Theme: Preponderance of P's - Two-word (both with two syllables) Phrases with P alliteration. The second word follows a P & vowel & P(P)ER pattern. (Thanks, PGB!)
20A: Piece of Peter Piper's peck: PICKLED PEPPER.
37A: School project medium in large rolls: POSTER PAPER.
44A: Killjoy: PARTY POOPER.
59A: Cinema counter fixture: POPCORN POPPER.
Penny Pincher too. Can you think of any other 2-word phrase with similar P alliteration pattern? We had two-word assonant alliteration phrases on 12-15-09.
Argyle here. Fifteen P's in the theme plus another three more scattered around the grid. The record for P's in a puzzle is 20.
Very straightforward Monday clues. RYE (24A: Whiskey grain) is a good example. Last time John Lampkin clued it as "Droll-sounding grain?". Playing on "wry". Waiting for John to give us another Great Pumpkin this year.
Very straightforward Monday clues. RYE (24A: Whiskey grain) is a good example. Last time John Lampkin clued it as "Droll-sounding grain?". Playing on "wry". Waiting for John to give us another Great Pumpkin this year.
Across:
1A: Feds concerned with bogus bills: T-MEN.
5A: Drug bust finds: KILOS.
10A: Highest point: ACME.
15A: Sky color: AZURE. and 16A: Wheat, corn or rice cereal: CHEX. gives this a scrabbley feel.
17A: Several: A FEW.
18A: __ plume: pen name: NOM DE.
19A: Whacks with an ax: HEWS. Nice RHYME (32A: What sips and nips do). Great clue.
23A: Backyard hangout: PATIO. Not this time of year, for most of us.
25A: Fled the scene: RAN.
28A: Andrea __: ill-fated ship: DORIA. On 25 July 1956, off the coast of Massachusetts, the Andrea Doria collided with the eastward-bound MS Stockholm and sank. 1660 passengers and crew were rescued and survived, while 46 people died as a consequence of the collision.
1A: Feds concerned with bogus bills: T-MEN.
5A: Drug bust finds: KILOS.
10A: Highest point: ACME.
15A: Sky color: AZURE. and 16A: Wheat, corn or rice cereal: CHEX. gives this a scrabbley feel.
17A: Several: A FEW.
18A: __ plume: pen name: NOM DE.
19A: Whacks with an ax: HEWS. Nice RHYME (32A: What sips and nips do). Great clue.
23A: Backyard hangout: PATIO. Not this time of year, for most of us.
25A: Fled the scene: RAN.
28A: Andrea __: ill-fated ship: DORIA. On 25 July 1956, off the coast of Massachusetts, the Andrea Doria collided with the eastward-bound MS Stockholm and sank. 1660 passengers and crew were rescued and survived, while 46 people died as a consequence of the collision.
34A: +, on a batt.: POS.. (Positive)
40A: Italian wine city: ASTI.
42A: Minister's residence: MANSE.
43A: Heed: MIND.
47A: Dreyer's partner in ice cream: EDY.
48A: Colorful quartz: AGATE. Some random slices.
49A: Comedian Wanda: SYKES. She has the latest weekly late-night talk show.
55A: Basil-and-pine-nuts sauce: PESTO. No garlic?
64A: __ job: trickery: SNOW.
66A: Transfusion fluid: BLOOD.
67A: The sound of music: TONE. Did you get the tie-in with 1D: "The Sound of Music" family name: TRAPP. ? John Lampkin is fond of clue tie-ins & cross-references.
68A: Handbasket rider's destination?: HELL. 'Going to hell in a handbasket' is to be on a course for disaster. The exact source for this alliterative phrase is unknown but there is a good write-up here.
69A: Brainy group: MENSA.
70A: This, in Tijuana: ESTO.
72A: Collar stiffeners: STAYS. They use to be replaceable but nowadays are built in.
73A: Dick Tracy's love: TESS. The loving couple. (They got married but had a rough spell according to the site I lifted the picture from.)
Down
2D: Sicilian secret society: MAFIA. Their code of silence is called Omertà.
3D: Standing tall: ERECT.
4D: Recent block arrival: NEW KID. I liked this one.
5D: "Citizen __": KANE. The story behind the movie and how it came to be made is fascinating. And Rosebud is....
6D: Former reptilian logo brand: IZOD.
7D: Sugar cube: LUMP. It's what you feed your IZOD.
8D: "__ in the court!": ORDER. I'll have ham on rye (not the 24A kind though). Add a little 33D: Cheese go-with: HAM And some 11D: Fruity dessert: CHERRY PIE.
9D: Oozy: SEEPY.
12D: Bit of cat chitchat: MEW.
13D: George Strait's "All My __ Live in Texas": EXS.
