Friday, December 14, 2012, Peter A. Collins

Theme: A bit of sugar, a pinch of salt AN' A GRAM make a 7 layer cake.

This puzzle has all kinds of layers, with six different iterations of the letters in GLARE the icing which holds the cake together. Mr. Collins is am active constructor who has published more than 60 NYT puzzles since beginning in 2006 and almost 20 in the LAT. We last saw him in his HOMES puzzle, and I did my first write up of the INVISIBLE MAN collaboration he had in October. The theme involves the straight solving of five starred clues which each have a single word fill;  the final across entry as the reveal  along with the grid spanning 7 down tell us we need anagrams of GLARE to pair with the starred fill to create the hidden answers. As discussed in his interview which I have linked before, Peter likes hiding things. His cluing is excellent, in this odd,  difficult, but Mondayish grid with 78 words, only 63 open squares and lots of 3 and 4 letter fill. This did not make it easy, and I needed lots of work to get any traction.The theme did not help until the reveal. and even then, it was not a slam dunk. Some really interesting clechos as well.

let's get to work, with the unusual aspect of 1 across as a theme answer, but it is balanced with 73 across as the reveal. Symmetry.

1A. *Century maker : BUICK.(5) (REGAL). To me this is the odd clue out because both the answer and the anagram relate to the car company while the rest have different meanings when paired with the anagram.

23A. *Name of eight English kings : EDWARD (6).(ELGAR). You all know I loves me a good anagram almost as much as Jerome does,  but this one almost did me in. The other came easily but this COMPOSER of Pomp and Circumstance and others was not in my brain. Ed VIII is the one who abdicated for the American Divorcee, Wallis Simpson and may have been a strong sympathizer with the NAZI government.

25A. *Engenders : FOSTERS (7). (LAGER). Hi Kazie. Make you feel like you are back in OZ? (0:15)

55A. *To whom Hamlet said, "O, I die" : HORATIO (7) (ALGER). The incredible popular AUTHOR of children's feel good books, who may also have been a pedophile.

60A. *Certain psychic : MEDIUM (6) (LARGE).The easiest of the GLARE anagrams.

and the two part unifier...

73A. Reason to wear shades (and a word for which you have to 7-Down to find a word, different in each case, that can follow a starred answer) : GLARE.(5).

7D. See 73-Across : CREATE AN ANAGRAM.(15).

Across:

6. Berlin beef? : ACH. This German exclamation of frustration was a difficult clue for a three letter fill even with the much favored alliteration.

9. They may be lost or frozen : WAGES. Another thoughht provoking clue/fill combo.

14. Ishikari Bay city : OTARU. Luckily we had this seaport back in early November.

15. Before, before : ERE. Finally, one I could fill with confidence!!!!

16. How holes are rarely made? : IN ONE. Lovely golf reference. The closest I ever came I used a 61D. Pitching wedge, e.g. : IRON. You could not see the hole because of huge sand trap in front, and when I saw it was 2" away....

17. Red Square honoree : LENIN. The controversy continues. LINK.

18. Title in a Shakespeare title : GENTLEMEN. Once upon a time there two of them in Verona.

20. Chair part : ARM. Leg also fits; why do we anthropomorphize the furniture?

21. Karmann ___: classic VW : GHIA. The school doctor had a silver one, and thought he was all that when I was away at high school.

24. [As written] : SIC. From the Latin meaning THUS.

27. Pageboys et al. : DOS. Hair dos, not like the NBC pages.

28. Down Under runners : EMUS. More from the Australia.

30. Banks of Chicago : ERNIE. Let's play two, great hitter and shortstop for the Cubs. Won MVP on last place team.

32. Suffragist Julia Ward ___ : HOWE. Most famous for her Civil War POEM, and the song,  both of which were related to abolitionist, who also inspired 53D. "John Brown's Body" poet : BENET. Steven Vincent Benet wrote this Pulitzer prize winning narrative poem. BIO. Anyone seen LINCOLN?

34. Michigan, to Mitterand : ETAT.  President Mitterand from France would call a state....

36. Tippler : DIPSOmaniac. An actual historic medical term for an alcoholic. Not related to the wonderfully wittily clued  perpendicular 37D. What might involve reminiscing about old flames? : PYROMANIA.

40. Hindu teacher : SWAMI. Not.

42. Sajak sale : AN E. Johnny's first fame came when he replaced Edgar Bergen as the host of Who Do You Trust, a game show.

43. Arab League founding member : EGYPT.

44. Carpentry joint component : TENON. Our resident carpentry experts have waxed philosophic about this term in the...

45. History : PAST.

47. Many presidential periods : ERAS. Is the Bush Era over or is JEB coming on strong?

48. Joined a jam : SAT IN. Not trouble, not jelly but a musical JAM, Hit it JazzB.

50. Business opening : AGRObusiness. I cannot find any word other than AGRIBUSINESS, but do I pick a nit?

52. Kentucky Colonels' org. : ABA. American Basketball Association and home of the three point shot. They were a really Fun FRANCHISE. even if the clue is now obscure.

