Sunday May 1, 2022 Patti Varol

Theme: "Work Clothes" - Each common phrase is humorously rephrased as if it's a work clothing fitting the person in the clue.

25A. What the housekeeper wore to work?: DUST JACKET.

27A. What the actor wore to work?: MOVIE SHORTS.

47A. What the messenger wore to work?: BICYCLE PUMPS.

68A What the truffle hunter wore to work?: MUSHROOM CAP.

91A. What the NASA scientist wore to work?: ASTEROID BELT.

111A. What the scholar wore to work?: SMARTY PANTS.

114A. What the groundskeeper wore to work?: GARDEN HOSE.

36D. What the conductor wore to work?: RAILROAD TIE.

46D. What the soda jerk wore to work?: COUNTER-SUIT.

Patti likes themes that are consistent,  narrowly-defined and humorous. She delivers what she likes. Super wacky answers and clues. Makes you LOL during the solving.

She also sticks to 144-worder for the cleanest fill. Very limited proper names.

Across: 

1. Kills time in an airport terminal, say: SHOPS. Here is the list of busiest airports in China. Lemonade stopped at #1 Guangzhou Airport a few years ago. It opened a few years after I left the city.

6. "Be there in __": A SEC.

10. Deposed Iranian ruler: SHAH.

14. __ Scotia: NOVA.

18. "Who's there?": HELLO.

19. Cuarón film nominated for 10 Oscars: ROMA. Won three.

20. As yet: TO NOW.

22. "Young Sheldon" star Armitage: IAIN. Unknown to me. He looks so happy.

23. No-frills type: ARIAL.

24. Debit slip: CHIT.

30. Look that way: SEEM TO.

31. Genesis locale: EDEN.

32. Body image, briefly: TAT.

33. Pass on, in a way: RETELL.

35. Runs: AIRS.

38. Wraparound dress: SARI.

40. Hyland of "Modern Family": SARAH. Very strong lady.

41. Bumbling one: SAD SACK.

44. "Abbott Elementary" TV network: ABC.

50. Country name on some euro coins: EIRE.

51. Jam: CLOG UP.

53. Hotmail alternative: AOL. Who else still use Hotmail besides me?

54. Writer Zora __ Hurston: NEALE. She wrote "Their Eyes Were Watching God".

56. Schlep: LUG.

57. Romance: COURT.

58. Backing: PRO.

59. Mennen product: AFTA.

61. Outlying communities: EXURBS.

63. Indian royalty: RANIS. or RAJAS.

64. Available if needed: ON CALL. Took three EMTs to get Boomer off the floor last Tuesday.

66. Back in: RETRO.

67. Routing abbr.: ATTN.

71. Big do: GALA.

74. "Shaun of the Dead" director Wright: EDGAR. He also directed "Last Night in Soho".

76. Pie choice: CHERRY.

77. Relinquishes: CEDES.

78. Quite steamy: TORRID.

80. Hazmat monitor: OSHA. And 84. E-file org.: IRS.

82. Color nuance: HUE.

83. Naysayers: ANTIS.

85. Tree surgeon's transplant: GRAFT.

87. Orch. work: SYM. Symphony.

88. Tempt: ENTICE.

89. Art Spiegelman graphic novel: MAUS. Have any of you read this book?

95. Pack it in: EAT.

96. Snobbery: ELITISM.

98. Brink: VERGE.

99. Michelle of "Crazy Rich Asians": YEOH. Her surname is spelled as "Yang' (Jerry Yang, e.g.) in Chinese. Same characters of course.

101. A/C units: BTUS.

102. Jagged: UNEVEN.

104. Tuning pin on a cello: PEG.

105. Rae who has won five Black Reel Awards: ISSA. Gimme!

109. Football Hall of Famer Jones: DEACON. From Wikipedia: Jones stated that he gave himself the nickname Deacon after joining the Rams because too many David Joneses were in the local phone book. "Football is a violent world and Deacon has a religious connotation," he told the Los Angeles Times in 1980. "I thought a name like that would be remembered."

