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.