Coin A Phrase by Zhouqin Burnikel
Once again, C.C. has authored the Sunday puzzle and asked me to blog it for her which, of course, I am happy to do. Her puzzle was fun but did take some real cogitation in areas before the slap to my forehead happened. Not only was the fill a hoot but the subtlety of the her title, Coin Phrase", was very clever: She put "CO" IN A Phrase to make something silly and clever.Obviously her invented phrases show up in red which means a unique crossword entry. Here is a look at her her various insertion points.. She also has two other unique entries in the vertical! Cool!
Let's start with her fun phrases:
22. Church official who can't walk in a straight line?: DIZZY DEACON - I don't think it's an accident that C.C.'s first gimmick had a baseball theme.
28. Bottom part of a San Diego Chicken costume, e.g.?: HALF MASCOT/HALF MAST
42. Dupes with a Florida twist?: KEY LIME COPIES/KEY LIME PIES
65. Experts in core conditioning?: TUMMY COACHES/TUMMY ACHES
71. Snake with a healing bite?: MIRACLE COBRA/MIRACLE BRA
93. Jackpot for a pork lover?: LIFETIME BACON/LIFETIME BAN
112. Near misses in regime changes?: CLOSE COUPS/CLOSEUPS - Bonus: Name the movie and the three fabulous actors that had these extreme CLOSE UPS. *Answers below.
120. Quiet type with unexpected punchlines?: HIDDEN COMIC/HIDDEN MIC - Be careful what you say.
Across:
1. Lethal African reptile: MAMBA.
6. Go the distance: LAST - Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) and Terrence Mann (James Earl Jones) saw this message in Fenway Park in Field Of Dreams.
10. Without: SANS.
14. Urban honors, for short: CMAS - C. C.!! Kieth Urban and The Country Music Awards
18. Once more: AGAIN.
19. Brand fit for a queen?: SERTA.
20. Painter with a "Magic Square" series: KLEE - Here's one in the series
21. Speech therapy focus: LISP.
24. Other, in Oaxaca: OTRA - "Necesito OTRA pluma, esta estΓ‘ sin tint." ("I need another pen, this one is out of ink."
25. Opposed to: ANTI.
26. Tavern quaff: ALE.
27. Genre for FKA Twigs: ART POP ¯\_(γ)_/¯
32. Fifth of August?: ESS - Hmmm... What is the fifth letter in August?
33. Movement sparked by Stonewall, for short: GAY LIB - June 28, 1969
35. "Finally done!": THERE π
36. Reiwa __: Japanese calendar designation since 2019: ERA Need more info?
36. Reiwa __: Japanese calendar designation since 2019: ERA Need more info?
38. Gift that may contain a GIF: E-CARD.
40. Tried a bit of: TASTED.
47. String along: LEAD ON.
49. Praise highly: EXALT.
50. Sign of approval: NOD.
51. Shrub in the olive family: LILAC - Both are members of the Oleaceae family
53. Help out: AID.
55. "Invisibilia" network: NPR ¯\_(γ)_/¯
56. Humana rival: AETNA.
58. Get better: HEAL.
60. Rough drawing: SKETCH - This one is pretty rough
62. Covers with grass: SODS π
64. Quick clip: VID.
67. Meh poker hand: PAIR.
69. Damages: HARMS.
70. Hit Ctrl+Z: UNDO.
75. Bart's grandpa: ABE - He's in here
76. Clownfish with a lucky fin: NEMO.
80. "On the double!": PRONTO.
81. Crafty etailer: ETSY and 31. Put on 81-Across, say: SELL.
82. Move effortlessly: GLIDE.
84. Writer's block?: PAD - Here's one on my cluttered side table
85. Dallas sch.: SMU.
86. Plentiful: AMPLE.
88. "White Girls" author Hilton: ALS.
