Thursday, April 28th 2016 C.C. Burnikel

Theme:

3D. Singer whose last name is Pig Latin for a slang word for "money" : ANITA O'DAY. The crosses filled most of entry for me, but it took me the longest time for the penny to dop - I was trying to figure out the slang word DANITAO and why I'd never heard of it. Then I saw "last name" in the clue and D'OH! - "dough". Cool clue.

7D. Toyota Center team : HOUSTON ROCKETS. I know only a few any of the sponsored arenas beyond the ones in my own city, but a few crosses and I can usually get the team pretty quickly. I know that the baseball Houston Astros play at Minute Maid Park, but that's because I was at a hotel last year two steps from the stadium and I could see it from my room.

14D. Activity for some ex-presidents : LECTURE CIRCUIT. I'm sure they're all tremendously interesting.

34D. London locale that's a music industry eponym : ABBEY ROAD. I've done the famous "Beatles Walk" on the pedestrian crossing outside the studio, but, (of course) when I was younger and lived a mere two miles away I was way too cool for school to do that. Ah, the ignorance of youth! Here's a setup shot:

and the reveal:

23D. Appears unexpectedly, and a hint to this puzzle's circles : CROPS UP.

Nice one from C.C. - some great long downs and two sets of double-stacked 9's in the acrosses. Both ANITA O'DAY and LECTURE CIRCUIT are first-timers to appear in the LAT, you can't get much fresher than that. However - one quibble. If I were to ask a farmer what crop he was growing, I'd be happy to hear RICE, CORN and RYE, but if I was told OAT I'd wonder how many milli-ounces of yield was expected. However, I tend to forgive quibbles about circle entries (cirquibs?)  because they don't affect the clue or the answer.

Let's see what else catches the rye - I mean eye:

Across:

1. Detergent with Oxi Booster : ERA. If you say so. I'm not brand-conscious with laundry detergent, I get whatever is discounted at Ralph's when I need some.

4. DVD precursor : VHS

7. Scout, to Tonto : HORSE

12. "Face the Nation" group : PANEL

15. "My mom's gonna kill me!" : I AM SO DEAD. Fun entry.

17. Uncle relative? : I GIVE

18. Golden Globe, e.g. : STATUETTE. Awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for excellence in film and TV.

19. Nail care target : CUTICLE

21. Congressional period : SESSION

22. Vocal quartet member : ALTO

23. Use WhatsApp, say : CHAT

24. Junior nav. officer : ENS. Naval Ensign, from the old French "enseigne". Also the flag flown from the stern of a ship.

25. Long time follower : AGO

27. Manipulator : USER

29. Cut : LOP

31. Roll of dough : WAD

32. Popular weekend destination for many Northern Californians : RENO. Across the border in Nevada. Gamblin' an' boozin' an' such.

33. Deceitful : SNEAKY

37. Remove : ERASE

39. Drop (out) : OPT

41. Russian lettuce? : RUBLE

42. Fog machine substance : DRY ICE. Carbon Dioxide cooled to around -110F.

No self-respecting 70's rock band would be seen dead on stage without it. Here's Led Zeppelin rocking the CO2.

44. Average : SO-SO

46. Ballerina's hairdo : BUN

47. Prohibit : NIX,  Funny, I used Pig Latin "ixnay" in the blog last week.

48. Offensive to some, for short : UN-PC. People get offended by MacBooks? Oh - wait. Not politically-correct.

49. Rescue squad initials : EMS

50. ___ Fridays : TGI

53. Speak harshly : RASP

55. ''Fine by me'' : OKAY

57. Salon piece : ARTICLE. Wig? Toupée? Oh - "salon" in the literary gathering sense.

59. Swallowed one's pride : ATE CROW

62. Chinese cooking staple : PEANUT OIL

64. "__ were the days" : THOSE

65. Not working : AT LEISURE

66. "Lone Survivor" military group : SEALS. From the movie adaptation of the book by Marcus Luttrell. Many current and ex-members of the elite forces are upset by the proliferation of "insider" books being published as they feel it damages the esprit de corps without which the units could not function.

67. Speak, old-style : SAY'ST,

Quince: What say'st thou, bully Bottom?

A Midsummer Night's Dream, I, iii William Shakespeare

68. Not strict : LAX

69. One of two in Pompeii : DOT. I missed this until the write-up - the crosses filled it in for me. Funny clue - two dots over two "i"s.

