Theme: "I'm Going First" - IM is inserted into common phrases.
23A. #1 on a motivational speaker's reminder list? : IMPRESS CONFERENCE. Press conference.
40A. Device for the Six Million Dollar Man? : POWER IMPLANT. Power plant.
47A. Early problem for the Wright brothers? : UPWARD IMMOBILITY. Upward mobility. Simply a IM prefix in this one. Mild change compared to the other 6 entries
65A. Casper in the courtroom? : IMMATERIAL WITNESS. Material witness.
84A. Hinted about a player swap? : IMPLIED ONE'S TRADE. Plied one's trade.
90A. European capital influence? : WARSAW IMPACT. Warsaw Pact.
113A. Say "Smile!" to Hugh Jackman during dinner? : IMPOSE FOR A PICTURE. Pose for a picture. Is there a reason why Hugh Jackman was in the clue?
Wonderful to see James Sajdak back. If you're new to the blog, do read my interview with him. Very inspiring.
This theme reminded me of a "I'm outta here" gimmick I proposed to Don a while ago: removing IM from common phrases. Unfortunately Rich found our new phrases lacking in surface meaning or entertainment value.
Across:
1. Swiss capital : FRANC. "Currency" capital.
6. Brand on shells : RAGU. I just couldn't see "pasta" when I saw "shells".
10. Fictional writer of "The World According to Bensenhaver" : T S GARP. Same as "The World According to Garp", right?
16. Union contract stat : CPI (Consumer Price Index). 15D. Union contracts? : PRE-NUPS. Excellent clue.
19. Outcast : LEPER
20. Love god : EROS
21. Fruit finder of rhyme : HORNER. Little Jack Horner. Plum.
22. Leia's love : HAN
26. Kawasaki Brute Force, e.g., briefly : ATV
27. Place to recover, for short : POST-OP
28. Many look forward to them regularly : FRIDAYS. Esp when there's a Lemonade & Marti combo.
29. Pearly coating : NACRE
31. Disreputable : SLEAZY. Like U.S. Anti-Doping Agency!
34. Ancient knowledge : LORE
35. Creator : AUTHOR
36. Scrooge portrayer Alastair : SIM. "A Christmas Carol" (1951).
39. Fair : EXPO
42. Start of a pregame ritual : O SAY
44. Architect Mies van der __ : ROHE
46. Former Wrigley Field star : SOSA (Sammy). No Hall calling for him next year.
54. Half of Mork's sign-off : NANU
58. Costly, as a victory : PYRRHIC. As for the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
59. "Almost done" : ONE TO GO
60. "Let __!": "Get going!" : IT RIP
61. "Son of Frankenstein" blacksmith : YGOR. He's a blacksmith? No idea.
63. Battle of Normandy city : CAEN. And 64. French cathedral city : AMIENS.
70. Largish jazz ensemble : SEPTET. Click here. I'm often amazed by Jazzbumpa's knowledge.
72. List : MENU
73. Genesis creator : SEGA
74. Makeup item : GLOSS. I like Alba pineapple gloss.
75. Rough up? : COARSEN. Like what?
78. Feelings : HUNCHES
83. Addams family spouse, affectionately : TISH
86. Paris possessive : A TOI
88. Disney president during the Pixar acquisition : IGER (Bob). Looks like Ken & Barbie.
89. Vaccine type : ORAL
97. Ewes' guys : RAMS
100. Global financial org. : IMF (International Monetary Fund)
101. Rush violently : HURTLE
102. Former Israeli prime minister Olmert : EHUD
103. Brahms work : SONATA
105. "Wicked Game" singer Chris : ISAAK
106. Dreamt things : IMAGERY
108. Throat : GULLET
112. WWII Sherman carrier : LST. Sherman tank. I bet Spitzboov/D-Otto/eddy-B nailed this one.
117. Prussian pronoun : SIE. You.
118. Less complex : EASIER
119. Half a menu combo : SURF. Surf & Turf.
120. Tropical plant with large foliage : CANNA.
121. Media mogul Turner : TED
122. They may be crossed : SWORDS. Tricky clue.
123. Homeric creation : EPIC
124. Chaos antithesis : ORDER
Down:
1. Resell in a week, say : FLIP
2. San __: jet set resort : REMO
3. They're on the phone : APPS
4. "Darn!" : NERTS
5. Emeril specialty : CREOLE. I have two Thai pepper plants producing like crazy. They look pretty, but way too hot for me.
