Theme: "Second Shift" - The second letter is shifted into the third letter, and the third letter becomes second letter in each new theme entry.
23A. Gust that rattles the blinds? : SLAT SHAKER. Salt shaker.
25A. Humor among buddies? : CRONY JOKES. Corny jokes.
44A. Where mixologists learn the ropes? : TRAINING BAR. Training bra.
55A. Commonplace ballet technique? : STOCK PLIE. Stockpile. One word.
76A. Holiday season store statistic? : WRAP SPEED. Warp speed.
84A. Buzzers that can't be seen? : HIDDEN FLIES. Hidden files.
108A. Ordinary dolt? : COMMON CLOD. Common cold.
110A. Termite? : WOOD CRAVER. Wood carver.
37D. Tools for removing reputation stains? : BLOT CUTTERS. Bolt cutters.
40D. Complaint department? : CRAB COUNTER. Carb counter. Notice the O and the C in 37D's CUTTERS are the only connectors between two huge sections of the grid? Ideally there should be more flow.
Can
you imagine the amount of research work involved collecting these theme
answers? Don and I discussed a similar theme a few years ago, ours with
a "Bottoms Up" approach though.
Gail likes to put two themers in Down slots. She also carefully designed her puzzle so none of the fill is longer than 8-letter long.
Typical Gail grid, smooth and clean. I did flounder in the SNEVA/NA'VI area.
Gail likes to put two themers in Down slots. She also carefully designed her puzzle so none of the fill is longer than 8-letter long.
Typical Gail grid, smooth and clean. I did flounder in the SNEVA/NA'VI area.
Across:
1. "SOS" group : ABBA
5. Race site for more than 300 years : ASCOT. Not EPSOM.
10. Traffic stoppers? : NARCS. Drug traffic.
15. Goes on and on : YAKS
19. Tradition born under King Kamehameha II : LUAU. All crosses.
20. The "It Girl" Bow : CLARA. Alexa Chung has been the "It Girl" for a few years.
21. Youngest of three dramatic sisters : IRINA. Chekhov's "Three Sisters". MASHA is the middle sister. Five-letter also. Olga the oldest.
22. Inner: Pref. : ENTO
27. No longer used : OBSOLETE
28. Tweeting source : NEST
29. "Très sexy!" : OO LA LA
30. Rich deposit : LODE
31. Nouveau-Mexique, e.g. : ETAT. I thought it's some kind of cuisine.
33. Put away : SAVED
35. Plumbing piece : ELBOW. I had to ask Boomer. Turns out it's the same as Ell.
38. 1983 Indy 500 winner Tom : SNEVA. We had him before. His name just constantly escapes me.
39. Sprint, for one : TELECOM
43. Colorado tributary : GILA
48. Genetic info carrier : RNA
49. Heaps : A TON
50. "Rubáiyát" rhyme scheme : AABA
51. Rare indication? : RED. PINK as well.
52. Peanuts, say : SNACK
54. Gere title role : DR. T. Three-letter Gere answer has to be Dr. T.
59. Steadfast : STABLE
60. NYSE regulator : SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission)
61. Cancellation of a kind : STET. Another tricky clue.
62. "__ we all?" : AREN'T
63. Tracks down : TRACES
64. Made judgments on diamonds : UMPED. Lovely clue.
66. Winner of 82 PGA Tour tournaments : SNEAD (Sam). Nailed it. Golf trivia rarely stumps me.
67. Pipe cleaner : DRANO
68. Zen enlightenment : SATORI
70. "That sounds bad!" : OH GOD
71. Chiefs coach Andy : REID. Easy crosses.
72. Short lines at the register? : UPC. Short stands for Abbr. Good old clue.
75. Garfield, e.g. : PET CAT
78. PX customer : NCO. PX = Post Exchange.
79. Start of an attorney's conclusion : I REST (my case)
80. Masters gadget : TEE. Golf again.
81. Kiddie-lit monster : OGRE
82. D-Day city : ST LO
83. Round fig. : CIR (Circle)
88. Split-resistant lumber : TEAK
89. "Whatever you say, honey" : YES DEAR. Nice colloquial phrase.
92. Sends : MAILS
93. Cheap shots : BARBS. Please don't engage those mean anonymous posters. They don't deserve your time or attention. My hard-learned lesson over almost 8 year's work with this blog.
