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.
ReplyDeletewhat is TITT short for?
DeleteThrew in the towel
DeleteOr “thrown in the trash” if you really disliked the puzzle 😆
Delete====> Darren / L.A.
FIR. 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?
DeleteThrew in the towel (gave up).
DeleteBoxers' cornermen would throw a towel into the ring to indicate that their badly-beaten fighter would not be continuing.
Musings
ReplyDelete-The print newspapers that generated these names have been reduced from 8,900 to 5,400 in twenty years
-Standardized tests like the PSAT are back in vogue now
-My Bluetooth-equipped hearing aids allow me a lot of options while carrying my iPhone
-The AVOW/AVER choice gave way to placement
-Being habitually ABSENT from school is a real harbinger of a hard life ahead
-MAREN Morris keeps up the “who dat?” tradition.
-A skewed MODE example
-March proms in our part of the country are big business for FAKE TANS or FAKE BAKES
-MALI is the home of 84,000 people in Timbuktu
-Our heat index will be around 100F this week. In Fairbanks it will be around 60F.
I think PSAT is a test not a subject.
ReplyDeleteIt is a test, but Kaplan has a course to prepare you for the test, so the PSAT is the subject of that course
DeleteI liked this puzzle, which is true of most Sunday puzzles.
ReplyDeleteNice puzzle, Emet! You stumped me at the cross of NIA and MAREN, but I FIR (Finished It Right) with a WAG (Wild Ass Guess) where they crossed. Many thanks, C.C., for explaining it all, with helpful illustrations.
ReplyDeleteI grew up to TIMESTABLE flash cards. Is that still a thing? It was helpful for people not so strong in math because it was more random-instead of ‘memorizing the eights’ for example.
ReplyDeleteAs Billie Holiday would ask, Am I Blue?
ReplyDeleteGuess so.
DeleteThank you, Emet and C.C.
ReplyDeleteYes, common newspaper names are in the (41D) referenced columns. Thus, NEWSPAPER COLUMNS.
FLN, thank you, NaomiZ. The "Puzzles & Brainteasers" message on your smartphone was most likely a targeted ad. The Corner HTML did not produce that.
TO ALL, the blog spot is now configured for Embedded Comments, so comments will follow the review. Replies to previous comments will be nested, here in the comments and in the archives. That will be true on desktops (which includes laptops), tablets and smartphones.
There are a number of variables involved, most notably the different browsers that we use, recent user privacy implementations released by browser developers (notably Firefox and Safari, and now Edge), and user installed extensions. In short, Full Page comments is no longer a viable option.
FONT ISSUES
With Embedded comments, the blog review is in 14px Georgia font. The comments section displays Georgia 11px, which should be fine for most people. I personally think it is much easier to read than the light Arial font many of us recently experienced with Full Page comments.
Readers on desktops (including laptops) can adjust their display resolution if the smaller font in the comments presents a problem. Galaxy Tablet users can do the same on some higher-end models, but not on other earlier and entry level models where pixel resolution is fixed. All iPad tablets have fixed resolutions. Users with devices that have fixed resolutions who are having issues with "too tiny" comments can search their product's help tools and the internet to find the appropriate way to scale the text on their device.
Smartphone devices have always seen Embedded comments. Nothing changed.
COMMENTING / Google Profile Issues
To use their Blogger account signon, some users may have to alter their browser permissions and allow cross site cookies for www.blogger.com and blogspot.com. Your signon information and avatar is on blogger.com. The review page and comments are on blogspot.com. If you don't allow the permissions, you probably won't be able to authenticate. If you block or delete the cookies, you will most likely have to authenticate each time you open a new blogspot (crossword puzzle) review. Advanced users that have added privacy extensions may have to disable the extension on blogspot.com in order to use their blogger.com name and avatar image.
That's all I have to offer for now.
TTP, many thanks for keeping the Corner livable for all of us. It's a tremendous undertaking; I really appreciate it.
DeleteThank you TTP for this explanation. I’ll have to work out my font which appears like the previous new font when I type, but once I publish it changes to the blog font. I use up to date iPad Safari.
ReplyDeleteThe Blogger commenting block is tied to full page commenting, and it resides on yet another server. It can not be changed or overridden within the blog's HTML template due to Google's strict Content Security Policy. Strict CSP protects users, but can also present some issues to web designers. I am not one.
DeleteHowever, the bottom line is that when you press Publish, the comments will use the defined font and not the default Arial font you are seeing while you are typing.
The reason my 7:51 comment is Anonymous is because I responded to Monkey from a different computer than the one I used in my 7:16 explanation of the problem.
DeleteAll this seems so complicated to me. I’ll get used to this new format and whatever else is different. Thanks TTP.
DeleteHad my ups and downs on Emet’s submission today; not that it was that hard, but there were some iffy spots in it (like that crossing of NIA and MAREN) but also some fun fills — FLORIDA was clever ploy, but an easy one for me, as I have a good friend that lives in Jupiter. About the only nose-wrinkler was that TIMESTABLES bit; in my grade-school math lessons, they were called “multiplication tables”, but of course that wouldn’t have fit into Mssr. Ozar’s theme…
ReplyDeleteThe FIR, unfortunately, ELUDED me today, thanks to one letter: I had REnS and nODE up on the (FLN!) Montana/Alberta border; I had no clue to the “Means relative” of 7D, and thought the “X-ray spec” was Roentgen Exposure Numbers. Bzzzt!
But y’can’t win ‘em all, I guess! No worries, it was still a fun puzzle, fair with no garbage words (here’s lookin’ at you, “yeet”!🤣) and a creative hook, rounded up by C.C.’s usual concise review.
Nice to see part of Boomer is still with you. ❤️
====> Darren / L.A.
Ojai Guy. Bit of a Sunday slog but eventually FIR, As mentioned thought the recs/inspo non word crosser was pretty weak. Got the theme afts the expo.
ReplyDelete