Theme:
Without Aspirations - The aspired initial H is dropped from each common phrase, resulting in spelling changes in each case. Sound remains the same.
23A. Wink? :
GIVE THE EYE SIGN. Give the high sign.
27A. Garden with soothing plants? :
ALOED GROUND. Hallowed ground. Aloed is a word?
43A. Components of a last call? :
ALE AND FAREWELL. Hail and Farewell. Not familiar with this base phrase.
62A. What you'll see in a cornfield? :
EAR THERE AND EVERYWHERE. Here, there and everywhere.
80A. Sniggler's skill? :
THE EELING TOUCH. The healing touch.
97A. Meditation training method? :
OM SCHOOLING. Home schooling.
106A. How Popeye treats Olive? :
ACCORDING TO OYL. According to Hoyle.
Great concept. Very consistent theme entry conversion. More fun than simply drop a H ("Hole in one" to "Ole in one"), as the gimmick becomes apparent quickly in the latter.
I mentioned this before. There is always an unpredictability element in Ed's theme. He always surprises & delights.
Across:1. Suncatchers :
PRISMS. Consonants heavy.
7. Lobster __ diavolo :
FRA. Fra Diavolo = "Brother Devil" in Italian. I've never used the sauce before.
10. Zoo employee :
VET13. Sugar bowl location :
TEA SET. Not football bowl game.
19. Assertive retort :
CAN TOO20. Run amok :
RAMPAGE22. "Honey, __": Shania Twain hit :
I'M HOME.
Here is a clip. Guessable answer.
25. Cube automaker :
NISSAN26. In toto :
AS A WHOLE29. Rx's :
MEDs. 39D. Scrip writers :
MDs30. Slasher film setting: Abbr. :
ELM ST. "A Nightmare on Elm Street".
33. Sturgeon yield :
ROE34. It.'s there :
EUR. "It."= Italy.
35. Dutch city near Arnhem :
EDE. 3-letter Dutch city is always EDE. No idea on what it's famous for.
36. Put a second layer on :
RE-COAT38. Ugandan despot :
AMIN40. "The Wrestler" actress :
TOMEI (Marisa)
42. Place to dream :
BED. What's your recurring dream? Mine often are about exams.
46. Almost boiling, as milk :
SCALDED49. Got up :
AROSE50. Rocker Rose :
AXL51. Showy bloomers :
DAHLIAS. Named after Swedish botanist Anders Dahl.
Lovely color.52. Charitable offering :
ALMS53. Tantrum :
FIT. OK, throw a fit/tantrum.
54. Decorates with Charmin, briefly :
TPs57. Inventor Howe :
ELIAS. Sewing machine.
58. Papal court :
CURIA. New word to me.
60. Good, in Grenoble :
BON. "Bon appétit!".
61. Stimulate :
WHET67. California's __ Valley :
NAPA68. Child's plaything :
TOY69. More than annoyed :
IRATE70. Greek fabulist :
AESOP71. Pulitzer poet Lowell :
AMY. Clear Ayes linked quite a few of her poems in the past.
72. Raucous bird call :
CAW73. Kilted kinfolk :
CLAN. Scottish English is gibberish to me.
74. Conceals :
SCREENS. Unaware of this "screen" meaning.
76. Eagles, on scoreboards :
PHI77. Milky white gems :
OPALS79. Sonnet parts :
STANZAS85. "Defence of Fort McHenry" poet :
KEY. The poem later became the lyrics of our national anthem.
86. Pricey timepiece :
ROLEX87. Tweed nemesis :
NAST (Thomas)
88. Teed off :
ROILED90. Corp. big shots :
VPs93. 401(k) relative :
IRA94. Slo-mo replay subjects :
TDs95. Like 20 Questions questions :
YES NO96. Shekels :
GELT. Money.
102. Confused state :
DISARRAY105. Mollycoddle :
DOTE ON. I like the word "mollycoddle".
109. Maroon :
ENISLE. This is real word.
110. Soon to be at :
NEARING111. Local academic community resenter, perhaps :
TOWNIE112. Part of a circle :
SECTOR113. Musical syllable :
TRA114. Blast :
GAS115. Paintball sounds :
SPLATSDown:1. SimCity, for one :
PC GAME. Never played it. How about you, Desper-otto & Grumpy?
