Friday, January 11, 2013, Ian Livengood

Theme: The world is upside down.

Each of the six theme answers take two blocks to complete, reading from the bottom of the clued answer to the top, and then down the adjacent unnumbered fill. Visually this is a very creative and fun puzzle by one of the many young people out there. This is my second effort at deciphering an Ian Livengood special, having blogged the second of his two LA Times efforts back in February, both published in the same week. His theme then was too subtle for me, and if you read this LINK you will see the opinion is subtle themes are what make his puzzles special.(Sadly, this compendium only includes regular NY Times constructors). Much of this was easy once you got the gimmick.

1D. Weather forecast data : REPMET (start with the T and then head down from the empty square to get  TEMPER (REPMET) ATURES. They can rise and fall quite quickly here.

10D. Transporter in a shaft : ELEV (VELE) ATOR. The operator complains about his work being up and down.

29D. Two-person plank : SEE (EES) SAW. Be careful if you seesaw with a little one.

33D. Financial index : THE (EHT) DOW. The volatility of the stock market's ups and downs has made many rich and many poor. I always told my customers I could guarantee them a small fortune, if they started with a large one.

46D. Treatment seen in bedrooms : WINDOW (WODNIW) SHADES. Keep them down during your examinations Dennis.

51D. Oscillating curve :  SINE (ENIS) WAVE. I will let Fermat or Bill G. describe this smooth repititive wave.

and the unifier:

6D. What the six puzzle answers graphically represented in this puzzle have in common : THEY GO UP AND DOWN.

Across:

1. "Gnarly!" : RAD. Surfer world word.

3. In a mood : TESTY. I hope most of you did not get testy when you looked at REMET and said Wednesday Thursday, Friday!

8. Bean variety : FAVA. Used extensively in Egyptian and Greek cooking not my fave. Really COSTLY.

11. Sorority character : ETA. I love it when a three letter clue is clever, I am sure many of you thought of some wacky girl you knew back in the day.

12. Drug giant behind Valium and Klonopin : ROCHE. The USA division is part of the international Hoffman-Roche, Ltd.

13. Posh bathroom fixture : BIDET. Speaking of behinds, how many of you first saw one in a fancy hotel and had no idea what it was, turned it on and got squirted in the eye? 13D. IQ test pioneer : BINET. he did not invent the Bidet.

14. Puts out : PUBLISHES. Speaking of behinds, publishing is not what I think of when I see puts out.

16. "If on a winter's night a traveler" writer Calvino : ITALO. never heard of this JOURNALIST.

17. Top banana : MR BIG.

18. Longtime Rolling Stones bassist Bill : WYMAN. The guy playing bass. he is 76.

20. Each : PER.

21. Sushi options : EELS.

22. Feature of an old mattress : SAG. Not to be associated with Bill Wyman.

23. Dollars for quarters : RENT. A really fun play on words.

25. Fly out of Africa? : TSE TSE. Another nice play on an old regular, which is not cut in half.

27. Acorns, someday : OAK TREES. They should be MIGHTY.

30. Liqueur made from elderflowers : SAMBUCA. Elder flowers yield elderberries, but the Italian liqueur favored by my paisans is flavored with anise. It was part of my birthday gift to my friend on his 80th last weekend.

32. Realm : AREA.

33. O staff, briefly : EDS. Editors of Oprah's magazine.

35. Cravat holders : TIE PINS. We have been through the tie tac, pin controversy enough.

37. Las Vegas-to-Tijuana dir. : SSW.

38. Distort, as with false data, with "up" : HOKE. "to alter or manipulate so as to give a deceptively or superficially improved quality or value (usually followed by up  ): a political speech hoked up with phony statistics." Oh, I get it, from HOKUM.

40. Scroll source : DEAD SEA. Both misleading and accurate. Papyrus also fits.

42. Like part of a special delivery? : TWIN BORN.

44. "I'm With Stupid" T-shirt markings : ARROWS. Fun clue.

47. Linguist Chomsky : NOAM. A very important person in the 60's and 70's LINK.

48. Headphone wearers, usually : DJS. Disc Jockeys.

50. Literary honey lover : POOH. Winnie.

51. Flock member : EWE. But not you.

52. "You can ___ horse..." : LEAD A. Horse to water but you can't make him do the dishes.

