Thursday September 12, 2013 Peter A. Collins

Theme: TOSSED SALAD (62A. Light lunch (and a hint to this puzzle's circled letters)) - Six different kinds of salads are anagrammed (Or jumbled, to be exact) in the grid. TOSSED is an anagram indicator in Cryptic puzzles.

17A. Scrooge's underpaid clerk : BOB CRATCHIT. Cobb salad.

23A. Frighten off : SCARE AWAY. Caesar salad.

37A. Reading in an unruly class? : RIOT ACT. Taco salad.

56A. Forest shade : DARK GREEN. Greek salad. I see a "Green salad" too.

11D. Divas have them : BIG EGOS. Egg salad.

42D. Beach acquisitions : SUN TANS. Tuna salad.

C.C. here again. Cruciverb did not have the puzzle ready at their regular time last night, so Marti could not blog the puzzle. She'll be back next week. Please email her (HeartRx@me.com) if you want to join the Corner New England gathering next Monday.

Peter Collins never ceases to amaze me with his creativity & craftsmanship. Notice all the salad words span across two words? And there are 7 theme entries. I'd be happy with 5. That's why Peter is Peter, and there's only one Peter Collins.

Across:

1. Meter site : CURB

5. After Chicago, the most populous Illinois city : AURORA. Gimme for our Chicago crowd. In case you missed, TTP posted this hilarious ad yesterday. Jordy Nelson is from Kansas.  Wisconsin is indeed pretty in fall.

11. Cave dweller : BAT

14. Atlas section : ASIA

15. Adds excitement to, with "up" : SPICES

16. Syr. neighbor : ISR

19. Fed. property manager : GSA (General Services Administration). GSA, GSA, they need to have some kind of scandal for me to remember it.

20. Lotto-like game : KENO. Saw it at Treasure Island.

21. Take down a few pegs : DEMEAN

28. First host of "America's Got Talent" : REGIS. Look here, the box on the right. Another Simon Cowell creation.

29. __ the cloth : MAN OF

30. Senseless : NUMB

32. Piano concerto highlights : SOLI. Plural of Solo.

33. Not impressed : UNAWED. Never used this word in my life. Unimpressed, yes.

35. Lab subj. : SCI

36. Entry-level pos. : ASST

40. Morse's rank: Abbr. : INSP. Inspector Morse.

44. 30-day mo. : APR. Very general clue.

45. Combed (through) : SIFTED

50. Toi et moi : NOUS. In Chinese, Ni + Wo = Women (We). Strange, isn't it?

51. Time, in Germany : ZEIT. No idea, though I do know Zeitgeist, literally "spirit of the time"

53. North of Mexico : NORTE

54. Hit __: run into trouble : A SNAG

58. Shape of Michigan's Lower Peninsula : MITTEN. OK, please link in the Comments section. Let me see the MITTEN.

60. Reversals, slangily : UIEs. Or UEYs.

61. Memorable period : ERA

68. Hill VIP : SEN

69. For hire to sire : AT STUD

70. Tibetan priest : LAMA. Tibetan's main dish is Tsampa, roasted barley flour. The accompanying drink is of course Yak butter tea. You won't survive there, D-Otto.

71. His, to Henri : SES

72. Bottom-of-the-line : CHEAPO

73. Learning experience? : EXAM. This is hard for me.

Down:

1. Part of a pickup line : CAB. Great clue.

2. Troupe for troops: Abbr. : USO

3. Bone in a cage : RIB

4. Auditorium late-comers' seating : BACK ROW

5. Yoga pose : ASANA. This refers to any pose, right, Marti, Lucina and J.D.?

6. Above Manhattan's 59th Street, say : UPTOWN

7. Ocasek of the Cars : RIC

8. Glaswegian's "Gee!" : OCH

9. Tim or Tara of Hollywood : REID. I only know Tara Reid.

10. Fall flower : ASTER

12. Goes after : ASSAILS

13. It may be rapid : TRANSIT

18. Illegal smoke, quaintly : REEFER

22. Southwest sight : MESA

23. Rice rival, briefly : SMU

24. Axe : CAN

25. Collection of literary odds and ends : ANA

26. "The Sound of Music" setting : AUSTRIA

27. Interactive party song : YMCA

31. Some lighters : BICs. Pens too.

34. "In Her Shoes" co-star : DIAZ (Cameron). In the movie, her workaholic sister has lots of expensive shoes in the closet. Shirley MacLaine is the grandma.

