Theme: Fish Heads - The first word in each familiar phrase can precede (head) "fish".
23A. Constant threat, metaphorically : SWORD OF DAMOCLES. Swordfish.
33A. Confederate Memorial Carving site : STONE MOUNTAIN. Stonefish. Wikipedia says "It is the most venomous fish in the world".
42A. Pianist who claimed to have invented jazz : JELLY ROLL MORTON. Stranger to me. I love jellyfish salad, sprinkled with sesame seeds and flakes of red pepper. Try it, Bill!
71A. Doomed duo : STAR-CROSSED LOVERS. Great entry. Starfish.
97A. Esso ad phrase : TIGER IN YOUR TANK. "Put a tiger in your tank". Tigerfish. Look at his teeth.
105A. Light dessert : ANGEL FOOD CAKE. Not familiar with angelfish.
123A Source of spy movie suspense : CAT AND MOUSE GAME. Catfish.
C.C. here. I hope all our East Coast readers in the path of Irene are safe.
The puzzle title gives the theme immediately, yes? "Fish heads" & "Fish tails" style gimmick just can't fool me any more.
Slow-cooked soup is a daily must in Guangzhou where I worked for several years, and fish head soup is very popular. Supposed to make you smart. Fish is regarded as a good brain food there.
Across:
1. Building supports : I-BEAMS
7. Dirty dog : SCALAWAG. Scoundrel has one more letter.
15. Calyx part : SEPAL
20. Sarge, e.g. : NON-COM. Non-commissioned.
21. Drive off : ALIENATE
22. Said in an ugly way : SNIDE
25. Inscribed pillar : STELA. Read this about Stele Forest in Xi'An. It's half an hour from our home.
26. Floor square : TILE
27. Is deceptive, in a way : LIES
28. Nile reptile : ASP
30. Russian communications acronym since 1992 : ITAR. Itar-Tass.
31. Vacation area : SEASIDE. Sea unnerves me.
39. German article : DER
40. Healthy as __ : AN OX
41. Do goo : GEL
50. Yellow-fever mosquito : AEDES. New word to me. Wikipedia says the name comes from the Ancient Greek aēdēs, meaning "unpleasant" or "odious".
54. Bullfight cry : OLE OLE
55. __-de-France : ILE
56. Get the better of : ONE UP
58. Watch : EYE
59. Controversial orchard spray : ALAR
60. Comic Carvey : DANA. He's in Rich's DC Comics puzzle.
62. "On His Blindness" poet : MILTON. What's the poem about, Clear Ayes?
64. River to the Rhein : AARE
65. Places to pick up cats : NAPES. Tiny "cats" dupe with 123A. Used to bother me a bit. Not any more. Sunday puzzle is too big.
67. "La Loge" artist : RENOIR. Here is the painting.
69. Deep-seated : INBRED
76. Tiberius' villa at Sperlonga included one : GROTTO. Been there, Husker Gary?
78. Current events? : EDDIES. Water current.
79. Dabbling ducks : TEALS
82. Hot stuff : LAVA
83. 1951 Lanza role : CARUSO. Mario Lanza.
87. Early '60s Polo Grounds team, nowadays : JETS. NY Jets. I used to associate Polo Grounds only with Mel Ott's NY Giants until I read Marti's write-up last time.
89. "Dragonwyck" author Seton : ANYA
90. Island strings : UKE. LEIS too.
91. Country estate : MANOR
92. In place of : FOR
93. Trojan War counselor : NESTOR. Did you know he was an Argonaut?
95. Land in old Rome : TERRA
101. Amsterdam street adornment : ELM. Really? I only stopped at their airport once.
103. Results : ENDS
104. "Oz" airer : HBO. I've never heard of the show. You, Kazie?
111. Aardwolf's diet : INSECTS. And 84D. Aardvark's tidbit : ANT. "Aard" means "earth".
116. Apply in a slapdash way : DAUB
117. Wood on a diamond? : ASH. I bet every baseball fan thought of Cubs' Kerry Wood. I did.
118. Peek-__ : A-BOO
120. Seed pod : ARIL
121. Literally, "to God" : ADIOS
129. Irritating : PESKY
130. Places for duds : ARMOIRES. I drew a blank. Sometimes I feel incredibly dumb.
131. Made square : EVENED
132. Head lock : TRESS
133. Foolhardy : RECKLESS
134. Ones who excite devils? : DARERS. Oh, daredevils.
Down:
1. MIT and others : INSTS
2. Alamo hero : BOWIE (Jim)
3. __ Gay: WWII plane : ENOLA
4. Plots that may be developed : ACRES. Lovely clue.
5. In style : MOD
6. Existed in a suppressed state : SMOLDERED. Do you say "Smoldering hot" or "Smothering hot"?
7. "Smooth Operator" singer : SADE. Love Sade, sad, but "Someone Already Broken My Heart".
