Thursday, July 18, 2013 Julian Lim

Theme: "You asked for it, you got it." Ear worm, but hilarious scene from "Forget Paris." 1:10

And that brings us to the unifier today:

54A. Ignore warnings, say...and a hint to the last words of the answers to starred clues : ASK FOR IT.

17A. *"Press Your Luck" contestant's cry : BIG MONEY. Never watched the show, so this was my first glitch. But looking it up, I think they usually say "big bucks"??? Did you ever have to ask for money from your friends?

19A. *What sputtering might indicate : ENGINE TROUBLE. Or, or, or, er....er...er...wife trouble?? ("Honest, honey, uh, uh, er, er, I was with the guys playing poker all night!") I bet more than one of you has asked for trouble in your life!

34A. *Aid for the short? : DEBT FORGIVENESS. Because "stilts" was too short. After the husband stays out all night "playing poker," he will probably have to ask for forgiveness.

47A. *Glee club on "Glee" : NEW DIRECTIONS. Would you believe, I actually knew this one? William McKinley High glee club. (No, I am not a gleek!!) OK, show of hands: how many guys out there have actually stopped and asked for directions?

Interesting grid design, with two pair of themers overlapped.  Nice work, and wow, two weeks in a row I get an interesting interview with the constructor. So thanks, C.C.!! 

Across:

1. Israel's Barak : EHUD. Oh-oh, trouble right off the bat.

5. Half an S-curve : ZAG. "ZiG" got me into more trouble.

8. Carol beginning : ADESTE. Ok, I got this one!

14. Honeymooner's island destination : BORA BORA.

16. Juice for Zeus : NECTAR.

18. Bronx-to-Coney Island subway : D TRAIN. Not the A-Train? 6:08

21. Dr.'s specialty : ENT. Ear, Nose and Throat

22. Not just centuries : EONS.

23. Big name in smooth jazz : KENNY G. Really smooth.

27. ___ Nui: Easter Island : RAPA.

28. Netherlands carrier : KLM. Oops, filled in "SAS" too soon!

31. Melville novel : OMOO.

32. Card for tomorrow? : TAROT. Nice clue for "foreseeing" the future with TAROT cards.

33. Big Apple sch. : NYU. New York University.

38. Chase Field team, on scoreboards : ARI.zona. Hi Lucina!

39. Betelgeuse's constellation : ORION.

40. Plenty : A LOT. "Tons" would also fit...just sayin'!!

41. "The Spanish Tragedy" playwright Thomas : KYD. No idea about this guy. I bet Yellowrocks knows him!

42. Nippon noodle : UDON. C.C., I think they have these in China, also? Except they are called 烏冬 (wūdōngmiàn), correct? I remember you once ate only rice for an entire month. Maybe UDON noodles would have been a welcome change! (From C.C.: Udon is distinctively Japanese. wūdōngmiàn is just Chinese translation of "Udon noodle". Mian (Mandarin) & Mein (Cantonese, as in Lo Mien) both mean "Noodle". Chinese has a similar style thick noodle, but it has no flavorful broth as Udon. Seafood Udon is heaven!)

43. Immunity agents : T-CELLS. A gimme, for me.

45. Vermeer's "Girl With ___ Hat" : A RED. Vermeer liked to title his works as "Girl With...," like "Girl With a Pearl Earring," etc. Not to be confused with "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo."

46. Sale abbr. : IRR.egular.

53. San ___, Argentina : ISIDRO. Oops -  I spelled it "ySIDRO" at first, until I realized that "NyBS" was probably not the correct spelling.

57. "Father of American Universalism" Hosea ___ : BALLOU. Why the "___" in the clue???

58. Close way to fight : TOE TO TOE.

59. Mum : SILENT.

60. Dash lengths : ENS. EM-dashes are double the width of EN-dashes. Can you guess why?

61. "Critique of Pure Reason" philosopher : KANT. Nailed it!

Ouch - power went out twice already. Must be all the ACs running overtime today. Mid-nineties, and humid here. Ugh!  So I will make the rest brief, and fill in later if I still have power!

