Theme: "Get the H Out" — Theme answers are familiar phrases with an H removed from them, creating new wacky phrases clued "?"-style.
[Note: This is the puzzle that appears in the Sunday L.A. Times newspaper. If you don't get the paper, you can find the puzzle here. Scroll down to see the write-up of today's syndicated puzzle.]
Theme answers:
- 22A: Nonsense about racehorses? (P[h]ONY BALONEY).
- 32A: Police batons? (C[h]OPSTICKS).
- 61A: Post-Halloween activity? (T[h]REAT ASSESSMENT).
- 91A: Mrs. Dracula? (WIFE OF BAT[h]).
- 104A: Crop planting? (S[h]OW BUSINESS).
- 30D: Lovesick quipster? (INFATUATED WIT[h]).
- 35D: Flower stronghold? (BLOSSOM FORT[h]).
- 36D: Sprightly people? (ANIMATED S[h]ORTS).
- 42D: Be an anklet at a costume party? (COME AS A S[h]OCK).
Everything Else — 1A: Bar order (LAGER); 6A: Prettify (GILD); 10A: Unguent (SALVE); 15A: "Numb3rs" letters (CBS); 18A: Cara of song (IRENE); 19A: Pizazz (FLAIR); 20A: Fight grime (CLEAN); 21A: Fashion line (HEM); 24A: Baskervilles bowwow (HOUND); 25A: "Deathtrap" dramatist Levin (IRA); 26A: Safed citizens (ISRAELIS); 27A: "--- any wonder ...?" (IS IT); 29A: Bee output (QUILTS); 31A: Wallace of "ET" (DEE); 35A: Buff (BURNISH); 36A: Virtuoso (ACE); 37A: Mr. T.'s TV outfit (A-TEAM); 38A: Willing, once (LIEF); 39A: Tuscany city (SIENA); 42A: Supervision (CARE); 44A: Taras Bulba's band (COSSACKS); 48A: Places (LOCI); 49A: Startle (JOLT); 50A: It halts what it's put on (KIBOSH); 53A: Word with pep or pillow (TALK); 54A: Manhattan Project project (ATOM BOMB); 56A: Rapids transit? (CANOES); 57A: He played Holly (BUSEY); 58A: Listlessness (MALAISE); 59A: Compatriot (PAISANO); 60A: Stops for caravans (OASES); 64A: Fix (EMBED); 67A: Crime drama character (SUSPECT); 68A: Took (FLEECED); 72A: Commando incursions (RAIDS); 73A: Maintain (ASSERT); 74A: Write a check for later (POSTDATE); 75A: Cans (AXES); 76A: "Jeopardy!" players (ASKERS); 77A: Aesop's dawdler (HARE); 78A: Getting closer (WARM); 79A: Saharan winds (SIROCCOS); 81A: Dryer detritus (LINT); 82A: Good gymnastic scores (NINES); 83A: Campus org. (ROTC); 84A: Hog caller's cry (SOOEY); 87A: Like Korean cuisine (HOT); 88A: Hippie's precursor (BEATNIK); 94A: Beatty of "Deliverance" (NED); 97A: "C'mon already!" ("LET'S GO!"); 98A: A little lower? (CALF); 99A: Indie film venue (ART HOUSE); 101A: Celestial sphere (ORB); 102A: Bug (ANNOY); 107A: OSS successor (CIA); 108A: Vance or Frawley role (MERTZ); 109A: Raise through praise (EXALT); 110A: Kim of "Vertigo" (NOVAK); 111A: Board member? (KEY); 112A: Clear the board (ERASE); 113A: Tim Daly's actress sister (TYNE); 114A: Silver and slate (GRAYS); 1D: Fatty compound (LIPID); 2D: Sprung up (AROSE); 3D: Writing class? (GENRE); 4D: "Orinoco Flow" singer (ENYA); 5D: Du Maurier's first Mrs. de Winter (REBECCA); 6D: Lip application (GLOSS); 7D: Follower of Freud or Jung? (-IAN); 8D: Get supine (LIE); 9D: Solid carbon dioxide (DRY ICE); 10D: Separation of church and church? (SCHISM); 11D: Oodles (A LOT); 12D: Romanian currency (LEU); 13D: Trounce (VANQUISH); 14D: Persists (ENDURES); 15D: Dog or fries topper (CHILI); 16D: Parks and Lahr (BERTS); 17D: Sensation (SMASH); 19D: Go bonkers (FLIP); 23D: Natural balm (ALOE); 28D: Reggae relative (SKA); 