8. Word with act or action : CLASS. Jim Thome is a real class act.
9. Draw a bead : AIM
10. Denebola's constellation : LEO
11. Mandela's org. : ANC (African National Congress)
12. __-Mart Stores, Inc. : WAL
13. TV group with B.A. Baracus and Hannibal Smith : A-TEAM. All I know about "The A Team" is Mr. T.
14. Bas-relief medium : GESSO
15. Barbecue sound : SSS
16. Authorize : ENTITLE
17. St. Peter's Basilica masterpiece : PIETA
18. Dwight's two-time opponent : ADLAI
19. Get wind (of) : LEARN
24. '80s Pontiac : FIERO. Wikipedia says it means "proud" in Italian and "wild", "fierce", or "ferocious" in Spanish. Looks fiery to me.
29. Curly-tailed dog : PUG. And 88D. Like a 29-Down : SNUB-NOSED. Hey, there, do you like this clue?
32. Poem of everyday life : IDYL
34. Hardly racy : TAME
35. Notable 1969 bride : ONO
36. "The world will little note, __ long remember, what we say here": Lincoln : NOR
37. Heap praises on : EXTOL
38. Ebb's relative : NEAP
42. Shaw title saint : JOAN. "Saint Joan".
43. Cinders of old comics : ELLA. Ella Cinders. Learned from doing Xword.
44. Vaults : LEAPS OVER
45. Lynn from Kentucky : LORETTA
46. Titanic, e.g. : LINER
47. Grassy plain : LLANO
48. Can. province : ONT
49. Con opener : NEO. Neo-con. The likes of Scotter Libby & Richard Perle, who's incredibly convincing.
51. Hopeful letter opener : DEAR SANTA. Argyle would be pleased to see this entry. Hope he has the internet connection.
52. Rochester's love : EYRE
53. __ money : SEED
57. TCU part: Abbr. : UNIV
61. S part : ARC. Feeling dumb again.
62. Botch : MISDO
63. Plenty mad : IRED
64. Up with, with "of" : ABREAST. Jazzbumpa would have given you a cute link.
66. Remained : SAT
68. Psych ending : OSES. Psychoses.
70. Surfing site : NET
72. Almond __: candy : ROCA. Have never had it before.
73. Tangy mustard : DIJON. Needs drops of honey.
74. On one's guard : LEERY
75. Düsseldorf direction : OST. East.
76. Oversupply : GLUT
77. Croupier's tool : RAKE
80. City about 200 miles from Marseille : LYON
81. Cutty __: Scotch : SARK. Let's hear from Tinbeni and eddyB.
85. "Vive le __!" : ROI
86. More than suggested : URGED
91. Shopping venue : MALL
92. Hall of Fame catcher Carlton : FISK. Another great player whose baseball card value does not match his achievement.
94. Libido symbol : EROS. It seems that I'm the only one who has never heard of Splynter's horndog before.
96. Nikes alternative : REEBOKS
98. Something besides the ltr. : ENC
99. Nutritional stat : RDA
100. Sch. in Athens : OHIO U
102. Writer's deg. : MFA
105. Show flexibility : ADAPT
106. Perennial '90s-'00s presidential candidate : NADER
107. False front : GUISE
108. One may be present when an envelope is opened : OSCAR. Pinkerton provides the security for those statuettes.
109. Midwest hub : O'HARE
110. Chair designer Charles : EAMES
112. Anxious : EAGER
113. Film set contraption : CRANE
114. Track official : TIMER
115. They may follow teams : SLEDS. Oh, dog teams.
119. Honcho : BOSS
122. Procedure: Abbr. : SYS
124. Cinephile's TV choice : TMC
125. Hunky-dory : A-OK
126. Nothing at all : NIL
127. Doctor of music? : DRE. Dr. Dre.
128. Stowe girl : EVA. From "Uncle Tom's Cabin".
Answer grid.
