Theme: "Catching Some Zs" - Z sound is added to the end of a long vowel in each theme entry. The transformed new words are all in the pattern of *ZE.
24A. Really big hangover? : A DAZE LIKE NO OTHER. A day like no other.
36A. Mythical siren's boast? : I CALL 'EM AS I SEIZE 'EM. I call 'em as I see 'em.
50A. Couch potato's preparations? : LAZE AWAY PLAN. Layaway plan.
66A. North Pole resident's motto? : LIVE FREEZE OR DIE. Live Free or Die.
89A. "You might wanna clean your glasses"? : THAT AIN'T HAZE. That ain't hay.
100A. Harvest time in the Corn Belt? : MERRY MONTH OF MAIZE. Merry month of May.
117A. "L, XL, XXL—who cares?"? : A SIZE IS JUST A SIZE.
Double action here. A sigh is just a sigh. From the lyric of "As Time
Goes By": ... a kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh..."
So we caught 8 Z's in 7 theme entries, mostly are all fairly long. Theme answers with 16 or more letters are not easy to handle, esp if you have Z's or J's or X'es. Actually K's are tricky too.
But Ed is a pro, every Down *Z* is a clean fill. Ed is one of the very few constructors who make both themed and themeless grids. I think themeless experience is very important when it comes to Sunday grids.
 |
| Ed Sessa, Xword Info |
Across:
1. Cry from the heartbroken : ALAS
5. All-in-one Apple : iMAC. Does it work better than PC, D-Otto?
9. Masterful, pitching-wise : NO-HIT. Who is your all-time favorite pitcher?
14. 92-Across newbie : PLEBE. And 92A. Annapolis inst. : USNA. Our Navy guy Spitzboov graduated from RPI, so did the Saturday Stud.
19. Bits of fibrous fuzz : LINT
20. Second ballot, often : RUN-OFF VOTE. This is plurable, isn't it?
22. Marathoner, e.g. : RACER
23. Dole (out) : METE
26. Bond film title beginning : A VIEW. "A View to a Kill".
28. Title for Lancelot : SIR
29. Blow-ups : ERUPTIONS
30. Video file format : MPEG. Did not know what it stands for until today: Moving Picture Experts Group.
32. Online read, for short : E-MAG. So, TTP, what do you read for fun? I hope it's not those boring tech stuff.
35. Nada, to Nanette : RIEN. "De rien" = "You're welcome".
42. Demolition material : TNT
45. Rain delay result : LATE START
46. Prefix with scope : TELE
47. In __ of: replacing : LIEU
48. NYC subway : IRT
49. Better part of a loaf? : HALF. Half a loaf is better than none.
54. George Smiley portrayer Guinness : ALEC
56. Rihanna song title meaning "I love you" : TE AMO. Thanks for the additional "I love you". I don't really know any of her songs.
58. Nicholas II's consort : ALEXANDRA
59. Florida's "Blue Monster" golf course : DORAL. Lemonade played there once.
61. Museum gift shop offering, briefly : REPRO
64. Loser to DDE : AES (Adlai Ewing Stevenson)
65. Balaam's mount : ASS
72. Toon Chihuahua : REN. Ren & Stimpy.
75. Crab eater's neckwear : BIB
76. Treat with disdain : SCORN
77. Belarusian bread : RUBLE. Money! I bet Joe Biden will be stumped by this clue.
81. Whatever the price : AT ANY COST
85. Nasal airways : NARES. Learned from doing Xwords.
88. Unlike fiction : REAL
94. Wheel spinner's purchase : AN "I". "Wheel of Fortune".
95. Foot segment : INCH
96. Aviation prefix : AERO
97. Valedictorians, e.g. : A STUDENTS. Yellowrocks must be one.
99. Alley-__ pass: hoops play : OOP
104. Prescription indication : DOSE
105. List catchall : ET AL
106. Mardi Gras, for one : FETE
107. Caddies of old : EL DORADOS. Cadillacs. Not the likes of Steve Williams I had in mind. Good old days, Tiger!
112. Yak : JAW
114. Big name in bookselling : NOBLE. Barnes & Noble. I was upset Amazon upped their free shipping to $35 a few days ago.
122. Bigheaded : VAIN
123. Debussy contemporary : RAVEL. No "Boléro" today. Let's try "Daphnis et Chloé".
124. Steinbeck novel set in the Salinas Valley : EAST OF EDEN. I saw the movie because of James Dean. He's OK. No Daniel Craig.
125. Iberian river : EBRO
126. Nixon fundraiser Maurice : STANS. No idea. Look, Shakopee, he was born in MN! I've been to Shakopee. The big racing track Canterbury Park is there. Also a big casino.
