Theme: In the Nonfiction Section (Add HOW to a familiar phrase)
23A: Handbook of euphemisms?: HOW TO PUT IT MILDLY
37A: Manual for talk show guests? HOW TO BE ANNOUNCED
44A: Guide for sore losers?: HOW TO BLAME
62A: Self-help book for compulsive liars?: HOW TO BE PERFECTLY FRANK
78A: Reference work for modelists?: HOW TO SCALE
85A: Vade mecum for neologists?: HOW TO COIN A PHRASE
105A: Therapeutic book for blowhards?: HOW TO SAY THE LEAST
I did not know a modelist is a person who makes models (as of planes). And I also did not know the meaning of "Vade mecum (manual, literally "go with me" in Latin). I think I need a dummy's "How to Read Rich Norris' Mind" crossword guide.
Look at these tricky clues he devised:
56A: Bouncer?: BALL. Sure, BALL bounces. I saw the question mark in his clue. And I know he is trying to play with my mind, yet I was still fixed on the bar bouncers.
13D: Take-out order?: DELE. Once again, the question mark did nothing to prevent me from thinking of food. I am so used to the "Editor's mark" clue.
30D: Notions holder: ETUI. To me, "notions" are just ideas. So I wanted HEAD. I was totally ignorant of the "small articles, such as buttons, thread, ribbon, and other personal items" meaning of "notions".
They are clever and entertaining clues once you understand the rationale. But quite frustrating if you can't think outside the box and see where the editor is trying to mislead you. Anyway, I picked up where I left yesterday. Another round of struggle.
Now looking back at my finished grid, I feel that I know lots of answers. But the cluing is so vastly different from the old Williams style that the puzzle was made so much harder to solve.
Oh, why "Ring site" for EAR (107D)? The "Ring" here is not earring, isn't it?
Across:
1A: Motorists' warnings: HONKS. My husband loses patience easily and HONKS when I don't think he should.
6A: A great deal: GOBS. And A TAD (103D: To a slight extend).
15A: "Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer" musical: CATS. Know the musical. Have never heard of the song. Very intimidating clue.
20A: Nimbus: AURA
21A: Humble home: HOVEL. I like the alliteration.
22A: Where Camus' "The Plague" is set: ORAN. Camus was born here, so was Yves Saint Laurent.
26A: Opening word?: MAMA. I thought of opening word in a letter, so I wanted DEAR.
27A: MD's workplaces: ORS. ERS too.
28A: Film introduction?: MICRO. Microfilm.
29A: Close call: SCARE
30A: Hinder: EMBAR
31A: Thread-spinning Fate: CLOTHO. No idea. Have never heard of the Moirae the Three Fates before. Only knew the three Furies (Erinyes) who are chasing Orestes.
33A: It's commonly twisted: ANKLE. I was thinking of PLOT.
34A: Sight in le ciel: ETOILE. Might be tough for those who don't speak French. "Le ciel" is "the sky". "Star in le ciel" would have been an easier clue.
40A: Large envelope feature: CLASP
43A: Patty Hearst alias: TANIA. Unknown to me. Surprised to learn that Patty Hearst is still alive.
48A: He played Sheldon in "Misery": CAAN (James). Someone mentioned this film at the Comments section a few months ago.
50A: Future elm: SEED. Oh well, I thought there might be a special term for the seed, like ACORN for "Future oak".
54A: Sushi fish: EEL. Or AHI occasionally.
55A: Item stolen in Pope's "The Rape of the Lock": TRESS. Uh-uh, nope. Have never heard of this Pope poem. I was confused by the title, thinking of the door lock.
57A: Bareback rider's lack: SADDLE
59A: Hindu god who rides a bull named Nandi: SHIVA. This detailed clue only makes the answer harder for me to obtain. I know SHIVA the "destroyer". Had no idea that he rides a bull. Why those male gods are pictured as feminine is beyond me.
60A: Programmer's output: CODE
61A: Bronze coatings: PATINAS. Heard this word a lot in Antique Roadshows.
67A: U-Haul rental: TRAILER
68A: Drift gracefully: WAFT. Why "gracefully"?
69A: Hard thing to kick: HABIT. Good clue. What's the one bad HABIT you want to get rid of now?
