Theme: "From Beginning to End" - The beginning prefix of each compound word is moved to the end.
27A. Outstanding building manager? : STAR SUPER. Superstar.
29A. Truck at the end of the convoy? : FINAL SEMI. Semifinal.
43A. Ordinary hero? : STANDARD SUB. Substandard.
67A. One auditing highway department supplies? : SIGN COUNTER. Countersign.
87A. Golfer with an array of trick shots? : CREATIVE PRO. Procreative. And 37D. Two-time Masters champ Ballesteros : SEVE. Super creative around the green.
103A. Rate goose feathers? : GRADE DOWN. Downgrade.
105A. Well-rehearsed swindle? : FLUENT CON. Confluent.
39D. Spock's memoir? : LOGICAL BIO. Biological.
47D. Chess champion's blog entry? : MASTER POST. Postmaster.
Lots
of compound words in English, so Gail has a deep well. However, she
needs the second words to be nouns & the transformed phrases
conveying enough surface sense.
Once again, Gail starts her theme entry in Row 4 rather than Row 3 to accommodate the two Down 10's.
Across:
1. It puts the blue in blue cheese : MOLD
5. Lit up : AGLOW
10. High muck-a-muck : MR BIG
15. Shell occupant : CLAM
19. Lifetime Achievement Award presented to Estelle Parsons in 2014 : OBIE. Did you try TONY?
20. Took turns? : DROVE. Great clue.
21. Lawrence partner : GORME (Eydie). Steve Lawrence.
22. Fast-moving mammal : HARE
23. Bedsheet material : PIMA. I'm often surprised buy the mount of money people spend on those designer T-shirts. It's just cotton.
24. Bored by it all : JADED
25. Puff up : BLOAT
26. Composer Stravinsky : IGOR
31. Source of inspiration : MUSE
32. Scatter : DISPEL
36. Ridicule : JEER AT
37. Like some partners : SILENT. Nailed it.
40. Big name in small trucks : TONKA. Founded here in MN. Lots of beat-up Tonka toys at our flea markets.
41. Nursery supply : SOIL
42. Genre of the band Jawbreaker : EMO
47. Co. leaders : MGT. Oh, Management. I was thinking ??S.
50. Hazy : VAGUE
53. Tiered snack : OREO
54. French bean? : TETE
55. It may be blank : STARE
57. It's a turnoff : EXIT RAMP. Simple and elegant clue.
59. How many vacations are taken : BY CAR
60. Hapless sort : LOSER
61. Shut down : CEASE
62. Pressure line : ISOBAR
64. Sacher creations : TORTES. Have you tried Egg Tarts before? You can find them in those dim sum places or Jayce's home. Much lighter than tortes.
65. All-in-one printer option : SCAN
70. Jazzman Fountain : PETE
71. Prepared : ALL SET
73. Least available : RAREST
74. More respectable : NICER
76. 1940 DC Comics debut : ROBIN. Here is the magazine. Probably costs hundreds nowadays.
77. Bogged down : MIRED
78. Held firm : STOOD PAT
81. Literary __ : GUILD. I only know Writer's Guild.
82. Flow with force : SPEW
83. Northern terminus of I-79 : ERIE. New clue!
85. Spots for dips : POOLS
86. WWII venue : ETO (European Theater of Operations)
90. Routine letters : SOP. I googled. It stands for Standard Operating Procedure.
91. Brandy letters : VSOP. Consecutive "letters" clue echo.
93. Black cats, perhaps : OMENS
94. Conservative portfolio investments : T-NOTES
97. Not so demanding : EASIER
100. Banish : DEPORT
102. In : CHIC
110. Get to : RILE
111. Begins : OPENS
113. Prime minister between two Ehuds : ARIEL (Sharon). One of the Ehuds is in serious trouble right now. Convicted of bribery.
114. With two exceptions, NFL Pro Bowl locale since 1980 : OAHU. Wiki said the exceptions are in 2010 and 2015. What happened?
