Sunday January 17, 2010 Don Gagliardo

Theme: Hybrids - Each two-word theme phrase is a hybrid of two car models from two different manufacturers.

23A. Chutzpah? (Chevy/Saturn): CAVALIER OUTLOOK. Chevy Cavalier. Saturn Outlook.

29A. Duffer's trip through Scotland? (Volkswagen/Honda): GOLF ODYSSEY. Volkswagen Golf. Honda Odyssey. Duffer is a bad golfer. Scotland is a mecca for hardcore golf nuts.

36A. Memorable forest caretaker? (Ford/Acura): RANGER LEGEND. Ford Ranger. Acura Legend.

50A. Speeding, e.g.? (Chevy/Ford): CITATION FOCUS. Chevy Citation. Ford Focus.

69A. The feel of Manhattan? (Honda/Saturn): CIVIC AURA. Honda Civic. Saturn Aura. I am not familiar with the Civic Center in Manhattan.

87A. Columbus gone wild? (Nissan/Ford): ROGUE EXPLORER. Nissan Rogue. Ford Explorer. This answer made me laugh.

100A. Beethoven's 32 for piano, say? (Hyundai/Subaru): SONATA LEGACY. Hyundai Sonata. Subaru Legacy. Wikipedia says Piano Sonata No. 32 is the last of Beethoven's piano sonatas.

108A. Feature of the queen's English? (Buick/Hyundai): REGAL ACCENT. Buick Regal. Hyundai Accent.

117A. Nice plot? (Buick/Oldsmobile): RIVIERA INTRIGUE. Buick Riviera. Oldsmobile Intrigue. "Nice" here is the French resort city (along the French Riviera).

And ACR (113A. Like any theme ans. in this puzzle). All of the 9 theme answers are placed in Acr(oss).

None of the 18 cars are real hybrids, are they? I am not a car person. Definitely could not name all the makers without the bracket hints in the clues.

Quite a unique concept, as it's the case with every Don "Hard G" Gagliardo's puzzle I've blogged. His themes are all rather bold, exploratory, distinctive and unforgettable. Think of his "Hard G", "Alfred Hitchcock" and "Money Talks" (symmetry "error" tied to the theme).

I just can't imagine the amount of work he did to give us such a NONESUCH puzzle. esp since he told me he made two different filled grids sans software, and ended up discarding those and even changing some theme answers during the process. He eventually completed the grid with the help of Crossword Compiler last fall.

How did you fare today? Did the bracket information help you ferret out certain theme answers? I did surprising well. Was bothered a bit by the unusual number of fill-in-partials, but they sure gave me toeholds in several places.

Across:

1. Bet: WAGER. A rather easy start.

6. Ancient sorcerer: MAGE. The ancient magician. Gave me trouble last time.

10. Concentration amt.: PPM (Parts Per Million). Not familiar with this chemical abbr.

13. 130-minute H.S. tests: PSATS

18. Notwithstanding: ASIDE. All kidding aside ...

19. Model: IDEAL. Nice to have "model" in the clue, given the amazing numbers of car models in the grid.

21. Altar constellation: ARA. Literally "altar" in Latin.

22. Find a new home for, as a plant: REPOT

26. Singer Bryant: ANITA. Not aware of this singer. What's her most famous song?

27. Cockney aspiration?: 'OPE (Hope). H is dropped in Cockney accent.

31. Pilot lead-in: AUTO. Autopilot.

33. Capa waver: TORERO. Capa is Spanish for "cape".

35. Donny and Marie, by birth: UTAHNS. I wanted OSMONDS. We also have UTE (49D. Salt Lake City college athlete).

39. Deck used for readings: TAROT

41. Continue until: END AT

42. Vast spice trade region of yore: ASIA. Esp India.

43. Miniseries, often: SAGA. True.

44. Hebrides isle: IONA. Off Scotland's west coast.

48. Formally exit: SIGN OUT

54. Proceed tediously: PLOD. What I do with LAT Saturday puzzles.

55. Kickoff aid: TEE. Alas, no tricky wordplay for a very playable word.

57. 2000s sitcom single mom: REBA

58. Hues: TINCTS. Tinct is a verb too.

59. Ancient Egyptian deity: AMEN-RA. The hybrid god. Maybe JD can tell us the differences between Amen-Ra and Aten.

62. Bit of exercise room equipment: AB TONER. I need one.

66. Microwave brand: AMANA

71. Awards since 1949: EMMYS. Easy guess.

73. Confine, with "in": HEM

74. Choose paper over plastic?: PAY CASH. Clever clue.

76. First step toward nirvana: SATORI. Literally "sudden understanding" in Japanese/Chinese.

78. Off the beaten path: AFIELD

80. Residents: Suff.: ITES. Or ESES.

82. Singing syllables: LAS

83. Local movie venue, in Variety slang: NABE. Short for "neighborhood". New to me.

91. "No prob!": SUITS ME

93. Let slide: DROP

94. Minus: LESS. Preposition.

95. Enjoy Doritos, say: NOSH

97. Tender cockerel: CAPON. Castrated chicken.

98. Like Itt: HAIRY. The hairy cousin Itt from "The Addams Family".

103. Styx ferryman: CHARON. Styx is the river in Hades.

106. Movie set structure: FACADE

107. Mensch lead-in: UBER. Übermensch. Literally "superman" in German.

111. Dill pickler: BRINE

116. Typewriter type size: ELITE

120. Hall of Fame Vikings lineman Carl: ELLER. Gimme. Detailed coverage in our local paper every time he's found to have a substance abuse.

121. With 125-Across, words before customer: ONE. And PER (125. See 121-Across). Neat answer tie-in.

122. Radio pioneer: TESLA (Nikola)

123. Peasant's meal: GRUEL. I have rice/millet gruel for breakfast occasionally.

124. Silt deposit: LOESS

126. Metrical units: FEET. Did not fall into the trap of putting S at the end first.

127. Fresh: SASSY. Just learned this new meaning of "fresh" a few weeks ago.

Down:

1. Chisholm Trail city: WACO. Was ignorant of the Chisholm Trail.

2. "I need it fast!": ASAP

3. Basketball maneuver: GIVE AND GO. One offensive player passes the ball to another, then runs toward the basket to take a return pass. New term to me.

4. "Grandparenting in a Changing World" author LeShan: EDA. Always want her name to be Ada.