Down:

1. "Paradise Lost," e.g. : EPIC

2. Marinara brand : RAGU. I never buy it, it takes about 60 seconds to make your own. A can of San Marzano tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, chilli pepper, salt, dried oregano, give it a whizz with your stick blender and bingo! Cleanup takes 20 seconds. No-brainer.

4. Workshop gadget : VISE. Spelt VICE in England. This bilingual thing is tough.

5. Derby or boater : HAT

6. Huge success : SMASH

8. Laudatory verses : ODES. Sometimes written on Grecian urns. No?

9. Tighten, as laces : RETIE

10. Kept quiet : SAT ON

11. Paradises : EDENS

13. Really bad : EVIL

16. Good buys : STEALS

20. Get rid of : LOSE

25. Knocked out : AWED

26. "Tootsie" actress : GARR. Thank you, crosses.

28. Co-producer of the art rock album "High Life" : ENO. Busy chap, Brian.

30. Little, in Marseille : PEU. Stumped me for a moment - not petit/petite? Ah - a small amount, un peu. You can also have "un petit peu" if you're going extra-small.

35. "America's Got Talent" judge Heidi : KLUM. One of my friends sometimes handles security for her. He says she's completely down-to-earth. Here she is wearing a body-paint swimsuit for "Sports Illustrated".

36. Deep desires : YENS

38. Lust, e.g. : SIN

40. Weigh station unit : TON

43. Praises : EXALTS

45. Pick out of a crowd : SPOT

50. Spanish appetizers : TAPAS. They were originally simple slices of bread you put over your wine glass to keep the flies out, then the bars started dressing 'em up with a smear of this and that. "Tapa" means "cover".

51. Actress Scacchi : GRETA

52. Birthplace of the violin : ITALY

54. Peninsular capital : SEOUL

56. Icy Hot target : ACHE

58. Supermodel Sastre : INES. Crosses. I'm not too up on my supermodels, although Heidi Klum is in my "known" category.

59. Longtime teammate of Derek : ALEX. I tried A-ROD first. Gong! Wrong!

60. Nobel Peace Center locale : OSLO

61. From Green Bay to St. Paul : WEST

63. Often rolled-over item : IRA

Here's the grid, with the circles for those of you who didn't get them:

Have a great day. I'm going to "The Happiest Place on Earth" today (Disneyland, not my kitchen!) with my daughter who is visiting from London. 

Steve

Wednesday, April 27, 2016 Mike Doran

Theme: Homophonic Quartet.  Four Two-word phrases have like-sounding second words, all spelt differently.    Straight forward theme idea.

17. Equipment for picnic competitions : POTATO SACKS.   Used for monopodic races.

23. Embryo development sites : AMNIOTIC SACS.   The fluid-filled membrane container where embryos reside and develop until birth or hatching in reptiles, birds and mammals.

51. Big name on Wall Street : GOLDMAN SACHS.  New York based multinational investment banking firm.

62. Lisa Simpson's instrument : BARITONE SAX.   The bari is distinguished by the tubing bend that extends higher than the mouth piece.

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here.  The challenge with this kind of theme is first finding a quartet of homophones, then fitting them into symmetric pairs of in-the-language phrases to build a grid around.  This one is really well done.  With the sound-alikes behind us, lets see what else is in store.

Across

1. Bumper car, at times : RAMMER.   The fun of bumper cars is to have as many collisions as possible.  Still, rather an awkward opener.

7. Cookbook author Rombauer : IRMA.  (1887 - 1962) Author of The Joy of Cooking.

11. Smoke : CIGarette.  The thing that is smoked becomes a smoke.  Language is funny that way.  I tried to smoke a fish once, but couldn't keep it lit.

14. Lancelot's unrequited lover : ELAINE. Of Astolat, who dies of grief for her unrequited love, as related in the versions of the Arthurian legend by Mallory and Tennyson.  She is also the inspiration for Tennyson's The Lady of Shalott.

15. Assam products : TEAS.  Dried leaves, boiled in water.  Just that.   As I pointed out last week, we have a cuppa most afternoons.

16. Barcelona bear : OSO.  Note the alliteration.

19. Grabbed a chair : SAT.

20. Melee : SET TO.  Brawl.

21. Ballet bend : PLIE.  At the knees, with the feet positioned just so.  

PLIES and thank you

22. State with five national parks : UTAH.   The Bee Hive State, home to last week's Antelope Island.

26. Priestly vestment : ALB.

From the Latin for "White"

29. Right Guard rival : BAN.   Underarm deodorants.

30. Old anesthetic : ETHER.

31. Willy Loman, in a 1949 play : SALESMAN.  Multiple Tony Award winner Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller, adapted for the silver screen in 1951, and nominated for many Oscars.

