56. Give __: okay : A NOD. A NOD of the head signals assent. A shake of the head - well . . . no.

58. Keebler staff : ELVES. Since all the ELVES went over to Keebler, Santa has had to hire a legion of replacement workers. He calls them subordinate Clauses.

62. Suds, so to speak : BEER. Do I detect a sub-theme - or a suds theme?

65. Auctioned auto : REPO. Short for repossessed. Not to be confused with the kind of person who needs a second exorcism.

66. Prepare for more printing : RE-INK. Ink fuels the printing press. In the future, it will be re-pixelate.

67. Radar's favorite pop : NEHI. Radar O'Reilly On M*A*S*H. One would assume it goes well with a Hungarian Hot Dog.

68. Vaulted recess : APSE. In a house of ill repute, such a niche is known as a sin APSE.

69. Supplement : ADD TO. Nothing more to say about this.

70. Privy to : IN ON.

Down:

1. 1/2 fl. oz. : TBSP. Tablespoon. Note Abrv. in Cl. & ans.

2. Mont Blanc, par exemple : ALPE. I'm guessing White Mountain in the French Alps. Can any of our world travelers verify?

3. Pie baker's shortening : LARD. As I understand it, the heavier the shortening, the lighter and flakier the crust. Jeannie?

4. Sarkozy's predecessor : CHIRAC. Jacques Chirac should be the start of a nursery rhyme, like Jack Spratt. At least he was actually French. Sarkozy's father was nagybócsai Sárközy Pál, a thoroughly obnoxious Hungarian aristocrat.

5. Food in a shell : EGG. What - no pistachios?

6. Echoic nursery rhyme opening : MARY MARY, quite contrary, how does your garden grow? With Spratty Jack and Jacques Chirac and Sárközy in a row.

7. Not worth __: valueless : A SOU. An erstwhile French coin of little value. I wanted A FIG.

8. Esophagus : GULLET. Esophagus sounds more sophisticated, but less Anglo-Saxon. Either way, you swallow through it.

9. It might be vented : SPLEEN. Vent one's SPLEEN. This colorful phrase goes back to medieval times, when the SPLEEN was thought to be the source of melancholy. By the 16th century it had been reassigned to rage and ill-temper. Venting, of course is letting it all out, possibly at a FEVER PITCH.

10. Homecoming tradition : BONFIRE. College homecoming tradition, not arriving home from work.

11. Love, in Livorno : AMORE. That should be Napoli. Take it away Dino.

12. Proper nouns : NAMES. Frex: nagybócsai Sárközy Pál

13. Welcome : GREET. Hey, how a' ya, Aloha, good buddy.

18. Junction point : NODE. I assume you all knowed that.

24. Samoa's largest city : APIA. I'm guessing this has nothing to do with bees. Check it out. Sometimes I imagine the LW is Polynesian. Whenever she kisses me, I want Samoa.

26. Philosopher Descartes : RENE. Also Jacques Chirac's middle name.

27. Greasy spoon : DIVE. I will defer to Guy Fieri. (If you're at work, turn off your speaker.)

28. Nike rival : AVIA. Comfortable foot wear.

29. Russian refusal : NYET. I'll be you all no'ed that one, too.

30. Summer tube fare : RE RUN. Oh. TV tube. D'OH! My mind was running to tube floating and tube tops. Is that fare?

34. Paw bottoms : PADS. The bottoms of dog's dogs.

35. Soothing succulent : ALOE. The best herbal discovery ever, for cross word constructors.

36. Shakespearean father of three : LEAR. The King had three daughters: Goneril, which sounds like a disease; Regan, which sounds like a B-movie actor; and Cordelia, which sounds like a Secretary of State.

38. Leader : HEAD. Could be a president, like Chirac.

39. Occurrence : INCIDENT. It might involve a DAMN COBRA.

40. Hollywood's Laura or Bruce : DERN. Actors.

43. Bad boy of 1970s-'80s tennis : McENROE. John, famous for his FEVER PITCHED SPLEEN ventings.

47. 1960s African famine site : BIAFRA. A region of southern Nigeria, a make-believe country and part of the detritus of the crumbled British Empire. The Igbo people of Biafra had little in common with the more northern Nigerians, and seceded in 1967. War ensued. The wages of war is famine. Thus has it ever been.

48. Lacking : IN NEED. No need to riff on this idea.

49. Sch. near the Rio Grande : UTEP. University of Texas at El Paso. I think they might have a basketball team.

50. "Fighting" Big Ten team : ILLINI. Nickname for the teams from the University of Illinois.

