Theme: Tee for Two - Letter T is added to the start of the second word of each two-word familiar phrase, which also has letter T as the end of its first word. The resulting phrase with two Ts spanning in the middle is then humorously clued.
23A. Monster affected by a moon phase? : CRESCENT TROLL. The base phrase is crescent roll.
37A. Levy on butchers? : MEAT TAX. Meat ax.
69A. Warren weeping? : RABBIT TEARS. Rabbit ears. Rabbits live in warrens. Bet it brought a smile to our Warren and his lovely wife Ruth.
76A. Japanese chicken snacks? : EAST TENDERS. Not familiar with the base phrase "EastEnders". Does it refer to the BBC show?
106A. Can for old smokes? : BUTT TIN. Butt in.
124A. Attacker's fruity treat? : ASSAULT TRIFLE. Assault rifle.
17D. Small pie à la Pollock? : ABSTRACT TART. Abstract art. Pollock's work is truly hard to understand.
41D. Stuff that sticks for years? : GREAT TAPE. Great ape.
49D. Taunting from the Miami bench? : HEAT TRASH. Heat rash. Miami Heats (NBA).
65A. Bakery supply for wrapping cake boxes? : DESSERT TWINE. Dessert wine.
Fun theme. Fun clues too. I liked that all the theme entries are two-word phrases, which give the theme a narrowed focus.
Some may not pay attention to those transformed second T* word, but none of them has the repeating pattern. Rich Norris (Nora Pearlstone is his alias name, anagram of "not a real person". ) covered a wide range of possible T starting words:
1) T with various vowels/vowel combination: short a, long a, ar, ea, e & i. I suppose Rich found no sparkly To or Ty phrases.
2) T with consonants: TW & TR(A/I/O). TH is missing. Thought it's a good combination to play around. No, Jerome/John?
Total 49 Ts in the grid, eclipsed only by the most used crossword vowel E (53).
My favorite clues today:
122A. Split payment? : ALIMONY
116D. Females with pig tails : SOWS. The clue made me laugh.
Across:
1. Get at : ACCESS
7. Like lambs : GENTLE. I wanted SILENT, thinking "The Silence of the Lambs". We also have TAME (118D. Easy to manage).
13. 1983 invasion site : GRENADA
20. President Ahmadinejad's capital : TEHRAN. Mad man.
21. Pioneer Day celebrant : UTAHAN. Not familiar with Utah's state holiday "Pioneer Day".
22. Dressed : ENROBED
25. Chips Ahoy! maker : NABISCO
26. Filet mignon, e.g. : ENTREE
27. Black Sea country : UKRAINE. Awesome entry.
29. Diglyceride, for one : ESTER. Know the answer, not the clue.
30. Performance rights org. : BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc)
31. Craving : URGE
33. Give a hand : ASSIST
35. Yeats's homeland : ERIN. Poetic name for Ireland.
36. Response to an e-mail wisecrack : LOL
40. "Here's the __ ..." : THING
42. Many a Monopoly sq. : AVE
43. Sole : ONLY
45. Abbot's address: Abbr. : RT. REV. Retired Reverend I suppose. (Correction: It stands for Right Reverend. Thanks, Lemonade.)
46. Spiffed (up) : SPRUCED
48. Illustrator N.C. : WYETH. No idea. He's the father of Andrew Wyeth, known for his "Christina's World".
50. The younger Saarinen : EERO. The older Saarinen is Eliel.
51. Boo follower : HOO. Boohoo.
54. Toon flapper Etta : KETT. Can never remember this old comic figure.
55. __ Plaines, Illinois : DES
57. 1980s South African pres. : P.W. BOTHA. Was confused by the PWB combination. Total stranger.
60. Starts the kitty : ANTES
63. Mouse site : PAD. Computer mouse.
66. College fund-raising targets : ALUMS
71. U.K. award : OBE (Order of the British Empire)
72. Newbie : TYRO
73. Everycowboy : TEX
74. Skip : OMIT
75. Hook (up) : RIG
79. Carrion eater : HYENA
80. Asian holiday : TET. Only in Vietnam.
81. '90s N.Y. Philharmonic conductor Kurt : MASUR. Another stranger.
82. Westernmost of the Sunda Islands : SUMATRA
84. Mean at a univ. : GPA
86. South Dakota, to Pierre : ETAT. Pierre here refers to the typical French name instead of the capital city.
88. Word before and after "vs." in a Mad feature : SPY. Spy vs. Spy.
89. Italian vineyard region : ASTI. Do you like "Stealing Beauty"?
92. Culture: Pref. : ETHNO
96. Read : PERUSED
99. Scrawny : GAUNT
101. Good earth : LOAM. Nice play on "The Good Earth".
102. Co. that spun off the Baby Bells : AT&T
103. Wasteland : HEATH
108. Luau instrument : UKE
109. 19th Amendment proponent : CATT. Carrie Chapman Catt. Suffrage.
