Thursday, April 7, 2011 Don Gagliardo

Theme: How would you have spelt it? Revealed in 51 Across: Spin, as a cue ball, and how to answer each starred clue in this puzzle?: PUT ENGLISH ON IT. The last word of each answer is how you would find it in the OED (Oxford English Dictionary).

20. *Not exactly a nightie: FLANNEL PYJAMAS. From India and SW Asia "paijama", The English changed ai to "y", and the US simply dropped the "i". As for the clue, sometimes a suggestion of something hidden can be more alluring than outright exposure...

24. *Scales are part of it: PIANO PRACTISE. Practice is the noun, practise is the verb, but Americans are in the practice of always using practice.

33. *Reinforced road traveler: STEEL-BELTED TYRE. From tire "equipment, dress, covering", a shortened form of "attire". The notion is of the tire as the dressing of the wheel. The original spelling was tyre, which had shifted to tire in 17c.-18c., but since early 19c. tyre was revived in Great Britain with the advent of the pneumatic rubber form and become standard there.

43. *Headquarters: CONTROL CENTRE. The -er, -re ending confusion can be traced to Noah Webster, who attempted to reform English spelling in the US.  Despite his efforts, we still kept words like acre (instead of aker), ogre, and theatre (classy or pretentious?) Across the pond, Johnson's dictionary is considered authoritative for the -re endings, and seems to be a source of national pride (don't quote Webster to them...)

Hi all, Al here. I have to say, today the theme helped a lot. The top was refusing to fill in, but after getting CENTRE, the other theme spelt words fell quickly which gave me just enough to start getting perps.  I'll let Don's notes (included at the end) speak for themselves.

ACROSS:

1. Fictional falcon seeker: SPADE. Sam, as played by Bogie.

6. Fictional falcon source: MALTA. The Maltese Falcon. I've never seen this movie, maybe it's time to finally chase it down. Today's geography lesson.

11. "The Sting" number: RAG. Music from the movie originally composed by Scott Joplin, arranged by Marvin Hamlish.

14. Much of Israel: NEGEV. Desert.

15. Provide with heat?: ENARM. Heat, as in weapons.

16. Shaft discovery: ORE. A mining shaft of course. Any other interpretation would probably have you running to a urologist...

17. Speak above the crowd?: ORATE. Both literally (loudly) and figuratively (on a soapbox). I'm not sure if I have those backwards...

18. Solitude: TIME ALONE.

22. Jack edged him out in the 1980 U.S. Open: ISAO. AOKI. Golf. Both names are common crosswordese clues and answers, but usually one clues the other.

23. Jumbo, say: SIZE.

31. Some time ago: ONCE. upon a time.

32. Screwball: LOON.

41. "__, 'tis true, I have gone here and there": Sonnet 110: ALAS.

42. Choice word: EENY. Meeny Miny Moe.

48. Pole or Croat: SLAV. Apparently we get the word slave from slav because of their history of being conquered and being sold into servitude.

50. Where parts of the '95 film "Higher Learning" were shot: UCLA.

58. Radical: EXTREMIST. By definition, one far from the norm, thus should not be construed as representative, yet human nature will try to force a pattern...

59. Bathroom sink fitting: P-TRAP.

61. Bathroom, across the pond: LOO. More bonus English.

62. Berry picked for an Emmy: HALLE.

63. Sister of Thalia: ERATO. Muses.

64. Stab: TRY.

65. Loper leader: INTER. Prefix clue. An interloper is a "self-interested intruder".

66. Easily colored synthetic: DYNEL.

DOWN:

1. Desk globe filler?: SNO. Really kind of boring unless Pixar interprets it.

2. Line to tear along: Abbr.: PERForated.

3. "I've Got __ in Kalamazoo": A GAL. A Glenn Miller oldie.

4. Suspect, maybe: DETAINEE. With all the airport security measures now, I think the terrorists did win...

5. "Given that ...": EVEN SO.

6. Sky streaker: METEOR.

7. Deep blue: ANIL. The west indian shrub called the indigo plant, from which blue dyes are made.

8. Harpsichordist's aid: LAMP. I can only assume this is what the clue intended...

9. It has few pips: TREY. Playing card spots.

10. Key of Beethoven's Sym. No. 7: A MAJ. Second Movement (8:19)

11. Frosh assignment: ROOMIE. Often in the first year of college, you must stay in a dorm, and you can't always pick your own roommate.

12. Ball partner: ARNAZ. Lucy and Desi.

13. Sky honkers: GEESE. Did you ever notice that one side of their V formation is always longer than the other and wonder why that happens? It's because there are more geese on that side.

