Theme: "The More the Merrier" - IES is added to each theme entry, which is then clued as the plural form of the newly formed word.
25A. Trendy tots' footwear? : HIP BOOTIES. Hip boot.
27A. Tipsy tour members? : HIGH ROADIES. High road.
45A. Bakery products made with white chocolate? : LIGHT BROWNIES. Light brown.
83A. Complimentary hotel apparel? : GUEST NIGHTIES. Guest night. New term to me.
98A. "Check out those platters of candy and fudge!"? : LOOK GOODIES. Look good.
104A. Tournament-changing scores? : BIG BIRDIES. Golf tournament. Big Bird.
35D. Snacks Batman can't have? : ROBIN COOKIES. Robin Cook.
40D. Protective tops for cattle drivers? : RANGE HOODIES. Range hood.
Notice
how most of the root words change drastically. That's the desired
effect in this type of theme. Some changes are less strong.
Gail uses her standard Sunday setup. Two Downs and 6 Across. But she used only 68 black squares and no cheaters this time.
Across:
1. Made a mess of : BLEW. Not a gimme clue.
5. Authorizes : OKAYS
10. Audibly jarred : AGASP. Quite a few AGASP moments for me the past two months.
15. Off the premises : AWAY
19. Coastal South American capital : LIMA
20. Unenthusiastic about, with "for" : NOT UP
21. Hard wear : ARMOR
22. "Good job!" : NICE. My comment to 21A clue.
23. Wistful word : ALAS
24. Words after do or before you : I DARE
30. How Steak Diane is traditionally served : FLAMBE. Never had Steak Diane, Big Easy!
31. Ermine cousin : MINK
32. One may be responsible for rain : DEITY.
I remember incense sticks my Grandma burned to make the rain stop. Our
roof was leaking in various spots. God did not hear for a week.
34. Came down : POURED
38. Gambler's concern : SPREAD
41. "Dog Whisperer" Millan : CESAR
43. Starting point : STEP ONE
44. Extended time off, briefly : LOA. Leave of Absence. I had to Google to see what it means.
49. HVAC measure : BTU
50. It's near the humerus : ULNA
52. Hard to keep up? : POUTY. Also got via crosses.
53. Musical shortcoming : NO EAR
54. Publication sales fig. : CIRC (Circulation)
55. Diploma word : MAGNA. Magna cum laude. Same letter count as SUMMA.
57. Sit in a cellar, say : AGE
58. Opposite of belt : CROON
59. Co-star of Keanu in "The Whole Truth" : RENEE
60. Isn't serious : PRETENDS
62. Stake-driving tools : MAULS. Only know it as a verb.
63. Many a March birth : PISCES
64. Chef's supply : HERBS. Cilantro is widely used in China. Not others. We also have 83. Bouquet __ : GARNI. Just a bunch of herbs. I don't think it has cilantro.
65. Has to repeat, maybe : FAILS. Oh, courses.
66. Mouthy retort : DID SO
67. Superhuman : BIONIC
69. "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" rapper : DR DRE
70. Pay attention : TAKE NOTE. So blessed to have the two Toms to guide me through this computer crisis.
73. More than apologize : ATONE
74. New York governor Andrew : CUOMO. Vowel-rich, hence its frequent appearance. Same as 78. University town near Bangor : ORONO
75. Catch a bug, say : AIL
76. Amassed, with "in" : RAKED
77. When tripled, a story shortener : YADA
79. Brilliant display : ECLAT
81. Emphatic assent, in Sonora : SI SI
82. Govt.-issued aid : SSI
86. Changed-my-mind key : ESC
87. Protective film : ACETATE. I forgot. We had this before.
89. Boundaries : EDGES
90. Zeroes in on : AIMS AT
92. Stunning instruments : TASERS
93. "The Picasso of our profession," to Seinfeld : PRYOR. I tried a few Pryor clips and did not find him to be that funny.
95. Folk first name : ARLO
96. Unabbreviated : ENTIRE
108. Gaucho's turf : LLANO
109. Couture monthly : ELLE
110. Kibbles 'n Bits shelfmate : ALPO
111. Brief concession : I LOSE
112. "Don't care what they do" : LET 'EM
113. Upswing : RISE
114. Elaborate ruse : HOAX
115. Cookware brand : PYREX. Two Srabbly Xes at the bottom.
116. Puts one over on : SNOWS
117. Call for : NEED
Down:
1. Hardly thrilling : BLAH
2. Taylor of "Six Feet Under" : LILI
3. Webby Award candidate : EMAG. E-magazine. Do you use E-mag or E-zine?
4. Words written with an index? : WASH ME. This index refers to Windex, right? (Updated: index finger. Thanks, Anonymous!)
