S U N D A Y December 26, 2010 Kathleen Fay O'Brien (syndicated)

Theme: "Many Happy Returns" — The last word in each theme answer is "returned," resulting in wacky phrases.

[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: "Honest, Professor, I studied very hard for this test"? (ALLEGED PREP).
• 25A: Visibly shaken king? (PALE REGAL).
• 37A: Rejection at McDonalds? (HAMBURGER SNUB).
• 64A: Error that just got bigger? (DILATED SLIPUP).
• 91A: What Red Riding Hood wisely didn't do? (GO WITH THE WOLF).
• 109A: Green poet? (OLIVE BARD).
• 112A: Effect of Pepe Le Pew battling a romantic rival? (DOUBLE STINK).
• 40D: Quick look across the moat? (CASTLE PEEK).
• 45D: Fowl injustice? (TURKEY TORT).

Doug here, wishing you a Happy Boxing Day! I hope you're having fun with boxes or whatever you're supposed to do today.

I thought the title was clever, but I hope none of you are actually going to the mall to return gifts today. A complete nightmare. Stay home and do the puzzle. The first theme entry was the oddest, playing off the term ALLEGED PERP. That's not a phrase I hear much. HAMBURGER BUNS, GO WITH THE FLOW, OLIVE DRAB, etc., were more familiar.

Bullets:

• 40A: Things used in semi circles? (CBS). I loved this clue. Do truckers still use CBs, or do they all talk on cell phones now?

• 43A: Bucky, in "Get Fuzzy" (PET CAT). "Get Fuzzy" is a comic strip that people tell me I should like, but I rarely find it funny. I'm more of a "Pearls Before Swine" fan. Here's a picture of my pet cat. I can never get her to look at the camera.
• 47A: Concludes (ENDS). Nope, I don't have anything to say about this entry, but I need to fill some space before I insert a picture for 48A. This blogging stuff is harder than it appears.

• 48A: Photographing giraffes, perhaps (ON SAFARI). Hey, looks like my cat is about to pounce on that giraffe.
• 79A: Harlem sch. (CCNY). Short for City College of New York. I tried SUNY and CSNY and some other combos before I got it.
• 81A: Princess born on Polis Massa (LEIA). I don't think this was covered in PuzzleGirl's hilarious "Star Wars" video yesterday.
• 95A: Betty Grable's were insured (LEGS). I remember watching MTV all day waiting for this video to come on. Kids have it easy today with their fancy YouTube!

• 4D: Tough test metaphor (A BEAR). "That test was a bear!"
• 34D: Novus ___ seclorum: Great Seal motto (ORDO). Check the back of a dollar bill. It's under that scary pyramid with the eye on top.
• 38D: Lick (BEAT).

• 51D: Chicago Sting org. (NASL). That'd be the North American Soccer League, which went under in 1984, so don't feel bad if you've never heard of it. The league had a team called the Washington Diplomats. That's even less intimidating than "Senators."
• 88D: "Overnight" surprise for some (STARDOM). This was an interesting clue. I had all kinds of weird ideas running through my head before I got the answer. My pet cat's overnight surprises usually involve a dead animal left on my bed

OK, it's still Christmas night for me, so I'm outta here. Have a great rest of the weekend.

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 107D: Tony's cousin (OBIE).

