Theme: "Somet(h)ing's Missing" - Letter H is dropped from common CH, SH & TH starting two-word phrases. The vowels following the *H combination are all different and the vowel sounds remain the same after the drop.
27A. Plan a Big Apple heist? : C(H)ASE MANHATTAN. Base phrase here is Chase Manhattan. CH + Long A combination.
42A. Snorkeling? : T(H)ANKLESS TASK. Thankless Task. TH + Short A.
60A. Portfolio for retirement planning? : S(H)AVING KIT. Shaving Kit. SH + Long A.
70A. Do a Gap stockroom job? : S(H)ORT PANTS. Short Pants. SH + Diphthong OR.
86A. Clothes dryer, so it's said? : S(H)OCK ABSORBER. Shocking Absorber. SH + Short O. fun clue. Nicely crossing PAIRS (71D. An 86-Across may break them up).
101A. Made off with the meat? : C(H)OPPED SIRLOIN. Chopped Sirloin. CH + Short O. "Make off with" = COP = Steal.
37D. Iguana pals in Ecuador? : T(H)REE AMIGOS. Three Amigos. THR + Long E in EE spelling. Oh, dear, I had no idea that iguana live in trees. Hence TREE AMIGOS.
45D. Shamu's arena? : S(H)EA STADIUM. Shea Stadium. SH + Long E in EA spelling. (Correction: It's SH + Long A sound in EA spelling. The only theme answer where there is vowel sound change.)
Fantastic theme title! I actually read it as "Something's Missing" instead of the H-dropped hint "Somet(h)ing's Missing', but grokked the gimmick after the second theme answer.
No I/U to follow those CH/SH/TH. I am sure the constructor considered those options but could not find sparkling phrases to fit his theme pattern or symmetry. I could only think of T(H)ICK AND THIN & T(H)UG OF WAR. But both are three-word phrases, so out and out!
Also no WH or PH play. I suspect those combination starting words do not lend themselves well to H drop.
Very enjoyable solving. Sunday puzzles are huge, but they are pegged mostly at Wednesday difficulty level. The grid breakdown is also very solver friendly, lots of accessible four-letter (52 in this grid) and 5-letter (45 today) words.
Across:
1. Mardi Gras accessory bit : BEAD. Happy start for Hahtool.
5. Relished : ATE UP
10. Skinny sort : SCRAG. I only know crag. Not enough squares for my SCRAWNY.
15. Soprano Gluck : ALMA
19. Until : UP TO
20. Latte variant : MOCHA. Would have been perfect is there's absolutely no CH/SH/TH fill in the whole grid.
21. What Spanish Olympians go for : EL ORO. The gold.
22. Ready to be driven : TEED. Golf ball.
23. Father : SIRE
24. "We're finally __ own": "Ohio" lyric : ON OUR. Easy guess.
25. Needle : TEASE
26. Hullabaloo : TO-DO
30. Consequence of a strong punch? : SHINER. Slang for "black eye". I was thinking of the beverage punch.
32. Believe : FEEL
33. Squirrel (away) : SALT
34. Windblown : AEOLIAN. New word to me. From Aeolus, god of the winds in Greek myth.
35. Possibility : OPTION
38. "__ Mio" : 'O SOLE. "My Sun".
40. Microwave maker : AMANA
41. Florist's staple : FERN
45. Utah airport initials : SLC. Oh, Salt Lake City then.
48. Less restricted : FREER
50. Sediment : LEES. Wine dregs.
51. Get affectionate, with "up" : COZY
52. Santa's reindeer, e.g. : TEAM. And DUO (79. Small 52-Across).
53. Scratch (out) : EKE
54. Excuse : ALIBI
56. Direct, as one's future : SHAPE. Nice clue.
58. Where "The Nude Maja" hangs : PRADO. In Madrid. Over 100 Goyas there. Haltool linked both The Nude and The Clothed Maja before.
59. Where Mandela was pres. : RSA (Republic of South Africa)
62. Out of bed : ARISEN. And ADOZE (107. Snoozing).
63. Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, e.g. : MUPPET. I peeked at the answer sheet. Have never watched "The Muppet Show".