5. Party bowlful : ONION DIP. Slight dip dupe with 13. Noodle sometimes served with a dipping sauce : SOBA. Soba time is coming soon.
6. Longtime photo lab supplier : KODAK
7. Somewhat : A TAD
8. Doctor Zhivago : YURI
9. Passes in a blur : SPEEDS BY
10. "How relaxing!" : AAH
11. Ill-gotten gains : GRIFT. Not LUCRE.
12. With room to spare : AMPLY
14. Provider of cues : PROMPTER
15. Get in on the deal : ANTE UP
16. __ Fit: video exercise game : WII
17. Par-four rarity : ACE. I guess it can happen if it's a short Par-four.
18. "No doubt" : YES
26. Penetrating winds : OBOES
28. Capital of Yemen : RIAL. Money. Not Sana'a.
29. Scorch : SEAR
33. Strict control : IRON RULE
36. Primary course : ENTREE.
Boomer's standard lunch these day is one pork chop and a bowl of
coleslaw. Very good for his blood sugar but he gets hungry around
3:30pm.
37. They may be wild : DEUCES
38. Rough patch : SLUMP
39. Really cold : POLAR. Winter is here again. We had gorgeous spring weather last week.
41. Guzzles : CHUGS
42. Novel conclusion : ETTE
43. Phillips of "I, Claudius" : SIAN. Stranger to me.
46. Incites : GOADS
47. Angora and alpaca : WOOLS. Spell check does not like the plural form.
48. Modernists, informally : NEOs
51. Signal receiver : ANTENNA
54. Citation Mustangs, e.g. : CESSNAs. Hi there, Dudley!
56. Cliff dwelling : AERIE
58. Coptic Museum city : CAIRO
59. Bill add-on : RIDER
61. "The Blacklist" network : NBC
62. Contingency funds : MAD MONEY. Learning moment for me. Our new PC was bought with the MAD MONEY then.
63. Water__: dental brand : PIK
65. Illegal laundering operation, say : FRONT
66. __ Lama : DALAI. Twin Cities has a large Tibetan community.
67. Reacts to, as a dog does the moon : BAYS AT
68. Minnesota lake : ITASCA. Gimme for me.
69. OutKast and others : DUOs
70. Is inclined : TILTS
71. "The Gondoliers" bride : TESSA. Learned from doing crosswords.
72. Royal order : EDICT
74. First Nations tribe : CREE
75. Heat rub target : ACHE.
Boomer has to use the rub (called Blue Goo in our house) before his
bowling night. Both his Monday and Friday leagues are very strong. 300
game happens every week. So does 800 series. One guy has over 80 perfect
games.
78. Surpass : OUTSTRIP
79. Deep-fried appetizers : EGG ROLLS
80. Elegant cafés : TEA ROOMS
84. Object of adoration : IDOL
85. Rural structure : SILO
88. Driver's starting point : TEE BOX. Golf season starts soon for TTP and Gary. Gary already played this year.
91. In step with the times : MODERN
93. Earlier offense : PRIOR
94. Singer Della : REESE
95. Late-'60s Maryland governor : AGNEW. Only know him as Nixon's VP.
97. In a laid-back manner : IDLY
99. Author Robert __ Butler : OLEN. Another unknown.
100. Green Hornet sidekick : KATO
101. Netman Nastase : ILIE
102. Apart from this : ELSE
103. Flower child? : SEED. Sweet clue. So eager to start our little garden again. Always dismal veggie yield. But flowers grow well.
104. "What nonsense!" : BAH
105. Worldwide workers' gp. : ILO
106. Scholastic meas. : GPA
107. It sells in advertising : SEX
Here is a sweet picture of Dear Santa Argyle, who celebrated his birthday last week with his sister Laura and cousin Merle.
 |
| Merle, Laura & Argyle |
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteThis big grid was a long slog for me. The theme emerged slowly, and there were lots of unknowns and bad guesses. I'm not sure what to make of Seinfeld's assessment of Pryor, guessing it's not flattery. Struggled at Sian but the perps were solid. Got there eventually but it was like pulling teeth.
