Thursday, July 14, 2011, Jeff Chen

Theme: The Truth Is Out There, revealed in 64A. You can find one in the four longest puzzle answers, even if you don't believe: UFO.

17A. Continental alliance's intl. strategy: EU FOREIGN POLICY. Abbr. European Union, and abbr. international.

25A. Treat thicker than the original: DOUBLE STUF OREO. Extreme oreo.

43A. Toyota RAV4 competitor: SUBARU FORESTER. SUVs.

57A. Complaint after a reluctant act: YOU FORCED MY HAND.

Hi all, Al here as usual on a Thursday, with a hidden word theme. Did you spot the Unidentified Flying Objects split between words in all cases? I hope there wasn't any deep probing needed.

Across:

1. Medea's husband: JASON. Sorceress daughter of King Aeetes, who possessed the golden fleece. Unwilling to give it up, he set a series of impossible tasks for Jason to obtain it. Medea fell in love with Jason and assisted him in return for a promise of marriage.

6. Tarboosh : Arabic :: __ : Turkish: FEZ. The 11th Doctor says Fezzes are cool. (spoilers, his significant other doesn't agree.)

9. When bulls crow?: BOOMS. Bulls make money in the stock market when the economy is expanding (buy low, sell high later). Bears are betting that there will be a downturn or recession on the way (sell high futures, buy back low later).

14. Utah County seat: PROVO.

15. Obit number: AGE. Astaxanthin resveratrol

16. Hamilton of "The Terminator": LINDA. In her prime, except for the fourth pic...

20. Prime meridian hrs.: GMT. Greenwich Mean Time.

21. Drops a pop: ERRS. Baseball. Pop-ups should become easy outs.

22. Otolaryngologist's diagnosis: OTITIS. Inflammation of the middle ear.

23. "Richard III" star McKellen: IAN.

24. E or G, e.g.: NOTE. Music, A through G.

32. Bluesy Waters: ETHEL. I so wanted to fill this with Muddy.

33. Resistance units: OHMS. Named for Georg Ohm, a pioneer in electricity theory.

34. "Outstanding!": RAD. Shortening of radical.

36. Looking displeased: POUTY. Glad it wasn't MOUEY.

37. 50-50, say: TIE. In basketball, perhaps. Possible but unlikely in football, very unlikely in other sports.

38. Covered in goo: GUNKY.

40. Allotment word: PER. Per diem means "for each day".

41. Rabbit's title: BRER. Shortening of brother.

42. Actor Davis: OSSIE.

47. Two-time Indy 500 champ Luyendyk: ARIE.

48. Old boat-steering tool: OAR.

49. Yes or no follower: SIRREE.

52. Askew view: BIAS. True clue.

54. Storm of the '90s: GEO. GM's release of an Izusu.

60. Slop: SWILL. Old English swilian, swillan "to wash, gargle," related to the root word of swallow.

61. Canada's smallest prov.: PEI. Prince Edward Island.

62. Moved like goo: OOZED.

63. Country's Tucker: TANYA. A millionaire by the age of 16, married Glen Campbell (45 at the time) when she was 21. When you look up "wild child" in the dictionary, it has her picture by the definition.

65. Draws closer: NEARS.

Down:

1. File format for pics: JPEG. Joint Photographic Experts Group. A compression format that allows pictures to retain their image, yet not take as much storage (if you choose).

2. __ lily: ARUM. Pretty.

3. Player's piano?: SOFT. The full instrument name, pianoforte, literally means soft-loud.

4. Ab __: from the start: OVO. A reference to one of the twin eggs of Leda and Zeus, disguised as a swan, from which Helen was born. Had Leda not lain the egg, Helen would not have been born, so Paris could not have eloped with her, so there would have been no Trojan War.

5. "Seriously!": NO, REALLY!.

6. Not foul: FAIR. More baseball.

7. Clutch contents: EGGS. A clutch is a "nest" in reference to chickens, from clekken "to hatch" perhaps of imitative origin (cluck).

