Thursday, December 17th 2015 Jeff Stillman

Theme: Read all about it. Names of magazines begin each theme entry clued in a hilarity-ensues fashion.

20. Financial magazine tracking device? : FORTUNE COOKIE. Cookie in the web browser context. For any nerds out there, the original computing cookie actually was called a fortune cookie because it contained an embedded message.

37. Newsstand selling many a human-interest magazine? : PEOPLE MOVER. My local newsstand on Laurel Canyon sells about a million titles. I don't know how the owner keeps track of them all.

44. Keeping cool with a fashion magazine? : ELLE FANNING. Teen actress, and sister of the perhaps better-known Dakota.

59. Rolled-up news magazine drifting at sea? : TIME IN A BOTTLE. This was apparently a Jim Croce hit in 1972. I'm guessing it didn't make the charts in the UK as I'd never heard of it, and listening to it on YouTube I have to confess I don't think I missed much.

Good day, all! Steve here reporting from snowy Denver and feeling glad that I remembered to pack my gloves and scarf. Scraping the snow off the windshield isn't something that I have to do very often in Studio City!

A straightforward enough theme with some Thursday-level cluing misdirection. The middle-top section came last for me due to some biblical name amnesia and aforementioned clue-trickeration.

Let's see what else we can find.

Across:

1. Covenant : BOND

5. Poorest : WORST

10. Eldest son on "Bonanza" : ADAM. "Madam, I'm Adam".

14. Snack choice : OREO. If I had a dollar for every time I've filled this into a grid, I'd have .... a lot of dollars.

15. Eldest son of Cain : ENOCH

16. City ENE of Petaluma : NAPA. It's also WSW of Sacramento and NNE of San Francisco for the direction-trivia fans in our midst.

17. Musically off : FLAT

18. Stage __ : ACTOR

19. A four beats it : TREY. Here's aptly-numbered Trey Burke, Utah Jazz point guard.

23. Earliest stage : ONSET

24. Abbr. on a business card : TEL

25. Family guy : DAD

28. Credit card bill list : DEBTS. Odd clue - I'd say a credit card bill is a list of charges, not debts.

32. Development sites : UTERI. Not a word most people use pretty much - ever.

34. World currency org. : I.M.F. The International Monetary Fund.

40. Spring tide counterpart : NEAP. The spring tide is when there is the greatest distance between low and high tide. The neap tide is when there is the least difference.

42. Pleasant surprise : TREAT

43. Salon option : TINT

47. Wager : LAY

48. Green sauce : PESTO Food! What to make when you've got a shed-load of basil. Traditionally made with pine nuts, but these are so expensive nowadays almonds are often substituted.

49. Horse-drawn wagons : DRAYS. I enjoyed this. I used to live near Young's Brewery in London and they continued to deliver beer to local pubs by dray well into the 1980's. The horses were more economical over short distances than diesel-fueled trucks.

51. Golf bag item : TEE

52. One who helps break the case : RAT

55. Piece between steps : RISER. Do you know your nosings from your stringers? Staircases are fraught with specialist vocabulary.

64. Biblical preposition : UNTO. Topically "Unto us a child is born".

66. Pot boiler : STOVE

67. Camera feature : IRIS

68. Singer Redbone : LEON. Thanks, crosses. I need to "bone" up on my Cyprus-born Canadian/American ragtime/jazz singers.

69. Bygone : OLDEN

70. Au naturel : NUDE. Stop snickering at the back.

71. Deep-six : TOSS. Originally referred to a depth of six fathoms, or 36 feet. It was difficult to recover something from this far below the surface.

72. Dukes and barons : PEERS

73. Proofreading mark : STET

Down:

1. Smashing, in show biz : BOFFO. I love this word, and the various headlines in Variety magazine that spawn some great slang words: "Boffo at the B.O."

2. Synthetic fabric : ORLON. Fill in ON and wait for the crosses.

3. Verges on : NEARS

4. Like staccato notes : DOTTED "Dit dit dit dit dit dit ....."

5. Withdraw by degrees : WEAN. Tricky area for me here today. This and the next four downs caused some slow going.

6. Back in the day : ONCE. I tried "THEN" first, and along with trying OPEC below I was way off base.

7. Drilling gp. : ROTC. Parade ground drilling, not oil wells.

8. Hotfoot it : SCOOT

9. Sharp pang : THROE. Not often felt outside of crosswords. The plural is more likely to be encountered in day-to-day speech, and often misused. You need to be in the middle of something painful or unpleasant to be "in the throes of" that situation.

