Theme: Break Up to Make Up
23A: Result of an XL body in S clothing?: SEAM STRESS (SEAMSTRESS)
28A: Dinner servings for an NFL athlete?: PRO PORTIONS (PROPORTIONS)
50A: Kisses done in error?: BLUNDER BUSSES (BLUNDERBUSSES)
80A: Best-in-class vessels?: CHAMPION SHIPS (CHAMPIONSHIPS)
103A: Testimonials for reformed prisoners?: CON TRIBUTES (CONTRIBUTES)
111A: Nutty reason for doing something?: LOCO MOTIVE (LOCOMOTIVE)
42D: Alarms on certain vehicles?: VAN GUARDS (VANGUARDS)
46D: Prop boulders?: SHAM ROCKS (SHAMROCKS)
Out of the 8 theme answers, I was confused by 50A for a long time. I did not know that BUSS means KISS, nor did I know that BLUNDERBUSS is an actual word. I still have difficulty understanding 46D. How does "Prop" connect with "SHAM"?
Except 21A & 111A, all other theme answers are in plural forms. So symmetrically balanced. I truly appreciate this attention to details. I also like how JIMMY (66A: Pry open) anchors the whole grid.
This is a very solid, well constructed puzzle, with no annoying affixes or obscure proper names crossing one another. The grid covers a broad range of topics, not just dead/old movie stars and singers who frustrate me all the time. I think our fellow solvers in Asia (esp those in India) will enjoy this puzzle too.
I wonder if the clues for SCARCE (10D: Hard to come by) and CIDER (80D: Drink that can be hard) are the original submission. Theoretically they are not allowed due to HARD TOP (97A: Car style). But I really like the CIDER clue, hard but sweet!
Across:
1A: Sign of sadness: TEAR. Now I start to understand why SWEAT (102D: Fret about) is not clued as a noun (like "Perspiration" for example). The more the parts of speech are used, the livelier the puzzle is I think.
10A: Kind of card or bomb: SMART. Know SMART bomb, not the SMART card.
19A: Spokane event of '74: EXPO. '74 World's Fair. Unknown to me. I had no idea where Spokane is 'til today.
22A: "The Lion King" character: NALA
25A: Range name: AMANA
27A: Pile of discarded stuff: SCRAPHEAP
30A: Up and about: ASTIR
31A: Shortfall: DEFICIT
33A: Much searched-for-guy: WALDO. Why? I don't understand this.
37A: Fall toiler: RAKER
40A: Macadamize: PAVE. I did not know the meaning of "Macadamize", which is to "Pave road with macadam". Macadam is named after "J. L. McAdam, the Scottish engineer who invented it."
45A: Calm area of the Atlantic: SARGASSO. Wikipedia says "the Sargasso Sea is the only "sea" without shore, and it is sometimes called the "graveyard of ships" due to its closeness to the Bermuda Triangle.
49A: Just like: A LA
58A: "Thief" star: CAAN (James). I've never heard of this movie before, have you?
59A: Tabby: TIGER CAT. Is TIGER CAT a cat?
65A: World War II prowler: U-BOAT
70A: Popular aquarium fish: GUPPY. Strange peacock looking GUPPY.
74A: cloud of comet: OORT. Named after the astronomer Jan Hendrick OORT who first proposed the existence of the cloud. Unknown to me.
78A: At the right moment: ON CUE
92A: Songwriter Laura: NYRO. Here is "Wedding Bell Blues" written by NYRO, whom I had never heard of before.
94A: Party ticket: SLATE. SLATE.com is probably the best known Ezine (Web Mag).
112A: Salinger girl: ESME. "For ESME – with Love and Squalor".
117A: Male red deer: HARTS. Really, are they red-colored? That's 3-day in a roll we have a deer in our puzzle.
DOWN:
1D: Judith Krantz title heroine: TESSA. "The Jewels of TESS Kent". Another unknown. I had never heard of Judith Krantz before.
3D: Off to one side: APART. Are you OK with this clue?
4D: Iceberg alternative: ROMAINE. The lettuce for Blood Type O.
7D: Mountain nymph: OREAD. Wood nymph is DRYAD, River nymph is NAIAD. All gimmes for Dennis I am sure. He said that the 3 things he would bring to an island should he be stranded were "nymphomaniac, a pistol and an airplane".
8D: Outlaw: DESPERADO. Enjoy this Eagles' DESPERADO, "... You better let somebody love you, before it’s too late."
