Sunday June 13, 2021 Matt Skoczen

Theme: "Get Wise" - Y is added to the end of one word in each common phrase.

23. Irish region named for a literary nobleman?: COUNTY DRACULA. Count Dracula.

31. Commiseration at a cookout?: BARBECUE PITY. Barbecue pit.

51. Sham indignation?: IMITATION FURY. Imitation fur.

67. Excited cry from a gemologist?: AY THERE'S THE RUBY. Ay there's the rub.

85. Dilemma presented by a suspicious peace offering?: TRICK OR TREATY. Trick or treat.

104. Young farm animals' taxi company?: CALVES' LIVERY. Calves' liver.

116. Cues from the Miracles' lead singer?: SMOKEY SIGNALS. Smoke signals. Smokey Robinson.

We've had a few "Why Not" puzzles where Y's are removed. I don't recall Y additions on Sundays. Fun phrases.

Shouldn't it be CALF'S LIVER though? Boomer used to make beef liver with onions. The smell!

Across:

1. Jelly Roll Morton genre: RAGTIME. I don't know Jelly Roll Morton, who was jazz's first arranger, according to Wiki.

 

8. Benjamin: C SPOT.

13. Kind of manner: BEDSIDE.

20. Repertoire: ARSENAL.

21. Riveting WWII icon: ROSIE.  Rosie the Riveter. Read this fascinating story about the real life model.

22. Volatile solvent: ACETONE.

25. Vehicle in a pit: RACE CAR.

26. Works with purls: KNITS. Hi there, Madame Defarge!

27. Easy comparison: ABC.

28. Heartache: SORROW.

30. "Star Wars" antagonist: SITH.

35. Inquire: ASK.

38. Advance with determination: SOLDIER ON.

40. "The Purloined Letter" author: POE.

41. Cream additive: ALOE.

42. __-jongg: MAH. Spelled as Majiang in China. When I lived in Guangzhou, my neighbors often played Majiang until earlier mornings. Noisy.

45. Normandy city: CAEN. Have not seen this entry for a year. 

46. Bro, for one: SIB.

48. Spent: ALL IN.

49. Bouquets: AROMAS.

56. San Juan __: California mission city: CAPISTRANO. Another unknown to me. It's in Orange County.

59. Athlete-turned-sportscaster Rashad: AHMAD. Ahmad Rashād was a Viking.

60. "Weeds" law org.: DEA.

61. Word with rule or show: SLIDE.

62. Wears down: ERODES.

65. USG successor: RBH. OK, Rutherford Birchard Hayes. Ulysses S. Grant.

66. "It's __ a while": BEEN.

71. Short rules?: REGS. Regulations.

74. Female lobster: HEN.

75. Wells' island doctor: MOREAU.  "The Island of Dr. Moreau"

76. Degrade: ABASE.

80. Junior Olympic Games org.: AAU. The Amateur Athletic Union. We also have 17. Games org.: IOC.

81. __ Tranquility: SEA OF.

83. Feature of much commercial maple syrup: ADDED SUGAR. Great fill.

89. "Yeah, right!": OH SURE.

90. Ho-hum feeling: ENNUI.

91. India is home to a plurality of its employees: IBM. No surprise. So many IT talents there, Vidwan!

92. __ Victoria: LAKE.

94. Remote needs: AAS.

95. "Do-Re-Mi" critter: DEER.

96. Three Kingdoms Chinese state: WEI. Luckily the crossings are fair. I always keep Jayce's comment in mind. He likes to solve crosswords, not cross names.

99. Trading post visitors: BARTERERS.

103. Nutrition fig.: RDA.

106. Radio switch: AM FM.

110. Middle Jackson sister: LA TOYA. Janet on the right.

111. Uzbekistan, once: Abbr.: SSR.

112. Farm song letters: E I E I O.

113. Coup member?: SILENT P. The last letter of "Coup".

121. Loom power source: TREADLE. My grandma used to have a loom.

122. White-plumed heron: EGRET.

123. Hot air: PRATTLE.

124. Gave the okay: SAID YES.

125. Framing supports: STUDS.

126. Night flights: RED EYES.

Down:

1. Spaces for spices: RACKS.

2. Rice-__: A-RONI.

3. Astronaut's apparel: G SUIT.

4. 5, in 2.5: TENTHS.

