Sunday July 17, 2011 John R. Conrad

Theme: Wi-Fi Interference - Wi is replaced by Fi in each familiar phrase.

24A. Angler's daydream? : (W)FISHFUL THINKING

33A. Participate in a food fight? : FLIP ONE'S (W)FIG. The first letter F shouldn't be bothersome, as the theme is Wi to Fi conversion. Same with the extra Fs in 83A and 82D.

51A. Ophthalmologist's diagnosis? : EYE(W)FITNESS NEWS

83A. Auto design now, vis-�-vis the 1950s? : NO - (W)FIN SITUATION

101A. Offshore WBA venue? : ISLE OF (W)FIGHT

111A. Round up a passel of stoolies? : CATCH FORTY (W)FINKS. I like "a passel of" description.

4D. Bulldozer specification? : (W)FILL POWER

82D. Unrestrained Kentucky Derby entrant? : FREE (W)FILLY

Not familiar with John R Conrad. Cruciverb shows he had 2 puzzles with LA Times in 2006. Welcome back!

I like the theme. Grokked the gimmick earlier on. When I read the title, I thought some Fi's will be changed to Wi's, some Wi's will be changed to Fi's. That would be a little chaotic, but more fun. Yes?

Across:

1. Cram : STUFF. First thought: JAM IN

6. "Forget it, I'm just ranting" : IGNORE ME. Didn't come to me readily.

14. Rub : ABRADE

20. Nobelist Curie : MARIE

21. Finely worked fabrics : BROCADES. Like this. Bill G's wife should know something about that fabric.

22. Daytime TV fare : SOAPER

23. Slant : ANGLE

26. Adler of the stage : STELLA. Not familiar with this name. Would be great if it's clued as "A Streetcar Named Desire" related, since we also have 75A. Kowalski portrayer : BRANDO (Marlon) in the grid. Stanley Kowalski.

28. __ Tom� : SAO

29. Rial spender : OMANI

30. Door fastener : HASP

31. N, in many org. names : NATL

39. Ending with switch : EROO. Switcheroo. And 88A. Ranch ending : ERO. Ranchero.

40. Second: Abbr. : ASST

41. Amount to make do with : LESS. Tricky clue.

42. Have a party, say : HOST

43. Implemented, as an idea : RAN WITH

45. Subatomic particle : MUON. This word just looks so wrong.

46. Hot thing on a horse? : TIP. Oh, horse racing.

49. '90s Indian prime minister : RAO. No idea. I do know Rai though, as in the stunning Aishwarya Rai. It seems that Rai, Rao and Raja are all variants of some royal surname.

50. Jawbreaker rock genre : EMO

55. Guru's residence : ASHRAM

58. Dotted line, at times: Abbr. : PERF

59. Delights : ELATES

60. Pacific Coast, e.g.: Abbr. : HWY

61. Whirl : GYRATE

63. How author Charles Reade is named? : APTLY. We've seen this clue before.

65. Cardinal : MAIN. What did you have in mind when reading the clue?

68. Sneak : SIDLE

70. Yeses, to Yves : OUIs.

71. Corporate identifier : LOGO

72. B�te __ : NOIRE

73. Shrek, e.g. : OGRE

74. Vaughan Williams contemporary : HOLST (Gustave). "The Planets" composer. Nailed it, Jayce?

77. Enforcers, with "the" : LAW

78. Amplified : ON MIKE

80. "The X-Files" org. : SETI (Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence)

81. Compensate for : OFFSET

87. "__ the fields ..." : O'ER

89. Verb addition? : OSE. Verbose.

90. Salacious stuff : SMUT

91. It's tapped to make syrup : TREE SAP

95. Natural successor : HEIR

97. Go over hastily : SCAN

98. Kick (out) : DRUM

100. Jennifer of "Pride and Prejudice" (1995) : EHLE. Total stranger. How do you pronounce Ehle?

105. Bit : IOTA

106. Minnesota __ : FATS

107. Way through a fence : STILE

108. Apple for the teacher? : MAC. Why? Teachers mostly use Mac?

109. __ training : TOILET

118. Loud noise : BLARE

119. Dance in 3/4 time : MINUET

120. Aromatic : REDOLENT

121. "__ Nothin'": "Oklahoma!" song : ALL ER

122. Main road : ARTERY

123. Evaluated : ASSESSED

124. Twosomes : DYADs

Down:

1. Lollapalooza : SMASHER. Lollapalooza is a strange word.

2. Clarion blast : TANTARA

3. Pushes : URGES ON

5. React emotionally to : FEEL

6. Pugilists' org. : IBF (International Boxing Federation)

7. Mill inputs : GRISTs

8. Dietary restriction : NO SALT

9. Figura de __: Spanish ice-skater's move : OCHO. Figure eight.

10. Churchill's "so few": Abbr. : RAF

11. End of a dean's address : EDU

12. Brooks of "The Producers" : MEL

13. Bars at the bar : ESTOPS. Do you actually use this in your work, Lemonade/Hahtool?

14. Mongolian, e.g. : ASIAN

15. "__ chance, Monsieur!" : BONNE

16. Debonair : RAKISH

17. Bee: Pref. : API

18. Animal house : DEN. I've never seen "Animal House".

19. 0.0000001 joules : ERG. I bet constructor/Rich and his test-solvers had to check twice to make sure they got the right numbers of 0.

