Theme: "EASING DOES IT" - Long E sound is replaced by ING in each familiar phrase.
21A. Light fare after a breakup?: PARTING SNACKS. Party snacks.
51A. Like the first little pig?: STRAW BEARING. Strawberry.
69A. Best time of year to visit a pawn shop?: HOCKING SEASON. Hockey season.
84A. Golf club that's almost too heavy to swing?: TAXING DRIVER. Taxi driver.
116A. One who makes relocating even harder than it already is?: MOVING VILLAIN. Movie villain.
15D. Task for a haunted house after Halloween?: GHOST STORING. Ghost story.
63D. Youngest sibling's lot?: LIFE OF RILING. Life of Riley.
I actually read the title as "Easy Does It". Tough to come up with a title that sums up this theme gimmick.
The long E sound has various spellings in the base phrases: Y, EY, IE and I. The title itself demonstrates the change: EASY becomes EASING.
Across:
1. Muted hue: PASTEL.
7. "I'm off!": SEE YA.
12. Signs fraudulently: FORGES.
18. Queen of mystery: ELLERY. Ellery Queen is a joint pseudonym for the authors and the name of their most famous fictional detective character.
19. Like a major artery: AORTAL.
20. "South Pacific" song: BALI HAI. Sung by Bloody Mary.
23. Line judges?: EDITORS. Fun clue.
24. Ramen mushroom: ENOKI. I mostly put enoki in soup.
25. Caffeine-rich nut: KOLA.
27. Sleeveless tops: VESTS.
28. General vibe: MOOD.
32. Way out: ESCAPE ROUTE. 103. Over the moon: ON CLOUD NINE. Two 11's. It's OK to put them in Across slots as long as they're shorter than the shortest theme entries.
36. Archaic possessive: THY.
37. __ penguin: EMPEROR.
40. Tree on the Lebanese flag: CEDAR.
41. Curved paths: ARCS.
43. Haberdashery clip: TIE BAR.
44. Deal that generates interest: LOAN.
46. __ as a pin: NEAT.
48. Large med. facilities: CTRS. As in VA Medical Centers.
54. Save from ruin: BAILOUT.
56. Hit that clears the bases: TRIPLE. Rooting for the Brewers. 8. Bullpen stat: ERA. Here I am warming up in the Twins bullpen. Plenty of time to work on my ERA before Opening Day.
57. Blokes: LADS.
60. Enter traffic: MERGE.
61. Brazilian icon known as "The King of Football": PELE.
64. "Unstoppable" singer: SIA. That Wig.
65. Visual: IMAGE.
67. Longtime language columnist William: SAFIRE.
68. Bird: Pref.: AVI.
72. Afternoon refresher: NAP.
73. Pan coating: TEFLON.
75. Fancy pitchers: EWERS.
76. Genetic letters: DNA. 108. 76-Across strand shape: HELIX.
77. Some NCOs: SGTS.
78. Oscar winner Tatum: O'NEAL.
79. Play thing: PROP.
80. Will, given a chance: MEAN TO.
82. Chemical variant: ISOTOPE.
90. Like butter ready for whipping: SOFT.
91. Baby sheep: LAMB.
94. Dec. 25: XMAS. Two months away.
95. Charcuterie slice: SALAMI.
96. "Not That Fancy" writer McEntire: REBA.
98. "Tiny Alice" playwright: ALBEE (Edward)
100. Snippets of time: MOMENTS.
101. CBS forensic franchise: CSI.
107. Part of a classroom lineup: DESK.
110. Unflappable: COOL.
111. Drug cops: NARCS.
114. Put to work: UTILIZE.
123. Broadway honor: TONY NOD.
124. Paperless event notices: EVITES.
125. Over-the-top: TOO TOO.
126. Partake (in): ENGAGE.
127. Barber's tool: RAZOR.
128. "You'll love doing this!": IT'S FUN.
