Theme: January First - J sound (first letter in January) is inserted into familiar phrases, resulting in spelling changes in four theme entries, which are symmetrically placed.
23A. Advice to a nervous skier? : KILL THE JUMP. Kill the ump.
25A. Hot air in the conference room? : JARGON GAS. Argon gas.
43A. "Eat my wake!" e.g.? : SWIMMER'S JEER. Swimmer's ear.
69A. "Ode on a Grecian Urn" genre? : JARS POETICA. Ars Poetica.
94A. Halloween carving of a Yankee hero? : PUMPKIN JETER. Pumpkin eater. This answer made me laugh. Jeter, Jeter, Pumpkin eater.
117A. First punch of an old Roman bout? : JAB INITIO. Ab initio. "From the beginning" in Latin.
120A. Northern African quip? : BARBARY JAPE. Barbary ape.
39D. Multitalented court clown? : POLY JESTER. Polyester. This is the only one-word base phrase.
48D. Nattily dressed Broadway character? : JAUNTY MAME. Auntie Mame.
We also have JAY (121D. Loud bird), which could be used as a unifier. The J in JAM UP (1A. Office malfunction) and JOKE (1D. Monologue bit) is the only straying non-theme J in the whole grid, but they're excellent entries.
Gia Christian is an alias name of LA Times crossword editor Rich Norris, anagram of "Again, it's Rich". We haven't seen Rich's byline in quite some time, though every day he's challenging and entertaining us with his clues. Some solvers may not be aware that very often half of the clues we tackle every day are Rich's creation.
Across:
6. Empty the Recycle Bin, e.g. : ERASE. Your computer Recycle Bin.
11. Hit the snooze button too many times : OVERSLEPT
20. Campus town near Bangor : ORONO (Maine)
21. "The Bells of St. __" : MARY'S
22. Persona non grata : BETE NOIRE. I always associate "bete noire" with things, not person.
26. "Don't let it get cold!" : EAT. Yes, Bill G, I cook savoy cabbage occasionally. Their texture is tougher than our normal cabbage. Different taste also.
27. Hi-fi component : PREAMP
28. Where a herd is heard : LEA. Nice clue.
29. H.S. proficiency tests : GEDs
30. Fashion giant : DIOR. And 18D. Big name in fashion : PRADA. The Devil wears them.
31. Prepares, as mussels : STEAMS
35. Crewmate of Spock and Sulu : UHURA. On "Star Trek".
37. Cheats on a test, in a way : COPIES
40. R.E.M.'s "The __ Love" : ONE I
41. Flu 9-Down : AGUE. 9D. Indication : SYMPTOM.
42. Mil. mail drops : APOs
48. Gravy, on menus : JUS. Au jus.
51. High-pitched barks : YELPS
53. Hosp. drama locale, usually : ICU. Reminds me of Buckeye and his Picabo ICU center.
54. Japanese golfer Aoki : ISAO
55. Something in the oven : ROAST. No BREAD.
57. Comparatively crafty : SLYER
58. Bath salt fragrance : LILAC
61. Small-scale : MINIATURE
63. Spokesceleb for Fiat : J LO. Good match?
64. Post-WWI Treasury secretary : MELLON (Andrew). Drew a blank.
66. Girl in a Beach Boys hit : RHONDA. Beach Boys is Dummy Dennis' favorite band.
67. Menlo Park wizard, initially : TAE (Thomas Alva Edison)
73. Wee lad : TAD
74. Not hoodwinked by : WISE TO
77. Big name in little suits : SPEEDO. Look, my favorite! All right, this one for our Saturday guy Splynter.
78. Singer Winehouse : AMY
80. No longer on speaking terms : ESTRANGED
84. Remove paint from : STRIP. Oh, paint.
85. D'Artagnan's chronicler : DUMAS. I only read his "The Count of Monte Cristo".
88. Nicholas Gage bestseller : ELENI. I used to think the book was written by actor Nicolas Cage.
89. "I __ a loss for words!" : AM AT. No Amo, amas, AMAT today.
91. Urgent offshore signal : SOS
92. Barrel support : STAVE
93. "__ Rosenkavalier": Strauss opera : DER
99. "Sounds good to me!" : I'M IN
100. Reject as false : DENY
101. Geometry class calculation : AREA
102. Trojan War warrior : AENEAS. He abandoned poor Dido.
104. "Try to __ my way": Beatles lyric : SEE IT
106. Like some braids : FRENCH. Very pretty.
108. Melbourne greeting : G' DAY. 112A. Eucalyptus lovers : KOALAS. For Kazie, who's probably still in Germany.
109. Resistance units : OHMs
110. Serious conflict : WAR
114. Place to hoist a pint : PUB
122. Covent Garden notable : OPERA STAR. Covent Garden is where the Royal Opera House is. Unknown to me.
123. Concrete hunks : SLABS
124. "Storage Wars" network : A AND E. Got me. "Storage Wars" is a reality show about auctions.
