A Dave Fun Quiz: Before and After

Twenty words are clued below.  The ten "Before" words all undergo the same operation in order to become their "After" counterparts, which are in mixed order.  What is the operation--and for that matter, what would have been and/or will be a more thematically appropriate time to post this quiz?  (All words are between 4 and 7 letters long.)

BEFORE Clues

1. Act coquettishly, like Sarah Palin

2. Trade

3. Plugs of tobacco

4. Brightly colored parrotlike bird

5.  A common utility

6.  React to an alarm clock

7.  Crash

8.  Make sanctified, like ground

9.  A male witch

10. Detroit hockey player

AFTER Clues

a.  Call of "anyone there?"

b.  Horse opera

c.  Pig noise

d.  Making renovations to

e.  Like an old bucket of song

f.  Mayhem

g. Mitchum-Russell film set in a foreign city

h. Lever 2000, e.g.

i.  Vacuum cleaner company

j.  Part of a rowboat

I'll show the matchups and explain the whole thing in a later post.  In the meantime, enjoy!