111. Tough spot : SCRAPE
113. Saltimbocca herb : SAGE. Was ignorant of the exact family sage belongs to.
114. Seat holder: Abbr. : SEN. Senate.
115. Flightless New Zealanders : KIWIS
117. Ruthless leaders : TYRANTS
120. Rubbed the wrong way : CHAFED
127. Time keeping action? : RENEWAL. Time magazine.
128. Treads heavily : STOMPS
129. List shortener : ET ALIA
130. Women's department array : DRESSES
131. Most balanced : SANEST
132. "Have patience" : NOT YET
Down:
1. LAX tower service : ATC. Air Traffic Control. I forgot.
2. What a stickler may stand on? : CEREMONY. Why? Don't get this clue.
3. Bedspread fabric : CHENILLE. Chenille fabric.
4. While opening : ERST. Erstwhile.
5. Pelvic bone : SACRUM
6. Scornful type : SNEERER
7. Like some instinctive reactions : GUT
8. Caesar's closer : ET TU. "Et tu, Brute?". Caesar's dying words.
9. Sussex stoolie : NARK. Did not know the Brits call informant "nark". Weird, it sounds the cop "narc" to me.
10. Chest : THORAX
11. Singers' refrains : LALAS. One more time for Lucia to think of her mother.
12. Join up : ENLIST
13. Beginning : GENESIS
14. Protein-building polymer : RNA. Only know it as "Genetic letters".
15. Kathryn of "Law & Order: C.I." : ERBE. Her name escaped me. We had this actress before.
16. Uproar : NOISE
18. Trick : DECEIVE
19. Decorated : ADORNED
24. Deny the truth of : NEGATE
28. Med. research org. : NIH (National Institutes of Health)
30. Lose, as a big lead : BLOW
32. To be, in Quebec : ETRE
34. I-90 in Mass., e.g. : TNPK (Turnpike)
38. U. of Maryland team : TERPS
39. Declare : AVOW
44. Financial report hdg. : YTD
47. __ Reader: alternative media anthology : UTNE. Named after its founder.
51. Sting, for instance : HOAX. Sting operation. Not singer Sting.
52. Tout's hangout, for short : OTB (Offtrack Betting)
53. "Yahoo!" : OH BOY
56. Roy Rogers's birth name : SLYE. His real name is Leonard Slye. Might be one of Dennis "Did you know...". I simply forgot.
58. Brittany seaport : BREST
59. Je t'__: French "I love you" : AIME
61. Historic canal : ERIE
62. U.S. Army E-6 : SSGT. Staff Sergeant.
63. Pope creation : POEM. English poet Alexander Pope.
64. Four-line rhyme scheme : ABAA
67. Coffee holders : URNS
68. __ vivendi: lifestyle : MODUS. I only know "joie de vivre".
70. Small bell sound : TING
73. Room service convenience : TRAY
77. Layered skirt : TUTU
78. Old Roman ldr. : EMP. ldr = leader. Meh!
79. Goes after : HAS AT
83. Product with "Robusto!" flavors : RAGU
85. View from Martha's Vineyard, Mass. : ATL. Atlantic ocean.
87. Golf shop bagful : TEES
90. "Tsk" relatives : TUTS
91. Whole : INTACT
93. Indoor buzzer? : HOUSEFLY. Superb clue/answer.
94. Blunt fiction : NAKED LIE. I like this answer too.
95. Rainbow, to some : OMEN
96. Early luxury auto : PACKARD
97. 24/7 business : ETAILER
98. Three-syllable feet : DACTYLS. How I wish dear Clear Ayes were here to give us an example!
100. Secure, in a way : TIGHTEN
104. Give it a go : TRY
105. Bother no end : HARASS
106. Former Mormon leader Ezra Taft __ : BENSON. Peeked at the answer sheet. He has a distinguished look.
107. Almost touching : NEAR TO
110. Airport postings : TIMES
112. Fusilli, e.g. : PASTA
119. Has dinner : SUPS. And EAT (126. Dinner exhortation). Dinner echos.
121. Royal decree : FIAT
123. Tam wearer's turndown : NAE. Scottish for "no".
125. D-Day craft : LST (Landing Ship Tank)
Answer grid.
I have a question: Does Nora Pearlstone sound like a porn star name to you? We continue to get quite a few Japanese porn spams on last Nora "PMS" themed Sunday puzzle, even after we deleted all the possible links in the main write-up and the Comments section. Darling Santa has to delete them nearly every day.
C.C.
23A. Monster affected by a moon phase? : CRESCENT TROLL. The base phrase is crescent roll.
37A. Levy on butchers? : MEAT TAX. Meat ax.
69A. Warren weeping? : RABBIT TEARS. Rabbit ears. Rabbits live in warrens. Bet it brought a smile to our Warren and his lovely wife Ruth.
76A. Japanese chicken snacks? : EAST TENDERS. Not familiar with the base phrase "EastEnders". Does it refer to the BBC show?
106A. Can for old smokes? : BUTT TIN. Butt in.
124A. Attacker's fruity treat? : ASSAULT TRIFLE. Assault rifle.
17D. Small pie à la Pollock? : ABSTRACT TART. Abstract art. Pollock's work is truly hard to understand.
41D. Stuff that sticks for years? : GREAT TAPE. Great ape.
49D. Taunting from the Miami bench? : HEAT TRASH. Heat rash. Miami Heats (NBA).
65A. Bakery supply for wrapping cake boxes? : DESSERT TWINE. Dessert wine.
Fun theme. Fun clues too. I liked that all the theme entries are two-word phrases, which give the theme a narrowed focus.
Some may not pay attention to those transformed second T* word, but none of them has the repeating pattern. Rich Norris (Nora Pearlstone is his alias name, anagram of "not a real person". ) covered a wide range of possible T starting words:
1) T with various vowels/vowel combination: short a, long a, ar, ea, e & i. I suppose Rich found no sparkly To or Ty phrases.
2) T with consonants: TW & TR(A/I/O). TH is missing. Thought it's a good combination to play around. No, Jerome/John?
Total 49 Ts in the grid, eclipsed only by the most used crossword vowel E (53).
My favorite clues today:
122A. Split payment? : ALIMONY
116D. Females with pig tails : SOWS. The clue made me laugh.
Across:
1. Get at : ACCESS
7. Like lambs : GENTLE. I wanted SILENT, thinking "The Silence of the Lambs". We also have TAME (118D. Easy to manage).
13. 1983 invasion site : GRENADA
20. President Ahmadinejad's capital : TEHRAN. Mad man.
21. Pioneer Day celebrant : UTAHAN. Not familiar with Utah's state holiday "Pioneer Day".
22. Dressed : ENROBED
25. Chips Ahoy! maker : NABISCO
26. Filet mignon, e.g. : ENTREE
27. Black Sea country : UKRAINE. Awesome entry.
29. Diglyceride, for one : ESTER. Know the answer, not the clue.
30. Performance rights org. : BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc)
31. Craving : URGE
33. Give a hand : ASSIST
35. Yeats's homeland : ERIN. Poetic name for Ireland.
36. Response to an e-mail wisecrack : LOL
40. "Here's the __ ..." : THING
42. Many a Monopoly sq. : AVE
43. Sole : ONLY
45. Abbot's address: Abbr. : RT. REV. Retired Reverend I suppose. (Correction: It stands for Right Reverend. Thanks, Lemonade.)
46. Spiffed (up) : SPRUCED
48. Illustrator N.C. : WYETH. No idea. He's the father of Andrew Wyeth, known for his "Christina's World".
50. The younger Saarinen : EERO. The older Saarinen is Eliel.
51. Boo follower : HOO. Boohoo.
54. Toon flapper Etta : KETT. Can never remember this old comic figure.
55. __ Plaines, Illinois : DES
57. 1980s South African pres. : P.W. BOTHA. Was confused by the PWB combination. Total stranger.
60. Starts the kitty : ANTES
63. Mouse site : PAD. Computer mouse.
66. College fund-raising targets : ALUMS
71. U.K. award : OBE (Order of the British Empire)
72. Newbie : TYRO
73. Everycowboy : TEX
74. Skip : OMIT
75. Hook (up) : RIG
79. Carrion eater : HYENA
80. Asian holiday : TET. Only in Vietnam.
81. '90s N.Y. Philharmonic conductor Kurt : MASUR. Another stranger.
82. Westernmost of the Sunda Islands : SUMATRA
84. Mean at a univ. : GPA
86. South Dakota, to Pierre : ETAT. Pierre here refers to the typical French name instead of the capital city.
88. Word before and after "vs." in a Mad feature : SPY. Spy vs. Spy.
89. Italian vineyard region : ASTI. Do you like "Stealing Beauty"?
92. Culture: Pref. : ETHNO
96. Read : PERUSED
99. Scrawny : GAUNT
101. Good earth : LOAM. Nice play on "The Good Earth".
102. Co. that spun off the Baby Bells : AT&T
103. Wasteland : HEATH
108. Luau instrument : UKE
109. 19th Amendment proponent : CATT. Carrie Chapman Catt. Suffrage.
