Sunday August 30, 2020 Pam Amick Klawitter

Theme: "Space Savers" - Literally interpretation of each familiar phrase with its prepositional words removed.

23A. "Wait ... let me start over": I'M GETTING MYSELF. I'm getting ahead myself.

66A Belief common to much religion: DEATH LIFE. Life after death.

111A. Method for slow, steady progress: ONE FOOT THE OTHER. One foot in front of the other.

15D. Feeling ecstatic: SITTING THE WORLD. Sitting on top of the world.

33D. Make every effort: BEND BACKWARDS. Bend over backwards
 
36D. Fancy poultry dish: GLASS PHEASANT. Pheasant under glass. Not familiar to me.

 40D. Superior to all others: A CUT THE REST. A cut above the rest

44D. Negative forecast: ZERO FIVE DEGREES. Five degrees below zero (Thank you, E.S.)

What a great concept. So creative. The grid design is also very masterful. I love the two intersection in the middle.

 Across:

1. Did gondola duty: POLED.

6. "Today" rival, briefly: GMA.

9. Middling: SO SO.

13. Short staff?: ASSTS. Short for Abbr.  This short is real: 19. Short trip: HOP.

18. Dollar alternative: ALAMO.

20. Alpha's antithesis: OMEGA.

22. Beat in the kitchen: WHISK. I use chopsticks to whip the eggs.

 26. Najimy who voiced Peggy Hill in "King of the Hill": KATHY. Unfamiliar to me.

27. Bad look: LEER. And   28. Heckle, but not Jeckle: HARASS.

29. The "P" in PIN: Abbr.: PERS. Personal.

31. Unilever swab: Q-TIP.

32. Old manuscript copier: SCRIBE.

34. Scalpel sites, for short: ORs.

35. Polynesian wrap: SARONG. The Indonesian way. We also have 115. Asian wraps: SARIS.

37. Rage: IRE.

38. To the point: TERSE.

40. Spa sounds: AHS.

41. Early pictures: SILENTS.

43. Some online reads: E-ZINES.

45. Diamond surfaces: FACETS.

48. Georgia gridders, to fans: DAWGS. Georgia Bulldogs.

49. "Ginger __": 1952 Newbery Medal-winning book: PYE. We had this before.

50. "Spring forward" letters: DST.

51. School reunion attendee: ALUM.

52. Car radio button: PRESET.

54. Oxygen-eating bacteria: AEROBES.

56. Asian festival: TET. I seem to have this fill every Sunday.

57. Gets dirty: SOILS.

58. Busy center: HUB.

61. Uncle Sam's land, proudly: US OF A. This reminds me, what do you think "So Bye Bye, Miss American Pie" mean?

62. Bunny tail: SCUT. Learned from doing xwords.

63. Coral component: POLYP.

64. Big shot: Abbr.: ENL.

65. Cellar, but not collar, opening: SOFT C.

68. "Explain, please?": HOW SO.

70. Western PA airport code: ERI. Erie Airport. Shout out to Abejo.

71. Disappearing retail giant: KMART.

73. Hosp. readouts: EEGS.

74. Lodge opening?: ECONO.

75. Patel of "Slumdog Millionaire": DEV. All grown up now.

76. Gets one's feet wet: WADES.

77. Milne hopper: ROO.

78. Caught: IN A TRAP.

80. First novel in Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle: ERAGON.

82. Sign of a hit: DENT.

83. Wks. and wks.: MOS. Been a long month for us. So glad our garage ceiling leak is stopped. Last time it was the bathtub, this time it was the toilet. The guy added some 2 by 4 to fix the bathroom flange issue. Waiting for the drywall guy to fix the hole.

84. Platters in sleeves: LPS.

85. Beautify: ADORN.

86. Puts down: ABASES.

88. Honors: AWARDS.

90. Svelte: SLENDER.

92. 911 pro: EMT.

