Theme: Put Me In, Coach - ME is inserted in each familiar name/phrase/word, and the resulting phrase is then humorously clued.
23A. King of workouts? : HENRY THE FIR(ME)ST. Henry the First.
45A. Belittle Short? : DE(ME)AN MARTIN. Dean Martin. Martin Short.
96A. Rogaine-induced reverie? : DREA(ME)D LOCKS. Dreadlocks. I've never heard of Rogaine. Drug for hair loss.
119A. Institution for Shrek and Fiona? : HO(ME)LY MATRIMONY. Holy matrimony.
15D. Footballers who draw flags? : DIRTY LINE(ME)N. Dirty Linen.
48D. Purloined sirloin? : (ME)AT HEIST. Atheist.
51D. Zoo area for dromedaries? : CA(ME)L ZONE. Calzone. Have yet to taste it.
64D. Silent cowboy flick? : MI(ME)D WESTERN. Midwestern.
Nice set of 8 theme answers. Half of them have one-word base phrases. No easy task to comb through **ME** words & come up with cluable answers.
I also like the intersection of 4 theme answers. Always impressive. The theme title is rather self-revealing though. I bet many of you grokked the gimmick quickly.
Could be Jonathan Black's debut. If so, congratulations.
Across:
1. Toward the ship's rear : ABAFT. Nailed it.
6. It may be rolled out : TARP. Was picturing red carpet.
10. Sandler of "Big Daddy" : ADAM
14. Really dig : ADORE
19. Man of La Mancha : SENOR. Nice play on the film "Man of La Mancha".
20. Asian nurse : AMAH. Lots of Filipinos working as nannies in Hongkong.
21. Steam (up) : RILE
22. River to the Tyrrhenian Sea : TIBER. Through Rome.
26. Cache : TROVE. Ah, now Argyle and I fully understood how important those cached files are.
27. Jam time : SESSION
28. Balaam's mount : ASS. Biblical mount.
29. Upscale groups : ELITEs
31. Swore : ATTESTED
34. By far : EASILY. Easily the best.
36. Seed protector : ARIL. Like the tiny white stuff covering the pomegranate seeds.
39. Isolate, in a way : ENISLE
41. Green sides : SALADS. Took me a minute.
50. __ Victor : RCA
52. Country where Baha'i was founded : IRAN. Their calendar consists of 19 months of 19 days.
53. Lab subject : DNA
54. Bully : COERCE
55. Hip bones : ILIA
57. Milky Way phenomenon believed to occur almost weekly : NOVA
58. Delay : LAG
59. Bullet that leaves a trail : TRACER. New to me.
60. Wordsworth works : POEMS
62. Commander, in Arabic : EMIR
63. Fragrant resin : ELEMI. Learned from doing Xword.
65. "My mama done __ me ...": song lyric : TOL'. Grammatically incomprehensible.
66. One paying a flat fee : LESSEE
67. Earned : MADE
68. Creep : INCH. Needs "along" in the clue, no?
70. Good in the 'hood : BAD
71. Bowler's assignment : LANE
73. Cup part : BRIM
76. Parting shot, say : RETORT. I don't get this clue. Why "parting"?
79. La __ : PAZ. Bolivia. Paz = "Peace"
81. Chimborazo's range : ANDES
85. Bank deposit : LODE. River bank. Awesome clue.
86. Beauty pageant prize : TIARA
87. Pounds : THROBS. What did you want, Dennis?
89. "__ fallen ..." : I'VE
90. Word most often heard around midnight : AULD. On New Year's Eve.
91. Talk with one's hands : SIGN. Sign language?
92. A lot of thinking is done in them : CRANIA. I feel the left side of my skull is bigger than the right side.
93. Truck capacity unit : TON
94. Hasenpfeffer, e.g. : STEW. I've never heard of this German rabbit stew, Kazie. Hase = Rabbit. Pfeffer = Pepper, a la Wiki.
95. Antitrust law enforcer: Abbr. : FTC
99. Mezzo Berganza : TERESA. No idea. She's Spanish.
101. They have reservations : HOTELS. Thought of Indians.
103. Quaker's pronoun : THEE. I confuse Quakers with Shakers.
104. Confined : SHUT IN
106. Most austere : BLEAKEST
111. Compound used to stabilize perfume : KETONE. Learning moment.
113. Charlotte-to-Raleigh dir. : ENE. I trust the constructor gets it right.
115. Self-playing instrument : PIANOLA
118. Like some floors : TILED
124. Bestow : AWARD
125. "-zoic" things : ERAS. I like this clue.