34. Architect Jones : INIGO.   B 1573 - D 1652, which might be why none of us have ever heard of him.  Unlike this guy.

37. McDonald's founder : KROC.   Ray (1902-1984) Little known factoid - He chose the name McDonald's because Krocburgers are only popular in Florida.

38. Make really happy : ELATE.

41. Nobel Prize subj. : ECONomics, the dismal science.

42. "Cheers!" : SKOAL.  A Scandinavian toast, not involving knackebrod.

44. Connections traced on ancestry.com : HERITAGE.   Anything passed down from previous generations.

46. Tiny amounts : DRAMS.  Each dram is 1/16 oz. or 1.7718451953125 grams.  Scarcely enough for a decent SKOAL.

49. Chill in the air : NIP.   A word with many meanings, one of which might be accompanied by a SKOAL.

50. Denials : NOS.  Opposite of yeses, not abbreviated numbers.

55. French friends : AMIS.   French buddies would lose the alliteration.

56. Elevator option : DOWN.  Also a duck option.  And one may duck DOWN.  Neat how that all fits.  But DOWN as an across fill?!?  Is that even legal?

57. Horseshoe-shaped letter : OMEGA.   Only in its upper-case version (capital: Ω, lowercase: ω; Greek Ωμέγα.)    Last letter of the 24 character Greek alphabet.

61. Tried to get into an office : RAN.   Political office.  Moving right along  .  .  .

64. With 43-Down, what a criminal might be on : THE.   We'll defer completing this until we get to 43 D.

65. Augusta National's __ Corner : AMEN.   Too long a story to relate.  You can read about it here.

66. British Invasion star : BEATLE.  Back in my 'ute.  What - no love for The Troggs?!?

67. Doesn't lack : HAS.  Round about clue for possesses.

68. Nothing more than : MERE.

69. Its flag features a six-pointed star : ISRAEL.  I had a star flag last week too.  This is getting spooky.

Zion

Down

1. Weight room count : REPS.  Repetitions of a lifting maneuver.  Typically 8 to 12 REPS to a set, 3 sets to a routine.

2. Burn soother : ALOE.  Plant juice.  ALOE, my name is INIGO  .  .  . 

3. Damon of "The Martian" : MATT.

Stranger in a Strange Land

4. Mazda roadster : MIATA.

Available since 1989

5. Inters : ENTOMBS.  Alternative to underground burial.

6. Classic auto : REO.

Subtly understated

7. Novelist Calvino : ITALO.   [1923-1985] Italian journalist, author of short stories and novels, occasional crossword resident.

8. Deliver from memory : RECITE.    Do you know your lines?

9. Succeed : MAKE IT.    OK - but where?

10. In the Gospels, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on one : ASS.  As in donkey.

11. San José denizen : COSTA RICAN.  Do you know the way?

12. First name in gravity : ISAAC.   Newton.

13. Some black-clad teens : GOTHS.   Who knew this was still a thing?

Puts Severus Snape in a whole new light - or perhaps dark

18. "This Is __ Tap" : SPINAL.   Rock documentary parody from 1984.

22. Early Web forum : USENET.   Worldwide distributed discussion system that debuted in 1980.

24. Title : NAME.  These do not strike me as being equivalent.

25. City with two MLB teams : CHIcago.  Also, one each of football, basketball and hockey.

26. More than wonders : ASKS.  Another odd clue. Asking is not wondering raised to a higher level.

27. Carefree adventure : LARK.

28. Connections traced on ancestry.com : BLOODLINES.  Familial relationships, and a rare full multi-word chleco.

32. Modern birthday greetings : E-CARDS.   We are so retro we send the paper ones via the USPS.

33. "Can't help ya" : NAH.  A generic negative response.

35. Disco adjective : GO-GO.

36. Tip jar fillers : ONES.  Dollar bills.

39. Lease signer : TENANT.   Apartment renter.

40. "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" writer Carle : ERIC.

Picture puzzle

43. See 64-Across : LAM.  Apparently this is an old word meaning to beat or thrash.  So to go on THE LAM is literally to beat it.

45. Galaxy alternatives : I-PHONES.  Hand held communicating and computing devices.

47. Title for Bovary : MADAME.   Emma, the eponym for Gustav Flaubert's first novel.

48. Distracting bedmate : SNORER.  Let's not get personal.

51. "Party on, Wayne" speaker : GARTH.   From Wayne's World on SNL.

