Theme: Pet Food - Part of a common food/beverage item is substituted with the sound a animal makes and the resulting punny phrase is clued with question marked appropriate animal name and the food/beverage hint.
23A. Duck's snack?: GRAHAM QUACKER. Graham Cracker. Duck quacks. This is the only theme entry where the pun is not really based on the pet sound "quack", but rather the pet itself "quacker".
38A. Canary's cereal?: SHREDDED TWEET. Shredded wheat. Canary tweets.
71A. Dog's creamer?: ARF AND ARF. Half and Half. Arf is the dog bark sound.
101A. Owl's beverage?: HOOT CHOCOLATE. Hot Chocolate. Owl hoots.
122A. Chick's first course?: SPLIT PEEP SOUP. Split Pea Soup. Chick peeps.
3D. Sheep's eggplant dish?: BAA BAA GHANOUJ. Baba Ghanouj (or Ghanoush). A dish I've never heard of. The constructor might have anticipated so, otherwise there would not be a direct "eggplant" hint. Hard to make eggplant taste good. Sheep baas.
59D. Cow's dessert? RASPBERRY MOOS. Raspberry Mousse. Cow moos.
From beverage to food. From first course to dessert. Lovely range of choices. Delicious theme clues too.
More entries for the hungry:
34A. __ Wafers: NILLA
50A. Hog meat: HAM. And PENS (62A. Hog hangouts). Hog echos.
31D. Browns in a pan: SEARS. Love seared tuna.
And of course, being a musician, John always sprinkles a few music references in his puzzle:
47A. B-flat equivalent: A-SHARP
74A. Cavaradossi's lover: TOSCA. The Puccini opera.
116A. Third degree of a musical scale: MEDIANT. New word to me. And PH. D (49D. Third deg.?). Bachelor. Master & Ph.D. Third degree echo.
55D. Vivaldi's hour: ORA. Italian for "hour".
56D. Pachelbel's "__ in D Major": CANON. Waiting for Jazzbumpa to find a perfect link.
114D. "__ in Calico": Crosby song: A GAL. Here is a clip. I was ignorant of the song.
I've highlighted in green all the cross-references and clue echos, John's hallmark. I also noticed that there's not even one cheater/helper square in the whole grid.
Across:
1. Outback developer: SUBARU. Immediately thought of Kazie and Australia.
7. Like students on finals eve: UP LATE
13. Turn over with faith: ENTRUST
20. Pain relief brand: ANACIN. And OTC (90. Like 20-Across, briefly) & ACHE (4D: 20-Across target).
21. Bit of inclemency: SHOWER
22. Have advance knowledge of, as the future: SEE INTO
25. Crossword whose answers contain all 26 letters, e.g.: PANGRAM. We've seen quite a few from Barry Silk.
26. Jeer: GIBE
27. Play narrated by a stage manager: OUR TOWN. The Thornton Wilder play.
28. Half of a Pacific island: BORA. Bora Bora.
29. Supermarket ID: UPC (Universal Product Code). And MDSE (33. Gds). Merchandise. Would prefer "Goods: Abbr.".
30. Ecol. watchdog: EPA
31. Give and take: SWAP. Nice clue.
32. Je t'__: I love you, in France: AIME. Wo Ai Ni, in Chinese.
36. Blind alley: DEAD END. And TOMCATS (19D. Alley prowlers). Alley echo.
42. 1998 biopic about model Carangi: GIA. Played by Angelina Jolie.
43. Camelot charger: STEED. Alliteration.
45. Like sirens: SEXY
46. Long-shot winners defy them: ODDS. Nailed it.
51. Stair posts: NEWELS
53. "Alice in Wonderland" (2010) star Wasikowska: MIA. Total stranger to me. An Aussi.
57. Garden party hiree: CATERER
64. Film with Bond girl Honey Ryder: DR. NO. Honey Ryder sounds very DF.
65. Jason's ship: ARGO
68. 1998 Olympics city: NAGANO. Winter Olympics.
69. Beak: SNOOT
75. Fresh: UNUSED
77. Picked do: AFRO
78. Aptly named beam: Z-BAR. No idea. Shaped like Z?
81. Lounging garb: PAJAMAS
83. Diner on a hill: ANTEATER. Ah, I definitely need a question mark in the clue.
86. NYC subway line named for two boroughs: BMT. Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit. Good to know.
87. Cue: PROMPT
91. __femoris: thigh muscle: BICEPS. See this diagram. I always associate biceps with upper arms. Also QUADS (24D: Thigh muscles). Where are quads, Dennis?
