Theme: "Oh, You!" (O U) - OO is replaced by OU in each familiar phrase, all resulting in sound change.
23A. Parasite extermination overkill? : LOUSE CANNON. Loose cannon.
34A. Lead actor in a war movie, at times? : SHOUTING STAR. Shooting star.
56A. Bit of culinary class practice? : FLOUR EXERCISE. Floor exercise.
75A. Do-gooder's long-term goal? : ROUT OF ALL EVIL. Root of all evil.
96A. Cause for repeated whistle-blowing? : CHAIN OF FOULS. Chain of Fools. This refers to the Aretha Franklin song, no?
110A. Lily-livered takeover? : CHICKEN COUP. Chicken coop. Vowel sound is the same, P becomes silent.
42D. Stratosphere or euphoria? : HIGH NOUN. High Noon. Quite a suspenseful movie.
53D. Gloomy train station? : DOUR STOP. Door stop. Very seldom do we see non-theme entries have the same number of letters as the theme entries. But the ? marks in today's theme clues should prevent any theme & non-theme confusion.
Most of the sound changes involve long /oo/ to /ow/, right? Pronunciation remains the most difficult part in my English learning. My spoken English is so poor that I'm often quiet in gatherings. You'd think I have autism.
Quintessential John Lampkin puzzle. A pangram. Fun theme. Light and witty clues. No helper squares. The more I construct, the more I realize how much discipline it needs and how much extra work it involves not to use helper squares.
Across:
1. One may be shot on location : SCENE. "Shot"/"Shooting" often refers to movie/TV/photo in Xwords.
6. High seas cries : AHOYS
11. Its debut airing was "Gone With the Wind" : TCM. And 72. "Gone With the Wind" plantation : TARA.
14. Runs in place : IDLES
19. Ready followers? : OR NOT. Here I come.
20. Disney duck : DEWEY. Donald Duck's nephew. Huey, Dewey & Louie.
21. "I get it now!" : OHO
22. Quaffed : DRANK
25. Web : NET
26. Half an ice cream flavor : TUTTI. Tutti-frutti.
27. Front : FORE
28. Plus and minus: Abbr. : OPPS. Opposites? I was thinking of "Antonyms".
29. Striped cat : TIGER
31. "__ trifle!" : A MERE
32. Speaker's opening, often : ANECDOTE. Boomer has a lot.
36. Mouse catcher : OWL
37. Cavs, on scoreboards : CLE. Cavaliers/Cleveland.
39. Patriot Silas : DEANE. First US diplomat.
40. Word after a trip : OOPS. Not traveling trip.
41. Togo neighbor : GHANA
44. Easily startled : SKITTISH
46. Mart opening : WAL. Walmart pays lot of taxes, unlike the likes of Google, Apple & Microsoft, which seek tax haven offshore. Ireland, wherever they can get a tax holiday.
48. Not exaggerated : LITERAL. Billions of tax cheat for the above companies, no exaggeration.
50. '30s Army bomber : B-TEN
51. Shapes again : REMOLDS
55. Insurance fig. : AGT
60. Games org. : IOC (International Olympic Committee)
61. Kids often groan about them : CHORES
63. Borscht base : BEET. I like pickled beets.
64. Boot from office : OUST
65. Blue shade : AQUA
66. How Santa dresses, for the most part : IN RED. Hi Santa!
67. Building sites : LOTS
68. Say "yea," say : VOTE
69. Rashly reveal, with "out" : BLURT.
70. Ages and ages : EONS
71. Shed : MOLT
72. Slapstick actor Jacques : TATI. Of "Mon Oncle" fame. Learned from doing Xword.
73. Not apt to crow : MODEST
74. Bemoan : RUE
78. 4 x 4, for short : UTE. Only in Xword.
79. __ of Hanover: pretzel brand : SNYDER'S. I don't eat pretzels. Wiki said it's "the #1 pretzel company in the United State".
81. Detroit River outlet : ERIE
82. Off base : IN ERROR
84. Former rib? : EVE. Funny clue. Eve was made of Adam's rib.
85. Brutus, for one : ASSASSIN
88. Sounds of hoarse play? : RASPS. Great wordplay. Very Lampkin.
89. Email: Abbr. : MSGS
92. Searches thoroughly : SIFTS
94. Foreigners' subj. : ESL. English as a Second Language.
95. Dairy aisle amt. : DOZ (Dozen)
99. Exposes : LAYS OPEN
104. Three-time Oscar-winning composer Maurice : JARRE. Unknown to me. He composed "Lara's Theme". "Dr Zhivago" is so good. Some classic movies, like CrossEyedDave's "African Queen" & "To Kill a Mockingbird", just do not resonate with me.
