Tuesday, January 31, 2023 John Guzzetta

POP Goes the Weasel:

Speaking of Weasels (oh, we weren't?), when we were in Vietnam we sampled some Weasel Coffee.  I brought some home and served it to my friends.  I told them after it had been consumed how it had been produced.  It's actually quite good.

20-Across. Rebate redeemer's requirement, usually: PROOF OF PURCHASE.  First POP!

39-Across. Motto for a socially responsible corporation: PEOPLE OVER PROFIT.  Second POP!

56-Across. Academic ultimatum: PUBLISH OR PERISH.  Third POP!

And the Unifiers:

70. With 71-Across, Destiny's Child or the Supremes, and an apt description of this puzzle's longest answers: POP.

71. See 70-Across: TRIO.

Together these two answers give us a POP TRIO.  Both Destiny's Child and The Supremes are/were female pop trios.  Beyoncé (née Beyoncé Giselle Knowles; b. Sept. 4, 1981) is the best known member of Destiny's Child and Diana Ross (b. Mar. 26, 1944) is the best known member of The Supremes.  There is also a TRIO of P-O-P theme answers.

Across:

1. Shapeless mass: BLOB.  //  And 2-Down. Shapeless mass: LUMP.

5. Syst. with hand gestures: ASL.  As in American Sign Language.

8. Zac of "High School Musical": EFRON.  His role in High School Musical is probably the role that is most identified with Zachary David Alexander Efron (b. Oct. 18, 1987).  [Name # 1.]

13. German automaker: AUDI.   Everything you wanted to known about Audi, but didn't know to ask.

14. Ill-mannered sort: BOOR.

16. Like some dips: ONIONY.

17. Metropolitan haze: SMOG.

18. Skin care balm: ALOE.  This has become a crossword staple.

19. Argon and oxygen: GASSES.

23. Acct. earnings: INT.  As in Interest.

24. "Arrested Development" actor Will: ARNETT.  Will Arnett (né William Emerson Arnett; b. May 4, 1970) is a Canadian actor best known for his role as Gob Bluth on Arrested Development.  He was also  married to Amy Poehler (b. Sept. 16, 1971) for over a decade.   [Name # 2.]

25. Patterned fabric: TOILE.  This is not the first time this fabric has appeared in the crossword puzzles.

28. Manolo Blahnik creation: SHOE.  Manolo Blahnik (né Manuel Blahnik Rodríguez; b. Nov. 27, 1942) is a Spanish fashion designer best known for his very expensive shoes.  He was the subject of 2017 documentary entitled Manolo: The Boy Who Made Shoes for Lizards.  [Name # 3.]

29. Long story: SAGA.  I love a good saga.  Ken Follett (né Kenneth Martin Follett; b. June 5, 1949) is known for writing fabulous historical sagas.  He wrote three sagas that make up his Century Trilogy: Fall of Giants, Winter of the World, and Edge of Eternity.  The series follows 5 inter-related families throughout the 1900s, beginning with World War I in the first novel, followed by World War II in the second novel, and concluding with the  Cold War and the civil rights movements.

32. Branch: ARM.

33. __ deco: ART.  Our old friend Erté (né Romain Petrovich de Tirtoff; Nov. 23, 1892 ~ Apr. 21, 1990), who used to make frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles, was an expert in Art Deco.

35. Moving vehicle: VAN.  My favorite clue of today's puzzle.

37. Golf course rental: CART.

43. Motown genre: SOUL.

44. Reddit tell-all sesh: AMA.  As in Ask Me Anything.

45. Attempt: TRY.

46. "Mean Girls" screenwriter Tina: FEY.  Tina Fey (née Elizabeth Stamatina Fey; b. May 18, 1970) was also the star of 30 Rock. [Name # 4.]

47. "Halt!": STOP.

49. Curved foot part: ARCH.

51. Live (in): DWELL.

53. "Lucifer" actress Helfer: TRICIA.  I am not familiar with the Canadian-born Tricia Helfer (née Tricia Janine Helfer; b. Apr. 11, 1974), nor am I familiar with television series Lucifer.   [Name # 5.]

55. __ Lingus: AER.  Aer Lingus is the airline of Ireland.

