Theme: "Frat Pack" - Greek letters span across each theme entry.
23A. *Hit that just clears the infield : BLOOP SINGLE
25A. *Recyclable metal : SCRAP IRON. Quite a few candidates to embed PI, PSI, RHO, MU, ETA & NU.
42A. *Clara, to Tabitha, on "Bewitched" : GREAT AUNT. The TAU is limited.
55A. *Legislation of 2001 : PATRIOT ACT. Very very limited choices for this one and 86A, given the letter length.
76A. *Hippo : RIVER HORSE
86A. *Half a team's schedule : HOME GAMES
107A. *Typical Western : SHOOT 'EM UP
37D. *Delayed reaction : DOUBLE TAKE
45D. *Run into : HAPPEN UPON
Reveal entry:
109A. One spans two words in each answer to a starred clue : GREEK LETTER
I'm
so glad there's a reveal entry. I would not have guessed the gimmick
with the "Frat Party" title alone, unless those Greek letters are
circled. But Rich can't use circles on Sundays due to technical issues.
Fred Piscop is a veteran constructor and his puzzles are always super smooth and clean. I love his bio at Stan's Newsday:"...
When he’s not puzzling, he plays keyboards in a rock band, samples
microbrews, and collects spelling errors in comic strips."
Fred Piscop, David Kahn, Liz Gorsk, ACPT 2011 |
Across:
1. Rad relative : NEATO
6. Take second : PLACE. Win, Place & Show.
11. Downloaded 'zine : EMAG
15. Most minigolf pars : TWOS
19. "Good Eats" host Brown : ALTON. Goofy guy. We also have 28. "Order up!" shouter : COOK
20. Party hearty : REVEL. Only heard of "Party hardy".
21. Matching __ : PAIR
22. Smooth-talking : OILY
27. City on I-5 : SANTA ANA. Know the city, not I-5 though.
30. Pequod co-owner : PELEG. "Moby-Dick".
31. Plunk (down) : PUT. And 44. Stopped operating, with "down" : SHUT
32. It's a fact : DATUM. So is 5-letter TRUTH.
34. Inferior, in slang : CHEESY
35. eBay users, at times : BIDDERS
39. Car loan figs. : APRs. Annual Percentage Rate.
40. Ell or tee : JOINT
41. Romantic affair : AMOUR
48. Source of fries : SPUD. This is how I cook potatoes. Ignore the Szechuan peppercorn. Too hot.
49. Elisabeth of "Gracie" : SHUE
51. Silas Marner, e.g. : MISER
53. Words on an initial reference volume : A TO (A to Z, e.g.)
54. Johnny __ : REB
59. Quaker in the forest : ASPEN
61. Players in a July contest : ALL-STARS. I mentioned that the ticket was too high for me. The price for Super Bowl 2018 is at least twice ridiculous.
64. Radium co-discoverer : CURIE
65. Curt : SNIPPY
66. Silk-stocking : ELITE
67. Many mottoes are written in it : LATIN. MN has a French motto: L'Étoile du Nord.
68. Diagonal line, on some score sheets : SPARE. Bowling.
69. On key : IN TUNE
71. Toaster opening : HERE'S
72. Gin cocktails : MARTINIS. Hey, Bond again, Splynter!
75. Mary __: ill-fated ship : DEARE
78. Prefix with sex : UNI
79. Cartoon shriek : EEK
80. One of Mexico's 31 : STATE. Estado.
82. Like Solomon : WISE
83. Top : APEX
84. Calculus calculation : AREA
90. Skip the festivities, in a way : ELOPE
91. "King of the Bullwhip" star : LARUE. Lash LaRue.