5. Empathize with: RELATE TO

6. Look: MIEN. Same root as "demeanor".

7. Fees charged to sponsors: AD RATES

8. Like some historical time scales: GEOLOGIC. Adjective of geology.

9. Mer contents: EAU

10. Italian soccer great Rossi: PAOLO. Was oblivious to this guy. Equivalent of Paul in English.

11. TA's boss: PROF

12. Speedy shark: MAKO

13. Seek divine intervention from: PRAY TO

14. Hit: SENSATION. Fresh fill.

15. Imitative: APISH

16. Count from one __: TO TEN

17. Visits: STAYS

20. Three-star rank: Abbr.: LT. GEN. (Lieutenant General). Tricky abbr.

30. "Inka Dinka Doo" composer: DURANTE (Jimmy). Here is a clip.

32. Amin subject: UGANDAN. Idi Amin.

36. Survey taker: Abbr.: RESP. Respondent I suppose.

37. Shrub yielding a blue dye: ANIL. Learned from doing Xword.

38. Dormant state: LATENCY

43. Single or separated, e.g.: STATUS. Lovely clue.

45. William of __, for whom a logical "razor" was named: OCCAM. Occam's razor, law of succinctness. The simpler, the better.

46. Screwy: NUTTY

47. Carrying team: ASSES. Was thinking of the sports team.

51. Sub, perhaps: TEACHER. Not sandwich.

52. Palindromic pop group: ABBA

53. Pottery worker: FIRER. Better than the one who axes others.

56. Red explorer?: ERIC. Eric the Red.

60. Syrup source: MAPLE

61. Is of use: AVAILS

64. Pop singer Bedingfield: NATASHA. No idea. British singer.

66. "__ Day's Night": A HARD. "A Hard Day's Night". Beatles' film.

67. "What do you take __?!": ME FOR

68. Barcelona buddy: AMIGO. Alliteration in the clue again.

70. Comparison words: IS TO

72. Coin-making: MINTAGE

75. 19th century soprano __ Patti: ADELINA. Verdi called her the greatest vocalist that he ever heard. Stranger to me also.

77. Columbus sch.: OSU. The Buckeyes.

79. River to the Tigris: EUPHRATES. First time I see this river in a puzzle. Neato!

81. Medicinal plant: SENNA

84. Shoots for dinner: ASPARAGUS. Was confounded by "shoots".

85. Ivied halls swaggerer, briefly: BMOC (Big Man On Campus). This abbr. often gives me fits, regardless of how it's clued.

86. "__ ... moe": EENY. " Eeny, meeny, miney, moe"

88. Gen-__: XER. I am one.

89. Study of Freud, etc., in a coll. catalog: PSY (Psychology)

90. Asphalt layer, perhaps: ROAD BASE

92. Mostly submerged hazards: ICEBERGS

96. Germ-free: STERILE

99. Many CBS Radio listeners: AOLERS. I don't get the clue. Why CBS Radio?

100. __-Flush: SANI. Have never heard of this toilet cleaner brand.

101. Original Crayola pack, e.g.: OCTET

102. Fontanne's theater partner: LUNT. Lunt-Fontanne Theater in Broadway.

103. Fishing trap: CREEL

105. Physically flexible: AGILE. Sam Snead could kick a 8-foot ceiling even in his 70s.

106. Abnormal temperature: FEVER

109. Field yield: CROP. Nice rhyme.

110. Theater: CINE

112. __ the finish: IN AT. What does it mean?

114. Sticks with leather tips: CUES. Pool sticks.

118. Two-minute warning giver: REF. Football.

119. George's songwriting partner: IRA. The Gershwin brothers.

Answer grid.

In LA Times #19 Crosswords my husband got for me for Christmas, there are 72 daily puzzles that appeared in LA Times from July to December 2007. The leadoff puzzle is from Don Gagliardo. Actually, he has 5. There are also a few puzzles each from our regulars Dan Naddor, Stella Daily/Bruce Venzke, Donna Levin, Jack McInturff, Doug Peterson, etc. Don suggests us to try this LA Times series (probably starting from #17) for any Dan Naddor puzzles we might have missed.

C.C.

PS: Don Gagliardo has by now had at least one puzzle published by LA Times for each day of the week. This "Hybrids" completed his "Hitting for the Cycle". Congratulations, Don!

Saturday January 16, 2010 Frederick J. Healy

Theme: None

Total blocks: 33

Total words: 70

Man, this constructor Frederick J Healy sure loves multi-word entries. He used more than 20 in his last themeless, then again 20 today.

Very often long single words are easier for me to ferret out. My mind is just not wired to parse multi-word properly. I simply don't use those idioms or slang in my daily conversation. Feel very handicapped by my background.

Favorite clue today is HOLED (29. Rolled into a cup). I was definitely not thinking of rolling the golf ball into the cup. Sigh! I am actually pretty good at reading breaks on the green.

OK, let's tee off with multi-words:

1A. Nut: WHACK JOB. Terrific entry.

16A. Knows about: IS ONTO

17A. Rubbernecked: STARED AT

23A. The way you see it: AS IS. I wanted IMHO.

27A. Title burglar played by Bruce Willis in a 1991 film: HUDSON HAWK. Have never seen this movie.

33A. Note in an E major scale: G-SHARP. Got the SHARP part rather quickly.

35A. 1992 Grammy winner for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance: K. D. LANG. I peeked at the answer sheet. Name with initials is very tricky.

42A. Stock mover: CATTLE PROD. Oh, livestock. I was thinking of those trading shares.

51A. Succeeds completely: ACES IT

53A. Place to learn about cells, briefly: BIO LAB

55A. Improve in small ways: FINE-TUNE

59A. Mr. Right: THE ONE. Have you found yours?

60A. It's the most likely to succeed: BEST SHOT

2D. Ran into trouble: HIT A SNAG. I've learned not to recklessly put ED at the end.

8D. Pleiades components: B STARS. Most stars are classified using the letters O, B, A, F, G, K and M (mnemonic is "Oh, Be a fine girl /guy, kiss me"). O stars are the hottest and the letter sequence indicates successively cooler stars up to the coolest M class. I was stumped.

9D. Minded: LISTENED TO

12D. One after another: IN A ROW

13D. Gift giver, informally: ST. NICK. During Christmas.

37D. Discusses: GOES INTO

43D. 1980s-'90s Tennessee senator: AL GORE. Thought of Bill Frist first.

Across:

9. Apollo, musically: LYRIST. Because Apollo is God of Music/Poetry?

18. Car lot array: SEDANS

19. Texas-Louisiana border river: SABINE (SEY-bahyn). Spanish for "cypress". Wikipedia says it's in reference to the extensive growth of such trees along the lower river. New to me.

