Theme: Why Not - The ending letter Y in each familiar phrase is dropped off.
23A. Attire at the UN?: WORLD WEAR(Y)
25A. Loaner policeman?: COURTESY COP(Y). I see one more untrimmed Y.
40A. Final step in a marksman's manual?: FIRE WHEN READ(Y). When ready, yes. WHEN READ confused me.
53A. Fairway shot that goes in the hole?: DRAMATIC IRON(Y). Golfers use irons when approaching the green from fairway. I always say iron shot, not just iron.
71A. Autograph candy for the Halloween visitor?: SIGN A TREAT(Y)
74A. Lawyer's sure thing?: MIGHTY CASE(Y). Mighty Casey from the great baseball poem "Casey at the Bat". One more untrimmed Y in MIGHTY.
87A. "Grey's Anatomy" leading man?: CLINICAL STUD(Y). This clue made me laugh.
102A. Unexpected piece in a chicken order?: SURPRISE PART(Y). Why "chicken order"?
119A. Russian rodent's approval?: GROUNDHOG DA(Y). Da is Russian for "yes". We often see NYET ("no") in our puzzles.
122A. Dentistry expo?: TOOTH FAIR(Y)
I liked how Don lopped off each Y at the end of each theme entry, very clear and consistent theme pattern.
After glancing at the theme title, I grokked immediately that letter Y might be cut off from theme entries. Just not sure where. So clever interpretation & application of "Why Not".
This puzzle is simpler in concept than Dan Naddor's "Why, Yes!" Sunday puzzle we had last October. Dan inserted Y sound in familiar phrases and it took me some effort to understand his gimmick due to my poor grasp of English pronunciations.
Very pleasant solving. I was engaged and had fun. A couple of question marked clues did confound me.
Across:
1. Heathrow landers until 2003, briefly: SSTS. The best SSTS clue I've seen is "Retired boomers?".
5. Cookbook meas.: TBSP. And BASIL (22. Pesto herb). Food items are always welcome!
9. Hunt down: TRACE
14. "All Day Strong" medication: ALEVE. Advil has 5 letters too.
20. Discipline: AREA
21. Tranquil disciplines: YOGAS. Nice consecutive "discipline" clue echo.
27. Ontario-born hockey legend: ORR (Bobby)
28. Suffix with Capri: OTE. Capriote.
29. Film doctor with 7 faces: LAO. "7 Faces of Dr. Lao".
31. River of Germany: EDER. ODER is also a German river.
32. Scale sequence: SO LA. And FAS (116. Followers of mis).
33. Tolkien ringbearer: FRODO. "The Lord of the Rings".
35. National park near Springdale, Utah: ZION. Have you been there?
37. Blastoff follower: ASCENT. Had a brain freeze.
39. Abode: Abbr.: RES (Residence)
43. Liqueur in a godfather cocktail: AMARETTO. Easy guess. The other ingredient is Scotch.
45. Rope loops: NOOSES
46. Hoot: RIOT
48. '60s-'70s hot spot: NAM (Vietnam)
49. B'way sellout sign: SRO (Standing Room Only)
52. Barre move: PLIE. Barre is the ballet handrail.
58. Peerage member: EARL
60. Rajiv's mother: INDIRA (Gandhi). Both assassinated.
62. "Boola Boola" singer: ELI. "Boola Boola" is Yale's fighting song.
63. Pull up stakes, slangily: RELO
64. Dolts: IDIOTS
66. Uncertain word: MAY
67. __ about: meddles: NOSES
70. Enero, e.g.: MES. Spanish for "months".
76. Longtime Tom Petty label: MCA (Music Corporation of America). Now belongs to the Universal. Got me.
78. Sch. that had a Roger Williams Dining Center: URI (University of Rhode Island). Have never heard of Roger Williams.
79. "Swan Lake" swan: ODETTE. Peeked at the answer sheet.