52. City on the Missouri : OMAHA, Nebraska -- Gary?

53. Sty denizens : SWINE.   Big piggies, little piggies, sows.

54. Ugly campaign tactic : SMEAR.   We'll have none of that here.

58. "¿Cómo __?" : ESTA.   How are you?

59. "The Wizard of Oz" family name : GALE.  

60. Skater's maneuver : AXEL.  Available in single up to at least quad varieties.

62. Impact sound : BAM.  Or pow!  Yet another rerun from last week.

63. Geisha's sash : OBI.

Elaborate

OK, that wraps it up.  I had a few nits, but over-all a good Wednesday offering, with a bit of deja vu at no extra cost.   Looks like this might be an L.A. Times debut for Mike Doran.  Congrats, Mike. Nicely done.

SKOAL!
JzB

Tuesday, April 26, 2016 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: Multiple Use - Various meanings for the same word.

20A. Keep in suspense : LEAVE HANGING. Hanging File.

35A. Department store fixture : DISPLAY CASE. Case File. Often found in a hanging file.

42A. Shingle securer : ROOFING NAIL. Nail File. (relevant at 2:50)

59A. It may be affixed to an email ... and, literally, what the last word of 20-, 35- and 42-Across can have : ATTACHED FILE

Argyle here with Gail and Bruce. Pretty straight forward Tuesday puzzle.

Across:

1. Doorbell sound : DONG. Mrs. Wiggins is the DING.

5. Radio switch : AM/FM

9. Pop out of the CD player : EJECT

14. "Young Frankenstein" helper : IGOR

15. "Deck the Halls" syllables : FA LA la la la, la la la la.

16. Use crayons : COLOR

17. "The West Wing" actor Alan : ALDA

18. Fed. agent : G-MAN

19. Best way to sing : ON KEY

23. Maker of Fiesta Flats taco shells : ORTEGA

24. Gorilla who learned sign language : KOKO

25. "__ you for real?" : ARE

28. Half a Mork-to-Orson farewell : NANU. There is an interesting connection between Robin Williams and Koko.

30. Symbol : EMBLEM

32. Suffers from : HAS

38. Tunnel effect : ECHO

40. Actor's prompt : CUE

41. "We gotta move!" : "C'MON!"

47. Roulette bet : ODD

48. Like a spoiled child : BRATTY

49. Didn't need to guess : KNEW

51. Weekly NBC offering since 1975, briefly : SNL

52. Takes notice of : SEEs

55. Like some country songs : TWANGY

61. Drummer Ringo : STARR

64. Sheepish smile : GRIN

65. First name in bike stunts : EVEL Knievel.

66. Japanese verse : HAIKU

67. Tupperware tops : LIDS

68. Harvest : REAP. Wild oats?

69. Kentucky Derby racer : HORSE

70. Sporting weapon : ÉPÉE

71. Lacking, in Lorraine : SANS. Sans Souci (French for "no worries" or "carefree")

Down:

1. Old way to place a collect call : DIAL O. While Mother's Day has the highest number of phone calls, the most collect calls are made on Father's Day.[

2. Creepy admirer : OGLER

3. Signal silently to : NOD AT

4. Sculptured, as an image : GRAVEN

5. Kabul native : AFGHANI

6. Wee one's word : MAMA

7. __ steak : FLANK

8. Tropical fruit : MANGO

9. Political debate topic : ECONOMY

10. "Fear of Flying" author Erica : JONG. She's 74 and living in Manhattan.

11. Antlered animal : ELK

12. Two-time 1500-meter gold medalist Sebastian : COE

13. Give it a whirl : TRY

21. "My stars!" : "EGAD!"

22. Maker of NORDLI furniture : IKEA

25. Texas tourist spot : ALAMO

26. Fix a green : RESOD

27. Revise : EMEND

29. Shoreline protection gp. : USCG. (United States Coast Guard)

31. Discreetly send a dupe email to : BCC. (Blind Carbon Copy)

32. Chef's flavorings : HERBS

33. Oak-to-be : ACORN. Mighty oaks from little acorns grow.

34. Sandbar : SHOAL

36. Lewis Carroll specialty : PUN. Favorites?

37. Security issue : LEAK

39. Time and again, to a bard : OFT

43. "Honest!" : "IT'S TRUE!"

