Theme: "The Other Half" - One part of a familiar phrase is replaced by its partner in a "A and B" phrase.
23. Pasta on the barbie?: GRILLED MACARONI. Grilled cheese. Macaroni and cheese.
32. Like the club that Sinatra, Zappa and Capra belonged to?: FULL OF FRANKS. Full of beans. Franks and beans.
51. "Don't forget we're having omelets"?: BRING HOME THE EGGS. Bring home the bacon. Bacon and eggs.
68. Town group that decides what kinds of lawns are allowed?: TURF BOARD. Surf board. Surf and turf.
88. Unexpected eccentric skydiver?: A NUT OUT OF THE BLUE. A bolt out of the blue.
101. Lucky one at the dairy raffle?: BUTTER WINNER. Breadwinner. Bread and butter.
118. Sniffing the jalapeños?: SMELLING PEPPERS. Smelling salts.
Love the first four as the base phrases are all food items and the changes are so smooth.
The last three still have a food item in the theme entries. 88A & 118 are a bit odd-man out to me as the phrases are "nuts and bolts" & "salt and pepper".
The last three still have a food item in the theme entries. 88A & 118 are a bit odd-man out to me as the phrases are "nuts and bolts" & "salt and pepper".
Across:
1. Haunt: OBSESS. This Coronavirus model seems to be the most reliable. Click on United States of America, then scroll down to your own state. Minnesota will peak on April 22, 2020. Louisiana and New York on April 9th.
7. Mountain geography feature: GAP.
10. Calypso offshoot: SKA.
13. Pond buildup: ALGAE.
18. Arrive onshore, perhaps: ROLL IN.
19. Slate or Salon: E-MAG.
21. Plop or plunk preceder: KER.
22. Nobelist Bohr: NIELS. Physics Nobelist.
27. Brother of Andrew the Apostle: ST PETER.
28. Detective's aid: LEAD.
29. Chilled: ON ICE.
30. Churchill's "so few": Abbr.: RAF. Royal Air Force.
35. Like Stout's Wolfe: OBESE.
40. Buxom: BOSOMY. Not a word I use.
42. Hawaiian for "long": LOA.
43. Some summer shows: RERUNS.
45. Each: A POP.
46. Defense gp. since 1948: OAS. Organization of American States.
47. Give or take, say: VERB. Another great clue.
55. Sea of troubles: ARAL.
56. On the job, for short: TCB. Take Care of Business.
57. Havens: OASES.
58. Au pair's subj.: ESL. English as a Second Language.
59. How early LPs were recorded: IN MONO.
61. Roswell sightings, briefly: UFOS.
63. Johnson of "Laugh-In": ARTE. Learned from doing crosswords.
64. Peke or Pom: LAPDOG.
65. Angry reaction: SNARL.
73. Legal claims: LIENS.
74. Court contest: TENNIS. Not legal court.
76. Ravel's "Gaspard de la __": NUIT. Listen here.
77. Banned fruit spray: ALAR.
79. Kiwi or rhea: RATITE.
80. "Anderson Cooper 360°" channel: CNN. Also 123. Atlanta-based channel: TBS.
81. Facebook option: SHARE.
84. "The Gold-Bug" monogram: EAP. Edgar Allan Poe.
87. School near Windsor: ETON.
93. Basic video game: PONG.
94. "Saving Private Ryan" craft: Abbr.: LST. Landing Ship, Tank. Also 102. WWII sub: U BOAT.
95. "I, Claudius" role: NERO.
96. "You left me no choice": I HAD TO.
97. Mag man with a mansion: HEF.
98. Square: EVEN UP.
100. Condition: STATE.
107. Splitting target: LOG.
109. Opposite of love: ABHOR.
110. Yours, to Yvette: A TOI.
111. Largest of the Balearic Islands: MAJORCA. Rafael Nadal was born and got married here.
111. Largest of the Balearic Islands: MAJORCA. Rafael Nadal was born and got married here.
117. Lush: SOUSE.
122. Makes less unruly: TAMES.
124. Ad headline: SALE.
124. Ad headline: SALE.
125. Biblical miracle units: LOAVES.
126. In check: AT BAY.
127. Approx.: EST.
128. Nintendo's Super __: NES.
129. Suppressed anger: SPLEEN.
Down:
1. Assns.: ORGS.
2. Diamond used as an abrasive: BORT. Never heard of the term.
3. Tongue trouble?: SLIP. Slip of the tongue.
4. W competitor: ELLE. W magazine is now on hiatus.
5. Bank deposit: SILT.
6. Contemptuous look: SNEER.
7. Beauty: GEM.
8. Doc bloc: AMA.
9. __-12 Conference: PAC.
