Theme: "Catchy Phrases" -Y is added to the end of the first word or first part of the first word. Catch-Y phrases indeed.
25A. What determines when the bash ends? : PARTY TIMER. Part-timer.
27A. Awkward work period? : STICKY SHIFT. Stick shift.
46A. Chess great keeping warm? : TOASTY MASTER. Toastmaster. Four one-word base phrases in the set.
71A. Containers for some pork cuts? : BELLY JARS. Bell jars. The only one in plural form.
94A. Hoedown official having a bad day? : CRANKY CALLER. Crank caller.
113A. Demand for fabric softener? : DOWNY MARKET. Downmarket.
118A. Yellowstone roughneck? : BULLY MOOSE. Bull Moose, the party.
35D. Chauffeur who's off his rocker? : SCREWY DRIVER. Screwdriver.
40D. Agent in need of Weight Watchers? : STOCKY BROKER. Stockbroker.
Classical 9-themer grid design. 7 Across & 2 Down.
I
had an easy time, probably because the grid is very solver-friendly
(lots of 4 & 5 letter words) and super clean. No obscure words or
strange abbreviations. In fact, there are a limited few abbreviations in this puzzle, that's hard to achieve with a 21 & 21 grid.
Across:
1. Place with canoes : CAMP
5. Tableland : MESA
9. Groups of foxhounds : PACKS. Oh, I only know wolves/lies.
14. Little one on a board : PAWN. Chessboard.
18. Sashes with bows : OBIS
19. Skating maneuvers : AXELS
21. Interwoven hair : PLAIT. Pretty braid.
22. "Wonderfilled" cookie : OREO. 3D. 22-Across variety : MINI
23. Unimposing : PUNY
24. Wrangler's rope : RIATA. Just fill in R?ATA, then you wait.
30. Walks leisurely : MOSEYS
31. Must : HAS TO
32. "The Thin Blue Line" director Morris : ERROL. Forgot. I googled him before.
34. Outlaw tracker : POSSE
38. Vision-correcting aid : LASER
41. Student-teacher calculation, say : RATIO
43. Savanna newborn : LION CUB
45. Acct. posting : INT. 23-Across, if any.
51. "For that reason ..." : ERGO
52. Uncultured sort : BOOR
54. Chevy subcompact : AVEO. Hi there Gary!
55. Soap staple : DRAMA
56. Superman portrayer Cain : DEAN. With Terri Hatcher.
57. Italian cheesecake cheese : RICOTTA
59. Crisp quality : NIP
62. Sudden burst : SPATE
64. Like Thurber's humor : WRY. James Thurber.
65. Tattoo sites, perhaps : ANKLES
66. Course often taken first : SALAD. Lovely clue.
68. Thermal __ : ENERGY
70. Modus operandi : STYLE
73. '50s sci-fi flier : RODAN
76. Unlikely to be talked out of : BENT ON
78. Looks : SEEMS
79. Reporter's need : SOURCE. I miss Anthony Shadid.
80. Disfigure : MAR
82. Planter : SOWER
84. R.I. summer hours : EDT
85. Bullet propellant : CORDITE. New word to me.
86. Macbeth, for one : SCOT
88. Prompt, as a forgetful actor : RE-CUE
90. Give a tongue-lashing, with "out" : REAM
92. Passionate : AVID
93. Reheat, in a way : NUKE
98. Pre-event period : EVE
99. Like Marilyn Monroe's voice : BREATHY. Jackie Kennedy's voice too.
101. Stoppers of spirits : CORKS. I need to stop thinking of ghosts when I see "spirits".
102. Paddled : OARED
104. __ Rossi: wine brand : CARLO. Gimme for Marti.