57. Glove box item : MAP.

62. Comes together : GELS. Which word came first, this or gelatin?

63. One-time link : AT A.

64. Seeing red? : IN ARREARS. A very nice clue from the accountants using red pencils to show losses.

66. Hues : TINTS.

68. Sombrero wearer : SENOR. and the clecho 69. Sombrero, e.g. : HAT.

70. Mark Twain, for one : ALIAS. Not just a nom de plume.

71. Emotionless : STONY. Her stony stare was unnerving.

72. Poehler of "Parks and Recreation" : AMY. She is divorcing her SNL and Parks co-star Will ARNETT.(4:41).

Down:

1. Hurled weapons : BOLAS.  These have been around for centuries. LINK.

2. Development sites : UTERI. What a cute clue and timely for someone who has a new granddaughter. However, all my mind conjures are bad Groucho Marx images. "What a revolting development this." or "Does this place have womb service?" Close your eyes and hear his voice.

3. "Atonement" author : IAN McEWAN. This somewhat controversial British author is often clued for his Booker Prize for Amsterdam. Did anyone watch the MOVIE?(1:50)

4. Champagne shout : CRI. Just a French word.

5. Panda's skill, in a 2008 film : KUNG FU. Never watched THIS.(1:22).

6. Auspices : AEGIS. A nice word which lawyers like to use to earn their fees.

8. Egg source : HEN. More fertilization focus?

9. Carefree quality : WILD SIDE. Performed by Melrose Plant's favorite SINGER.

10. From the top : ANEW. The "A" word.

11. Snap : GO MAD.

12. Janvier, across the Pyranees : ENERO. last week  and back again, Spanish January this timed paired with the French.

13. Elates : SENDS. A nice 50's word, ("Elvis really sends me.") that hangs on like HERE. (4:18).

19. Seagull relative : TERN. They always come in pairs because we all know a good tern deserves another.

22. It often winds up in a yard : HOSE. Winds up, get it! Really cute.

26. Some Deco works : ERTES. The most popular CW artist.

29. Office joggers : MEMOS. Jogging the memory not jiggling the jogger.

31. Alpine peak : EIGER. marti, how come I get to sanction this clue so often?

32. '40s-'50s D.C. initials : HST. Harry S. Truman. he had no middle name “S” but was given the initial as a tribute to both his maternal grandfather, Solomon Young, and his paternal grandfather, Anderson Shipp Truman. He never went to college, which these days would likely preclude him from being the President.

33. Have a mortgage : OWE. Closed 20 first time home buyer mortgages this month so far with 6 or 7 more to go. Fun.

35. South American forest dweller : TAPIR. The babies are cute.

38. Place to chill out : SPA. I actually sweat more there.

39. TDs may end them : OTS. Over Times in football.

41. Dashing, maybe : IN A HURRY. Nicely crafted clue, not Clark Gable, but someone who is late.

46. Follow : TAIL. Something for all you potential PI's or stalkers, this instructional  VIDEO.(4:16)

49. Hefty volume : TOME. Weighty is more the common phrase.

51. Attend alone : GO STAG. As opposed to stag parties, or stag movies?

52. Screwy : AMISS. As good as a mile?

54. Hersey's "A Bell for ___" : ADANO. Another war related Pulitzer winning TOME.

56. Irritable : TESTY. We are almost through, not time to get testy.

58. Rose oil : ATTAR. Fragrance. I believe the word works for any of the flowery scents; that is my two cents worth.

59. Outmoded : PASSE. Is corny humor passé?

65. "Now I get it!" : AHA. Well it is about time, the puzzle is almost done. I hope you are feeling great as it would be terrible if you were....

67. Not well : ILL. Especially as we enter the holiday party time. Each year the list seems longer and starts earlier. Great if you like free food and booze, just be careful. I hope you all had some potato latkes, if not stop by and I will get them ready. Counting down to Charlotte's first airplane flight when they come south  for the holidays. Thank you Mr. Collins for a fun  work out and for the rest for reading and commenting. Only 2 more 2012 Fridays left.

Lemonade

Thursday, December 13, 2012 Pawel Fludzinski

Theme: QOD ("Quote of the Day.")

Our regular blogger Hahtoolah always supplies us with a thought-provoking QOD, but today she has been upstaged with this theme quote, attributed to Victor Hugo.

19. Start of quote attributed to Victor Hugo : FORTY IS THE OLD

33. Quote, part 2 : AGE OF YOUTH.

39. Quote, part 3 : FIFTY IS THE

56. End of the quote : YOUTH OF OLD AGE.

Any questions?  I chuckled when I finished the quote, because I thought it would be quite appropriate for our little band. So what is Sixty? Seventy? Eighty?  I'll let you all fill in the blanks!