62. Egypt's continent: AFRICA.

63. Colorado Plateau natives: UTES.  The Utes make frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.

64. Well-behaved: GOOD.

66. "Carol" Oscar nominee Mara: ROONEY.  Rooney Mara (née Patricia Rooney Mara; b. Apr. 17, 1985) is probably best known for her role as Lisbeth Salander in the movie The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  [Name # 6.]

67. Meh-worthy: SO-SO.

68. "Reservation Dogs" streaming service: HULU.

69. Donkeys: ASSES.

Down:

1. __-relief: BAS.  I saw a lot of Bas-Relief on the wall of Angkor Wat.

3. Smell: ODOR.

4. Bloc in the fossil fuels lobby, collectively: BIG OIL.

5. To the back, on a boat: ABAFT.  We need our friend Spitzboov to explain this answer.

Spitzboov and his wife, Betty

6. Song for one: SOLO.  He sang solo we couldn't hear him.

7. Shower scrubber: LOOFAH.

8. Passes into law: ENACTS.

9. Seafood snack in a shell: FISH TACO.  Yummers!

10. "Undone" voice actress Salazar: ROSA.  Rosa Salazar (née Rosa Bianca Salazar; b. July 16, 1985) is our second Canadian actress in today's puzzle.  [Name # 7.]

11. Dollar bills: ONES.

12. Org. with opening and closing bells: NYSE.  As in the New York Stock Exchange.

15. Admonish: REPROVE.

16. Fantasy brute: OGRE.

21. Former NBA great Shaquille: O'NEAL.  Shaquille O'Neal (né Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal) played basketball for Louisiana State University for 3 years before leaving for the NBA.  He later returned to LSU and earned his B.A.  [Name # 8.]

22. Dig up: UNEARTH.

25. Lights-out music: TAPS.

26. Double Stuf cookies: OREOS.  A crossword staple.

27. "See ya": I'M OUT.

28. Tolerate: STOMACH.

30. Social blunder: GAFFE.

31. Disney mermaid: ARIEL. She is actually fictional because mermaids aren't real.  [Name # 9.]

34. Stephen of "The Crying Game": REA.  The Crying Game is a 1992 film that starred Stephen Rea (b. Oct. 31, 1946).  [Name # 10.]

36. "All Things Considered" airer: NPR.  As in National Public Radio.

38. "bye 4 now": TTYL.  Textspeak for Talk To You Later.

40. Story's framework: PLOT LINE.  The Plot Line is very important to 29-Across.

41. Assorted: VARIOUS.

42. Actress Winona: RYDER.  Winona Ryder (née Winona Laura Horowitz; b. Oct. 29, 1971) has appeared in numerous films.  In 2000, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  [Name # 11.]

48. Does some comparison shopping: PRICES.

50. Like some cargo carriers: CAR TOP.  Oh, as in something to put on top of your car to carry extra luggage, not a cargo ship.

52. "Native Son" novelist Richard: WRIGHT.  Richard Wright (né Richard Nathaniel Wright; Sept. 4, 1908 ~ Nov. 28, 1960) was an African American writer.  Much of his literature concerned racial themes.  His work was instrumental in helping to change race relations in the United States.  Sadly he died young ~ at age 52.  [Name # 12.]

54. "My stars!": I SAY!

55. Greek storyteller: AESOP.  You can read his fables here.  [Name # 13.]

56. Prefix with sail: PARA-.  It looks like fun, but I don't think I would really like to try parasailing.

57. Some fuzzy tabloid pics: UFOs.  As in Unidentified Flying Objects.

58. Dudes: BROS.

59. Mexican money: PESO.  One US Dollar is currently about 18.85 Mexican Pesos.

60. Like unripe grapes: SOUR.

61. Hindu spring festival: HOLI.  Everything you wanted to know about Holi, but didn't know to ask.  This year, the Holi falls on March 8, 2023.

65. Couple: DUO.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Monday January 30, 2023 Baylee Devereaux

  

Hello Cornerites!

sumdaze here. Today's puzzle comes to us from constructor, Baylee Devereaux. This is her second LA Times publication. I will quote Ol'Man Keith on Baylee's LA Times debut, "Some seriously clever long fills in this Devereaux opus, alternating with commonplace XWD fills, all marshaled for us by JZB."

As for today's puzzle, Baylee had something different in mind. I am calling it

Top Hand

 

Tad Lucas was known as "Rodeo's First Lady".

