SUNDAY, November 15, 2009Merl Reagle

Theme: "Homophone Syllables" — Let's see ... how do I explain this? Theme answers are words that have part of their spelling changed to create a new wacky word that sounds like the original word. The new spelling in each word isn't random, though. The new spelling is an word in itself which, of course, is what creates the wackiness. Whew. Orange should be along any minute with a concise description of this theme.

[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:

• 21A: Category the Pentagon uses instead of "other"? (MISSILEANEOUS) [miscellaneous]
• 32A: Process of growing grass for cows? (PASTUREIZATION) [pasteurization]
• 41A: Habit of giving your word to everybody but never keeping it? (PROMISECUITY) [promiscuity]
• 50A: Social system under which nothing ever gets better? (FUTILEISM) [feudalism]
• 63A: The fan mail that backup singers get? (CHORUSPONDENCE) [correspondence]
• 72A: Organically grown herbal medicines? (FARMACEUTICALS) [pharmaceuticals]
• 83A: Of an age when pork and mutton were pretty much all you ate? (MEATYEVAL) [medieval]
• 91A: Having a sweet taste that kind of sneaks up on you? (SYRUPTITIOUS) [surreptitious]
• 104A: Contemptuous of rubdowns done by women? (MASSAGEYNISTIC) [misogynistic]
• 118A: Pertaining to puzzle events that benefit charities? (FILLINTHROPIC) [philanthropic]

Wow, pointing out the original words was kind of a spelling test for me. The only I had any real trouble with was medieval. I know the I-before-E rule, but for some reason I always think this word is an exception. And I'm always wrong. Anyway, this was a fun theme with fun clues. In other words, good stuff — pretty much what we expect from Merl. I had trouble in the ULU / LUCA / FUSEL area (58A: Knife for Nanook / 59D: Vito's ill-fated thug / 50D: Fermentation product, ___ oil). Was it just me, or did that seem kind of harsh? I feel like I should know ULU — it shows up in the cruciverb.com data base 14 times — but the L and the U were total guesses for me today.

Quick hits:

• 12A: Cousin of a clog (SABOT). Learned it from crosswords.
• 17A: More like fresh cake (MOISTER). I do not like the word moist. Unsurprisingly, I also do not like the word moister.
• 18A: Elroy's dog (ASTRO). From the Jetsons cartoon.
• 25A: Old electrical unit that's 31 Down backward (MHO). Sometimes Merl puts an iffy answer in the grid, but then gives you a hint about it in the clue so that it's still gettable. (31D is OHM [Resistance unit].)
• 48A: Subj. with projects (SCI.). PuzzleSon created a model of an oxygen atom just yesterday for a fifth-grade science project.
• 70A: Some with obscene controversial salaries (CEOS).
• 115A: Radical '70s grp. (SLA). Hey, another radical political group from the past!

• 123A: Skunk's defence (ODOUR). The british spelling of defence in the clue hints at the British spelling in the answer.
• 125A: Type of rehab (DETOX). I don't know. To me detox and rehab are two different things.
• 7D: Intro to "is it hot!" (MAN). Love this kind of clue/answer, which you see a lot in Merl's puzzles.
• 13D: Ball's guy (ARNAZ). Note to the reader who wants to comment that it's supposed to be spelled Arnez: No, it's not.
• 17D: Hanson's smash single of 1997 (MMMBOP). I have never knowingly heard this song. I thought about posting the video here but I decided not to. You're welcome.
• 69D: Rocket from Roddick (SERVE). Tennis great Andy Roddick.
• 75D: Ali, before (CLAY). In 1964, Cassius Clay changed his name to Muhammad Ali.

