Thursday, February 14, 2013 Dave Eckert

Theme: Pleasantly Plump

20A. Stout : TEAPOT ADJECTIVE. "I'm a little teapot, short and stout..."

37A. Stout : WOLFE CREATOR REX. Detective fiction author Rex Stout who created the famous Nero Wolfe character.

52A. Stout : GUINNESS PRODUCT. And of course, you are all familiar with this example?

Three grid-spanners for theme entries, and only missing a "Q" for a pangram. This is what is called a "definition" theme, where the same clue is used for all the theme entries, but with different answers for each one. Not much else to add by way of explanation. I think it has been nearly three years since we last saw Dave Eckert. His previous puzzle was a definition theme as well.

Marti here with my theme song to start off the day...2:39

Across:

1. Geometry subject : PLANE. Annoying clip. 2:00

6. Vend : SELL.

10. "Don't let anyone else hear this" : PSST.

14. Cowboy, at times : ROPER. I never knew that Mr. Roper was a cowboy in his spare time? 0:30

15. Palm product : TREO. Nope, not date. Not coco. Not palm tree, but Palm Treo.

16. Classic cream-filled snack : HO-HO. Pardon me, but I think they are always referred to in the plural?

17. For the birds? : AVIAN. I loved that it crosses 3-Down. For the bees : APIAN.

18. Agile deer : ROES. Why "agile?"

19. Actor Ken : OLIN. Producer of the TV show "Brothers and Sisters."  Did not recognize him.

23. Seaside raptor : ERN.

24. Have to thank for, with "to" : OWE.

25. Horn sound : TOOT. And 63-Across. Reaction to being cut off : HONK.

26. Belgrade native : SERB.

28. Lawn option : SOD.

29. Nova Scotia hrs. : AST. Hmmm..."AST" could be Atlantic Standard Time (UTC-4), Alaska Standard Time (UTC-9) or Arabia Standard Time (UTC+3). But since Nova Scotia is the only one on the "Atlantic," I'll go with curtain # 1...

32. Relative via remarriage : STEP NIECE. I had difficulties with this one, and went through step-daughter, -son, -mother, -father.  NIECE was a loooong time comin'!!

36. Shell out : GIVE.

40. Gremlin and Pacer : AMCS. Both American Motor Corporation cars.

41. Able to come back : RESILIENT.

42. Cole Porter's "___ Clown" : BE A. Classic song from the 1948 movie "The Pirate." 2:52

43. Bond, for one : SPY. James Bond.

45. "Heavens to Betsy!" : EGAD.

46. Place to tie up : PIER.

48. "___ we having fun yet?" : ARE. I am. I hope you are, too!

49. Intractable beast : ASS.

57. Dead set against : ANTI.

58. Ram, e.g. : MALE. How many "male" names can you come up with?  I'll start: buck, cock, bull, drone, jack, tom, drake, billy, stallion, stud...

59. Significant : MAJOR. We just survived a MAJOR storm called "Nemo" here in the NE.

60. Sax immortal Getz : STAN.

61. Politico Bayh : EVAN. Hmmm...I thought I had a valid nit. Birch "Evans" Bayh was Indiana senator from 1963-1981. His son, EVAN Bayh, was governor of Indiana from 1989 to 1997, and senator from 1999 to 2011. So alas, my nit was not to be.

62. Blue hue : AZURE. I dream of this.

64. Not a good mark : DENT. Like many a mark on my V8 can.

65. Hem again : RESEW.

Down:

1. Talk and talk : PRATE.

2. Casanova : LOVER.

4. Tide type : NEAP.

5. Cubemaster Rubik : ERNO. Did you remember his first name?

6. Milkshake choice : STRAWBERRY. I always used to like coffee shakes. Now, I just get the shakes from drinking coffee!

7. Gradually vanish : ERODE. It didn't help that I read the clue as "Gradually vaRnish..."

8. Cobb of "12 Angry Men" : LEE J. Fantastic movie. 2:13

9. Not get the better of : LOSE TO.

10. Flickr image : PHOTO.

11. Ring insert : SOLITAIRE. Diamond.

12. Knife in "West Side Story" : SHIV. The word "shiv" usually refers to an improvised weapon, such as those made by prisoners which are fashioned from razor blades, shards of glass or other sharp objects.