44. Kremlin rejection : NYET

45. Passionate : INTENSE

46. R-rated, perhaps : LEWD

50. Thin cookies : WAFERS

53. Sharp-eyed flier : EAGLE

54. Rx, for short : SCRIP

56. Skin lotion brand : NIVEA

57. Collect incrementally : GLEAN

58. Sounds from a kennel : YELPS

59. Sacred chests : ARKS

60. Hole up : HIDE

61. Librarian's warning : [SHH!]

62. Confucian "path" : TAO

63. Go public with : AIR

Argyle

Monday, April 25, 2016 C.W. Stewart

Theme: Check your inventory - You can't SELL what you don't HAVE.

17A. *Sing on key : CARRY A TUNE

40A. *Try, with "at" : HAVE A GO

64A. Make available, as merchandise ... and a hint to the start of the answers to starred clues : KEEP ON HAND

11D. *Underestimate : SELL SHORT

35D. *Cattle enterprise : STOCK FARM

Argyle tending the store. A somewhat antiquated business model in this age of zero inventory but still viable if you are selling goods to the public. Certainly a doable Monday with a pinwheel grid. Throw in a couple of eight-letter climbers for good measure.

Across:

1. One capsule, say : DOSE

5. Metaphorical sticking points : CRAWS. Hard to swallow.

10. Jacob's twin : ESAU

14. App that connects riders with drivers : UBER. In the news a lot.

15. Hard pattern to break : HABIT

16. Prominent giraffe feature : NECK

19. Skedaddle : FLEE

20. "Please, I've heard enough," in texts : TMI. (too much information)

21. Speaker on a soapbox : ORATOR

22. Cutlass automaker : OLDS. Bygone.

23. Jungle adventure : SAFARI

25. Store with Kenmore appliances : SEARS

27. Sloppy : MESSY

30. Corsage flower : ORCHID

33. Players in a play : CAST

36. Severely injure : MAIM

38. Crystal-bearing rock : GEODE. Looks like an orchid.

39. Illuminated : LIT

42. Civil War soldier : REB

43. Desert building brick : ADOBE

45. Fashion magazine that's also a French pronoun : ELLE

46. In-flight predictions: Abbr. : ETAs. (estimated time of arrival)

47. Trickery : DECEIT

49. Discourage : DETER

51. 24-__ gold : KARAT

53. Draft choices : LAGERS

57. Whitewater ride : RAFT. So close to DRAFT.

59. One with a bleeping job : CENSOR

62. Feel sorry about : RUE

63. Notable periods : ERAs

66. Law business : FIRM

67. Entices : LURES

68. Continent explored by Marco Polo : ASIA

69. "__ old thing" : SAME

70. Lyric poem : EPODE

71. Neighbor of Kent. : TENN. (Kentucky/Tennessee)

Down:

1. Tear conduits : DUCTS

2. Bush successor : OBAMA

3. Sans __: type style : SERIF

4. Make a mistake : ERR

5. Compelling charm : CHARISMA

6. Pro __: in proportion : RATA

7. Share a border with : ABUT

8. Lushes : WINOs

9. Hi-fi system : STEREO

10. Implement, as laws : ENFORCE

12. Breezed through, as a test : ACED

13. Luau instruments : UKEs

18. Days of old : YORE

24. Tsp. or tbsp. : AMT. (amount)

26. Constellation named for a mythological ship : ARGO. Argo Navis was a large constellation in the southern sky that has since been divided into three constellations. ~ Wikipedia

28. Rescue : SAVE

29. On-ramp sign : YIELD

31. Original thought : IDEA

32. Belles at balls : DEBS

33. Not naked : CLAD

34. Teacher's helper : AIDE

37. Bachelor party attendee : MALE

40. Estate beneficiary : HEIR

41. Warm up for the game : GET LOOSE

44. "I'm baffled" : "BEATS ME"

46. Unit of work : ERG

48. Bring down the running back : TACKLE

50. Make, as a living : EARN

52. Prepare to drive, as a golf ball : TEE UP

54. Wipe clean : ERASE

55. Altercation : RUN-IN. I ran into trouble finding the derivation of "run-in". See 44-Down.

56. Family auto : SEDAN

57. Foul callers, at times : REFs

58. Operatic song : ARIA

60. Fictional sleuth Wolfe : NERO

61. Went like the wind : SPED

65. It may be tipped by a gentleman : HAT

Argyle

1) George Barany and Friends just released this tribute puzzle about a true Minnesotan original.

1) Happy Birthday to Kazie (Kay), who has been contributing to our blog a few months after I started. Kay grew up in Australia, met her husband while traveling in Spain. She still travels to Europe frequently. Her son and their beautiful family live in Germany right now.