80. Pet food brand: IAMS. Named after the founder Paul Iams.
82. 401, in old Rome: CDI
83. Five-time speed skating gold medalist Eric: HEIDEN. His name escaped me.
86. Neutral hue: ECRU
91. Rainbow goddess: IRIS
93. Sam-I-Am's meat: HAM. Dr. Seuss' "Green Eggs and Ham".
94. Digital comm. method: ASL (American Sign Language). Of course I was thinking of the electronic digital rather than my fingers.
95. FEMA part: Abbr.: EMER
96. Quixote's squire Panza: SANCHO. Sancho Panza. He has an impossible dream too.
98. Some cigarette boxes: FLIP-TOPS
107. Terhune dog: LAD. "Lad, A dog". Stumped me.
108. Quick court contest: ONE SET. Tennis court.
110. Multi-talented Danny: KAYE
111. First name in fragrances: ESTEE
112. Bird that probes mud for food: IBIS. Oh, good to know.
114. Scatter supreme: ELLA (Fitzgerald). Scatter made me think of "disperse" rather than one who scats.
115. Scribble (down): JOT
118. Little amphibian: EFT. Little newt.
125. Corner: HEM IN
126. Hi-fi pioneer Fisher: AVERY. Stranger to me.
127. Mark's successor: EURO. German mark.
128. Pres. Carter's alma mater: USNA. Only know Sen. McCain went there.
129. Flavor: TASTE
130. Frawley role: MERTZ (Fred). Ethel's husband in "I Love Lucy". Played by William Frawley. Blind spot for me.
131. Tease: RIDE. Was ignorant of this meaning.
132. English horn, e.g.: REED
Down:
1. Said "Bon voyage!" to: SAW OFF
2. "Edda" author __ Sturluson: SNORRI. He penned "The Prose Edda (or Younger Edda). Nobody to me.
3. Holy one?: TERROR. Holy terror! I wrote down TOLEDO, Jazzbumpa.
4. N.L. cap letters: STL. St. Louis Cardinals.
5. Verb for Tweety: TAWT. The Tweety Bird.
6. Arrives casually: BREEZES IN
7. Vast expanse: SEA
8. Settee settings: PARLORS. I love the sound of the clue.
9. Big name in little trains: TYCO. Now part of Mattel.
10. Milne baby: ROO. Kanga's baby in "Winnie-the-Pooh".
11. Fits of fever: AGUES
12. Bygone library feature: CARD CATALOG. Thank God for computers.
13. Admiration: ESTEEM
14. Toning targets: ABS
15. Chip brand: LAYS. Intel too.
16. Arm offerer: ESCORT
17. Bath salts scent: VIOLET. Sweet violet.
18. City near Ciudad Juárez: EL PASO. Got the answer from crosses.
24. Street corner genre: DOOWOP. Why "street corner"?
26. Elvira's lover, in a Verdi opera: ERNANI. Man, I can never remember this guy's name. He's a bandit chief.
30. Hydrocarbon suffix: ANE
34. Place for a La-Z-Boy: DEN
36. "__ a vacation!": I NEED. I do!
37. 1998 Sarah McLachlan song: ADIA. I often confuse this song title with Verdi's AIDA.
38. __ II razor: TRAC
41. New Age gurus: HOLISTS. According to Wikipeidia, the general principle of holism was concisely summarized by Aristotle in the Metaphysics: "The whole is more than the sum of its parts". I don't understand the "New Age" connection.
42. It may be imposing: ARRAY. Great clue.
44. Kaffiyeh-clad ruler: EMIR
47. "__: The Final Conflict": 1981 horror sequel: OMEN III. No idea. See this poster. I've never heard of any of the Omens series.
49. Groundbreaking?: SEISMIC. And RADICAL (50. Groundbreaking). Fantastic pair of clues.
51. Paper tiger, perhaps: ORIGAMI. Nice clue too. Chairman Mao called US "Paper Tiger".
53. "Fiddlesticks!": DRAT
54. Gomez's wife, affectionately: TISH. "The Addams Family".
55. Chance to get even: REMATCH
56. Fat substitute: OLESTRA. OL (eo) + alteration of (poly) Ester. New fake fat to me.
57. Tiny gnat: NO-SEE-UM. So called because it's hard to see 'um. Yet one more unknown to me.
59. Chaney of horror: LON
61. Poetry movement promoted by Amy Lowell: IMAGISM. Faintly remember Clear Ayes brought us a imagism poem from her.
65. Sigma follower: TAU
68. Some athletic shoes: ETONICS. I like their golf shoes.
69. Chaplin's half brother: SYD. Who knows?
73. 1981 Ross/Richie duet: ENDLESS LOVE. Here is the clip.
