INITIALLY, I had no idea about the gimmick and wondered what presidential firsts would have to do with TRAINS, AUDIBLES, et al and then JUST FOR KICKS hit me like a ton of feathers (which weigh the same as a ton of bricks)!
Mark's lovely Super Bowl Sunday puzzle required no reveal as he reasoned that the first letters of seven three-word-phrases will stand out like a brick in a punchbowl and, coupled with the title, would allow solvers unravel his ploy of using the INITIALS of seven U.S. presidents to start each word in those phrases.
Tain't easy McGee. Try it with your initials and let us know what you get.
Husker Gary back on the bandstand to serve as emcee on Alan's clever exercise. Using my initials, I'll just say it's a Gosh Darn Shame if you were expecting C.C.'s Sunday blogging. WAIT, this just in, C.C. will make a triumphant return on Valentine's Day Sunday! Cheers rise from the assembled masses!
Let's first see the themeage:
23. Austria's Railjet, for one (#33) : HIGH SPEED TRAIN - Our 33rd president Harry S (stands for nothing) Truman or this train capable of 143 mph
102. D.C. trip highlight (#27) : WHITE HOUSE TOUR - Our 350 lb. 27th president William Howard Taft or the purpose for which these are used.
130. Drinking song popularized by the Glenn Miller Orchestra (#36) : LITTLE BROWN JUG - Our 36th president Lyndon Baines Johnson or the traveling trophy for the winner of the annual Minnesota/Michigan game. Michigan leads the series 74 - 25 - 3
67. Could be more productive (#34) : DON'T DO ENOUGH - Our 34th president Dwight David Eisenhower or my biking output
Across
1. Got a four, probably : MADE PAR - Jusitn Spieth's 8-under scorecard for the first round of the 2015 Master's shows most golf holes are PAR Fours
14. With one's back against the wall : IN A JAM
20. Unsettle : AGITATE
21. Ridicule : DERIDE - What some do to the men in our theme
22. Retiring : DEMURE
25. Has a life : EXISTS
26. Fatuous : INANE
27. "The Lion King" baddie : SCAR
28. French connections? : TETE A TETES - Some Tête-à-Têtes are très discret
30. Derisive shout : HOOT
32. Source of twigs called withies : OSIER - Our Red OSIER Dogwood were beautiful in all seasons
34. __ nouveau : ART
35. Take the high way? : FLY - Cute
36. Vietnam's __ Dinh Diem : NGO - He was assassinated 3 wks before JFK by...
38. MLB scorecard entry : SAC - SACrificing your turn at bat to perhaps score the GO AHEAD RUN from yesterday's Silkie or at least move a baserunner up
40. Most massive known dwarf planet : ERIS - Pluto's new family
42. Word on mail from Madrid : AEREO
50. NutraSweet developer : SEARLE - Their Enovid was the first FDA-approved birth control pill and was very lucrative for the company
53. Fatty acid type : OLEIC
54. Sea-Tac abbr. : ARR - Our ARR(ival) at the SEA(ttle)-TAC(oma) airport in 2014 was delayed in Minneapolis by what Delta called a "sick airplane"
55. Some oscilloscope users: Abbr. : EE'S - We physics teachers use 'em too like Electric Engineers
56. Invited : ASKED
57. Actor with a mohawk : MR T - I pity the fool with a haircut like his
59. "Football Night in America" network : NBC
62. "Avatar" extras : ET'S
64. Telling tales : LYING - Maybe the current FX Series People vs OJ Simpson will tell us the truth (actors in top row, real life people in bottom)
65. Like many an infielder's throw : SIDE ARM - Much quicker
69. Missoula home : MONTANA - Also our good friend Darlene
72. Spotty affliction? : ACNE
73. Latin trio word : AMO - AMO, amas, amat, amamus, amatis, amant. That's a whole lot of lovin'
78. White wine aperitif : KIR - I had this in last Sunday's OFF CENTER puzzle
79. "M" director Fritz : LANG
81. 1988 NFL MVP : ESIASON - Boomer ESIASON's foundation was on the 101st floor of the WTC North Tower on 9/11/01. All employees were survived as they were to report to work late that day
