S U N D A Y Novemember 28, 2010 John Lampkin (syndicated)

Theme: "Stuffed" — Five Thanksgiving dishes that are short a few "leftover" letters.

[Note: This is the syndicated L.A. Times puzzle. It does not appear in the actual newspaper, but is available for free at cruciverb.com.]

 Theme answers:

• 23A: Thursday meat (TURKEY WINGS AND DRUMSTIcks).
• 35A: Thursday veggie (MASHED POTATOES WITH GRAvy).
  
• 55A: Thursday condiment (HOMEMADE CRANBERRY SAUCe).
• 77A: Thursday veggie (CANDIED YAMS WITH MARSHMallow).
• 91A: Thursday dessert (PUMPKIN PECAN PIE A LA MODe).
• 111A: This weekend's fridge contents, probably, and what's missing from five long puzzle answers? (THANKSGIVING LEFTOVERS).

Hey, folks. Doug here again. OK, I thought the theme was a bit confusing today. I was having trouble figuring out the "leftovers" concept. My theory is that the missing letters from each theme entry are "leftover" for another day, just like most families have some leftover turkey, stuffing, pie, etc., after the big Thursday dinner. (The CANDIED YAMS must not have been very popular, since that one has 5 uneaten letters.) Hey, maybe you can look for all the leftover letters in Monday's grid.

Bullets:

• 14A: Monkees' jacket type (NEHRU). I'm glad this referred to the musical Monkees and not actual monkeys. I hate to see monkeys wearing clothes. Well, the little organ grinder monkeys are kind of cute, but clothed chimpanzees creep me out. "Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp" gave me nightmares.
• 28A: Net weight factors (TARES). One of those crossword words you just have to memorize. Please see this delightful Crosswordese 101 entry: TARE.
• 67A: Secretary of state under Reagan (SHULTZ). That would be George Shultz. Also Secretary of the Treasury under Nixon. He's been around forever. And he's certainly not my favorite S(c)hultz.

• 106A: More's allegorical island (UTOPIA). The titular island in "Utopia" by Sir Thomas More. The full title of the book is "Libellus vere aureus, nec minus salutaris quam festivus, de optimo rei publicae statu deque nova insula Utopia" or "A Truly Golden Little Book, No Less Beneficial Than Entertaining, of the Best State of a Republic, and of the New Island Utopia." Now that's catchy.
• 10D: In order that (SOASTO). One of those entries that looks bizarre in the grid until you realize it's "so as to."

• 12D: Sly Foxx (REDD). I used to watch "Sanford and Son" all the time with my grandfather. He loved Redd Foxx and had quite a few of his LPs, but I was never allowed to listen to them. Then I heard a few of his routines when I was older. Some of the dirtiest, funniest stuff you'll ever hear.
• 16D: "__ Hers": 1994 Pulp album (HISN). Pulp is a band? My knowledge of '90s popular music is pretty much nonexistent. 
• 36D: Certain Dwarf's periodic outburst (ACHOO). I love this Sneezy clue for ACHOO.
• 42D: The sun, e.g. (G STAR). Apparently stars are classified using the letters O, B, A, F, G, K and M. And G stars are "yellow." OK, unless you're an astrophysicist, my advice is to write STAR in the grid and wait for the crossing answer to give you the first letter.
• 57D: Like Steven Wright's humor (DRY). Classic.

• 68D: Narrowly defined verse (HAIKU). My all-time favorite crossword clue for HAIKU was written by Bob Klahn: "A poem like this / Of 17 syllables / Split 5-7-5."
• 108D: Ale brewer Slosberg (PETE). This guy's the Pete behind Pete's Wicked Ale.

Thanks for hanging out with me on a Sunday. PuzzleGirl will be back in the driver's seat tomorrow.

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 8D: Flamboyant Dame (EDNA). (Edna's been showing up a lot lately.)

