Theme: "Single-Minded" - Short vowel in each *ING-ending word is changed into a long vowel, hence one of double consonants is dropped. (Added later: Barry G is correct. The gimmick is simply dropping one of the double letters. 50A has the same vowel before and after).
23A. Manicurist's work area? : FILING STATION. Filling station.
27A. Jilted "dear" lover who hasn't given up? : HOPING JOHN. Hopping John. The first and last Across theme answers have an impressive 5-letter overlap.
50A. Grand Canal? : POLING PLACE. Polling place.
66A. Providing extra digital support? : TOE TAPING. Toe-tapping.
84A. Finding a home for an Anaheim team? : SITING DUCKS. Sitting duck.
105A. Making hay when the sun doesn't shine? : SNOW BALING. Snowballing.
112A. Furniture-weaving facility? : CANING FACTORY. Canning factory.
31D. Regally dressing aristocrats? : ROBING THE RICH. Robbing the rich.
35D. Making a patio out of a garden? : TILING THE SOIL. Tilling the soil. Both Downs have 3-words. Consistent.
Looks like another debut! We only have a John Lieb in our blog labels.
It's
challenging to start with a 13-letter theme entry, as this results in a
stacked 7's on the right immediately. The constructor can further break
those 7's into two 3's, but then she'd exceed Rich's 144 word limit.
The top 8/3 break can be changed into 6/6 or 5/7 or 7/5, all posing a challenge to fill in cleanly.
Across:
1. Military competition : ARMS RACE. This puzzle has eight 8-letter entries.
9. "Excuse me ..." : AHEM
13. Tab : BAR BILL
20. Visit briefly, as a sick friend : LOOK IN ON
21. In __ land : LA LA. Hello to our sweet LaLaLinda. Hope her health improves in 2015.
22. Frightened : ALARMED
25. Still puzzled : NO WISER
26. Beaut : GEM
29. Like some bird calls : SHRILL
33. Tie securely : LASH
34. Kachina doll maker : HOPI. I see Kachina dolls at flea market from time to time. They kind of look scary.
35. Parlor design, perhaps : TAT. Tattoo parlor.
38. "Cupid" singer Sam : COOKE
39. Belittle : DIS
40. Place to get refreshed : OASIS
43. How deadpan humor is delivered : DRILY
45. Dispute settlers : ARBITERS
47. "Put your money away" : ON ME. Crossing ONSET (47D. First stage). Dupe of ON.
48. Reiki practitioner : HEALER. Have any of you had Reiki treatments?
49. Surprise attack : RAID
54. Board game staples : DICE
55. Smoker's buy: Abbr. : CTN. I was astonished to find out that every casino in Las Vegas allows smoking.
56. Shoe parts : UPPERS
57. Cyberguffaw : LOL
58. Flowers in pens? : INKS. OK, Flow-er. Ink flows.
59. Figures on a rink : EIGHTS
61. Understanding : KEN. Beyond my ken.
63. Purse : HANDBAG. I used to be very good judging fake designer bags.
65. Platte River tribe : OTOE
69. Tiny colonists : ANTS
71. Conserve : HUSBAND
73. Marine eagle : ERN
74. Book read during the Jewish holiday Purim : ESTHER. Gimme for Hahtoola/Lemonade.
76. Dog follower : SLED. Dog sled. Great clue.
78. Yale alum : ELI
79. Milk sources : UDDERS
82. Lac filler : EAU
83. Dean's "Lois & Clark" co-star : TERI (Hatcher). Dean Cain.
88. Grounded fleet : SSTS
89. Joins the debate : OPINES
91. Bit of sneakiness : RUSE
92. Hole starters : TEE SHOTS
94. Rhodes with a scholarship : CECIL
95. Words to strike up the band : HIT IT
97. French possessive : SES. TES also.
98. Scenically patterned fabric : TOILE
99. Utility co. unit : KWH
100. College town east of Greensboro : ELON. Got via crosses. Anything Musk related will be a gimme.
102. Destruction : RUIN
104. Oval-shaped dose : CAPLET
108. Asian-American actor Philip known for war movie roles : AHN. Of Korean root. I mentioned before that his Ahn is the same as Chinese Ang (Ang Lee).