Marti here, to check out the rest of the fill.

Across:

1. Song title spelled out in a 1967 hit : R-E-S-P-E-C-T. We start out with one of my favorite tunes. 4:27

8. Wicket defender : BATSMAN. Opposite the bowler, in cricket.

15. Composer Vivaldi : ANTONIO. Perhaps best known for his "Four Seasons." 41:59 I opened it in a separate window, and listened while doing this write-up.  You may not have the time to listen to it all, but the first few bars should jog your memory.

16. People people? : EDITORS. "People" magazine, that is. And 52-Down. 16-Across reversals : STETS. "Let it stand," which is a notation over an originally edited word.

17. Crick who co-discovered DNA structure : FRANCIS. His co-discoverer was James Watson.

18. It went down in history : TITANIC. At this time of year, I am inclined to think of Rudolf, instead. 3:12

21. Troubadours' instruments : LUTES. Anyone else fill in "lyres?"  My first ink blot of the day...

22. Follower of Stalin? : IST. Stalinist. I might ask, "Why 'Stalin', in particular?"

23. Tale spinner : LIAR.

26. Bastille Day season : ETE. Bastille Day is a French holiday celebrated on July 14th.  So we are looking for the French word for "summer" here.

27. Coal carrier : TRAM.

30. Statue at St. Peter's : PIETA. I think the PIETA by Michelangelo is the one that struck me most when I visited St. Peter's.

31. Pachy- add-on : DERM. In Massachusetts, we call liquor stores "packies."

36. Novelist Ferber : EDNA. I always think of "Giant" when she is mentioned. Fantastic classic film made from the novel, starring Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean and Rock Hudson.

38. Met, as a bet : SEEN. "I'll see your dime, and raise you a nickel..."

43. Crash site? : SOFA. Fun clue, but didn't fool me.

47. Elegant tapestry : ARRAS. Named for the French town known for its fine wall hangings which were sold all over Europe to decorate castle walls.

48. Saintly ring : HALO. "Aura" would fit. (Sigggghhhhh....second ink blot!)

50. Rock's ___ Lobos : LOS. "The Wolves" in Spanish.  You may recognize this song. 2:52

51. Volvo competitor : SAAB. Last week it was "Sundsvall roller."

52. ___-Julie, Quebec : STE. Map. No hint of Abbr. in the clue?

54. Round at the saloon : BEERS. Cheers! ("It's five o'clock somewhere!")

60. Barbecue cook : GRILLER. DH is the resident griller in this house.

62. Head-in-the-clouds sort? : AVIATOR. "Dreamer" also fit...(Drats! Third ink blot!!)

63. Meet unexpectedly : RUN INTO.

64. Fraction, e.g. : SEGMENT.

65. Protective sac for some embryos : EGG CASE. And a clecho with 5-Down. Form into a sac : ENCYST. Ewwww...

66. Locks overhead : TRESSES.

Down:

1. Offered as a door prize, say : RAFFLED. The only door prize I have ever won was a bunch of scratch tickets that turned out to be duds!

2. Going somewhere : EN ROUTE. This one fixed my "lyres" ink blot.

3. First-pitch thrower : STARTER.

4. Florence's ___ Vecchio : PONTE. All along both sides of the bridge are small shops selling (mostly) gold and silver jewelry.

6. MXXX ÷ X : CIII. This one was slightly easier for me than one of Bill G.'s math puzzles!

7. Deep-six : TOSS. The expression "deep-six" comes from the practice of burying the dead at at the depth of a fathom (approx. 6 feet). At sea, the water must be a minimum of 6 fathoms before the weighted body can be interred.

8. Second Hebrew letters : BETHS. These (UPDATED 8:15 - THANKS MIDDLETOWN BOMBER!): בּבּבּבּ

9. Trying to lose, with "on" : A DIET.

10. Bandleader Puente : TITO. What a great personality he had. 4:21

11. Stud farm studs : STALLIONS.

12. Kin of "Sacre bleu!" : MON DIEU.

13. D-backs, on scoreboards : ARI.zona.

14. Defense advisory gp. : NSC. National Security Council.

20. It marches and flies : TIME. Are we having fun yet?

24. Verizon rival, initially : ATT. American Telephone & Telegraph

25. Stadium sound : RAH.

28. Royal sari wearer : RANI.

29. Turkish titles : AGAS.

30. English poet laureate, 1790-1813 : PYE. One of his prose works is "Summary of the Duties of a Justice of the Peace Out of Sessions: With Some Observations." Sounds absolutely fascinating, doesn't it? You can read the book online here.  Go ahead, I'll wait for you to finish it...