10. Not backing : ANTI

11. Big risk taker : DAREDEVIL

12. Gorilla, for one : APE

13. Possibly will : MAY

21. The Miners of Conf. USA : U.T.E.P. Nailed it! University of Texas at El Paso.

22. "Project Runway" host : KLUM. I know of Heidi, I don't know the show. A friend of mine occasionally provides security for her in Los Angeles, and describes her as completely down-to-earth and a pleasure to work for.

26. Sports spot : ARENA

27. Unscrupulous : DIRTY

29. __ blocker : BETA. Commonly taken to alleviate high blood pressure caused by misuse of the word "throes".

30. In a quandary : TORN

31. Lay out : SPEND

33. Preschooler : TOT

34. All thumbs : INEPT. There is no good reason that I can find why "ept" is not a word meaning "capable".

35. Fracas : MELEE

36. Some doo-wop voices : FALSETTOS. High ones.

38. Bestial hideaway : LAIR

39. Mount near Catania : ETNA. I didn't know where Catania was, but it didn't stop me from filling this in without a thought.

41. Like a preferred theory : PET

45. Diving judge's concern : FORM

46. Sandwich with tzatziki sauce : GYRO. Yum! Here-o, jeer-o, jire-o, whatever you like to call it.

50. Peaceful protests : SIT-INS

53. Notable author of animal tales : AESOP

54. Proof of ownership : TITLE

56. Walk like Jagger : STRUT. A little late in the expo for a music link, but I couldn't resist this one. Here's Maroon 5 and Christine Aguilera. Check out the interview clips with a very young Mick. If you're a Stones fan like me, be sure to look out for the documentary "Crossfire Hurricane" if you ever see it pop up on your TV listings.

57. Skip over, in speech : ELIDE

58. Pedometer button : RESET

60. Physics particles : IONS

61. Point of connection : NODE

62. State categorically : AVER

63. Uncle __ : BEN'S. I buy my rice in 10lb sacks from the Asian markets for about the same price as an 8oz box of the supermarket brands.

64. Final: Abbr. : ULT

65. Prefix with con : NEO. Although usually used to refer to a neo-conservative, the word actually is a trademark of the group who organizes an annual commercial interior design exposition. Who knew?

That's about it from me. Heading back to the warmer climes of SoCal after my brief dose of a Colorado winter. See you all next week!

Steve

Note from C.C.:

I'd like to introduce you to Adopt an Inmate, a cause Melissa has been championing the past two years. Read that article in Melissa's blog post. I can't tell you what a caring and inspiring sister Melissa is.

Wednesday, December 16, 2015, Craig Stowe

Theme: Five Easy Pieces

Craig's just right Wednesday puzzle reminded me instantly of this movie below. Taking literary license to count the theme reveal as a piece, our midweek exercise literally had Five Easy Pieces of a Piano. In the movie the five easy pieces represent tortured Bobby Dupea's first book of PIANO PIECES/exercises.

All right, it took me three clues to get the gimmick since HAMMER and KEY were not enough but PEDAL cinched it. DUH! My sympathy goes out to piano teachers who have to listen to Twinkle, Twinkle being pecked out laboriously as their student's first Easy Piece!

Theme answers

18. Olympic event featuring a 16-pound ball : HAMMER THROW - Felt covered string striker or a ball and chain Olympic Event

24. Major court rulings : KEY DECISIONS - Those 88 ebony and ivory pieces or certainly this KEY DECISION

39. Speedster's motto : PEDAL TO THE METAL  - Foot operated levers to modify a piano's sound or leave it to Steven to have a twist on PEDAL-initiated acceleration 

50. Particle physics concept : STRING THEORY - What actually vibrates in the piano or???

...and the Theme Reveal

60. Gershwin's preludes, e.g. ... and the starts of 18-, 24-, 39- and 50-Across : PIANO PIECES - Compositions for the PIANO or its parts (HAMMERS, KEYS, STRINGS and PEDALS, etc. all shown here). Hey, a harp really is a naked piano!

