Theme: Geek Squad - TECH is embedded and spans each two-word theme answer.
23A. Welsh pop singing sensation : CHARLOTTE CHURCH. Beautiful voice.
37A. Cookie tidbit : CHOCOLATE CHIP
60A. "The Awakening" author (1899) : KATE CHOPIN. No idea. But I know she's not well known when the construcotr has to put 1899 in the bracket.
85A. Knifehand strike : KARATE CHOP
101A. Environmentalist's concern : CLIMATE CHANGE
123A. 1971 counter-culture film revue hosted by Richard Pryor : DYNAMITE CHICKEN. Not in my radar.
15D. Holiday song that begins "The sun is shining, the grass is green" : WHITE CHRISTMAS
53D. Legislative meeting area : SENATE CHAMBERS
120D. Support worker hiding in the eight longest puzzle answers : TECH
Geek Squad is a subsidiary of Best Buy, which is based here in Minnesota. Had to get their TECH help last time when my computer was sick.
Simple & elegant theme. Sunday puzzles tend to have lots of Fill-in-the-Blank clues/entries (8 in today's case), which can ease up the solving considerably. Lots of 4-letter word too, 54 in this grid.
Alliterative clues aplenty. And of course, I am fond of all the "it" clues:
11D. It might be wild : CARD. Wild card.
106D. It's a plus : ASSET
124D. Make it happen : ACT
Across:
1. Addition, e.g. : MATH
5. Five-sided home? : PLATE. Home plate. Baseball. Quite a few question marked clues in the puzzle, though all the theme clues are straightforward.
10. Sandy color : ECRU
14. __ pants : SWEAT
19. Princess Fiona, e.g. : OGRE. The princess From "Shrek".
20. Ben-Hur portrayer Novarro (1925) : RAMON. "Latin lover" in silent movies, a la Wikipedia. Stranger to me.
21. Place for a speaker : DAIS
22. Letter after eta : THETA
26. Like some carpets : PILED
27. Capital near the Gulf of Tonkin : HANOI. And NAM (33. 27-Across site, briefly). Can picture pain in Dennis' face.
28. Davis who voiced Yar in "Dinosaur" : OSSIE
29. Datsun starter? : DEE. The starting letter of Datsun. Awesome clue.
30. Cruising : AT SEA
31. Gives, as homework : ASSIGNS
35. Matter of interest? : RATE
42. Place to pick up chicks : COOP. Ha ha, not bars.
46. Price limit : CAP
49. Pageant prop : TIARA
50. If-__: conditional statements : THENS
51. Stock market stat : HIGH. And UPS (115A. Stock market stats).
52. Off the mark : AMISS
54. 1860s Jefferson contemporary : ABRAHAM. Jefferson Davis. Abe Lincoln.
57. ERA component : EARNED. And ERAS (70. Times to remember). Different meanings. OK to have ERA duplication.
59. Function : ROLE
63. Gives a thumbs-up : LIKES
64. Curling tool : IRON
65. Liam Neeson's land : IRELAND. "Liam Neeson's country" would have avoided Land repetition.
66. Downs a sub? : EATS. Sandwich.
68. __ blocker : BETA
69. Leader leader? : LOSS. Leader of the term "Loss Leader". Got me.
72. Clay pigeon hurler : TRAP
76. Powder mineral : TALC
78. Choir production : CANTATA
81. 1974 Lucille Ball role : MAME
82. Yacht spots : COVES. Hopefully our yacht boy Gunghy will be back next week.
88. Some 75-Down : ANTS. And PESTS (75. Exterminator's targets).
89. Cochise, for one : APACHE. Have never heard of the tribe chief Cochise.
91. Ice cream soda ingredient : SELTZER
92. Broad-ended cravat : ASCOT
93. Sensitive area : RASH
94. Pertaining to birth : NATAL
96. Strike lightly : TAP ON
99. Sounds from Santa : HOS. Is Santa bald?
100. Entreaty : PLEA
105. Teen hangout : MALL
107. Poivre companion : SEL. Salt in French. Poivre = Pepper.
108. Picked on : NEEDLED
112. Parts of a butcher's inventory : SLABS
118. "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" singer : EVITA
121. "South Park" mom : LIANE. No idea.