93. Logician Turing : ALAN. Got a royal pardon last year.
94. Brings up : PARENTS
96. Author Allende : ISABEL. She does not like being compared to Gabriel García Márquez.
98. Loses crispness : WILTS
99. Baseball's Steroid __ : ERA. And 40D. Steroids, slangily : JUICE. Can't stand this guy.
100. Successor to Bess : MAMIE
101. Bris, e.g. : RITE
102. Put forward again, as a claim : RE-ASSERT
112. Back : HIND
113. Used up : GONE
114. Boston College athlete : EAGLE. Gimme for Marti/Barry G/Dudley.
115. Name meaning "born again" : RENEE. Re-Nee.
116. Sport scored electronically : EPEE. Look, new clue for EPEE.
117. Sees : GETS
118. Put up with : STOOD
119. Marshy lowland : SWALE
Down:
1. Collars : NABS
2. Raines of old movies : ELLA. Not familiar with this lady.
3. Zillions : A TON. And 92. Not much : A BIT
4. Traffic sound : TOOT
5. "Well, it looked good __" : ON PAPER
6. Dusting may reveal them : PRINTS. Nice clue.
7. Olin of "Chocolat" : LENA
8. ERA part: Abbr. : AVG
9. "Snow White" frame : CEL
10. Sophocles tragedy : ELECTRA. Sister of Orestes.
11. Derby town : EPSOM
12. Vehicle brand with a bulldog in its logo : MACK
13. Pump output : AIR
14. Golf club shaft material : GRAPHITE
15. Rest stop features : TOILETS
16. What spies may wear : WIRES
17. Curriculum suffix : OLOGY
18. One-word def. : SYN. Oh, I see, like how dictionary defines "Sexy" as "Glamorous".
24. Reptilian tail? : SAUR. OK, like Dinosaur.
26. Hammer end : PEEN
29. Drum out : OUST
32. Risk taker : DARER. Phil Mickelson, who has GUTS (42D. Nerve).
33. Make fun of : APE
34. Occasionally amended doc. : CONST. No idea. Constitution?
35. City of southeastern Iraq : BASRA
36. Urge forward : IMPEL
38. Flop : DUD
43. At full throttle : AMAIN
46. Lone Star State sch. : UT EP. University of Texas at El Paso.
47. "West Side Story" hero : TONY. Maria's boyfriend. We have Hmong gangs here in MN.
49. Dramatic outpouring : SPATE
50. Hound's prey : HARE
52. Charged : RAN AT
56. Empathetic words : I CARE
57. Word with ear or wear : OUTER
58. McEvoy of cosmetics : TRISH. High-priced.
60. Voice of the iPhone : SIRI
62. Talk like a lush : SLUR
63. Points at the table? : TINES. Great clue.
65. Shopping __ : SPREE. Come visit Mall of America, Gary!
67. New Orleans protector : LEVEE
68. Get wise with : SASS
69. "That's the general __" : IDEA
70. Not e'en once : NE'ER
71. Blackjack request : HIT ME
72. Sports doc's pics : MRIs
73. Klutzy : INEPT
74. Boxcars, for high rollers : SIXES. No idea. I'm not even a low roller.
76. The Phantom's rival : RAOUL
77. Berlin Olympics star : OWENS
81. Like some omelets : THREE-EGG. What's your typical breakfast, D-Otto?
83. It's drawn in bars : ALE
85. Dessert menu phrase : A LA MODE
87. Pace : GAIT
88. Asserts without proof : ALLEGES
89. Yoga class need : MAT
90. Mistake-fixing tools : ERASERS
94. Snuck a look : PEEKED
95. Sea divided by shrinkage : ARAL. What does "divided by shrinkage" mean? The Russians say Aral Sea has stopping shrinking.
96. Beatnik's "Got it!" : I'M HIP
97. River to the Rhone : SAONE
98. Cleaning cloths : WIPES
101. Pipsqueak : RUNT
102. Move, to a Realtor : RELO
103. Gumbo, for example : STEW
104. Mount near Catania : ETNA
105. Irish dance : REEL
106. One with rings : TREE. Tree rings.
107. __-crab soup : SHE. Never had it. How strange, she-crab.
108. Bossy Stooge : MOE. Here there, Chairman Moe!
110. Informer : RAT
111. It may be massive : EGO
C.C.