Now let's examine the other PIECES of Craig's fine entry -

Across   

    
1. Pal to text "<3" symbols to : BFF - Man, I thought I was so clever when I put in LES as < is the symbol for less than. I thought I was in for a puzzle full of such math symbolism

4. __ Road: WWII supply route to China : BURMA - Allies flew over "The Hump" (Himalayas) in Japanese-controlled Burma to supply Chiang with material in China so they could keep fighting Japan 

9. Michael of Monty Python : PALIN - Michael, no relation to the former Alaska governor 

14. Bud's partner : LOU - "Who's on first?"  "Of course he is!"

15. Best of the best : A-TEAM

16. Stop on Chicago's Blue Line : O'HARE - Cubs game from O'HARE? Blue Line to Addison station and then the #152 East Bus to Wrigley

17. Coastal bird : ERN

20. Skin blemish : ACNE

22. Medicinal houseplant : ALOE

23. __ farm : ANT - $19.99 with 25 live ANTS from Amazon.com 

29. Beehive State college squad : UTES 

30. Clad : ATTIRED 

34. Selective way to order : ALA CARTE - I'll just take a #2 with a Sprite (skip this Steve!)

38. "Make it happen" : DO SO - Picard's line has elements of the clue and fill

43. Part of JFK: Abbr. : INIT

44. Emerges : COMES OUT - Like the Sun for Annie Tomorrow!

45. Vouches for : ATTESTS

49. Meat : GIST

55. Irritate : IRK - What the waitress did to Bobby Dupea in the iconic diner scene in Five Easy Pieces

58. Coleridge work : RIME - A statue honoring Coleridge in Somerset, England where the Ancient Mariner bears his famous winged burden from The RIME

59. Adjuration : PLEA

65. "You don't say!" : DUH

66. When a "Macbeth" witch says, "Something wicked this way comes" : ACT IV - Says Witch 2

67. Idolize : ADORE

68. Spanish pronoun : ESO

69. Moriarty's creator : DOYLE - Sherlock always BESTS (49 Down yesterday) him

70. 2015 World Series player, for short : NY MET -  I remember that series a little differently 

71. Classic car : REO
 
Down
 
1. Not promising : BLEAK

2. "Star Wars" power, with "the" : FORCE - I'm NOT  lining up for tickets for the next movie in this franchise that starts Friday 

3. Comical : FUNNY

4. Scrooge interjection : BAH - There's not a ghost of a chance that he keeps that perspective

5. "Respect for Acting" author Hagen : UTA

6. Sleep stage : REM

7. Half a pop quartet : MAMAS - This group will perform in our town on January 22, 2016 covering The Mamas and Papas and other 60's groups. It's already sold out

8. Bedelia of kiddie lit : AMELIA - "No, Amelia! When I said make us a chicken dinner, I didn't mean serve us cracked corn!"

9. Strong : POTENT

10. Contented sound : AHH

11. Croft of video games : LARA - Well, what would you wear to raid a tomb?

12. Word before man or maiden : IRON

13. Eye source for a dramatic cauldron : NEWT - Clever!

19. Plant part : ROOT

21. Schools : EDUCATES

25. Short list shortener : ET AL

26. Marriage doc. : CERT - ...or do you remember the ad slogan that went with these CERTS?

27. What a colon means, in analogies : IS TO - Guitar : (IS TO) Cello as Segovia: (IS TO) _____

28. Avoid : SIDE STEP - "No one wants to hear about my tax evasion, let's talk about Syria!"

31. __-Rooter : ROTO

32. Old Testament twin : ESAU

33. Nitwit : DOLT

34. Capital of Samoa : APIA - Yep, even in APIA, Samoa "You deserve a break today"

35. Mardi Gras follower : LENT

36. Mine entrance : ADIT

37. Short list shortener : ETC 

40. Boss on "The Dukes of Hazzard" : HOGG - Ah, ya cain't beat the classics! 

41. Exude : EMIT

42. Screen door stuff : MESH - We had to retrofit our screen door to kitty-proof mesh. 

46. Tried hard : STROVE

47. Vacation plan : TRIP

48. Apelike : SIMIAN

51. Down-and-out : NEEDY - NEEDY people aren't necessarily down-and-out

52. More mature : OLDER

53. Reduce, __, Recycle : REUSE - What you can do with old milk cartons

54. Bumpkin : YAHOO

55. Microsoft Surface alternative : I PAD

56. Puerto __ : RICO

57. "Teenage Dream" singer Perry : KATY - She hasn't spoken to her husband of 14 months, Russell Brand, after he texted her on New Year's Eve 2011 that he was divorcing her 