115. Canadian gas brand : ESSO
116. Contradict : BELIE
117. Distress : PERIL
118. Lowly laborer : PEON
119. They're often in hot water : TEAS. Indeed. I seldom drink iced tea.
120. Sanction : ALLOW
121. Game of chance : BEANO. I've yet to see Rich uses the "gas prevention" angle.
122. Calligrapher's supplies : INKS
Down:
1. Challenging locks : MOPS. I don't get the "Challenging" part. Difficult to maintain or difficult to sport the style?
2. Departure notice? : OBIT
3. Succotash bean : LIMA. Never had succotash. Boomer loves lima beans.
4. "Goodness!" : DEAR ME
5. Fiddles with : ADJUSTS
6. Wine, with "the" : GRAPE
7. Valuable vein : LODE
8. Like some soap opera plot elements : OVERDONE
9. Abandon bachelorhood : WED. Like George Clooney, who finally found the perfect girl. So, be patient, Splynter, you'll find your Amal!
10. '60s-'80s Brit. sports car : MGB
11. Pocahontas' spouse : ROLFE
12. Range setting : BROIL
13. "Project Runway Canada" host : IMAN. Gimme. It was canceled after 2 seasons.
14. Find work : GET A JOB
15. Carpentry tool : CHISEL. My first boyfriend is a great carpenter. I had the cutest bookshelf in my college years.
16. Pub order : LAGER
17. Pizzeria attraction : AROMA
18. Reason for a raise : MERIT
28. Daily power source : SUN
30. Molokai memento : LEI
33. Chinese leader? : INDO. Indo-Chinese. I thought of SINO first.
34. 2 Tone revival music genre : SKA
35. Wedding day rental : PARTY BUS
38. It gives you the big picture : IMAX
40. Protective covering : TARP
41. Litigant : SUER
44. "Love Is Strange" actress : TOMEI. Never saw the film. About a same-sex couple.
45. Prepare to serve, as wine : DECANT
46. Kick off : START
48. Extend a hand to : GREET
49. Short : TERSE. Argyle will be nervous if he gets long ones from me.
51. Whisk, for one : UTENSIL
52. Notable time : ERA
55. __-pitch : SLO
56. Quiznos offering : TORPEDO. My boss (an ex-Marine) introduced torpedoes to me. Also Snickers bars and Long Island Iced Tea. He speaks fluent Chinese.
58. Part of TA: Abbr. : ASST
59. Reacted to a bad call : BOOED
62. How homes may be measured : IN AREA. Does this fill sound awkward to you?
63. Cork alternative : SCREWTOP
64. The Magi, e.g. : TRIO
65. Military nickname : SARGE
66. Pull : CLOUT
68. Curmudgeonly comment : GRIPE
69. Keypad key : ENTER
72. Objective : END
75. Rights reader : COP
77. Auto ad no. : MSRP (Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price)
78. Samples, in a way : SIPS
79. Water-storing plant : ALOE
80. An oz. has six : TSPS
83. "Did you __?" : EVER
84. Cheap way to live : RENT-FREE.
I was just talking to my brother that every family in our factory had
an apartment pre-1990. Often jammed, as three or four families shared
one kitchen and one toilet room. But it was free. Hospital visit was
almost free (Less than $1 dollar for the visit).
87. City on the Guadalquivir River : CORDOBA. Spain.
88. "If you ask me," to texters : IMO
89. Cassio's commander : OTHELLO
91. They may be seen in streams : VIDEOS
92. Go out with : SEE
95. Diarist Anaïs : NIN
96. Well-armed swimmers? : OCTOPI. Well-armed indeed. Delicious too.
97. Blue heron kin : EGRET
98. Originate : ARISE
99. Dip with zip : SALSA. I like it mild.
100. "Fain would I __ on form": Juliet : DWELL
101. Film composer Morricone : ENNIO. He scored The Untouchables.
102. Update : CUE IN
104. German auto : OPEL
106. Former Italian capital : LIRA
107. Battle of Normandy city : CAEN
108. "Hmm ... I guess that's all right" : OH OK
109. Sisters : NUNS
112. Seam, say : SEW. I did not know "Seam" can be a verb.
113. BOLO equivalent : APB. BOLO = "Be On the Lookout"
In case you missed yesterday, Barry G linked this wonderful piano recital of his 10-year-old son Joshua, who's about 5 years old in our blog archive picture. Hello, Joshua, you're so talented!
C.C.
C.C.
