Theme: "WRITE-UPS"- The first word of each theme entry is a newspaper.
3. Pride and joy of many an audiophile: RECORD COLLECTION.
8. One who takes the snap and the spotlight: STAR QUARTERBACK.
13. Insist on a debate, perhaps: PRESS THE ISSUE.
48. Memorization aid in math class: TIMES TABLE CHART.
56. Cultural movement of the 1960s and 1970s: POSTMODERNISM.
Reveal:
41. Editorial essays, or what 3-, 8-, 13-, 48-, and 56-Down are: NEWSPAPER COLUMNS.
The theme answers are placed in Down slots, forming literal newspaper columns.
This puzzle only has 13 three-letter entries. Amazing. I often find myself with 24 or 25 before I know it.
Across:
1. Dragon roll wrap: NORI. Dragon rolls are typically inside-out rolls, with the nori hidden inside.
5. X-ray specs?: REMS. Radiation dosages. Great clue.
9. Sea anemone, e.g.: POLYP.
14. Spanakopita cheese: FETA.
18. Equally matched: EVEN.
19. Awards achievement completed by Steven Spielberg in 2026: EGOT. Only 22 people have achieved this status.
20. Thin layer: VENEER.
21. Keen: AVID.
22. Suggestions, for short: RECS.
23. Fizzy beverage: SODA.
24. Chilling: AT EASE.
25. K, in the NATO alphabet: KILO.
26. Give up: DROP.
27. Layer: TIER.
28. Rogan josh bread: NAAN. Rogan Josh is a curried lamb or mutton dish.
29. Gets a whiff: SMELLS.
31. Caramel candies: ROLOS.
33. Feathery pen: QUILL.
35. Kaplan prep course subj.: PSAT. 53. Kaplan prep course subjs.: APS.
36. Up in the air, briefly: TBD. To Be Decided/Determined.
38. Biceps exercise: ARM CURL.
40. Falcons city: ATLANTA. NFL.
44. Mysterious to many: ARCANE.
46. Marimba player: MALLET.
49. Black eyes: SHINERS.
50. Ecological community: BIOME.
51. FYI part: FOR.
52. Fly: AVIATE.
54. Whack, as a fly: SWAT.
55. Without a partner: SOLO.
56. 1492 ship: PINTA.
58. Damage: IMPAIR.
60. Pre-1991 atlas initials: SSR.
61. Teased: LED ON.
63. Escapes the notice of: ELUDES.
65. Lyric poet of Lesbos: SAPPHO. Lesbian comes from Lesbos.
67. Corrupt: DEBASE.
68. Landscaping tools: RAKES.
69. Off course: ASTRAY.
70. "That's impossible for us": WE CAN'T.
71. Missing class: ABSENT.
72. Prepare to play: CUE UP.
73. Canadian prov.: ONT.
74. Empire Builder operator: AMTRAK. The Empire Builder runs daily between Chicago and Seattle or Portland.
76. Small sip: TASTE.
78. Target of a brood parasite such as the cowbird: NEST. Cowbirds lay their eggs in other birds' nests, leaving the host parents to raise the chicks.
81. Best-__ plans: LAID.
83. Mine vehicle: ORE CAR.
85. Mass transit option: BUS.
86. American Eagle Outfitters loungewear brand: AERIE.
87. Home of Jupiter: FLORIDA.
89. Uses a prayer mat, e.g.: KNEELS.
91. Much of the heart: MUSCLE.
92. Powerfully built: SINEWED.
93. Gorillagram costume: APE SUIT.
95. Blesses: OKS.
96. Bluetooth device's lack, often: WIRE.
97. Bare-bones: BASIC.
99. Sneak around: PROWL.
101. Composer Bach: JOHANN.
104. "Alice's Restaurant" singer Guthrie: ARLO.
105. "Very funny": HA HA.
107. Large lump: HUNK.
110. Declare: AVOW.
111. For nothing: IN VAIN.
113. Eager: AGOG.
114. Sign of things to come: OMEN.
115. Last name of sisters Rooney and Kate: MARA. Rooney Mara is married to Joaquin Phoenix.
116. Meshes in the kitchen: SIEVES.
117. Dominate: RULE.
118. In the know about: ONTO.
119. Crush it on the runway, say: SLAY.
120. "Circles Around This Town" singer Morris: MAREN.
121. Smidgens: TADS.
122. Hushed "hey!": PSST.
Down:
1. Deep member of a fandom: NERD.
2. Concluded: OVER.
4. Motivation, in hashtags: INSPO. Short for "inspiration".
5. Put back: RESTORE.
6. Extreme self-involvement: EGOISM.
7. Mean relative?: MODE. Another fun clue.
9. "She loves me, she loves me not" piece: PETAL. My little garden is thriving. I'm so happy to see Boomer's lilies flourishing again.
10. Lakers legend Shaquille: O'NEAL.
11. Like ground turkey: LEAN.
12. "100%!": YES.
