Theme: Keeping Quiet - SH is inserted into common phrases.
23A. Where Persian rulers rough it? : SHAH WILDERNESS. "Ah Wilderness!", Eugene O'Neill's comedy.
34A. Agnostics' reactions to grace? : PRAYER SHRUGS. Prayer rugs.
52A. Vaudeville hook? : SHTICK COLLAR. Tick collar.
74A. Pet predator that survived the Flood? : NOAH'S SHARK. Noah's Ark. No way Noah put a shark on his boat.
76A. Organization of river herrings? : SHAD AGENCY. Ad agency.
91A. Analyst for Kings and Senators? : HOCKEY SHRINK. Hockey rink. LA Kings and Ottawa Senators. (Sorry for the error earlier.)
110A. "Help, I'm stuck in this tree!" e.g.? : SHOUT ON A LIMB. Out on a limb.
126A. Where to find many cookie jars? : KEEBLER SHELVES. Keebler Elves.
Lovely puzzle. Easy to grok theme and smooth fill, at least to me.
Again, two fingers along the four edges of the grid, so lots of nice 6 & 7-letter words. But the total word count is still 144 (maximum for a Sunday grid), so lots of 3 & 4 letter word in the middle.
Matt Skoczen seems to be specialized in Sunday puzzles. Today is 4th this year.
Across:
1. "Don't make me come over there!" : I'M SO MAD. Great start.
8. Time's 1930 Man of the Year : GANDHI
14. Courtroom fig. : ASST DA. A bit hard to parse.
20. "Let's talk privately" : NOT HERE (Thanks for the correction, Barry G & Splynter.)
21. Sneaker brand : ADIDAS
22. Turkish shelter : IMARET. Turkish "Inn".
25. "Tender Mercies" Oscar winner : DUVALL (Robert). Drew a blank.