21D: Feature of a tied shoelace: LOOP.
22D: Cop's collar: PERP. (perpetrator)
40A: Italian wine city: ASTI.
42A: Minister's residence: MANSE.
43A: Heed: MIND.
47A: Dreyer's partner in ice cream: EDY.
48A: Colorful quartz: AGATE. Some random slices.
49A: Comedian Wanda: SYKES. She has the latest weekly late-night talk show.
55A: Basil-and-pine-nuts sauce: PESTO. No garlic?
64A: __ job: trickery: SNOW.
66A: Transfusion fluid: BLOOD.
67A: The sound of music: TONE. Did you get the tie-in with 1D: "The Sound of Music" family name: TRAPP. ? John Lampkin is fond of clue tie-ins & cross-references.
68A: Handbasket rider's destination?: HELL. 'Going to hell in a handbasket' is to be on a course for disaster. The exact source for this alliterative phrase is unknown but there is a good write-up here.
69A: Brainy group: MENSA.
70A: This, in Tijuana: ESTO.
72A: Collar stiffeners: STAYS. They use to be replaceable but nowadays are built in.
73A: Dick Tracy's love: TESS. The loving couple. (They got married but had a rough spell according to the site I lifted the picture from.)
Down
2D: Sicilian secret society: MAFIA. Their code of silence is called Omertà.
3D: Standing tall: ERECT.
4D: Recent block arrival: NEW KID. I liked this one.
5D: "Citizen __": KANE. The story behind the movie and how it came to be made is fascinating. And Rosebud is....
6D: Former reptilian logo brand: IZOD.
7D: Sugar cube: LUMP. It's what you feed your IZOD.
8D: "__ in the court!": ORDER. I'll have ham on rye (not the 24A kind though). Add a little 33D: Cheese go-with: HAM And some 11D: Fruity dessert: CHERRY PIE.
9D: Oozy: SEEPY.
12D: Bit of cat chitchat: MEW.
13D: George Strait's "All My __ Live in Texas": EXS.
21D: Feature of a tied shoelace: LOOP.
22D: Cop's collar: PERP. (perpetrator)
26D: Change, as a law: AMEND.
27D: Totally unhip: NERDY.
29D: Frolic: ROMP.
30D: World Golf Hall of Famer Aoki: ISAO. Both given name and surname has AO combination.
31D: Periodic table figs.: AT. NO.S. (atomic number)
35D: Missouri River tributary: OSAGE.
36D: Informal opinion sampling: STRAW POLL.
38D: Lay eyes on: ESPY.
41D: Addams family cousin: ITT.
45D: Canine cry: YELP.
46D: Result of an auto loan default, briefly: REPO. (repossession)
50D: Trio plus four: SEPTET. Group of seven.
53D: Missiles in silos, for short: ICBMS. (intercontinental ballistic missile)
54D: "Vacancy": "TO LET". More common in my area is "FOR RENT".
56D: Reckon, in the boonies: S'POSE.
57D: Revival structures: TENTS.
60D: Avian symbols of wisdom: OWLS.
61D: Author Jaffe: RONA. She died in 2005 in London from cancer, aged 74.
62D: Overly inquisitive: NOSY.
63D: Palmtop computers: Abbr.: PDAS. (Personal Digital Assistant.)
64D: "Steady as __ goes": SHE.
65D: Born, in marriage announcements: NÉE.
Answer grid.
Happy belated Birthday to our fellow solver Frenchie!
Argyle
27D: Totally unhip: NERDY.
29D: Frolic: ROMP.
30D: World Golf Hall of Famer Aoki: ISAO. Both given name and surname has AO combination.
31D: Periodic table figs.: AT. NO.S. (atomic number)
35D: Missouri River tributary: OSAGE.
36D: Informal opinion sampling: STRAW POLL.
38D: Lay eyes on: ESPY.
41D: Addams family cousin: ITT.
45D: Canine cry: YELP.
46D: Result of an auto loan default, briefly: REPO. (repossession)
50D: Trio plus four: SEPTET. Group of seven.
53D: Missiles in silos, for short: ICBMS. (intercontinental ballistic missile)
54D: "Vacancy": "TO LET". More common in my area is "FOR RENT".
56D: Reckon, in the boonies: S'POSE.
57D: Revival structures: TENTS.
60D: Avian symbols of wisdom: OWLS.
61D: Author Jaffe: RONA. She died in 2005 in London from cancer, aged 74.
62D: Overly inquisitive: NOSY.
63D: Palmtop computers: Abbr.: PDAS. (Personal Digital Assistant.)
64D: "Steady as __ goes": SHE.
65D: Born, in marriage announcements: NÉE.
Answer grid.
Happy belated Birthday to our fellow solver Frenchie!
Argyle
