Theme: "Double-O Seven" - O is replaced by OO in 7 common phrases.
23A. Where chicks learn their ABCs? : KINDERGARTEN COOP. Kindergarten Cop.
34A. Midday duelers? : NOON COMBATANTS. Non-combatants.
59A. Establishment boasting whiskey and pedicures? : BEAUTY SALOON. Beauty salon.
71A. Lowdown on Wrigley's? : BUBBLEGUM POOP. Bubblegum pop. Unfamiliar with this music genre.
82A. Deposit on a brownstone entrance? : STOOP PAYMENT. Stop payment.
105A. Quaint caption for a cavalry photo? : HERE BE DRAGOONS. Here be dragons. This base phrase is also new to me.
124A. Question about a noisy pet owl? : HOOT ENOUGH FOR YOU. Hot enough for you?
There are a few straying O's which are unreplaced (and irreplaceable) in 34A & 124A. Can't be too strict in this situation. Otherwise, we'd have lost the fun entries.
A few OOs in non-theme entries also. I bet Gareth Bain considered not to include them but eventually kept them as he wanted solid fill. And his fill is always, always solid.
Some of you probably are not aware of this: Gareth is based in South Africa and his English features "flavour" rather than our "flavor". So he faces some serious challenges in his crossword construction & solving.
Across:
1. Mell Lazarus comics matriarch : MOMMA. Gimmie, eddyB?
6. Clublike weapons : MACES
11. Latin trio member : AMAT (He loves). Amo, amas, AMAT.
15. Son of Homer : BART. 61D. 15-Across's Squishee provider : APU. The Kwik-E-Mart owner.
19. Bite the bullet, e.g. : IDIOM
20. Inundated : AWASH
21. Chorus syllables : LA LA. Hi there Linda.
22. On the quieter side : ALEE
26. Colorful horse : ROAN
27. Keying in : ENTERING
28. Switch ending : EROO. Switcheroo.
29. President after Calvin : HERBERT (Hoover)
31. Critical hosp. area : ICU
32. Witticism : MOT
33. Bizet's "Habanera," e.g. : ARIA
42. Mushrooms, say : GROWS. Did you want FUNGI also?
46. Irish-born actor Milo : O'SHEA
47. Nina who had a 1959 hit with "I Loves You, Porgy" : SIMONE. Why bad grammar in the song title, Argyle?
48. Slow-on-the-uptake response : OH, I GET IT. I say this often.
51. Little green men : ALIENS
53. Web or sky follower : CAM
54. Do some gliding : SOAR
55. She played WKRP's Jennifer : LONI (Anderson)
56. Parka feature : HOOD
57. Chapter of a sort : ERA
63. They connect stories : STAIRS. Not the tale stories.
67. Champagne toast? : SALUT. Champagne the wine region in France.
66. Mailing H.Q. : GPO
68. Part of a gig : MEG. OK, Gigabyte, Megabyte. 1 Gig = 1024 Meg.
76. Little green men : ETs
77. British noblemen : EARLS
79. __ Jima : IWO
80. Mistreat : ILL-USE
87. Literary preposition : O'ER
88. Antarctica's __ Ice Shelf : ROSS. What's the difference between ice shelf and ice sheet?
92. Barflies : SOTS
93. Family depiction : TREE. Lots of people here in MN has (Correction: have!) Norwegian/Swedish background. Do you have Scandinavian blood also, D-Otto?
94. Unprocessed : RAW
96. Peloponnesian War side : SPARTA. Against Athens.
98. Yellow turnip : RUTABAGA. This looks delicious. Where is our foodie Steve?
100. Hot pot spot : TRIVET
103. Special forces unit : A TEAM
104. Ring centerpiece : STONE. Unlike Irish Miss, I wear no ring. How about you?
108. Highlander : GAEL
111. Facilities, for short : LAV
112. Greek securities org. : ASE. Athens Stock Exchange. Unknown to me.
113. Lady in a harbor : LIBERTY. Statue of Liberty.
116. Yemeni seaport : ADEN
118. Decisive experiment : ACID TEST
123. Avocado's shape : OVAL
127. Brain part : LOBE. CrossEyedDave's brain is wired with some real fun stuff.
128. Whenever : ONCE
129. Bottled benefactor : GENIE
130. Wields a hoe : WEEDS
131. God of hawks? : ARES. War god, hence "of hawks" with "?".
132. Retired boomers : SSTs
133. Barack's second High Court appointee : ELENA (Kagan)
134. Grammy winner Jones : NORAH. Like her voice, Bill? Congrats on the anniversary, by the way!
Down:
1. Lecturer's aid : MIKE
2. God with raven messengers : ODIN
3. Register freebie : MINT
4. Statistical calculation : MODE
5. "__ Pie" : AMERICAN. Too much. I prefer "American Graffiti".