94. Greenery-covered, as walls : IVIED
96. Liable to snap : EDGY
97. Heath-covered wasteland : MOOR
99. Captivate : ENAMOR
102. Mystery writer Buchanan : EDNA
104. Solitary sort : LONE WOLF. Evokes a dark image.
112. Generous offer : ON ME
113. Backspace over : ERASE
114. Did some whittling, say : IDLED
115. Hindu melody : RAGA
116. American-born Jordanian queen : NOOR. The beautiful Queen Noor.
117. Trifled (with) : TOYED
118. Tips off : TELLS
119. Keycard receiver : SLOT
Down:
1. "One more thing ... " : ALSO
2. Light source : BULB. Lovely clue as well.
3. They're heard in herds : BAAS
4. Bank offering : AUTO LOAN
5. Had a yearning : ACHED.
How I wish my grandma were still alive. She never complained. Just quietly dealt with the pain of her bound feet
and arthritic hands.
6. Political list : SLATE
7. Encrust : CAKE
8. Smelter raw material : ORE
9. Carwash challenge : TAR
10. Line at the beach? : NICE TAN. Not Bikini line.
11. LAX postings : ARRs
12. Real cards : RIOTS
13. "Inside Politics" airer : CNN. Hosted by John King.
14. Repeat : SAY OVER
15. Start of a quaint business sign : YE OLDE
16. "Diana" singer : ANKA
17. Co. known for music compilations : K-TEL. What does the K stand for?
18. Former Cubs slugger : SOSA
24. Brake : SLOW
26. "Piano Man" pianist : JOEL (Billy)
28. "Avatar" race": NA'VI . Another old friend whose name escaped me.
31. Room-size computer unveiled in 1946 : ENIAC
32. Jack's value, sometimes : TEN. Asked Boomer. He said it's Blackjack.
34. Somewhat : A TAD
35. "Holy moly!" : EGADS
36. Bath quantity? : LITRE. Bath city.
38. Clog cousin : SABOT. Do people still wear Sabots?
41. Rouen relative : ONCLE. Or TANTE.
42. Fabricates : MAKES
44. Mom's mealtime encouragement : TASTE IT. Is/was your mom a good cook? Mine wasn't. But my dad was. So was my grandma.
45. Critiqued : RATED
46. Drudgery : GRIND
47. Veggie sometimes pickled : BEET
52. High-end violin : STRAD. Or AMATI.
53. Tandoori bread : NAAN
56. She adopted Tigger : KANGA
57. Hospital holding area, briefly : PRE-OP
58. Principal roles : LEADS
59. Big steps : STRIDES
61. Fat-shunning fellow : SPRAT. So sad. Eat real stuff, just in small amounts.
65. Hang-around-the-house wear : MOCs
66. Scintilla : SHRED
67. Mower handle? : DEERE. Nailed it.
68. Highly seasoned : SPICY. Have you tried Trader Joe's spicy sushi rolls?
69. High-altitude home : AERIE
70. Was in the hole : OWED
71. First host of "America's Got Talent" : REGIS
73. High-tech classroom : PC LAB
74. Concocts, with "up" : COOKS
77. Tom Sawyer's aunt : POLLY. I don't think UNCLE TOM is allowed in LAT grid.
80. Lose energy : TIRE. Verb.
82. Sci-fi film classic : STAR WARS
84. Do cover : HAIR NET. Hairdo.
85. Fixed : EMENDED
86. Zip, in Zaragoza : NADA
87. Pudding fruit : FIG
90. Romantic evening switch : DIMMER
91. Rachael Ray sautéing initialism : EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil). Actually, EVOO is good for salad. Regular olive oil is ideal for sautéing, right?
93. Transvaal settler : BOER
95. Hold up : DELAY
97. Item sold in a kit : MODEL
98. How music may be sold : ON CDS
99. Business sch. subject : ECON
100. Prohibition : NO NO
101. It's used in rounds : AMMO. Too hot a topic to touch.
103. Shot contents : DOSE
104. Lounge around : LOLL
105. Mirror shape : OVAL
106. Component of some small Ferraris : LEGO. Got via crosses.
107. Kegger venue : FRAT
109. HUN neighbor, to the IOC : CRO. OK, Croatia.
110. It may be dry or sparkling : WIT. Not WINE!
111. Laudatory verse : ODE
Happy Birthday to our sweet Lucina, one of the few blog regulars I've met in person. Always a joy to read her cheerful and upbeat posts.
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| Windhover & Lucina, July 24, 2015 |
C.C.
