12.21.14 — Season's Greetings

“Santa Claus” by William Holbrook Beard 

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Sunday, December 21, 2014 — Winter Solstice 

Season’s Greetings — Puzzle by Joel Fagliano / Edited by Will Shortz

Seven common phrases changed by the interjection of "HO" to become uncommon ones constitutes the interrelated group of this fine Sunday crossword:

HO HUMDINGER (22A. Homer that leaves people yawning?)
HOKEY WORD (24A. “Shucks!” or “Pshaw!“?)
BLACK-EYED HOPIS (42A. Southwest tribe after a fistfight?)
DESPICABLE HOMIE (67A. Backstabbing pal?)
NO MONEY HOEDOWN (91A. Barn dance that’s free to attend?)
CROSS HOBO (114A. Vagrant after getting kicked off a train, say?)
HOKUM TO PAPA (117A. Stuff your dad finds ridiculous?)

Other — ANKARA (12D. World capital once conquered by Augustus), BAR SCENE  (11A. Likely feature of a college town), EBOLA VIRUS (16D. Cause for a quarantine), EFGH (8D. I will follow it), GOES GREEN (56A. Starts recycling, say), HOLLIES (46D. Some Christmas decorations), HONEY LOCUST (69D. Tree whose pods have sweet pulp), INFOTECH (50D. Computerdom, informally), KID GLOVES (120A. Gentle treatment, metaphorically), NANCY PELOSI (7D. House speaker after Dennis Hastert), OOH OOH (35A. “Pick me, pick me!”), ORANGE SODA (72D. Crush, e.g.), O-TOWN (76D. Nickname for Orlando), POT SHOP (90D.Joint business venture?), SMETANA (55D. Composer whose name s an anagram of SANTA + ME), SOY LATTE (87D. Trendy coffee order), STATE PEN (123A. “The Shawshank Redemption” setting), TAUREG (122A.Saharan nomad), TIM COOK (5D. Steve Jobs’s successor at Apple), WINE LABEL (21A. Red or white sticker?), YOGA POSE (43D. Warrior or downward dog).

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Puzzle available on the internet at
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