Theme: Oral Exam
25A: Molar collector?: TOOTH FAIRY
67A: Alien language: FOREIGN TONGUE
114A: Car accident rescue device: JAWS OF LIFE
6D: Murderous: CUT THROAT
37D: Pecans, pumpkin, etc.: PIE FILLINGS
40D: Harmonicas: MOUTH ORGANS
82D: Dimple: CONCAVITY
Wow, what a laborious & harrowing solving experience! I struggled hard. The Socio/Ethno/Flenses/Cresset portion of the puzzle was simple too formidable for me. I did not even get the complete theme entries until I read others' comments. I spent 1 1/2 hours on this puzzle. Had 2 big high-carb breakfasts & 1 apple & 1 banana to compensate my rigorous mental workout.
Oh, I have a question for you, what time do you normally get your Sunday paper? Our weekend paper guy is really driving me nuts. He is always unapologetically and unabashedly late. This morning he threw the paper so hard at our garage door that he woke up my husband.
Across entries:
1A: Rite spot: ALTAR
10A: Of people: pref: SOCIO. I flirted with the senseless LOCIO for over 1 hour.
15A: Long nail: CLAW
19A: "Aida" composer: VERDI. "Aida" is the only Verdi piece I know.
20A: Component piece: UNIT
21A: Of a people: pref: ETHNO. I like the way ETHNO parallels with SOCIO.
22A: Scottish lake: LOCH. I am very fond of this crossword clue: Loch without a key: NESS
23A: Objects of devotion: IDOLS
30A: Auberjonois and Descartes: RENES. TMS crossword stalwart.
31A: Hindu priestly caste: BRAHMAN. Not a familiar word to me. I guess I've heard of Brahma, the Creator in Hinduism (Vishu is the preserver and Shiva is the destroyer. Hindu Trinity). My dictionary explains Brahman as the highest of Hindu priestly caste.
33A: Strips blubber: FLENSES. Unknown. Is this a whaler's lingo?
35A: Angel dust: abbr: PCP (Phencyclidine). I wonder who first called this awful drug "Angel dust?" Maybe he experienced some hallucination and delusions from dosing on this drug and saw angels?
38A: Divest: STRIP
39A: Relative of a flambeau: CRESSET. I did not know the meaning of flambeau, and I've never heard of cresset. I just learned that flambeau derived from old French flambe (flame). I think that's where we get this word flamboyant.
40A: Brit. electees: MPS (Members of Parliament). I just finished Josephine Hart's Damage, in which an upcoming brilliant British MP had a steamy affair with his son's girlfriend. I don't know where I got this notion that MP stood for Minister of Parliament. Louis Malle made this into a film, starring Jeremy Irons and Juliette Binoche. It's pretty good.
43A: Explorer Ericson: LEIF. Here is more information about him. Have never heard of him before.
45A: Hawaiian acacia: KOA. Acacia koa. Unknown to me.
49A: South Pacific region: OCEANIA. Does it include Australia?
51A: Censor's inserts: BLEEPS
54A: Safe: SECURE
55A: Boldly resisting: DEFIANT. That's the oddball lunatic Kim Jong-Il.
56A: Bitingly cold: RAW
57A: Social follower?: ITE. My first instinct was ism, or ist.
59A: Number stamper: DATER. What?
61A: Wife of a rajah: RANI. Rani = Ranee; Rajah = Raja.
62A: Word with prayer and throw: RUGS
64A: Afterwards: THEN. I put SOON first.
65A: Actor Linden: HAL. He is a stranger to me.
71A: Keats verse: ODE
74A: Part of NLCS: NATL (National League Champions Series). Twins belong to the ALC.
75A: Practical jokes: GAGS
76A: Rabbit's title: BR'ER. My husband helped me with this one.
78A: Top social category: A LIST
80A: __ de mer: MAL. French for seasickness.
81A: Wildebeest: GNU. Wildebeest is not listed in my Webster's dictionary.
82A: Informing: CUING.
85A: Hindu mystic writings: TANTRA. Tantra, mantra, both Hinduism terms.
87A: Admonish: REBUKE
89A: While performing: ON STAGE
90A: Cleanliness: HYGIENE
92A: Tumor: suff.: OMA. Fibroma, Melanoma.
93A: Tropical cuckoo: ANI. Learned this bird from doing crossword.