11D: Personal account: MEMOIR
12D: Go with the flow: ADAPT
16D: Holiday tune: CAROL. I don't think our CAROL gets the Sunday TMS puzzle though.
17D: Large antelope: ELAND. Look at his twisted horns. Huge!
18D: Authority: SAY-SO
24D: Light-footed: SPRY
28D: Cheapskate: PIKER. New word to me.
36D: Premier pointillist: SEURAT (Georges). His name is not familiar to me. I've barely heard of pointillism. Here is his "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte".
39D: Trudged (on): PRESSED. I wanted PLODDED. PRESSED does not have a "Trudged" connotation in my opinion.
40D: Concordat: PACT. "Concordat" is a new word to me also. Is it a commonly used word to you?
41D: Kirghiz mountains: ALAI. I simply forgot. I wanted URAL. ALAI is part of Tien Shan Range. I cannot find the word ALAI in the map though.
50D: Shelley cohort: BYRON. I always thought "Cohort" has a negative undertone (like an accomplice in criminal activities).
51D: Mild and pleasant: BALMY
58D: Marker made of stones: CAIRN. Another new word to me. From the Gaelic word "carn" (heap of stones, rocky hills). See this picture, so aesthetically simple.
60D: Become all the rage: CATCH ON
61D: "Adoration of the Magi" painter: LIPPI (Filippino). Here is LIPPI's "Adoration of the Magi". Here is Sandro Botticelli's "Adoration of the Magi". Which one do you like better?
62D: Diamond arbiter: UMP (Umpire). I like every baseball-related clue.
76D: Maui retreat: HANA. No idea. I got it from the across clues.
77D: Science of signs?: ASTROLOGY
83D: Thickness: PLY. I have difficulty connecting thickness with PLY, which is always "layer" to me.
86D: Paid, as a bill: SETTLED
90D: Made no changes: SAT PAT
93D: __-Rooter: ROTO. This refers to the ROTO-Rooter company, right?
95D: Unattached: LOOSE. The cluing does not feel tight to me. Are those two words really synonymous?
96D: Japanese cartoon art: ANIME
105D: Silent films vamp: BARA (Theda). The "Cleopatra" in 1917.
108D: Apple offering: IMAC
111D: Resinous secretion: LAC. What's the difference between LAC and Lacquer?
C.C.
23A: Result of an XL body in S clothing?: SEAM STRESS (SEAMSTRESS)
28A: Dinner servings for an NFL athlete?: PRO PORTIONS (PROPORTIONS)
50A: Kisses done in error?: BLUNDER BUSSES (BLUNDERBUSSES)
80A: Best-in-class vessels?: CHAMPION SHIPS (CHAMPIONSHIPS)
103A: Testimonials for reformed prisoners?: CON TRIBUTES (CONTRIBUTES)
111A: Nutty reason for doing something?: LOCO MOTIVE (LOCOMOTIVE)
42D: Alarms on certain vehicles?: VAN GUARDS (VANGUARDS)
46D: Prop boulders?: SHAM ROCKS (SHAMROCKS)
Out of the 8 theme answers, I was confused by 50A for a long time. I did not know that BUSS means KISS, nor did I know that BLUNDERBUSS is an actual word. I still have difficulty understanding 46D. How does "Prop" connect with "SHAM"?
Except 21A & 111A, all other theme answers are in plural forms. So symmetrically balanced. I truly appreciate this attention to details. I also like how JIMMY (66A: Pry open) anchors the whole grid.
This is a very solid, well constructed puzzle, with no annoying affixes or obscure proper names crossing one another. The grid covers a broad range of topics, not just dead/old movie stars and singers who frustrate me all the time. I think our fellow solvers in Asia (esp those in India) will enjoy this puzzle too.
I wonder if the clues for SCARCE (10D: Hard to come by) and CIDER (80D: Drink that can be hard) are the original submission. Theoretically they are not allowed due to HARD TOP (97A: Car style). But I really like the CIDER clue, hard but sweet!
Across:
1A: Sign of sadness: TEAR. Now I start to understand why SWEAT (102D: Fret about) is not clued as a noun (like "Perspiration" for example). The more the parts of speech are used, the livelier the puzzle is I think.
10A: Kind of card or bomb: SMART. Know SMART bomb, not the SMART card.
19A: Spokane event of '74: EXPO. '74 World's Fair. Unknown to me. I had no idea where Spokane is 'til today.
22A: "The Lion King" character: NALA
25A: Range name: AMANA
27A: Pile of discarded stuff: SCRAPHEAP
30A: Up and about: ASTIR
31A: Shortfall: DEFICIT
33A: Much searched-for-guy: WALDO. Why? I don't understand this.
37A: Fall toiler: RAKER
40A: Macadamize: PAVE. I did not know the meaning of "Macadamize", which is to "Pave road with macadam". Macadam is named after "J. L. McAdam, the Scottish engineer who invented it."
45A: Calm area of the Atlantic: SARGASSO. Wikipedia says "the Sargasso Sea is the only "sea" without shore, and it is sometimes called the "graveyard of ships" due to its closeness to the Bermuda Triangle.
49A: Just like: A LA
58A: "Thief" star: CAAN (James). I've never heard of this movie before, have you?
59A: Tabby: TIGER CAT. Is TIGER CAT a cat?
65A: World War II prowler: U-BOAT
70A: Popular aquarium fish: GUPPY. Strange peacock looking GUPPY.
74A: cloud of comet: OORT. Named after the astronomer Jan Hendrick OORT who first proposed the existence of the cloud. Unknown to me.
78A: At the right moment: ON CUE
92A: Songwriter Laura: NYRO. Here is "Wedding Bell Blues" written by NYRO, whom I had never heard of before.
94A: Party ticket: SLATE. SLATE.com is probably the best known Ezine (Web Mag).
112A: Salinger girl: ESME. "For ESME – with Love and Squalor".
117A: Male red deer: HARTS. Really, are they red-colored? That's 3-day in a roll we have a deer in our puzzle.
DOWN:
1D: Judith Krantz title heroine: TESSA. "The Jewels of TESS Kent". Another unknown. I had never heard of Judith Krantz before.
3D: Off to one side: APART. Are you OK with this clue?
4D: Iceberg alternative: ROMAINE. The lettuce for Blood Type O.
7D: Mountain nymph: OREAD. Wood nymph is DRYAD, River nymph is NAIAD. All gimmes for Dennis I am sure. He said that the 3 things he would bring to an island should he be stranded were "nymphomaniac, a pistol and an airplane".
8D: Outlaw: DESPERADO. Enjoy this Eagles' DESPERADO, "... You better let somebody love you, before it’s too late."
11D: Personal account: MEMOIR
12D: Go with the flow: ADAPT
16D: Holiday tune: CAROL. I don't think our CAROL gets the Sunday TMS puzzle though.
17D: Large antelope: ELAND. Look at his twisted horns. Huge!
18D: Authority: SAY-SO
24D: Light-footed: SPRY
28D: Cheapskate: PIKER. New word to me.
36D: Premier pointillist: SEURAT (Georges). His name is not familiar to me. I've barely heard of pointillism. Here is his "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte".
39D: Trudged (on): PRESSED. I wanted PLODDED. PRESSED does not have a "Trudged" connotation in my opinion.
40D: Concordat: PACT. "Concordat" is a new word to me also. Is it a commonly used word to you?
41D: Kirghiz mountains: ALAI. I simply forgot. I wanted URAL. ALAI is part of Tien Shan Range. I cannot find the word ALAI in the map though.
50D: Shelley cohort: BYRON. I always thought "Cohort" has a negative undertone (like an accomplice in criminal activities).
51D: Mild and pleasant: BALMY
58D: Marker made of stones: CAIRN. Another new word to me. From the Gaelic word "carn" (heap of stones, rocky hills). See this picture, so aesthetically simple.
60D: Become all the rage: CATCH ON
61D: "Adoration of the Magi" painter: LIPPI (Filippino). Here is LIPPI's "Adoration of the Magi". Here is Sandro Botticelli's "Adoration of the Magi". Which one do you like better?
62D: Diamond arbiter: UMP (Umpire). I like every baseball-related clue.
76D: Maui retreat: HANA. No idea. I got it from the across clues.
77D: Science of signs?: ASTROLOGY
83D: Thickness: PLY. I have difficulty connecting thickness with PLY, which is always "layer" to me.
86D: Paid, as a bill: SETTLED
90D: Made no changes: SAT PAT
93D: __-Rooter: ROTO. This refers to the ROTO-Rooter company, right?
95D: Unattached: LOOSE. The cluing does not feel tight to me. Are those two words really synonymous?
96D: Japanese cartoon art: ANIME
105D: Silent films vamp: BARA (Theda). The "Cleopatra" in 1917.
108D: Apple offering: IMAC
111D: Resinous secretion: LAC. What's the difference between LAC and Lacquer?
C.C.
