Tuesday, December 26th, 2023, Rebecca Goldstein

 PHYSICS 101

Hi there~! - A quick solve for me today, only four proper names, three of which I had no clue about, and a 'simple' theme/reveal.  Two each of 13- and 9-letter theme answers, with some chunky 8-, 9-, and 10-letter DOWN answers in the mix, again leading to several three-letter fills.  BTW, this puzzle featured many of what I think are 'typical' 4- and 5-letter answers, but with too many choices that potentially "fit".  The clues are marked "*", so you can see what I mean....

18. Make a real mess: SCREW THINGS UP

oops

33. Gymnastics rings position held with the body parallel to the ground: LEVER HANG - I will be able to do this by the end of 2024 - NOT~!

39. Feature of some espadrilles: WEDGE HEEL - I did not know an espadrille was a shoe; but I recognize them now~!

53. Force-multiplying device that can be found at the beginning of 18-, 33-, and 39-Across:

SIMPLE MACHINE - see the links in blue for examples

 
And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Finishes: ENDS

5. Spill the beans: BLAB

9. Chest muscle, for short: PECtoral - doesn't help with the lever hang....

12. In __ of: LIEU

13. Credit card user: PAYER - uh, well, not necessarily....

14*. "It follows logically that ... ": ERGO - THUS, too

15. Maintain: KEEP - I like this kind of KEEP

16. "Me too," more formally: "AS DO I"

17. State of mind: MOOD

21. Chillingly strange: EERIE

22*. "Pronto!": ASAP - or STAT~?

23. Many moons __: AGO

26*. Rightmost computer menu, often: HELP - HOME, FILE, EDIT, VIEW, DRAW - a great clue for a 'common' word - I had to think about the software I use before I could pick the correct one

 

AutoCAD

28. Cloak and __: DAGGER

30. Tortoise's fabled competitor: HARE

36. Norse god of war: ODIN

37. Collaborative sites: WIKIs

38. Another, in Spanish: OTRA

41. Witnessed: SEEN - I have SEEN images of guys wearing the next answer....

42. Swim team swimwear: SPEEDO - which brings to mind the word "UNSEE"....

43. Toward sunrise: EAST

46. Extra sports periods, briefly: OTs

47*. Per person: A POP - EACH, too

50. Chops, as an onion: DICES

57. Japanese noodle: UDON

59. Dog collar dangler: ID TAG

60. Notion: IDEA

61. Come to a stop: HALT

62. "You've got some __!": "NERVE~!"

 63. Shakespeare's mad king: LEAR

64. "Yellowjackets" network, briefly: SHO - No clue, but I had two-thirds via crossings

65. Mardi __: pre-Lenten festival: GRAS

66. Annoys: IRKS

DOWN:

1. Part of BPOE: ELKS - as usual, I started with the DOWNS clues first, and was on a roll quickly....

2. Nephew's sister: NIECE - check

3. Brand of riding mowers: DEERE - check

4. Ruins at Durrington Walls that once consisted of wooden posts, not stones: SUPERHENGE - ....but here I was denied STONE henge, so it had to be something else

5*. Giant party: BASH - FETE, GALA~?

6. Winona's "Beetlejuice" role: LYDIA - ya know, I have never seen this movie....and I don't plan to

7. Very long time: AEONS

8. Units led by colonels: BRIGADES - I'm not military, nor anyone in my family, but PLATOONS fit, as well; the Charge of the Light Brigade gives me a gratuitous opportunity to link Iron Maiden

 

The Trooper

9. Grow cuttings from a succulent, say: PROPAGATE - succulent~?

10. Alter __: EGO

11. Fish that may be black or blue: COD

13. Dev of "Lion": PATEL - perps

14. Down Under bird: EMU

19. Golfer Michelle __ West: WIE - perps

20. Practice in the ring: SPAR

24*. Bookstore section: GENRE - HOW TO was my first thought

 25. Liver, for one: ORGAN - I do have a "liver", but I deal with a different kind of "ORGAN"

Reinstalled six reed pipes, buried in a corner behind the chamber in the shot;

my 'boss' is packing up on the right

A pain in the a** to get to, I might add

 27. Ballet barre bend: PLIÉ

29. Pepper in extremely hot curry dishes: GHOST CHILI - no clue; the CHILI part filled in, but I WAGed the GHOST half

30. "Can you explain?": "HOW SO~?"