70A: Penn pal: TELLER. Tough clue for me. I am not familiar with Penn & TELLER . Are they very famous?
71A: Nincompoop: BOZO
72A: Lord's home: MANOR. Thought "Lord" was God.
76A: Facebook user's nudge: POKE. No idea. Not into Facebook or Twitter.
77A: Stand-up comic's need: MIKE. "Karaoke need" too.
80A: "Use your head": THINK. Well, obviously I don't know how to "Use my head". The answer did not come to me readily at all.
84A: Antidote target: TOXIN. What's the difference between antidote and antibody?
93A: Jason's vessel: ARGO. His band mates are called Argonauts. I can't remember the story. Did they find the Golden Fleece in the end?
94A: Melodious: ARIOSE. Need to chew some acorn. I can never remember this word.
95A: Drinks for Radar: NEHIS. Very odd poster. What is she holding on her hands?
96A: Get lovey-dovey: CUDDLE. And NESTLE (88D: Get cozy). So sweet!
98A: "Bingo!": RIGHT
99A: Quaint denial: TISNT. No idea. It isn't?
100A: Fencer's move: LUNGE
101A: Flapper's wrapper: BOA. Love the rhyme in the clues. All these flappers seem to have short hair.
104A: Venetian elder of yore: DOGE. Learned this word from doing Xword. It's like English "duke".
108A: __ Girl: former teen fashion mag: ELLE. Oh, I was unaware the short life of ELLE Girl (August 2001-July 2006).
109A: Colorado senator Mark: UDALL. No idea. He needs to appear on Chris Matthews' "Hardball" often for me to pay attention to him. Last time Wayne Williams clued UDALL as "Morris or Stewart of Arizona". I suppose they are all related somehow.
110A: Court statement: PLEA
111A: Jazzman Hines: FATHA. No, I don't know this Earl Hines nickname. What does it mean? Father?
112A: React in shock: REEL
113A: Ready to ship: BOXED. My first reaction is CRATED.
114A: "Sesame Street" guy with a unibrow: BERT. Learned his name from doing crossword. Who's the guy on the left?
115A: Walk, often lightly: TREAD. Really? If TREAD already means "Walk, often lightly", why do we often say TREAD lightly?
Down:
1D: "The Farmer in the Dell" syllables: HI-HO
2D: Wavy lines, in comics: ODOR. I like this clue.
3D: Scrolling 25-Down feature: NEWS CRAWL. And MSNBC (25D: 24-hr. news source)
5D: Replay technique: SLO-MO
6D: Pampean cowboy: GAUCHO. Does GAUCHO and gauche have the same root?
7D: Beat in a regatta: OUTROW. Holy cow! This is a real word. I thought it's made-up.
8D: Con__: spiritedly: BRIO. I bet it's a gimme for Crockett.
9D: Took a load off: SAT
10D: Actor Alan: THICKE. New actor to me. A Canadian. Wikipedia says he was in "Growing Pains".
11D: "Très chic!": OO LA LA
12D: Blockbuster transaction: DVD RENTAL. The cluster of 4 consonants at the beginning of the fill looks quite cool together.
15D: Utterly ordinary: COMMON AS DIRT
16D: Mauritania's official language: ARABIC. I don't where Mauritania is. Dictionary says it's a former French colony. I am surprised that ARABIC is their official language then.
17D: Food wrapped in a corn husk: TAMALE
18D: Trapped: SNARED
24D: Heart: PITH
32D: Complex ABC drama: LOST
36D: Baffin Bay sighting: FLOE. See this map of Baffin Bay. I need an "Arctic" clue for the answer to leap to me.
38D: Rolaids rival: TUMS
41D: Road problem: POTHOLE
45D: Hush money payer: BRIBER
46D: Obsolescent vote finalizer: LEVER. Unknown to me. Here is a picture of a LEVER voting machine when I googled.
47D: Exec's "Fast": ASAP
48D: Citadel student: CADET. Would have got the answer immediately if the clue were "West Point student". I am not familiar with the military college The Citadel.
52D: Panache: ELAN
53: Student's station: DESK
56D: Big, in Variety: BOFFO. Here are more Variety jargon.