105. Metaphor, e.g. : TROPE
106. Drop shot : DINK
107. Enjoyed a Harley : RODE. And 109. Harley, e.g. : HOG. Look here. Marisa Miller is Harley's spokesmodel & Dennis' favorite Angel. I bet Splynter likes her too. He seems to like girls with long legs.
108. Juke box favorite : OLDIE
113. Smooth combination : BLEND
114. Dodge City-to-Topeka dir. : ENE
115. App for European train travelers : iRAIL. Gimme for Marti, who just traveled there. I'm in awe of Marti's talents. She speaks French, German, Finnish and some other languages.
116. Partly edible agave that sounds disgusting : YUCCA. Yuck.
117. Belts out : SINGS. 120. Belter Merman : ETHEL. She sure could belt.
118. Some Windows systems : NTS
119. Pasta al __ : DENTE
Down:
1. System of musical syllables : SOL-FA. New word to me.
2. Emulate Harry Connick Jr. : CROON. He's quite handsome.
3. Make used (to) : ENURE. And 6. Get used (to) : ADAPT
4. Payload container : NOSECONE. Rocket.
5. When a chanteuse gets hot? : ETE. Another fun clue. Very very hot song.
7. Nag : HENPECK.
8. Has title to : OWNS
9. USN clerk : YEO. No abbr. hint is needed, Spitzboov/eddyB/D-Otto? (Added later: My bad. USN is a hint. Thanks, Grumpy.)
10. Versatile instrument, briefly : SYNTH. Alright, synthesizer.
11. They wag at parties : TONGUES. Got me.
12. Fastest feline : CHEETAH
13. Aleve alternative : MOTRIN
14. Dog collar dangler : ID TAG
15. Jam session feature : DRUM SOLO. Dennis idolized Gene Krupa when he was a kid.
16. Not on time for : LATE TO
17. Snare : ENTRAP
18. Ones needing a lift : SKIERS. Ski lift for Marti.
24. Chilly : COOL. 34. Chilling spots : SETTEES. Another great clue.
30. Salt additive : IODINE
33. Towered over : DWARFED
35. Most fresh : NEWEST
38. Opera 45-Down : LIBRETTO. 45. Original words : TEXT. I don't get the "Original" part.
41. Harding Icefield sights : GLACIERS. Alaska.
43. Court figure : ATTORNEY. 62. Court matter : RES
44. __-mo : SLO
47. __ Zion Church : AME
49. Green and Gore : ALS
51. Get up : RISE
52. Cordials : LIQUEURS
54. Disperses : SCATTERS
57. Aptly named fastener : U-BOLT. U-shaped.
58. Like transients : ROOTLESS
59. __ pie : CUTIE
65. Munic. official : ALD
67. Reed and Rawls : LOUs
68. Carousel circlers : VALISES. Baggage carousel.
69. Lively Spanish dances : BOLEROS. Jackets too.
71. To a greater degree : MORE SO
73. Not maj. : MIN (Minor)
75. Give some gas : REV
76. Come clean : FESS UP
77. Sportscaster Scully : VIN. Been with the Dodgers forever.
80. Wanting : DESIRING.
83. Salon option : RAZOR CUT
85. Insult : AFFRONT
86. Slapstick trio : STOOGES
87. Like hanky-panky : ILLICIT
89. Taking orders at the drive-thru window, etc. : McJOBS
90. "Want me to?" : SHALL I
91. Herb __ : GARDEN. None here. I only like chives.
93. Like some logical propositions : IF THEN
95. '60s sitcom star Dick Van __ : DYKE
97. Essentials : NEEDS
98. Massenet opera about a legendary Spaniard : LE CID. No idea. About El Cid. Very helpful clue.
100. Joint just above ground : ANKLE. I felt stupid not nailing this one.
101. Dog : POOCH
102. Elicit : EDUCE
103. Sherpas' land : NEPAL
106. Zoologist Fossey : DIAN
111. Otto I's realm: Abbr. : HRE (Holy Roman Empire)
112. "The Eyes of __": 2005 PBS science show : NYE. Featuring Bill Nye the Science Guy.
Answer grid.
