Theme: "DROP IN ANYTIME!" - The unstressed "uhn" sound is dropped from each familiar phrase, with spelling changes as needed.
23. Tacky style influenced by West Coast beach culture and Neapolitan food traditions?: CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITSCH. California Pizza Kitchen.
36. One tasked with keeping produce from spoiling?: VEGETABLE GUARD. Vegetable garden.
55. Caption of a selfie next to one fine fen?: MY FAVORITE MARSH. My Favorite Martian.
65. Stacking figurines of a Canadian prog rock band?: RUSH NESTING DOLL. Russian nesting doll.
81. Individual with exceptional integrity?: HONORABLE MENSCH. Honorable mention.
98. Annual award coveted by handbag designers?: PURSE OF THE YEAR. Person of the Year.
116. Is able to say, "This parrot is all the evidence I need!"?: CARRIES THE BIRD OF PROOF. Carries the burden of proof.
Another LAT Sunday debut. Congrats, Jeremy! I think this might be our constructor.
I'm always in awe of this type of theme, where dropping a sound requires spelling changes as well. Coming up with a full set takes an enormous amount of creativity.
Heavy themage, with two grid-spanners, but the fill doesn't suffer at all.
Across:
1. Hard work: LABOR. Are you aware of China's "re-education through labor" system?
6. Gym bottoms: SHORTS.
12. "Sad to say ... ": ALAS.
16. Through: VIA.
19. Up on the latest news: AWARE.
20. Forty winks: CAT NAP. And 30. Continuing to count sheep: STILL UP.
21. Accessory kits for new hires: DESK SETS. I probably have more notebooks than you.
26. Metric weight, for short: KILO.
27. Crazes: FADS.
28. Saxophone need: REED.
29. Wash: BATHE.
32. Tag line?: I'M IT.
34. Tatami, e.g.: MAT. Tatami mats are quite firm. Good support for your back.
35. Spots: SEES.
43. Up to, briefly: TIL.
45. Defines, as a boundary: DELIMITS.
47. Mac spec: RAM.
48. Melee memento: SCAR.
49. Tribute penner: ODIST.
51. Tel __, Israel: AVIV.
52. __ on a true story: BASED.
54. Draw Four card game: UNO.
59. "We feel the same way": US TOO.
61. Chicken cordon __: BLEU. Cordon bleu means "blue ribbon" in French.
62. Microwave maker: RCA.
63. Portuguese greeting: OLA.
64. Rely (on): DEPEND.
71. Over again: DE NOVO.
74. Artist Yoko: ONO.
75. Your and my: OUR.
76. Alpo rival: IAMS.
80. In unison: AS ONE.
86. U.K. lawmakers: MPS. Members of Parliament.
87. Spots for electron clouds: ATOMS.
89. Took off: LEFT.
90. Completely lost: AT SEA.
91. Textbook chapter: UNIT.
93. Colorful carp: KOI. This one sold for $1.8 million.
94. Pickets: PROTESTS.
97. Genre that includes techno: EDM. Electronic dance music.
101. Next in line: HEIR.
103. Chaps: HES.
104. Maddens: IRES.
105. Widened, as pupils: DILATED.
108. On the move: ASTIR.
111. Guitar tuners: PEGS.
113. Campsite warmer: FIRE.
115. Prefix with watt: GIGA.
121. Tough to comprehend: ESOTERIC.
122. Urges into action: IMPELS.
123. Japanese boxed lunch: BENTO. Comes from Chinese "biandang".
124. Bashful: SHY.
125. Poison ivy symptom: RASH.
126. Tubes in antique radios: DIODES.
127. Olympic track great Owens: JESSE.
Down:
1. Hasn't: LACKS.
2. Keep an eye out for: AWAIT.
3. Cager's motto: BALL IS LIFE.
4. Camden Yards player: ORIOLE.
5. Slo-mo reviewer: REF.
6. Toss: SCRAP.
7. Word with farm or foam: HAND.
8. Big name in small cars: OTIS.
9. Genetic messenger molecule: RNA.
10. Spigot: TAP.
11. Booze: SPIRITS.
12. Woodworking tool: ADZE.
13. Head up: LEAD.
14. Request: ASK.
15. Carryall for a day on the slopes: SKI BAG.
16. Sweater __: VEST.
17. Restless desire: ITCH.
18. Tennis icon honored on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia: ASHE (Arthur). He was born and raised in Richmond. Buried there also.
22. Current condition: STATUS.
24. Helpful: OF USE.
25. Epsilon follower: ZETA.
31. Samsung product, perhaps: LED TV.
32. "Uncle!": I GIVE.
33. Converged: MET.
34. Viral post: MEME.
36. Civil rights leader C.T. __: VIVIAN. Unknown to me. He was a close associate of Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights movement.