Morning, C.C.! At 54d I had enough letters to recognize that Cessnas could fit the space, and was pleasantly surprised upon reading the clue and seeing it was correct. For those who recall the trips I made last fall to East Saint Louis and Minot, both were in a Cessna Citation Mustang, the littlest jet the company builds.
TTP and TX Ms from yesterday - I read years ago how the UT Austin mascot came to be known as Bevo. Keep in mind all my aunts and uncles went there, and thus my Massachusetts home was deemed incomplete without a coffee table book about the university. As I read, the Aggies retaliated against a UT triumph by kidnapping the mascot and branding it with the score from an earlier Aggie win, then sneaking the animal back to its home. That score was 13 - 0. The angry UT authorities couldn't let that stand, so they filled in the numerals on the animal's flank until 13-0 looked more like BEVO. There was a popular near-beer named Bevo available in Texas at that time, so it worked out adequately to call that the mascot's name. (I assume all this took place in Prohibition times, but I'm not sure) As a kid, reading all this gave me the notion that it was just unforgivably cruel to subject an innocent animal to all that flesh-searing just because of a football rivalry.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteThe DEITies gave me fits for a second day in a row. Changing AMPLE to AMPLY was my final fill. Interesting that PRYOR crosses PRIOR. Hand up for LUCRE, CC. ORONO was a shoutout to Hahtoolah and a gimme for me -- my brother lived there for many years. SIAN Phillips didn't look anything like I remembered. D'oh! I was thinking of SIAN Barbara Allen. At least I got to finish this one unassisted, unlike yesterday. Thanx, Gail and CC.
In the history of PBS and Masterpiece, SIAN PHILLIPS was my most memorable villain. She always had something to TO SAY and some plan.
ReplyDeleteOscar predictions? A pool?
Thanks C.C.
Oscar prediction:
ReplyDeleteA bunch of rich white 1%'s, who are totally out of touch with how hard life has been for much of America, will whine, moan and complain that the candidate they donated thousands of dollars to so they could rub elbows with her at a mansion overlooking the ocean at Malibu didn't win a fair and legit election.
Wonder if Meryl Steeep, in her dress that cost as much as my family's annual food budget, even know how much a pound of ground chuck costs these days. I hope it rains on their self indulgent parade.
pffft!
ReplyDeleteC.C.: Index refers to a finger, as one used to write "WASH ME" on a dirty car!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this one though it took longer than usual. Many successful perps and wags.
ReplyDeleteI know mad money is often used for emergencies and contingencies. I hear it referred to money a woman on a date kept in her purse to use for carfare home if things went south. Mad money? If she got MAD at him? I use mad money only to refer to money for impulse or impractical purchases, kinda wild and crazy, going mad.
CAIRO, When we went to Israel the first time we booked a trip extension to Cairo and the surrounding area. I was so disappointed. In Israel we had my life-time favorite trip guide, totally knowledgeable, well read, smoothing out practical problems, interesting, yada yada, yada. In Egypt, we had my life-time worst trip guide, a callow youth, disinterested, shallow, lacking in knowledge, unhelpful, specializing in dirty jokes for a church group. What a waste of money. I feel I totally missed the Egypt experience and now it is too dangerous to go back there.
Nice sunny day, but back to winter temps.
Wow, just read that Bill Paxton is dead due to complications following surgery. I was just starting to like Training Day. He was only 61.
ReplyDeleteGreetings!
ReplyDeleteThanks to Gail and CC! Two big stars here!
Couldn't stay awake to do puzzle in the night.
Took too long after I awoke.
It rained again last night. You would think that we would be set for a year. Evidently not so. Reservoirs were emptied after rains. (Huh?)
OLEN was unknown.
Pryor set himself afire (hey, an "a" word) doing coke and ran down a street in Northridge a long time ago.
Have a great day!
Musings
ReplyDelete-Gail’s lovely Sunday offering was fun on many fronts. Once I knew the gimmick I added the IES immediately and had two paths to the clever fill
-Politicians would take only the HIGH ROAD if SNOWING voters didn’t work
-The Falcons BLEW Super Bowl LI after being AMPLY ahead
-LOOKing GOOD (:09)
-Eating gelato on the premises in Siena, Italy costs 10¢ more
-Rain DIETIES have given California feast and famine lately
-How did your team do against the SPREAD this year?
-AA STEP ONE – Admit you are powerless against alcohol
-Having NO EAR is a bigger impediment with a violin than a guitar
-For me – CROON – Crosby, BELT – Merman. Any MODERN ones?
