Theme: "Pet Food" — Animal/food puns!
[Note: This is the syndicated L.A. Times puzzle. It does not appear in the actual newspaper, but is available for free at cruciverb.com.]
Theme answers:
- 23A: Duck's snack? (GRAHAM QUACKER).
- 38A: Canary's cereal? (SHREDDED TWEET).
- 71A: Dog's creamer? (ARF AND ARF).
- 101A: Owl's beverage? (HOOT CHOCOLATE).
- 122A: Chick's first course? (SPLIT PEEP SOUP).
- 3D: Sheep's eggplant dish? (BAA BAA GHANOUJ).
- 59D: Cow's dessert? (RASPBERRY MOOS).
Everything Else — 1A: Outback developer (SUBARU); 7A: Like students on finals eve (UP LATE); 13A: Turn over with faith (ENTRUST); 20A: Pain relief brand (ANACIN); 21A: Bit of inclemency (SHOWER); 22A: Have advance knowledge of, as the future (SEE INTO); 25A: Crossword whose answers contain all 26 letters, e.g. (PANGRAM); 26A: Jeer (GIBE); 27A: Play narrated by a stage manager (OUR TOWN); 28A: Half of a Pacific island (BORA); 29A: Supermarket ID (UPC); 30A: Ecol. watchdog (EPA); 31A: Give and take (SWAP); 32A: Je t'__: I love you, in France (AIME); 34A: __ Wafers (NILLA); 36A: Blind alley (DEAD END); 42A: 1998 biopic about model Carangi (GIA); 43A: Camelot charger (STEED); 45A: Like sirens (SEXY); 46A: Long-shot winners defy them (ODDS); 47A: B-flat equivalent (A SHARP); 50A: Hog meat (HAM); 51A: Stair posts (NEWELS); 53A: "Alice in Wonderland" (2010) star Wasikowska (MIA); 54A: A loose one can trip you up (SHOELACE); 57A: Garden party hiree (CATERER); 62A: Hog hangouts (PENS); 64A: Film with Bond girl Honey Ryder (DR. NO); 65A: Jason's ship (ARGO); 68A: 1998 Olympics city (NAGANO); 69A: Beak (SNOOT); 74A: Cavaradossi's lover (TOSCA); 75A: Fresh (UNUSED); 77A: Picked do (AFRO); 78A: Aptly named beam (Z-BAR); 80A: Jacuzzis (SPAS); 81A: Lounging garb (PAJAMAS); 83A: Diner on a hill (ANTEATER); 86A: NYC subway line named for two boroughs (BMT); 87A: Cue (PROMPT); 90A: Like 20-Across, briefly (OTC); 91A: __ femoris: thigh muscle (BICEPS); 93A: It may be filled with Londonderry air (TYRE); 97A: Van Gogh's confidant brother (THEO); 98A: Early Teutons (GOTHS); 100A: Mastodon preserver (TAR); 104A: Bunkers and streams, to golfers (HAZARDS); 108A: Actress Rene (RUSSO); 109A: Signed note (CHIT); 110A: Snug and comfy (COZY); 111A: Even so (YET); 112A: Fury (IRE); 113A: Facetious "Not funny" ("HA HA"); 116A: Third degree of a musical scale (MEDIANT); 119A: Uma's role in "The Avengers" (EMMA); 120A: Demand to be free (LET ME GO); 124A: Not metaphorical (LITERAL); 125A: Tube (TEEVEE); 126A: Service station feature, briefly (C-STORE); 127A: Regal (STATELY); 128A: Garden tools (EDGERS); 129A: Equilibria (STASES); 1D: Declined (SAGGED); 2D: Like some green tomatoes (UNRIPE); 4D: 20-Across target (ACHE); 5D: Estuary (RIA); 6D: Going to seed, as grass (UNMOWN); 7D: Grab, as power (USURP); 8D: "Cool" relative (PHAT); 9D: In __ parentis (LOCO); 10D: Like most early adolescents (AWKWARD); 11D: ___ Beanies: little stuffed animals (TEENIE); 12D: Muff a grounder (ERR); 13D: Hockey's Phil, to fans (ESPO); 14D: Close (NEAR); 15D: One paying a flat fee? (TENANT); 16D: Fix (RIG); 17D: Like printer paper (UNRULED); 18D: Attached, as paper (STAPLED); 19D: Alley prowlers (TOMCATS); 24D: Thigh muscles (QUADS); 28D: Moisten, poetically (BEDEW); 31D: Browns in a pan (SEARS); 33D: Gds. (MDSE.); 35D: Noted WWII photo site, briefly (IWO); 37D: Diego's day (DIA); 38D: Blockade (SEAL OFF); 39D: Blood: Pref. (HEMA-); 40D: Biz boss (EXEC); 41D: Poet Thomas (DYLAN); 44D: Powerful D.C. lobby (THE NRA); 47D: Intensifies (AMPS UP); 48D: Earth shade (SIENNA); 49D: Third deg.? (PH.D.); 51D: Computer geek, e.g. (NERD); 52D: ER "Right away!" ("STAT!"); 55D: Vivaldi's hour (ORA); 56D: Pachelbel's "__ in D Major" (CANON); 58D: They may need stroking (EGOS); 60D: Bivouac (ENCAMP); 61D: Facetious tributes (ROASTS); 63D: Former Cub star (SOSA); 66D: Martha's Vineyard paper since 1846 (GAZETTE); 67D: "Law & Order" actor (ORBACH); 70D: ER stat (TEMP); 72D: What the suspicious smell (A RAT); 73D: Full of flab (FAT); 76D: Sith lord's title (DARTH); 79D: Lee follower (REB); 82D: Trendy London area (SOHO); 84D: Honk (TOOT); 85D: Posh (RITZY); 88D: Much-visited place (MECCA); 89D: Bear in a red shirt (POOH); 92D: 1880s pres. monogram (CAA); 93D: Pulse quickeners (THRILLS); 94D: Touching comment? (YOU'RE IT); 95D: Stone name (ROSETTA); 96D: Visitors from afar, for short (ETS); 98D: Drop leaf support (GATE LEG); 99D: Stood out (SHONE); 102D: Stick (COHERE); 103D: Favored a foot (LIMPED); 105D: Montezuma's people (AZTECS); 106D: Coyly decorous (DEMURE); 107D: Middle ear bone (STAPES); 110D: Bull attractors (CAPES); 114D: "__ in Calico": Crosby song (A GAL); 115D: Blessed (HOLY); 117D: Ring pretense (DIVE); 118D: Old Roman road (ITER); 119D: "¿Cómo __?" (ESTÁ); 121D: Strawberry, in the '80s (MET); 122D: Véronique, e.g.: Abbr. (STE.); 123D: L.A. hours (PST).