32. Like diets based on body type : METABOLIC. ...Back already?

34. Workplace protection org. : OSHA. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

35. Have a hunch : FEEL. Like most of my WAGs, I usually have a hunch they will turn out to be wrong.

37. Functional opening : DYS. DYSfunctional, like some people here on the corner. (Yes, you know I mean you!)

39. Scale notes : FAS.

40. Author Levin : IRA. "Rosemary's Baby" was my first introduction to him.

41. Coming apart at the seams? : FRAYING. Loved the clue!

42. Kojak, to friends : THEO. This one fixed my "aura" inkblot.

44. Fatty-acid ointments : OLEATES.  I could explain how this clue relates to the answer, but I'm afraid eyes would glaze over. Instead, here's a fascinating story about what happens when an ant dies. I first heard it on NPR's "All Things Considered." (Funny you should use that phrase in your 4:09 post yesterday, Creature!)

45. Like some conclusions : FORGONE. In this sense, shouldn't it be "foregone"?

46. States categorically : ASSERTS.

49. Bind legally : OBLIGE. I am OBLIGEd to tell you that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of the management...

53. Spasm : THROE.

55. Red-wrapped cheeses : EDAMS.

57. Radius neighbor : ULNA.

58. Ramadan practice : FAST. This one fixed my "dreamer" inkblot! The entire month of Ramadan is observed by Muslims as a month of fasting.

59. At an end : OVER. Almost there!

60. Univ. sr.'s exam : GRE. Graduate Record Exam.

61. Persian, e.g. : RUG. "If an Iranian wears a toupee, does that make it a Persian rug?"

Hugs,

Marti

Wednesday Dec 12, 2012 Marti DuGuay-Carpenter and Don Gagliardo

theme: a dime a dozen

17a. 12 : BIG TEN TEAM COUNT. Big Ten has 12 teams.

30a. 12 : NOTES IN AN OCTAVE. here's a visual, from C to C (little shout-out to CC):

maybe some of our musical musical commenters will chime in here with more info, my head was spinning reading about the technicalities.

49a. 12 : CENTURY BEGUN MCI. 1101.

62a. What this puzzle's three identical clues can represent : DAY MONTH AND YEAR

melissa here.

i am reminded of this august puzzle. except, to make it even better, today is 12/12/12, i love timely puzzles! i wonder how long this has been in the pipeline? and how lovely to see our own marti and don hard-g team up, another dynamic duo, congratulations!

finals week for me, so i'm gonna knock this out and get back to it ...

Across:

1. Life and Risk : GAMES. board games.

6. Pkg. markings : UPC'S. universal product codes. 

10. Yoda trainee : JEDI

14. Lacking a point : INANE

15. __-dieu : PRIE. french for pray to god, which is what this kind of bench is called:

16. Nativity scene animals : OXEN

20. ID theft target : SSN. social security number.

21. __-Aid : KOOL. ew.

22. Memo lead-off : IN RE. latin for in the matter of.

23. Our Gang word spoken with a hand signal : OTAY. the little rascals.

25. Garage type : TWO CAR

28. Spring growth : BUD

33. Detective Wolfe : NERO

34. Room with a remote : DEN

35. Yet again : ANEW

36. Norwegian throne name : OLAF

39. Color like aqua : TEAL

41. 1990s Expos manager : ALOU

44. __ long way: help considerably : GO A

46. Shooter ammo : PEAS. haha.

54. Pointe balancing point : TOE. ooch.

55. Versatile veggie : POTATO

56. Go another way : TURN

57. Set up a Titleist, say : TEED

59. "Vamoose!" : SHOO

61. Collector's objective : SET. anyone else watch market warriors?

66. Ex-Dodger Hershiser : OREL

67. Revival meeting shout : AMEN

68. Prefix in skin care brand names : DERMA

69. Rapids phenomenon : EDDY

70. Cool one's heels : BIDE. wait.

71. Full of spunk : SASSY

down

1. Martini with a onion : GIBSON. gin martini for me, please.

2. Cox sitcom co-star : ANISTON. courtney and jennifer, from friends.

3. Influential businessperson : MAGNATE. "an entrepreneur who has achieved wealth and prominence from a particular industry."

4. Tolkien creature with branches : ENT. lord of the rings.

5. Car radio button : SEEK

6. City area associated with affluence : UPTOWN

7. Install beforehand, as software : PRE-LOAD

8. Org. with moles : CIA. a mole is an informant within an organization.

9. Th.D.-issuing school : SEM. a doctorate of theology is issued from a seminary school.

10. "Benny & __": Depp film : JOON. sweet movie.

