If you’re familiar with the NY Times’ puzzles, you expect Thursdays to have the trickiest themes.  Not this one.  There is something in common among the two long across and two long downs, but, at least as far as I can tell, nothing fancy.  Most often you’d see one clue that ties the theme answers together.  Not here.  So I’ll give you one:  99-Across:  A commonly sung syllable…and a hint to each of the four long answers.   There’s two more letters that the four long answers have in common, but I’m not going to say any more about it in this article.

Five specific hints:

1.  1-Across  “Chiquita import”:  It is the first thing you associate with Chiquita;  remember how some plurals don’t end in “s,”  well some singular clues…

2.  30-Across “Word before and after “yeah”:  Not a phrase you want to hear, particular if it’s a cop saying it!

3.  49-Down “You’re welcome, amigo”:  The “amigo” part tells you it’s Spanish.  It’s two words.  You don’t have to thank me, it’s nothing.

4.  54-Down “Consistent with”:  2 words.   Alternative clue:  “According to…”

5.  64-Across “Pair”:  Just a pair, but it takes 3 words to say it.