61. Nothing : NIL

62. Site attachment? : COM

63. Afore : ERE

64. Firmed up, as plans : SET

Now you can enter any comments you have on PIANO PIECES, Chess Pieces, Reese's Pieces, et al, etc...

Husker Gary 

Tuesday, December 15, 2015 C.W. Stewart

Theme: Where's my cape? - Actually, it's PACE that has been changed up and hidden in the middle of the theme entries.

20A. Madison or Jackson, e.g. : STATE CAPITAL. Wisconsin/Mississippi

32A. Workplace social event : OFFICE PARTY. 'Tis the season.

41A. Camper's gift from home : CARE PACKAGE

53A. Deviation from a normal routine, and a hint to this puzzle's circles : CHANGE OF PACE

Argyle here. We've gone from C.C. to C.W. There are circles and they help but the jumbled letters are easy to spot if you sussed the reveal.

Across:

1. Big name in designer bags : PRADA

6. Wild guess : STAB

10. "Oh, darn!" : "DRAT!"

14. Edmonton NHL player : OILER. (hockey)

15. Caen's river : ORNE. In Normandy, northwestern France.

16. World's longest river : NILE. The Orne, 110 mi; the Nile, 4,258 mi; both 4 letters.

17. Gets dirty : SOILS

18. Facts and figures : DATA

19. "My life. My card" co. : AMEX

23. Start of something? : ESS

24. Figs. : NOs. (numbers)

25. Golf lesson subject : STANCE

29. Little taste : SIP. Neat!

30. Illegal diamond pitch : SPITBALL

36. MADD concern : DUI

37. Scottish denials : NAEs

38. Many a Monopoly rd. : AVE.

39. "__ No Sunshine": Bill Withers hit : AIN'T

40. Emancipation Proclamation first name : ABE

45. Like the Titanic : ILL-FATED

47. Monk's title : FRA

48. Put up a fight : RESIST

49. Bikini part : BRA

50. Float up and down : BOB. Must Resist Mental Picture. gave in(1:29)

57. Traffic complaint : [HONK!]

60. Prejudicial view : BIAS

61. Churchgoer's donation : TITHE

62. Figure skating leap : AXEL

63. Tackling a problem : ON IT

64. Bygone anesthetic : ETHER

65. Shopping bag : TOTE

66. Cravings : YENS

67. Salon employees : DYERS

Down:

1. Wild West law group : POSSE

2. Laugh-a-minute types : RIOTS

3. Name after 39-Down : ALIAS. 39D. Police blotter letters : AKA. "Also Known As"

4. Shoulder muscle, informally : DELT. (Deltoid)

5. Pesticide poison : ARSENIC

6. Coke and Pepsi : SODAs

7. Catch : TRAP

8. Voting against : ANTI

9. Skedaddles : BEATS IT

10. "CSI" facility : DNA LAB

11. Canyon edge : RIM

12. Pub choice : ALE. and 52D. Pub choices : BEERS

13. Apt name for a Dallas cowboy? : TEX

21. Deal with it : COPE

22. Divorce proceeding rep. : ATTY. (attorney)

26. Gymnast Comaneci : NADIA

27. Stuck : CLUNG

28. A-list group : ELITE

29. Sally, to Charlie Brown : SIS. (little sister)

30. Fed the piggy bank : SAVED

31. Word in some private school names : PREP. Preparatory school for further education.

32. Broadcasting : ON AIR

33. Story with a lesson : FABLE

34. Senses : FEELS

35. Remove, as a rind : PARE

41. Payment option : CASH

42. "Way to go, kid!" : "ATTA BOY!"