96A: Feudal tenants: VASSALS. Big stumper. I only knew ESNE.
99A: One hundred: pref.: HECTO. I simply forgot.
101A: AARP members: SRS
102A: Tex and Thelma: RITTERS. Complete strangers to me.
103A: Part of the Arctic Ocean: KARA SEA. On the east of Barents Sea. Look at this map.
105A: One more time: AGAIN
108A: QED part: ERAT. I am tired of this cluing.
109A: Norwegian king: OLAV
110A: Makes insensitive: NUMBS
116A: High: pref: ALTI. Altitude or what?
117A: Window on a corbel: ORIEL. It looks like this.
118A: Hog-wild: AMOK. Can also be spelled as amuck.
119A: Of an arm bone: ULNAR
120A: Spoils taken: LOOT
121A: Cooper's Bumppo: NATTY. No idea.
124A: Skewed: AWRY
125A: __ Park, CO: ESTES
Down entries:
1D: Rara __: AVIS. A rare bird, Latin. That's Sade. Don't know where she is now. Sade and her sister used to frequent a bar in Southern Spain operated by my ex-boss.
2D: Mother of Castor and Pollux: LEDA. The Swan Lady.
3D: Walked (on): TROD
4D: Impromptu: AD LIB. The impressive Mike Huckabee! He is so good at ad lib.
5D: Staircase elements: RISERS
7D: Blood deficiency: ANAEMIA. I always spell it as Anemia. Don't eschew the R word, W, this economy is anemic.
8D: Irregular stone foundation: RIPRAP. Here is a picture for you.
9D: Drinking vessel: STEIN
10D: Looses: SETS FREE. I penned in LETS FREE, thus could not get SOCIO for 10A.
11D: "My fair Year" star: O'TOOLE. Never saw this movie.
12D: Routine duties: CHORES
13D: Deeply felt: INTENSE
14D: La-la lead-in: OOH. I put in TRA first.
15D: Sculptor Oldenburg: CLAES. Another stranger.
18D: Reasons: WHYS
26D: Worried: FRETTED
32D: Rowan, a.k.a. Mr. Bean: ATKINSON. Poor guy. He will always be Mr. Bean.
34D: Earthly seven: SEAS. I loathe the clue.
35D: Proceed slowly but surely: PLOD
36D: Gospel singer Winans: CECE
39D: Wrigley's and Doublemint: CHEWING GUMS
41D: Liquefied: PUREED. Don't like anything pureed either. I need to see clearly what I am eating.
42D: "Tristram Shandy" author: STERNE. Have never read the book, do not know the author either.
48D: Beat it: SCAT
50D: Childlike person: NAIF
52D: dugout canoe: PIROGUE. I want to be in this boat.
53D: Knocks for a loop: STUNS
58D: Coop item: EGG. Have you ever taken a fresh warm egg from a coop?
61D: Make road repairs: RETAR
63D: Minor divisions: SUBUNITS. This word posed quite a bit of problem for me.
68D: Battering device: RAM. It's in last Sunday's puzzle.
69D: 31-syllable Japanese poem: TANKA. I only know Haiku.
70D: Greek goddess of discord: ERIS. She is the sister of Ares (God of War). Troubled siblings.
73D: Italian wine center: ASTI
77D: Ways in: abbr.: ENTS. Entries I suppose?
79D: Golfer from El Paso: TREVINO (Lee). Great guy. Very funny too. But I was actually thinking of Crenshaw (Ben). I did not know that Trevino is from Texas. Golfer Justin Leonard is from Texas too.
83D: Borodin's prince: IGOR
88D: Long, narrow cushions: BOLSTERS
91D: Actress Parson: ESTELLE. Nope. Have never heard of her.
93D: Aquarium requirement: AERATOR. My husband filled this for me.
97D: Old World finches: SERINS
98D: Former PLO leader: ARAFAT
99D: Revere: HALLOW. I think Abe Lincoln used "hallow" as a verb twice in his Gettysburg Address.
100D: Wife of Paris: OENONE. Only knew Helen.
103D: Australian marsupial: KOALA
104D: Invisible emanations: AURA
106D: Willing: GAME. I don't think I am game for another Sunday puzzle, this is too tough for me.
