Thursday, August 27, 2015 Timothy L. Meaker

Theme: "Animal Farm"

It's a wacky bunch o' puns in store for us today. Common phrases lose the consonant sound at the end of the first word, and all get linked to various types of fauna.

17-A. Caddy for pigeons? : COO DEVILLE. Haha!  I was thinking of something from "Caddy Shack." Instead, we have a pun on the Cadillac Coupe deVille. (I used to own one of these gas guzzlers. Then 1976 happened...)

28-A. Statistical aid for sheep? : BAA GRAPH. This one made me laugh out loud. I think it's because we New Englanders actually do pronounce "bar graph" that way.

 

42-A. Cantatas for cows? : MOO MUSIC.  I wonder if one of their favorite songs is "Blue Moo"? Mood music.

55-A. Phone service for crows? : CAW WAITING. This one seemed like an outlier, because all the others have double vowel endings. But it works well for "call waiting."

I love a good pun, and these were some doozies. I enjoyed much of the rest, as well. So let me take you on a tour through my head as I was solving.

Across

1. Word seen before "or less" on supermarket signs : ITEMS. AAAARRRRRGGHH!  Use "less" only when you are unable to count the amount ("less water," for example.)  When you are able to count the items, the correct term is "fewer." This is a pet peeve of mine, but I promise that's the end of my rant...

6. Elisabeth of "Hollow Man" : SHUE.  For some reason, I knew this one, even though I never saw the movie.

10. "American __" : IDOL.

14. Musical ensemble : NONET. Requiring no fewer and no more than 9 players. And a clecho at 26-A. Musical ensemble : CHOIR.

15. Cautious : WARY.

16. Gospel trio : MAGI.

19. Combustible heap : PYRE.

20. NBA division that includes the Bklyn. Nets : ATL.antic. 

21. Very long time : EONS.

22. On the agenda : SLATED.

24. Autograph signer's aid : SHARPIE. Phil Mickelson, one of golf's most admired players, uses one.

27. Range stat. : ALT.itude. 

31. 1973 Rolling Stones ballad : ANGIE. Ah, music to my ears!  4:30

34. "All in the Family" spin-off : MAUDE.

35. Doomsday beginning? : DEE.

36. "Coming Home" actor : DERN.

37. Outmoded : PASSE.

38. Co-star of Boris in "Son of Frankenstein" : BELA.

39. Latin I word : AMO.

40. See 34-Down : CURIE. I stupidly filled in "madam" at 34-Down before I checked the perps.  Duh. 34-Down. With 40-Across, 1911 chemistry Nobelist : MARIE.

41. Connected, in a way : WIRED.

44. Wine container : VAT. Just gimme a straw!

45. Code name : MORSE.

46. Longtime family-owned firearms company : BERETTA.

50. Much : VASTLY.

52. Undecided : TORN.

53. Take flight : RUN.

54. Big Bird buddy : ELMO. Nice alliterative clue.

58. Sight from a slope : T-BAR. And the view from the T-BAR? Priceless! I have ridden this one many times.

59. Stem-to-branch angle : AXIL.

60. Like some astrological charts : NATAL.

61. Without : SANS.

62. Register compartment : TENS.

63. Migratory birds : GEESE.


Down

1. 16th-century conquest victims : INCAS.

2. Nail partner? : TOOTH. They went at it tooth and nail.

3. __ Gay : ENOLA.

4. NSAID, e.g. : MED. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are very common MEDs.

5. Skyline highlight : STEEPLE. Religion used to be the most important aspect of society, so the steeple always towered over other buildings in town. Then politics overtook religion, and the town hall soon grew to great heights. Then money became king, and now financial skyscrapers tower over all.

6. Hogs : SWINE.

7. Dutch artist Frans : HALS. One of my favorite Dutch painters - his portraits capture so much of the subjects' personalities. Like this one.

8. High-tech address : URL.

9. Sleeper's aid : EYE  SHADE. My cats get unnerved when I wear this one.

10. Make worse : IMPAIR.

11. Market speculator : DAY TRADER.

12. Storybook meanie : OGRE.

13. Served up a whopper : LIED.

18. Sports ball brand : VOIT. They made the first rubberized water polo ball, which now resides at the National Museum of American History.