19. Lad's sweetheart: LASS. Scotland terms could be interpreted to be related to today's theme.

21. Hammock session: NAP.

24. Batt. terminal: POSitive. or NEGative.

25. NFL drive killer: INTerception in football.

26. Score very high on: ACE. As with an exam.

27. "This is __ sudden!": ALL SO.

28. Motel extra: COT.

29. Nail holder: TOE. A little tricky, and not my first thought.  Also, eww... but just a little.

30. Ill. neighbor: IND. Illinois and Indiana.

34. Data-sharing syst.: LAN. Local Area Network, connected computers, usually within a single building. Between buildings usually requires a WAN, Wide Area Network.

35. Lunch initials: BLT.

36. __ candy: EAR, and clecho: 40D. __ candy: EYE.

37. Renters, collectively: TENANTRY. Perhaps a bit archaic Middle English-like, and doesn't quite slide easily off your tongue, but at least it isn't boring.

38. Nevertheless: YET.

39. Time off, in mil. slang: RNR. Rest 'N Recreation

43. Yarn or bell, e.g.: CAT TOY.

44. Page-bottom directive: OVER.

45. Polish goal: LUSTER.  A disguised capitonym clue. "Hiding" it at the beginning of a sentence is a Thursday level of trickiness.

46. "The Shield" actress __ Pounder: CCH. Carol Christine Hilaria.

47. Made hasty altar plans: ELOPED.

48. Broke down, in a way: SPELT. Bonus theme-related English spelling.

49. Pyramid-shaped Vegas hotel: LUXOR.

52. Soda reportedly named for a bottle size: NEHI. One story is that the company founder sent one of his salesmen across the Chattahoochee River from Columbus to check out his competition in Alabama. The happy salesman returned to report that Alabama competition was only "knee-high". The other recurring story concerns the checking of bottle samples that were being considered for the new flavor line. Most of the drinks of that era were of the 6 or 7 ounce sizes. When the tall 9 ounce Nehi sample was set beside the competitors brands, the comment was made that the smaller bottles looked "knee-high" beside their new container.

53. Fed: G-MAN.

54. Happy tune: LILT. To "lift up".

55. Crow's-nest sighting: ISLE. On a Thursday, LAND was too simple.

56. Afghanistan neighbor: IRAN.

57. Thames gallery: TATE. More England references.

60. Capitol Hill mover: POL. Whenever I see this word, I think of Pol Pot...

Answer Grid.

Constructor's notes:

"It may be that this puzzle was inspired by a coworker of my wife, Barbara.  He is very English.  He solves my puzzles regularly and loves the diversion from his usual grind.  I have met others from England, and cannot help but marvel at their colorful phrases.  We walk our dogs in the snicket now.  I did not know the narrow, wooded glen was a snicket until the English neighbor told me so.  I cannot even find that word in an English dictionary, so who knows how many words are out there that are not even in print.  I have also marveled at the spelling changes from one language to the other.  The goal was to make as many kinds of substitutions as possible, and try to keep the word the same length.  I think I also tried for one-letter substitutions, but I cannot recall if I succeeded.  This puzzle will probably drive some people crazy at first, who think they got it right but find that it does not work out.  The unifier was important.  Fortunately there was a phrase that explains it all.  I wonder where that phrase, “Put English on it” comes from.  I used to hear people use it in reference to billiard shots.  I have even heard it on the golf course.  Does anyone know the origin of this phrase?" 

Here you go, Don:  Spin imparted to a ball, from French anglé "angled," which is similar to Anglais "English."

Al

Wednesday, April 6 2011, Patti Varol

PTheme: Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall. Each of the 13(!!) starred theme entries relates to the animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

1A. *"Bohemian Rhapsody" group : QUEEN. you're singing it in your head, aren't you?

6A. *Poet Whitman : WALT. i finally bought leaves of grass after hearing part of the poem 'spontaneous me' in the movie 'the notebook.' noah read it to his dad on the porch, remember?

23A. *Painfully shy : BASHFUL

26A. *Tormented by pollen, say : SNEEZY. bless you!

31A. *Cross : GRUMPY. harumph.

40A. *Medico's address : DOC. it looks nice right in the middle like that.

44A. *Like a quiet town : SLEEPY

48A. *He won 26 Oscars, including an Academy Honorary Award (consisting of one full-sized and seven miniature statuettes) for the film depicted in this puzzle's starred answers : DISNEY. when i first read this clue i hadn't figured out the theme yet, and had no idea anyone had won that many oscars (he was nominated for 64). it is a record that has not been broken. no wonder he created the happiest place on earth. here's an interesting disney link.

