Use It Or Lose It by Zhouqin Burnikel
After blogging over 400 consecutive Saturday puzzles, C.C. asked me to trade with her for the weekend as I am sure she did not want to "toot her own horn" for this lovely construction. Of course, like the rest of us here, I was happy to agree to do anything for our blogmistress. I had to reorient myself to doing a themed puzzle but I will give it my best shot.
C.C.'s fun gimmick was to add or subtract "IT" to a common phrase to make a silly expression for our entertainment. Added to the complexity is the fact that the IT going IN and IN going OUT alternate all the way down.
My first reorientation is to suss out her theme fills which of course I do not have to do on a themeless Saturday.
23. Fair amount of time?: LEG(IT) STRETCH - LEGIT is a synonym for fair and a stretch of time is also familiar. They modify LEG STRETCH.
32. Shady place?: VIS
40. A-list actor with A+ manners?: POL(IT)E STAR - A fun invention. There are lots of famous but well-mannered actors. The POLE STAR is also called Polaris and stays in the same spot all night and all year round if you are above the equator. Columbus always made sure it was on the starboard side of his Santa Maria as he headed west.
56. Source of the wisdom of the ages?: ANCIENT BR(IT)AIN - Aristotle or...
83. Cronus, at birth?: INSTANT T(IT)AN - This took the longest but was so clever. I did not know Cronus but I sussed him out. In Greek mythology, he was the King Of The Titans and assumed that title at birth.
99. Elegant partner in some split decisions?: GRACEFUL EX(IT) - A party to a divorce can choose to be a GRACEFUL EX during the split or even make a GRACEFUL EXIT
106. Copper thief, e.g.?: METAL BAND(IT) - Copper thievery off center pivots a big issue around here. I'm assuming C.C. meant the METAL BAND below and not a heavy METAL BAND but...
122. Tent event with a "members only" policy?: CLOSED CIRCU(IT)S - My favorite! This shows a ticket to watch the Indy 500 Race via CLOSED CIRCUIT TV in the Ryman Auditorium (Grand Ole Opry) in 1968.
1. Stick on the grill: SKEWER.
7. Swipe without swiping a card: STEAL - No baseball larceny for C.C.
12. Part of a foot: ARCH - _ _ C H and it is not INCH
16. Dict. entries: WDS.
19. Behind the times: OLD HAT - Here is an OLD HAT John Wayne wore but for some, his movies are considered to be OLD HAT
20. Electric coil inventor: TESLA - Nikola TESLA sitting inside one of his coils
21. Person pleased to take orders: SALES REP - Waitress fit but...
25. Streetcar tracks, in Sheffield: TRAMLINE.
26. Specifics, informally: DEETS - When you just can't bring yourself to type all of details 😔
27. Complete stranger: RANDO - I still don't know who you are...
28. Gazelle, to a cheetah: PREY.
29. Actress Rae: ISSA - She's on our marquee a lot.
30. Arm joint: ELBOW.
35. Composer who wrote his first minuet at age five: MOZART.
37. Frost creations: POEMS - My favorite and one I think of often at my age
39. Structured gps.: ORGS.
42. Social standing: STATUS.
45. Pro Bowl stats: TDS.
48. Never-before-seen: ALL NEW - You have to look pretty close...
49. Almond __: toffee candy: ROCA.
51. Mutt: CUR - I don't see them as synonyms. A mutt can be a great pet, but a cur...
52. Dolphin's color: GRAY.
53. __ gow poker: PAI - Sometimes called double hand pair poker. History and how to play
54. Lamb's mother: EWE.
60. Olympian who loved war and battles: ARES.
62. Lawn tool: RAKE.
64. Thompson of "Creed": TESSA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
65. Error in judgment: LAPSE.
66. Escape room finds: KEYS - They're in there somewhere
70. 126-Across ingredient: OATS - It's in the list below. 126. Active Naturals skin care brand: AVEENO.
72. Raga instrument: SITAR.
75. Low point: NADIR.
75. Low point: NADIR.
77. Like a bad twin: EVIL - It's a TV trope we've all seen before.
86. Jolly little helper: ELF.
87. Money left on the table: TIP - An awkward situation.
89. Latin primer verb: AMO - Ego te AMO (I love you)
90. Matching twosome: PAIR - Speaking of ACES, this hand in Texas Hold'em wins 85% of the time against only one other player but that goes down and is only 35% successful against nine others.
92. File menu choice: RENAME.
95. Avril follower: MAI.
96. Smoothed (out): EVENED.
101. Depend (on): RELY.
103. Beep or boom: NOISE.
105. Like some Netflix subscriptions: AD FREE - I like my $7.99 Netflix plan and can tolerate a few ads.
110. Mosaic artist's binder: GROUT.
111. Some PC ports: USB'S - My current iteration of MacBook has no USB-A ports. I have to use a dongle for USB-A and HDMI connections. They connect to the computer via a USB-C connector.
