Sunday October 31, 2021 Paul Coulter

Theme: "A&E Network" - A and E change position in each theme entry.

23A. Govern in Austin?: DIRECT TEXAS. Direct taxes.

25A. Set of rules for a jury?: PANEL CODE. Penal code.

38A. Volume subtitled "100 Good Excuses"?: BOOK OF DENIAL. Book of Daniel.

60A. Party garb for one going as a pollution inspector?: EPA COSTUME. Ape costume.

65A. Historic period with a lot of risks?: CHANCES ERA. Chances are.

90A. Cube-shaped stones for a fireplace shelf?: MANTEL BLOCKS. Mental blocks.

105A. Wizard's communications device?: MAGE PHONE. Megaphone.

107A. Braided Greek cheese?: TWIST OF FETA. Twist of fate.

This is more complicated than our normal change a letter gimmick, as it involves two letter changes. Is it hard brainstorming or did you write a script for the word search, Paul?

Across:

1. Leader who succeeded Muhammad: CALIPH. The state is called Caliphate. Muhammad founded Islam.

7. Tried to get home, say: SLID. Baseball.

11. Boiling state: IRE.

14. Beliefs: ISMS. My pal Lesley copies "Heart Sutra" every day to find inner peace.  Any of you familiar with the term? Vidwan? Not a lot of characters, so she can complete the whole text every day.

18. Keys on a piano: ALICIA. The singer.

19. 100 cents: EURO.

20. "I, Claudius" role: NERO.

22. Texter's "Then again ... ": OTOH. On the other hand.

27. Sault __ Marie: STE.

28. Throttle: CHOKE.

29. Pretentious: LA- DI-DA.

30. Anthem contraction: O'ER.

31. Group name derived from the Dutch for "farmer": BOERS. They lost to the British in 1902. The Boer War. China also lost the two Opium Wars to the British Empire mid-19th century.

 

 32. __ blanche: CARTE.

33. Like crazy: MADLY.

35. Graceful antelopes: IMPALAS.

40. Car bar: TIE ROD.

41. Bodies usually bigger than bays: GULFS.

43. Mercury Theatre co-founder Welles: ORSON.

44. Farm units: ACRES.

45. Lawyer's filing: BRIEF.

46. "The Texan" star Calhoun: RORY. Unknown to me.

48. The Eagle, e.g.: LEM. Lunar Excursion Module.

51. Eric the Red's son: LEIF.

52. Comedian Shecky: GREENE. Wikipedia says "He is known for his nightclub performances in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he became a headliner in the 1950s and '60s."

53. Currency exchange abbr.: USD.

54. Mozart's "__ Kleine Nachtmusik": EINE.

55. 17.2-million-square-mile area: ASIA.

57. __ metal: dark '80s-'90s music genre: DEATH.

59. Snakes' weapons: FANGS.

68. Bob of "Fuller House": SAGET.

69. Explode: BURST.

71. Full of slime: OOZY.

72. Breezed through: ACED.

73. Animation frame: CEL.

74. Family reunion attendee: NEPHEW. Looks like we can have a somewhat normal Thanksgiving this year.

77. Botch: MUFF.

81. "__ so you!": IT'S.

82. "No problem!": SURE.

83. Name of two presidents: ADAMS.

84. Privilege: HONOR.

85. Broadcaster: AIRER.

88. A lot: SCADS.

89. State bordering Baja: SONORA.

94. Overly optimistic: BLUE SKY.

95. "Chicago Med" pro: ER DOC.  Also 111. Blood type, briefly: O NEG.

96. Location: SITUS. Not a word I use.

97. Clamorous: NOISY.

98. Color TV pioneer: RCA.

99. H.S. exam for college credit: AP TEST.

101. Brownish gray: TAUPE.

102. Cacophony: DIN.

110. Biblical plot: EDEN. Also an organic food brand. Their umeboshi paste is pretty good.

112. Lash mark: WELT.

113. Shade: NUANCE.

114. Fit together compactly: NEST.

115. Classified ad abbr.: EEO.

116. Comply with: OBEY.

117. Slow-moving mammals: SLOTHS.

Down:

1. Bounders: CADS.

2. Settled (on): ALIT.

3. Euros replaced them: LIRE. Italian currency.

4. Coolers?: ICE.

5. Winds also called ottavinos: PICCOLOS.

6. Result of keeping a cap on too long: HAT HEAD.

7. Goes after: SEEKS.

8. Elegance: LUXE.

9. 401(k) alternative: IRA.

