Grant

The square root of one is one, so I'm declaring ACT I as a bonus themer.

Came here expecting moaning about words being in both the clues and the answers, as with, THEMALL and YOURSELF. Glad to see that we've all accepted the "in the service of a clever theme" clause of the Terms and Conditions. One ring to rule THE MALL

I can tell a Friday puzzle is going to be a breeze when I can get 1A right away, and WARSAW PACT was a gimme. Too bad it was completely wrong.

I love how ADA Lovelace centers this grid, as she is credited with writing the first computer program, for Babbage's analytical machine.

Why did Constantinople get the works? That's nobody's business but the Turks'.

Somehow, it never occurred to me that there was an eponymous Mr TUPPER, but there he is. (And I'll take any opportunity to use "eponymous" in a sentence.)

A headline from the LA Times, last year: "Lego thefts across Southern California leave police trying to piece together clues"

Why am I so sure that the Mozart opera is "Cosi Fan TUTTI?" I always get that one wrong. Fun theme, happy to see all the animals. Also, a nod to the elephant clue for LAOS. The national flag used to have three elephants on it, but the commies changed it when they overthrew the monarchy in 1975.

This puzzle had a personal touch for me, as my late father worked on both the Mars ROVERS and the AEGIS guided missile system. (High-tech cable connector design, not the rocket science.) Loved the tasty puns. Are there British bacon shows? If not, there should be.

This puzzle was better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. Yes, that's actually a reference to Odysseus' other captor, Cyclops.

Re: 26D; here's a cautionary/explanatory tale. For many years, my family has been stopping at a mom-and-pop smokehouse in the Adirondacks. Their products are all excellent, and their bacon is the best I've ever had. I was delighted when they started doing mail order, and sending Christmas gift baskets to my family members became my tradition. And then Rachel Ray featured them on her show. (She's a local.) Well, the orders started pouring in, and the owners decided that they could not keep up with the increased demand without sacrificing quality, so they shut down the mail order operation. In short, the business did not scale. Hope that helps.

You know what makes a great CAT TOY? A wine cork. Seriously, throw one down the hall, and see what happens. It mostly rolls, but then it flips end over end, and cats love the randomness of that, like it's living prey. Also, and excuse to buy wine.

A friend with weed, is a friend indeed.

FUN FACTS: You should never clear your plate at a Chinese dinner party, because it implies that the host didn't serve enough food. When you're ALL DONE, place your chopsticks across your plate. Crossing your chopsticks on the plate is also a NONO. Finally, never leave your chopsticks sticking up in your rice bowl, because it resembles incense sticks at a funeral. Bonus IDIOM: Zao gao! is Chinese for, "what a mess." Literal translation is "smashed cake."

Speaking of signs of Spring, the one I most eagerly await is the return of the bluebirds to my nesting box. I'm happy to report that eggs hatched earlier this week, and Mr and Mrs B have been tirelessly bringing juicy tidbits to their youngsters.

I kept waiting to see the JERSEY DEBIL appear, from out of the Pine Barrens. Left disappointed.

There was an old lady from France Whose house was infested with ANTs She tried gasoline And her figure was seen Hurtling over Penzance. (I think I was 12 when I wrote that Limerick.)

Why does Adam have a belly button in that painting? You had one job, Michelangelo...

We had a hero today. Spanners in a Tuesday puzzle? A BIT OF AWESOME, NO?

Dear Kareem, you had me at ABSCOND. Such a great word, and very Downton Abbey-esque, evoking one of those knavish footmen, who, having gotten a parlour maid in the family way, ABSCONDed with the earl's silver snuffboxes. The foul varlet! Cross that with a Van Halen song, and I was a fan of this puzzle, literally from square one. (My love is rotten to the core.) As for the theme, I knew something was up with BENTO. Sure, it's packed "with kindness," but it's a meal, not a "treat." OFF(ICE) HOURS sealed it for me. And hopefully, everyone who eschews video games remembered yesterday's BOSS LEVEL for 5D.