125. Like a couch potato : SEDENTARY
126. Long-eared critters : ASSES
127. Online VIP : SYSOP
Down:
2. Bizet's "Toreador Song," e.g. : ARIA
3. Snakes' renewal process : MOLT. Man, I wish I could renew my skin also.
4. Like some phone nos. : UNL, Alright, unlisted.
5. Comfort food in a deep dish : POT PIE. For me, comfort food is rice congee & freshly steamed bread. How about you?
6. Arabian chief : EMEER. AMEER also, though we see EMIR more often.
7. Rani's spouse : RAJA
8. Skunk cabbage and philodendron : ARUMS
10. Eerie ability, for short : ESP
11. Transitive vb. follower : OBJ (Object)
12. Meat-yielding calves : VEALS
13. To be, in Arles : ETRE. Not to be confused with the Art Deco guy ERTE.
14. Measure again : RE-GAUGE
15. Nestlé's __-Caps : SNO
16. Chaise __ : LONGUE
17. Peak in the 59-Down : EIGER. 59D. European peaks : ALPS
19. Hardy heroine : TESS. Thomas Hardy.
24. Reform Party founder Perot : H ROSS
30. Put to rest, as rumors : DISPEL
32. Ship's hdg. : ENE
33. Atmospheric prefix : AERI
34. "Divine" showbiz nickname : MISS M. Bette Midler.
36. "Yay!" : HURRAH. The feeling I had when Lemonade was back to his blogging seat. Hopefully Melissa will be back in Feb.
37. Low isles : CAYS
38. European automaker : OPEL
41. Quite a long stretch : AEON
44. Fictional Stone Age redhead : WILMA. In "The Flintstones".
45. Not as friendly : ICIER
46. Considers carefully, with "over" : MULLS
47. __ alai : JAI
49. Dietary std. : US RDA
50. Stand in good __ : STEAD
52. "No more seats" sign : SRO (Standing Room Only)
56. Plains Indian : OTO
60. Places for chickens : COOPS. In China, prostitutes are called "wild chickens".
62. Certain tax shelter, for short : IRA
65. Nair rival, once : NEET
67. Rough wool cloth : TWEED
68. Seating request : AISLE
69. Bon Jovi of rock : JON
70. Far from verbose : TERSE. My emails are usually short. Just the way I am. I don't mean to be terse.
71. Village celebrity? : IDIOT. I don't get this clue. Why "celebrity"?
72. Small group of trees : COPSE
75. Bird by the beach : ERN. So what's the difference between ERN and TERN?
76. Eastern island capital : TAIPEI. Where Jayce spent some of his youth. Tasty snacks there.
78. Much junk mail : ADs
79. Kind of conspiracy : MUTINY
81. Like venison : GAMY
82. Ruler of anc. Rome : EMP
83. Port of Senegal : DAKAR. Gimme for Chickie, whose grandson volunteers there for Peace Corps.
86. Saucony rival : AVIA
87. D.C. hundred : SENS
90. Fade : TIRE
95. Work the kinks out of : UNTWIST
96. Former Giants pitcher Robb : NEN. You've got to commit his name into memory. Constructors have no other way to clue NEN but "Pitcher Robb".
97. African scavengers : JACKALS
98. Pitching coach's aid : RADAR
100. Appetite : DESIRE
103. Undemanding classes : EASY A's
104. Mold : SHAPE
105. Nestle securely : EMBED
106. Monastery resident : FRIAR
107. Wedding dances : HORAs. I've never attended a Jewish wedding.
108. "The __ Menagerie" : GLASS
109. Eyes, in Oaxaca : OJOS
111. "__ girl!" : ATTA
113. Songstress Lane : ABBE. Nope. Not familiar with this lady.
114. Two-thumbs-down reviews : PANS
115. Salon style : UPDO
116. Answering machine cue : BEEP
118. Bert Bobbsey's twin : NAN. I like this clue better than "Indian bread", which should be NAAN.
119. Suffix with access : ORY. Accessory.
120. Webelos' org. : BSA
Answer grid.