-MODERN use of FAIL
-Crosswordese ECLAT worked, GELID didn’t
-Robert Mitera ACED the 447 yd hole #10 in Omaha in 1965 (downhill/wind)
-Line of sight ANTENNAS were necessary before satellites
-Joann and I spent some MAD MONEY for our 50th
-A FRONT for the Godfather
-I golfed in shorts 3 times last week and then winter made a curtain call
-Harry Gondorf and Johnny Hooker were GRIFTERS in what movie?
Thanks for a challenging but doable puzzle, Gail. Erased Hot BOOTIES for HIP, ORneO for ORONO, spOSE for I LOSE, and GRaFT for GRIFT. I especially liked PRIOR and PRYOR in the same puzzle, and CROON for the opposite of belt.
ReplyDeleteDidn't know steak diane, LILI Taylor (although I saw every episode of Six Feet Under), SOBA noodles, SIAN Phillips, Outkast, TESSA in The Gondoliers, boquet garni, Rbt OLEN Butler,or Kato.
When I was growing up my neighbors had a permanent croquet court set up. The patriarch of the family called the mallets "mauls". Everyone had their own custom-made mallets, and the balls were made of something similar to bowling ball material. The court was lighted for night play during the summer.
Irish Mist - I'm sure your credit card fiasco will work out fine. My ordeal was caused by someone booking airline tickets on my Amex in Europe. It took a while, and I think I had to fill out a couple of affidavits, but they fixed everything. On the Zoe front all is well. We have six stairs to get into the motor home. She was having a hard time getting used to them, so I started baiting her with treats to get her up them step-by-step. She's fine on them now, but puts her feet on the first step and looks over her shoulder as if to say "where's my treat". I toss one onto the top level and she goes right up. She is finally getting me properly trained.
Happy Sunday to all!
ReplyDeleteI found this to be a tough solve, with nine complete unknowns as clued, but eventually finished with no look ups. A few of the unknowns needed 100% perps. Favorite clue/answer was "Hard wear" for ARMOR. Thanks for today's challenge, Gail, and thanks , C.C., for the excellent write-up.
Enjoy the day!
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteNice to see Gail on a Sunday but odd to not see her co-conspirator, Bruce! Didn't really have too many hiccups but Sian, Tessa, and Olen needed perps. I think Olen has visited us before. The theme was easy enough to catch after a couple of fills and that always helps with the solve. We had Cuomo today and Mario earlier in the week. I guess Andrew is not as vowel-friendly. The Pryor/Prior crossing was neat. Re Ethel Merman, I have a very talented niece who imitates her to a T! (Cover-your-ears loud!)
Thanks, Gail, for a pleasant Sunday solve and thanks, CC, for your concise and informative expo.
Jinx, thanks for the update on Zoe. She seems to have that canine credo of "I'm the top dog in this house" down pat. Glad you are enjoying her antics.
Our weather continues its strange pattern: 70 yesterday, then a ferocious rainstorm with thunder and lightning and gusting winds and a 22 degrees drop in temp in an hour into the 40's. Forecast for the week is 40's and 50's until next weekend into the 30's. Not our typical soon-to-be March weather. Of course, there's always Yogi's, "It ain't over till ............."
Have a great day.
Thanks,Gail,for an excellent puzzle. Loved the theme.
ReplyDeleteC.C., your analysis, as usual, was spot on.
"Puzzling thoughts":
ReplyDeleteTotal FAILs - all up and down the grid. I got some but missed many. I was AMPLY challenged
Too many write overs to list; worst were: SWIGS > CHUGS; GOATS > WOOLS
Thought the clue/solve for 4d was a stretch; I get it, now that I read CC recap (with an acknowledgement to an Anon who explained it).
Liked the cross of PRIOR and PRYOR. Gotta be a limerick there! 😜
Speaking of Anons, while I usually ignore their veiled comments, I agree with the one @ 7:58 about the Oscars. I didn't go to the movies once last year, and rarely watch them on TV. For many of the same reasons as stated by that Anon. I watched enough newscasts during and after the Presidential election campaign; I don't need to hear a bunch of rich, spoiled actors telling me THEIR opinions, too.
CC - regarding Richard PRYOR, his humor to me was an extension of what George Carlin began. But with more expletives. He had some funny bits ...