51. Lethal snake : COBRA. I wanted VIPER.

52. "Not __ out of you!": "Shh!" : A PEEP. This is what Little Bo said to quiet her sheep.

53. Senate tie breakers, briefly : VEEPS. The Vice President (VEEP) of the U.S. is the President of the Senate, and only casts a vote to break a tie.

57. "Metamorphoses" poet : OVID. Got the V from the perp and took a swag.

59. Former Formula One car engine : V-TEN. I do believe the VIPER still has it.

60. Reverberate : ECHO. I've heard that before.

61. Commonly bruised bone : SHIN. Down in the ankle region there isn't much meat between skin and bone.

64. "Citizen Kane" studio : RKO. Radio-Keith-Orpheum Pictures, from the 30's and 40's. Their roster of stars included Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Katherine Hepburn, Robert Mitchum and Cary Grant. How's that for a list of proper nouns?

Answer grid.

Very clean and solid puzzle, and just about right for a Wednesday. Just what we'd expect from Donna. Now it's time for me to cool down and HEAD for bed.

Cheers!

JzB

Tuesday, December 20, 2011 Steven J. St. John

Theme: A Winning Hand - Most of the time, four kings will take the pot.

20A. 33/63-Across, in golf : ARNOLD PALMER

28A. 33/63-Across, in stock car racing : RICHARD PETTY

45A. 33/63-Across, in swing music : BENNY GOODMAN

54A. 33/63-Across, in rock 'n' roll : ELVIS PRESLEY

33A/63A. With 63-Across, nickname for four immortals in this puzzle : THE and 63-Across. See 33-Across : KING

Argyle here, among the royalty. Our second puzzle from Steven and he's come through again. (His first one). Amazing all four names had the same numbers of letters. A pangram, too!

Across:

1. Indian royals : RAJAs

6. Pulitzer-winning columnist Maureen : DOWD. Columnist on The New York Times.

10. Popular British brew : BASS

14. Kuwaiti neighbor : IRAQI

15. Albany-to-Buffalo canal : ERIE

16. Game point, in tennis : AD IN

17. Make a case : ARGUE

18. Actor Kilmer et al. : VALs

19. Not common : RARE

23. Kirby Puckett and Mickey Mantle, by pos. : CFs. Centerfielders.

26. Tech sch. near Albany : RPI. Across the Hudson in Troy. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

27. Withered with age : WIZENED

31. See 7-Down : EXAM 7-Down. With 31-Across, postgraduate test : ORAL

32. Words with a nod : "I SEE"

36. Mark replacements : EUROS

38. Ran into : MET

39. West Indies native : CARIB. They are an Amerindian people whose origins lie in the southern West Indies and the northern coast of South America.

41. Secretly watch, with "on" : SPY

42. Holler's partner : HOOT

44. 2011 Libyan arms embargo enforcement gp. : NATO

49. Climbed on : BOARDED

52. Imperfect, as mdse. : IRR.

53. Hog's home : STY

57. Family group : CLAN

58. Suffix for the wealthy : AIRE. (millionaire)

59. Protect : GUARD

64. "Top Chef" judge Simmons : GAIL. Chefs compete against each other in culinary challenges on the cable television network Bravo. Gail Simmons was born in Toronto, Canada, and has been a judge on the show from the start.

65. Like mentors vis-à-vis mentees, usually : OLDER

66. Complete collections : SETS

67. Differ ender : ENCE. (Difference)

68. High-maintenance : NEEDY

Down:

1. Estuary : RIA. That part of the mouth a river in which the river's current meets the sea's tide.

2. LAX touchdown : ARR. (Arrival)

3. Drinking binge : JAG

4. Color similar to turquoise : AQUA

5. __ Nevada mountain range : SIERRA

6. Bereft (of) : DEVOID

8. Setting for saloons and shootouts : WILD WEST

9. Regardless of : DESPITE

10. Beer grain : BARLEY

11. Rhett Butler's final words : A DAMN. Everyone should have it this time,

12. Yes-Bob connection : SIREE

13. Wooden Mortimer : SNERD. Mortimer Snerd was the secondary dummy of Edgar Bergen, and appeared with Bergen and Charlie McCarthy.

21. "All Things Considered" airer : NPR. National Public Radio.

22. Templo Mayor worshiper : AZTEC. The Templo Mayor was one of the main temples of the Aztecs in their capital city of Tenochtitlan, which is now Mexico City.