10. "Cheers!": SKOAL.
11. Martial art with bamboo swords: KENDO. Literally "sword way". Japanese "do" is like Chinese "Dao"/"Tao", meaning "way".
12. "Exodus" hero: ARI.
13. Sweater material: ANGORA.
14. Jungle climber: LIANA.
15. Arrive: GET IN.
16. Smart follower: ALECK.
17. Saint-Saëns trio: ESSES. Just the three letters in Saint-Saëns.
20. Walk clumsily, like the Jabberwock slayer: GALUMPH.
24. Blah: DRAB.
25. Bank (on): RELY.
31. Features of beer and sponges: FOAMS.
32. Pays: FOOTS.
33. June 14 honoree: FLAG. We have the best flag in the neighborhood. Thanks, Spitzboov!
34. Fuddy-duddy: FOSSIL.
35. Uranus, e.g.: ORB.
36. Ernie's pal: BERT.
37. Obama attorney general Holder: ERIC.
38. Getting too many rays: SUNBURNING.
39. Coll. major: ENG.
41. WWI battleship Graf __: SPEE.
44. "Beat it!": SHOO.
46. Leering sort: OGLER.
47. Colonial bloodsucker: VAMPIRE BAT. "Colonial" because they live in colonies. Wish all the bats would just disappear from this world.
48. Wear down: ERODE.
49. Wouldn't stop talking: RAN ON.
50. Modern sources of reflections: BLOGS. Most blogs, yes.
52. Brewer's oven: OAST.
53. Architect Saarinen: EERO.
54. This, in Toledo: ESTA.
60. Kiara's mother in "The Lion King": NALA.
62. Dart: FLIT.
63. NYC dance troupe: ABT. American Ballet Theatre.
65. Throat problem: STREP.
66. "Cool beans!": NEATO.
67. Austrian composer Webern: ANTON. Also unknown to me.
69. Full-length: UNCUT.
70. "Babe" in the 1995 film, e.g.: RUNT.
71. Dry Spanish sherry: FINO. We had this before.
72. Sticker in a bar: DART.
75. Undercoat: SEALER.
78. Mormon prophet, or the Utah city named for him: LEHI.
81. One in a roundup: STEER.
82. Pedestrian startler: HORN.
83. In conflict with, with "of": AFOUL.
85. "Crimes and Misdemeanors" actor: ALDA (Alan)
86. Short stroke: PUTT.
89. Brief warning about the links?: NSFW. Not Safe For Work.
90. Shows for the first time: UNVEILS.
91. "How's that again?" words: EHS.
92. Help-wanted ad abbr.: EOE.
97. Luther's crime, per the Diet of Worms: HERESY.
98. Carbon compound: ENOL.
99. Splendor: POMP.
101. It's enough for Juan: BASTA.
103. Hitching aid: THUMB.
103. Hitching aid: THUMB.
104. Where mariners go: TO SEA.
105. Poetic feet: IAMBS.
106. Bikini blast: N TEST.
108. Iona College athletes: GAELS.
112. Asian genre influenced by The Beatles: J POP. When I left Guangzhou in 2001, Namie Amuro was hugely popular.
113. Australian export: OPAL.
114. Debussy's dream: REVE.
115. Hudson Bay nation: CREE.
116. NBA part: Abbr.: ASSN.
118. Canonized Mlle.: STE.
119. "At Seventeen" singer Janis: IAN.
120. 2019 MLB World Series champs' division: NLE. National League East.
121. Some appliances: GES.
Happy
79th birthday to dear Irish Miss, the sunshine of our corner. This
picture is so precious. Those simple, loving and chatty days! Thanks for
being my friend and supporting me and this blog all these years, Agnes!
Boomer cherishes and always finds strength and comfort in your cards.
L-R: Anne, Agnes, Eileen, Mary, and Peggy.
St Patrick's Day, 2019
2) Happy Birthday also to Abejo (Bradley), the certified master gardener! Bradley worked in Iran for a few years, hence his handle Abejo, Persian for "beer".