20. Sagan's subj.: ASTR (Astronomy). Carl Sagan.

22. Wrestler Flair: RIC. Born Richard Flair. Total stranger to me.

24. Works in una galleria: ARTE. Spanish/Italian for "art".

25. 1951 Emmy winner Imogene: COCA. My entry point today.

26. Feminine name ending: INA. As in Christina, Angelina, etc. Or tsarina, ballerina.

30. Telecom setup: LAN (Local Area Network)

31. Brian who produced some U2 albums: ENO

32. Firm heads, for short: CEOS. Firm = Company.

38. Old shipping allowance: TRET. The container weight is TARE.

39. Nice season?: ETE. The French city Nice.

40. Gut reaction?: OOF. Good clue.

45. A funder of PBS's "American Masters": NEA (National Endowment for the Arts)

46. Crab's sensor: PALP. Same root as "palpable" I think.

47. Some flawed mdse.: IRRS

48. Get-up-and-go: ZEST. Didn't come to me readily.

49. Barbary Coast land: Abbr.: ALG (Algeria). See this map. It spans quite a few countries in north Africa.

50. Zap with a beam: LASE

57. Loll: SPRAWL

58. Beckons: ATTRACTS

Down:

1. Holiday toast: WASSAIL. Have faintly heard of this word.

3. High-spirited horses: ARABIANS. Better than ARABS, isn't it?

4. Former "SNL" regular Farley: CHRIS

5. Insightful: KEEN. Keen can mean "wail" too. Keening.

6. Green hue: JADE

7. Concubine's room: ODA. The Harem room, reserved for women. We also have CASA (25D. Havana home).

10. Important river in WWI: YSER. Battle of the Yser. The Belgian river. Flows to the North Sea.

11. Wand: ROD

14. "Vissi d'arte" singer: TOSCA. Tosca is the title heroine in Puccini opera "Tosca". Too obscure a clue for me. Besides, I don't like the arte/ARTE (24D) repetition.

21. Warehouse workers: STOCKERS

24. Some new parents: ADOPTERS

27. Spirit: HEART. Your heart sank when ...

28. Fly-by-night: UNRELIABLE. Fly-by-night is a new phrase to me.

34. www letters: HTTP. The URL starter.

36. Model of excellence: NONESUCH

41. Most profitable, as a business contract: FATTEST. Like the ones for Erik Prince/Blackwater or whatever the new name is.

42. Islamic leader: CALIPH (KEY-lif). Dictionary defines it as "a spiritual leader of Islam, claiming succession from Muhammad". I could only think of IMAM.

44. Ready-made: PREFAB

46. Brewer Frederick: PABST. Easy guess. I did not really know Pabst founder's given name, the same as today's constructor.

48. Sorority letters: ZETAS

50. Egg-rolling site: LAWN

51. Colony workers: ANTS

52. Like some U.S. mail: CERT (Certified). A special "Thank you" to MJ for mailing me the Dan Naddor obit in LA Times.

54. Thai native: LAO

56. Ore suffix: ITE. Common mineral suffix. Graphite, for example.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Friday January 15, 2010 Jack McInturff

Theme: HE'S GETTING AWAY (52A. Cry during an escape, and this puzzle's title) - HE is removed from the start of the second word of a familiar phrase.

20A. Air-conditioning commuter trains?: COOLING ONE'S (HE)ELS. Cooling One's Heels. Commuter trains = ELS.

32A. Pitch from a personified spud?: MR. POTATO (HE)AD. Mr. Potato Head (the toy). Pitch = AD.

41A. Like finger-painters?: YOUNG AT (HE)ART. Young at Heart.

Cute unifying theme title. Rather light theme entries. Maybe I am used to Dan Naddor's heavy themage on Fridays.

Not fond of the three "GO" entries:

18A. Continue: GO ON. "Thug" for GOON would have avoided the GO repetition.

9D. Rotten: GONE BAD

42D. Enter: GO IN

Lots of Wite-Outs for me. Fell into every possible trap. Favorite clue is BAIL (46A. Cost of freedom?).

Across:

1. It's rarely a hit: SIDE B. Sometimes it's B SIDE.

6. Acted like a rat: SANG. Sing is slang for "squeal".

10. Pre-bedtime fare: NEWS. Was thinking of food/drink.

14. "The Three Faces __": OF EVE. Have never seen the movie. Starring Joanne Woodward (wife of Paul Newman). Enviable long-lasting marriage.

15. Lickable treat: OREO

16. Apple for the teacher, perhaps: IMAC. Apple computer.

17. Let fall, as tresses: UNPIN

19. "Thank Heaven for Little Girls" musical: GIGI. I liked Leslie Caron better in "An American in Paris".

23. Old comm. giant: ITT

24. Demure: COY. I often confuse "demure" with "demur".

25. Ill humor: BILE

26. Allocation word: PER

27. __ flakes: BRAN. Plunked in SNOW.

29. Anteater's slurp in the comic "B.C.": ZOT. No idea. ZOT does not sound slurp-y to me.

36. Set of standards: CODE. Wrote down NORM first.

37. Craters of the Moon monument site: IDAHO. I've never heard of Craters of the Moon. Lava fields.

38. Eastern sash: OBI. Literally "sash" in Japanese.

39. Piercing weapon: TALON

40. Poet Sandburg: CARL. His poetry was mostly focused in PJB's Chicago.

43. Quiz: ASK

44. Some fiction: PULP. Pulp fiction.

45. Sue Grafton's "__ for Outlaw": O IS. The only possible clue for OIS.

49. Single, for one: Abbr.: SYN (Synonym). (Added later: Single is a synonym of "one").

56. Mitchell with the 1969 album "Clouds": JONI. I can't think of any other Mitchell.

58. In the slightest: AT ALL

59. Ocean hunter: ORCA

60. Alençon's department: ORNE. A department as well? Man, I thought it's just a river name.

61. Fool in "Pagliacci": TONIO. No idea. Italian for Tony?

62. Automobil route: BAHN. Automobil is German for "automobile" I presume.

63. Student stats: GPAS

64. Doc Golightly portrayer in "Breakfast at Tiffany's": EBSEN (Buddy). I finally saw "Breakfast at Tiffany's" a few weeks ago. Did not pay attention to the Doc actor though.

Down:

1. Sans __: carefree: SOUCI. Literally "worry" in French.

2. Otherwise: IF NOT

3. Station: DEPOT

4. Mean business: EVIL. I don't understand the clue. Why "business"?

5. Treat kindly: BE NICE TO. Mine was BEFRIEND.

6. Overwatered: SOGGY

7. Buck add-on: AROO. Buckaroo. Switch/smack add-on is EROO.

8. Strip lighter: NEON. Oh, Las Vegas Strip.

10. Bruce of Sherlock Holmes films: NIGEL. Stranger to me. The British actor who played Watson.

11. "Thérèse Raquin" novelist: EMILE ZOLA. Not familiar with the novel. Thérèse Raquin is the eponymous heroine.