112. People unlikely to fall in love, for short: AROS
113. Heraldic shade of blue: AZURE.
116. Deluxe hotel room: SUITE.
120. Cause of anxiety: STRESSOR.
124. Garden party frock: TEA DRESS.
125. Hint of color: TINGE.
127. "Of course I'll marry you!": YES.
128. "Ah, of course!": I SEE.
129. Current setting: OCEAN 😀 Oh, I SEE, it's about the OCEAN current
130. Untidy states: MESSES.
Down:
1. Off the market: SOLD.
2. "Fish Magic" painter Paul: KLEE.
3. Slight advantage: EDGE.
4. RosÈ variety, for short: WHITE ZIN - WHITE ZINfadel
5. Has dinner at 10, perhaps: EATS LATE.
6. ACLU focus: RTS.
7. Tube in a boba tea: STRAW.
8. "T," in video game ratings: TEEN.
9. Cornerstone abbr.: ESTD.
10. Nook for reading: ALCOVE.
11. __-di-dah: LAH.
12. Amazon's home robot: ASTRO - FWIW, it's also the name of Leroy Jetson's dog
14. Surface dominated by Rafael Nadal: CLAY COURT.
15. Bottom of bell-bottoms: HEM - Kids in my 1970's classes ripped out the HEM and let them drag in the mud and dirt.
16. Feature of some small purses: WRIST STRAP.
17. Thick: DENSE.
18. Weapon on Kenya's flag: SPEAR - Kenya flag building in Nairobi
22. Gin cocktail: SLING.
24. Rounds the bases after a homer: TROTS - Now we get baseball from C.C.!
28. "Hey, over here!": PSST.
31. Pitcher of beer?: BREWERY 😀 Yes, a BREWERY does pitch its beer
33. Chats on Discord, for short: IMS - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ This app has an Instant MessageS system. This took me a long time to suss out.
34. Triage ctrs.: ERS.
35. Grinding tooth: MOLAR.
36. Basic skateboard trick: OLLIE.
37. Kung __ shrimp: PAO.
38. Predator that hunts in pods: ORCA.
40. Baby Bear's dad: PAPA - Goldilocks is often found guilty of Breaking and Entering in these mock trials. (Also, see cartoon at bottom of page)
43. Some fighter pilots: ACES.
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| Col. Francis Gabreski |
44. Omega-3 source: TUNA OIL.
47. "Auld Lang __": SYNE
50. Collector under a sink, perhaps: ANT TRAP.
52. Hold tightly: GRASP.
55. "I'm innocent!": WASN'T ME.
57. Head of cabbage?: CEE - Meta clue - Cabbage starts with the letter CEE
58. Castaway's home: ISLE - I'll bet you can name all of these castaways.
61. Enjoy a rink: SKATE.
63. Eid al-Fitr cash gift: EIDI - During the Moslem holiday of Eid al-Fitr, the tradition of giving cash gifts, known as "Eidi" or "Eidiyah," is a common practice in Middle Eastern and Muslim cultures.
67. Notable span: ERA.
69. Petty criticism: NIT.
71. Fettuccine sauce: ALFREDO.
72. Thailand, before 1940: SIAM.
73. Empire centered at Cuzco: INCA.
74. Lingerie pieces with smooth cups: TSHIRT BRAS - New to me and the TS starting letters made it tougher
76. Bajillions: A TON.
78. Wang of fashion: VERA.
80. Hardly original: STALE.
81. "Save Me" singer Mann: AIMEE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ What a bonanza of vowels
82. X-ray __: novelty wear: SPEX.
84. Ports of call for sailors: NAVY BASES
85. Badgers: NAGS.
91. Deep anger: IRE.
93. Not reserved at all: EFFUSIVE.
94. Helps grow: NURTURES.
96. Pipe bend: ELL.
97. Fades to black: ENDS.
98. "How __ look?": DO I - Be careful with your answer
100. Gave a hoot: CARED.
102. Made simpler: EASED.
104. Bold alternative: ITALIC.
106. Like many a summer cabin after a long winter: MUSTY - Name this wonderful movie where Norman and Ethel Thayer had to deal with this issue. * Answer below
107. Lauder of cosmetics: ESTEE.
108. Became apparent: AROSE.
109. Like Vikings: NORSE.
110. Color of mint, moss, and money: GREEN.
114. Lose focus, with "out": ZONE.
115. Org. that runs the Opens: USGA.
117. Coats with frosting: ICES - Coats as a verb not a noun
118. Pull some strings?: TUNE.
119. Those, in Spanish: ESOS - Esos son los descansos mi amiga (Those are the breaks my friend)
121. __ Lanka: SRI.
122. Exec at an AI startup: CTO.
123. Vid recorder: CAM.
*Henry Fonda and Katherine Hepburn were opening their cabin On Golden Pond
I couldn't resist:
