Theme: "Accentuating the Negative" - UN is attached to front of each common phrase.
23A Like frayed laces on hockey skates?: UNFIT TO BE TIED. Fit to be tied.
39A. Dig up buried Burma-Shave relics?: UNEARTH SIGNS. Earth signs.
57A. Brief period of apathy?: UNMOVING DAY. Moving day.
82A. Committee leader who's a bit on edge?: UNEASY CHAIR. Easy chair.
97A. Orthodontist's concerns: UNSOUND BITES. Sounds bites.
119A. Pets that help with luggage after a trip?: UNPACK ANIMALS. Pack animals.
16D. Rattle football linemen?: UNNERVE CENTERS. Nerve center.
52D. Do a "Wheel of Fortune" job?: UNCOVER LETTERS. Cover letters.
There's no any extra layer to further tie the theme together, in case you wonder.
Lots of words can have an UN prefix, so this set may seem to be loose to some. But I think Gail was just trying a full new set of UN* gimmick.
Lots of words can have an UN prefix, so this set may seem to be loose to some. But I think Gail was just trying a full new set of UN* gimmick.
The grid is classical Gail. Both the design and the fill. There's an art behind her simplicity. Hard work too, of course.
Across:
1. "Proud Mary" pop gp.: CCR. Creedence Clearwater Revival.
4. "Glad that's over!": WHEW.
8. Vineyard measure: ACRE. JimmyB brought me this special bottle of wine from his vineyard years ago. I've been saving it.
12. Contaminate: POLLUTE.
19. Grammy winner Corinne Bailey __: RAE.
20. Lille lover's word: AIME.
21. Coward in drama: NOEL. Noel Coward.
22. More eco-conscious: GREENER.
26. Forward motion: ADVANCE.
27. Stretches on the job: STINTS. Nice clue.
28. Waferlike: SLENDER.
30. Brontë governess: EYRE.
31. Road trip expenses: TOLLS.
32. Area 51 creatures, it's said: ETS.
33. Tail end: REAR.
35. Málaga mlle.: SRTA. Alliteration.
38. Flight school hurdle: SOLO.
44. Roomba, briefly: VAC. Our vacuum is pretty heavy, but it gives me a regular workout.
45. Contrail makeup: VAPOR.
47. Defense org.?: ABA. Court defense.
48. Wet suit material: NEOPRENE. I think our mouse pad is made of this stuff also.
50. Elm Street surname: KRUEGER.
53. Advice to a sinner: ATONE.
55. Junkyard fillers: WRECKS.
56. Seemingly forever: EON.
61. Iowa Straw Poll city, once: AMES. Wiki says the polls is now called "Iowa State Fair Straw Poll".
62. Do as Vassar did in 1969: GO CO-ED.
64. NOYB part: NONE.
65. Text addition?: ILE. Textile.
66. Feminine side: YIN. Cucumber is Yin. Ginger is Yang.
67. "Say no more": STOP.
68. Deceptive operation: STING. Police sting.
70. It has all five black keys in its scale: D FLAT.
72. Grab with a toothpick: STAB.
75. Vital opening?: VEE. Vital.
77. Verizon subsidiary: AOL.
78. Song often sung in Italian: ARIA.
79. Flip, in a way: RESELL.
I told you about our old neighbor. He won $100,000 lottery prize.
Gambled them all away. Lost his home also. Some real estate guy fixed
his house and flipped for a quick profit.
81. German gent: HERR.
85. Biodegrade: ROT.
86. Frustrate: DERAIL.
88. Really go for: ADORE.
89. "The Ten Commandments" role: RAMESES.
91. Team culled from other teams: ALL-STARS. Rod Carew was a 18-time All-Star. Most for a Twin. Boomer bowled with Carew once.
94. URL ending: EDU.
95. Marner of fiction: SILAS.
96. Jeans go-with: TEE.
100. Contest on horseback: TILT.
104. Queen's offspring: ANTS.
106. Some square dancers: GALS. Hi there Kathy!
107. Title after vows, perhaps: MRS.
108. Passover feast: SEDER.
109. Ten Benjamins: THOU.
111. Erode: EAT AWAY.
115. Rinky-dink: CHEESY.
116. Morgan of "The Bucket List": FREEMAN. Tarnished reputation now.
121. Challenge for a flight attendant: AIR RAGE. Still remember the first time you took a plane?
122. Work (out): SUSS.
123. Sistine Chapel mural setting: EDEN.
124. Release, with "out": LET.
125. "Ain't gonna happen!": NO SIREE.