38. Page with views : OP-ED

39. Trace amounts : TINGES

40. Really botched up : IN A MESS. Speaking of mess, thanks for the link on "important" in CSS,  TTP. I was just fiddling with various Advanced buttons in the new Template to make the blog color and layout more like the old Template. All was fine until I decided to mess with the Header. Boom! Everything cascaded and I couldn't see. All was just blank.

41. "Not on your life!" : NO SIREE!

43. Hurdle for a jr. : PSAT

46. Lawn sign : FOR SALE

47. Roman numeral? : TRE. OK, I know it has a ? mark, but TRE is a number, not a numeral.

48. Le Tour de France time : ETE

49. Kit's home : DEN

52. Make even, to a carpenter : TRUE UP.  Marti is a Carpenter, of course.

55. Pass, but not with flying colors : GET A C. Crossing A SNAG. This is a tough area for Peter: stacked 6's connected with stacked 7's.

57. Buddy : KIDDO

59. Chris of "The Good Wife" : NOTH. The guy in black suits. Gimme for JD.  She likes the show. NOTH is Jerry Orbach's first "Law & Order" partner, if I remember correctly.

63. Flint-to-Detroit dir. : SSE

64. Depot: Abbr. : STA

65. SoCal destination : LAX

66. Marcus Welby's gp. : AMA. Marcus Welby, M.D..

67. Block : DAM. Verb!

C.C.

1) There are still tickets left for "An Evening with the Puzzle Master" tonight. Click here for details. Her is a Minnesota Daily interview with Will Shortz, editor of NY Times crossword. Please come and join us. It'll be fun.

2) Happy Birthday to dear Steve, our witty and efficient puzzle sherpa. Steve is always ready to pinch-hit whenever one of our blogging member needs help, despite his heavy traveling demands. Thanks for your time and commitment, Steve!

Wednesday, September 11, 2013 David Poole

Theme: Dearborn's Finest - the first words of the theme entries are all model names of Ford cars

20A. Accommodating work hours: FLEX SCHEDULES

32A. Market research panel: FOCUS GROUP

41A. Frito-Lay is its title sponsor: FIESTA BOWL

52A. Culinary combination: FUSION CUISINE

and the unifier:

65A. Company that manufactures the starts of 20-, 32-, 41- and 52-Across: FORD

"Any color you like as long as it's black"

Top o' the morning to you all. Steve here with an entertaining and alliterative "F" theme from David. Very nicely done, and some crisp fill also. Let's check out the rest.

Across:

1 Chiang Mai native: THAI

5 Dance moves: STEPS. My dance moves are hilarious. A girlfriend and I took dancing classes once and we weren't allowed to graduate from Ballroom 101. Mostly my fault.

10 Cheerful: GLAD

14 Mint, e.g.: HERB. If you plant it in your garden don't put it directly in the ground unless you don't want anything else in five year's time - it spreads like crazy. Plant it in a pot in the dirt.

15 Ira Gershwin contribution: LYRIC

16 Indiana neighbor: OHIO

17 Palindromic fashion mag: ELLE. My favorite palindrome is a tribute to the French engineer Ferdinand de Lesseps: "A man, a plan, a canal. Panama."

18 More aloof: ICIER

19 “Walking in Memphis” singer Cohn: MARC. With 10D this was close to a personal natick for me - I wasn't familiar with either name. I knew the song though - a nice live version here.

23 Large amount: TON

24 “O Sole __”: MIO

25 Harper’s __: BAZAAR

28 Chewie’s shipmate: HAN. A youthful-looking Harrison Ford as Han Solo with his furry sidekick in the original Star Wars movie.

29 Béchamel base: ROUX. Food! The butter-and-flour mixture before the milk is added to complete the sauce.

31 Monopoly deed abbr.: AVE

36 Laundry cycle: SPIN

37 Fairway boundary: ROUGH. I'm very familiar with these parts of every golf course I've played.

38 Part of i.e.: EST. Id Est. Literally, "that is".

39 Biblical prophet: HOSEA. Perps all the way. I need to brush up on my biblical prophets one day.

40 “Yikes!”: OH NO!