31. Skilled (at): ADEPT

32. Works alone: RIDES SOLO - meh.  Unless you're a cowboy~?

34. __ out a win: almost lose: EKE

35. Disgusting: VILE

37. Extraordinarily large: WHOPPING

40. Dutch cheese: EDAM

44*. "Better late than never," e.g.: ADAGE - AXIOM, IDIOM~?  I always forget which

45. [as per the original]: SIC

48. More mature: OLDER

49. Historic site in Jordan known as the Rose City: PETRA - Dah~! ( see 58D., below ) I shoulda known this from "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"

51*. Duck down: EIDER -ha~! I read this clue as 'heads up'; AVOID, EVADE, ELUDE~? - Bzzzt~!

52. Go on tiptoe: SNEAK

54. Picked-off pass, for short: INTerception - football, which is a sport I do like....

55. Big D NBA squad: MAVs -  Thought it was the NUGgetS - but they're DENVER, not DALLAS - I am a total NON-basketball guy

56. Prominent feature of a fennec fox: EARS - I tried TAIL first

na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-NA - BATMAN~!

57*. Hesitation syllables: UHs - ERs, UMs~?

58. Lah-di-__: DAH - or, my clue, the "I shoulda got that" noise, like "D'Oh~!"


Splynter

Tuesday, December 19th, 2023, Joe Deeney

 PUNNY MONEY

Today's puzzle is very similar to the one I guest blogged last Tuesday - the first word of the theme answers 'rephrased' as a noun and not an adjective, creating a punny money theme.  Two 15-letter spanners and three more themers, generating a fair number of three-letter words as a consequence.  A good challenge for a Tuesday, a few unknown proper names, and I did have to cheat to figure out why I did not get my "ta-DA~!"; see below.  The theme answers;

16. The landscaping startup was financed via ...: HEDGE FUND - maybe money does grow on trees

21. The extreme tourism startup was financed via ...: VENTURE CAPITAL

31. The shrink-ray startup was financed via ...: MICROLOANS - according the spell-check, this is not a two-word phrase, making it the outlier in the group

41. The religious iconography startup was financed via ...: ANGEL INVESTORS

49. The agriculture startup was financed via ...: SEED MONEY

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Like a final exam in a language class, typically: ORAL

5. Religious offshoot: SECT

9. Nile reptile: ASP - No more Indiana Jones clip; every time I guest-blog....so I PASS on the "ASP"

12. Michael who plays Allan in "Barbie": CERA - filled via perps

13. Physics and chemistry Nobelist Marie: CURIE - and - 19A. Gas observed by 13-Across: RADON

14. __ date: deadline: DUE

15. Direct-hire alternative: TEMP

18. Boxer Muhammad: ALI

20. "Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself" memoirist Alan: ALDA - educated WAG

24. "You're important to me": "I CARE"

25. Conditional programming word: ELSE

26. Gillette brand: ATRA

27. Clicking sound?: SHORT i - C-L-i-C-K; I know there are some here at the corner that are not too fond of this type of clue, but I find them a clever challenge to suss out

34. Wasn't straight: LEANED - Here's the architectural countermeasures taken to save the most famous "LEAN"

35. Desert in northern China: GOBI

38. Social satirist Mort: SAHL - DAH!  I typed SAUL; if you look at my grid image, this is the one "cell" I had wrong

40. "The West Wing" creator Sorkin: AARON - Ooops, not AlleN

46. "Buona __": Italian "Good evening": SERA

47. West Yorkshire home of Kirkstall Abbey: LEEDS - I thought maybe this was a fictional reference, such as one from a popular TV series....but it's a spectacular set of ruins