93. It may be filled with Londonderry air: TYRE. British spelling of tire. Londonderry is a new word to me. Adjective of London?
97. Van Gogh's confidant brother: THEO. He died a few months after Van Gogh killed himself.
98. Early Teutons: GOTHS
100. Mastodon preserver: TAR
104. Bunkers and streams, to golfers: HAZARDS. Hmm, it's the lake I fear. You can always pick up your balls along the streams.
108. Actress Rene: RUSSO. Love her in "Tin Cup".
109. Signed note: CHIT
111. Even so: YET
112. Fury: IRE
113. Facetious "Not funny": HA HA. And ROASTS (61D. Facetious tributes). Facetious echos.
119. Uma's role in "The Avengers": EMMA
120. Demand to be free: LET ME GO. I like the answer.
124. Not metaphorical: LITERAL
125. Tube: TEEVEE. Weird to see TV spelled out.
126. Service station feature, briefly: C- STORE. Silly, but I've never heard of Convenience Store abbreviated as C-Store.
127. Regal: STATELY
128. Garden tools: EDGERS
129. Equilibria: STASES. Plural of stasis. Euilibria is plural of equilibrium.
Down:
1. Declined: SAGGED. Not the "Declined" I had in mind.
5. Estuary: RIA
6. Going to seed, as grass: UNMOWN
7. Grab, as power: USURP
8. "Cool" relative: PHAT. And FAT (73. Full of flab). Alliteration.
9. In __ parentis: LOCO. Latin.
10. Like most early adolescents: AWKWARD. Nice clue.
11. __ Beanies: Little stuffed animals: TEENIE
12. Muff a grounder: ERR. Baseball.
13. Hockey's Phil, to fans: ESPO. Finally I remembered his name.
15. One paying a flat fee?: TENANT. Flat = Apartment.
17. Like printer paper: UNRULED. And STAPLED (18. Attached, as paper). Consecutive paper echo.
28. Moisten, poetically: BEDEW
35. Noted WWII photo site, briefly: IWO. Iwo Jima.
37. Diego's day: DIA. Alliteration.
38. Blockade: SEAL OFF
39. Blood: pref.: HEMA. Hemo too.
40. Biz boss: EXEC. Alliteration again. All the last three clues start with B. Not a coincidence. I can assure you.
44. Powerful D.C. lobby: THE NRA. THE got me.
47. Intensifies: AMPS UP
48. Earth shade: SIENNA. Beautiful shade! Sienna Miller has a unique style.
52. ER "Right away!": STAT. And TEMP (70. ER stat). ER echo.
58. They may need stroking: EGOS. Nailed it.
60. Bivouac: ENCAMP
63. Former Cub star: SOSA (Sammy). He spent his best years with the Cubs.
66. Martha's Vineyard paper since 1846: GAZETTE. Easy guess.
67. "Law & Order" actor: ORBACH (Jerry). His son Tony Orbach is a crossword constructor.
72. What the suspicious smell: A RAT
76. Sith lord's title: DARTH. Darth Vader.
79. Lee follower: REB. R. E. Lee.
82. Trendy London area: SOHO
84. Honk: TOOT
85. Posh: RITZY
88. Much-visited place: MECCA
89. Bear in a red shirt: POOH. ''Winnie-the- Pooh".
92. 1880s pres. monogram: CAA (Chester A. Arthur). Stumper.
93. Pulse quickeners: THRILLS
94. Touching comment?: YOU'RE IT. The tag game. Clever clue.
95. Stone name: ROSETTA. Rosetta Stone.
96. Visitors from afar, for short: ETS
98. Drop leaf support: GATE LEG. New word to me. It's defined as "a leg attached to a hinged frame that can be swung out to support a drop leaf table".
99. Stood out: SHONE
102. Stick: COHERE. Tricky clue.
103. Favored a foot: LIMPED
105. Montezuma's people: AZTECS. Montezuma is the last Aztec emperor.
106. Coyly decorous: DEMURE
107. Middle ear bone: STAPES. Also called stirrup.
110. Bull attractors: CAPES. Not interested in bullfighting at all.
115. Blessed: HOLY
117. Ring pretense: DIVE. Not familiar with this boxing term. Dictionary says it's "a false show of being knocked out, usually in a bout whose result has been prearranged: to take a dive in an early round".
118. Old Roman road: ITER
119 ""¿Cómo __?": ESTA
121. Strawberry, in the '80s: MET. Gimme. I have lots of worthless Darryl Strawberry baseball cards.
122. Véronique, e.g.: Abbr.: STE (Sainte). I've never heard of Véronique. French I presume?
Answer grid.
