Gail's fun gimmick on this Sunday is right in the title. If you take the TH off THIN, what's left is IN. Gail has removed the TH from common words and left us with nine fun and silly phrases to brighten up our weekend. Seven are across and two are down. C'mon, ya gotta love GAR BROOKS!
Gail's puzzle didn't really offer a (TH)ROUGH WAY to finish and so now let's look at her handiwork in detail
Theme Answers
27. Bud who's been fired? : CANNED BROTH - A fired friend OR... (Is the phrase CANNED BROTH familiar to you?)
29. Search online about auditory issues? : GOOGLE EARTH - "Would someone please GOOGLE EAR to see why Papa can't hear very well" OR a GOOGLE EARTH shot of my house below
46. GEICO gecko's financial counterpart? : CREDIT CARD THEFT - Changing the TH removal to inside the phrase putting our CWD friend EFT in a VISA promotion OR stealing your CREDIT CARD, e.g. using this "skimmer" inside a gas pump
68. One fastidious about table manners? : THEATER CRITIC - "Get your elbows off the table!" OR Bill and George checking out the reviews for Hamlet and Pygmalion
90. Editor's marks in the margin? : LATERAL THINKING -"...er, How about 'Listen to me' rather than 'Lend me your ears', Bill?" OR NASA spinoffs such as where wire developed for space is now used to make lower cost MRI's here on Earth
105. Displeased reaction to election turnout? : VOTING BOOTH - "Only 10% showed up for the primary?" OR a structure invented in Crete, Nebraska 105 years ago by my friend's great grandparents
109. Streams stocked with elongated fish? : GARTH BROOKS - Ugly, long-nosed fish in a small stream OR the performer who added four shows to his scheduled two in Omaha last year after 90,000 tickets were sold
39. Consequence of a heist injury? : THROBBING PAIN - A second-story man falling OR for me, a toothache
42. Part of a project to recycle golf accessories? : TEETH GRINDING - Questionable practice of remaking golf pedestals OR a problem requiring this
1. Let the tears out : BAWL
5. Fast-food pork sandwich : MCRIB - £4.19 in London
10. Oar : SCULL - A boy using two SCULLS (on rope for training/safety)
15. Datebook opening : SLOT - C.C. gives me an occasional SLOT for blogging
19. Ad, basically : LURE
20. "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd," for one : ELEGY - Typically a lament for the dead
21. Riveting woman? : ROSIE - Lots of ROSIE'S didn't return to their old way of life after WWII and America was changed forever
22. Break-even transaction : WASH - Raise = $100/mo. Insurance increase = $100/mo.
23. Twistable snack : OREO
24. Rock guitarist Eddy : DUANE - 1958's twangy Rebel Rouser is my fav
25. Bungling : INEPT
26. Off-the-wall answer? : ECHO
31. Sources of complaints : ILLS
32. Porch furniture material : RATTAN
36. Breakfast grain : OAT
37. Course accomplishment : BIRDIE - Golf mini-theme with Irons and Tees
40. High-altitude home : AERIE - One at Kennedy Space Center I've been past many times
41. Maine course : LOBSTER - Nice!
45. 1941 FDR creation : USO - First one opened in DeRidder, LA 10 months before Pearl Harbor
50. "Bambi" role : ENA - Bambi's mother's sister.
51. Talmudic scholar : RABBI
53. Pull-down beneficiaries : LATS
54. Some tech sch. grads : EES - Electrical/Electronic Engineers
55. Spew out : EGEST
57. "Happy to help" : NO BOTHER - I prefer the Aussie version!
61. Smooth transition : SEGUE - Speaking of thermonuclear war...
62. "Hedda Gabler" playwright : IBSEN
63. Colorado county or its seat : PUEBLO - Just west of Pueblo is...
65. Kept for later : STORED - I STORED my Cheesecake Factory Monte Cristo Sandwich for four days and then, uh, pitched it
66. Reunion attendees : KIN
71. Medit. country : ISR
72. Bing's co-star in "The Bells of St. Mary's" : INGRID
75. Use as support : REST ON
76. Oscar winner Williams : ROBIN - Brilliant comic/actor whose dementia drove him to an untimely end
79. March VIP : ST PAT - Inside our ST PAT'S church here in Fremont
80. "Papa Bear" of football : HALAS - George who founded, owned and coached the Da Bears