25. Med. care provider : HMO

27. Gray area? : ANATOMY

32. __ Wednesday : ASH

33. Lightweight news story, say : FLUFF

34. First of 13 popes : LEO I

35. "__ It Romantic?" : ISN'T

36. Roman war galley features : FORESAILS

37. Witness's words : I SAW. And 47. Words to an old chap : I SAY

38. Classic Pontiacs : GTOs

44. Candidate's concern : IMAGE

45. Least palpable, as a touch : MEREST

46. Expose : TELL ON

48. L.A. hours : PST

51. Shoulder ornament : EPAULET. I can never spell this word correctly.

52. Nepalese legends : YETIs

53. Bottom line : NET GAIN

54. Fictional captain who is the son of a raja : NEMO. Inferable.

55. "Gotcha!" : AH SO

56. Draft : SWIG

57. Swift watercraft : HYDROFOIL New word to me.

62. Novice : ROOKIE

63. Even though : ALBEIT

64. Brazil's __ Alegre : PORTO

66. "Dies __": hymn : IRAE

67. Small salamander : NEWT

69. Director Riefenstahl : LENI. Always associate her with Hitler.

72. Like some credit cards : NO FEE

74. Blow off steam : HISS

76. Unassertive sort : DOORMAT

79. 6 on a handset : MNO

80. Fall on the set, perhaps : STUNT

83. Dr Pepper Snapple Group brand : NEHI

84. Blast furnace input : OREs

85. Its academy is in New London, Conn. : USCG. Good to know.

86. Asian nursemaid : AMAH

91. "Tsk!" : TUT

92. Clinton cabinet member Donna : SHALALA

93. Didn't leave alone : ALTERED

94. Troubles : PESTERS

96. Get out of trouble : RESCUE

97. Communications word after Romeo : SIERRA. NATO alphabet.

98. Sawyer and Keaton : DIANEs

99. Coach of Notre Dame's "Four Horsemen" : ROCKNE (Knute). Knute is a popular Norwegian name.

102. Additional : OTHER

103. Grant's bill : FIFTY. I don't think I've used a fifty-dollar bill.

104. "Alice" waitress : FLO

108. Wire measures : MILs

110. O.T. book after Amos : OBAD. Stumped me. Obadiah.

111. Nashville-based awards org. : CMA

112. Go public with : AIR

113. Big bang cause : TNT

114. French possessive : TES. Your.

115. Cloth meas. : YDs

116. Them, often : FOE

117. Criterion: Abbr. : STD

Answer grid.

Alright, look at these adorable "Hard to Believe" photos. Tell me who that boy is. He looks so pensive on the first picture. (Added later: It's Splynter.)

C.C.

Sunday July 10, 2011 Julian Lim

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Sunday July 3, 2011 Samuel A. Donaldson

Theme: Say Again - Common phrases are humorously re-interpreted with their heteronym meanings. Heteronyms are words with identical spellings but different meanings and pronunciations.

23A. Understudy's crime? : LEAD POISONING

33A. Short ovation? : MINUTE HAND

49A. Instrument with colored bands? : STRIPED BASS

68A. Compliment on a skillful asphalt job? : GOOD EVENING

84A. Anesthetist's error? : WRONG NUMBER. Numb-er, stuff that numbs you.

101A. Fight among forest females? : DOES' BATTLE

117A. Clean kielbasa? : POLISH SAUSAGE

16D. Telescope? : METEOR SHOWER. Show-er. We've seen C-SPAN clued as "House shower" before.

64D. Jeans feature after a barbed wire encounter? : TRAIL OF TEARS

I bet Clear Ayes had fun with this puzzle. She's talked about & linked heteronym, homophone & homonym a few times on the blog.

This theme has been done before. Still fun to solve. Outstanding grid layout and fill.  Lots of sparkly phrases.

Across:

1. Woodcutter who knew the magic words : ALI BABA. "Open sesame!"

8. Wide divide : CHASM

13. Tribal magicians : SHAMANs.

20. European triumvirate : BENELUX. Belgium is so stuffy, including their Etam lingerie shops. Their "words of support" (a la Grumpy & Splynter yesterday) just don't feel sexy.

21. Variety show : REVUE

22. Catches the show : TUNES IN

25. Steamy stuff : EROTICA

26. Israeli weapons : UZIs

27. With 116-Down, "Bed-In for Peace" co-organizer : YOKO. And ONO (116D. See 27-Across).

28. Make amends : ATONE

30. Be a disincentive to : DETER

31. Eager, in dialect : RARIN

36. Sound on Old MacDonald's farm : OINK

37. Responses to the obvious : DUHs. D'ohs too.

39. Office orders : REAMS

40. __ Shore : JERSEY

42. The Joker portrayer : ROMERO (Cesar). I can only remember Heath Ledger.

45. Spot for "Spot" : TAG. Got me.

47. Concordes: Abbr. : SSTs. Crossing SSN (47D. No. under the year on many tax forms). Constructors' crutch fill.

48. Triumphant shout : AHA

55. Seafaring salutations : AHOYs

59. Some tablets : PCs

60. Official declaration : EDICT

61. "The Gates of Hell" sculptor : RODIN. See here.