23. Alberta natives : CREEs

24. Renovate : FIX UP

25. Frightening : SCARY

29. Health care gp. : HMO

30. Devoutness : PIETY

33. Mine transports : TRAMS

34. Attempt to strike : HIT AT

35. Black wood : EBONY

37. Loses, as winter fur : SHEDS

38. Dutch artist Piet : MONDRIAN. Not my cup of tea but here is a Google's worth of his art.

40. Also : AND

43. Résumé length, often : ONE PAGE

45. Raises, as a subject, with "in" : BRINGS

46. Brazilian supermodel Bündchen : GISELE. Nice image.

47. The Magic of the NBA : ORL. The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida.

48. Washington rival, in college sports : OREGON. The states.

49. Bremen brew : BECKS

50. Stan's sidekick : OLLIE. Laurel and Hardy

51. __-garde : AVANT

55. Old Norse mariner : ERIC the Red.

56. Eggnog season : YULE

60. Suffix with Gator : ADE

61. Wine choice : RED

62. Wine choice : DRY. Shiraz, just love the name.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Monday, December 19, 2011 Don Gagliardo & C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Naval Assent - Three entries use a modified "Aye, aye" to start their phrase.

17A. Service available at hotspots : WI-FI ACCESS

39A. Place to see droids or tribbles : SCI-FI CONVENTION

64A. Home theater component : HI-FI SYSTEM

Argyle here with latest offering from the Crusiverbic Duo. Constructor's comments at the bottom.

Across:

1. English or French instrument : HORN. English, French.

5. Phi Beta __ : KAPPA

10. Unit in a plan : STEP

14. Cookie since 1912 : OREO

15. Just picked from the tree : FRESH

16. Schoolbook : TEXT

19. "Phooey!" : "RATS!"

20. Goes bad, as milk : SOURS

21. Sax register : ALTO

22. Pub order : ALE

23. PC key on either side of the space bar : ALT

24. Josh : KID

26. "Laughing" critter : HYENA

28. Does and bucks : DEER

30. Performer's song assortment : MEDLEY

34. Some ER cases : ODs

35. Historical period : ERA

37. Aches and pains : AILMENTS

43. Jet-setter's document : PASSPORT

44. Gen. Lee's side : CSA

45. Oils and such : ART

46. Optimistic : UPBEAT

48. Hitchhiker's ride : LIFT

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

54. Chi follower : PSI. (Greek)

56. Morse T : DAH. (code)

57. "__ pig's eye!" : IN A

58. Trade : SWAP

61. "Time in a Bottle" singer Jim : CROCE. Clip.(2:25)

63. 44-Across soldiers : REBS

66. Very dry, as Champagne : BRUT

67. Daytime talk star : OPRAH

68. Yea or nay : VOTE

69. __ of Man : ISLE. Crossword staple.

70. China's unofficial national flower : PEONY

71. Blog entry : POST

Down:

1. "What a pity!" : "HOW SAD!"

2. Baltimore baseballer : ORIOLE

3. Disprove : REFUTE

4. Pinot __: red wine : NOIR

5. Col. Sanders's company : KFC

6. Gaming area : ARCADE

7. Spa treatment : PEEL

8. Sibilant "Over here!" : "PSST!"

9. Facetious "I get it now" : "AH, SO"

10. Alley cat, e.g. : STRAY

11. "Tower Heist" actress : TEA LEONI. Poster for the movie.

12. Reach as far as, as property vis-à-vis its boundary : EXTEND TO

13. NBA stats : PTs. Points, further broken down into 3-pointers, field goals and foul shots.

18. "If you don't know, __" : ASK

25. Original "Dragnet" words after "My name is Friday" : "I'M A COP"

26. Mass songs : HYMNS

27. Part of PGA: Abbr. : ASSN.

29. Whistle blowers : REFs

31. "Inferno" author : DANTE

32. Actress Tyler : LIV. Picture with short hair.

33. Puts in office : ELECTS

36. Tear to pieces : RIP UP

38. List-ending abbr. : ET AL.

39. Lovers' quarrel : SPAT

40. Transportation companies : CARRIERS

41. Turkey's largest city : ISTANBUL

42. Globe : ORB

47. Rome's __ Way : APPIAN. Map.

49. "Ditto" : "I DO, TOO"

50. Diamond surfaces : FACETS

51. Lincoln Center opera setting, familiarly : THE MET

53. Partner of cut, in editing : PASTE

55. Emotionally distant : ICY

58. Barber's workplace : SHOP

59. Sponge (off) : WIPE

60. Fluffed-up hairdo : AFRO

62. Answer an invite : RSVP

63. Batter's stat : RBI

65. Like a wallflower : SHY

Answer grid.

