Theme: Physical Therapy Session - Each two-word common phrase starts with initials P & T.
23A. It begins with H : PERIODIC TABLE. H = Hydrogen.
29A. Place to take a date? : PALM TREE. Date palm. Medjool dates are the best.
35A. Worker with a fork : PIANO TUNER. Don "Hard G" is one.
46A. Wood shop item : POWER TOOL
57A. One may be used in child support cases : PATERNITY TEST
69A. You can't put it down : PAGE TURNER. What are you reading now?
75A. All-bark, no-bite type : PAPER TIGER
83A. Windshield downer : PARKING TICKET. Good answer/clue.
97A. History feature : PAST TENSE. Needed crossing help.
106A. Intimate exchange : PILLOW TALK. Sweet.
115A. Number that may be shocking : PRICE TAG
126A. Endurance level of a sort : PAIN THRESHOLD. My husband has amazing tolerance for pain. He bowls with painful elbow/wrist all the time.
Simple theme. Nicely executed.
Since no unifier or any specific order is needed for the theme entry placement, Jeff had the freedom to move the phrases (a few are short) around to bring out the smoothest Sunday LAT I've solved this year. The fact that all the answers contain mostly common letters sure helped too.
Thoroughly enjoyable. No obscure words/names to frustrate me.
Across:
1. Target : AIM FOR. Easy start.
7. Zany : MADCAP
13. Standout in a small pond? : BIG FISH. Big fish in a small pond.
20. "Pizza by the slice" chain : SBARRO. The name stumped me last time.
21. Cactus bump : AREOLE. Much prefer "Ring of color" clue.
22. Centers for Disease Control headquarters site : ATLANTA
25. Soaked up, as a spill : BLOTTED
26. Barnyard abode : STY
27. Fit together : MESH
28. Hip-hop doc : DRE. Dr. Dre.
30. Detection device : SENSOR
32. Skipper's direction : ALEE
34. A very long time : EONS
39. Some are narrow : ESCAPES. Narrow escapes.
43. Rice-A-__ : RONI
44. Looked for lampreys : EELED
50. Chopin's Opus 10 works : ETUDES
53. One of seven : ASIA. Seven continents.
55. Video game giant : SEGA
56. NY tech. school since 1824 : RPI. When were you there, Spitzboov?
61. Blotch : STAIN
63. VAIO computer maker : SONY. VAIO = Visual Audio Intelligence Organizer. Learned this name from an old Barry Silk puzzle.
64. Took to the airport, say : SAW OFF
68. Brontë who wrote "Agnes Grey" : ANNE
77. Present-day Persia : IRAN
78. Swarmed : TEEMED
80. U.S. dept. concerned with radioactive waste : ENER
81. "Inception" filmmaker Christopher : NOLAN. Of Batman fame.
90. Actress Thurman : UMA
91. Island at the edge of the Bering Sea : ATTU. Westernmost of the Aleutians.
95. Face-off : DUEL
96. Beethoven's "Waldstein," e.g. : SONATA
100. __ toast : MELBA
103. The toe of an Asian "boot" : OMAN. "Boot" of the Arabian Peninsula? I am ignorant of this reference.
104. From way back when : OLD TIME
109. __ City: Baghdad suburb : SADR
112. "__ said!" : NUFF
114. Essence : NATURE
119. One way to sway : FRO. To and fro.
121. Chapeau site : TETE. "Head" in French.
122. __ tai : MAI
125. 1881 Pasteur vaccine target : ANTHRAX. I remember the scare right after 9/11.