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Quick puzzle for a Sunday; one cup of coffee. The double ROLLER COASTER in the center was best in show for me, theme-wise, with the BUMPER CARS a close second. I wasn't so sure about the DROP TOWER though. Didn't they used to have a parachute ride at Coney Island? The ROADIE "hopping on the band wagon" was my favorite. One last thing: AGUA at a taqueria? Maybe if you can't handle spicy food. Una cerveza, por favor.

I hate to quibble, but the full marching band performs at homecoming games. The PEP BAND is an ad hoc group that travels with the team to away games. I enjoyed doing that, because I got to play drums...and we rode on the bus with the cheerleaders.

I just wanted to point out that the ALALA is a Hawaiian crow. There are three of them hiding in the theme answers. I wonder if the nenes are jealous.

I hereby give Lewis permission to put "It's a little shady" on the list of clever clues, especially if it was one of Barbara's contributions. Thoroughly enjoyed the puzzle, even the YAPPY PEKE, unless it DROOLS on the carpet. Papa loves mambo.

Because my brain sees patterns where none seem to exist, I note that in the past week we've had: LITE BRITE RUBIK'S CUBE ETCH A SKETCH Can Spirograph be next? Or Shrinky Dinks? For future reference, Flea's real name is Michael Balzary. Face-palmed when I got FATS Domino.

I would have solved this puzzle quicker if I hadn't been chased by a rogue bludger. It nearly knocked me off my broom!

A while back, Queen Elizabeth (second of her name, and mother of corgis) had occasion to tour the set of Game of Thrones, in Northern Ireland. An internet meme followed quickly, showing her gazing at the IRON THRONE, with the caption, "Windsor is Coming."

As it is Veterans' Day, I note that WASP also stands for Women Airforce Service Pilots, who flew planes in WWII to allow male pilots to focus on combat roles. Locally, WASPs ferried (unarmed) B-17 bombers from the Chrysler factory in Wilmington over to England.

As a lifelong skier, I enjoyed this very much. I also appreciated how the HILLs varied from the gently sloping bunny slope to the super steep double black.

Treaty of GHENT and Council of TRENT? Nice historical pairing.

Back in high school, FACTORing polynomials was truly the BANE of my existence. I nearly failed Algebra II. Thanks for reminding me, Nathan. EUROS, COINS, PESOS, and a DUCAT? This puzzle was money!

Poor RISHI Sunak. He finally makes it into the NYT crossword puzzle, a week after losing the job in the clue. Hey all, just back from two weeks off the grid in the North Country, streak reset at one. Probably a thousand e-mails in my inbox, as well. Not ready for that, just yet. A funny thing happened while listening to Canadian FM radio:"Why do they keep saying 'dossier' in the commercials?" "Umm, that's 'dot CA' in a website, like 'dot com' in the US." Also, the Kia SUV is pronounced, 'Sportazh.'

Hidden theme-related content at 74A; SAYS I DO = "Ties the knot." That's all I've got for today.

For 92A, did anybody else want to tie a cherry STEM into a knot with their tongue, a la Sherilyn Fenn in "Twin Peaks?" That would be my tribute to David Lynch. Fire walk with me.

That Joel is a smart feller. Looking forward to tomorrow's puzzle by AMOS.

I was mildly disappointed that 24D was not Juggalos, who are fans of Insane Clown Posse, and also paint their faces. Of course, it was KISS ARMY, and a nice tribute to the late Ace Frehley. Also mildly disappointed that Jack McCullough beat me to this. Wow, that was indeed a doozy of a puzzle, but what a sense of accomplishment upon completion. And also that I got SIA and YEETED without much difficulty.

I don't always do the Hokey Pokey, but when I do, I shake it all about.

I appreciated the appearance of Schrödinger's KITTY in the grid. I tumbled to the gimmick early on, with 17A...why is the H circled? Could it be? Sho'nuff!

To market, to market, to buy a fat pig, Home again, home again, JIGGETY JIG! Thank you, Grandma V for that nugget.