Friday, October 18, 2019 David Alfred Bywaters

"The Ess Sense of Questionable New Phrases"

17. Iranian vocal improvisation?: PERSIAN SCAT.

24. Household employee's fraudulent ruse?: NANNY SCAM.

38. Nursery school air fresheners?: DAYCARE SCENTERS.

50. Poem that seemed awfully profound at the bar last night?: PUB SCRAWL.

62. What optical character recognition software often produces?: GARBAGE SCAN.

Across:

1. Show anxiety, in a way: PACE.

5. No good: FUTILE.

11. Prankster's projectile: EGG. 

14. Excited response to a cue: I'M ON.   It's showtime.   Break a leg !

15. Pressed: IRONED.

16. Also: TOO.

19. Primitive dwelling: HUT.   The original Pizza Hut:

20. Furniture cleaning brand: ENDUST.

21. Bar __: CAR.

22. Assistant: AIDE.

23. Web address: URL.   Uniform Resource Locator

26. Approve: AGREE TO.

29. Put into words: SAY.  Phrase.

30. Preface to a conviction: IMO.   In My Opinion.  A conviction as in a firmly held belief.

31. Product warning: AS IS.    I remember one particular auctioneer's call at the start of the auction: "You are buying as is, how is, where is."  

34. Sew up again: REHEM. 

42. First name in black-and-white photos: ANSEL.

43. Stash: STOW.

44. Cabinet dept.: AGRiculture.  "Founded in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed into law an act of Congress establishing the United States Department of Agriculture.   Two and one-half years later, in what would be his final annual message to the Congress; Lincoln called USDA "The People's Department."   At that time, about half of all Americans lived on farms, compared with about 2 percent today."   USDA.gov/About

45. Born, in Brussels: NEE.

47. Smidge, to a laddie: WEE DROP.  

55. Realtor's unit: LOT.

56. Words of understanding: I SEE.

57. Shad product: ROE.

58. Tabloid output: SLEAZE.

61. Catch: NAB.

64. I problem?: EGO.

65. Purpose: INTENT.

66. "This is terrible!": OH NO.

67. Intl. Talk Like a Pirate Day month: SEPtember.   Arrgh !

68. Sudden reactions: STARTS. - Start:  "...of Germanic origin; related to Dutch storten ‘push’ and German stürzen ‘fall headlong, fling’.  From the sense ‘sudden movement’ arose the sense ‘initiation of movement, setting out on a journey’ and hence ‘beginning of a process, etc.’."

69. Crucial things: KEYS.   "People say that money is not the key to happiness, but I always figured if you have enough money, you can have a key made." - Joan Rivers.

Down:

1. Plumbing item: PIPE.

2. "So be it!": AMEN.

3. Casual pants: CORDUROYs.   The term corduroy comes from an 18th century English word for coarse woolen cloth (duroy) and cord, for the wales.

4. Make certain: ENSURE.   Ascertain.

5. Decree: FIAT.   Derisively, the car FIAT is an initialism for Failure In Automotive Technology.

6. Item near a sugar bowl, perhaps: URN.

7. Opera about an opera singer: TOSCA.  theopera101.com - operas - tosca

8. Peruvian of old: INCAN.

9. Comes to realize: LEARNS.

10. Summer CT clock setting: EDT.

11. Moral principle: ETHIC.

12. Big wheel in delis: GOUDA.  This isn't South Holland, Michigan:


18. Hebrides unit: ISLE.

22. So far: AS YET. 

24. Pokes (around): NOSES.   Into someone else's affairs or belongings.  Snoops.

25. Knitter's need: YARN.   Hello, Madame Defarge !

26. Opera about an African princess: AIDA.   Synopsis of Verdi's Opera, Aida

27. Gangster movie hero, perhaps: GMAN.  And 13D. 27-Down's victorious words: GOT 'EM.

28. Sailor: TAR.

32. Follower's suffix: IST.

33. Displeased look: SCOWL.  

35. Sad song subject: HEARTACHE.


36. Cogito __ sum: ERGO.   I blog, therefore I am.

37. Car sticker amt.: MSRP.   Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price.   Kelley Blue Book - What is MSRP ?

39. Perfume with myrrh, say: CENSE.   Turns out cense is a verb (archaic),   therefore,   perfume is a verb rather than a noun in this clue.   We know the modern word as incense, in both noun and verb forms.   And for the second definition of the modern form in past tense, "The rookie solver was incensed with this clue."

40. Actor Guinness: ALEC.   Sir Alec Guinness

41. Lamb's dam: EWE.   Cute clue !

46. Roaming, like a knight: ERRANT.   Errant: 2. - archaic•literary: traveling in search of adventure.

48. Palindromic Parisian pronoun: ELLE.

49. Performs adequately: DOES OK.   On the second day in one of my first staff positions early in my career,  I was led down the hall by the director who introduced me to the regional vice president. "Middle of the pack is not acceptable" was all he said, meaning doing OK was not sufficient.    I guess he wasn't satisfied with the latest numbers that had come in. 

50. Longs: PINES.   A typically rural and olden usage. 

51. Treatment: USAGE.

52. Jazz style: BEBOP.  Dizzy Gillespie came to mind.

53. Vital vessel: AORTA.  Vessel: 3. - Anatomy•Zoology: a duct or canal holding or conveying blood or other fluid.

54. Barbecue brand: WEBER.   This is the design of the original Weber Genesis grill in 1985.   I bought a new one in 1989, thinking that the almost $400 price tag was steep, but it is going strong thirty years later, and I've never had to replace a single part.  My bottom shelves are composite rather than the wire rack shown.

58. Some NCOs: SGTs. Non Commissioned Officers: Sergeants. Pairs with 62D. Base figs.: GIs.  GI is an initialism for either Government Issue or General Issue because of the general items disbursed to soldiers and army airmen. Over time, GI came to mean a soldier.

59. Wacko: ZANY.  Not my cuppa for humor. 

60. First chimp in orbit: ENOS.  "Enos was the second chimpanzee launched into space by NASA. He was the first chimpanzee, and third hominid after cosmonauts Yuri Gagarin and Gherman Titov, to achieve Earth orbit. Enos' flight occurred on November 29, 1961."  - Wikipedia.  

63. Small colonist: ANT. Easy, but cute.


Check your answers against this grid:

Notes from C.C.:

Just heard from Dennis. He's recovering nicely. Already off all pain meds. Right now he's in the step-down unit and he hopes to be home next Monday. 

Thanks for the thoughts and prayers.

Sunday October 6, 2019 David Alfred Bywaters

Theme: Time for "A" Change - Words with long A sound are replaced by their homophone.

20. Sumo wrestler's asset?: HAZARDOUS WAIST. Hazardous waste.

30. Consequence of overtweezing?: RAZED EYEBROWS.  Raised eyebrows.

 

49. Hawaiian tour company specialist?: LEI PERSON. Lay person.

58. Common sight on "L.A. Law"?: DEY IN COURT. Day in court.

80. Mid-morning coffee, say?: BREAK FLUID. Brake fluid.

89. Problem for Roman Britain?: GAEL FORCE. Gale force.

104. Said goodbye, dog-style?: BAYED FAREWELL. Bade farewell.

 

121. Low-voiced choir member's goal?: GET TO FIRST BASS. Get to first base.

This is a very tight theme set. All homophones. All go through spelling changes of course.

David is a linguistic genius. He has found so many ways to play with the addition/deletion/replacement themes. All of his themes are very tight. Always an extra layer.

Across:

1. Followers who may be friendly or hostile: POSSE. We don't often see a black square at the starting corner. It makes clean fill possible.

6. Word of Gallic gratitude: MERCI. A few more French: 54. Him, to Henri: LUI. 55. Cannes concept: IDEE. And 81. French article: UNE.

11. Voltaire's faith: DEISM.

16. Bring up to date: CLUE IN.

17. "Am I awake?": PINCH ME. Great fill. And 25. Source of ignition: MATCH.

19. Game for two or four: TENNIS. And 25. Source of ignition: MATCH.

22. Car starter: ENGINE.

23. Agenda entry: ITEM.

24. Avid: EAGER.

27. Altered by time: AGED. Our crossword regular ALBA. No aging at all.

28. Skunk cousin: POLECAT.

33. Halloween follower: Abbr.: NOV.

34. Gutenberg's movable invention: TYPE.

35. Comic-Con attendee: NERD.

36. Met acquisition: ART.

39. Revolver, maybe: DOOR. Revolving door.

41. Rent what you've rented: SUBLET.

45. Dizzy's jazz genre: BEBOP.

52. Greeted, with "to": SAID HI.

56. Locations: SITES.

61. Disproportionate reactions: TO-DOS.

63. Disgraced: SHAMED. Public shaming in China. The placards have their names & the word "robber".

65. Three-syllable limerick foot: ANAPEST.

66. Like much testimony: ORAL.

68. Restorative: TONIC.

70. Social climber: SNOB.

71. Current site of ancient Carthage: TUNISIA.

74. Gazed lasciviously: LEERED.

77. Go wild on Twitter: TREND.

83. Presidents' Day phenomena: SALES. We'll probably get our Santa Fe at Veterans Day next year.
Hyundai gives veterans a nice discount.