74. Wilbur's horse: MR. ED. "A horse is a horse, of course, of course".
75. 2.0: CEE. 2.0 average.
78. Freedom, in Swahili: UHURU. Nope. Not in my memory file. It's pronounced as oo-HOO-roo.
81. Cinch: SNAP
84. Book with a key: DIARY
85. "Sixteen Tons" singer: ERNIE FORD. Here is the clip.
89. Duplicated: CLONED. Penned in COPIED first.
90. Driving need?: TEST. The question marks made me think of golf and TEE(S).
92. "Jeepers!": SHEESH
96. Frying pan mishap: SPATTER
97. Word after photo: OPS. Photo ops.
98. Standby's desire: FLIGHT
99. Tar pits locale: LA BREA. La Brea Tar Pits. La Brea = "the tar" in Spanish.
100. Language learner's challenges: IDIOMS. So true. Slang too.
101. The "P" in P.G. Wodehouse: PELHAM. No, no. Too obscure for me.
103. Studio that made nine of the ten Astaire/Rogers films: RKO
104. Feeling no stress: AT EASE
105. Make genteel: REFINE
106. Monopoly's railroads, e.g.: TETRAD. Group of four.
109. Psyched up: EAGER
113. Exec: SUIT. Slang for business executive.
115. Rapper who co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records: JAY- Z. Very business savvy. Married to Beyoncé.
120. 22.5 deg.: NNE. I forgot the rationale for this clue again.
121. "__ & the Women": 2000 Gere film: DR. T. Is it a good movie?
123. Non's opposite: OUI. Oh, oui, Je t'aime.
124. It may fly in a fight: FUR. Idiom "make the fur fly" = Cause a fight.
Answer grid.
C.C.
23A. Attire at the UN?: WORLD WEAR(Y)
25A. Loaner policeman?: COURTESY COP(Y). I see one more untrimmed Y.
40A. Final step in a marksman's manual?: FIRE WHEN READ(Y). When ready, yes. WHEN READ confused me.
53A. Fairway shot that goes in the hole?: DRAMATIC IRON(Y). Golfers use irons when approaching the green from fairway. I always say iron shot, not just iron.
71A. Autograph candy for the Halloween visitor?: SIGN A TREAT(Y)
74A. Lawyer's sure thing?: MIGHTY CASE(Y). Mighty Casey from the great baseball poem "Casey at the Bat". One more untrimmed Y in MIGHTY.
87A. "Grey's Anatomy" leading man?: CLINICAL STUD(Y). This clue made me laugh.
102A. Unexpected piece in a chicken order?: SURPRISE PART(Y). Why "chicken order"?
119A. Russian rodent's approval?: GROUNDHOG DA(Y). Da is Russian for "yes". We often see NYET ("no") in our puzzles.
122A. Dentistry expo?: TOOTH FAIR(Y)
I liked how Don lopped off each Y at the end of each theme entry, very clear and consistent theme pattern.
After glancing at the theme title, I grokked immediately that letter Y might be cut off from theme entries. Just not sure where. So clever interpretation & application of "Why Not".
This puzzle is simpler in concept than Dan Naddor's "Why, Yes!" Sunday puzzle we had last October. Dan inserted Y sound in familiar phrases and it took me some effort to understand his gimmick due to my poor grasp of English pronunciations.
Very pleasant solving. I was engaged and had fun. A couple of question marked clues did confound me.
Across:
1. Heathrow landers until 2003, briefly: SSTS. The best SSTS clue I've seen is "Retired boomers?".
5. Cookbook meas.: TBSP. And BASIL (22. Pesto herb). Food items are always welcome!
9. Hunt down: TRACE
14. "All Day Strong" medication: ALEVE. Advil has 5 letters too.