Happy Mother's Day!
C.C.
23A. Duck's snack?: GRAHAM QUACKER. Graham Cracker. Duck quacks. This is the only theme entry where the pun is not really based on the pet sound "quack", but rather the pet itself "quacker".
38A. Canary's cereal?: SHREDDED TWEET. Shredded wheat. Canary tweets.
71A. Dog's creamer?: ARF AND ARF. Half and Half. Arf is the dog bark sound.
101A. Owl's beverage?: HOOT CHOCOLATE. Hot Chocolate. Owl hoots.
122A. Chick's first course?: SPLIT PEEP SOUP. Split Pea Soup. Chick peeps.
3D. Sheep's eggplant dish?: BAA BAA GHANOUJ. Baba Ghanouj (or Ghanoush). A dish I've never heard of. The constructor might have anticipated so, otherwise there would not be a direct "eggplant" hint. Hard to make eggplant taste good. Sheep baas.
59D. Cow's dessert? RASPBERRY MOOS. Raspberry Mousse. Cow moos.
From beverage to food. From first course to dessert. Lovely range of choices. Delicious theme clues too.
More entries for the hungry:
34A. __ Wafers: NILLA
50A. Hog meat: HAM. And PENS (62A. Hog hangouts). Hog echos.
31D. Browns in a pan: SEARS. Love seared tuna.
And of course, being a musician, John always sprinkles a few music references in his puzzle:
47A. B-flat equivalent: A-SHARP
74A. Cavaradossi's lover: TOSCA. The Puccini opera.
116A. Third degree of a musical scale: MEDIANT. New word to me. And PH. D (49D. Third deg.?). Bachelor. Master & Ph.D. Third degree echo.
55D. Vivaldi's hour: ORA. Italian for "hour".
56D. Pachelbel's "__ in D Major": CANON. Waiting for Jazzbumpa to find a perfect link.
114D. "__ in Calico": Crosby song: A GAL. Here is a clip. I was ignorant of the song.
I've highlighted in green all the cross-references and clue echos, John's hallmark. I also noticed that there's not even one cheater/helper square in the whole grid.
Across:
1. Outback developer: SUBARU. Immediately thought of Kazie and Australia.
7. Like students on finals eve: UP LATE
13. Turn over with faith: ENTRUST
20. Pain relief brand: ANACIN. And OTC (90. Like 20-Across, briefly) & ACHE (4D: 20-Across target).
21. Bit of inclemency: SHOWER
22. Have advance knowledge of, as the future: SEE INTO
25. Crossword whose answers contain all 26 letters, e.g.: PANGRAM. We've seen quite a few from Barry Silk.
26. Jeer: GIBE
27. Play narrated by a stage manager: OUR TOWN. The Thornton Wilder play.
28. Half of a Pacific island: BORA. Bora Bora.
29. Supermarket ID: UPC (Universal Product Code). And MDSE (33. Gds). Merchandise. Would prefer "Goods: Abbr.".
30. Ecol. watchdog: EPA
31. Give and take: SWAP. Nice clue.
32. Je t'__: I love you, in France: AIME. Wo Ai Ni, in Chinese.
36. Blind alley: DEAD END. And TOMCATS (19D. Alley prowlers). Alley echo.
42. 1998 biopic about model Carangi: GIA. Played by Angelina Jolie.
43. Camelot charger: STEED. Alliteration.
45. Like sirens: SEXY
46. Long-shot winners defy them: ODDS. Nailed it.
51. Stair posts: NEWELS
53. "Alice in Wonderland" (2010) star Wasikowska: MIA. Total stranger to me. An Aussi.
57. Garden party hiree: CATERER
64. Film with Bond girl Honey Ryder: DR. NO. Honey Ryder sounds very DF.
65. Jason's ship: ARGO
68. 1998 Olympics city: NAGANO. Winter Olympics.
69. Beak: SNOOT
75. Fresh: UNUSED
77. Picked do: AFRO
78. Aptly named beam: Z-BAR. No idea. Shaped like Z?
81. Lounging garb: PAJAMAS
83. Diner on a hill: ANTEATER. Ah, I definitely need a question mark in the clue.
86. NYC subway line named for two boroughs: BMT. Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit. Good to know.
87. Cue: PROMPT
91. __femoris: thigh muscle: BICEPS. See this diagram. I always associate biceps with upper arms. Also QUADS (24D: Thigh muscles). Where are quads, Dennis?
93. It may be filled with Londonderry air: TYRE. British spelling of tire. Londonderry is a new word to me. Adjective of London?