43 Mark of Zorro: ZEE. It would be ZED if Zorro was English.

44 Action on eBay: BIDS.

45 USN rank: ENS. I believe that an Ensign is the lowest-ranking commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy

46 Acquirer of more than 1,000 patents: EDISON

48 It includes mayo: AÑO. My favorite clue/answer combo today. The month of May in the Spanish-language year. Purists might want to see mayo capitalized, but I'm fine with the misdirection (From C.C.:  Spanish months are not capitalized, yes?)

49 SUV part: Abbr.: VEH.

56 Roger Rabbit or Bugs Bunny: TOON

58 Heart of Paris?: COEUR. Because L'arc de Triomphe doesn't fit.

59 Old Norse poetry collection: EDDA

60 Bring in: EARN

61 Rockne of Notre Dame fame: KNUTE. He of locker-room speech fame.

62 Look slyly: LEER

63 Multitude: ARMY

64 “Bullitt” director Peter: YATES

Down:

1 Taking the wrong way?: THEFT

2 Nametag greeting: HELLO, my name is Steve

3 “Over the Rainbow” composer: ARLEN. If you've never heard this version by Hawaiian legend Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwoʻole you're in for a treat.

4 Wild mountain goat: IBEX

5 Deli worker’s chore: SLICING

6 Danish astronomer Brahe: TYCHO. World Champion Mustache-grower too.

7 Toledo’s lake: ERIE

8 Mottled: PIED. The Mottled Piper of Hamelin doesn't have the same ring to it, somehow.

9 Prepare for surgery: SCRUB UP

10 Lefty in Cooperstown: GOMEZ. I'm sure C.C. has heard of Vernon "Lefty" Gomez, legendary pitcher for the Yankees and the Washington Senators, but an unknown for me and a near-Natick with 19A. (From C.C.: I'm sure Tinbeni had it correct. I wanted GROVE!)

11 Small Asian pooch bred as a watchdog: LHASA APSO

12 Balloon filler: AIR

13 Medical nickname: DOC. 56A's "What's up?"

21 Big success: SMASH

22 Lenient: LAX

26 Miller’s “__ From the Bridge”: A VIEW

27 Kidney-related: RENAL

28 “Les Misérables” author: HUGO

29 Derby prize: ROSES. The Kentucky Derby is promoted under the tag line "The Run for the Roses". The winning horse is draped in a blanket made of roses. The winning owner gets $2,000,000, out of which the trainer and the jockey get a cut.

30 Ways of escape: OUTS

32 Succumbed to stage fright: FROZE

33 Wondered aloud?: OOHED. In the "in awe of the fireworks" sense rather than the "what the heck were those explosions"?

34 Babylonian writing system: CUNEIFORM

35 Senate majority leader since 2007: REID. Nevada Democrat Harry Reid.

36 Weeps convulsively: SOBS

39 Capital west of Haiphong: HANOI. A trip to Vietnam is on my must-do bucket list.

41 Hard to please: FINICKY. Fun word.

42 Grants permanent status to, as a professor: TENURES

44 A.L. East team: BOS.

47 Golf-friendly forecast: SUNNY. It was sunny here in LA when I played on Sunday, but I'm not sure it was particularly golf-friendly - it was 103F.

48 Like the accent in “entrée”: ACUTE

49 Wedding memento: VIDEO. Not "Ball and Chain"?

50 Rear-__: ENDER

51 Found out: HEARD

53 Chaplin’s last wife: OONA

54 Neither masc. nor fem.: NEUT. English is a gender-neutral language as far as nouns are concerned.

55 Narcissist’s love: SELF

56 Darjeeling, e.g.: TEA. A beautiful region of India

57 Scull propeller: OAR. Strictly speaking, a scull is propelled by scullers using sculls, but I'll give this one a pass.

That's it from me - see you  all next time.

Steve

Notes from C.C.:

1) Tickets are still available for "An Evening with the Puzzle Master".  Will Shortz, editor of NY Times crossword, is visiting Minnesota tomorrow (Sept 12, 2013). He'll answer all questions about puzzles. Click here for details. Are you coming, Qli? Other North Dakota or our Wisconsin readers? It's really a great opportunity to meet with Mr. Shortz, all Twin Cities constructors and other crossword lovers

2) Marti mentioned yesterday that Montana is visiting her son in CT, and they're planning to meet for lunch in Hartford next Monday September 16. Dudley our dashing pilot & Feng shui expert (OK, maybe not expert yet) will be there too. Any other members of the Corner New England contingent can make it? Please contact Marti (HeartRx@me.com) for more details. I thought of LaLaLinda (The Saturday Stud misses your comments!) & Hondo, but health may prevent them from making the trip.

3) Happy 67th Birthday to dear Husker Gary! Love his captions. Gary helped us through an chaotic time last year when our blog went blank. His daily musings are always fun to read, full of trivia & some pithy life observations.

From Gary:

"Here's a picture of Joann and me at the Crazy Horse Memorial that was mentioned in our puzzle last week and also in celebration of my completion of 67 orbits of the Sun today. I hope this September 11th is a good one for all, free of the tragedy of past ones."

Tuesday September 10, 2013 Donna S. Levin

Theme: HITS THE TRIFECTA (55A. Has a big track payday (and a hint to hidden words that begin 17-, 27- and 43-Across) - WIN, PLACE & SHOW are hidden in the first word of each theme entry. 

17A. Oenophile : WINE CONNOISSEUR. I think WON (34D. Took the cup) should have been avoided in the grid.

27A. Response to snake oil, perhaps : PLACEBO EFFECT

43A. Privacy protector of a sort : SHOWER CURTAIN. Still remember Dennis Kozlowski's $6K shower curtain?

C.C. again. Argyle is now back at home. He might drop in on the blog today.

We've seen Win/Place/Show grids before, mostly with BETS as a reveal entry. The beautiful Donna has a very snazzy reveal & brilliant fill. This grid is a good template for 4-theme entries with 15, 14, 14 & 15 letter length.

Donna S. Levin, Newsday

Across:

1. Uniformed figure in the National Toy Hall of Fame : GI JOE. Scrabbly start.

6. Corp. fiscal execs : CFOs

10. Kiss from 10-Down : LICK. And 10D. Heroic TV dog : LASSIE. And 36D. Sound from a contented kitty : PURR. So, no fight between dog lovers and cat lovers on our blog today.

14. Epps and Sharif : OMARs

15. Sow's squeal : OINK

16. 43,560 square feet : ACRE

20. Indianapolis-to-Fort Wayne dir. : NNE

21. Sleepover wear, briefly : PJs. 

22. Shiny finish : LUSTER

23. Lone Ranger's pal : TONTO

26. iPhone's voice-activated personal assistant : SIRI. Ready for iOS 7?

31. Steering system component : TIE ROD. Argyle would nail it. He knows all about cars.

32. Caresses : PETS

33. GM labor gp. : UAW. Our neighbor Andy never shops at Walmart. He said they're Anti-Labor.

35. Redding of soul : OTIS

36. FG's three : PTs. Field goals.

37. Hockey great Phil, familiarly : ESPO

38. Tails and tongues do it : WAG. Also means Wild Ass Guess in our blog. Mine is Onager (Asian Wild Ass) guess.

39. Feng __: decorating philosophy : SHUI. Literally "water". Feng = Wind.

41. Redeem : CASH IN

46. Close to : NEAR

47. "Incorrect!" : NOT SO

48. Ready to mate, animal-wise : IN HEAT. I've learned not to put HOOTERS & G-SPOT in LAT crosswords. BONERS is acceptable though.

51. Pouch : SAC

52. Just minted : NEW

59. Against : ANTI

60. Dutch cheese : EDAM

61. A driver who forgets something might make one : U-TURN

62. Info : DOPE

63. Toupees : RUGs. Did you know we lose up to 100 stands of hair every day? Amazing we still have some hair left.

64. Evaluated : RATED

Down:

1. Graduation wear : GOWN

2. Poker declaration : I'M IN

3. "Psycho" Oscar nominee : JANET LEIGH. I just can't handle this type of movie.

4. Prospector's quest : ORE

5. "Never mind" PC key : ESC

6. Grifter's game : CON JOB. Another srabbly entry.

7. Swimming aids : FINs

8. Artist who lives across from Central Park's Strawberry Fields : ONO. Gimme.

9. Way up the slope : SKI LIFT

11. Rapper-turned-actor : ICE T

12. "Mötley" group : CRUE

13. Actress Deborah : KERR

18. Went (for) : OPTED

19. Pokes around on the Internet : SURFs. Thank you, Al Gore, for the Internet.

24. Some regatta equipment : OARS

25. Cpl., for one : NCO

26. Takes in, as a movie : SEES

27. Greek deli stockpile : PITAs.  This is Xi'An style Pita. Very popular street food.

28. Vision-related : OPTIC

29. Pillow-shaped diamond style : CUSHION CUT. Irish Miss knows rings. This is a new term to me. Doesn't look like pillows though.

30. Golfer's gimme : TAP IN

31. __ truck : TOW

37. Those gals, in Guadalajara : ESAS

39. "Don't __ the small stuff!" : SWEAT. Hard to do.

40. Moor flora : HEATHER

41. Early spring blooms : CROCI. Next year I'm going to plant peonies. Not fond of Crocuses or Croci.

42. ABA member : ATT

44. Layette suit : ONESIE

45. Strips of weapons : UNARMs. Yeah I know. DISARMS is more common.

48. "If __ my way ..." : I HAD. To PA Don, just for you, I'm not going to root for the Pirates any more. Wow, was I powerful! 

49. Spanish lad : NINO

50. URL opener : HTTP. OK, so the Blogger folks provided this patch code for the Template CSS part. That fixed the Header glitch (big empty space) yesterday afternoon. Maybe TTP and Steve know what this gibberish means. What the heck is "important" in a code?

#header-inner {

    width: 1000px !important;

}

51. Deer dad : STAG. Sweet clue.

53. French 101 infinitive : ETRE

54. Mascara applicator : WAND. Flirt! Far Out for Splinter!

56. University URL ending : EDU

57. Pelt : FUR

58. H-like Greek vowel : ETA

After reading all the comments/emails, I've decided to keep the old Template for the time being. Thanks for the quick feedback for my various bumbling quests yesterday, everyone. Can't tell in words how lucky I am to have loyal & caring readers like you. 

C.C.

Monday September 9, 2013 Jack McInturff

Theme: Shh! - The first words of all the theme entries are synonyms.

20A. Gentle leader's quality: QUIET STRENGTH. Thought of Mother Teresa.

37A. Devout petitions kept to oneself : UNSPOKEN PRAYERS. New term to me. Can you explain to me? Do they start with "Dear God..." also?  Jack used a plural because a grid-spanning 15 is easier to work than a 14, but it introduces an inconsistency to the theme set.

58A. Behind-the-scenes investor : SILENT PARTNER

C.C. here.

Dear Argyle was admitted to a VA hospital last Friday night. Foot ulcer. Like Boomer, he's a diabetic, so foot problem is very complicated and scaring. He should be back home later this week. Please keep him in your thoughts.

Monday puzzles always have simple themes and straightforward clues. Just look at the last few Down entries. What could be answers other than  IOWA, SKY & ONO?

 

Across:

1. The Crimson Tide's school, for short : BAMA. Alma mater of Alan, Marti's husband.

5. Delayed, as in traffic : STUCK

10. Boast : BRAG. How close were you to a hole-in-one? I hit the stick once.

14. Fe on the periodic table : IRON

15. Latin bears : URSAE

16. Bridle strap : REIN

17. Ditty : SONG

18. Lament over a loss : MOURN. Morneau has not been doing well with the Pirates. He was never the same after the concussion 3 years ago.

19. Light brown : ECRU

23. Cry of surrender : UNCLE

24. Practice for the LSAT, e.g. : PREP

25. Crescent component : ARC

28. Lou Grant portrayer : ED ASNER. Super grid-friendly letter combo, hence his frequent appearance in Xwords.

31. Tar pits locale : LA BREA. Tartar!

33. Cowboys and Indians, e.g. : TEAMS. Nice clue.

36. Lab gel made from seaweed : AGAR

43. Doughnut's middle : HOLE

44. Gets really wet : SOAKS

45. Voices one's view : OPINES

48. 401(k) alternative named for a Delaware sen. : ROTH-IRA

53. Like cool cats : HEP

54. 1986 Peace Nobelist Wiesel : ELIE

57. "The __ Sanction": Eastwood thriller set in the Alps : EIGER. Did you read the news about Eastwood and his wife spouse-swapped with their friends?