122. "Charles in Charge" co-star Willie : AAMES. Nope. First encounter with this fellow.
126. Link in a chain? : STORE. Beautiful clue.
127. __ the Red : ERIC
128. Rolling in francs : RICHE. French for "rich" I presume.
129. Actress Polo : TERI
130. Bank caper : HEIST
131. Michaelmas mo. : SEPT. Paolo or someone else mentioned Michaelmas Day on the blog a while ago.
132. Workout consequences : ACHES
133. Signs of success, for short : SROS. SRO = Standing Room Only.
Down:
1. Starbucks choice : MOCHA
2. Turkish chiefs : AGHAS. Also spelled as Aga.
3. Former prefix? : TRANS. Transformer.
4. Medal-worthy : HEROIC
5. Woods or Els : PRO. Golf pro.
6. Play on which a Puccini opera was based : LA TOSCA. I peeked at the answer sheet. We also have AMORE (47. Puccini's love). Italian for "love". Puccini echos.
7. Small quantities? : AMTS. OK, I guess "Small"= "Abbreviated".
8. Hose fillers : TOES
9. Spanish name for the holm oak : ENCINA. Just learned this trivia a couple of months ago.
10. Univ. URL ending : EDU
12. Sushi staple : RICE
13. Herald, as a new era : USHER IN
14. Mar. parade honoree : ST. PAT
16. Slippery swimmers : EELS
17. Precisely, with "to" : A TEE
18. "There!" : TA-DA
24. Wrigley Field's lack until 1988 : LIGHTS. Unknown fact to me.
25. It can drive people to the mountains : HEAT. No mountain here.
32. "There's __ in 'team'" : NO I
34. Madness may involve one : METHOD. Idiom: There's a method to one's madness. Learning moment for me.
36. Cathedral section : APSE
38. Spouts off : ORATES
39. Stickers : LABELS
40. Mate : CHAP
41. Spherical opening? : HEMI. Opening to the word hemispherical.
43. Porker's plaint : OINK
44. Arced molding : OGEE
45. Ones who get a third degree : PHDS
46. Antilles native : CARIB
48. Tube test? : PILOT. TV tube.
55. HDTV brand : RCA
56. Philip __, Asian-American actor known for war movie roles : AHN. Ang in Chinese, as in Ang Lee.
58. Flying level: Abbr. : ALT (Altitude)
60. Veto : KILL
61. Hard as __ : A ROCK
62. "Awesome!" : NEATO
67. Quickly, in memos : ASAP
70. "Blah, blah, blah," briefly : ETC ETC
71. Enthusiastic : RAH RAH
73. Dressing choice : RANCH
74. Sandbox retort : AM TOO
77. Eyjafjallajökull output : ASH. Spitzboov has been waiting for the volcano to appear.
78. Coloratura legend : CALLAS (Maria). Coloratura is a new word to me. It's "runs, trills and other florid decorations in vocal music".
79. Bar passer: Abbr. : ATT (Attorney)
80. Pince-__ : NEZ
82. Moan and groan : CARP. Nice rhyme.
83. Down Under gem : OPAL. Australia looks beautiful through Kazie's eyes.
84. Flower holder : VASE
86. Piedmont wine area : ASTI. And ANGELI (92. Gabriel et al.). Italian for "angels" I gather.
87. Paper purchase : REAM
90. SASE, for one : ENCL
95. Refers casually (to) : ALLUDES
97. Dash : PANACHE
98. Washington is on it : ONE
102. Overflow : TEEM
103. "Movie Macabre" host : ELVIRA. Can never remember her name.
104. Orders from on high : EDICTS
109. California cager : LAKER. Bill's homeboys.
110. January, to Jorge : ENERO. Lots of alliterations in the clue.
111. Patron saint of France : DENIS. Oh, good to know.
112. Obi, e.g. : SASH
113. Past curfew : LATE
114. Madame's mine : A MOI. French for "mine".
116. Rite heap : PYRE
117. Salon sound : SNIP
119. Meteor ending : ITIC. Meteoritic.
125. Bucks and rams : HES
Answer grid.
Congratulations to our LAT constructor Fred Jackson for his first Sunday (Newsday) construction!
Here is Part III of Kazie's Oz pictures. Very scenic.
