Themless
What a surprise! No ING in the whole grid. Remember this constructor's excessive use of ING's in his Feb & March puzzles? But there are just way too many annoying affixes in today's puzzle:
S: SADDENS, NODS, CLOCKS, TAMES, SODS, OLES, EMS, SENSES, DIALS, EGOS, XENOPHOBES, CHORISTERS, LIMNERS, SCIENTISTS,
ED: MISTRUSTED, REUSED, OMENED, INFURIATED,
ER/OR: ELICITOR, LIMNERS, BREEDER. ENAMELER.
RE: REUSED.
The overabundance of letter S just INFURIATED (29D) me, though it did speed up my solving considerably.
I had problem with my opening tee shot again this morning. I've never read Henry V, so I had no idea who Prince Hal was, not to mention his fat, jolly companion. The clue actually made me think of Little John. I always thought the protein in grains are GLUTEN, I have never heard of ALEURON before. FRESNEL (8D) was a complete stranger to me also. I thought 30A: Store fodder was asking for a noun, so I was trying to think of a grain or other crop. Then I wrongly wrote down IRENA for 27A: Dunne or Ryan, So my 23D: Wriggling became ANTY (My faulty spelling of ANTSY).
Went through a few other troubles too, but none debilitating.
ACROSS:
1A: Prince Hal's fat, jolly companion: FALSTAFF. Sir John FALSTAFF. Somehow I just cannot bring myself to read Shakespeare's works, or any other great literature. I am simply not interested in them.
9A: Times: CLOCKS
15A: One who evokes a response: ELICITOR. I only knew ELICIT. English is strange, why the suffix sometimes is OR and sometimes is ER? This word ELICITOR reminds me of SOLICITOR. Is LICITOR a word? Let me check... No, it's not, but LICTOR is a word. Here is the definition: "(in ancient Rome) one of a body of attendants on chief magistrates, who preceded them carrying the fasces and whose duties included executing the sentences of criminals."
16A: Montana's capital: HELENA. ENNUI. How about this Victoria's Secret model HELENA Chistensen?
17A: Florida Native American: SEMINOLE. I totally forgot this word. OSCEOLA was clued as "SEMINOLE chief" on a March 8 TMS puzzle.
18A: Portended: OMENED. I did not not know that OMEN can be a verb too. The noun form of "portend" is "portent". English is definitely strange.
20A: Had misgivings about: MISTRUSTED
25A: Gibbon, for one: APE. Got it this time.
26A: Spinning measure: VORTEX. Hard for me, I had big problem with 27D.
30A: Store fodder: ENSILE.
37A: Ancient Brit: PICT. I wanted CELT. Need to commit this PICT into my brain.
48A:Tranquil: SERENE. Penned in quickly due to hint of "S" from 9D.
53A: Formula Western: HORSE OPERA. SPACE OPERA for Sci-Fi genre.
56A: "Lucky Jim" author: AMIS (Kingsley). Knew the author, did not know the book. See also 55D: ALAS. 37D: PERHAPS. What's the obsession with S today?
57A: Engross: ABSORB
58A: Tending to expand: DILATIVE
59A: Fraternity hopeful: PLEDGE. Not familiar with this term. Have never attended any school in the US.
61A: Cloisonne creator: ENAMELER. I like this Cloisonne Flower Vase.
63A: Nonmigratory bird: RESIDENT
DOWN:
1D: Joyous: FESTIVE
2D: Protein in cereal grains: ALEURON. No idea. It derived from Greek "Aleuron" meaning meal.
3D: Ornamental sign painters: LIMNERS. Only knew the verb LIMN.
4D: Laboratory denizens: SCIENTISTS
7D: Paper folded in half: FOLIO. 2 Paper related clues today. See 50A: Piece of paper: SHEET.
8D: Lens developed for lighthouses: FRESNEL. The lens is named after French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel.
9D: Sunday singers: CHORISTERS
10D: Madagascar primate: LEMUR. Repeat offender.
12D: Cuban coin: CENTAVO
13D: Leg joint protector: KNEE PAD
14D: Makes despondent: SADDENS. See 62A: Feels (SENSES). Dreadful S's!
23D: Wriggly: EELY
27D: Folk fearing foreigners: XENOPHOBE. I misread the clue as Folk-fearing foreigners. I heard of Xenophobia on TV sometimes, but I could not spell it properly. "Xeno" is a prefix for "foreign, strange", Greek origin. I've never head of XENOPHILIA though.
29D: Extremely angered: INFURIATED
34D: Lounge lizard: CREEP. I've never heard of the slang "Lounge lizard" until this morning.
36D: Mouthpiece part: REED
38D: Disreputable: IGNOBLE. Saw this word before, but I've never used it.
39D: Become more vulgar: COARSEN
41D: Nuclear reactor type: BREEDER. Not familiar with BREEDER reactor at all.
43D: Nautical distance: SEA MILE. It appeared on April 11 puzzle.
44D: Invigorate: ENLIVEN
45D:Dinner finale: DESSERT. I like this clue.
50D: Twilled worsted fabric: SERGE. Do you like SERGE Gainsbourg? I do! Here is a beautiful S, S & S song for you. Enjoy!
C.C.