65. Peanut product : OIL
66. Most likable : NICEST
68. Online reading material : E-ZINES
72. All alternative : ANY
75. Unyielding : RIGID
76. Intended : MEANT
78. It might be verbal : ABUSE. Awesome clue.
80. Academic : MOOT. Dictionary has "purely academic" as the second meaning of Moot. New definition to me.
81. Southern collective? : Y'ALL
82. U.S. Treasurer Rosie : RIOS. Have never heard of this lady.
83. Car in a Beach Boys song : T-BIRD. Which song?
85. FAQ response : ANS (Answer)
90. Subterfuge : RUSE
91. Playboy bunny and others : LOGOS
92. "Amo, Amas, I Love __" : A LASS. Is this a poem?
93. Canine cover : ENAMEL. Canine teeth.
95. Nonwinner : ALSO-RAN
98. Ban target : ODOR. Read Ban as a verb rather than the noun Ban deodorant.
99. Seriously injure : MAIM
100. What you may do before you weep? : READ 'EM. Does this refer to Barry Manilow's song "Read 'Em and Weep"?
106. Jingled : RANG
109. Al __ : DENTE
110. 1944 turning point : D-DAY
112. Payment made by hand? : ANTE. I was not fooled.
113. Race official : TIMER. Always thought timer as a device rather than a person.
114. Oak, in a nutshell : ACORN. Nice clue, "in a nutshell".
115. Choice word : ELSE
116. River to the North Sea : YSER. Every letter in this river is a common word ending letter. That's why you see the river again and again at the bottom/right edge of the grid.
117. Twitch : SPASM
118. Got off the road, in a way : TOWED
119. Permits : LETS
Down:
1. Certain Volkswagen : BUS
2. Sweeping : EPIC. I don't get the clue.
3. Razor brand : ATRA
4. Has no problems : DOES FINE
5. You might need it when you're flustered : A MOMENT. To collect yourself. Great clue.
6. Like Romantic music : TONAL. What's the difference between tonal and atonal music?
7. MBA's course : ECON
8. "Nope" : UH-UH
9. Lightweight umbrellas : PARASOLS
10. Avoids a trial : SETTLES
11. Line holder, on a ship : CLEAT. Not aware of the nautical meaning. Is it like anchor?
12. Equine color : ROAN. Reddish brown.
13. Horace's "__ Poetica" : ARS
14. Doesn't push, with "on" : GOES EASY
15. Fifth-century warrior : ATTILA. Attila the Hun.
16. Téa of "Jurassic Park III" : LEONI
17. Mythical sorceress : MEDEA. Jason's wife. Lemonade knows very well how he jilted her.
18. Embellish : ADORN
28. Want ad abbr. : EEO
29. One might be hard to believe : TALE. The grammar confused me. I'd prefer the clue to be "One that might be hard to believe".
31. Response to being held up, maybe : HONK
34. Blow away : AMAZE
35. Put on the market : OFFER
36. Car allowance, preferred parking, etc. : PERKS
38. Half a quarter? : ONE BIT. Two bits = a quarter. Got me.
39. Unit of wound thread : SKEIN
40. Upon : ATOP
43. 1993 survival film : ALIVE. Was ignorant of the film.
44. Improvisational style : SCAT
46. Stow cargo : LADE
47. "Hurry up!" : C'MON
49. Croaked : RASPED
52. Speaker in the Hall of Fame : TRIS. Tris Speaker.
55. Track circuits : LAPS
56. Avoid : SKIRT
57. Dagger handle : HILT
58. Car radio feature : PRESET
61. Thug : GOON
62. Book between John and Romans : ACTS. I forgot.
64. The Big __: pitcher Randy Johnson's nickname : UNIT. Gimme. Lefty. I have his rookie card. It's not worth anything. Hall of Famer Walter Johnson (Right-handed) was nicknamed "The Big Train".
