Theme: What's Cooking?
23A: Ideas to consume?: FOOD FOR THOUGHT
33A: Regain one's cool in the kitchen?: SIMMER DOWN
35A: Much to do in the dining room?: FULL PLATE
54A: Chef's doomed instructions? RECIPE FOR DISASTER
80A: Take in dinner conversation?: DIGEST INFORMATION
101A: Dispense freely in the lunch line: DISH IT OUT
103A: Steamed in the stove?: BOILING MAD
117A: Entree at a tribute?: CELEBRITY ROAST
I really like how SPEAR (31D: Asparagus unit) intersects NECTARS (48A: Bees' finds) & FULL PLATE. I am not sure if CLARET (32D: Red table wine) pairs well with TUNA (62A: Yellowtail or albacore). LAMB would be a beautiful companion for this flavorful wine. STIR (114D: Mix up) is a perfect closing for the puzzle, very thematic.
The clue for FNN (35D: Stock-ticker stn) is simply wrong. FNN (Financial News Networking) stopped ticking in 1991. Anyone who loves CNBC's Sue Herera/Ron Insana should know that.
Only 2 Roman numerals in the grid, but the clues just feel so heavy. "Caesar's 701" would be great for 67A: Fifth of MMMDV (DCCI), and it matches nicely with IDES (85A: Bad day for Caesar"). Can you come up with a better clue for MCL (83D: Twice DLXXV)?
The "He or/and He" clues are very annoying. I understand this might be the constructor's intention to highlight his CELEBRITY ROAST theme answer, still, way too many names for my taste. Besides, don't you think John EDWARDS would be a more topical clue for EDWARDS (95D: Blake or Ralph)? I would go with "Winter Olympics participant" for SKATER (102D: Boitano or Button). I got BESTS (103D: George and Edna) from the across fills. I am not familiar with either of them. Would be a gimme if the clue were "Outperforms".
On the other hand, I am elated to see ALECTO (98D: One of the Furies) makes an appearance today. Her sister MEGAERA tortured many of us yesterday. Be prepared, the last Fury TISIPHONE is ready to attack us SOON (27A: At any minute), I can almost feel her whip and torch. For those who only do TMS Sunday puzzle, once again, Bouguereau's "Orestes Pursued by the Furies". Furiously awful, isn't it, esp compared with Raphael's Three Graces.
ACROSS:
1A: Shout approval: ACCLAIM. Would have filled in BRAVO if there were only 5 blanks.
14A: Zero of Broadway: MOSTEL. Foreign to me. He won three Tony Awards, amazing. Why was he nicknamed "Zero"?
21A: Sustained note: TENUTO. Not familiar with this musical term. It's defined as "(of a note, chord, or rest) held to the full time value." Sound so abstract to me.
25A: East African country: RWANDA. Did anyone pen in the bordering UGANDA?
26A: Protection grp for pets: SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)
30A: Subatomic particle: ANION. Negatively charged ION.
31A: Hit the slopes: SCHUSS. Boy, I always crash (definitely Bode Miller style) on this word. Really struggled with the letter H and the first S.
41A: Queasiness: NAUSEA . Also the English title of Sartre's novel "La Nausée".
44A: Word Series semis: NLCS (National League Championship Series). And 87A: Associations of teams: LEAGUES.
48A: Bees' finds: NECTARS. I suppose that's where NECTARINES get their sweetness.
64A: Lancelot's lady: ELAINE. I always forget her name. Can only think of Queen Guinevere. What a destructive love affair!
65A: Brave feats: COUPS
72A: Household gods of Rome: LARES. Unknown to me. Very interesting, the singular form is LAR.
77A: Rocky outcrop: CRAG
79A: Sure thing: CERT. I've never heard of CERT expression before.
86A: Resin used in plastics: ACRYLIC. I am more familiar with ACRYLIC painting than with "Resin used in plastics".
93A: Dog dogger: FLEA. I like the alliteration in the clue. Also SIC (39A: __'em, Fido). And ASTA (113D: Nora's dog). From "The Thin Man".
97A: Hypnotic state: TRANCE
111A: LeSage's "Gil __": BLAS. Have never heard of "Gil BLAS" before. Did not know until today that it's Alain-René LeSage who said "Facts are stubborn things", always thought it was from some Machiavellian politician.
123A: Retired faculty members: EMERITI
124A: Netlike caps: SNOODS
125A: Bean and Welles: ORSONS. ORSON Bean is new to me.
126A: Palindromic vehicle: RACECAR. Interesting, I've never paid attention to this before.
DOWN:
4D: Queen of Sparta: LEDA. I confused her with DIDO, who's actually "Queen of Carthage". It would be a gimme for me if there were a "Swan" hint in the clue.
5D: Booze, butts and bullets bureau: ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms). And 93D: Patted down: FRISKED.
7D: Actress Mason: MARSHA. No idea. She was in "The Goodbye Girl".
8D: Cultural value systems: ETHOSES. Tough cookie for me, esp since I had trouble with the intersecting SCHUSS. I thought ETHOS was already a plural form. See also 12D: Cultural: ETHNIC.