C.C.
23A. Constant threat, metaphorically : SWORD OF DAMOCLES. Swordfish.
33A. Confederate Memorial Carving site : STONE MOUNTAIN. Stonefish. Wikipedia says "It is the most venomous fish in the world".
42A. Pianist who claimed to have invented jazz : JELLY ROLL MORTON. Stranger to me. I love jellyfish salad, sprinkled with sesame seeds and flakes of red pepper. Try it, Bill!
71A. Doomed duo : STAR-CROSSED LOVERS. Great entry. Starfish.
97A. Esso ad phrase : TIGER IN YOUR TANK. "Put a tiger in your tank". Tigerfish. Look at his teeth.
105A. Light dessert : ANGEL FOOD CAKE. Not familiar with angelfish.
123A Source of spy movie suspense : CAT AND MOUSE GAME. Catfish.
C.C. here. I hope all our East Coast readers in the path of Irene are safe.
The puzzle title gives the theme immediately, yes? "Fish heads" & "Fish tails" style gimmick just can't fool me any more.
Slow-cooked soup is a daily must in Guangzhou where I worked for several years, and fish head soup is very popular. Supposed to make you smart. Fish is regarded as a good brain food there.
Across:
1. Building supports : I-BEAMS
7. Dirty dog : SCALAWAG. Scoundrel has one more letter.
15. Calyx part : SEPAL
20. Sarge, e.g. : NON-COM. Non-commissioned.
21. Drive off : ALIENATE
22. Said in an ugly way : SNIDE
25. Inscribed pillar : STELA. Read this about Stele Forest in Xi'An. It's half an hour from our home.
26. Floor square : TILE
27. Is deceptive, in a way : LIES
28. Nile reptile : ASP
30. Russian communications acronym since 1992 : ITAR. Itar-Tass.
31. Vacation area : SEASIDE. Sea unnerves me.
39. German article : DER
40. Healthy as __ : AN OX
41. Do goo : GEL
50. Yellow-fever mosquito : AEDES. New word to me. Wikipedia says the name comes from the Ancient Greek aēdēs, meaning "unpleasant" or "odious".
54. Bullfight cry : OLE OLE
55. __-de-France : ILE
56. Get the better of : ONE UP
58. Watch : EYE
59. Controversial orchard spray : ALAR
60. Comic Carvey : DANA. He's in Rich's DC Comics puzzle.
62. "On His Blindness" poet : MILTON. What's the poem about, Clear Ayes?
64. River to the Rhein : AARE
65. Places to pick up cats : NAPES. Tiny "cats" dupe with 123A. Used to bother me a bit. Not any more. Sunday puzzle is too big.
67. "La Loge" artist : RENOIR. Here is the painting.
69. Deep-seated : INBRED
76. Tiberius' villa at Sperlonga included one : GROTTO. Been there, Husker Gary?
78. Current events? : EDDIES. Water current.
79. Dabbling ducks : TEALS
82. Hot stuff : LAVA
83. 1951 Lanza role : CARUSO. Mario Lanza.
87. Early '60s Polo Grounds team, nowadays : JETS. NY Jets. I used to associate Polo Grounds only with Mel Ott's NY Giants until I read Marti's write-up last time.
89. "Dragonwyck" author Seton : ANYA
90. Island strings : UKE. LEIS too.
91. Country estate : MANOR
92. In place of : FOR
93. Trojan War counselor : NESTOR. Did you know he was an Argonaut?
95. Land in old Rome : TERRA
101. Amsterdam street adornment : ELM. Really? I only stopped at their airport once.
103. Results : ENDS
104. "Oz" airer : HBO. I've never heard of the show. You, Kazie?
111. Aardwolf's diet : INSECTS. And 84D. Aardvark's tidbit : ANT. "Aard" means "earth".
116. Apply in a slapdash way : DAUB
117. Wood on a diamond? : ASH. I bet every baseball fan thought of Cubs' Kerry Wood. I did.
118. Peek-__ : A-BOO
120. Seed pod : ARIL
121. Literally, "to God" : ADIOS
129. Irritating : PESKY
130. Places for duds : ARMOIRES. I drew a blank. Sometimes I feel incredibly dumb.
131. Made square : EVENED
132. Head lock : TRESS
133. Foolhardy : RECKLESS
134. Ones who excite devils? : DARERS. Oh, daredevils.
Down:
1. MIT and others : INSTS
2. Alamo hero : BOWIE (Jim)
3. __ Gay: WWII plane : ENOLA
4. Plots that may be developed : ACRES. Lovely clue.
5. In style : MOD
6. Existed in a suppressed state : SMOLDERED. Do you say "Smoldering hot" or "Smothering hot"?
7. "Smooth Operator" singer : SADE. Love Sade, sad, but "Someone Already Broken My Heart".
