Theme: "Pair Exchange" — Theme answers include a four-letter word whose first and last two letters have switched places, creating a new wacky phrase 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 today's syndicated puzzle.]
Theme answers:
- 24A: Peruvian bible story? (INCA AND ABEL).
- 47A: Peter the Great entertainer? (PERFORMING TSAR).
- 62A: Communicates in Navajo? (SPEAKS THE MESA LANGUAGE).
- 82A: Mortgage service for sailors? (SAINT ELMO'S REFI).
- 106A: Subdue a science? (TAME PHYSICS).
- 3D: Gateway for the triumphant? (TADA ENTRY).
- 14D: Tibetan daytime drama? (LHASA SOAP).
- 73D: New Zealand reference site? (KIWIPEDIA).
- 78D: Really big programs? (MEGA SHOWS).
Everything Else — 1A: Kill a bill (VETO); 5A: Massage center (SPA); 8A: Shore things (COASTS); 14A: Spartan queen (LEDA); 18A: Dash (ELAN); 19A: Fennel, for one (HERB); 21A: Magnetism (ALLURE); 22A: Wrong (HARM); 23A: Pheasant brood (NIDE); 26A: Perched on (ATOP); 27A: Resolute (DEADSET); 29A: Cuts into cubes (DICES); 30A: Loggins' rock-pop partner (MESSINA); 32A: Early "golly!" ("EGAD!"); 33A: Visnjic of "ER" (GORAN); 34A: Philosopher in "The Clouds" (SOCRATES); 35A: It can be funny or easy (MONEY); 37A: "--- Thro' the Rye" (COMIN'); 38A: Main arteries (AORTAS); 39A: Choose (OPT); 40A: Taken the wrong way? (STOLEN); 42A: Stockpile (AMASS); 43A: Quercine trees (OAKS); 50A: Butler portrayer (GABLE); 51A: Roy Rogers, n%C3%A9 Leonard --- (SLYE); 52A: WW II agcy. (OPA); 53A: Satirist Mort (SAHL); 54A: Like gift cards (PREPAID); 56A: Choral compositions (MOTETS); 59A: Beer bust buy (KEG); 60A: Long. crosser (LAT.); 61A: Seek a pardon? (BEG); 68A: She, in Lisbon (ELA); 69A: Prez after Harry (IKE); 70A: Hamelin critter (RAT); 71A: Small computers (MICROS); 72A: Driving gear? (CAR KEYS); 74A: Piques (IRES); 76A: I.M. the architect (PEI); 77A: Air condition? (SMOG); 81A: South American monkeys (TITIS); 85A: Winter fall (SNOW); 86A: Boat bottoms (KEELS); 88A: Do the Wright thing (AVIATE); 89A: Jupiter or Mars (GOD); 90A: Nile waders (IBISES); 92A: Sportscaster Musburger (BRENT); 93A: Feed on forage (GRAZE); 95A: Mammoth garb (SKI PANTS); 98A: "--- "bleu"!" (SACRE); 99A: Pairs (DUOS); 100A: Party party (CATERER); 101A: River of oblivion (LETHE); 102A: Did a slow burn (SEETHED); 105A: Between the sheets (ABED); 109A: Bar mitzvah dance (HORA); 110A: Hungarian sheepdog (PULI); 111A: Conceptualize (IDEATE); 112A: WW II atoll (TRUK); 113A: Skater Michelle (KWAN); 114A: First name in scat (ELLA); 115A: "Et tu?" asker (CAESAR); 116A: Infomercials (ADS); 117A: Greek peak (OSSA); 1D: Hawk (VEND); 2D: Nobelist Wiesel (ELIE); 4D: Jumpy (ON EDGE); 5D: Started (SHIED); 6D: Cooped (up) (PENT); 7D: Curve (ARC); 8D: Moulin Rouge dance (CAN-CAN); 9D: Of yore (OLDEN); 10D: Quaint plaint (ALAS); 11D: Temp (SUB); 12D: Small quakes (TREMORS); 13D: Chooses (SELECTS); 15D: 1984 Weird Al hit (EAT IT); 16D: Ongoing monotone (DRONE); 17D: Oscars org. (AMPAS); 20D: Poor portent (BAD OMEN); 25D: Broadcasts (AIRINGS); 28D: Approval power (SAY-SO); 31D: Managua Mrs. (SRA.); 33D: Big biblical baddie (GOLIATH); 34D: Fly high (SOAR); 35D: Beatlesque dos (MOPS); 36D: Autobahn auto (OPEL); 37D: Vies (COMPETES); 38D: Compound (AMALGAM); 41D: Bolshevik biggie (TROTSKY); 42D: Grate stuff (ASHES); 44D: Half an African capital (ABABA); 45D: Light on the set (KLIEG); 46D: Marsh rush (SEDGE); 48D: Disaster relief org. (FEMA); 49D: "Break time!" ("TAKE TEN!"); 50D: Square one (GET-GO); 54D: Single setting pad (PLACEMAT); 55D: Went wild (RAN RIOT); 57D: Steinbeck migrants (OKIES); 58D: Daytime dramas (SERIALS); 62D: Faith factions (SECTS); 63D: No-frills (PLAIN); 64D: Keep an --- the ground (EAR TO); 65D: Mantle teammate (MARIS); 66D: Gloss application guide (LIP LINE); 67D: Cold War inits. (USSR); 75D: Prim (STARCHY); 79D: Garland movie ending (OF OZ); 80D: "The Immoralist" author (GIDE); 82D: Realizes (SEES); 83D: Hillary's conquest (EVEREST); 84D: Smooth move (SEGUE); 86D: Motion-related (KINETIC); 87D: He played Ponch (ESTRADA); 91D: Joint in many a joke (BAR); 92D: Pool patron (BATHER); 94D: Latvian-born artist Mark (ROTHKO); 95D: Suffix with sea or city (-SCAPE); 96D: Capital by the Hindu Kush (KABUL); 97D: "Wait 'til --- your father!" (I TELL); 98D: Nasal membranes (SEPTA); 99D: Roll-tops (DESKS); 101D: Pasturelands (LEAS); 102D: Gulf War missile (SCUD); 103D: Prominent periods (ERAS); 104D: Elcar or Carvey (DANA); 107D: Thai dish --- krob (MEE); 108D: Keogh kin (IRA).
3 comments:
No comments!? All right I did the puzzle and there was some "interesting" fill in it such as ROTHKO, MESSINA ( I thought I knew all there was to know about Kenny Loggins) crossing AMPAS, and TRUK.
Overall a pretty fun theme and the pairs made it a bit different from other switcheroos I've seen.
Gateway for the triumphant? (TADA ENTRY).
Piss poor.
I liked the theme -- and couldn't have solved the puzzle without it. Favourites: SPEAKING THE MESA LANGUAGE, INCA AND ABEL, and PERFORMING TSAR.
With TA*AENTRY already filled in, I had to physically retype it wrong into the puzzle, with the pairs unswapped, to *see* "data", then reswap them in my head to confirm -- and then LOL.
Here are three MOPS, er, PULIs. PULIiiize, doesn't that just crack you up? Love the tongue!
@David: Heh. That's about the only thing I do know about Kenny Loggins. "Your Mama Don't Dance", by Loggins and Messina. Oh, and didn't he and Stevie Nicks do a song together? Yup: "Whenever I Call You Friend" (1978).
Post a Comment