Kay and her husband Barry on Tamborine Mountain, overlooking Brisbane

Sunday, April 24, 2016 Garry Morse

Theme: "Musical Variations" - Definitions of three musical notes.

23A. SHARP : STYLISHLY DRESSED

31A. SHARP : PUNGENT IN TASTE. The answer made me think of  Kimchi.

41A. SHARP : SHREWD GAMBLER

66A. NATURAL : CRAPS WINNER. New to me. Never played Craps. Boomer loves it. He once played in the same table as Dr. J.

93A. FLAT : BRIT'S DWELLING

102A. FLAT : NO LONGER BUBBLY

115A. FLAT : TROUBLE ON THE ROAD

We also have these PIANO (19. With 62-Across, many a sonata) and 62. See 19-Across : PIECE

Theme answers  in definition puzzles are often made-up, more suited to be clues. I tried a few myself. It's really hard to make them in the language and match one another in letter count.

Across:

  

1. Kitchen cover : APRON. This made RAYS (3D. One of eight teams that never won a World Series) easy to get, unless you thought of REDS. They have has 5 titles.

6. Outlaw played by Tyrone in 1939 : JESSE

11. Speculate : MUSE. Felt silly not to nail MASON (11. Layer of bricks). I was not thinking of lay-er, of course.

15. Letter-shaped beam : Z-BAR. Just filled in ?BAR and moved on.

20. Skateboard maneuver : OLLIE

21. Copied : APED

22. Living __ : A LIE

26. Student's complete file, to a teacher : CUME. Cumulative. Learning moment for me.

27. Enters carefully : EASES IN

28. Hardships : WOES

29. Trees whose fruit yields a moisturizing butter : SHEAS. Tempted to buy the pure shea butter on Amazon.

30. Author Rand : AYN

36. Some U.S. Army transports : UTES

39. Palmer with trophies : ARNIE

40. Nasty smiles : SNEERS. Not SMIRKS.

 

46. Mole's activity : SPYING

49. Cause of an allergic response : CAT. And 51. Unwelcome sign for a 49-Across owner : NO PETS

50. Pilot maker : HONDA

 

54. Actress Vardalos : NIA

55. Western, calendar-wise : GREGORIAN. Might have nailed if "chant" was referenced.

57. Medicated : DOSED

58. Cravings : URGES

60. Tech sch. overlooking the Hudson : RPI. 125. 60-Across, e.g.: Abbr. : INST. Both Spitzboov and his son went there. Splynter was there for a year as well.

61. Signing, perhaps : OK'ING

63. Ruth around bases : BABE

72. Tests for advanced-deg. seekers : GREs. Also 14. Teacher's deg. : EDD. Doctor of Education.

73. Didn't feel well : AILED

75. Drawn: Abbr. : ILLUS. OK, illustrated

76. Sense of self : EGO

78. Burning up : IRATE

79. Old enough : OF AGE

80. Game show host for 50 years : BOB BARKER. The Price is Right.

86. __ garden : ZEN

87. Capital of Kazakhstan : ASTANA. Well, Borat knows.

89. Earthen building material : ADOBE

90. Before, in verse : ERE

91. 1990s TV judge : ED KOCH. I only knew him as the New York City mayor.

97. Ferris Bueller's girlfriend : SLOANE. No idea. I did see the movie though. 

100. Tough as __ : NAILS

101. Some deposits : ORES

106. Incidentally, in texts : BTW. Also 115D. "Enough details, please" : TMI

108. Kindle reading, briefly : EMAGS. Not EBOOK, which would not need the "briefly" tag.

109. Online search results : URLS. Not HITS.

110. Ill-fated 2006 Kentucky Derby champion : BARBARO. He had a false start and broke his leg. 

114. Fighting : ANTI. Not AT IT.

120. Connections : TIES

121. "Sweet is the breath of __": Milton : MORN

122. Bordeaux bye : ADIEU

123. Time being : NONCE

124. Dost possess : HAST

126. Fall plantings : BULBS. We finally moved the three vibrant plants Irish Miss sent to me to our little garden. Don't think the cold weather will return.

127. Boss mocked by Nast : TWEED

Down:

1. Church area : APSE

2. Naan relative : PITA. This is the famous Xi'an-style Pita. The pork is cooked for many hours, with various spices. Xi'an has a large Muslim population. They normally use beef/ lamb and cumin.