54. Nintendo princess kidnapped by Ganon : ZELDA.

55. Alvin, Simon and Theodore : NAMES. Chipmunks just will not fit!!!

57. Tinseltown : MOVIE LAND. eh.

59. The Donald's first : IVANA. Mother of model Ivanka.

60. Whacks : SWATS.

61. Concern on the course : LIE. A double entendre, the lie of the ball on the grass,  as well as the lie of how many strokes your opponent had.

62. Canonical hour : SEXT. From the Latin for the SIXTH hour.

63. First stage : ONSET.

64. Pet store reactions : AWS. I am speechless.

Down:

2. Work casually : DABBLE. I often dabble.

3. Pre-calc course : TRIG.onometry. More for our math whizzes, not related to Whizzer White.

4. Goddess of the morning : EOS. We just had her two weeks ago.

5. Unstressed vowel sound : SCHWA.

7. Backwoods agreement : YES'M. Hey, it is just respect, not backwoods.

8. Match : FIT. This simple fill gave me fits.

9. Aids for a bad 8-Down : ADAPTERS.

15. Rolls at sea : LISTS.

19. Where Hope may be found : ARKANSAS.  The LIST.

22. Feature of some apses : SEMI-DOME.

24. Gp. with many hunters : NRA. National Rifle Association.

26. Picked up a lap? : SAT. Cute.

28. Alkali neutralizer : ACID.

31. Keg filler : BEER. Obligatory shout to my boys.

34. Late-night adult programming airer, facetiously : SKINEMAX. really fun clue for soft core Cinemax.

36. Sunday msg. : SERmon.

39. Roxy Music alum : ENO. Watch and LISTEN.(4:08)

41. Adrien of cosmetics : ARPEL. Estee, Helena and on and on.

43. Hobbyist's wood : BALSA. Dennis can explain why this wood is a favorite.

45. "Yowzah!" : OO LA LA. This is how I learned FRENCH. (3:57).

49. Diner cupfuls : JAVAS.

53. Playground reply : AM SO. AM NOT!

54. Twist at a bar : ZEST. The appealing name for the peel.

56. Med. specialty : ENT. Ear Nose & Throat

58. Mineral suffix : ITE. Not sure why, but BAUXITE comes to mind.

Thank you Ian for a new twist on the grid, and standing us on our heads to get this one done. For the rest, January is going quickly so go out into the 80+ weather and enjoy.  Oh, that is only here, my bad. See you all next time, thanks for the week off C.C. ladies, I did my best. L714 out.

Thursday, January 10, 2013 Jennifer Nutt

Theme: "Snug as a Bug in a Rug"

17-Across. *Design pattern on some Irish crosses : CELTIC KNOT. Beautifully intricate design. This is the only non-phrase theme entry.

23-Across. *Not surprising : TO BE EXPECTED.

53-Across. *Ready to come clean : TIRED OF LYING.

61-Across. *Got some gumption : GREW A SPINE.

3-Down. *Intend when speaking : MEAN TO SAY.

34-Down. Correcting, in a way...or what would need to be done to remove the things hidden in the answers to the starred clues? : DEBUGGING. Debugging computer programs is a tedious process, and sometimes is not complete, even after the software is released.

Cute theme with all the hidden "bugs." I loved how each of the hidden insects spanned at least two different words. WASP spans three. I got a hint to the theme early on when I had CELTICK*** filled in. "TICK" just popped out at me, so I started looking for other bugs in the theme entries. Jennifer Nutt usually offers us Monday-Tuesday puzzles. This one seemed to have really easy fill, with some tricky Thursday clues.

Marti here, to try to explain those things that may have been bugging you!

Across:

1. Jon of "Mad Men" : HAMM. He won a Golden Globe for playing Don Draper.

5. Site of the volcano Olympus Mons : MARS. It kind of resembles something out of Greek myth, don't you think?

9. Mosque official : IMAM. Then we have 33-Across. Church leader : ELDER.

13. Double Stuf treat : OREO.

14. Downwind : ALEE.

15. Hells Canyon is on its western border : IDAHO. Beautiful area!

16. Switch from a bottle to a cup, say : WEAN.

19. "Migrant Mother" photographer Dorothea : LANGE. More about this poignant photograph here.

21. Q7 automaker : AUDI.

22. Mop & ___ : GLO.

27. Carpenter's accessory : TOOLBOX. Shout-out to Splynter!

29. Event in many 30-Across : SALE.

and...