Down:

1. Diminish : EBB.

2. ___ polloi : HOI.

3. Drive : URGE.

4. Denounce : DAMN.

5. Urban planner's concern : ZONING.

6. "___ you clever!" : AREN'T.

7. "Mercy Mercy Me" singer : GAYE. Great song. About the environment, not about asking for FORGIVENESS!

8. Longest-serving KGB chairman (1967-'82) : ANDROPOV. Huh? Who? (All perps!)

9. Go boom : DETONATE. Loved the clue!

10. Neutral paint colors : ECRUS.

11. Wild guess : STAB.

12. Shadow : TAIL.

13. Ballyshannon's river : ERNE. Not a shore bird?

15. Tiger's concern : BOGEY. I thought of the golfer immediately.

20. Enter hurriedly : TEAR IN.

23. Brand for shooters : KODAK. Fun clue!

24. Polishing agent : EMERY.

25. "I pass" : NO BID.

26. "Kidding!" : "NOT!"

27. Make fun of : RAG ON.

28. Lugubrious chime : KNELL. Lugubrious = dismal, mournful, sad, melancholy.

29. Antibacterial brand : LYSOL.

30. They're not optional : MUSTS.

32. Transistor's forerunner : TRIODE. and 43-Down. Kids' rides : TRIKES. Did three kids TRIODE TRIKES?

35. Longish club : FOUR IRON. Rich is a big golf fanatic.

36. Call for a pizza, say : ORDER OUT. I started filling "ORDER in," but didn't have enough letters!

37. "___ wind, ___ rain -- ___ golf!": Scottish adage : NAE. NAE. NAE. Apropos, since the Scottish Open was last weekend and it was pretty windy and rainy.  How can you have golf in Scotland without wind and rain?

44. Lara of "Tomb Raider" : CROFT. Nailed it!

45. Mystify : ADDLE.

46. "This means war!" : "IT'S ON!"

47. His ___: big shot : NIBS. (Not "nybs." See 53-Across.)

48. Morales of "Caprica" : ESAI.

49. It deals with what's left : WILL. Fun clue for a gloomy subject!

50. Actress Blanchett : CATE. I loved her depiction of Katherine Hepburn in "The Aviator."

51. Kindle competitor : NOOK. Nope, I have an iPad. So does Dudley!

52. Mex. miss : SRTA. Señorita.

55. K+, e.g. : ION. K = Potassium. If it loses an electron, it becomes the positively charged potassium ion. In a bunsen burner, potassium emits a beautiful lilac hue!

56. Asian holiday : TET.

That's it, until next week!

Marti

Wednesday, July 17, 2013 Don Gagliardo & C.C. Burnikel

theme: ring my bell - the last part of each theme entry can precede "BELL".  Theme entries are placed vertically for the "BOTTOMS" visual.

3d. "Ally McBeal" genre : COMEDY-DRAMA BELL. great entry. comedy-drama is also called a dramedy. "ma bell" refers to the bell telephone company.

9d. Skunk, literally and figuratively : REAL STINKER BELL. funny.

23d. Harbor hauler : GARBAGE SCOW BELL. i coulda used a little more cow bell.

33d. Pachyderm friend of Zephir the monkey : BABAR BELL.

27. Popular '60s-'70s pants, and what can be found in 3-, 9-, 23- and 33-Down? : BELL BOTTOMS

melissa here. what a treat, another joint effort by don hard-g and our own cc. some of these clues required some serious head-scratching. also makes me wonder if cc ever wore bell bottoms. (From C.C.: Nope, Melissa, never wore those. Don might have. He came up with this theme.)

across:

1. Pearl Harbor mo. : DEC. 12/7/1941.

4. Pearl Harbor presence : NAVY

8. Cuts into : ERODES. tricky.

14. Singles out : ISOLATES

16. League of Nations home : GENEVA. headquarters.

17. "Right back atcha!" : SAME HERE

18. Came down and delayed the game : RAINED. (cc and/or don, is this original clue?) (From C.C.: Our original clue is "Caused Tin Man to rust".)

