THEME: common phrases with the final -ER removed yielding odd ones
GOOD ONES:
Oatmeal? MORNING-PAP
New member of the faith shaking things up? CATALYTIC-CONVERT
Foot pain location? AROUND-THE-CORN
Edam? CHEESE-BURG
Tired of watching Downton Abbey? SERIAL-NUMB
People at the supermarket counter? MAG [
People magazine]
Drying-out problem DTS [I thought rot --- alcoholics can get the DT's on withdrawal, or
drying out]
Bee student SPELLER [I thought apiary]
Cook, for one: Abbr. CAPT
BTW: Befuddled ASEA [
asea means on the sea;
at sea connotes befuddled]
Dwindled
alarmingly RAN-LOW [when our ketchup runs low we hardly feel alarmed --- perhaps "alarmingly" is there to make it tougher; it did for me]
When did film noir become noir?
OLD-ROSE sounds more like my aunt than a color.
Place for a hog? ROAD [could be a road hog or a Harley]
Good thinking HORSE-SENSE [why is good thinking associated with horses, which are not terribly intelligent?]
I am happy to learn that the iron has been replaced by a cat. Who says the world is going to pot?
Am I getting dumber or are these puzzles getting harder?
RATING:

Three grins = Loved it; Two grins = Enjoyed it; One grin = A bit bland for my taste; One teardrop = Not much fun