Theme: "Sounds Like a Snooze" - S sound is changed into Z sound.
23A. Liquor store?: BUZZ DEPOT. Bus depot.
25A. Feeding time for the herd?: GRAZE PERIOD. Grace period.
46A. Caribbean island chain?: CAYS BY CAYS. Case by case.
67A. Make change for a five?: GIVE THE ONES OVER. Give the once over.
93A. Funding for cops?: FUZZ BUDGET. Fussbudget.
115A. "No legumes for me, please"?: KEEP THE PEAS. Keep the peace.
117A. Slept through the alarm?: OVER-DOZED. Overdosed.
16D. Much-admired cooktop?: PRIZE RANGE. Price range.
73D. Withhold enthusiasm?: HARBOR ZEAL. Harbor seal.
No label in our blog for Gary Larson. Must be his LA Times debut. Congrats, Gary!
I learned last year that S after vowels are pronounced like z sound. S after consonants are S, thanks to D-Otto and dear Santa. I always pronounced PEAS the same as PIECE.
Total 9 Z's. This alone makes gridding a bit tougher.
I learned last year that S after vowels are pronounced like z sound. S after consonants are S, thanks to D-Otto and dear Santa. I always pronounced PEAS the same as PIECE.
Total 9 Z's. This alone makes gridding a bit tougher.
Across:
1. Door feature: KNOB.
5. Butcher shop section: SLAB. Here is a Chinese butcher shop.
9. Minor: LESSER.
15. Bridge: SPAN.
19. "American Gigolo" star: GERE (Richard). Did not fully under the movie when I watched it years ago.
20. Pocket often filled: PITA. Great clue.
21. Get there: ARRIVE.
22. First name at Woodstock: ARLO.
27. Post-Thanksgiving dinner feeling, for many: FOOD COMA. Boomer made tasty fried chicken with this breading the other day.
28. City near Düsseldorf: ESSEN.
29. Bring down: RAZE.
30. Dante's half-dozen: SEI. Triple due.
31. L.A. Clippers' org.: NBA.
33. Disqualify (oneself), as a judge: RECUSE.
35. One of many on most phones: APP.
38. Second Amendment concern: FIREARMS.
43. Kicks out, in a way: DEPORTS. Sensitive word.
49. Hydroelectric project: DAM.
51. Capital NNW of Albany: OTTAWA.
52. Home subcontractor: TILER.
Do you have Plumb Right in your area? Our bathroom tiles leak, but they
want us to replace the bathtub as well. We declined. Been using some
makeshift measure.
53. Literary tribute: ODE.
54. Gets promoted: RISES.
56. Like neat freaks: ANAL. Glad Rich allows it in grids these days.
57. Ravaged by time: AGE-WORN.
59. Updates, as a reference book: RE-ISSUES.
62. Actress Scala: GIA. Hi, nice to meet you!
63. __ oil: SESAME. We never stir-fry with sesame oil. Always a few drops in salad or soup.
64. Sound file extension: WAV.
65. 2007 Will Smith sci-fi flick: I AM LEGEND.
71. Itemized deductions form: SCHEDULE A.
74. Yellow Sea peninsula: Abbr.: KOR. Korea.
75. Phrase often abbreviated: ET ALIA.
79. Spat suffix: ULA.
80. Paul's letters: EPISTLES.
82. Trash collectors: ASHCANS.
83. Good sound at the garage: PURR.
85. Hodgepodges: OLIOS. I use Olio as part of my Subject Line at times.
86. Flower starter: BUD. I love Katie's True Lilies. So sorry about the fall, TTP! Did you beat last year's champ at the outing?
88. Property owner's income: RENTS.
89. Insurgency troops: REBELS.
92. Back at sea?: AFT.
95. Reclusive: ASOCIAL. I've become one.
97. Rats: STOOLIES.
99. Trains over roads: ELS.
100. Use as support: REST ON.
102. Cartoon collectible: CEL.
103. Some laptops: HPS.
106. "Master of None" star Ansari: AZIZ. He made me laugh. Hope he bounces back soon.
