Theme: "Vice Versa" - Long I sound is changed into ER sound.
27A. Optimal payment arrangements? : THE BEST OF TERMS. The best of times. Two more tiny THE's in 111A. It has finals in June : THE NBA. 4D. "Terror has no shape" sci-fi creature : THE BLOB
42A. Mideast cry of despair? : ARABIAN NERTS. Arabian Nights. Ali Baba.
67A. Gems kept in inventory? : STOCK PEARLS. Stockpiles.
96A. Like one brandishing a Super Soaker? : NERF WIELDING. Knife-wielding. I googled and found out that Super Soaker is a Nerf water gun brand.
114A. White stallion at school? : SILVER LEARNING. Silver lining.
15D. Reason for cowboy unemployment? : NOTHING TO HERD. Nothing to hide.
55D. Coquette education? : FLIRT TRAINING. Made me smile. Thought of dear Splynter, who's actually very shy. Flight training.
Two sound changes occur in the front. Five at the back. Two multi-word answers. Five two-word entries. No odd man out. Consistency!
Mike also started his first theme entry in Row 4 rather than the conventional Row 3. I'm going to experience this design myself.
I'm completely in awe of puzzle title, so aptly describing the theme gimmick. Genius!
Across:
27A. Optimal payment arrangements? : THE BEST OF TERMS. The best of times. Two more tiny THE's in 111A. It has finals in June : THE NBA. 4D. "Terror has no shape" sci-fi creature : THE BLOB
42A. Mideast cry of despair? : ARABIAN NERTS. Arabian Nights. Ali Baba.
67A. Gems kept in inventory? : STOCK PEARLS. Stockpiles.
96A. Like one brandishing a Super Soaker? : NERF WIELDING. Knife-wielding. I googled and found out that Super Soaker is a Nerf water gun brand.
114A. White stallion at school? : SILVER LEARNING. Silver lining.
15D. Reason for cowboy unemployment? : NOTHING TO HERD. Nothing to hide.
55D. Coquette education? : FLIRT TRAINING. Made me smile. Thought of dear Splynter, who's actually very shy. Flight training.
Two sound changes occur in the front. Five at the back. Two multi-word answers. Five two-word entries. No odd man out. Consistency!
Mike also started his first theme entry in Row 4 rather than the conventional Row 3. I'm going to experience this design myself.
I'm completely in awe of puzzle title, so aptly describing the theme gimmick. Genius!
Across:
1. Offed, biblically : SMOTE. Funny how SMITTEN is the only form we still use today.
6. Matter : COUNT
11. Big D school : SMU
14. Exchanges from centers : SNAPS. Football. I had to ask Boomer.
19. Dash dials : TACHs
20. Canadian skater Brian : ORSER. Quite a few names in this grid.
21. Mother __ : HEN
22. Forum garments : TOGAE. More often TOGAS.
23. Butt ends : ASHES
24. New car option : LEASE
25. Like some exercises : ISOMETRIC. See here for definition. New to me. I do know plank & Russian Twist though.
30. "Sugar Lips" trumpeter : AL HIRT
31. Lord Grantham of Downton Abbey, e.g. : EARL.Gimme for a few blog regulars.
32. Some hosp. areas : ORs
33. Fifth-century pope : LEO I
34. "Spare me the specifics" : TMI
35. Black-and-white predator : ORCA
37. Eight-time Coty Award winner : BEENE (Geoffrey). Fashion award. Got via crosses as well.
38. Bigwig : HONCHO
47. Response to a sinking feeling? : SOS. I thought this might be sinking a putt. Nope.
49. Radiate : GLOW. And 115. Radiate : EMIT
50. Finalize, with "up" : SEW
51. Lining fabric : FLEECE
52. Yorktown __, N.Y. : HTs
53. Scrabble 8-pointer : J-TILE. Easy J crossing with JOT (53D. Write (down).
54. In the sky : ALOFT
56. Lorre's "Casablanca" role : UGARTE. No memory of this guy. I did like the movie though.
59. Yelled excitedly : WHOOPED. Never used the word as a verb.
61. Election figure : POLLSTER
64. Tic-tac-toe loser : OOX
65. Writer: Abbr. : AUTH
66. Govt. benefit : SSI
71. Attention : EAR
74. Bring up, or something to bring up : REAR. Bring up the rear. Great clue.
76. Want ad letters : EOE
77. "Apollo 13" co-star : ED HARRIS
80. Trustbusting period : TAFT ERA
83. Berra famously jumped into his arms during the 1956 World Series : LARSEN (Don). The only perfect game in World Series.