62. Goes __: deteriorates : TO POT

63. Like some advanced research, briefly : POSTDOC (Postdoctoral)

65. Cues from a stage coach : LINEs. Theater stage. Not the wagon.

66. "Trust me!" : I SWEAR

67. Epps of "House" : OMAR

72. Mother of the Valkyries : ERDA. Drew a blank.

73. Short summaries : RECAPs

75. Garfield's creator : DAVIS (Jim). Gimme for JD/eddyB.

76. Clue room : LIBRARY

78. Shinto temple gateway : TORII. Wouldn't it be nice to clue it as Torii Hunter and cross-reference LAA (86A. A.L. West team, on scoreboards)? Hunter is the right fielder for the Angels.

79. Enter, as data : KEY IN

80. Start a rally : SERVE. Tennis.

82. Ballpoint brand : BIC

83. Fishhook-to-line connection : SNELL. Learned from doing Xword.

87. Vow : OATH

89. "Owner of a Lonely Heart" band : YES

90. Still in the outbox : UNSENT. Mine is in the Draft.

92. Andre's love : STEFFI (Graf)

95. 10% donation : TITHE

99. One might go around on the patio : SPIT. Lovely clue. Skewer.

100. __ Neuf: Paris bridge : PONT

105. Mitigates : EASES

109. Rubber tree yield : LATEX

111. Astound : FLOOR

112. Tug : YANK

114. Kennel sound : YELP

115. Got one's money's worth at the buffet : ATE A LOT. Only if they have pickled herrings. Then I might pig out.

120. Pottery casserole dish : TERRINE

121. "You're __ talk!" : ONE TO

122. Unpredictable : ERRATIC

123. Therapy time : SESSION

124. Exorcist's foe : DEMON

125. Old West gang : DALTONS. The Dalton Gang.

Down:

1. "It was over so fast" words : A BLUR. It's all a blur.

2. TV host Gibbons : LEEZA

3. "... bombs bursting __" : IN AIR

4. Like some comforting manners : BEDSIDE

5. Mont Blanc, e.g. : ALP

6. Lift : BUOY

7. Geometry class list : AXIOMS. All a blur to me, my geometry class years.

8. Serenade, perhaps : CROON

9. Fox's prey : HEN

10. Pilot : AVIATE

11. Naturally brewed beverage : SUN TEA. Lovely.

12. A lot of resistance : MEG OHM. OHM is resistance measure.

13. "The Feast of Saint Nicholas" painter : STEEN (Jan)

14. Judah Ben-__ : HUR

15. Give __ to: okay : A NOD

17. Currently : AS IT IS

18. Like a noted creed : NICENE. Nicene Creed.

19. Crotchety : SNARKY. Like some blog comments.

24. Go downhill fast? : SKI. I'm picturing Marti in action.

29. "If I Ruled the World" rapper : NAS

32. Helped get healthy : NURSED

34. Impulse : URGE

35. Short spinners? : DJs. "Short" implied an abbr. in answer.

38. Ballpark staples : HOT DOGS

41. Virginie-Occidentale et al. : ETATS. Virginie-Occidentale is French for West Virginia.

42. Close connections : RAPPORTs

43. "You can't be serious" : OH COME ON. Good entry.

44. Blowout on the court : MASSACRE. Crushing defeat!

45. First O, say : TIC. Tic-tac-toe.

46. Fitting : APT

50. Diamond wearer in "Copacabana" : RICO. Spanish for "rich".

51. With accuracy or distance, a golf stat : DRIVING. Nice clue.

52. Fox forensic drama : BONES

53. City SSE of Sana'a : ADEN. See this map.

54. Spanish ayes : SI SI

56. In working order : OPERABLE

57. "Rocky" catchphrase : YO ADRIAN. Great one.

58. Future adoptee, perhaps : STRAY CAT. Meow!

65. "Deathtrap" playwright : LEVIN (Ira)

66. "You win" : I GIVE UP

69. Baltic Sea feeder : ODER

70. "The Banana Boat Song" opening : DAY-O

71. Workers' rights agcy. : NLRB (National Labor Relations Board). No idea.

74. Rice preparation : PILAF. Like pilaf, Bill?

77. Longtime collaborator with Elton : BERNIE (Taupin). He wrote most of Elton John's songs.

79. Util. unit : KWH

80. You might do it after hiring a lawyer : SUE. Interesting turn of event in the ex-IMF chief case. Still a bad guy.

81. Marxism extremes? : EMs. The both ends of the word.

85. "Wrong, comrade" : NYET. Russian for "No".