129. Cold War follower : DETENTE
130. Harshly criticize : SCATHE. Scathing remarks.
131. Discordant to many an ear : ATONAL
132. Paris's Champs __ : ELYSEES. More romantic walking along the streets in the evenings.
133. Sommelier, e.g. : SERVER
134. Pestilent fly : TSETSE. Hey, a full fly.
Down:
1. Lethal snakes : ASPS. And 10. Lethal snake : COBRA. Clecho. Please come here and cast your vote.
2. "As if!" : I BET
3. Mrs. Lincoln : MARY
4. Calendar abbr. : FRI
5. Words from a balcony : O ROMEO. By Juliet.
6. Squirrel, for one : RODENT
7. Speed of sound : MACH ONE. First reached by Dennis' idol Chuck Yeager.
8. Pianist Tatum : ART
9. __ in the water : DEAD
11. Gene variant : ALLELE. Can never remember this word.
12. Capital of Poland? : PEE. The capital letter in Poland.
13. Ali the woodcutter : BABA
14. "__ cost you!" : IT'LL
15. Grab, in slang : GLOM. Glom onto.
16. Most plump : FATTEST
17. Preamble : INTRO
18. "Card Players Quarreling" artist : STEEN (Jan). See the painting.
19. Underworld god : HADES
24. Time edition : ISSUE. Do you think Tina Brown will save Newsweek?
29. Cowboy legend __ Bill : PECOS
30. Catty : SNIDE
31. Send along : RELAY
33. Uncanny ability : ESP
35. Get set : PREP
36. Itty-bitty bit : IOTA
37. "Sometimes you feel like __ …" : A NUT. Do you?
38. See 127-Down : REST. And 127. With 38-Down, what's left : THE.
40. Amaze : AWE
41. Cribbage piece : PEG
42. Some are named for presidents : ERAS. We live in the Obama era.
45. "__ Irae" : DIES
47. Borneo rainforest dweller : ORANG
48. Offer a thought : OPINE
49. Big boat : LINER
51. While lead-in : ERST. Erstwhile.
52. Muzzle : SNOUT. Nose.
54. Memo order : ASAP
58. Memo opening : INRE
59. Daly of "Judging Amy" : TYNE
60. It flew its last flight in 2001 : TWA. Oh, I didn't know this.
62. Clavell's "__-Pan" : TAI. Tai = Big. Pan = Boss.
65. Start the bidding : OPEN
66. __ shui : FENG. Feng = Wind. Shui = Water.
67. Worries : FRETS
69. Dorm wall art : PINUP
70. Wavy lines, in comics : AROMA
71. Bashes : GALAS
72. "Bambi" doe : ENA. His aunt.
73. Brit. or Byzantine : EMP (Empire)
74. Pore over : READ
76. The Stooges, e.g. : TRIO
79. Jazz combo member : DRUM
82. Pertaining to all 50 sts. : NATL
84. Opposite of spoil : KEEP
85. Bad, in rap slang : ILLIN. What?
86. 100 simoleons : C-NOTE. So many slang for "dollar": cabbage, clam, buck, etc.
87. __ Sutra : KAMA
88. List-shortening term : ET AL
89. Place to put a tiger, in old ads : TANK. Put a tiger in your tank.
92. Media mogul Turner : TED
93. "Rizzoli & Isles" station : TNT
94. Manipulating : USING
98. Primitive light sources : TORCHES
99. Critter on Australia's coat of arms : EMU. Hey there, Kazie!
101. Gibberish : BLATHER
102. Adjust : ALTER
105. Obliterate : EFFACE
107. Consume more than : OUTEAT
108. Jerks : WRESTS. Oh, not the "jerks" I pictured.
109. "Black bird" pursuer of fiction : SPADE. Sam Spade in "The Maltese Falcon". Got me.
110. Synthetic fabric : ARNEL. Just refuses to sink into my memory bank.
111. Simple tune : DITTY
113. Brother in a hood? : FRIAR. Saw similar clue before.
116. Eagle by the shore : ERNE
117. Pop __, Chok'lit Shoppe owner in "Archie" comics : TATE. Learning moment to me.
118. Cancels : AXES
120. Airing, as a sitcom : ON TV
122. The Alps' __ Blanc : MONT
123. Regretful word : ALAS
124. Not doing anything : IDLE
126. They're usually under signatures: Abbr. : PSS
128. Work the soil : HOE
Answer grid.
