Theme: "Day Trading" - The first letters of each paired theme entries are swapped.
23. First the chardonnay, then the merlot, then the cabernet?: TASTER PLAN. Master plan.
25. Invisible walls?: MIME LIMITS. Time limits. Monday/Tuesday trade.
54. Inept caner's resource?: WICKER TAPE. Ticker tape.
57. Meteorology lectures?: TALKS ON AIR. Talks on air. Tuesday & Wednesday trade.
91. Bungalow owner's challenge to a roofer?: THATCH THIS. Watch this.
95. Makes doubly sure everyone's in on the joke?: WINKS TWICE. Thinks twice. Wednesday and Thursday trade.
124. Appreciative sound from the alumni luxury box?: FUNDER CLAP. Thunder clap.
128. Water cooler?: THIRST BASE. First base. Thursday & Friday trade.
Today
we have eight 10-letter theme entries. Two of them are placed in the
same row so the theme is better displayed. The starting letters are
traded orderly, from Monday to Friday. So elegantly done!
David also took advantage of the light themeage and gave us a very clean grid.
Across:
5. Stared open-mouthed: GAPED. Amazing what Michelob Ultra did for this beer guy. I thought of our Gary and Big Easy.
10. Liabilities: DEBTS.
15. Did laps: SWAM.
19. Mountain goat: IBEX. Look at his curly horns.
20. Not out of contention yet: ALIVE.
21. Word for a lei-person?: ALOHA. Ha ha.
22. "Hmm ... I doubt that": UH NO.
27. Be there for: ATTEND.
28. Sandler of "Uncut Gems": ADAM.
30. Brewpub pour: BEER. Free beer for that Michelob Ultra Guy.
31. Ran across: MET.
32. Mystical gathering: SEANCE. Also French for "session".
33. Felt hats: FEDORAS.
36. Has a good cry: SOBS.
38. Vocal quality: TONE.
40. Land: ALIGHT.
42. Imitate a horse: NEIGH.
45. Place for a deep-tissue massage: SPA. I tried a neck massager a while ago. Even the lightest setting is too strong for me.
48. Hands out cards: DEALS.
51. Unwrapped with enthusiasm: TORE AT.
53. Land parcel: ACRE.
59. Voting no: ANTI.
60. Fleet parts: SHIPS.
62. Have followers: LEAD.
63. British co.: LTD. And 70. WSJ headline topic: IPO.
64. Fair shelters: BOOTHS.
67. Cookbook offering: RECIPE.
71. Watches on Hulu, say: STREAMS.
73. Like farmers' market veggies: LOCAL. Ours opens at July 6th this year. Thanks to the Hmong farmers, I'm able to enjoy purple yams every fall.
74. River through Reno: TRUCKEE.
79. __ and vigor: VIM.
80. Intervene: STEP IN.
82. Quick post office run, say: ERRAND.
83. Subj. for a non-native speaker: ESL.
86. Ear-related: OTIC.
88. "Time is money" or "money is power": MAXIM.
90. Greek Cupid: EROS.
98. World Baseball Classic team: CUBA. See more here.
99. Came off as: SEEMED.
101. Chopper blade: ROTOR.
102. Org. followed by "puckheads": NHL. Guessable.
103. Outkast hit single: HEY YA.
105. Touch-screen gestures: SWIPES.
107. Puts into words: SAYS.
109. CrossFit sets: REPS.
111. Embassy employee: ATTACHE.
114. Snap, crackle, and pop: NOISES.
118. Sashimi choice: AHI. Been ages since I had sashimi.
120. Ticket remnant: STUB.
122. Revived villain in Domino's ads, with "the": NOID. Is this gimme for you?
123. Food critic Hines whose name is on cake mixes: DUNCAN.
130. Midrange voice: ALTO.
131. Wide-awake: ALERT.
132. Chocolate source: CACAO. I saw mole sauce at Aldi. Never tried it.
133. Region: AREA.
134. Cheers: RAHS.
135. Lasagna staple: PASTA.
136. Part of a protected URL: HTTPS. Like our blog.
137. Office surface: DESK.
Down:
2. Taper off: ABATE.
3. Roman goddess of the hearth: VESTA.
4. Range: EXTENT.
5. Person who makes beds?: GARDENER. Garden bed.
6. European mountain: ALP.
7. Rice dish: PILAF.
8. Get around: EVADE.
9. "Gracias" response: DE NADA.