19. Capital on the Dnieper : KIEV. needed perps.

20. Bay window : ORIEL

22. Prepare for an attack : DIG IN. had trouble with this.

25. Words on some blue balloons : IT'S A BOY. nailed it.

30. Ruler in un palacio : REY. rey is spanish for king.

32. Story including a time and place : ALIBI. love this clue.

34. "Finished!" : THERE

35. Bring down the curtain on : END

36. Almond __: candy : ROCA. 

37. Quran religion : ISLAM

38. Antilles native : CARIB. had no idea.

40. Penny prez : ABE. 16th president.

42. "Affliction" Oscar nominee : NOLTE. nick.

43. Name on a range : AMANA. radarange. seems ancient now.

44. Berserk : AMOK. love both of those words.

46. __ vivant : BON. "a person having cultivated, refined, and sociable tastes especially with respect to food and drink ."

47. Chinese menu promise : NO MSG

48. Hag : CRONE

49. "Wish you were here—__ were there" : OR I

50. Cirque du Soleil staple : TRAPEZE. was thinking acrobat.

52. Medium's medium : TAROT. fortune teller's cards.

54. Longtime Chicago Symphony conductor : SOLTI. Sir Georg Solti.

56. Organ knob : STOP. okay ...

59. Seattle ballpark, familiarly : SAFECO

63. Forgo accomplices : ACT ALONE. filled in slowly.

66. Sinuous course : SLALOM. "having many curves, bends, or turns. winding."

67. It bodes well : GOOD OMEN

68. Table no-nos : ELBOWS. punishable by a fork in the forearm. or was that just me?

69. Bygone blade : SNEE

70. Watched kids : SAT. babysat.

down:

1. Frisbee, e.g. : DISK

2. Hollywood's Morales : ESAI. rawr.

4. "Forget it!" : NAH

5. Took the cake? : ATE

6. Riverdale High brunette of comics : VERONICA

7. North Sea feeder : YSER. nailed it.

8. Wetlands nester : EGRET

10. Secretive maritime org. : ONI. office of naval intelligence.

11. Cozy retreat : DEN

12. Anticipatory time : EVE

13. In a funk : SAD

15. Strauss of denim : LEVI

21. Sundial number : III

24. U.N. anti-child-labor agcy. : ILO. international labor organization.

26. Nodding words : AH SO. interesting.

28. Henry Clay, for one : ORATOR. here.

29. Sana'a citizen : YEMENI. sana'a is the capital of yemen.

30. Eat one's words : RECANT

31. Fill with love : ENAMOR

39. Javert's rank: Abbr. : INSP. character in les miserables.

41. :-( is one : EMOTICON. here are some others:

45. "Not __ bet!" : ON A

48. Animation still : CEL

51. Speeds : ZOOMS

53. Capital formerly named Christiania : OSLO. norway.

55. Puts (out) : TAGS. i'm envisioning a yard sale. (note: the clue refers to baseball)

57. __ Day vitamins : ONE-A

58. Cooped (up) : PENT

59. Leeds-to-London dir. : SSE

60. Without exception : ALL

61. "Groovy!" : FAB

62. "Out of the Blue" rock gp. : ELO

64. Pump part : TOE

65. Lime ending : ADE

melissa

Tuesday, July 16, 2013 David Poole

Theme: Vowel Progression, with a Twist. - The theme entries begin with an H, followed by a long vowel sound, progressing from A to U.

18A. Subjects for Monet : HAYSTACKS. And if he were still painting today, would it be these?

                                     Source

22A. Sounded like an donkey : HEE-HAWED. Another update.

38A. Like someone needing a lot of attention : HIGH MAINTENANCE. Like Lisa Douglas.

49A. Barn dances : HOEDOWNS

58A. "Love Actually" actor : HUGH GRANT

Argyle here.(no video) A few crunchy nuggets to break a tooth on but a grid spanner to make it better. Nearly a pangram, to boot.

Across:

1. Oxymoronic shrimp type : JUMBO

6. Sets, as a price : ASKS

10. Overcast : GRAY

14. Opera solos : ARIAs

15. Chop __ : SUEY

16. The stuff of legends : LORE

17. Fish organs : GILLS. The equivalent of our lungs.

20. Pocketed, as a pool ball : SANK. If you sank the 8-ball on the break, did you win or did you lose? The start of many a bar fight.

21. Broke the Tenth Commandment : COVETED

24. Wimp : SISSY

28. Tanzania's __ es Salaam : DAR. MAP.

29. Thomas More's perfect world : UTOPIA

30. With 41-Across, thing sometimes resisted : THE. 41A. See 30-Across : URGE

33. Words welcoming speakers : INTROS

37. Pre-Easter season : LENT

42. Gourmet's prefix : GASTRO

43. __ Moines : DES. Iowa.

44. Self-described "short, stocky, slow-witted bald man" of "Seinfeld" : GEORGE

46. Bankbook cred. : INT. (credit/interest)

48. Taste, e.g. : SENSE

54. Lame excuses : COP-OUTS

56. Absorbs, as a loss : EATS

61. State whose motto is "Friendship" : TEXAS

62. Kin of -trix : ENNE

63. Willy of "Free Willy," e.g. : ORCA. Hey, we haven't seen an ORCA in a while. Or OKRA, for that matter.

64. Embellish : ADORN

65. Umpire's call : FOUL

66. Turns green, say : DYES

67. Quintet of assassins? : ESSes

Down:

1. Sprees : JAGS

2. Awful Heep : URIAH

3. Hundred Acre Wood creator : MILNE

4. Refused to cooperate : BALKED

5. Covert WWII agcy. : OSS. (Office of Strategic Services)

6. Vote by __ of hands : A SHOW

7. Like Cary Grant characters : SUAVE

8. Excited, with "up" : KEYED

9. Part of TBS: Abbr. : SYST. (Turner Broadcasting System)

10. Flower with sword-shaped leaves : GLADIOLA. Today's flower.

11. Legendary bird : ROC

12. Noah's boat : ARK. No rocs in the boat.

13. "You betcha!" : "YES!"

19. Midterm, say : TEST

21. 2011 Polanski comedy with an ironically violent title : "CARNAGE". IMDb LINK.

23. "The Lost Boys" actor Corey : HAIM. A short life. Wikipedia LINK.

25. Go on a shopping spree : SPEND

26. Because : SINCE

27. David who directed four Harry Potter films : YATES. From Order of the Phoenix to the last Deathly Hallows.

29. Log-in needs : USER IDs

30. Hooligans : THUGS

31. Newly employed person : HIREE

32. Goad : EGG ON

34. Alejandro's aunt : TÍA

35. ER VIPs : RNs

36. Giant star Mel : OTT

39. Astronomer who discovered Uranus : HERSCHEL. Sir William Herschel, 1738 – 1822

40. "Mustn't do" thing : NO-NO

45. Trivial Pursuit category: Abbr. : GEOG. (Geography)

47. Stereotypical professorial attire : TWEEDS. With leather patches on the elbows.

49. White with age : HOARY

50. 1/16 of a pound : OUNCE

51. James and Jones of jazz : ETTAs. Both were American singers.

52. Greek vacation island : NAXOS. The largest island in the Cyclades island group in the Aegean. Travel guide LINK.

53. Fixed look : STARE

55. Poke : PROD

57. IRS identifiers : SSNs. (Social Security number)

58. Publisher wearing p.j.'s : "HEF". Hugh Hefner

59. 108-card game : UNO

60. Bearded beast : GNU

61. __ kwon do : TAE

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Here are a few pictures of Montana's beautiful grandkids: Diana Nicole, born on July 13, 2013 (last Saturday) &  Gabrielė.

 Diana Nicole

 Gabrielė, age 22 months

 Gabbie checking out her new sister, Diana.

Monday, July 15, 2013 MaryEllen Uthlaut

Theme: Tinnitus - Four sets of rings.