13. Shape (up) : TONE.

21. Tire-shaped : TORIC.

22. New England catch : COD. Also known as Gadus morhua.

26. Nos. for beachgoers : SPFS. Sun Protection Factor(s)

27. Chemical suffix : ENE. e.g. scene, Charlene, convene, serene...

(Just using a little SARCASM, for those who read Lemony's post at 1:34 PM on Sunday.)

28. Cryptozoologist's quarry : SEA SERPENT. A pseudoscience involving the search for animals whose existence is not yet proved, like the Loch Ness Monster.

30. Name meaning "young warrior" in Old Norse : SVEN. I was waffling between OLAF, OLAV or SVEN. Sven won.

31. Short communication : TEXT. But not while driving!!

32. Work on a deck : SWAB.

33. Large volume : TOME.

34. Yosemite attraction : EL CAPITAN. Iconic image often photographed by Ansel Adams.

35. Not a good mark : CEE. "Dent" didn't fit...

36. Crossword component : GRID. Anyone else want WORD?

38. Rival of Rory : TIGER. Golf. Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods.  Fun ad. 1:03

39. Greeting in Rio : OLA.

43. When doubled, a breath freshener : SEN. Have you ever used Sen-Sen after engaging in some underage drinking?

44. Specialized undergrad course : PRE-MED. I took pre-med, but still had trouble with this one!

47. Permanently : IN INK. Or, how some stalwart solvers solve crossword puzzles...

48. Liam Neeson voiced him in "The Chronicles of Narnia" films : ASLAN.

49. Like many a prime rib serving : AU JUS.

50. One in a Lincoln quartet? : SCORE. "Four score and seven years ago..."

51. Scatter : STREW.

52. Reason for stitches : GASH. Ouch!

53. "Do ___..." : UNTO. others....

54. Late-inning achievement : SAVE. Baseball.

55. Barbra's "Funny Girl" co-star : OMAR. Sharif. "You are woman, I am man..." 4:28

56. Flabbergast : DAZE.

That's all, until next week!

Hugs,

Marti

Notes from C.C.:

1) Happy Birthday to dear Marti, our beautiful, adventurous & gifted Thursday Sherpa, who taught me by example on how to stay positive despite the adversities life offers.

Marti & Husband

2) Rex Parker organized and helped produced a set of 24 original puzzles (including one from Don G and me) to benefit Hurricane Sandy relief. Please click here for more information on American Red Crosswords. The puzzles are free, but any help you can give would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

From Marti:
Thanks for the sweet comment, C.C.!  Last night I lit a candle, and this is how it burned down:

Wednesday, February 13 2013, Janice Luttrell and Patti Varol

theme: two of a kind  - "Double" can precede both words in each theme entry, which also contains repeated & consecutive letters.

17. Titanic compartment on the lowest level : BOILER ROOM. there are several definitions, but the first one best fits our theme (from thefreedictionary.com): An area, as in a building or on a ship, that houses one or more steam boilers or hot-water tanks. double boiler. double room.

26. Setup of a sort : BLIND DATE. two strangers on a date arranged by a mutual friend. what could go wrong? double-blind. double-date.

50. Country kitchen design option : DUTCH DOOR. a door that is split horizontally into two parts, so that the top and bottom can open/close separately. double dutch. double door.

60. Verify : CROSS CHECK. two meanings here. 1: in hockey, checking is a technique to separate the player from the puck, by pushing or hitting against either the player's body or the puck.  most forms of checking are legal, but cross checking, in which the shaft of the stick is held with both hands, is illegal and results in a penalty. 2: cross checking also means to check (data) against two sources. double cross. double check.