33D: Piquant (TART); 34D: Urban add-on (-ITE); 39D: Word with dance or dunk (SLAM); 40D: Bit (IOTA); 41D: Life sci. (ECOL.); 43D: Sask. neighbor (ALB.); 44D: "Barton Fink" filmmakers (COENS); 45D: Musical Mama (CASS); 46D: Kandinsky's pal Paul (KLEE); 47D: "The --- the limit!" (SKY'S); 49D: Canseco or Carreras (JOSÉ); 50D: Classic cars of the 1950s (KAISERS); 51D: Bug (INSECT); 52D: Crow (BOAST); 55D: Crows and kites (BIRDS); 56D: "Friendly" toon (CASPER); 57D: "Cosby kid" Lisa (BONET); 59D: Outmoded (PASSE); 62D: Mammoth growths (TUSKS); 63D: "If all --- fails ..." (ELSE); 64D: Historical chapters (ERAS); 65D: Coat to the ankles (MAXI); 66D: Stand at a wake (BIER); 69D: He was in "Misery" (CAAN); 70D: To be, to Debussy (ÊTRE); 71D: GOP's opps. (DEMS); 74D: Camera shot (PAN); 76D: Any "Star Wars" episode (ACTIONER); 77D: Syllables before Silver (HIYO); 80D: "The Sting" thing (CON GAME); 81D: Spike or Sir Christopher (LEE); 82D: Zip (NOTHING); 84D: "Ghost" star (SWAYZE); 85D: Spill stuff (OIL); 86D: Counterbalance (OFFSET); 87D: Ascot races fashion feature (HATS); 88D: Bar (BLOCK); 89D: Spooky (EERIE); 90D: Cornered (AT BAY); 92D: Aesop's output (FABLE); 93D: Very dry (BRUT); 94D: New, in Peru (NUEVA); 95D: Think piece (ESSAY); 96D: Office staples (DESKS); 98D: Camp beds (COTS); 100D: --- about (ON OR); 103D: Org. with its arms around the U.S. (NRA); 105D: Moronic lead-in? (OXY-); 106D: Pallid (WAN).
7 comments:
Some extremely clever cluing: [A little lower?] [Board member] [Separation of church and church].
COSSACK and SIROCCOS = very good fill.
ALB is not, never has been and never will be the abbreviation for Alberta. AB or Alta.
Gary's absolutely right about ALB. It's crosswordese, a priest's garment, but Alberta is Alta. or (postally) AB. Ask any Canadian—they'll tell you.
Having said that, two Sask. neighbors that ARE 3 letters: NWT, and Man.
Not to put too fine a point of this, but the clue is doubly misleading in the use of a 4-letter abbr (as there is a 4-letter abbr for Alberta). Now "Sas. neghbor" (which also doesn't exist) might imply it's non-existant mate Alb.
Isn't "Albany"'s airport ALB ?[checking] Why yes it is. There you have it. A factual, non-priestly clue, available at no charge.
Nit-picking aside, this was a puzzle I enjoyed and appreciate a lot.
The puzzle was likeable and fun, and a little harder than most Sunday LAT offerings. SIRROCOS, PAISANO, and KIBOSH were unusual to me.
Thanks again, PG.
Just finished it up, hadn't heard of WIFE OF BATH. I liked the cluing hadn't heard of SOOEY with the hogs otherwise a decent puzzle all around.
Again Bursztyn goes far afield with her clues. Too many pop culture/media fluff and few word knowledge clues. Stretching puns to the limit doesn't make them more clever, just inane! BORING
I had so much fun with this puzzle, and I totally agree with the neat-o cluing for SCHISM (and even just the fact that the word schism was in the puzzle! fun!) and little lower.
The theme was great too (though INFATUATED WITH is not something I really consider an expression that could fit among the others). All in all thoroughly enjoyable! (Can you tell, with all my exclamation points?)
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