Theme: "Pajama Party" - Each two-word common phrase starts with letters P & J.
23A. April first activity : PRACTICAL JOKE. And 92. Good 23-Across, say : RIOT.
28A. Place to connect : PHONE JACK
34A. Commercial flier : PASSENGER JET
50A. Skin lotion ingredient : PETROLEUM JELLY. Sounds so greasy to me. I've never used Vaseline.
63A. Many a bar : PICK-UP JOINT. Wow, I don't know there's a term for this. I know almost every bar in Guangzhou. Wasted youth, but I had fun.
84A. Piña colada ingredient : PINEAPPLE JUICE. Great tenderizer also.
94A. Local connection vehicle : PUDDLE JUMPER. Also new to me.
104A. Unlikely beauty contest entrant : PLAIN JANE
112A. Being hoist with one's own petard : POETIC JUSTICE. OK, help me. The clue is an adjective phrase, the answer is a noun. No?
I often try to guess what the theme is after I read the puzzle title on Sundays. Today I guessed right! Constructing has definitely improved my solving skill.
9 theme answers with 107 squares are quite a lot to grid, esp with those scrabbly J's. Today's grid is remarkably clean. The four corners (NW, NE, SW & SE) are challenging to pull off, hence the four helper squares.
Across:
8. Lets out : FREEs
13. Get down from : HOP OFF
19. Baja California city : TIJUANA. This is where Dennis sinned. Argyle too.
20. Great Seal symbol : EAGLE
21. Uniform adornment : EPAULET. Or EPAULETTE. French for "little shoulder".
25. Servile followers : MINIONS
26. Some tabloid pairs : EXES. Like J-Lo and Mark Anthony.
27. Beverage nut : KOLA
30. Wax partner : WANE
31. Blow, as a lead : LOSE
33. Delights : ELATES
40. Crazes : FADS
42. 1976 raid site : ENTEBBE. Uganda. "Seat" in its local language, according to Wiki.
43. Moving through water, in a way : OARING. Why do I want an extra R?
45. Dexterous : DEFT
49. Mother __ : TERESA. One tenacious tiny lady.
54. Hot under the collar : IRATE
55. Not seasoned : RAW
56. Eponymous Hungarian inventor : ERNO RUBIK. Hey, full name.
57. Strike lightly : TAP ON
58. Tim Tebow teammate : BRONCO. Gator Mom started raving about Tebow 2 or 3 years ago on the blog.
62. What you will : ESTATE. Nice clue.
67. Jordan neighbor : ISRAEL
72. Unkempt : SLOPPY
73. Military material : KHAKI
78. Klondike Gold Rush figure : SOURDOUGH. Not familiar with Klondike Gold Rush (1897 and 1899). Ended when gold was found in Nome, "prompting an exodus from the Klondike".
82. Key near F1 : ESC. Did you peek at your computer?
83. Consumed : EATEN
88. "Black Swan" director Aronofsky : DARREN. Gimme. His long-time girlfriend Rachel Weisz just married the latest Bond last year.
89. Madrid Ms. : SRTA
90. 2007-'08 NBA Rookie of the Year Kevin : DURANT. Is he still good?
91. Real : GENUINE. So I heard Lemonade's voice last year. Very young.
97. Capital west of Baton Rouge : AUSTIN
101. K-6 : ELEM
103. Hayworth of Hollywood : RITA
106. Hawaii's coffee capital : KONA
107. Cuba o Majorca : ISLA
111. Typical sudoku entry : INTEGER. Man, I just can't handle Sudoku. Gives me headache.
117. Most stretched : TAUTEST
118. Finished : ENDED
119. Only place where some ideas look good : ON PAPER. Great clue/answer.
120. Wears : SPORTS
121. Winter fabrics : WOOLS
122. Some younger lovers, in slang : BOY TOYS. J-Lo's new boyfriend won't like this clue.
Down:
1. "The Racer's Edge" : STP
2. Green land : EIRE. Also ERIN.
3. "Iliad" hero : AJAX
4. Fortune founder : LUCE. Also "Time".
5. Nearly four-hr. exams : SATs. 53. Some 5-Down takers : JRS
6. Cycle starter : UNI. Unicycle.
7. FedEx delivery : PACKAGE. Sometimes I don't think those guys love their job. Marti's mail carrier is an exception. So is our blog Saturday man.