107. Many a Bob Marley fan: RASTA.
110. Toy mentioned in "The Chipmunk Song": HULA HOOP.
119. Phi Delt, e.g.: FRAT.
120. Discomfort: UNEASE.
121. Gather: REAP.
122. Ness' feds: T MEN.
123. News pg. units: COLS. Column.
124. Co-star of TV's "Dr. Kildare": MASSEY. Unfamiliar to me. I just realized I confused Dr. Kildare with Dr. Kimble.
125. Drops off: NAPS.
126. First name in desserts: SARA.
Down:
1. Cold War gp.: KGB.
2. Nice nine?: NEUF. Just French for "nine".
3. Ricelike pasta: ORZO.
4. Amazon founder: BEZOS (Jeff). And 34. 4-Down, e.g.: CEO. His name is not as crossword-friendly as ELON.
5. Spell out: SPECIFY.
6. Cosmetic surg. option: LIPO.
7. Bit of physics: ATOM.
8. React, barely: BAT AN EYE.
9. California-based shoe company: LA GEAR. Never worn their shoes. You?
10. Bungles it: ERRS.
11. Span. titles: SRAS.
12. Jeweler's fitting tool: SIZER. Learning moment for me.
13. Smoothed: EVENED.
14. Agent: REP.
15. City south of Tampa: SARASOTA.
17. Burn balm: ALOE. My plant died, but I was able to cut one leaf and tested the juice. Made me itch. Will stick with Trader Joe's aloe vera gel.
18. Silent signal: NOD.
24. '50s political monogram: DDE.
26. Blow: ERUPT.
32. __-relief: BAS.
35. Serve in the capacity of: ACT AS.
36. He pitched in the majors at age 59: PAIGE (Satchel). The power of hot shower!
37. Gomer and Goober of old TV: PYLES.
39. Computer symbol: ICON.
40. "Awesome!": RAD.
41. Year Columbus' fourth and last voyage began: MDII. 1502.
42. More impertinent: SASSIER.
44. Clemens, familiarly: TWAIN (Mark). Samuel, not Roger.
45. __ fork: SALAD
47. Waste: SEWAGE.
48. Trite comment: BROMIDE. New word to me also.
50. Small plateaus: MESAS.
54. Takes back: REVOKES.
55. Sport for heavyweights: SUMO. You can't succeed in that sport being a 200-pounder. Double up!
58. Gun, as an engine: REV UP.
59. "Norma __": RAE.
60. Fabled northern workers: ELVES.
61. Transparent, informally: SEE-THRU.
64. Alternative scenarios: WHAT IFS.
66. Favored: GRACED.
68. Former Belgian prime minister Di Rupo: ELIO.
Forgot. We had him before. Wiki says he was "Belgium's first Prime
Minister of non-Belgian descent, and the world's second openly gay head
of government in modern times".
69. Edison contemporary: TESLA. Also 77. Silicon Valley giant: INTEL.
70. Rejections: NOS.
71. Old Toyota: SUPRA.
72. Hints: CLUES.
76. "Tootsie" Oscar winner: LANGE.
78. Staff members: Abbr.: ASSTS.
81. 1990s-2000s Senate majority leader: LOTT (Trent). He resigned due to an insensitive remark.
82. Axlike tool: ADZE.
84. Box office: RECEIPTS.
86. Megaphone kin: BULLHORN.
87. Special forces weapon: UZI.
90. "Mephisto Waltz" composer: LISZT.
91. Idled: SAT.
93. Other side: FOE.
94. C equivalents: B SHARPS.
96. Ochoa who was the top-ranked female golfer when she retired: LORENA. She was at the 2008 US Open held here in MN, but Natalie Gulbis drew the biggest crowd. Natalie always does.
98. Dublin-born playwright: O'CASEY (Sean)
101. Scruffs: NAPES.
104. High deg.: PHD.
105. Blackens, in a way: SOOTS.
106. Flight prefix: AERO.
108. Overwhelming quantities: SEAS. Yeah, I still pronounce the last S as S, not Z. Just can't change the habit.
109. Electrify, in a way: TASE.
111. Eye layer: UVEA.
112. Logical omission: LEAP.
113. Baum princess: OZMA. Princess Ozma. Of Oz.
114. Jury member: PEER.
115. Prominent poultry purveyor: KFC.
116. Run smoothly: HUM.
118. It's in our genes: DNA.
C.C.
