16A. Popular kind of 31- and 37-Across : FREE RANGECOMPLETION TIME: 20m 18s
31A. With 37-Across, dairy aisle purchase : OOOOOO
37A. See 31-Across : OOOOOO
55A. Holder of 31- and 37-Across : EGG CARTON
10D. One way to prepare 31- and 37-Across : OVER-EASY
36D. Number of 31- and 37-Across in a 55-Across : ONE DOZEN
17A. Balm business? : SALVE TRADE (from “slave trade”)COMPLETION TIME: 13m 19s
23A. Yodeling tribute band's repertoire? : ALP-TOP COVERS (from “laptop covers”)
38A. Words of encouragement to a tailor? : ALTER ON! (from “later on”)
48A. Figure at Sarah's cigar store? : PALIN’S INDIAN (from “Plains Indian”)
57A. "Columbo" trench coat? : FALK JACKET (from “flak jacket”)
1A. Traditional location of one of this puzzle's theme words : BELOW (i.e. HELL)COMPLETION TIME: 7m 47s
64A. Traditional location of one of this puzzle's theme words : ABOVE (i.e HEAVEN)
17A. Opposite of an AC/DC song? : HIGHWAY TO HEAVEN (from “Highway to Hell”)
25A. Opposite of a Led Zeppelin number? : STAIRWAY TO HELL (from “Stairway to Heaven”)
42A. Opposite of a Meat Loaf tune? : BAT OUT OF HEAVEN (from “Bat Out of Hell”)
56A. Opposite of a Bing Crosby hit? : PENNIES FROM HELL (from “Pennies from Heaven”)
17A. Purchasing system with payments made over time : LAYAWAY PLANCOMPLETION TIME: 5m 48s
29A. Former Chrysler C.E.O. : LEE IACOCCA
34A. Goldbrick : LIE DOWN ON THE JOB
43A. Healthful food regimen, traditionally : LOW-FAT DIET
56A. He played the Hulk on 1970s-'80s TV : LOU FERRIGNO
25A. Banned book of 1928 : LADY C(HAT)TERLEY’S LOVERCOMPLETION TIME: 26m 40s
43A. Source material for Broadway's "Seussical" : HORTON (HAT)CHES THE EGG
59A. Time's 1930 Man of the Year : MA(HAT)MA GANDHI
74A. 1955 Grant/Kelly thriller : TO CATC(H A T)HIEF
88A. World's first certified gold record, 1942 : C(HAT)TANOOGA CHOO CHOO
107A. Source of the line "They say miracles are past" : ALL’S WELL T(HAT) ENDS WELL
18D. Nirvana achievers : AR(HAT)S
45D. 1962 John Wayne film : (HAT)ARI
53D. Talking doll that debuted in 1960 : C(HAT)TY CATHY
71D. Mock response to a friend who pulls a practical joke : I(HAT)E YOU
84D. Hut cover : T(HAT)CH
110D. Storage item ... or one of six in this puzzle? : (HAT)BOX
17A. Effrontery : CHUTZPAH (HAPZTUHC)COMPLETION TIME: 23m 21s
20A. Lug : SCHLEP (PELHCS)
33A. Gossip : YENTA (ATNEY)
40A. Title on certain language videos ... with a hint to entering six answers in this puzzle : LEARNING YIDDISH
46A. Butterfingers : KLUTZ (ZTULK)
56A. Offer unwanted advice : KIBITZ (ZTIBIK)
66A. Shoot the breeze : SCHMOOZE (EZOOMHCS)
26A. Country associated with 38-/40-/41-Across : GERMANYCOMPLETION TIME: 14m 33s
38A. With 40- and 41-Across, 18th-century literary and musical movement : STURM
40A. See 38-Across : UND
41A. See 38-Across : DRANG
45A. With 47-Across, writer associated with 38-/40-/41-Across : JOHANN
47A. See 45-Across : GOETHE
7D. With 36- and 53-Down, translation of 38-/40-/41-Across : STORM
36D. See 7-Down : AND
53D. See 7-Down : STRESS
18A. Magazine for arithmetic lovers? : (PL)US WEEKLYCOMPLETION TIME: 9m 53s
24A. Bizarre demand to a dry cleaner? : (PL)EAT MY SHORTS
39A. Zales or Tiffany's? : (PL)ACE OF DIAMONDS
51A. Overfish? : (PL)UNDER THE SEA
60A. Light shower? : (PL)ACID RAIN
20A. Help for newbies : BEGINNER’S GUIDE (beginner’s LUCK)COMPLETION TIME: 7m 10s