88. Three times daily, on an Rx : TID. Ter in die.

91. Spends the night in : STAYS AT

92. Evidence of egg toss errors : SPLATS

93. Just right : TO A TEE. Always tricky to parse.

94. Goes on stage : ENTERS

95. Business card no. : TEL

96. 14-legged crustacean : ISOPOD

97. "The First Billion is the Hardest" author Pickens : T BOONE.

98. Cotton Club site : HARLEM. Not familiar with the Cotton Club, a nightclub in NY in Prohibition era, a la Wiki.

99. Had a hunch : SENSED

102. Regularly : OFTEN

103. "Sounder" Oscar nominee : TYSON (Cicely). No idea. She was married to Miles Davis.

104. __-di-dah : LAH

106. Defense gp. formed in Manila : SEATO. Gone in 1977.

107. Classic watch : ELGIN

108. See-thru wear? : SPECS. Great clue.

110. Super Bowl at which Tom Petty performed : XLII. 2008 Super Bowl. I was clueless.

113. Two-season "American Idol" judge DioGuardi : KARA

118. 1989 World Champion figure skater : ITO (Midori)

119. Web ID : URL

Answer grid.

C.C.

Sunday June 26, 2011 Mike Torch

Theme: High Comedy - GH is omitted in each familiar phrase.

23A. Unforgettable louse? : A NIGHT TO REMEMBER. "A Night to Remember". Fun clue & answer.

33A. Waterway for sinners? : STRAIGHT TO HELL. Straight to hell. Nice one too.

44A. Uncovers a serious flaw in municipal building plans? : CAN'T FIGHT CITY HALL. Can't fight city hall.

62A. Barely visible English pubs? : BRIGHT SPOTS ON THE HORIZON. Bright spots on the horizon.

74A. Ohio sweaters? : KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS. Knights of Columbus.

92A. Low cost pay-per-view match? : BOUGHT FOR A SONG. Bought for a song.

103A. Where to get a copy of "The Communist Manifesto"? : RED-LIGHT DISTRICT. Red light district.

Slow in grokking the theme today. First thought long I in IGH was replaced by short I, but STRAIT TO HELL quickly said no. Then BOUT FOR A SONG further proved I was wrong. Odd entry. I'd love the theme better if GH is dropped from all the *IGHT phrases. You?

The grid design is rather ambitious, with week-day like three finger blocks. Hence a rather low 132 word count.

Across:

1. Bit of schoolyard disagreement : AM SO. And 14. States as fact : SAYS SO.

5. Stuff in a box on the street : SNAIL MAIL. Was thinking of those free newspaper.

20. 1978 medical thriller : COMA

21. Like some items in downloads : NON-SECURE. Often feel helpless against computer errors.

22. __ Island, N.Y. : STATEN

25. "Broadway Joe" : NAMATH

26. Indian lentil stew : DAL. Bill G, what's for lunch today?

27. Loses everything : BUSTS

28. Juan's ones : UNOs

30. Milk: Pref. : LACTO. Lactose.

31. Promote at work : ELEVATE

36. Tightwads : MISERs

37. Turn down in an ugly way : SPURN. Like love.

39. Tested : ASSAYED

40. Has the stage : IS ON

41. Expensive outing, probably : SPREE. Shopping spree?

42. Goes on strike, in slang : WALKS. I like this clue.

48. Seemingly forever : AGES

52. Top of the morning? : ONE AM

53. Clerical vestments : ALBs. Classic crosswordese.

54. Rodeo ride : BRONC

55. Like the larger-eared elephant : AFRICAN. I thought it's just "large-eared".

59. Sham : FALSE

61. Look for help from : TURN TO

66. Volcanic rock : BASALT

67. Incursions : RAIDs

68. "Rad!" : AWESOME

69. Talus joint : ANKLE

70. Brew : SUDs

71. Words with bike or wave : RIDE A

73. Grey Goose competitor : SKYY. Vodka.

81. Volleyball coup : SPIKE. And 102D. It precedes 81-Across : SET

83. Tennyson's Enoch : ARDEN. "Enoch Arden". Not familiar with the poem.

84. Westchester, N.Y., college : IONA

85. "Most likely ..." : ODDS ARE. Nice entry.

89. Reuben essential : SWISS

90. Aviation force : THRUST

95. Ristorante red : CHIANTI

96. Befuddled : AT SEA

97. Comic who wrote jokes for JFK : SAHL (Mort)

98. Shoe parts : SOLES

100. Covert fed. group : CIA

101. Maid concerns : METERS. Meter maid.

107. Antarctic penguin : ADELIE. Happy couple. Happy feet.

108. Pennsylvania's state dog : GREAT DANE. State dog? Unknown to me.

109. Sommer of cinema : ELKE

110. Most convinced : SUREST

111. Controls : HARNESSES

112. "The Swiss Family Robinson" writer : WYSS (Johann). Was ignorant of the book and the author.