11. Like many commuter towns : EXURBAN. 

12. "Indochine" Oscar nominee Catherine : DENEUVE

13. QB's flub : INT. interception.

18. Innocent's claim : NOT I. said the fly.

19. Publication sales fig. : CIRCulation

24. Bad news upon arriving at home? : YER OUT. hee.

26. Website with gadget reviews : C-NET

27. Super-duper : A ONE.

29. Morning moisture : DEW

31. South-of-the-border sun : SOL. spanish for sun.

32. Gift : TALENT

37. Soil-related prefix : AGRO. agrochemical.

38. Racer A.J. : FOYT

40. Kwik-E-Mart proprietor : APU. the simpsons.

41. Do one's part? : ACT. great clue.

42. Bodysuit named for a trapeze artist : LEOTARD. made famous by french acrobatic performer jules leotard.

43. Like the jack of hearts : ONE EYED

45. Chagrined : ABASHED

47. Ones who make you chuckle : AMUSERS

48. Ones who make you guffaw : SCREAMS. scream in the sense of something funny - a guffaw is a hearty laugh.

50. Prom hairstyle : UPDO

51. Natural gas component : ETHANE

52. "Continue ..." : GO ON

53. Where work piles up : IN TRAY

58. "Little" girl in "David Copperfield" : EM'LY. playmate of david copperfield.

60. Vegas figures : ODDS

62. Fawning critter : DOE

63. Catch red-handed : NAB

64. "I didn't need to hear that," in texts : TMI. too much information.

65. Senator's assent : YEA

melissa

Tuesday, December 11, 2012 Steven J. St. John

Theme: Not anyone else - Inside the themes is the word SELF.

17A. Eponymous son of auto pioneer Henry : EDSEL FORD

30A. Truck stop purchase : DIESEL FUEL

46A. Colorful coral reef dweller : DAMSELFISH

62A. True nature, and, literally, what can be found in 17-, 30- and 46-Across : INNER SELF

Argyle himself here. All the themes have an ELF hiding inside. Oops, that is SELF, the ELF is out in the open. This like a Monday solve/Tuesday construction. Nice vertical stacks in two corners, with some long and sparkly fill. Plenty of clechoes (clue echoes).

Across:

1. “Now!” in the ICU : "STAT!"

5. Rm. near the ICU : EMER.

9. Topping enjoyed after blowing out candles : ICING. It gets tasted while putting on the candles. You can't help but get some icing on your finger tips, right?

14. Something made before blowing out candles : WISH

15. Actress Olin : LENA. IMDb

16. 1976 Olympics star Comaneci : NADIA. and crossword favorite.

19. Easy gaits : TROTS

20. Overexercise, as a privilege : ABUSE and 21A. Like a right not exercised : WAIVED

23. It’s everything, so they say : TIMING

25. Kind of warfare or fighter : GUERILLA. Also with two R's.

29. Leaf part : STEM

32. Catalog biggie : SEARS. Still?

34. Otherwise : IF NOT

35. Lively Irish dance : JIG. Rare footage of Yellowrocks and Irish Miss in their younger days. Clip.

 

 38. Legislative assent : AYE. We had NAY yesterday. We'll have ABSTAIN tomorrow.

39. Prohibit : BAN

41. Year, in Spain : AÑO

42. “__ directed”: medication warning : USE AS

44. Hockey disks : PUCKS

49. Shoreline protection gp. : USCG. (United States Coast Guard)

53. Handshake words : "IT'S A DEAL"

54. Magazine bigwig : EDITOR. Crossword bigwig, too.

56. In exactly this way : JUST SO

58. Open-air lobbies : ATRIA

59. Ancient storyteller : AESOP

64. Insurance spokeslizard : GECKO. If you haven't seen the Geico gecko before, you don't need to see him now but it's a sheltered life you lead.

65. Lo __: noodle dish : MEIN. [Yum!]

66. Run into : MEET

67. Not from around here : ALIEN Link. Even the Russian Prime Minister has met them.

68. Performing __ : ARTS

69. ORD postings : ETD's. (Chicago's O'Hare Airport)

Down:

1. Gym duds : SWEATS

2. Snippet of gossip : TIDBIT

3. Presuppose : ASSUME

4. Game with virtual suburbanites : THE SIMS. Any players here?

5. Munchkin kin : ELF

6. Cat’s complaint : MEOW. A purr would be a compliment.

7. Makes really angry : ENRAGES

8. Half a diameter : RADIUS

9. Connect, as chain parts : INTERLINK

10. Capital of Wales : CARDIFF

11. Altar oath : "I DO"

12. “Picked” complaint : NIT

13. Nitrogen or helium : GAS

18. Sportscaster Berman : LEN

22. Geese flight formation : VEE

24. Aussie greeting : G'DAY

26. Roman moon deity : LUNA

27. Ponce de __ : LEON. He came to Florida looking for the Fountain of Youth (or was that Dennis?).

28. Voice below soprano : ALTO

31. Wrath : IRE

33. Gave more freedom to : EASED UP ON

35. Dench of Bond movies : JUDI

36. Words before stake or risk : IS AT

37. Precious stones : GEMS

39. Train alternative : BUS

40. Throb : ACHE

43. Facetiously : AS A JOKE

44. Pale lager beer : PILSNER

45. “No problem with that” : "SUITS ME"