37. Put out: EMIT.
38. Thirdlove garments: BRAS.
39. Mascara target: LASH.
40. Very serious: ACUTE.
41. Rambled: RAN ON.
42. Dickens title character Edwin: DROOD.
43. The Taj Mahal, for one: TOMB.
44. Pastoral poem: IDYL.
46. Turpentine tree: LARCH.
50. Dark lord of "The Lord of the Rings": SAURON. Look at his eyes.
52. Dietary fiber: BRAN.
53. One-on-one contest: DUEL.
56. "Thereabouts": OR SO.
57. Engine: MOTOR.
58. Undefeated boxer Laila: ALI.
60. Brace: SPLINT.
64. On-campus residence: DORM.
66. Eye layer: UVEA.
67. Uncountable ages: EONS.
68. Cold open?: SNO. Sno-Caps, e.g.
69. Green party?: GOLFER. Golfers putt on the green.
70. Songs for two: DUETS.
71. Block: DAM UP.
72. College sports channel: ESPNU.
73. Polite denial: NO SIR.
77. Avowals: ASSERTIONS.
78. Hosted, for short: MC'ED.
79. Decorative pillow cover: SHAM.
81. Horseshoe spot: HOOF.
82. Leave out: OMIT.
83. Medicinal plants: ALOES.
84. __ carotene: BETA.
85. Stand in a studio: EASEL.
88. Bout enders, briefly: TKOS. Technical Knockouts.
92. Gym top: T-SHIRT.
94. Meteor in the summer sky: PERSEID.
95. Loaf with seeds: RYE.
96. One who takes inventory?: THIEF.
99. More uncanny: EERIER.
100. Lofty: HIGH.
102. "Amen to that!": I AGREE.
105. Slag: DROSS.
106. Award quartets, for short: EGOTS.
107. Oscar nominee Willem: DAFOE. He was in "Platoon".
108. Pros: ACES.
109. Robe securer: SASH.
110. City tricked by a wooden horse: TROY.
111. Trident-shaped Greek letters: PSIS.
112. Inscribe with acid: ETCH.
113. Ascot-wearing driver of the Mystery Machine: FRED (Jones).
114. Lollygagging: IDLE.
117. Pitching stat: ERA.
118. Songwriters' rights org.: BMI.
119. Wall St. launch: IPO.
120. Easy sammie: PBJ. I like peanut butter & honey.
C.C.
It helps to read the title
ReplyDeleteon these Sunday puzzles. I didn’t, at first, but when I did, everything started to make sense.
FIR, so I’m happy.
FIR, getting my SWAG @ SAURON x DENOVO. Also, men->HES, urge->ITCH, itch->RASH, and throw->SCRAP.
ReplyDeleteOne local TV station ends its afternoon newscast with a segment called "Sports SHORTS."
I don't count sheep if I'm STILL UP. I count sheep if I'm (crossword favorite) abed, but can't sleep. If we only had an editor...
RMN was famous for "I am not a crook." WJC was famous for "it DEPENDs on what the meaning of is, is." We need a word for a lawyer who is also a politician, but Sunday etiquette prohibits me from mentioning a few that come to mind.
I finally learned BENTO from crossword rote.
DIODES were only used in the power supplies of old TVs and radios. Triodes and pentodes were used much more.
Thanks to Jeremy for the fun, fairly easy Sunday exercise. I really liked the theme, which is unusual for me. And thanks to CC for explaining it all.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteD-o sensed the theme, but never really got it -- just the ones where the "un" sound came at the end of the phrase. D'oh. "Cold open" evoked SNL before SNO showed up. TATAMI mats are Japanese flooring. I'm not certain they're known for back support, but maybe. Interesting debut offering, Jeremy. Thanx for 'splainin' the theme that I didn't get, C.C.
I didn't know LARCH or EDM, but got them on fills. I loved the long answers, and once I got the theme it helped me guess any missing words (like PURSE and MENSCH).
ReplyDeleteI remember my Dad in the 60's replacing the Tubes in our old TV, tapping them to see if they worked, and a repair guy also showing up with a box of tubes. Then I was amazed to learn in my early 1970s Electrical Engineering courses that the miniaturized circuit board transistors I was learning performed the exact same function as those giant tubes. Diodes too via etched silicon! It was a lightbulb moment for me.
FIR. This had just the slightest bit of crunch to it. There were a few spots where I took a WAG without being sure I was right. The crossing of Sauron and de novo was one example. And I didn't know what EDM was.
ReplyDeleteI got the gist of the theme after just two long entries which helped a lot.
But overall just a so-so puzzle.
OTIS clue was very amusing. Had no idea what FOAM has to do with HAND.
ReplyDeletePhonetic themes are challenging due to spelling changes. FIR.
I had to wait for the RUSSian NESTING DOLL to get the theme. My real unknowns were LARCH, VIVIAN, and SAURON. I guessed at FRED and DE NOVO.
ReplyDeleteTHE NW was the last to fall. STILL UP just wouldn’t come to me. It’s still not quite clear to me. Anyway, after some LABOR, I FIR.
Thank you CC for the review and the info on the constructor.