C.C.
23A. Welsh pop singing sensation : CHARLOTTE CHURCH. Beautiful voice.
37A. Cookie tidbit : CHOCOLATE CHIP
60A. "The Awakening" author (1899) : KATE CHOPIN. No idea. But I know she's not well known when the construcotr has to put 1899 in the bracket.
85A. Knifehand strike : KARATE CHOP
101A. Environmentalist's concern : CLIMATE CHANGE
123A. 1971 counter-culture film revue hosted by Richard Pryor : DYNAMITE CHICKEN. Not in my radar.
15D. Holiday song that begins "The sun is shining, the grass is green" : WHITE CHRISTMAS
53D. Legislative meeting area : SENATE CHAMBERS
120D. Support worker hiding in the eight longest puzzle answers : TECH
Geek Squad is a subsidiary of Best Buy, which is based here in Minnesota. Had to get their TECH help last time when my computer was sick.
Simple & elegant theme. Sunday puzzles tend to have lots of Fill-in-the-Blank clues/entries (8 in today's case), which can ease up the solving considerably. Lots of 4-letter word too, 54 in this grid.
Alliterative clues aplenty. And of course, I am fond of all the "it" clues:
11D. It might be wild : CARD. Wild card.
106D. It's a plus : ASSET
124D. Make it happen : ACT
Across:
1. Addition, e.g. : MATH
5. Five-sided home? : PLATE. Home plate. Baseball. Quite a few question marked clues in the puzzle, though all the theme clues are straightforward.
10. Sandy color : ECRU
14. __ pants : SWEAT
19. Princess Fiona, e.g. : OGRE. The princess From "Shrek".
20. Ben-Hur portrayer Novarro (1925) : RAMON. "Latin lover" in silent movies, a la Wikipedia. Stranger to me.
21. Place for a speaker : DAIS
22. Letter after eta : THETA
26. Like some carpets : PILED
27. Capital near the Gulf of Tonkin : HANOI. And NAM (33. 27-Across site, briefly). Can picture pain in Dennis' face.
28. Davis who voiced Yar in "Dinosaur" : OSSIE
29. Datsun starter? : DEE. The starting letter of Datsun. Awesome clue.
30. Cruising : AT SEA
31. Gives, as homework : ASSIGNS
35. Matter of interest? : RATE
42. Place to pick up chicks : COOP. Ha ha, not bars.
46. Price limit : CAP
49. Pageant prop : TIARA
50. If-__: conditional statements : THENS
51. Stock market stat : HIGH. And UPS (115A. Stock market stats).
52. Off the mark : AMISS
54. 1860s Jefferson contemporary : ABRAHAM. Jefferson Davis. Abe Lincoln.
57. ERA component : EARNED. And ERAS (70. Times to remember). Different meanings. OK to have ERA duplication.
59. Function : ROLE
63. Gives a thumbs-up : LIKES
64. Curling tool : IRON
65. Liam Neeson's land : IRELAND. "Liam Neeson's country" would have avoided Land repetition.
66. Downs a sub? : EATS. Sandwich.
68. __ blocker : BETA
69. Leader leader? : LOSS. Leader of the term "Loss Leader". Got me.
72. Clay pigeon hurler : TRAP
76. Powder mineral : TALC
78. Choir production : CANTATA
81. 1974 Lucille Ball role : MAME
82. Yacht spots : COVES. Hopefully our yacht boy Gunghy will be back next week.
88. Some 75-Down : ANTS. And PESTS (75. Exterminator's targets).
89. Cochise, for one : APACHE. Have never heard of the tribe chief Cochise.
91. Ice cream soda ingredient : SELTZER
92. Broad-ended cravat : ASCOT
93. Sensitive area : RASH
94. Pertaining to birth : NATAL
96. Strike lightly : TAP ON
99. Sounds from Santa : HOS. Is Santa bald?
100. Entreaty : PLEA
105. Teen hangout : MALL
107. Poivre companion : SEL. Salt in French. Poivre = Pepper.
108. Picked on : NEEDLED
112. Parts of a butcher's inventory : SLABS
118. "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" singer : EVITA
121. "South Park" mom : LIANE. No idea.
122. "Charles in Charge" co-star Willie : AAMES. Nope. First encounter with this fellow.
126. Link in a chain? : STORE. Beautiful clue.
127. __ the Red : ERIC
128. Rolling in francs : RICHE. French for "rich" I presume.
129. Actress Polo : TERI
130. Bank caper : HEIST
131. Michaelmas mo. : SEPT. Paolo or someone else mentioned Michaelmas Day on the blog a while ago.
132. Workout consequences : ACHES
133. Signs of success, for short : SROS. SRO = Standing Room Only.
Down:
1. Starbucks choice : MOCHA
2. Turkish chiefs : AGHAS. Also spelled as Aga.
3. Former prefix? : TRANS. Transformer.
4. Medal-worthy : HEROIC
5. Woods or Els : PRO. Golf pro.
6. Play on which a Puccini opera was based : LA TOSCA. I peeked at the answer sheet. We also have AMORE (47. Puccini's love). Italian for "love". Puccini echos.
7. Small quantities? : AMTS. OK, I guess "Small"= "Abbreviated".
8. Hose fillers : TOES
9. Spanish name for the holm oak : ENCINA. Just learned this trivia a couple of months ago.
10. Univ. URL ending : EDU
12. Sushi staple : RICE
13. Herald, as a new era : USHER IN
14. Mar. parade honoree : ST. PAT
16. Slippery swimmers : EELS
17. Precisely, with "to" : A TEE
18. "There!" : TA-DA
24. Wrigley Field's lack until 1988 : LIGHTS. Unknown fact to me.
25. It can drive people to the mountains : HEAT. No mountain here.
32. "There's __ in 'team'" : NO I
34. Madness may involve one : METHOD. Idiom: There's a method to one's madness. Learning moment for me.
36. Cathedral section : APSE
38. Spouts off : ORATES
39. Stickers : LABELS
40. Mate : CHAP
41. Spherical opening? : HEMI. Opening to the word hemispherical.
43. Porker's plaint : OINK
44. Arced molding : OGEE
45. Ones who get a third degree : PHDS
46. Antilles native : CARIB
48. Tube test? : PILOT. TV tube.
55. HDTV brand : RCA
56. Philip __, Asian-American actor known for war movie roles : AHN. Ang in Chinese, as in Ang Lee.
58. Flying level: Abbr. : ALT (Altitude)
60. Veto : KILL
61. Hard as __ : A ROCK
62. "Awesome!" : NEATO
67. Quickly, in memos : ASAP
70. "Blah, blah, blah," briefly : ETC ETC
71. Enthusiastic : RAH RAH
73. Dressing choice : RANCH
74. Sandbox retort : AM TOO
77. Eyjafjallajökull output : ASH. Spitzboov has been waiting for the volcano to appear.
78. Coloratura legend : CALLAS (Maria). Coloratura is a new word to me. It's "runs, trills and other florid decorations in vocal music".
79. Bar passer: Abbr. : ATT (Attorney)
80. Pince-__ : NEZ
82. Moan and groan : CARP. Nice rhyme.
83. Down Under gem : OPAL. Australia looks beautiful through Kazie's eyes.
84. Flower holder : VASE
86. Piedmont wine area : ASTI. And ANGELI (92. Gabriel et al.). Italian for "angels" I gather.
87. Paper purchase : REAM
90. SASE, for one : ENCL
95. Refers casually (to) : ALLUDES
97. Dash : PANACHE
98. Washington is on it : ONE
102. Overflow : TEEM
103. "Movie Macabre" host : ELVIRA. Can never remember her name.
104. Orders from on high : EDICTS
109. California cager : LAKER. Bill's homeboys.
110. January, to Jorge : ENERO. Lots of alliterations in the clue.
111. Patron saint of France : DENIS. Oh, good to know.
112. Obi, e.g. : SASH
113. Past curfew : LATE
114. Madame's mine : A MOI. French for "mine".
116. Rite heap : PYRE
117. Salon sound : SNIP
119. Meteor ending : ITIC. Meteoritic.
125. Bucks and rams : HES
Answer grid.
Congratulations to our LAT constructor Fred Jackson for his first Sunday (Newsday) construction!
Here is Part III of Kazie's Oz pictures. Very scenic.
C.C.
