Theme: "Call Me" - The last parts of all 7 theme entries are all cell phone related.
22A. Precursor to reality shows like "Punk'd" : CANDID CAMERA. "Punk'd" is a bit cruel. I do like Ashton Kutcher.
34A. "Oh, I give up!" : FOR THE LOVE OF MIKE. So who's the original Mike?
54A. Unlikely job for one with acrophobia? : STEEPLEJACK. The only one word entry.
71A. Deceptive action : SMOKE SCREEN
88A. 1952 Groucho Marx film : A GIRL IN EVERY PORT. Never heard of the film. In fact, I parsed the answer as A GIRL I NEVER * & could not make any sense.
107A. General Lee, in "The Dukes of Hazzard" : DODGE CHARGER
14D. "That proves it" : I REST MY CASE
Reveal entry:
63D. Where the ends of 22-, 34-, 54-, 71-, 88- and 107-Across and 14-Down can be found : MOBILE PHONE
I smiled at the puzzle title. Reminded me of those crazy "Call Me Maybe" days.
This puzzle has a perfect 100 themes squares. Rich's minimum is 84. Things get tricky when you venture into the +100 territory.
I
think this is Annemarie Brethauer's first Sunday puzzle. And it's
amazingly smooth and clean. Hardly any "Owen's Law" (every puzzle must
have nits) moments. Congrats, Annemarie!
Across:
1. Matter of faith : DOGMA. CREDO is 5-letter also.
6. Statutes : LAWS
10. Plays the harpy : NAGS
14. Puckish sort : IMP
17. Brooks Robinson, notably : ORIOLE. He spent his whole career with the Orioles. I once pulled a Brooks Robinson auto. Highlight of my card-collecting career.
19. John's 2008 running mate : SARAH (Palin)
20. Schubert classic : AVE MARIA
24. Least likely to make a faux pas : POLITEST. Also 105. Most fair : BLONDEST
25. Blackthorn fruit : SLOE
26. Beach feature : DUNE
27. Test in a small room, maybe : TRY ON. "Small room" here refers to "Fitting room", right?
29. Comes in last : LOSES
30. Sploshed : SPILT
32. Apothecary's bottle : PHIAL. I just call it Vial.
33. Guard : SENTRY
39. Singer Grant : AMY
40. Plant sometimes called a false shamrock : OXALIS. Unaware of this trivia. They do look similar, Irish Miss.
41. Australia's lang. : ENG
42. Intimate : IMPLY
44. __ Martin Cognac : REMY
45. Collar target : FLEA
47. Hank who voices Moe Szyslak : AZARIA. "The Simpsons".
50. Soup holder : CUP. Most Cantonese have long-simmered soup every day. Have you been to Chinatown, Splynter?
53. "Annie" couple? : ENS. Letter N in Annie.
57. Pet shop purchase : LEASH
59. Perch : ROOST
60. Spinner in the wind : VANE. Nice clue.
61. Fell from grace : LAPSED
62. Slide preparations : SMEARS
64. North Pole explorer : PEARY (Robert). Must be a gimme for Spitzboov.
66. Straightened (up) : TIDIED
67. "Walk on By" singer Warwick : DIONNE
68. Narrated : TOLD
69. Honda, even in reverse? : CIVIC. Pangram. Hence "Even in reverse" (I meant Palindrome. Thanks, Lemonade.)
70. Reporter assigned to a platoon, e.g. : EMBED. When will "60 Minutes" bring back Lara Logan, Bill G?
74. Dancer Charisse : CYD
77. Mario Kart console : WII
78. Lampoon : SATIRE
80. Shells out : PAYS
81. Botanical balm : ALOE
82. Bath sponge : LOOFA. Or Loofah. Made from silk gourds. Common summer food for me. The Hmong farmers here grow all kinds of veggies I eat in China.