8. Word with act or action : CLASS. Jim Thome is a real class act.
9. Draw a bead : AIM
10. Denebola's constellation : LEO
11. Mandela's org. : ANC (African National Congress)
12. __-Mart Stores, Inc. : WAL
13. TV group with B.A. Baracus and Hannibal Smith : A-TEAM. All I know about "The A Team" is Mr. T.
14. Bas-relief medium : GESSO
15. Barbecue sound : SSS
16. Authorize : ENTITLE
17. St. Peter's Basilica masterpiece : PIETA
18. Dwight's two-time opponent : ADLAI
19. Get wind (of) : LEARN
24. '80s Pontiac : FIERO. Wikipedia says it means "proud" in Italian and "wild", "fierce", or "ferocious" in Spanish. Looks fiery to me.
29. Curly-tailed dog : PUG. And 88D. Like a 29-Down : SNUB-NOSED. Hey, there, do you like this clue?
32. Poem of everyday life : IDYL
34. Hardly racy : TAME
35. Notable 1969 bride : ONO
36. "The world will little note, __ long remember, what we say here": Lincoln : NOR
37. Heap praises on : EXTOL
38. Ebb's relative : NEAP
42. Shaw title saint : JOAN. "Saint Joan".
43. Cinders of old comics : ELLA. Ella Cinders. Learned from doing Xword.
44. Vaults : LEAPS OVER
45. Lynn from Kentucky : LORETTA
46. Titanic, e.g. : LINER
47. Grassy plain : LLANO
48. Can. province : ONT
49. Con opener : NEO. Neo-con. The likes of Scotter Libby & Richard Perle, who's incredibly convincing.
51. Hopeful letter opener : DEAR SANTA. Argyle would be pleased to see this entry. Hope he has the internet connection.
52. Rochester's love : EYRE
53. __ money : SEED
57. TCU part: Abbr. : UNIV
61. S part : ARC. Feeling dumb again.
62. Botch : MISDO
63. Plenty mad : IRED
64. Up with, with "of" : ABREAST. Jazzbumpa would have given you a cute link.
66. Remained : SAT
68. Psych ending : OSES. Psychoses.
70. Surfing site : NET
72. Almond __: candy : ROCA. Have never had it before.
73. Tangy mustard : DIJON. Needs drops of honey.
74. On one's guard : LEERY
75. Düsseldorf direction : OST. East.
76. Oversupply : GLUT
77. Croupier's tool : RAKE
80. City about 200 miles from Marseille : LYON
81. Cutty __: Scotch : SARK. Let's hear from Tinbeni and eddyB.
85. "Vive le __!" : ROI
86. More than suggested : URGED
91. Shopping venue : MALL
92. Hall of Fame catcher Carlton : FISK. Another great player whose baseball card value does not match his achievement.
94. Libido symbol : EROS. It seems that I'm the only one who has never heard of Splynter's horndog before.
96. Nikes alternative : REEBOKS
98. Something besides the ltr. : ENC
99. Nutritional stat : RDA
100. Sch. in Athens : OHIO U
102. Writer's deg. : MFA
105. Show flexibility : ADAPT
106. Perennial '90s-'00s presidential candidate : NADER
107. False front : GUISE
108. One may be present when an envelope is opened : OSCAR. Pinkerton provides the security for those statuettes.
109. Midwest hub : O'HARE
110. Chair designer Charles : EAMES
112. Anxious : EAGER
113. Film set contraption : CRANE
114. Track official : TIMER
115. They may follow teams : SLEDS. Oh, dog teams.
119. Honcho : BOSS
122. Procedure: Abbr. : SYS
124. Cinephile's TV choice : TMC
125. Hunky-dory : A-OK
126. Nothing at all : NIL
127. Doctor of music? : DRE. Dr. Dre.
128. Stowe girl : EVA. From "Uncle Tom's Cabin".
Answer grid.
C.C.