85. Crosby, Stills & Nash, e.g.: TRIO.

86. Previously: AGO.

87. Problem for a claustrophobic driver: TUNNEL. Tough when you need a MRI.

91. Kidney-related: RENAL.

94. Standard of measurement: METRIC.

96. Loyal: TRUE.

97. "__ Blues": Beatles song with the line "Even hate my rock and roll": YER.

98. Help to withdraw: WEAN.

100. Confront: FACE.

102. Natter: GAB.

110. Some chalets: A-FRAMES.

114. ET vehicles, in theory: UFOS.

115. Lariat: REATA.

116. Overhang: LEDGE.

118. Main squeeze: BEAU.

119. Hired escort: GIGOLO.

124. Tony winner Tammy: GRIMES. Won a Tony for "The Unsinkable Molly Brown". Unknown to me.

125. Do: EXECUTE.

126. Niños' needs?: TILDES. The squiggles.

127. Affirmatives: YESES.

128. Support framework: TRUSS.

129. Base stealer's asset: SPEED.

Down:

1. Socrates' pupil: PLATO.

2. Eurasian blackbird: OUZEL. Learning moment for me also.

3. Many mariners: SEAMEN.

4. Word of respect: SIR.

5. Attempts: ENDEAVORS.

6. King novel that shared the first Bram Stoker Award (1987): MISERY.

7. Covers completely: ENWRAPS.

8. 1929 purchaser of Victor: RCA.

9. Wind instrument?: CHIME. Sweet clue.

10. :-(: I'M SAD. One day my brother closed his WeChat with me with "🥣安 ". I had to ask him what it meant. Turns out 🥣 is a bowl. So " 🥣安" means "good night".  "Bowl" and "evening" are pronounced the same but they're two different characters. Jayce probably would get it. I just sighed.

11. Lair: DEN.

12. Sword-wielder's cry: EN GARDE.

13. Architect Jones: INIGO. Wiki says "Jones was the first person to introduce the classical architecture of Rome and the Italian Renaissance to Britain."

14. Tendon: SINEW.

15. Advanced teaching degrees: Abbr.: MS EDs.

16. Dip holder: CHIP.

17. Wrinkly little dog: PUG.

18. Suffix with kitchen: ETTE.

19. Tiny chuckle: TEHEE.

21. Nose bag particle: OAT.

26. Nixon of "Sex and the City": CYNTHIA. Also ran for governor last year.

29. Encrypt: CODE.

31. Consort of Hera: ZEUS.

32. Texter's "I will return shortly": BRB.

34. What a plighter plights: TROTH.

36. Landed: ALIT.

37. Try again: REDO.

38. Had a few: TIED ONE ON.

40. Medical suffix: OSIS.

42. No-goodniks: BADDIES.

43. Make up a story, maybe: LIE.

44. Eponymous ice cream maker: EDY.

46. Muffin fruit: BLUEBERRY. Our state muffin.

47. Hers and mine: OURS.

48. Surname of father-and-son British prime ministers: PITT. William Pitt & William Pitt the Younger. Read more here.

50. Geographical symbol of Middle America: PEORIA.

51. Cool: NEAT.

53. Hostelries: INNS.

57. Burn without flames: SMOLDER.

59. Tilt: CANT.

60. Iberian wine city: OPORTO. North of Lisbon.

62. Regina's prov.: SASK.

64. KC-to-NYC dir.: ENE.

67. Hoist: LIFT.

69. Outcropping: CRAG.

71. Vanishing ski lift: T BAR.

72. Hankering: URGE.

73. Bryn Mawr graduates: ALUMNAE.

75. Induce euphoria in: ELATE. And 78. Pleasant: NICE. 92. Fab equivalent: AWESOME.

76. Road sign ruminant: DEER.

79. One who doesn't just think about it: DOER. That's D-Otto! Just dug out this pic from my Ginger Roots blog. D-Otto mentioned said then: "A 1970 snapshot at the control console of the shipboard radio station during the final cruise of the carrier Bon Homme Richard. I stumbled across that one in an online copy of the ship's cruise book."
 