The Wiki

48. On Soc. Sec., perhaps: RETired

51. __ one's time: wait: BIDE

52. Exist: ARE

53. __ guide: USERS

54. Perched upon: ATOP

55. Ed.'s stack: MSs - manuscripts

56. Disorganized state: MESS

57. Workout spots: GYMS

DOWN:

1. "Parable of the Talents" author Butler: OCTAVIA - another WAG

2. Word on an incumbent's campaign poster: RE-ELECT

RE-ELECT MAYOR GOLDIE WILSON - "I like the sound of that";

He gets my vote for best fictional mayor

3. Joined at the elbows: ARM-IN-ARM

4. Spot for a needy pet: LAP

5. Soft glove material: SUEDE

6. Hosp. trauma pro: ER DOC

7. Health insurance giant: CIGNA

8. Football kicker's aid: TEE

9. Accomplishes mundane tasks, facetiously: ADULTS - My friend Mark introduced me to this "21st century" term; we were discussing something like home-ownership responsibility, and he said he was stressed about all this "adulting" - I thought it was hysterical, and still do

10. Dessert with toppings: SUNDAE

11. Graduate from a balance bike: PEDAL - Never heard of a balance bike; in my day, you fell off, got hurt, and got back on again....

13. Blacken: CHAR

17. Unable to be successful with: FAILING AT

19. Bemoan: RUE - Bzzzt~!  I had CRY to start

22. Spot to begin a hike: TRAILHEAD - I knew it was trail something

23. Org. with a white rabbit in its logo: PETA

27. Mme., across the Pyrenees: SRA

28. Dearie: HON

29. La Liga chant: OLÉ

30. Word after hot or lightning: ROD - my CT home has several lightning rods - the LI house, not a one

32. Spreadsheet unit: CELL - I have a spreadsheet at work that calculates the ƒ(n) for determining organ pipe dimensions - something like the logarithm something of its wavelength, but it goes down the PETA hole quickly....

33. Part of campus Greek life: SORORITY

36. Nothing-to-do feeling: BOREDOM - Thought I had mono....

Wayne's World

37. Shoe parts: INSTEPS - I had shoe LAST last week

38. Sinister smiles: SNEERS

39. Gives a thumbs up: AGREES

40. Burro: ASS - followed by....

41. Breakfast tea variety: ASSAM - so the next answer should be ASS AM / FM ~?

42. "Guess you beat me": I LOSE - Nope.  I guess I lose....

43. Babies, in Spanish: NENES - I thought it was a Hawaiian bird....

 

A nene with a nene

44. Makes a sudden change in direction: VEERS

45. Freezer aisle brand: EDY'S

50. Not saying anything: MUM

51. Carry-on: BAG

MERRY CHRISTMAS -- HAPPY HOLIDAYS --

BEST IN THE NEW YEAR TO ALL~!!!

Splynter

Wednesday, November 1st, 2023, Catherine Lammersen

A Clever Collection of Capitals

....of the world - quaintly contained in the continental United States; care to carry on~?  I know of at least two others - Berlin, CT, which we drive through on our way south via I-91, and Rome, New York - my buddy Matt D. from high school got his first 'gig' as a TV weatherman in that city - he is now the 'main man' in Richmond, VA....Anyway, this may be Catherine's debut, at least for the LA Times, and a fairly smooth solve for yours truly, with a bit of a slow-down around say, Oregon.  Two Across theme answers, and two Down theme answers - messed up my 'solve the downs first' method.  I also count five proper names in the grid, and a mini-theme of automotive references, too....

17. Capital of the Midwest?: ATHENS, OHIO

55. Capital of the South?: PARIS, TEXAS

10. Capital of the Northeast?: LISBON, MAINE

24. Capital of the Northwest?: MOSCOW, IDAHO

I also found this

And on tour we go~!