105. Was brilliant : SHONE
107. Pastry bag filler : ICING. I know the tool, D-Otto, not the term pastry bag.
110. Mile High player : BRONCO. Mile High Stadium.
122. Diving birds : LOONS
123. Take the edge off : EASE
124. Biblical barterer : ESAU
125. Actor with seven Emmys : ASNER. It's a record for a male actor.
126. Causing shudders, maybe : EERIE
127. "Slippery" trees : ELMS
128. Stare : GAPE
129. Swamp growths : REEDS
130. Ones breaking away : SECT. Stupidly put S in the last square.
131. Bug repellent ingredient : DEET
Down:
1. Cruiser drivers : COPS
2. Bump up against : ABUT
4. Freudian concern : PSYCHE
5. "The Bells of St. __" : MARY'S. Did any of you see this movie?
6. Be real : EXIST
7. Fish that swims upright : SEAHORSE
8. Voices in il coro : ALTI. Used Google Translate: il coro = the choir.
9. Very quietly, in music : PPP
10. 1836 battle site : ALAMO
11. December number : CAROL
12. Hobbyists' purchases : KITS
13. Eyelid irritation : STYE
14. Like a certain fairy tale apple : POISONED. Putin only eats food prepared by his Russian chefs, even if he's traveling abroad.
15. Give pieces to : ARM
16. Very early: WEE
17. Scand. land : NOR
20. Rare football result : SAFETY. I don't follow football. How rare?
26. Dash for cash, e.g. : TYPO. So easy in retrospect.
28. Go-__ : KART
29. Remove fat from : TRIM
33. Teams are often on it, with "the" : ROAD
36. Baking staple : SUGAR
37. Key wood : EBONY. Did you read it as "Key word"?
38. Ones who are astrologically balanced? : LIBRAS. Scales.
39. Honor with oil : ANOINT
42. Unkeyed : ATONAL
43. Racing's 24 Hours of __ : LE MANS. Held in the French city Le Mans.
44. On the warpath : IRATE
47. Feed bag feed : OATS
48. Clark's "Mogambo" co-star : AVA
49. Most retirees: Abbr. : SRS
50. Winds down, with "off" : TAPERS
53. "Good Times" star : ROLLE (Esther)
58. Romeo and Juliet, e.g. : TEENS. Also a great clue for ROLES.
60. Afflictions : ILLS
61. Word on a check : PAYEE
63. Eraser target : ERROR
66. Adviser to Nero : SENECA
67. Worked a dance, for short : DJ'ED
69. Cheese from the Netherlands : GOUDA
71. Manhattan area, with "the" : BOWERY
72. Sunset Limited operator : AMTRAK. Did you nail this, Anon T? I'm not familiar with Sunset Limited.
74. Busy : ACTIVE
75. More than wanted : NEEDED
77. Liberty Island symbol : TORCH
79. Not all : SOME
80. Cable news station : MSNBC
81. Legend creator : ACURA. Can't fool me.
83. Preside over : RUN
85. 20th-century White House nickname : CAL
87. Crayola color retired in 2003 : TEAL BLUE
89. Kitchen gadget brand : EKCO
91. Kronborg Castle, in Shakespeare : ELSINORE. "Hamlet".
95. Over there, to Shakespeare : YOND
96. Big Easy cuisine : CREOLE. Hi there, Big Easy on our blog.
97. Author Jaffe : RONA
100. British Conservative : TORY
103. Was like-minded : AGREED
105. Quick bread choice : SCONE. I made sweet potato scones last year. Not as good as they look here.
106. Took for a ride : HOSED
108. Pessimist : CYNIC
109. "Nothing more required here" : I'M SET
111. Epps of "The Mod Squad" : OMAR
112. Wine taster's concern : NOSE
114. Hardships : WOES
115. Leafy vegetable : KALE
116. Salinger's "With Love and Squalor" girl : ESME
117. __ pilot : TEST
118. Mooch : BEG
119. "White Collar" network : USA. Irish Miss & JD might be following this show.
120. Full circuit : LAP
121. Waffling sounds : ERs
C.C.
