Sunday November 17, 2013 C.C. Burnikel

 Theme: "Logical Connections" - ERGO is hidden in the middle of each theme entry.

 

24A. Imaginary kids' author : MOTHER GOOSE

31A. NFL commissioner since 2006 : ROGER GOODELL. The most powerful man in sports. 

49A. Zeus or Thor : THUNDER GOD

52A. Job interview subject : CAREER GOAL

 

87A. Sport with orange balls, perhaps : WINTER GOLF. Argyle gave me this clue. Golf is his passion.

89A. Lynne Cheney's predecessor : TIPPER GORE

103A. Hand-crafted belts, e.g. : LEATHER GOODS

114A. Vision-distorting condition caused by a few too many cold ones, slangily : BEER GOGGLES

And reveal entry:

122A. Logical connection hidden in eight puzzle answers : ERGO

C.C. here. 

This puzzle title is Rich's. Most of the clues are his too. You can click here to see my original submitted clues.

I initially had ERGO placed as the last Across entry, but it resulted in a pair of dupes:

1) SEES FIT (35A) &  SEE NO (107D)

2) ELSA (48D) & ELSIE  (113A)

So I moved ERGO one row up. Little 3-word dupes are tricky on Sundays, esp for fill like EAT/ATE.

  

Initial Lower Right Corner

Across:

1. Like Narcissus : VAIN

5. Tiny tiff : SPAT

9. The pyramids, for 28-Across : TOMBS. And 28. Pyramid figures : PHARAOHS. Too close not to be cross-referenced.

14. Yawn : GAPE

18. Two-time Italian prime minister Moro : ALDO.
He stumped me last time. He was kidnapped and killed.  Wiki said this:
When Moro was abducted, the government immediately took a hard line
position: the "State must not bend" on "terrorist demands".

19. Zero __ : HOUR

20. Troubled greatly : ATE AT

21. Affected : ARTSY

22. Rewards for Fido : PATS

23. Kitchen add-on? : ETTE. Kitchenette.

26. Missouri River city : OMAHA

30. Flies into a rage : ERUPTS

33. [Like that!] : SNAP

34. Scrub : SCOUR. I like scouring my pots and pans. Therapeutic.

35. Deems proper : SEES FIT

38. "The Newsroom" channel : HBO. Created by Aaron Sorkin, the guy behind "You can't handle the truth!"

41. "Oh no!" : ACK

44. Miss the mark : ERR

45. Bob and bun : DOs

46. Cold cube in Cologne : EIS. Just ice.

47. Sign of life : PULSE

54. Bausch & Lomb brand : RENU

55. Bitty bites : NIPS

56. End of time? : SILENT E. Rich's clue.

57. Calendar rows: Abbr. : WKS

58. Prank : ANTIC

60. Gave a darn? : SEWED

62. Indulge, with "on" : DOTE

63. Lamb's lament : BAA

64. Bitty bits : ATOMS

67. Utter : SHEER. The sheer meanness of some anonymous posts on our
blog! So glad our regulars don't engage them. They don't deserve our attention.

69. "Toy Story" composer Newman : RANDY. Very impressive career.

71. Water__: dental gadget : PIK

73. Us, in Cannes : NOUS.  Every girl was reading "Entre Nous" a few years ago.

75. Relevant, to lawyers : AD REM

77. Unlit? : SOBER. Also Rich's clue.

80. 1996 Olympic torch lighter : ALI

81. Short-range weapons : MORTARS

83. Too colorful : LOUD

86. Pure delight : GLEE. My feeling after watching Spitzboov's Guangzhou clip last week. Want to see the historical sites in my hometown Xi'An?

91. Kept under wraps : SAT ON

92. U.K. record label : EMI

93. Paper Mate rival : BIC

94. "Eww, spare me the details!" : TMI

95. Panda Express cooker : WOK. Boomer prefers the Super Grand Buffet here in MN.

96. California's Marina __ Rey : DEL. Five miles north of where Bill G lives. This photo is exactly 1-year-old. Jordan is now 9.