Click here if you are not familiar with "Top Hand".

Baylee placed her themers vertically in the grid because she wants us to pay special attention to the top (UPPER) part of each of the four themed answers:

3 Down. *Performer's pseudonym: STAGE NAME.  a name assumed for professional purposes by an actor or other performer.

8 Down. *Flippable timekeeper: HOURGLASS.  Does your brain go here, too?

13 Down. *Creamy dip for vegetables: RANCH DRESSING.

30 Down. *Dog in a Disney tear-jerker: OLD YELLER. TBH, I cannot go there without crying so please, if you have questions, look this one up yourself.

Then the reveal:

32 Down. Advantageous position, and what each answer to a starred clue literally has: UPPER HAND.  the position of having power or being in control in a particular situation.

Joining the UPPER parts with HAND, we get:

STAGE HAND  a person who moves scenery or props before or during the performance of a play. 
HOUR HAND  This one is a bit of an outlier because it is a clock part, not a person.

RANCH HAND  a manual laborer on a ranch.

OLD HAND  a person with a lot of experience in something. 

Here's a fun-loving video clip with RANCH HANDS, OLD HANDS, and (unseen) STAGE HANDS.

I'm an Old Cowhand (from the Rio Grande)

written by Johnny Mercer for the movie Rhythm on the Range (1936)

starring Bing Crosby and Louis Prima on the trumpet

JazzBumpa, can you tell us about that other horn @ 1:40 ?

Across:
1. Amble along: MOSEY.

6. "I don't get it": HUH.

9. Secret agent: SPY.

Johnny Rivers  Secret Agent Man  (1966)

12. Wonderland cake invitation that Alice accepted: EAT ME.  Two years ago I reread Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There after listening to a podcast that talked about the themes and poems from an adult perspective. If you want to reread them, too, see if your library has a copy with John Tenniel's illustrations. They are wonderful!

13. Nevada gambling town near Carson City: RENO.

The Truckee River flows from Lake Tahoe to Donner Lake (made famous by the Donner Party), into Nevada, through RENO, and onward.

14. Pool stick: CUE.

15. Emmy category: DRAMA.  The 2022 Emmy for Best Drama went to Succession.

16. Merry-go-rounds: CAROUSELS.  Let's see what Mary Poppins is up to.

Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins (1964)  (2:05 min.)

18. Floral wreath: GARLAND.

20. Washer cycle: RINSE.

21. "Fee, __, foe, fum": FIE.  from Jack to King Lear

23. DEA agent: NARC.  "Drug Enforcement Administration" is abbreviated, so is "NARCotics".

24. Feels the same: AGREES.

25. "Ella Enchanted" star Hathaway: ANNE.

(2004)  ~  3 stars on IMDb

27. Car or truck: VEHICLE.

29. South American grasslands: LLANOS.  Pronounced 'ya-nohs' (Spanish for "plains"), they are wide grasslands stretching across western Venezuela and northeastern Colombia.

31. Facts and figures: DATA.  Also, a Star Trek character portrayed by actor Brent Spiner. He is a synthetic life form with artificial intelligence.

Lt Commander DATA with his cat Spot

32. Thumb drive port: USB.

How many tries it take to plug in a USB drive?     3

1st try:  correct but you're not sure and are afraid to force it.
2nd try:  obviously incorrect.

3rd try:  same as 1st try but with confidence.

35. Humped beast: CAMEL.

GEICO 'Hump Day' commercial. Never gets old! (30 sec.)

36. Buffet table coffee server: URN.

21st Century URNs ???

37. Overly sentimental: SAPPY.  Hand up for liking the SAPPY Hallmark Christmas movies.

39. Be in debt: OWE.  We can OWE money but we can also OWE a debt of gratitude.

40. Prom partner: DATE. The Charleston dance scene in It's a Wonderful Life (1947) was filmed at Beverly Hills High School's Swim-Gym, built in 1939 as a federal public works project.

Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed (1:10 min.)

42. Fireplace receptacle: ASH PIT.  Hand up for changing PoT to PIT.

43. Enters using a keyboard: TYPES IN.

45. In this location: HERE.

46. Girl who lost her sheep: BO PEEP.

Woody was sweet on BO PEEP in the Toy Story movies.

49. Shoveler's target: SNOW.

51. Hi-__ monitor: RES.  "High" is shortened, so is "RESolution".

52. Hearing-related: AURAL.

53. Language of Helsinki: FINNISH.

55. Some horses on a stud farm: STALLIONS.  and 17 Down. Thoroughbred's father: SIRE.

Here is some information about famous horses from the Smithsonian Institution.

57. Lab containers: VIALS.

This one is a bit meta.

60. One of 88 on a piano: KEY.  I like this clue!  BTW, 32 are black & 56 are white.

61. Vaping pen, informally: E-CIG.

62. Orange Muppet in a striped shirt: ERNIE.

63. Fourth-yr. students: SRS.  "YeaR" is abbreviated, so is "SenioRS".

64. Part of the fam: REL.  "Family" is shortened, so is "RELative". Were you expecting "sis" or "bro"?

65. Move like a crab: SIDLE.

Seinfeld:  The Sidler (54 sec.)

Down:
1. Pre-__: college track for a future doctor: MED.

2. White-water rafting need: OAR.

4. Corrin who plays Diana in "The Crown": EMMA.  They appear in Season 4. (I only saw Season 1.)

5. Pine (for): YEARN.

6. Bunch of buffalo: HERD.

7. __, dos, tres: UNO.  counting in Spanish

9. Public tantrum: SCENE.

Oh, my!

10. Heart rate: PULSE.

11. Acceptances: YESES.  plural of 'YES'

16. __ package: CARE.  a parcel of food, money or luxury items sent to a loved one who is away.

I regularly sent DH these during his (too many) military deployments.

19. Loos: LAVS. Since "LAVS" is shortened, I reasoned that "Loos" must also be shortened but I had to do a little research :

Despite its British popularity for a slightly less crude way to call the toilet, the word “loo” is actually derived from the French phrase 'guardez l'eau', meaning 'watch out for the water”. (plumbworld.co.uk)

21. Edie of "The Sopranos": FALCO.  Edie is a frequent guest to XWD grids. We are usually asked Ms. FALCO's vowel-full first name. Just a heads up, she played General Ardmore in the movie Avatar 2 (released 12/16/22). We might start seeing her clued in this new way.

22. Kin by marriage: IN-LAW.  It's all RELative.

24. Play a role: ACT.

26. WSW opposite: ENE.  Even though they often stumped me, I sort of miss the clues that gave us two cities and asked the direction in relationship to each other. Just writing the opposite of WSW is too much of a gimme. I know...be careful of what you ask for....

28. "Atonement" novelist McEwan: IAN.  Goodreads link

33. Steeple topper: SPIRE.

34. Memory units: BYTES.

Why 8 ?
8 is 2 to the 3rd power or just multiply 2 by itself 3 times
2 x 2 x 2
Why 1,024 ?
1,024 is 2 to the 10th power or  just multiply 2 by itself 10 times
2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2
So 1,024 is the maximum number of computer memory addresses that can be referenced with 10 binary switches.

36. SLC athlete: UTE. someone on a team representing the Univ. of Utah, located in Salt Lake City, UT.

38. Contented sigh: AHH.  Sometimes it's "aah" and sometimes it's "AHH". A good perp will give you the "aha" moment.

41. Google Play download: APP.  Google Play is the android equivalent of The App Store for iPhones. It cannot be clued  as "The App Store download" because "app" cannot be in the clue and in the answer.

42. Unknown author, for short: ANON.  CSO to a few Cornerites!

43. Bluish green: TEAL.  The Allure & Power of the Color Teal

44. Cozy stopovers: INNS.

46. Savors the sun: BASKS.  This word always makes me think of lizards BASKing in the sun.

Bearded Dragon lizard

47. On the periphery: OUTER.

48. Seeks divine guidance: PRAYS.

50. Some ring bearers: WIVES.  Perhaps this is meant to be a misdirection to make one think of a wedding ceremony. Here it refers to already married people wearing rings.

53. Wrap for leftovers: FOIL.

Mythbusters Episode 96:  Adam and Jamie build a balloon out of lead FOIL.

Will it "go down like a lead balloon"? (4:48 min.)

54. Apple's digital assistant: SIRI.

56. Apply a bag of peas to, maybe: ICE.

Have you ever noticed in movies, they always have a handy bag of frozen peas in the freezer for a black eye even if there is nothing else in the refrigerator? Why hasn't anyone eaten the peas???