81. Chicago's "in the Park" time : SATURDAY - "I think it was the fourth of July"
84. Mazda sports car : MIATA - Bought one and then my midlife crisis passed
85. Rocks in rye : ICE - "Oz never did give ICE to the Tinman"
86. Primatologist Fossey : DIAN
88. Easily deceived : NAIVE
89. One-time Capitol Records parent : EMI
95. "Get it done" : NOW
96. Alley game : TENPINS
98. Moto portrayer : LORRE - Some think Slovokian-born Peter's role as an Asian was racist
99. Evens up : ALIGNS - Keeping ALIGNMENT was very important here
101. High bond rating : AAA
102. Willowy : SVELTE
104. Radio-active sort? : CBER - "Breaker one-nine, ya got your ears on?"
114. Rare cry from the slots : I WON - See 88 Across - NAIVE
115. Come from behind : RALLY
117. Asian capital : HANOI
118. Technology prefix : NANO
119. It may be reserved : SEAT
120. Guadalajara gal pal : AMIGA
121. "What the Butler Saw" playwright : ORTON - "A risqué British comedy"
122. Chain with stacks : IHOP
123. Puts in : ADDS
124. Polite title : MADAM
125. Picking out, as a perp : IDING - Sometimes from a police lineup
126. Team that's played in the same park for 100 years : CUBS - Last World Series win predates even Wrigley Field
Down
1. Political coalition : BLOC
2. Intangible quality : AURA
3. Little singer : WREN
4. Ex-Soviet leader Brezhnev : LEONID
5. One getting too personal : MEDDLER - Ann Landers - "Is anything better because I do this?"
6. Caddies carry them : CLUBS
7. Back : REAR
8. "That's not important" : IGNORE IT - "... and it'll go away!" "Right!"
9. Tournament pass : BYE
10. __ Lanka : SRI
11. Dance in a line : CONGA - Wedding staple!
12. Apply to : USE ON
13. Slimming option, for short : LIPO - I should call today so Dr. Su could USE it ON me!
14. Release : LET GO OF
15. Term of affection : SWEETS
16. Make more potent : LACE
17. Org. with an Anti-Retaliation webpage : OSHA
18. Red-bearded god : THOR
28. Brings forth : ELICITS
30. Blood work, e.g. : LAB TEST - Even on man's best friend
33. Cultural pursuits : ARTS
34. It may be a sign of stress : TIC
35. Caddy contents, perhaps : TEA - Here's one for our tea fans
37. Ruin in the kitchen : BURN
38. Golfer Aoki : ISAO
40. Purim month : ADAR
41. Lower in price : LESS
43. Comes after : ENSUES
44. Like "American Sniper" : RATED-R - Words and sex don't stop us but violence does
47. Supreme Court appointee after Sonia : ELENA
48. Land on the sea? : REEL IN - Cute clue! Who's landing whom?
49. Stop on a line : DEPOT
52. Tiny Tim's dad : BOB - An employee of Scrooge and Marley at 15 bob/week
56. Graphic beginning? : GEO
58. Be mindful of : HEED
59. Breakaway factions : SECTS - Because of limits on SEX?
60. Iberian river to the Mediterranean : EBRO - Also Spain's longest river exclusively in Spain
63. Kitchen gadget : PEELER - Beetle Bailey's gadget on KP (from Mark Skoczen's March 23rd puzzle)
64. __ Minor : URSA - Contains the North Star
65. Conan Doyle, by birth : SCOT
66. Fate : KISMET
67. Eventually : IN TIME
69. Barely detectable amount : TRACE - We and Omaha got a TRACE of snow on 3.22.16 but NW of here...
70. Tabriz native : IRANI
73. State secrets? : RAT
74. Salad bar choice : ITALIAN
77. Criminal likely to get caught : BUNGLER - And maybe get ROBBING PAIN
78. Portfolio holding, for short : IRA
80. Stage successes : HITS - Like Springtime For Hitler in The Producers! :-)
81. Benefit : SAKE
82. Lady's company? : AVON - We had many bottles of this for the 360 kids on my detasseling buses to repel bugs in the corn fields
83. Trees used for archery bows : YEWS
86. Scuttlebutt : DIRT - What candidates are uncovering on their opponents these days
87. Concerning, with "to" : IN REGARD
91. Parties, to pirates : ANAGRAM
92. Part of IPA : ALE
93. Bit of cybermirth : LOL
94. Picking up : NABBING - Some wonder why Brussels police weren't NABBING the Paris bomber mastermind sooner
97. Goes over the wall? : PAINTS
100. Having a twist : IRONIC
102. Not flimsy : SOLID - Remember the PR IS M reveal on 3.25.16 being clued as Solid
103. Europe's longest river : VOLGA
104. Sing like Rudy Vallee : CROON
105. Plastic choice : VISA
106. Had to pay : OWED - At least the minimum on your VISA
107. Despicable sort : TOAD
108. The Tide : BAMA
110. Dead set against : ANTI
111. Island where Bette Midler was born : OAHU
112. A lock may be in one : KNOB - KNOT was undone by CUBS for my last fill
113. Soaks (up) : SOPS
116. Holiday veggie : YAM
117. __ polloi : HOI - Just us folks or who ALL candidates say they are for until they cross the Potomac
Hanks, Gail, I ink is puzzle's eme was ouroughly enjoyable and not ird-rate to ose of us here! Now let's rill to e comments of oers!