9D: Geological periods: AEONS. And And 81A: Glacial epoch: ICE AGE.
10D: Wildebeest: GNU. Why is he looking so sad?
11D: Classic Dracula: LUGOSI (Bela). Are you OK with the clue?
14D: Soviet orbiter: MIR. Literally "Peace" in Russian. So easy to confuse it with the Russian warplane MIG.
11D: Ahead: ONWARDS
29D: Mosaic pieces: SMALTI. The singular form is SMALTO, "colored glass or similar vitreous material used in mosaic". New English word to me.
38D: D-Day craft: LST (Landing Ship, Tank)
43D: Verizon, formerly: GTE (General Telephone and Electronics)
47D: Staunch: ARREST. Ah, the verb. I was adamantly "ARDENT" for a long time.
49D: Gust of wind: SCUD. No, nope, always thought SCUD was a missile. Wanted GALE.
52D: Soft-drink choice: FRESCA. My heart belongs to Pepsi.
53D: Musician Hayes: ISAAC. It's on a TMS puzzle before. I just forgot. I think I have very selective memories. I only remember what excites me, or rather what I want to remember.
55D: End of a bus.?: INC. I like this clue.
56D: Conciliate: PACIFY
58D: Maine national park: ACADIA. Got it this time.
59D: Meteoric fireball: BOLIDE. New to me. Pieced it together from the across clues. This word sounds like a chemical product to me.
60D: Protruding parts: BULGES. Wow, talk about protruding BULGES!
71D: Kite part: TAIL. Look at my beautiful TAIL.
76D: "The Tempest" role: ARIEL. ARIEL Sharon is still alive, isn't he?
78D: "Faust" poet: GOETHE. "Faust" is the poem from which we got "Faustian Bargain", isn't it?
84D: Nostril: NARIS. Plural is NARES.
88D: Mobster's rod: GAT. Slang for pistol.
90D: Old French coin: ECU
96D: Biscayne Bay city: MIAMI. I love Will Smith "MIAMI".
99D: Walk of life: CAREER. Walk? Not work?
104D: Singer K. T. __: OSLIN. Here is her "Hold Me".
106D: Small scale: MICRO
107D: Truman's V.P. Barkley: ALBEN. No memory of him at all. Was it a gimme to you?
111D: Cylinder diameter: BORE. Another new machinery term to me.
116D: '60s radical org.: SDS (Students for a Democratic Society)
118D: "Do Ya" rockers: ELO. "Do ya do ya want my love..."!
C.C.
23A: Ideas to consume?: FOOD FOR THOUGHT
33A: Regain one's cool in the kitchen?: SIMMER DOWN
35A: Much to do in the dining room?: FULL PLATE
54A: Chef's doomed instructions? RECIPE FOR DISASTER
80A: Take in dinner conversation?: DIGEST INFORMATION
101A: Dispense freely in the lunch line: DISH IT OUT
103A: Steamed in the stove?: BOILING MAD
117A: Entree at a tribute?: CELEBRITY ROAST
I really like how SPEAR (31D: Asparagus unit) intersects NECTARS (48A: Bees' finds) & FULL PLATE. I am not sure if CLARET (32D: Red table wine) pairs well with TUNA (62A: Yellowtail or albacore). LAMB would be a beautiful companion for this flavorful wine. STIR (114D: Mix up) is a perfect closing for the puzzle, very thematic.
The clue for FNN (35D: Stock-ticker stn) is simply wrong. FNN (Financial News Networking) stopped ticking in 1991. Anyone who loves CNBC's Sue Herera/Ron Insana should know that.
Only 2 Roman numerals in the grid, but the clues just feel so heavy. "Caesar's 701" would be great for 67A: Fifth of MMMDV (DCCI), and it matches nicely with IDES (85A: Bad day for Caesar"). Can you come up with a better clue for MCL (83D: Twice DLXXV)?
The "He or/and He" clues are very annoying. I understand this might be the constructor's intention to highlight his CELEBRITY ROAST theme answer, still, way too many names for my taste. Besides, don't you think John EDWARDS would be a more topical clue for EDWARDS (95D: Blake or Ralph)? I would go with "Winter Olympics participant" for SKATER (102D: Boitano or Button). I got BESTS (103D: George and Edna) from the across fills. I am not familiar with either of them. Would be a gimme if the clue were "Outperforms".
On the other hand, I am elated to see ALECTO (98D: One of the Furies) makes an appearance today. Her sister MEGAERA tortured many of us yesterday. Be prepared, the last Fury TISIPHONE is ready to attack us SOON (27A: At any minute), I can almost feel her whip and torch. For those who only do TMS Sunday puzzle, once again, Bouguereau's "Orestes Pursued by the Furies". Furiously awful, isn't it, esp compared with Raphael's Three Graces.
ACROSS:
1A: Shout approval: ACCLAIM. Would have filled in BRAVO if there were only 5 blanks.
14A: Zero of Broadway: MOSTEL. Foreign to me. He won three Tony Awards, amazing. Why was he nicknamed "Zero"?