37. Drive-in offering, and what 17-, 26-, 50- or 60-Across has, in more ways than one : DOUBLE FEATURE. two feature movies shown one after another, with an intermission in between. there are only two drive-in theaters left in the bay area, one in san jose and one in santa cruz. i think you have to be under 40 to be able to stay awake for two movies in a row.

melissa here. 

this puzzle obviously took a lot of thought to put together (by two women)

across:

1. Medical amts. : CC'S. cc!

4. Be accountable (for) : ANSWER

10. Remove, as coupons : CLIP. or hangnails.

14. Ernst collaborator : ARP. Max Ernst (1891 – 1976) and Jean Arp (1886 – 1966)  were “lifelong friends, these two avant-garde artists were among the founders of the DADA movement… They questioned traditional society and used art to explore new moralities, politics and social structures.

15. Electronic music genre : TECHNO

16. Spherical opening? : HEMIsphere.

19. "All __": 1931 tune : OF ME. frank's cover (2:43).

20. Height: Pref. : ACRO. as in acrophobia.

21. Lord's Prayer opener : OUR father who art in heaven ...

22. Arterial trunk : AORTA

24. __ León: Monterrey's state : NUEVO. one of the 31 states within mexico.

29. Okay : ASSENT

31. Okay : NOD. clecho.

32. Project, with "out" : JUT

33. Mediterranean capital : BEIRUT. capital of lebanon.

36. Farm female : MARE. equine. and 62d. Udder woman? : COW. for some reason i don't love this clue.

41. 1% of a cool mil : TENG. absolutely no idea. google says teng is a rare chinese surname, and a flying snake in chinese mythology - but neither seems to fit here. who can clear this up? (From C.C.: Parse it as TEN G. Also, Teng is not obscure. Teresa Teng was very very famous. "Wherever there are Chinese people, the songs of Teresa Teng can be heard." No exaggeration. Teng is the same as Deng in Mandarin, as in Deng Xiaoping.)

42. Lethargic : TORPID

43. Stein filler : ALE

44. Poet's contraction : O'ER (over); and 58. Poet's preposition : THRO

46. Discography entries : ALBUMS

54. Wash softly against : LAP AT

55. Words after "What a coincidence!" : SO AM I

56. Muppet friend of Elmo : ZOE

59. Italian carmaker : FIAT

63. "Poppycock!" : BOSH. we've probably seen this before but i didn't remember it.

64. Find, as a frequency : TUNE TO

65. Whopper, e.g. : LIE

66. Very dark : INKY

67. It has its ups and downs : SEE-SAW

68. Family guy : DAD

down

1. Poolside structure : CABANA. at the copa.

2. Springtime bloomer : CROCUS

3. Tapering tops : SPIRES. breathtaking spire on the chrysler building.

4. Wore (away) : ATE

5. Fiery emperor? : NERO. if you're interested

6. Clean with effort : SCRUB

7. Fingerprint ridge : WHORL

8. Ambient music pioneer Brian : ENO

9. Parmesan alternative : ROMANO. yum.

10. A minor, for one : CHORD

11. Didn't quite close : LEFT AJAR

12. Childish : IMMATURE

13. Slapstick prop : PIE

18. Film Volkswagen with "53" painted on it : LOVEBUG. 1969 disney film.

23. Singular : ODD

25. Mark on an otherwise perfect record? : ONE B. as opposed to straight a's.

27. Place in the earth : INTER. underground, i suppose.

28. Hot time in France : ETE. french summer.

30. Dawn-dusk link : TIL

34. Like the '80s look, now : RETRO. 

i wear your granddad's clothes

i look incredible

i'm in this big-a@@ coat

from the thrift shop down the road

35. Tabloid subj. : UFO

36. Spa treatment : MUD BATH. popular in calistoga, ca.

37. Aspect of paranoia : DELUSION

38. Person in the know : ONE TO ASK. aka, mom.

39. Therapists' org. : APA. american psychological association.

40. Cultivate : TILL

41. Smidge : TAD

44. Unit of resistance : OHM

45. Official orders : EDICTS

47. Defended, as family honor : UPHELD

48. Brady Bunch girl : MARCIA

49. Fed the fire : STOKED

51. Cartoonist Guisewite or her title character : CATHY

52. Depleted layer : OZONE

53. Blooms for lovers : ROSES

57. "¿Cómo __?" : ESTA

59. Justice Dept. division : FBI

61. Wish one hadn't : RUE

melissa

Tuesday, February 12, 2013 Melanie Miller

 Theme: We need to talk - Types of talk lead off the four theme entries.