6. Hi-__ monitor : RES
7. Trajectory : ARC
8. Inane : GOOFY
9. Natl. Guard counterpart : USNR (United States Navy Reserve).
10. Investor's index : THE DOW. 65. They cause stirs on 10-Down: Abbr. : IPOs. I feel sorry for those who bought Facebook stock on the hype.
11. Like a June day, to Lowell : SO RARE. "And what is so rare as a day in June?..."
12. Aging, in Ontario : GREYER
13. Lee and Landers : ANNS
14. __ center : REC
16. Ballroom dance : CHA CHA
17. Artist's support : PATRON
18. Turn upside down : INVERT
24. Eyewear, in ads : SPEX
25. Dough for spanakopita, perhaps : FILO. Never heard of Spanakopita before. It means "Spinach pie".
30. Sunken naval power, per Plato : ATLANTIS.
32. Jam fruit : APRICOT
33. Get close, in a way : ZOOM
35. Taiwan Strait port : AMOY. Called Xiamen now. They speak very hard-to-understand dialect.
36. Bisque or broth : SOUP
37. Car trip alternative to Geography : I SPY. Got via crossings.
38. Bryn __ College : MAWR
40. One doing hard labor : PEON
41. Analogy words : IS TO
43. "Babi __": Yevtushenko poem : YAR
45. Aetna offering, briefly : HMO
48. Sounds mostly the same : RHYMES
49. Try to unearth : DIG AT
50. Snarky reply to "Why?" : BECAUSE
51. Bold relative: Abbr. : ITAL. In font.
52. Eponymous theater mogul : LOEW
53. Fire, to 85-Down : IGNIS. No idea. 85. First-century emperor : NERO
55. Warrior god : ARES
56. "Little Birds" writer : NIN (Anaïs). Where did she get those wild fantasies?
57. co.: UPS. . Do you, Splynter?
60. "Let me rephrase that ..." : I MEANT
62. Swab over : RE-MOP
64. Beef cattle : ANGUS
66. Northern Calif. landmark : MT SHASTA. Melissa's Shangri-la.
67. Factual : REAL
68. Calvary letters : INRI. Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum ("Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews"). Latin has no J, right?
69. 1943 Allied conference site : TEHERAN. I'm used to the Tehran spelling.
70. NCO with three chevrons : SGT
71. Actor Wallach : ELI
75. CDLI doubled : CMII. 902.
76. Polish writing : EDIT
77. Winter quaff : NOG
79. Zagreb's land, to the IOC : CRO (Croatia).
80. Dancer-turned-spy : HARI (Mata)
81. Deli wheel : EDAM
82. Note recipient? : SELF. Self-note.
84. "__ you big-time" : I OWE
87. 1920s Hollywood breakthrough : TALKIES
90. "__ I alone did call upon thy aid": Sonnet 79 : WHILST
91. Tasmanian, e.g. : AUSSIE. Hi there, Kazie.
92. Not for kids : R-RATED
93. "Out of Africa," for one : MEMOIR
94. Gradually eased (in) : PHASED
95. Boring tools : AUGERS
96. Half of a major scale : CDEF. Music scale. Always my blind spot.
98. Star seekers : MAGI
99. Plaster finish : STUCCO
103. Maple product : SYRUP. I have been searching for mulberry jam. But no luck in our local stores.
104. Rite place : ALTAR
106. __ facto : IPSO
107. Stood : ROSE
109. Swedish university city : LUND. Not familiar with Lund Univeristy. Wiki said it's "Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research."
110. Bird that fishes : ERNE. That's an odd use of "fishes". To me, you use rods to fish.
111. Eye dropper? : TEAR
114. Gaping hole : MAW
115. Jackie's second : ARI
116. Rank below cpl. : PFC
Answer grid.