ACROSS:

1. Roulette wheel action: SPIN

5. "Brokeback Mountain" actor Ledger: HEATH - Name #1, but I got it

10. Edelstein of "The Kominsky Method": LISA - Name #2, but I knew her from "House, M.D."

14. Gimlet flavor: LIME

15. Sister company of Enterprise: ALAMO - auto theme #1; also - 

        26D. Sister company of Budget: AVIS - auto theme #2

16. As above, in a footnote: IDEM - Latin, 'the same'

19. "__ help you are!": SOME

20. "Eternally nameless" concept: TAO - not that I have heard of this, but a three letter "existential" clue~?

21. Hieroglyphic snakes: ASPS - my guest blogging is rare, but it's the second time I have had this

Very Dangerous

22. Employee-owned supermarket chain based in Florida: PUBLIX - nailed it; I once lived in Jacksonville, FL, and worked at the competition, Winn-Dixie

24. Marathon unit: MILE

25. Bone, in Italian: OSSO

26. Niche: ALCOVE

29. Power: POTENCY - see 56D.

32. Quran chapter part: VERSE

33. Steady look: GAZE

34. Not worth discussing: MOOT

36. Apple choice: iMAC - the computer, and - 47D. Apple choice: GALA - the fruit

37. More ironic: WRYER

38. German automaker: AUDI - auto theme #3

39. Padres slugger Juan: SOTO - Name #3

40. Düsseldorf dwelling: HAUS - I have never been to Düsseldorf, but see who I know lives there....

It's a Russian dating site, actually

41. Completely drained: WIPED

42. Smartphone source of daily headlines: NEWS APP - meh

44. In need of companionship: LONELY - uhh, not if I can get to Düsseldorf....

45. Antilles landmass: ISLE - and 

    44D. __ Antilles: Caribbean cluster: LESSER

46. Richard of "Chicago": GERE - Name #4

47. Actress Hawn: GOLDIE - Name #5

50. Kiss: BUSS

51. Cy Young stat: ERA - E - R - A, the most common crossword fill, ever, I believe

54. Locale: AREA

58. Mascara recipient: LASH

59. Zinc __: sunblock ingredient: OXIDE

He's got it covered....

60. Eight, on a sundial: VIII

Check this out, too

61. Middle harmony chorus part: ALTO

62. Discourage: DETER

63. Largest active volcano in Italy: ETNA

DOWN:

1. Picket fence piece: SLAT - Uh, isn't it called, ay, um, picket~?

2. Baba ghanouj bread: PITA

3. Texter's "I'm no expert, but ... ": IMHO - In My Humble Opinion....

4. Formerly named: NÉE

5. Big headache: HASSLE

6. Have no reception?: ELOPE - har-har

7. Satisfied sighs: AAHs - the dreaded two "A"s or two "H"s conundrum

8. "OMG, stop sharing!": TMI - Too Much Information

9. Cager: HOOPSTER - B-Baller was too short; it's all basketball slang

11. One inundated with fan mail: IDOL

12. Partly: SEMI

13. Green card co.: AMEX - oh, THAT green card....

Mr. Frost needs to cancel this card ASAP

18. None too worldly: NAÏVE - umlaut~!

23. Adopt: USE

25. Seeps: OOZES

27. Subpar car: LEMON - auto theme #4

28. Subpar car: CRATE - auto theme #5

29. "Fork it over!": PAY UP~! - see 51D.

30. Two-door vehicle: COUPE - auto theme #6

31. Alpine song: YODEL

33. Flavor of much children's medicine: GRAPE

35. Spruce (up): TIDY

37. Group of orcas, e.g.: WHALE POD

41. Superlatively bad: WORST

43. Means-tested govt. assistance program: SSI - this stumped me; never heard of this; Supplemental Security Income

46. Museum employee: GUIDE

48. Interview-style exam: ORAL

49. "__ we forget": LEST

50. One who may keep a spare tyre in a boot: BRIT - both my parents were born and raised in England

        and auto theme #7

51. Parking garage sign: EXIT - we worked on a pipe organ at the Riverside Church in NYC last week; here's a pic I took of the scale model in the elevator lobby, and one of the ornate bench carvings; our hotel was in Times Square, and we parked in a garage there, too - $73 overnight

52. Golf date ruiner: RAIN - it's not the rain, it's the lightning....

53. Bhutan's continent: ASIA

56. Splitting tool: AXE - I now own the 29A version....

57. Morn's opposite: EVE - and to all, a good night~!

Splynter

Wednesday, Oct 4th, 2023, Matt Forest

 THEME: RECYCLE~!