12. Funny ones: WAGS. That's our Lois.

13. It's not always exact: Abbr.: SCI. Science?

21. Nick's wife: NORA. From "The Thin Man". Asta is their dog.

22. It may be deadly: SIN. Seven Deadly Sins. Jack likes to have biblical/church clues or fill in his puzzles "as a reminder of eternal values".

26. Four-time Hugo winner Frederik: POHL. Nope, sorry! Four-time Hugo does not mean anything to me.

27. Emerge suddenly: BOB UP

28. It's forecast in percentages: RAIN.

30. Glade target: ODOR. Glade is the air freshener brand.

31. Caterpillar's creation: TENT. No idea. It's cocoon also called TENT?

32. Glittery mineral: MICA. I've never associated mica with "glittery".

33. Nutritional stds.: RDAS

34. Stroller's rest spot: PARK BENCH

35. Saw, e.g.: TOOL. Thought of "old saying" saw first.

36. Musical with Grizabella and Growltiger: CATS. Waiting for Buckeye to comment.

39. Stadium party site: TAIL GATE. Great entry.

41. Hot Christmas staple: YULE LOG. Tom and Jerry jumped to my mind first.

44. Babe, for example: PIG. Babe is the name of the pig in the movie "Babe".

47. Turk, most likely: ASIAN. Some are European.

48. They have highs and lows: TIDES

49. Trumpeters on a lake: SWANS

50. "Boola Boola" singer: YALIE. "Boola Boola" is Yale's fighting song.

51. Hose material: NYLON

52. Dance that may involve a chair: HORA. The traditional Romanian and Israeli round dance. Was a chair involved in your wedding dance, Hahtool?

53. Diamond cover: TARP. Baseball diamond.

54. Albacore, e.g.: TUNA. Toro (in Sushi bar) is the fatty belly portion of tuna. Delicious!

55. From __: slight progress: A TO B

56. Assignment: JOB

Answer grid.

C.C.

Thursday January 14, 2010 Ed Sessa

Theme: SHEEP (65A. Animal family hidden in 17-, 35- and 57-Across)

17A. Hackneyed line: HAVE WE MET BEFORE. After "You look familiar". EWE is embedded.

35A. Chowder base: CLAM BROTH. LAMB is hidden. What is the difference between broth and stock?

57A. Summertime cosmetic mishap: MASCARA MELTDOWN. Sweat. RAM is enclosed.

What an coincidence! Windhover just mentioned last night that kidding and lambing season is about to start.

All of the above hidden animal names are spread between two words. Nice consistency. Simple theme & light theme entries, which allow for plenty of long letter non-theme entries. I counted total 18 seven-letter entries, 12 of them are stacked in in each quadrant. Very Dan Naddor-like.

I was also delighted by the sparkling clues for short answers:

21A. Heros: SUBS. Hero Sandwich.

22A. Male delivery: SON. Playing on "mail delivery".

29A. Killed, in a way: VETOED. Killed "bill".

32A. MA and PA: STS (States). Pun on "Ma and Pa".

53A. Rear admiral's rear: AFT. Oh, the rear of his ship.

30D. Move in high circles?: ORBIT. For the planets.

39D. Talking a blue streak?: PROFANE. "Blue" here means "risqué".

55D. Brest friend: AMIE. Playing on "Best friend". Brest is a seaport in western France.

Easier than our average Thursday, wasn't it? Maybe I just mind melded with the constructor (Thanks, Argyle).

Across:

1. Italian port on the Adriatic: BARI. In southeast Italy. And AMORE (20A. Love, in 1-Across)

5. Los Alamos project, briefly: A-BOMB. Thought of A-TEST first.

10. Newspaper family name: OCHS. Of the New York Times.

14. Yemen's main port: ADEN

15. Roofed patio: LANAI. Literally "roofed patio" in Hawaiian.

23. Frothy fountain drinks: MALTEDS. Partially alliterative clue.

26. Green soldier: RECRUIT. "Green" = inexperienced. Tyro.

31. River in NW France: ORNE. See this map. If flows to the English Channel.

33. Bakery worker with a gun: ICER

34. Spirited equine: STEED

38. "__ moi, le déluge": Louis XV: APRES. Literally "after". Après moi, le déluge = After me, the flood. Just means that nothing matters after he's dead.

41. New Rochelle, NY, college: IONA

42. "Pygmalion" monogram: GBS (George Bernard Shaw)

45. 1975 A.L. MVP and Rookie of the Year __ Lynn: FRED. When he was with the Red Sox. His baseball cards are not worth much. Ichiro is another player who won both MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same year (2001).

46. "The evil that men do lives after them" speaker: ANTONY. From "Julius Caesar". Not a familiar line to me.

48. Brutally harsh: RAW. As weather.

49. __ stone: ROSETTA. Shouldn't "stone" be capitalized?

51. How architects draw: TO SCALE

54. Crimson Tide, briefly: 'BAMA. They just won the BCS Championship.

56. "Flip This House" network: A AND E. I've learned to parse AANDE.

61. Hall of Famer Slaughter: ENOS

62. Book from which the film "What's Love Got to Do With It" was adapted: I, TINA. I know it's Tina Turner's autobiography. Have never heard of the film though.

63. Netman Nastase: ILIE. Alliteration in the clue.

66. Buffoonish: ZANY

Down:

1. Commonwealth off Florida: BAHAMAS

2. Uncompromising: ADAMANT. I am, sometimes.

3. Rises up: REVOLTS

4. At a standstill: INERT. The grammar confuses me. "At a standstill" is an adjective, Kazie?

6. Kapow cousin: BAM. I want Kapow to be in quotation. "Kapow".

8. Come of age: MATURE

9. Like many lobster eaters: BIBBED

10. Galoot: OAF

11. Sense of completeness: CLOSURE

12. Sandra Bullock role, e.g.: HEROINE. Sandra Bullock is always so goofy.

13. Like some candles: SCENTED

18. Agricultural pests: WEEVILS. Here is one. Report please!

19. Corner PC key: ESC. Upper-left corner.

24. Numerical prefix: DECA. Prefix for "ten". As in decathlon.

25. Pipe part: STEM

27. Portnoy creator Philip: ROTH (Philip). Has anyone actually read "Portnoy's Complaint"?

34. Patronizes, as an inn: STAYS AT

35. Hand over: CEDE

36. Canine anchor: ROOT. Canine tooth. Not dog.

38. Popular ski country homes: A-FRAMES. Drew a blank. Easy for snow to slide off the roof I presume.

40. Sits atop: RESTS ON

42. Hiker's snack: GRANOLA. I am so in love with my raw cashew & Medjool dates bar lately.

43. Longtime Steinway rival: BALDWIN. Piano maker. I've only heard of Steinway.

44. Todd of Broadway: SWEENEY. Sweeney Todd.

46. Classic video games: ATARIS

47. "Broadway Joe": NAMATH. Quarterback Joe Namath is nicknamed "Broadway Joe".

