Theme: "Substitute Measures" - The measure in each theme entry is replaced by its homophone or a sound-like word.
23A. Measly treat for Polly? : GRAM CRACKER. Graham cracker. Polly want a cracker.
32A. Work required to raise kids? : FAMILY JOULES. Family jewels.
41A. Advantage in kickboxing? : FEET OF STRENGTH. Feat of strength.
62A. The buying power of cash? : WATTS IN YOUR WALLET. What's in your wallet?
86A. Cub soda? : LITER OF THE PACK. Leader of the pack.
94A. Polished pearls? : GLAZED CARATS. Glazed carrots.
110A. Bad snippets of Miss Muffet's memory? : SPIDER BYTES. Spider bites.
Mr. Ed never disappoints. What a great mix of various measurements.
As I mentioned before, LAT Sundays often have 144 or 142 words. Ed gave us a 140 today. It's just that hard to reduce 2 or 4 words from a 21*21. You've got to have Ed's Saturday themeless skills to pull off a low count Sunday. Ed is also a fantastic clue writer.
Across:
1. Hindu "sir" : BABU. As seen on "Seinfeld". Also 11. Hindu title : SWAMI
5. Beaucoup : A LOT OF. Tiny clue/answer dupe with 80. Lots (of), as cash : A WAD
11. Engineer's details : SPECS
16. Shortening letters : ETC. Also 67. "More than I can list" abbr. : ET AL
19. Abba not known for singing : EBAN. Abba Eban, Israel's first UN representative.
20. From the top, to Tiberius : DE NOVO
21. "Yes __": 2008 campaign slogan : WE CAN. Also 60. 2012 presidential candidate : ROMNEY (Mitt)
22. Boomer's kid : XER
25. Marinade used in Spanish cooking : ADOBO. I saw Adobo sauce in Aldi.
26. __-Magnon : CRO
27. Lizard-like amphibian : SALAMANDER. Great fill. We also have 52. Small 27-Acrosses : NEWTS
28. Latin trio word : AMAS
29. Breakers in semis : CBERS
31. Ceremonies : RITES
35. Decked out : ADORNED
38. Sextet in the Senate : TERM
39. Levelheaded : SANE
40. Math useful for cooks : RATIOS. I often cook by feel. Chinese cooking is very simple.
47. Fragrant compound : ESTER
48. Ancient jewelry staples : BEADS
49. Be an incredible speaker? : LIE. We also have 53. Snake oil hawker, say : CON MAN
50. President Taft's birthplace : OHIO
51. Not dressed for swimming, generally : SHOD
56. Wing : ELL
57. They're heard in herds : MOOS
59. Straight : TRUE
23A. Measly treat for Polly? : GRAM CRACKER. Graham cracker. Polly want a cracker.
32A. Work required to raise kids? : FAMILY JOULES. Family jewels.
41A. Advantage in kickboxing? : FEET OF STRENGTH. Feat of strength.
62A. The buying power of cash? : WATTS IN YOUR WALLET. What's in your wallet?
86A. Cub soda? : LITER OF THE PACK. Leader of the pack.
94A. Polished pearls? : GLAZED CARATS. Glazed carrots.
110A. Bad snippets of Miss Muffet's memory? : SPIDER BYTES. Spider bites.
Mr. Ed never disappoints. What a great mix of various measurements.
As I mentioned before, LAT Sundays often have 144 or 142 words. Ed gave us a 140 today. It's just that hard to reduce 2 or 4 words from a 21*21. You've got to have Ed's Saturday themeless skills to pull off a low count Sunday. Ed is also a fantastic clue writer.
Across:
1. Hindu "sir" : BABU. As seen on "Seinfeld". Also 11. Hindu title : SWAMI
5. Beaucoup : A LOT OF. Tiny clue/answer dupe with 80. Lots (of), as cash : A WAD
11. Engineer's details : SPECS
16. Shortening letters : ETC. Also 67. "More than I can list" abbr. : ET AL
19. Abba not known for singing : EBAN. Abba Eban, Israel's first UN representative.
20. From the top, to Tiberius : DE NOVO
21. "Yes __": 2008 campaign slogan : WE CAN. Also 60. 2012 presidential candidate : ROMNEY (Mitt)