86. Defiant retort : I DO SO
87. Egglike : OVATE
88. Morse code bit : DIT. Not DAH.
90. Senses, as trouble : SMELLS
93. Diarist Anaïs : NIN
94. Former prime minister who grew up in Milwaukee : MEIR
95. __ culpa : MEA
99. Area for growth? : BOTANY. Nice clue also.
101. Heavy hammers : MAULS. New to me.
103. Santa Monica landmark : PIER
104. It's charged : ION
105. Inactive : IDLE
106. Jump shot shape : ARC
107. Former VOA overseer : USIA (United States Information Agency). Tiny US dupe with 8. "Wild Blue Yonder" mil. branch : USAF
118. "In Rainbows" Grammy-winning rockers : RADIOHEAD. Via crosses as well.
120. One-celled critter : AMEBA. Amoeba is more common.
121. City west of Youngstown : AKRON
122. __ in itself : AN END. Easier when the partial is clued at the back: [Put ___ to (finish)].
123. Madre's hermana : TIA
124. Like forks : TINED
125. New Hampshire college town : KEENE. We had this a couple months ago.
126. Unkempt : MANGY. And 12. Most unkempt : MESSIEST
127. Spots : ADs
128. Stiff collars : ETONs
129. Maritime birds : ERNEs
Down:
1. Assert : STATE
2. One of Chekhov's "Three Sisters" : MASHA. IRINA also has 5 letters.
3. Brownish shade : OCHER
5. Latin 101 verb : ESSE
6. Monk associate : COLTRANE (John). Thelonious Monk. I was picturing a real monk.
7. Double Stuf treats : OREOs
9. Tweeting site : NEST. Always a fun clue.
10. Sapling : TREELET. Thanks for identifying my two Agnes plants, TTP. Now I'm eager to see how that English Ivy spreads. Maybe I should put the polka dot plant back to a pot. They look prettier this way.
11. Peres of Israel : SHIMON
13. Digit in diez : UNO. diez = ten.
14. Mariner's patron : ST. ELMO
16. Farming prefix : AGRI
17. Au __ : PAIR
18. Shakers, but not movers : SECT. Great clue.
26. Compulsory British subject : MATHS. I still can't believe what happened.
28. L.A.'s environs : SoCal
29. Roger of "Cheers" : REES
36. Breakups : RIFTS
37. City near Anaheim : BREA
39. Pace : CLIP
40. With 109-Down, uncommon eagle : HOLE. 109. See 40-Down : IN ONE. On a par 3 hole. Mike often posts stunning golf course pictures on his Facebook. He must play lots of golf.
41. Due : OWED
42. "Stat!" relative : ASAP
43. HR dept. concerns : RELOs
44. Base runners : AWOLs
45. Introduction to science? : NEURO, Neuroscience.
46. Heart test: Abbr. : ECG
48. Warren Commission subject : OSWALD. Oh, Lee Harvey Oswald.
52. Numerical prefix : HEXA. Six.
57. Rodeo competitor : ROPER
58. Ring site : TOE
60. Sudden silence : HUSH
62. Peter or Paul : TSAR. Not SAINT. Fantastic clue.
63. It retired its spokesbaby in 2014 : E*TRADE
68. Breton or Gael : CELT
69. Ukulele wood : KOA. Learning moment for me.
70. Take more People : RENEW. Magazine.
72. Quaker Oats product suffix : A-RONI
73. "Mr. Mojo __": repeated words in The Doors' "L.A. Woman" : RISIN'
75. Rare shoe width : EEE
78. United choice : AISLE. Another great clue.
79. Lennon work : SONG
80. Pyramid, to Tut : TOMB. Big "D'oh!"
81. Economical Chevy : AVEO
82. __ accompli : FAIT
84. Latvia and Estonia, once: Abbr. : SSRs
85. "Unbelievable" band : EMF
89. Diamond hit : I AM I SAID. Unfamiliar with the song.
91. Watches one's mouth? : LIPREADS. To me, "one's" always refers to oneself. But you read other's mouth to lipread, right?
92. Canon competitor : LEICA
95. Chatty bird : MYNAH
96. Empty : NULL
97. Improve, as one's game : ELEVATE. This "one's" works perfectly.
98. More smashed : DRUNKER. Sounds weird in ER/EST form.
100. Opposite of a star : NOBODY
102. Avia competitor : ADIDAS
106. Truman veep Barkley : ALBEN. I googled, then found out I had googled him before.
108. Sound during a chase : SIREN
110. Actress Moorehead : AGNES. Hello, Irish Miss!
111. Rail vehicle : TRAM
112. Maui's scenic __ Highway : HANA. So pretty.
113. Paradise : EDEN
116. Ashcroft's predecessor : RENO
117. One leaning against a garden fence : RAKE. Not a person.
119. Greek vowel : ETA
Happy 51st Anniversary to dear Spitzboov (Al) and his wife Betty!
