SUNDAY, February 21, 2010 — Sylvia Bursztyn

Theme: "I Long for U" — Familiar phrases have U sounds replaced with long I sounds, creating wacky phrases which are 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:

• 21A: Opera about spellbinding stairs? (THE MAGIC FLIGHT [flute]).
• 37A: Mensa, perhaps? (BRIGHT [brute] FORCE).
• 54A: Frost in the West Indies? (JAMAICA RIME [rum]).
• 74A: Billboard mogul? (THE SIGN [Sun] KING).
• 92A: Taste the Treasure State? (BITE [Butte,] MONTANA).
• 109A: Pattern for Lance Armstrong? (PASSING THE BIKE [buck]).
• 15D: Sights at rural wrecking yards? (TRACTOR PILES [pulls]).
• 58D: Plays charades? (MIMES [mum's] THE WORD).

Everything Else — 1A: Delight (PLEASE); 7A: Beginning of time? (CHRON); 12A: Take stock? (RUSTLE); 18A: Goes places (TRAVELS); 19A: Kind of officer or offering (PEACE); 20A: "Julie & Julia" director (EPHRON); 23A: Malleable (PLIANT); 24A: Ascended (ROSE); 25A: "If you build --- will come" (IT HE); 26A: Bit of baby talk (GOO); 27A: Voice master Mel (BLANC); 28A: Ring settings (ARENAS); 30A: Mr. Yale (ELIHU); 32A: Soccer ball brand (VOIT); 33A: Light touch (TAP); 36A: Mint pieces (CENTS); 39A: Cray or pay ender (-OLA); 40A: "Dig in!" (EAT); 41A: "--- tree falls ..." (IF A); 43A: Con opener (NEO-); 44A: Judy's daughter (LIZA); 45A: Fresh kid (BRAT); 46A: Subterfuge (RUSE); 48A: More gelid (ICIER); 50A: Circle of light (HALO); 51A: Blue Grotto spot (CAPRI); 52A: "Numskulls!" ("MORONS!"); 56A: About to happen (IMMINENT); 59A: Film's mystery villain Keyser (SOZE); 60A: Fa follower (SOL); 61A: Memorial designer Maya (LIN); 62A: Sent off (MAILED); 63A: Most svelte (LEANEST); 66A: Least nasty (NICEST); 68A: Cub tail? (-ISM); 69A: --- long way (GO A); 71A: Kissers (MUGS); 72A: Shunned ones (OUTCASTS); 77A: Advice for the fixated (MOVE ON); 78A: He played Potsie (ANSON); 79A: NPR's Totenberg (NINA); 80A: Former embryo (FETUS); 81A: Pouches (SACS); 85A: Squirts (TOTS); 86A: Parcel (out) (METE); 87A: Beer bust buy (KEG); 88A: OCS grads (LTS.); 90A: Interstice (GAP); 91A: Ordinal suffix (-ETH); 95A: You are here (EARTH); 97A: Wallace of "E.T." (DEE); 98A: Picnic spoilers (ANTS); 99A: Salami variety (COTTO); 100A: Bündchen of the runway (GISELE); 101A: "The Canterville Ghost" writer (WILDE); 103A: Hoot (GAS); 104A: York's river (OUSE); 106A: Estate's rights party? (HEIR); 107A: Dwellings (ABODES); 112A: Oscar winner Matlin (MARLEE); 113A: Antigone's uncle (CREON); 114A: United, for one (AIRLINE); 115A: Start a paragraph (INDENT); 116A: Assignation (TRYST); 117A: Stressful (TRYING); 1D: Stages shows (PRESENTS); 2D: Sing the blues (LAMENT); 3D: Mendes of the movies (EVA); 4D: Auspices (AEGIS); 5D: Open letters (SLIT); 6D: Artist M.C. (ESCHER); 7D: Pvt.'s superior (CPL.); 8D: Disney dwarfs' song (HEIGH-HO); 9D: Goulash kin (RAGOUT); 10D: "Dos" cubed (OCHO); 11D: Take home (NET); 12D: Facsimile (REPLICA); 13D: Watching Craig Ferguson, say (UP LATE); 14D: Tibia (SHIN); 16D: Actor Chaney (LON); 17D: Tolkien creature (ENT); 18D: "Walden" author (THOREAU); 21D: Bullet with a trail (TRACER); 22D: Cougars and others (FELINES); 27D: Russian wolfhounds (BORZOIS); 29D: Do-say link (AS I); 31D: Disney head Robert (IGER); 32D: "There!", to Pierre (VOILÀ); 34D: Chicken Little, for one (ALARMIST); 35D: Hospital's charges (PATIENTS); 37D: Actor with six degrees (BACON); 38D: Sweeties (FLAMES); 42D: Andiron (FIREDOG); 45D: Where to take a shot (BAR); 47D: Pianist Gilels (EMIL); 49D: Worldwide, for short (INTL.); 50D: Visibility hindrances (HAZES); 51D: Coarse cotton cloth (CALICO); 53D: Pushkin's Eugene (ONEGIN); 54D: Mah- --- (JONGG); 55D: Match (CONTEST); 56D: Copied (IMITATED); 57D: Billet-doux (MASH NOTE); 59D: Sweat spot (SAUNA); 64D: "8 Mile" rap star (EMINEM); 65D: Spree (TOOT); 67D: Axes (CANS); 70D: An original Mouseketeer (ANNETTE); 73D: Tonsil neighbor (UVULA); 75D: Brillo shelfmate (SOS); 76D: Toys with tails (KITES); 77D: Explosive unit (MEGATON); 80D: "Star Wars" character Boba (FETT); 82D: In accord (AGREEING); 83D: Like cougars and others (CATLIKE); 84D: Field (SPHERE); 86D: Bent (MINDSET); 87D: Minoan civilization center (KNOSSOS); 89D: "Due" three times (SEI); 92D: Whalebone (BALEEN); 93D: Abbey Theatre luminary (O'CASEY); 94D: See's treat (NOUGAT); 96D: Rubbish receptacle (ASHBIN); 100D: Architect Frank (GEHRY); 102D: Baseless (IDLE); 103D: Teri of "Tootsie" (GARR); 105D: Hubbub (STIR); 107D: Pal, to Stendhal (AMI); 108D: Outlaw (BAN); 109D: Agt.'s cut (PCT.); 110D: QB's stat (INT.); 111D: "The Book of ---" (ELI).