118. Cleveland's lake: ERIE.

119. Rarely ordered meat?: STEAK. Ha, rare-ly.

120. Diaper cream ingredient: ALOE.

121. Church law: CANON.

122. Deep-dish chain, familiarly: UNO'S.

123. Shampoo brand with an Essentials line: SUAVE. I bet I'm the only one who tried this brand.

124. Touch down: LAND.

125. Dispatch: SEND.

126. Fortified wine from the Douro Valley: PORT.

127. Expressed disdain: TSKED.

Down:

1. Embarrassment: SHAME.

2. Early Judean king: HEROD.

3. "__ Kitteridge": Pulitzer winner by Elizabeth Strout: OLIVE. Wikipedia says she also wrote a sequel titled "Olive, Again".

4. Grasslands: PLAINS.

5. Lone: SOLE.

6. Really, really old-school: ARCHAIC.

7. "You're not looking __ yourself!": SO HOT.

8. Mideast title: EMIR.

9. Kim who narrates "How I Met Your Father": CATTRALL.

10. Avg.: STD.

11. Work with a real estate agent, say: HOUSE HUNT. Quite a few nice long Downs. See also 87. "Sounds awesome!": SIGN ME UP.

12. Photographer Adams: ANSEL.

13. Posh spot for a weekend getaway: HOTEL SPA. And 37. Clean vigorously: SCRUB.

14. Classic salade: NICOISE.

15. State tree of Iowa: OAK.

16. Try (for): VIE.

17. Tiny tunneler: ANT.

21. Lou Grant's TV station: WJM. From "The Mary Tyler Moore Show".

26. Somewhat: A TAD.

28. Narrow piece: STRIP.

29. Sun-cracked: SERE. Learned from doing crossword.

34. Choose, in Duck, Duck, Goose: TAP.

39. Borders on: ABUTS.

40. "Shift over a bit, will ya": SCOOCH. Can't wait to receive this Amazon belt. Right now, getting Boomer off the chair and his recliner is a daunting task for me.

42. Out: ASLEEP.

43. Brewery array: KEGS.

44. Ghana's capital: ACCRA.

45. Swell up: BLOAT.

48. Rambling accounts: YARNS.

49. __ culpa: MEA.

52. Gay dating app: GRINDR. Owned by China's Kunlun Tech for a few years.

55. Interoffice no.: EXT.

58. Rain hard: POUR.

59. Hi or bye on Lanai: ALOHA.

60. Arctic chunk: FLOE.

62. Top-priority: URGENT.

65. Many a rock formation in Bryce Canyon: ARCH.

66. Susan or Collin of country music: RAYE. I know neither.

68. Multicolored fabric: MADRAS. Named after the city Madras (now Chennai).

69. Literary alter ego: MR HYDE. And 81. Scottish writer who created 69-Down: STEVENSON.

70. Roomba target: CRUMB.

72. German camera: LEICA.

73. Plus: ASSET.

75. Play date?: GIG. 80. Frequently found in a sonnet?: OFT. 108. Did something appealing?: ASKED. Fun clues for small words.

77. Poem section: CANTO.

78. "Pencils down": TIME.

79. G-U-M rival: ORAL B.

86. To an equal degree: AS MUCH AS.

88. Melancholy poem: ELEGY.

90. Star-__: STUDDED. Met Gala tomorrow night. Eager to see what Katy Perry comes up this year.

 

92. Crank (up): REV.

93. Smelter input: ORES.

94. Chart-reading exam: EYE TEST.

97. "Ohhhhh": I SEE.

100. Short break: HIATUS.

103. "... said __ ever": NO ONE.

104. Earlier: PRIOR.

106. Weasel: SNEAK.

107. Ward (off): STAVE.

110. Mandela's org.: ANC. African National Congress.

112. River of Pisa: ARNO. It flows into the Tyrrhenian Sea

113. "Hey, c'mere!": PSST.

114. "Wonder Woman" star Gadot: GAL.

115. __ carte: ALA.

116. Mets color commentator Darling: RON.

117. Conclusion: END.

Boomer had a bad fall last Tuesday and broke his left shoulder. We're seeing an orthopedic doctor soon to see if he needs a surgery. Quite tricky for him to maneuver the walker with one hand, esp since his legs are so weak. Getting up stairs and downstairs also becomes extra hard. But Boomer is Boomer! He'll have the Monday blog ready for you guys. He's been working slowly with one hand.

One more blood draw tomorrow. Hope his white blood count is good so he can get his 5th chemo infusion on Thursday. His numbers were pretty low when he was treated at the ER at the North Memorial hospital a few days ago.

C.C.