23. Theater ticket word : LOGE.

25. Word with dance or fall : RAIN.

26. Saving the whales, e.g. : CAUSE.

28. Rudimentary : BASIC.

29. Mononymous kicker : PELE. I wonder if he ever used VOIT soccer balls?

30. Take charge of : HEAD.

31. Start of a big race? : ADAM. Nice misdirection!

32. Nautilus skipper : NEMO.

33. Wedding attendant : GROOMSMAN.

37. Nonthreatening type : PUSSYCAT.

38. Angler's hope : BITE.

40. Temple feature in old films : CURL. Huge V8 moment when I realized they were talking about this moppet.

41. Bark, perhaps : WARNING.

43. General __ : MOTORS.

44. 2012-'13 "Bates Motel" Emmy nominee Farmiga : VERA.

46. New Year's highlights : BOWLS.

47. Well-worn : TRITE.

48. Bluefin and yellowfin : TUNAS.

49. It's a matter of degrees : ANGLE. What's yours?

50. Old-timers : VETS.

51. Goya's "Duchess of __" : ALBA.

52. One of a hotel room pair : TWIN. Beds.

56. Terminate : AXE.

57. Menlo Park monogram : TAE. Thomas Alva Edison.

Marti

Note from C.C.: 

Happy Birthday to our Friday Sherpa Lemonade, who's been guiding us since March 2010. It's so easy to get jaded after a year or two of blogging (often 3 hours on each write-up), but Lemonade's enthusiasm and passion for crosswords and crossword blogging remain the same. He never failed to point out every little nugget in a Friday crossword.  Thanks for being here for us through thick and thin, Lemonade!

Lemonade and his lovely wife, Dec 21, 2014

Wednesay, August 26, 2015, David Poole

Theme: Are we having fun yet?  Here we have in-the-language phrases that otherwise have nothing in common reimagined as descriptions of showing disrespect to a variety of otherwise innocent objects. For some reason, being made fun of is never fun.  Go figure.

17. Make fun of boxing gear? : KID GLOVES.  These are GLOVES made from the soft, supple skin of young goats.   Handling something with KID GLOVES means giving it very gentle treatment.  To KID can mean a variety of things from mock and tease playfully to deceive. Be careful if you do that to boxing GLOVES.

25. Make fun of Harleys? : RIDE BIKES.  Harleys are popular American-made motorcycles with many riders.  To RIDE is to ridicule or harass with carping criticism, a bit harsh for "make fun of."

38. Make fun of sweater styles? : MOCK TURTLE NECKS.  These are articles of clothing made with a collar folded over to form a tube, with both edges of the tube fastened to the garment at the neck line.  One can make fun of real TURTLE NECKS, where the tube is twice as long, folded over, and only fastened at one end of the tube.

All choked up

50. Make fun of tunes? : PUT ON AIRS.  This phrase means to act in a haughty manner, pretending to be superior.  In a different sense, AIRS are songs, and one could make fun of them.  But to "put on" means to deceive or mislead, for amusement or to make someone or something look better than it is.

62. Make fun of Porky and Petunia? : ROAST PIGS.   To roast someone is to hold an event with that person is guest of honor; and a series of speakers subject him or her to [ostensibly] good natured ridicule.  To ROAST a PIG is to cook the entire animal over an open fire

Hi gang, JazzBumpa reporting for duty.   This is a fun-making theme, but a bit loosey-goosey in terms of exact correspondence to the verb in the clue.   Well, I'm not going to make fun of it.  Let's see what other fun is in store.

Across

1. Moments, briefly : SECS.  Not brief moments of DF, though those can be fun, but SECondS, briefly.

5. God with a bow : AMOR.  AKA Eros, AKA Cupid.  Could inspire a brief moment of DF.

9. Like some elephants : ASIAN.   They are smaller, less wrinkled, and more hump-backed than their African counterparts, with different anatomical features in the head and face.

14. Jai __ : ALAI.   Popular X-word puzzle game, played in a closed space using a ball and large, curved wicker baskets.

15. "Game over," to Kasparov : MATE.  The end of a chess game, when the losing king cannot escape.   Garry Kasparov (b 1963) is a Russian former world chess champion and political activist.