43. Hardly a buzz cut : AFRO

44. Skillfully made : CRAFTED

46. Prone to flip-flopping : FICKLE. Remember the Flying Fickle Finger of Fate?

49. Triumphs over : BESTs

50. Get clean : BATHE

51. Earth pigment : OCHER

54. Four and five, but not six and seven : NINE. 9, not 13.

55. Dieter's setback : GAIN

56. "That's a shame" : PITY

57. Bowler or boater : HAT

58. Kitchen gadgets brand : OXO

59. Common URL ending : .NET

Argyle

Monday, December 14, 2015 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Bird Vocalization

18. Cares : GIVES A HOOT. Owl.

28. Girl who lost her sheep : LITTLE BO PEEP. Chicken et al.

48. Short online message visible only to approved followers : PRIVATE TWEET. Cartoon canary.

62. Get lovey-dovey : BILL AND COO. Pigeon.

No reveal.

Argyle here. I have to admit I made the classic mistake of overthinking this one. I couldn't see what gimmick C.C. was using. Ha! I didn't see the birds for the trees. But finally I heard them.

Across:

1. Main idea : GIST

5. Seniors, to juniors : DADS. Like Dr. Jones to Dr. Jones.

9. Pizza party drinks : SODAS

14. A whole bunch : LOTS

15. Skip past : OMIT

16. __ Jeane Mortenson: Marilyn Monroe's birth name : NORMA

17. Six-sided state : UTAH

20. Superfan to the max : MANIAC

22. For each one : A POP

23. Org. that created American Hunter magazine : NRA. (National Rifle Association of America) C.C. goes bird hunting?

24. BBC time traveler : DR. WHO. The early bird gets the earworm.

26. Ginormous amount : UMPTEEN

31. Lawyer's org. : ABA. (American Bar Association)

32. Enjoy the pool : SWIM

33. Narnia lion : ASLAN. (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe)

37. Beauty goop : GEL

38. Get cracking : START

41. Cubes in a tray : ICE

42. Canonized fifth-cen. pope : ST. LEO

45. "Very funny!" : HA HA!":

47. VCR format : VHS. (videocassette recorder/Video Home System)

52. Important Colonial cash crop : TOBACCO

55. Carrying a gun : ARMED

56. "The Simpsons" Squishee seller : APU who might have this sign: 51D. "This convenience store checks IDs" : "WE CARD"

57. Parka part : HOOD

59. Awards for Helen Hunt and Holly Hunter : OSCARS. Hunt for As Good as It Gets(1997), Hunter for The Piano(1993).

65. Sunburn soother : ALOE

66. German pistol : LUGER. You have to be real good to hunt birds with a pistol.

67. Expel : OUST

68. Really anger : RILE

69. Revise, as text : EMEND

70. Makes a choice : OPTS

71. __-dish pizza : DEEP

Down:

1. Wearing a long face : GLUM

2. Greek letter before kappa : IOTA

3. Display confidence and pride : STAND TALL

4. Top with a slogan : T-SHIRT. Up in Lake George, they're fighting again about some of those slogans on display in the store fronts.

5. Canine gnawing toys : DOG CHEWS

6. "__ hearing you right?" : AM I

7. Prima donna : DIVA

8. Answer the call : STEP UP

9. Salad veggie with an edible pod : SNAP PEA

10. Fireworks reaction : "OOH!"

11. Stingless bee : DRONE

12. Valentino's valentine : AMORE

13. The devil : SATAN

19. Vague amount : SOME

21. Beltmaking tools : AWLS

25. Memorial news item, briefly : OBIT

27. Adorns with Cottonelle, informally : TPs. (toilet paper)

28. Falls behind : LAGS

29. "Yeah, whatever" : "I BET"

30. Nebraska city associated with steaks : OMAHA

34. Pretended to be what one isn't : LIVED A LIE

35. Tooth woe : ACHE

36. Home in a tree : NEST. Source of today's emanations?

39. Pro __: in proportion : RATA

40. Jimmy Fallon's longtime house band : THE ROOTS

43. Org. concerned with pesticides : EPA.(Environmental Protection Agency)

44. Apple tree grouping : ORCHARD

46. Emer. money sources : ATMs

49. Desktop image : ICON

50. Ritualistic kind of doll : VOODOO

52. Blackjack surface : TABLE

53. Poppy narcotic : OPIUM

54. Jut out : BULGE

58. Bra spec : D-CUP

60. Audition goal : ROLE

61. Ooze : SEEP

63. Quarterback Dawson : LEN. Played for three professional teams, most notably the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs.

