google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Jill Singer

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Showing posts with label Jill Singer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jill Singer. Show all posts

Feb 11, 2026

Wednesday February 11, 2026 Jill Singer

Happy Wednesday, everyone! sumdaze here, playing substitute blogger. Constructor Jill Singer has given us a puzzle without a unifier, starred clues, or circles to help identify the theme. Instead, the gimmick is revealed through parallelism in the clues. Once you clock it, everything falls into place in proper Wednesday fashion.


Theme:      
I think I have mentioned this book in a previous post.
It is a collection of over 1,100 collective nouns
for groups of animals, people, and abstract concepts.

In today's puzzle we find four themed answers. Each is an in-the-language phrase such that one of the words in the phrase is the collective noun for the animal in the clue. If you are new to solving, you might wonder how to spot this. In my case, I first noticed that all of the clues to the long answers have an animal in them. 

Let's look at them now. I have used yellow highlight to connect the animal to its collective noun and blue highlight to connect the other part of the answer.

20 Across. Fish exhibit only viewable by appointment?: PRIVATE SCHOOL.  
The collective noun for fish is school.
A PRIVATE SCHOOL is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a public school. (I think it is interesting that their definitions are pretty much switched in the U.K.)

36 Across. Procession of new arrivals to a lion sanctuary?: PRIDE PARADE.  
The collective noun for lions is pride.
A PRIDE PARADE (also known as a pride event, pride festival, pride march, pride protest, equality parade, or equality march) is an event celebrating LGBTQ social and self-acceptance, achievements, legal rights, and pride.  (Wiki)
Mexico City (2019)

43 Across. Gorillas who give glowing testimonies?: TRIBUTE BAND.  
The collective noun for gorillas is band.
This one got a little muddy for me because there is an English virtual band called Gorillaz. They are as original as can be -- not a tribute band. Sure, one can say that the final "z" makes all the difference, but I found this one distracting. Here is one of their most popular songs.

58 Across. "The Case of the Disappearing Crows," e.g.?: MURDER MYSTERY.  
The collective noun for crows is murder.  
a MURDER on the beach
Time to collect up the remaining clues:

Across:

1. Needlework?: TATS.  I like how we start with a bit of misdirection. We are not talking about embroidery. We are talking about using needles to create TATtooS.  

5. Engineer Nikola: TESLA.  [1856-1943] Tesla was born in the Austrian Empire (now Croatia). He became a U.S. citizen in 1891. "Top 11 Things You Did Not Know About Nikola Tesla" (U.S. Dept. of Energy website)  Disclaimer:  I generally bristle at article titles that say "You Did Not Know". How could they know what we do know or do not know?

10. Not exciting: BLAH.  

14. Color name that means "unbleached" in French: ECRU.  I sometimes mistakenly equate ECRU with ochre.
Left: A model looks happy wearing an ECRU sweater.
Right:  Australian cyclist Jay Vine looks happy wearing the ochre leader's jersey 
in the Tour Down Under earlier this year.

15. Mermaid whose best friend is Flounder: ARIEL.  
Ariel and Flounder
Shouldn't he be in SCHOOL?

16. Spa wrap: ROBE.  I could not find a collective noun for ROBE so I am going to suggest a wardrobe of robes.  😉 
someone getting a seaweed wrap at a spa
(I considered the 4-letter seaweed and XWD favorite, nori.)

17. Brontë novel locale: MOOR.  The 1847 novel, Wuthering Heights by Emily 
Brontë is set in the Yorkshire MOORs of northern England. 

18. Silver screen lovers: CINEPHILES.  Is CINEPHILES a collective noun for movie lovers? If so, Easter egg alert!

22. Inception: ONSET.

23. "XO, Kitty" creator Jenny: HAN.  This is an American rom-com TV series that aired for two seasons on Netflix.  Han was the solo creator.  😉

24. Himalayan bovine: YAK.  
Meet Senji the YAK.  (2:57 min.)

27. "Oh my!": YOWZA.  This interjection is used to express surprise or amazement.  

31. Invitation to eat: DIG IN.  If someone tells you to DIG IN, they are inviting you to help yourself to plentiful food.

33. 1990 accessibility law, for short: ADA.  Americans with Disabilities Act

39. Tree with an edible heart: PALM.  
I encounter these in Southeast Asian cuisine.
They have a firm texture and mild flavor.