52. City near Gibraltar: CADIZ. Here is the map. Quite far from Gibraltar, isn't it?

58. Western KY clock setting: CST. Had no idea that KY has 2 different time zones.

59. Santa Barbara-to-Vegas dir.: ENE. Direction is often my weakness.

60. Slurp (up): LAP

Answer grid.

C.C.

Wednesday January 13, 2010 Dan Naddor

Theme: DEFENSE (36D. Stadium chant, and word that can follow the ends of the answers to starred clues)

16A. *Dictated reminder: NOTE TO SELF. Self-Defense.

19A. *"We must be nuts!": THIS IS INSANITY. Insanity Defense. Pleading "Not guilty by reasons of insanity".

32A. *Restricted airspace: NO FLY ZONE. Zone Defense. Basketball/football.

50. *"We answer to a higher authority" brand: HEBREW NATIONAL. National Defense. I've never heard of the kosher hot dog/sausage brand Hebrew National, made by ConAgra.

55. *Marquee name: MOVIE TITLE. Title Defense.

A healthy 63 theme squares. Heavy themage. The first two and the last two theme answers are overlapped. A feature of many of Dan's puzzles.

Today's Dan Naddor Index (non-theme entries with 6 or more letters) is 24. Very high. Nice stacks of 7-letter Down entries in each quadrant.

My favorite clue is WMDS (51D. Scary arms, briefly). Nailed it immediately. Did fall into trap of calculating the clue for EFFS (9D. 40% of fifty). Not enough blanks for TWENTY or SCORE. Then I realized the letter play trick. There are two letter Fs in the word "fifty", hence spelled-out EFFS.

Across:

1. Dadaism co-founder: ARP (Jean)

4A. "I'm serious!": NO JOKE. Three Js in this grid.

10. Egyptian viper: ASP. The kind that killed Cleopatra.

13. Chase, in a way: WOO. Wanted RUN.

14. Supposing: EVEN IF

15. Zig or zag: VEER

18. Wrath, in a hymn title: IRAE. "Dies Irae".

21. Word with car or bumper: POOL. Have never heard of the billiards game bumper pool, which only has 2 pockets.

22. Dover's st.: DEL. Where Biden is from.

23. Skedaddles: SCATS. And SPLITS (61A. Skedaddles).

24. Derby drinks: JULEPS. Have you been to Kentucky Derby? I bet Windhover has.

26. Moor on stage: OTHELLO. The only Moor I know.

28. Beef source: STEER. Oh, real beef, not complaint.

29. Flowery welcome: ALOHA

35. First name in tyranny: IDI. Uganda's Idi Amin.

38. Donnybrook: MELEE

39. __ talk: TRASH

43. Classic TV family: NELSONS. From "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet". Stumped me.

45. Filmdom: CINEMA

46. Second of three black keys: A FLAT. No idea. I've never touched a piano.

49. Sea depleted by irrigation projects: ARAL. The Shrinking Sea.

57. Italian vineyard region: ASTI. In northwest Italy.

58. "It __ matter": DOESN'T

59. Years and years: EON

60. The Carolinas' __ Dee River: PEE. Named after the Pee Dee Tribe.

62. CD players: DJS

Down:

1. Barley bristle: AWN. Like this. Last time it's clued as "Grass appendage".

2. Destroy completely: ROOT OUT

3. Asphalt fault: POTHOLE. Nice rhyming sound.

4. Clears: NETS

5. Eggs, e.g.: OVOIDS. Always thought of "ovoid" as adjective.

6. Longtime North Carolina senator Helms: JESSE. Not fond of the clue because SEN is the answer for 31A. VIP on the Hill.

7. NBC newsman Roger: O'NEIL. Total stranger to me. Can't even find a picture of him.

8. Potter's need: KILN. Was worried that it might be Harry Potter related.

10. Shots from above: AERIALS. Was picturing snipers.

11. "Grey's Anatomy" setting: SEATTLE. The answer emerged itself.

12. Victimizes: PREYS ON

15. Country singer Gill: VINCE. What's his most famous song?

17. Actress Brennan: EILEEN. Oh, she's the terrible officer in "Private Benjamin".

20. People or region of Ghana: ASHANTI. New word to me. Only know the singer Ashanti.

21. Dr. Dentons, e.g.: PJS. Not familiar with Dr. Dentons at all. Don't wear PJS.

25. Hype: PROMOTE

26. Slip through the cracks?: OOZE. Why question mark?

33. Squishy lowland: FEN. Marshy swamp.

34. Verdi title bandit: ERNANI. The opera was based on Hugo's play "Hernani". I was clueless.

35. Piled any which way: IN A HEAP. Parallel with another 3-word entry I'LL BITE (37D. "It's a trick, but tell me"). Terrific entries.

40. Effervescent, perhaps: AERATED.

41. IHOP order: SMALL OJ

42. Dave's "2001" nemesis: HAL. The "2001" computer.

44. New York restaurateur: SARDI (Vincent). The owner of Sardi's Restaurant in Broadway.

45. Customer: CLIENT

47. Subject of contemplation?: NAVEL. Contemplate one's navel.

48. Formal "Who's there?" response: IT IS I

52. Don Knotts denial: NOOP! Easy guess.

53. Baseball's Mel and Ed: OTTS. Only knew Mel Ott.

56. Dash widths: ENS. Or EMS.

I'd like to share with you a very touching story Rich Norris (LA Times crossword editor) told me about Dan Naddor's memorial service:

"There were more than 100 chairs set up in the room. I paid little attention to the decor until the first speaker pointed out that it was not an accident that some chairs had white covers and others had black covers. When viewed from above, the black-covered chairs were in the same pattern as the black squares in Dan's last puzzle (Deliver-ANCE) published before he passed away! I thought it was a brilliant touch. "

LA Times also made available Dan's "Star Search" mentioned as one of Rich's favorites in Dan's obit.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Tuesday January 12, 2010 Allan E. Parrish

Theme: Quite the Ts - Theme answers all end with homophonic Ts.