52A. *Cry of surprise : HEIGH HO. i thought of him.

68A. *Frosted flakes : SNOW. cute clue, sore subject for some of you. i was thinking more along the lines of this.

69A. *Chess side : WHITE

13D. *All smiles : HAPPY

48D. *Not very bright : DOPEY

melissa bee bogging.

WOW! i had so much fun with this puzzle. love, Love, LOVE heavy themage, and this one is absolutely overflowing with it. would not think it was even possible to fit all seven dwarves names, and 6 other related theme entries in a 15 * 15 grid . have not seen this constructor's name before, but now i'll keep an eye out for her ... really really enjoyed this, just brilliant.

a few bonuses, too:

39A. Aladdin's helper : GENIE. also a disney movie.

58A. Like a noted piper : PIED. 1933 disney short

60A. Roads scholar? : TRAMP. well it coulda been clued as 'Lady's beau.'

11D. "__ porridge hot ..." : PEASE. not disney, but a children's nursery rhyme. interesting trivia, according to wikipedia: "The 1959 Billy Wilder film Some Like It Hot derives its title from this rhyme."

and, loosely related:

8. Passed-down stories : LORE.

22. Man with morals : AESOP

i feel like it's my duty to link at least one song ... and what came to mind with this theme was seven days. it even contains the lyric 'the mirror squeaked, away i ran.'

Across

10. Exotic food fish : OPAH

14. Año Nuevo month : ENERO. enero is spanish for january - año nuevo is spanish for new year's eve.

15. Irish Spring variety : ALOE. soap.

16. Wife of Zeus : HERA

17. Sudoku fill-in : DIGIT

18. Fronded plant : FERN. i learned on npr's wait, wait don't tell me that sigmund freud had pteridophobia, a the morbid fear of ferns.

19. Irving hero : GARP

20. Starbucks pickup : COFFEE

27. Torino time period : ORA. italian for hour.

28. Good thinking : REASON

34. Overhauls : REBUILDS

41. Red simile words : A BEET. red as a beet.

42. Parent who minds how her kid acts? : STAGE MOM. cute.

45. Dojo discipline : KARATE. training facility for martial arts.

47. WNBA position : CTR

55. Quarterfinals complement, e.g. : OCTAD

56. Danube capital : VIENNA. austria. the danube is the second longest river in europe, after the volga.

59. Watch : TEND

64. Feminine suffix : ENNE

65. Corleone family head : VITO. the godfather.

66. "We're out of choices" : OTHER. made me giggle.

67. "Son of Frankenstein" role : YGOR

Down

1. Proof abbr. : QED. from wikipedia: an initialism of the Latin phrase quod erat demonstrandum, which means "what was to be demonstrated". The phrase is traditionally placed in its abbreviated form at the end of a mathematical proof orphilosophical argument when what was specified in the enunciation — and in the setting-out — has been exactly restated as the conclusion of the demonstration. The abbreviation thus signals the completion of the proof.

2. Cycle prefix : UNI. unicycle.

3. Hosp. test : EEG

4. "Love Story" novelist Segal : ERICH

5. __ this world: bizarre : NOT OF

6. Hem and haw : WAFFLE

7. On the safer side : ALEE

9. Downing Street number : TEN. number ten downing street, in london. residence of the prime minister.

10. "My goodness" : OH GEE

12. Paella ingrediente : ARROZ. spanish word for rice.

21. Faulkner's "The Sound and the __" : FURY

22. Like some reports : ANNUAL

23. His 3,000th hit was a homer : BOGGS. wade.

24. Stop in Québec? : ARRET. french.

25. Healthful hot spot : SAUNA

26. Cry noisily : SOB

29. Starbucks pickup : AROMA. clecho.

30. NYSE overseer : SEC. securities and exchange commission.

32. "Top Gun" foe : MIG. russian military aircraft.

33. Didn't wait for Christmas : PEEKED. are you a peeker?

35. "May __ of service?" : I BE

36. Hanger-on : LEECH. ew.

37. Pool statistic : DEPTH. the minimum depth of an olympic sized pool is 6' 7".

38. Start to foam? : STYRO. Styrofoam. thought of rabies.

40. Palme __: Cannes film award : DOR. the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival, it goes to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. had no idea.