22. Boomer's kid : XER
25. Marinade used in Spanish cooking : ADOBO. I saw Adobo sauce in Aldi.
26. __-Magnon : CRO
27. Lizard-like amphibian : SALAMANDER. Great fill. We also have 52. Small 27-Acrosses : NEWTS
28. Latin trio word : AMAS
29. Breakers in semis : CBERS
31. Ceremonies : RITES
35. Decked out : ADORNED
38. Sextet in the Senate : TERM
39. Levelheaded : SANE
40. Math useful for cooks : RATIOS. I often cook by feel. Chinese cooking is very simple.
47. Fragrant compound : ESTER
48. Ancient jewelry staples : BEADS
49. Be an incredible speaker? : LIE. We also have 53. Snake oil hawker, say : CON MAN
50. President Taft's birthplace : OHIO
51. Not dressed for swimming, generally : SHOD
56. Wing : ELL
57. They're heard in herds : MOOS
59. Straight : TRUE
67. Like much folk music : ETHNIC
69. Face or race : MEET
70. Mad king of the stage : LEAR
71. One in a golfer's bag : TEE. Boomer now uses 3-1/4 inches tall tees, Gary/TTP!
72. Certain winner : SHOO IN
74. Some 'Vette roofs : T-TOPS
77. Musical ending : CODA
81. Divided sea : ARAL
83. Crowded-room atmosphere : FUG. Is this word familiar to you? Never heard of it.
84. Longtime name in catalogs : SEARS
85. "The Exorcist" actor Max von __ : SYDOW. Also a stranger to me.
90. Former mid-sized Chevy : LUMINA
91. "A creel of __, all ripples": Sylvia Plath : EELS
92. Fruit pastry : TART
93. Reddened, perhaps : RIPENED. Wish I could live near a persimmon tree again.
99. Barbecue brand : WEBER
100. Popular type : ROMAN. And 108. Popular type : ARIAL
101. Cleanup hitter's stats : RBIs
102. Milk choice : ONE PERCENT
107. Non's opposite : OUI
111. Topper for Rumpole of the Bailey : WIG
112. Thicket of trees : COPSE
113. Persevered in : KEPT AT
114. Traveler from 76-Down : MORK. 76. Home to 114-Across : ORK
115. Sign before Virgo : LEO
116. Lugged : TOTED
117. Treatment for some causes of backache : INSOLE. Boomer's back pain was completely gone after having tart cherry concentrate. Alas, his elbow/shoulder pain persist. Too much bowling.
118. Puts to bed : ENDS
Down:
1. Assumes the point of, as a question : BEGS
2. Start of a magical chant : ABRA
3. Canaanite idol : BAAL
4. Certain singles bar frequenter, in theory : UNMARRIED MAN
5. Spot charges : AD RATES
6. Showed bias : LEANED
7. How many boxed sets are recorded : ON CDS
8. Blackjack table gratuity : TOKE
9. Puts too much in the fishtank : OVER-FEEDS
10. On behalf of : FOR
12. Organ part : PEDAL
13. Coral reef, e.g. : ECOSYSTEM. Another sparking fill.
14. Hailed wine? : CAB. OK, Cabernet.
15. Cool, colorful treat : SNO-CONE
16. Reign supreme : EXCEL
17. Land at Orly? : TERRE. Just "land" in French.
18. Dracula repellent : CROSS
24. Key with three flats : C MINOR
28. Shells on Omaha Beach : AMMO
30. Good, in Guadalupe : BUENO
33. Painting and dancing : ARTS
34. Preserves holder : JAR. So what's your favorite peanut butter brand? Here's mine. Chunky.
35. Trojan War god : ARES
36. Mrs. on a spice rack : DASH
37. Germany's von Bismarck : OTTO. D-Otto's wife speaks fluent German. Her mom and brother live in Germany.
38. Suckling's milk source : TEAT
41. How many are chosen? : FEW. But few are chosen.
42. Ground grain : FLOUR
43. Muscle-bone connection : SINEW
44. Belgian treaty city : GHENT
45. 4-point F, for one : TILE
46. Word with Ghost or Grail : HOLY
48. First lady before Mamie : BESS. Truman.
52. Tally-keeping cut : NOTCH
53. Wine label word : CRU
54. City NW of Marseille : ARLES. The cover of my compact mirror
55. Pelican St. acronym : NOLA
58. Mayberry tippler : OTIS
59. Little one : TOT
61. Marvin Gaye classic subtitled "The Ecology" : MERCY MERCY ME. Great 12.
62. Gluten source : WHEAT
63. Texas Hold 'em declaration : I'M OUT
64. Mustang sally? : NEIGH. Googled afterwards. Sally means "outburst" here.
65. Tokyo dough : YEN
66. Hurdle for Hannibal : ALPS
68. Actress Hatcher : TERI
73. Ad-libbed : OFF-SCRIPT
74. Unwraps excitedly : TEARS OPEN
75. Political asset : TACT
78. One-eyed Norse deity : ODIN
79. Ready to eat : DONE
82. '90s daytime talk show : LEEZA (Gibbons)
84. Brief quarrel : SPAT
85. Unrivaled : SUPERB
87. Bring to life, in a way : RE-ENACT
88. From the past : OLD
89. Ones affected by bad weather, briefly : ETAs
90. First word in France's motto : LIBERTE. Liberté, égalité, fraternité.
93. Opposite of pass : REPEAL
94. One might elicit a nervous "Nice dog" : GROWL
95. "Taxi" dispatcher : LOUIE. Now you won't see LOUIE C.K. in crosswords again.