17A. Club used as a weapon, say : BLUNT INSTRUMENT

29A. Kid-friendly comfort food : FRANK AND BEANS

48A. Tests during which checking notes is allowed : OPEN BOOK EXAMS

64A. Candid sort : STRAIGHT SHOOTER

Argyle here. No beating around the bush, I'll go directly to the write-up. Two grid spanners anchor this text-book puzzle. Two other long entries complete the theme. A strong mix of fill. You might remember, Ms. Miller gave us the 4-H puzzle last summer. Link

Across:

1. Employment agency listings : JOBS

5. Fried Cajun veggie : OKRA. Hmm, is it Cajun before it's fried?

9. WWII conference site : YALTA. The Yalta Conference in February 1945 with Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin was held on on the north coast of the Black Sea.

14. Billion extension : AIRE. (billionaire)

15. Steady guy : BEAU

16. He hunted with a club in the "Odyssey" : ORION. And got his own constellation.

20. Nonagenarian actress White : BETTY. Betty turned 91 last month, Jan. 17 (nonagenarian is between 90 and 100 years old). She is incredible.

21. Yeats or Keats : POET

22. Color, as Easter eggs : DYE

23. Summer quencher : ADE

24. Dorm VIPs : RA's. (Resident Assistant)

27. Where Lux. is : EUR. (Luxembourg/Europe)

36. Soothing additive : ALOE

38. River through Sudan : NILE. And in part, in Kenya, Eritrea, Congo, Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Egypt, and Ethiopia.

39. Country rocker Steve : EARLE. Here is a song you might not know: The Galway Girl(3:14)

40. Sable maker, briefly : MERC. (Mercury)

41. Turn __ ear : A DEAF

43. Pub projectile : DART. They have flights so they fly true.

44. Former Portuguese territory in China : MACAO. Also spelled Macau, was transferred to China at the end of 1999.

46. Prefix with -pus : OCTO

47. Abates : EBBS

51. Gymnast's goal : TEN. The perfect score.

52. Deli bread : RYE

53. Art on skin, slangily : TAT. Tats have their own TV shows now.

56. Draw upon : USE

59. Not as much : LESS

62. Calf-roping gear : RIATA

68. Street toughs : PUNKS

69. Diamond Head's island : OAHU

70. Aromatic drinks : TEAs

71. Go on tiptoe : SNEAK

72. Small songbird : WREN

73. Wine area near Turin : ASTI

Down:

1. "Star Wars" gangster : JABBA. No links before breakfast, please.

2. No longer squeaky : OILED

3. Xbox battle game : BRUTE FORCE. Squad team player game that may be played single player or multiplayer.

4. Told to go : SENT

5. Asian tie : OBI

6. Barbie's guy : KEN. Except when she took up with Blaine that time.

7. Grating voice : RASP

8. One might get stuck in a jam : AUTO

9. Video-sharing website : YOUTUBE. Where would we be without it. Right, CED?

10. Radius's limb : ARM

11. Committed perjury : LIED

12. Randall who played Felix Unger : TONY. The TV version of "The Odd Couple", with Jack Klugman as Oscar Madison. 32D. More like Felix Unger : NEATER

13. Chip in a chip : ANTE. And if you didn't have a 'bad hand', then 28D. "__ and weep!": poker winner's cry : READ 'EM

18. Supermodel Banks : TYRA

19. Marsh stalk : REED

25. Tolstoy's Karenina : ANNA

26. Snowmobile brand : SKI-DOO. Ride 'em if you got 'em.

30. Take back : RECANT

31. Smart guy? : ALECK

33. African countries on the Mediterranean, e.g. : ARAB STATES

34. Mediation agcy. : NLRB. (National Labor Relations Board)

35. Congeals : SETS

36. Target practice supply : AMMO

37. "... one giant __ for mankind" : LEAP

42. Cunning : FOXY

45. Washington Monument, for one : OBELISK

49. Universal blood type, for short : O NEG.

50. Related to flying : AERO

54. Had lunch in : ATE AT

55. Foot bones : TARSI

56. Letter carrier's org. : USPS. (United States Postal Service)

57. Leave speechless : STUN

58. Marine eagle : ERNE

60. Vegas event : SHOW

61. Kindergartner's reward : STAR

63. Tiny bit : IOTA

65. Wanted-poster letters : AKA. (also known as)

66. Sailor's pronoun : SHE. (because ships are referred to as "she")

67. Attila, notably : HUN

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear LaLaLinda, whose caring and loving personality shines through in each of her posts.