6. Wine buys : MAGNUMS
7. Like happy tails : AWAG
8. Airport rental : CAR
9. Italian noble family : ESTE
10. Civil War general with a Shawnee middle name : SHERMAN. William Tecumseh Sherman. New trivia to me.
11. "Jo's Boys" author : ALCOTT
12. Red Guard leader : MAO. The Red Guards were all students, from middle school to colleges.
13. Dual-purpose island word : ALOHA
14. Become thinner : TAPER
15. Campy 1968 Fonda title role : BARBARELLA. Dennis won't forgive Jane Fonda.
16. Burn remedy : ALOE
17. Seat warmer? : REAR. Fun clue.
18. Hiking gear item : TENT
24. Wealthy, in Juárez : RICO
25. "For __": Beatles' song : NO ONE
30. "The Avengers" co-star : RIGG (Diana)
34. Saver of pairs : NOAH. Thanks for Noah's Ark info, Rose.
35. Scandinavian capital : OSLO
36. Indiana neighbor : OHIO
37. They may be pressing : NEEDS
38. Antacid option : BICARB
39. Docs' lobby: Abbr. : AMA
40. Pyramid, perhaps : TOMB
41. Chimney schmutz : SOOT
43. Two-time Oscar nominee for portraying Henry II : O'TOOLE (Peter). Did not know this trivia either.
44. Triumph against odds : WIN OUT
45. Tours of duty : STINTS
49. Small sum of money, slangily : HAY
50. Org. with many unhappy returns? : IRS. I like this clue also.
52. 12-time Pro Bowl NFLer Junior : SEAU. So sad. You never know what's going on in others' life.
54. Finland, in Finland : SUOMI. New word to me.
58. Umbrella spoke : RIB
60. Spur : EGG ON
62. Egyptian snakes : ASPS
64. Recipe amt. : TBSP
65. Icky stuff : SLIME
68. Mr. and Mr. : MESSRS
69. Give the cook a day off, perhaps : EAT OUT. I'm the cook in our house.
70. Cavern : GROTTO
72. Woolly mammal : EWE. So, who's the one who might make a EWE turn?
73. Worked the fields : PLOWED
74. José's hooray : OLE
75. Partly mine : OURS
78. California's most populous county : LOS ANGELES. MJ sent me the LA Times newspaper with my first solo puzzle, I was so moved. I'm lucky to have many caring readers, and a first-class blogging team.
81. Poets' Muse : ERATO
83. Gp. to benefit students : PTA
84. Bol. neighbor : ARG
85. "Woo-hoo!" : YEAH
86. Salt Lake City daily, briefly : TRIB
89. One dunked after school : OREO
90. One of the Berenstains : STAN. Stan and Jan Berenstain. And 99. Berenstain critter : BEAR
91. Wal-Mart wholesale club : SAM'S
95. Monopoly abbr. : AVE
97. Computer scrolling key : PAGE DOWN
100. Bit of sports news : TRADE. Are you surprised by R. A. Dickey's continued dominance? He was a Twin.
101. Dish best served cold, so it's said : REVENGE
102. Respiratory conduit : TRACHEA.
106. Causes to beam : ELATES
107. "Dream on!" : AS IF
109. Value system : ETHOS
110. Rhone's capital : LYONS
113. Kinks hit whose title is spelled out in the lyrics : LOLA. " ... I asked her her name and in a dark brown voice she said Lola L-O-L-A Lola Lo lo lo lo Lo - la..."
114. Novello of old films : IVOR
115. Ruth not in the Bible : BABE. Sweet!
117. Holiday song : NOEL
118. Votin' no on : AGIN
119. Palm smartphone : TREO
120. Observer : EYER
121. Happy Meal option : SODA
122. Fanny : TUSH
125. Mo. known for color changes : OCT
126. A in French? : UNE. "?" is unnecessary.
Answer grid.
