Theme: "Fare Play" - Theme entries are all two-word food
items. The first words, all in the pattern of *ED, are humorously
re-interpreted in a non-food context.
23A. Fare after successful medical treatment? : CURED PORK. Pork was rationed in my childhood. We only had it during Spring Festival. My grandma always salt-cured the precious pork.
25A. Angry fare? : STEAMED MILK
45A. Illegally taken fare? : POACHED SALMON. I prefer honey & soy sauce glazed salmon.
86A. Fare constantly questioned? : GRILLED CHEESE
110A. Soundly defeated fare? : CREAMED CORN. Let's call it a veggie, since we have carb below.
112A. Inebriated fare? : FRIED RICE. Leftover rice is a must. And green onions.
37D. Excessively pampered fare? : CODDLED EGGS
41D. Fare at the Friars Club? : ROASTED NUTS. Super excited to have found fresh shelled walnuts at our local Cub Foods two weeks ago.
This puzzle is tailor-made for our blog. So many foodies here.
I thought of Jayce and his objections to "crossword clues and answers
that are not English or commonly known to speakers of English (eg,
corrido)" after I read Fred's interview. I bet Jayce and many of you had a much faster time than you spent on last Sunday's grid.
It takes skills, hard work and enormous discipline to produce a smooth puzzle like we have today.
It takes skills, hard work and enormous discipline to produce a smooth puzzle like we have today.
Across:
1. Skier's mecca : ALPS. Not VAIL.
5. South-of-the-border currency : PESO
9. Hillside home attraction : VISTA
14. Lucky break : FLUKE
19. "Dizzy Red Riding Hood" (1931) cartoon star : BOOP (Betty)
20. Domingo delivery : ARIA. Still waiting to see the casino reference. It's just spectacular day or night.
21. Prefix with face or faith : INTER
22. Of the ear : AURAL
27. Took charge of : STEERED
28. Skyline standouts : SPIRES
30. Crispy Crunchy candy bar maker : REESE'S
31. Tool used on pineapples : CORER. I just use my knife. Wish there's an easy way to open a green coconut.
33. School attended by 007 : ETON
34. Take a load off : REST
35. Far from wimpy : MACHO
38. Pasture portion : ACRE
40. Colombian city of two million : CALI. Chickie and her husband lived there for a few years.
41. Piston connector : ROD
44. "__ y Plata" : ORO
50. Word on a Susan B. Anthony coin : ONE
51. Newsman Koppel : TED
52. Works at steadily : PLIES
53. Fuss over oneself : PREEN. The big mirror in our computer room is very flattering. Everybody looks slimmer.
54. Step into character : ACT
55. Unaffiliated: Abbr. : IND (Independent)
56. Certain track contestant : MILER
57. Write parts for : ARRANGE. This refers to music arrangement, right? Fred is a musician.
59. Drag to court : SUE
60. Raptor trainer : FALCONER
62. Wilson of the Beach Boys : BRIAN
63. Gunga Din's burden : WATER
65. Wolfed down : EATEN. We also have 17D. Vitamin K-rich green : KALE. And 34D. Budget noodle dish : RAMEN. Looks delicious. I want.
66. Like bogs : PEATY
67. Pointer's cry : THERE
69. Core group : CADRE
71. Entrance supports : JAMBS
72. Tried hard to recognize : PEERED AT
75. Soccer stadium cry : OLE
76. Wild outings : SAFARIS. I figure it wouldn't be our Minnesota Wild.
79. Makes fun of : JAPES
80. Codebreaking org. : NSA
81. Show __ : DOG
82. Classical name of Troy : ILION. And 66. Given orally, in law : PAROL. I put in A in the O spot.
83. Did a cobbler's job : SOLED
84. __ Ronald Reagan : USS
85. ESL part: Abbr. : ENG
89. Vietnamese holiday : TET. Same day as Chinese Spring Festival. Feb 8 this year.
90. __ Plaines, Illinois : DES
91. Pitchers with heads : ALES
92. Cyclotron bits : IONS
93. Stroke made vertically : MASSE. Billiard.
95. Recipe direction : STIR
96. Turned rapidly : SPUN
98. Points for Poseidon : TINES. The answer filled in itself.
101. Like some treasure : SUNKEN. Thought of BURIED first.
104. Word on an LP : STEREO
106. Chief : CENTRAL
114. Banded marble : AGATE
115. City at the foot of the Ozarks : TULSA. Got via crosses.
116. Pet store supply : FEED
117. Fossey subjects : APES
118. Put back in the sty : RE-PEN
119. Girder material : STEEL
120. Light on one's feet : SPRY.
Got four pairs of these Kirkland socks for Boomer, who's a diabetic.
