"A"  PUZZLE
Credit: Will Shortz in The Puzzlemaster Presents  (#1-13)

In each three-word answer to this puzzle, one of the words is the article "a" followed by another word. Join the "a" and the following word phonetically and you'll get the third word - which may either begin or end the phrase.

Example: Have the money for an American car:   Afford a Ford

1. Bide one's time for a scale reading
2. Concerning a boxing match
3. Approximately three minutes in a boxing match
4. A flower sprang up
5. Fights a government levy
6. Slightly leading, as in a horserace
7. A superior partner in crime
8. A sound is bothersome
9. Gain workers for a ship
10. A nun's helpers
11. Get 25 sheets of paper
12. A competitor's appearances
13. Mom or dad in plain view
14. Love an entryway
15. Straighten a highway lane divider

Answers:

1. Await a weight
2. About a bout
3. Around a round
4. A rose arose
5. Attacks a tax
6. Ahead a head
7. A better abettor
8. A noise annoys
9. Accrue a crew
10. A sister's assistors 
11. Acquire a quire
12. A rival's arrivals
13. A parent apparent
14. Adore a door
15. Align a line