58. "Eternal Atake" rapper __ Uzi Vert: LIL.  Top 10 LIL rappers  (Spoiler alert:  Mr. Vert is #15.)

59. "O say can you __ ... ": SEE. ♪♪♪

The Francis Scott Key Bridge (I-695) in Baltimore (Hi Waseeley!)
It crosses the Patapsco River where FSK was inspired to write the words to the
Star Spangled Banner.

It is now time to HAND you the grid:

I just noticed that we have a lot of cowboys & horses today.

Happy trails to you!

Sunday, January 29, 2023 - Brian Thomas & Brooke Husic

Hi All!
Sorry to tell you folks, you're stuck with me again.

I'm not sure what's on C.C.'s plate, but I'm sure she needs a break regardless.

I knew there was a reason I don't do Sunday puzzles, and now I remember - too many words for this dyslexic. //I clued a Sunday LAT with C.C. once... Once! [Johnny Dangerously]

OK, let's get going...

Opposite Day!

The Constructors take in-the-vernacular phrases and flips one word opposite for whimsy. Take a look:

23. Drill sergeant, perhaps?: PRIVATE ENEMY NUMBER ONE. As opposed to Public Enemy Number One - aka the dude on the Wanted poster.
A Drill Sgt's goal is to get the platoon to work as a team. He makes it a point to become the PVTs' common enemy. Ask me how I know. #GoArmy

36. Collective action by society women?: DEBUTANTE STRIKE. As opposed to a Debutante Ball - think baseball's strikes & balls.

49. Farm bird that never topples?: NO FALL CHICKEN. No Spring Chicken - we ain't getting any younger.

66. Amendment proposed by a technophile?: RIGHT TO ONES OWN DEVICES. Left To One's Own Devices - only using what (little) God gave you.
Lawsuits were filed and folks won the right-to-repair. [See: Apple / Deere lawsuits. Interesting story: when Russians stole Ukrainian farm equipment, John Deere remotely disabled all of them.]

78. Like a typical ride on a mechanical bull?: A FEW BUCKS LONG. A Few Bucks Short - not enough money to ride the bull again.

92. Endure within a group of peers?: LAST AMONG EQUALS. First Among Equals - The Crème de la Crème (in your circle) or to last through/put-up with their airs.

109. Death and taxes, per Benjamin Franklin?: UNIVERSAL BASIC OUTCOME. Universal Basic Income - what some in D.C. argue for instead of what out-goes every April 15th (when's Canada's tax due, C,Eh!?).

A very cute and well-executed theme. Debutante STRIKE threw me for a while 'cuz I was thinking, "what's opposite for Deb?"

And now, for the rest of the fill:

Across:
1. Cat's attention-getter, maybe: PAW. Some Cornites report their cats paw them awake them for their (cats') breakfast.

4. Car once advertised as a "well-built Swede": SAAB. A man called Ove cherished his.

8. Endpoint for some boots and skirts: THIGH. Just above the (67d) TIBIA.

13. Like cookies soon after the Cookie Monster spots them: EATEN. Nom, nom, nom.

18. Equine parent: SIRE. The daddy-horse that begat.

20. Anti-censorship org.: ACLU. American Civil Liberties Union. I wanted EFF (fights for right-to-repair) before I saw I needed to ink four squares.

21. Provençal mayo: AIOLI. Garlic and oil mayonnaise.

22. Only just: NEWLY. Minted.

23. [See: Theme]

27. New York, for one: STATE. And a city, and a county.

Ghost Busters - City, County, and, STATE

28. Lubricate: GREASE. For the squeaky-wheel.

29. Return: PROFIT. One's ROI [Return On Investment].

30. Audrey Hopburn letters: IPA. Indian Pale Ale. I assume this is a beer. Note the Hop(s) and not Hep.

31. Distribution parties: ISSUERS. People handing out stuff, not galas with swag.

34. Ellington composition: RAG. Duke.
 

Soda Fountain Rag

35. Inning's trio?: ENS. Not OUTs - There's three 'N's in iNNiNG. I'd like to speak with management about these types of clues/answers :-)

36. [See: Theme]

41. French bread?: EURO. Bread, dough, money. France was one of the first countries to eschew their currency and adopt the Euro on 1 Jan 1999.