43. Has the okay : MAY

44. Spotted : SEEN. i spy, with my little eye ...

46. Market index, familiarly : THE DOW. dow jones.

49. Best part of the cake, to some : ICING. you can have mine.

50. Shorthand pro : STENO. stenographer.

51. "Unsafe at Any Speed" author : NADER

53. Attached to a trailer hitch : IN TOW

54. Brooks of C & W : GARTH. thought kix first, not enough letters. why not spell out country and western?

56. Vital thin blue line : VEIN

Tuesday, April 5, 2011 Donna S. Levin

Theme: Down by the Sea - The end word of the theme entries relates to water movement.

20A. Chocolate-ribboned ice cream flavor : FUDGE RIPPLE

27A. One setting a new high : RECORD BREAKER. Waves as they break (fall over themselves and crash onto the shore) are known as breakers.

49A. Salon treatment : PERMANENT WAVE

56A. "Nifty, huh?" : "ISN'T IT SWELL?". A wave, especially when long and unbroken; What causes boats to rise and fall out on the ocean.

Argyle here. Too bad Donna couldn't get the entries in order, from slight movement to tsunami.

Across:

1. Shoppers' aids : BAGS

5. Chantilly product : LACE. Let the Big Bopper get your blood going. Clip.(2:27)

9. Religious subgroups : SECTS

14. Kareem's alma mater, briefly : UCLA. Basketball Hall of Famer Abdul-Jabbar played three seasons for the UCLA Bruins from 1966–69. He was known as Lew Alcindor at the time.

15. Airline with famously tight security : EL AL

16. Hackneyed : TRITE

17. Custardy Spanish dessert : FLAN, Image.

18. O'Hara homestead : TARA. Theme from the original soundtrack Clip.(3:51)

19. Nattered away : RAN ON

23. Two-outs-in-a-single-AB stats : DPs. Baseball's double-play.

24. Mai __ : TAI. Cocktail.

25. Asian cat breed : SIAMESE

32. Windsor Castle initials : HRH. His Royal Highness or Her Royal Highness.

33. Fabled fiddler : NERO

34. "All By __": Celine Dion hit : MYSELF. Clip.(3:59)

37. Spread in a dairy case : OLEO

39. Spots on a screen? : ADS. TV screen.

41. Inter or et follower : ALIA

42. Setting where a medium isn't rare : SEANCE

45. Nepal's continent : ASIA

48. Pioneered : LED

52. Aptly named boss at the quarry where Fred Flintstone works : MR. SLATE

54. Livy's "I love" : AMO. Titus Livius (59 BC – AD 17), known as Livy in English, was a Roman historian.

55. Mouse spotter's shriek : "EEK!"

62. Stockpile : AMASS

64. __'acte : ENTR. French for "between the acts", intermission.

65. Thought : IDEA

66. Capone henchman : NITTI. Francesco Raffaele Nittoni, AKA Frank Nitto, AKA Frank 'The Enforcer' Nitti" (January 27, 1881 – March 19, 1943) was a Prohibition gangster in Al Capone's gang.

67. Vaulted cathedral part : APSE

68. Sask. neighbor : N. DAK.

69. Isaac with a bow : STERN. Ukrainian-born violin virtuoso.

70. Inner Hebrides isle : SKYE. Home to Talisker single malt Scotch.

71. "... the slithy toves / Did __ and gimble ...": "Jabberwocky" : GYRE

Down:

Monday, April 4, 2011 John Lampkin

Theme: Rhyme Time - Four IE/IE rhyming idioms, where the first part differs from the second part only by the initial letter.

20A. Feeling of uneasiness : HEEBIE-JEEBIES. From Wikipedia: The sound of this term seems to hark back to earlier rhyming phrases, like hocus-pocus and mumbo-jumbo, with a touch of the jitters thrown in. The meaning is more like the British term - the screaming habdabs.

27A. Hand-held two-way communications device : WALKIE-TALKIE A hand-held, portable, two-way radio. You can send and receive within a limited range.

47A. Up-tempo jazz piano style : BOOGIE WOOGIE. Piano-based blues that became very popular in the late 1930s and early 1940s, but originated much earlier. The real Boogie Man.(3:00)

56A. Symbolic nosegays : TUSSIE-MUSSIES. I am not sure of the use of symbolic here. The word "tuzzy" refers to the Old English word which means a "knot of flowers". Muzzy refers to the damp moss wrapped around the stems to keep them moist. The definition in current times also extends to the cone-shaped holder for the bouquet. Nosegays are small, round bouquets composed of densely packed round flowers, greenery, and occasionally herbs.