30. Newspaper inserts : ADS. I took advantage of 70-80% off sales last weekend on my annual clothing spree...some of my bargains were from 42-Across. Retailer Strauss : LEVI. I bought a couple pair of LEVIs with sequins on the back pockets - "If ya can't hide it, decorate it!"

31. Tizzy : SNIT.

37. Stray : ROAM.

39. Monetary interest : STAKE. Probably from the practice of miners marking the borders of their claims with stakes.

43. Use a lever on, as a floorboard : PRY UP.

45. Org. with bowls : NCAA. National Collegiate Athletic Association.

47. Chem cousin : BIO.logy and chemistry.

48. Rainbow goddess : IRIS. Shout-out to Blue Iris!

51. Battery partner : ASSAULT.

56. Place for a ring : EAR.

57. Have on : WEAR.

58. Vague : FOGGY.

65. Bog down : MIRE.

66. Voice of the difficult homeowner in "Up" : ASNER. Ed. Cute animated film.

67. Chief Justice Warren : EARL. The 14th Chief Justice, he died in 1974. Most noted for ending segregation in schools.

68. Told about, as a secret : IN ON.

69. Try to lose : DIET. Are your New Year's resolutions still on track?

70. Apothecary's measure : DRAM. Equal to 1/8 oz.  Also, a wee bit of whiskey.

71. Soufflé essentials : EGGS.

Down:

1. Bay in the woods : HOWL. Unnerving sound, if you are camping in those woods.

2. Zone : AREA.

4. Genghis Khan, notably : MONGOL.

5. Jobs creation : MAC. Steve Jobs, founder of Apple.

6. Sierra Nevada, e.g. : ALE. This one really had me going, since I don't drink beer. The brewer is located in Chico, CA.

7. "Calm down" : RELAX.

8. Frame jobs : SET UPS.

9. Textspeak disclaimer : IDK. I don't know what this means...do you?

10. Itchy canine ailment : MANGE. Along with the TICKs in the theme entry?

11. "Get ___ of yourself!" : A HOLD.

12. Fictional detective skilled in judo : MOTO. Mr. Moto, to you! I did not know that this character was originally created by Marquand for the Saturday Evening Post, because they were looking for an Asian hero to replace Charlie Chan after the death of his creator Earl Der Biggers.

15. Wintry spike : ICICLE. We have plenty of those hanging around here in the northeast.

18. It might just come to you : IDEA.

20. Subsides : EBBS.

24. Geologic times : EONS.

25. Way out : EXIT.

26. Spill the beans : TELL.

27. Protective cover : TARP.

28. Bouquet : ODOR.

32. Salon acquisition : TAN. I just saw a news clip the other night about a HS basketball player with a rare disease called Mucha-Habermann, who must use a tanning bed every day to fight the painful rash.

35. Like some fictional twins : EVIL. The antagonist in the plot, who tries to undo the good deeds of the protagonist.

36. Serious uprising : RIOT.

38. Naturalist John : MUIR. Founder of the Sierra Club, and activist in preserving forests and wilderness areas.

40. Heat energy meas. : KCAL. Defined as the energy needed to raise the temp of 1 Kg. of water by 1 Kelvin.

41. "No problem" : EASY.

44. Like 1930s prices : PRE-WAR.

46. "Yeah, right!" : AS IF.

49. Middle of March : IDES.

50. Lathered (up) : SOAPED.

52. Breakdown of social norms : ANOMIE. From the greek word anomia, meaning "lawlessness."

53. Ankle bones : TARSI.

54. Damaging 2011 East Coast hurricane : IRENE. Some areas are still feeling the effects.

55. Tuck's title : FRIAR.

56. "Zounds!" : EGAD.

59. Pirate's brew : GROG. Do they measure it in DRAMs?

60. Longings : YENS.

62. In the water : WET.

63. Second Amendment backer: Abbr. : NRA. National Rifle Association, and the right to bear arms.

64. Slippery ___ : ELM. Hands up for "eel" before ELM?

Until next week!

Marti

Wednesday, Jan 9 2013, Gerry Wildenberg

theme: partly cloudy

lenticular clouds over mt shasta

18. The money follows it : (SILVER) DOLLAR SIGN

23. Olympic hero : (SILVER) MEDAL WINNER

35. Treat like a child : (SILVER) SPOON FEED

50. Rapid rail transport : (SILVER) BULLET TRAIN

57. Actor's tryout : (SILVER) SCREEN TEST

2. With 47-Down, proverbial cloud feature, and a hint to the starts of 18-, 23-, 35-, 50- and 57-Across : (SILVER)

47. See 2-Down : (SILVER) LINING

melissa here. 