57D: Make a peep: SAY BOO. Why? I don't grok it at all.
58D: To begin with: AT FIRST
59D: Part of a femme fatale's outfit: STILETTO HEEL. Great answer.
60D: Pet rocks, once: CRAZE. We had a wild Twins medallions CRAZE several years ago.
65D: Fighter in the Battle for Endor: EWOK. Once again, the extra information in the clue is useless to me. I am used to the "Furry "Star Wars"creature" clue.
66D: Spring event: THAW
71D: Sunbather's depilatory: BIKINI WAX. Another great fill.
72D: Heath: MOOR
73D: 2008 economic stimulus provision: TAX REBATE. I like this answer also.
74D: Sacha Baron Cohen persona: ALI G. Were you thinking of Borat?
77D: 6, on a phone: MNO
79D: West Virginia resource: COAL. China accounts for almost 4/5 of the total deaths in COAL mine accidents.
81D: Party giver: HOST
82D: Bar stock: ICE
83D: Barely rains: SPITS. Dictionary defines SPIT as "fall in scattered drops or flakes, as rain or snow". New to me also.
85D: Higher on the Mohs scale: HARDER. Good clue. Diamond is 10 in Mohs scale.
86D: Colorful songbird: ORIOLE. Cal Ripken Jr. is an ORIOLE too. The price of his baseball cards really does not reflect his achievements.
87D: Toe movement: WIGGLE
89D: California's governor, facetiously: AHNOLD. Because of his accent? I got the answer. Don't understand the reason.
90D: More intense: ACUTER
91D: Beach topper: SUN HAT
92D: Trim or rim: EDGE. D'oh. Of course! V-8 moment for me.
97D: Jan Vermeer's hometown: DELFT. I like Vermeer's "Milkmaid" and "Girl with a Pearl Earring"(the Scarlett Johansson movie is good too). But I don't know he was born in DELFT, a city noted for its fine blue-and-white pottery.
99D: List heading: TO DO
102D: Wrokplace stds. org.: OSHA
105D: Where spokes meet: HUB
106D: LAPD alert: APB. This is probaly the only LA reference today.
Answer Grid.
C.C.
23A: Handbook of euphemisms?: HOW TO PUT IT MILDLY
37A: Manual for talk show guests? HOW TO BE ANNOUNCED
44A: Guide for sore losers?: HOW TO BLAME
62A: Self-help book for compulsive liars?: HOW TO BE PERFECTLY FRANK
78A: Reference work for modelists?: HOW TO SCALE
85A: Vade mecum for neologists?: HOW TO COIN A PHRASE
105A: Therapeutic book for blowhards?: HOW TO SAY THE LEAST
I did not know a modelist is a person who makes models (as of planes). And I also did not know the meaning of "Vade mecum (manual, literally "go with me" in Latin). I think I need a dummy's "How to Read Rich Norris' Mind" crossword guide.
Look at these tricky clues he devised:
56A: Bouncer?: BALL. Sure, BALL bounces. I saw the question mark in his clue. And I know he is trying to play with my mind, yet I was still fixed on the bar bouncers.
13D: Take-out order?: DELE. Once again, the question mark did nothing to prevent me from thinking of food. I am so used to the "Editor's mark" clue.
30D: Notions holder: ETUI. To me, "notions" are just ideas. So I wanted HEAD. I was totally ignorant of the "small articles, such as buttons, thread, ribbon, and other personal items" meaning of "notions".
They are clever and entertaining clues once you understand the rationale. But quite frustrating if you can't think outside the box and see where the editor is trying to mislead you. Anyway, I picked up where I left yesterday. Another round of struggle.
Now looking back at my finished grid, I feel that I know lots of answers. But the cluing is so vastly different from the old Williams style that the puzzle was made so much harder to solve.
Oh, why "Ring site" for EAR (107D)? The "Ring" here is not earring, isn't it?
Across:
1A: Motorists' warnings: HONKS. My husband loses patience easily and HONKS when I don't think he should.
6A: A great deal: GOBS. And A TAD (103D: To a slight extend).
15A: "Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer" musical: CATS. Know the musical. Have never heard of the song. Very intimidating clue.
20A: Nimbus: AURA
21A: Humble home: HOVEL. I like the alliteration.