Argyle

Constructor note:

Don came up with this theme. We searched for all the *I FI * phrases with rhyming Long I pattern and settled for the current set. With only 3 theme entries, we tried our best filling in as many long & Monday-friendly answers as we can.

Sunday Dec 18, 2011 Jim Holland

(Please click here to solve the LA Times Daily Crossword in old format.)

Theme: "E-Tails" - A well-known surname in the pattern of *E replaces the * part of each common phrase.

23A. Hockey legend makes a particular fashion statement? : HOWE DOES THIS LOOK. How does this look? "Mr Hockey"Gordie Howe.

32A. New England senator's winter tools? : SNOWE SHOVELS. Snow shovels. Senator Olympia Snowe (Maine). The only girl in the theme set. She's spunky.

48A. Author Thomas blows a tune? : WOLFE WHISTLES. Wolf whistles. Thomas Wolfe.

65A. Author Graham's lament? : IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREENE. It's Not Easy Being Green. BBC Two program. An unknown grid-spanner to me. Graham Greene.

88A. Writer Oscar's groupies? : THE WILDE BUNCH. The Wild Bunch. Oscar Wilde.

102A. Routines that crack up patriot Thomas? : PAINE KILLERS. Paine killers. Thomas Paine.

116A. Maintain vital info on actor Rob? : KEEP A LOWE PROFILE. Keep a low profile. Rob Lowe.

Very tight and consistent theme. Quite a range of names: politician, writers, actor, etc.

Do you have the feeling that constructor Jim Holland is fun to be around? I like today's clues a lot. The non-theme fill is really lively also. Here are my favorite:

91A. Seductive greeting on the docks : HI SAILOR. Did you get such greeting in your Navy days, Spitzboov/eddy?

6D. Frat social : BEER BASH

Across:

1. Grades : MARKS

6. X3 and Z4 : BMWs. Stumper for me.

10. Pumped (up) : AMPED

15. Ripe, so to speak : GAMY. I've never used "ripe" to describe meat.

19. Ecuadoran province named for a metal : EL ORO. Literally "the gold".

20. Cream's Clapton : ERIC

21. New York restaurateur : SARDI. Of Sardi's.

22. An orchestra tunes to one : OBOE. I think Jazzbumpa explained this before.

26. Adds (up) : TOTS

27. Beatles title critter : THE WALRUS. "I am The Walrus".

28. One may be chartered : BOAT

29. Water holder : LEVEE

30. Rhein tributary : AARE

31. Two-bagger: Abbr. : DBL (Double). To answer your question, Hondo, I thought Cuddyer would be with Twins forever also. But money and pride matter more to players and their agents.

35. Olympics chant : USA USA

37. "Well played" : NICE ONE. Nice.

38. Pampering place : SPA

41. Hist. majors' degrees : BAs

42. Business abbr. : INC

44. Provençal capers spread : TAPENADE. Any secret recipe, Steve?

53. Guitar great Paul : LES

54. Concert beginning? : DIS. Disconcert.

55. According to : AS PER

56. Connect (with) : LIAISE

57. Car roofs with removable panels : T-TOPS

59. Deportment : MIEN. Learned this from doing Xword.

60. "So-so" reactions : EHs

62. Wyoming hrs. : MST

63. Mumbai nurse : AMAH. I only know the "nanny" meaning.

73. Cyberseller's site : EBAY

74. Workers' rights assurance, in ads : EEO. Or EOE.

75. Bill dispenser : ATM

76. Sharp relative : FLAT

77. Put up : BUILT

80. Talk show host spanning five decades : CAVETT (Dick)

83. Mel of many voices : BLANC

84. Fido's response : ARF

85. In back : AFT

94. Caviar, e.g. : ROE. So what's your favorite bread spread?

95. Like USN volunteers : ENL (Enlisted)

96. Narc's org. : DEA

97. Most idiotic : INANEST. Looks like "in a nest".

100. Works with dough : KNEADS

106. Stand beverage : ADE

107. Quarterback Tony : ROMO. Good golfer also.

111. One way to think : ALOUD

112. "Say Anything ..." actress Skye : IONE. Daughter of Donovan.

113. Final, maybe : ESSAY EXAM. We did not have a specific essay exam. It's always the final part of Chinese literature exam.