WOW (all caps, even). what a stunning, theme-heavy grid. SEVEN theme entries, five acrosses and two downs. just gorgeous. quite a challenging solve for a wednesday, which makes for a satisfying finish - the silver lining, as it were. 

clouds are a popular philosophical symbol. both alan watts and thich nhat hanh have waxed poetic about them. van morrison's tune, alan watts blues, is in reference to a poem by chia tao (777-841), cloud hidden, whereabouts unknown, which watts used as the title of a book, published shortly after his death.

lots of other tunes about clouds, too - performed by the stones, carly simon, joan baez, and django reinhardt, among others. 

across

1. "World Series of Poker" channel : ESPN. yawn. 

5. Improve : AMEND. not always an improvement.

10. Japanese noodle : SOBA. japanese name for buckwheat.

14. See 17-Across : NILE. 17. Queen of the 14-Across, familiarly : CLEO

15. Hawk's weapon : TALON

16. Neatness analogy ending : A PIN. neat as a pin.

20. Gardner of film : AVA. frank sinatra's second wife, and 28. Conductor André : PREVIN. mia farrow's second husband (mia was sinatra's third wife).

21. Lacking embellishment : BARE

22. Missouri tributary : OSAGE

27. Duty : TAX

29. __ which way : ANY

30. Suffix with phon- : EME. smallest contrastive unit in the sound system of a language. had no idea. if you're interested.

31. River project : DAM

32. Create, as words : COIN

34. ''__ Death'': Grieg work : ASES. from the ibsen play, peer gynt.

38. Sense : GIST

41. Lincoln et al. : ABES. the et al. indicates a shortened name.

42. __ gratia: by the grace of God : DEI

44. Italian article : UNA. yesterday it was acapulco article.

45. "Now I understand!" : OHO

46. Fin de __: end of the century : SIECLE. drew a blank here.

49. Approximate no. : EST. estimate.

53. Tokyo-based watchmaker : SEIKO

55. New Haven collegians : ELI'S. yale students.

56. Columbus-to-Cleveland dir. : NNE

60. Do bar work, perhaps : STIR. bartend.

61. British weapon of WWII : STEN. submachine gun.

62. Down Under soldier : ANZAC. australian and new zealand army corps.

63. Basic video game : PONG

64. __ buco : OSSO. italian dish, literally bone with a hole.

65. Grind, as teeth : GNASH

66. Old-fashioned sort : FOGY

down

1. Spend a night on the trail : ENCAMP. what's the difference between the verbs encamp and camp?

3. Begged : PLEADED

4. "The Matrix" hero : NEO

5. Early in the morning : AT DAWN

6. Native New Zealanders : MAORI

7. Former "Idol" judge with Simon, Kara and Randy : ELLEN. degeneres. just keep swimming.

8. Lon of Cambodia : NOL. prime minister. another unknown for me.

9. Genetic letters : DNA

10. Smart talk : SASS

11. Poppy products : OPIATES

12. Super Bowl, e.g. : BIG GAME

13. New wings, maybe : ANNEXES

19. Golf star McIlroy : RORY. blues fans may prefer this rory:

21. Super Bowl sight : BLIMP

24. "Stop, ya swabs!" : AVAST

25. Innocents : NAIFS

26. -trix relative : ENNE. feminine suffixes - trix from latin, enne from french. aviatrix, comedienne.

32. Early computer language : COBOL

33. Maître d's "Are you by yourself?" : ONE?

34. Run like __ : A DEER

36. Obama's birthplace : OAHU

37. Prepares for print : EDITS. i first read this as 'prepares for a pint,' and thought a priest walks into a bar ....'

38. "I suppose" : GUESS SO. i suppose.

39. Flies, for example : INSECTS. gotcha. noun, not verb.

40. Send-ups : SATIRES

43. Playground response to a challenge : I CAN TOO

45. Reed instrument : OBOE

46. Sewer line : STITCH. another gotcha, sew-er as in one who sews, not sewer as in ew.

48. Benefit of some bars and drinks : ENERGY. 

51. TV host Gibbons : LEEZA

52. Schiaparelli et al. : ELSAS. fashion designer. yet another unknown for me.

54. Lotto-like game : KENO

58. Racehorse, to a tout : NAG. had to look this up - a tout is one who spies out racing information for betting purposes. nag is slang for racehorse.