8. Path to enlightenment: ZEN. from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state".

9. Smashed: BLOTTO. Soaked.

10. Slicker: OILIER.

11. Taking care of business: ON IT.

12. Year when "Hamlet" is believed to have been completed: MDCI.To believe or not to believe, that is the question...

13. Remarks: SAYS.

18. Beach bird: ERNE. The sea eagle.

19. Vanishing sounds: POOFS. Unless you're trapped in an elevator and can't get away. SBDs are only funny to one person.

23. "Doubtful": I BET.

24. Dígito: NUMERO. Spanish digit, number.

25. He played Dillinger in "Public Enemies" (2009): DEPP. Johnny.

26. Great Plains natives: OTOES.

27. Swahili for "freedom": UHURU. Or, the communications officer of the USS Enterprise.

28. "Got that right!": SO TRUE.

29. One taking things wrong?: THIEF. Nice meta-clue. Did you take it wrong?

30. Dadaist Max: ERNST. Certainly not boring.

31. Jack of "The Great Dictator": OAKIE.

35. Batik artist: DYER. This has appeared enough times to not have to search for it, right?

38. Show leniency toward: GO EASY ON.

39. Red letters?: USSR. Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

41. Prickly shrub: BRIER. To go along with Brer Rabbit.

44. Person sometimes 9-Down: BARFLY.

45. Biological ring: AREOLA. Not linking this, even with safe-search on.

46. Gallivant: ROAM. Play the gallant, flirt, gad about.

49. Part of DOS: Abbr.: SYST. Disk Operating System. Why is internal storage a "disk", but a CD-ROM is a "disc"? A disk is magnetic, and a disc is optical (and removable), but that still doesn't explain why...

50. Midwest university with 23 team wrestling championships: IOWA.

51. Bollix up: RUIN.

52. Grievance: BEEF.

53. Peculiar: Pref.: IDIO. Idiosyncratic.

54. Strip under duress?: GAZA. Today' geography lesson.

55. Cabinet dept. since 1977: ENERgy.

56. Numbers on horses: ODDS.

58. PC core: CPU. Central Processing Unit.

59. Soil-moving tool: HOE.

Answer grid.

Al

Wednesday July 13, 2011 Pete Muller

Theme: ALL TOLLED. vowel progression in the last word of each theme answer.

17A. Men's clothing category : BIG AND TALL

22A. 1993 military directive : DON'T ASK DON'T TELL

33A. Bad thing to be caught with at work, with "a" : HAND IN THE TILL

46A. Wears greatly : TAKES A HEAVY TOLL

54A. Rock and roll band whose lead singer often played flute solos : JETHRO TULL

Melissa here.

all fun phrases to see in a puzzle, with two grid-spanners. must have been challenging to come up with them - can you think of any other phrases that end in T*LL and are 9 to 15 letters in length?

Across:

1. Pop singer Jackson : JANET. nipple-gate.

6. Create a cobbler : BAKE. yum.

10. Rubella symptom : RASH

14. Tabriz resident : IRANI. had to look it up.

15. Astonishes : AWES

16. Pelvic bones : ILIA. should be a gimme by now.

19. 53-Across et al: GEM. and 53A. Translucent stone : OPAL

20. Harmonizing groups : CHOIRS. clear ayes & barry g., anyone else?

21. Sushi bar spirits: Var. : SAKIS. usually see sake.

26. Building supporter : JOIST

27. Orbital extreme : APOGEE. the point farthest from a planet or a satellite (as the moon) reached by an object orbiting it. (perigee is the point nearest.) see?

28. Emilio Estevez, to Martin Sheen : SON.

29. Sony portable since 1984 : DISCMAN. dinosaurs now.

38. Seers : ORACLES

39. Large loafer letters : EEE. cute.

41. Droll comic Wright : STEVEN. funny guy.

44. Overfamiliar : BANAL. needed a few perps to get this.

51. Small streams : RILLS. did not know this term.

52. Prized statuettes : OSCARS. gimme. grammys and emmys wouldn't fit.

58. Musical Horne : LENA

59. Snack with a removable top : OREO. new clue for an old friend.

60. Dutch export : TULIP. so pretty. dennis's favorite flower, as i recall.

61. Shuteye aids? : LIDS. hee.

62. Exxon, previously : ESSO

63. Serene spots : EDENS. thought oases first.

Down:

1. Sail at the front : JIB. i know nothing about sailing, but this was still a gimme.

2. Jackie's "O" : ARI. nice clue.

3. Pester : NAG.

4. Passes, as legislation : ENACTS

5. Grunt's helmet : TIN HAT. if he only had a heart.

6. Javanese hand-dyed fabric : BATIK. beautiful.

7. Prize : AWARD

8. Kutcher's "That '70s Show" role : KELSO. have never seen this show, but it's well known trivia.

9. Alien's subj. : ESL

10. Trattoria tubes : RIGATONI. more yum. from the Italian word rigati, which means 'ribbed' or 'lined.'

11. It's tapped in a pub : ALE KEG. was tricky with both words.

12. Black as night, e.g. : SIMILE

13. Bother : HASSLE

18. Lavish parties : DO'S. not sure i've heard it used that way.

21. Mar. honoree : ST. PAT. saint patrick's day - great excuse for a party.

22. Party spinners, briefly : DJ'S. and 57A. 22-Down's vinyls : LP'S

23. "I'm really impressed!" : OOOH

24. Simone of jazz : NINA

25. When repeated, squeals : NAMES. such a tricky clue. 'names names,' as in the huac hearings. several good movies made about the subject: guilty by suspicion with robert de niro, citizen cohn with james woods, and the front, with woody allen (don't click if you're offended by bad language).

29. Beloved princess : DIANA. her absence was sad at prince william's wedding.

30. "Monsters, __" : INC

31. Cardinal letters : STL. is that the official abbreviation on the scoreboard?

32. Friend of Fidel : CHE. fidel castro and ernesto “che” guevara.

34. "Animal Farm" et al. : NOVELLAS. longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel.

35. Work code subject : DRESS. dress code.

36. Letterman rival : LENO.

37. Sharon of "Boston Public" : LEAL. another show i've never seen, have never heard of this actress.

40. Pipe shape : ELL

41. Leisurely walk : STROLL

42. Republic of China capital : TAIPEI

43. Bond girl Britt of "The Man With the Golden Gun" : EKLAND

44. Without thinking : BY ROTE. rote memory.

45. Like some retired racehorses : AT STUD

47. Gardeners, at times : HOERS

48. __ Park, Colorado : ESTES

49. Allergic reaction : ACHOO. bless you.

50. Alt. spelling : VAR. alternate / variant.

54. Java : JOE. coffee.

55. Gran- suffix : ULE. granule.

56. Architect Maya __ : LIN. did not know the name of this woman who, at age 21, designed the vietnam veteran's war memorial.

Answer grid.

Melissa

Tuesday, July 12, 2011 Bill Thompson

Theme: Brew - The last word of the first four theme entries can follow(chase) BEER.

17A. Type of government spending typified by the Bridge to Nowhere : PORK BARREL. Beer barrel.

25A. "Two Tickets to Paradise" singer : EDDIE MONEY. Clip.(3:56) BEER MONEY - Some extra money not needed for essential payments, which is available for spending on luxuries, hobbies, or simply going out for a beer. It is like "pin money".

37A. (At) maximum capacity : FULL BLAST. BEER BLAST - A large, usually boisterous party at which beer is the sole or principal beverage and is consumed in large quantities.

51A. Classic candy bean : JELLY BELLY. Beer belly

62A. Brew after a shot (and, in a way, what the end of 17-, 25-, 37-, or 51-Across can be) : BEER CHASER

Argyle here. Not as impressive as yesterday's but ok. Very similar lay-outs.

Across:

1. Detective Pinkerton : ALLAN. Maybe C.C.has some insight on this gentleman.

6. Bug-eyed with excitement : AGOG

10. Formally give up : CEDE

14. Let, as a flat : LEASE

15. Place for doves, not hawks : COTE. A small shelter for pigeons, sheep, etc

16. x or y line : AXIS

19. Tach measures: Abbr. : RPMs

20. Very old: Abbr. : ANC.ient

21. More furtive : SLIER

22. Disco __ : ERA

23. Unlike Wabash College : CO-ED. One of the few remaining liberal arts colleges for men only. Crawfordsville, IN, northwest of Indianapolis.

29. "Gunsmoke" star James : ARNESS. Here with his brother, Peter Graves.

31. "We're outta here!" : "LET'S GO!". See 25-Across.

32. Doctor's request : SAY, "AH"

33. Studio warning : ON AIR

36. Long, long time : EON

40. "Because I said so!" elicitor : "WHY?"

43. Bad time for a procrastinator : TODAY. "Never do today what you can put off till tomorrow." Then repeat.

44. Planet's path : ORBIT

48. Big honey brand : SUE BEE. Image.

50. Fishing line tangles : SNARLS

55. Michelle of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" : YEOH. Image.

56. 57-Across brand : LEE

57. Casual pants : JEANS

59. Bird: Prefix : AVI

60. Flat-topped rise : MESA

64. Poet Khayyám : OMAR

65. Beige shade : ECRU

66. Absorb a loss, slangily : EAT IT

67. Responsibility : DUTY

68. Eyelid affliction : STYE

69. Spars on board : MASTS. No, not a shipboard donnybrook.

Down:

1. Llama relatives : ALPACAs. "Are you lookin' at me?"

2. "Il Trovatore" soprano : LEONORA. The character's name.

3. Grand or petit crime : LARCENY

4. Look for answers : ASK

5. Birds' bills : NEBS

6. Pungent : ACRID

7. Injured in the bullring : GORED. Film at 11:00, you don't want to see this at breakfast.

8. "SNL" alum Cheri : OTERI. Cheri Oteri Pictures.

9. Hair-holding goo : GEL

10. Metaphorical incentive : CARROT. Image. Maybe a new hat would be a better incentive.

11. Broad area : EXPANSE

12. Lower, as lights : DIM

13. Twisting shape : ESS

18. Quaffs in tankards : ALES

22. Rock music's __, Lake & Palmer : EMERSON

24. Unwilling to listen : DEAF

26. "Splendor in the Grass" director Kazan : ELIA. 1961 film.

27. Self-esteem : EGO

28. Over there, to Milton : YON

30. Sleep, informally : SHUT-EYE

33. Like the hills? : OLDer than the hills.

34. Miami Heat gp. : NBA. Basketball

35. Prince __ Khan : ALY

38. Leopold's co-defendant : LOEB. Killers. Do you notice a dark tone to this puzzle?

39. Butler's carrying aid : TRAY

40. N.Y. financial paper : WSJ. The Wall Street Journal.

41. Color : HUE

42. Bawls out : YELLS AT

45. Chicken choices : BREASTS. This should bring out Dennis and/or Lois.

46. "That's perfect as is!" : "I LOVE IT!"

47. Casual tops : T-SHIRTS

49. Clouded, as vision : BLEARY

50. Harmony : SYNC

52. Unique button in 007's Aston Martin : EJECT. One way to get rid of pesky passengers.

53. Suspicious : LEERY. What you should be if James Bond offers you a ride.

54. Oater star Lash : LARUE. Popular western motion picture star of the 1940s and 1950s. He had exceptional skill with the bullwhip.

58. Noah's firstborn : SHEM

60. Stylish, in the '60s : MOD

61. Outback runner : EMU

62. Teachers' degs. : BEs. Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.)

63. Little battery : AAA

Answer grid.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy 81st Birthday to dear Sallie!

Monday, July 11, 2011 Ed Sessa

Theme: I'm Not Angry - But all of the theme answers start with a synonym for angry. (What husband hasn't heard, "I'm not angry. Why should I be angry?")

17A. Rhetorical question on a sultry day : "HOT ENOUGH FOR YOU?"

26A. Shellfish order : STEAMED CLAMS. Next Sunday is our family reunion. Steamed clams and BBQ chicken. Um-m-m.

38. Pitcher's malady : SORE ARM

48A. Off one's rocker : MAD AS A HATTER. Hat makers worked with mercury and it caused them to appear mad. Other possible derivations.

63A. What you're solving (in more ways than one, based on the starts of 17-, 26-, 38- and 48-Across) : CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Argyle here. Interesting unifier. The word CROSS is a synonym for angry, the theme words are "CROSS WORDS" and the answer to the clue is "CROSSWORD PUZZLE". Two spanners, two almost(12) and a compact center = happy Monday; good job, Ed.

Across:

1. Cookie quantity : BATCH. The Santa in me wanted a PLATE.

6. Partner of a mani, salon-wise : PEDIcure

10. "Dancing Queen" group : ABBA

14. Hawaiian hi : ALOHA

15. Neural conductor : AXON

16. Area outside the city, briefly : BURB. Shortened form of suburb.

20. Appear to be : SEEM

21. Illness suffix : OSIS. Halitosis(bad breath) being one of the less serious ones.

22. Blood lines : VEINS

23. Enjoy a chaise longue, say : LAZE add 31A. Striped cat : TABBY and you get this.

25. Subtlety : NUANCE

32. __ polloi : HOI

33. Deck swabbers : TARS. Sailors.

37. Cavity fillers' org. : ADA. American Dental Association.

42. Tennis do-over : LET

43. "Sexual Healing" singer Marvin : GAYE

45. Meaning of a wd. : DEFinition.

46. Shrek's love : FIONA

52. Boutonniere spots : LAPELS. Image.

55. Striped fish : BASS

56. Earthy tone : OCHRE

57. Lion's den : LAIR

59. West Point, e.g.: Abbr. : ACAD.. West Point, The United States Military Academy home.

66. Lottery-like game : KENO

67. Look at leeringly : OGLE

68. Italian white wine : SOAVE. Soave is a small comune of the Veneto region in the Province of Verona. Map.

69. Original sin site : EDEN

70. Carpenter's supply : WOOD. Hey, Splynter.

71. U.S.-Canada defense acronym : NORAD. North American Aerospace Defense Command. They're the ones always tracking me in December.

Down:

1. Scroogean outbursts : BAHS. In 'Dickensesque' writings.

2. Natural balm : ALOE

3. Shopping bag : TOTE

4. Class with flasks and beakers : CHEM LAB

5. Solo in "Star Wars" : HAN. In the handy 'take-home size'.

6. Stopped briefly : PAUSED

7. Vet : EX-GI

8. Homer Simpson outbursts : D'OHs

9. Having one flat, musically : IN F. ?

10. How lovers walk : ABREAST

11. Poker tournament entrance fee : BUY IN

12. Rodeo bucker : BRONC

13. Nasty treatment : ABUSE

18. Slimy stuff : OOZE

19. Latin egg : OVUM

24. Writers Lowell and Tan : AMYs

25. Neet rival : NAIR

26. Party without women : STAG

27. Exclamation with a flourish : "TA-DA!"

28. Cybermarketplace : E-BAY

29. Master slicers and dicers : CHEFS

30. Hawaii's Mauna __ : LOA. Volcano.

34. Scads : A LOT

35. Russo of "Get Shorty" : RENE. With Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito, and John Travolta.

36. Marquee luminary : STAR

39. Las Vegas numbers : ODDS

40. "The Crying Game" actor Stephen : REA

41. Advanced degs. for writers : MFAs. A Master of Fine Arts (MFA) is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of study beyond the bachelor's degree.

44. "Nature" author : EMERSON. Ralph Waldo.

47. "What craziness!" : "IT'S A ZOO!"

49. Brewpub pints : ALES

50. Tolerated : ABIDED

51. Heavenly music maker : HARP

52. "Social contract" philosopher John : LOCKE

53. Like a big landowner : ACRED. It's in the dictionary, but not in common use.

54. Call up : PHONE

57. Nike's Swoosh, e.g. : LOGO. Lego Logo.

58. Folk singer Guthrie : ARLO

60. Drug kingpin : CZAR

61. Edison's middle name : ALVA

62. Ownership document : DEED

64. "Golly!" : "WOW!"

65. Mil. branch with ships : USN. United States Navy.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Here are two more "Hard to Believe" pictures. Tell me who do you think the cool guy is. (Added later: Yes, it's Spitzboov!)