17A: Burlesque act: STRIP TEASE.

35A: University governing body: BOARD OF TRUSTEES.

59A: Baseball's Big Papi: DAVID ORTIZ.

24D: Summer coolers: ICE TEAS. (crosses 35A in the center)

Argyle here again. While the theme is mundane, it is suited to a Tuesday, unlike the somewhat esoteric Monday theme. The fit is rather scrabbly, as typical of Parrish's puzzle, only one letter Q away from a pangram.

Today's has some undertones and twists that make it fun. Besides Big Papi, there is 6D: Top pitchers: ACES., 8D: Pitcher's pinpoint control, say: ASSET., 56D: Washington team, familiarly: NATS., and 60D: Sportscaster Scully: VIN., for a taste of baseball. Pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report in a month.

Low block count resulting in a very open grid today; ergo, long fills.

Across:

1A: Rating for many HBO shows: TV-MA. (MA: mature)

5A: Capital of Morocco: RABAT. Just up the coast from Casablanca.

10A: Vise parts: JAWS.

14A: Twice the radius: Abbr.: DIAM.. Diameter, a straight line passing through the center of a circle.

15A: Funds for online buys: E-CASH.

16A: Make spelling corrections to, e.g.: EDIT.

19A: Camper driver, for short: RVer. Ever hear the story about an RVer who set his motor home on cruise control then went in the back to get a cup of coffee?

20A: Baghdad's river: TIGRIS.

21A: "Tobacco Road" novelist __ Caldwell: ERSKINE. He looks like he should be a statesman.

23A: Pioneer in pistol-grip hair dryers: CONAIR.

24A: Lang. of Lombardy: ITAL.. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy, at the top of the boot.

26A: "... boy __ girl?": OR A.

27A: Anti-discrimination agcy.: EEOC. (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission)

29A: Forensic evidence threads: FIBERS.

31A: Surrealist Joan: MIRO. No Comment.

33A: Allegiance: FEALTY. Akin to fidelity; Synonyms: loyalty, devotion.

41A: Tummy-tightening garment: CORSET.

42A: Sailor's patron saint: ELMO.

43A: Pour into a carafe: DECANT.

46A: __ prof.: ASST.. Don't call them TAs; they get very mad.

49A: Newbie reporter: CUB.

50A: Rose of Guns N' Roses: AXL.

51A: Resistance units: OHMS.

53A: Bathroom hangers: TOWELS. Cute clue.

55A: "You cannot be serious!" tennis great: McENROE. Clip

57A: Dolts: MORONS. And JERK (10D: Dolt).

58A: Pre-migraine headache phenomenon: AURA. Have any of us experienced this?

62A: Certain NCO: SSGT.

63A: Hoop-shaped gasket: O-RING.

64A: Picard's counselor: TROI. I saw this and said, "Oh, boy! I get to link a picture of my favorite Betazoid." Counselor Deanna Troi

65A: South Florida vacation destination: KEYS. I s'pose they didn't get that last blast of cold.

66A: Simultaneous equation variables: X AND Y.

67A: __ Kong: HONG.

Down:

1D: 100-plus-yd. kickoff returns, e.g.: TDs. (unless there is a flag on the play.)

2D: Director De Sica: VITTORIO. A leading figure in the neorealist movement.(means nothing to me) He won many awards.

3D: Tomato-based sauce: MARINARA.

4D: Pedro's girlfriend: AMIGA. Then he would be her AMIGO?

5D: Call it a night: RETIRE.

9D: Cold relief brand: THERAFLU.

11D: Recommend: ADVISE.

12D: Hot dog: WIENER.

13D: Spreads, as seed: STREWS.

18D: __-dieu: kneeler: PRIE. So you don't have to kneel on the floor to pray. A very plain one

22D: Narrow apertures: SLITS.

23D: Search high and low: COMB.

28D: Slays, mob-style: OFFS

30D: Computer memory unit: BYTE. Followed by 32D: Marine predator: ORCA., whose bite you wouldn't want.

34D: Martial __: ARTS.

36D: Blood drive participant: DONOR.

37D: Greek __ Church: ORTHODOX.

38D: City east of San Diego: EL CENTRO. Naval Air Facility El Centro historically kicks off the Blue Angels' season with their first air show, traditionally held in March. It is on the Mexican border.

39D: Liquid-in-liquid suspension: EMULSION.

43D: Table linen material: DAMASK. 'Damaske' "cloth from Damascus," the Syrian city, famous in medieval times for steel and silk.

44D: Forgive: EXCUSE. And 45D: Pastors and priests: CLERGY. (another neat pairing)

47D: Unduly formal: STODGY.

48D: Corrida competitor: TORO. Can't have a bull fight without a bull.

52D: Stiller's partner: MEARA. Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara's son is Ben Stiller.

57D: It can be changed or made up: MIND.

61D: Turn sharply: ZIG. Like a politician's mind, than zag again.

Answer grid.

A warm welcome to all newcomers!

Argyle

Monday January 11, 2010 John Lampkin

Theme: Preponderance of P's - Two-word (both with two syllables) Phrases with P alliteration. The second word follows a P & vowel & P(P)ER pattern. (Thanks, PGB!)

20A: Piece of Peter Piper's peck: PICKLED PEPPER.

37A: School project medium in large rolls: POSTER PAPER.

44A: Killjoy: PARTY POOPER.

59A: Cinema counter fixture: POPCORN POPPER.

Penny Pincher too. Can you think of any other 2-word phrase with similar P alliteration pattern? We had two-word assonant alliteration phrases on 12-15-09.

Argyle here. Fifteen P's in the theme plus another three more scattered around the grid. The record for P's in a puzzle is 20.

Very straightforward Monday clues. RYE (24A: Whiskey grain) is a good example. Last time John Lampkin clued it as "Droll-sounding grain?". Playing on "wry". Waiting for John to give us another Great Pumpkin this year.

Across:

1A: Feds concerned with bogus bills: T-MEN.

5A: Drug bust finds: KILOS.

10A: Highest point: ACME.

15A: Sky color: AZURE. and 16A: Wheat, corn or rice cereal: CHEX. gives this a scrabbley feel.

17A: Several: A FEW.

18A: __ plume: pen name: NOM DE.

19A: Whacks with an ax: HEWS. Nice RHYME (32A: What sips and nips do). Great clue.

23A: Backyard hangout: PATIO. Not this time of year, for most of us.

25A: Fled the scene: RAN.

28A: Andrea __: ill-fated ship: DORIA. On 25 July 1956, off the coast of Massachusetts, the Andrea Doria collided with the eastward-bound MS Stockholm and sank. 1660 passengers and crew were rescued and survived, while 46 people died as a consequence of the collision.