I'd like to share with you this wonderful clip Bill G brought to us last week.
C.C.
23A. Parasite extermination overkill? : LOUSE CANNON. Loose cannon.
34A. Lead actor in a war movie, at times? : SHOUTING STAR. Shooting star.
56A. Bit of culinary class practice? : FLOUR EXERCISE. Floor exercise.
75A. Do-gooder's long-term goal? : ROUT OF ALL EVIL. Root of all evil.
96A. Cause for repeated whistle-blowing? : CHAIN OF FOULS. Chain of Fools. This refers to the Aretha Franklin song, no?
110A. Lily-livered takeover? : CHICKEN COUP. Chicken coop. Vowel sound is the same, P becomes silent.
42D. Stratosphere or euphoria? : HIGH NOUN. High Noon. Quite a suspenseful movie.
53D. Gloomy train station? : DOUR STOP. Door stop. Very seldom do we see non-theme entries have the same number of letters as the theme entries. But the ? marks in today's theme clues should prevent any theme & non-theme confusion.
Most of the sound changes involve long /oo/ to /ow/, right? Pronunciation remains the most difficult part in my English learning. My spoken English is so poor that I'm often quiet in gatherings. You'd think I have autism.
Quintessential John Lampkin puzzle. A pangram. Fun theme. Light and witty clues. No helper squares. The more I construct, the more I realize how much discipline it needs and how much extra work it involves not to use helper squares.
Across:
1. One may be shot on location : SCENE. "Shot"/"Shooting" often refers to movie/TV/photo in Xwords.
6. High seas cries : AHOYS
11. Its debut airing was "Gone With the Wind" : TCM. And 72. "Gone With the Wind" plantation : TARA.
14. Runs in place : IDLES
19. Ready followers? : OR NOT. Here I come.
20. Disney duck : DEWEY. Donald Duck's nephew. Huey, Dewey & Louie.
21. "I get it now!" : OHO
22. Quaffed : DRANK
25. Web : NET
26. Half an ice cream flavor : TUTTI. Tutti-frutti.
27. Front : FORE
28. Plus and minus: Abbr. : OPPS. Opposites? I was thinking of "Antonyms".
29. Striped cat : TIGER
31. "__ trifle!" : A MERE
32. Speaker's opening, often : ANECDOTE. Boomer has a lot.
36. Mouse catcher : OWL
37. Cavs, on scoreboards : CLE. Cavaliers/Cleveland.
39. Patriot Silas : DEANE. First US diplomat.
40. Word after a trip : OOPS. Not traveling trip.
41. Togo neighbor : GHANA
44. Easily startled : SKITTISH
46. Mart opening : WAL. Walmart pays lot of taxes, unlike the likes of Google, Apple & Microsoft, which seek tax haven offshore. Ireland, wherever they can get a tax holiday.
48. Not exaggerated : LITERAL. Billions of tax cheat for the above companies, no exaggeration.
50. '30s Army bomber : B-TEN
51. Shapes again : REMOLDS
55. Insurance fig. : AGT
60. Games org. : IOC (International Olympic Committee)
61. Kids often groan about them : CHORES
63. Borscht base : BEET. I like pickled beets.
64. Boot from office : OUST
65. Blue shade : AQUA
66. How Santa dresses, for the most part : IN RED. Hi Santa!
67. Building sites : LOTS
68. Say "yea," say : VOTE
69. Rashly reveal, with "out" : BLURT.
70. Ages and ages : EONS
71. Shed : MOLT
72. Slapstick actor Jacques : TATI. Of "Mon Oncle" fame. Learned from doing Xword.
73. Not apt to crow : MODEST
74. Bemoan : RUE
78. 4 x 4, for short : UTE. Only in Xword.
79. __ of Hanover: pretzel brand : SNYDER'S. I don't eat pretzels. Wiki said it's "the #1 pretzel company in the United State".
81. Detroit River outlet : ERIE
82. Off base : IN ERROR
84. Former rib? : EVE. Funny clue. Eve was made of Adam's rib.
85. Brutus, for one : ASSASSIN
88. Sounds of hoarse play? : RASPS. Great wordplay. Very Lampkin.
89. Email: Abbr. : MSGS
92. Searches thoroughly : SIFTS
94. Foreigners' subj. : ESL. English as a Second Language.
95. Dairy aisle amt. : DOZ (Dozen)
99. Exposes : LAYS OPEN
104. Three-time Oscar-winning composer Maurice : JARRE. Unknown to me. He composed "Lara's Theme". "Dr Zhivago" is so good. Some classic movies, like CrossEyedDave's "African Queen" & "To Kill a Mockingbird", just do not resonate with me.