96. La Paz paisano : AMIGO
97. Belittle : ABASE
98. Nettled : RILED
99. Single-minded about : WED TO
103. Little snorts : NIPS
104. Berkshire school : ETON
105. Socially awkward one : NERD. Guess who coined this word? Dr. Seuss.
106. Sounds of disapproval : TSKS
109. Jack, jill or joey : ROO
110. One of a pair on a rack : SKI
2. Start of a magical chant : ABRA
3. Canaanite idol : BAAL
4. Certain singles bar frequenter, in theory : UNMARRIED MAN
5. Spot charges : AD RATES
6. Showed bias : LEANED
7. How many boxed sets are recorded : ON CDS
8. Blackjack table gratuity : TOKE
9. Puts too much in the fishtank : OVER-FEEDS
10. On behalf of : FOR
12. Organ part : PEDAL
13. Coral reef, e.g. : ECOSYSTEM. Another sparking fill.
14. Hailed wine? : CAB. OK, Cabernet.
15. Cool, colorful treat : SNO-CONE
16. Reign supreme : EXCEL
17. Land at Orly? : TERRE. Just "land" in French.
18. Dracula repellent : CROSS
24. Key with three flats : C MINOR
28. Shells on Omaha Beach : AMMO
30. Good, in Guadalupe : BUENO
33. Painting and dancing : ARTS
34. Preserves holder : JAR. So what's your favorite peanut butter brand? Here's mine. Chunky.
35. Trojan War god : ARES
36. Mrs. on a spice rack : DASH
37. Germany's von Bismarck : OTTO. D-Otto's wife speaks fluent German. Her mom and brother live in Germany.
38. Suckling's milk source : TEAT
41. How many are chosen? : FEW. But few are chosen.
42. Ground grain : FLOUR
43. Muscle-bone connection : SINEW
44. Belgian treaty city : GHENT
45. 4-point F, for one : TILE
46. Word with Ghost or Grail : HOLY
48. First lady before Mamie : BESS. Truman.
52. Tally-keeping cut : NOTCH
53. Wine label word : CRU
54. City NW of Marseille : ARLES. The cover of my compact mirror
58. Mayberry tippler : OTIS
59. Little one : TOT
61. Marvin Gaye classic subtitled "The Ecology" : MERCY MERCY ME. Great 12.
62. Gluten source : WHEAT
63. Texas Hold 'em declaration : I'M OUT
64. Mustang sally? : NEIGH. Googled afterwards. Sally means "outburst" here.
65. Tokyo dough : YEN
66. Hurdle for Hannibal : ALPS
68. Actress Hatcher : TERI
73. Ad-libbed : OFF-SCRIPT
74. Unwraps excitedly : TEARS OPEN
75. Political asset : TACT
78. One-eyed Norse deity : ODIN
79. Ready to eat : DONE
82. '90s daytime talk show : LEEZA (Gibbons)
84. Brief quarrel : SPAT
85. Unrivaled : SUPERB
87. Bring to life, in a way : RE-ENACT
88. From the past : OLD
89. Ones affected by bad weather, briefly : ETAs
90. First word in France's motto : LIBERTE. Liberté, égalité, fraternité.
93. Opposite of pass : REPEAL
94. One might elicit a nervous "Nice dog" : GROWL
95. "Taxi" dispatcher : LOUIE. Now you won't see LOUIE C.K. in crosswords again.
96. La Paz paisano : AMIGO
97. Belittle : ABASE
98. Nettled : RILED
99. Single-minded about : WED TO
103. Little snorts : NIPS
104. Berkshire school : ETON
105. Socially awkward one : NERD. Guess who coined this word? Dr. Seuss.
106. Sounds of disapproval : TSKS
109. Jack, jill or joey : ROO
110. One of a pair on a rack : SKI
Look what I finally found: Picture of Lucina. I think Dave 2 asked for this weeks ago. Lucina was a Sister of the Precious Blood Community.
Lucy as Novice/ Lucy with Mom and sister Marge