26A. There's no such thing as this, according to a saying : DUMB QUESTION (dumb LUCK)
43A. Really strong : TOUGH AS NAILS (tough LUCK)
52A. First woman to sit in the British House of Commons : LADY NANCY ASTOR (lady LUCK)
52D. Word that can follow the starts of 20-, 26-, 43- and 52-Across : LUCK
23A. Ultranationalism? : JINGO ALL THE WAY (“jingle all the way”)COMPLETION TIME: 32m 10s
39A. "Thriller" Grammy sweep? : THE DAY OF THE JACKO (“The Day of the Jackal”)
48A. Speed at which the apocalypse is coming? : TEMPO OF DOOM (“... Temple of Doom”)
64A. Obsessive-compulsive soap purger? : RINSE PSYCHO (rinse cycle)
74A. Big gambling loss in the Biggest Little City in the World? : RENO FAILURE (renal failure)
91A. Bad precept for U.S. foreign policy? : AMERICAN EGO (American Eagle)
99A. Not a happy ending on the yellow brick road? : TOTO ANNIHILATION (total annihilation)
121A. TV detective with his unbalanced suspect? : HAMMER AND SICKO (hammer and sickle)
122D. New element in each of this puzzle's theme answers : AN O
20A. Prison guard system? : ESCAPE CONTROLCOMPLETION TIME: 19m 11s
30A. Hipster Capitol Hill worker after collapsing? : ALT PAGE DOWN
39A. Bill at the "Star Wars" cantina? : SPACE BAR TAB
52A. Restyle a bit of a D.C. hockey player's hair? : SHIFT CAPS LOCK
- BOOM TOWNCOMPLETION TIME: 9m 28s
- HOMETOWN
- BOYS TOWN
- DOWNTOWN
- CAPETOWN
- FREETOWN
17A. John Gotti's nickname, with "the" : TEF(LON DON)COMPLETION TIME: 9m 20s
24A. First human in space : YU(RI GA)GARIN
32A. Folk song played at Jewish weddings : (HAVA NA)GILA
43A. Giant who was the Super Bowl XLVI M.V.P. : E(LI MA)NNING
51A. Flat item to cook food on : BA(KING STON)E
63A. Densely populated area ... or what 17-, 24-, 32-, 43- and 51-Across each have? : INNER CITY
18A. Luxury craft crossing the Atlantic, say : OCEAN LINERCOMPLETION TIME: 05m 01s
23A. Paris cabaret : MOULIN ROUGE
39A. Good grounding : SOLID FOUNDATION
53A. Spooned-out Nestlé product : COCOA POWDER
62A. What this crossword is, in a way? : MAKE-UP TEST
22A. "Talking isn't going to reseal that wine bottle!" : PUT A CORK IN ITCOMPLETION TIME: 15m 28s
25A. "Quit trying to make a paper doll by ripping the paper!" : CUT IT OUT
26A. "I can see why shoppers avoid this off-brand white bread!" : IT’S NO WONDER
36A. "I already know my homemade cold cream is useless!" : DON’T RUB IT IN
38A. "So you finally got the gist of that Stephen Hawking book!" : IT’S ABOUT TIME
63A. "Of course this car isn't voice-controlled!" : IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING
88A. "This tippy Christmas tree is driving me crazy!" : I CAN’T STAND IT
91A. "Stop dillydallying and use your boarding pass!" : GET ON WITH IT
104A. "How dare you climb a barbed-wire fence wearing my sweater!" : THAT TEARS IT
106A. "I'm in a hurry to see that bug squashed!" : STEP ON IT
110A. "Yeah, I'm asking for people's impression of this inkblot -- so?!" : WHAT’S IT TO YOU
23A. With 24- and 45-Across, game represented by this completed puzzle's grid : TICCOMPLETION TIME: 20m 28s
24A. See 23-Across : TAC
45A. See 23-Across : TOE
When this puzzle is done, the answers to the six starred clues will form a word ladder, starting with 4-Across, whose record of 33-/42-Across was broken by 68-Across.