89. Pancakes sometimes topped with caviar: BLINI.
91. One who's gone fishing: ANGLER.
98. Sources of aerial shots: DRONES - Here's a DRONE tour of my home golf course (8:43)
100. Hami or honeydew: MELON.
101. Drug taken on some trips: LSD π I might have used "for" instead of "on"
102. Judge who swings for the fences: AARON.
104. Capital with a namesake 101-floor skyscraper: TAIPEI.
106. Bozo: OAF.
108. Foot part: SOLE.
114. Welsh dogs: CORGIS - Royal favorites
117. Pizza choice: HAM.
118. Bones in a cage: RIBS.
119. Seal hunter: ORCA.
122. "The Lost Bookshop" novelist Woods: EVIE ¯\_(γ)_/¯
123. Ran out of juice: DIED.
124. Knight's mount: STEED.
125. In the know: AWARE.
126. Ship out: SEND.
127. Listening devices?: EARS.
128. U.N. member until 1991: USSR.
Down:
1. Respectful address: MADAM - My daughter was taken aback the first time a student addressed her as MAAM.
2. Like parkour athletes: AGILE.
3. Cornfield challenges: MAZES - Here's a MAZE in a field of, uh, maize
4. Industry, casually: BIZ.
5. "The Menu" star Taylor-Joy: ANYA 88% on Rotten Tomatoes
6. Tiny tweak to an atomic clock: LEAP SECOND - If you're really that interested...
7. With the bow, musically: ARCO.
8. Temporary fix: STOP GAP - A motel in our town and STOP GAP fixes after a big April hailstorm.
9. Sandy shade: TAN.
10. Danish toast: SKOAL.
11. Fiction genre that may use chat logs and social media posts: ALT LIT Here ya go
12. Squishy indoor toy: NERF BALL.
13. A-line line: SEAM.
14. Locked horns: CLASHED.
15. "Jiminy Cricket," e.g.: MINCED OATH - When you hold back from coarser language
16. Tycoon on the Titanic: ASTOR.
17. Ill will: SPITE.
19. Match components: SETS - This Wimbledon scoreboard shows Henman and Ivanisevic have each one 2 SETS and Ivanisevic has has won 3 games in the fifth set to Henman's 2 games and Henman is ahead 30 -15 in the current game.
23. Bedtime story?: DREAM.
28. Mr. with a dark side: HYDE.
29. Negative spot: ATTACK AD - Omaha has just finished a bitter mayoral race that featured many of these.
34. "The Mole" host Shapiro: ARI.
37. Stage and screen legend Moreno: RITA - An EGOT winner!
39. Marlee Matlin Oscar winner: CODA.
A classic scene with Marlee on Seinfeld
42. Salad dressing choice: KENS.
43. Trade show: EXPO.
44. Mower's target: YARD.
45. Complete: ENTIRE.
46. Poetry showdowns: SLAMS.
48. "Good going": NICE.
52. Letters of affection: ILY I ❤️ U
54. Some MLB batters: DHS - After decades, the NL finally adopted the DH
57. Sign of trouble: EVIL OMEN.
58. "Get a move on!": HURRY.
59. "Cruella" star Stone: EMMA.
61. Class for a future exec: ECON.
63. Bridge measure: SPAN.
65. Pop-tops: TABS.
66. "Guernica" style: CUBISM.
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| Picasso 1937 |
68. Have no help: ACT ALONE.
69. Place with key cards: HOTEL.
71. Can. lawmakers: MPS - Here's one that just got elected
72. "It's Raining" singer Thomas: IRMA.
73. Tournament format: ROUND ROBIN - Every team plays every other team
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| This is a ROUND ROBIN schedule for 10 teams |
75. Shipshape: ALL IN ORDER.
77. Totally amazing: EPIC.
78. Burrito holder?: MANO - Tengo mi burrito en mi MANO (I hold my burrito in my hand)
79. Norse god who drinks from Mimir's well: ODIN.
82. Purring pet, in Peru: GATO - GATO is also Spanish for car jack
83. Dwindles: EBBS.
87. South Africa's "Jacaranda City": PRETORIA.
90. Young fellas: LADS.
92. Brought in: GROSSED.
94. Little rascals: IMPS.
95. Price to pay: FEE.
96. Draws out: ELICITS - Remember...
97. Pixielike: ELFIN.
99. Dish at a tea party: SAUCER.
102. Land parcels: ACRES.
103. Still in the game: ALIVE.
105. Tablets with passcodes: I-PADS.
107. Like sharp cheddar: AGED.
109. "Bummer": OH MAN.
110. Wildlife refuges: LAIRS.
111. Host of a roast: EMCEE.
113. Honor system: CODE.
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| At West Point |
115. Sonnets' more adoring kin: ODES π
116. "Get lost!": SCAT.
120. Stephanie of "Joy Ride": HSU ¯\_(γ)_/¯
121. Get behind: OWE.
*The movie with the extreme CLOSEUPS was The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and the three actors are Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleeve
