Constructed by: Grant Thackray
Edited by: Will Shortz
Today’s Theme (according to Bill): Spoonering
Themed answers are spoonerisms, and all have two words in the format -ING -ER:
- 16A Grocery store worker on the days leading up to Thanksgiving? : STUFFING STOCKER (from “stocking stuffer”)
- 25A Pamphlets on how to use marinara? : SAUCING FLYERS (from “flying saucers”)
- 45A Bookie? : BETTING GETTER (from “getting better”)
- 60A Devices that help dentists monitor anesthesia? : NUMBING TRACKERS (from “tracking numbers”)
Bill’s time: 9m 00s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
My wife and I are in Ireland right now, for Christmas and to start off the New Year with family. I just managed to slip away to solve the puzzle, and write up this abbreviated post. I will get to the full post just as soon as I can.
Thank you for your understanding.
Bill
Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 Royal Catherine : PARR
5 All-day, in a way : AM/PM
9 Rides : NAGS
13 Agave lookalike : ALOE
14 Spring, for one : COIL
15 Fancy summer home : VILLA
16 Grocery store worker on the days leading up to Thanksgiving? : STUFFING STOCKER (from “stocking stuffer”)
19 Dress (up) : TOG
20 Cheesemaking town : EDAM
21 Salty expanses : OCEANS
22 Incense residue : ASH
23 One who’s acting out? : MIME
24 Some trimmings : FAT
25 Pamphlets on how to use marinara? : SAUCING FLYERS (from “flying saucers”)
31 Lecherous sort : SATYR
33 Beginning of time? : TEE
34 When doubled, mouse-bopping bunny in a children’s song : FOO
35 Sporty Pontiac : TRANS AM
38 One with a tattoo of a band’s name, say : MEGAFAN
41 Oxygen makes up only one-fifth of this on the earth : AIR
42 Gossip, slangily : TEA
44 Part of some musical keys : EBONY
45 Bookie? : BETTING GETTER (from “getting better”)
50 Card game shout : UNO!
51 Winners of a 1932 Australian “war” : EMUS
52 Org. using millimeter wave scanners : TSA
55 Inedible jelly on a buffet table : STERNO
58 49-Down’s city, familiarly : NOLA
59 Shubert of Broadway’s Shubert Theatre : LEE
60 Devices that help dentists monitor anesthesia? : NUMBING TRACKERS (from “tracking numbers”)
63 En pointe : ON TOE
64 Its flag has “Allahu Akbar” written 22 times : IRAN
65 Repeated words in an analogy : IS TO
66 Common catch : BASS
67 Hunt and peck, say : TYPE
68 Pronto : ASAP
Down
1 It gets into hot water : PASTA
2 Chorus section : ALTOS
3 Inauspicious beginning : ROUGH START
4 Certain whistle-blower : REF
5 Hardly basic : ACIDIC
6 Personal friend in France : MON AMI
7 Something cephalopods control for camouflage : PIGMENT
8 Units on a graduated cylinder: Abbr. : MLS
9 Fine point : NICETY
10 ___-Seltzer : ALKA
11 Campbell with the 1975 #1 hit “Rhinestone Cowboy” : GLEN
12 2003 outbreak : SARS
15 Outspoken : VOCAL
17 Pelvis/patella connectors : FEMURS
18 Sticky ___ pudding : TOFFEE
26 Author Rand : AYN
27 It’s set in a ring : GEM
28 Easy-peasy : EFFORTLESS
29 Speckled : ROAN
30 Maker of the first portable music player : SONY
31 Guess : STAB
32 Grammy winner India.___ : ARIE
36 When both hands are up : AT NOON
37 Unit of RAM : MEG
39 Passes, but not with flying colors : GETS A C
40 Shinzo ___, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister : ABE
43 Representative’s work : AGENTRY
46 Powerful engines : TURBOS
47 Feature of many a belly : INNIE
48 Angsty hip-hop subgenre : EMO RAP
49 Prestigious university in 58-Across : TULANE
53 Company whose mascots are sheep with numbers painted on them : SERTA
54 Author whose titles often feature two animals : AESOP
55 One with an upturned nose, so to speak : SNOB
56 Common catch : TUNA
57 CPR specialists : EMTS
61 “Scram!” : GIT!
62 Car once advertised with the slogan “The power to surprise” : KIA