126. Cork's home : EIRE. Cork county, Ireland.
127. Bistro bill of fare : CARTE
128. Fool : NINNY
129. Coastal raptors : ERNS
130. Artistic impressions, briefly? : TATS (Tattoos).
131. See 2-Down : KNEES. And 2D. With 131-Across, greatest thing : BEES. Bee's knees.
Down:
1. Lenten symbol : ASH
3. Writer Tyler : ANNE. She is from Minnesota.
4. On eBay, e.g. : FOR SALE. I just buy.
5. Assignation : TRYST
6. California border lake : TAHOE
7. Words of agreement : AMENs
8. Churchill's "so few": Abbr. : RAF. Was unaware the "so few" in "Never was so much owed by so many to so few"refers to the Royal Air Force.
9. Key letter : PHI. Fraternity/Sorority key. Got me. (Correction: KEY here refers to the PHI Beta Kappa symbol. Thanks, Lemonade.)
10. Guns : ARMS
11. Semi filler : DIESEL
12. Capone and Capp : ALs. Then we have 114D. Capone harasser : NESS (Eliot). Capone echos.
13. Allots, with "out" : METES
14. Fifth-century scourge : ATTILA. Attila the Hun, Scourge of God.
16. O, in old radio lingo : OBOE. No idea.
17. Guns : REVS
18. "... __ he drove out of sight" : ERE
24. Little bird : TIT. Made me TEHEE (105. Giggle).
25. Pie cuts, essentially : RADII
30. Dr. Cuddy on "House" : LISA. Got via crosses.
32. 1970s-'90s Toyota : TERCEL. Wiki said "Tercel" derives from Latin meaning "one third" as the Tercel was slightly smaller than the Corolla.
33. Come in : ENTER
35. Mountain homes : AERIES. For the eagles.
36. Discombobulate : ADDLE. Fun word, discombobulate.
37. Kidney-related : RENAL
38. Candidate's concern : IMAGE
40. Threw barbs : SNIPED
42. Pizzeria attraction : AROMA
43. Longtime Seinfeld collaborator : DAVID (Larry)
44. Catch : SNARE
46. Join the cast of : ACT IN
47. "__ any drop to drink": Coleridge : NOR
49. "Giovanna d'__": Verdi opera : ARCO. Know nothing about operas.
56. __ Altos, California : LOS
61. Caribbean, e.g. : SEA
66. Delt neighbor : LAT
69. PC component : CRT
70. German chancellor, 1969-'74 : BRANDT (Willy). First encounter with this guy. He won Nobel Peace in 1971.
72. Like Willie Nelson's voice : NASAL. Boomer loves his songs.
73. Great time : BLAST
74. Beat : ROUTE
75. Dynamo's antithesis : IDLER
77. Discipline involving slow movement : TAI CHI. Very slow. Mostly practiced by old people in China.
78. Web address ending : ORG
79. "Wheel of Fortune" category : PHRASE
80. Saroyan's "My Name Is __" : ARAM. I've never heard of the book.
82. Abandon : DITCH
83. Arouse : EVOKE
84. Taste, e.g. : SENSE
87. Immune response component : T CELL
88. Nod, maybe : BID
95. Man-goat deity : FAUN. Satyr is a faun, right?
97. Mutiny : REBEL
98. It can help you relax : OTTOMAN. Sofa.
100. Poorly made : SHODDY
102. Like some bands : ONE-MAN
107. Like soldiers and their families, usually : APART. Poignant clue.
108. Toys with tails : KITES
109. Ring bearer? : EAR. Earrings?
110. Small cut : SNICK
111. Smallest ratite bird : KIWI
112. Brio : ELAN
116. Traditional wisdom : LORE
117. A chip, maybe : ANTE
118. "The Joy Luck Club" author : TAN (Amy). Very authentic portrayal of Chinese-American immigrants.
120. "Catch-22" pilot : ORR. Wow, no idea, Bobby!
121. "Are we there __?" : YET
122. "Mamma __!" : MIA
123. "Absolutely!" : YES
Answer grid.
