Theme: "Doctor Hoodoo" - An rhyming syllable is added to the last word of each theme entry.
23A. Wimpish newspaper writer? : EDITORIAL WIENIE. Editorial we.
36A. Corleone family member providing free downloads? : SONNY AND SHAREWARE. Sonny and Cher. Sonny is the hot-tempered brother killed by the rival mob.
59A. Succeed after leaving the band? : REAP WHAT YOU SOLO. Reap what you sow.
87A. Gardening during karate training? : RAKING IN THE DOJO. Raking in the dough.
103A. Old Aspen music maker? : ROCKY MOUNTAIN HI-FI. Rocky Mountain High.
126A. "The comedian just wasn't funny"? : NOT MY CUP OF TE-HEE. Not my cup of tea.
As
the title "Doctor Hoodoo" ("Doctor Who") subtly hints, all the last
words go through spelling change before the extra syllable is added. The
theme really needs an creative mind to make it happen.
I was in a Vietnamese-style mooncake coma and stalled quite a few times in the solving. I
thought the extra syllables might spell out something. Asked Argyle, who
said he saw nothing special.
Across:
1. Agcy. that does searches : TSA
4. Curry spice : CUMIN. Also the essential seasoning in Xi'an style shish kabob. Lots of hot red peppers too.
9. Letter-moving gp. : USPO
13. Kind of cookie? : SMART. Sweet clue.
18. Song and dance : RIGAMAROLE. Not a word we often see in grids.
21. Auction cry : SOLD
22. Have second thoughts : WAVER
25. Patsy's "Ab Fab" pal : EDINA. I only know the city Edina here in MN.
26. Divvy up : ALLOT
27. Bourbon and others: Abbr. : STs
28. Small birds with complex songs : WRENS
29. Fit the facts : ADD UP
30. Home on the range : TEEPEE
32. Mine, in Marseilles : A MOI. Alliteration.
34. Winter Palace resident : TSAR
44. Bowlers, e.g. : HATS
48. Biol. or chem. : SCI
49. With 17-Down, warning cry : IT'S A. 17. See 49-Across : TRAP
50. Heather family shrubs : ERICAs. Learning moment for me.
51. Blew it : ERRED
53. Bermuda Triangle locale: Abbr. : ATL
55. Comes down with : GETS
58. "JAG" spin-off : NCIS
64. Katniss' "Hunger Games" ally : PEETA. Another learning moment.
65. South Carolina river : SANTEE. I only know PEE DEE.
66. Foreword : INTRO
67. Closet concern : MOTH
69. Muddy home : STY
70. Game ragout : SALMI.
Never heard of it. Wiki says this: A salmis is a preparation from
classical French cooking. When a roast or sautéed piece of meat is
sliced and reheated in sauce, the result is a salmis.