18A. Banner passed from host city to host city : OLYMPIC FLAG

38A. Things associated with 18- and 57-Across and 3- and 34-Down : RINGS

57A. A bride and groom may write their own : WEDDING VOWS. And exchange rings.

3D. Samsung product : CELL PHONE. With some rings that hardly resemble a ring.

34D. Big top performance : CIRCUS ACT. Traditionally in a ring and a big circus would have three rings under one tent.

Argyle here. The grid is arrayed with the themes forming a ring around the unifier. Our constructor has given us three Sunday puzzles in the past. Interestingly, all, like today's, includes the whole phrase as the theme entry, not just one part. Nothing fusty here.

Across:

1. Baglike structure : SAC

4. Frozen drinks : ICEEs

9. Perp's fake name : ALIAS

14. "__ before beauty" : AGE. “Pearls before swine” Dorothy Parker.

15. Religious doctrine : DOGMA

16. Island nation near Fiji : TONGA. It is in the pink area on this MAP.

17. Nothing : NIL

20. Right-angle pipe joint : ELL

21. More than trot : LOPE

22. Take turns : ROTATE

23. Issue a new copy of : REPRINT

25. Female sib : SIS

26. Soggy : WET

27. Unclear, as the future : HAZY

28. Stale-smelling : FUSTY. Related to old wine casks while musty indicates a more moldy source.

30. Make amends : ATONE

32. Taxi customer : FARE

33. Unreturned tennis serves : ACES

37. Venom dispenser : FANG. (or Dorothy Parker)

39. Fair-weather system : HIGH

40. Arborist's concern : TREE

41. Formerly : ONCE

42. "__ and Bess" : PORGY. Opera, first performed in 1935, with music by George Gershwin, libretto by DuBose Heyward, and lyrics by DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin.

43. Pass along : RELAY. Pass the baton.

45. Swamp reptile, for short : CROC

46. "Oh, sure!" : "HAH!"

49. Every bit : ALL

50. Take for granted : PRESUME

53. Melodious piece : ARIOSO

55. Historic periods : ERAs

56. Prodigal __ : SON. Luke 15:11-32 - The Parable of the Prodigal Son.

59. Malt brew : ALE

60. Genuflect : KNEEL

61. Grocery walkway : AISLE

62. Pic taker : CAM

63. Having a lot of cheek : SASSY

64. Post-sneeze word : BLESS

65. Attempt : TRY

Down:

1. More rational : SANER

2. Like a twinkletoes : AGILE

4. Place on a pedestal : IDOLIZE

5. One of the original 13 : COLONY

6. Land of pharaohs and pyramids : EGYPT

7. Plus-size supermodel : EMME

8. Plant juice : SAP

9. For no profit : AT COST

10. Barn story : LOFT

11. Relative by marriage : IN-LAW

12. Striped stone : AGATE

13. TV comedian Bob : SAGET

19. Showy spring flowers : IRISES

24. The Lone __ : RANGER

25. Storm-caused sea rise : SURGE

28. __ Feast: cat food : FANCY

29. Yokels : YAHOOs

30. Sternward : AFT

31. Driveway covering : TAR

32. Critical test : FINAL

35. Breakfast staple : EGG

36. Bashful : SHY

38. Deodorant type : ROLL-ON

42. Removes wrinkles from : PRESSES

44. Without difficulty : EASILY

45. Moves like a baby : CRAWLS

46. Keen-sighted birds : HAWKS. Little something for Windhover.

47. Gladiators' venue : ARENA

48. Keeps out of sight : HIDES

50. Ordinary language : PROSE

51. Grinding tooth : MOLAR

52. Nemesis : ENEMY

54. "To a" poems : ODEs

55. Black-hearted : EVIL

58. Chatterbox's "gift" : GAB

Argyle

Sunday July 14, 2013 Matt Skoczen

Theme: "Border States" -State postal codes bookend each theme entry.

24A. Land on the Red Sea : ARABIAN PENINSULA

39A. Eponymous Italian educator : MARIA MONTESSORI

57A. Time Warner, to CNN : PARENT COMPANY. Still remember Jerry Levin?