22A: Where Camus' "The Plague" is set: ORAN. Camus was born here, so was Yves Saint Laurent.
26A: Opening word?: MAMA. I thought of opening word in a letter, so I wanted DEAR.
27A: MD's workplaces: ORS. ERS too.
28A: Film introduction?: MICRO. Microfilm.
29A: Close call: SCARE
30A: Hinder: EMBAR
31A: Thread-spinning Fate: CLOTHO. No idea. Have never heard of the Moirae the Three Fates before. Only knew the three Furies (Erinyes) who are chasing Orestes.
33A: It's commonly twisted: ANKLE. I was thinking of PLOT.
34A: Sight in le ciel: ETOILE. Might be tough for those who don't speak French. "Le ciel" is "the sky". "Star in le ciel" would have been an easier clue.
40A: Large envelope feature: CLASP
43A: Patty Hearst alias: TANIA. Unknown to me. Surprised to learn that Patty Hearst is still alive.
48A: He played Sheldon in "Misery": CAAN (James). Someone mentioned this film at the Comments section a few months ago.
50A: Future elm: SEED. Oh well, I thought there might be a special term for the seed, like ACORN for "Future oak".
54A: Sushi fish: EEL. Or AHI occasionally.
55A: Item stolen in Pope's "The Rape of the Lock": TRESS. Uh-uh, nope. Have never heard of this Pope poem. I was confused by the title, thinking of the door lock.
57A: Bareback rider's lack: SADDLE
59A: Hindu god who rides a bull named Nandi: SHIVA. This detailed clue only makes the answer harder for me to obtain. I know SHIVA the "destroyer". Had no idea that he rides a bull. Why those male gods are pictured as feminine is beyond me.
60A: Programmer's output: CODE
61A: Bronze coatings: PATINAS. Heard this word a lot in Antique Roadshows.
67A: U-Haul rental: TRAILER
68A: Drift gracefully: WAFT. Why "gracefully"?
69A: Hard thing to kick: HABIT. Good clue. What's the one bad HABIT you want to get rid of now?
70A: Penn pal: TELLER. Tough clue for me. I am not familiar with Penn & TELLER . Are they very famous?
71A: Nincompoop: BOZO
72A: Lord's home: MANOR. Thought "Lord" was God.
76A: Facebook user's nudge: POKE. No idea. Not into Facebook or Twitter.
77A: Stand-up comic's need: MIKE. "Karaoke need" too.
80A: "Use your head": THINK. Well, obviously I don't know how to "Use my head". The answer did not come to me readily at all.
84A: Antidote target: TOXIN. What's the difference between antidote and antibody?
93A: Jason's vessel: ARGO. His band mates are called Argonauts. I can't remember the story. Did they find the Golden Fleece in the end?
94A: Melodious: ARIOSE. Need to chew some acorn. I can never remember this word.
95A: Drinks for Radar: NEHIS. Very odd poster. What is she holding on her hands?
96A: Get lovey-dovey: CUDDLE. And NESTLE (88D: Get cozy). So sweet!
98A: "Bingo!": RIGHT
99A: Quaint denial: TISNT. No idea. It isn't?
100A: Fencer's move: LUNGE
101A: Flapper's wrapper: BOA. Love the rhyme in the clues. All these flappers seem to have short hair.
104A: Venetian elder of yore: DOGE. Learned this word from doing Xword. It's like English "duke".
108A: __ Girl: former teen fashion mag: ELLE. Oh, I was unaware the short life of ELLE Girl (August 2001-July 2006).
109A: Colorado senator Mark: UDALL. No idea. He needs to appear on Chris Matthews' "Hardball" often for me to pay attention to him. Last time Wayne Williams clued UDALL as "Morris or Stewart of Arizona". I suppose they are all related somehow.
110A: Court statement: PLEA
111A: Jazzman Hines: FATHA. No, I don't know this Earl Hines nickname. What does it mean? Father?
112A: React in shock: REEL
113A: Ready to ship: BOXED. My first reaction is CRATED.
114A: "Sesame Street" guy with a unibrow: BERT. Learned his name from doing crossword. Who's the guy on the left?