5 comments:
Ok, I’m easily amused. Even puns. I was amused by the puns. But good grief, some of the fill must have ruined those poor animals’ appetites.
126A CSTORE?! C’mon, really? Act of desperation?
The only way 70D “ER stat” and 52D “ER ‘Right away!’” in the same grid could be any uglier is if the answer to 70D had been RIGHT AWAY.
And what’s “Aptly named” about a 78A Z-BAR, other than its cross-section—which distinguishes it how from an I-BAR or a T-BAR or whatever?
Though there’s nothing crossword-wrong with 100A “Mastodon preserver” = BREA, as long as I’m already riding around on my huffy bike I’ll cavil. TAR only preserves the bones. I started with ICE, which preserves hair, organs, DNA, all that good stuff.
Happy Mothers Day one and all.
Years ago, on the 1972 TEE VEE show Banacek, George Peppard's character looks at one of the perps who is doing the NYT Crossword and said "ITER, Roman Road is ITER." I started doing these shortly thereafter and have never forgotten the word.
Had the GAZETTE and RITZY first, so that ZBAR & TAR, as discussed by @Lit.doc never crossed my mind as bad fill.
Liked that ANACIN crossed the ACHE.
Diner on a hill, ANTEATER, and SEXY sirens were my fave.
PANGRAM in a pangram, or a sentence.
"Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs."
The Avatar wants them to be Pinch.
Couldn't suss out BAABAAGANOUJ, as I didn't know how to spell it and didn't know GIA Carangi or MIA Wasikowska and didn't care to Google them.
THENRA isn't good.
I just didn't much like this one.
@Van55
Ba Ba Ghanouj is a dish you either know or you don't. With the sheep BAA BAA I thought it was cute. but a little obscure.
Personally, I only knew it because of a 3 week consulting job in the Middle East about 10 years ago. Looked at the spelling (thought WTF?) but was sure of the crosses.
With only 5 across themes (2 down) I thought for a Sunday the puzzle was a little thin.
Happy Mothers Day to all the moms.
I liked this puzzle.
Very cute little puns for pet foods.
The puzzle was well constructed and most of the fill was pretty good.
This was a difficult puzzle for me to solve... it took me awhile, but I did finish it 100% correct AND WITH NO HELPERS whatsoever. I'm proud that I never had to Google anything.
As for BAA BAA GHANOUJ, there are many many variants in its spelling.
Baba Ghanoush, Baba Ghanouj, Baba Ghannouj, Baba Ganuj, Baba Ghannoug, and many more. According to my best friend Gamil (who is from Egypt), it's بابا غنوج (bābā ġanūj). Note the long A's. Hardly the way sheep pronounce BAA BAA.
Actually this is a pretty tasty dish regardless of how you pronounce it.
Not sure I get the ARF AND ARF pun. Is that supposed to be Half and Half? If so, thats quite a stretch.
Best clue: "Earth shade" (SIENNA). I use this pigment a lot in my paintings, but I kept thinking of the shadow of the earth, like some sort of eclipse phenom. Duh!
Worst clue: "Service station feature" (CSTORE).
Best two entries (non-theme):
STAPES "Middle ear bone".
TYRE "It may be filled with Londonderry air".
A great play by Thornton Wilder made even greater with---
Paul Newman as Stage Manager in "OUR TOWN".
Okay, much as I hate this substitute for "Cool!", I'm gonna say this puzz is PHAT!!!!
BTW, it's a sacrilege to say that Uma Thurman's role was EMMA Peel in the "Avengers".
EMMA PEEL IS ONLY DIANA RIGG. Period! It is interesting that we also see Mister STEED in 43A.
Well I think I'll go see whats on the old TEE VEE.
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