4. Like many fleet autos : ON LEASE

5. Cacophonous : NOISY

6. He frequently toured with Joel : JOHN

7. Architectural add-on : ELL

8. Sneaky : SLY

9. Comical Caesar : SID

10. Slogan ending? : EER. Just sloganeer.

12. Political surprises : UPSETS. And 112. Political contest : RACE

13. Welcomes : SEES IN

15. President before Millard : ZACHARY. All crosses.

16. Ma Rainey, notably : BLUES SINGER. Wiki said she's called "Mother of the Blues". Another learning moment for me.

17. Draw a bead on : AIM AT

18. Dodger teammate of Robinson : REESE (Pee Wee)

24. Preacher's subject : SIN

25. Lady in a lea : EWE

29. Increases : STEPS UP

31. Devil's wear, in a 2006 film : PRADA. "The Devil Wears Prada".

32. Dispirit : UNMAN

33. Bird's beak : NIB. Can also be NEB (119D. First st. admitted to the Union after the Civil War).

34. Shampoo, e.g. : GEL. I actually drew a blank.

35. Cozy home : NEST

36. Maritime safety gp. : USCG

37. Whaler's direction : THAR

38. Deco designer : ERTE

39. Latin lambs : AGNI. I thought Agnes' name originated in "lambs". But Wiki says it means "holy" and "pure".

42. Smack : WHOP

43. Architectural order including circular column tops : DORIC. Hi there, Dudley.

44. Mushroom in Japanese cuisine : ENOKI. In Chinese cooking as well.

45. Violinist's supply : ROSIN

47. Bridget Fonda, to Jane : NIECE

48. Noble __ : GASES

52. "Milk" Oscar recipient : PENN (Sean)

53. One of a cube's dozen : EDGE

56. Receive : GREET

57. Look for water : DOWSE

59. Strictness : RIGOR

63. Faux felt : BAIZE. Billiard table cover.

64. Put on : AIRED

65. Tabulae rasae : BLANK SLATES. Nice long entry.

67. Life of the party : RIOT

68. Radio code opener : ALFA

69. Backup option : PLAN B

70. Sweets : SUGAR

71. Jewish spiritual leader : REBBE. Same as Rabbi?

74. Parish officials : DEACONS

77. Hebrides native : GAEL

80. Herb in pesto : BASIL

81. "Strange as it may seem ... " : ODDLY

82. Shows of respect : BOWS. Seems harsh these days. But  I kowtowed to my old relatives when we visited them during Chinese New Year. Then they gave me red envelops with money inside. Normally it's one jiao. My older uncle, who was a doctor, always gave me two jiao, little over 2 American cents. How things have changed!

83. Dullea of "2010: The Year We Make Contact" : KEIR. Never saw the movie.

84. Fish-eating flier : ERNE. Not TERN or GULL.

85. Stds. of conduct : REGS. OK, regulations.

88. Plush carpet : SHAG

92. Academic expert, facetiously : OLOGIST. Never heard of it.

94. Like Shostakovich's "Symphony No. 2" : IN B

95. Folder aid : TAB

96. Hardly intellectual : LOWBROW

98. Impulse-conducting cell : NEURON

99. Proofer's finds : ERRORS

102. Not o'er : NEATH

103. __ vincit amor : OMNIA. 

104. Direct : BLUNT

105. PC port : USB

106. "Phooey!" : BAH

107. Nine Inch Nails founder Reznor : TRENT. Only know Senator Lott.

110. A/C units : BTUs

111. Tops : A-ONE

113. Pigged out (on) : OD'ED

116. Chocolate pet : LAB

117. Student's email ending : EDU

118. Van Gogh work : OIL

C.C.

Saturday, Apr 23rd, 2016, Doug Peterson & Patti Varol

Theme: DP & PV

Words: 70 (missing J,Q,V,X,Z)

Blocks: 32

  It's like déjà vu all over again~!  This duo had a Saturday offering just three weeks ago.  When it came up today, I thought I signed in to the wrong date.  Unlike that last grid, this has only one spanner, plus a 13-letter climber, four 10-, and two 9-letter fills as well.  I also smoked through this one in near record time, and without any look-ups or red-letter cheats.  The long answers;

35a. Side with waves : CRINKLE-CUT FRIES - I like my fries close to burned

15d. Bug on the road : CLASSIC BEETLE

sha-na-nOn-WARD~!