104A. Rioter's weapon : MOLOTOV COCKTAIL

87A. Periodic "Top Chef" judge with a restaurant in Manhattan : WYLIE DUFRESNE. He looks familiar, but I don't recall his name. 

122A. Macro, e.g. : COMPUTER SHORTCUT. I never really understood what Macros are, TTP. By the way, belated Happy One-Year Anniversary! What a great asset you've been to our blog and myself.

3D. She voiced Princess Fiona in "Shrek" : CAMERON DIAZ

75D. Under-the-hood cleaner : WASHER FLUID

Oh I love this theme. Notice the two states in each theme entry do border each other and there are no repeats of state abbreviations?

With 48 states to work with, you can imagine the amount of work involved in getting the best set of answers.

Across:

1. Filled fast food : TACO. All alliterative.

5. Orange County city : ANAHEIM. Angels.

12. Picks, with "for" : OPTS

16. Improv piece : BIT

19. Algerian seaport : ORAN

20. Brand formerly marketed as Philishave outside the U.S. : NORELCO. Unaware of this trivia. Made by Philips.

21. __-mutuel : PARI

22. Fruity finish? : ADE. Lemonade, e,g.

23. Way off the highway : RAMP

27. Pick up the tab for : TREAT TO

29. Homeowner's burden : LIEN

30. They include skateboarding and snowboarding : X GAMES

31. "__ Angel": doo-wop classic : EARTH. Who made it famous?

32. __ about : ON OR

36. Genus subdivision : SPECIES

38. Mall unit : STORE

44. Yule quenchers : NOGS

46. Ben Gurion airline : EL AL

47. '60s activist gp. : SDS. I used to confuse this with SLA the '70s radical gp.

48. Fancy pitcher : EWER

49. Laura Bush's birth city : MIDLAND. I only know she was born somewhere in Texas.

52. Turow work about first-year law students : ONE L

54. About to come up : ON DECK

56. "I'd like to buy __" : AN I. "Wheel of Fortune".

62. Driller's deg. : DDS

63. Diagnostic test : SCAN

65. Sling spirits : GIN

66. Rise dramatically : SPROUT UP

68. Driver's license word, maybe : HAZEL. Mine is BLK.

70. "Horton Hears a Who!" villain : VLAD

73. "Don't change that" : STET. And 90D. 73-Across writer : EDITOR

74. New Zealand exports : KIWIS

78. Wrongly left the base : GONE AWOL. I was shocked to learn that there were about 50,000  military deserters during WWII.

81. Russian fighter : MIG

83. Rain block : TARP

84. MC's aid : MIC

91. Wee : SMA

92. Orbital extreme : APOGEE

94. Una y __ vez: time after time : OTRA. Once and again, right?

95. Grabbed the chance : MADE HAY

97. Golfer Aoki : ISAO

98. Yukon winter hrs. : PST

101. Smaller serving : SIDE

103. Learned : WISE

109. City on the Po : TURIN. Po River.

112. California city associated with the founding of Hells Angels : FONTANA. Another unknown trivia to me.

113. Normandy river : ORNE.  And 135. River in central Germany : EDER. So many European rivers have 4-letter words.

114. "Friend __?" : OR FOE

115. Not vulnerable (to) : IMMUNE

118. Score symbol : REST

120. Ford and others : GERALDs

127. Bedtime in Burgundy : NUIT. "Bonne nuit!".

128. Music-licensing org. : BMI

129. Affectedly quaint, in Colchester : TWEE

130. "Great show!" in headlines : IT'S A HIT

131. Theater : CINE. Shoudn't this have a French/Spanish hint in the clue?

132. Utmost : MAX

133. Word often written diagonally on signs : SOLD

134. Taboo : NOT DONE. And 6D. Bad news at the inn : NO ROOM

Down:

 1. Linzer treats : TORTES. Marti must have had Linzer tortes before.

2. Biblical landfall : ARARAT

4. Policing the area : ON PATROL

5. Future MD's course : ANAT

7. Altar constellation : ARA. Three letter constellation is always ARA.

8. N.T. epistle : HEB

9. Actor Wallach : ELI

10. Myth ending : ICAL. Mythical.

11. Philosophy espousing a single reality : MONISM

12. Like some auto leases : OPEN END

13. Kitchen cooker : PAN

14. Upstairs neighbor of Ralph and Alice : TRIXIE. "The Honeymooners".

15. Sears : SINGES

16. "Queen Zixi of Ix" author : BAUM. L. Frank Baum. He was also the author of 119D. Dog who reveals he can speak in "Tik-Tok of Oz" : TOTO. I don't remember Toto speaks in the movie at all.

17. Not going : IDLE

18. Brews for parties : TEAS. Amazed this did not come to me immediately. I guess I don't associate teas with parties.

25. Gourd fruits : PEPOS. New word to me. This is from the Free Dictionary:  PEPO refers to the fruit of any of various related plants, such as the cantaloupe, watermelon, cucumber, squash, pumpkin, and melon, having a hard or leathery rind, fleshy pulp, and numerous flattened seeds.

26. Got fresh with : SASSED

28. Thing to mind, on train platforms : THE GAP. Mind the gap.

33. Captain Kidd's negative : NAE

34. DuPont acrylic : ORLON

35. Cheerful : RIANT. No one uses this word in real life.

37. Amt. after a period : CTS

40. Smart ones? : ALECS. Smart alecs.

41. Due : OWED

42. Stamp on a packing list : RECD

43. Peeves : IRKS

45. Catch : SNAG

49. Sour __ : MASH

50. Worshipper of the sun god Inti : INCA

51. Hooey : DRIVEL

53. Hacks : LOPS

54. CN Tower prov. : ONT

55. Stooge chuckle : NYUK. "Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk!

58. Zhou of China : ENLAI. Zhou is Mandarin. Chou is Cantonese.

59. He played Clubber Lang in "Rocky III" : MR T. 

60. Vichy verse : POEME. French "poem".

61. Temple Grandin's disorder : AUTISM

64. Below zero: Abbr. : NEG

67. Stomach part? : PIT. Clever clue.

69. Actor Rob : LOWE

71. Bowl over : AWE

72. Lamebrain : DODO. Not ours.

76. Culinary author Rombauer : IRMA

77. Fix, as a pet : SPAY

79. TV's "Science Guy" : NYE (Bill)

80. Ukraine city : LUTSK. Learning moment for me. Lots of V's in their city names.

82. Eat away : GNAW

84. Seriously injure : MAIM

85. __ facto : IPSO

86. Stove fuel : COAL

88. It can be dipped in dip : FRITO

89. Meteorologist's tool : RADAR

93. Err : GOOF UP

96. Allstate online subsidiary : ESURANCE. Helpful clue.

98. Many a GI : PVT

99. Like Capone's face : SCARRED. Hence the nickname "Scarface".

100. Moderates, with "down" : TONES

102. A, in Augsburg : EIN

105. From soup __ : TO NUTS. 6-letter partial is allowed in LAT. But don't abuse. One is enough.

106. Punch combo : ONE TWO

107. Make bread from chips? : CASH IN. Nice clue.

108. "Earthsea" series author Ursula : LE GUIN. I forgot. We had URSULA clued as "Sci-fi author ___ K. Le Guin" a while ago.

110. First-aid kit staple : IODINE

111. Empty __ : NESTER

115. SALT weapon : ICBM

116. NYC cultural center : MOMA

117. International Year of Astronomy year : MMIX. 2009. Non-clue for me.

121. Kitchen add-on? : ETTE. Kitchenette.

123. Sushi selection : EEL

124. What U can follow : RST. Alphabetically.

125. Mite : TAD

126. Sulu player John : CHO. Gimme! He was born in Seoul. More than a milllion people have surname CHO in Korea. It's spelled as CAO or CHAO (as in Elaine Chao, Bush's Secretary of Labor) in Chinese. Chinese has 4 tones, the name CAO has rising tone. CAO with the falling tone is the F word.

C.C.