62. NYC or London area : SOHO

64. Bygone anesthetic : ETHER

65. Bottom of a shoe : SOLE

66. Be absolutely sure : KNOW

67. April Fool's antic : TRICK

68. "Mila 18" author Leon : URIS. I think Abejo read this book.

69. Jedi guru : YODA

70. '90s White House cat : SOCKS. Clinton's cat.

71. Confined, with "up" : PENT

Down:

1. Shellfish soup : BISQUE. Have some!

2. In the area : AROUND

3. Tennis great Seles : MONICA. Read her biography years ago. Can't remember much though.

4. Beings with halos : ANGELS

5. Kid's math homework : SUMS

6. Pace between a walk and a run : TROT

7. Seize, as power : USURP

8. Concerned person : CARER. Maybe it's mental. I just feel Boomer walks slower than before. He just told me he'll cut Tuesday and Friday morning pot games out of his weekly schedule to focus on his three league games.

9. Pet motel : KENNEL

10. One of TV's Mavericks : BRET. This stumped me.

11. Plug in, as a smartphone : RE-CHARGE

12. What you breathe : AIR

13. African antelope : GNU

21. 7:50, vis-à-vis 8:00 : TEN TO

22. Dean's list no. : GPA

26. Back : REAR

27. Valets park them : CARS

29. Comic strip shriek : EEK

30. Explorer John and comical Charlotte : RAEs

32. Howl at the moon : BAY

34. Letters after L : MNO

35. Trade jabs : SPAR

37. "Whoops" : UH OH

38. "Nah!" : NOPE

39. Haphazard, as workmanship : SLIPSHOD. SLAPDASH has the same meaning, right?

40. Pig holder : PEN

41. Former MGM rival : RKO

42. Daisylike fall bloomer : ASTER. So pretty.

46. Long, thin fish : EEL

47. Rains ice pellets : SLEETS

49. Asks boldly, as for a loan : HITS UP

50. Turn one's back on : IGNORE. Can you ignore her?

51. Land with a rod : REEL IN

52. Slap the cuffs on : ARREST

55. Emcee's speech : INTRO

56. Moral principle : ETHIC

59. Des Moines's state : IOWA. I can picture Husker Gary say "Is Rich OK?"

60. Quick kiss : PECK

61. Slow-moving vessels : ARKs

62. Big __ Country : SKY

63. Sean's mom Yoko : ONO

I have a question for all of you: The blog main post looks unusual when I woke up this morning. The right edge words all spill out. Comments section is fine.

Does the main post look alright on your screen? Please let me know in the Comments section. Thank you.

C.C.

1) Updated at 7:27am: Blogger software had some changes last night: all the right edge words were truncated. The old blog Template did not allow width adjustment, so I had to apply a new one.  It'll take us a few days to get used to it. Thanks for the understanding.

2) Updated at 2:27pm: I've reversed to the old Template. Header button just would not work in the new format. The right edge problem is miraculously gone!

Sunday September 8, 2013 Marti DuGuay-Carpenter

Theme: "What Was In Is Now Out" - IN is replaced by OUT in each theme entry.

23A. Patiently do tough tile work? : GROUT AND BEAR IT. Grin and bear it.

44A. Displeasure over a split? : BOWLING POUT. Bowling pin. Really love this answer and clue. So visual. There's is a straying IN here & 16D. We might have had some dry entries if Marti completely avoided words with no straying INs.

65A. Big toe, often? : GOUT JOINT. Gin joint.

87A. Fight over a washing machine? : LAUNDRY BOUT. Laundry bin. I use baskets.

107A. Campaign oratory? : POLITICAL SPOUT. Political spin.

16D. Belligerent headliner? : SHOUTING STAR. Shining star.

58D. What Army recruiters do? : TOUT SOLDIERS. Tin soldiers.

Wow, I grokked the theme immediately after I saw the title, knowing Marti's fondness for letter addition/deletion/replacement gimmick.