126. Straddling: ATOP.
127. Learning method: ROTE.
128. Part of GPS: Abbr.: SYS.
Down:
1. Some prefer them thin: CRUSTS.
The first pizza I had is Hawaiian Pizza at Pizza Hut in Guangzhou. So I
always associate pizza with thick crust and pineapples.
2. Braggart's comeback: CAN TOO.
3. Pharmacy order: REFILL. Tiny clue/answer dupe with the great 13. Limited offer come-on: ORDER NOW.
4. Guitar amp units: WATTS.
5. Singles, say: HITS.
6. Moody music genre: EMO.
7. "Blue-Backed Spelling Book" author: WEBSTER.
8. Join the game, in a way: ANTE.
9. Small decision-maker: COIN.
10. 2018 Masters champ Patrick: REED. Also 12. Vardon Trophy org.: PGA. And 37. Links rarities: ACES. Gail is a golfer.
11. Trees with berries: ELDERS.
14. Assess: LEVY.
15. King and a Norman: LEARS.
17. TV's Jim Rockford, for one: TEC. Detective.
18. Cockney adverb: ERE.
24. Under Cupid's spell: IN LOVE.
25. "Frozen" snow queen: ELSA.
29. Pull back, with "in": REIN.
32. Huge, to a poet: ENORM.
34. Eligibility factor: AGE. Right now, the retirement age in China is 60 for men. 55 for female civil servants and 50 for female workers.
36. Suffers a sudden decline: TANKS.
39. Overturns: UPENDS.
40. What stars may represent: RATING.
41. Doggie bag treat: T BONE.
42. Chill (with): HANG.
43. __ paint: SPRAY.
46. Flu symptom: AGUE.
49. Negligent: REMISS.
50. They're often tapped: KEGS.
51. Underlying cause: ROOT.
53. "Anne of Green Gables" setting: AVONLEA. Forgot. We had this before.
54. Imposing building: EDIFICE.
58. Often-minced veggie: ONION. Isn't this pretty?
59. Quran deity: ALLAH.
60. Word of support: YEA.
63. Met works: OPERAS.
69. Frat letter: TAU.
70. Pre-BBQ treatment: DRY RUB.
71. Difficult times: TRIALS. So grateful to your support all these years, esp last year.
73. Alternative medicine plant: ALOE.
74. Initial orders?: BLTS. Initially.
76. "Un Ballo in Maschera" aria: ERI TU.
78. Equally eccentric: AS ODD.
80. Funny Bombeck: ERMA.
81. Paris abductee: HELEN. Of Troy.
83. Arabian Peninsula port: ADEN.
84. Energetic risk-taking type, so it's said: ARIES. We have two on our blog: Abejo and Irish Miss.
86. Spreadsheet filler: DATA.
87. Sign __: LANGUAGE.
90. Regard: ESTEEM.
92. 2010 World Cup host: Abbr.: RSA. Republic of South Africa.
93. One and only: SOLE.
95. Sgt. played by John Wayne in "Sands of Iwo Jima": STRYKER. Learning moment for me.
98. Patriotic chant: USA USA.
99. Apple since 1998: IMAC.
101. Lofty standards: IDEALS.
102. Stahl of "60 Minutes": LESLEY.
103. Hush-hush meetings: TRYSTS.
105. "The Rapture of Canaan" novelist Reynolds: SHERI. Haltoolah might have read this book.
108. Excel: SHINE.
110. Sharif of "Che!": OMAR.
112. Flanged fastener: T NUT.
113. Lhasa __: APSO. Meaning "bearded" in Tibetan.
114. Bee-eater's prey: WASP.
115. Tech news site: CNET.
116. __ base: FAN.
117. Brazil map word: RIO.
118. Name change indicator: NEE.
120. Flap: ADO.
C.C.
Congratulations on your wife's first art show, Picard!