82. Pass gone seriously astray: Abbr.: INT.

84. Hard-hitting contests: SLUGFESTS.

88. __ insurance: LIFE.

90. Cause of tremors, at times: FEAR. He also wrote "Miracle of Mindfulness".

93. Conducted: LED.

95. Insensitive: CALLOUS.

99. Locks that are picked: AFROS.

101. Chin indentations: CLEFTS.

103. Blather on: BABBLE.

104. Full of glitches, as programs: BUGGY.

105. Flaming: AFIRE.

106. Hindu mystics: YOGIS.

107. Steamed state: RAGE.

108. Kindle reading, e.g.: E-TEXT.

109. Do a gardening task: WATER. We're having the wettest year in Minnesota history. 

110. Growth-oriented field?: Abbr.: AGR.

111. Civil War general: MEADE.

112. Abated: EASED.

113. Figure (out): SUSS.

117. Cease to function: DIE.

120. "__ Misérables": LES.

122. Big 12 rival of Baylor: Abbr.: TCU.

123. Bit of inside information: TIP.

C.C.

Friday, September 27, 2019 David Alfred Bywaters

"Z Replacementz"


17. Really terrible wine?: UNPARDONABLE ZIN.  Sin.

27. Dad jokes?: POP ZINGERS.  Singers.

46. Hardware store window feature?: DISPLAY ADZ.  Ads.

56. Power nap?: MAINTENANCE DOZE.  Dose.

Across:

1. Doing something: BUSY.  Do something:  Get busy.  Now there's a word where the S really sounds like a Z.

5. Infatuated, old-style: SMIT.   Raging dopamine levels clouding one's judgement.

9. "The Goldbergs" actor George: SEGAL.

 

14. Corner: TREE.  I first read the clue as a noun, but had to read it as a verb for it to make sense.

15. First-rate: A-ONE.

16. Hardly in the dark: AWARE.  Andre Ware (A Ware ?) would be known to longtime college football fans.  He was the 1989 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback who played for the University of Houston Cougars.   He was the first African American quarterback to win the honor.

20. Master's degree seeker's assignment: THESIS.  Thesis title: “Membership of Subculture as Made Evident Through Referential Verbal Cues”  Translated title: "Nerds say nerd things to other nerds."

21. Evaluate: ASSESS.

22. Hosp. area for critical cases: ICU. 

24. Truck unit: TON.

25. PreCheck org.: TSA.  TSA Pre✓®  - Transportation Security Administration

26. Focus word in a Scripps logo: BEE.

30. Extensive periods: EONs.

31. "See ya": SO LONG.


32. Pork cuts: LOINs.

34. Beethoven wrote just one: OPERA.  My eyes deceived me.  I read "Beethoven just wrote one" and thought, "What ?  That can't be right!"

35. Academic growth: IVY.

36. Indian silk region: ASSAM.

40. Trumpet sound: BLARE.  To "blow one's own trumpet" is to talk openly and boastfully about one's achievements.  

42. Mrs. King on "Scarecrow and Mrs. King": AMANDA.  Kate Jackson starred as a divorced mother of two opposite Bruce Boxheimer as a spy.  "Goodbye, PTA...hello, foreign intrigue!"

43. HUD financing gp.: GNMA.  Ginnie Mae.  The Government National Mortgage Association in the Department of Housing and Urban Development. 

48. Tanning line: RAY.

49. Mag. listing: EDs.

50. Some PCs: HPs.

51. Kitty alternative: KAY.   Both can be short forms of Katherine. 

52. Pertaining to a heart chamber: ATRIAL.

54. Facial feature named after an animal: GOATEE.

60. Location: PLACE. 

61. Innocent, for one: PLEA.

62. Keypad predecessor, in some cases: DIAL.

63. Rent-a-car choice: SEDAN. Alamo ? No.   Hertz ? No.    Aha, now I see !

64. Cabs and the like: REDs.  Wines.   Other reds might be Medoc and Merlot.  I learned they were reds in a USA Today puzzle last week.  Wine Folly

65. Multinational range: ALPs.   Eight Alpine countries: France, Switzerland, Monaco, Italy, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, and Slovenia.

Down:

1. A/C measure: BTU. Air Conditioning. British Thermal Unit.

2. Caterer's item: URN.

3. 35 to 5, say: SEPTUPLE.   You know.   Single, double, triple, quadruple etc.  Do the math.   This may be a debut for septuple.  Crossword history ?