93. Culture: Pref.: ETHNO.

94. Friend of Goat in "Pearls Before Swine": PIG.

95. Some skippers: STONES.

97. Flock hangout: LEA.

99. List-shortening term: ET ALIA.

103. Sticks on a boat: OARS. And 105. Boat owner's rental: SLIP. Still can't believe Jeannie is gone.

106. Flat owner, maybe: LESSOR.

108. Sound: SANE.

109. Fitness mantra opening: USE IT.

114. Like a fleabag motel: SEEDY.

116. Dusk, to Donne: EEN.

117. __ dish: PETRI.

118. Half of scissors?: ESSES. The four letters in "scissors".

119. Hacking targets: Abbr.: SSNS. More ESSES here.

120. Sellout letters: SRO.

121. Hackneyed: TRITE.

Down:

1. Beach toys: PAILS.

2. Early Mesoamerican sculptors: OLMEC.

3. It may be golden: LAGER.

4. Some retired academics: EMERITI. Misty is one.

5. Point: DOT.

6. Karmann __: classic VW: GHIA.

7. President before an Adams: MONROE.

8. Eponymous newborn score creator: APGAR.

9. Sauces for sushi: SOYS. I mentioned to a few bloggers about shio koji. Try it, you'll have the juiciest chicken/turkey/pork.

10. Yoga syllables: OMS.

11. Overlook: SEE PAST.

12. Lustful looker: OGLER.

13. Comics cry from a birdcage: AWK. OK, parrot.

14. Member of three L.A. Lakers championship teams: SHAQ.

16. Stadium merch: T-SHIRTS.

17. Uses a Zoom alternative: SKYPES.

21. "Hair" dos: AFROS.

24. First name of Dickens' Madame Defarge: THERESE.

25. Ed.'s stack: MSS. Manuscript.

30. Dudley's toon foe: SNIDELY. I wonder how Dudley is doing.

35. Brother of Ham: SHEM.

39. Retired fliers: Abbr.: SSTS. More ESSES. Super grid-friendly.

42. Sheepish girl?: EWE.

43. Gentrification target: EYESORE.

45. Campaign funders: FAT CATS.

46. Alaskan native: ALEUT.

47. "SNL" staples: SPOOFS.

49. Took a breather: PAUSED.

53. Heat up: RILE.

55. O'er and o'er again: OFT.

57. Features of urns: SPIGOTS.

59. Loosens, as a tot's pajamas: UNSNAPS.

60. Soft hits just over the infield: BLOOPS.

62. Big name in tennis: SERENA. Look at her cute daughter.

66. Carpenter's groove: DADO.

67. Sierra __: LEONE.

69. LGBT History Mo.: OCT.

72. Drawers?: MAGNETS.

78. "__ a loss": I'M AT.

79. Remote area known for its middle?: NOWHERE. Middle of nowhere.

81. Hermione's guy: RON. Our Jazzbumpa also. I, RON, as he says at times.

82. Stream blockers: DAMS.

85. Assumed names: ALIASES.

87. Paging devices: BEEPERS.

89. Family dinner fowl: ROASTER.

90. Half of some couples: SPOUSE.

91. Hershey's caramel candies: ROLOS.

93. A time to dye: EASTER.

96. Granada girls: NINAS.

97. It's a sign: LEO.

98. __ Park, Colorado: ESTES.

100. Christine of "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood": LAHTI.

101. Like radon, say: INERT.

102. Home on high: AERIE.

104. Kick starter?: SIDE. Sidekick.

106. L, in box scores: LOSS.

107. "What a mess!": OH NO.

110. TV's Burrell and baseball's Cobb: TYS.

112. Ocean flipper: FIN.

113. Back (out): OPT.

C.C.

I'm sad to tell you that TTP has retired from blogging. But he's not leaving us. He'll continue to be our blog administrator and help me with the Comments section and other technical aspects of the blog. Blogging is a tiring job, looking for pictures, resizing them, looking for past themes/blog comments. And TTP is particularly thorough in his searches and comments, which often take up to 4 or 5 hours for one post. Thank you for what you've done and continue to do for us, TTP!

I'm also excited to tell you that Chair Moe (Chris) has agreed to guide us a few times a month. He'll share the Friday duties with Lemonade and maybe one or two Wednesdays when need him. You'll see his debut on Wednesday. Thank you for joining us, Chris!

C.C.