Theme: "Peachy" - P is changed into CH in each theme entry.
23A. Large retailer's overexpansion, perhaps? : CHAIN KILLER. Pain killer.
29A. Welcome summer cold snap? : HAPPY CHILL. Happy pill.
36A Measure of stress inflicted by a crowd's roar? : CHEER PRESSURE. Peer pressure.
59A. Storage unit for spray bottles, trowels, etc.? : GARDEN CHEST. Garden pest.
79A. Soup for toddlers? : BABY CHOWDER. Baby powder.
101A. Holiday pantomime game? : EASTER CHARADE. Easter parade.
110A. Necklace for a macho heartthrob? : STUD CHOKER. Stud poker.
119A. Little bird wielding an ax? : GUITAR CHICK. Guitar pick.
C.C. here.
Rich
helped me with the puzzle title. I originally had
"Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes", which addressed the new phrases, not the replaced
ones.
Rich also added surprise and visuals to the
theme entry clues. For example: I had [Joan Jett, for one?] for the
GUITAR CHICK entry.
Additionally, Rich added trivia and
tidied up my loose wording (space is always an issue with Sunday
puzzles). For example, I had [First African-American to win the Best
Actor Oscar] for POITIER [4D. First African-American Best Actor].
He does this for every puzzle I've made and makes me look professional. In real life, I often drop "the", forget to pluralize nouns and mess up tense all the time. Not to mention my accent.
Across:
1. Baloney : TRIPE. Very conservative grid design. 5/5/4/4 top/bottom edges.
6. Novelist Evelyn : WAUGH
11. "The Sound of Music" high points : ALPS. Also 20. Press the point : ARGUE. Point clue echo.
15. Risk being burned, in a way : BASK. Rich's clue. Nice.
19. Impressive dwelling : MANOR
21. One with kids : GOAT. And 27. Watch kids : SIT. Rich changed my SIT clue so we could have kids clue echo. He loves echoes.
22. One-eyed Norse deity : ODIN
25. Georgetown hoopster : HOYA
26. Sign word evoking days of yore : OLDE
28. Is too sweet : CLOYS
31. In __ of : LIEU
33. Terrier of old mysteries : ASTA. "The Thin Man".
35. "Oh, sure!" : YEAH, I BET! We also have 3. Post-exam exultation : I NAILED IT
41. GPS displays : RTEs
42. Monster slain by Hercules : HYDRA
43. Printer brand owned by Seiko : EPSON. Did not know this trivia.
44. Black Friday mo. : NOV.
46. Autocrats until 1917 : TSARS. Also 51. Resort in the Caucasian Riviera : SOCHI. Also 118. "Terrible" Russian ruler : IVAN
50. News-selling org. : UPI
53. Stout holder : STEIN
55. Copacabana beach locale : RIO
56. Dole (out) : METE. Not many choices to clue METE/EKE. But they facilitate smoother fill.
58. Sour : TURN
62. __-Canada: Esso competitor : PETRO
64. Don Juan : ROUE
65. Bairns : WEE ONES
66. MLBer with 696 home runs : A-ROD. Dating J-Lo now.
68. Subtleties : NUANCES
71. Unbelievable one : LIAR
72. Like some spore reproduction : ASEXUAL
75. Worms, to robins : PREY
76. Deep pit : ABYSS
81. Marshland : MIRE
82. Draws off, as maple syrup : TAPS.
Dear Santa sent me a bottle of this pure New York maple syrup. I like
drizzling it over perfectly ripe bananas and sliced almonds.
86. Outback native : EMU
87. To have, to Henri : AVOIR
88. Grace starter : O LORD
90. Its PAC is the Political Victory Fund : NRA. Learning moment for me. Rich's clue.
91. Campbell-Martin of "Martin" : TISHA
94. "A mouse!" : EEK
95. Hawk's claw : TALON
97. Synthetic silk : RAYON
99. On the road : AWAY
104. Colombian export : EMERALDS. Rich's clue as well.
108. Blockheads : OAFS
109. "My stars!" : EGAD. Quaint.
112. Curly-tailed dog : AKITA
115. MinuteClinic operator : CVS
117. Ceramic piece : TILE.
TTP once took out all the tiles off his bathroom wall and re-did
everything. I could not imagine the work. Caulking is sophisticated
enough for me.