43. Part of an underwater forest: KELP. Dried & spiced, it's Eldest's favorite snack.

44. One-eighty: UIE. U-turn.

45. Movie trailer?: CREDITS. Cute.

47. Pick up: DETECT. Sense. You have five (or six if you're "special").

49. [See: Theme]

55. Wrath: IRE. The IRE of Khan [Star Trek] doesn't have the same ring to it.
 

Khaaaaan!

56. Honeycomb unit: CELL.

Perfect Little Hexagons

57. Rep. from the Bronx: AOC. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; the representative from the City of the New York.  //Remember - no politics :-)

58. WWF, e.g.: NGO. World Wildlife Fund is a Non-Governmental Organization.
World Wrestling Federation lost a lawsuit to the NGO inre: WWF moniker so now they're WWE (Entertainment) - that ordeal made a comic Hahtoolah posted a bit back very LOL.

59. Mountain goats' terrain: CRAGS.

62. Temperamental: MOODY.

63. Org. with the largest-circulation magazine in the U.S.: AARP. American Association of Retired Persons. Bzzt - you don't have to be retired for them to start sending you membership forms when you hit 50 :-) //and how do they know?

65. Corner store: MART.

Apu's Quick-E-Mart

66. [See: Theme]

70. Cut and paste, say: EDIT. Editing commands to a computer (CTRL-C & CTRL-V / CMD-C & CMD-V [Apple]) or what folks physically did (with scissors & GLUE (11d)) before going to press.

71. Ibex range: ALPS. CRAGS there, too, I bet.

72. Drops: OMITS. Leaves out.

73. Invite for: ASK TO. A bit gluey fill, no?

74. Gretchen of "Boardwalk Empire": MOL. I've never watched this so ESP (Every. Single. Perpendicular.) #1.

Gretchen Mol

75. La Liga cheer: OLE. LaLiga is Spain's futbal division. Only English speakers add the space between La and Liga. I guessed the fill but thank Google for the expo.

76. Contact __: LENS.

77. Carol contraction: 'TIS the season to be jolly...

78. [See: Theme]

83. Some Japanese TVs: SANYOS.

86. "I don't care!": SO SUE ME. Can't get blood from a turnip.

87. Terr. divided in 1889: DAK. Into North & South DAKotas.

88. Kiwi-shaped: OVAL. The fruit, not the bird nor the people of New Zealand.

90. Color of Montana's flag: BLUE. Hi, Montana!

Montana's State Flag

92. [See: Theme]

97. __ carte: ALA.

98. "Hair Love" voice actress Issa: RAE. ESP #2

100. Strapless bralette: BANDEAU. ESP #3.

101. "__ Lasso": TED. If you have Apple+ TV, I highly recommend the show. Touching & funny at the same time.
 

Trailer

102. Passing remark?: GO DEEP. Football - for the "Hail Mary" pass.

104. Slides (over): SCOOTS. Skootch was a letter too long (and shows my Midwest upbringing).

107. Hides in plain sight?: TIPIS. ESP #4. I guess this is an alternate spelling of Tepees(?) made of animal hide. If I'm right (I am, I looked it up), this is really cute.

109. [See: Theme]

114. Contributed: ADDED. Y'all will get your chance to contribute / ADD commentary.

115. French 101 verb: AVOIR. Fr. for Have. //another ESP. #5.

116. Ziggurat level: TIER. I got this from "level." A ziggurat is a type of massive structure built in ancient Mesopotamia. It has the form of a terraced compound of successively receding stories or levels. [WikiP]

A Ziggurat

117. Shoestring catch?: SNAG. A trippy-moment or SNAG'n' a ball near your feet in the outfield? We should be told.

118. Creates a Maillard reaction on a steak, say: SEARS. Interaction of sugars with amino acids. She'll explain:
 

119. Gave back, as land: CEDED. Tense, -T, tense. See Gave (past) in the clue? (I didn't at first).

120. Be worthy of: EARN. You earned it.

121. Nestlé's __-Caps: SNO.

Sno-Caps

Down:
1. Nintendo : DS :: Sony : __: PSP. Sony's PlayStation, Portable, 1EA :-) //a joke for the Vets.