64. East, in Essen : OST. German, adjective.

Argyle

Sunday Dec 13, 2015 Matt McKinley

Theme: - "Morning Addition" - AM is added into each theme answer.

23A. Harsh criticism of an old Pontiac? : GRAND AM SLAM. Grand slam. All but this AM addition is part of another word.

27A. Unprincipled operator? : AMORAL SURGEON. Oral surgeon. "Unprincipled operator?" describes Dave's doctor so well. 

57A. Salesperson who doesn't take your offer seriously? : AMUSED CAR DEALER. Used car dealer.

66A. Mexican dish you were warned not to eat? : CAUTIONARY TAMALES. Cautionary tales.

76A. "Missionary squad loses big in softball game"? : APOSTLES CREAMED. Apostles' Creed. The answer cracked me up.

107A. Memoirs of a penitent bookie? : ODDS AND AMENDS. Odds and ends.

117A. Really large items thrown overboard? : JUMBO JETSAM. Jumbo jets.

Funny, I solved the whole puzzle thinking "Morning Edition" is the title. It aptly sums up the gimmick, though not as perfectly as "Morning Addition".

Seven entries with a total 95 theme squares is very manageable amount of theme material. Matt went low on word count, only 138 entries today. I've yet to explore that territory. 144 and I are just so inseparable.

Across:

1. Opinionated assortment : BIASES. Skipped to next entry right away.

7. Biblical shepherd : ABEL. Not Jesus.

11. Polaris Rangers, e.g., briefly : ATVs

15. Asian cookware : WOKs. I've collected a few recipes you guys put on the Comments section occasionally. Click here if you're interested.

19. Start a bulleted list, perhaps : INDENT

20. Forecast : BODE

21. Painful, in a way : TRAUMATIC

 

25. Superman or Spider-Man : TITLE ROLE. We also have 66D. First name in superhero lore : CLARK

26. Unavoidable end : DESTINY. Got via crosses.

29. "__, I'm flying in my taxi": Harry Chapin lyric : AND ME. Never heard of the song.

31. Table salt, in chem class : NACL

32. Pool stroke : MASSÉ

33. Therapists' org. : APA

36. Corporate rule : BY-LAW

39. Something for a fan to support : THE TEAM. And 42. Fan appreciation event : BAT DAY. I like Bobblehead Days.

45. Personal: Pref. : IDIO. I put in IDEO.

47. Pleads not guilty : DENIES IT. Just could not parse my own answer.

51. Soviet cooperative : ARTEL. We had this concept in China also. Not surprising. We copied lots of things from Soviet in those earlier years.

52. Loud salutes : SALVOS

55. Type of cell or cent : RED

56. "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" constable : ODO. Learning moment to me.

61. [Uh-oh!] : GULP. [ ] hints that the answer is a sound.

62. Annual August golf tournaments, familiarly : PGAs

63. Classic theaters : RKOs. Not ODEON.

64. Aiming devices : SCOPES

71. Current king of Spain __ VI : FELIPE. His Australian wife is a fashion icon.

73. Silents star Negri : POLA. Just like TTP, I learned her name from doing crosswords.

74. Time to beware : IDES

75. Truth stretcher : LIAR

83. Rink legend : ORR

84. Tee sizes: Abbr. : SMs. OK, smalls

86. Done like Donne : POETIC. Simple in retrospect.

87. Rancor : SPITE

88. If it's orange, it's really black : PEKOE TEA. Read here. I never heard of Pekoe until I came to the US.

91. Physics unit : DYNE

92. Strengthen : BEEF UP. I'm a kind of Beef.

 

93. Race on the water : REGATTA. Also 114D. Zip (through) : SAIL

96. Kidney-related : RENAL

98. Match in size : FIT

99. Doo-wop band instruments : SAXES

102. After-hours : LATE

104. Hoods : THUGS

112. WWII bond designation : SERIES E. Unknown to me.

116. Carefree : FOOTLOOSE

119. Life partners : TRUE LOVES. Terrific stacks in this corner. I really hope Splynter finds his in 2016.

120. Snack in a stack : OREO

121. Nails the test : ACES IT

122. Doesn't have to ask about : GETS

123. Egg holder : NEST. Lovely clue.

124. Sign of boredom : YAWN

125. Techniques involving falsetto : YODELS

Down:

1. Texas city nickname : BIG D

2. About : IN RE

3. Some govt. lawyers : ADAs

4. "The Flying Dutchman" soprano : SENTA. Foreign to me.