Everything Else — 1A: Imagined (DREAMT); 7A: Iraq's second largest city (MOSUL); 19A: See 12 Down (ARABIA); 23A: Separates (UNLINKS); 26A: Tributes in verse (ODES); 27A: Self-serving aims, often (AGENDAS); 29A: Test, as patience (TRY); 30A: Back, as a horse (BET ON); 36A: Inauguration recital (OATH); 37A: Padre's compadre, e.g. (AMIGO); 39A: Grate stuff (ASH); 40A: Actress Hathaway (ANNE); 44A: Performs deep-tissue manipulation on (ROLFS); 49A: "Livin' Thing" band (ELO); 54A: NASCAR city, ___ Beach (DAYTONA); (ULU); 60A: Shoe part (TOE); 61A: Intro to "you're swell" (GEE); 62A: Best (FINEST); 68A: Erstwhile GM brand (OLDS); 69A: Sow chow (SLOP); 71A: Tawdry gossip (DIRT); 76A: Subsides (ABATES); 78A: Beehive State athlete (UTE); 79A: Clinger to a hiker's sock (BUR); 80A: This may shock you (EEL); 81A: Pepcid rival (TAGAMET); 86A: The Braves, on scoreboards (ATL); 89A: Cigarette hazard (TAR); 90A: Odometer button (RESET); 97A: Away from the wind (ALEE); 100A: Carrere of "True Lies" (TIA); 102A: It has a wet floor (OCEAN); 103A: Word after glom (ONTO); 109A: Slow critter (SNAIL); 110A: Band buy (AMP); 111A: Thrusting move, in fencing (PASSADO); 112A: Ludacris song, "___ Fool" (ACT A); 116A: Some perfect throws (SPIRALS); 122A: NutraSweet's developer (SEARLE); 124A: Fully grasp (REALIZE); 126A: Percussion instruments (GONGS); 127A: Group with a whip (SENATE); 1D: Auctioneer's query (DO I HEAR); 2D: Pasta alternative (RISOTTO); 3D: Priest's ending (-ESS); 4D: Plant's ending (-ATION); 5D: Rummy laydown (MELD); 6D: "Eater" of Charlie Brown's kite (TREE); 8D: Sugar suffix (-OSE); 9D: Summer ermine (STOAT); 10D: "Well, you go ___ and I'll go mine" (Groucho) (URUGUAY); 11D: Perennial failures (LOSERS); 12D: With 19 Across, an oil-rich nation (SAUDI); 14D: Model airplane wood (BALSA); 15D: Samurai's sash (OBI); 16D: Internationally popular comic book character created by Belgian artist Hergé (TINTIN); 20D: Rubber hub (AKRON); 22D: Molded jelly (ASPIC); 24D: Lang follower (SYNE); 28D: P.M. whose jacket caught on (NEHRU); 33D: Malaria symptom (AGUE); 34D: Potting need (SOIL); 35D: Hit with a stun gun (TASE); 37D: Tie type (ASCOT); 38D: Words after count or let (MEIN); 42D: Cult followers? (-ISTS); 43D: Military stint (TOUR); 45D: Von Bismarck et al. (OTTOS); 46D: Safari sighting (LION); 47D: Skipped town (FLED); 51D: Put a match to (IGNITE); 52D: Undercover (SECRET); 53D: Has a powwow (with) (MEETS); 54D: Make wider (DILATE); 55D: TV journalist Mitchell (ANDREA); 56D: Tom Sawyer affirmative (YES'M); 57D: Rights defender (ACLU); 62D: "Fe fi" followers (FO FUM); 64D: Place to stay (HOTEL); 65D: Small-town boy (OPIE); 66D: Sentry's place (POST); 67D: Dutch cheese (EDAM); 73D: "Rock-___ Baby" (A-BYE); 74D: Acting signals (CUES); 76D: One more time (AGAIN); 77D: Ms. Krabappel's nemesis (BART); 82D: "___ boy!" (ATTA); 84D: Very, to Veronique (TRÈS); 85D: Lawyers: abbr. (ATTYS.); 87D: Brisk pace (TROT); 88D: Presidential daughter, ___ Baines Johnson (LUCI); 91D: Tied the knot (SAID I DO); 92D: Pie nut (PECAN); 93D: It's not free of charge (ION); 94D: Ready for roasting, rotisserie-style (ON A SPIT); 95D: Use (UTILIZE); 96D: Comfort (SOLACE); 97D: Latin 101 word (AMAS); 98D: Table pieces (LAMPS); 99D: Spotted (ESPIED); 101D: Out of it (IN A FOG); 105D: To smithereens (APART); 106D: Mondavi rival (GALLO); 107D: Elizabeth I's love (ESSEX); 108D: Athenian lawgiver (SOLON); 109D: It's a wrap (SARAN); 113D: Community bldgs. (CTRS.); 114D: Pilgrim's pronoun (THEE); 117D: "Norma ___" (RAE); 119D: Haul (LUG); 120D: Treasury Dept. arm (IRS); 121D: Pay or Cray ending (-OLA).