10. Big affairs: DOS.

11. Out of gear: IN PARK.

12. Entertain at bedtime, as a tot: READ TO.

13. "Sixteen Tons" singer whose nickname is his birth state: ERNIE FORD. Tennessee

14. Games gp.: IOC.

15. Waited, not always patiently: STOOD IN LINE. We used to stand in lines for hours to get Twin's bobbleheads.

16. Roadster in the Henry Ford Museum: MODEL A.

17. Crow with Grammys: SHERYL. Here with Lance Armstrong.

21. Brit. lexicon: OED. The Oxford English Dictionary.

24. High spots: TORS.

26. Metal-threaded fabrics: LAMES.

29. Golden Triangle country: LAOS.

31. Shameless: BAREFACED. Lie.

32. Eye-opening cupful: COFFEE.

34. Spanish span: ANO. Year.

35. Emphatic type: Abbr.: ITAL. Italic.

36. They actually prefer fruit and grains to cheese: MICE. Really? Maybe I should put ripe banana on the mouse trap then.

37. "Frasier" actress Gilpin: PERI.

38. Kitchen counter staple: BLENDER.

39. Cocktail order: DRY.

41. Coll. senior's test: GRE.

42. One-eighty: UIE.

45. Cookout choice: BRAT.

46. Babe with a bat: RUTH. Babe Ruth.

47. Dept. of Labor arm: OSHA.

49. Tech sch. alumnus: ENGR.

50. Big butte: MESA.

52. Base figs.: GIS. Military base.

54. Fast bucks: EASY MONEY. 62. Seemingly forever: AGES AND AGES. Great fill.

56. Barfly: SOT.

58. Represented oneself to be: ACTED AS.

59. Casbah headgear: FEZ.

60. Morales of "NYPD Blue": ESAI. Tony Rodriguez. All went weird after he his ex-wife came back.

61. Agreement: PACT.

63. Lyft rival: UBER.

64. Paragon of stubbornness: MULE.

66. Denials: NOES. Also 104. Dundee disagreements: NAES.

67. Dairy grazer: COW.

70. Light fare: SNACKS.

73. Street edging piece: CURBSTONE.

75. Crash site?: PAD. 91. Game keeper?: ARCADE. Nice clues.

76. Royal Navy initials: HMS.

78. Pizzeria chain, familiarly: UNOS.

79. Motorist's decision point: FORK.

80. Donnybrook: FRAY.

82. Frites seasoning: SEL. And poivre.

84. Holiday guests, maybe: HOUSEFUL.

86. 1995 court VIP: ITO.

87. Go over: RECAP.

88. Cottontail's tail: SCUT. Learned from doing crosswords.

89. They usually don't have laces: SLIP-ONS.

90. Mythical males with tails: MERMEN.

92. Homeowner, vis-à-vis the bank: LIENEE.

93. Cooperstown's lake: OTSEGO. How many of you have been to Cooperstown?

94. Attack, as of an illness: BOUT.

97. Foul: NASTY.

100. Saigon soup: PHO. Very similar to Cantonese rice noodle soup.

101. Word game piece: TILE.

102. Bit of progress: DENT.

103. Allergic reaction: ITCH.

106. Tolkien creature: ENT.

107. Wee hour: TWO.

108. Information source, with "the": WEB.

109. __ Schwarz: FAO.

Extra notes:

1) Agnes continues to improve. She enjoyed some lobster rolls last week. I think she has her appetite back! She also got her booster shot and flu shot last Friday. Thanks again to those who continue to think of her, send her emails and cards.

 2) Lemonade's youngest son Devin got married last Friday. Here are a few pictures. See here for more here. His oldest granddaughter Charlotte also turned nine yesterday.

 

C.C.