What a surprise! No ING in the whole grid. Remember this constructor's excessive use of ING's in his Feb & March puzzles? But there are just way too many annoying affixes in today's puzzle:
S: SADDENS, NODS, CLOCKS, TAMES, SODS, OLES, EMS, SENSES, DIALS, EGOS, XENOPHOBES, CHORISTERS, LIMNERS, SCIENTISTS,
ED: MISTRUSTED, REUSED, OMENED, INFURIATED,
ER/OR: ELICITOR, LIMNERS, BREEDER. ENAMELER.
RE: REUSED.
The overabundance of letter S just INFURIATED (29D) me, though it did speed up my solving considerably.
I had problem with my opening tee shot again this morning. I've never read Henry V, so I had no idea who Prince Hal was, not to mention his fat, jolly companion. The clue actually made me think of Little John. I always thought the protein in grains are GLUTEN, I have never heard of ALEURON before. FRESNEL (8D) was a complete stranger to me also. I thought 30A: Store fodder was asking for a noun, so I was trying to think of a grain or other crop. Then I wrongly wrote down IRENA for 27A: Dunne or Ryan, So my 23D: Wriggling became ANTY (My faulty spelling of ANTSY).
Went through a few other troubles too, but none debilitating.
ACROSS:
1A: Prince Hal's fat, jolly companion: FALSTAFF. Sir John FALSTAFF. Somehow I just cannot bring myself to read Shakespeare's works, or any other great literature. I am simply not interested in them.
9A: Times: CLOCKS
15A: One who evokes a response: ELICITOR. I only knew ELICIT. English is strange, why the suffix sometimes is OR and sometimes is ER? This word ELICITOR reminds me of SOLICITOR. Is LICITOR a word? Let me check... No, it's not, but LICTOR is a word. Here is the definition: "(in ancient Rome) one of a body of attendants on chief magistrates, who preceded them carrying the fasces and whose duties included executing the sentences of criminals."
16A: Montana's capital: HELENA. ENNUI. How about this Victoria's Secret model HELENA Chistensen?
17A: Florida Native American: SEMINOLE. I totally forgot this word. OSCEOLA was clued as "SEMINOLE chief" on a March 8 TMS puzzle.
18A: Portended: OMENED. I did not not know that OMEN can be a verb too. The noun form of "portend" is "portent". English is definitely strange.
20A: Had misgivings about: MISTRUSTED
25A: Gibbon, for one: APE. Got it this time.
26A: Spinning measure: VORTEX. Hard for me, I had big problem with 27D.
30A: Store fodder: ENSILE.
37A: Ancient Brit: PICT. I wanted CELT. Need to commit this PICT into my brain.
48A:Tranquil: SERENE. Penned in quickly due to hint of "S" from 9D.
53A: Formula Western: HORSE OPERA. SPACE OPERA for Sci-Fi genre.
56A: "Lucky Jim" author: AMIS (Kingsley). Knew the author, did not know the book. See also 55D: ALAS. 37D: PERHAPS. What's the obsession with S today?
57A: Engross: ABSORB
58A: Tending to expand: DILATIVE
59A: Fraternity hopeful: PLEDGE. Not familiar with this term. Have never attended any school in the US.
61A: Cloisonne creator: ENAMELER. I like this Cloisonne Flower Vase.
63A: Nonmigratory bird: RESIDENT
DOWN:
1D: Joyous: FESTIVE
2D: Protein in cereal grains: ALEURON. No idea. It derived from Greek "Aleuron" meaning meal.
3D: Ornamental sign painters: LIMNERS. Only knew the verb LIMN.
4D: Laboratory denizens: SCIENTISTS
7D: Paper folded in half: FOLIO. 2 Paper related clues today. See 50A: Piece of paper: SHEET.
8D: Lens developed for lighthouses: FRESNEL. The lens is named after French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel.
9D: Sunday singers: CHORISTERS
10D: Madagascar primate: LEMUR. Repeat offender.
12D: Cuban coin: CENTAVO
13D: Leg joint protector: KNEE PAD
14D: Makes despondent: SADDENS. See 62A: Feels (SENSES). Dreadful S's!
23D: Wriggly: EELY
27D: Folk fearing foreigners: XENOPHOBE. I misread the clue as Folk-fearing foreigners. I heard of Xenophobia on TV sometimes, but I could not spell it properly. "Xeno" is a prefix for "foreign, strange", Greek origin. I've never head of XENOPHILIA though.
29D: Extremely angered: INFURIATED
34D: Lounge lizard: CREEP. I've never heard of the slang "Lounge lizard" until this morning.
36D: Mouthpiece part: REED
38D: Disreputable: IGNOBLE. Saw this word before, but I've never used it.
39D: Become more vulgar: COARSEN
41D: Nuclear reactor type: BREEDER. Not familiar with BREEDER reactor at all.
43D: Nautical distance: SEA MILE. It appeared on April 11 puzzle.
44D: Invigorate: ENLIVEN
45D:Dinner finale: DESSERT. I like this clue.
50D: Twilled worsted fabric: SERGE. Do you like SERGE Gainsbourg? I do! Here is a beautiful S, S & S song for you. Enjoy!
C.C.