16. Forrest's shrimp-loving friend : BUBBA.   From the movie Forrest Gump.

19. Lusitania sinker : U-BOAT.  The Lusitania, launched in 1906, was the world's largest passenger ship.  It was torpedoed and sunk on May 7, 1915, six days out of New York, bound for Liverpool, killing 1198 passengers.  It was 11 miles off the coast of Ireland in a German-declared war zone, and sunk in 18 minutes.  This event was influential [a straw, if you will.  Vide infra - see 61 A.] in bringing the U.S into the war two years later.

20. StyleBistro and Slate : E-ZINES.  Electronic magaZINES.

21. "Into the Woods" (2014) director Marshall : ROB.   He is a stage and screen director and choreographer, who won several awards for directing "Chicago" in 2002.  "Into the Woods" involves an original story of the baker and his wife, which is used to tie together several otherwise unrelated fairy tales.  Also last Wednesday's theme clip.  Am I in a rut?

23. Schlep : TOTE.   v.  To haul or carry a burdensome load.  That's no fun at all.

24. Arles article : LES.  "The" in French

27. "Gigi" novelist : COLETTE.   Also French.   Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (28 January 1873 – 3 August 1954) was a novelist, journalist, actress and mime.

30. Barcelona-born muralist : SERT.   Josep Maria Sert i Badia (21 December 1874 – 27 November 1945)

Palais des Nations, Salle du Conseil - Geneva

31. MouthHealthy.org org. : A D A.   American Dental Association.

32. Line from the sun : RAY.  Beam doesn't fit.

34. Ristorante desserts : GELATI.   Italian ice creams.

42. Came afterward : ENSUED.

43. Roller in Vegas : DIE.  Spotted cubic gambling device.

44. Low digit : TOE.  I wanted "TWO."

45. Lively dance : REEL.  For real!

47. Adopt, as a cause : ESPOUSE.   Does anyone here ESPOUSE polygamy?

54. Ga. neighbor : ALAbama.  

55. Numbered musical piece : OPUS.

or perhaps

Thpptball?

56. Colorado native : UTE.  Native American.

57. Human rights advocate Sakharov : ANDREI.  (May 21, 1921 – December 14, 1989)  Russian nuclear physicist, and later dissident and human rights activist, earning him state persecution and a Nobel peace Prize.   The Sakharov prize, awarded annually by the European Union for dedication to human rights and freedom is named in his honor.

60. "¿Cómo __?" : ESTAS.   Spanish "How are [you?]"

64. Requests for Friskies, maybe : MEOWS.   Cat food brand.

65. Half of zwei : EINS.   From 2 to 1 - a German division.

66. Rules, to GIs : REGS.  REGulations.

67. Proverbial reason for a break? : STRAW.   Only if it's the last one on the camel's back.

Just one more

68. Schedule opening : SLOT.   An open space between occupied spaces, figuratively or literally, from Old French esclot, the space between the breasts.

69. Bone, in Rome : OSSO.   Modern Rome, not ancient, but derived from the Latin ossum.  Also Monday's 39 D.   Is it time to bone up on my Italian?

Down

1. Benefit : SAKE.   Often for Pete, though I don't know why.

2. 16th/17th-century Eng. queen : ELIZ.  ELIZabeth.   Looks like an odd Abrv.

Queen of Cosplay

3. Eldorados, e.g. : CADILLACS.  Automobiles.

4. One of the Declaration of Independence's 56 : SIGNEE.   One who signs on, not someone who gets signed on. 

5. "Famous" cookie guy : AMOS.   Wally AMOS learned cookie baking from his aunt.  Later in life, as a talent agent with the William Morris agency, he would often send cookies to celebrities he wanted to woo.  In 1975 he left it all behind and became a cookie entrepreneur.

6. Big D cager : MAV.   Dallas MAVerick professional basketball player.

7. "SNL" alumna Cheri : OTERI.   (b 1962) This frequent crossword gal was on SNL from 1995 to 2000.

8. Patches, as a lawn : RESODS.  I wanted RESEEDS, but that has to many letters.

9. __ Dhabi : ABU.  Middle East country.