4. Slangy assent: YEAH.

5. "Teen Angel" or "Leader of the Pack": SAD SONG.   Teenage tragedy songs of the early 60s era.  Here's another:


6. Sounds from the pasture: MOOING.

7. Holiday places: INNs. Holiday Inns.

8. English cuppa: TEA.

9. Spicy condiment: SALSA.  Spicy dance: Salsa.

10. Farm moms: EWEs.

11. Summerhouse: GAZEBO.

12. Out of bed: ARISEN.

13. They can make things clearer: LENSEs.

18. __ scan: ID method: RETINAL.

19. Soprani opposites: BASSI.

22. __ facto: IPSO.

23. Farm home: COOP.

Nice digs from the folks at Chicken Coop Mansions

25. Helen's home: TROY.  We have an Irish Miss of Troy. 

28. Kazantzakis title hero: ZORBA.  Time magazine book review from 1953

29. Fabled mischief-makers: ELVEs. The Keebler elves make Uncommonly Good cookies with elfin magic in the Hollow Tree.

30. Montaigne work: ESSAY.

33. Yoga class greeting: NAMASTE.  "... a respectful greeting said when giving a namaskar."   That clears it up.

35. Greek rainbow goddess: IRIS.

37. Charlatan's curative: SNAKE OIL.

38. "__ pinch ... ": recipe direction: ADD A.   A pinch of patience,  a dash of kindness, and a spoonful of laughter.

39. Labyrinthine: MAZY.

41. Disorient: ADDLE.

42. Andean animals: ALPACAs.

43. Dad's dad: GRAMPS.

44. Italian Christmas: NATALE.

Top 6 Italian Christmas Traditions

45. Many: MYRIAD.

47. Contacted, in a way: PHONED.

49. Gobbled up: EATEN.

53. Ancient Peruvian: INCA.

54. Wind warning indicated by two red flags: GALE.

 55. Icelandic poetic work: EDDA.

57. "Morning Edition" airer: NPR.  National Public Radio.  A number of fans here at the Corner.

58. Nuke: ZAP.  Both slang for microwave.

59. Little League leaders?: ELs.  Little League trailers: Ees.

Check your grid against this one:

Sunday May 5th, 2019 David Alfred Bywaters

Theme: "Not!" (No-T). T is removed from the end of each common phrase.

22. Animated image of Santa repeatedly going down the chimney?: CHRISTMAS GIF. Christmas gift.

41. Fruity neckwear?: BANANA BOA. Banana boat.

43. Votes at a beer convention?: BREWER'S YEAS. Brewer's yeast.

67. First catch the fly, then eat the fly?: SPIDER PLAN. Spider plant.

71. Indication of growing impatience?: SECOND SIGH. Second sight.

96. Social newcomer who won't go away?: LONG-TERM DEB. Long-term debt.

99. Basic banking rule?: DON'T FORGE. Don't forget.

118. Subjecting to a basic haunting strategy?: GIVING THE BOO. Giving the boot.

It would be super tight if there were no other straying T's in the theme entries, but sometimes it's impossible.

David Alfred Bywaters specializes in letter addition/removal themes. I'm often in awe of the reveals in his Friday LAT. He's an incredible wordsmith.

Across:

1. Writers: PENS. Write-rs.

5. Bearlike marsupial: KOALA.

10. Super-impressed: AWED.

14. Numerical suffix for "about": ISH.

17. Fast Northeast train: ACELA. Wiki says "the branding team based the name "Acela" on the ideas of acceleration and excellence.".