97. Van Gogh's confidant brother: THEO. He died a few months after Van Gogh killed himself.
98. Early Teutons: GOTHS
100. Mastodon preserver: TAR
104. Bunkers and streams, to golfers: HAZARDS. Hmm, it's the lake I fear. You can always pick up your balls along the streams.
108. Actress Rene: RUSSO. Love her in "Tin Cup".
109. Signed note: CHIT
111. Even so: YET
112. Fury: IRE
113. Facetious "Not funny": HA HA. And ROASTS (61D. Facetious tributes). Facetious echos.
119. Uma's role in "The Avengers": EMMA
120. Demand to be free: LET ME GO. I like the answer.
124. Not metaphorical: LITERAL
125. Tube: TEEVEE. Weird to see TV spelled out.
126. Service station feature, briefly: C- STORE. Silly, but I've never heard of Convenience Store abbreviated as C-Store.
127. Regal: STATELY
128. Garden tools: EDGERS
129. Equilibria: STASES. Plural of stasis. Euilibria is plural of equilibrium.
Down:
1. Declined: SAGGED. Not the "Declined" I had in mind.
5. Estuary: RIA
6. Going to seed, as grass: UNMOWN
7. Grab, as power: USURP
8. "Cool" relative: PHAT. And FAT (73. Full of flab). Alliteration.
9. In __ parentis: LOCO. Latin.
10. Like most early adolescents: AWKWARD. Nice clue.
11. __ Beanies: Little stuffed animals: TEENIE
12. Muff a grounder: ERR. Baseball.
13. Hockey's Phil, to fans: ESPO. Finally I remembered his name.
15. One paying a flat fee?: TENANT. Flat = Apartment.
17. Like printer paper: UNRULED. And STAPLED (18. Attached, as paper). Consecutive paper echo.
28. Moisten, poetically: BEDEW
35. Noted WWII photo site, briefly: IWO. Iwo Jima.
37. Diego's day: DIA. Alliteration.
38. Blockade: SEAL OFF
39. Blood: pref.: HEMA. Hemo too.
40. Biz boss: EXEC. Alliteration again. All the last three clues start with B. Not a coincidence. I can assure you.
44. Powerful D.C. lobby: THE NRA. THE got me.
47. Intensifies: AMPS UP
48. Earth shade: SIENNA. Beautiful shade! Sienna Miller has a unique style.
52. ER "Right away!": STAT. And TEMP (70. ER stat). ER echo.
58. They may need stroking: EGOS. Nailed it.
60. Bivouac: ENCAMP
63. Former Cub star: SOSA (Sammy). He spent his best years with the Cubs.
66. Martha's Vineyard paper since 1846: GAZETTE. Easy guess.
67. "Law & Order" actor: ORBACH (Jerry). His son Tony Orbach is a crossword constructor.
72. What the suspicious smell: A RAT
76. Sith lord's title: DARTH. Darth Vader.
79. Lee follower: REB. R. E. Lee.
82. Trendy London area: SOHO
84. Honk: TOOT
85. Posh: RITZY
88. Much-visited place: MECCA
89. Bear in a red shirt: POOH. ''Winnie-the- Pooh".
92. 1880s pres. monogram: CAA (Chester A. Arthur). Stumper.
93. Pulse quickeners: THRILLS
94. Touching comment?: YOU'RE IT. The tag game. Clever clue.
95. Stone name: ROSETTA. Rosetta Stone.
96. Visitors from afar, for short: ETS
98. Drop leaf support: GATE LEG. New word to me. It's defined as "a leg attached to a hinged frame that can be swung out to support a drop leaf table".
99. Stood out: SHONE
102. Stick: COHERE. Tricky clue.
103. Favored a foot: LIMPED
105. Montezuma's people: AZTECS. Montezuma is the last Aztec emperor.
106. Coyly decorous: DEMURE
107. Middle ear bone: STAPES. Also called stirrup.
110. Bull attractors: CAPES. Not interested in bullfighting at all.
115. Blessed: HOLY
117. Ring pretense: DIVE. Not familiar with this boxing term. Dictionary says it's "a false show of being knocked out, usually in a bout whose result has been prearranged: to take a dive in an early round".
118. Old Roman road: ITER
119 ""¿Cómo __?": ESTA
121. Strawberry, in the '80s: MET. Gimme. I have lots of worthless Darryl Strawberry baseball cards.
122. Véronique, e.g.: Abbr.: STE (Sainte). I've never heard of Véronique. French I presume?
Answer grid.
Happy Mother's Day!
C.C.
