Theme: It's IR-RI-tating!
18A: Words to a drunk?: YOU'RE FRIED (Fired)
26A: 2000s Senate leader's turndown?: FRIST (First) REFUSAL
40A: Hilton on the ice?: PARIS (Pairs) SKATING
50A: What you never sees after strikes?: SPARE TRIES (Tires)
I did not know FRIED is slang for "drunk". Thought Trent Lott instead of Bill FRIST for 2000s Senate leader. And, of course, baseball rather than bowling "strikes" came to my mind when I read the 50A clue. PARIS SKATING crumbled easily. But shouldn't it be PAIR SKATING rather than PAIRS SKATING?
Why "Circus performers" for FLEAS (19D)? I don't grok it. The AGAPE clue (58A: Brotherly love) left me agape. Holy cow! Is it a familiar meaning to you? I truly have never heard of it before. Also, shouldn't the clue for RANIS (30A: Indian royalty) be in plural form? I filled in RAJAH first, thinking the clue is asking for a singular answer.
I hope you guys struggled. I don't want to be the one child left behind.
Across:
1A: Beachfront property?: SAND. Not a real trick. I am waiting for someone to play with George SAND. Her original name is Aurore, French for Aurora, goddess of DAWN (39D: First light).
5A: Sp. misses: SRTAS. "Fr. misses" would be MLLES.
10A: Robert who playd Anthony Soprano Jr.: ILER. I forgot all about him. Dennis mixed ILER with ILLER last time.
14A: Jumbo __: scoreboard display: TRON. Like this one. I am used to the "Disney film" clue.
15A: Sacred five-book collection: TORAH. Literally, "instruction/law" in Hebrew. I still don't understand the necessity of having a letter H in the middle or at the end of the word when it's not pronounced.
16A: Residencia room: SALA. The Casa room. I actually mis-read "Residencia" as "Residential first".
17A: Numeral prefix: OCTA. Prefix for eight. Octagon.
20A: "Is there more?": WHAT ELSE. Quit a few multiple words in today's grid.
22A: Chigger, e.g.: LARVA. I did not know the meaning of "Chigger". Dictionary says it's also called redbug/harvest mite, with 6 legs. And the adult on has 8 legs. This one has only 7 though. It can also spelled as Jigger.
23A: Creedal holding: TENET. Had no idea that creed has an adjective form.
24A: One concerned with 13-Down: SPEEDER. And RADAR (13D: It can trap a 24-Across). Oh well, I was thinking of bunker and golf balls.
29A: Rifles: LOOTS. I need a "Ransacks" clue to get LOOTS immediately.
35A: Amazes: STUNS. Look at our fellow LA Times solvers Wolfmom's food painting and Elissa's scarves. Stunning!
36A: "Was it you?" answer: NOT I. Mine was "IT'S I".
38A: Stinker: MEANY. Always thought "Stinker" means something difficult.
39A: Bourne portrayer: DAMON. My favorite Matt DAMON movie is "The Talented Mr. Ripley". Which is yours?
42A: Vague: GENERAL. I suppose so.
45A: Novelist Shaw: IRWIN. Heard of his name in Ben Bradlee's "A Good Life". Don't know what novels he wrote.
46A: Apply to: USE ON
47A: Pharyngeal tissue: ADENOIDS. No idea. Aden/adeno is a prefix for "gland". Did not know the adjective for pharyx is pharyngeal. The plural for pharyx is pharynges or pharyxes .
54A: Spelling of TV: TORI. See her name in gossip magazines often. Have never seen any of her TV shows/films.
56A: Years during Nero's reign: ANNI. Plural of anno. I thought the clue was asking for how many year Nero reigned. FOUR/FIVE does not fit. He actually rules 31 years.
57A: 2000 N.L. home run champ: SOSA. My first ever crossword fill in SOSA. I think the clue was "Slugger Sammy". What about you? Do you still remember the first time you solved a crossword?
59A: D-day transports: LSTS
Down:
1D: Lade: STOW. LADE is often clued as "Stow" in our old puzzle.
3D: Marginal comments: NOTATIONS
4D: Evidence in paternity suits: DNA TESTS. I suppose no abbreviation hint is needed.
5D: Actress Trudie who's married to Sting: STYLER. She won big when she bet on Giacomo in 2005 Kentucky Derby. Giacomo is named after their son. I could only picture how she looks. Don't know her name. STYLER fits her quite well.
6D: Motorboat's wake: ROOSTER TAIL. No idea. Is it because the wake looks like a real rooster's tail?
7D: "Right you are": TRUE. Not "You are right"?
8D: Rhine tributary: AAR. Three letter river has to be AAR. It lies entirely within Switzerland.
9D: Miss identification?: SHE. "Mrs. identification" too.
10D: Where Mount Carmel is: ISRAEL. See this map. What's the difference between mount and mountain?