8. Hall of Fame pitcher known as "Bullet Bob" : FELLER (Bob). Dazzling fastball.
9. Delhi prince : RAJA
10. Source of chutzpah : EGO. I like the word "chutzpah".
11. Fraternal order member : ELK
12. Oozes : SEEPS
13. Blood: Pref. : HEMO
14. Made a suggestion, say : OPINED
15. Judging groups : PANELs
16. Mystical board : OUIJA. "Yes" (French) and "Yes" (German).
17. A&W offering : FLOAT
18. Illicit dealer : FENCE
22. Clucking sounds : TSKs
24. Crackerjack : A-ONE
29. One often seen among Bunnies : HEFNER (Hugh). Can you picture Argyle lives Hef's lifestyle?
30. Seattle Storm's gp. : WNBA
31. "O, let me not be mad" speaker : LEAR
32. Another, in Argentina : OTRO
34. It may come before four : PETIT. Petit four, French for "small oven". I just knew it wouldn't be THREE.
35. Birth of __ : AN ERA. I've only used "End of an era".
36. Band : STRAP
37. Handle : SEE TO
38. "Beverly Hillbillies" star : EBSEN (Buddy)
39. Mark (down) : JOT
41. "Son of __!" : A GUN
44. Seine sight : ILE. French for "island".
45. Fifth bk. of the Torah : DEUT. Torah has the same content as Old Testament, right?
46. 1814-'15 exile site : ELBA. Napoleon.
47. Dart : FLIT
48. Kid : TYKE
50. Place for un pique-nique : PARC. French for "park". French "picnic" looks funny.
51. Furry moon dweller : EWOK
52. Bubbly name : MOET
55. HR consequence : RBI. And 108. 55-Down, for one : STAT. Here's another whimsy Haiku from Ant's book:
another cold front
i oil
my glove
59. Mu followers : NUS. Greek alphabet.
60. NCO below Sgt. : CPL
61. Eye, to Eduardo : OJO
63. Plunk down : PLOP
64. Crude gp. : OPEC. Crude oil.
65. __ dixit: assertion without proof : IPSE
66. Lincoln Ctr. locale : NYC
67. AOL et al. : ISPs
68. Dark time in Dijon : SOIR. "Evening". Bon soir!
69. Squirt : RUNT
70. Bailiwick : AREA
71. Child-care writer LeShan : EDA
73. Sandra's "The Lake House" co-star : KEANU (Reeves). They also co-starred "Speed" of course.
74. __-scarum : HARUM. New word to me. Sounds very DF.
75. Anchor position : ATRIP. Just off the bottom. From now on, I won't feel bad if miss any nautical term. See, our sailor D-Otto couldn't even tell whether he's a buoy or a gull.
76. Southern New Hampshire city : KEENE. What is it famous for again?
77. Private : INNER
79. Prom coif : UPDO
80. Allergen found in most bread : GLUTEN. Unless it's marked "gluten-free". Rice has no gluten.
81. HRH part : HER
85. Joke : JAPE. Tiny clue/Answer dupe with 23A.
86. "One" on a one : UNUM. "E pluribus unum". On a "one dollar" bill.
87. "__ be my pleasure!" : IT'D
88. Start of a familiarity illusion : DEJA
91. Find work : GET A JOB
92. Impostor : RINGER
93. Not seriously : IN JEST. Like some of the comments on our blog, esp Jazzbumpa's & Tinbeni's.
95. iPhone alternatives : DROIDS
96. "The Mod Squad" role : LINC
97. Make __ stop : A PIT
98. Radii neighbors : ULNAS
99. Showed sudden interest : SAT UP. You want to sit up and listen? 80% of women are wearing the wrong size bra. Bra fitting is a good career for Dummy.
100. Connect with : TIE TO
102. Skunk seeking l'amour : LEPEW
105. Liberal group? : ARTS. Liberal arts.
106. "Hooked on Classics" label : K-TEL.
107. '60s Cosby/Culp series : I SPY
109. Slimming option, for short : LIPO. I wonder why fat always grows on stomach area.
110. __-deucy : ACEY
113. John __ Lennon : ONO
114. Former name for Tokyo : EDO
115. Game with colorful cards : UNO
116. MD workplaces : ERs
Answer grid.
Some extra notes:
1) Thanks for the sweet comments yesterday, everyone. You all warmed my heart on this cold winter morning.
2) Happy 66th birthday to our witty constructor John Lampkin and Happy 80th Birthday to our proud grandma & great-grandma Marge!
3) Happy Year of Dragon! A year of hope and courage.