41. Accustom: INURE.  Example sentence from Oxford languages:  You'd think my Southern nature would INURE me to this weather.

42. Outfielder Tommie in the Mets Hall of Fame: AGEE.  link to Mets Hall of Fame
Here are some collective nouns for baseball:
    a crouch of catchers
    a mound of pitchers
    (Collectively, the pitcher and  catcher are a battery.)
    a deck of batters
    a spit of benchwarmers
    a myopia of umpires
    a wave of baseball fans

46. 1960s youth activist org.: SDS.  Students for a Democratic Society

47. Like some pads: LEGAL.  
The collective noun for lawyers is eloquence.  
48. In motion: ASTIR.

50. Yang counterpart: YIN.  "As a general rule, anything more subdued and calm is YIN, while something with more energy is yang."  Feng Shui Modern by Cliff Tan

51. Up to, briefly: 'TIL.  until  -->  'til

54. Celeb's image problem: BAD PR.  "Celebrity is shortened, so is "Public Relations".  

63. Comfortable in social settings: GREGARIOUS.  Def.:  (adj.) enjoying the company of others; marked by or showing a liking for companionship.

65. Oklahoma city: ENID.  It is 1,163 mi. (1,872 km.) from Enid, OK to Erie, PA. Better pack some Oreos and a CD with oboe music for the road trip!

66. Classic video game: PONG.  
The collective noun for ping-PONG players is smash.

67. Words of concession: I LOSE.  I had "I LOSt" but then decided the Belgian river needed a vowel.

68. Turn on a __: DIME.  This expression means to change direction almost instantly.

69. Tunneling pests: ANTS.  
The collective noun for ANTS is colony.

70. Less vulnerable: SAFER.

71. Love, in Lima: AMOR.  The official language of Peru is Spanish.

Down:

1. Pace: TEMPO.  We often see this word associated with music.

2. Source of a mighty oak: ACORN.  
I took this photo of a Coastal Oak adorned with lichen
 while hiking last weekend in Ft. Ord National Monument.
(Just to clarify, I was hiking -- not the oak.)

3. Sept moins quatre: TROIS.  No idea...but it looks like French and sept makes me think of a septagon (polygon with 7 sides & 7 angles) and quatre makes me think of a quadrilateral (polygon with 4 sides & 4 angles). Then a perp or two helped me to see the French word for "three" (as in ménage à trois). With that, this clue likely means 7 - 4 = 3. The commentors can let me know if I am mistaken.

4. Questionnaire: SURVEY.  
5. Discretion: TACT.

6. Lake known for walleye: ERIE.  I filled this because it asked for a lake with four letters in its name. However, now I know that the walleye is a native fish to Lake Erie and that it is named for its pearlescent eyes that help it see in dark and muddy water.

7. Greed, lust, wrath, et al.: SINS.  I liked that 7-Down refers to the "Seven Deadly Sins"? The list includes these three, along with PRIDE, envy, gluttony, and sloth. The editors did a good job of avoiding a dupe with "pride".

8. Little sucker: LEECH.  I wondered how "little" they are so I did some research. LEECHes are parasitic or predatory worms. Only around 10% of LEECH species are parasites that feed on the blood of their hosts. Most prey on small invertebrates and larvae. They are found on every continent except Antarctica. Most LEECH species are quite small and can initially go unnoticed by their hosts but the Amazon giant LEECH can measure up to 17.7 inches long and 3.9 inches wide. This species can live up to 20 years. YOWZA!
Amazon giant leech on human ankle
9. Generation after Z: ALPHA.  

10. Élan: BRIO.  Def.:  (noun)  enthusiastic vigor; vivacity; verve.

11. Idles: LOLLYGAGS.  This was a fun fill word!!  

12. 16th pres.: ABE.  President Abraham Lincoln

13. Bucks and boars: HES.  "Males" has too many letters.

19. Odyssey maker: HONDA.  This clue might be using the capitalize-the-first-letter-of-a-clue convention to misdirect solvers. Yes, HOmer made a book entitled The Odyssey but the lack of title quotation marks lets us know that this clue is about a minivan.  
21. On: ATOP.

25. Helped: AIDED.

26. Capped joints: KNEES.

28. __ large: WRIT.  This phrase means "on a larger scale or in a more prominent manner," sort of like bold type.

29. Fan pub: ZINE.  Merriam-Webster does not consider ZINE an abbreviation; nevertheless, "pub" for "publication" was helpful.

30. "The Residence" actress Uzo: ADUBA.  her IMDb page
The collective noun for leading ladies is preen

32. Golden yrs. fund: IRA.  "Years" is abbreviated, so is "Individual Retirement Account". 

33. Appropriately: APTLY.

34. "Would it be too bold of me?": DARE I.

35. Chiropractor's concern: ALIGNMENT.

37. Noted times: ERAS.

38. Bottled (up): PENT.  Think, "PENT up frustrations".

40. Deg. for many a Wharton grad: MBA.  The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania was established as the world's first collegiate business school in 1881.  History of Wharton

44. Extreme: ULTRA.  Def.: (adj.) going beyond others or beyond due limit.

45. Call for a reservation?: DIBS.  I liked this clue. When your sibling calls DIBS on shotgun, they are "reserving" the front passenger seat.

49. Like decent bonds: RATED A.  
This is the Jenga scene from The Big Short (2015).
It explains the 2008 global financial crisis in 8:17 min.

52. Elba who voices Chief Bogo in the "Zootopia" films: IDRIS.  Hi Lucina! 
The collective noun for leading men is pride.

53. "The Translator" novelist Aboulela: LEILA.  goodreads link  
The collective noun for authors is advance.

55. Fabric first known as "sergé de Nîmes": DENIM.  Perps helped a lot with this one. "DENIM" started as a contraction of that French phrase. Sergé is a type of fabric and Nîmes is the name of a place.

56. Excellent: PRIMO.  In this case, PRIMO is a slang term meaning "of the finest quality". We see it a lot in advertising and branding.  

57. Truck rental choice: RYDER.  

59. Some fluffy boots: UGGS.  
The collective noun for shoemakers is blackening.
If you are interested ... back in 2022, Planet Money did an episode 
on how UGG became the center of an international trademark dispute.

60. Solar panels spot: ROOF.  CSO to unclefred!

61. Contemplate: MUSE.

62. Belgian river: YSER.  We seem to be having a mini French subtheme today. This river begins in Northern France, flows through Belgium and empties into the North Sea. It is 48 mi. (78 km.) long.
Note the helpful map inset.

63. Graduation stat: GPA.  statistic and Grade Point Average

64. Director Howard: RON.  I enjoyed reading The Boys: A Memoir of Hollywood and Family, a book Howard co-wrote with his brother. In it, he writes about his road to being an Oscar-winning director.
The collective noun for directors is guild

The grid:  
Bonus points for alternating the placement of the collective noun!

One more before we go:  

Note:  Except were noted, all of the collective nouns in this write-up are found in An Exaltation of Larks by James Lipton.

That's all for today. I look forward to reading about your solving experiences in the comments section.
 
 
Notes from C.C.:

For those who missed my note last Friday, the ORCAS season here here. Our dear Sumdaze (Renee) has been nominated for Best Crossword Commentary. This year, all of the ORCAs-nominated puzzles will be available together in one special pack. The voting is open there through midnight Thursday, February 19.


Jan 11, 2026

Sunday January 11, 2026 Jill Singer

 Theme: "REPAIR WORK" - A pair of identical letters are replaced by another matching pair.

27. Irresistibly cute river animal?: AN OTTER YOU CAN'T REFUSE. An offer you can't refuse.

42. "Get that pool float out of my way!"?: MOVE THE NOODLE. Move the needle.

55. Question about a new romantic partner?: WHO ARE YOU KISSING. Who are you kidding?

78. Photo taken as milk spreads over a table?: THE SPILLING IMAGE. The spitting image.

91. Goo or ga, for a baby?: HALF THE BABBLE. Half the battle. 

108. Working the barbecue at the corn festival?: GRILLING FROM EAR TO EAR. Grinning from ear to ear.

I've mentioned last time. This is our Jill Singer, a filmmaker in the Boston area. 

 

Great title, Jill! I would have struggled mightily to find a title that captures the gimmick so perfectly. Only six theme entries, but they're all long.