20. Discipline: AREA
21. Tranquil disciplines: YOGAS. Nice consecutive "discipline" clue echo.
27. Ontario-born hockey legend: ORR (Bobby)
28. Suffix with Capri: OTE. Capriote.
29. Film doctor with 7 faces: LAO. "7 Faces of Dr. Lao".
31. River of Germany: EDER. ODER is also a German river.
32. Scale sequence: SO LA. And FAS (116. Followers of mis).
33. Tolkien ringbearer: FRODO. "The Lord of the Rings".
35. National park near Springdale, Utah: ZION. Have you been there?
37. Blastoff follower: ASCENT. Had a brain freeze.
39. Abode: Abbr.: RES (Residence)
43. Liqueur in a godfather cocktail: AMARETTO. Easy guess. The other ingredient is Scotch.
45. Rope loops: NOOSES
46. Hoot: RIOT
48. '60s-'70s hot spot: NAM (Vietnam)
49. B'way sellout sign: SRO (Standing Room Only)
52. Barre move: PLIE. Barre is the ballet handrail.
58. Peerage member: EARL
60. Rajiv's mother: INDIRA (Gandhi). Both assassinated.
62. "Boola Boola" singer: ELI. "Boola Boola" is Yale's fighting song.
63. Pull up stakes, slangily: RELO
64. Dolts: IDIOTS
66. Uncertain word: MAY
67. __ about: meddles: NOSES
70. Enero, e.g.: MES. Spanish for "months".
76. Longtime Tom Petty label: MCA (Music Corporation of America). Now belongs to the Universal. Got me.
78. Sch. that had a Roger Williams Dining Center: URI (University of Rhode Island). Have never heard of Roger Williams.
79. "Swan Lake" swan: ODETTE. Peeked at the answer sheet.
80. Pet food brand: IAMS. Named after the founder Paul Iams.
82. 401, in old Rome: CDI
83. Five-time speed skating gold medalist Eric: HEIDEN. His name escaped me.
86. Neutral hue: ECRU
91. Rainbow goddess: IRIS
93. Sam-I-Am's meat: HAM. Dr. Seuss' "Green Eggs and Ham".
94. Digital comm. method: ASL (American Sign Language). Of course I was thinking of the electronic digital rather than my fingers.
95. FEMA part: Abbr.: EMER
96. Quixote's squire Panza: SANCHO. Sancho Panza. He has an impossible dream too.
98. Some cigarette boxes: FLIP-TOPS
107. Terhune dog: LAD. "Lad, A dog". Stumped me.
108. Quick court contest: ONE SET. Tennis court.
110. Multi-talented Danny: KAYE
111. First name in fragrances: ESTEE
112. Bird that probes mud for food: IBIS. Oh, good to know.
114. Scatter supreme: ELLA (Fitzgerald). Scatter made me think of "disperse" rather than one who scats.
115. Scribble (down): JOT
118. Little amphibian: EFT. Little newt.
125. Corner: HEM IN
126. Hi-fi pioneer Fisher: AVERY. Stranger to me.
127. Mark's successor: EURO. German mark.
128. Pres. Carter's alma mater: USNA. Only know Sen. McCain went there.
129. Flavor: TASTE
130. Frawley role: MERTZ (Fred). Ethel's husband in "I Love Lucy". Played by William Frawley. Blind spot for me.
131. Tease: RIDE. Was ignorant of this meaning.
132. English horn, e.g.: REED
Down:
1. Said "Bon voyage!" to: SAW OFF
2. "Edda" author __ Sturluson: SNORRI. He penned "The Prose Edda (or Younger Edda). Nobody to me.