115. Split apart : REND

119. Jazz combo : TRIO

120. Established fact : GIVEN

121. Bit of Realtor slang : RELO. Why is "Realtor" capitalized?

122. Coupe alternative : SEDAN

123. Pre-wedding party : STAG. Splynter probably will get a few booty dancers.

124. Hägar's hound : SNERT. "Hägar the Horrible". Created by DIK (14D. Cartoonist Browne)
Hey, Browne is another E ending name.

125. Formerly, once : ERST

126. Low Hold 'em pair : TREYS

Down:

1. Bombay-born conductor : MEHTA (Zubin). Wiki said he's Music Director for Life of Israel Philharmonic.

2. Pacific greeting : ALOHA. Hi there, JD.

3. Oarsman : ROWER

4. Mardi Gras parade group : KREWE. Pronounced as "crew". Got me again, Hahtool!

5. Scotch partner : SODA

7. Enterprise helmsman : MR SULU. "Star Trek".

8. It's good to keep them about you : WITS. "Keep your wits about you" is a new phrase to me also.

9. It may be elem. : SCH

10. Part of ASAP : AS SOON

11. Zambia neighbor : MALAWI

12. Take under one's wing : PROTECT

13. Old Tokyo Bay capital : EDO

15. Had one's revenge : GOT EVEN

16. Overhead : ABOVE

17. __ 6 : MOTEL

18. Okays : YESES

24. "A stitch in time ...," e.g. : OLD SAW

25. Mideast "son of" : IBN. Arabic.

29. Texas flag symbol : LONE STAR

32. Big bag carrier : SANTA. I bet Argyle did not nail this.

33. Ball-balancing performer : SEAL. Not Heidi Klum's Seal.

34. Cross one's fingers : HOPE. For Creature, Lemonade, Clear Ayes, Southern Belle, etc, for a healthy and happy 2012.

35. Prefix with mensch : UBER. Ubermensch. Superman.

36. Enthusiastic acceptance, in Acapulco : SI, SI

38. Eastern guru : SWAMI

39. Assume : POSIT

40. Barre des Écrins range : ALPES. Barre des Écrins is a mountain in the French Alps. Also unknown to me.

43. Surmount : CLIMB OVER

45. Fuss : ADO

46. Guacamole, for one : DIP.

47. Ogee shape : ESS

49. Aromatic herb : FENNEL

50. Rick's love : ILSA. "Casablanca".

51. Caesar's being : ESSE

52. "Contact" acronym : SETI

58. Bad thing to catch : THE FLU

60. Hr. affected by delays : ETA

61. "Yo!" : HEY

63. Rep. with a cut : AGT

64. Vegas's __ Grand : MGM

66. Put one's hands on : OBTAINED

67. Cainites, e.g. : SECT

68. Listless assent, perhaps : YEAH

69. S.F. Giants' league : NATL (National). Giants are the 2010 World Series champs. Look forward to Ant's Haiku.

70. Spiral-horned antelope : ELAND

71. '30s V.P. John __ Garner : NANCE. Can never remember his name.

72. __ Sketch : ETCH A

77. "Phooey!" : BAH

78. Mentalist Geller : URI

79. Conditions : IFs

81. Furry Endor dwellers : EWOKS. "Star Wars".

82. Yours, in Tours : TIEN. Mine is "mien", right?

83. Oil meas. : BBLS

86. Criticism : FLAK

87. Nobelist Morrison : TONI

89. Cell user's problem : DEAD SPOT

90. Make lovable : ENDEAR

92. Canine also called a Hokkaido : AINU DOG. I'm aware of Ainu the Japanese aborigine. Not the dog.

93. Come out of the bullpen : RELIEVE

98. Sewing pattern : SLOPER. New word to me. Bill's Barbara knows.

99. Flat fee payer : TENANT. Flat = apartment.

101. Stands by an artist : EASELS

102. Romeo and Juliet, e.g. : PARTS. Nice clue.

103. Warn : ALERT

104. Ancient Samos' region : IONIA

105. Seminary subj. : REL

107. Send (to) for help : REFER

108. Rust, say : OXIDE

109. Asia's __ Peninsula : MALAY. Many Malaysians speak Cantonese.

110. Dark clouds and such : OMENS

113. Pitcher with a big mouth : EWER. Fun clue. Made me think of Curt Schilling, who is what the clue says. Sorry, LaLaLinda.

114. Baseball's "Walking Man" Eddie : YOST. He drew lots of walks, hence the nickname.

116. Metric wts. : KGs

117. Beethoven's A? : EIN. The article A.

118. Pacific st. : ORE (Oregon). "St." can be a tricky clue at times, an abbreviation for saint, state or street.

Answer grid.

C.C.