Across:

1. Bottom of a platter?: SIDE B.  Vinyl record,

6. Singer Guthrie: ARLO.

10. Actress Mireille: ENOS. Her husband is Alan Ruck, who was in "Succession".

14. Beta preceder: ALPHA.

19. Solo: ALONE.

20. Shakespearean king: LEAR.

21. Catholic leader: POPE. We also have 73. Prayer ender: AMEN. And 77. "__ Maria": AVE.

22. Prepare for a long drive: TEE UP.

23. Santa Ana __: WINDS.

24. Miami-__ County: DADE.

25. Risks a "TMI" response: OVERSHARES.

30. Video game thief Sandiego: CARMEN.


31. Learning ctr.: SCH.

32. Pastoral people of Kenya: MASAI. Also spelled as Maasai. 

33. Actor Sean: ASTIN.

36. Equivalent: SAME.

38. Update a cartographer's work: RE-MAP.

47. Fury: OUTRAGE.

49. Obey, with "by": ABIDE.

50. Early show since 1975, briefly: GMA. Good Morning America.

51. Aspiring atty.'s hurdle: LSAT.

53. Freelancer's job: GIG.

54. __ a one: NARY.

61. Ostrich kin: EMU.

62. Sausages served with sauerkraut, for short: BRATS.

63. Sonoma product: WINE.

64. Swimmer's unit: LAP. Two lengths.

65. "Have a bite": TASTE IT. Xi'an-style sandwich. 


67. Juniper-flavored liquor: GIN.

68. Huge favors: BIG ASKS.

72. Zoo doc: VET.

75. Astonish: AMAZE.

83. Figure skating gold medalist Nathan: CHEN. He's becoming a doctor now.

84. Email signature info: TEL.

85. Catches: NABS.

86. Apple variety: MAC

87. Bars under cars: RAILS.

88. Gulf of Mexico structures: OIL RIGS.

96. Show off in the mirror: PREEN.

97. Give a hoot: CARE.

98. Davenport citizen: IOWAN.

99. G-Shock watchmaker: CASIO.

102. Some British sports cars: MGS.

104. Superficially attractive: GILDED.

114. Unit in Chagall's "Four Seasons": MOSAIC TILE.


115. "Another thing ... ": ALSO.

116. Pay stub data: WAGES.

118. K.T. of country music: OSLIN.

119. Airline figs.: ETAS.

120. Narrow inlets: RIAS.

121. Basketball great Shaquille: O'NEAL.

122. Ignominy: SHAME.

123. Hall of Fame safety Ronnie: LOTT.

124. Chooses, as a replacement: TAPS.

125. Square: NERDY.

Down:

1. Glimpsed: SAW.

2. __ crest: pelvis part: ILIAC


3. Disco legend Summer: DONNA.

4. "Return of the Jedi" forest moon: ENDOR.

5. Brit's close pal: BEST MATE.

6. Like some pasta: AL DENTE. I like chewy udon noodles.

7. __ admiral: REAR.

8. British title: LADY.

9. Cookies similar to Trader Joe's Joe-Joe's: OREOS. Never had Joe-Joe's.


10. Momentous: EPOCHAL.

11. Bossa __: NOVA.

12. Enticing words on a gift box: OPEN ME.

13. Sealy rival: SERTA.

14. Fundamentally: AT HEART.

15. Less raked: LEAFIER.

16. Home of the Spectacled Bear Conservation Society: PERU. Wikipedia says "Spectacled Bear is the only living species of bear native to South America". Learning moment for me. 


17. Shades: HUES.

18. Church recess: APSE.

26. Soon-to-be grads: SRS.

28. Musician and radio host John: TESH.

29. The Tritons of the NCAA: UCSD.



34. Gold block: INGOT.

35. Spanish "Stop!": NO MAS.

37. Honeydew, e.g.: MELON.

39. Crèche figures: MAGI. I saw them during Christmas. 


40. Opposin': AGIN.

41. Simon of "The Boys": PEGG.

42. Impressionist douard: MANET.

43. "The Light We Carry" writer Michelle: OBAMA.

44. Self-replicating malware: VIRUS.

45. Ice cream maker Joseph: EDY.

46. Paddle kin: OAR.

47. Shipbuilding wood: OAK.

48. Employ: UTILIZE.

52. Take to court: SUE.

55. Cuneiform, e.g.: WRITING

56. Panama, for one: HAT.

57. "Dallas" surname: EWING.

58. __ and yang: YIN.