10. Foreign film feature : SUB-TITLE.   English translation of foreign-language dialog. printed near the bottom of the screen  Not sure what it has to do with titles.

11. Discontinued Apple laptop : I-BOOK.  Sold from 1999 to 2006.

12. Let up : ABATE.

13. Archibald and Thurmond of the NBA : NATES.  Archibald played on several teams from 1970 to 1984.  Thurmond played with 3 teams from 1963 to 1977

18. For fear that : LEST.  This word comes to us from Old English, via Middle English. I have no idea how LEST - which literally means "The less that" got transmogrified into "For fear that" - but that is commonly how it is defined.  We don't do A, lest B happen.  It is a preventive, and fear has nothing to do with it.  /rant.

From Dictionary.com:   "before 1000; Middle English leste, contraction of the lesse the, thi les the; late Old English the lǣste, earlier thȳ lǣs the, literally, whereby less that ( thȳ instrumental case of the demonstrative and relative pronoun, lǣs less, the relative particle.)

22. "Saturday Night Fever" group : BEE GEES.

25. Raise : REAR.  Take care of and support until mature.  Also, a horse REARS by raising up on its hind legs, but I can't find a connection between these meanings.

26. Machine gun partly named for the Czech city in which it was designed : BREN.  First designed and manufactured in Brno, Moravia, this gun was popular with the British armed forces from the 30's through 1992.

27. Showed up : CAME.  Arrived at an event.

28. Take too much of, for short : O.D. ON.  Over-dose, figuratively, as on chips, in yesterdays 39 A.  

29. "Doonesbury" creator : TRUDEAU.  Garry, purveyor of a classic politically oriented newspaper cartoon.

33. Pay stub abbr. : YTD.  Year To Date.

35. Insurance risk assessors : ACTUARIES.   They use mathematics, statistics and financial theory to study uncertain future events, especially those of concern to insurance and pension programs.

36. Ring stats : TKOS.  Technical Knock Outs.  These occur in boxing matches when it is determined that the match can not safely continue.

37. "Understood" : I SEE.   Got it.

39. "Rashomon" director : KUROSAWA.  Akira KUROSAWA (1910-1998) was a highly influential film maker who directed 30 films over his 57 year career.  Rashomon is a 1950 Japanese movie which uses the plot device of having several characters provide contradictory versions of the same incident.  It won several awards and is considered on of the greatest films of all time.

40. Many a "Divergent" reader : TEEN.  "Divergent" is a trilogy of dystopian young adult novels set in post-apocalyptic Chicago.

41. "It's all false!" : LIES.  Accusation of mendacity.

46. Petrol measures : LITRES.  British spelling of metric units for automobile fuel.

48. Huff and puff : PANT.  Should be huff OR puff.  Together, they are a pair of pants.

49. One who knows the ropes : OLD PRO.  Way back when I was young, an OLD PRO told me that youth and skill were no match for old age and treachery.

50. Sonnets, say : POEMS.   A literary form using meter, rhyme, imagery and other devices to evoke meaning beyond what is in the mere words.

51. Unexpected victory : UPSET.  So called because the favored team is toppled, thus UPSETing the natural order of things, or alternatively because of the way they feel about it.

52. Sylvan Learning employee : TUTOR.   Franchised and corporate supplemental learning centers that provide personalized learning programs for primary and secondary education students.

53. Work on, as a stubborn squeak : RE-OIL.   When one OILing simply isn't enough.

57. No. 2 : ASST.  ASSistanT.  

58. Frittata ingredients : EGGS.  An Italian dish similar to an omelet or crustless quiche, incorprating a variety of other ingredients such as meat and cheese.

59. "That __ last week!" : IS SO.  This awkward partial belongs in an assessment that something ephemeral has become quickly outdated.  

61. Sacramento-to-San Jose dir. : SSW. South-SouthWest

This is so 1968

63. 365 días : ANO.  Years in Spain, sadly lacking the tilde.

Well, we had some retro music, an eggy treat, a frozen confection, and I got to carp a little bit.  That's about as much fun as I can handle in one day.  Hope you don't MOCK me for it.

Cool regards!
JzB

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Montana, who's been through so much the past year. My heart aches whenever I think of the hard time when she had to sell her late son's house and took care of other unfinished business.  She's an extraordinary courageous mom and grandma. 