Argyle, forgot to say that was a nice family birthday picture CC posted. Are you and Cousin Merle vying for "biggest beard" bragging rights? 😉
ReplyDeleteYes anon@7:58 no one can claim there were no фree and фair elections in the шса!
ReplyDeleteA lovely contribution from dear Gail Grabowski who never lets us down. Her work, with or without Bruce, is top notch. When I started this puzzle today I forgot I had left red letters turned on from yesterday, so my incorrect entry of UDON instead of SOBA was instantly apparent. Then I turned red letters off and managed to finish the rest without additional assistance. But it did take quite a while, which prolonged the pleasure.
ReplyDeleteFinished in just under my goal of an hour but it was a close thing. Northwest corner gave me fits and was the last to fall. Not fond of AGASP but oh, well. I liked the theme today. Off now to a family gathering on a VERY windy day in NE Illinois. Thanks, Gail and CC, for giving me my Sunday "fix".
ReplyDeleteI love Gail Grabowski puzzles but this one scared me at first--didn't get anything until I got near the bottom on my first run-through. But slowly I worked my way up, and ended up cheating only on a few names I didn't know (CESAR, LILI, TESSA). Didn't know SIAN but perps helped with that one. Got the theme pretty early, and found it really cute. So, many thanks, Gail, for making this glum Sunday fun and interesting for me. And I always appreciate your honest and helpful notes about what you find difficult, C.C., and very much enjoy your expos!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Santa. Great family beards!
Thanks for keeping us posted on how Zoe is doing, Jinx.
I haven't seen any of the Oscar movies this year (I still don't get out much). But I still love watching the show, maybe because I've been doing it since the 50s or the 60s. Hope my neighbor Barbara drops by and we can snack on a store-bought supper while watching the program (it comes on from 5 to 8 in California).
Have a great Sunday, everybody!
The other day we learned that a tree falling in the forest could make a WHUMP sound; the H being silent. Today I learned that a tipsy skunk makes a WUMP sound; the silent H is not expressed, so is not needed.
ReplyDeleteNice birthday celebration picture, Argyle. Good looking family.
Thanks to Gail for the GOODIES in this puzzle. The bottom yielded its treasures first as I couldn't get a foothold at the top but all flowed upwards quite well. Seeing PRYOR/PRIOR was neat as well as ENTREE and FLAMBE.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I seem to develop a mental block when I have to think about sports and golf did it this time with BIGBIRDIES crossing TEEBOX. Then I couldn't or wouldn't get rid of PLOY so that corner was doomed. Drat!
Otherwise, it was a fine accomplishment and the icing on the cake is, of course, C.C.'s lovely review. Thank your for that.
As for the Oscars, like Misty, I very much enjoy watching them and the actors. I have seen three, Lion, Hidden Figures and LaLa Land. I would very much like Hidden Figures to win but I suspect it won't. As for the actors themselves, I hold no bitterness toward their wealth or position; as in all great achievements I believe, and have read, that many of them have experienced some hardship and rejection before arriving at their current pinnacle of success and I applaud them for it. I won't be home but I'll record it.
I hope you are all having a very enjoyable day!
Argyle, what a nice picture of you and your family and I also wondered if you and your cousin were vying for best beard.
ReplyDeleteWe have an aversion to shaving, that's all.
ReplyDeleteArgyle, if this crossword corner stuff doesn't work out, you and your cousin could always promote cough drops.
ReplyDeleteGood morning. Thank you Gail and thank you CC.
ReplyDeleteVery fun puzzle.
CC, I think we are all so blessed for you to have created and sustained this blog.
Entered the answers in record time today. Hardly had to think about the answers. *
Thought of CC at SI SI since I pronounce them the same. Thought of Dudley at CESSNA Citations. Dudley, I think I have heard that story before. It sounds familiar.
Thought of Herb Alpert at RISE, linked here for your enjoyment.
We called them hip waders, not hip boots. Perhaps it was a local thing.
*DW bought today's newspaper yesterday. Solved most of the puzzle last evening.
I never heard of ROBERT OLEN BUTLER and was pleasantly surprised to learn his connection to FSU. I may be a Gator but my oldest and his wife went to Tallahassee.
ReplyDeleteIt said Audible and began with A. I let out a GASP as it came to me. PROMPTER was in that Cerebellum of mine. The NW also STUMPed me. Oops, 38d wasn't STUMP after all. 98% this time.
ReplyDeleteI found it harder than Sat.
On my Splynter quiz-tion on my late post:
L.E.B.T.F. ??