10. Beaver creation: DAM.
11. Pharmaceutical giant __ Lilly: ELI.
12. 2019 film starring Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly: BOMBSHELL.
13. "Good News" rapper Megan __ Stallion: THEE.
14. BOGO events: SALES.
15. Dim __: SUM. Har gow (shrimp dumplings) are my favorites.
16. Amusingly capricious: WHIMSICAL. Lovely entry.
17. Upfront stake: ANTE.
18. More than half: MOST.
24. Provide privacy protection, in a way: ENCODE.
26. Remove wrinkles from: IRON.
29. Slip some skin: MOLT.
34. Laugh-a-minute sort: RIOT.
35. Taj Mahal site: AGRA.
37. "The Martian" actor Sean: BEAN. Also in "Game of Thrones".
39. Has for lunch: EATS.
41. "Here!": TAKE IT.
43. Determination: GRIT.
44. Do the impossible with cats, proverbially: HERD.
45. DNA lab items: SWABS.
46. Wine grape: PINOT.
47. One in a cast: ACTOR.
49. Cowardly Lion portrayer: LAHR (Bert)
50. Pitches to customers: SPIELS.
52. Term with a check mark on an airport sign: TSA PRE.
55. Beach toy for a windy day: KITE.
56. Florida theme park with a geodesic dome: EPCOT.
58. Poorly ventilated theatre phenomenon: ODOUR. Noticed the "theatre" spelling.
61. Command to an attack dog: SIC EM.
65. Utter chaos: HAVOC.
66. Metalworkers: SMITHS.
68. Green-skinned tropical fruit: PAPAW. Never had it. Looks like a papaya.
69. Cure-all mixture: ELIXIR.
72. Wallops, quaintly: SMITES.
75. All hands on deck: CREW.
76. "Pieces of Her" novelist Slaughter: KARIN.
77. "How to Get Away With Murder" actor Alfred __: ENOCH. Unknown to me. Wikipedia says he's a British-Brazilian actor.
78. Unsuccessful Ford model: EDSEL.
81. Spanish boy: NINO.
83. Mark for good: ETCH.
84. Actress Elisabeth: SHUE.
85. Maze: LABYRINTH.
87. Pills for pets, often: CHEWABLES.
89. NYSE, NASDAQ, etc.: MKTS.
92. Diggs of "Empire": TAYE. He's Winston in "How Stella Got Her Groove Back".
93. "There's no one else": I'M IT.
94. Labor Day mo.: SEPT.
96. Scoundrels: SO AND SOS.
97. Experiment with: TRY OUT. Picard, I love all kinds of
persimmons, esp these dried ones with white powder on. They're
specialties of my hometown Xi'an. So pricey on Amazon.
100. Academic VIP: DEAN.
104. Cathedral alcove: APSE.
106. Single-malt pour: SCOTCH. How I miss Argyle!
108. Storied sailor: SINBAD. Sinbad the Sailor from Baghdad.
110. Backpack holder: STRAP. You won't believe the amount of stuff in my backpack.
112. Drum kit cymbals: HI-HAT.
113. Official mandate: EDICT.
115. Induce fear in: SCARE.
116. Makes less harsh: EASES. Boomer has been taking Tylenol for
pain control the past few days. Alas, it can't compare to Oxycodone,
which is not allowed due to the impending surgery.
117. Be sly: SNEAK.
118. Way off: AFAR.
119. Polynesian dance: HULA.
121. Golden St. campus: UCLA.
125. Haircuts: DOS.
126. Fine print, e.g.: ART.
127. Sch. group: PTA.
129. Flo Milli's music genre: RAP.
We've been through one more round of prep the past few days. Two more showers and two 10-minute surgical scrubs tomorrow, then we'll be ready for Boomer's re-scheduled surgery on Tuesday morning (May 31) at the VA hospital in Minneapolis. Been a painful delay. We're eager to get this in our rear-view mirror.
C.C.
