Sunday, December 18, 2022, Brad Wiegmann

Posted by admin on Dec 18, 2022

"It's a Mouse!"

CC's had a bit of a busy week, so she asked me if I would step up and take this chore off her to-do list. TTP had the tougher task -- trying to put my mess into publishable shape. Super job, TTP, you pulled the wool over their eyes, making me look like I knew what I was doing.

Brad Wiegmann is no stranger to crosswords, though he shows up more frequently at "that other newspaper" than in the L.A.T. From what I can tell, he last showed up here on September 5th, 2021.

It's a mouse! (Eek!) The theme entries end in different spellings, but each has a distinctive "EEK" sound. Your task is to strip the K sound away to discover the in-the-language seed phrases.

22. One who's a really big fan of promos and trailers?: COMMERCIAL FREAK. Commercial-free

39. Go along with harsh criticism of an ancient Athenian?: AGREE TO DIS A GREEK. Agree to Disgree -- my favorite themer.

46. Annual stint at a Buckingham Palace timeshare?: THE ROYAL WEEK. The Royal We

66. Story about a Disney girl who climbs Mount Everest?: THE PRINCESS AND THE PEAK. The Princess and the Pea

86. Expensive block for a woodworking apprentice?: PRACTICE TEAK.

93. Poultry dish served in a Punjabi restaurant?: CHICKEN OF THE SIKH. Chicken of the Sea. Second favorite themer.

117. Shop selling gold earrings and bandanas?: PIRATE'S BOUTIQUE. Pirate's Booty

The long themers didn't leave a lot of room for lengthy non-theme answers. Still, there's some nice stuff here.

Across:

1. Unwelcome omens: BAD SIGNS.

9. Sussed (out): DOPED.

14. WWII sea threat: U-BOAT.

19. Pollution legislation goal: CLEAN AIR.

20. NutraSweet developer: SEARLE.

There was quite a controversy about Searle's Aspartame (NutraSweet) product

21. Bankrolls: FUNDS.

22. [Theme answer]

24. Store employee: CLERK. My first gainful employment was CLERKing at the only drug store in our small town.

25. Walk heavily: STOMP. Reminds me of this old New Christy Minstrels song. STOMP appears at the one-minute mark.

26. Untruth: LIE.

27. "Your guide to a better future" site: CNET.

29. Best of the best, initially: GOAT. Greatest of all time.

30. Balance sheet abbr.: YTD. Year-to-Date

32. Styling aid: POMADE. Did you also think of George Clooney in O Brother, Where Art Thou? Warning: Strong language.

34. Weighs on: HAUNTS.

36. Main squeeze: BAE. I was surprised to find that this entry has made it into Merriam-Webster. "US Slang: Sweetheart, baby."

39. [Theme answer]

43. Like granita and 42-Down: ICY. Or Icee

44. Plum kin: SLOE.

Because the berries are added prior to distilling, Sloe Gin can be a perfectly clear liquid.

45. Completely overhauled: REDONE.

46. [Theme answer]

51. Attributed: CREDITED.

56. Leaf under a petal: SEPAL. If you say so. D-o only attended one day of H.S. Biology class.

57. Fat used in baking: LARD.

58. Lyft alternative: CAB.

59. Lyft offer: RIDE.

60. Apple device that might have a Smart Cover: IPAD.

62. Mauna __: LOA. Still erupting. It's the largest active volcano on earth.

63. Minecraft resources: ORES.

65. Sea eagles: ERNS. Hello again, old cw friend.

66. [Theme answer]

72. Brazos River city: WACO. Made famous by David Koresh as well as Chip and Joanna Gaines.

73. Fellows: GUYS.

74. Trail mix morsel: NUT. Was thinking OAT.

75. Harbor, perhaps: ABET. Verb, not noun.

76. Hardly __: rarely: EVER.

77. Lily of France garment: BRA. Was not familiar with this brand, but Wal-Mart sells 'em.

78. Periods often named for leaders: ERAS.

80. Seal sounds: BARKS. Not root beer.

83. "1984" superstate: EAST ASIA.

86. [Theme answer]

89. Gershwin classic: SWANEE. Seems like a good excuse to link another Gershwin classic: Rhapsody in Blue performed by Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.

91. "Sunday Night Baseball" analyst, familiarly: A-ROD. Alex Rodriguez, so I'm told.

92. Oscar winner Mahershala: ALI. According to Britannica.com, "American actor who rose to prominence in the 2010s and won an Academy Award for his moving and nuanced performance as the fatherly drug dealer Juan in the film Moonlight (2016)."

93. [Theme answer]

100. Study: DEN.

101. State of rest: REPOSE. Immediately evoked this track from the Chad Mitchell Trio. REPOSE appears at about the 40 second mark.

102. Didn't work out: FAILED.

103. "Not buying it": NAH.

106. Aloha Tower island: OAHU. With 4 letters, it's gotta be either MAUI or OAHU.

107. Dog who visits Oz: TOTO.

110. NFL scores: TDs.

111. Springs: LEAPS. Verb, not noun.

115. Embellish: ADORN. When the truth is embellished, it becomes a 26a.

117. [Theme answer]

122. Mozart's "Così fan __": TUTTE. Opera. According to classicfm.com, "Two soldiers, Ferrando and Guglielmo, bet that their girlfriends will always be faithful; philosopher Don Alfonso persuades them he can prove otherwise. So, in ridiculous disguises, the military men seek to trick Fiordiligi and Dorabella..."