Cheater Squares

So, what are cheater squares?

They're symmetrically placed black squares which can be removed without affecting the total word count of a grid.

Let's look at this ?U?U puzzle Argyle and I made last November:

The two black squares the red arrows point to: the one to the right of AHA (6A) & the one to the the left of EDY (7D),  are cheaters. The word count here is 76. Total black squares: 36. Average word length: 4.97 (letters)

Now look at our original cheater-less submission:

No black squares to the right of 6A or to the left of 70A. Total word count here is still 76. Total black squares 34. Average word length: 5.03 (letters).

The reason we had to add two cheaters is that Rich thought ELUL (7D) is not a Monday entry. Adding cheaters smooths out the fill considerably.

Cheaters are normally added to the grid in the filling process. The ones beside theme entries, like these two to the left and right of OH PRETTY WOMAN (35A, the very middle 13-letter entry), should not be counted as cheaters. I put them in the grid designing process. I had other alternatives, but I didn't like the abundance of 3's they resulted and preferred these stacked 8's & 6's in the corner.

As I said yesterday, cheaters are not bad. They give constructors cleaner fill. To me, cheater-less grids look pretty. Plus, you get slightly longer, thus interesting words.

John Lampkin, Don G and today's co-constructor Bruce Venzke do not like cheaters in their grids. It takes discipline and hard work eliminating cheaters. Sometimes it's just not possible avoiding them, like John's grid yesterday.

Monday, February 11, 2013 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

 Theme: Did you get the memo? - No? Look for it in these three theme entries.

20A. Residential loan : HOME MORTGAGE

35A. "I'd like to hear the rest" : "TELLME MORE"

42A. 1974 Jimmy Buffett song : "COME MONDAY"

56A. Office communication, and what can literally be found in 20-, 35- and 42-Across : INTERNAL MEMO

Argyle here. A theme reveal that could hardly be clearer. Gail and Bruce seem to be on a two week schedule, though today's isn't as complex as the last one. Straightforward, easy-peasey. Four nice long vertical entries. A musical flair today, also. Feel free to link your favorites.

 

 

Across:

1. Tip, as one's hat : DOFF. Word Origin & History - A contraction of do off, preserving the original sense of do as "put." At the time of Johnson's Dictionary [1755] the word was "obsolete, and rarely used except by rustics," but it was saved from extinction (along with don) by Sir Walter Scott.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

5. Empty spaces : GAPS

9. Subsides : WANES

14. Suffix with switch : EROO

15. Wilson of "Wedding Crashers" : OWEN. Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn play a couple of rogues who mingle and tango at the receptions of weddings to which they weren't invited.

16. Texas shrine : ALAMO

17. Tall tale teller : LIAR

18. "Deck the Halls" syllables : FA LA la la, la la la.

19. Tear to shreds : RIP UP

23. About to happen : IN STORE. As in, "What's in store for us this week?" and 4D. Hint of the future : FORETASTE. As in, "Is this puzzle a foretaste of the coming week?"

24. Bronze from a day at the beach : TANNED. From one day? I doubt it.

28. René's friend : AMI

29. Appear to be : SEEM

31. __ Lingus: Irish carrier : AER

32. Russian fighter jets : MIGs. Strap yourself in a Mig. Link

38. Italian violin maker : AMATI. They say it's all in the varnish.

40. Squeak stopper : OIL. Is that what C.C. used to get rid of her mouse?

41. Rigs on the road : SEMIs. Tractor-trailers.

45. Reasons for extra innings : TIEs. Possible reason for the end of ties, 63A. Paths of pop-ups : ARCs. One more baseball reference: 29D. Base runner's option : SLIDE

46. "Tastes great!" : "YUM!". "Less filling!" : "Burp!"