59. Spike TV, formerly : TNN

60. Coppertone letters : SPF. sun protection factor.

melissa

Tuesday, January 8, 2013 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Desiccation - Fruit that is known as something else when it has been dried out begins each of the themes. Unifier occupies the last across.

17A. Traditional Christmas dessert : PLUM PUDDING

60A. Coffee break treat : PRUNE DANISH

30A. Sweet spread : GRAPE JELLY

47A. Fiber-rich cereal : RAISIN BRAN

69A. Helped with dinner cleanup--or, a hint to the relationship between the starts of 60-/17-Across and 47-/30-Across : DRIED

Argyle here. Remember what I said yesterday? Today C.C. shows us how to really do cross references. Go from a ripe fruit to a dried fruit. And fun to blog, too.

Across:

1. Allow in : ADMIT

6. Behind the times : PASSÉ

11. Keg insert : TAP

14. Nasty : SEAMY

15. Idol whose fans are called Claymates : AIKEN

16. Acapulco article : UNA

19. ER personnel : RN's

20. Swings about : SLUES

21. Crunchy snack : CORN NUT

23. LeBron James, e.g. : NBA STAR. (National Basketball Association). Forward for the Miami Heat.

26. Ruler in old St. Petersburg : TSAR

27. __ Diamond : HOPE. Worth between 200 and 250 million dollars. (Additional curse, no charge.)

32. More than vexation : IRE

33. Red Army leader Trotsky : LEON

34. Run-of-the-mill : SO-SO

35. Liquid-Plumr rival : DRANO

37. Jamaican music genre : SKA

39. Something to skip at the beach : STONE

42. Bollywood dress : SARI. Bollywood is the informal term for the film industry based in Mumbai, India.

44. Face cream ingredient : ALOE

46. Kenny G plays one : SAX

50. Hung on to : KEPT

51. "Show Boat" novelist Ferber : EDNA. The 1926 novel was a Broadway musical and a film. Wikipedia article.

52. Roger with 17 Grand Slam wins : FEDERER. The Swiss Maestro. Story.

54. Shrinking Asian lake : ARAL SEA

56. Scary bacteria : E. COLI

59. Downturn : DIP

64. "Little Red Book" chairman : MAO

65. Chipped in a chip : ANTED. Cute.

66. Comics friend of Nancy : ROLLO. And others.

67. Windup : END

68. Dallied (with) : TOYED

Down:

1. Dangerous reptile in the Nile delta : ASP

2. Pol. convention attendees : DELs.

3. Rough up : MAUL

4. Not susceptible : IMMUNE

5. Laid-back sort : TYPE B

6. Push-up bra feature : PAD

7. It may be financial : AID

8. Slopes headwear : SKI CAP

9. Men of La Mancha : SEÑORes. Three syllables.

10. Career for a sci. major : ENGR. "The engineering science major combines the understanding of basic engineering practices with in-depth knowledge of the fundamentals of the engineering sciences: electricity and magnetism, fluid and solid mechanics, mathematics, computer applications, materials, and thermodynamics and heat transfer. With this broad training, engineering science graduates are prepared for multidisciplinary engineering careers and a wide range of employment options." - Pennsylvania State University

11. Sets free : TURNS LOOSE

12. Once-a-year bloomer : ANNUAL

13. 60-Across, for one : PASTRY. 60A. Coffee break treat : PRUNE DANISH

18. Grammarian's concern : USAGE

22. Explosive experiment : N-TEST

24. Sellout signs, briefly : SRO's

25. Big mug : TANKARD

27. Holed up : HID

28. NHL legend Bobby : ORR

29. Well-matched pair : PEAS IN A POD

31. No-way man? : JOSÉ. The name was probably chosen for the rhyme with 'No-Way'.

33. "Tank Girl" star Petty : LORI

36. Sounding stuffy : NASAL

38. Winglike parts : ALAE

40. Short rest : NAP. Take 'em all the time.

41. Office contact no. : EXT. (extension)

43. Really hot spot : INFERNO. Just ask Dante.

45. No right __: traffic sign : ON RED

47. Software installation info file : [READ ME]

48. Rocky's love : ADRIAN

49. Loveliness : BEAUTY

50. Swedish currency : KRONOR. Plural of Krona. Sweden is a member state of the European Union but doesn't use the euro.

53. Digital greeting : E-CARD

55. Lovers' clash : SPAT

57. Taylor of "Mystic Pizza" : LILI. On the right.

58. One of the Antilles : ISLE. (Caribbean Sea) Isn't anything an island anymore?

61. Alumna bio word : NÉE

62. Teacher's deg. : Ed.D. (Doctor of Education)

63. Coal carrier : HOD

Argyle

Monday, January 7, 2013 Diane Upchurch

 

Theme: Brr! - Ending homophones.

