TITLE: MELEE - C.C. has a clever Sunday offering for us today where she chooses compound words or two-word phrases where the word FREE could be appended to the front of each word of the compound word or either word in the phrase and give another common phrase. The reveal below uses yet another common phrase to tie the whole thing together. Wow!
111. Fracas, and a hint to both words in the answers to starred clues :
FREE FOR ALL - Also what a baseball disagreement can become
23. *Retail enticement :
TRIAL OFFER -
Also FREE TRIAL and FREE OFFER - Caveat Emptor!
29. *Western nickname : S
ILVER STATE - Nevada or...
FREE SILVER - A big political issue around 1900
FREE STATE - A big political issue around 1860
54. *Mall rarity at Christmas :
PARKING SPACE or
FREE PARKING - A familiar game place
FREE SPACE - Part of another game
47. *Reporter's credential :
PRESS PASS or
FREE PRESS - An underpinning of our democracy
FREE PASS - Be our guest
76. *Like much farm decor :
COUNTRY STYLE
FREE COUNTRY
FREE STYLE
83. *Many sandwiches are made for it :
LUNCH TIME
FREE LUNCH - Caveat Avis
FREE TIME - What to do, what to do?
100. *Airport employee :
TICKET AGENT or
FREE TICKET
FREE AGENT - Lou Brock's anti-trust suit against MLB opened the way for baseball players to become FREE AGENTS
Husker Gary here to shepherd you through the rest of C.C.'s fun puzzle:
Across
1. Relaxes on the porch, say :
ROCKS
6. Character set :
CAST - This CAST of then-unknowns from
The Outsiders went on to do pretty well! How many do recognize?
10. "Some girls with a snuffle / Their tempers are uffle" poet :
NASH
14. Pest control brand :
ORKIN
19. Digs in the snow :
IGLOO
20. Many a woman, vocally :
ALTO
21. "Homeland" actress Miranda :
OTTO
22. Revolutionary diplomat Silas :
DEANE - First American diplomat to France
25. Cassandra's prophecy :
DOOM She was a 33. Expert in futures? :
ORACLE but gift came with the curse that no one would believe her
26. Ill-fated energy company :
ENRON
27. Peaceful and relaxed :
ZEN
28. "Word is ... " :
I HEAR
31. Chipotle option :
TACO
35. __ buco :
OSSO - Milanese specialty of veal shanks
36. Foe of Rocky :
BORIS - With accomplice Natasha Fatale
37. Desert or tundra :
BIOME
38. Longoria of "Telenovela" :
EVA
39. Org. in some le Carré novels :
KGB - Do you recognize their leader from 1986 - 1991?
42. Federal Reserve chair Yellen :
JANET
43. Supplied, as a forgotten line :
FED TO
44. Sitarist Shankar :
RAVI - An associate of Yehudi Menuhin and The Beatles
46. Skin :
PEEL
49. Pollen source :
STAMEN
51. Annual stage award :
OBIE - The 2016 OBIE winner for Best New American Play off Broadway
52. Auction ender? :
EER
53. Outer: Pref. :
ECT
56. Contend (with) :
GRAPPLE
59. Thus far :
AS YET
60. Friend of Claudius I :
HEROD
61. Seedy digs :
RAT TRAP
64. Quite a journey :
ODYSSEY - I'd say so!
67. "Whoop-de-doo" :
OH FUN
70. Bolt on the track :
USAIN - The fastest man on Earth
72. Comes into view :
APPEARS
79. Goliath, to David :
FOE
80. It might have the family name on it :
MAT
81. Coastal raptor :
ERNE
82. Make public, in a way :
UNSEAL - The original Warren Report was not to be UNSEALED for 75 years but now the rest will be revealed next year
86. Raggedy dolls :
ANNS
87. __ review :
PEER
88. Mower handle? :
DEERE
90. Devoured :
EATEN
91. Born, in Bordeaux :
NEE
92. Brick-shaped candy :
PEZ
93. __-mouthed: inclined to curse :
POTTY
94. Brown in the kitchen :
ALTON - Even on
South Park
95. NYC line with a Babylon branch :
LIRR
97. Bluffing words, perhaps :
I RAISE
99. Thick slice :
SLAB
103. Forearm bones :
RADII
106. Mauna __ :
LOA - Maybe not the best place to build a house
109. Moronic :
INANE
110. Chipotle option :
MILD
113. GoPro competitor :
NIKON
114. Sneaker brand :
AVIA
115. Muddy ground :
MIRE
116. One lacking roots :
NOMAD
117. Crockpot dishes :
STEWS
118. Min. divisions :
SECS
119. Assist in a gym :
SPOT
120. "Ciao!" :
SEE YA
Down
1. High-end hotel :
RITZ
2. Grimm meanie :
OGRE
3. The dot-com boom coincided with much of it :
CLINTON ERA
4. Org. for the great outdoors :
KOA
5. Seeks earnestly :
SOLICITS
6. Free Wi-Fi provider, often :
CAFE - It must be everywhere now (Another FREE)
7. __ Romeo :
ALFA
8. Sports testing subjects :
STEROIDS - Hmmm...