C.C.
23A. #1 on a motivational speaker's reminder list? : IMPRESS CONFERENCE. Press conference.
40A. Device for the Six Million Dollar Man? : POWER IMPLANT. Power plant.
47A. Early problem for the Wright brothers? : UPWARD IMMOBILITY. Upward mobility. Simply a IM prefix in this one. Mild change compared to the other 6 entries
65A. Casper in the courtroom? : IMMATERIAL WITNESS. Material witness.
84A. Hinted about a player swap? : IMPLIED ONE'S TRADE. Plied one's trade.
90A. European capital influence? : WARSAW IMPACT. Warsaw Pact.
113A. Say "Smile!" to Hugh Jackman during dinner? : IMPOSE FOR A PICTURE. Pose for a picture. Is there a reason why Hugh Jackman was in the clue?
Wonderful to see James Sajdak back. If you're new to the blog, do read my interview with him. Very inspiring.
This theme reminded me of a "I'm outta here" gimmick I proposed to Don a while ago: removing IM from common phrases. Unfortunately Rich found our new phrases lacking in surface meaning or entertainment value.
Across:
1. Swiss capital : FRANC. "Currency" capital.
6. Brand on shells : RAGU. I just couldn't see "pasta" when I saw "shells".
10. Fictional writer of "The World According to Bensenhaver" : T S GARP. Same as "The World According to Garp", right?
16. Union contract stat : CPI (Consumer Price Index). 15D. Union contracts? : PRE-NUPS. Excellent clue.
19. Outcast : LEPER
20. Love god : EROS
21. Fruit finder of rhyme : HORNER. Little Jack Horner. Plum.
22. Leia's love : HAN
26. Kawasaki Brute Force, e.g., briefly : ATV
27. Place to recover, for short : POST-OP
28. Many look forward to them regularly : FRIDAYS. Esp when there's a Lemonade & Marti combo.
29. Pearly coating : NACRE
31. Disreputable : SLEAZY. Like U.S. Anti-Doping Agency!
34. Ancient knowledge : LORE
35. Creator : AUTHOR
36. Scrooge portrayer Alastair : SIM. "A Christmas Carol" (1951).
39. Fair : EXPO
42. Start of a pregame ritual : O SAY
44. Architect Mies van der __ : ROHE
46. Former Wrigley Field star : SOSA (Sammy). No Hall calling for him next year.
54. Half of Mork's sign-off : NANU
58. Costly, as a victory : PYRRHIC. As for the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
59. "Almost done" : ONE TO GO
60. "Let __!": "Get going!" : IT RIP
61. "Son of Frankenstein" blacksmith : YGOR. He's a blacksmith? No idea.
63. Battle of Normandy city : CAEN. And 64. French cathedral city : AMIENS.
70. Largish jazz ensemble : SEPTET. Click here. I'm often amazed by Jazzbumpa's knowledge.
72. List : MENU
73. Genesis creator : SEGA
74. Makeup item : GLOSS. I like Alba pineapple gloss.
75. Rough up? : COARSEN. Like what?
78. Feelings : HUNCHES
83. Addams family spouse, affectionately : TISH
86. Paris possessive : A TOI
88. Disney president during the Pixar acquisition : IGER (Bob). Looks like Ken & Barbie.
89. Vaccine type : ORAL
97. Ewes' guys : RAMS
100. Global financial org. : IMF (International Monetary Fund)
101. Rush violently : HURTLE
102. Former Israeli prime minister Olmert : EHUD
103. Brahms work : SONATA
105. "Wicked Game" singer Chris : ISAAK
106. Dreamt things : IMAGERY
108. Throat : GULLET
112. WWII Sherman carrier : LST. Sherman tank. I bet Spitzboov/D-Otto/eddy-B nailed this one.
117. Prussian pronoun : SIE. You.
118. Less complex : EASIER
119. Half a menu combo : SURF. Surf & Turf.
120. Tropical plant with large foliage : CANNA.
121. Media mogul Turner : TED
122. They may be crossed : SWORDS. Tricky clue.
123. Homeric creation : EPIC
124. Chaos antithesis : ORDER
Down:
1. Resell in a week, say : FLIP
2. San __: jet set resort : REMO
3. They're on the phone : APPS
4. "Darn!" : NERTS
5. Emeril specialty : CREOLE. I have two Thai pepper plants producing like crazy. They look pretty, but way too hot for me.
6. Hi-__ monitor : RES
7. Trajectory : ARC
8. Inane : GOOFY
9. Natl. Guard counterpart : USNR (United States Navy Reserve).
10. Investor's index : THE DOW. 65. They cause stirs on 10-Down: Abbr. : IPOs. I feel sorry for those who bought Facebook stock on the hype.
11. Like a June day, to Lowell : SO RARE. "And what is so rare as a day in June?..."
12. Aging, in Ontario : GREYER
13. Lee and Landers : ANNS
14. __ center : REC
16. Ballroom dance : CHA CHA
17. Artist's support : PATRON
18. Turn upside down : INVERT
24. Eyewear, in ads : SPEX
25. Dough for spanakopita, perhaps : FILO. Never heard of Spanakopita before. It means "Spinach pie".
30. Sunken naval power, per Plato : ATLANTIS.
32. Jam fruit : APRICOT
33. Get close, in a way : ZOOM
35. Taiwan Strait port : AMOY. Called Xiamen now. They speak very hard-to-understand dialect.
36. Bisque or broth : SOUP
37. Car trip alternative to Geography : I SPY. Got via crossings.
38. Bryn __ College : MAWR
40. One doing hard labor : PEON
41. Analogy words : IS TO
43. "Babi __": Yevtushenko poem : YAR
45. Aetna offering, briefly : HMO
48. Sounds mostly the same : RHYMES
49. Try to unearth : DIG AT
50. Snarky reply to "Why?" : BECAUSE
51. Bold relative: Abbr. : ITAL. In font.
52. Eponymous theater mogul : LOEW
53. Fire, to 85-Down : IGNIS. No idea. 85. First-century emperor : NERO
55. Warrior god : ARES
56. "Little Birds" writer : NIN (Anaïs). Where did she get those wild fantasies?
57.
60. "Let me rephrase that ..." : I MEANT
62. Swab over : RE-MOP
64. Beef cattle : ANGUS
66. Northern Calif. landmark : MT SHASTA. Melissa's Shangri-la.
67. Factual : REAL
68. Calvary letters : INRI. Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum ("Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews"). Latin has no J, right?
69. 1943 Allied conference site : TEHERAN. I'm used to the Tehran spelling.
70. NCO with three chevrons : SGT
71. Actor Wallach : ELI
75. CDLI doubled : CMII. 902.
76. Polish writing : EDIT
77. Winter quaff : NOG
79. Zagreb's land, to the IOC : CRO (Croatia).
80. Dancer-turned-spy : HARI (Mata)
81. Deli wheel : EDAM
82. Note recipient? : SELF. Self-note.
84. "__ you big-time" : I OWE
87. 1920s Hollywood breakthrough : TALKIES
90. "__ I alone did call upon thy aid": Sonnet 79 : WHILST
91. Tasmanian, e.g. : AUSSIE. Hi there, Kazie.
92. Not for kids : R-RATED
93. "Out of Africa," for one : MEMOIR
94. Gradually eased (in) : PHASED
95. Boring tools : AUGERS
96. Half of a major scale : CDEF. Music scale. Always my blind spot.
98. Star seekers : MAGI
99. Plaster finish : STUCCO
103. Maple product : SYRUP. I have been searching for mulberry jam. But no luck in our local stores.
104. Rite place : ALTAR
106. __ facto : IPSO
107. Stood : ROSE
109. Swedish university city : LUND. Not familiar with Lund Univeristy. Wiki said it's "Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research."
110. Bird that fishes : ERNE. That's an odd use of "fishes". To me, you use rods to fish.
111. Eye dropper? : TEAR
114. Gaping hole : MAW
115. Jackie's second : ARI
116. Rank below cpl. : PFC
Answer grid.
C.C.