19. Severe distress: SORROW. And 67D. Weep: SOB.

20. Greater: MORE.

21. Usually well-compensated leader: CEO. CFO too.

24. Adorn: ORNAMENT.

26. Owie spot, maybe: TOOTSIE.

27. Burdens: ONUSES.

29. Windshield sticker: DECAL.

30. Cashew family shrubs: SUMACS. Never saw sumac shrubs in person. Dried sumac is used in some Middle East spice mix.

33. Garage service: LUBE.

34. Extract with a solvent: ELUTE. Not a word I use.

35. Crew member: TAR.

38. Robert who sang the role of Figaro 46 times at the Met: MERRILL. Stranger to me.

45. Smaller: LESS.

46. Socially challenged one, often: NERD.

47. Rural skyline standouts: SILOS.

48. Hereditary: INNATE.

50. Japanese pond fish: KOI.

52. Beach volleyball team: PAIR.

53. Woman's name that means "pleasure" in Hebrew: EDNA. Did not know this.

55. Country sound: TWANG.

58. Sam or Wiggily: UNCLE. I googled and learned that Uncle Wiggily is a rabbit.

62. Cruller coating: GLAZE. These are Chinese crullers that Jayce likes.

64. Words before a view: AS I SEE IT. Nice fill.

66. Muffin grain: OAT.

73. Valentine card hugs: OOO.

74. Popular school cafeteria item: TATER TOT. Boomer loves Tater Tots.

76. Immerse (in), as maple syrup: DROWN.

77. Togo neighbor: BENIN.

79. Sharpening tool: STROP.

80. Fare-well link: THEE.

82. Maker of Aspire laptops: ACER. It bought Gateway in 2007.

85. "Sorry, lad": NAE.

87. How Sitka, Alaska, ranks as the largest U.S. city: IN AREA.

89. Wedding party: BRIDE.

90. Trojan War god: ARES.

93. Small-time British crook: SPIV. Never heard of it. Looks like a knife.

101. Plague: SCOURGE.

102. USCG officer: ENS.

103. Courage: VALOR.

104. __ even footing: ON AN.

106. __ network: NEURAL.

108. Meaningless: INANE.

109. BP, pulse, etc.: VITALS. When I visited my dentist last month, they used a wrist blood pressure machine like this.

112. Causes of traffic jams ... or ways to avoid them: DETOURS.

116. The "there" in "Don't go there": SORE SPOT. Another great fill.

121. Heart test letters: EKG.

122. Hunger remedy wrongly attributed to Marie Antoinette: CAKE. Oh I thought she did say "Let them eat cake".

123. Means: AVENUE.

124. Hard work: SWEAT.

125. Poor grade: DEE.

126. Is indebted to: OWES.

127. Principle: TENET.

128. Goes off: ERRS.

Down:

1. Treaty: PACT.

2. Repetitive sound: ECHO.

3. Emperor adopted by Claudius: NERO. Claudius was his great-uncle.

4. Buttonholes, e.g.: SLITS.

5. Ukulele wood: KOA. I forgot. We had this clue before. Here's a felled koa tree.

6. MD workplaces: ORS.

7. Ship protected by Hera: ARGO.

8. Cut of meat: LOIN.

9. Really bad: AWFUL.

10. Tiny shape-shifters: AMOEBAE.

11. Goes downhill: WORSENS.

12. North end?: ERN. Northern.

13. Numb: DEADEN.

14. Rock at the bar?: ICE CUBE.

15. Cato the Elder or Cato the Younger: SENATOR.

16. Cop's case-breaking tip, perhaps: HOT LEAD. Did any of you follow this Minneapolis case?

18. Supposes: ASSUMES.

19. Campaign nastiness: SMEARS.

23. Kitchen convenience: TIMER.

25. Skin pigment: MELANIN.

28. Renter's rental: SUBLEASE.

31. 1993 Aerosmith hit that begins "There was a time / When I was so broken-hearted": CRYIN'.

32. Tuscany city: SIENA.

35. Recipe meas.: TBSP.  Any of you tried X.O. sauce? Umami-rich. It has dried shrimp, dried scallop, hot chili peppers, etc.

36. Tenor's moment: ARIA.

37. Faith: RELIGION.

39. PC-to-PC system: LAN.

40. Future attys.' exams: LSATS.

42. Set as a price: ASK. Guess how much Beckett charges for authenticating a Mickey Mantle autographed photo? $100. Crazy.

44. __ Cup: WORLD.

49. Unexpected story ending: TWIST.

51. Improve upon: OUTDO.

53. __-Nehemiah: Hebrew Bible book: EZRA.

54. Coll. units: DEPTS.

56. Japanese tech company: NEC.

57. Sparkling rock: GEODE. And 75. Iridescent gems: OPALS.

59. Happen at the same time: COINCIDE. Seollal (Korean New Year), Tet and Chinese Spring Festival are all celebrated in the same day. Here are a few Korean kids kneeling down to pay respect to their elders.

60. Fall behind: LAG.

61. Addis Ababa's land: Abbr.: ETH.

63. Company named for a volcano: AETNA.

64. Playwright Chekhov: ANTON.

65. About, on memos: IN RE.

68. "The Purloined Letter" writer: POE.