5. Conclude with : END IN. I had END ON first.

6. One awaiting a cancellation : STAND-BY. Great clue.

7. Six-pack set : ABS

8. Two-balled weapon : BOLA

9. European cheese town : EDAM

10. Bar fruit : LEMON. D-Otto (Tom) also lost his brother John earlier this month. I can't picture a life without my brother.  

11. Hook on : ATTACH

12. Warbled : TRILLED

13. Winery fixtures : VATS

14. Course-plotting "Star Trek" crewman : SULU

15. Simulated military exercise : WAR GAME

16. Chiwere speakers : OTOES

17. Bust measurements? : KILOS. Oh, I finally got it. Narc's bust.

18. Not a good thing to make : SCENE

22. Marine myth : MERMAID. Cute, isn't it?

24. "Goodness!" : MY MY

28. Traitor : RAT

30. Woman in a "Paint Your Wagon" song : ELISA. This girl always stumps me.

33. Simple rhyme scheme : ABAA

34. Veal __ : PARM. Never had it.

35. Largest of the Near Islands : ATTU. Gimme for Spitzboov. I drew a blank.

37. Purim month : ADAR

38. Like most zoo animals : WILD

40. La., once : TERR

41. Lincoln-to-Des Moines dir. : ENE

43. Give up : DESPAIR

44. Advantage to get : A LEG UP

46. Like talent, in a Geoff Colvin best-seller : OVER-RATED. Have any of you read the book?

48. Liquid courses : SOUPS

49. Not working : IDLE. Also 65. Monty Python co-founder : CLEESE

50. Beats : TOPS

53. Vanilla-flavored, as wine : OAKY

54. Machine displaying fruit symbols : SLOT. Rigged. You just can't win.

58. Go out with : DATE

59. CBS drama since 2000 : CSI

60. Spanish "that" : ESA. Our Korean vet neighbor Andy moved away to a nursing home. A Spanish-speaking family moved in.

61. Throws a fit : GOES APE

64. Iraq's __ City : SADR

67. W, vis-à-vis E : OPP

68. Don Knotts denial : NOOP

69. Too : ALSO

70. Open __ night : MIC

71. Disaster : FLOP

72. Where the Shannon flows : EIRE

76. Fishing, perhaps : ASEA

77. Interstellar dist. : LTYR (Light-year)

78. Berlin article : EINE

79. Canine attraction : SCENT

80. Annoy : MIFF

81. Decorative sewing case : ETUI. Long time no see!

82. Cabinet part: Abbr. : DEPT.

84. Phrase on a fortuneteller's business card : SEES ALL

85. Office conf. : MTG

89. Son of Agamemnon : ORESTES. Electra's brother.

90. Travelers' references : ATLASES

92. Rogers Centre player : BLUE JAY. Only one Hall-of-Famer in Blue Jay uniform.

94. Least likely to bite : TAMEST

95. Downed : ATE

97. "Sure, I get it" : AH SO. Yellowrocks knows Japanese. In Chinese, we tend to say "Ah, it is because of so" for the "Doh moment".

99. Magic center? : SOFT G. I figured it's G, but did not think of SOFT G.

100. Be gaga over : ADORE

101. Marked for deletion : X'D OUT

103. Relish : ENJOY

105. Artist El __ : GRECO

106. Located : SITED

108. Classic showdown time : NOON. "High Noon".

109. Went off the deep end : DOVE

110. Commercial prefix with "cell" : DURA. Duracell. Gluey entry.

111. Fish-eating duck : SMEW

113. Forum infinitive : ESSE

115. First responders, for short : EMTs

118. __ mot : BON

C.C.