Live Easy But Think First. He'll get the reference I'm sure.
And for the late Anon last night: If oceanms can mean a ton then I guess SEAS can mean A Lot.
LIMA held the fort for me. Along with LUCRE I thought of BOOTY.
WC
Barbara hasn't had much of an appetite lately. Today, however, she developed a craving for lobster tails and garlic butter. So we headed off to our local Red Lobster where we split a lobster meal with their cheese biscuits and added a piece of Key Lime pie for dessert.
ReplyDeleteBill G, I'm glad Barbara got her appetite back. I have a feeling you never lost yours.
ReplyDeleteHere it is almost 5:00 already and we still haven't decided whether we will watch the Academy Awards show. I have a feeling we will.
I have a feeling I'd better log off and get to dinner. Best wishes, all.
I'll add More to make it Merrier tonight. Like TTP, I solved most of this puzzle last night because our Saturday newspaper gives us both Sat. & Sun. puzzles (no paper published on Sunday). Thanks Gail and C.C.
ReplyDeleteLots of misdirection - 58A belt (hit, hold up pants, or sing?), 14D cues (drama or pool?), 36D course (food or school?).
I enjoyed the ARMOR clue and the PRYOR/PRIOR crossing also. Hand up for Hot before HIP BOOTies. I had TAKE Care before NOTE.
I did not know GRIFT and thought Graft might work.
Another Dog BAYS AT the moon today.
Off to watch the Oscars (with time out for Victoria which will be over by the time the important awards are given out!).
Dear Irish Miss yesterday at 3 p.m.:
ReplyDeleteI get so many of those phony e-mails, from "USAA," "Navy Federal," "BoA," etc., etc., that I have a full list of abuse contact addresses, and I just forward them as appropriate in the -- so far not too successful -- hope that the big boys can squash these roaches. I read somewhere that 70 or 80% of all e-mail is spam, so any blocking I can do might pay off ...
Busy day again so started this late(4 PM) and gave in w/out solving. Way too many silly, silly, silly defs that needed a labyrinth of illogical twists and turns to solve. Really don't appreciate this sort of claptrap on a lazy Sunday evening!!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of the Oscars, I think Jimmy Kimmel is doing an excellent job.
ReplyDeleteMichael @ 8:29 ~ I used to forward these email scams to the appropriate abuse-reporting addresses but I don't anymore as I feel it's a waste of time. Unfortunately, these scoundrels are one (maybe two) steps ahead of the good guys. (Don't get me started on the "telemarketers"!)
ReplyDeleteBill G, glad you and Barbara had a nice lunch. Hope she continues to feel better and stronger each day.
What the hell just happened at the Academy Awards? Who won best picture, and who didn't? Why can't these people figure out how to put a nationally celebrated award show on television accurately without screwing it up? Come on, people, get your act together!
ReplyDeleteFake news! Hahahah hahaha
ReplyDeleteJust so predictable. If you think this is not scripted then send your money to me.
Welcome to the story....
The Oscars, that was strange.
ReplyDeleteI suppose this is too late, Husker Gary but....
ReplyDeleteThe Sting
Starring my dead lookalike Robert Redford
Of course his hair is blond, his eyes blue, sure he's taller etc etc. And I'll add yada yada YADA.
But trust me. I'm much better looking
WC
Fouls:
ReplyDeleteOKAYS (misp.)
AGASP (not a word)
HIP BOOTIES (no such thing)
DEITY (profane)
LIGHT BROWNIES
CROON (not "the opposite of belt"; just different – the opposite would be silence)
DID SO (the standard and proper clue is "playground retort," not "mouthy retort")
GUEST NIGHTIES (no such thing)
BIG BIRDIES (not a term in golf)
HOAX (some hoaxes are elaborate ruses; some are not)
RANGE HOODIES (no such thing)
FIR but it took a long time! Got the IES theme fairly quickly, but I still found it a long slog. Yes, I appreciated that the IES endings changed the meanings.
ReplyDeleteHand up for UDON before SOBA which I don't know about.
Never heard of GARNI, ROBIN COOK, ACE as clued, LILI, ITASCA, CESAR, LOA, YURI.
WASH ME clue seemed a bit unfair "with an index" seems too incomplete.
We moved to Maryland just as AGNEW was running for governor. Politics were so awful in mid-60s Maryland that AGNEW was the more liberal candidate! His opponent ran on an openly racist platform.