 Montana and her 5 children celebrated her birthday last year  in Vail, CO

Tuesday, August 25, 2015 C.C. Burnikel

                            Theme:

20A. Suffer from unexpected slow sales, say : HIT A DRY SPELL. Magic spell.

29A. Pollution control legislation : CLEAN AIR ACT. Magic act.

47A. Hub of the Broadway theater district : TIMES SQUARE. Magic square.

55A. Disney theme park ... and a place for the ends of 20-, 29- and 47-Across? : MAGIC KINGDOM

Argyle here but C.C.? No baseball clues! Who is it really?

Across:

1. June celebrants : DADS

5. Biblical birthright seller : ESAU

9. Gets the most out of : MILKS

14. "Rent-__": Reynolds/Minnelli film : A-COP

15. Hip '60s Brits : MODS

16. How spring rolls are often cooked : IN OIL

17. All there : SANE

18. "There's no more to say" : "END OF STORY"

22. Spanish tar : BREA

23. Anticipated landing hr. : ETA

24. "Mayday!" : S-O-S

27. "Snow White" frame : CEL

33. Thurman of "Playing for Keeps" (2012) : UMA

34. Binged (on), as chips : ODed

35. Snorkel user : DIVER

36. Icy cover : RIME. This was HOAR last Friday.

38. Kilt, for one : SKIRT. My avatar for an online golf game.

41. Market section : DELI

42. Motrin alternative : ALEVE

44. Work on copy : EDIT

46. One-up : TOP

50. 6'1", 5'7", etc.: Abbr. : HTs. (heights)

51. Fair-hiring letters : EOE. (equal opportunity employment)

52. Frat "T" : TAU. Greek.

53. City in NW Pennsylvania : ERIE. Can it be two months since we've had ERIE? Doesn't seem possible.

60. Mistake in the cockpit : PILOT ERROR

63. Fiery flow : LAVA

64. Backspace, on a computer : ERASE

65. Unit in an evidence locker : KILO

66. Elevator name : OTIS

67. Campus books : TEXTS

68. Ollie's chum : STAN. Laurel and Hardy; later in the week, it could be Kukla or Fran.

69. Multi-vol. library references : OEDs. (Oxford English Dictionary)

Down:

1. Recipe smidgen : DASH

2. Berry from the Amazon rainforest : ACAI

3. "It's not my fault!" : "DON'T BLAME ME!"{

4. Thrown weapon : SPEAR

5. May birthstones : EMERALDS

6. Cyber-shot camera maker : SONY

7. Sums : ADDS. Verbs.

8. Tournament in which Phil Mickelson was runner-up a record six times : US OPEN

9. Put in the wrong spot : MISLAID

10. Not domestic, flight-wise: Abbr. : INTL. (international)

11. Bath bathroom : LOO

12. White wine apéritif : KIR. Made with a measure of crème de cassis.

13. Shifty : SLY

19. Spanakopita cheese : FETA

21. Like Erté's art : DECO

24. "Put this on your calendar" : "SAVE THE DATE"

25. Spotted cat : OCELOT

26. Bacon pieces : STRIPS

27. Oversee, as a museum exhibit : CURATE

28. Actor Estevez : EMILIO

30. Cartoon scream : EEK!

31. Bye that's "bid" : ADIEU

32. Get __ of: discard : RID

37. Holiday lead-in : EVE

39. Nutritionist's abbr. : RDA. (Recommended Dietary Allowance)

40. Flat-changing tool : TIRE IRON. In bygone days, maybe; now it's AAA.

43. Ritzy properties : ESTATES

45. Seagull kin : TERN

48. Mint family herb : SAGE

49. Idiosyncrasies : QUIRKS

54. Arctic abode : IGLOO

55. "The __ Beautiful Girl": 1973 #1 hit for Charlie Rich : MOST

56. Lit __ : CRIT. (Literary Criticism)

57. Soft drink nut : KOLA

58. Ancient Roman poet : OVID

59. Sunday service : MASS

60. Adopt-a-thon adoptee : PET

61. Mad state : IRE

62. Opposite of strict : LAX

Argyle

Monday, August 24, 2015 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: Ahoy! - Come aboard. First we'll show you the parts of the ship.