2. Cultivated :
RAISED3. Overrun :
INVADE4. Cioppino and gumbo :
STEWS. Cioppino is fish stew. Never had it. I never had/watched many things mentioned in crossword.
5. Light lover :
MOTH6. Arty NYC locale :
SOHO7. Grub :
FREELOAD8. Florida baseballer :
RAY. Tampa Bay Rays.
9. Soul, to Zola :
AME. Learned from doing Xword.
10. Colorado resort :
VAIL. Ski resort for Marti.
11. French Toaster Sticks maker :
EGGO12. Largest of the Canaries :
TENERIFE.
Looks like a beautiful place to bring a date, Splynter.
13. Hint :
TINGE14. Muslim dignitary :
EMIR15. "Is that a fact" :
AH SO16. "Tough noogies!" :
SO SUE ME17. Chicago mayor Rahm __ :
EMANUEL. This guy is tough.
18. Coiled plant support :
TENDRIL. See
here. 21. Exam for jrs. :
PSAT24. Light source: Abbr. :
ELEC28. Lady of La Mancha :
DONA31. __ de mer :
MAL32. Enter surreptitiously :
STEAL IN36. Mealtime pleasure :
RELISH. Ah, Steve, food again! I baked medjoor dates filled with coconut flakes & almonds the other day. Delicious.
37. Historic Icelandic work :
EDDA38. Years in Cuba :
ANOs40. Phone message :
TEXT41. Nocturnal predator :
OWL. Argyle is our owl, always keeping an alert eye on the blog.
42. Golf ball material :
BALATA. Some kind of rubber.
44. Bony-plated forager :
ARMADILLO. Great answer.
45. Forecast word :
RAINY46. Low bow :
SALAAM. As a kid, I really hated visiting older relatives during Spring Festival. Had to kneel down, touched my head in the ground and kowtowed to them.
47. Happy as a lark? :
CHIRPY. Happy clue.
48. Mortgage provision
: ESCROW51. Cortese of "Jersey Shore" :
DEENA. The girl
on right. I can't really tell her from the annoying Snooki.
52. Coach Parseghian :
ARA53. What trees may keep you from seeing? :
FOREST54. Hemingway title setting :
THE SEA55. Argentine icons :
PERONS56. Way up or down :
STEPS59. Slangy road reversal :
UEY60. It's placed :
BET. True.
61. Asthmatic :
WHEEZY63. Online commerce :
E-TAIL. So many temptations.
64. Solver's smudge :
ERASURE. Pen & Wite-Out for me.
65. Little League game arrival :
VAN66. Gave a heads-up :
WARNED72. Square cereal :
CHEX73. Suffragist Carrie :
CATT. League of Women Voters founder.
75. Slice at a party :
CAKE. So, if you have to prepare a Christmas meal consisting of dishes starting with letter U only, what food would you consider?
76. Start to pour? :
PEE. First letter in
pour.
77. Diagonally :
ON A SLANT78. R relatives :
PGS. Oh, Rated R, Rated PG.
79. Big blasts :
SHINDIGS80. Old TV tubes :
TRIODES81. Glandular secretion :
HORMONE. It's called estrogen for girls, right?
82. Adaptable :
ELASTIC83. China starter :
INDO. Indo-China. Or CEE.
84. Funny Bill, familiarly :
COS. Bill Cosby.
89. Butcher's cut :
LOIN90. Gentlemen's home? :
VERONA. "The Two Gentlemen of Verona".
91. Ilsa's request to Sam :
PLAY IT. "Play it, Sam". My favorite line is "We'll always have Paris". Sometimes I wonder what my life would be had I moved to Brussels in 2001 rather than the US.
92. Dos :
STYLES94. Xerography material :
TONER. How's the new printer, eddyB?
95. "Son of Frankenstein" role :
YGOR96. Rumble in the jungle? :
GROWL. I could hear it.
98. "__ la vie!" :
C'EST99. Entire: Pref. :
HOLO. Wow, I did not know this before.
100. One who may eat her words? :
ICER. Sweet clue.
101. March Madness org. :
NCAA103. Pepper & Preston: Abbr.
: SGTs104. Resting upon :
ATOP107. Tractor-trailer :
RIG108. Biological marker :
DNA Answer grid.A note to regular posters: We'd love to celebrate your birthday on the blog. Please email me (crosswordc@gmail.com) if your name is not included in Dennis' original list. Thanks. And best wishes, Ron Worden!
C.C.