26. "__ Can Cook": PBS show : YAN
27. Mrs. Smith's competitor : SARA LEE. Is Mrs. Smith's a regional brand?
28. Colorado natives : UTES
30. Semana seventh : DIA. Semana = Week.
31. Shaving mishap : NICK
33. Polite title : SIR
38. Ontario natives : CREES
40. Like Aleve and Advil, briefly : OTC
42. Cancún coin : PESO
43. Shoveling aftermath : ACHE
44. Same old same old : RUT
46. Arts acronym : ASCAP
49. Brunch menu heading : OMELETS
57. Org. giving NC-17s : MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America)
58. Spanish preposition : POR. Por favor.
59. Gravy base : ROUX
60. __ point: only so far : UP TO A
62. Alpaca relatives : LLAMAS
67. Habituate : ENURE
69. Earl Grey dunker : SCONE. Dunk scone into the tea? Strange!
71. Mailbox opening : SLOT
73. __ Bora: Taliban stronghold : TORA
78. First 007 film : DR. NO
79. Zither's cousin : LYRE
80. Strait-laced : STAID
81. Sch. with a minuteman mascot : UMASS. See here. I bet he doesn't look good as a bobblehead as our Goldy Gopher.
82. Starts : SETS TO
84. Puccini classic : TOSCA
86. Stone and Stallone : SLYS
88. "O Sole __" : MIO
89. Moistens : WETS
94. Dinner buffet item : HOT DISH. I've been on a cold avocado Sushi rolls kick.
98. Dionysian reveler : SATYR
99. Loser at Gettysburg : LEE
100. Suffix with decor : ATOR. Decorator.
101. Moscow news acronym : ITAR. Itar-Tass.
103. Bldg. coolers : ACS
106. Bedroom brand : SERTA
115. GWB successor : BHO. Obama. And DDE (11D. He was elected 56 yrs. before 115-Across).
117. Reason to shake : DEAL. Shake hands, right?
118. Males : HES
119. Volkswagen competitor : OPEL
120. Tutor, perhaps : RE-TEACH. Hi Bill! So what do you have for breakfast normally?
123. Peyton's quarterback brother : ELI (Manning)
124. Mistreatment : ILL-USE
130. Like many fairways : SLOPED. Hate severely sloped fairways.
131. Inbox fillers : EMAILS
132. Least verbose : TERSEST
133. Mandel and Long : HOWIES
134. Sad songs : DIRGES
135. Lights a fire under : AROUSES
Down:
1. On the same wavelength : IN SYNC
2. Sweater material : MOHAIR
3. Batting instruction subject : STANCE
4. "I get it now!" : OHH
5. They come out of a kitty : MEWS. Cute!
6. La Scala highlights : ARIAS
7. Seat of Texas's Val Verde County : DEL RIO. Another border city
8. Certain Celt : GAEL
9. "Mad Men" type : AD REP
10. CBer's number : NINER. Don't get this clue, Argyle!
12. Contains : HAS
13. Platform components : ISSUES
14. Helpers : AIDES
15. Flatten, informally : SMUSH
16. Part of some discount store names : SAV. For savings, right?
17. Badmouth : TRADUCE. New word to me.
18. Make happy : DELIGHT
19. Country albums? : ATLASES. Nice clue.
24. Move like a dragonfly : DART
29. Batch of Brownies : TROOP. I like this clue too.
32. "All day soft, All day smooth" lotion : KERI
35. To one side : APART
36. "Okey-dokey" : YEP
37. "Too Ra Loo Ra Loo __": Irish classic : RAL
39. Old Ecuadoran coins : SUCRES
41. "East of Eden" son : CAL. Great movie.
45. Bout outcome : TKO
47. Exited red-faced, with "away" : SLUNK. I always thought "slink away" means "walk away secretly". Not red-faced connection.
48. Matador's need : CAPE
50. Smallest European Union country : MALTA
51. Ether ending : EAL
52. Lays out : SPENDS
53. Novelist __ de Balzac : HONORE. He's just Balzac to me.
54. One who is not class-conscious? : TRUANT. Have seen similar clue before.
55. Easy and profitable, as a job : CUSHY
56. Heavy-duty haulers : OXCARTS
57. Not-so-good feeling : MALAISE
61. Dept. of Labor arm : OSHA
63. "Lemme __!" : AT 'EM
64. Friendly words from François : MON AMI
65. Inverse trig function : ARCSIN. Headache! No idea what it is.
66. Gives a thumbs-up : SAYS OK
68. Frat letters : RHOS
70. After-school treat : OREO
72. "This is weird, but ..." : ODDLY
75. Dark purple fruit : SLOES
76. Mike Hammer portrayer Keach : STACY. He looks familiar. I don't know his name though.
77. Displays some histrionics : GUSHES
80. Carnegie, by birth : SCOT. New trivia to me.
83. __-night doubleheader : TWI
85. Puppeteer Lewis : SHARI
87. Couture monogram : YSL
90. It was once yours : THINE. Another great clue.
92. Malay Peninsula's Isthmus of __ : KRA. See this map.
93. Stalk by the river : REED
94. Contents of some hookahs : HASHISH
95. "The Moor of Venice" : OTHELLO
96. Like art house films, for some : TOO SLOW
97. Actress Joanne : DRU
98. "Do the Right Thing" pizzeria owner : SAL. No idea.
102. Turned state's evidence : TALKED
104. Driver with a handle : CBER
105. Cascades peak : SHASTA. Pretty photos from Melissa.
107. "The Matrix" star : REEVES
108. "Unto the Sons" author : TALESE (Gay). I only know his "Honor Thy Father".
109. VIP rosters : A-LISTS
111. "I'm dying __ it!" : TO SEE
112. Pundits' pieces : OP-EDS
113. Head honcho : MR BIG
114. Ball focus : BELLE. What ball were you picturing?
116. Pigment of iron oxide : OCHER
121. Durbeyfield daughter : TESS
122. Rescuer, often : HERO
125. News initials : UPI
127. U.K. record label : EMI
128. Corn serving : EAR
129. SEC founding member : LSU. Easy guess. SEC is Southeastern Conference.
Answer grid.