60A. In tidy condition, and a hint to the first words of the answers to starred clues : SHIPSHAPE

17A. *Historic Chicago landmark co-founded by Jane Addams : HULL HOUSE

24A. *Anxiety caused by confinement : CABIN FEVER

38A. *Dress fancily : DECK OUT

53A. *Old phone feature for multiple calls : HOLD BUTTON

Argyle here. The fill came from many ports of call but still smooth sailing. I failed to find a suitable diagram of a ship that showed all of today's listing so I defer any questions to Spitzboov. I don't know who to ask about link Hull House. New to me.

Across:

1. "Just as I suspected!" : "A-HA!"

4. Alabama protest city : SELMA

9. Crude dwelling : SHACK

14. Sun, in Mexico : SOL

15. Oak-to-be : ACORN

16. Company newbie : HIREE

19. With time to spare : EARLY

20. Angler's basket : CREEL

21. One thousandth: Pref. : MILLI

23. Fishtank organism : ALGA

29. Bill, Louis and Carrie : NYEs. The science guy, comedian who was on the Steve Allen show, and Carrie Nye, a stage, film and television actress and wife of Dick Cavett.

30. Porthole view : OCEAN. A-ha, another ship part.

31. Flight-related prefix : AERO

32. Either of the first two consonants in "coccyx," but not the third : HARD C

34. "We __ Overcome" : SHALL

35. Lavish affairs : DOs

41. Summer shirt : TEE. For wear at do's.

42. Curving : ARCED

44. Annual athletic awards : ESPYs. Awarded by ESPN.

46. Actor Connery : SEAN

47. "Midnight Cowboy" hustler Rizzo : RATSO. NOW we get Ratso.

49. Cantina snack : TAPA

55. Stein fillers : ALES

56. Coeur d'__, Idaho : ALENE

57. Braying beasts : ASSES

58. Drainage conduit : SEWER

64. Remove pencil marks : ERASE

65. Dutch bloom : TULIP

66. Scratching post user : CAT

67. Inner turmoil : ANGST

68. Oozes : SEEPS

69. Aliens, briefly : ETs

Down

1. Refuse receptacle : ASH CAN. Not these.

2. Like some regular news updates : HOURLY

3. Claim without proof : ALLEGE

4. Satirist Mort : SAHL

5. Novelist Umberto : ECO

6. Comical Costello : LOU. Bud Abbott's buddy

7. __ Butterworth : MRS. Syrup.

8. Iron-poor blood condition : ANEMIA

9. Place for books : SHELF

10. Racetrack near Miami : HIALEAH

11. Reach, as a destination : ARRIVE AT

12. Animation still : CEL

13. __ lime pie : KEY

18. Collar attachment : LEASH

22. Vacation stopover : INN

24. Apple discard : CORE

25. Adaptable, electrically : AC/DC

26. "Waiting for Godot" playwright Samuel : BECKETT

27. Writer __ Stanley Gardner : ERLE

28. Film cameo, e.g. : ROLE

33. Mix in : ADD

34. Hog's home : STY

35. Hyphen-like punctuation : DASH

36. Cookie with a Thins variety : OREO

37. Rascal : SCALAWAG

39. __ buco: veal dish : OSSO

40. "Once __ a time ..." : UPON

43. Nonstop : ENDLESS

45. Secret supply : STASH

47. Compete for a seat : RUN

48. '50s nuclear trials : A-TESTS

50. Strasbourg's region : ALSACE. without Lorraine today.

51. Spy on : PEEP AT

52. Balance sheet heading : ASSETS

54. Artist's flat hat : BERET. Mais oui!

57. Once-sacred snakes : ASPs

58. Baltic, for one : SEA

59. Directional suffix : ERN

61. Color chart listing : HUE

62. Land in la mer : ILE

63. Domino dot : PIP

Argyle

Sunday August 23, 2015 Gordon Johnson

Theme: "Eight is Enough" - The first words in theme entries spell out "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos".

  

23A. *"I won't tell a soul!" : MY LIPS ARE SEALED. Reminds me the logo of Ashley Madison.

36A. *"You're not even close!" : VERY COLD. This refers to little kids' "Hot and Cold" game, right?