9. A.L. East team :
TOR
10. "Ixnay" :
NO DICE
11. Island ring :
ATOLL - After nuclear bomb testing on these there's not much left AT ALL
12. Kiln, e.g. :
STOVE
13. Sweet spot? :
HOME - HOME is the place that when you have to go there, they have to take you in
14. Black Sea resort :
ODESSA - Turns out, there's a lot of 'em here too beside Texas.
15. Property owner's income :
RENTS
16. Where to find flat beer drinkers? :
KARAOKE BAR - Love the cluing. Probably not many "sharp" drinkers there
17. Tied, briefly :
IN OT because they were 38. Tied :
EVEN
18. Endangered state bird :
NENE
24. Sounds of discovery :
O HO'S - "Hey, my candy bar melted when I walked by the microwave magnetron. Hmmm..."
29. Indian pastries :
SAMOSAS
30. __ eyes :
ROVING - Author George Axelrod posted that this is when they start
32. Lover of Aphrodite :
ARES
34. Poppycock :
ROT
36. More Spartan :
BARER - My first college dorm room couldn't have been BARER
37. Cream :
BEST
40. "It's what you do" insurance company :
GEICO
41. Run :
BLEED - No red shirts in wash with your white ones!
42. Picture file acronym :
JPEG
43. Aspect :
FACET
44. Gathered (in) :
RAKED - Literally here
45. Peaceful relations :
AMITY
46. Robin Williams title role :
POPEYE
48. Trapper's prize :
PELT
50. "You'd like this" :
TRY ONE - They're FREE!
54. Tropical fruit used in salsas :
PAPAYA
55. Smith of Fox News :
SHEP - Smith
57. Trims in the garden :
PRUNES
58. Huff and puff :
PANT
62. Charlotte __ :
RUSSE
63. Daisylike bloom :
ASTER
65. Rhone tributary :
SAONE - Pour moi une nouvelle rivière (A new river for me)
66. Building guideline :
SPEC
67. Large amount :
OCEAN - "It's gonna take an OCEAN, Of calamine lotion"
68. Mezzo Marilyn :
HORNE
69. Carnival treat :
FUNNEL CAKE
71. Volunteer's phrase :
I'LL DO IT
73. Question of responsibility :
AM I TO BLAME
74. Cheap collegiate cupful :
RAMEN - An average bag costs $0.13. You could have 3 of these per day for for a year's total of $142.65
.75. WWII submachine gun :
STEN
77. Media mogul Murdoch :
RUPERT
78. Santa __ Valley: California wine region :
YNEZ
79. Violent anger :
FURY - Also Saturday morning TV for this Baby Boomer
83. "Go for it!" :
LET 'ER RIP
84. Rowdy sorts :
HELLIONS
85. "Ciao" :
TATA
89. Some "Doctor Who" creatures :
ETS
92. Hogs the mirror, say :
PREENS - No mirror required here
93. Zoo animals with Chinese names :
PANDAS
94. "Yeah, right!" :
AS IF
96. "No duh!" :
I KNOW
97. Cry of surrender :
I GIVE
98. Museum piece :
RELIC
100. Anchovy containers :
TINS - People packed into Aluminum containers
101. Part of A.A. Milne? :
INIT
102. Latin trio part :
AMAS
104. Flying start? :
AERO
105. OFF! ingredient :
DEET
107. Aveeno rival :
OLAY
108. "The Aviator" Oscar nominee :
ALDA - Leo DiCaprio didn't want him to play the villainous part at first because Alan was too nice.
111. Radio settings :
FMS
112. Sushi roll topping :
ROE
Having navigated my write-up, you are now
FREE to comment at
WILL