2. Measure typically given in knots: AIR SPEED. A nautical mile well above the waters.

3. Like some data disks: WRITABLE. I hope they were at least once writable or there's nothing on them.

4. Chili-based Vietnamese condiment: SATE SAUCE. Looks like very hot salsa.

5. The "A" of LGBTQIA+, for short: ACE. Perps.

6. The "A" of 30-Across: ALE. It's been a while, but remember 30a? It, Audrey Hopburn, was an IPAle.

7. __ cord: BUNGEE.
 

The Girls loved Veggie Tales (and it was funny)

8. Maximally vanilla: TAMEST. Not fair to vanilla - it's my fav w/ peaches or malted milk (or both!).

9. "Howdy there!": HI YA. HolA fit, didn't it Lucina? My only ink-over.

10. Cyclotron particles: IONS. A Cyclotron is a ring of magnets that speed IONS to near light just to smash 'em into other particles. Subatomic physics. #Fermilabs

11. "I'm rubber, you're __ ... ": GLUE. Your insults bounce off me and stick on you.

12. That guy: HIM. I have a buddy who's "catch-line" was "That guy" as he thumb'd at someone nearby. I was the butt of that bit when we were at .conf in Vegas. He taught me Blackjack, so there's that. 

13. Fired up: ENERGETIC.

14. Prefix with Mexico: AERO. Aeromexico is an airline.

15. BOGO deal: TWOFER. Buy-One/Get-One aka a Two-for-One deal. I thank WC talking about his BOGO deals at Publix for knowing this.

16. Weather-affecting Pacific current: EL NINO.

Difference between EL NINO & LA NINA

17. Politburo nos: NYETS. Not numbers but NO! in Russia before 1991.

19. Noblezada of "Easter Sunday": EVA. A&E I didn't know. A three-letter actor/actress with EV_ can only end with an A or E. No?

24. Bumping heads: AT IT. A row, a fight, going AT IT.

25. Drops the ball, say: ERRS. Oy! Boss-man: "Where are we regarding..." Me: "D'Oh!, I dropped the ball."

26. __-free plastic: BPA. BisPhenol A is a synthetic organic compound used in making certain plastics. It's thought to be harmful if ingested; they're probably right.

30. Brief "Beats me!": IDK.
Story: I texted Youngest, "When will you be home?" She texts back, "idk"
I respond, "What's idk?"
Youngest: "I don't know"
Me: "Then why would you text me idk if you don't know what idk means?"
The penny dropped a microsecond after I hit send. #EggFace #EmojiGigglesEnsued.
 

Why would you tell me you have a plethora if you don't know what it means to have a plethora?

32. Fit of pique: SNIT. Yet another ado.

33. Great Basin native: UTE.

34. Sends off the soccer pitch: RED CARDS. Did y'all hear about the ref that Red-Carded himself?

37. Far from relaxed: UPTIGHT.

38. Color TV pioneer: RCA. Hi Misty!

39. Offline, briefly: IRL. In Real Life.

40. Kenan's "Good Burger" co-star: KEL.

42. Sch. that competes against Notre Dame for the Jeweled Shillelagh: USC. ESP #6. University of Southern California. Some history of the trophy.

46. [Crossing my fingers!]: I HOPE. Or, if behind your back, you're telling a lie.

48. German "first": ERST.

49. Bright shades: NEONS. Remember the '80's?

The Fresh Prince (Will Smith) Rocked It

50. Ye __ Shoppe: OLDE.

51. Eschew a co-pilot: FLY SOLO.

52. Real talent: KNACK. With "The" you get My Sharona

53. Wading bird: EGRET.

54. "Au contraire!": NOT SO. Oui, Oui! More French.

56. Member-owned grocery: CO-OP. A COOPerative.

59. Espresso froth: CREMA. I'm assuming Italian spelling of Crème(?) When DW & I were in Italy, I'd just quit smoking (again) so I loved to end the day with espresso & gelatto before our last bit of wine.

60. Free from: RID OF. Toss it if it doesn't bring joy. Or not: I'm just sure I can use this again ;-)

61. Fleet of foot: AGILE.

62. Chemistry class model: MOLECULE.

Water

63. Filling with wonder: AWING. Gluey IMHO.

64. Children's song marchers: ANTS. The ANTS go marching/One by one/The ANTS go...

65. Text in a long-distance relationship, maybe: MISS YOU. Or, just mid-day texts to Significant Other.

67. Tibia neighbor: TALUS. Dem Bones/Dem Bones...

68. Spilled salt, to some: OMEN. Throw a bit over your left-shoulder and the demon goes away, so they say.
"kill -9 all" makes the daemons go away [*nix joke for the techies]
I wrote "kill -9 all | sort -god out" on a buddy's white-board. He left the company 5 years ago, but the quip is still on the wall.