82. Sentence sections : PHRASES
84. Bits in a byte, e.g. : OCTET - 8 bits in a byte in Computerland
86. Vague number : ANY
87. One who might be given the business : SON
89. Ages and ages : EON
90. Acknowledge tacitly : NOD TO
91. Prophet's claim : ESP - "Hey, prophet, shall I bet the Panthers and lay the points?"
93. Yet, to Yeats : THO
96. Put a handle on : NAMED - C'mon, you know the song with - "Who could put a NAME on you?"
100. Cuddles : SPOONS
106. Author Madeleine L'__ : ENGLE - Best known for A Wrinkle In Time
108. Holly genus : ILEX
109. Sports __ : BRA - The most famous picture of one
110. Valuable deposit : ORE
111. Former Saturn model : ION
113. Max. : ULT
115. Drained of color : ASHEN
117. Alibi problems : GAPS
120. Critical point : CROSSROADS - Two roads diverged in a yellow wood...
124. Lotion additive : ALOE
126. Agricultural pioneer : DEERE
129. Call on the carpet : HAUL UP
133. '90s veep : AL GORE
134. Bumpy : UNEVEN
135. Andalusian city : GRANADA
136. Snickered : TE HEED - or TEE HEED
137. Roma road : STRADA - Artisti di STRADA a Roma (Street artists in Rome)
138. Tossed about : STREWED - Less common past participle of STREW
Down
1. When doubled, a common dolphinfish : MAHI
2. Back-country "contrary to" : AGIN
3. Do spadework : DIG A HOLE - or quit... (3 words but no prez initials)
4. Centric start : ETHNO
5. '90s Toyota : PASEO
6. Netmen's gp. : ATP - Association of Tennis Professionals
7. "Cheers" actor Roger : REES
8. Icelandic literary works : EDDAS - Do you see EDDA in there?
9. Gave it another go : RETRIED - I Retired from teaching and after 6 months I RETRIED it for another six years
10. Skating legend : ORR
11. Venomous venting : DIATRIBE - A lot of us know what famous comedian was unleashing a DIATRIBE on actress Edie McClurg in this hilarious scene
12. Nicollette's "Desperate Housewives" role : EDIE - Or an actual EDIE above
13. Words with letter or fax : SENT A
14. Conceptualizes : IDEATES
15. To follow : NEXT
16. Sweetie along the Seine : AMIE
18. Soviet cooperative : ARTEL - An ARTEL of Russian (pre-Soviet) artists in 1863
19. Unkempt : MESSY
24. Green wheels : ECO CAR
29. One may be named for a president : ERA
31. Screening org. : TSA - Some women claim TSA agents ask them to go through the scanner more than once
33. NW Penn. airport : ERI - ERI(E) Airport. In NY a lake, county and canal
36. Base fig. : NCO - Remember the NCO who was in charge of the motor pool at Ft. Baxter?
37. __ pal : GAL
39. Santa __ winds : ANA
41. Rains hard? : SLEETS
43. Like Pinocchio, eventually : REAL
44. Cinch course : EASY A
46. Bar fruit : LIME
47. Beanpole : SCRAG
48. Immortalized vessel of rhyme : URN - Keats' last two lines from his Ode On A Grecian URN
49. Abbr. before a year : ESTAB
51. "Law & Order" detective Briscoe : LENNIE - Jerry Orbach also did movies and trod the boards of Broadway
52. Trimming tools : EDGERS
58. "No argument" : TRUE - See Keats above
60. Mercedes rivals : BMW'S - I only learned it was Bavarian not British Motor Works when we toured around Munich
61. Pacific salmon : COHOS
63. Walk in the park : SNAP
65. Drawing rooms : SALONS
66. End of the '50s TV intro that began "This is the city" : I'M A COP - Later changed to "I carry a badge" following police officer complaints
68. Badlands formation : MESA
70. Verboten thing : NO NO
71. Aleve can alleviate one : ACHE
75. Toughness : SINEW
76. Greets, with "to" : SAYS HI
77. Danish capital : KRONE - You'd receive 34 KRONER (pl.) in change for this bill when getting a McDonald's Combo meal in Copenhagen
80. Board : GET ON
83. Structural subj. : ANAT - ANATOMY abbr.
85. Half a patio pair : TONG - TONGS
88. High degree : NTH
92. Columnlike architectural piece : PILASTER - Some rather famous ones
94. Hang out : HOBNOB - Archaic - From Hob and Nob - give and take - drinking to each other's health
95. "__ Gang" : OUR - Last Sunday we saw Alfalfa and Buckwheat
97. Saskatchewan city : MOOSE JAW - The Peacock Collegiate High School teams in MOOSE JAW are called the Toilers
98. Asian lead-in : EUR
99. "The Chronic" Dr. : DRE
101. Downed noisily : SLURPED
103. French possessive : TES - e.g. TES livres (your books)
104. Blew out : EXHALED
105. Give a little : SAG
107. Gp. that hired an orchestra for its "Eldorado" album : ELO
111. Phased-out Apple messaging tool : iCHAT
112. Papal garment : ORALE - Today called the FANON - the white/gold striped cape - yet to be worn by Francis
114. Anklebone : TALUS
116. Barack's 2010 High Court appointee : ELENA
118. Exchange of nasty spots : AD WAR - Finally, with Iowa Caucuses gone, some of you others can have these
119. Shells alternative : PENNE
121. Astringent fruit : SLOE
122. Foolproof : SURE - "Is that right Mr. Madoff?"
123. By __ of: due to : DINT
125. Joule components : ERGS - An ERG = An ant doing a pushup and a Joule = 10,000,000 ants doing a pushup
128. "Great Scott!" : EGAD
131. Power agcy. created in 1933 : TVA - The Danville, KY elevator that was left when the TVA dammed the Tennessee River. The bottom five floors were flooded as Kentucky Lake was formed
132. Fido's find : ORT
Using my initials again, I'd call Alan's puzzle Genuinely Delightful Solving! Now let's go see your INTIAL responses -
The Grid:
