Theme: An Earlier Flight - The bygone SST is hidden and spans across two words in each familiar phrase.
23A. Military overstock seller : ARMY SURPLUS STORE. We had one close to our home. My dad served in the Chinese army.
33A. 21-Across are taken on it : WITNESS STAND. And OATHS (21. Formal promises).
38A. Nickname at the Derby : BLUE GRASS STATE. Kentucky Derby.
65A. "No verdict yet" : THE JURY IS STILL OUT. Just an awesome entry.
92A. Applying to all : ACROSS THE BOARD. The only one with SS & T pattern. All the others are S & ST.
101A. Exerts influence : PULLS STRINGS. The only 2-word theme answer.
116A. 1952 Jane Russell film : THE LAS VEGAS STORY. Unknown film to me. Jane Russell is famous for her big boobs, right?
118D. Earlier flight hidden in the seven longest puzzle answers : SST
Very clever spin on our crossword staple SST. Nice long theme phrases. Great effort from Pamela Amick Klawitter, who seems to relish constructing Sunday puzzles.
A pangram. All 26 letters are used at least once. The special theme resulted in a total of 51 Ss, outnumbering any vowel (E/A, 48 each) count. Several clue echos also. Very John Lampkin like. I've highlighted them in green.
Today's clues (esp those with question marks) are just "outstanding", Dummy Dennis would say. Look at these "it" in Down section alone:
13D. It's elegant when turned : PHRASE. Idiom: a turn of phrase.
61D. You might have a hand in it : MITT
67D. It's over for Hans : UBER. "Over" in German.
70D. A choir may sing in it : UNISON
113D. It often precedes technicalities : MERE. Mere technicalities.
Across:
1. Ed of "Lou Grant" : ASNER. And EDIE (6. Lou Grant's ex). On "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" . Unknown to me.
10. Cuts the crop : REAPS
15. Even start? : EQUI. Prefix meaning "even", as in equilateral.
19. Dutch big wheel? : GOUDA. Say "Cheese".
20. Falana of "Golden Boy" : LOLA. No idea. I like her dress. Very figure hugging.
22. Arrivals at home, perhaps : RUNS. "Home" refers to the home plate in baseball. We also have NINTHS (44. Often critical innings).
26. "Sorry, can't" : NOPE
27. Stonewall Jackson et al. : REBS. Did not know who Stonewall Jackson was a Confederate commander during Civil War.
28. Sales chart metaphors : PIES
29. R&B singer __ Marie : TEENA. What's her most famous song?
30. Sean of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy : ASTIN
31. Jun. grads : SRS
32. Corp. moneymen : CFOS. Or the obscure TRS.
35. Yoo-__: beverage : HOO. What kind of beverage?
36. 50-Across wrong? : AIN'T. And ISN'T (50. 36-Across right?). I don't like cross-referenced clues when in fact nothing is given.
37. Deli array : MEAT
49. Turner on the screen : LANA
51. Pro foe : ANTI
53. New Balance competitor : AVIA. Latin for "fly".
54. All worked up : IN A LATHER. Solid phrase.
56. List of rounds : BAR TAB. And ALES (86. Draft choices). Of course I was thinking of sports draft.
58. Stock holder? : BARN. Farm stock. Windhover might nail this one.
59. Skins : PELTS
60. Chair designer Charles : EAMES. Can never remember his name, despite Hahtool's link(s).
62. Reason for a court replay : LET. Tennis court.
64. Born : NEE
71. "Ginger __": 1952 Newbery Medal-winning book : PYE. Nope. Not familiar with the book.
73. Big rig compartment : CAB
74. Pitch-related : TONAL
75. "A Paper Life" autobiographer : O'NEAL (Tatum). I suppose the paper refers to her movie "Paper Moon".