Bill G & his grandson Jordan

97. Toaster treat : POP TART

99. Henchmen : THUGS

101. Interpol home, locally : LYON. We add S, we also add S to Marseille. I don't know why.

108. Grocery load : ARMFUL

111. "Carmen" aria : HABANERA

113. Kama __ : SUTRA

116. Close link : BOND

118. Baseball feature : SEAM

119. Small part : CAMEO. I had a trivia for this one.

120. Square one : START

121. Being aired : ON TV

123. Wild plum : SLOE

124. Support staff: Abbr. : ASSTS

125. Unwanted sprout : WEED. And 56D. Sprouts-to-be : SEEDS

126. Slugger who hit his first home run off Clemens : SOSA. Did you know this trivia, TTP & Husker Gary?

Down:

1. Steam, e.g. : VAPOR

2. Texas landmark : ALAMO

3. Luggage clip-on : ID TAG

4. Bites : NOSHES

5. Every other hurricane : SHE

6. Mishmash : POTPOURRI

7. Name on a spine : AUTHOR. Book spine.

8. Tire pattern : TREAD

9. They may be hot : TAMALES. Lucina, do you prepare tamales for Thanksgiving also?

10. "Lawrence of Arabia" star : O'TOOLE

11. John Wesley's relig. : METH

12. Words of disgust : BAHs

13. Holy mlle. : STE

14. Occasionally awkward show of affection : GROUP HUG. I'm sure Dave and Manac will find the awkward ones.

15. Perching on : ATOP

16. Hushed "Hey!" : PSST

17. Spud's buds : EYES

21. Bhopal Shatabdi Express stop : AGRA. Easily guessable, right? It's hard to come up with fresh clues for AGRA or OREO.

25. Flat rate? : RENT

27. Like most golf shots : ARCED

29. Patch, as a lawn : RE-SOD

32. Bridge immortal : GOREN

33. Assent showing respeto : SI, SENOR. Respect.

36. Close tight : SEAL

37. Let go : FIRED

39. Detailed : BLOW BY BLOW

40. Yodo River city : OSAKA. Never head of Yodo River.

41. Razor handle : ATRA

42. "Big Brother" host Julie : CHEN

43. Gambian-born "Roots" character : KUNTA KINTE. I learned about slavery from watching "Roots".

45. Teaspoons, maybe : DOSES

47. Fusses in front of a mirror, say : PREENS

48. Model/actress Pataky : ELSA. She dated Adrien Brody for a few years.

50. Nantes night : NUIT

51. Rte. finder : GPS

52. Apple product : CIDER. Not iSomething. How do you like your Mac so far, D-Otto?

53. Jazz legend James : ETTA

59. Scam artists : CON MEN

61. Berth place : WHARF

65. Keep from drifting away : MOOR

66. Operation VIP : SURGEON

68. Dig find : RELIC

70. Big name in rap : DOGG. Snoop (Lion now) or Nate.

71. Bear hands : PAWS

72. Trojan War epic : ILIAD

74. Jazz dance : STOMP

76. Swabbing need : MOP

78. Gateway Arch designer Saarinen : EERO

79. Smell bad : REEK

82. Made a touchdown : ALIT

84. Play for higher stakes : UP THE ANTE

85. Beg to differ : DEMUR

88. Like most customer support numbers : TOLL-FREE

89. Powerful deity : TITAN

90. Mid-'40s World No. 1 tennis pro Bobby : RIGGS

93. Chicken servings : BREASTS

97. Sport with horses : POLO. I've got to link Nacho Figueras, the face of Polo.

98. Nobelist Camus : ALBERT

99. High chair : THRONE

100. Barflies : SOUSES

102. '80s-'90s Serbian auto import : YUGO

104. Quarterback known for kneeling : TEBOW (Tim). I thought he'd be another Tom Brady.

105. Alamogordo's county : OTERO

106. Party poopers : DRAGS

107. Island group near Fiji : SAMOA

108. Early lessons : ABCs

109. Bona fide : REAL

110. Staff note : MEMO

111. 5'4" and 6'2": Abbr. : HGTS. That's mine and Boomer's.

112. "Poor me!" : ALAS

115. Govt. property agency : GSA

117. Redbox rental : DVD

C.C.