Five front change, 2 back change. Very consistent. Marti also has a classic 7-themer grid, with her theme answers spread to every corner.

Very smooth grid. Nothing obscure. That's hard to accomplish in a 21*21. Lots of great clues, naturally! For newcomers, today's Marti is the same bubbly Marti who blogs for us on Thursdays. She uses HeartRx in the Comments section.

Across:

1. Brinker on skates : HANS.  "The Silver Skates".

5. Public display : SCENE

10. High mountain : ALP. Dictionary says this is back formation from Alps.

13. Popular small plane : CESSNA. For Dudley. I listened to the "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me" Tanglewood last week. That Ax guy is indeed quite funny.

19. "Yeah, right" : I BET

20. Absorb the hit, financially : EAT IT

21. Gamboling spot : LEA

22. Tizzy : LATHER. In a tizzy/lather.

26. One thing editors look for : ERRORS. True. I just did not expect a plural answer after reading the "one thing" clue.

27. Woodcutters' tools : HAND SAWS

28. Latte option : MOCHA

30. One before dix : NEUF. Dix is French for ten. I bet Abejo nailed this one :-)

31. "Would __ to you?" : I LIE

32. Lofty capital : LHASA. They drink yak butter tea there.

34. France's westernmost city : BREST

36. Like most plumbing : INDOOR

39. 1984 Vardon Trophy winner Calvin : PEETE. Vardon Trophy is awarded to golfers with the lowest scoring average. PEETE might be difficult to some of you. But he's a very important figure in PGA history. He was the Tiger before Tiger.

40. Where streets meet : CROSSING

43. Corker : BEAUT

46. Jacques ou Pierre : NOM. Name.

47. Player in 24 All-Star games : MAYS. Consecutive! And Hank Arron and Stan Musial.

48. Spanish folk hero : EL CID

49. Significant times : ERAs

50. Stats often in APBs : HGTs

51. Copywriters' awards : CLIOs

52. __ Tin Tin : RIN

54. "Yummy!" : DELISH. Thought of our dear LaLaLinda who could not have any wheat product. I bet many of you could not live like that, even for a week.

56. Traveler's stop : MOTOR INN

60. Cookout site : PATIO

62. Flat figure : RENTER. This "flat" always tricks me. Apartment.

64. Rice-__ : A-RONI

68. "I don't give __!" : A DARN

69. Good things : PLUSES

71. Spread generously : SMEAR

72. Puzzle solver's smudges : ERASURES. Wite-out here.  Spitzboov uses it also.

74. Blasts from the past : A-TESTS

76. 7, on old phones : PRS

77. Not slouching : ERECT. Can you picture Marti's smile when she filled and clued this entry?

78. MIT part: Abbr. : INST

79. Rake : ROUE

81. WWII marine attacker : E-BOAT. Never know it's U or E.

82. Disney chairman during the Lucasfilm acquisition : IGER (Bob). This "during" clue made me think Iger has just retired and Disney has a new chairman.

86. Prefix with meter : ODO

90. Memory Muse : MNEME. No idea. Must be root for Mnemonics.

91. Cave : COLLAPSE

93. Pulls in : EARNS

94. Oranges and lemons : CITRUS. Lemonade shout out!

95. Thick : DENSE

96. 1 for H and 2 for He, e.g. : AT NOs

97. Since, in a nostalgic song : SYNE. "Auld Lang Syne".

98. Prefix with Japanese : SINO. Sino-Japanese. The clue works and I got it, but I don't like it. Way too general, since SINO can be "Prefix with any country".

99. Request to pull over, maybe : SIREN

101. Gather around : ENCIRCLE

105. New Orleans cuisine : CREOLE

110. "The Naked Ape" author Desmond : MORRIS. Never heard of him.

111. Syst. for talking without speaking : ASL. Neat clue.

112. More than like : ADORE

113. "This can't be happening!" : OH NO.

114. Approval : ASSENT

115. __ Moines : DES

116. Daydreaming, with "out" : ZONED

117. Many a student's need : LOAN

Down:

1. Weather forecast number : HIGH. It's indeed a number.

2. Magical opening : ABRA

3. Light gas : NEON

4. Hitting the books : STUDIOUS

5. Oceanfront invigorator : SEA AIR. Been a long time since I smelled of sea air. By the way, Boomer has been doing great. Thanks for all the emails and blog wishes.