21A: Sustained note: TENUTO. Not familiar with this musical term. It's defined as "(of a note, chord, or rest) held to the full time value." Sound so abstract to me.
25A: East African country: RWANDA. Did anyone pen in the bordering UGANDA?
26A: Protection grp for pets: SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)
30A: Subatomic particle: ANION. Negatively charged ION.
31A: Hit the slopes: SCHUSS. Boy, I always crash (definitely Bode Miller style) on this word. Really struggled with the letter H and the first S.
41A: Queasiness: NAUSEA . Also the English title of Sartre's novel "La Nausée".
44A: Word Series semis: NLCS (National League Championship Series). And 87A: Associations of teams: LEAGUES.
48A: Bees' finds: NECTARS. I suppose that's where NECTARINES get their sweetness.
64A: Lancelot's lady: ELAINE. I always forget her name. Can only think of Queen Guinevere. What a destructive love affair!
65A: Brave feats: COUPS
72A: Household gods of Rome: LARES. Unknown to me. Very interesting, the singular form is LAR.
77A: Rocky outcrop: CRAG
79A: Sure thing: CERT. I've never heard of CERT expression before.
86A: Resin used in plastics: ACRYLIC. I am more familiar with ACRYLIC painting than with "Resin used in plastics".
93A: Dog dogger: FLEA. I like the alliteration in the clue. Also SIC (39A: __'em, Fido). And ASTA (113D: Nora's dog). From "The Thin Man".
97A: Hypnotic state: TRANCE
111A: LeSage's "Gil __": BLAS. Have never heard of "Gil BLAS" before. Did not know until today that it's Alain-René LeSage who said "Facts are stubborn things", always thought it was from some Machiavellian politician.
123A: Retired faculty members: EMERITI
124A: Netlike caps: SNOODS
125A: Bean and Welles: ORSONS. ORSON Bean is new to me.
126A: Palindromic vehicle: RACECAR. Interesting, I've never paid attention to this before.
DOWN:
4D: Queen of Sparta: LEDA. I confused her with DIDO, who's actually "Queen of Carthage". It would be a gimme for me if there were a "Swan" hint in the clue.
5D: Booze, butts and bullets bureau: ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms). And 93D: Patted down: FRISKED.
7D: Actress Mason: MARSHA. No idea. She was in "The Goodbye Girl".
8D: Cultural value systems: ETHOSES. Tough cookie for me, esp since I had trouble with the intersecting SCHUSS. I thought ETHOS was already a plural form. See also 12D: Cultural: ETHNIC.
9D: Geological periods: AEONS. And And 81A: Glacial epoch: ICE AGE.
10D: Wildebeest: GNU. Why is he looking so sad?
11D: Classic Dracula: LUGOSI (Bela). Are you OK with the clue?
14D: Soviet orbiter: MIR. Literally "Peace" in Russian. So easy to confuse it with the Russian warplane MIG.
11D: Ahead: ONWARDS
29D: Mosaic pieces: SMALTI. The singular form is SMALTO, "colored glass or similar vitreous material used in mosaic". New English word to me.
38D: D-Day craft: LST (Landing Ship, Tank)
43D: Verizon, formerly: GTE (General Telephone and Electronics)
47D: Staunch: ARREST. Ah, the verb. I was adamantly "ARDENT" for a long time.
49D: Gust of wind: SCUD. No, nope, always thought SCUD was a missile. Wanted GALE.
52D: Soft-drink choice: FRESCA. My heart belongs to Pepsi.
53D: Musician Hayes: ISAAC. It's on a TMS puzzle before. I just forgot. I think I have very selective memories. I only remember what excites me, or rather what I want to remember.
55D: End of a bus.?: INC. I like this clue.
56D: Conciliate: PACIFY
58D: Maine national park: ACADIA. Got it this time.
59D: Meteoric fireball: BOLIDE. New to me. Pieced it together from the across clues. This word sounds like a chemical product to me.
60D: Protruding parts: BULGES. Wow, talk about protruding BULGES!
71D: Kite part: TAIL. Look at my beautiful TAIL.
76D: "The Tempest" role: ARIEL. ARIEL Sharon is still alive, isn't he?
78D: "Faust" poet: GOETHE. "Faust" is the poem from which we got "Faustian Bargain", isn't it?
84D: Nostril: NARIS. Plural is NARES.
88D: Mobster's rod: GAT. Slang for pistol.
90D: Old French coin: ECU
96D: Biscayne Bay city: MIAMI. I love Will Smith "MIAMI".
99D: Walk of life: CAREER. Walk? Not work?
104D: Singer K. T. __: OSLIN. Here is her "Hold Me".
106D: Small scale: MICRO
107D: Truman's V.P. Barkley: ALBEN. No memory of him at all. Was it a gimme to you?
111D: Cylinder diameter: BORE. Another new machinery term to me.
116D: '60s radical org.: SDS (Students for a Democratic Society)
118D: "Do Ya" rockers: ELO. "Do ya do ya want my love..."!
C.C.
