"To the Contrary"
24. Zombie armada?: UNDEAD IN THE WATER.
31. Bad press?: UNCOMPLIMENTARY COPY.
49. Scary place?: UNNERVE CENTER.
69. Square dance halls?: UNHIP JOINTS.
88. Faulty method?: UNSOUND SYSTEM.
102. Instruction for putting away fishing tackle?: UNHOOK LINE AND SINKER.
113. Wash gardening clothes?: UNDO THE DIRTY WORK.
The prefix UN is added to the first word of each of the common phrases. Generally, un means not. The clues are written to define the new phrases.
Yet another debut at the LA Times. Congratulations, Dennis!
C.C. is having issues with her internet service provider.
Happy Mother's Day!
Across:
1. Letters and such: MAIL.
5. S. Korean gaming spot: PC ROOM. New to me. PC Room and PC Bang are South Korean terms for an internet cafe that is used for gaming.
11. Boxing __: RING.
15. Manager: BOSS.
19. Patron saint of sailors: ELMO.
20. Responsible (for): LIABLE.
21. Pay (up): ANTE. Pay to play.
22. Doozy: LULU. A poser, perhaps.
23. Toys that may improve dexterity: TOPS.
27. Make grooves in: STRIATE.
29. Baby's noise: COO.
30. Winged figure in Christian art: ANGEL.
38. Marsh plant: SEDGE.
40. Salivation stimuli: AROMAS.
41. Book after Joel: AMOS.
42. Rhubarb dessert: PIE.
43. Object of veneration: IDOL. Object of respect.
44. New York Dolls genre: GLAM. Other Glam rockers included Alice Cooper, KISS, Queen, T-Rex, Gary Glitter, along with Elton John and David Bowie (at times).
45. Dog's bane: FLEA. Yes, fleas can torment a dog. Dogbane (one word) is a weed that looks very much like milkweed. It is highly toxic to animals and was once used to poison dogs.
55. Ultra-devoted fans: ZEALOTS. Made me think of Swifties. - "Swifties
are the fandom of the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Regarded
by journalists as one of the largest, most devoted and influential fan
bases, Swifties are known for their high levels of participation,
creativity, community and fanaticism." - Wikipedia.
57. Fetch: RETRIEVE.
58. Like a fashionable arrival: LATE.
60. Shred: RIP UP. That's a standard def for shred. Another standard def would be a very small amount. The slang meaning for shred is to ski, skateboard, surf or bike in a highly skilled or showy manner.
61. Grandmother, affectionately: NANA.
62. Elk: WAPITI.
65. Get in the way of: IMPEDE.
66. Mandible: JAW.
72. Lounging spot: DEN.
73. Good for growing: ARABLE.
76. Elite groups: A-LISTS.
77. Disney queen whose powers are similar to Jack Frost's: ELSA. Never saw the movie, but the answer can easily be inferred from the clue.
80. Traveler's annoyance: DELAY.
81. Actress Jessica: ALBA.
82. Stay active: KEEP BUSY.
86. Implore: ENTREAT. Beg, if the answer is only 3 spaces
92. Discombobulate: DAZE.
93. Bryn __: first U.S. college to offer graduate degrees to women: MAWR. A learning moment.
95. Lhasa __: APSO.
96. Many a noir hero: TEC. Sam Spade? Phillip Marlowe? Mike Hammer?
97. Top spot in Formula One: POLE. Belgian Max Verstappen has dominated FI racing for the last three years. He's not always had the fasted cars, but he's often the fastest driver, leading to securing the pole position in many Grand Prix races.
Incredibly, he won nine Grand Prix in row before having to quit the Australian race in March when his brakes caught on fire. He took pole for the race in Miami last weekend, but finished second. The next race will be televised early morning on Sunday, May 19th. It is the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix from Imola, Italy on the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari racetrack.
98. Says "hi" to: GREETS.
100. Word with rock or space: OPERA.
108. Tres plus cuatro: SIETE. Three + four: Seven
109. Irish actor Stephen: REA. A fine actor whose last name works well in crosswords. We get his last name often in conjunction with "The Crying Game."
Every once in a while we get a clue for the singer/songwriter Chris Rea. He penned this touching Top 40 song in 1978 for his young teenage sister. She was devastated after being dumped by her boyfriend.
110. Color of corroded iron: RUST RED.
120. Capital of Fiji: SUVA. Thank you, perps.
Zoom in or out, or show satellite imagery (lower left).
121. "Bridgerton" actor __-Jean Page: REGE. Ditto.
122. Like a class presentation: ORAL.
123. Evening affair: SOIREE.
124. Place to tie up: PIER.
125. C in C: PRES ident. Commander in Chief
126. Yard border, perhaps: WALL.
127. Hit on the green: PUTTED.
128. Sister of King Charles III: ANNE.
Down:
1. Squad whose colors match the New York City flag: METS. The Mets are a Major League Baseball team.
"The Mets' colors are Dodger blue and Giant orange, symbolic of the return of National League baseball to New York after the Dodgers and Giants moved to California." - MLB.com
2. Scads: A LOT. We get REA
3. Like jumping without looking: IMPRUDENT.
4. On the wrong end of the score: LOSING.
5. Subject of a 2006 demotion: PLUTO.
6. Movie theater: CINEMA.
7. "Totally gnarly!": RAD. "Dude was shredding!"