C.C.
23A. King of workouts? : HENRY THE FIR(ME)ST. Henry the First.
45A. Belittle Short? : DE(ME)AN MARTIN. Dean Martin. Martin Short.
96A. Rogaine-induced reverie? : DREA(ME)D LOCKS. Dreadlocks. I've never heard of Rogaine. Drug for hair loss.
119A. Institution for Shrek and Fiona? : HO(ME)LY MATRIMONY. Holy matrimony.
15D. Footballers who draw flags? : DIRTY LINE(ME)N. Dirty Linen.
48D. Purloined sirloin? : (ME)AT HEIST. Atheist.
51D. Zoo area for dromedaries? : CA(ME)L ZONE. Calzone. Have yet to taste it.
64D. Silent cowboy flick? : MI(ME)D WESTERN. Midwestern.
Nice set of 8 theme answers. Half of them have one-word base phrases. No easy task to comb through **ME** words & come up with cluable answers.
I also like the intersection of 4 theme answers. Always impressive. The theme title is rather self-revealing though. I bet many of you grokked the gimmick quickly.
Could be Jonathan Black's debut. If so, congratulations.
Across:
1. Toward the ship's rear : ABAFT. Nailed it.
6. It may be rolled out : TARP. Was picturing red carpet.
10. Sandler of "Big Daddy" : ADAM
14. Really dig : ADORE
19. Man of La Mancha : SENOR. Nice play on the film "Man of La Mancha".
20. Asian nurse : AMAH. Lots of Filipinos working as nannies in Hongkong.
21. Steam (up) : RILE
22. River to the Tyrrhenian Sea : TIBER. Through Rome.
26. Cache : TROVE. Ah, now Argyle and I fully understood how important those cached files are.
27. Jam time : SESSION
28. Balaam's mount : ASS. Biblical mount.
29. Upscale groups : ELITEs
31. Swore : ATTESTED
34. By far : EASILY. Easily the best.
36. Seed protector : ARIL. Like the tiny white stuff covering the pomegranate seeds.
39. Isolate, in a way : ENISLE
41. Green sides : SALADS. Took me a minute.
50. __ Victor : RCA
52. Country where Baha'i was founded : IRAN. Their calendar consists of 19 months of 19 days.
53. Lab subject : DNA
54. Bully : COERCE
55. Hip bones : ILIA
57. Milky Way phenomenon believed to occur almost weekly : NOVA
58. Delay : LAG
59. Bullet that leaves a trail : TRACER. New to me.
60. Wordsworth works : POEMS
62. Commander, in Arabic : EMIR
63. Fragrant resin : ELEMI. Learned from doing Xword.
65. "My mama done __ me ...": song lyric : TOL'. Grammatically incomprehensible.
66. One paying a flat fee : LESSEE
67. Earned : MADE
68. Creep : INCH. Needs "along" in the clue, no?
70. Good in the 'hood : BAD
71. Bowler's assignment : LANE
73. Cup part : BRIM
76. Parting shot, say : RETORT. I don't get this clue. Why "parting"?
79. La __ : PAZ. Bolivia. Paz = "Peace"
81. Chimborazo's range : ANDES
85. Bank deposit : LODE. River bank. Awesome clue.
86. Beauty pageant prize : TIARA
87. Pounds : THROBS. What did you want, Dennis?
89. "__ fallen ..." : I'VE
90. Word most often heard around midnight : AULD. On New Year's Eve.
91. Talk with one's hands : SIGN. Sign language?
92. A lot of thinking is done in them : CRANIA. I feel the left side of my skull is bigger than the right side.
93. Truck capacity unit : TON
94. Hasenpfeffer, e.g. : STEW. I've never heard of this German rabbit stew, Kazie. Hase = Rabbit. Pfeffer = Pepper, a la Wiki.
95. Antitrust law enforcer: Abbr. : FTC
99. Mezzo Berganza : TERESA. No idea. She's Spanish.
101. They have reservations : HOTELS. Thought of Indians.
103. Quaker's pronoun : THEE. I confuse Quakers with Shakers.
104. Confined : SHUT IN
106. Most austere : BLEAKEST
111. Compound used to stabilize perfume : KETONE. Learning moment.
113. Charlotte-to-Raleigh dir. : ENE. I trust the constructor gets it right.
115. Self-playing instrument : PIANOLA
118. Like some floors : TILED
124. Bestow : AWARD
125. "-zoic" things : ERAS. I like this clue.
