Theme: Might is Mite - Common phrases take on new meanings when the last word is replaced with a homophone.
20A. Bad web designer's product? : NOT A PRETTY SITE. SIGHT > SITE
37A. Start the service ceremonially? : LEAD WITH A RITE. RIGHT > RITE
56A. Dieter's hope when entering the brewpub? : LET THERE BE LITE™. LIGHT > LITE™
Argyle here. Quite a range of entries; programing, pugilism, and pubs. The resulting homophones, (a word that is that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning) change the original meaning. The only nit might be whether LITE is a legitimate word. Mad Men would say yes.
Across:
1. Mama who sang with the Papas : CASS. Elliot
5. Mercury and Saturn : ORBs. Clecho: 14A. Mercury or Saturn : AUTO
9. "What a tragedy" : "SO SAD"
15. Picnic spot : PARK
16. Revise, as text : EMEND
17. Mine car : TRAM
18. Pincushion alternative : ETUI. Strange, I never really looked at ETUIs before. They aren't pincushions but may contain one.
19. Maternally related : ENATE
23. Extreme anger : IRE
24. Boy : LAD
25. Hanoi holiday : TET. Clued this way should keep someone happy.
26. Sandwich shop letters : BLT
28. Cut companion : PASTE. My friends.
30. Heavy herbivore : RHINO. Cute alliteration.
32. Greek goddess of the dawn : EOS. Near clecho: 2D. Roman goddess of the dawn : AURORA
33. Coll. dorm mentors : RAs. (Resident assistants)
35. Essen-to-Leipzig direction : OST. Headed east in Germany.
36. Food for Fido : ALPO
41. "Roger that" : "COPY". Radio talk.
42. Keats wrote one to a nightingale : ODE
43. Funnyman Caesar : SID. With Imogene Coca.
44. Prefix with duct : OVI
45. Melbourne marsupial : KOALA
47. Discourage : DETER
51. Get hitched : WED
52. Shimon Peres's land: Abbr. : ISR. He is the current President of Israel.
53. Cosmo, e.g. : MAG. Cosmopolitan/Magazine
55. Delighted utterance : "AAH!". and "OOH!" Get ready for the fireworks.
60. Shoot for : AIM AT
61. Like some support : SOLE
62. Crack pilots : ACES
63. Flambé : AFIRE
64. Laos location : ASIA
65. Unlike a dead end, briefly : THRU. (through)
66. Spy mission, in brief : RECON. (reconnaissance)
67. Cornerstone datum : YEAR
68. Boo relative : HISS. Did you see that some military bases are cutting out fireworks this year?
Down:
1. It makes a feline frisky : CATNIP
3. Declares : STATES
4. Dream-inducing "Brave New World" drug : SOMA. "take a trip and never leave the farm"
5. Puccini work : OPERA
6. Like slasher films, typically : RATED R
7. Champagne designation : BRUT
8. Very jumpy : SKITTISH
9. Deals with : SEES TO
10. Present opening? : OMNI. Omnipresent.
11. "Click It or Ticket" device : SEAT BELT
12. Range playmate of song : ANTELOPE. Range companion of deer.
13. JFK's predecessor : DDE
21. Profess one's innocence, perhaps : PLEAD
22. Grapevine starters? : YENTAs. Word Origin & History. "yenta" : "gossip, busybody," 1923, from Yente Telebende, comic strip gossip in 1920s-30s writing of Yiddish newspaper humorist B. Kovner (pen-name of Jacob Adler) in the "Jewish Daily Forward." It was a common Yiddish fem. proper name, alt. from Yentl and said to be ult. from It. gentile "kind, gentle," earlier "noble, high-born".
27. Chinese menu surname : TSO. (General)
29. Cafeteria convenience : TRAY
31. Monopoly miniature : HOTEL. You need four houses on each of your color group before you can get a hotel.
34. "Just Do It" logo : SWOOSH
36. Guy or gal Friday : AIDE
37. Topic for advice columnists : LOVE LIFE. And for yentas.
38. Serious flu outbreak, e.g. : EPIDEMIC
39. Start of a speculation : "I DARE SAY ..."
40. Blue __ Mountains : RIDGE
41. Chick-fil-A spokescritter : COW
45. "Awww"-inducing pet shop resident : KITTEN
46. Earhart in the air : AMELIA
48. Chinese martial art : TAI CHI
49. Diner patrons : EATERS
50. Monkey used in research : RHESUS
54. "Fuzzy Wuzzy was __" : A BEAR. "Fuzzy wuzzy was a bear, fuzzy wuzzy had no hair, fuzzy wuzzy wasn't fuzzy was he?"
57. Luau staple : TARO. Must be cooked thoroughly to leach out the calcium oxalate.
58. Fragrant flower : ROSE. Shout out to ARBAON.
59. Strip of latticework : LATH
60. Swiss river : AAR
Smooth sailing today.
Argyle
Note from C.C.:
Happy Birthday to Eric Wells, who reads but has never posted on our blog. Eric told me "The coolest part about my birth date is that it's also my mother's birth date. I was her (best?) gift on her 29th birthday (many years ago!)" Happy 83rd Birthday to Eric' mom as well!