6. "Pretty please?" : CAN WE

7. Boarding hr. determinants : ETDs

8. Point of writing? : NIB. Pen tip is called NIB.

9. Bastille Day saison : ETE

10. 1953 A.L. MVP : AL ROSEN. Look, a baseball entry from Marti!  "The Hebrew Hammer".

11. Nikon competitor : LEICA

12. Garden feature : PATH

13. Largest OH airport : CLE

14. Fervent : EARNEST

15. Type-A concern : STRESS. Are you a Type A or Type B?

17. Spongy toy brand : NERF

18. MGM motto word : ARS

24. Letter-shaped track : T SLOT

25. Italian who pulled a lot of strings : AMATI. Great clue.

29. Out of the country : ABROAD

32. Partner of Martin : LEWIS. Dean Martin. Jerry Lewis.

33. Didn't come unglued : HELD

35. Snore, maybe : ROUSER

36. Developer of the one-named "Jeopardy!" contestant Watson : IBM. One of our blog readers is involved in the Watson project.

37. Poetry Out Loud contest co-creator: Abbr. : NEA

38. 86,400 seconds : DAY. 1,440 minutes.

39. Pennsylvania's resort area, with "the" : POCONOS. Anyone been there? Yellowrocks?

40. EMT's training : CPR

41. "Let's talk outside" : NOT HERE

42. Baseball VIPs : GMs

44. Flashy accessories : BLING. OK, look at Madonna's tooth BLING. Why do rappers think gold grills cool, PK?

45. Surprises in bottles : GENII. Oh, I was picture those bottle messages.

48. Manning of the NFL : ELI

50. Vishnu worshiper : HINDU. Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu, 3 Hindu gods.

51. Tears up : CRIES

52. Indian nobles : RAJAs

53. Use __ lose ... : IT OR

55. Bare minimum : LEAST

56. Rand McNally offering : MAP. Not of much use nowadays.

57. Magic home : ORLANDO. The Golf Channel headquarters is there too.

59. Beginning : ONSET

60. Feather: Pref. : PTER. I thought it means "wing".

61. Heavy : ONEROUS

63. IV monitors : RNs

66. Called a strike, say : UMPED

67. Reward for sitting, maybe : TREAT. Dog.

70. Subway hangers : STRAPS

73. Play part : ACT

75. They're often pickled : SOUSES. Got me. I pickle lots of veggie. Not in the drunk direction.

77. Black colors, in poetry : EBONs

78. Winter Games gp. : IOC

80. A, in Arles : UNE

81. Spain's longest river : EBRO

82. 190-member enforcement group : INTERPOL. Very helpful "enforcement" clue.

83. Home of BMW : GER. Headquartered in Munich.

84. Dingo prey : EMU. Oh, how I bored you last summer with "Call Me, Maybe".

85. Hi-__ monitor : RES

87. Shaving cream additive : LANOLIN

88. Passes along, as a good joke : RE-TELLS. I need to pass along D-Otto's jokes yesterday, click here and next post.

89. One-named New Ager : YANNI

90. Skimpy skirts : MINIs. For Splynter.

92. Whom the angels name in "The Raven" : LENORE

94. Competed in the Tour de France : CYCLED

96. Came up : AROSE

97. Bag : SNARE

98. Signs of fullness, briefly : SROs. SRO = Standing-Room Only.

100. Popular tablet : iPAD

101. MBA subject : ECON

102. Pacific salmon : COHO

103. Roman moon deity : LUNA

104. Prince William's alma mater : ETON. He'll be a great king. So humble.

105. Nashville awards gp. : CMA (Country Music Association)

106. Winter setting at Mt. Snow : EST. Only from Marti.  Mt Snow is a ski resort in Vermont.

108. Whirling toon : TAZ

109. Response on the stand : I DO

Tickets are still available for "An Evening with the Puzzle Master".  Will Shortz, editor of NY Times crossword, is visiting Minnesota next Thursday Sept 12, 2013. He'll answer all questions about puzzles. Click here for details. I hope to see some of you there. 

C.C.