Argyle here. John starts of our week very nicely.

Across:

1. Cotton swabs originally called Baby Gays : Q-TIPS. It is unknown why, in 1923, its inventor, Leo Gersenzang, used the name, Baby Gay, but perhaps it is a reference to nosegay.

6. Actor Guinness : ALEC

10. More than stumbled : FELL

14. Basic belief : TENET

15. Capital surrounding Vatican City : ROME

16. Falco of "The Sopranos" : EDIE

17. Shabby : RATTY

18. $3 million, 30-sec. Super Bowl feature : TV AD

19. Poet __ St. Vincent Millay : EDNA

23. Jungle swinger : APE

25. Fla. hours : EST

26. Cummerbund fold : PLEAT. The cummerbund is a broad waist sash, usually pleated, often worn with black tie. With 39. Dress (up) : TOG

32. Cheering noisily : AROAR

33. Mashed luau staple : POI

34. "M*A*S*H" staff : RNs

37. Reprimander's "reading" : RIOT ACT

40. Leave for a bit : STEP OUT

43. Mind reader's skill, briefly : ESP. Extrasensory perception.

44. "How beautiful!" : "OOH!"

46. Oil refinery input : CRUDE

51. Ami's good-bye : ADIEU

54. Tiny bit : TAD

55. His-and-__ towels : HER. Should be Hers, yes?

61. Isaac's eldest : ESAU. Exchanged for his birthright for a bowl of stew. Must have been really hungry.

62. Knucklehead : DOPE

63. Close, as a parka : ZIP UP

66. Hollywood success : STAR

67. Hollywood favorite : IDOL

68. College town near Bangor : ORONO

69. Nanny's charge : TYKE

70. Bills with Hamilton on them : TENS

71. Rehab step : DETOX

Down:

1. Super Bowl div. : QTR. Quarter. Not just the Super Bowl; any game split into four time periods.

2. Green or black brew : TEA

3. Fully informed : IN THE LOOP

4. Sampras of tennis : PETE

5. Eyelid problem : STYE

6. Manet or Monet : ARTIST. And 49. Props for Monet and Manet : EASELS

7. Affectionate bop : LOVE TAP

8. Key with four sharps: Abbr. : E MAJ.

9. Give up formally : CEDE

10. Weak : FEEBLE

11. Murphy of "48 HRS." : EDDIE

12. Top of a form, perhaps : LINE A

13. "It's the __ I can do" : LEAST

21. Honey maker : BEE

22. Prefix with center or cycle : EPI. From Greek, "upon, at, close upon (in space or time), on the occasion of, in addition" (cognate with Skt. api "also, besides;" Avestan aipi "also, to, toward;" Arm. ev "also, and;" L. ob "toward, against, in the way of"). Before unaspirated vowels, reduced to ep- ; before aspirated vowels, eph- . Used in modern scientific compounds, cf. epicenter; epicycle (late 14c.).

23. Informed (of) : AWARE

24. Capital on the Seine : PARIS

28. See 31-Down : KAT 31. With 28-Down, layered chocolate bar : KIT

29. Lyricist Gershwin : IRA

30. __ Angeles : LOS

34. Glitch in need of smoothing out : ROUGH SPOT

35. Film with nakedness : NUDIE

36. Cattle drive critter : STEER

38. Pigeon's sound : COO

41. Green prefix : ECO

42. Athlete who isn't green? : PRO

45. Stumble across, as an idea : HIT UPON

47. Have no doubt : BE SURE

48. "Yes, mon ami" : "OUI"

50. Part of wpm: Abbr. : WDS.

51. "This is only __" : A TEST

52. Like the trail on a cattle drive : DUSTY

53. Singer Chris : ISAAK

57. Change text : EDIT

58. Pie à la __ : MODE

59. Former Lacoste partner : IZOD. Clothing lines.

60. Dublin's isle : EIRE

64. Half of dos : UNO. Spanish numbers.

65. Chicken __ : POX

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday April 3, 2011 Doug Peterson

Theme: The Play's The Thing - The starred answers are eight Toy HOF items.

23A. *They're educational and stackable : ALPHABET BLOCKS

38A. *Construction set invented by Frank Lloyd Wright's son : LINCOLN LOGS. Interesting trivia. 

47A. *Street hockey gear : ROLLER SKATES

68A. Rochester, N.Y., institution whose inductees include the eight answers to the starred clues : NATIONAL TOY HALL OF FAME. Nice grid spanner. Has any of you been there?

91A. *Shipping container : CARDBOARD BOX. Now how can this be inducted into the Hall? I do know some of the old basewball card wrappers/boxes are highly collectible.

98A. *Dual-knobbed drawing device : ETCH A SKETCH

119A. *Kindergartner's boxful : CRAYOLA CRAYONS

15D. *Board game with color-coded cards : CANDY LAND

81D. *Cuddly bedmate : TEDDY BEAR

Fun theme. Was any of the plaything in your childhood missing from the theme set? I just learned that Scrabble & View-Master are in the Hall too.

Neat theme answer arrangement also. It always impresses me when theme entries intersect and more so when no fill is compromised.

Doug Peterson is a real pro. He's one of the very few active constructors in this country who steadily produce fluid early week day puzzles & hard themeless & smooth Sundays.

Across:

1. Cause for fishing hole excitement : BITE. Incredible feeling.

5. Gate approx. : ETD. Wanted EST.

8. Fleshy-snouted mammal : TAPIR

13. Fearless Fosdick's creator : AL CAPP. I only know his "Li'l Abner".

19. Airline with a Ben Gurion hub : EL AL. Literally "To the Skies".

20. Book flap feature : BIO

21. Ridiculous : INANE

22. Comfortable shoe : LOAFER

26. Unlearned : INNATE

27. Long-tailed songbird : PIPIT. Is her tail long?

28. Shade of green : PEA

29. It's done in some circles : SEWING. I don't get this clue.

31. Sturdy wagon : DRAY

32. Santa __ winds : ANA

33. Actor Estevez : EMILIO. Charlie Sheen's brother.

36. "A Taste of Honey" dramatist : DELANEY (Shelagh). Not familiar with the book or its author.

41. DMV document : LIC

42. Vaquero's plain : LLANO

46. Arles affirmatives : OUIs

50. Port-du-__: French cheese : SALUT. Looks good. Needs a bit of wine. Salut!

53. Script section : SCENE

55. Word between surnames : NEE

56. PBS series since 1974 : NOVA

57. City SSW of Moscow : OREL. Doug might have it clued as Hershiser related. He's a baseball fan.

58. Breezy good-byes : CIAOs

60. QB's try : ATT. No idea. Attempt?

62. First name among disrespected comedians? : RODNEY (Dangerfield). "I get no respect".

64. Pollution-free power sources : WIND FARMS. We have quite a few of them in Xinjiang region.

66. Links highlight : ACE. Hole in one.

67. Itty-bitty, in Inverness : SMA. Scottish for "little".

75. Jenny, e.g. : ASS

76. "Reliable Sources" airer : CNN

77. Picnic favorite : BEAN SALAD. I like potato salad for picnic.

78. Tiny bit : TITTLE

82. Tool used in a bed : HOE. Oh, garden bed.

83. Swedish imports : SAABs

84. Winged goddess : NIKE

85. War of 1812 shipbuilding port : ERIE. Nice to know this fact.

86. Half a dance : CHA

88. "Gone With the Wind" Oscar winner : LEIGH (Vivien)

90. Dramatist Chekhov : ANTON

94. "How __ refuse?" : CAN I. And 39. "What else __ do?" : COULD I.

96. Hardly posh : SEEDY

97. '80s missile shield prog. : SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative). Star Wars.

104. Home of Chichén Itzá : YUCATAN

107. Hullabaloo : HOOPLA

108. "Bingo!" : AHA

109. Crime lab item : SWAB

112. Not spontaneous : STAGED

114. Come up short : OWE

115. "King Lear" daughter : REGAN. The other two are Goneril and Cordelia.

117. Ripped to pieces : TORE UP

122. Mystical secrets : ARCANA

123. "True Grit," for one : OATER. Do you like the Cohen Brothers' remake?

124. 20th-century composer Harris : ROY. Tell me about him, Jayce.

125. Logical connector : ERGO. I wanted THEN.

126. 1943 Allied conference site : TEHRAN. Unknown trivia to me.

127. Campout treat : S'MORE

128. 34th pres. : DDE. Man, I wanted ABE. Dumb! I can't count.

129. Look to be : SEEM

Down:

1. "Little help here, bud?" : BE A PAL

2. "Fighting" team : ILLINI. Fighting Illini. Not enough space for my IRISH.

3. __ Zee Bridge : TAPPAN

4. Pre-coll. catchall : EL-HI. Mostly in crosswords.

5. Flow's counterpart : EBB

6. Ascot fasteners : TIEPINS

7. "I'm listening!" : DO TELL

8. Up to, in brief : TIL

9. "__ Amours": 1984 César Award-winning film : A NOS. Nope. Have never heard of the film. Literally "To our Love".

10. Walked worriedly : PACED

11. Bygone writing aid : INKWELL. Still needs it for Chinese calligraphy.

12. Able to overcome adversity : RESILIENT. Lucina asked how we obtained protein in those years without meat. I guess from corn. We ate corn bread for every meal. It's not really tasty as it's made of  water & corn flour & salt only. No added milk/sugar/oil, which were all highly rationed. Even wheat flour was a luxury then.

13. Bring into harmony : ALIGN

14. Contemporary of Boris : LON (Chaney)

16. Where some worship from : AFAR

17. Anti-leather gp. : PETA

18. Zebras, to lions : PREY. I like this clue.

24. Did lunch, say : ATE OUT

25. Scott of "Happy Days" : BAIO. Rare name, three consecutive vowels.

30. Iridescent jewelry material : NACRE

34. 1,051, to Hadrian : MLI

35. Fiends of fantasy : OGRES

37. Buckskin source : ELK

40. Elroy, to George Jetson : SON

43. Oodles : A TON

44. Snow in Milano : NEVE. Oh really? Had no idea. Bye, Campbell!

45. Anthem beginning : O SAY

48. Percolate : LEACH

49. Sunday deliveries : SERMONS

50. Planted : SOWN

51. "Turandot" highlight : ARIA. Just for Sallie.

52. Period of sacrifice : LENT

53. O.T. prophet : SAML

54. Bulk-purchase club : COSTCO. Went there once. Man, everything is just so big.

58. 1988 A.L. MVP : CANSECO (Jose). Can't stand him & his "Juiced".

59. Funds for later yrs. : IRAs

61. Leaves home? : TEABAG. Tea leaves.

63. Bozos : OAFS

65. Newborn Arabian : FOAL. Horse. Hey, Creature!

66. Objectivism advocate Rand : AYN

67. Healthy portion : SLAB

69. Spaghetti pkg. unit : ONE LB

70. Remini of "The King of Queens" : LEAH. She believes in Scientology. Leah is also our Chickie's real name.

71. Author Flagg : FANNIE. She was in a relationship with Rita Mae Brown.

72. Hit the ground : ALIT

73. Speedy shark : MAKO

74. Idyllic setting : EDEN

78. Gumshoes : TECs. Short for detective.

79. "Dies __" : IRAE

80. Flag : TIRE. Don't get the connection.

82. Crunchy Mexican munchies : HARD TACOS

83. NBA's __ Man of the Year Award : SIXTH

87. Tackles : HAS AT

89. Classified letters : EOE

90. Capital south of the Black Sea : ANKARA (Turkey)

92. Mitt Romney's alma mater: Abbr. : BYU. Barry G's too.

93. Family tree, e.g. : DIAGRAM

94. Peninsula north of Martha's Vineyard : CAPE COD

95. Silent communication syst. : ASL

99. "Groovy!" : COOL

100. Three Stooges family name : HOWARD

101. First non-European literature Nobelist (1913) : TAGORE. He's very famous in China.

102. Meter feeder's need : CHANGE

103. Quaint carriage : HANSOM

105. It covers D.C. : C-SPAN. Remember the "House shower" clue? Shower = Show-er.

106. "Groovy!" : NEATO

109. Fan's factoid : STAT

110. Modeled : WORE

111. Raise, as an eyebrow : ARCH

113. Tannery worker : DYER

116. Checks out : EYES

118. Uruguayan article : UNA

120. Stuff in a seam : ORE. Was ignorant of the geology term "seam".

121. Sourdough alternative : RYE

Answer grid.

Does anyone else also use a Reebok CYC 10 bike? Our console seems to have broken. It uses no batteries, the power is supplied by a generator when pedaling. The data keeps flicking and the resistance level just can't be adjusted. The current setting is so high that I can hardly move.

C.C.

Saturday April 2, 2011 Alan Olschwang

Theme: None

Total words: 72

Total blocks: 28

This puzzle is anchored by four grid spanners, with one long Down intersecting three Across fill:

17A. Where few people live : MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. Wouldn't it be nice if this entry were placed in 7D, the middle of the grid?

36A. Debugging aid? : INSECT REPELLENT. Real bugs! I was picturing the mysterious briefcase my ex-colleague used to debug the phones.

60A. Pick wielder : DENTAL HYGIENIST. The clue made me think of ice pick.

