Theme: "Movie Trailers". Our lovely Marti has appended a word to familiar movie titles and then hilarity ensued as the resulting phrase made sense but in a fun way. My favorite was
56A. Movie about a morning mixer? : THE BREAKFAST CLUB SODA, which in this case seems to be Coca Cola and not CLUB SODA. Gotta love product placement fees!
22A. Movie about a second-place swordsman? : BLADE RUNNER UP - Probably had a bad epee
39A. Movie about a case of brilliance? : THE SHINING EXAMPLE
80A. Movie about remedial grammar? : BACK TO THE FUTURE TENSE - When we hit 88 mph, we will have returned to 1985
96A. Movie about a gabfest getting out of hand? : RAGING BULL SESSION (not much gabbing going on in this session)
119A. Movie about a Brownie coming of age? : GONE GIRL SCOUT - she sold me some Thin Mints and then split
I always have a good time with Marti's puzzles and this was no exception. I'll bet her fertile brain produced a big bone pile of rejected entries that didn't make the cut.
After blogging for C.C. two weeks ago and Marti today, may I submit a humble entry - "Strength Of An Attractive Female"
Power"
Get your popcorn, turn off your cell phones, sit back and enjoy the show!
Across
1. "Shucks!" : AW GEE
6. Alley roamers : TOM CATS - a venue our kitty will never see
13. Relatives of bolts : SCREWS - Betcha you've got a drawer at home full of both like we do
19. Contemporary of Burns : BENNY
20. Central __ : AMERICA - I only know Panama and Guatemala on a map for sure. You?
21. Red choice : CLARET - Yup, it's Marti's puzzle!
24. Went around : ROTATED - We ROTATED kids every 12 weeks for 34 years so I got everyone of the 400+ Eighth graders. No wonder I can't remember them!
26. Fifth-century invader : ATTILA - Romans called him "The Scourge of God"
27. As above, in footnotes : IDEM - Not IBID. Footnoting was "The Scourge of College" for me.
28. Logan of "60 Minutes" : LARA
29. Con opening : NEO
30. It might include problems : TEST - Was that Central America test above a problem?
32. Syria's most populous city : ALEPPO - Millions have fled
35. Stupefyin' Jones creator : CAPP - Julie Newmar wowed 'em in that role on Broadway and reprised the character in the 1959 movie version of Lil' Abner.
36. Rocks, maybe : ICE - not allowed in some venues ;-)
44. "Finale Ultimo" chorus in "The Sound of Music" : NUNS - Reprise #2. The NUNS sang Climb Every Mountain against this fabulous backdrop.
46. Dire destiny : DOOM
47. Actress Vardalos : NIA - Tom Hanks' wife Rita Wilson, of Greek heritage, convinced him to see NIA's play and then Hanks' company, Playtone, got the movie off the ground.
48. Mudville dud : CASEY - He shouldna taken two strikes!
49. Per se : AS SUCH
52. Cocktail word for "strained" : COLADA - Learning for me. I've strained to get to the car after too many pina coladas.
54. "12 Angry Men" actor Cobb : LEE J - Did that kid really kill his dad or not?
61. Rembrandt van __ : RYN - He went by his first name like Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni
62. One who gives a hoot : OWL
63. Some "MIB" characters : ET'S - I liked 'em better in Close Encounters
64. Prefix with metric : ISO - As in ISOMETRIC exercise. Let's all pause for three reps!
65. Guns : REVS - Followed by "She's real fine my 409..."
67. 1977 Steely Dan album : AJA - Pronounced Asia, the name of a Korean bride taken by Donald Fagen's friend's brother's wife
68. Fisher daughter on "Six Feet Under" : CLAIRE
70. Eur. peak on the Decade Volcanoes list : MT ETNA - Lots of company.
73. Slammer : PEN
74. Milkweed features : PODS - Here is a piece of Milkweed Pod art by our constructor Marti that she calls Parakeets. Yeah, I know, she's pretty talented!
76. 911 responder, for short : EMT
77. Game-winning line : O O O
78. Austrian article : EIN - Ich bin EIN Berliner still gives me goosebumps
79. Bard's preposition : ERE
86. River islets : AITS - sometimes, what gets learned here, stays here
87. Steps in for : ACTS AS - In the last Husker bowl game, another coach had to ACT AS the head coach for fired Bo Pelini
88. One might get a return : SENDER - Only Big Girls Don't Cry kept Elvis' Return To SENDER from the #1 spot in December 1962
89. Pre-Little League game : T-BALL
92. "Selena" star, to fans : J LO
93. Ton : SLEW
95. Paper or plastic alternative : TOTE
102. Agree silently : NOD
103. Solo often in Italian : ARIA - I'll take Nessun Dorma
104. It had a big part in "The Ten Commandments" : RED SEA - Big "Part"? Good one Marti!
105. Tater : SPUD
107. Denver winter hrs. : MST
108. Big do : FETE
109. Popular tablet : I PAD - Don't ask Joann to choose between her iPad and me!
113. Blows : ERUPTS - See map at 70A for examples
117. Naval attire : PEA COAT - I'd be willing to bet there's some of these hanging in closets among our sea-going (sea-went) sailors here at the Corner.