69. Thinking a song is about oneself, say: VAIN. Cue Carly Simon.
 

75. Music store supply: OBOE REEDS. We get both OBOE and REED in the same fill!

77. Roll the dice, say: TAKE A TURN. My first thought was TAKE A risk.

79. Pacific Northwest sch.: WSU. Washington State University.

80. Hawaiian for "white": KEA. Ok, now the Hawaiian mountain's names make sense.

81. Texting tech: SMS. Short Messaging Service.

82. "If we must die, O __ us nobly die": McKay: LET.

83. Herb used in some smudging rituals: SAGE. DW's PhD department was so toxic - one night, she and fellow candidates took bunched SAGE, lit it, and smudged every office. You could smell the sweet for a week.

84. Big hands?: OVATIONS. Cute - give Brian & Brooke a big round of applause.

85. Word in an Arthur Miller title: SALESMAN. The Death of a...

87. RPG with a 20-sided die: DND. Dungeons-n-Dragons is a Role Playing Game. An icosahedron (20-sided die, aka a 20d) is used to determine chance of survival from an orc / dragon / random-monster attack. Or, if your character is strong, hit-points against a foe. I oft played a Paladin Ranger, so I'd usually end up w/ a 12d (dodecahedron) for hit-points. //the rules have changed since I played the 2nd edition (D&D is now on v5e) and now I have to keep up with Eldest's knowledge.

89. Acid initials: LSD. Lysergic acid diethylamide. More trippy-stuff (or so I am told).

90. Strawberry __: BLONDE. This took forever 'cuz I kept thinking margarita, jam, or preserve. Cue BLONDiE.
 

Call Me

91. Highfalutin: LA-DI-DA. Mr. Fancy Pants.

93. "All __!": ABOARD. Rise (think court-room) was too short so I got on the train.

94. Rolls in yoga class: MATS.

95. In the office: ON SITE. Post-Covid vaccines, a few departments are still 100% remote, but our team is ON-SITE, IRL, three days a week.

96. Word after rage or force: QUIT.   Rage quit or force quit.

• Rage quit - Youngest @9p night b/f post explained Rage quit: it's when you're so mad at something / someone you just stop fiddling / texting.
• Force quit - Stopping (ending) an unresponsive application on your Windows or Apple device.   Ctrl+Alt+Del on Windows devices, and Option-Command-Esc on a Mac.

97. __ frescas: fruit drinks: AGUAS.

99. Passover's month, often: Abbr.: APR. April. I was expecting this fill to be in Hebrew. Not that I speak it but, silly me, waited for perps.

103. Even once: EVER. Have you Ever...
 

That Dog

104. Back up: SAVE. Your data on Writable data disks or in "The Cloud."

105. Graceless one: CLOD. Some days, yes, that's me. //EVER just turn into a wall instead of the doorway thinking you were one step later?

106. Four Tops singer Benson: OBIE. Renaldo "Odie" Benson [WikiP]

108. Some laptops: PCS. Personal ComputerS.

110. __ fly: SAC. Short for Sacrifice. #Baseball! A SAC fly is when there's a runner at 3rd, fewer that 2 outs, and you hit it deep knowing you'll be out but hoping the out-fielder can't get the ball to home before the runner tags-up and takes off. I suppose, with less that two outs, you could SAC to move the runner to 3rd - but that's a risky bet.

111. Spy-fi org.: CIA. Central Intelligence Agency - USA's spooks. //Back in the day, at hacker conferences, we'd play spot-the-spook to figure out who was .gov.  Eventually, they started recruiting us :-)

112. Not 'neath: O'ER. Poetry and more carols... "the river and through the woods..."

113. Nwodim of "SNL": EGO. We recently had her in the grid - and I remembered!
 

Ego Nwodim

Phew! That was a lot of words.
Well, I hope y'all had fun with the grid and the expo.

Thanks Brian & Brooke for the puzzle!

Cheers, -T
Oh, yeah, insert the Grid you Big Dummy.

The Grid