69. Allow: LET.

70. Reach: ARRIVE AT.

72. Bee team: SWARM.

78. How some things are set: IN STONE.

80. Mortise joiner: TENON.

81. Dutch city, with "The": HAGUE.

83. Eve's first home: EDEN.

84. Civil War fighters: REBS.

86. Paul Anka's "__ Beso": ESO.

88. Mythical elephant carrier: ROC. Also a popular skincare brand.

89. Inspiring acts?: BREATHS. Nice clue.

90. Counseled: ADVISED.

91. Lost Colony's island: ROANOKE. See here for more information.

92. Blow up: ENLARGE.

94. Incite: PROVOKE.

95. Sets a match to: IGNITES.

97. Plod: TRUDGE.

98. White-plumed wader: EGRET.

100. Painting on wet plaster: FRESCO.

105. Annoy constantly: NAG AT.

107. "Almost Like Being in Love" composer Frederick: LOEWE.  "My Fair Lady" too.

110. Happening right now: LIVE.

111. Pet reindeer in "Frozen": SVEN.

113. Lyft competitor: UBER.

114. Lion's warning: ROAR.

115. They're often smashed: SOTS. Drunk.

117. Friendly dog's offering: PAW.

119. Like Bach's French Suite No. 6: IN E.

120. Superfan: NUT.

C.C.

Friday, April 19, 2019, David Alfred Bywaters

Very Punny!  Today's puzzle uses puns, rhymes and homophones to twist common phrases.  In the first three theme answers, the rhyming word is found at the front of the phrase, and in the last two theme answers, the rhyming word is found at the end.

We also have a very special remembrance of our dear friend with 9-Down (ARGYLE) and 12-Down (SANTA).

17-Across. Flatfish family founders?: SOLE MATES.  The common phrase is Soul Mates.

25-Across. Barbershop levy?: POLE TAX.  The common phrase is Poll Tax.  A pole tax is essentially a tax placed on an adult without consideration of income or resources.  In the United States, the poll tax had been a pre-requisite for voting.  The 24th Amendment to the United States Constitution abolished poll taxes as a pre-requisite for voting in federal elections.  A few years later, the Supreme Court ruled that States could not use the poll tax as a prerequisite for voting in State elections.  (Never have an attorney explain a legal matter.  I'll just send you all a bill.)

Why is the Barber Pole Red, White and Blue?  It comes from the Middle Ages when men went to the barber not only for a hair cut and a shave, but also for medical treatment.  Bloodletting was a well known medical treatment for curing all sorts of illnesses.  The red represented the blood, and the white represented the bandages used to stop the bleeding.  The blue is said to be the color of the veins that were cut during this whole bloodletting process.

38-Across. Rabbit monopolizing the entrance to the warren?: HOLE HOG.  The common phrase is Whole Hog.  This clue threw me off because the clue contains one animal and the answer contains a different animal.

51-Across. Part in a Humpty Dumpty biopic?: EGG ROLE.  The common phrase is Egg Roll.

62-Across. Mutant tree trunk with extraordinary powers?: SUPER BOLE.  The common phrase is Super Bowl.  The answer made me laugh.

Across:

1. Bonkers: LOCO.  What a crazy way to begin this puzzle!

5. Raucous animal sound: BRAY.

9. Sambuca flavoring: ANISE.

14. Not up: ABED.

15. Ire: RAGE.

16. Trio in the logo of a national motorists' group: RED AS.  As in the three red A's of the American Automobile Association.  I found this to be a devious clue.

19. Acquires: GAINS.  The word "gets" is too short.

20. Shirt with a slogan: TEE.

21. "Metamorphoses" poet: OVID.  An ancient Roman poet.

22. Mindless way to learn: BY ROTE.

23. When doubled, a German spa town: BADEN.  Baden Baden is a spa town in Southwest Germany.

26. Broadway restaurant founder: SARDI.  Sardi's is a famous restaurant in Manhattan's Theater District.  It began as a modest little eatery, known as The Little Restaurant in 1921.  The founder was Melchiorre Pio Sardi and his wife Eugenia Pallera.  He was known in New York as Vincent Sardi (Dec. 23, 1885 ~ Nov. 19, 1969).  A few years later, the restaurant moved down the block and re-opened as Sardi's.  Because the restaurant is in the Theater District, Vincent Sardi hired a sketch artist to draw caricatures of actors and other celebrities, which adorn the walls of the restaurant.