122. Laid-back : AT EASE - Now if the space is between the A and the T...
123. Like the Empire State Building : ART DECO
124. Helped by the jet stream, as a flight : EARLY - A BOAC flight from NY to London arrived an hour and a half early recently as a 200 mph jet stream pushed it up to near the speed of sound
125. ATM part : TELLER
126. "Ah, it's clear now!" : YES I SEE
127. Inscribed pillar : STELE
Down:
1. Group whose logo looks the same in a mirror : ABBA - Hey, this would work, but not as I just typed it.
2. Shoemaker's strip : WELT
3. Flying pest : GNAT
4. Call the whole thing off : END IT - "Just take one dip and END IT!"
5. Lace hole : EYELET
6. Start of ancient Troy? : TAU - τροία
7. Upscale hotel chain : OMNI
8. Heal : MEND
9. First Nations tribe : CREE
10. Aviator : AIRMAN - Sgt. Major Dickerson had trouble with this AIRMAN.
11. Horned Frogs' sch. : TCU
12. Flower in trees? : SAP - Aha, Marti, you didn't get me!
13. Pickle : SCRAPE
14. Laundry brand : CLOROX
15. Pro __ : RATA
16. The Gay '90s, e.g. : ERA
17. Messy-meal handouts : WET-NAPS - With a side of ribs
18. Church feature : STEEPLE - C'mon, you've made this STEEPLE, haven't you?
23. Impetuous : RASH
25. Grumpy companion : DOPEY
28. Evian Championship co-sanctioning org. : LPGA
31. CNN founder Turner : TED
33. Godiva competitor : LINDT
34. "Giant Brain" introduced in 1946 : ENIAC
35. Key of 20 Haydn symphonies : C MAJOR
36. Caught : IN A TRAP - Speaking of Elvis, which of his songs has "IN A TRAP" in the lyric? It's my favorite.
37. Plum position : CUSHY JOB - Thanks for the raise, Dad!
38. Baja city : ENSENADA - Inlet or cove in español
40. Put (away), as money : SOCK
41. Bojangles, e.g. : HOOFER
42. "Sorry, can't stop to chat" : I'M LATE - I'M LATE, for a very important date...
43. Whizzes : ACES
45. Hero : SUB
50. Gator relative : CROC
51. Computer company co-founder Bill : HEWLETT - Garage in Palo Alto, CA where Bill started. California named it "The Birthplace Of Silicon Valley".
53. Braying beast : ASS
54. Sheen : LUSTER
55. Piano keys not played in a 35-Down scale : EBONIES - Not a sharp or flat in sight.
57. Los __ : ALAMOS - A more destructive birthplace
58. A bad one can raise one's score : LIE
59. Trust : DEPEND ON
60. Put off by : AVERSE TO
66. Showed disdain : SNEERED - What Elvis did when he sang Return To Sender
69. Hairy sitcom cousin : ITT
70. Airy dessert : MOUSSE - You can see some of that air here.
71. Bottom lines : TOTALS
72. Hold 'em opener : ANTE
75. Colleague of Thomas : SCALIA
77. O'er and o'er : OFT - Tis OFT we see ere and o'er
81. Brickmaking tool : KILN
82. Lecture sites : HALLS
83. Paris' __ des Beaux-Arts : ECOLE
84. Doesn't allow to gather dust : USES - Our theme song?
85. Otolaryngology doc : ENT - An ENT had my head scanned and it revealed nothing. Wait a minute...
89. Lady's friend : TRAMP
90. Stool, often : BAR SEAT
91. Inflame : AGITATE
92. Patron saint of lost causes : JUDE
94. "America's Dairyland": Abbr. : WIS - Maybe not...
97. Washday challenge : GREASE
98. Outdo : BETTER - What musical featured, Anything You Can Do, I Can Do BETTER?
99. Superdome team : SAINTS - Their post-Katrina success culminating in the 07/08 Super Bowl win really help put NOLA back on its feet
100. GM subsidiary : OPEL
101. Drinks on a 90-Down : NURSES
106. Old Venetian coin : DUCAT
108. Mustang that just arrived : FOAL - cute
110. Mani go-with : PEDI - had one last year, haven't been back
111. A long time : AGES
112. Rollers for high rollers : DICE
114. Tiny sweater? : PORE - cute too
115. Eponymous 18th-century agriculturist Jethro __ : TULL - His invention of the horse drawn seed drill helped fuel the British Agricultural Revolution.
116. Eye sore : STYE
118. Animation still : CEL - This 1935 CEL, the first with Mickey Mouse in color, sold for $420,000. Most, if not all, animators are now laid off.
119. Lively : GAY
120. Vein contents : ORE
121. Anagram of 120-Down : ROE - nice coupling finish!
No puzzle to do, no blog to write and I sang and played in church last night. Hmmm... I wonder if that old sock drawer needs a look-see.