C.C.
23A. It begins with H : PERIODIC TABLE. H = Hydrogen.
29A. Place to take a date? : PALM TREE. Date palm. Medjool dates are the best.
35A. Worker with a fork : PIANO TUNER. Don "Hard G" is one.
46A. Wood shop item : POWER TOOL
57A. One may be used in child support cases : PATERNITY TEST
69A. You can't put it down : PAGE TURNER. What are you reading now?
75A. All-bark, no-bite type : PAPER TIGER
83A. Windshield downer : PARKING TICKET. Good answer/clue.
97A. History feature : PAST TENSE. Needed crossing help.
106A. Intimate exchange : PILLOW TALK. Sweet.
115A. Number that may be shocking : PRICE TAG
126A. Endurance level of a sort : PAIN THRESHOLD. My husband has amazing tolerance for pain. He bowls with painful elbow/wrist all the time.
Simple theme. Nicely executed.
Since no unifier or any specific order is needed for the theme entry placement, Jeff had the freedom to move the phrases (a few are short) around to bring out the smoothest Sunday LAT I've solved this year. The fact that all the answers contain mostly common letters sure helped too.
Thoroughly enjoyable. No obscure words/names to frustrate me.
Across:
1. Target : AIM FOR. Easy start.
7. Zany : MADCAP
13. Standout in a small pond? : BIG FISH. Big fish in a small pond.
20. "Pizza by the slice" chain : SBARRO. The name stumped me last time.
21. Cactus bump : AREOLE. Much prefer "Ring of color" clue.
22. Centers for Disease Control headquarters site : ATLANTA
25. Soaked up, as a spill : BLOTTED
26. Barnyard abode : STY
27. Fit together : MESH
28. Hip-hop doc : DRE. Dr. Dre.
30. Detection device : SENSOR
32. Skipper's direction : ALEE
34. A very long time : EONS
39. Some are narrow : ESCAPES. Narrow escapes.
43. Rice-A-__ : RONI
44. Looked for lampreys : EELED
50. Chopin's Opus 10 works : ETUDES
53. One of seven : ASIA. Seven continents.
55. Video game giant : SEGA
56. NY tech. school since 1824 : RPI. When were you there, Spitzboov?
61. Blotch : STAIN
63. VAIO computer maker : SONY. VAIO = Visual Audio Intelligence Organizer. Learned this name from an old Barry Silk puzzle.
64. Took to the airport, say : SAW OFF
68. Brontë who wrote "Agnes Grey" : ANNE
77. Present-day Persia : IRAN
78. Swarmed : TEEMED
80. U.S. dept. concerned with radioactive waste : ENER
81. "Inception" filmmaker Christopher : NOLAN. Of Batman fame.
90. Actress Thurman : UMA
91. Island at the edge of the Bering Sea : ATTU. Westernmost of the Aleutians.
95. Face-off : DUEL
96. Beethoven's "Waldstein," e.g. : SONATA
100. __ toast : MELBA
103. The toe of an Asian "boot" : OMAN. "Boot" of the Arabian Peninsula? I am ignorant of this reference.
104. From way back when : OLD TIME
109. __ City: Baghdad suburb : SADR
112. "__ said!" : NUFF
114. Essence : NATURE
119. One way to sway : FRO. To and fro.
121. Chapeau site : TETE. "Head" in French.
122. __ tai : MAI
125. 1881 Pasteur vaccine target : ANTHRAX. I remember the scare right after 9/11.