122. Genesis setting : EDEN
123. Like Gen. Shinseki, former Secretary of Veterans Affairs : RET'D
124. Forearm bones : ULNAS
125. Well-timed : ON CUE
126. Pair near your hair : EARS
127. Sailing ropes : TYES. So guilty of putting this in my grid. I just could not get a cleaner fill in that area.
128. Frets : STEWS
129. Requiring a lot of attention : NEEDY
Down:
1. Flix alternative : TMC
2. Sideline shouts : RAHS
5. Ocean bird : ERN
6. Baby monitor alert : WAIL
7. Folksy Guthrie : ARLO
8. Hard on the eyes : UGLY AS SIN.
Have any of you tried Durian? Steve/Jayce? It's not pretty and it
stinks (banned in many hotels/airplanes). The smell lingers for days.
But so creamy & tasty.
9. "Seems to be the case" : GUESS SO
10. __ Majesty : HER
11. Ottoman honorific : AGHA
12. Not all there : LOOPY
13. Cable option : PAY-PER-VIEW
14. Visit overnight : STAY AT. Every time I pass by Aria, I think of Steve.
15. ["That stinks!"] : BOO HISS
16. Go off-line? : AD LIB. Did you nail it?
17. Move crab-style : SIDLE
18. Helped a tot tie a shoelace, say : KNELT
24. Single-serving coffee choice : K-CUP
29. Bit of a belly laugh : HAR
30. Atkins of country : CHET
32. Time line divisions : ERAS
34. Winery cask : TUN
36. Ground-up bait : CHUM. Learning moment for me.
37. Fanfare and then some : HYPE
38. Come again : RECUR
39. "Julie & Julia" director : EPHRON (Nora)
40. Major course : ENTREE
45. Ref. for wordsmiths : OED
47. Where to find fans : ARENA
48. Stairway piece : RISER
49. They're unlikely to pass the bar : SOTS
52. Slugger Mel : OTT. Big Easy sent me these two pictures long time ago. He said "Next time OTT appears in a puzzle you can insert this. I was passing
there today and stopped and took this picture. It is right down the
street from ZYDECOs, which occasionally showed up."
53. Fresh : SAUCY
54. Spokane-to-Edmonton dir. : NNE
57. Modeling adhesive : EPOXY
59. Lost cause : GONER
60. Goofy collectibles? : CELs. Disney Goofy.
61. Lift : HOIST
63. Cabinet dept. : EDUC
64. Closer to being raw : RARER
66. "Same for me" : AS AM I
67. Game inside a Narragansett beer bottle cap : REBUS. Rich's clue as well. Never heard of the beer.
69. "Rabbit" series author : UPDIKE
70. Starbuck, for one : SAILOR
72. Conspire with : ABET
73. "Got it!" : AHA
74. Demonstratively romantic : LOVEY DOVEY. Asians are reserved.
77. Rodeo mount : BRONC
78. "__ out!" : YER
80. Blue state? : WOE
81. Maker of fancy notebooks : MOLESKINE. I get a red one for Christmas every year.
83. "I'll take all the help I can get" : ANY ADVICE? Rich's clue as well.
84. Urge : PROD
85. Right in the head : SANE
89. Big bore : DRAG
92. Gets tough : HARDENS
93. "Never Wave at __": Rosalind Russell movie : A WAC. Gluey fill.
95. Screening org. : TSA. They pried open my checked baggage a few days ago. Sigh. I've been using that lock for over 25 years.
96. To blame : AT FAULT
98. Spider woman? : ARACHNE
100. "Java" trumpeter : AL HIRT
102. "__ b?": "Which is it?" : A OR. Gluey fill.
103. Pick up : HEAR
104. Name on Re-Nutriv products : ESTEE. Also Rich's clue.
105. Site of the Cave of Zeus, in myth: Abbr. : MT. IDA
106. Calculus pioneer : EULER
107. Glide on blades : SKATE
111. Calls off : ENDS
113. "... __ a puddy tat!" : I TAW. Gluey fill.
114. Merged news agency : TASS
116. Move quickly, as clouds : SCUD
119. "Breaking Bad" baddie Fring : GUS. Gimme for D-Otto. Have you finished the whole series?
120. Nonpro? : CON
121. Very important : KEY
C.C.
