Sunday November 21, 2021 David Alfred Bywaters

Theme:  "See To It" - Two C's are added to each familiar phrase.

23. Part of a successful baker's rep?: CRUST CRED. Rust red.

25. Ice-cream shop cry?: CALL FOR CONE. All for one.

44. Report on a sucker?: COVER THE CHUMP. Over the hump.

67. Ice skater's small talk?: COLD CHAT. Old hat.

74. Shell game item?: CHEAT CUP. Heat up. (Thanks, Splynter!)

93. Salon receptionist's job?: CLOCKING CLIPS. Locking lips.

118. Cowardly committee head?: CRAVEN CHAIR. Raven hair.

120. Farmers market IOU?: CHARD CHIT. Hard hit.

Another creative puzzle from David Alfred Bywaters (DAB).

I imagine he tried to put together a tight set of 2-word entries, but could not come up with enough entries. 

Solid grid. Lots of great fill in the Down slots.

Across:

1. Order not to pay: STOP. Banks charge $30 to cancel a check these days. 

5. Attention-seeker's word: AHEM.

9. Make up one's mind: DECIDE. Amazon just gave us another free Prime trial.

15. Half of a theoretical duality: YANG. Like dates and ginger. Good winter food.

19. Frankfurt article: EINE.

20. Make over: REDO.

21. Serving from a buffet station: OMELET. Yellowrocks probably knows how to make Tamagoyaki, Japanese omelet.

22. Versed in: UPON.

27. Irritable: TESTY.

28. Where to find Bend and Bandon: Abbr.: ORE. I think crossword constructor Andrew Ries lives in Bend, Oregon. He's from Minnesota.

29. Mosaic part: TILE.

30. Centers: NUCLEI.

31. Joie de vivre: ELAN.

33. New Age physician: HOLIST. One taking a holistic approach.

35. Bundles that may be cylindrical: BALES. Thought of Spitzboov and Argyle, both made bundles in their youth.

36. Nocturnal nuisance: SNORER. Boomer's snore now soothes me.

39. Critter that doesn't sound interesting: BOAR. Bore. Also 72. Metaphor for a mess: STY. And 126. Some farm moms: EWES.

41. Fish in a spread: TUNA.

43. Has too much, briefly: ODS.

48. Expressed, as a farewell: BADE.

50. Imitated: APED.

51. Early Iranian: MEDE. They lived in Media and they spoke Median. According to a Reddit thread:  The Medes and Persians were two Iranian peoples. At the time of the birth of Cyrus the Great, the Persians were lower feudal lords in service to the Median Empire. Cyrus the Great led an uprising that eventually toppled the Median Empire and became the Persian Achaemenid Empire."

 

52. Simple Simon's request: PIE. Boomer already did a pumpkin pie test run last week.

53. Try to live up to: EMULATE.

57. Blue-striped ball: TEN.

58. Amer. attorney's study: US LAW.

60. Proofer's "Leave it alone": STET.

62. Chihuahua kisses: BESOS.

63. W. alliance since 1948: OAS. Organization of American States.

65. "Hadestown" creator Mitchell: ANAIS. Great new clue, David! Wikipedia said her father named her after Anaïs Nin.

69. Verify: CONFIRM. The Catholic church Boomer attends every week says "All are welcome!". So I go with him. They don't check.

73. Talked pompously: SPOUTED.

75. Brown ermine: STOAT.

77. Dumbbell abbr.: LBS.

78. "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here" poet: DANTE.

79. Puerto Rico, por ejemplo: ISLA.

81. Company with orange-and-white trucks: U HAUL.

83. Friend: PAL.

86. Golf club without much loft: TWO IRON. I don't know how to use one. I don't even like 6-iron.

88. Smashed: LIT. Drunk.

90. Humble response to praise: I TRY.

91. South Africa's __ Town: CAPE.

92. Sound of disgust, in comics: PTUI.

96. One side of many rulers: Abbr.: CMS.

99. Composer of the opera "Alfred": ARNE. Thomas.

101. Oil cartel letters: OPEC.

102. Smartphone sounds: ALERTS.

103. Attempts to beat on foot: RACES.

105. Bowler's aversion: GUTTER.

108. Desierto's lack: AGUA. Desert.

109. Listing in a revision, perhaps: ERRATA.

111. "Juno" actor Michael: CERA. Gimme for regulars.