19A. Dreary late fall forecast : CLOUDY AND CHILLY

37A. Food truck order : HOT DOG WITH CHILI

50A. South American seaport : VALPARAISO, CHILE

Argyle here. You knew CHILE was coming but VALPARAISO ...! Map. Appears to be a debut for our constructor. Three grid spanners, four good blocks in the corners, decent fill but maybe more appropriate for a Tuesday. That's no reflection on Diane, of course and tomorrow we may say Monday wasn't so hard.

Across:

1. Red-headed clown : BOZO

5. Enzyme ending : ASE. Mayonnaise is an enzyme? Oh, wait....

8. Oak nut : ACORN. Mighty oaks from little acorns grow.

13. With, on le menu : AVEC. French restaurant.

14. Tiger Woods's ex : ELIN. Slideshow of what she's been up to, if you care.

15. "Bad, Bad" Brown, in a Croce song : LEROY. clip.(3:03)

16. DEA agent : NARC

17. 1958 film that won nine Oscars : GIGI. The list.

18. Not showy : PLAIN

22. Spices (up) : PEPS

23. Fond du __, Wisconsin : LAC. Literally it means "foot" or "bottom of the lake".

24. Lend a hand : ASSIST

27. Airport safety gp. : TSA. (Transportation Security Administration)

29. Bible book following the Gospels : ACTS

33. Brew, as tea : STEEP

34. Cheese on a ham sandwich : SWISS

36. Primitive shelter : HUT

40. Quarterback Manning : ELI. New York Giants quarterback.

41. Big name in air conditioning : TRANE

42. Have pizza delivered, say : EAT IN

43. Put in the mail : SEND

45. Give the once-over : EYE. ...but not leer, I swear.

46. Spellbound : ENRAPT

47. Go __: lose it : APE

49. "Trinity" novelist Leon : URIS. "A novel of Ireland".

58. Giraffe relative : OKAPI. Umm, what picture today?

59. Gulf War missile : SCUD

60. Online periodical, for short : E-MAG

61. Easily wrinkled fabric : LINEN

62. The Beatles' "__ Comes the Sun" : HERE. Clip.(3:06) It's finally coming up earlier.

63. "Scram!" : "SHOO!"

64. Hägar's dog : SNERT

65. Mind-reading, briefly : ESP

66. Throw easily : TOSS

Down:

1. Judge's seat : BANC. It sounds hard but I've only seen them in cushy chairs.

2. Shaped like Obama's office : OVAL

3. Celsius freezing point : ZERO

4. Busy : OCCUPIED

5. Police blotter name : ALIAS

6. "What's your __?" : SIGN

7. City NNW of Oklahoma City : ENID

8. Male in charge : ALPHA

9. Toyota until 2006 : CELICA. I call my Celica a Troyota because I bought it in Troy, not far from Irish Miss.

10. Vocally expressed : ORAL

11. Churn up : ROIL

12. Part of NASDAQ's address : NYNY. A city, a state, a way of life.

14. Land with pyramids : EGYPT

20. Tough ruler : DESPOT. What New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg would like to be.

21. What plaids and stripes do : CLASH

24. Result of hearth burn : ASHES. Any one see that as heart burn? I didn't think so.

25. Helped oneself, illegally : STOLE

26. Become established : SET IN

27. Strong string : TWINE

28. Building location : SITE

30. Singer/dancer Rivera : CHITA

31. Bloom from a bulb : TULIP

32. Time on the job : STINT

34. Rock to the music : SWAY

35. Nice to look at, as a landscape : SCENIC

38. Garson of "Mrs. Miniver" : GREER

39. Most severe : HARSHEST

44. Nattily attired : DAPPER. Dressed to the nines. Puttin' on the Ritz.

46. Steadily wear away : ERODE

48. Benjamin Moore product : PAINT

49. Use without authority : USURP

50. Lady __: Univ. of Tennessee team : VOLS. Shortened "Volunteers"

51. Like, with "to" : AKIN

52. Bowler's assignment : LANE. (Hi, Boomer)

53. Tennis great Arthur : ASHE

54. Freezes (up) : ICES. Not like a computer program.

55. "It seems to me," online : IMHO

56. Thailand neighbor : LAOS

57. Self-images : EGOs

Argyle

Sunday Jan 6, 2013 Julian Lim

Theme: "Scuse Me" - W is replaced by SQU in each theme entry.