5. QB's concerns: INTS. Interceptions.

6. 5, in 5/8, say: MAY. Chinese calendar adds a leap month every 3 years. Back in 1971, we had two Mays. I was born on May 8 in the second May.

8. Buster of old Hollywood: CRABBE.

9. Game with strikers: SOCCER.

10. Nittany Lions' sch.: PSU.

11. Jed Clampett's find: OIL.

12. Needle: TEASE. See here to calculate your Chinese age. Be warned, you'll be one or two years older!  This also happens in Korea, babies are one-year old when they're born.

13. Hispanic city area: BARRIO.

14. Whist relative: ECARTE. Is it still a popular game?

15. Shill: DECOY.

16. Booyah or bouillabaisse: STEW. Unfamiliar with the stew Booyah.

18. CSI stuff: DNA.

19. Poetic adverb: EER.

24. __ to go: eager, colloquially: RARIN'.

29. On the facing pg.: OPP.

31. Really good time: BLAST.

32. Block ending: ADE. Blockade.

33. Mozart's "__ fan tutte": COSI.

34. Textbook segment: UNIT.

35. Refer (to): ALLUDE.

36. Nighttime shindig: SOIREE.

37. Ugandan neighbor: KENYAN.

39. "The Plough and the Stars" playwright Sean: O'CASEY.

41. TV alien: ALF.

42. Apple offerings: MACS.

43. Depleted sea: ARAL.

44. Southwestern native: HOPI.

47. Song cry heard here, there and everywhere?: BAA. Old MacDonald Had a Farm.

48. Furthermore: AND.

50. Golden touch king: MIDAS.

51. "You __ out?": IN OR.

52. Internet link: MODEM. Sigh. Does not look like CenturyLink will bring fiber to our area soon. Our modem is just too slow to handle our new Blogger format.

53. Sequence of online posts: THREAD.

54. Saturate: IMBRUE. New word to me. I only know IMBUE.

55. Nicole Kidman's island birthplace: OAHU. Gimme! Bruno Mars was born in Honolulu, by the way.

57. Try again: RE-HEAR. Try in court.

58. Playground crack?: ARE NOT.

63. That, to Tito: ESO.

64. Classic Fender, for short: STRAT.

66. One way to get around town: BY BUS.

68. Vincent van Gogh's brother: THEO. Now people just text "u ok?"

69. Actress Lamarr: HEDY.

70. Harsh critic: BASHER.

71. Very violent, perhaps: RATED R.

72. Made: EARNED.

73. Mali neighbor: GUINEA.

77. Río contents: AGUA.

78. Poet Teasdale: SARA. First one to win Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.

79. Cockney toast opener: 'ERES.

81. __ lodge: SKI.

82. "Good" day occurring once a yr.: FRI.

84. "Okey-__!": DOKEY.

86. Snake: CUR.

87. Declines: EBBS.

88. Human rights lawyer Clooney: AMAL. Outshines George Clooney.

92. Skeptical: LEERY.

93. BOS posting: ARR.

96. Rooster feature: WATTLE.

97. Runs off to wed: ELOPES.

98. Boston __: IVY. Boston ivy here, right?

100. Wagered: RISKED.

101. Den furnishings: TV SETS.

102. Jeanne d'Arc, par exemple: SAINTE. Also 108. Dijon daughter: FILLE.

104. Reese's output: CANDY.

105. Relieves: EASES.

107. Rich, as tomato sauce: MEATY. So happy to learn from Moe that there's "Super Firm Tofu". I wonder why House Foods does not make Super Firm. They only go "Extra Firm".

109. Exodus leader: MOSES.

110. It's usually played by a star: LEAD.

112. "Yikes!": EGAD.

113. Mark and Luke: Abbr.: STS. Probably should go the road angle due to SAINTE.

114. "Deathtrap" playwright Levin: IRA.

115. Island garland: LEI.

117. Co. heads: MGT.

118. Okla. campus with a Prayer Tower: ORU.

119. 6-Down is in it: Abbr.: SPR.

120. Hot state: IRE.

C.C.