Sunday October 6, 2019 David Alfred Bywaters

Theme: Time for "A" Change - Words with long A sound are replaced by their homophone.

20. Sumo wrestler's asset?: HAZARDOUS WAIST. Hazardous waste.

30. Consequence of overtweezing?: RAZED EYEBROWS.  Raised eyebrows.

 

49. Hawaiian tour company specialist?: LEI PERSON. Lay person.

58. Common sight on "L.A. Law"?: DEY IN COURT. Day in court.

80. Mid-morning coffee, say?: BREAK FLUID. Brake fluid.

89. Problem for Roman Britain?: GAEL FORCE. Gale force.

104. Said goodbye, dog-style?: BAYED FAREWELL. Bade farewell.

 

121. Low-voiced choir member's goal?: GET TO FIRST BASS. Get to first base.

This is a very tight theme set. All homophones. All go through spelling changes of course.

David is a linguistic genius. He has found so many ways to play with the addition/deletion/replacement themes. All of his themes are very tight. Always an extra layer.

Across:

1. Followers who may be friendly or hostile: POSSE. We don't often see a black square at the starting corner. It makes clean fill possible.

6. Word of Gallic gratitude: MERCI. A few more French: 54. Him, to Henri: LUI. 55. Cannes concept: IDEE. And 81. French article: UNE.

11. Voltaire's faith: DEISM.

16. Bring up to date: CLUE IN.

17. "Am I awake?": PINCH ME. Great fill. And 25. Source of ignition: MATCH.

19. Game for two or four: TENNIS. And 25. Source of ignition: MATCH.

22. Car starter: ENGINE.

23. Agenda entry: ITEM.

24. Avid: EAGER.

27. Altered by time: AGED. Our crossword regular ALBA. No aging at all.

28. Skunk cousin: POLECAT.

33. Halloween follower: Abbr.: NOV.

34. Gutenberg's movable invention: TYPE.

35. Comic-Con attendee: NERD.

36. Met acquisition: ART.

39. Revolver, maybe: DOOR. Revolving door.

41. Rent what you've rented: SUBLET.

45. Dizzy's jazz genre: BEBOP.

52. Greeted, with "to": SAID HI.

56. Locations: SITES.

61. Disproportionate reactions: TO-DOS.

63. Disgraced: SHAMED. Public shaming in China. The placards have their names & the word "robber".

65. Three-syllable limerick foot: ANAPEST.

66. Like much testimony: ORAL.

68. Restorative: TONIC.

70. Social climber: SNOB.

71. Current site of ancient Carthage: TUNISIA.

74. Gazed lasciviously: LEERED.

77. Go wild on Twitter: TREND.

83. Presidents' Day phenomena: SALES. We'll probably get our Santa Fe at Veterans Day next year.
Hyundai gives veterans a nice discount.

85. Crosby, Stills & Nash, e.g.: TRIO.

86. Previously: AGO.

87. Problem for a claustrophobic driver: TUNNEL. Tough when you need a MRI.

91. Kidney-related: RENAL.

94. Standard of measurement: METRIC.

96. Loyal: TRUE.

97. "__ Blues": Beatles song with the line "Even hate my rock and roll": YER.

98. Help to withdraw: WEAN.

100. Confront: FACE.

102. Natter: GAB.

110. Some chalets: A-FRAMES.

114. ET vehicles, in theory: UFOS.

115. Lariat: REATA.

116. Overhang: LEDGE.

118. Main squeeze: BEAU.

119. Hired escort: GIGOLO.

124. Tony winner Tammy: GRIMES. Won a Tony for "The Unsinkable Molly Brown". Unknown to me.

125. Do: EXECUTE.

126. Niños' needs?: TILDES. The squiggles.

127. Affirmatives: YESES.

128. Support framework: TRUSS.

129. Base stealer's asset: SPEED.

Down:

1. Socrates' pupil: PLATO.

2. Eurasian blackbird: OUZEL. Learning moment for me also.

3. Many mariners: SEAMEN.

4. Word of respect: SIR.

5. Attempts: ENDEAVORS.

6. King novel that shared the first Bram Stoker Award (1987): MISERY.

7. Covers completely: ENWRAPS.

8. 1929 purchaser of Victor: RCA.