47. “__ Misérables” : LES

48. Daughter of Muhammad : FATIMA. Strange it wasn't clued to Our Lady of Fátima, a more Tuesday friendly clue.

50. “Sesame __” : STREET

51. Like a Slinky : COILED

52. Skin transplants : GRAFTS

55. Patriotic women’s org. : DAR. (Daughters of the American Revolution)

57. Handling the job : ON IT

59. Turkish bigwig : AGA

60. Electric swimmer : EEL

61. Poli __ : SCI. Oh oh. I thought of Polident first.

63. USN rank : ENS. (Ensign)

Argyle

Monday, December 10, 2012 Amy Johnson

Theme: Ear Worm - This Video(4:04) was all the rage when it came out.

20A. *“I’m counting on you!” : "DON'T LET ME DOWN". Title of a Beatles song, could be a theme sometime.

27A. *Nervous Nellie : WORRYWART. I wonder how many will be familiar with this term but I'm not worried. The Word Detective will explain it. Link.

36A. *“By all means!” : "BE MY GUEST"

46A. *Bar’s business booster, in theory : HAPPY HOUR. It's five o'clock somewhere. Cheers!

53A. Singer of the feelgood a cappella #1 hit whose title begins the answers to starred clues : BOBBY McFERRIN

Happy Argyle here. I was half way through a clip when I realized it wasn't McFerrin's, so I linked the original. Sorry about any ad you had to watch.

I wasn't getting the theme until the unifier. And while it seemed a little tough while I was doing it, looking back, it doesn't seem that hard. Some nice down fill and a shortage of foreign words makes me happy.

Across:

1. Jellystone Park bear : YOGI. He made Mister Ranger worry.

5. Mazda roadster : MIATA

10. Pre-K basics : ABC's

14. Mary Kay competitor : AVON

15. Crop up : OCCUR

16. Female WWII gp. : WAAC. Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, changed to just WAC in 1943.

17. __ ring : MOOD

18. Cub-turned-radio co-host Ron : SANTO. A Chicago Cub legend, who was also a diabetic who lost the lower half of both legs before succumbing in 2010.

19. Thornfield Hall governess : EYRE. From Charlotte Brontë's. "Jane Eyre".

23. Foil giant : ALCOA

25. Chi.-based flier : UAL. (United Air Lines)

26. Rebellious Turner : NAT. Led a slave rebellion before the Civil War.

31. Wind-borne silt deposit : LOESS

33. Set (down) : LAY

34. Suffix with hero : INE. (heroine)

35. Last inning, usually : NINTH

39. Miserly : CHEAP

41. “__ little teapot ...” : I'M A

42. Rank above cpl. : SGT.

45. Unhappy spectator : BOOer

49. Saturn, for one : ORB

50. SoCal ball club, on scoreboards : LAA. (Los Angeles Angels)

52. Teeny-tiny : EENSY

58. Madison Avenue award : CLIO. (for advertising and design)

59. Congo creature with notable stripes : OKAPI

60. Look (like) : SEEM

63. Vocal quartet member : ALTO

64. Send payment : REMIT

65. Sporty car roof : T-TOP

66. Piece of work : TASK

67. Like a Siberian Husky’s ears : ERECT

68. W-2 IDs : SSN's

Down:

1. Thanksgiving veggie : YAM

2. Lacto-__ vegetarian : OVO. A vegetarian who does not eat meat of any kind, but consumes dairy and egg products.

3. One way to relieve pent-up emotion : GOOD CRY

4. Like some pools : INDOOR

5. Majority : MOST

6. Suffix with myth : ICAL. (mythical)

7. OXY target : ACNE. Their website, link

8. “Shame on you!” : "TUT, TUT". Well, tsk tsk if you didn't get it the first time.

9. Bakery lure : AROMA

10. Spellbound : AWED

11. Civil War weapon : BAYONET. Why the Civil War?

12. School fundraiser : CAR WASH

13. Hunting dogs pick them up : SCENTS

21. Aye’s opposite : NAY

22. Novelist Bret Easton __ : ELLIS. 1985 bestseller "Less Than Zero". Any reviews?

23. Shoemaker’s holemaker : AWL. Not Willie Shoemaker.

24. Hawaii’s Mauna __ : LOA

28. Chicken : WIMP

29. Whichever : ANY

30. Aqua __: platinum dissolver : REGIA. Why would you want to dissolve platinum? Wikipedia link.

32. Great Lakes prov. : ONT. (Ontario)

35. Spring tide counterpart : NEAP

36. Quilting party : BEE

37. Ahead of schedule : EARLY

38. Plate cleaner, at times : UMP

39. Top-selling Toyota : COROLLA

40. Tolkien’s Shire dwellers : HOBBITS. The movie is opening next week here.

42. Petrarchan works : SONNETS. Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch), was an Italian scholar and poet.

