Sunday March 10, 2024 Brian Thomas & Kate Chin Park

 

Theme: "Con Test" - Each common phrase is rephrased as if it's con (convention)-related.

22. Con current?: AIR OF EXCITEMENT.

33. Con tour?: MEET AND GREET.

37. Con quest?: AUTOGRAPH.

54. Con sorts?: COSPLAYERS.

68. Con note?: I LOVE YOUR WORK.

86. Con text?: FAN FICTION.

101. Con figure?: MOVIE STAR.

103. Con script?: GROUP READING.

119. Con form?: CARDBOARD CUTOUT.

Just a perfect title. Also love that all the theme entries are in-the-language phrases. Not easy for this type of theme where the answers have to match the second parts of the con words and have to work within the convention contest.

You can find more of Brian puzzles at his site Puzzles That Need a Home. More of Kate's puzzle at her site Crosswords Schmosswords

Across:

1. Handy smartphone app for a tourist: GPS.

4. Most pancakes: DISKS.

9. Ijeoma Oluo's "So You Want To Talk About __": RACE. OLUO is very crossword-friendly.

13. Lumps in a stack of folded sweatshirts: HOODS.

18. Make a big fuss: RAISE CAIN.

20. Auburn, to Alabama: RIVAL.

21. Skerry, e.g.: ISLET. I did not know the meaning of skerry. Wikipedia info: small rocky island, or islet, usually too small for human habitation.

24. Bradbury genre: SCI-FI.

25. Brotherly sort: FRIAR.

26. Blackpink genre: KPOP. Very popular girl group in Asia.

27. December quaff: NOG.

29. River near Shakespeare's birthplace: AVON.

30. Argentine grassland: PAMPA.

41. Hardly any: A DAB.

42. Squeaky toy?: POM. Ha. Squeaky.

43. With 52-Across, some midriff-baring attire: CROP. 52. See 43-Across: TOPS.

44. "Star Trek: TNG" counselor Deanna: TROI.

45. Leg bone: TIBIA.

47. System connecting OAK and SFO: BART.

50. Patella spots: KNEES.

57. Plays chords, in a way: STRUMS.

59. Aristotle's teacher: PLATO.

61. Fictional Amelia who, when asked to remove spots from a dress, cut out all the polka dots: BEDELIA.

62. Maui's Road to __: HANA.

63. Iranian money: RIAL.

64. Chart-topper: HIT.

65. "Shucks!": RATS.

66. "Black-ish" dad: DRE.

73. Tic-tac-toe side: XES.

74. Slitherers in the sea: EELS.

76. Freedom Rider's ride: BUS.

77. Scuffle: FRAY.

78. As concerns: IN RE.

80. Code names: ALIASES.

82. "See what I did there?": GET IT.

84. Drives too fast: SPEEDS.

88. Half of quatorze: SEPT. French for 7.

90. Spousal term of endearment: WIFEY.

92. Toss, slangily: YEET.

93. Performed miserably: STUNK.

95. Put pen to paper: DREW.

97. "Aida" river: NILE.

98. Classic film about a football-kicking mule: GUS.

100. Swing about: SLUE.

108. False move: FEINT.

109. Capital of Italia: ROMA.

110. Lacking freshness: OLD.

111. " ... __ I thought": OR SO.

113. Saint-Saëns's "__ Macabre": DANSE.

117. Conscious: AWARE.

124. Seeds, weeds, and feeds: TENDS. 128. Nave-y bases?: PEWS. Fun clues.

125. Asteroids publisher: ATARI.

126. "Wait, what happened?": I MISSED IT.

127. Come up: ARISE.

129. "Divine Comedy" poet: DANTE.

130. Greek vowel: ETA.

Down:

1. Tennis great Steffi: GRAF.

2. Skating team: PAIR.

3. iPhone speaker: SIRI.

4. Reorganize a hard drive, familiarly: DE-FRAG.

5. Cocktail sphere: ICE.

6. "Yakety __": horn-heavy novelty hit: SAX.

7. Algonquian-speaking people: KICKAPOO. Learning moment for me. We have Ojibwe here.

8. Manicure sound: SNIP.

9. Salt garnish locale: RIM.

10. Letters after Madison or before Maria: AVE.

11. Source of hemp: CANNABIS. Sure hope you don't ever encounter the smell issue.

12. John who completed an EGOT in 2024: ELTON.

13. That fella's: HIS.

14. Name on a Wienermobile: OSCAR MAYER.

15. Tapenade fruit: OLIVE.

16. Crusoe's creator: DEFOE (Daniel)

17. Stay: STINT.

19. Major drama: SOAP OPERA.

20. Two bars and two dots, on a staff: REPEAT.

23. Actor Hardy: TOM.

28. Macroeconomics abbr.: GDP.

31. Actor born Laurence Tureaud: MR T.

32. Components: PARTS.

34. Proclamation: EDICT.

35. Hasbro's "game of unspeakable fun": TABOO.

36. Turn: GO BAD. (Thanks, D-Otto!)

37. "Cathy" cry: ACK.

38. Vessels in a pharaoh's tomb: URNS. Fresh clue angle.

39. Follow the rules: TOE THE LINE. 48. Dadcore jeans specification: RELAXED FIT. Two more great fill.

40. 1960s nonconformist: HIPPIE.

46. HS exam with a cellular energetics section: AP BIO.

49. Lacking freshness: TRITE.

51. Olympic gold medalist Lee: SUNI. She grew up in St. Paul.  

53. Tear it up: SLAY.

55. Unleash: LET RIP.

56. Spunk: SASS.

58. Many an Argentine red: MALBEC.

60. Up in the air: ALOFT.

63. Campground sights, briefly: RVS.

64. Rte. 66, e.g.: HWY.

66. The "D" of CODA: DEAF.

67. Baton-passing event: RELAY.

69. Boots: OUSTS.

70. Novelist Leon: URIS. He wrote "Exodus".

71. Like the Resident Evil games: RATED M.

72. Had more than an inkling: KNEW.

75. Rails against failure?: SAFEGUARDS. Love this clue also.

79. Put back: REINSTATE.

81. Crunch cousin: SIT UP.

82. Actor Elliott: GOULD. He was once married to Barbra Streisand.

83. Jaded feeling: ENNUI.

84. Big name in Apple history: STEVE. Jobs.

85. Ward of "Gone Girl": SELA.

87. "See you then!": IT'S A DATE.

89. As per routine: PRO FORMA. Hey, a PRO word in this Con puzzle.

91. "__ outta here!": YER.

94. Skywalker mentor: KENOBI.

96. GameCube successor: WII.

99. Cheap ticket spec: SRO.

102. Final application: END USE.

103. Persona non __: GRATA.

104. Scull mover: ROWER.

105. Bahla Fort visitor, perhaps: OMANI. On the UNESCO World Heritage List.

106. Yosemite peak free soloed in "Free Solo," informally: EL CAP.

107. Miracle-__: GRO.

112. Came out with: SAID.

114. Vertex, in graph theory: NODE.

115. Clubs, but not cabarets: SUIT.

116. Jazz singer Jones: ETTA.

118. Kampala-to-Nairobi dir.: ESE.

120. Unedited, as footage: RAW.

121. OBs, e.g.: DRS.

122. Racket: DIN.

123. Chicago winter hrs.: CST.

OK, an update on my freestyle. What do you think, Wendy? My hand entry is much better, but I need to hold my glide a bit longer.

Here is my backstroke. I'm still mostly pulling with straight arms. Will work on high elbow next.