Sunday July 10, 2011 Julian Lim

Theme: 4 x 4 - Each theme entry consists of 4 words, each word consisting of 4 letters.

23A. "We'll find out in due course" : ONLY TIME WILL TELL. This and its symmetrical partner are my favorite pair.

39A. Hotel ad phrase : HOME AWAY FROM HOME

53A. "Stay alert!" : KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN

72A. Act rashly : LEAD WITH ONE'S CHIN

88A. Cry to players in hiding : OLLY OLLY OXEN FREE

106A. Often skeptical words of encouragement : GOOD LUCK WITH THAT. Just excellent.

Again, very long answers, hence only 6 theme entries. It'd be awesome if every word in the theme entries has one syllable. Might be an impossible task. Already tough job for the constructor to ferret out the ones we have today.

Several great long non-theme Down entries:

4D. Swimming and diving, e.g. : OLYMPIC SPORTS. Very seldom do we see a 13-letter non-theme fill.

16D. Petrify : TURN TO STONE. 11s are rare too.

57D. Like hobnobbers : WELL-CONNECTED

63D. It was once described as an "odious column of bolted metal" : EIFFEL TOWER. Lovely.

Also several fill for Dennis:

60A. Brilliant bunch : MENSA. He's the cleverest Dummy I know of.

68A. Japanese canine : AKITA. He owned one.

41D. Watch for the wealthy : ROLEX. He's wearing one.

All in all, a solid grid. Quite a few names, but none obscure.

Across:

1. '50s pin curls style, e.g. : UPDO

5. Sean Combs, on stage : P. DIDDY. So flashy.

11. Things of beauty : GEMs

15. Ratatouille, e.g. : STEW

19. Stick-up stash : HAUL

20. Mumbai garments : SAREES. Or SARIS.

21. Stratford's river : AVON

22. "Reason is ... the slave of the passions" writer : HUME (David). Not familiar with this line.

26. Idle in show biz : ERIC. Eric Idle.

27. 2002 hit for Cam'ron : HEY MA. Well, Avg Joe might know this song. I've got no idea.

28. "Junebug" Oscar nominee Adams : AMY. She is very talented. Pretty too.

29. "That __ fair!" : ISN'T

30. Divine food : MANNA. I wonder what it tastes that.

31. Ramble on : PRATE

33. Thumper's pal : BAMBI. Thumper is a rabbit.

35. Near the end : LATTER.

36. One who harnesses the power of midi-chlorians : JEDI. "Star Wars".

42. Throws out : EVICTS

44. Senate passings : BILLs

45. Fancy moldings : OGEEs.

46. Sunshine __: old detergent : RINSO

47. Bug : GERM

48. Letter-shaped track : T-SLOT. No idea. Carpenter term, Splynter/Jerome?

50. Big initials in comedy syndication : TBS

57. It may be spun : WOOL. Not TALE/YARN.

58. "What a klutz I am!" : OOPS

59. Ricoh competitor : XEROX

61. Applies, as effort : EXERTS

64. Dummkopf : HALF-WIT. Dummkopf is a new word to me. Dumm = Dumb. Koph = Head.

67. Grade of beef : SELECT

69. Cruise, for one : CELEB. Tom Cruise. And SEA (87D. Cruise milieu).

70. "The Baroque Cycle" sci-fi author Stephenson : NEAL. Stranger to me. Has anyone read the clued book?

71. Linesmen's co-workers : REFs

79. Disturbing bank letters : NSF. Disturbing indeed.

80. Far from mega- : MICRO

81. Crafted, as a tale : WOVE

82. French wine valley : LOIRE

83. Town in a Carlo Levi title : EBOLI. "Christ Stopped at Eboli" .

85. "Had __ and couldn't ..." : A WIFE

87. Subject involving subjects : SYNTAX. Oh, sentence.

93. Starling's home : NEST

94. Ragtag : MOTLEY

95. Author Blyton et al. : ENIDs

96. Airbus product : PLANE

98. Treat as taboo : AVOID

99. City near Anaheim : BREA. Spanish for "tar".

100. You might give him the business : SON. Clever clue.

101. Ghana's capital : ACCRA

105. Cut down : HEWN

110. Downwind : ALEE

111. Not loose : SNUG

112. "The Ministry of Fear" author : GREENE (Graham). Here is the book cover. I bet it's a gimme for Lemonade.