C.C.
23A. Where chicks learn their ABCs? : KINDERGARTEN COOP. Kindergarten Cop.
34A. Midday duelers? : NOON COMBATANTS. Non-combatants.
59A. Establishment boasting whiskey and pedicures? : BEAUTY SALOON. Beauty salon.
71A. Lowdown on Wrigley's? : BUBBLEGUM POOP. Bubblegum pop. Unfamiliar with this music genre.
82A. Deposit on a brownstone entrance? : STOOP PAYMENT. Stop payment.
105A. Quaint caption for a cavalry photo? : HERE BE DRAGOONS. Here be dragons. This base phrase is also new to me.
124A. Question about a noisy pet owl? : HOOT ENOUGH FOR YOU. Hot enough for you?
There are a few straying O's which are unreplaced (and irreplaceable) in 34A & 124A. Can't be too strict in this situation. Otherwise, we'd have lost the fun entries.
A few OOs in non-theme entries also. I bet Gareth Bain considered not to include them but eventually kept them as he wanted solid fill. And his fill is always, always solid.
Some of you probably are not aware of this: Gareth is based in South Africa and his English features "flavour" rather than our "flavor". So he faces some serious challenges in his crossword construction & solving.
Across:
1. Mell Lazarus comics matriarch : MOMMA. Gimmie, eddyB?
6. Clublike weapons : MACES
11. Latin trio member : AMAT (He loves). Amo, amas, AMAT.
15. Son of Homer : BART. 61D. 15-Across's Squishee provider : APU. The Kwik-E-Mart owner.
19. Bite the bullet, e.g. : IDIOM
20. Inundated : AWASH
21. Chorus syllables : LA LA. Hi there Linda.
22. On the quieter side : ALEE
26. Colorful horse : ROAN
27. Keying in : ENTERING
28. Switch ending : EROO. Switcheroo.
29. President after Calvin : HERBERT (Hoover)
31. Critical hosp. area : ICU
32. Witticism : MOT
33. Bizet's "Habanera," e.g. : ARIA
42. Mushrooms, say : GROWS. Did you want FUNGI also?
46. Irish-born actor Milo : O'SHEA
47. Nina who had a 1959 hit with "I Loves You, Porgy" : SIMONE. Why bad grammar in the song title, Argyle?
48. Slow-on-the-uptake response : OH, I GET IT. I say this often.
51. Little green men : ALIENS
53. Web or sky follower : CAM
54. Do some gliding : SOAR
55. She played WKRP's Jennifer : LONI (Anderson)
56. Parka feature : HOOD
57. Chapter of a sort : ERA
63. They connect stories : STAIRS. Not the tale stories.
67. Champagne toast? : SALUT. Champagne the wine region in France.
66. Mailing H.Q. : GPO
68. Part of a gig : MEG. OK, Gigabyte, Megabyte. 1 Gig = 1024 Meg.
76. Little green men : ETs
77. British noblemen : EARLS
79. __ Jima : IWO
80. Mistreat : ILL-USE
87. Literary preposition : O'ER
88. Antarctica's __ Ice Shelf : ROSS. What's the difference between ice shelf and ice sheet?
92. Barflies : SOTS
93. Family depiction : TREE. Lots of people here in MN has (Correction: have!) Norwegian/Swedish background. Do you have Scandinavian blood also, D-Otto?
94. Unprocessed : RAW
96. Peloponnesian War side : SPARTA. Against Athens.
98. Yellow turnip : RUTABAGA. This looks delicious. Where is our foodie Steve?
100. Hot pot spot : TRIVET
103. Special forces unit : A TEAM
104. Ring centerpiece : STONE. Unlike Irish Miss, I wear no ring. How about you?
108. Highlander : GAEL
111. Facilities, for short : LAV
112. Greek securities org. : ASE. Athens Stock Exchange. Unknown to me.
113. Lady in a harbor : LIBERTY. Statue of Liberty.
116. Yemeni seaport : ADEN
118. Decisive experiment : ACID TEST
123. Avocado's shape : OVAL
127. Brain part : LOBE. CrossEyedDave's brain is wired with some real fun stuff.
128. Whenever : ONCE
129. Bottled benefactor : GENIE
130. Wields a hoe : WEEDS
131. God of hawks? : ARES. War god, hence "of hawks" with "?".
132. Retired boomers : SSTs
133. Barack's second High Court appointee : ELENA (Kagan)
134. Grammy winner Jones : NORAH. Like her voice, Bill? Congrats on the anniversary, by the way!
Down:
1. Lecturer's aid : MIKE
2. God with raven messengers : ODIN
3. Register freebie : MINT
4. Statistical calculation : MODE
5. "__ Pie" : AMERICAN. Too much. I prefer "American Graffiti".
