23A. Comment about paparazzi? : LOOK WHO'S STALKING. Look Who's Talking.
36A. Momentum in Hagel's department? : DEFENSE STEAM. Defense team. Chuck Hagel.
54A. Alpine fabric sample? : SWISS SWATCH. Swiss watch. Here, Swatch is a Swiss watch also.
77A. Young John McEnroe? : TENNIS SCAMP. Tennis camp.
95A. Why the clown retired? : CIRCUS STRAIN. Circus train.
112A. What the fencer proved he was? : AS GOOD AS HIS SWORD. As good as his word.
15D. Forgetful night watchman? : KEYLESS SENTRY. Keyless entry.
53D. Accessories for Lansbury? : ANGELA'S SASHES. Angela's Ashes.
Love the puzzle title! And I grokked the gimmick very early on.
Do you think S is the most popular letter in this grid? How many S'es do you think we have?
I also don't get the LEAST (98D. LCD component) clue.
Across:
1. Stonewaller?: MASON. I'd nailed it if the clue were "Stone worker"
6. Shooter's stockpile : AMMO
10. Building toy : BLOCK
15. '70s-'80s Big Apple mayor : KOCH (Ed)
19. With 30-Across, Revolutionary patriot : ETHAN. And 30. See 19-Across : ALLEN
20. Nest protest : PEEP
21. 1978 Broadway revue : EUBIE. I definitely need "Blake" in the clue. Never heard of this.
22. Quito's land: Abbr. : ECUA (Ecuador)
26. See 86-Across : YARD. 86. With 26-Across, London police group, familiarly : THE. More familiar with the common Scotland Yard.
27. Lend, as a fin or a fifty : SPOT
28. Turkish VIP : AGHA
29. Home __ : PLATE
31. Less than medium : RARE
33. Nicklaus has won five of them, briefly : PGAs. The refers to the major PGA Championship.
34. Arabian Peninsula locale : MIDEAST. Different from Middle East?
41. Foundation : BASIS
42. Once more : AFRESH
43. "Here Comes Santa Claus" co-songwriter : AUTRY (Gene). Timely.
44. Said under oath : ATTESTED
48. Mine in Milan : MIO. "O Sole Mio". "My sunshine".
49. Uffizi display : ARTE
50. GameCube successor : WII
51. Carrier renamed in 1997 : USAIR
52. It's up your sleeve : ULNA
58. Shore flier : ERNE
59. Sugar and sweets : PET NAMES. Sweet!
61. Sites for mice : PADS. Mouse pad.
62. Lacking : IN NEED
64. "What __ around ..." : GOES
65. Method : MEANS
67. Sports number : STAT
68. Target of a 1984 breakup : MA BELL
71. Smarmy : OILY
72. Fence-sitters : NEUTRALS. Fashion bloggers use this word a lot, for colors.
76. Parisian peer : EGAL
81. Casual agreement : YEAH
82. Ear-relevant : AURAL
84. Pencil game loser : XOX
85. As indicated : THUS
87. Makes privy to : LETS IN ON. Poor TTP. The Target 10% discount would not lessen his stress.
89. Studio sign : ON AIR
91. Ballet position : POINTE. On pointe. My feet hurt looking at this.
94. First Niagara Center NHLer : SABRE. Gimme for Splynter.
97. Annual bestseller : ALMANAC
100. Canonical hour : SEXT. LA Times is a bit conservative, so no naughty clue here.
101. Apollo org. : NASA
102. Knock off : CEASE
103. Weaving fiber : ISTLE. And 45. Container weight : TARE. Both classic crosswordese.
105. Curious as __ : A CAT. Perfect phrase to describe Dave.
107. Small cleaner : Q-TIP
111. 91-Down section : MATH. And 91. H.S. exams : PSATS
115. Tivoli's Villa d'__ : ESTE
116. Coup __ : D'ETAT
117. Shuffle follower : DEAL
118. Shire of "Rocky" : TALIA
119. Jeanne d'Arc et al.: Abbr. : STES
120. Aides: Abbr. : ASSTS
121. Granola grain : OATS
122. Reporters : PRESS. Bottom row tends to be S-heavy.
Down:
1. Sitcom eatery : MELS
2. Sitting on : ATOP
3. "Buzz off!" : SHOO
4. Yellow ribbon site of song : OAK TREE
5. Miami-to-Orlando dir. : NNW
6. Orbital point : APOGEE
7. Screen door makeup : MESH
8. Arizona desert sight : MESA
9. Make a decision : OPT
10. Ralph who played FDR in "Sunrise at Campobello" : BELLAMY. First encounter with this guy.
11. Haas of "Jobs" : LUKAS. He looks familiar. Don't recall his name though.
12. Passing remarks? : OBIT
13. Movie-related : CINEMATIC
14. Frat party dispenser : KEG
16. City in Florida's horse country : OCALA
17. Magic bullets, so to speak : CURES. Wish our body has a "Reset" button.
18. Lacked : HADN'T
24. Like taskmasters : HARSH
25. Eponymous newborn score creator : APGAR. Apgar score.
30. Bid word : ADIEU
32. Short reply? : ANS (Answer). Short indicates "Abbr.".
33. "For __ sake!" : PETE'S
35. Believer's ending : IST
36. Obstruct : DAM UP
37. IRS requirement, often : E-FILE
38. Battle site : FRONT
39. "Slumdog Millionaire" wear : SARIS
40. Sounds of rebuke : TUTS
41. Sets, as a trap : BAITS
46. German "a" : EINE
47. Slave Scott : DRED
49. Leaves wide-eyed : AWES
50. Rolls (up) : WADS
54. Refine, as ore : SMELT
55. Fixes : SPAYS
56. Washed-out : WAN
57. __ for a loan : HIT UP
60. MapQuest parent : AOL. Been using MapQuest for a long time. Never aware AOL owns them though.
63. D.C. player : NAT (Nationals)
65. Seductress : MINX
66. Giant Manning : ELI
67. Sch. periods : SEMS
68. Happy __ : MEAL
69. It can give you fits : AGUE
70. Toon troublemaker : BART
71. Live-income filler : ON ONE. Live on one income.
72. Pacific island republic : NAURU. Same letter count as TONGA.
73. Blue Cross rival : AETNA
74. Christine who directed the Oscar-winning short film "Lieberman in Love" : LAHTI. Read here. The author had no idea that his short story was turned into a film.
75. Polish : SHEEN
78. Emulates Father Damien, in a 1973 movie : EXORCISES
79. Where to begin : START
80. Stylish : CHIC
83. Former NPR host Hansen : LIANE. She was married to Neal Conan, also from NPR.
88. Jazz gp. : NBA. And 92. Five-minute 88-Down periods : OTS
89. Leopardlike cats : OCELOTS
90. Said no to : NIXED
93. 21st-century conflict : IRAQ WAR. Nice entry.
96. Sluggards : SNAILS
97. Pinnacles : ACMES
99. Photo finish : MATTE
100. Weasel relative : STOAT
104. Friday and York: Abbr. : SGTS
105. Crossing the ocean : ASEA
106. Casual talk : CHAT
108. Gilded metalware : TOLE
109. You can see right through it : IRIS
110. Modern organizers, for short : PDAs
112. Oral health org. : ADA
113. Kerfuffle : ADO
114. Longtime sponsor in NASCAR events : STP
Happy Birthday to dear Misty, whose posts are always gentle and loving. Hope you have a great staycation with your husband next week!
 |
| Misty and her husband Rowland |
C.C.