123. Buck horn: ANTLER. Yes, deer.

124. Words said with an eyeroll: I'M SO SURE. Got it, but don't understand it.

125. Informal "What if ... ": S'POSE. D-o's speech tends to be informal. You've probably never noticed.

126. Surgical beam: LASER.

127. Jazz headliners?: NBA STARS. Utah Jazz.

Down:

1. Confidentially informs: BCCS. Blind carbon copy -- archaic, but still used for email.

2. Often: A LOT.

3. Trial version: DEMO. Could'a been BETA.

4. Hagar of Van Halen: SAMMY.

5. Bumbling: INEPT.

6. Needlefish: GAR. Old-timey cw c/a.

7. Actor Cage, informally: NIC.

It's spelled Nicolas. He's the nephew of movie director Francis Ford Coppola.

8. __ Lanka: SRI. Formerly Ceylon.

9. Take down: DEFEAT. Not to write.

10. Lock insert: OAR. Had to Wite-Out my KEY.

11. Pave the way for: PRECEDE.

12. Panache: ELAN. Another cw oldie goldie.

13. Feint on the ice: DEKE.

14. Mixed martial arts org.: UFC. Ultimate Fighting Championship.

15. Tabbouleh wheat: BULGUR. I would've bet it was spelled with an A. D'oh.

16. Low tie: ONE-ONE. About as low as you can get.

17. Cost for an online pop-up, e.g.: AD RATE.

18. "Shame on you!": TSK, TSK.

20. Goo made at home with glue, food coloring, and saline solution: SLIME.

23. Lotion additive: ALOE.

28. Scottish feudal lord: THANE. That was the middle name of one of my college roomies. His last name was Scottish, too.

31. "The Voice" host Carson: DALY. I've never imbibed.

32. Green shampoo: PRELL.

33. Nerdy sort: DORK. Raj of TBBT comes to mind. Howard, too. Also, Leonard. And Sheldon. Not Penny.

35. Like much brandy: AGED. Have you ever heard of un-aged brandy?

36. Routine parts: BITS.

37. Tylenol target: ACHE.

38. See-through devices?: EYEPIECES.

40. Smallest state in India: GOA.

And there's 8d at the bottom of the map.

41. Security checkpoint request: ID CARD.

42. Granita kin: SORBET. When is it SORBET and when is it SHERBET?

44. Pool-heating option: SOLAR.

47. Bond that promotes easy communication: RAPPORT. Not James.

48. Polish Solidarity hero Lech: WALESA. Anyone else try to spell it with a V?

49. Mythical matchmaker: EROS.

50. Lou Grant player: ED ASNER. Do you remember him as the morally conflicted ship captain in Roots? He won an Emmy for the role

52. "To reiterate ... ": I REPEAT. As I said...

53. Goodyear surface: TIRE TREAD.

54. Novelist O'Brien: EDNA.

55. Workstation: DESK.

58. Claritin rival: CONTAC Didn't realize it was still around.

61. Archaeological site: DIG.

64. __ cha beef: stir-fry dish: SHA. The only SHA d-o knows is Sha Na Na.

66. Oh-so-precious: TWEE. British.

67. "__ Nagila": HAVA. Hava Nagila. Have two nagilas, they're very small.

68. Africa's __ Desert: eastern region of the Sahara: NUBIAN.

69. 2021 title role for Peter Dinklage: CYRANO.

                                                       He played it without the nose.

70. Vibe: AURA.

71. Died down: EBBED.

79. Unflappable: STAID. I wanted STOIC here.

81. Leaves in smoothies: KALE. You're free to enjoy my share.

82. Hide: SKIN. Noun, not verb.

84. Makes a request: ASKS.

85. Like dessert wines: SWEET.

86. Fur-protesting gp.: PETA. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Who could be opposed to that?

87. Irritate: IRK.

88. Sportscaster Linda: COHN.

90. Sincere attempts: EFFORTS.

93. Dalmatians, e.g.: CROATS. Dalmatia is on the Adriatic coast of Croatia.

94. Be in charge of: HEAD UP.

95. Old Apple app for pics: iPHOTO.

96. Woos: COURTS.

97. Player who doesn't mind making bloopers?: HITTER. Baseball talk, methinks.

98. Church leader: ELDER.

99. Brief meeting?: SESS. Session.

104. Singers below mezzo-sopranos: ALTOS.

105. "Money __": Spanish TV drama: HEIST.

108. Fall birthstone: OPAL.

109. Fey of "Mean Girls": TINA.

112. Bluish hue: AQUA.

113. Copy cats?: PURR. You need to think about this one.

114. Spots: SEES.

116. Once named: NEE.

118. Blonde __: ALE.

119. Recycling __: BIN.

120. Govt. fiscal monitor: OMB. Office of Management and Budget

121. Mex. neighbor: USA. Duh.

Here's the grid:

We're all missing Boomer. C.C. is undoubtedly exhausted after this week. Here's hoping she can get in some relax time this coming week and will be ready to emcee next week's Sunday puzzle.

Desper-otto out.