14. Sunless glow-ups: FAKE TANS.
15. Wicked: EVIL.
16. Cultivate: TILL.
17. Ruckuses: ADOS.
20. Spice native to Mesoamerica: VANILLA. Pandan is often called "Asian vanilla".
30. Senegal neighbor: MALI.
32. "Stay in your __!": LANE.
34. Clickable link: URL.
35. Carbonara ingredient: PASTA.
36. Browser units: TABS.
37. Pizzazz: BRIO.
39. "Shake a leg!": C'MON.
42. Tawdry: TRASHY.
43. Houston pro: ASTRO.
45. Single-celled creature: AMOEBA.
47. Barefaced: EVIDENT.
51. "Whatever": FINE.
57. Fairbanks resident: ALASKAN.
59. Grade: RATE.
62. CNN anchor Bash: DANA.
64. Luau instrument, informally: UKE.
66. Dried plums: PRUNES.
67. Koyukon name of North America's tallest peak: DENALI. Meaning "The Great One".
69. Play parts, or plays a part: ACTS.
70. Gobbles (down): WOLFS.
71. Exist: ARE.
75. Take stock?: TRADE. Stock here refers to "shares" rather than "inventory".
77. Work (out): SUSS.
79. Lingerie fabric: SILK.
80. Some gym tops: TEES.
82. Recoiled: DREW AWAY.
84. Works (out): REASONS.
86. Camera setting: AUTO.
88. "Victory is mine!": I WIN.
90. Prefix with Pen: EPI.
91. Desert deceptions: MIRAGES.
94. Sustain: UPHOLD.
97. Lionhearted: BRAVE.
98. Rocky of "Project Hail Mary," for one: ALIEN.
100. Joyful holler: WHOOP.
101. Preserves: JAMS.
102. Like some coffee tables: OVAL.
103. Jewish wedding dance: HORA.
104. Declare: AVER.
106. Oaxaca water: AGUA.
108. Team that shares an arena with the Liberty: NETS. Same owner. Joe Tsai.
109. Binding loop: KNOT.
112. Vardalos of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding": NIA.
C.C.
Shouldn’t that be
ReplyDelete“Write-downs” instead of write ups?
Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
what does FIR mean?
DeleteFIR means "finished it right".
DeleteFIW means "finished it wrong".
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteThe NW corner remained snow-covered until the very end. When I circled back, things fell into place. I never did figure out the theme. I don't recognize RECORD and PRESS as common newspaper names. Still, it was an enjoyable exercise. Thanx, Emet and C.C.
Forgot to pick my "comment as" again. That's my post above.
ReplyDeleteHit it early here in the west, and almost FIR. Messed up by trying JAr x rARA. Oops
ReplyDeleteWhat does FIR and FIW mean in these comments?
DeleteFIR - Finished It Right
DeleteFIW - Finished It Wrong
Or that's what I've gathered over a few years of reading these comments.
FIW, missing my showbiz WAG @ ALIEs x MAREs. I think that if my last name was ALIEN I would change it. But I filled "mean relative" MODE without a single perp, so I've got that goin' for me. Which is nice.
ReplyDeleteI considered Grammy-winning songwriter/performer K. D. Lang to fill "lyric poet of Lesbos." It fit, but perps wouldn't allow it.
A friend had a racing sailboat named MIRAGE. He totaled it in an offshore race, and replaced it with the same make and model he calls My Rage.
What the heck is a glow-up?
Thanks to Emet for the puzzle, although the crossing of unknown A&E names sucked a lot of the fun out of it. But I liked NEST over AERIE, and "chilling" for AT EASE (once the light bulb came on.) And thanks to CC for another fine tour. Boomer's flowers are very pretty.
Oh! COLUMNS of NEWSPAPER names. It was slow going on the way to a FIR today with the NW the last to fill. INSPO was unknown, didn't really know NORI, and there was no use trying 3D until a lot of perps were in place. I'm not familiar with the RECORD or PRESS papers.
ReplyDeleteI guess 'Fandom' refers to people who admire/do dorky things instead of movie idols. I'm not one to call people (who I don't know) names, but if it weren't for NERDs, nobody would be posting anything here, No PC, no screen, no bluetooth without a WIRE, just pen and paper.
The SW had a lot of write overs. OLYMPUS to FLORIDA, GULPS to WOLFS, CORD to WIRE, and I WON to I WIN.
I didn't know the AIRIE brand but coming from American EAGLE, it made sense.
MAREN and the song were unfamiliar.
FIR, but almost TITT. Also froze up in the NW until the combination of non-words melted (RECS, INSPO), and was convinced I would never get what at first appeared to me a proper name natick (MAREN/ALIEN), but I guess Rocky was an alien? Don't care enough to look it up.
ReplyDeleteFIR. I agree, it should be write downs unless the long answers were going up. But that's just me.
ReplyDeleteFor a Sunday this had a little crunch to it. And so many proper names, even some crossing, like Nia and Maren. So wrong!
I did get the theme but I needed the reveal to understand it.
Overall a so-so puzzle.
For the benefit of anonymous, FIR is finished it right. FIW is finished it wrong.
DeleteThank you KS. what is TITT?
Delete