   This one had me stumped at first; I simply could not see a connection between the answers - and then I realized the answers had nothing in common - other than starting and ending with the same three letters.  ah-HA~!  The "clue" was not much help for me, TBH.  A very quick solve for me, felt like a Monday level puzzle - but it took two extra minutes for me to find out why I did not get the ta-DA~! at the end; 46d crossing 69a, Latin vs. Spanish, so I was a little disappointed.  And no Frawnche, either.  Here are the theme answers, as indicated with the "*" and referred to as the "starred" clues:

17. *Synthetic pump: ARTIFICIAL HEART - ART to ART

26. *Cheap shot: LOW BLOW - LOW to LOW

50. *Regional collective pronoun: ALL Y'ALL - ALL to ALL - quite popular this week

61. *"There really is a wolf now!": "I MEAN IT THIS TIME~!" - IME to IME

And the central reveal....

33. With 43-Across, "When one door closes, another door opens," and an apt description of the answers to the starred clues: THE END IS JUST

43. See 33-Across: THE BEGINNING

And Around We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Formula One event: RACE

5. Prep, as onions: CHOP - I took Husker G up on his "offer" Saturday, and made a tater tots casserole

 

Yummy~!

9. __ bean: PINTO

14. Machine that helps with 51-Down: CPAP  = Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, which I'd heard of, but never knew what it stood for; and; 51d. Sleeper's problem: APNEA

15. [Snicker]: HE-HE

16. Trapshooting: SKEET

20. General on American Chinese menus: TSO - my 'go-to' dish when I order

21. Asian country divided in 1945: KOREA

22. __-la-la: TRA

23. Meaning of an unlit "vacancy" sign: NO ROOM

28. Kept cold: ICED

29. Chicken __ king: A LA

32. Vega's constellation: LYRA

38. Cruelty-free lip balm brand: EOS

39. Secret spots?: ARMPITS - best. clue. ever.  Secret, the deodorant

40. That guy's: HIS

45. Bangers partner: MASH - not "head" Bangers - the old MTV metal hours late on Saturday nights, but the British dish

48. Foreign policy org. chaired by the president: NSC - National Safety Council - we had OSHA in the grid earlier this week, and I am required to finish their 30-hr course in order to work at the Washington National Cathedral - I am about 20 hours in

49. "Grand slam" awards acronym: EGOT - when I stopped blogging Saturdays five years ago, this was not a crossword fill at all; Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony awards; more here.

54. Decade following Y2K: AUGHTS - 00's

56. Regret: RUE - OR - a Frawnche Canadien street~!

57. Marshmallowy Easter treats: PEEPS - I am not a fan - sorry; my thing is the Cadbury eggs

60. Mouse site: PAD - cute.

66. Painful turning point?: ANKLE - clever, but my "ETA" at 62d messed me up - I do the DOWNS to start, so that the theme answers ( usually in the across ) are half-filled by the time I get to them

67. Primary: MAIN

68. Necessary __: EVIL

69. "__ mañana": HASTA - Spanish for "see you tomorrow" (?)

70. "SportsCenter" network: ESPN - I have Hulu with Disney and ESPN, and the price goes up in one week - and I am thinking it's time to ditch Disney - I have seen all the 4d I think I care to see - and I am a HUGE fan

71. Swabbing spot: DECK - Aye, matey


DOWN:

1. TV pioneer: RCA

2. Fourth mo.: APRil

3. Towers that may have scratching posts: CAT TREES - I knew what we were looking for, but didn't know they were called "TREES"; my brother has a cat named Ashes - guess what color....