115A: Walk, often lightly: TREAD. Really? If TREAD already means "Walk, often lightly", why do we often say TREAD lightly?
Down:
1D: "The Farmer in the Dell" syllables: HI-HO
2D: Wavy lines, in comics: ODOR. I like this clue.
3D: Scrolling 25-Down feature: NEWS CRAWL. And MSNBC (25D: 24-hr. news source)
5D: Replay technique: SLO-MO
6D: Pampean cowboy: GAUCHO. Does GAUCHO and gauche have the same root?
7D: Beat in a regatta: OUTROW. Holy cow! This is a real word. I thought it's made-up.
8D: Con__: spiritedly: BRIO. I bet it's a gimme for Crockett.
9D: Took a load off: SAT
10D: Actor Alan: THICKE. New actor to me. A Canadian. Wikipedia says he was in "Growing Pains".
11D: "Très chic!": OO LA LA
12D: Blockbuster transaction: DVD RENTAL. The cluster of 4 consonants at the beginning of the fill looks quite cool together.
15D: Utterly ordinary: COMMON AS DIRT
16D: Mauritania's official language: ARABIC. I don't where Mauritania is. Dictionary says it's a former French colony. I am surprised that ARABIC is their official language then.
17D: Food wrapped in a corn husk: TAMALE
18D: Trapped: SNARED
24D: Heart: PITH
32D: Complex ABC drama: LOST
36D: Baffin Bay sighting: FLOE. See this map of Baffin Bay. I need an "Arctic" clue for the answer to leap to me.
38D: Rolaids rival: TUMS
41D: Road problem: POTHOLE
45D: Hush money payer: BRIBER
46D: Obsolescent vote finalizer: LEVER. Unknown to me. Here is a picture of a LEVER voting machine when I googled.
47D: Exec's "Fast": ASAP
48D: Citadel student: CADET. Would have got the answer immediately if the clue were "West Point student". I am not familiar with the military college The Citadel.
52D: Panache: ELAN
53: Student's station: DESK
56D: Big, in Variety: BOFFO. Here are more Variety jargon.
57D: Make a peep: SAY BOO. Why? I don't grok it at all.
58D: To begin with: AT FIRST
59D: Part of a femme fatale's outfit: STILETTO HEEL. Great answer.
60D: Pet rocks, once: CRAZE. We had a wild Twins medallions CRAZE several years ago.
65D: Fighter in the Battle for Endor: EWOK. Once again, the extra information in the clue is useless to me. I am used to the "Furry "Star Wars"creature" clue.
66D: Spring event: THAW
71D: Sunbather's depilatory: BIKINI WAX. Another great fill.
72D: Heath: MOOR
73D: 2008 economic stimulus provision: TAX REBATE. I like this answer also.
74D: Sacha Baron Cohen persona: ALI G. Were you thinking of Borat?
77D: 6, on a phone: MNO
79D: West Virginia resource: COAL. China accounts for almost 4/5 of the total deaths in COAL mine accidents.
81D: Party giver: HOST
82D: Bar stock: ICE
83D: Barely rains: SPITS. Dictionary defines SPIT as "fall in scattered drops or flakes, as rain or snow". New to me also.
85D: Higher on the Mohs scale: HARDER. Good clue. Diamond is 10 in Mohs scale.
86D: Colorful songbird: ORIOLE. Cal Ripken Jr. is an ORIOLE too. The price of his baseball cards really does not reflect his achievements.
87D: Toe movement: WIGGLE
89D: California's governor, facetiously: AHNOLD. Because of his accent? I got the answer. Don't understand the reason.
90D: More intense: ACUTER
91D: Beach topper: SUN HAT
92D: Trim or rim: EDGE. D'oh. Of course! V-8 moment for me.
97D: Jan Vermeer's hometown: DELFT. I like Vermeer's "Milkmaid" and "Girl with a Pearl Earring"(the Scarlett Johansson movie is good too). But I don't know he was born in DELFT, a city noted for its fine blue-and-white pottery.
99D: List heading: TO DO
102D: Wrokplace stds. org.: OSHA
105D: Where spokes meet: HUB
106D: LAPD alert: APB. This is probaly the only LA reference today.
Answer Grid.
C.C.
