Theme: "D-Activated" -D is added to each theme entry.
23A. Excavation that went on and on? : SEVEN-YEAR DITCH. Seven-year itch. Three D's are added to starts of the second words, 4 to the first words.
44A. One-way chauffeur? : DRIVER OF NO RETURN. River of No Return. Not a familiar movie to me.
69A. Board game expert? : DART HISTORIAN. Art historian.
94A. Required course for stunt performers? : DANGER MANAGEMENT. Anger management.
117A. Stanley Cup filler? : ICE HOCKEY DRINK. Ice hockey rink.
15D. Effort to get pop elected? : DAD CAMPAIGN. Ad campaign. The only theme entry with a stray D.
68D. Moon-based cattleman? : LUNAR DROVER. Lunar rover.
Three of the original phrases in the theme set are movies. Wouldn't be cool if the other four are also movies? That would be an incredibly tight set.
Pam used a classic Sunday grid set-up: 7 theme entries (total 95 squares), 5 Across and 2 Down. No shock and awe non-theme fill, just clean & solid answers.
Across:
1. "__ and Son": storytelling segment on "The Bullwinkle Show" : AESOP. No idea. All crosses.
6. Racetrack letters : STP
9. Chihuahua cheer : OLE
12. Coughed up, so to speak : PAID IN
18. In the loop : AWARE
19. Pad __: stir-fried noodles : THAI. Rice noodles.
21. O'Hare initials : UAL
22. Parish priest's subordinate : CURATE. I only know the verb meaning.
26. Frat newbie : PLEDGE
27. Leftover : REMNANT
28. Small-capped mushrooms : ENOKIS. This might be a difficult answer for some. But I use them in stir-fries occasionally.
30. Accessory for Beau Brummell : ASCOT.
Wiki said "Beau Brummell is credited with introducing, and establishing
as fashion, the modern men's suit, worn with a necktie. He claimed he
took five hours a day to dress, and recommended that boots be polished
with champagne." Nuts!
31. St. Thomas hours : AST
32. Tips to a lady, perhaps : DOFFS. Hat!
33. "Don't Cry For Me, Argentina" musical : EVITA
35. C, D and E, perhaps : DO RE MI. Tricky clue for me. I'm musically illiterate.
39. First name in folk : ARLO
40. Remarkable deed : FEAT
41. L.A. commuter org. : MTA
48. Work : OPUS
49. Carte postale mountains : ALPES
50. Promote aggressively, in slang : FLOG
51. Expected 2015 Sue Grafton title starter : X IS. For what?
52. Mystery awards : EDGARS
54. Revolution period? : YEAR. Nailed it. Saw similar clue before.
55. Fiscal VIP : CFO
56. "Whee!" : YIPPEE
59. The same way : ALIKE
60. Ripped into : TORE AT
63. Carlsbad Cavern critter : BAT
64. Goes back (on) : RENEGES
66. Berkeley school, familiarly : CAL
72. Gov. Cuomo's domain : NYS. New York State.
73. Get the old gang together : RE-UNITE
75. Afore : ERE
76. Jaguar filler : PETROL
78. Dancer de Mille : AGNES. Here is our Agnes (Irish Miss)
 |
| Left to Right: Eileen (Agnes' sister) & Agnes, Nov 22, 2013 |
79. Stick up for : DEFEND
82. H.S. VIPs : SRs
83. O'Neill's daughter : OONA
87. Serious shortage : DEARTH
89. Bass tail? : OON. Bassoon.
90. New York county whose seat is Buffalo : ERIE. Shout-out to Abejo almost every week.
92. That is : TO WIT
93. Pie shortening : LARD
98. "Tight" NFL position : END
99. Brief missives? : LTRS. "Brief" suggests an abbreviated answer.
100. NASA approvals : A-OKS
101. Bit of education : LESSON
102. "Still Me" memoirist : REEVE. Never read it. The cover is haunting.
104. "Warrior" Oscar nominee : NOLTE (Nick)
106. Stewart of "The Daily Show" : JON
107. Fabled extraction : THORN. Which fable?
109. Shrimp dish : SCAMPI. This looks delicious. Barry G has a great seafood linguini. Click here for recipe. D-Otto, can you post your potato dumplings recipe again?
111. Soaps, say : SERIALS
115. Caribbean metropolis : HAVANA
120. Pickup capacity : ONE TON
121. Piece of work? : ERG. Gimme for all our regulars.
122. Film __ : NOIR
123. Like much beer : ON TAP
124. It's a wrap : SARONG
125. Pastoral place : LEA
126. Whitney and others: Abbr. : MTS (Mountains)
127. Sudden transitions : LEAPS
Down:
1. Remote cells? : AAS
2. Painting pitcher : EWER
3. Set aside : SAVE
4. City on Utah Lake : OREM
5. Ayn Rand and Mark Twain : PEN NAMES. Holy moley. I had no idea Ayne Rand is a pen name.
6. Surgical tube : STENT
7. "Name __ Tune" : THAT
8. Scorecard number : PAR. Golf scorecard.
9. Giving rain checks for : OUT OF. I'd prefer a partial clue.
10. Wants for : LACKS
11. Pre-coll. : EL-HI. Here it is again.
12. General MD, to insurers : PCP (Primary Care Physician)
13. Café order : AU LAIT
14. "Soon will __, yes, forever sleep": Yoda : I REST
16. "Let __" : IT GO
17. Hair removal choice : NEET
20. Socialism, e.g. : IDEOLOGY
24. He shared the peace prize with Shimon and Yitzhak : YASIR
25. About to endure : IN FOR
29. Psychic : SEER
32. Crab Key villain : DR. NO. I had no idea where he lives. It's located off the coast of Jamaica, Google shows.
34. Rooftop spinner : VANE
35. Time of reckoning : D-DAY
36. Heraldic border : ORLE. I learned from doing xwords.
37. Big name in TV talk : RIPA. So cheerful.
38. Six-time U.S. Open winner : EVERT (Chris)
39. Solvent : AFLOAT
40. Coalesce : FUSE
42. Opposite of smash : TURKEY. Easy in retrospect.
43. Value : ASSESS
45. Put on the block : OFFERED
46. Brief exile? : EX-PAT
47. Best of the best : TIPTOP
48. Look in a bad way : OGLE
53. TV booking agent? : DANNO. "Book 'em, Danno!"
55. Pluto suffix : CRAT
57. "Peer Gynt" playwright : IBSEN
58. Land on the Red Sea : ERITREA
61. Shelley or Milton : ODIST
62. What "it" is in Sandburg's "It sits looking over harbor and city" : THE FOG
65. Corny cookout plateful : EARS. Ha ha, corny indeed!
66. Phone home? : CRADLE. I had to google. Did not know there's a term for that item.
67. Mediterranean arm : AEGEAN
70. Castle of dance : IRENE. Irene Castle.
71. Pine products : RESINS
74. "The Big Bang Theory" type : NERD
77. Towers : LOOMS. Towers/Looms large.
80. Long spans : EONS
81. Involuntary downward movement : DEMOTION. The possible charge for Petraeus makes me sad. He suffered enough.
84. Is shy, in a way : OWES
85. Bogotá boy : NINO
86. FYI kin : ATTN
88. Man cave centerpiece : HDTV
91. Do a fall chore : RAKE
92. Tiger Beat subject : TEEN IDOL
95. Greek war god : ARES
96. Ed's pal of classic TV : RALPH. "The Honeymooners".
97. Morning __ : GLORY
99. Sean with the album "Friendly Fire" : LENNON. Not familial with the song.
103. Sister of Clio : ERATO
104. Shell lining : NACRE
105. Greek ending : OMEGA
106. Taunts : JEERS
107. Pres. Jefferson : THOS. Glue entry.
108. Juliette's role in "The English Patient" : HANA. I already forgot the plot of "The English Patient".
110. Where to see étoiles : CIEL. French for "sky".
111. Satiric segment : SKIT
112. "Alfred" composer : ARNE. Only know his "Rule, Britannia".
113. Words with match or fire : LIT A. I did not see the plural s.
114. Selfie, e.g. : SNAP
116. "The Ice Storm" director Lee : ANG
118. Dot follower? : COM
119. Some GI duties : KPs. KP = Kitchen Police.
Let's meet Rainman, who used to own a Cessna as well. Rainman is an avid tennis player. Please click here for a few more pictures.
Ray and Linda
Transit of Venus, June 2012. It was cold at 6,000 feet near Tehachapi.
C.C.