4. "Star Wars" installment: EPISODE - Episode IV, A New Hope changed my life - I was six years old, and decided right then that I was going to make movies....didn't quite work out the way I had planned

5. Greek X: CHI - I WAGed this, and was correct

6. "What the __!?": HECK - The "censored" answer

7. Home state of the Reds and the Browns: OHIO - and the Bengals, I might add - but then again, their record in relation to their QB, the highest paid player in the history of the NFL....

8. Gem from a mollusk: PEARL

9. "Balderdash!": "PSHAW~!"

10. Barinholtz of "The Mindy Project": IKE - no idea; filled via perps

11. In a tidy way: NEATLY

12. Paralyzing fear: TERROR - I tried PHOBIA first

13. Home of Canada's Parliament Hill: OTTAWA - nailed it; hockey starts soon~!

18. __ Fighters: Dave Grohl's band: FOO - I liked Nirvana - Dave's first band; the Foo, not so much

19. Astrological cat: LEO

23. Nick at __: NITE - Nickelodeon TV channel after 9pm

24. Dos y seis: OCHO - more Spanish, two and six = eight

25. Spanish parent: MADRE - and yet more Spanish

27. Classic sammie: BLT - sammie being an abbreviation of sandwich ( my word is "sa'mich" ), we get the Bacon Lettuce & Tomato short answer

30. Support for a tire swing: LIMB

31. Colorado ski town: ASPEN

34. Casual rejection: NAH....

35. Joyful dances: JIGS

36. Erie Canal city: UTICA - I could not answer this one; it just means I have moved that much further away from New York, and I am not looking back.

37. Tax ID: SSN

40. Compete in a dramatic event at the World Aquatics Championships: HIGH DIVE

41. Playing to break a tie, briefly: IN OT

42. Some NCOs: SGTs

43. Quaker pronoun: THY

44. Canceled out: NEGATED

45. Singer Carey: MARIAH

46. College grad: ALUMNA - I had ALUMNI, which is the plural form

47. Makes glossy, as hair: SLEEKS

52. Floral wreath: LEI

53. "I can do that": "LET ME"

55. FedEx rival: UPS - ah, me, back in the day....

58. School gps.: PTAs

59. Use 55-Down, say: SHIP

62. Flying fig.: ALTitude - not "ETA"

63. Quaint lodging: INN

64. Need for playing Rock Band, for short: MIC - Rock Band is the "expanded" version of Guitar Hero, adding in drums and vocals

65. Great Plains grazer: ELK - Giraffe didn't fit - har har har har . . . .

Splynter

 

 

Sunday, August 20th, 2023, Amie Walker

"I'm out"

This is my first time blogging a Sunday, and thank you to C.C. for the opportunity.  A clever puzzle idea, not that we haven't seen this "bending" part of the answer before, though I don't recall circles.  Circles on a Sunday, no less.  I got the theme quick because I do the DOWN fill first, and noticed TONS (97D.) of MIC fill.  The MIC part "drops" down from the Across fill.  I like the fact that the theme answers spread the M, I, and C in various ways.  The only one I see missing is "M [space] IC".  Overall I enjoyed the challenge, but there were just too many names ( I stopped counting at 20 ), and some clue/answers that I *questioned*....

22. *Wide-angle lens output: PANORAM - - VIEW - panoraMIC view

24. *Deep-fried burrito: CHIM - - HANGA - chiMIChanga

46. *Woman who was the first Black model to appear on the cover of Time: NAOM - - AMPBELL - naoMI Campbell

59. *"Why won't anyone notice me!?": "WHAT AM - - HOPPED LIVER~?" what aM I Choppped liver

79. *Paper birds in the Japanese tradition of senbazuru: ORIGAM - - RANES - origaMI Cranes

102. *Pedicure tool: PUM - - ESTONE - puMICe stone ( I used pumice to clean the soot off my fireplace stone - worked like magic )

104. Dramatically ends a performance, and what the answer to each starred clue does?: DROPS THE MIC


               

Physics is fun~!