53A. *Not just a shot in the dark : EDUCATED GUESS

59A. *Sci-fi fleet leader : MOTHER SHIP

73A. *Not seriously : JUST FOR FUN. Purported reason for some to join Ashley Madison.

82A. *Words from the aptly punished : SERVED ME RIGHT. Lament for the exposed members of Ashley Madison.

94A. *Adversarial attitude : US vs THEM

113A. *Popular party dish : NACHOS AND CHEESE.  I thought Nachos refer to the chips and cheese together?  Never had Nachos myself.

35A. Familiar octet : PLANETS

104A. A typical one for the 35-Across can be found in the first words of the answers to starred clues : MNEMONIC

This might be our constructor.  Congratulations on your LA Times debut!

I solved this as a themeless. I'm sad to say that I never heard of this mnemonic. Wish I immigrated to the US at age 13 rather than 30. Lots of simple gimmes like this are just foreign to me.

Across:

1. Unwilling to listen : DEAF. Nailed it.

5. "Please don't __" : BE MAD. 34D. "__ needle pulling thread" : SEW A. 37D. Keep an __ the ground : EAR TO. And  44D. Take __: try the pool : A DIP. 110D. "The heat __!" : IS ON.. Fill-in-blanks are often partials. Rich normally caps the partials at four for Sundays. Two for weekdays.

10. Pot holder : CHEF. I was thinking of drug.

14. Japanese comics : MANGA

19. Lacking originality : UNCREATIVE

21. Work on the road : PAVE

22. Subject of a 1989 international trade ban : IVORY. Got via crosses.

25. "Yes __!" : SIREE

26. Riyadh natives : SAUDIS. 1,200 of them are members of Ashley Madison. Adultery is punishable by death there.

27. Botanical cover : ARIL

28. One scouring the junkyard : RUMMAGER

30. Dam city : ASWAN. I kept thinking of Hoover Dam.

32. 104 of Haydn's are numbered: Abbr. : SYMS (Symphonies). More music references: 41A. Like Brahms' Third : IN F. 95D. Violinist Louis who invented the chinrest : SPOHR. 98D. Pianist Watts : ANDRE. Both unknown to me. Also, 62D. Renaissance fiddle : REBEC. We had this before. I forgot.

  

39. Burpee product : SEED

 

42. Word repeated before "sis" : RAH

43. Ending with cup : OLA. Cupola.

44. Snoopy-Red Baron conflict, e.g. : AIR WAR. Friendly crosses.

46. Where some precious metal may be exchanged : ALTAR. Oh, gold rings.

50. Valued geologic mass : ORE BODY. How is different from ORE?

 

55. Whiskered swimmer : OTTER

56. "Ah Sun-flower! ... / Seeking after that sweet golden __": Blake : CLIME. Crosses again.

57. Sheltered at sea : ALEE

58. Dune buggy, e.g., briefly : ATV

64. Storm harbinger : CLAP. Thunder clap.

65. Hilo his : ALOHAS. Read it as "Hi's". We also have 79. Nonnative Hawaiian : HAOLE. Pronounced like  "Holly", right?

66. Kubla Khan's palace : XANADU

68. Street __ : CRED

71. Cornmeal loaves : PONES

 77. "Found it!" : AHA

78. Chopped down : HEWN

 

81. Stiller's mom : MEARA. OK, Ben.

85. 1966 #1 hit for The Association : CHERISH. I only knew Madonna's "Cherish". 

 

87. DNA structure : HELIX

88. 7-__ : ELEVEN. They have fantastic snack food in Guangzhou: hot and tasty.

89. Foe of Chiang : MAO

90. Sigma follower : TAU

91. Jersey casino, with "The" : TAJ

93. Gets it : SEES

 

97. Apple and Google started in them : GARAGES. Did not know Google started in a garage as well.

101. "Dang!" : DRAT

103. Tending to ooze : SEEPY

106. Kind of agt. : GOVT. Tough crossing with VACs (107D). Roombas, briefly). I did not know what Roombas are. Robotic vacuum cleaner.