Everything Else — 1A: Insect catchers (WEBS); 5A: Something blown before a fight? (FUSE); 9A: Seize by force (USURP); 19A: Marine hue (AQUA); 20A: Exalt (LAUD); 21A: Long time follower? (NOSEE); 22A: Allium plant (ONION); 27A: Singing hindrance (TINEAR); 29A: Early Greek Cynic (DIOGENES); 30A: Sweeping matter (SOOT); 32A: Curse (OATH); 34A: __-relief (BAS); 45A: Bruins' sch. (UCLA); 46A: Lays eggs in water (SPAWNS); 47A: Jalisco hundred (CIEN); 48A: Fleur de __: sea salt (SEL); 49A: They're raised at bars (SHOTS); 51A: Connecting symbol between musical notes (TIE); 52A: Auto for Otto, maybe (AUDI); 53A: Arch opening? (MATRI); 60A: Half an attention-getter (YOO); 61A: Concur (AGREE); 62A: Decipher, as music (READ); 63A: Everlasting, to the bard (ETERNE); 64A: Jenny's sound (BRAY); 65A: Vise feature (JAW); 66A: Certain fed (NARC);70A: Try (STAB); 72A: Jacket line (TITLE); 74A: Lyricist Gershwin (IRA); 81A: Mountain spine (RIDGE); 82A: Postnatal bed (CRIB); 83A: AQI monitor (EPA); 84A: "... __ down in green pastures" (TOLIE); 85A: Alias (AKA); 86A: __-garou: werewolf (LOUP); 87A: Flaws (FAULTS); 90A: "Death in Venice" author (MANN); 96A: Lip (RIM); 97A: Neil Diamond's "__ Said" (IAMI); 98A: King of rhyme (COLE); 99A: Remain calm (STAYCOOL); 104A: Succeed in (WINAT); 114A: Azerbaijani neighbor (IRANI); 115A: Gas that both protects and pollutes (OZONE); 116A: Hot rod rod (AXLE); 117A: Mounted on (ATOP); 118A: "Nowhere Man: The Final Days of John Lennon" author Robert (ROSEN); 119A: Georgia gridders, familiarly (DAWGS); 120A: Macho guy (STUD); 121A: Peephole feature, often (LENS); 1D: One with his name in lights? (WATT); 2D: Same: Pref. (EQUI); 3D: Blow a 5-Across (BURN); 4D: Sushi bar drink (SAKE); 5D: Trout fishing gear (FLYRODS); 6D: Detroit labor gp. (UAW); 7D: Fit perfectly (SUITTOATEE); 9D: Dethrones (UNSEATS); 11D: JFK served in it (USN); 13D: Foot at the head? (PEDI); 14D: Chewy candy (NOUGAT); 15D: Catch, as in a net (ENMESH); 17D: Learning style (ROTE); 18D: Colleges, Down Under (UNIS); 24D: Lighten up (EASE); 25D: Pun, usually (GROANER); 26D: The American one is in the thrush family (ROBIN); 31D: Like an ant. (OPP); 33D: Mother of Hector in the "Iliad" (HECUBA); 35D: Oozing schmaltz (MUSHY); 37D: NFL ref's aid (SLOMO); 38D: Detest (HATE); 39D: Doubly (TWICE); 40D: Took up (with) (SIDED); 41D: Stream blocker (WEIR); 43D: Show over (RERUN); 44D: Pulitzer winner Walker (ALICE); 50D: Smug sort (SMARTIE); 52D: Again (ANEW); 53D: "It's on me" (MYTREAT); 54D: "Be there in __" (ASEC); 56D: Riveted (AGAZE); 58D: Lawrence's men (ARABS); 59D: King's domain (REALM); 64D: Sch. campus unit (BLDG); 65D: Doorway part (JAMB); 66D: Ultimate (NTH); 67D: Morsel (SCRAP); 69D: Allow to flow (UNDAM); 70D: Waffle topper (SYRUP); 71D: Southeast Asian island metropolis (TAIPEI); 72D: Tilt skywards (TIPUP); 73D: It's used for emphasis (ITALICTEXT); 74D: Faith of more than one billion (ISLAM); 75D: African lumberer (RHINO); 76D: Alter, as an agreement (AMEND); 78D: Pest control brand (DCON); 79D: Making independent (from) (WEANING); 80D: "Arrivederci __" (ROMA); 86D: Stretches on the road (LIMOS); 87D: Biblical hardships (FAMINES); 88D: Columbia Records jazz producer Macero (TEO); 89D: Toasted (SALUTED); 92D: Hawthorne's "A" wearer (PRYNNE); 93D: Begin to take effect (KICKIN); 94D: Cornfield chatter (CAWING); 95D: Mother of Apollo (LETO); 99D: Arouse (STIR); 100D: Via, old-style (THRO); 101D: Small batteries (AAAS); 102D: Prayer start (OGOD); 103D: Gershwin title girl who can make "all the clouds ... roll away" (LIZA); 105D: Sadly (ALAS); 107D: __ Office (OVAL); 109D: Fe, in chemistry (IRON); 110D: Deadly slitherers (ASPS); 112D: Altar agreement (VOW);113D: H1N1 virus, e.g. (FLU).