72. Fields who founded Mrs. Fields : DEBBI
74. Carpet manufacturers' contraptions : LOOMS
76. It's generally higher on the hwy. : MPG. Also 14. Highway safety org. since 1980 : MADD
78. Fuzz : LINT
80. Bring up : RAISE
82. Vehicle with caterpillar treads : SNO-CAT. Oh, that's interesting trivia.
85. Jays and Rays : ALERS. Every puzzle needs a few glue entries.
90. Jupiter's wife : JUNO
91. Emperor after Claudius : NERO
92. "Your point being ... ?" : SOO. Not AND,
93. Driver's choice : SEDAN
94. Good-for-nothing : OTIOSE. Not a word I use.
96. PGA part: Abbr. : ASSN
100. __ de coeur: pained outburst : CRI
102. Insignificant : MERE. Not PUNY or TINY.
108. Desolate : LORN
109. Hammett hound : ASTA
110. Soft sweater : ANGORA
115. Ocean ring : ATOLL
119. Champagne buckets, e.g. : ICERS. I guess so.
121. Medicinal amt. : TSP
124. "America's Funniest Home Videos" host : SAGET
125. Craze : MANIA
129. Long-distance commuter's community : EXURB
130. Actress Gershon : GINA
131. Capital on the Danube : BRATISLAVA. Slovakia's capital. Great fill.
132. Japanese-American : NISEI. Or ISSEI.
133. Painful rebuke : SLAP. I thought it might be ET TU.
134. Common thing? : SENSE
135. Came upon : MET
Down:
1. Late October option : TREAT. Felt silly not nailing it.
2. Move furtively : SIDLE
3. Quick : AGILE
4. It's driven : CAR
5. "The Haj" novelist : URIS (Leon)
6. Zoo barrier : MOAT
7. "And how!" : I'LL SAY
8. Just out : NEW
9. Log-in requirements : USER IDS
10. Loudness unit : SONE
11. Statue base : PLINTH. Consonants-heavy.
12. Black Sea port : ODESSA
13. One on the stand : SWEARER. Same letter count as WITNESS.
15. All fired up : AVID
16. Eye care solution brand : RENU
19. Crowning : ATOP
20. Tiny particles : MOTES
24. "Forget it!" : I WON'T
31. Daybreak goddess : EOS
33. Printemps period : MAI.
May. Printemps is also a huge department store in Paris. I got this
double-layered chiffon top there at the end of last century. Gosh, been so many years. It still fits nicely. The colors probably
confuse D-Otto.
35. Chariot-riding god : ARES
37. Sweet Sixteen org. : NCAA
38. Capone colleague : NITTI
39. Starch-producing palm tree : SAGO
40. Press release? : WINE. Great clue.
41. Online security feature : ACCESS CODE. Great fill.
42. "Something to Talk About" singer : RAITT (Bonnie)
43. Bacon serving? : ESSAY. Francis Bacon.
44. Half a matched set : HERs
45. Atlas stat : AREA
46. Like some organisms modified in labs : TRANSGENIC. Got via crosses.
47. Anatomical walls : SEPTA. Plural of septum.
52. Fixates (on) : DWELLS
54. "Casino Royale" Bond girl Vesper __ : LYND. Played by Eva Green. This girl might be Splynter's type.
56. 20th-century blight victim : ELM
57. Item on a belt : TOOL
60. Spherical opening? : HEMI. Not ATMO.
61. "SNL" castmate of Ferrell and Gasteyer : OTERI
62. Name of eight popes : URBAN
63. Pulitzer-winning Ferber novel : SO BIG. Nailed it.
64. Calls : PHONES
68. Baloney, to Brits : TOSH. I thought it's BOSH.
71. As to : IN RE
73. Sister of Osiris : ISIS
75. Data transmitter : MODEM
76. Very important : MAJOR
77. Demotion in 2006 news : PLUTO
79. Bluejacket : TAR. I did not know "bluejacket" means sailor, Spitzboov!
81. Methuselah's father : ENOCH
83. A bit cracked : AJAR
84. Color quality : TONE
86. Hornswoggle : ROOK. Is "Hornswoggle" a word you use in your daily life?
88. Zen riddle : KOAN
89. Doughnuts, shapewise : TORI
91. Captain of the Nautilus : NEMO
95. Class guides : SYLLABI
97. Astronomer's aid : STAR MAP
98. Pert : SASSY
99. It might be picked : NIT
101. "__ tree falls ... " : IF A
104. Circular gaskets : O RINGS
105. Straighten out : UNCOIL
106. Simple life some strive to get back to : NATURE. It feels good to be off line one day a week.
107. Tech. schools : INSTs
111. Highlands native : GAEL
112. Early Irish alphabet : OGHAM. Maybe Irish Miss knows. Never heard of it.
113. "Still Me" memoirist : REEVE (Christopher)
114. Bothered big-time : ATE AT
115. "Right on!" : AMEN
116. Curbside call : TAXI
117. Responsibility : ONUS
118. Old Italian capital : LIRE
120. Italian hot spot : ETNA
122. Cross : SPAN
123. Kitties : POTS
127. It has an eye on television : CBS. Simple in retrospect.
128. "Shame on thee!" : FIE. This clue makes me smile.
C.C.