Down:

1. Hypothetical : ACADEMIC

2. Immortal wife of Francesco del Giocondo : MONA LISA. Thanks to da Vinci.

3. Is favorable to : SMILES ON

4. Muffin choice : OAT

5. Tapir features : SNOUTS

6. Longship crewmen : NORSE. Longships were used by the Vikings.

7. Works without __ : A NET

8. Philosophies : ISMs

9. Poe's "Annabel __" : LEE

10. Turn-of-the-century year : MCM. 1900.

11. 2010 Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton's alma mater : AUBURN. Gimme for Husker Gary, I bet. He seems to know a lot about college football.

12. "The Faerie Queene" woman : IRENA. Guessed.

13. "Vive __!" : LE ROI

14. IRS info : SSN

15. Baffled : AT A LOSS

16. Steinway competitor : YAMAHA

17. Actress Dash of "Clueless" : STACEY. First encounter with this actress. She's pretty.

18. Come to terms : SETTLE

19. Waiting for tech support, often : ON HOLD. Those overseas tech support can drive you nuts.

24. Way to the top : T-BAR

29. Delays : STALLs

32. Let off steam : VENT

33. Mutton fat : SUET. Lard is pork fat.

34. Small spade : TREY. Poker.

35. "For shame!" : TSK

37. Humane Soc. ally : SPCA

38. Victorian : PRIM

41. Worker with a pad : STENO

42. Former 49ers coach Bill : WALSH. Surprised I know him.

43. "Seascape" Pulitzer-winning playwright : ALBEE

45. Bo's'n's quarters : FO'C'SLE. Can never remember how to spell it, Spitzboov/eddyB!

46. Unfitting : INAPT

47. Desists : HALTS

48. "Mrs. __ Goes to Paris": 1992 TV film : ARRIS. Stumped me again.

49. Bananas : GONZO. Nuts!

50. Branch of zool. : ENTOM. OK, entomology.

51. Tea biscuit : SCONE

54. Chest : BUREAU. Furniture was not in my mind.

55. Arafat's successor : ABBAS

56. Direct : FRANK. Adjective "direct".

57. Full of pitfalls : RISKY

58. 2006 World Cup winner : ITALY. Soccer is huge in China.

59. Pass off (on) : FOIST

60. Plus : AND

61. Item on a rack : TOWEL

63. Place for a donut : TRUNK. Tire! Tricky clue.

64. "Sexy" Beatles woman : SADIE

65. Sported : HAD ON

70. Sun Valley visitors : SKIERS

71. Country mail rtes. : RFDs. RFD = Rural delivery service

72. Summer coolers : ICEs

75. Cut : SAWN. Spell check doesn't like it.

76. Not a dup. : ORIG

77. Oscar winner Sorvino : MIRA. She speaks Chinese.

78. In an animated way : BOUNCILY. I've only used adjective form bouncy.

79. Opens with effort, as a window : UNSTICKS

80. Stuffs : SATIATES

81. Wild vacations? : SAFARIs. Oh, wild animal, not the real wild vacation in Ibiza. JD has had a few wild ones.

82. For : PRO

85. "Dreams From My Father" family : OBAMAS

86. College address ending : DOT EDU. Felt stupid not to nail it.

87. Long riding coat : DUSTER

88. Addison's publishing partner : STEELE (Richard). Joseph Addison. Both strangers to me.

89. Plumber's alloy : SOLDER

90. Doctors' works : THESES

91. H.S. subject : HIST (History)

93. Cry of exasperation : AARGH

94. He-Man's twin sister : SHE-RA

95. "Crazy" singer : CLINE (Patsy). Thought of Jerome's mom.

98. Regs. : STDs (Standards)

99. Harem rooms : ODAs. Splynter wants one.

104. PC linkup : LAN

105. Mineral suffix : ITE

106. Remote button : REW

Answer grid.

C.C.

Sunday June 19, 2011 Pamela Amick Klawitter

Theme: Broadway Showstoppers - The last word in each theme entry is a well-known one-word Broadway show.

23A. Airport pickup spot : BAGGAGE CAROUSEL. The conveyor belt in baggage claim area. "Carousel".

39A. Norman landmark : UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA. "Oklahoma!". Hi, Lois!

56A. Troublemaker's credo? : NO REST FOR THE WICKED. "Wicked". My favorite entry.

82A. One might prompt a curtain call : BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE. "Applause". Unknown to me.

99A. Fleeting celebrity : FIFTEEN MINUTES OF FAME. "Fame".

120A. Relax : LET DOWN ONE'S HAIR. "Hair".

C.C. here. Happy Father's Day to all the fathers who read this blog.

When I first read the puzzle title, I was worried that each theme entry might be a truncated Broadway show, you know, the names just stop suddenly, like our absurd Thursday puzzle. Was hugely relieved when I nailed the third entry and grokked the gimmick.

We often see 7-9 theme entries on Sunday. This grid only has 6,  mainly because all the answers are very long. Hard to negotiate the maze and build a clean grid.