7D. 2008 Adam Brooks romantic comedy : DEFINITELY MAYBE. Looks good. Abigail Breslin is adorable.

Dan Naddor's puzzle yesterday has a themeless look. Today's puzzle has a themed look, with the long fill arrangement and high number of 3-letter words (total 20). 

By the way, remember Alex Boivert's "Living on the Edge" puzzle we had last April Fool's Day? Look at those edge words around the grid. Dan's gimmick was easier to grok, at least to me.

Innovation should be encouraged, no matter in which field. You may like the result, or you may not. But same old same old stuff just wouldn't work any more. Words that precede/follow theme concept  (sans twist) will  bring you an immediate "No" from Rich.

Across:

1. Island where florins are spent : ARUBA. Shouldn't they use EURO? Aruba is part of the Netherlands after all.

6. Unoccupied : IDLE. FREE wouldn't work.

10. Mental keenness : WITS

14. Charged : RAN AT. Phrasal verb can be a bit tough at times.

15. Hold : DEEM

16. Minimally : A BIT

20. "Is that __?" : A NO

21. Entertainer : ARTISTE. Thought it's just French for "artist".

22. Rural pro : FER. Rural "for".

23. Having no chapters? : NONUNION. Tricky clue.

25. Prohibit : ENJOIN

27. Hardly handy : INEPT

28. Quiet, in a way : OIL. Quiet the squeak.

30. Mattingly's predecessor : TORRE (Joe). Don Mattingly. Dodgers' manager.

31. 20-20, e.g. : TIE

33. Persian for "crown" : TAJ

35. Summer arrivals : LEOs. Oh, babies.

41. Bar patron who appears in every "Cheers" episode : NORM. Unknown trivia to me.

42. Bordeaux bottom : CUL. Cul-de-sac = Bottom of the sack.

43. Clavell's "__-Pan" : TAI. Literally "Big".

44. Marsh bird : SNIPE

46. Norse war god : TYR. From whom we got Tuesday.

48. Schism outcomes : SECTS

52. Jai alai ball : PELOTA. The basket is called CESTA. Al covered both in his Thursday write-up.

54. Float seller : MALT SHOP. I've never been to one.

56. Clark's "Mogambo" co-star : AVA. Gardner had the perfect body measurements.

57. Huge : TITANIC

59. Solid-rock center? : AS A. Solid as a rock.

63. Three-time '80s speed skating gold medalist Karin : ENKE. No idea. She's from Germany.

64. Kathryn of "Law & Order: C.I." : ERBE

65. Um preceder? : NO SEE. No see-ums. Biting flies.

66. Early Sam & Dave record label : STAX

67. Club income : DUEs

68. Head lock : TRESS. Typical grid edge word.

Down:

1. Lawyer's suit? : ARMANI. Nice playing on "suit".

2. Spoil, as a picnic : RAIN ON

3. How a knot may come : UNDONE

4. Like some judgment : BAD

5. Kennebec River outlet, with "the" : ATLANTIC. I'm sure Mainiac nailed this one. Kennebec River is in Maine.

6. "Same here" : I DO TOO

8. Contact, e.g. : LENS

9. Show anger, say : EMOTE

10. ''Do __ Diddy Diddy'': 1964 hit : WAH. Not familiar with the song.

11. Start of a rule with numerous exceptions : I BEFORE E. Spelling rule.

12. Trunk item : TIRE IRON

13. Most severe : STERNEST

18. "__ tu": Verdi aria : ERI. Literally "It was you".

19. Sold (for) : WENT

24. Bouncy : UPTEMPO. I like this word, "bouncy".

26. Kicks : JOLLIES. Did not know jolly can be a noun.

29. Drink from a dish : LAP. For dogs.

32. What an ellipsis may mean: Abbr. : ETC

34. Black shade : JET

36. Big-time : IN SPADES

37. Tempest in a teapot : NON-EVENT

38. Colombo's country : SRI LANKA. Full name. How rare!

39. Same old same old : RUT

40. You'll be busted if you use it : LAST CENT. Man, even a dollar can't buy you anything now. Not even a pack of baseball cards.

45. Blues singer James : ETTA

47. Extents : RANGES

49. One in a cruise ship line : CHAISE

50. Chucks : TOSSES

51. Floods : SPATES

53. Had something : AILED. Had a bug.

55. Full deck in old Rome? : LII. 52. Deck of card.

58. Drive-__ : THRU

61. St. with a panhandle : TEX. Quite a few states have a panhandle.

62. Easter opening? : NOR. Opening of Nor'easter.

Answer grid.

C.C.