84. A pop : PER
85. Seal, in a way : TAPE UP
87. Girl o' my heart : PEG. "Peg o' My Heart".
94. Many a cottonwood : POPLAR. Also 99. Colorado resort : ASPEN
96. River nymph : NAIAD
97. Solo : ALONE
98. Rose pest : APHID
100. Smart __ : ALEC
101. Nimbus : AURA
110. Sexy sleepwear : LINGERIE. Does your daughter still work at Victoria's Secret, Dave?
111. "Silas Marner" novelist : ELIOT
112. Lacing aid : EYELET
113. Opposite of six, on a die : ONE
114. Gather : REAP
115. Phoned : RANG
116. Uplift : EDIFY
Down:
1. Severinsen and a dwarf : DOCS. The dwarf clue is enough for me. I don't quite get Johnny Carson's appeal. Was he that good?
2. Spoken : ORAL
3. Futurist painter Severini : GINO. Total stranger to me. So what does this picture try to convey?
4. Without pretension : MODESTLY
5. "Fight of the Century" contender : ALI
6. Barely believable : LAME
7. "... such stuff / As dreams __ made on": Shak. : ARE
8. Wild African pig : WARTHOG
9. "Funny Girl" actor : SHARIF (Omar). I wonder if he still lives in Egypt.
10. Italia seaport : NAPOLI
11. Stratford's river : AVON. Our Ol' Man Keith lived there for a short period.
12. Brylcreem, e.g. : GEL
13. Request at a sitting : SMILE. I don't get this clue. What sitting?
15. King novel : MISERY
16. Sitting duck : PATSY
18. Swirling currents : EDDIES
19. __ Domingo : SANTO
21. Without a key : ATONAL
23. Select : CULL
28. Edible tuber : YAM. Not YAM related, but what do you call those stacked bread in the left? Too thick to be nan.
31. Upsilon follower : PHI
32. __ code : PENAL
33. "Ice Road Truckers" truck : SEMI
34. Links cry : FORE. For golfers like Husker Gary.
35. Team in a field : OXEN. Loved the clue.
36. Ewes' guys : RAMS
37. Second in command : VEEP
38. Starfleet captain : KIRK. Star Trek.
43. Legendary attendant of Charlemagne : PALADIN. Not legendary enough. Never heard of him.
45. Own (up) : FESS
46. "Never __ Me Go": Kazuo Ishiguro novel : LET
47. Slightly open : AJAR
48. Screwball : ZANY
49. Lowest gin card : ACE
51. Secondhand : USED
52. Prof's degree : PHD
54. What's-his-face : SO AND SO
55. Went like the dickens : TORE
56. Skirt : EVADE
58. Really amazing, to a dude : EPIC. So EPIC success for Kenye West to lobby and put Kim K on Vogue cover? Don't remember Anna Wintour had to defend her cover choice before. Probably an epic fail for her.
59. Artist Magritte : RENE
61. Not taped : LIVE
62. __ Valley, Calif. : SIMI
64. Slipshod : POOR
65. Actress Sommer : ELKE
66. Binds : TIES
67. Web revealer : DEW. This refers to dew drops on a spider web, yes?
68. "OMG, stop telling me all this!" : TMI
69. Call out : CRY
71. Doe's beau : STAG
72. Use : SPEND
73. Give a hoot : CARE
74. "Pinocchio" goldfish : CLEO. Saw this clue before. Still forgot.
75. "In __ Eyes": Peter Gabriel hit : YOUR
76. Agcy. : DEPT
79. Miles off : AFAR
81. Stood before the court : APPEARED
83. Flashing flirtatious looks : OGLING
84. Self-playing instrument : PIANOLA
85. Lozenge : TROCHE
86. Writer Rand : AYN
87. Ribbed fabric : POPLIN. Learning moment for me.
89. Keeping up (with) : IN STEP
90. Kool Moe Dee genre : RAP
91. German ballads : LIEDER. Plural of Lied.
92. Worker with many keys : VALET. Car keys.
93. Fridge juice: Abbr. : ELEC. V8 moment!
94. Cellist Casals : PABLO
95. One doing sums : ADDER. I'm a preferrer of the snake clue.
99. Cambodia setting : ASIA. Hope they find the plane soon. The tone in various Chinese blogs is getting extremely harsh.
100. All aflutter : AGOG
102. Hybrid citrus fruit : UGLI. It's in our grocery store.
103. Snorkeling site : REEF
104. Affectedly cultured : ARTY
106. Before, to Byron : ERE
108. Continuous babble : DIN
109. "I see," at sea : AYE
C.C.