28. Energizes: GOOSES.  To goose up: To cause something to become stronger or more intense.  For example:  Listen to him rev up his car.  It sounds like he really goosed up his engine.   Geese at the park can be energizing.

30. Upscale: CLASSY.

32. Go bad: ROT.

33. Pairs: TWOS.  In go the animals, two by two ...

37. NFL pass, complete or not: ATT.  As in an Attempt.

41. Fez or fedora: HAT.  Hi, Abejo!

42. Pedi concerns: TOES.

44. Day in Durango: DIA.  Today's Spanish lesson.

45. N, in a TV content warning: NUDITY.

47. Directions: TRENDS.

50. Laconic: TERSE.

54. Come to: TOTAL.  Think of the tab on your bar bill.  The total came to how much!!!

56. Turf grippers: CLEATS.  Crabby cleats.

57. Die, e.g.: CUBE.  The singular of Dice.

58. Pet's attention-getter, perhaps: PAW.

61. Great deal of, slangily: LOTTA.  Led Zeppelin and Whole Lotta Love

64. Concerning: ABOUT.

65. God with a quiver: EROS.  It's Greek to me.

66. Carrot (always) or stick (sometimes): ROOT.

67. On edge: TENSE.

Oops, different spelling!

68. Used to be: WERE.  The way we were.

69. Tavern array: ALES.

Down:

1. Final: LAST.

2. Vowel-rich woodwind: OBOE.

3. Have a party, say: CELEBRATE.

4. One was written on an urn: ODE.

5. Valorous: BRAVE.

6. Five stars, e.g.: RATING.

7. Like fine Scotch: AGED.

8. Fist-pumper's cry: YES.

9. Sock pattern: ARGYLE.  // And, just 3 clues over we have 12-Down. One-night-a-year flier: SANTA.  A double CSO to our beloved Santa.

10. Minimally distant: NEAREST.

11. Jerk: IDIOT.

13. County not far from London: ESSEX.

18. Fashionable: MODISH.  I initially tried Modern.  At least some of the letters were correct.  

22. With 52-Down, paper since 1872: BOSTON.  //  And 52-Down.  See 22-Down: GLOBE.  Together we get The Boston Globe.

I read the Globe when I lived in Boston, but that was years ago.  Recently I have been getting weekly emails from the Globe urging me to subscribe.

24. Sunday paper barrage: ADs.  Does anyone really ever look through all the ads in the Sunday paper?  I stopped getting my local newspaper when there were more ads than news/articles, and when the sports section was longer than the news sections.

25. Friend of Tigger: POOH.  Winnie the Pooh and his friends were the creations of A.A. Milne (ne Alan Alexander Milne; Jan. 18, 1882 ~ Jan. 31, 1956).  His son, Christopher Robin Milne (Aug. 21, 1920 ~ Apr. 20, 1996), was the basis of the character of the same name in the books.  Sadly, Christopher Robin became estranged from his parents, believing that his father had exploited his childhood in writing the books.  I have fond memories, however, of the these books from my childhood.

26. "Go away!": SCAT.

27. Choir voice: ALTO.

29. Mountain nymph: OREAD.  More Greek in today's puzzle.

31. Mountain melodies: YODELS.  You don't even have to go to the mountains to heard yodeling.  Just go to your local Walmart.

34. Draining effect: WHIRLPOOL.

35. Equine eats: OATS.  Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy ...

36. Eyelid problem: STYE.

39. Triangle side, say: LINE.

40. Site of unwanted suburban vegetation: GUTTER.

But that's my vegetable garden!

43. Low cloud: STRATUS.

46. Trafficking org.: DEA.  As in the Drug Enforcement Administration, which is tasked with preventing drug trafficking.

48. Go around: ROTATE.

49. Daze: STUPOR.

51. Dazzling effect: ÉCLAT.  The word comes from the French, which means "splinter", or "burst".  Also the name of an eau de toilette for men.

53. Mount: GET ON.

55. More than a little plump: OBESE.

57. Medical research objective: CURE.

59. Natural soother: ALOE.  We had this clue the last time I on a puzzle.

60. Dampens: WETS.

62. Put in stitches: SEW.

63. Product of Bali: BRA.  Not the island, you silly goose!  The lingerie company.

Here's the Grid:

Today is a special day in the religious communities.  Today is Good Friday.  It also marks the beginning of Passover, which begins as sunset today.  For those who observe the these events, I wish you a Happy Easter or a Happy Passover.