66. Agnew's natterers : NABOBS. "Nattering nabobs of negativism". Alliteration.
67. Occupied : IN USE
68. Funny Bombeck : ERMA
69. National park through which the Virgin River runs : ZION
70. Room in a casa : SALA. Casa = House. Spanish.
73. Ratched or Houlihan : NURSE. Hello, Buckeye!
74. Tyrolean refrain : YODEL. Tyrol is an province in Austria. Unknown to me.
76. Little Richard's Georgia hometown : MACON. Nicknamed "Heart of Georgia" as it lies in the geographical center of Georgia. I don't know who Little Richard is, Dennis. Safe traveling today!
77. Fraternal group : ELKS
81. Where asanas are seen : YOGA MATS. Asanas are Yoga postures.
82. Found hilarious : ROARED AT
84. Victoria's Secret catalog poser : BRA MODEL. Jazzbumpa loves Adriana Lima.
86. Ticked off : SORE
87. Salon snafu : BAD PERM
88. Cuisine for Babe : SLOP. Babe the pig.
89. Bump from behind : REAR-END
91. One of the inn crowd : LODGER
94. Zilch : NIL
95. Orderly display : ARRAY
96. Is inclined : LEANS
97. "À votre __!" : SANTE. Literally "To your health" in French.
98. Trickles : OOZES
99. Anglican Church headdress : MITRE. Like this. I can never remember the damned word.
101. Unresponsive state : COMA
102. Empire State Building style : DECO
103. Put one over on : SNOW. To deceive/fool.
104. Unoccupied : IDLE
105. Political cartoonist Thomas : NAST. He created Democrat's donkey & GOP's elephant.
108. Guacamole, for one : DIP
111. "Of course" : YES
Answer grid.
I've been enjoying MJ's always observant, sunny and caring comments, and I was so pleased that she sent me this wonderful picture to share with you. She said:
"What you'll see is a photo of our family taken yesterday (August 5, 2010) when we all got together for brunch. It's rare that we are all together, as no one has a regular M-F, 8-5pm sort of job.
Seated around the table, DIL Christianne (holding Drake, who'll be 5 months old on Sunday), middle son Andrew, DH Ray, oldest son Cameron, and his girlfriend Tess. Standing in the back. L to R, my mom Shelly, youngest son Oliver (Drake's father), and myself."
MJ is nearly 60 years old, and her husband Ray is nearly 70. But both look incredibly young, don't you think so?
C.C.
27A. Plan a Big Apple heist? : C(H)ASE MANHATTAN. Base phrase here is Chase Manhattan. CH + Long A combination.
42A. Snorkeling? : T(H)ANKLESS TASK. Thankless Task. TH + Short A.
60A. Portfolio for retirement planning? : S(H)AVING KIT. Shaving Kit. SH + Long A.
70A. Do a Gap stockroom job? : S(H)ORT PANTS. Short Pants. SH + Diphthong OR.
86A. Clothes dryer, so it's said? : S(H)OCK ABSORBER. Shocking Absorber. SH + Short O. fun clue. Nicely crossing PAIRS (71D. An 86-Across may break them up).
101A. Made off with the meat? : C(H)OPPED SIRLOIN. Chopped Sirloin. CH + Short O. "Make off with" = COP = Steal.
37D. Iguana pals in Ecuador? : T(H)REE AMIGOS. Three Amigos. THR + Long E in EE spelling. Oh, dear, I had no idea that iguana live in trees. Hence TREE AMIGOS.
45D. Shamu's arena? : S(H)EA STADIUM. Shea Stadium. SH + Long E in EA spelling. (Correction: It's SH + Long A sound in EA spelling. The only theme answer where there is vowel sound change.)
Fantastic theme title! I actually read it as "Something's Missing" instead of the H-dropped hint "Somet(h)ing's Missing', but grokked the gimmick after the second theme answer.
No I/U to follow those CH/SH/TH. I am sure the constructor considered those options but could not find sparkling phrases to fit his theme pattern or symmetry. I could only think of T(H)ICK AND THIN & T(H)UG OF WAR. But both are three-word phrases, so out and out!
Also no WH or PH play. I suspect those combination starting words do not lend themselves well to H drop.
Very enjoyable solving. Sunday puzzles are huge, but they are pegged mostly at Wednesday difficulty level. The grid breakdown is also very solver friendly, lots of accessible four-letter (52 in this grid) and 5-letter (45 today) words.