And DOWN We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. 2026 Winter Olympics range: ALPS - The next Olympics is in Milano-Cortina of Italy

5. "Love your work!": I'M A FAN

11. Currency featuring activist Viola Desmond on one of its notes: Abbr.: CAD - CAnadian Dollar.  The puzzle doesn't really have any "weak" fill, but it felt like too many clues-to-answers were a bit much of a stretch, like this one - I will refer to them as *cringe*

14. Peddle: SELL - One CAD = .74 US$

18. Average: MEAN

19. Widen, as a pupil: DILATE

20. "Total lies!": "SO NOT TRUE~!"

25. Tower topper: SPIRE

26. Prudent ending?: IAL - PrudentIAL

27. With 81-Across, fruity liqueur: SLOE - and; 81. See 27-Across: GIN

29. Van Gogh vaseful: IRISES

30. Comedian Wyatt: CENAC - name.  Never heard of him - more here

32. Snuggle, in a way: SPOON

33. Onetime Altoids rival: CERTS - with retsyn~! 

34. Javier of "The Little Mermaid": BARDEM - name.  also the "bad guy" in  "Skyfall", which I believe may be the best Bond film; tied with "88 Across" Royale

36. Kelly Ripa, e.g.: TV HOST

38. Partisanship: BIAS

39. Fuel efficiency mode: ECO - My Prius C has three modes; normal, ECO, and "EV" - which shuts down at 25MPH

40. Treatment that may include a mask: FACIAL

42. Embrace: HOLD

43. Fuel efficiency stat: MPG - and even when I drive like a pig, I still get 40+ MPG in my Prius

49. Double Dutch implement: ROPE - Shouldn't it be ropeS~? 

50. Get closer: NEAR

51. Hesitant: TIMID

52. Big Board initials: NYSE - New York Stock Exchange

53. Soup aisle stacks: CANS

54. Adorable one: CUTIE

55. Saskatchewan people: CREE

57. "For all I __ ... ": CARE

58. Nowadays: LATELY - now this one is the opposite of *cringe*

64. Doesn't sink: FLOATS

66. Smidgen: IOTA

67. Villainous: EVIL

68. New Orleans structure: LEVEE - A musical interlude

Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks

69. Pre-TiVo devices: VCRs - I still have one, and it still works

70. Actor Kinnear: GREG - name.

73. Classic skirt silhouette: A-LINE

77. Figure skating feat: AXEL

78. Actress Sorvino: MIRA - name.

82. Paul of "The Fabelmans": DANO - Ugh.  name.  Crossing a 'foreign' word, too

83. Coastal city in Italia: NAPOLI - the opposite of the ALPS

84. Message in a bottle, maybe: S.O.S.

85. Scary St. Bernard of fiction: CUJO - Read the book, did not see the movie; see below

86. Sound effects: NOISES - *cringe*

88. Monaco attraction: CASINO - Gratuitous Daniel Craig for C.C.

91. Give a fright: SCARE

93. Golf shirts: POLOS

94. Like an angry dog's teeth: BARED

Might be a little too gratuitous for a St. Bernard

95. Common allergens: SPORES

96. Genesis locale: EDEN 

97. Air marshal's org.: TSA

99. "Barbie" director Gerwig: GRETA - name.

107. Gaps: OMISSIONS - Saturday clue/answer

108. Inherent: INNATE - *cringe* - I don't like to see an IN- clue for an IN- answer

109. Kid-lit boy detective __ the Great: NATE - name.  The Wiki

110. Noir sleuths: TECS - I am just plowing my way through Rex Stout's "Nero Wolfe" detective books, they're so good - I love the Archie character

111. "Evita" narrator: CHE - narrator~? *cringe*  and name.

112. Preserved in a scrapbook, say: PASTED

113. Mireille of "Hanna": ENOS - name.

DOWN:

1. Cranks (up): AMPS - "These go to eleven."

2. Big jump: LEAP

3. 2002 Jodie Foster film about a robbery: PANIC ROOM - Good movie - saw it when it came out

4. Suffered from 41-Down, perhaps: SNORED - 41. Sleep disorder: APNEA

5. Snake River Canyon st.: IDA - meh.  Don't like three-letter state abbrs

6. Copy: MIMIC - the MIC part of 22A

7. Thomas __ Edison: ALVA - name. Have not seen this fill in a while; if a Tesla is "stolen", is it then called an "Edison"~?