107D: Gone GI: AWOL
112D: __ noire (bugbear): BETE
C. C.
25A: Molar collector?: TOOTH FAIRY
67A: Alien language: FOREIGN TONGUE
114A: Car accident rescue device: JAWS OF LIFE
6D: Murderous: CUT THROAT
37D: Pecans, pumpkin, etc.: PIE FILLINGS
40D: Harmonicas: MOUTH ORGANS
82D: Dimple: CONCAVITY
Wow, what a laborious & harrowing solving experience! I struggled hard. The Socio/Ethno/Flenses/Cresset portion of the puzzle was simple too formidable for me. I did not even get the complete theme entries until I read others' comments. I spent 1 1/2 hours on this puzzle. Had 2 big high-carb breakfasts & 1 apple & 1 banana to compensate my rigorous mental workout.
Oh, I have a question for you, what time do you normally get your Sunday paper? Our weekend paper guy is really driving me nuts. He is always unapologetically and unabashedly late. This morning he threw the paper so hard at our garage door that he woke up my husband.
Across entries:
1A: Rite spot: ALTAR
10A: Of people: pref: SOCIO. I flirted with the senseless LOCIO for over 1 hour.
15A: Long nail: CLAW
19A: "Aida" composer: VERDI. "Aida" is the only Verdi piece I know.
20A: Component piece: UNIT
21A: Of a people: pref: ETHNO. I like the way ETHNO parallels with SOCIO.
22A: Scottish lake: LOCH. I am very fond of this crossword clue: Loch without a key: NESS
23A: Objects of devotion: IDOLS
30A: Auberjonois and Descartes: RENES. TMS crossword stalwart.
31A: Hindu priestly caste: BRAHMAN. Not a familiar word to me. I guess I've heard of Brahma, the Creator in Hinduism (Vishu is the preserver and Shiva is the destroyer. Hindu Trinity). My dictionary explains Brahman as the highest of Hindu priestly caste.
33A: Strips blubber: FLENSES. Unknown. Is this a whaler's lingo?
35A: Angel dust: abbr: PCP (Phencyclidine). I wonder who first called this awful drug "Angel dust?" Maybe he experienced some hallucination and delusions from dosing on this drug and saw angels?
38A: Divest: STRIP
39A: Relative of a flambeau: CRESSET. I did not know the meaning of flambeau, and I've never heard of cresset. I just learned that flambeau derived from old French flambe (flame). I think that's where we get this word flamboyant.
40A: Brit. electees: MPS (Members of Parliament). I just finished Josephine Hart's Damage, in which an upcoming brilliant British MP had a steamy affair with his son's girlfriend. I don't know where I got this notion that MP stood for Minister of Parliament. Louis Malle made this into a film, starring Jeremy Irons and Juliette Binoche. It's pretty good.
43A: Explorer Ericson: LEIF. Here is more information about him. Have never heard of him before.
45A: Hawaiian acacia: KOA. Acacia koa. Unknown to me.
49A: South Pacific region: OCEANIA. Does it include Australia?
51A: Censor's inserts: BLEEPS
54A: Safe: SECURE
55A: Boldly resisting: DEFIANT. That's the oddball lunatic Kim Jong-Il.
56A: Bitingly cold: RAW
57A: Social follower?: ITE. My first instinct was ism, or ist.
59A: Number stamper: DATER. What?
61A: Wife of a rajah: RANI. Rani = Ranee; Rajah = Raja.
62A: Word with prayer and throw: RUGS
64A: Afterwards: THEN. I put SOON first.
65A: Actor Linden: HAL. He is a stranger to me.
71A: Keats verse: ODE
74A: Part of NLCS: NATL (National League Champions Series). Twins belong to the ALC.
75A: Practical jokes: GAGS
76A: Rabbit's title: BR'ER. My husband helped me with this one.
78A: Top social category: A LIST
80A: __ de mer: MAL. French for seasickness.
81A: Wildebeest: GNU. Wildebeest is not listed in my Webster's dictionary.
82A: Informing: CUING.
85A: Hindu mystic writings: TANTRA. Tantra, mantra, both Hinduism terms.
87A: Admonish: REBUKE
89A: While performing: ON STAGE
90A: Cleanliness: HYGIENE
92A: Tumor: suff.: OMA. Fibroma, Melanoma.
93A: Tropical cuckoo: ANI. Learned this bird from doing crossword.