Down:
1. Friskiness: PEP.
2. Huntsville's st.: ALA.
3. Camera choice, initially: SLR.
4. Vietnamese celebration: TET.
5. Source of some lake-effect snow: ERIE.
6. Swann who won four Super Bowls with the Steelers: LYNN.
7. Sega hedgehog: SONIC.
9. Short "... need I go on?": ETC. And 10. Went on and on and on: YAKKED.
11. One who didn't get a seat: ALSO-RAN.
12. Rage: FAD.
13. "Last Week Tonight" host John: OLIVER.
14. Formal ceremony: RITE.
16. Habitat for humanity: EARTH.
17. Actress Spacek: SISSY.
19. Satisfies one's curiosity, in a way: ASKS.
20. Boyfriend: BEAU.
22. One on the move: GOER.
26. Legends: LORE.
28. Team whose mascot's head is a baseball: METS. Patti's team. Also 80. The Marlins, on scoreboards: MIA. Miami.
29. Skip over: OMIT.
30. Abbr. on old phones: OPER.
31. Primary event: DEBATE.
33. Smoothie berry: ACAI.
34. Teller's partner in magic: PENN.
35. Bye line: TA TA.
38. Flirty growl: RAWR.
39. "Only the Lonely" singer: ORBISON.
42. Staff symbol: C CLEF.
44. Player coached by JJ Redick: LA LAKER. Redick has coached the Lakers since 2024.
45. Resource in Minecraft and Catan: ORE.
47. Core muscles: ABS.
49. Toddler, slangily: RUGRAT.
50. Brews: STEEPS. 74. Hot drink with foam art: LATTE.
52. Like a large-scale tale or fail: EPIC.
53. Tumbler: GLASS.
55. Somali supermodel: IMAN.
58. Get old: AGE.
59. Numbs, as pain: DEADENS.
61. Local lingo: PATOIS.
62. "Despite that ... ": EVEN SO. And 67. Scoundrel: SO AND SO. Tiny dupe.
65. Likely to err: INEPT.
66. Ballpark fig.: MGR.
69. Graphic start: HOLO.
70. __ Jima: IWO.
71. Hidden hiccup: SNAG.
77. Ready for the laundry: SOILED.
79. Shell game pellet: PEA.
81. Zurich transport: TRAM.
83. Scheme: PLAN.
85. Chopped down: AXED.
86. Jean Grey's cohort: X MEN. Jean Grey is a founding member of the X-Men.
87. Wind indicator: VANE.
88. 911 responders: Abbr.: EMTS.
89. Board game played on a map: RISK.
92. Bueno's opposite: MALO. Bueno = good. Malo = bad.
93. Late __: BLOOMER.
97. Olympic sport since 1904: BOXING.
99. Luxury watchmaker bought by Citizen in 2008: BULOVA.
100. "Jeopardy!" creator Griffin: MERV.
101. Laundry slide: CHUTE.
102. __ Hall University: SETON.
104. Included, in a way: CCED.
105. Baltimore's __ Harbor: INNER.
106. Bugs or badgers: NAGS. Verbs.
109. "Heated Rivalry" role for Connor Storrie: ILYA. Learning moment for me. There's a great swimmer called ILYA Kharun, who's going to make a big splash in 2028.
112. Big Four bank name: CITI.
113. Bank opening: SLOT.
115. "The Batman" actress Kravitz: ZOE.
117. To wit, for short: VIZ.
118. Skater Midori: ITO.
119. Word in many California place names: LOS.
120. DOJ division: ATF.
121. "We'll settle this later" letters: IOU.
122. __ sequitur: NON.
C.C.
Yes, I did read the title.
ReplyDeleteAnd that “clued me in” to the theme of the entire puzzle. So it wasn’t too tough.
FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteBALI HAI and Roy ORBISON were back for encores today. I YADAED before I YAKKED. Fun puzzle, even though I turfed it with TONI NOD and ILIA. Anyone else think of Illya Kuryakin? Bzzzzzt. Thanx, Pam and C.C. (That clip of you in the bullpen also could've worked for EWER -- fancy pitcher.)