ACROSS:

1. Loves to solve, say? : ANAGRAM - excellent way to start off a crossword puzzle - we all loves to solve, don't we~?  I got the misdirection immediately

8. Mavens : SHARKS

14. Sudden and swift : METEORIC - like a rise to fame

16.* Company that annually honors "Women of Worth" : L'OREAL

17. Batter's dream : MEAT BALL - never heard the term; I am sure C.C. knows all about this

18.* 2015 World Golf Hall of Fame inductee : O'MEARA

19. Action figures? : ODDS - har-har

20. 1954 film based on the short story "It Had to Be Murder" : REAR WINDOW

22. Four-time Australian Open winner : AGASSI

24.* LBJ theater : 'NAM - a few apostrophe answers this week *

25. Key of Mozart's Symphony No. 39 : E FLAT - ha-HA~!  I put in " _ FLAT" and waited on perps~!

27. Fix, as a toy : SPAY - oh, clever.  I went with MEND, but this refers to the 'toy' dog

29. Kisser : YAP - not GOB

32. Weapon with a nock : ARROW

33. Subatomic particle : PION - I WAGed MUon, and that was 100% 50% correct

34. Former Italian statesman Moro : ALDO - perps and WAGs

38. Rapper Nate : DOGG - According to Wiki, he's a cousin of "Snoop"

39. Obligation : DEBT

40. Copious : AMPLE

41. Second-century date : CLI - well, I threw in "C", and waited

42. Sister of Dakota : ELLE - filled in via perps; I know Dakota was the little girl in the remake of "War of the Worlds", but forgot she was the little girl in "Man on Fire", too.  She's grown up....

43. Got up : AROSE

44. Dig for hard-to-get clams? : DUN - I gotta tell ya, I just don't get this.  I thought "ATM" was a clever answer, but no

46. Harder to hold : EELIER - and then I nailed this one

48. "Ocean's 11" co-star : DEAN MARTIN - ah, the original.  I am a big fan of the remake, personally

51. Dog with a typically blue-black tongue : CHOW - I knew this because my room-mate in Cincinnati Ohio had one - the dog, that is....

55. They often drive people home : RBI MEN - more baseball

56. Leave alone : LET SLIDE - I parsed this as Lets Lide, and it didn't jive

58. Check : ARREST

59. Tangled up : ENSNARED - clecho with; 42. Tangle up : ENMESH - having the answers both be "EN" words seems a bit borderline

60. Sturm und Drang novelist : GOETHE - I was curious; the Wiki

61. Fusible alloys : SOLDERS - I am constructing a bathroom in the house, complete with Jacuzzi.  Nice.  I am going to build a copper manifold - using solder.  After I install that in the crawlspace, I'm running PEX to the fixtures.  So far, so good.

Not me

DOWN:

1. Shell collection : AMMO - well, I had the "A", so I went with this, tho I do not see an abbrvtn in the clue

2. Grant factor : NEED

3. Ever so slightly : A TAD

4. Plays nice : GETS ALONG

5. Deprive : ROB

6. Dormant Turkish volcano : ARARAT - I knew it was the landing site of Noah's Ark, but not that it was a volcano

7. Quite a distance : MILES - great name for your chauffeur, too

8. Yawn-inducing : SLOW

9. Corny stuff : HOMINY

10. Staples Center, e.g. : ARENA - home of the LA Kings from the NHL

11. Statement before taxes are dealt with? : READ MY LIPS - and a direct quote in this song from Megadeth;

George Bush @ 2:42

12. Pecan pie syrup : KARO - I got this - and I don't bake

13. Popular side : SLAW

21. Remove roughly : RIP OUT - like, say, splynters~!!!

23. Rubberneck : GAWK - viz. 15d.

25. Tasmanian-born Flynn : ERROL - first Flynn I thought of

26. Appliance brand owned by Electrolux : FRIGIDAIRE - didn't know this fact, but the word fit....

28. Pangolin snack : ANT - whoa~!  I have never heard of or seen this animal before - now I want one - and we have an ant problem in the house, too

30. Oscar winner for "Skyfall" : ADELE - gratuitous image for C.C.

31. Ask : POSE

32. "Rock or Bust" band : AC/DC - perps got me A - - C; pretty much a gimme for me

33. Kitchen tool : PEELER

34. Like jousters : ARMOR-CLAD

36. Cholesterol letters : LDL

37. What's on the menu : FARE

43.* "You're lyin'!" : AIN'T SO

45. Yet to be fulfilled : UNMET

47. Legal claims : LIENS

48. Main __ : DRAG - Squeeze and Street didn't fit

49. The Aragón feeds it : EBRO - see map, below

50. It may precede a deal : ANTE

52. Bring on : HIRE

53. River to the Baltic : ODER - see map, below

 and nearly another anagram, too

54. Forms a union : WEDS

57. Show with Kenan Thompson, briefly : SNL

Splynter