111. Tough spot : SCRAPE
113. Saltimbocca herb : SAGE. Was ignorant of the exact family sage belongs to.
114. Seat holder: Abbr. : SEN. Senate.
115. Flightless New Zealanders : KIWIS
117. Ruthless leaders : TYRANTS
120. Rubbed the wrong way : CHAFED
127. Time keeping action? : RENEWAL. Time magazine.
128. Treads heavily : STOMPS
129. List shortener : ET ALIA
130. Women's department array : DRESSES
131. Most balanced : SANEST
132. "Have patience" : NOT YET
Down:
1. LAX tower service : ATC. Air Traffic Control. I forgot.
2. What a stickler may stand on? : CEREMONY. Why? Don't get this clue.
3. Bedspread fabric : CHENILLE. Chenille fabric.
4. While opening : ERST. Erstwhile.
5. Pelvic bone : SACRUM
6. Scornful type : SNEERER
7. Like some instinctive reactions : GUT
8. Caesar's closer : ET TU. "Et tu, Brute?". Caesar's dying words.
9. Sussex stoolie : NARK. Did not know the Brits call informant "nark". Weird, it sounds the cop "narc" to me.
10. Chest : THORAX
11. Singers' refrains : LALAS. One more time for Lucia to think of her mother.
12. Join up : ENLIST
13. Beginning : GENESIS
14. Protein-building polymer : RNA. Only know it as "Genetic letters".
15. Kathryn of "Law & Order: C.I." : ERBE. Her name escaped me. We had this actress before.
16. Uproar : NOISE
18. Trick : DECEIVE
19. Decorated : ADORNED
24. Deny the truth of : NEGATE
28. Med. research org. : NIH (National Institutes of Health)
30. Lose, as a big lead : BLOW
32. To be, in Quebec : ETRE
34. I-90 in Mass., e.g. : TNPK (Turnpike)
38. U. of Maryland team : TERPS
39. Declare : AVOW
44. Financial report hdg. : YTD
47. __ Reader: alternative media anthology : UTNE. Named after its founder.
51. Sting, for instance : HOAX. Sting operation. Not singer Sting.
52. Tout's hangout, for short : OTB (Offtrack Betting)
53. "Yahoo!" : OH BOY
56. Roy Rogers's birth name : SLYE. His real name is Leonard Slye. Might be one of Dennis "Did you know...". I simply forgot.
58. Brittany seaport : BREST
59. Je t'__: French "I love you" : AIME
61. Historic canal : ERIE
62. U.S. Army E-6 : SSGT. Staff Sergeant.
63. Pope creation : POEM. English poet Alexander Pope.
64. Four-line rhyme scheme : ABAA
67. Coffee holders : URNS
68. __ vivendi: lifestyle : MODUS. I only know "joie de vivre".
70. Small bell sound : TING
73. Room service convenience : TRAY
77. Layered skirt : TUTU
78. Old Roman ldr. : EMP. ldr = leader. Meh!
79. Goes after : HAS AT
83. Product with "Robusto!" flavors : RAGU
85. View from Martha's Vineyard, Mass. : ATL. Atlantic ocean.
87. Golf shop bagful : TEES
90. "Tsk" relatives : TUTS
91. Whole : INTACT
93. Indoor buzzer? : HOUSEFLY. Superb clue/answer.
94. Blunt fiction : NAKED LIE. I like this answer too.
95. Rainbow, to some : OMEN
96. Early luxury auto : PACKARD
97. 24/7 business : ETAILER
98. Three-syllable feet : DACTYLS. How I wish dear Clear Ayes were here to give us an example!
100. Secure, in a way : TIGHTEN
104. Give it a go : TRY
105. Bother no end : HARASS
106. Former Mormon leader Ezra Taft __ : BENSON. Peeked at the answer sheet. He has a distinguished look.
107. Almost touching : NEAR TO
110. Airport postings : TIMES
112. Fusilli, e.g. : PASTA
119. Has dinner : SUPS. And EAT (126. Dinner exhortation). Dinner echos.
121. Royal decree : FIAT
123. Tam wearer's turndown : NAE. Scottish for "no".
125. D-Day craft : LST (Landing Ship Tank)
Answer grid.
I have a question: Does Nora Pearlstone sound like a porn star name to you? We continue to get quite a few Japanese porn spams on last Nora "PMS" themed Sunday puzzle, even after we deleted all the possible links in the main write-up and the Comments section. Darling Santa has to delete them nearly every day.
C.C.