105. Metaphor, e.g. : TROPE
106. Drop shot : DINK
107. Enjoyed a Harley : RODE. And 109. Harley, e.g. : HOG. Look here. Marisa Miller is Harley's spokesmodel & Dennis' favorite Angel. I bet Splynter likes her too. He seems to like girls with long legs.
108. Juke box favorite : OLDIE
113. Smooth combination : BLEND
114. Dodge City-to-Topeka dir. : ENE
115. App for European train travelers : iRAIL. Gimme for Marti, who just traveled there. I'm in awe of Marti's talents. She speaks French, German, Finnish and some other languages.
116. Partly edible agave that sounds disgusting : YUCCA. Yuck.
117. Belts out : SINGS. 120. Belter Merman : ETHEL. She sure could belt.
118. Some Windows systems : NTS
119. Pasta al __ : DENTE
Down:
1. System of musical syllables : SOL-FA. New word to me.
2. Emulate Harry Connick Jr. : CROON. He's quite handsome.
3. Make used (to) : ENURE. And 6. Get used (to) : ADAPT
4. Payload container : NOSECONE. Rocket.
5. When a chanteuse gets hot? : ETE. Another fun clue. Very very hot song.
7. Nag : HENPECK.
8. Has title to : OWNS
9. USN clerk : YEO. No abbr. hint is needed, Spitzboov/eddyB/D-Otto? (Added later: My bad. USN is a hint. Thanks, Grumpy.)
10. Versatile instrument, briefly : SYNTH. Alright, synthesizer.
11. They wag at parties : TONGUES. Got me.
12. Fastest feline : CHEETAH
13. Aleve alternative : MOTRIN
14. Dog collar dangler : ID TAG
15. Jam session feature : DRUM SOLO. Dennis idolized Gene Krupa when he was a kid.
16. Not on time for : LATE TO
17. Snare : ENTRAP
18. Ones needing a lift : SKIERS. Ski lift for Marti.
24. Chilly : COOL. 34. Chilling spots : SETTEES. Another great clue.
30. Salt additive : IODINE
33. Towered over : DWARFED
35. Most fresh : NEWEST
38. Opera 45-Down : LIBRETTO. 45. Original words : TEXT. I don't get the "Original" part.
41. Harding Icefield sights : GLACIERS. Alaska.
43. Court figure : ATTORNEY. 62. Court matter : RES
44. __-mo : SLO
47. __ Zion Church : AME
49. Green and Gore : ALS
51. Get up : RISE
52. Cordials : LIQUEURS
54. Disperses : SCATTERS
57. Aptly named fastener : U-BOLT. U-shaped.
58. Like transients : ROOTLESS
59. __ pie : CUTIE
65. Munic. official : ALD
67. Reed and Rawls : LOUs
68. Carousel circlers : VALISES. Baggage carousel.
69. Lively Spanish dances : BOLEROS. Jackets too.
71. To a greater degree : MORE SO
73. Not maj. : MIN (Minor)
75. Give some gas : REV
76. Come clean : FESS UP
77. Sportscaster Scully : VIN. Been with the Dodgers forever.
80. Wanting : DESIRING.
83. Salon option : RAZOR CUT
85. Insult : AFFRONT
86. Slapstick trio : STOOGES
87. Like hanky-panky : ILLICIT
89. Taking orders at the drive-thru window, etc. : McJOBS
90. "Want me to?" : SHALL I
91. Herb __ : GARDEN. None here. I only like chives.
93. Like some logical propositions : IF THEN
95. '60s sitcom star Dick Van __ : DYKE
97. Essentials : NEEDS
98. Massenet opera about a legendary Spaniard : LE CID. No idea. About El Cid. Very helpful clue.
100. Joint just above ground : ANKLE. I felt stupid not nailing this one.
101. Dog : POOCH
102. Elicit : EDUCE
103. Sherpas' land : NEPAL
106. Zoologist Fossey : DIAN
111. Otto I's realm: Abbr. : HRE (Holy Roman Empire)
112. "The Eyes of __": 2005 PBS science show : NYE. Featuring Bill Nye the Science Guy.
Answer grid.
I'd like to share with you this wonderful clip Bill G brought to us last week.
C.C.