Across:

1. Cotton-picking handful : BOLL

5. Like pro football players : MALE

9. Libreville is its capital : GABON. I know capitals of all Asian countries. Not African.

14. Seasonal crew? : ELVES. For Darling Santa.

19. Moises of baseball : ALOU

20. One often thickens on stage : PLOT. Nice clue.

21. Word with soap : OPERA. Soap opera.

22. Corporate reward : RAISE. Salary.

26. Ballet __ : RUSSE. So the plural is Ballets Russes?

27. "__ and his money ..." : A FOOL

28. Toledo toast : SALUD. French is SALUT.

29. Certain Honshu resident : OSAKAN

31. __ Sauer: handgun : SIG. Not familiar to me.

33. Library ID : ISBN

35. Urges : ITCHES

46. Prop- suffix : ANE

47. Captain Hook's last words are its motto : ETON. What's their motto?

48. Gives an earful : YELLS AT

49. Frat characters? : PSIs. This clue often stumps me.

50. Some HDTVs : RCAs

52. Sunscreen additive : ALOE

54. Alas., once : TERR (Territory). Alas! I did not notice the . at first.

55. Iona College athletes : GAELS

61. British miler Steve : OVETT. Total stranger.

62. One in a pool : STENO.  Office pool.

63. Trendy tea : CHAI. Spiced tea.

64. Some NFL linemen : RTs

67. Class unit : LESSON

69. Assistants and such : STAFF

72. Like a wake : ASTERN. Wave wake.

74. 2000 Gere title role : DR T

75. It may be fenced : LOOT. Not yard fence.

78. Mrs. Gorbachev : RAISA

81. Relative of -ish : ESQUE. As in Rubenesque vs. zaftig.

86. Dressing target : SALAD

89. "Let __!" : IT GO

90. Inventor Sikorsky : IGOR

91. Cheese holder : RITZ

92. Nutmeg covering : ARIL. Classic crosswordese.

93. Like most sandals : TOELESS

96. Fictional futuristic race : ELOI. "The Time Machine" race.

98. Big foot letters : EEE

103. Some kitchens : EAT-INS

104. Gossip : DIRT

105. Moral slip : SIN. Forgive me, Father, for I slipped.

106. Cellist awarded a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 1989 : CASALS (Pablo)

110. Second-deepest U.S. lake : TAHOE

113. Convertible alternatives : T-TOPS

117. Burst of activity : SPASM

123. Come to terms : AGREE

124. Many a chat room visitor : AOLer

125. __ Center: N.J. arena : IZOD. Learned from doing Xword.

126. Italian hot spot : ETNA

127. Like some bulls : PAPAL. Papal bull. Got me.

128. Hoity-toity types : SNOBS

129. British tax : CESS

130. Voicemail accumulation: Abbr. : MSGs

Down:

1. Radner's Wawa : BABA

2. Minnesota's St. __ College : OLAF. Gimme, gimme!

3. Company symbol : LOGO

4. 1931 count portrayer : LUGOSI (Bela). Count Dracula.

5. SUV stat : MPG

6. Some draft picks : ALEs. Can't fool me again.

7. Like "la vida" in a Ricky Martin hit : LOCA. Crazy!

8. And others, to Cicero : ET ALII

9. Splitting word? : GOODBYE. Nice clue too.

10. Springfield storekeeper : APU. "The Simpsons".

11. Carlos's kiss : BESO. Remember your first kiss? How old were you?

12. Mined finds : ORES

13. "The Lion King" lioness : NALA

14. Slips : ERRATA

15. Takeoff place : LAUNCH PAD. See, only on Sundays can you have 9-letter non-theme fill.

16. Before and after "�," compared with : VIS. Vis-�-vis.

17. Safe opener? : ESS. The opening letter in Safe.

18. Have a look : SEE

24. Better way to be wanted? : ALIVE. Dead or alive. I drew a blank.

25. Needing practice : RUSTY

30. Clan attire : KILT

32. Gain access to : GET AT

34. "Peaceful Warrior" actor : NOLTE (Nick)

36. Flimflam : HOSE

37. Silents star Jannings : EMIL. First Oscar Best Actor.

38. Sign of freshness : SASS

39. Find out : UNCOVER

40. Most handy : NEAREST

41. Massages deeply : ROLFs. Stumped me last time. Again today, Melissa!

42. Hoity-toity type : SNOOT

43. Took off : FLEW

44. "Hamlet" courtier : OSRIC

45. Olympic volleyball medalist __ Kiraly : KARCH. No idea. Great shot.

46. Big name in traitors : ARNOLD (Benedict). Schwarzenegger too I suppose.

51. Match parts : SETS

53. Part of a Spanish 101 conjugation : ERES. You are.

55. Seuss, actually : GEISEL

57. Not easily excited : STOLID

58. "The Closer" channel : TNT

59. Stock and then some : HOARD

60. "The Jungle Book" python : KAA. Complete unknown to me.

64. Passing notes? : REQUIEM. Xchefwalt would have loved this clue.

65. Chairman of the board, for one : TRUSTEE

66. Blessed event? : SNEEZE

68. Fireside quaff : NOG

70. __ Schwarz: 5th Avenue toy store : FAO

71. '30s-'40s actress D'Orsay : FIFI. Man, that's old. Nope. Nope!