6. Wine buys : MAGNUMS
7. Like happy tails : AWAG
8. Airport rental : CAR
9. Italian noble family : ESTE
10. Civil War general with a Shawnee middle name : SHERMAN. William Tecumseh Sherman. New trivia to me.
11. "Jo's Boys" author : ALCOTT
12. Red Guard leader : MAO. The Red Guards were all students, from middle school to colleges.
13. Dual-purpose island word : ALOHA
14. Become thinner : TAPER
15. Campy 1968 Fonda title role : BARBARELLA. Dennis won't forgive Jane Fonda.
16. Burn remedy : ALOE
17. Seat warmer? : REAR. Fun clue.
18. Hiking gear item : TENT
24. Wealthy, in Juárez : RICO
25. "For __": Beatles' song : NO ONE
30. "The Avengers" co-star : RIGG (Diana)
34. Saver of pairs : NOAH. Thanks for Noah's Ark info, Rose.
35. Scandinavian capital : OSLO
36. Indiana neighbor : OHIO
37. They may be pressing : NEEDS
38. Antacid option : BICARB
39. Docs' lobby: Abbr. : AMA
40. Pyramid, perhaps : TOMB
41. Chimney schmutz : SOOT
43. Two-time Oscar nominee for portraying Henry II : O'TOOLE (Peter). Did not know this trivia either.
44. Triumph against odds : WIN OUT
45. Tours of duty : STINTS
49. Small sum of money, slangily : HAY
50. Org. with many unhappy returns? : IRS. I like this clue also.
52. 12-time Pro Bowl NFLer Junior : SEAU. So sad. You never know what's going on in others' life.
54. Finland, in Finland : SUOMI. New word to me.
58. Umbrella spoke : RIB
60. Spur : EGG ON
62. Egyptian snakes : ASPS
64. Recipe amt. : TBSP
65. Icky stuff : SLIME
68. Mr. and Mr. : MESSRS
69. Give the cook a day off, perhaps : EAT OUT. I'm the cook in our house.
70. Cavern : GROTTO
72. Woolly mammal : EWE. So, who's the one who might make a EWE turn?
73. Worked the fields : PLOWED
74. José's hooray : OLE
75. Partly mine : OURS
78. California's most populous county : LOS ANGELES. MJ sent me the LA Times newspaper with my first solo puzzle, I was so moved. I'm lucky to have many caring readers, and a first-class blogging team.
81. Poets' Muse : ERATO
83. Gp. to benefit students : PTA
84. Bol. neighbor : ARG
85. "Woo-hoo!" : YEAH
86. Salt Lake City daily, briefly : TRIB
89. One dunked after school : OREO
90. One of the Berenstains : STAN. Stan and Jan Berenstain. And 99. Berenstain critter : BEAR
91. Wal-Mart wholesale club : SAM'S
95. Monopoly abbr. : AVE
97. Computer scrolling key : PAGE DOWN
100. Bit of sports news : TRADE. Are you surprised by R. A. Dickey's continued dominance? He was a Twin.
101. Dish best served cold, so it's said : REVENGE
102. Respiratory conduit : TRACHEA.
106. Causes to beam : ELATES
107. "Dream on!" : AS IF
109. Value system : ETHOS
110. Rhone's capital : LYONS
113. Kinks hit whose title is spelled out in the lyrics : LOLA. " ... I asked her her name and in a dark brown voice she said Lola L-O-L-A Lola Lo lo lo lo Lo - la..."
114. Novello of old films : IVOR
115. Ruth not in the Bible : BABE. Sweet!
117. Holiday song : NOEL
118. Votin' no on : AGIN
119. Palm smartphone : TREO
120. Observer : EYER
121. Happy Meal option : SODA
122. Fanny : TUSH
125. Mo. known for color changes : OCT
126. A in French? : UNE. "?" is unnecessary.
Answer grid.
C.C.