Everything Else — 1A: Hussein : Obama :: __ : Garfield (ABRAM); 6A: Comforter (DUVET); 11A: Taking badly? (ABDUCTION); 20A: Dunces (BOOBS); 21A: Informal bid (ONE NO); 22A: Zap (MICROWAVE); 26A: Circus leaper (FLEA); 27A: Ad gp. (AGCY.); 28A: U.S. tender (DOLS.); 30A: Oddly amusing (DROLL); 31A: It affects your take-home pay (TAX RATE); 33A: Civil War authority Shelby (FOOTE); 35A: Per (A POP); 50A: Reunion attendees (ALUMS); 51A: Technology prefix (NANO-); 52A: Pico de gallo holders (TACOS); 54A: Pronto, to execs (ASAP); 55A: Scarlett's refuge (TARA); 56A: Like granola (OATY); 57A: Deck out (ARRAY); 58A: Bar orders for the calorie-conscious (LITES); 59A: Laser alternatives (INK JETS); 61A: Expected to land (DUE IN); 62A: Gloomy atmosphere (PALL); 63A: Dedicated verse (ODE); 68A: PC panic button (ESC); 71A: The "Y" in YSL (YVES); 73A: Wise guys (SAGES); 74A: Detailed (INDEPTH); 76A: Unlock the door for (LET IN); 78A: House reporter? (C-SPAN); 82A: Love, to Caesar (AMOR); 83A: Acts skittish (SHIES); 84A: Vidal's Breckinridge (MYRA); 85A: Lurches (REELS); 86A: Fighting practice (WAR GAMES); 88A: Kemo __ (SABE); 89A: Like the Finger of Fate on "Laugh-In" (FICKLE); 90A: Friday, e.g.: Abbr. (SGT.); 96A: Show again (REAIR); 97A: Source of inside info? (CAT SCAN); 102A: Suite spot (HOTEL); 105A: "Mr. Mom" actress (GARR); 106A: Do some bartending (POUR); 108A: Wrist-to-elbow bone (ULNA); 115A: Pretends to be what one isn't (LIVES A LIE); 116A: All, to Caesar (OMNIA); 117A: Els on the links (ERNIE); 118A: Backyard buildings (TOOL SHEDS); 119A: One you might not want to meet? (MAKER); 120A: Carried on (WAGED); 1D: Sternward (ABAFT); 2D: Italian vintner (BOLLA); 3D: Subject of the book "The Best of Time" (ROLEX); 5D: Stir-fry additive (MSG); 6D: Former bumper car trademark (DODGE M); 7D: Like "waitress," e.g. (UN-P.C.); 8D: "Ha ha" ("VERY FUNNY"); 9D: L.A.-to-N.Y. dir. (ENE); 10D: Champs (TOP DOGS); 11D: More copious (AMPLER); 12D: Preconception (BIAS); 13D: MCCC halved (DCL); 14D: Cult following? (-URE); 15D: City on the Guadalquivir River (CORDOBA); 16D: Insignificant one (TWERP); 17D: Othello's betrayer (IAGO); 18D: Like many a palette (OVAL); 19D: "Little" Dickens girl (NELL); 24D: Bother (EAT AT); 29D: Suffix with Capri (-OTE); 32D: Cries of clarity (AHAS); 35D: Bother (ANNOY); 36D: Kisser (PUSS); 39D: "Me too!" ("SO CAN I!"); 41D: Bluff in Banff (BRAE); 42D: Small samplings (SIPS); 43D: House party setting (PATIO); 44D: Serengeti grazer (ELAND); 46D: Key of Bizet's most popular sym. (C MAJ.); 49D: Bomb (FAIL); 52D: Hair piece (TRESS); 53D: Seed covering (ARIL); 56D: Publisher Chandler (OTIS); 57D: "September 1, 1939" poet (AUDEN); 58D: Lt. Columbo's employer (LAPD); 60D: Starting place? (EDEN); 61D: Painter of ballerinas (DEGAS); 62D: Small and weak (PUNY); 65D: St. Clare's town (ASSISI); 66D: Word with deck or drive (TAPE); 67D: __ colada (PIÑA); 69D: Unmoving (STILL); 70D: Scene with stuntmen (CHASE); 72D: Shenandoah Natl. Park site (VIRG.); 75D: Wire service?: Abbr. (ELEC.); 76D: Code contents, maybe (LAWS); 77D: Webzine (E-MAG); 78D: Scolds, with "out" (CHEWS); 79D: High tech/lowlife sci-fi genre (CYBERPUNK); 80D: Hands across the water? (CREW); 83D: Skyline obscurer (SMOG); 84D: Half a fish (MAHI); 85D: Falling-out (RIFT); 87D: Eternal (AGELESS); 89D: Turnpike alert (FLARE); 92D: Sports page deals (TRADES); 93D: Ship designation (HER); 94D: Eye-related (OCULAR); 95D: Flatten (LEVEL); 98D: Kama __ (SUTRA); 99D: Stick (CLING); 100D: "Tomorrow" musical (ANNIE); 101D: Starkers, across the pond (NAKED); 102D: Romance novelist Victoria (HOLT); 103D: Eclectic assortment (OLIO); 104D: Show recorder (TIVO); 105D: Crisscross pattern (GRID); 110D: Dissatisfied cry (BAH); 111D: Bar quaff (ALE); 113D: Medical suffix (-OMA); 114D: Alter, perhaps (SEW).