73. Former despot : TSAR

76. Hunter of the stars : ORION

77. Carved pole : TOTEM

79. Prudent advisers : SAGES

80. Skating gold medalist __ Anton Ohno : APOLO

82. Latvia-Sweden separator : BALTIC SEA. Another highlight of the grid.

83. Grapefruit relative : UGLI. I tried one last year. Quite sweet.

84. Eternally : NO END

85. Faculty mems. : PROFs

86. Heist target : SAFE. Dupe with earlier ESS clue.

87. La Scala highlight : ARIA

88. Garage apparatus : LIFT

93. Angel Clare's love, in an 1891 novel : TESS

94. Lochinvars : SUITORS

95. Turkey's place, in song : STRAW. What song?

97. "__ Lovin' That You Want": Rihanna hit : IF IT'S. Not a Rihanna fan.

100. Crown cover : ENAMEL

101. Like some restaurants : ETHNIC

102. Game opener : ANTHEM

107. It might precede bad news : ALAS

108. 2009-'11 CIA director Panetta : LEON. Next Secretary of Defense.

109. City of NW France : ST LO

111. Slow flow : OOZE

112. "The Dukes of Hazzard" deputy : ENOS. Slaughtered me. No idea.

114. Porridge base : OATS

115D. Ball game opener? : PING. Ping pang. (Correction: Ping Pong.)

116. Ladies of Sp. : SRAs

117. It's tapped for syrup : SAP

118. FedEx Cup org. : PGA. 8-shot lead for McIlory. The kid is good.

119. Ernst collaborator : ARP (Jean)

121. Belle of the ball : DEB. Lovely "ball" clechos.

122. People people, briefly : EDs (Editors). "People" magazine.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Sunday June 12, 2011 Paul Hunsberger

Theme: Wide-Eyed - W is attached to the start of one word in each common phrase, which also goes through a spelling change. The resulting vowel sounds remain the same. Neither I nor Argyle gets the title though. Marti?

23A. Sale at the helicopter dealer? : WHIRLYBIRD SPECIAL. Early bird special.

39A. Breakfast table expos�? : THE WAFFLE TRUTH. The awful truth.

60A. Bittersweet title for a waterskier's memoirs? : WAKES AND PAINS. Aches and pains.

84A. Lacking lingerie? : OUT OF THIN WEAR. Out of thin air.

104A. Sweater under the tree? : CHRISTMAS WEAVE. Christmas Eve.

123A. Charge against an illegal fly-fishing conspirator? : WADING AND ABETTING. Aiding and abetting.

16D. Comment to an out-of-shape runner who reaches the finish line? : WHEEZY DOES IT. Easy does it.

67D. Homo sapiens' cleverness? : THE WILE OF MAN. The Isle of Man.

Notice there's no extraneous W in any of the theme entries? An important factor to consider in this letter dropping/adding/substituting gimmick.

I think this might be Paul Hunsberger's LA Times debut. If so, congratulations! I like the theme entry arrangement & overall fill. Very well done. Smooth! Several V-8 clues. Could be from Rich. That's his lovely wife Kim on the left, sharp wordsmith as well.

Across:

1. Builder of paper houses : WASP. Did you nail it, JD?

5. [Yawn] : HO-HUM. First thought was ENNUI.

10. Avenue before the Income Tax square, in Monopoly : BALTIC. I've never played Monopoly.

16. Bath bathrooms : WCs. Bath the city in England.

19. Guitarist's effect : WAWA

20. Where the puck stops ... and starts : ARENA. Hockey, just for eddyB & Splynter.

21. Iberian wine city : OPORTO. North of Lisbon. Porto also.

22. Prosciutto, e.g. : HAM

26. Poet's "before" : ERE

27. Press-on cosmetic : NAIL. Wanted LASH.

28. It's nothing in Normandy : RIEN. De rien = You're welcome.

29. Down Under dog : DINGO

30. Greek "H" : ETA

31. Ticker tape, briefly? : ECG. Or EKG.

33. White team : SOX. White Sox.

35. "La Vie en Rose" singer : PIAF (Edith)

37. Air purifying gadget : IONIZER

44. Pastoral poems : IDYLs

45. Animated explorer : DORA

46. Cause for a shootout : TIE. Not gunfight.

47. Smoky places : FLUEs. Was picturing a smokey bar.

49. Some green rolls : SOD. Not money.

50. Buzz together : SWARM

52. Weak, as an excuse : LAME

55. Make swell : BLOAT

57. Green lights : OKs

64. "Twin Peaks" Emmy nominee Sherilyn : FENN. Total stranger to me.

65. Play kickoff : ACT ONE. Made me think of football.

68. Beats by a nose : EDGES

69. Loc. __ : CIT

70. Cruising : ASEA

71. Hawaiian priests : KAHUNAS. Nice entry.

73. 2000s leadership nickname : DUBYA. I like Sr.