 24A. Unoiled robot's problem? : SQUEAK IN THE KNEES. Weak in the knees.

 38A. Embarrassed parrot's cry? : SQUAWK OF SHAME. Walk of shame.

 52A. Lottery winner's reaction, perhaps? : SQUEAL OF FORTUNE. Wheel of Fortune.

 73A. Sudden storm in Hunan? : THE GREAT SQUALL OF CHINA. The Great Wall of China. Hunan is known for its spicy food. Chairman Mao's hometown.

 85A. Shout when zucchini falls off the boat? : SQUASH OVERBOARD. Wash overboard.

 101A. Escort at the farmyard ball? : CHICKEN SQUIRE. Fun clue. Chicken wire.

 120A. Any Mr. Magoo story? : THE SQUINTER'S TALE.  The Winter's Tale.

This puzzle reminds me a bit of Dan Naddor's "Quilting Bee" to "Wilting Bee" puzzle. 

Q's are tough to work in the grid, but every Q crossing in this grid is solid. I like Q ending words: COMPAQ, IRAQ, Avenue Q,  and of course the beautiful Maggie Q.

Across:

1. Fight reminder : SCAR

5. Joined : WED. So Simon Cowell confirmed that he's dating Carmen Electra, but she's not his girlfriend. Sounds cold to me.

8. Kuwaiti, e.g. : ARABIAN

15. Cut (back) : DIAL

19. Benedict XVI, e.g. : POPE

20. Rather than : AS OPPOSED TO. We don't often see long non-theme Across entries.

22. "I'll pay" : ON ME

23. Red sky, to some : OMEN

26. The "O" of OWN : OPRAH. She's no Ellen.

28. Sign about a space shortage, briefly : SRO (Standing Room Only)

29. Feel a strong need (for) : STARVE

30. Sinusitis-treating MD : ENT

31. Relevant element : FACTOR

33. 18-Down's rank: Abbr. : INSP. 18. Scotland Yard inspector in Sherlock Holmes stories : LESTRADE. Clue/Answer dupe here. Tough to avoid on Sundays.

36. Use an entrance : GO IN

37. __ es Salaam : DAR

42. Deli selection : BLT

43. Peruvian songstress Sumac : YMA

44. Palme __: Cannes prize : D'OR

45. Rattan alternative : OSIER

47. "Half-caf" was added to it in 2012 : OED. Coffee. Half regular + Half decaf.

48. "Modern Family" role : MANNY

59. Et __ : ALII

60. Dickens's "__ Mutual Friend" : OUR

61. Religious title starter : DALAI

62. Decked out at the Forum : TOGAED. Did not know toga can be a verb.

65. Troy story? : ILIAD. Woody would like this clue.

69. Raves about : RANTS AT

77. __ Lake, town near Lake Placid : SARANAC. Total unknown.

78. App for long-distance partners : SKYPE

79. Israeli tender : SHEKEL

80. Hot again : RETRO

82. Prefix with caching : GEO. Dave's Geocaching.

84. True-to-life : REAL

92. Soft vocal signals : PSSTs

93. Distillery container : TUN

94. Hokkaido port city : OTARU. No idea.

95. Here, to Henri : ICI

97. Embarrassed : RED

98. Capital gain? : ISM. Capitalism.

108. Like Beethoven's Sonata Op. 109 : IN E

109. Omani tender : RIAL

111. __-Pei : SHAR. Literally "Sand".

112. "Mansfield Park" novelist : AUSTEN (Jane)

113. M ÷ IV : CCL

114. Vegging out : AT REST

117. Xhosa and Zulu are among its official langs. : RSA

119. Do a legislature's job : ENACT

125. Pre-'90s orchard spray : ALAR

126. 30 Seconds to Mars frontman Jared : LETO

127. Latin Mass prayer : PATERNOSTER. "Our father". Gimme for Lucina.

128. Foul : VILE

129. Belgian river : YSER

130. Three-ball family project, typically : SNOWMAN. Snowball!

131. Zero has one : ZEE. Fun clue for a so so answer.

132. Ivy growing for 300+ years : YALE
        

Down:

1. Send-ups : SPOOFS

2. 2002 HP acquisition : COMPAQ. During Carly Fiorina's reign.