78. Spanish bread : EURO. "Bread" = Currency.
80. Places under siege : BESETS
83. San Bernardino suburb : LOMA LINDA. I peeked at the answer sheet.
87. A TV Maverick : BRET. Another unknown.
88. Notice : ESPY
89. Go off the deep end : SNAP
90. Play the siren : SEDUCE
97. Ray Stevens's "Ahab the __" : ARAB. Have never heard of the song.
99. Skin soother : ALOE
100. River to the Rhone : AIN. Too obscure for me.
106. Bribes, with "off" : PAYS
108. Pepper, e.g.: Abbr. : SGT. Beatle's Sgt Pepper. Could not jam in SPICE.
111. Novelist Nin : ANAIS
112. Engineer Nikola : TESLA. Eternal fame in Xword.
113. Ball role : MAME. Lucille Ball.
114. Restaurateur Toots : SHOR. His name escaped me also.
115. Devils' playground? : RINK. NHL's New Jersey Devils. Got me also.
119. Old Venetian elder : DOGE
120. Brings down the house? : RAZES. Nice play on the idiom "bring the house down".
121. Start of an Andy Capp toast : 'ERE'S. Here's. H is dropped in Cockney accent.
122. Backs up : SAVES
123. Tens neighbor : ONES. In Dennis' cash box.
124. Controversial explosion : A-TEST
125. Unschooled signers : X'ERS. Didn't come to me readily.
126. Lott of Mississippi : TRENT. Just mentioned his name yesterday on the STROM clue.
Down:
1. Ice cream thickeners : AGARS And EDY'S (4. Slow Churned ice cream brand).
2. More put out : SORER
3. Uses an icepack on : NUMBS
5. Dorm bosses, briefly : RAS. RA = Residential Adviser.
6. Ventura County town who name means "the river" : EL RIO. Makes sense.
7. Chowderheads : DOPES
8. Afflictions : ILLS
9. Mer filler : EAU
10. Nile home of an historic stone : ROSETTA. Hence Rosetta Stone.
11. Moth tail? : EATEN. Tail to the word "moth-eaten".
12. Satisfaction of a sort : ATONEMENT. Was thinking of vengeance, Sweeney Todd style.
14. Opposite of NNW : SSE
15. Arp contemporary : ERNST (Max)
16. Limit of a kind : QUOTA
17. Let down, as hair : UNPIN
18. "Children, Go Where __ Thee": spiritual : I SEND. No idea.
24. Raring to go : UP FOR IT. Had trouble parsing the answer.
25. Hitch : STINT. Two-year hitch/stint in the Army, e.g.
30. Italian wine city : ASTI
32. ___ railway : COG. Not familiar with the term.
33. Badger's st. : WIS. We had quite a few solvers from Wisconsin.
34. Florida resort island : SANIBEL. Have you been there?
35. A "4-H" H : HEALTH
36. Bad way to be led : ASTRAY. Led astray.
38. Radar signal : BLIP
39. Spot for a strike : LANE. Bowling lane, thanks, June!
40. The same as always : UNALTERED. The clue/answer does not click for me.
41. Reminder of an old flame? : ASH. I am just in awe of the clue, Pamela. Are you reading our blog?
42. Disdainful glance : SNEER
43. Road topper : TAR
45. Collar : NAB
46. Dish alternative : TV ANTENNA. Always have trouble spelling antenna.
47. Bring aboard : HIRE
48. Having no screws loose? : SANE. I'd have had all screws loose if I were Lois. What a brave gal! And so sweet.
52. Like a hard-to-fill order : TALL. Tall order.
55. "Hang on __" : A SEC
56. Córdoba kisses : BESOS. Spanish for "kisses'.
57. AAA part: Abbr. : ASSN
63. Shop item : TOOL
66. Goes on and on : JABBERS
68. "Unto the Sons" novelist : TALESE (Gay). More famous for his "Honor Thy Father".
69. Postgame recap? : I LOST. Great clue.
71. Pod fillers : PEAS
72. Time for carols : YULE. Bet it brought a smile to Carol.
76. Purim's month : ADAR
77. "Dragnet" gp. : LAPD
79. The Beavers of the Pac-10 : OSU (Oregon State University)
81. Boardwalk cooler : SEA BREEZE. Cool fill for Bill G.
82. More of the same, briefly : ETC. Etc, etc, etc.
84. NASCAR stat : MPH
85. Madagascan lemurs : AYEAYES. Stumped. Oh, dear, kind of scary looking.
91. Mama of pop : CASS
93. Didn't outrace anyone : RAN LAST
94. Gymnast Korbut et al. : OLGAS
95. "Mamma Mia" number : S.O.S.
96. Grafton's "__ for Burglar" : B IS
98. In addition : AT THAT
101. "SNL" announcer : PARDO (Don). Can you believe that I've never watched "SNL"?
102. Group for people in labor? : UNION. Labor Union.
103. "Tootsie" role winner : LANGE (Jessica)
104. eHarmony category : LIKES. Have never visited eHarmony. For eLove I suppose.
105. Archipelago units : ISLES
106. Sales rep's gadget : PAGER
107. Get a load of : AMASS. Read the clue as "Get a load off".
108. Sail, with "off" : SHOVE.
109. Bridge immortal : GOREN (Charles). No idea. He wrote "Winning Bridge Made Easy".
110. Risky rendezvous : TRYST
114. Bronze __ : STAR.
116. Part of a chorus line? : TRA. Tra la la.
117. Bug : VEX
Answer grid.