129. Cold War follower : DETENTE
130. Harshly criticize : SCATHE. Scathing remarks.
131. Discordant to many an ear : ATONAL
132. Paris's Champs __ : ELYSEES. More romantic walking along the streets in the evenings.
133. Sommelier, e.g. : SERVER
134. Pestilent fly : TSETSE. Hey, a full fly.
Down:
1. Lethal snakes : ASPS. And 10. Lethal snake : COBRA. Clecho. Please come here and cast your vote.
2. "As if!" : I BET
3. Mrs. Lincoln : MARY
4. Calendar abbr. : FRI
5. Words from a balcony : O ROMEO. By Juliet.
6. Squirrel, for one : RODENT
7. Speed of sound : MACH ONE. First reached by Dennis' idol Chuck Yeager.
8. Pianist Tatum : ART
9. __ in the water : DEAD
11. Gene variant : ALLELE. Can never remember this word.
12. Capital of Poland? : PEE. The capital letter in Poland.
13. Ali the woodcutter : BABA
14. "__ cost you!" : IT'LL
15. Grab, in slang : GLOM. Glom onto.
16. Most plump : FATTEST
17. Preamble : INTRO
18. "Card Players Quarreling" artist : STEEN (Jan). See the painting.
19. Underworld god : HADES
24. Time edition : ISSUE. Do you think Tina Brown will save Newsweek?
29. Cowboy legend __ Bill : PECOS
30. Catty : SNIDE
31. Send along : RELAY
33. Uncanny ability : ESP
35. Get set : PREP
36. Itty-bitty bit : IOTA
37. "Sometimes you feel like __ …" : A NUT. Do you?
38. See 127-Down : REST. And 127. With 38-Down, what's left : THE.
40. Amaze : AWE
41. Cribbage piece : PEG
42. Some are named for presidents : ERAS. We live in the Obama era.
45. "__ Irae" : DIES
47. Borneo rainforest dweller : ORANG
48. Offer a thought : OPINE
49. Big boat : LINER
51. While lead-in : ERST. Erstwhile.
52. Muzzle : SNOUT. Nose.
54. Memo order : ASAP
58. Memo opening : INRE
59. Daly of "Judging Amy" : TYNE
60. It flew its last flight in 2001 : TWA. Oh, I didn't know this.
62. Clavell's "__-Pan" : TAI. Tai = Big. Pan = Boss.
65. Start the bidding : OPEN
66. __ shui : FENG. Feng = Wind. Shui = Water.
67. Worries : FRETS
69. Dorm wall art : PINUP
70. Wavy lines, in comics : AROMA
71. Bashes : GALAS
72. "Bambi" doe : ENA. His aunt.
73. Brit. or Byzantine : EMP (Empire)
74. Pore over : READ
76. The Stooges, e.g. : TRIO
79. Jazz combo member : DRUM
82. Pertaining to all 50 sts. : NATL
84. Opposite of spoil : KEEP
85. Bad, in rap slang : ILLIN. What?
86. 100 simoleons : C-NOTE. So many slang for "dollar": cabbage, clam, buck, etc.
87. __ Sutra : KAMA
88. List-shortening term : ET AL
89. Place to put a tiger, in old ads : TANK. Put a tiger in your tank.
92. Media mogul Turner : TED
93. "Rizzoli & Isles" station : TNT
94. Manipulating : USING
98. Primitive light sources : TORCHES
99. Critter on Australia's coat of arms : EMU. Hey there, Kazie!
101. Gibberish : BLATHER
102. Adjust : ALTER
105. Obliterate : EFFACE
107. Consume more than : OUTEAT
108. Jerks : WRESTS. Oh, not the "jerks" I pictured.
109. "Black bird" pursuer of fiction : SPADE. Sam Spade in "The Maltese Falcon". Got me.
110. Synthetic fabric : ARNEL. Just refuses to sink into my memory bank.
111. Simple tune : DITTY
113. Brother in a hood? : FRIAR. Saw similar clue before.
116. Eagle by the shore : ERNE
117. Pop __, Chok'lit Shoppe owner in "Archie" comics : TATE. Learning moment to me.
118. Cancels : AXES
120. Airing, as a sitcom : ON TV
122. The Alps' __ Blanc : MONT
123. Regretful word : ALAS
124. Not doing anything : IDLE
126. They're usually under signatures: Abbr. : PSS
128. Work the soil : HOE
Answer grid.
C.C.