8. Be unsuccessful: FAIL

9. Snacked: ATE

10. Survey by a media outlet, e.g.: NEWS POLL

11. "Hallelujah" songwriter Leonard: COHEN - name.

12. Young Skywalker's nickname: ANI - Short for Anakin, pre-Darth Vader.  and name.

13. Home: DOMICILE - the MIC part of 24A

14. Flight segments: STAIRS

15. Dadaist Max: ERNST - name.  if the clue were Blofeld, we'd be at James Bond again.

16. Olympic sleds: LUGES - see you in Italy

17. Grassy meadows: LEAS

20. "Move over!": "SCOOT~!"

21. Series of related emails: THREAD - *cringe* - a series of texts, maybe

23. Actress Russo: RENE - name.

28. The "L" of UCLA: LOS - University (of) California - - - Angeles

31. Radio letters: AM/FM

32. Layered rock: SHALE

34. Warped: BENT - like my mind

35. Berry from the Amazon: ACAI

36. Froyo franchise: TCBY - The Country's Best Yogurt; uh, well, the closest one to me is in Yonkers, in a different state - I guess you have to travel the country....

37. Competes (for): VIES

38. Great songs, slangily: BOPS - *cringe*

42. Fine-tuned: HONED - like my blogging skills....mic drop

43. Water usage measurer: METER

44. Sand bucket: PAIL

45. __ Goose vodka: GREY

47. NBA great Jordan: MICHAEL - the MIC part of 46A.  and name.

48. Commercial figure?: AD RATE

49. Chophouse specification: RARE

50. Chocolate-hazelnut spread: NUTELLA - oh so good

53. Spending limit: CAP - a perpetual problem for the NY Rangers

54. Cowboy __: bean salad: CAVIAR - never heard this

56. Non-earthlings, for short: ETs

57. Licensed tax pro: CPA

58. "The Leftovers" actress Tyler: LIV - name.

59. Like fruit of the loom?: WOVEN

60. Prefix with climate or greens: MICRO - the MIC part of 59A

61. Dance set to klezmer music: HORA - Ah, Hebrew; looked German to me

62. Extra NHL periods: OTs - oh, we are so close to the start of the hockey season

63. Paper size: LEGAL

64. Mark for attention: FLAG

65. LPGA golfer Thompson: LEXI - name.

69. Trattoria menu heading: VINO - The "N" was my last fill, a Natick crossing; BTW, I now live closer to the place we get the term from....

70. Sod: GRASS - Meh.  almost *cringe*

71. Like yellow bananas: RIPE

72. Targets of some trash talk: EGOS
 
74. 2006 Jodie Foster film about a robbery: INSIDE MAN - now this movie, I did not see

75. Sign gas: NEON

76. "Put a tiger in your tank" brand: ESSO - gas sign

78. Regal: MAJESTIC

79. Party bowlful: ONION DIP

80. Layered rock: MICA - the MIC part of 79A

82. Undue pressure: DURESS - Bzzzt; I had STRESS

85. Tender touch: CARESS

86. Points of connection: NODES

87. Flamenco shout: OLE

89. "So frustrating!": "ARGH~!"

90. At peace: SERENE - I like the Serenity Prayer

91. Ocean foam: SPUME - I had SPRAY

92. "Nancy" or "Cathy": COMIC - Strip, actually - and the MIC part of 102A

93. Pasta choice: PENNE

94. Butter up, in a way: BASTE - now this is clever clue misdirection

95. Leopard's mark: SPOT

97. Loads (of): TONS -  I can never tell if it's going to be TONS or ALOT

98. Minor dispute: SPAT

100. Mambo legend Puente: TITO - name.

101. Solitaire foundation cards: ACES

103. "How lovely!": "OOH~!"

105. Genetic messenger: RNA

106. Keanu title role: TED - Dah~!   I had NEO - but once I read the clue, I see it says "title".

        and name.

 

Splynter