75. Requiring slower driving : CURVIER

77. Smooth : EVEN

78. Some like it hot : TEA. I do. I've never watched the movie though.

80. Money : LUCRE. Filthy.

82. Mosey : TOOTLE. New meaning to me.

83. Salacious : LEWD

87. "Take me __ am" : AS I

88. Kodak prefix : INSTA. Instant?

89. Get a whiff of this : ODOR

90. Actors without lines : MIMEs

94. Civil Rights Memorial architect : LIN (Maya). Lin is a quite popular surname in China, meaning "forest".

96. The Concert for Bangladesh instrument : SITAR. I know Ravi Shankar was involved.

99. Antique auto : REO

101. Color on a Florida Marlins uniform : TEAL. C'est vrai.

102. Spy : AGENT

108. Got free, in a way : MOOCHED

111. Nutmeg spice : MACE

112. Trans-Canada Hwy. rate : KPH. Kilometers/Kilometres per hour.

113. Conducted : LED

114. '80s sitcom puppet : ALF

115. Avoid a reception : ELOPE. Wedding reception.

118. Staked shelter : TENT

120. "Don't play" symbol : REST

122. Dandy guy? : JIM. Jim Dandy.

128. Reproductive cells : OVA

129. Tout de suite : AT ONCE. Would be nice to see TOUT DE SUITE as an answer someday.

130. Psychology __ : TODAY. Unaware of this magazine. Maybe Lois reads.

131. Le Havre lady friend : AMIE

132. Cartoon Chihuahua : REN

133. Emphatic acceptance : YES, YES

134. Hitches : SNAGs

135. Get loud : YELL

Down:

1. Dot-com start-up? : WWW

2. Hot tub reaction : AAH

3. Benny Goodman is credited with starting it : SWING ERA. My favorite fill today.

4. Trooper lead-in : PARA. Paratrooper.

5. Rural storage area : HAYLOFT

6. __ weaver: spider : ORB

7. Next in line : HEIR

8. Like green peppers : UNRIPE. Tricky clue.

9. Arrived : MADE IT

10. Jazz genre : BOP

11. Mimicked : APED

12. Hubs : LOCI

13. Singer Lopez : TRINI. Learned from doing Xword.

14. Give __: try : IT A GO. Two partials in this grid. Not bad.

15. Mayflower passenger : COLONIST

17. Price-fixing group : CARTEL

18. Slings mud at : SMEARS

24. Overachieving Simpson : LISA

25. Wolf (down) : SNARF

31. Deicing may delay them: Abbr. : ETDs

32. Grub : CHOW

34. Folder for Mulder : X-FILE. Fox Mulder. Nice rhyme.

36. Lust ending : FUL. Lustful.

38. Short agreement : I DO

40. Battle scar : WAR WOUND. Thought of the Marlboro marine.

41. Car dealer's offer : LEASE

42. Low wind : TUBA. Wind instrument.

43. Spiral: Pref. : HELIC

48. Former Seattle NBAer : SONIC

51. "Death in Venice" author : MANN (Thomas)

53. None-for-the-road gp.? : MADD. No alcohol!

54. Swamp : ENGULF

56. Sharp : ASTUTE

58. Be in the front row in a team photo, say : KNEEL. Vivid image.

59. Trap : SNARE

61. "Annie Hall" Oscar winner : KEATON (Diane). Hence sometimes we see "Hall of fame" for ANNIE.

62. Unveiling : DEBUT

63. Hitchcock classic : PSYCHO

64. One paying the least : FAVORITE

65. Cub Scout leader : AKELA

66. Troglodyte homes : CAVEs. Did not know the meaning of "troglodyte".

72. "The Sneetches" author : SEUSS

74. Not greenery-friendly : ARID

76. Drift : ROAM

79. Place with dusty keepsakes : ATTIC. Where's the shoebox with old baseball cards?

81. Vast, in odes : ENORM

85. Colorful words : OATH

86. Unleash, as havoc : WREAK

88. Like obstacles : IN THE WAY

91. Periodic table period? : MEALTIME. Not chemical.

92. A downspout may begin under one : EAVE

93. Husky's burden : SLED

95. Part of many bus. names : INC

97. One of a swinging pair? : ARM. Another devious clue!

98. Calf catcher : RIATA

100. Hawks once threatened by DDT : OSPREYs. Unaware of this trivia.

102. Key of Beethoven's "Kreutzer Sonata" : A MAJOR. Music is always my blind spot.

103. Cut to a roving reporter : GO LIVE. I like this entry too.

105. Bloodhound pickups : SCENTS

106. Muscle/bone connection : TENDON

107. Pique : WHET. Any tip on how to pick a good avocado at grocery store?

109. Thrill : ELATE

110. Bygone birds : DODOs. Hey, Dodo!

116. Like some air fresheners : PINY

117. Differ finish : ENCE. Difference.

119. "All finished!" : TADA

121. "Don't move a muzzle!" : STAY

124. Some light bulbs : GEs. GE's stock performance has been dismal.

125. Sack : BAG

126. Not a bit : NIL

127. Shaver's option : GEL

Answer grid.