43. “Good Will Hunting” director Van Sant : GUS

44. Test, as one’s patience : TRY

45. Lynx family member : BOBCAT

46. Unauthorized user? : HACKER

47. “__ out!” : Y'ER. Last of the baseball clues.

48. Stickups : HEISTS

51. Dean Martin’s “That’s __” : AMORE

54. Reserve : BOOK

55. Starlet’s goal : FAME

56. Homer’s “Iliad,” for one : EPIC

57. “Hud” director Martin : RITT. IMDb.

61. Forever and a day : EON

62. AWOLs avoid them : MP's

Argyle

O-Le

Happy Birthday to our always caring and attentive Hahtool!

Marti said that Hahtool sent her this seed idea. But after she completed the grid, she found out that the theme was done in an August NYT. She decided to release the puzzle here today to celebrate Hahtool's birthday.

Here is PDF (click on File, then Download).

Here is puz file (click on File, then Download).

Spoiler: Here is the answer grid.

Thanks for solving and we look forward to your comments.

C.C.

Sunday Dec 9, 2012 Tom Heilman

Theme: "In and Out" - "In" can proceed the first part of each theme entry, "Out" the second part.

 23A. Wolfing down burgers and fries while driving? : A BAD WAY/ TO LUNCH. In a bad way. Out to lunch.

 38A Rocky road from fad to fashion? : FITS AND STARTS /OF STYLE. In fits and starts. Out of style.

 57A. Solidarity among commoners? : UNISON/OF THE ORDINARY. In unison. Out of the ordinary.

 79A. Reenactment of a memorable scene from "The Exorcist"? : FULL SWING/ OF ONE'S HEAD. In full swing. Out of one's head.

 95A. "Dismount" or "settle"? : OTHER WORDS/LIKE ALIGHT. In other words. Out like a light.

 

  117A. Food-fight evidence at the picnic? : A PICKLE/ ON A LIMB. In a pickle. Out on a limb.

When did you get the theme? I was feeling dense this morning and did not grok the gimmick until I was done.

4 of today's 6 theme entries are very long. Personally I found grid spanners or near grid spanners make 21*21 challenging to fill. I do like 1 or 2 grid spanners in a 15*15 grid, but not 4, which immediately take 60 theme squares.

 

Across:

1. Inn option : RAMADA

7. Assigned in spades : PILED ON

14. Sources of some stadium images : BLIMPS

20. Spanish novelist Blasco __ : IBANEZ. Never heard of this guy.

21. Monster with both a lion's and goat's head : CHIMERA

22. Piano brand : YAMAHA

25. Like corn in the kettle : HUSKED

26. Tibetan priest : LAMA

27. Rough talk : RASP

28. Meryl Streep's alma mater : VASSAR. What a talented actress.

30. Pasture parent : EWE

31. Depilatory cream : NAIR

33. Plus-size supermodel : EMME

36. Suffix meaning "living substance" : PLASM. Good to know.

45. "Speed-the-Plow" playwright : MAMET (David). He also wrote the script for "The Untouchables".

46. Many millennia : EONS

47. Kind of bran : OAT

48. Port of Yemen : ADEN

49. "__ Wiedersehen" : AUF

50. Personnel list : ROTA

53. Whomp relative : THUD

55. To-do list item : ERRAND

62. Vents frustration toward : RANTS AT

63. Offscreen friend in "Ernest" films : VERN

64. Professor 'iggins : 'ENRY

65. On the safer side : ALEE

66. Former Indy champ Bobby : RAHAL. 1986 Indy 500 champ. He looks cool, EddyB. Can you hear me?

68. Kid's comeback : CAN SO

70. Jefferson Davis's sch. : USMA

74. Brief court plea : NOLO

75. Actor whose voice is emulated by Snagglepuss the Lion : LAHR (Bert). Very helpful "Lion" in the clue.

77. Put to shame : ABASHED

83. "Reservoir Dogs" actor : KEITEL (Harvey)

85. Polar sheet : FLOE

86. Radio host John : TESH

87. Ironically, he composed the "Microsoft sound" on a Mac : ENO (Brian)

88. Drying oven : OAST

89. Actor Daniel __ Kim : DAE. He was born in Korea. Dae = Big. Daewoo = Big Universe. Korean "Dae" is the same as Chinese "Da".

90. Utterly : OH SO

93. Washing station : BASIN

101. Sipped uncertainly : TRIED. I bet our Foodie Steve has tried Jicama before. How about you, Bill G? I tasted a few raw strips yesterday.