C.C.
23A. Where Persian rulers rough it? : SHAH WILDERNESS. "Ah Wilderness!", Eugene O'Neill's comedy.
34A. Agnostics' reactions to grace? : PRAYER SHRUGS. Prayer rugs.
52A. Vaudeville hook? : SHTICK COLLAR. Tick collar.
74A. Pet predator that survived the Flood? : NOAH'S SHARK. Noah's Ark. No way Noah put a shark on his boat.
76A. Organization of river herrings? : SHAD AGENCY. Ad agency.
91A. Analyst for Kings and Senators? : HOCKEY SHRINK. Hockey rink. LA Kings and Ottawa Senators. (Sorry for the error earlier.)
110A. "Help, I'm stuck in this tree!" e.g.? : SHOUT ON A LIMB. Out on a limb.
126A. Where to find many cookie jars? : KEEBLER SHELVES. Keebler Elves.
Lovely puzzle. Easy to grok theme and smooth fill, at least to me.
Again, two fingers along the four edges of the grid, so lots of nice 6 & 7-letter words. But the total word count is still 144 (maximum for a Sunday grid), so lots of 3 & 4 letter word in the middle.
Matt Skoczen seems to be specialized in Sunday puzzles. Today is 4th this year.
Across:
1. "Don't make me come over there!" : I'M SO MAD. Great start.
8. Time's 1930 Man of the Year : GANDHI
14. Courtroom fig. : ASST DA. A bit hard to parse.
20. "Let's talk privately" : NOT HERE (Thanks for the correction, Barry G & Splynter.)
21. Sneaker brand : ADIDAS
22. Turkish shelter : IMARET. Turkish "Inn".
25. "Tender Mercies" Oscar winner : DUVALL (Robert). Drew a blank.