Across:
1. Mardi Gras accessory bit : BEAD. Happy start for Hahtool.
5. Relished : ATE UP
10. Skinny sort : SCRAG. I only know crag. Not enough squares for my SCRAWNY.
15. Soprano Gluck : ALMA
19. Until : UP TO
20. Latte variant : MOCHA. Would have been perfect is there's absolutely no CH/SH/TH fill in the whole grid.
21. What Spanish Olympians go for : EL ORO. The gold.
22. Ready to be driven : TEED. Golf ball.
23. Father : SIRE
24. "We're finally __ own": "Ohio" lyric : ON OUR. Easy guess.
25. Needle : TEASE
26. Hullabaloo : TO-DO
30. Consequence of a strong punch? : SHINER. Slang for "black eye". I was thinking of the beverage punch.
32. Believe : FEEL
33. Squirrel (away) : SALT
34. Windblown : AEOLIAN. New word to me. From Aeolus, god of the winds in Greek myth.
35. Possibility : OPTION
38. "__ Mio" : 'O SOLE. "My Sun".
40. Microwave maker : AMANA
41. Florist's staple : FERN
45. Utah airport initials : SLC. Oh, Salt Lake City then.
48. Less restricted : FREER
50. Sediment : LEES. Wine dregs.
51. Get affectionate, with "up" : COZY
52. Santa's reindeer, e.g. : TEAM. And DUO (79. Small 52-Across).
53. Scratch (out) : EKE
54. Excuse : ALIBI
56. Direct, as one's future : SHAPE. Nice clue.
58. Where "The Nude Maja" hangs : PRADO. In Madrid. Over 100 Goyas there. Haltool linked both The Nude and The Clothed Maja before.
59. Where Mandela was pres. : RSA (Republic of South Africa)
62. Out of bed : ARISEN. And ADOZE (107. Snoozing).
63. Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, e.g. : MUPPET. I peeked at the answer sheet. Have never watched "The Muppet Show".
65. Peanut product : OIL
66. Most likable : NICEST
68. Online reading material : E-ZINES
72. All alternative : ANY
75. Unyielding : RIGID
76. Intended : MEANT
78. It might be verbal : ABUSE. Awesome clue.
80. Academic : MOOT. Dictionary has "purely academic" as the second meaning of Moot. New definition to me.
81. Southern collective? : Y'ALL
82. U.S. Treasurer Rosie : RIOS. Have never heard of this lady.
83. Car in a Beach Boys song : T-BIRD. Which song?
85. FAQ response : ANS (Answer)
90. Subterfuge : RUSE
91. Playboy bunny and others : LOGOS
92. "Amo, Amas, I Love __" : A LASS. Is this a poem?
93. Canine cover : ENAMEL. Canine teeth.
95. Nonwinner : ALSO-RAN
98. Ban target : ODOR. Read Ban as a verb rather than the noun Ban deodorant.
99. Seriously injure : MAIM
100. What you may do before you weep? : READ 'EM. Does this refer to Barry Manilow's song "Read 'Em and Weep"?
106. Jingled : RANG
109. Al __ : DENTE
110. 1944 turning point : D-DAY
112. Payment made by hand? : ANTE. I was not fooled.
113. Race official : TIMER. Always thought timer as a device rather than a person.
114. Oak, in a nutshell : ACORN. Nice clue, "in a nutshell".
115. Choice word : ELSE
116. River to the North Sea : YSER. Every letter in this river is a common word ending letter. That's why you see the river again and again at the bottom/right edge of the grid.