113. __ Indies : EAST

114. Some paparazzi gear, briefly : SLRs

115. Carry : TOTE

116. Sunshine cookie : HYDROX. Is it still on the market?

117. Time of reckoning : D-DAY

Down:

1. "Trouble's a-comin'!" : UH OH

2. Stained-glass piece : PANE

3. How some things are noted : DULY. Duly noted.

5. Penultimate Greek letter : PSI

6. 1980s-'90s New York senator : DAMATO (Alfonse)

7. Coming-back words : I REMEMBER. Oh, this coming-back.

8. Like a field at sunrise : DEWY

9. Opus __: "The Da Vinci Code" sect : DEI

10. Pricey handbag inits. : YSL

11. Carraway's Long Island neighbor, in classic fiction : GATSBY. The Great Gatsby.

12. Supposing : EVEN IF

13. Jump out of one's skin? : MOLT. Fun clue.

14. Show with '70s samurai sketches, briefly : SNL

15. Put away, as a dagger : SHEATHE

17. "Love the Way You Lie" rapper : EMINEM. Weird song name.

18. Words of support : WE CARE

24. Driveway option : TAR

25. Beans that are a good source of manganese : LIMAs. Boomer loves lima beans.

30. "Wag the Dog" co-screenwriter : MAMET (David). Drew a blank.

32. Wistful sounds : AHs

33. Mild : BALMY

34. Belt maker's tool : AWL

35. Start using Facebook, say : LOG ON

36. Weightlifting move : JERK

37. Songwriter Sands : EVIE. Stumped me last time.

38. Eat in style : DINE

40. Seamus Heaney's homeland : EIRE. Seamus Heaney won Nobel literature in 1995, a la Wiki.

43. Matrix automaker : TOYOTA

47. Grissom of NASA : GUS. And 89D. Apollo 13 astronaut : LOVELL (Jim)

48. Semicircular moldings : TORI. Plural of torus like this. Think donuts.

49. Concern for Lady Macbeth : SPOT

51. Pear from Europe : BOSC

52. Bedframe part : SLAT

54. Psy-__: military propaganda, etc. : OPs

55. Like Deep Throat : EX-FBI. I'm glad Deep Throat revealed himself in the end.

56. Work on seams : SEW

60. Pitifully small : MEASLY

61. Take home : EARN

62. Vintage Jags : XKEs

64. Get wind of : HEAR

65. Gucci of fashion : ALDO. Did names give you trouble today?

66. "Ben-Hur" author Wallace : LEW

67. Date : SEE

69. Director DeMille : CECIL

70. Richmond-to-D.C. dir. : NNE

72. Evangeline __, who played Kate on "Lost" : LILLY. Looks familiar.

73. Target Field team : TWINS. My poor Twins!

74. "The Tao of Pooh" author : HOFF (Benjamin). I forgot.

75. Prove too strong for : OVERPOWER

76. "Women and Love" author Shere : HITE

77. Income sources for some srs. : IRAs

78. Subsequent : NEXT

80. Acted bullish? : MOOED. You comment, Windhover!

84. Writing credits : BYLINEs

85. Like a saucer's symmetry : AXIAL

86. Tie the knot : WED

88. Nebraska tribe members : OMAHAS

90. Bad news from home? : YER OUT! My favorite clue today.

91. Skittish : ON EDGE

92. Monsoon-affecting phenomenon : EL NINO

97. "I'll pass" : NAH

99. U2's lead vocalist : BONO

100. RR station posting : SKED (Schedule)

102. Niger neighbor : CHAD

103. Tabula __ : RASA

104. Trial fig. : ATTY

106. Clock std. : GST. What does this mean? I wanted GMT.

107. "How icky!" : UGH

108. Break down : CRY

109. Where Odessa is: Abbr. : TEX. Not UKR.

Answer grid.

Happy Birthday to my Lao Shi Don "Hard G"!

C.C.