26. "__ Can Cook": PBS show : YAN
27. Mrs. Smith's competitor : SARA LEE. Is Mrs. Smith's a regional brand?
28. Colorado natives : UTES
30. Semana seventh : DIA. Semana = Week.
31. Shaving mishap : NICK
33. Polite title : SIR
38. Ontario natives : CREES
40. Like Aleve and Advil, briefly : OTC
42. Cancún coin : PESO
43. Shoveling aftermath : ACHE
44. Same old same old : RUT
46. Arts acronym : ASCAP
49. Brunch menu heading : OMELETS
57. Org. giving NC-17s : MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America)
58. Spanish preposition : POR. Por favor.
59. Gravy base : ROUX
60. __ point: only so far : UP TO A
62. Alpaca relatives : LLAMAS
67. Habituate : ENURE
69. Earl Grey dunker : SCONE. Dunk scone into the tea? Strange!
71. Mailbox opening : SLOT
73. __ Bora: Taliban stronghold : TORA
78. First 007 film : DR. NO
79. Zither's cousin : LYRE
80. Strait-laced : STAID
81. Sch. with a minuteman mascot : UMASS. See here. I bet he doesn't look good as a bobblehead as our Goldy Gopher.
82. Starts : SETS TO
84. Puccini classic : TOSCA
86. Stone and Stallone : SLYS
88. "O Sole __" : MIO
89. Moistens : WETS
94. Dinner buffet item : HOT DISH. I've been on a cold avocado Sushi rolls kick.
98. Dionysian reveler : SATYR
99. Loser at Gettysburg : LEE
100. Suffix with decor : ATOR. Decorator.
101. Moscow news acronym : ITAR. Itar-Tass.
103. Bldg. coolers : ACS
106. Bedroom brand : SERTA
115. GWB successor : BHO. Obama. And DDE (11D. He was elected 56 yrs. before 115-Across).
117. Reason to shake : DEAL. Shake hands, right?
118. Males : HES
119. Volkswagen competitor : OPEL
120. Tutor, perhaps : RE-TEACH. Hi Bill! So what do you have for breakfast normally?
123. Peyton's quarterback brother : ELI (Manning)
124. Mistreatment : ILL-USE
130. Like many fairways : SLOPED. Hate severely sloped fairways.
131. Inbox fillers : EMAILS
132. Least verbose : TERSEST
133. Mandel and Long : HOWIES
134. Sad songs : DIRGES
135. Lights a fire under : AROUSES
Down:
1. On the same wavelength : IN SYNC
2. Sweater material : MOHAIR
3. Batting instruction subject : STANCE
4. "I get it now!" : OHH
5. They come out of a kitty : MEWS. Cute!
6. La Scala highlights : ARIAS
7. Seat of Texas's Val Verde County : DEL RIO. Another border city
8. Certain Celt : GAEL
9. "Mad Men" type : AD REP
10. CBer's number : NINER. Don't get this clue, Argyle!
12. Contains : HAS
13. Platform components : ISSUES
14. Helpers : AIDES
15. Flatten, informally : SMUSH
16. Part of some discount store names : SAV. For savings, right?
17. Badmouth : TRADUCE. New word to me.
18. Make happy : DELIGHT
19. Country albums? : ATLASES. Nice clue.
24. Move like a dragonfly : DART
29. Batch of Brownies : TROOP. I like this clue too.
32. "All day soft, All day smooth" lotion : KERI
35. To one side : APART
36. "Okey-dokey" : YEP
37. "Too Ra Loo Ra Loo __": Irish classic : RAL
39. Old Ecuadoran coins : SUCRES
41. "East of Eden" son : CAL. Great movie.
45. Bout outcome : TKO
47. Exited red-faced, with "away" : SLUNK. I always thought "slink away" means "walk away secretly". Not red-faced connection.
48. Matador's need : CAPE
50. Smallest European Union country : MALTA
51. Ether ending : EAL
52. Lays out : SPENDS
53. Novelist __ de Balzac : HONORE. He's just Balzac to me.
54. One who is not class-conscious? : TRUANT. Have seen similar clue before.
55. Easy and profitable, as a job : CUSHY
56. Heavy-duty haulers : OXCARTS
57. Not-so-good feeling : MALAISE
61. Dept. of Labor arm : OSHA
63. "Lemme __!" : AT 'EM
64. Friendly words from François : MON AMI
65. Inverse trig function : ARCSIN. Headache! No idea what it is.
66. Gives a thumbs-up : SAYS OK
68. Frat letters : RHOS
70. After-school treat : OREO
72. "This is weird, but ..." : ODDLY
75. Dark purple fruit : SLOES
76. Mike Hammer portrayer Keach : STACY. He looks familiar. I don't know his name though.
77. Displays some histrionics : GUSHES
80. Carnegie, by birth : SCOT. New trivia to me.
83. __-night doubleheader : TWI
85. Puppeteer Lewis : SHARI
87. Couture monogram : YSL
90. It was once yours : THINE. Another great clue.
92. Malay Peninsula's Isthmus of __ : KRA. See this map.
93. Stalk by the river : REED
94. Contents of some hookahs : HASHISH
95. "The Moor of Venice" : OTHELLO
96. Like art house films, for some : TOO SLOW
97. Actress Joanne : DRU
98. "Do the Right Thing" pizzeria owner : SAL. No idea.
102. Turned state's evidence : TALKED
104. Driver with a handle : CBER
105. Cascades peak : SHASTA. Pretty photos from Melissa.
107. "The Matrix" star : REEVES
108. "Unto the Sons" author : TALESE (Gay). I only know his "Honor Thy Father".
109. VIP rosters : A-LISTS
111. "I'm dying __ it!" : TO SEE
112. Pundits' pieces : OP-EDS
113. Head honcho : MR BIG
114. Ball focus : BELLE. What ball were you picturing?
116. Pigment of iron oxide : OCHER
121. Durbeyfield daughter : TESS
122. Rescuer, often : HERO
125. News initials : UPI
127. U.K. record label : EMI
128. Corn serving : EAR
129. SEC founding member : LSU. Easy guess. SEC is Southeastern Conference.
Answer grid.
C.C.