109. Labor dispute tactic : LOCKOUT
118. London locale : ONTARIO
119. Bilko's mil. rank : MSGT (Master sergeant).
120. Enter carefully : EASE INTO
121. Features of Lincoln and Uncle Sam : GOATEES
122. Online crafts store : ETSY. Lots of neat stuff there.
123. Sin : TRESPASS
Down:
1. '80s sitcom puppet : ALF
2. Palais resident : ROI
3. Gretchen of "Boardwalk Empire" : MOL. Not familiar with this lady. Does MOL pronounce the same as Mole?
4. __ mask : SKI
5. Hairstyle curl : RINGLET
6. 2014 A.L. MVP Mike Trout, for one : ANGEL. Big gimme.
7. Micro- ending : COSM
8. Dr.'s specialty : ENT
9. Choral parts : ALTOS. And BASS (64D. Choral part).
10. Vietnamese port : HAIPHONG. No idea about this port city. Click on this map, can you see Hong Kong? Wiki said "The city's name means "coastal defense" and it is nicknamed the Flamboyant City because of the many Delonix regia planted throughout it." Gosh, I did not know what "Delonix regia" is either. Pretty red.
11. They "had decayed to a mere beautiful futility": Wells : ELOI
12. "Buddenbrooks" author : MANN (Thomas)
13. Duelers in a 1973 hit : BANJOS. This refers to the banjos in "Deliverance", right?
14. Thrown for __ : A LOOP
15. Untanned animal skin : RAWHIDE
16. Google co-founder Sergey : BRIN
17. Web chat exchange : IMs
18. Director Spike : LEE
19. Pres. or gov. : LDR (Leader)
24. Enlightened cries : AHAs
28. Letters seen next to a 4 : GHI. On your phone.
29. Seldom seen : SCARCE
30. "Good night, sweet prince" speaker : HORATIO
32. "Not serious" : I KID
33. Hosiery thread : LISLE
36. Smart __ : ALECK
37. Spares in boots : TYRES. They call trunks "boots".
39. Go down : DROP
41. Band booster : AMP
42. Poivre companion : SEL
44. Glowing : RADIANT
46. Omar of "House" : EPPS
48. Had in one's portfolio : HELD. And 76D. Portfolio component : STOCK
51. Displeased : IRKED
52. Oscar-winning composer Menken : ALAN. What I called Marti's husband the first time. Then I called him Allan. Then Allen. Then Allan again. Hopeless!
53. Capitol Hill gp. : CONG. OK, congress.
56. One of the teams that made the Pac-10 the Pac-12 : UTES. Got via crosses also.
60. Budapest-born magician : HOUDINI
62. "Sorry, laddie" : NAE
63. Vishnu worshiper : HINDU
66. Tibiae supporters : TALI
67. Doing the job : ON IT. AT IT as well.
68. Very proper sort : PRUDE
70. Mariners' home : SEATTLE
72. First lady after Eleanor : BESS
74. Skye writing : ERSE
75. Potato often used for fries : RUSSET
77. Romantic skunk : LE PEW
80. It made its last commercial flight in February 2014 : DC-TEN. Gimme for Dudley, Rainman (Yay! You made it!) and maybe Dave. I was unwary of this trivia. Did you ever fly your own plane, Dave?
81. Squeezes (out) : EKES
85. NYC subway : IRT
86. Rapa __ : NUI
87. D neighbors on most guitars : G-STRINGS. Got via crosses as well. One of two entries that cross 3 theme answers.
88. Store : SHOP
90. Title girl in a 1968 Turtles hit : ELENORE
93. Batting postures : STANCES
95. Manuals, e.g. : HOW-TOS
96. Liszt's "Piano Sonata __ Minor" : IN B
97. Indication : SIGN. HINT won't work.
101. "Taxi" dispatcher : LOUIE
103. Cohesion : UNITY
104. Dramatic movie scene : CHASE
105. 32-card game : SKAT
106. Pinnacle : ACME
107. Tenth of ten, say : LAST
108. Miles away : AFAR
109. Keep a record of : LOG
110. John Lennon's middle name : ONO
111. Windy City "L" runner : CTA (Chicago Transit Authority)
113. Become ill with : GET. I sure don't want to get flu again. What an ordeal!
114. Advice from a pro : TIP
115. Words with hunch or bet : ON A
116. Some NFL linemen : RTs (Right Tackles)
117. Howdies : YOs
I set up a Blog Recipes
post under Olio on the blog front page. Several regulars have shared
their cherished family recipes over the years on the blog (Ham & Pea
soup, e.g.), but I failed to locate them accurately. Would you mind
copying and pasting the recipes on the blog again? Or just send me an email. I
will put them in the Blog Recipes folder. Thanks.
C.C.