I wish all of you a happy and healthy 2012!
C.C.
23A. Advice to a nervous skier? : KILL THE JUMP. Kill the ump.
25A. Hot air in the conference room? : JARGON GAS. Argon gas.
43A. "Eat my wake!" e.g.? : SWIMMER'S JEER. Swimmer's ear.
69A. "Ode on a Grecian Urn" genre? : JARS POETICA. Ars Poetica.
94A. Halloween carving of a Yankee hero? : PUMPKIN JETER. Pumpkin eater. This answer made me laugh. Jeter, Jeter, Pumpkin eater.
117A. First punch of an old Roman bout? : JAB INITIO. Ab initio. "From the beginning" in Latin.
120A. Northern African quip? : BARBARY JAPE. Barbary ape.
39D. Multitalented court clown? : POLY JESTER. Polyester. This is the only one-word base phrase.
48D. Nattily dressed Broadway character? : JAUNTY MAME. Auntie Mame.
We also have JAY (121D. Loud bird), which could be used as a unifier. The J in JAM UP (1A. Office malfunction) and JOKE (1D. Monologue bit) is the only straying non-theme J in the whole grid, but they're excellent entries.
Gia Christian is an alias name of LA Times crossword editor Rich Norris, anagram of "Again, it's Rich". We haven't seen Rich's byline in quite some time, though every day he's challenging and entertaining us with his clues. Some solvers may not be aware that very often half of the clues we tackle every day are Rich's creation.
Across:
6. Empty the Recycle Bin, e.g. : ERASE. Your computer Recycle Bin.
11. Hit the snooze button too many times : OVERSLEPT
20. Campus town near Bangor : ORONO (Maine)
21. "The Bells of St. __" : MARY'S
22. Persona non grata : BETE NOIRE. I always associate "bete noire" with things, not person.
26. "Don't let it get cold!" : EAT. Yes, Bill G, I cook savoy cabbage occasionally. Their texture is tougher than our normal cabbage. Different taste also.
27. Hi-fi component : PREAMP
28. Where a herd is heard : LEA. Nice clue.
29. H.S. proficiency tests : GEDs
30. Fashion giant : DIOR. And 18D. Big name in fashion : PRADA. The Devil wears them.
31. Prepares, as mussels : STEAMS
35. Crewmate of Spock and Sulu : UHURA. On "Star Trek".
37. Cheats on a test, in a way : COPIES
40. R.E.M.'s "The __ Love" : ONE I
41. Flu 9-Down : AGUE. 9D. Indication : SYMPTOM.
42. Mil. mail drops : APOs
48. Gravy, on menus : JUS. Au jus.
51. High-pitched barks : YELPS
53. Hosp. drama locale, usually : ICU. Reminds me of Buckeye and his Picabo ICU center.
54. Japanese golfer Aoki : ISAO
55. Something in the oven : ROAST. No BREAD.
57. Comparatively crafty : SLYER
58. Bath salt fragrance : LILAC
61. Small-scale : MINIATURE
63. Spokesceleb for Fiat : J LO. Good match?
64. Post-WWI Treasury secretary : MELLON (Andrew). Drew a blank.
66. Girl in a Beach Boys hit : RHONDA. Beach Boys is Dummy Dennis' favorite band.
67. Menlo Park wizard, initially : TAE (Thomas Alva Edison)
73. Wee lad : TAD
74. Not hoodwinked by : WISE TO
77. Big name in little suits : SPEEDO. Look, my favorite! All right, this one for our Saturday guy Splynter.
78. Singer Winehouse : AMY
80. No longer on speaking terms : ESTRANGED
84. Remove paint from : STRIP. Oh, paint.
85. D'Artagnan's chronicler : DUMAS. I only read his "The Count of Monte Cristo".
88. Nicholas Gage bestseller : ELENI. I used to think the book was written by actor Nicolas Cage.
89. "I __ a loss for words!" : AM AT. No Amo, amas, AMAT today.
91. Urgent offshore signal : SOS
92. Barrel support : STAVE
93. "__ Rosenkavalier": Strauss opera : DER
99. "Sounds good to me!" : I'M IN
100. Reject as false : DENY
101. Geometry class calculation : AREA
102. Trojan War warrior : AENEAS. He abandoned poor Dido.
104. "Try to __ my way": Beatles lyric : SEE IT
106. Like some braids : FRENCH. Very pretty.
108. Melbourne greeting : G' DAY. 112A. Eucalyptus lovers : KOALAS. For Kazie, who's probably still in Germany.
109. Resistance units : OHMs
110. Serious conflict : WAR
114. Place to hoist a pint : PUB
122. Covent Garden notable : OPERA STAR. Covent Garden is where the Royal Opera House is. Unknown to me.
123. Concrete hunks : SLABS
124. "Storage Wars" network : A AND E. Got me. "Storage Wars" is a reality show about auctions.