34A: +, on a batt.: POS.. (Positive)

40A: Italian wine city: ASTI.

42A: Minister's residence: MANSE.

43A: Heed: MIND.

47A: Dreyer's partner in ice cream: EDY.

48A: Colorful quartz: AGATE. Some random slices.

49A: Comedian Wanda: SYKES. She has the latest weekly late-night talk show.

55A: Basil-and-pine-nuts sauce: PESTO. No garlic?

64A: __ job: trickery: SNOW.

66A: Transfusion fluid: BLOOD.

67A: The sound of music: TONE. Did you get the tie-in with 1D: "The Sound of Music" family name: TRAPP. ? John Lampkin is fond of clue tie-ins & cross-references.

68A: Handbasket rider's destination?: HELL. 'Going to hell in a handbasket' is to be on a course for disaster. The exact source for this alliterative phrase is unknown but there is a good write-up here.

69A: Brainy group: MENSA.

70A: This, in Tijuana: ESTO.

72A: Collar stiffeners: STAYS. They use to be replaceable but nowadays are built in.

73A: Dick Tracy's love: TESS. The loving couple. (They got married but had a rough spell according to the site I lifted the picture from.)

Down

2D: Sicilian secret society: MAFIA. Their code of silence is called Omertà.

3D: Standing tall: ERECT.

4D: Recent block arrival: NEW KID. I liked this one.

5D: "Citizen __": KANE. The story behind the movie and how it came to be made is fascinating. And Rosebud is....

6D: Former reptilian logo brand: IZOD.

7D: Sugar cube: LUMP. It's what you feed your IZOD.

8D: "__ in the court!": ORDER. I'll have ham on rye (not the 24A kind though). Add a little 33D: Cheese go-with: HAM And some 11D: Fruity dessert: CHERRY PIE.

9D: Oozy: SEEPY.

12D: Bit of cat chitchat: MEW.

13D: George Strait's "All My __ Live in Texas": EXS.

21D: Feature of a tied shoelace: LOOP.

22D: Cop's collar: PERP. (perpetrator)

26D: Change, as a law: AMEND.

27D: Totally unhip: NERDY.

29D: Frolic: ROMP.

30D: World Golf Hall of Famer Aoki: ISAO. Both given name and surname has AO combination.

31D: Periodic table figs.: AT. NO.S. (atomic number)

35D: Missouri River tributary: OSAGE.

36D: Informal opinion sampling: STRAW POLL.

38D: Lay eyes on: ESPY.

41D: Addams family cousin: ITT.

45D: Canine cry: YELP.

46D: Result of an auto loan default, briefly: REPO. (repossession)

50D: Trio plus four: SEPTET. Group of seven.

53D: Missiles in silos, for short: ICBMS. (intercontinental ballistic missile)

54D: "Vacancy": "TO LET". More common in my area is "FOR RENT".

56D: Reckon, in the boonies: S'POSE.

57D: Revival structures: TENTS.

60D: Avian symbols of wisdom: OWLS.

61D: Author Jaffe: RONA. She died in 2005 in London from cancer, aged 74.

62D: Overly inquisitive: NOSY.

63D: Palmtop computers: Abbr.: PDAS. (Personal Digital Assistant.)

64D: "Steady as __ goes": SHE.

65D: Born, in marriage announcements: NÉE.

Answer grid.

Happy belated Birthday to our fellow solver Frenchie!

Argyle

Sunday January 10, 2010 Nora Pearlstone

Theme: Just Do It - "Do" is inserted to familiar phrases.

23A. Unlikely bar snack?: BEER (DO)NUTS. Beer Nuts. Peanuts/oil/salt. Go well with beer.

25A. Hair stylist's blunder?: GOOFED UP(DO). Goofed Up.

48A. Place marker in "The Compleat Angler"?: FISHING (DO)G-EAR. Fishing Gear.

95A. Paid athletes with upscale apartments?: PROS AND CON(DO)S. Pros and Cons. The clue does not correspond well with the answer, does it?

120A. Tennis great's swimwear?: GRAF SPEE(DO). Graf Spee, the German warship. Steffi Graf is Agassi's wife.

124A. Typical dog's motto?: SEMPER FI(DO). Semper Fi, Marines' motto. "Always faithful".

36D. "What a jerk!": HE'S ONE (DO)OFUS. He's One of Us. Funny entry.

41D. Bringin' up a crime boss portrayer?: RAISIN' BRAN(DO). Raisin Bran. The omission of g in the clue hints an omission of g in the answer. Marlon Brando played the mafia boss Don Corleone in "The Godfather".

And NIKE (117D. Apt company for this puzzle?). How convenient that Tiger is nowhere to be found in the grid! Nike Golf would never have taken off without Tiger and his "Just do it" attitude. Whatever Tiger then did!

We tend to praise constructors for certain awe-inspiring clever clues. Sometimes those clues are from the quiet editor Rich Norris himself. Today's puzzle gives us a good opportunity to see Rich's mind at work, unfiltered. Nora Pearlstone is one of Rich's alias names. Anagram of "Not a Real Person".

And it's a good puzzle. A full range of DO insertion positions: In the beginning, in the middle and in the end of a word respectively. As the norm with Sunday puzzles, quite a few tricky & entertaining clues. My favorite is BURP (39D. Newborn's achievement?). The clue for ACT (31A. Don't just sit there) fits today's theme pretty well.

Across:

1. Apply crudely: DAUB. And SPLAT (56A. Paint spill sound).

5. Practice exercise: DRILL

10. Man __: 1920 Horse of the Year: O'WAR. The greatest racing horse ever, right?

14. Interface developed for the Intel x86 family of microprocessors: MS-DOS. Windows forerunner,

19. Juanita's "this": ESTA. The masculine "this" is ESTO.

20. Arabian peninsula capital: SANA'A. And ADEN (118D. Port of Yemen). We also have SHEBA (108D. Biblical queendom), the present day Yemen.

21. Part: ROLE. And OSCAR (71D. Actor's dream).

22. Southern New Mexico county: OTERO. Unknown to me. Literally "isolated hill" in Spanish.

27. Try: TASTE. Oh, try the food.

28. South side?: GRITS. Side dish.

30. Quarrel: DUST-UP

35. Hilo exchanges: ALOHAS. Greeting exchanges.

39. Santa __: BARBARA. Named after Saint Barbara.

43. A single bounce, in baseball: ONE- HOP. Another baseball reference is ALOU (12D. Baseball's Matty). Brother of Felipe.