59. Wise one: SAGE.

60. Massage locale: SPA.

62. Page: BEEP.

66. Den sets: TVS.

67. X, Y, or Z intro: GEN. I'm a Gen Xer.

68. Purse: BAG.

69. Hindi title: SAHIB.

70. Rejoice with pride: KVELL. Consonants-heavy.

71. Get a feeling about: SENSE.

73. Clerical robe: ALB.

74. "Supernatural" actor Collins: MISHA.

75. Rare Italian violin: AMATI.

76. "__ Man": Village People hit: MACHO.

78. Mustang roof option: T TOP.

79. Successor: HEIR.

80. French pronoun: ELLE.

81. __ Vegas Raiders: LAS.

82. Global finance org.: IMFThe International Monetary Fund, based in D.C.

83. Hired ride: CAB.

87. Was almost out of: RAN LOW ON.

89. Win back: RECLAIM.

90. Waiting, perhaps: IN A LINE.

92. Coveted territory in the air?: ARM REST. Fun clue. 

93. Brickmaker: LEGO.

94. "That's disgusting!": EW GROSS.

95. Angler's supply: BAIT.

97. "__, ergo sum": COGITO.

100. "I know this is wrong," from an editor: SIC.

101. Spy collection: INTEL.

103. Like some watches: SMART.

105. Silas of the Continental Congress: DEANE. This is pretty sad. 



106. Enthusiastic: EAGER.

107. Anticipate with fear: DREAD.

108. Engineered foods, for short: GMOS.

109. __ Hashana: ROSH.

110. Cuba, por ejemplo: ISLA.

111. Like an open can of soda, eventually: FLAT.

112. Director Kazan: ELIA. He directed "East of Eden".

113. "Right now!": ASAP.

117. Underhanded: SLY.

C.C.



Mar 2, 2025

Sunday March 2, 2025 Jill Singer

Theme: "In a Manner of Speaking" - Each common expression is reinterpreted literally.

22. "It's so cold my fingers are going numb": DIGITAL COMMUNICATION.

35. "I love my new down comforter": BLANKET STATEMENT.

52. "You should have seen that game-winning throw": PASSING COMMENT.

74. "I only carry one if there's more than a 50% chance of rain": UMBRELLA POLICY.

89. "Granite is best because it's heat-resistant and easy to clean": COUNTER-ARGUMENTS.

108. "Eve and I really wanted that apple": FIRST PERSON NARRATIVE.

I think this is our Jill Singer, a filmmaker in the Boston area. 

She has a fondness for this type of rephrasing theme type. Chuckled at the clues. Fun. 

This grid only has 138 words. Normally we have 142 or 144.



Across:

1. Go from ice to water: MELT.

5. Penn State rival: PITT. Roc the Panther.


9. Church topper: SPIRE.

14. Not stick around: BAIL.

18. Old short film: ONE-REELER.

20. Like an escaped balloon: ALOFT.

21. "Free Willy" mammal: ORCA.

25. Conceptualism debate starter: IS IT ART.

26. Cursed: DOOMED.

27. Cattle markers: BRANDS. San Gu's son-in-law has a huge cattle farm. This is her grandson Er Cong. Don't think he wants to be a farmer.


29. Polar bear platforms: FLOES.

30. Piano key wood, traditionally: EBONY.

32. Laugh half: HEE.

33. Langley org.: CIA.

34. Craving: YEN.

40. Period of time: SPELL.

42. Really annoys: DEVILS. Did not know devil can be a verb. OK, deviled egg. 

43. Creep: EDGE.

44. Escort: SQUIRE.

47. Beats by __: DRE.

50. Collapsible shelter: TENT.

51. Tangy salad herb: CRESS. Just had it last Sunday.

55. S.F. and L.A. locale: CAL.

56. Crème de la crème: A TEAM.

57. __ silence: RADIO.

58. Soak (up): SOP.

59. Starts of some logic problems: IFS.

62. __ photography: still-life genre: TABLETOP.


64. Business letters: LLC.

66. Wine grape variety: CABERNET.

68. Texter's apology: SRY. Sorry.

69. Like sashimi: RAW.

70. Ann __, Michigan: ARBOR.

72. Dye used in mehndi: HENNA.


73. Josh: KID.

78. Big shot: NABOB.

81. Court entry: PLEA.

82. Jimmy Eat World genre: EMO.

83. Rings around pupils: IRISES.

84. "__ be great!": IT'LL.