4A. *Brother of Moses : AARONCOMPLETION TIME: 8m 33s
9A. *Von Richthofen, e.g. : BARON
25A. *Element in the cleanser 20 Mule Team : BORON
53A. *Bklyn., Queens and others : BOROS
67A. *Sonny and Chaz : BONOS
68A. *Adheres : BONDS
20A. With 38-Across, a complaint : DOC, I’M ADDICTED TOCOMPLETION TIME: 8m 54s
38A. See 20-Across : TWITTER
40A. With 57-Across, response to the complaint : SORRY, I’M
57A. See 40-Across : NOT FOLLOWING YOU
16A. *Big gamble : CRAPSHOOTCOMPLETION TIME: 5m 21s
24A. *Election Day receptacle : BALLOT BOX
37A. *Result of a financial panic : BANK RUN
40A. *Tight braid : CORNROW
51A. *Series of changes from birth to death : LIFE CYCLE
63A. *Precipitous drop in cost : PRICE DIVE
50D. 2012 Olympics locale, with a hint to the ends of the answers to the six starred clues : LONDON
23A. Disappointing "Who's with me?" response? : SHOW OF HAND(S)COMPLETION TIME: 31m 51s
25A. Work to maintain a C average? : HIT THE BOOK(S)
31A. Mention that you know a secret? : SPILL THE BEAN(S)
51A. One who's read an encyclopedia's first volume? : MAN OF LETTER(S)
58A. Podunk's directory? : YELLOW PAGE(S)
71A. Having finished just one month of a job? : WET BEHIND THE EAR(S)
87A. What one with a small nest egg enjoys? : GOLDEN YEAR(S)
96A. Despot's concession? : BILL OF RIGHT(S)
109A. Occasional klutz? : BUTTERFINGER(S)
121A. Beginning magician's arsenal? : BAG OF TRICK(S)
123A. Go on a brief youthful binge? : SOW ONE’S OAT(S)
1A. Vulnerable one : SITTING DUCKCOMPLETION TIME: 15m 26s
22A. Makes like Chuck Berry : DUCK-WALKS
26A. Dish often served with hoisin sauce : PEKING DUCK
50A. Platypus-like, in a way : DUCKBILLED
53A. Disney character with long eyelashes : DAISY DUCK
68A. Relatives of currants : GOOSEBERRIES
8D. Something short found in an alley : DUCKPIN
14D. Kind of session : LAME DUCK
22D. A cinch : DUCK SOUP
36D. Toast, with "a" : DEAD DUCK
50D. Centerpiece of many a park : DUCK POND
56D. Animal in a Kipling story : MONGOOSE
The name's William Ernest Butler, but please call me Bill. I grew up in Ireland, but now live out here in the San Francisco Bay Area. I am retired, from technology businesses that took our family all over the world.
I answer all emails, so please feel free to email me at bill@paxient.com, contact me on Google+ or leave a comment below.
I worked on my first crossword puzzle when I was about 6-years-old, sitting on my Dad's knee. He let me "help" him with his puzzle almost everyday as I was growing up. Over the years, Dad passed on to me his addiction to crosswords. Now in my early 50s, I work on my Irish Times and New York Times puzzles every day. I'm no longer sitting on my Dad's knee, but I feel that he is there with me, looking over my shoulder.
This blog is dedicated to my Dad, who passed away at the beginning of this month.
Bill
January 29, 2009