112. Many a bottom line: SUM.

114. Wear away: ERODE.

122. Bob with jokes: HOPE. Nancy Reagan looks so happy in this picture.

123. Back fin: DORSAL.

124. Move like honey: OOZE. I like acacia honey. 

125. Manual reader: USER. I imagine TTP reads his manuals carefully.

127. Swift: SPEEDY.

128. Potential opponents of us: THEM.

129. Carry: TOTE.

Down:

 

1. Group within a group: SECT.

2. Lose energy: TIRE.

3. Taxing task: ONUS.

4. Wouldn't leave be: PESTERED.

5. Rainbow, e.g.: ARC.

6. Egret, for one: HERON.

7. River to the Fulda: EDER.  Quite a few  4-letter German river: EDER,  EGER ELBE ODER RUHR SAAR.

8. Sleep __: MODE.

9. Tweak for better flavor, say: DOCTOR UP.

10. Text alternative: EMAIL.

11. Quartet in many a string orchestra: CELLI. Cellos more common.

12. Least healthy: ILLEST.

13. Bit of OED info: DEF. Definition.

14. Thames campus: ETON.

15. Desert plant in the asparagus family: YUCCA.

16. Lunar program: APOLLO.

17. "You don't have to": NO NEED.

18. Pleasant-sounding rock?: GNEISS. Nice.

24. Polk predecessor: TYLER.

26. Sound from a nursery rhyme trio: RUB-A- DUB- DUB. Another great 10-letter fill is 64. Wine drinker's bonus: AFTERTASTE.

32. Aesthetic notes: ART MUSIC.

33. "Caught you!": HAH.

34. Sleeveless garment: TUBE TOP.

36. Vocal improv: SCAT.

37. "Uh-uh!": NOPE.

38. Kitchen fixture: OVEN. Most Chinese don't have an oven or toaster in the kitchen, since mantou (bread) is steamed. Then you use a steamer to warm up the stale mantou.

39. Late-night reading aids: BED LAMPS.

40. Arctic, for one: OCEAN.

42. '60s conflict site: NAM. Good morning!

45. Guys: HES.

46. Greeting card sentiment: MISS YOU.

47. Carrier rider: PET.

49. Chooses: ELECTS.

54. "A Hard Road to Glory" author: ASHE. I never asked any of my WeChat friends about Peng Shuai.

55. Hopper on a pad: TOAD. Lily pad.

56. Fixer's proposed amt.: EST. Estimation.

59. Hot holiday drink: WASSAIL. Also 96. Christmas display: CRECHE.

61. Overjoyed: ECSTATIC. Lovely fill.

63. How police might act: ON A TIP.

66. Big comm. company, once: ITT.

68. Dawdle: LOLLYGAG. Lovely fill.

69. Tobacco plug: CHAW.

70. Winery prefix: OENO.

71. Making a mess of: RUINING. I wish companies would stop putting fragrance in some body creams.

74. Summer setting in K.C.: CDT.

76. "Take __!": A HIKE.

80. Inc. cousin: LLC.

82. Keats' "foster-child of silence and slow time" is one: URN.

83. Two together: PAIR.

84. Cal. entry: APPT.

85. Not so pricey: LESS. Because of of Aldi, I've been indulging in SweeTango apples. So good!

87. "The Fault in __ Stars": 2014 film: OUR.

89. Badly timed, sometimes: TOO EARLY.

91. Easy to see: CLEAR CUT.

94. Life-saving proc.: CPR.

95. Like crossword answers: CLUED.

97. Bone __: MARROW.

98. Abrasion: SCRAPE.

100. Trump game often with 24 cards: EUCHRE. Never played it.

104. Icicle sites: EAVES. Getting chillier here.

106. Gibe: TEASE.

107. G-B-D, say: TRIAD. Chord.

108. Fill with wonder: AMAZE. Wow, ATLGranny! You won the prize!

110. Added stipulations: ANDS.

112. Lipton of tea fame, for one: SCOT. Thomas Lipton.

113. Cry of trepidation: UH OH. Tiny dupe with 115. Very: OH SO.

116. Nutrition regimen: DIET.

117. Basic French verb: ETRE.

119. Filch: COP.

121. Sleep phenomenon, briefly: REM.

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C.C.