03.08.09 -- One More Thing

A young George Foreman celebrates his Olympic triumph.

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Sunday, March 8, 2009

ONE MORE THING, Puzzle by Zack Kushner, edited by Will Shortz

Today, (groan) paronomasia… COOKING WITH GASPS (23A. Rachael Ray activity eliciting oohs and aahs?); BUILT RAMPS TOUGH (39A. Prepared for heavy on/off traffic?); USE THE FORCEPS LUKE (47A. Advise t actor Perry when delivering a baby?); ASPS FOR ME (67A. Cleopatra’s last request?); GOING TOPS THE POLLS (86. Travel is voted most popular?); LONG TIME NO SEEPS (92A. Result of a good basement waterproofing years ago?); BULLET PROOF CARPS (115A. Unassailable beefs?). The remainder of this concoction is no PS and for this solver, had a very static feel --

Across: 1. Former eBay chief Whitman, MEG; 4. Steal from, as in Grand Theft Auto, CARJACK; 11. Too big for one’s britches, say, SMUG; 15. Shutter piece, SLAT; 19. Auto financing abbr., APR; 20. Home of Easter Island, OCEANIA; 21. Bilge need, PUMP; 22. “EACH Dawn I Die (James Cagney flick); 26. ENTR ‘acte; 27. Freshwaer source, AQUIFER; 28. Habituate, ENURE; 29. Vedder of Pearl jam, EDDIE; 30. Pantywaist, WUSS; 31. Harebrained, DAFT; 34. “Three men in ATUB”; 36. Viaduct features, SPANS; 37. Appears, SEEMS; 40. Heat chart: Abbr., ECG; 46. Spacesuit worry, TEAR; 46. Schubert piece, LIED; 54. Extremely softly, in music, PPP; 57. French possessive, SES; 58. Wee, TEENSY; 59. Imitative, APISH; 60. LARA Croft, title role for Angelina Jolie; 61. It’s dangerous to be on this, HITLIST; 63. Org. involved with ESPN, NCAA; 64. Puffball contents, SPORES; 66 Pioneering 1940s computer, ENIAC; 72. Fashion photographer Herb, RITTS; 73. Void, REVOKE; 75. Brother’s attire, COWL; 76. Adulate, LIONIZE; 78. Bullpen stats, ERAS; 79. Sir, I Swahili, BWANA; 81. Rope fibers, SISALS; 84. AER Lingus; 85. High-speed inits., DSL; 89. Concert site, HALL; 90. Athlete who won the 1978 International Peace Award, PELE; 91. Brother or aunt: Abbr., REL; 99. “Yeah, RIGHT”; 103. Transfixed; INAWE; 104. Canned, AXED; 105. Bygone “birds”, SSTS; 107. Swerve, VEER; 108. Like a pig in a pen, STIED; 109. False front, ALIAS; 112. Literally, “little turnips”, RAVIOLI; 114. Cinderella’s destination, BALL; 119. Volkswagen competitor, OPEL; 120. Prefix with inflammatory, ANTI; 121. Upset, TIPOVER; 122. Fathom, GET; 123. Composer Rorem and others, NEDS; 124. Word before or after tea, ROSE; 125. Ones concealing their aims, SNIPERS; 126. Poetic preposition, ERE.

Down: 1. Talkative ones, MACAWS; 2. La Belle ÉPOQUE; 3. Bellyache, GROUSE; 4. Bangs, e.g., COIF; 5. Pimply, ACNED; 6. Get a better grip on, REGRAB; 7. Big part of a crocodile, JAW; 8. Singer DiFranco, ANI; 9. Refer to, CITE; 10. Gus who wrote the words to “Makin’ Whoopee”, KAHN; 11. What the 300 defended, SPARTA; 12. Field trip destination, MUSEUM; 13. Person at home, UMP; 14. Modern navig. Tool, GPS; 15. Bean container, SEEDPOD; 6. Coachman’s carriage; LANDAU; 17. Provisional, ACTING; 18. Separate wheat from chaff, THRESH; 24. It’s written in the stars, KISMET; 25. Gum-producing plant, GUAR; 29. First name in cosmetics, ESTEE; 32. Informal bed, FUTON; 33. Seating sections, TIERS; 35. Nearly excellent, BPLUS; 38. “I don’t get no respect,” to Rodney Dangerfield, SCHTICK; 40. Full of frills, LACY; 41. Number of flavors in Neapolitan ice cream?, TRE; 42. Some turban wearers, SIKHS; 44. Thousands, in slang, GEES; 47. Brought (in), USHERED; 48. Fishermen with nets, SEINERS; 49. Summery, ESTIVAL; 50. Greek salad ingredient, FETA; 51. Designer Rabanne, PACO; 52. Tangle (with), SPAR; 53. Irish folk musician O’Flynn, LIAM; 54. Missing something, PARTIAL; 55. Ballpark snack, PRETZEL; 56. QBs, at times, PASSES; 63. CBS’s “The NFL Today”; 65. Fare well, PROSPER; 68. Eyeball, SCAN; 69. Beer PONG; 70. Hit hard, SWAT; 71. “In the Valley of ELAH” (2007 film); 74. Where Christ stopped in a Carlo Levi novel, EBOLI; 77. Robert of “The Sopranos”, ILER; y80. Mother in Bedrock, WILMA; 81. Ill-fated German admiral, SPEE; 82. The Hebrides, e.g., ISLES; 83. Flight divisions, STEPS; 86. Like some communities, GATED; 87. Missions, in brief, OPS; 88. “Twelfth Night” woman, OLIVIA; 89. The Father of Science Fiction, HGWELLS; 92. Capital on the Atlantic, LISBON; 93. Canned, ONTAPE; 94. Caught red-handed, NAILED; 95. Sings hallelujah to, EXALTS; 96. Nervous one?, NELLIE; 97. Comics pooch, ODIE; 98. Endeavored, STROVE; 100. Any of boxer Foreman’s five sons, GEORGE; 101. Volunteer, perhaps, HELPER; 102. Melancholy, TRISTE; 106. Less wobbly, say, SAFER; 110. Brief makers: Abbr.: ATTS; 111. Turn in many a children’s board game, SPIN; 113. TV hookups; VCRS; 115. Kind of graph, BAR; 116. Card game from Mattel, UNO; 117. Sch. In Troy, N.Y., RPI; 118. Alley OOP.

Of course, the biggest PS today is 100-Down -- GEORGE. Foreman has 10 children, and each of his five sons are named George: George Jr., George III, George IV, George V, and George VI. They are also known by the nicknames "Monk," "Red," "Joe," "Big Wheel," and "Little George.”

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