23. Pet Airways security device? : CAT SCANNER
25. Narrative from novelist Levin? : IRA ACCOUNT. Ira Levin.
37. The Yankees during the Babe Ruth era? : SWAT TEAM. His nickname was "The Sultan of Swat".
45. Wine glass-making component? : STEM EDUCATION
69. Alley designation? : PIN NUMBER
90. Seminar on Hughes' poetry? : TED CONFERENCE. Give TED Radio Hour a try. Very well-curated.
99. Hockey contract negotiator? : ICE AGENT. ICE here stands for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
115. Association of gamblers? : BET NETWORK
117. Injury treatment for a top pitcher? : ACE BANDAGE
Hey, I don't need to send a Bat-Signal to Roman Forest for help. Grokked the theme before I even started.
Was happy to find a set where the change happens with all the first words. Probably should have gone with 8 theme entries. With 9, the fill suffer in a few spots.
Across:
1. Did a triathlon leg : BIKED. Swim. Bike. Run
6. Pepper spray alternative : MACE
10. At full speed : AMAIN
15. Slightly : A BIT
19. Taste enhanced by shrimp paste : UMAMI. Our Asian store carries various shrimp pastes. All made in Oo's homeland.
20. Otherworldly glow : AURA
21. Multi-colored spring bloomer : PANSY
22. Bugs or Porky : TOON
27. MIT, for one : SCH
28. Govt. investment : T-NOTE
29. Grand Mosque locale : MECCA
30. Luxury hotel chain : OMNI
31. Essence : MEAT
33. Pyrex sister brand : EKCO
35. It precedes Flames' home games : O CANADA. Calgary Flames.
40. True : ALIGN
43. Chicago Blackhawks' broadcaster : WGN
44. Give : CONCEDE
50. "Your point being?" : AND
51. Betel nut tree : ARECA. Never saw the tree in person. So fruitful.
53. Church reading : PSALM
54. Memorable Louis : XVI
55. A/C measures : BTUs
57. Agenda : TO-DO LIST
59. Dress policy at some fancy restaurants : NO DENIM. Crossing NIMES (49. City in southern France). Origin of the word "Denim".
62. Enzyme ending : ASE
64. Shot at a bar : DRAM
65. Big name in anti-itch cream : LANACANE
66. Slow-cooked dishes : STEWS
72. "The Highwayman" poet : NOYES
73. "Don't sweat it" : NO BIGGIE Also 94. "Amen to that!" : I HEAR YA And 36. "It'll be fun!" : AW C'MON Also 95. "Hold your horses" : EASY NOW
75. "Of course!" : SURE
76. __ Paese cheese : BEL
77. Like some celestial paths : ORBITAL
78. Isn't being used : SITS IDLE
81. Dust jacket ID : ISBN
85. City bus path: Abbr. : RTE
86. Expose : RAT ON
88. Where __ : IT'S AT
89. Green Day drummer __ Cool : TRE
97. Inseparable : ONE
98. Utterly lost : AT SEA
100. Solo performance : RECITAL
103. Actor Cumming : ALAN
105. Lat. and Ukr., formerly : SSRS
106. SpaceX CEO Musk : ELON. He just deleted his and SpaceX's Facebook pages.
107. Put a damper on : DETER
110. Memorize things, maybe : STUDY
112. Part of U.S. : SAM. Oh, Uncle Sam. My submitted clue refers to the singer Sam Smith.
119. Not worth __ : A SOU
120. Resort rental : CANOE
121. Apple Watch assistant : SIRI. Also 12. Apple since 1998 : iMAC
122. Exposed : OUTED
123. Body imperfection : DENT
124. Dover souls : BRITS. Nice clue. Also Rich's.
125. Warmhearted : KIND
126. Plot spoilers? : WEEDS
Down:
1. Tampa NFLers : BUCS
3. Nepal Airlines headquarters : KATHMANDU. Never been to this city. Almost mythical.
4. First-responder letters : EMS
5. Call the shots : DICTATE
6. Hand, to Jorge : MANO
7. Uncle Henry's wife : AUNT EM. I can watch this movie again and again.
8. Wading spot : CREEK
9. Corn holder : EAR
10. Cap-__: from head to toe : A PIE
11. Jacobs of fashion : MARC. Pricey label.
12. Jungle crusher : ANACONDA
13. Genesis father of twins : ISAAC
14. 1785-'90 U.S. capital : NYC. Oh, I did not know this trivia. But Xi'an was the capital city of China for many many years also.
15. Ferocious Flea foe : ATOM ANT
16. Like hardcovers : BOUND
17. Ancient neighbor of Lydia : IONIA
18. Big bang producer : TNT
24. Come before : ANTEDATE
26. Dance in a line : CONGA
29. Beauty mark : MOLE
32. And so on: Abbr. : ETC
34. Language of Andorra : CATALAN
37. Striker's bane : SCAB
38. Habit : WONT
39. Flying start? : AERO
41. Little devils : IMPS. Our Spitzboov! Hope all went smoothly with Betty yesterday.
 |
| Spitzboov, Betty and Argyle, August 23, 2014, Washington County Fair |
42. Daring exploit : GEST
45. Reject with contempt : SCORN. Also 66. Show contempt : SNORT
46. Forearm-related : ULNAR
47. Slangy rejection : IXNAY
48. Like critters counted at night : OVINE
52. One of the Van Halens : EDDIE
56. 2005 horror sequel : SAW II
58. "If __": "So be it" : I MUST
60. Hamlet, for one : DANE
61. Alfalfa sprouts concern : ECOLI. Had Alfalfa sprouts once. Did not like the taste. Love bean sprouts though.
63. USMC rank : SSGT
65. West Yorkshire's largest city : LEEDS
67. Sacher dessert : TORTE
68. Receded : EBBED
69. Risotto relative : PILAF. Here is Blue Hen's "Cheater Risotto". Here are the two potato dumplings I
made earlier this week. I did not use the pillowcase to squeeze out the extra water as D-Otto instructed. Then I needed more flour. There's definitely a method in
D-Otto's madness, but my dumplings had more integrity. The extra water was nutritious.
71. Shiny, in adspeak : BRITE
74. January birthstone : GARNET
76. Home to the Congressional Country Club : BETHESDA
78. Variety : SORT
79. "__ of My Soul": Isabel Allende novel : INES
80. Not of the cloth : LAIC. I did not have "Not".
82. Took a course under duress? : STRESS-ATE
83. __ Mawr College : BRYN
84. In order : NEAT
87. "Madam Secretary" star : TEA LEONI. Nice to put her full name in.
91. Almond Joy ingredient : COCONUT. We also have 100. Creator of tasty cups : REESE
92. Cat-__-tails : O NINE
93. Close : NEAR
96. Cabinet dept. : AGR
99. Apprentice : INTERN
101. John of rock : ELTON. Sir.
102. Ugly marketing battle : AD WAR
104. Computer acronym : ASCII
108. Home run pace : TROT
109. Scrapes (out) : EKES
111. eBay competitor : UBID
113. Like fine cheese : AGED
114. Doc's orders : MEDS
115. Unenviable : BAD. So sorry to hear your troubles, Picard. I feel your frustration.
116. Doing the job, briefly : TCB. Take Care of Business. Picard's old host certainly did not.
117. "Don't __ me!" : ASK
118. Deserving : DUE
Jennifer, Argyle's "adopted" niece, said he's holding steady and doing well. Santa has received many
cards from our blog and enjoys them. I'll keep you updated when I have the update. Santa, call me, maybe?