108. Arrive, as clouds : ROLL IN. And  112. Contribute : ADD IN

 

117. "The Three Sisters" sister : IRINA

118. More than think : KNOW. MUSE won't fit.

119. Environmental activist : ECO-WARRIOR. Nailed it.

120. Allowed : LEGAL. So is LEGIT.

121. Alluring : SEXY

122. Moving about : ASTIR

123. Shore thing : SAND. Not DUNE.

Down:

 1. Doo-wop syllables : DUMS. Crosses again.

2. "Orinoco Flow" singer : ENYA

3. NSA wiretap challenger : ACLU

4. When Shabbat begins : FRIDAY

5. Linden tree : BASSWOOD. Did not know Linden = Basswood.

6. BWI posting : ETA. BWI = Baltimore Washington International. Learning moment to me also.

7. Arizona opponent in a landmark Supreme Court case : MIRANDA

8. Categorically state : AVER

9. Both Arnaz guys : DESIs

10. Tax season VIP : CPA

11. Shakespearean prince : HAL. Prince Hal.

12. Where or when attachment : EVER

13. Exasperated : FED UP

14. Handle badly : MISMANAGE

15. Frequent flier's malady? : AVIAN FLU. Nice clue.

16. Sweden : Sverige :: Norway : __ : NORGE. What Norway is in Norway.

17. Meet partner : GREET. Meet and greet.

18. Australia's __ Rock : AYERS

20. Certain Prot. : EPISC

24. Mythological heaven : ELYSIUM. I like this word.

29. 11th-century year : MLI. 1051.

 

31. Friend : ALLY

33. Macon university : MERCER. Never heard of it.  What are they famous for?

36. Formula One sound : VROOM

 

38. Butler with "a cynical humor in his mouth" : RHETT. Just fill in RHETT whenever you see "Butler" in the clue.

40. Record collection : DATABASE

45. Cave : RELENT

47. Bluish green : TEAL

48. Hammett hound : ASTA

49. It may contain regrets : RSVP. Had ??V? in the slot and wondered about LOVE.

51. Get conned : BE HAD

52. Russian city east of Kiev : OREL

53. Beethoven honoree : ELISE

54. Unleaded? : DECAF. Got me again.

56. Speaks for spirits : CHANNELS

60. Lured (in) : ROPED

61. "This I gotta see" : SHOW ME

63. Rejoice : EXULT

64. One using salt, perhaps : CURER. Oh, literally.

67. Rounded roof : DOME

68. Kind of cow? : CASH

69. South Korean president, 1948-1960 : RHEE. Nailed it as well. Korean RHEE = LEE = Li (as Jet Li). Same character.

70. "Downton Abbey" title : EARL

72. Cold response : SHIVER

73. Biblical baptist : JOHN

74. "Taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase": MLK : FAITH. Also the name of my mother-in-law. Her two other sisters are named Hope and Charity. 

 

75. Latin bears : URSAE

76. Book describing the fall of Nineveh : NAHUM. Stumper for me.

78. Like typical snowflakes : HEXAGONAL

80. Way back when : AGES AGO

83. Carrot nutrient : VITAMIN A. Don't drink too much carrot juice. It makes your skin orange.

84. Swamp thing : REED

85. Check out, as a joint : CASE

86. Sci-fi transport : HOVERCAR. No idea. Like this?

89. Prohibitive words : MUST NOT

92. "Friends" actress, familiarly : JEN. Newly married. So happy for her. Can't less less about Angelina.

96. 1840s White House family : TYLERs

97. AOL alternative : GMAIL

99. Excavate again : RE-DIG

100. Founders : SINKS. Verb.

102. Where cruise ships go : TO SEA. Partial in disguise.

105. Sugar source : CANE

109. Sister of Luke : LEIA

 

111. Stereotypical computer whiz : NERD

114. Crew chief : COX. Coxswain.

115. Pacific Coast or Alaska: Abbr. : HWY. And 116. 115-Down offense : DWI

 

I'm still in shock that we lost the crossword legend Merl Reagle. I never met Merl in person. Just a few email exchanges with him over the years. He was always sweet, kind and encouraging. You'll always be in my mind, Merl!

Happy Birthday to Tinbeni, whose daily sunset toast to blog regulars often makes me smile.  Hope it's a day full of pleasant surprises and romances, Tinbeni.

C.C.