125. Like a couch potato : SEDENTARY
126. Long-eared critters : ASSES
127. Online VIP : SYSOP
Down:
2. Bizet's "Toreador Song," e.g. : ARIA
3. Snakes' renewal process : MOLT. Man, I wish I could renew my skin also.
4. Like some phone nos. : UNL, Alright, unlisted.
5. Comfort food in a deep dish : POT PIE. For me, comfort food is rice congee & freshly steamed bread. How about you?
6. Arabian chief : EMEER. AMEER also, though we see EMIR more often.
7. Rani's spouse : RAJA
8. Skunk cabbage and philodendron : ARUMS
10. Eerie ability, for short : ESP
11. Transitive vb. follower : OBJ (Object)
12. Meat-yielding calves : VEALS
13. To be, in Arles : ETRE. Not to be confused with the Art Deco guy ERTE.
14. Measure again : RE-GAUGE
15. Nestlé's __-Caps : SNO
16. Chaise __ : LONGUE
17. Peak in the 59-Down : EIGER. 59D. European peaks : ALPS
19. Hardy heroine : TESS. Thomas Hardy.
24. Reform Party founder Perot : H ROSS
30. Put to rest, as rumors : DISPEL
32. Ship's hdg. : ENE
33. Atmospheric prefix : AERI
34. "Divine" showbiz nickname : MISS M. Bette Midler.
36. "Yay!" : HURRAH. The feeling I had when Lemonade was back to his blogging seat. Hopefully Melissa will be back in Feb.
37. Low isles : CAYS
38. European automaker : OPEL
41. Quite a long stretch : AEON
44. Fictional Stone Age redhead : WILMA. In "The Flintstones".
45. Not as friendly : ICIER
46. Considers carefully, with "over" : MULLS
47. __ alai : JAI
49. Dietary std. : US RDA
50. Stand in good __ : STEAD
52. "No more seats" sign : SRO (Standing Room Only)
56. Plains Indian : OTO
60. Places for chickens : COOPS. In China, prostitutes are called "wild chickens".
62. Certain tax shelter, for short : IRA
65. Nair rival, once : NEET
67. Rough wool cloth : TWEED
68. Seating request : AISLE
69. Bon Jovi of rock : JON
70. Far from verbose : TERSE. My emails are usually short. Just the way I am. I don't mean to be terse.
71. Village celebrity? : IDIOT. I don't get this clue. Why "celebrity"?
72. Small group of trees : COPSE
75. Bird by the beach : ERN. So what's the difference between ERN and TERN?
76. Eastern island capital : TAIPEI. Where Jayce spent some of his youth. Tasty snacks there.
78. Much junk mail : ADs
79. Kind of conspiracy : MUTINY
81. Like venison : GAMY
82. Ruler of anc. Rome : EMP
83. Port of Senegal : DAKAR. Gimme for Chickie, whose grandson volunteers there for Peace Corps.
86. Saucony rival : AVIA
87. D.C. hundred : SENS
90. Fade : TIRE
95. Work the kinks out of : UNTWIST
96. Former Giants pitcher Robb : NEN. You've got to commit his name into memory. Constructors have no other way to clue NEN but "Pitcher Robb".
97. African scavengers : JACKALS
98. Pitching coach's aid : RADAR
100. Appetite : DESIRE
103. Undemanding classes : EASY A's
104. Mold : SHAPE
105. Nestle securely : EMBED
106. Monastery resident : FRIAR
107. Wedding dances : HORAs. I've never attended a Jewish wedding.
108. "The __ Menagerie" : GLASS
109. Eyes, in Oaxaca : OJOS
111. "__ girl!" : ATTA
113. Songstress Lane : ABBE. Nope. Not familiar with this lady.
114. Two-thumbs-down reviews : PANS
115. Salon style : UPDO
116. Answering machine cue : BEEP
118. Bert Bobbsey's twin : NAN. I like this clue better than "Indian bread", which should be NAAN.
119. Suffix with access : ORY. Accessory.
120. Webelos' org. : BSA
Answer grid.
I wish all of you a happy and healthy 2012!
C.C.