C.C.
23A. April first activity : PRACTICAL JOKE. And 92. Good 23-Across, say : RIOT.
28A. Place to connect : PHONE JACK
34A. Commercial flier : PASSENGER JET
50A. Skin lotion ingredient : PETROLEUM JELLY. Sounds so greasy to me. I've never used Vaseline.
63A. Many a bar : PICK-UP JOINT. Wow, I don't know there's a term for this. I know almost every bar in Guangzhou. Wasted youth, but I had fun.
84A. Piña colada ingredient : PINEAPPLE JUICE. Great tenderizer also.
94A. Local connection vehicle : PUDDLE JUMPER. Also new to me.
104A. Unlikely beauty contest entrant : PLAIN JANE
112A. Being hoist with one's own petard : POETIC JUSTICE. OK, help me. The clue is an adjective phrase, the answer is a noun. No?
I often try to guess what the theme is after I read the puzzle title on Sundays. Today I guessed right! Constructing has definitely improved my solving skill.
9 theme answers with 107 squares are quite a lot to grid, esp with those scrabbly J's. Today's grid is remarkably clean. The four corners (NW, NE, SW & SE) are challenging to pull off, hence the four helper squares.
Across:
8. Lets out : FREEs
13. Get down from : HOP OFF
19. Baja California city : TIJUANA. This is where Dennis sinned. Argyle too.
20. Great Seal symbol : EAGLE
21. Uniform adornment : EPAULET. Or EPAULETTE. French for "little shoulder".
25. Servile followers : MINIONS
26. Some tabloid pairs : EXES. Like J-Lo and Mark Anthony.
27. Beverage nut : KOLA
30. Wax partner : WANE
31. Blow, as a lead : LOSE
33. Delights : ELATES
40. Crazes : FADS
42. 1976 raid site : ENTEBBE. Uganda. "Seat" in its local language, according to Wiki.
43. Moving through water, in a way : OARING. Why do I want an extra R?
45. Dexterous : DEFT
49. Mother __ : TERESA. One tenacious tiny lady.
54. Hot under the collar : IRATE
55. Not seasoned : RAW
56. Eponymous Hungarian inventor : ERNO RUBIK. Hey, full name.
57. Strike lightly : TAP ON
58. Tim Tebow teammate : BRONCO. Gator Mom started raving about Tebow 2 or 3 years ago on the blog.
62. What you will : ESTATE. Nice clue.
67. Jordan neighbor : ISRAEL
72. Unkempt : SLOPPY
73. Military material : KHAKI
78. Klondike Gold Rush figure : SOURDOUGH. Not familiar with Klondike Gold Rush (1897 and 1899). Ended when gold was found in Nome, "prompting an exodus from the Klondike".
82. Key near F1 : ESC. Did you peek at your computer?
83. Consumed : EATEN
88. "Black Swan" director Aronofsky : DARREN. Gimme. His long-time girlfriend Rachel Weisz just married the latest Bond last year.
89. Madrid Ms. : SRTA
90. 2007-'08 NBA Rookie of the Year Kevin : DURANT. Is he still good?
91. Real : GENUINE. So I heard Lemonade's voice last year. Very young.
97. Capital west of Baton Rouge : AUSTIN
101. K-6 : ELEM
103. Hayworth of Hollywood : RITA
106. Hawaii's coffee capital : KONA
107. Cuba o Majorca : ISLA
111. Typical sudoku entry : INTEGER. Man, I just can't handle Sudoku. Gives me headache.
117. Most stretched : TAUTEST
118. Finished : ENDED
119. Only place where some ideas look good : ON PAPER. Great clue/answer.
120. Wears : SPORTS
121. Winter fabrics : WOOLS
122. Some younger lovers, in slang : BOY TOYS. J-Lo's new boyfriend won't like this clue.
Down:
1. "The Racer's Edge" : STP
2. Green land : EIRE. Also ERIN.
3. "Iliad" hero : AJAX
4. Fortune founder : LUCE. Also "Time".
5. Nearly four-hr. exams : SATs. 53. Some 5-Down takers : JRS
6. Cycle starter : UNI. Unicycle.
7. FedEx delivery : PACKAGE. Sometimes I don't think those guys love their job. Marti's mail carrier is an exception. So is our blog Saturday man.
8. Hall of Fame pitcher known as "Bullet Bob" : FELLER (Bob). Dazzling fastball.
9. Delhi prince : RAJA
10. Source of chutzpah : EGO. I like the word "chutzpah".
11. Fraternal order member : ELK
12. Oozes : SEEPS
13. Blood: Pref. : HEMO
14. Made a suggestion, say : OPINED
15. Judging groups : PANELs
16. Mystical board : OUIJA. "Yes" (French) and "Yes" (German).
17. A&W offering : FLOAT
18. Illicit dealer : FENCE
22. Clucking sounds : TSKs
24. Crackerjack : A-ONE
29. One often seen among Bunnies : HEFNER (Hugh). Can you picture Argyle lives Hef's lifestyle?
30. Seattle Storm's gp. : WNBA
31. "O, let me not be mad" speaker : LEAR
32. Another, in Argentina : OTRO
34. It may come before four : PETIT. Petit four, French for "small oven". I just knew it wouldn't be THREE.
35. Birth of __ : AN ERA. I've only used "End of an era".
36. Band : STRAP
37. Handle : SEE TO
38. "Beverly Hillbillies" star : EBSEN (Buddy)
39. Mark (down) : JOT
41. "Son of __!" : A GUN
44. Seine sight : ILE. French for "island".
45. Fifth bk. of the Torah : DEUT. Torah has the same content as Old Testament, right?
46. 1814-'15 exile site : ELBA. Napoleon.
47. Dart : FLIT
48. Kid : TYKE
50. Place for un pique-nique : PARC. French for "park". French "picnic" looks funny.
51. Furry moon dweller : EWOK
52. Bubbly name : MOET
55. HR consequence : RBI. And 108. 55-Down, for one : STAT. Here's another whimsy Haiku from Ant's book:
another cold front
i oil
my glove
59. Mu followers : NUS. Greek alphabet.
60. NCO below Sgt. : CPL
61. Eye, to Eduardo : OJO
63. Plunk down : PLOP
64. Crude gp. : OPEC. Crude oil.
65. __ dixit: assertion without proof : IPSE
66. Lincoln Ctr. locale : NYC
67. AOL et al. : ISPs
68. Dark time in Dijon : SOIR. "Evening". Bon soir!
69. Squirt : RUNT
70. Bailiwick : AREA
71. Child-care writer LeShan : EDA
73. Sandra's "The Lake House" co-star : KEANU (Reeves). They also co-starred "Speed" of course.
74. __-scarum : HARUM. New word to me. Sounds very DF.
75. Anchor position : ATRIP. Just off the bottom. From now on, I won't feel bad if miss any nautical term. See, our sailor D-Otto couldn't even tell whether he's a buoy or a gull.
76. Southern New Hampshire city : KEENE. What is it famous for again?
77. Private : INNER
79. Prom coif : UPDO
80. Allergen found in most bread : GLUTEN. Unless it's marked "gluten-free". Rice has no gluten.
81. HRH part : HER
85. Joke : JAPE. Tiny clue/Answer dupe with 23A.
86. "One" on a one : UNUM. "E pluribus unum". On a "one dollar" bill.
87. "__ be my pleasure!" : IT'D
88. Start of a familiarity illusion : DEJA
91. Find work : GET A JOB
92. Impostor : RINGER
93. Not seriously : IN JEST. Like some of the comments on our blog, esp Jazzbumpa's & Tinbeni's.
95. iPhone alternatives : DROIDS
96. "The Mod Squad" role : LINC
97. Make __ stop : A PIT
98. Radii neighbors : ULNAS
99. Showed sudden interest : SAT UP. You want to sit up and listen? 80% of women are wearing the wrong size bra. Bra fitting is a good career for Dummy.
100. Connect with : TIE TO
102. Skunk seeking l'amour : LEPEW
105. Liberal group? : ARTS. Liberal arts.
106. "Hooked on Classics" label : K-TEL.
107. '60s Cosby/Culp series : I SPY
109. Slimming option, for short : LIPO. I wonder why fat always grows on stomach area.
110. __-deucy : ACEY
113. John __ Lennon : ONO
114. Former name for Tokyo : EDO
115. Game with colorful cards : UNO
116. MD workplaces : ERs
Answer grid.
Some extra notes:
1) Thanks for the sweet comments yesterday, everyone. You all warmed my heart on this cold winter morning.
2) Happy 66th birthday to our witty constructor John Lampkin and Happy 80th Birthday to our proud grandma & great-grandma Marge!
3) Happy Year of Dragon! A year of hope and courage.
C.C.