117. Twitch : SPASM
118. Got off the road, in a way : TOWED
119. Permits : LETS
Down:
1. Certain Volkswagen : BUS
2. Sweeping : EPIC. I don't get the clue.
3. Razor brand : ATRA
4. Has no problems : DOES FINE
5. You might need it when you're flustered : A MOMENT. To collect yourself. Great clue.
6. Like Romantic music : TONAL. What's the difference between tonal and atonal music?
7. MBA's course : ECON
8. "Nope" : UH-UH
9. Lightweight umbrellas : PARASOLS
10. Avoids a trial : SETTLES
11. Line holder, on a ship : CLEAT. Not aware of the nautical meaning. Is it like anchor?
12. Equine color : ROAN. Reddish brown.
13. Horace's "__ Poetica" : ARS
14. Doesn't push, with "on" : GOES EASY
15. Fifth-century warrior : ATTILA. Attila the Hun.
16. Téa of "Jurassic Park III" : LEONI
17. Mythical sorceress : MEDEA. Jason's wife. Lemonade knows very well how he jilted her.
18. Embellish : ADORN
28. Want ad abbr. : EEO
29. One might be hard to believe : TALE. The grammar confused me. I'd prefer the clue to be "One that might be hard to believe".
31. Response to being held up, maybe : HONK
34. Blow away : AMAZE
35. Put on the market : OFFER
36. Car allowance, preferred parking, etc. : PERKS
38. Half a quarter? : ONE BIT. Two bits = a quarter. Got me.
39. Unit of wound thread : SKEIN
40. Upon : ATOP
43. 1993 survival film : ALIVE. Was ignorant of the film.
44. Improvisational style : SCAT
46. Stow cargo : LADE
47. "Hurry up!" : C'MON
49. Croaked : RASPED
52. Speaker in the Hall of Fame : TRIS. Tris Speaker.
55. Track circuits : LAPS
56. Avoid : SKIRT
57. Dagger handle : HILT
58. Car radio feature : PRESET
61. Thug : GOON
62. Book between John and Romans : ACTS. I forgot.
64. The Big __: pitcher Randy Johnson's nickname : UNIT. Gimme. Lefty. I have his rookie card. It's not worth anything. Hall of Famer Walter Johnson (Right-handed) was nicknamed "The Big Train".
66. Agnew's natterers : NABOBS. "Nattering nabobs of negativism". Alliteration.
67. Occupied : IN USE
68. Funny Bombeck : ERMA
69. National park through which the Virgin River runs : ZION
70. Room in a casa : SALA. Casa = House. Spanish.
73. Ratched or Houlihan : NURSE. Hello, Buckeye!
74. Tyrolean refrain : YODEL. Tyrol is an province in Austria. Unknown to me.
76. Little Richard's Georgia hometown : MACON. Nicknamed "Heart of Georgia" as it lies in the geographical center of Georgia. I don't know who Little Richard is, Dennis. Safe traveling today!
77. Fraternal group : ELKS
81. Where asanas are seen : YOGA MATS. Asanas are Yoga postures.
82. Found hilarious : ROARED AT
84. Victoria's Secret catalog poser : BRA MODEL. Jazzbumpa loves Adriana Lima.
86. Ticked off : SORE
87. Salon snafu : BAD PERM
88. Cuisine for Babe : SLOP. Babe the pig.
89. Bump from behind : REAR-END
91. One of the inn crowd : LODGER
94. Zilch : NIL
95. Orderly display : ARRAY
96. Is inclined : LEANS
97. "À votre __!" : SANTE. Literally "To your health" in French.
98. Trickles : OOZES
99. Anglican Church headdress : MITRE. Like this. I can never remember the damned word.
101. Unresponsive state : COMA
102. Empire State Building style : DECO
103. Put one over on : SNOW. To deceive/fool.
104. Unoccupied : IDLE
105. Political cartoonist Thomas : NAST. He created Democrat's donkey & GOP's elephant.
108. Guacamole, for one : DIP
111. "Of course" : YES
Answer grid.
I've been enjoying MJ's always observant, sunny and caring comments, and I was so pleased that she sent me this wonderful picture to share with you. She said:
"What you'll see is a photo of our family taken yesterday (August 5, 2010) when we all got together for brunch. It's rare that we are all together, as no one has a regular M-F, 8-5pm sort of job.
Seated around the table, DIL Christianne (holding Drake, who'll be 5 months old on Sunday), middle son Andrew, DH Ray, oldest son Cameron, and his girlfriend Tess. Standing in the back. L to R, my mom Shelly, youngest son Oliver (Drake's father), and myself."
MJ is nearly 60 years old, and her husband Ray is nearly 70. But both look incredibly young, don't you think so?
C.C.