9. Wind instrument?: CHIME. Sweet clue.

10. :-(: I'M SAD. One day my brother closed his WeChat with me with "🥣安 ". I had to ask him what it meant. Turns out 🥣 is a bowl. So " 🥣安" means "good night".  "Bowl" and "evening" are pronounced the same but they're two different characters. Jayce probably would get it. I just sighed.

11. Lair: DEN.

12. Sword-wielder's cry: EN GARDE.

13. Architect Jones: INIGO. Wiki says "Jones was the first person to introduce the classical architecture of Rome and the Italian Renaissance to Britain."

14. Tendon: SINEW.

15. Advanced teaching degrees: Abbr.: MS EDs.

16. Dip holder: CHIP.

17. Wrinkly little dog: PUG.

18. Suffix with kitchen: ETTE.

19. Tiny chuckle: TEHEE.

21. Nose bag particle: OAT.

26. Nixon of "Sex and the City": CYNTHIA. Also ran for governor last year.

29. Encrypt: CODE.

31. Consort of Hera: ZEUS.

32. Texter's "I will return shortly": BRB.

34. What a plighter plights: TROTH.

36. Landed: ALIT.

37. Try again: REDO.

38. Had a few: TIED ONE ON.

40. Medical suffix: OSIS.

42. No-goodniks: BADDIES.

43. Make up a story, maybe: LIE.

44. Eponymous ice cream maker: EDY.

46. Muffin fruit: BLUEBERRY. Our state muffin.

47. Hers and mine: OURS.

48. Surname of father-and-son British prime ministers: PITT. William Pitt & William Pitt the Younger. Read more here.

50. Geographical symbol of Middle America: PEORIA.

51. Cool: NEAT.

53. Hostelries: INNS.

57. Burn without flames: SMOLDER.

59. Tilt: CANT.

60. Iberian wine city: OPORTO. North of Lisbon.

62. Regina's prov.: SASK.

64. KC-to-NYC dir.: ENE.

67. Hoist: LIFT.

69. Outcropping: CRAG.

71. Vanishing ski lift: T BAR.

72. Hankering: URGE.

73. Bryn Mawr graduates: ALUMNAE.

75. Induce euphoria in: ELATE. And 78. Pleasant: NICE. 92. Fab equivalent: AWESOME.

76. Road sign ruminant: DEER.

79. One who doesn't just think about it: DOER. That's D-Otto! Just dug out this pic from my Ginger Roots blog. D-Otto mentioned said then: "A 1970 snapshot at the control console of the shipboard radio station during the final cruise of the carrier Bon Homme Richard. I stumbled across that one in an online copy of the ship's cruise book."
 


82. Pass gone seriously astray: Abbr.: INT.

84. Hard-hitting contests: SLUGFESTS.

88. __ insurance: LIFE.

90. Cause of tremors, at times: FEAR. He also wrote "Miracle of Mindfulness".

93. Conducted: LED.

95. Insensitive: CALLOUS.

99. Locks that are picked: AFROS.

101. Chin indentations: CLEFTS.

103. Blather on: BABBLE.

104. Full of glitches, as programs: BUGGY.

105. Flaming: AFIRE.

106. Hindu mystics: YOGIS.

107. Steamed state: RAGE.

108. Kindle reading, e.g.: E-TEXT.

109. Do a gardening task: WATER. We're having the wettest year in Minnesota history. 

110. Growth-oriented field?: Abbr.: AGR.

111. Civil War general: MEADE.

112. Abated: EASED.

113. Figure (out): SUSS.

117. Cease to function: DIE.

120. "__ Misérables": LES.

122. Big 12 rival of Baylor: Abbr.: TCU.

123. Bit of inside information: TIP.

C.C.