3. Overview : APERCU. Not an easy word.

4. Opera director Scotto : RENATA. New to me also.

5. "I __ had!" : WAS

6. Titles in court, for short : ESQs

7. Brad of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" : DOURIF. No memory of this guy. Saw the movie long time ago.

8. Mental health org. : APA

9. Seoul protector : ROK (Republic of Korea).

10. Craigslist caveat : AS IS

11. Proclivity : BENT

12. Place for a pet name : ID TAG. Find this dog, you'll be in Dennis Lehane's next book. He wrote "Mystic River" and "Gone, Baby, Gone".

13. Thumping : ATHROB. Never used this word in my life. Husker Gary, yes, I did speak English before I came to the US.

14. "I will fear __": Psalm 23 : NO EVIL

15. Get into : DON

16. "Don't leave me" : I NEED YOU. Nice long answer.

17. Cry from the flock : AMEN AMEN

21. Menial laborers : PEONS

25. Ohio's __ State : KENT

27. "Hey, Tex" : HOWDY

32. "Top Hat" studio : RKO

34. It's about a foot : SHOE. What were you picturing?

35. "Qué __?" : PASA

39. -ish : OR SO

40. "Cool" sum : MIL

41. Anti-discrimination initials : EEO. Or EOE.

46. Mail svc. that may cover a general store : RFD (Rural Free Delivery)

48. Quarterback Ryan et al. : MATTs

49. Island greeting : ALOHA. Hi there Chefwen.

50. Landlocked African land : NIGER

51. Falls for two lovers? : NIAGARA. Sweet clue.

53. Stop : QUIT

54. Bookmarked addresses, briefly : URLs

55. Gambling game : FARO

56. Five Norwegian royals : OLAFS

57. Dressing with wings : RANCH. Salad dressing.

58. Some church supporters : TITHERS

63. Seaside soarers : ERNES. And 67. Seaside diver : AUK

64. Donne's "__ Be Not Proud" : DEATH

66. 95% of them are between 70 and 130 : IQs. Dennis belongs to those 2%.

68. Time to seize? : DAY. Seize the day.

70. "Oliver Twist" antagonist : SIKES (Bill). Never read "Oliver Twist".

71. "That's __ trick!" : A NEAT

72. Some latte sizes : TALLS

74. Phobia beginning : ACRO. Acrophobia.

75. Natalie Gulbis's org. : LPGA. I bet Splynter loves Natalie. Look at her long legs! We followed her a few holes last time in the US Open. She had the most followers.

76. Sinister stare : LEER

81. Ab __: anew : OVO

83. Anthony Hopkins's "Thor" role : ODIN. To me, he's always Hannibal Lecter.

85. To the letter : STRICTLY

86. Slakes : QUENCHES

87. Stet : UNDELETE

88. "You know the rest," for short : ETC

89. "We're winning!" : RAH. We lost. The Vikings.

90. Jewish ritual : BRIS. Rite of circumcision.

91. "That smarts!" : OUCH

92. Feeling felt in fits : PIQUE

96. Lee's letters : CSA. R. E. Lee.

98. Big oil exporter : IRAQ

99. Fitness test components : SIT-UPS. Mainly your abs.

100. Maid of fiction : MARIAN. Maid Marian. Robin Hood.

102. Zippy racers : KARTS

103. Faux : ERSATZ. I was rather surprised by the travel bag design in those Target + Neiman Marcus Holiday Collection. You can't see clearly, but the pictures on the biggest bag is very Kama Sutra.

104. "Anchors Aweigh" org. : US NAVY.  Spitzboov & D-Otto are both Ex-Navy.

105. 1990 World Cup host, locally : ITALIA

106. Manufacturer's nightmare : RECALL. Same for consumers.

107. Menu listing : ENTREE

110. Allegro's opposite : LENTO

115. Stressful thing to get into : STEW. No stew here. But every time Boomer's foot nerve or hip arthritis flares up, I'm more stressed than he is.

116. Four years, perhaps : TERM

118. Away from most of the blowing : ALEE

121. Campus gp. : SOR

122. Molecular code carrier : RNA

123. William, to Charles : SON

124. Afore : ERE

C.C.