46. Glacial ridge: ARETE (uh-REYT). Often just clued as "Mountain ridge".

47. Sch. founded by Jefferson: UVA. In 1819.

52. Beaver, to Ward: SON

53. Churn: ROIL

57. Soprano Lily: PONS. Vaguely remember that Buckeye likes her.

58. Ligurian Sea city: PISA. On the Arno River.

59. Kitchen tools: DICERS

62. Class: ELEGANCE. Grace Kelly had aplenty.

64. Beatles girl with a "little white book": RITA. The Beatles’ “Lovely Rita". The meter MAID (74A. Household servant).

66. Snack brand sold in twists and puffs: CHEETOS

69. Pan-fried: SAUTEED. Forgot the difference between saute and stir-fry.

70. Singer with The Velvet Underground in the '60s: NICO. Not a familiar name to me. She has an otherworldly look.

72. Nice piece of change: TIDY SUM. Was worried that "Nice" here might be the French city.

75. Talky get-together: GABFEST

78. Like eagles: TALONED

80. 82-Across cry: MEOW. And STRAY CAT (82A. Alley wanderer).

84. Equiangular geometric figure: ISOGON. Iso is a prefix for "equal".

86. Lower Manhattan neighborhood: NOHO. Stands for North of Houston Street. Soho is South of Houston.

88. Jazz home: UTAH. Utah Jazz.

89. Legend creator: ACURA. Honda's luxury car division.

92. Sugar source: CANE

93. Maker of nonstick cookware: T-FAL

94. British golfer Poulter: IAN. Gimme. Met him in person. Look at the pants he wore. Very colorful character.

99. Kin of -kin: ULE. I did not know -kin is a diminutive suffix too. Dictionary gives lambkin as an example.

100. Like some waves: TIDAL

102. Eye shadow?: SHINER. Did not know "shiner" is slang for "black eye".

103. Cuts into: INCISES. Root word for incisive.

105. Kept a partner up, maybe: SNORED. Oh, bedding partner.

107. Rather modern: NEWISH

110. Scale's fifth: SOL. Musical scale.

111. Primarily: MAINLY

114. Jewish community orgs.: YMHAS. YMHA = Young Men's Hebrew Association.

116. Arm bones: ULNAS. Or ulnae.

126. Vaudeville show: REVUE

127. Race: TEAR. Why?

128. They're usually made of African Blackwood: OBOES. New trivia to me.

130. Explorer Amundsen: ROALD. No idea. Norwegian explorer. The first person to reach both the North and South Pole. Roald is just like English Ronald, isn't it?

131. Vodka in a blue bottle: SKYY. Very blue.

132. '30s veep John __ Garner: NANCE. Roosevelt’s first veep. I forgot. We had this clue before.

133. Mothers' groups?: DENS. Den mother is a woman who supervises a den of Cub Scouts. New to me also.

Down:

1. Charging result: DEBT

2. On the Aegean: ASEA

3. Old Navajo enemies: UTES. The answer emerged itself.

4. It may be picked up at a pub: BAR TAB

5. British mil. award: DSO (Distinguished Service Order)

6. Made a jingle: RANG

7. Accustom: INURE

8. "Aeneid" language: LATIN. "Aeneid" is a Latin epic poem by Virgil, recounting the adventures of Aeneas after the fall of Troy.

9. Puzo novel, with "The": LAST DON. Pretty good.

10. Dot follower, perhaps: ORG. Internet address "dot".

11. Vocational course: WOOD SHOP. Again, got the answer from crosses.

13. Calls the game: REFS

14. Sectional home: MODULAR. Sectional sofa.

15. Daze of wine and rosés?: STUPOR. I like the clue, playing on "Days of Wine and Roses".

16. Security pmt.: DEP (Deposit). Placed side by side with another abbreviated answer ORD (17D: Diner req.). I had a mess in this corner.

18. Great Lakes' __ Canals: SOO

24. Java choice: DECAF

26. LAX info: ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival)

29. Album track: SONG

32. Three-tone chord: TRIAD

37. Medical stat?: AT ONCE. "Stat" is ASAP for doctors. Not the sports stats.

38. Detected: SENSED

40. To have, to Henri: AVOIR

42. Gelatin garnish: ASPIC. Delicious!

44. Eye blatantly: OGLE

45. Bell sounds: PEALS

49. Horizontal bar dismount: HECHT (Hekt). Did not know this horizontal bar has a special name. Sounds German, isn't it, Kazie/Spitzboov?

50. Op art viewer's cry, maybe: I SEE IT

51. Elite unit: A-TEAM

54. Queen with a Grammy: LATIFAH. Queen Lafifah.

57. Like a good waiter: PATIENT

60. Prynne's stigma: RED A. From "The Scarlet Letter".

61. Pens and needles: STYLI. Playing on "pins and needles".

63. Micronesia's largest island: GUAM. "Where America's Day Begins".

65. __-deucy: ACEY

67. Baja bears: OSOS. Spanish for "bears". Alliteration.

68. Shell alternative: SUNOCO. And TACOS (77D. Food in shells). Different Shell/shell.

73. Mullally of "Will & Grace": MEGAN. Is this actress very famous?

75. Astronauts' wear: G-SUITS

76. Accomplish: ATTAIN

79. Orphan boy of old comics: DONDI. His name appeared several times in our old puzzles.

81. Jonah's problem: WHALE. He was swallowed by a whale. Bible story.

83. Keister: TUSH

85. Bright signs: NEONS. Bright indeed.

87. Pamplona chorus: OLES

90. Future time of need, metaphorically: RAINY DAY. Nice clue.

91. Writer Tyler: ANNE. Recognized her face when I googled.

95. Smiling, probably: PLEASED

96. Damp at daybreak: DEWY. Hmmm, dewy!

97. Ivy League color: CRIMSON. Harvard color.

98. Search all over: SCOUR

101. As much as you can carry: ARMFUL. The grammar of the clue confused me.

104. Undernourished: ILL-FED. Like some of those models.

106. Onion __: DIP. With a bit of chives.

109. Rye lead-in: HAM ON. Ham on rye sandwich.

112. Bottom lines: NETS

113. Vichyssoise veggie: LEEK. Potato too. Vichyssoise is a thick soup of potatoes and leeks.

115. Design detail, briefly: SPEC

119. Lays down the lawn: SODS. Punning on "Lays down the law".

120. Boxer's warning: GRR. Or ARF.

121. Classic wheels: REO

123. Transit end?: ORY. The end of the word "transitory".

125. L.A.-to-Tucson dir.: ESE

Answer grid.

See you next Wednesday!

C.C.