Alas, the Amazon quality is different from the one we got at Costco's a
while ago. Same large size (8-12), but much tighter and harder for him to put
on. Boomer is adamant about not becoming a Costco member again due to the high
annual fee. We only visited there a few times while a member.
 |
| Amazon Socks |
 |
| Costco's socks |
121. Little shavers : LADS
Down
1. Kid stuff : ABCS
2. Oaf : LOUT
3. Sponge opening : PORE
4. Shout to an awardee : SPEECH. I had to ask Boomer why.
5. Commuter's reading : PAPER
6. Diminish over time : ERODE
7. McCartney title : SIR
8. Homes for squirrels : OAKS
9. Called on : VISITED
10. 101 title word : INTRO
11. "Card Players Quarreling" artist : STEEN (Jan)
12. Black or green drinks : TEAS. I stray from time to time, but Jasmine tea is always my true love.
13. Usher's offering : ARM
14. Appears gradually : FADES IN
15. "Serpico" director : LUMET (Sidney)
16. "QB VII" author : URIS
18. Benevolent order : ELKS
24. Give in to gravity : DROOP
26. In the near future, poetically : ERELONG
29. 1994 co-Nobelist with Rabin and Arafat : PERES (Shimon)
32. More risqué : RACIER
35. Recurring melody : MOTIF
36. Sacramento's Sleep Train __ : ARENA. Home of the Kings.
39. "Moonstruck" Oscar winner : CHER. Water! Such a generous soul.
40. Like a frisked suspect, at times : CLEAN. Also got via crosses.
42. At the proper moment : ON CUE
43. Put a damper on : DETER
46. Pipe up : OPINE
47. 2000-'01 NBA MVP Iverson : ALLEN
48. Sail spars : SPRITS. New word to me. I wonder how Esprit got their name.
49. Deck out : ARRAY
56. Eye irritants : MOTES
57. Many OPEC ministers : ARABS. Not EMIRS.
58. Decorative jugs : EWERS
61. Common rental : CAR
62. Valentine candy message : BE MINE. I never heard of Valentine's Day until 1996.
64. "__ we there yet?" : ARE
67. Skins-and-poles home, traditionally : TEPEE
68. Takes note of : HEEDS
69. Needing decryption : CODED
70. Without peers : ALONE
71. Locks up : JAILS
72. Most ashen : PALEST
73. Long-eared equines : ASSES
74. Philistine's lack : TASTE
77. Delta, for one : AIRLINE. And 78. Store handout : FLIER
79. Tommy __, ex-pitcher for whom a surgical procedure is named : JOHN. I smiled when I read TTP's "But do they know who Al Rosen is?" comment and was confused by a few subsequent responses.
83. Starbucks snack : SCONE
86. Entry-level jobs? : GATEMEN. Fantastic clue.
87. Active during the daytime : DIURNAL
88. Touch up : EMEND
94. Starlike : ASTRAL
95. Stingray relative : SKATE
96. Made off with : STOLE
97. In itself : PER SE. Also a hot restaurant in New York. Steve might have visited this one. He's in Paris right now.
99. Not so genial : ICIER
100. Poor : NEEDY
101. Emotional mark : SCAR
102. The munchies, e.g. : URGE
103. Tide type : NEAP
104. Bunny's tail : SCUT. Learned from doing crosswords.
105. Rubs out : OFFS
107. Kelly of talk TV : RIPA
108. Sailed through : ACED
109. Reduced : LESS
111. Rehab shakes : DTS
113. Public image, for short : REP. Representative? I was picturing those avatars bloggers use. (Added later: Reputation. Thanks Anonymous at 6:47am and D-Otto.)
C.C.