C.C.
23A. Military overstock seller : ARMY SURPLUS STORE. We had one close to our home. My dad served in the Chinese army.
33A. 21-Across are taken on it : WITNESS STAND. And OATHS (21. Formal promises).
38A. Nickname at the Derby : BLUE GRASS STATE. Kentucky Derby.
65A. "No verdict yet" : THE JURY IS STILL OUT. Just an awesome entry.
92A. Applying to all : ACROSS THE BOARD. The only one with SS & T pattern. All the others are S & ST.
101A. Exerts influence : PULLS STRINGS. The only 2-word theme answer.
116A. 1952 Jane Russell film : THE LAS VEGAS STORY. Unknown film to me. Jane Russell is famous for her big boobs, right?
118D. Earlier flight hidden in the seven longest puzzle answers : SST
Very clever spin on our crossword staple SST. Nice long theme phrases. Great effort from Pamela Amick Klawitter, who seems to relish constructing Sunday puzzles.
A pangram. All 26 letters are used at least once. The special theme resulted in a total of 51 Ss, outnumbering any vowel (E/A, 48 each) count. Several clue echos also. Very John Lampkin like. I've highlighted them in green.
Today's clues (esp those with question marks) are just "outstanding", Dummy Dennis would say. Look at these "it" in Down section alone:
13D. It's elegant when turned : PHRASE. Idiom: a turn of phrase.
61D. You might have a hand in it : MITT
67D. It's over for Hans : UBER. "Over" in German.
70D. A choir may sing in it : UNISON
113D. It often precedes technicalities : MERE. Mere technicalities.
Across:
1. Ed of "Lou Grant" : ASNER. And EDIE (6. Lou Grant's ex). On "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" . Unknown to me.
10. Cuts the crop : REAPS
15. Even start? : EQUI. Prefix meaning "even", as in equilateral.
19. Dutch big wheel? : GOUDA. Say "Cheese".
20. Falana of "Golden Boy" : LOLA. No idea. I like her dress. Very figure hugging.
22. Arrivals at home, perhaps : RUNS. "Home" refers to the home plate in baseball. We also have NINTHS (44. Often critical innings).
26. "Sorry, can't" : NOPE
27. Stonewall Jackson et al. : REBS. Did not know who Stonewall Jackson was a Confederate commander during Civil War.
28. Sales chart metaphors : PIES
29. R&B singer __ Marie : TEENA. What's her most famous song?
30. Sean of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy : ASTIN
31. Jun. grads : SRS
32. Corp. moneymen : CFOS. Or the obscure TRS.
35. Yoo-__: beverage : HOO. What kind of beverage?
36. 50-Across wrong? : AIN'T. And ISN'T (50. 36-Across right?). I don't like cross-referenced clues when in fact nothing is given.
37. Deli array : MEAT
49. Turner on the screen : LANA
51. Pro foe : ANTI
53. New Balance competitor : AVIA. Latin for "fly".
54. All worked up : IN A LATHER. Solid phrase.
56. List of rounds : BAR TAB. And ALES (86. Draft choices). Of course I was thinking of sports draft.
58. Stock holder? : BARN. Farm stock. Windhover might nail this one.
59. Skins : PELTS
60. Chair designer Charles : EAMES. Can never remember his name, despite Hahtool's link(s).
62. Reason for a court replay : LET. Tennis court.
64. Born : NEE
71. "Ginger __": 1952 Newbery Medal-winning book : PYE. Nope. Not familiar with the book.
73. Big rig compartment : CAB
74. Pitch-related : TONAL
75. "A Paper Life" autobiographer : O'NEAL (Tatum). I suppose the paper refers to her movie "Paper Moon".