3. Holy one?: TERROR. Holy terror! I wrote down TOLEDO, Jazzbumpa.
4. N.L. cap letters: STL. St. Louis Cardinals.
5. Verb for Tweety: TAWT. The Tweety Bird.
6. Arrives casually: BREEZES IN
7. Vast expanse: SEA
8. Settee settings: PARLORS. I love the sound of the clue.
9. Big name in little trains: TYCO. Now part of Mattel.
10. Milne baby: ROO. Kanga's baby in "Winnie-the-Pooh".
11. Fits of fever: AGUES
12. Bygone library feature: CARD CATALOG. Thank God for computers.
13. Admiration: ESTEEM
14. Toning targets: ABS
15. Chip brand: LAYS. Intel too.
16. Arm offerer: ESCORT
17. Bath salts scent: VIOLET. Sweet violet.
18. City near Ciudad Juárez: EL PASO. Got the answer from crosses.
24. Street corner genre: DOOWOP. Why "street corner"?
26. Elvira's lover, in a Verdi opera: ERNANI. Man, I can never remember this guy's name. He's a bandit chief.
30. Hydrocarbon suffix: ANE
34. Place for a La-Z-Boy: DEN
36. "__ a vacation!": I NEED. I do!
37. 1998 Sarah McLachlan song: ADIA. I often confuse this song title with Verdi's AIDA.
38. __ II razor: TRAC
41. New Age gurus: HOLISTS. According to Wikipeidia, the general principle of holism was concisely summarized by Aristotle in the Metaphysics: "The whole is more than the sum of its parts". I don't understand the "New Age" connection.
42. It may be imposing: ARRAY. Great clue.
44. Kaffiyeh-clad ruler: EMIR
47. "__: The Final Conflict": 1981 horror sequel: OMEN III. No idea. See this poster. I've never heard of any of the Omens series.
49. Groundbreaking?: SEISMIC. And RADICAL (50. Groundbreaking). Fantastic pair of clues.
51. Paper tiger, perhaps: ORIGAMI. Nice clue too. Chairman Mao called US "Paper Tiger".
53. "Fiddlesticks!": DRAT
54. Gomez's wife, affectionately: TISH. "The Addams Family".
55. Chance to get even: REMATCH
56. Fat substitute: OLESTRA. OL (eo) + alteration of (poly) Ester. New fake fat to me.
57. Tiny gnat: NO-SEE-UM. So called because it's hard to see 'um. Yet one more unknown to me.
59. Chaney of horror: LON
61. Poetry movement promoted by Amy Lowell: IMAGISM. Faintly remember Clear Ayes brought us a imagism poem from her.
65. Sigma follower: TAU
68. Some athletic shoes: ETONICS. I like their golf shoes.
69. Chaplin's half brother: SYD. Who knows?
73. 1981 Ross/Richie duet: ENDLESS LOVE. Here is the clip.
74. Wilbur's horse: MR. ED. "A horse is a horse, of course, of course".
75. 2.0: CEE. 2.0 average.
78. Freedom, in Swahili: UHURU. Nope. Not in my memory file. It's pronounced as oo-HOO-roo.
81. Cinch: SNAP
84. Book with a key: DIARY
85. "Sixteen Tons" singer: ERNIE FORD. Here is the clip.
89. Duplicated: CLONED. Penned in COPIED first.
90. Driving need?: TEST. The question marks made me think of golf and TEE(S).
92. "Jeepers!": SHEESH
96. Frying pan mishap: SPATTER
97. Word after photo: OPS. Photo ops.
98. Standby's desire: FLIGHT
99. Tar pits locale: LA BREA. La Brea Tar Pits. La Brea = "the tar" in Spanish.
100. Language learner's challenges: IDIOMS. So true. Slang too.
101. The "P" in P.G. Wodehouse: PELHAM. No, no. Too obscure for me.
103. Studio that made nine of the ten Astaire/Rogers films: RKO
104. Feeling no stress: AT EASE
105. Make genteel: REFINE
106. Monopoly's railroads, e.g.: TETRAD. Group of four.
109. Psyched up: EAGER
113. Exec: SUIT. Slang for business executive.
115. Rapper who co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records: JAY- Z. Very business savvy. Married to Beyoncé.
120. 22.5 deg.: NNE. I forgot the rationale for this clue again.
121. "__ & the Women": 2000 Gere film: DR. T. Is it a good movie?
123. Non's opposite: OUI. Oh, oui, Je t'aime.
124. It may fly in a fight: FUR. Idiom "make the fur fly" = Cause a fight.
Answer grid.
C.C.