85. Part of the largest ethnic minority in the U.S.: LATINO. Hispanic and Latino. Han is the largest in the world. I'm a Han.



87. Very thin: GAUNT. And 99. Gray-faced: ASHEN.

93. Half of hexa-: TRI.

96. WSW reversal: ENE.

97. Urban scourge: RAT.

98. Composer Maurice: RAVEL. "Boléro".

101. Some field day races: RELAYS.

103. Peppermint __: PATTIE.

106. Sticks: ADHERES.

111. "Got that, boss": ON IT.

112. Brother's wife or wife's brother: IN-LAW.

113. Transfers legally: SIGNS OVER.

114. Cincinnati players: REDS.

115. Festoon: ADORN.

116. Cookie one might twist to open: OREO.

117. Robin's home: NEST.

Down:

1. Alter: MODIFY.

2. Maroon: ENISLE.

3. Roman military group: LEGION.

4. Overused: TRITE.

5. Comice or Seckel: PEAR. Seckel pears.



6. Tattler's refrain: I'LL TELL.

7. Private eye: TEC. Detective.

8. Trampled: TROD ON.

9. Siberian dog breed: SAMOYED.



10. Reddish purple hue: PLUM.

11. "La Brea" actress Skye: IONE.

12. Microchip initialism: RFID. Radio Frequency Identification.

13. "You know the rest," briefly: ETC.

14. Buddha's meditation spot: BO TREE.



15. Oratorio solo: ARIA.

16. Words following a loss: I CONCEDE.

17. Positions to stick after vaults: LANDINGS.

19. Airport pickup figs.: ETAS.

23. One living a life of prayer: MONK. Nice clue.

24. Offers some bad advice?: ABETS. Really bad advice.

28. Quenches: SATES.

31. Part of an Uncle Fester costume: BALD CAP.



32. Stop: HALT.

35. "Where have you __?": BEEN.

36. Spot for un béret: TETE.

37. Cartoon reindeer: SVEN.

38. Eyelash treatment: TINT.

39. Reagle who was a special guest on a crossword episode of "The Simpsons": MERL. Had a few nice email exchanges with Merl when I first started making puzzles.


40. Natural fiber in rugs and rope: SISAL.

41. Steakhouse selection: PRIME RIB.

44. Quarrels: SPATS.

45. Saudi Arabia neighbor: QATAR.

46. Important date: USE BY.

48. Towel holder: ROD.

49. Wakim of "SNL": EMIL.


51. Meeting point of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans: CAPE HORN.

53. "Oh, __ up!": GROW.

54. Wisdom tooth, e.g.: MOLAR.

55. Kernel holder: COB.

58. "Love Song" singer Bareilles: SARA.

59. Civil rights leader Roy: INNIS.

60. Ideal yard feature for pet owners: FENCE.

61. Legal postponements: STAYS.

63. Small amount: TAD.

65. Indigenous Canadians: CREE.

66. City on the Rhine: COLOGNE. 73. 66-Down, in German: KOLN.

67. Got going again, as a gas lamp: RE-LIT.

71. Anti-racism gp.: BLM.

74. Cosmetics chain with beauty salons: ULTA.

75. Golda of Israel: MEIR.

76. Sound of a slamming door: BANG.

77. Name of 12 popes: PIUS.

78. More sympathetic: NICER.

79. Right, as a wrong: ATONE FOR.

80. Transit option to Boston's Logan Airport: BLUE LINE.


81. Hair band?: PART



85. "It's the __ I can do": LEAST.

86. Play in which the Stage Manager is a character: OUR TOWN.

88. On the loose: AT LARGE.

90. Secret meetups: TRYSTS.

91. Common street name: MAIN.

92. "Nevertheless ... ": EVEN SO.

93. Not just survive: THRIVE.

94. Actor Keanu: REEVES.

95. Magazine addition: INSERT.

99. Exclamations of understanding: AHAS.

100. Determined to have: SET ON.

102. Like the Namib: ARID. The Namib is world's oldest desert.


103. Await settlement: PEND.

104. Folk singer Guthrie: ARLO.

105. Peter the Great or Nicholas II: TSAR.

107. Spy film starring Sean Connery: DR NO.

109. Actress Zadora: PIA.

110. Affectation: AIR.

C.C.