127. Path to a wedding : AISLE
128. Posted : SENT
129. Breads for Reubens : RYES. EddyB liked his Reubens.
Down:
1. __ mater : ALMA
2. Actor Schreiber : LIEV. Did you see "Glengarry Glen Ross"?
3. Part of the Enterprise's power source : ANTIMATTER. "Star Trek" stuff. No idea.
4. Pealing place : STEEPLE
5. CPA's recommendation : IRA
6. Strong java : MUD. Do you drink "Strong java", PK?
7. Santa __: offshore winds : ANAs
8. Like the best fireplace fire : COZIEST
9. Org. with Bucs and Broncos : NFL
10. Duct opening? : OVI. Oviduct.
11. Manipulate, as statistics, with "up" : HOKE. I fogot. We had this before.
12. Old Roman way : ITER
13. Teacher's security : TENURE
14. President __ : PRO TEM
15. Language of many a motto : LATIN
16. It's repetitive : ECHO. Indeed.
17. "Someone's __ sleeping in my bed" : BEEN
18. Slips : ERRS
21. 1938 Physics Nobelist : FERMI (Enrico). This guy is never a gimme for me.
25. Role for Ronny : OPIE
27. Llanfairpwll citizens : WELSH. Never heard of Llanfairpwll. See here. Steve might have stopped there before.
31. Imply : GET AT
33. Nick and Nora's dog : ASTA. And 39D. Line for 33-Down : ARF ARF
34. "Shoot" : GEEZ
36. 24-part epic : ILIAD
37. "Two Women" producer Ponti : CARLO. Husband of Bill G's Sophia Loren.
38. Like all bucks and some broncos : MALE
40. Intestinal parts : ILEA
41. Enthusiasm : ZEAL
42. Oscar winner Swinton of "Michael Clayton" : TILDA. The George Clooney movie. Glooney is single again!! (Sorry, Clooney, typo, Call Me, Maybe?)
43. Approaches : NEARS
44. Albacore and ahi : TUNAs
47. Hosp. worker : LPN
50. Easy strides : LOPES
51. Sport : WEAR
52. Felled in the forest : AXED
53. PLO chairman before Mahmoud : YASIR
55. "Iron man" Ripken : CAL. Very classy guy. He was at Kirby Puckett's funeral.
57. Sea, overseas : MER
60. Tripoli's country : LIBYA
62. R&R component: Abbr. : REC. Wow, Recuperation? I always thought R & R stands for "rest and relaxation".
63. One of the greenhouse gases : OZONE
67. One of a Caesarean trio : VICI. "Veni, vidi, vici"!
68. Poet's deep black : EBON
69. Reagan __ : ERA
70. Torrent : ONRUSH
71. Aus. setting : EUR
72. 9 to 5, e.g. : RATIO. Great clue.
73. Prefix with botany : ETHNO
74. Rights gp. since 1909 : NAACP
78. Collectible stuffed animal : BEANIE BABY. Lots on sale at the flea markets.
79. Woody Woodpecker's creator : LANTZ. I only know his given name Walter.
80. Beethoven's "Für __" : ELISE
82. Degree in math : NTH
83. Guide to Bethlehem : STAR
84. "__ are the we of me": McCullers : THEY. What does the quote mean?
86. Juan's "this" : ESTO
87. Put (out) : SNUFF
90. Weapon for Napoleon : ARME
91. __ suit: '40s apparel : ZOOT
93. Commercial developers : AD MEN
97. They have legends : ATLASES
98. Dine next door, say : EAT OVER. If it's Chez Jayce's.
100. Honeycomb-like fungi : MORELS. Our grocery store has the dried ones. Very pricey.
101. Morales of "NYPD Blue" : ESAI. Tony. LaLaLinda's faovrite TV cop is Andy Sipowicz. Or maybe Lennie Briscoe? I forgot.
102. Exodus obstacle : RED SEA
103. City south of Baghdad : NAJAF. In red. Does the "An" mean "the"?
104. Pair of sixes : DOZEN
107. Hammer sites : EARS. Tricky clue.
108. Future jurist's exam, for short : LSAT
109. Prima donna : DIVA
110. California home of the Bionic Woman : OJAI
111. Figure (out) : SUSS
113. Like EE shoes : WIDE
115. Old Pisa dough : LIRE. Money again. "Pisa dough" for Dave!
116. Slaughter in the field : ENOS. And 118. Letters for baseball's Cards : STL. What is Pujols thinking now?
119. Kid's piggy : TOE
120. Buddhism sect : ZEN
121. Tonsillectomy MD : ENT
Happy Birthday to my husband Boomer, who's going to bowl at the Midwest Senior Classic today. Boomer has been coaching the bowling team at his old high school and found the volunteering work extremely rewarding.
C.C.