96A: Feudal tenants: VASSALS. Big stumper. I only knew ESNE.
99A: One hundred: pref.: HECTO. I simply forgot.
101A: AARP members: SRS
102A: Tex and Thelma: RITTERS. Complete strangers to me.
103A: Part of the Arctic Ocean: KARA SEA. On the east of Barents Sea. Look at this map.
105A: One more time: AGAIN
108A: QED part: ERAT. I am tired of this cluing.
109A: Norwegian king: OLAV
110A: Makes insensitive: NUMBS
116A: High: pref: ALTI. Altitude or what?
117A: Window on a corbel: ORIEL. It looks like this.
118A: Hog-wild: AMOK. Can also be spelled as amuck.
119A: Of an arm bone: ULNAR
120A: Spoils taken: LOOT
121A: Cooper's Bumppo: NATTY. No idea.
124A: Skewed: AWRY
125A: __ Park, CO: ESTES
Down entries:
1D: Rara __: AVIS. A rare bird, Latin. That's Sade. Don't know where she is now. Sade and her sister used to frequent a bar in Southern Spain operated by my ex-boss.
2D: Mother of Castor and Pollux: LEDA. The Swan Lady.
3D: Walked (on): TROD
4D: Impromptu: AD LIB. The impressive Mike Huckabee! He is so good at ad lib.
5D: Staircase elements: RISERS
7D: Blood deficiency: ANAEMIA. I always spell it as Anemia. Don't eschew the R word, W, this economy is anemic.
8D: Irregular stone foundation: RIPRAP. Here is a picture for you.
9D: Drinking vessel: STEIN
10D: Looses: SETS FREE. I penned in LETS FREE, thus could not get SOCIO for 10A.
11D: "My fair Year" star: O'TOOLE. Never saw this movie.
12D: Routine duties: CHORES
13D: Deeply felt: INTENSE
14D: La-la lead-in: OOH. I put in TRA first.
15D: Sculptor Oldenburg: CLAES. Another stranger.
18D: Reasons: WHYS
26D: Worried: FRETTED
32D: Rowan, a.k.a. Mr. Bean: ATKINSON. Poor guy. He will always be Mr. Bean.
34D: Earthly seven: SEAS. I loathe the clue.
35D: Proceed slowly but surely: PLOD
36D: Gospel singer Winans: CECE
39D: Wrigley's and Doublemint: CHEWING GUMS
41D: Liquefied: PUREED. Don't like anything pureed either. I need to see clearly what I am eating.
42D: "Tristram Shandy" author: STERNE. Have never read the book, do not know the author either.
48D: Beat it: SCAT
50D: Childlike person: NAIF
52D: dugout canoe: PIROGUE. I want to be in this boat.
53D: Knocks for a loop: STUNS
58D: Coop item: EGG. Have you ever taken a fresh warm egg from a coop?
61D: Make road repairs: RETAR
63D: Minor divisions: SUBUNITS. This word posed quite a bit of problem for me.
68D: Battering device: RAM. It's in last Sunday's puzzle.
69D: 31-syllable Japanese poem: TANKA. I only know Haiku.
70D: Greek goddess of discord: ERIS. She is the sister of Ares (God of War). Troubled siblings.
73D: Italian wine center: ASTI
77D: Ways in: abbr.: ENTS. Entries I suppose?
79D: Golfer from El Paso: TREVINO (Lee). Great guy. Very funny too. But I was actually thinking of Crenshaw (Ben). I did not know that Trevino is from Texas. Golfer Justin Leonard is from Texas too.
83D: Borodin's prince: IGOR
88D: Long, narrow cushions: BOLSTERS
91D: Actress Parson: ESTELLE. Nope. Have never heard of her.
93D: Aquarium requirement: AERATOR. My husband filled this for me.
97D: Old World finches: SERINS
98D: Former PLO leader: ARAFAT
99D: Revere: HALLOW. I think Abe Lincoln used "hallow" as a verb twice in his Gettysburg Address.
100D: Wife of Paris: OENONE. Only knew Helen.
103D: Australian marsupial: KOALA
104D: Invisible emanations: AURA
106D: Willing: GAME. I don't think I am game for another Sunday puzzle, this is too tough for me.
107D: Gone GI: AWOL
112D: __ noire (bugbear): BETE
C. C.