102. Contrary current : EDDY

103. __ cava : VENA

104. Gone by : AGO

106. Ripped off : STOLEN

109. City near Anaheim : BREA. Tar city.

111. Daughter of Darth : LEIA

115. What opinions often do : DIFFER

121. Proofer's finds : ERRATA

122. Sing unlike Bing : BELT OUT

123. Golf shoe brand : ETONIC. I'm having difficulty picturing Dennis plays golf. Just weird. He said he's straight in the driving ranges. No matter. I'm certain he is not the kind that slows down the play by looking for the damned ball.

124. Shifty sort : SLY DOG

125. Blows up : SEES RED

126. Hinge (on) : DEPEND

Down:

 1. Iranian currency : RIAL

2. "Dancing Queen" band : ABBA

3. Respectful address : MA'AM

4. Not as slow as adagio : ANDANTE

5. Lawn beads : DEW

6. Hank who voices some "Simpsons" characters : AZARIA. He was married to Helen Hunt for a short period.

7. Chance-of-rain nos. : PCTs

8. Optimistic reply : I HOPE SO

9. Small, aptly? : LIL. "Apt" indeed.

10. Leggy runner : EMU. "Leggy" always makes me smile and think of Splynter. Here's an image for him, leggy & from Australia.

11. John who loved Colorado : DENVER. Boomer likes him.

12. Ocean predator : ORCA

13. Offhand turndowns : NAHs

14. To a large degree : BY HALF

15. Actress Linney et al. : LAURAs

16. Online exchanges, briefly : IMs

17. Memorable Eastwood line : MAKE MY DAY. "Go ahead. Make my day".

18. "Close call!" : PHEW

19. "Marat/__": 1963 play : SADE. Learned this from constructing crosswords.

24. Tale : YARN

29. Tie concern : SPOT

32. Team moving to the American League in 2013 : ASTROs. So now every division has 5 teams now. Inter-league everyday.

34. McKinley, e.g.: Abbr. : MTN

35. Learn all aspects of : MASTER

37. Packer with a strong arm : STARR (Bart). Great clue.

38. Relating to regional animal life : FAUNAL

39. "Don't worry about me" : I'M FINE

40. Unheeding : DEAF

41. Performing trip : TOUR

42. Get down? : SADDEN

43. Seinfeld's Uncle Leo portrayer __ Lesser : LEN. "Hello, Uncle Leo!"

44. Cut off : END

45. Tierney of "NewsRadio" : MAURA. I watched a few episodes.

51. Winning like crazy : ON A ROLL

52. Smashes beyond repair : TOTALS

54. Top dog : HONCHO

55. Dresses : ENROBES

56. Sign of hope : RAY

58. Riesling giant Chateau __ Michelle : STE

59. FDR project : TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority). Since 1933.

60. "__, we won't go!": '60s antiwar chant : HELL NO. China also had a "Vietnam War", which happened in 1979.  The border skirmishes continued until 1989.

61. Like some nuts : INSANE

67. To what length : HOW FAR

69. Woofer's sound : ARF

70. Work the aisles, in slang : USH. You can comment with the next answer.

71. "Oh, come on!" : SHEESH

72. Avoid waffling : MEAN IT

73. Accompaniment : ADD ON

74. Marlins' div. : NL E (NL East)

76. Ancient : AGE OLD

78. Cinder receptacle : ASH BIN

79. Issues requiring attention : FISH TO FRY

80. Absolute : UTTER

81. Quebec's __'Orléans : ILE D'

82. Chiwere speaker : OTOE

83. "Rock and Roll, Hoochie __": 1974 hit : KOO

84. Clean off plates? : EAT. As Jayce mentioned before, the most common greeting phrase in China is "Have you eaten yet?" Makes sense if you know that food scarcity was a serious problem in the old days. I did not need to worry about my next meal until 1981.

89. Dimwit : DODO. I miss our witty Dodo.

91. Kept under wraps : HID

92. Color in large Crayola packs : SKY BLUE

94. Running swiftly : AGALLOP. This is a word? OK, then!

96. Equal, as expectations : RISE TO

97. Cleaning basic : WET RAG

98. Declining in later years : SENILE. This should cover men only, since there's an ANILE.

99. Chevy subcompact : AVEO

100. Tilted : LEANED

104. Food truck drinks : ADES

105. Lass : GIRL

107. Report generators : LABS

108. Foil relative : EPEE

110. Pensioned: Abbr. : RET'D. Poor Petraeus, he should have stayed with the military.

112. Berlin article : EINE

113. Participation declaration : I'M IN

114. Preschool song opener : ABCD

116. Short-lived diet, perhaps : FAD

118. Sm. change : CTS

119. Land div. by the 38th parallel : KOR. Did you watch the "60 Minutes" interview about that North Korean prisoner?

120. Absorbed, as a cost : ATE

C.C.