NYT Crossword 04/30/17 (Sunday)

Cruciverbalist: Alan Arbesfeld

Editor: Will Shortz

Solving time: 42:34

Theme Title: New England Chatter

Take "ar" sounding words and make them "ah" sounding. ("Spark" into "Spock")

Words I didn't know:

RACEME - "Flower arrangement"
EUTERPE - "Sister of Erato"
MOHEL - "Bris official"
KEL - "Kenan's former Nickelodeon pal"
THEA - "Mother of Helios" (I thought it was "Rhea")

Trivia I didn’t know:

ULM - "Where Einstein was born"

ADIA - "1998 Sarah McLachlan hit"

COOLIO - "'Gangsta Paradise' rapper"

MAU - "Egyptian ___ (spotted cat breed)"

UTAH - "Where I-15 meets I-70"

NEPAL - "Where 'ho' and 'hoina' mean 'yes' and 'no'"

SUMO - "Activity in a dohyo"

Junk answers:

INE - "Serpent's tail?"
STR - "Narrow passage"
NIK - "Suffix with beat"
NOU - ""___-turn"
CCL - "A quarter of M"
STAC - "Quick and detached, musically" Abbr."

Clever clues:

HALOES - "Head bands?"
TABS - "Things hat allow for jumping ahead in line?"