78. Spanish bread : EURO. "Bread" = Currency.
80. Places under siege : BESETS
83. San Bernardino suburb : LOMA LINDA. I peeked at the answer sheet.
87. A TV Maverick : BRET. Another unknown.
88. Notice : ESPY
89. Go off the deep end : SNAP
90. Play the siren : SEDUCE
97. Ray Stevens's "Ahab the __" : ARAB. Have never heard of the song.
99. Skin soother : ALOE
100. River to the Rhone : AIN. Too obscure for me.
106. Bribes, with "off" : PAYS
108. Pepper, e.g.: Abbr. : SGT. Beatle's Sgt Pepper. Could not jam in SPICE.
111. Novelist Nin : ANAIS
112. Engineer Nikola : TESLA. Eternal fame in Xword.
113. Ball role : MAME. Lucille Ball.
114. Restaurateur Toots : SHOR. His name escaped me also.
115. Devils' playground? : RINK. NHL's New Jersey Devils. Got me also.
119. Old Venetian elder : DOGE
120. Brings down the house? : RAZES. Nice play on the idiom "bring the house down".
121. Start of an Andy Capp toast : 'ERE'S. Here's. H is dropped in Cockney accent.
122. Backs up : SAVES
123. Tens neighbor : ONES. In Dennis' cash box.
124. Controversial explosion : A-TEST
125. Unschooled signers : X'ERS. Didn't come to me readily.
126. Lott of Mississippi : TRENT. Just mentioned his name yesterday on the STROM clue.
Down:
1. Ice cream thickeners : AGARS And EDY'S (4. Slow Churned ice cream brand).
2. More put out : SORER
3. Uses an icepack on : NUMBS
5. Dorm bosses, briefly : RAS. RA = Residential Adviser.
6. Ventura County town who name means "the river" : EL RIO. Makes sense.
7. Chowderheads : DOPES
8. Afflictions : ILLS
9. Mer filler : EAU
10. Nile home of an historic stone : ROSETTA. Hence Rosetta Stone.
11. Moth tail? : EATEN. Tail to the word "moth-eaten".
12. Satisfaction of a sort : ATONEMENT. Was thinking of vengeance, Sweeney Todd style.
14. Opposite of NNW : SSE
15. Arp contemporary : ERNST (Max)
16. Limit of a kind : QUOTA
17. Let down, as hair : UNPIN
18. "Children, Go Where __ Thee": spiritual : I SEND. No idea.
24. Raring to go : UP FOR IT. Had trouble parsing the answer.
25. Hitch : STINT. Two-year hitch/stint in the Army, e.g.
30. Italian wine city : ASTI
32. ___ railway : COG. Not familiar with the term.
33. Badger's st. : WIS. We had quite a few solvers from Wisconsin.
34. Florida resort island : SANIBEL. Have you been there?
35. A "4-H" H : HEALTH
36. Bad way to be led : ASTRAY. Led astray.
38. Radar signal : BLIP
39. Spot for a strike : LANE. Bowling lane, thanks, June!
40. The same as always : UNALTERED. The clue/answer does not click for me.
41. Reminder of an old flame? : ASH. I am just in awe of the clue, Pamela. Are you reading our blog?
42. Disdainful glance : SNEER
43. Road topper : TAR
45. Collar : NAB
46. Dish alternative : TV ANTENNA. Always have trouble spelling antenna.
47. Bring aboard : HIRE
48. Having no screws loose? : SANE. I'd have had all screws loose if I were Lois. What a brave gal! And so sweet.
52. Like a hard-to-fill order : TALL. Tall order.
55. "Hang on __" : A SEC
56. Córdoba kisses : BESOS. Spanish for "kisses'.
57. AAA part: Abbr. : ASSN
63. Shop item : TOOL
66. Goes on and on : JABBERS
68. "Unto the Sons" novelist : TALESE (Gay). More famous for his "Honor Thy Father".
69. Postgame recap? : I LOST. Great clue.
71. Pod fillers : PEAS
72. Time for carols : YULE. Bet it brought a smile to Carol.
76. Purim's month : ADAR
77. "Dragnet" gp. : LAPD
79. The Beavers of the Pac-10 : OSU (Oregon State University)
81. Boardwalk cooler : SEA BREEZE. Cool fill for Bill G.
82. More of the same, briefly : ETC. Etc, etc, etc.
84. NASCAR stat : MPH
85. Madagascan lemurs : AYEAYES. Stumped. Oh, dear, kind of scary looking.
91. Mama of pop : CASS
93. Didn't outrace anyone : RAN LAST
94. Gymnast Korbut et al. : OLGAS
95. "Mamma Mia" number : S.O.S.
96. Grafton's "__ for Burglar" : B IS
98. In addition : AT THAT
101. "SNL" announcer : PARDO (Don). Can you believe that I've never watched "SNL"?
102. Group for people in labor? : UNION. Labor Union.
103. "Tootsie" role winner : LANGE (Jessica)
104. eHarmony category : LIKES. Have never visited eHarmony. For eLove I suppose.
105. Archipelago units : ISLES
106. Sales rep's gadget : PAGER
107. Get a load of : AMASS. Read the clue as "Get a load off".
108. Sail, with "off" : SHOVE.
109. Bridge immortal : GOREN (Charles). No idea. He wrote "Winning Bridge Made Easy".
110. Risky rendezvous : TRYST
114. Bronze __ : STAR.
116. Part of a chorus line? : TRA. Tra la la.
117. Bug : VEX
Answer grid.
C.C.