47. Poet's inspiration : MUSE

48. Sow or cow : SHE

50. What social climbers seek : STATUS

52. Curtail : SHORTEN

59. Gangster John known as "The Teflon Don" : GOTTI. He died in a federal medical center, June, 2002, at the age of 61.

62. Twice-monthly tide : NEAP

64. Place on a pedestal : EXALT

65. Show some spunk : DARE

66. "That makes sense" : "I SEE"

67. Saunter : MOSEY

68. Vehicle on runners : SLED. NorthEast needed dog sleds.

69. Proof of ownership : DEED. 51D. Proof of ownership : TITLE

Down:

1. New __: India's capital : DELHI

2. Hunter constellation : ORION. Prominent in winter sky(Northern Hemisphere)

3. Heads on beers : FOAMS

5. "Take a shot!" : "GO FOR IT!". The result of too many 3D's?. 22D. "Lemme __!" : AT 'EM

6. Informed (of) : AWARE

7. Attack, as with snowballs : PELT

8. Stocking tear : SNAG

9. Military practice : WAR GAMES

10. Visitor from afar : ALIEN

11. Treat jet lag, perhaps : NAP

12. Earthbound Aussie bird : EMU

13. Dip, as bread in gravy : SOP. Shakshuka with a sop.

21. Dad's partner : MOM

25. Vocalist Judd : NAOMI

26. Really strange : EERIE

27. Bride's purchase : DRESS

30. Scat legend Fitzgerald : ELLA

32. Flagship store at New York City's Herald Square : MACY'S

33. Words from one with a bad hand : "I'M OUT". Think 'poker'.

34. Letter after beta : GAMMA

36. Long, long time : EONs

37. Parking ticket issuer : METER MAID

 

39. Resistance to disease : IMMUNITY

43. Expel : OUST

44. Like a slingshot handle : Y-SHAPED

49. Christmas, e.g.: Abbr. : HOL.. (Holiday)

52. Simple trap : SNARE

53. Far from talkative : TERSE

54. Intro giver : EMCEE. A lot of emcees on TV award shows this time of year.

55. Snooped (around) : NOSED

57. Pulls the plug on : ENDS

58. More than lifelike : REAL

59. Precious stone : GEM

60. Big name in kitchen gadgets : OXO. Reasonably priced.

61. Profs' helpers : TA's. (teaching assistant)

Argyle

Sunday Feb 10, 2013 John Lampkin

Theme: Floridation - FL is added to each familiar phrase.

24A. Jaw-dropping reaction to butterflies? : FLUTTER AMAZEMENT. Utter amazement. FL is added to the vowel-starting words in all the theme entries.

Who am I?

43A. Salutation to an out-of-shape friend? : DEAR FLABBY. Dear Abby. Our Star Tribune has "Dear Amy".

52A. Outrageous ice cream concoctions? : WILD FLOATS. Wild oats.

65A. Masters of the felt-tipped pen? : FLAIR ACES. Air aces. Flair pen.

82A. Bulletproof linen fiber? : BATTLE FLAX. Battle ax.

112A. Cuban tortilla king? : FLOUR MAN IN HAVANA. Our Man in Havana.

89A. Cowering caterpillar? : FLINCH WORM. Inch worm. I always thought Flinch is just a verb.

3D. Botany major's hurdles? : FLORAL EXAMS. Oral Exams.

68D. Turkeys no one knows about? : COVERT FLOPS. Covert ops.

C.C. here. John wrote me a note the other day. It sums up this puzzle perfectly:

"And ooh, look at that, a pair of cheaters. I think that's only the second time I've used them in a 21. And no pangram. The fact that it's nine theme entries and a 140 means that something had to give in order to get decent fill. 

I wonder how many solvers will notice that "Floridation" has nothing to do with adding flouride to water. The chemical symbol for flourine is F. FL = Florida of course, and "Floridation" is a made up word."

Not that there's anything wrong with cheater squares. But John has his own high standards and he likes to make every black square count. We have 70 black squares today. Often it's 78.

Also, notice the theme intersection in this grid? It takes luck and skills to make it work, esp if your theme entries are limited and you don't have much wiggle room.

Across:

1. Drift, as smoke : WAFT

5. Macbeth's hallucination : DAGGER. "Is this a DAGGER which I see before me.". And 115. Macbeth's burial isle : IONA

11. Pearly entrance? : GATES. Pearly gates.

16. Pedicure place : SPA. Husker Gary, don't bite Dudley's bait!

19. That girl, in Quebec : ELLE

20. Plaza Hotel girl : ELOISE

21. Performer with a whip : LION TAMER. I was picturing those kinky bondage/whipping.

23. Poker, e.g. : TOOL. Great clue.

26. Bellyacher : SORE HEAD

28. Auth. unknown : ANON. I'm very annoyed at some anonymous posts on the blog. Those who steal others' avatar identity disgust me. Not cool! Not funny!

29. Within reach : DOABLE

30. Birthday tiara, e.g. : PAPER HAT. This picture is from Truman's 5th birthday. Lovely.

32. Mike who married Liz Taylor : TODD

34. Gets out of shape? : MELTS. Another great clue.

36. Legal deg. : LLB. So is LLD. More 95. "The Good Wife" fig. : ATT. And 38D. 95-Across's org. : ABA. I talked with Lemonade twice on the phone. His voice is very young. I also talked with John Lampkin once. He's a real gentleman.

37. Backwash creators : OARS. I like "Creators" in the clue. Trick others think of people. "Legend creator" for ACURA is  another good example.

39. Bi- halved : UNI

42. Uncommon : RARE

47. Animals : FAUNA

49. Beat it : RAN

50. Like some beans : WAXY. No idea why Spitzboov hates wax beans. They're tasty.

51. Tripoli's country : LIBYA

54. Mobile phone site?: Abbr. : ALA. Oh, Mobile Alabama.

55. Neuter, as a horse : GELD

56. __ Na Na : SHA

57. Research foundation, often : GRANTEE

58. Barrel cleaner : RAMROD

60. Like pitfalls : UNSEEN

63. George who plays Stokes on "CSI" : EADS. Stranger! Call me maybe?

64. Dough hoarder : MISER
 

67. Hunter's trick : DECOY

71. Israel's Netanyahu, familiarly : BIBI. He often appears dismissive & derisive.

73. It helps dough rise : GLUTEN. No gluten in rice/corn.

74. Climbers' spikes : PIT-ONS

75. Officer's ornament : EPAULET
 

78. Future father's sch.? : SEM. Fun clue.

79. Flower bed wetter : RAIN

81. Ex halved : VEE. Alright, Roman numerals. V is half X.
  

84. Scrub the mission : ABORT

86. What's needed for the job : GEAR
 

87. Scrap for Rover : ORT

88. Going on, to Holmes : AFOOT

91. Unspecified degrees : NTHS

93. Boffo abbr. : SRO (Standing Room Only)

94. Happiness : GLEE
  

96. Some crash programs : DIETS. Oh, I have a question regarding tuna steak. Do you cook yours rare in the middle? I'm worried that I'll get sick if I do not cook it thorough. Our grocery store tuna is not Sushi grade.

98. 1957 war movie title river : KWAI.  "The Bridge on the River Kwai".

100. Hoi polloi : RIFFRAFF. Ellen's show has a Riff Raff Room.

105. "I Have __": 1963 speech : A DREAM. 6-letter partials are allowed in LAT.

108. Costly : HIGH

110. Aquamarine : NILE BLUE
  

116. Nuclear family? : ATOM BOMBS. I'm in constant in awe of John's creative brain.

117. Faddish : TRENDY

118. Some state-spanning rds. : TPKS (Turnpikes)

119. Postal motto word : NOR

120. Big name in vacuums : ORECK

121. Accent : STRESS

122. In __: actually : ESSE

Down:

1. Prepares for shampooing : WETS. I've been loving Pantene Overnight Miracle. It smells great. But I haven't noticed any result yet. I wish I could pull off Marti's hairstyle.

2. Throw for __ : A LOOP

4. Work for the small screen : TELEPLAY
 

5. Table : DEFER. Verb "Table".

6. God of Islam : ALLAH

7. Big wheel in delis : GOUDA

8. "Beat it, ya varmint!" : GIT

9. This, to Juanita : ESTA

10. Pre-splashdown stage : RE-ENTRY. Solid Re-word.

11. Pancreas, for one : GLAND

12. End : AIM

13. Horned __ : TOAD

14. Carmaker Ferrari : ENZO. I finally remembered him.

15. Power plant output : STEAM

16. Harbor suspicion : SMELL A RAT. Our mouse is gone. Not caught. He just disappeared.

17. Get behind, as enemy lines : PENETRATE. OK, "as enemy lines"...

18. Met acquisition : ART. The Met.

22. Insect preserver : AMBER

25. Aussie hoppers : ROOS

27. Lang. of Israel : HEBR. Hahtoola speaks Hebrew.

31. Belch in "Twelfth Night" : TOBY. Sir Toby Belch.

33. __ citizenship : DUAL

35. Common quality? : SENSE.
  

40. Pokes : NUDGES

41. Structural opening? : INFRA. Infrastructual.

43. __ Lama : DALAI

44. Beat it : FLED

45. Like Abner—but not really : LIL

46. Season 1 judge on "The X Factor" : ABDUL (Paula). Simon Cowell let her go after only one season.

47. Betrothed : FIANCE

48. Folk tale rubber? : ALADDIN
 

50. Affectionate : WARM. Chinese, and other East Asians, as a whole, are not very affectionate. Friendly, yes, but reserved.

52. Thresher grain : WHEAT

53. Dawn : ONSET

55. Animal named from a Greek word meaning "tribe of hairy women" : GORILLA. New trivia to me.

56. Shot contents : SERUM. Not the shot I had in mind.

59. Prove otherwise : REBUT

61. Pesters persistently : NAGS AT

62. Big name in coffeemakers : SILEX

65. Made to suit : FIT FOR

66. Bankrupt energy giant : ENRON

69. Late retirement time : ONE AM. Not for Argyle. He's still wide awake then.

70. River of Flanders : YSER

72. Bellyaches : BEEFS

74. Central part : PITH

75. WWII Treasury offering : E BOND

76. Especially fond of : PARTIAL TO. Does anyone have good wild rice soup recipe for Avg Joe?

77. Where you might experience hard knocks? : AT THE DOOR

80. Arrow's path : ARC

83. Take a gander : LOOK

84. Canterbury quaff : ALE. And  85. Cologne quaff : BIER. Beer.

86. Raided the fridge : GOT A BITE. Lots of goodies in our fridge right now.

89. Parts of darts : FLIGHTS

90. Hard or soft ending : WARE. Learned a lot about my PC from TTP last week.

92. Doodle on the guitar : STRUM

94. Advance : GAIN

97. __-Croatian : SERBO

99. Beat in the kitchen : WHISK

101. Birdbrained : INANE

102. Comes across : FINDS

103. Criticizes harshly : FLAYS

104. Depressions : FUNKS. Funk looks like a word that can't be pluralized.

106. Love, to Luis : AMOR
 

107. "We Need a Little Christmas" musical : MAME

109. Partner of Rodgers : HART (Lorenz). Rodgers and Hart.

111. Mollify : EASE
 

112. Source of support : FAN

113. "Football Night in America" network : NBC

114. Part of KJV: Abbr. : VER (Version). I had to google  KJV. King James Version.

Happy Year of the Snake! I bet Barry G (Maybe Jacye too) is having freshly made Chinese dumplings for lunch/dinner, traditional Chinese New Year food.

When I was a child, meat/sugar/oil were all rationed. I so looked forward to every New Year when I could help my grandma prepare dumplings. Pork was so delicious!

Our living standard improved a lot in the 1980s & 1990s, esp after I graduated from college in 1994 and found a well-paid job in Guangzhou. But I could not stomach pork any more. Whenever I visited Xi'An, my dad would make Tofu & Chinese chives filled dumplings for me. Cheap, simple & tasty. I tried to duplicate my Dad's recipe, the dumplings were never good. I think it's the memory of him that I miss, rather than the dumplings themselves.

C.C.