S U N D A Y October 31, 2010 Sylvia Bursztyn (calendar)

Theme: "31st Holiday" — Halloween Puns

[Note: This is the puzzle that appears in the Sunday L.A. Times newspaper. If you don't get the paper, you can find the puzzle here. Scroll down to see today's syndicated puzzle.]


Theme answers:

• 22A: Halloween permit? (HAUNTING LICENSE).
• 36A: Halloween VIPs? (GHOSTS OF HONOR).
• 56A: Halloween savvy? (TREAT SMARTS).
• 80A: This or that Halloween spell? (ANY WITCH WAY).
• 97A: Halloween math? (TRICKONOMETRY).
• 116A: Standard Halloween outfitter? (REGULAR COSTUMER).
• 15D: Take flight on Halloween? (BOLT FROM THE BOO).
• 49D: Halloween spuds? (MASKED POTATOES).

Everything Else — 1A: Surrender (CEDE); 5A: One, to Juan (UNO); 8A: Sink (BASIN); 13A: Room at sea (CABIN); 18A: Hungarian-born philanthropist George (SOROS); 19A: Complicated baloney (RIGMAROLE); 21A: Emerged (AROSE); 24A: Esther of "Good Times" (ROLLE); 25A: Kind of duty (EXPORT); 26A: "Darn!" ("HECK!"); 27A: Gave the go-ahead (ASSENTED); 29A: Get engaged (BETROTH); 31A: Oscar winner Guinness (ALEC); 34A: "--- by land ..." (ONE IF); 35A: Spots (ADS); 40A: Rodeo and Tobacco, briefly (RDS.); 43A: Pricy wheels, slangily (BEEMER); 44A: Power network (GRID); 45A: "Chill!" ("BE COOL!"); 47A: Glenn Close and Glenne Headly (WOMEN); 50A: Nobelist Wiesel (ELIE); 52A: Harrow rival (ETON); 54A: "Philadelphia" director (DEMME); 55A: Persia, today (IRAN); 59A: Fret (STEW); 60A: Deliverance (RESCUE); 62A: Deli side (SLAW); 63A: Scabbard (SHEATH); 65A: South Bend neighbor (ELKHART); 67A: --- mickey (SLIP A); 70A: Most musty (STALEST); 73A: Chef Lagasse (EMERIL); 75A: Commotion (FUSS); 77A: Sheepish comment? (BAA BAA); 78A: Emmy winner Alan (ALDA); 84A: Promises (VOWS); 85A: Dupe (REPRO); 87A: Word before go bragh or "Brockovich" (ERIN); 88A: AmfAR founder Mathilde (KRIM); 89A: Mall stall (KIOSK); 90A: Google, say (LOOK UP); 92A: "Picnic" Pulitzer playwright (INGE); 94A: High point (APOGEE); 96A: Ottawa's prov. (ONT.); 100A: "Either he goes, --- do!" (OR I); 103A: Dined at home (ATE IN); 105A: MD's "Immediately!" (STAT); 106A: Manages (HANDLES); 108A: Super Soaker, e.g. (WATERGUN); 111A: Tar, to César (BREA); 114A: Marginal writing? (DOODLE); 115A: Word with the line or the law (ABOVE); 120A: Norse love deity (FREYA); 121A: Verbalized (EXPRESSED); 122A: Delight (ELATE); 123A: Stunning device (TASER); 124A: No-nonsense (STAID); 125A: "Grease"'s Byrnes (EDD); 126A: Without (SANS); 1D: Cajoled (COAXED); 2D: Goes off (ERUPTS); 3D: Supportive sort (DONOR); 4D: Ovary output (ESTROGEN); 5D: Samovar (URN); 6D: Close by (NIGH); 7D: Gawk at (OGLE); 8D: Unfilled orders (BACKLOG); 9D: "--- we there yet?" (ARE); 10D: Abel, to Adam (SON); 11D: She walks into Rick's gin joint (ILSA); 12D: He played Schindler (NEESON); 13D: Tore headlong (CAREERED); 14D: Rice- --- (A-RONI); 16D: Man or Wight (ISLE); 17D: Requirement (NEED); 18D: Yemen, in Solomon's time (SHEBA); 20D: Flaky minerals (MICAS); 23D: Give --- old college try (IT THE); 28D: Elitist (SNOB); 30D: "Odyssey" author (HOMER); 32D: Stephanie Zimbalist's father (EFREM); 33D: Broadway's Rivera (CHITA); 37D: Tennis champ Monica (SELES); 38D: Experiments (TRIALS); 39D: Scents (ODORS); 41D: Taj Mahal topper (DOME); 42D: Did in dragons (SLEW); 43D: Yardstick (BENCHMARK); 46D: "Oh well," in Sainte-Chapelle (C'EST LA VIE); 47D: Tightrope (WIRE); 48D: Baseball's Hershiser (OREL); 51D: Citation abbr. (ET AL.); 53D: Extreme degrees (NTHS); 56D: Earth, to Caesar (TERRA); 57D: Gulliver's creator (SWIFT); 58D: Save for future use (SET BY); 61D: Persian Gulf fed. (UAE); 64D: Battery buy (AAA); 66D: Fork part (TINE); 68D: Hockey prop (PUCK); 69D: Hindu retreat (ASHRAM); 71D: Maxims (SAWS); 72D: Piece of work (TASK); 74D: Songlike (LYRIC); 76D: Filch (SWIPE); 78D: He sang of Alice's (ARLO); 79D: "Delta Lady" writer Russell (LEON); 81D: Flirty signals (WINKS); 82D: Gold brick (INGOT); 83D: Like --- to a flame (A MOTH); 86D: Canal locale (OUTER EAR); 89D: Main ideas (KEYNOTES); 91D: Bluenose (PRIG); 93D: Made possible (ENABLED); 95D: Alums (GRADS); 98D: Toughens (INURES); 99D: Other "mujeres" (OTRAS); 100D: Hemingway title character (OLD MAN); 101D: Leases anew (RELETS); 102D: Grenoble's river (ISERE); 104D: "Tradition" singer (TEVYE); 107D: Birth day party? (DOULA); 108D: Float on the breeze (WAFT); 109D: Julie's "East of Eden" role (ABRA); 110D: Queue cue (NEXT); 112D: Celtic tongue (ERSE); 113D: Served them right? (ACED); 117D: Transcript fig. (GPA); 118D: William Tell's canton (URI); 119D: Unmatched (ODD).