126. Cork's home : EIRE. Cork county, Ireland.
127. Bistro bill of fare : CARTE
128. Fool : NINNY
129. Coastal raptors : ERNS
130. Artistic impressions, briefly? : TATS (Tattoos).
131. See 2-Down : KNEES. And 2D. With 131-Across, greatest thing : BEES. Bee's knees.
Down:
1. Lenten symbol : ASH
3. Writer Tyler : ANNE. She is from Minnesota.
4. On eBay, e.g. : FOR SALE. I just buy.
5. Assignation : TRYST
6. California border lake : TAHOE
7. Words of agreement : AMENs
8. Churchill's "so few": Abbr. : RAF. Was unaware the "so few" in "Never was so much owed by so many to so few"refers to the Royal Air Force.
9. Key letter : PHI. Fraternity/Sorority key. Got me. (Correction: KEY here refers to the PHI Beta Kappa symbol. Thanks, Lemonade.)
10. Guns : ARMS
11. Semi filler : DIESEL
12. Capone and Capp : ALs. Then we have 114D. Capone harasser : NESS (Eliot). Capone echos.
13. Allots, with "out" : METES
14. Fifth-century scourge : ATTILA. Attila the Hun, Scourge of God.
16. O, in old radio lingo : OBOE. No idea.
17. Guns : REVS
18. "... __ he drove out of sight" : ERE
24. Little bird : TIT. Made me TEHEE (105. Giggle).
25. Pie cuts, essentially : RADII
30. Dr. Cuddy on "House" : LISA. Got via crosses.
32. 1970s-'90s Toyota : TERCEL. Wiki said "Tercel" derives from Latin meaning "one third" as the Tercel was slightly smaller than the Corolla.
33. Come in : ENTER
35. Mountain homes : AERIES. For the eagles.
36. Discombobulate : ADDLE. Fun word, discombobulate.
37. Kidney-related : RENAL
38. Candidate's concern : IMAGE
40. Threw barbs : SNIPED
42. Pizzeria attraction : AROMA
43. Longtime Seinfeld collaborator : DAVID (Larry)
44. Catch : SNARE
46. Join the cast of : ACT IN
47. "__ any drop to drink": Coleridge : NOR
49. "Giovanna d'__": Verdi opera : ARCO. Know nothing about operas.
56. __ Altos, California : LOS
61. Caribbean, e.g. : SEA
66. Delt neighbor : LAT
69. PC component : CRT
70. German chancellor, 1969-'74 : BRANDT (Willy). First encounter with this guy. He won Nobel Peace in 1971.
72. Like Willie Nelson's voice : NASAL. Boomer loves his songs.
73. Great time : BLAST
74. Beat : ROUTE
75. Dynamo's antithesis : IDLER
77. Discipline involving slow movement : TAI CHI. Very slow. Mostly practiced by old people in China.
78. Web address ending : ORG
79. "Wheel of Fortune" category : PHRASE
80. Saroyan's "My Name Is __" : ARAM. I've never heard of the book.
82. Abandon : DITCH
83. Arouse : EVOKE
84. Taste, e.g. : SENSE
87. Immune response component : T CELL
88. Nod, maybe : BID
95. Man-goat deity : FAUN. Satyr is a faun, right?
97. Mutiny : REBEL
98. It can help you relax : OTTOMAN. Sofa.
100. Poorly made : SHODDY
102. Like some bands : ONE-MAN
107. Like soldiers and their families, usually : APART. Poignant clue.
108. Toys with tails : KITES
109. Ring bearer? : EAR. Earrings?
110. Small cut : SNICK
111. Smallest ratite bird : KIWI
112. Brio : ELAN
116. Traditional wisdom : LORE
117. A chip, maybe : ANTE
118. "The Joy Luck Club" author : TAN (Amy). Very authentic portrayal of Chinese-American immigrants.
120. "Catch-22" pilot : ORR. Wow, no idea, Bobby!
121. "Are we there __?" : YET
122. "Mamma __!" : MIA
123. "Absolutely!" : YES
Answer grid.
C.C.