8. Honor for David and Victoria Beckham: Abbr.: OBE. Order of the British Empire. The famous footballer, and his wife - the one-time Spice Girl known as "Posh Spice."
9. Iberian "Hello": OLA.
10. Rx order: MED.
11. Monopolized a conversation: RAN ON.
12. With everything counted: IN TOTAL. All in all.
13. Higher power?: NTH.
14. "Golly!": GEE.
15. Mel who voiced Bugs Bunny: BLANC. Was he the best, or what?
16. Intake opposite: OUTGO.
17. Idle computer state: SLEEP.
18. Belligerent: SURLY.
25. Finishes with buttercream, perhaps: ICEs. An activity usually done by an ICER, according to crossword clue writers.
26. __ and means: WAYS. Methods and resources.
28. Hotshot: ACE. Pittsburgh Pirate Paul Skenes made his MLB debut against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday after being promoted from Triple A Indianapolis. Here's a recap and post-game interview.
32. Exchange value: PRICE.
33. Miner's dream: LODE.
34. "Break a leg!" preceder: I'M ON.
35. Milk sweetener: MALT.
36. Elicit an "OMG!": AMAZE.
37. "Gladiator" setting: ROME. Gladiator - in quotation marks - would refer to the movie.
38. Prod: SPUR. Urge.
39. German "a": EINE. German one: EINS
44. Free: GRATIS. On the house. Complimentary.
45. Resell quickly: FLIP.
46. Ran with ease: LOPED.
47. Many a musical composition by Czerny: ETUDE.
48. Colorado town near Snowmass: ASPEN. Where down-hillers shred.
50. Bald eagle, e.g.: ERN.
51. Coastal inlet: RIA.
52. Happening place?: VENUE.
53. Actor Peters of the "X-Men" franchise: EVAN. Thank you, perps.
54. "Silas Marner" author: ELIOT, George. Not T.S.
56. Humerus locale: ARM. The singular bone from your shoulder to your elbow. Descending from there, the next two are the radius and the ulna - from the elbow to the wrist. The "funny bone" is not a bone at all. It is the ulnar nerve. If you hit it just so, there is nothing humorous about it. Been there, done that.
59. Malleable metal: TIN.
62. Wright brother: WILBUR. Wright brother: Orville
63. Like many drones: APIAN. Bees. A drone bee has no stinger and does not gather nectar. It is not a worker bee, although it does have one job.
64. Sleepover duds, for short: PJs. Comfy clothes.
65. British __: ISLES. Some 6000+ islands around Great Britain and Ireland.
66. Sour from experience: JADED.
67. Big 52-Down: ARENA.
68. Strauss piece: WALTZ.
70. Actor Holbrook: HAL.
71. Got ready to drive: TEED.
74. Minimal: BARE. Bare in the sense of mere, and nothing else. The room I rented in a rundown hotel not far from Piccadilly Circus had the bare necessities - a bed, a night stand with a lamp, and a small dresser. The bathroom was at the far end of the hallway. It was the best I could do at the time.
75. Strong alkaline solution: LYE.
78. Job for many an action hero: SPY.
79. Sit-up muscles: ABS.
81. In the least: AT ALL. I didn't care at all about the sparsely furnished room. I was there to see the Abbey, the bridge, No 10, and as many of the rest of the sights I could manage to see during my short stay. Now I regret that I didn't go to Kew Gardens.
82. Elements in live edge wood slabs: KNOTS.
83. Complete devastation: UTTER RUIN.
84. Soothsayer: SEER.
85. Village People song covered by the Minions: YMCA.
87. Wild and crazy: AMOK.
89. First name in the freezer aisle: SARA. Last name in the freezer aisle: Lee.
90. Perform first: OPEN.
91. Not new: USED.
94. "Straight Outta Lynwood" singer: WEIRD AL. "Weird Al" Yankovic's parody album that was inspired by N.W.A.'s "Straight Outta Compton" album. N.W.A. founding member Easy-E was part of a theme answer in the Friday, May 8 puzzle that Chairman Moe reviewed.
97. Ballad penner: POET.
98. Gym closet contents: GEAR.
99. "Yes __!": SIRREE.
100. Gives the go-ahead: OKs.
101. Poodle pampering place: PET SPA.
102. Grab power: USURP.
103. NFLer supported by Sourdough Sam: NINER. Sourdough Sam is the mascot of the San Francisco 49ers.
104. Yard border, perhaps: HEDGE.
105. Natives of the Central Plains: OTOES.
106. Sam of "Jurassic Park": NEILL. Watched about 5 minutes of it, then changed the channel. Again, thank you perps.
107. Microwaved: NUKED.
111. "I can't __": EVEN.
112. Show gumption: DARE.
114. "Please explain": HOW.
115. Time often named for a leader: ERA.
116. Baking soda amt.: TSP.
117. "__ do __": YOU. Be yourself.
118. Bon mot deliverer: WIT.
119. Morsel: ORT.