11D: Scottish landowner: LAIRD. I keep forgetting this word. It's Scottish for lord. THANE is feudal lord.
12D: Collège attendee: ELEVE. Thought of étudiant.
21D: Middle Earth beings: ENTS. No idea. Those tree creatures in Tolkien's book?
24D: Eggs order: SUNNY SIDE UP. I like this answer a lot.
25D: Preceders of Omega: PSIS. Sigh! I don't know this letter precedes Omega.
26D: Stream: FLOW. Noun or verb? Or both?
27D: "Lady Jane Grey" dramatist: ROWE. No idea. Nicholas ROWE. Wikipedia says the title is "The Tragedy of Lady Jane Grey". Clear Ayes mentioned several months ago that Lady Jane Grey had the shortest rule of England (less than 2 weeks). I forgot the reason, but she was beheaded.
28D: Man-goat deities: FAUNS. Last time when I linked a picture of SATYR, it says the Roman equivalent is FAUNS. See this picture. The man with goats' ears, horns, tail and hind legs. The picture of the "Horse-man" CENTAUR leapt into my mind
31D: India and Pakistan under British: DOMINIONS. Can only think of colonies.
32D: School founded by Henry VI: ETON. In 1440. Unknown trivia to me.
33D: What birds take?: WING. Great clue. I wanted SEED.
35D: Medical supplies: SERA
36D: Like some pride: NATIONAL. Was this a gimme to you? Did not come to me easily at all.
38D: Strategic WWI river: MARNE. Here is the map again. Alfred Joyce Kilmer, the poet of "I think that I shall never see /A poem lovely as a tree" was killed at the second battle of the MARNE in 1918.
40D: Everycity, USA: PEORIA. See this map. Obama gave a big speech there a few weeks ago, from Caterpillar's HQ. Williams clued PEORIA as "Location of Bradley University" on a December puzzle.
41D: Kmart founder: KRESGE. No idea. Have never heard of this guy before. He looks like a mafia member. Walmart founder is Sam Walton.
42D: Windy day features: GUSTS
43D: Finland's second largest city: ESPOO. Close to Helsinki, Finland's largest city. I've never heard of it before. Wikipedia says Nokia is headquatered somewhere in ESPOO.
48D: "Stop": DON'T
49D: Street supplies?: SKIS. For those who ski on the street? (Note: Street refers to Olympic skier Picabo Street)
52D: Enrolled: Abbr.: REG (Registered). Not a familiar abbreviation to me.
Answer Grid.
C.C.
18A: Words to a drunk?: YOU'RE FRIED (Fired)
26A: 2000s Senate leader's turndown?: FRIST (First) REFUSAL
40A: Hilton on the ice?: PARIS (Pairs) SKATING
50A: What you never sees after strikes?: SPARE TRIES (Tires)
I did not know FRIED is slang for "drunk". Thought Trent Lott instead of Bill FRIST for 2000s Senate leader. And, of course, baseball rather than bowling "strikes" came to my mind when I read the 50A clue. PARIS SKATING crumbled easily. But shouldn't it be PAIR SKATING rather than PAIRS SKATING?
Why "Circus performers" for FLEAS (19D)? I don't grok it. The AGAPE clue (58A: Brotherly love) left me agape. Holy cow! Is it a familiar meaning to you? I truly have never heard of it before. Also, shouldn't the clue for RANIS (30A: Indian royalty) be in plural form? I filled in RAJAH first, thinking the clue is asking for a singular answer.
I hope you guys struggled. I don't want to be the one child left behind.
Across:
1A: Beachfront property?: SAND. Not a real trick. I am waiting for someone to play with George SAND. Her original name is Aurore, French for Aurora, goddess of DAWN (39D: First light).
5A: Sp. misses: SRTAS. "Fr. misses" would be MLLES.
10A: Robert who playd Anthony Soprano Jr.: ILER. I forgot all about him. Dennis mixed ILER with ILLER last time.
14A: Jumbo __: scoreboard display: TRON. Like this one. I am used to the "Disney film" clue.
15A: Sacred five-book collection: TORAH. Literally, "instruction/law" in Hebrew. I still don't understand the necessity of having a letter H in the middle or at the end of the word when it's not pronounced.
16A: Residencia room: SALA. The Casa room. I actually mis-read "Residencia" as "Residential first".
17A: Numeral prefix: OCTA. Prefix for eight. Octagon.
20A: "Is there more?": WHAT ELSE. Quit a few multiple words in today's grid.
22A: Chigger, e.g.: LARVA. I did not know the meaning of "Chigger". Dictionary says it's also called redbug/harvest mite, with 6 legs. And the adult on has 8 legs. This one has only 7 though. It can also spelled as Jigger.
23A: Creedal holding: TENET. Had no idea that creed has an adjective form.
24A: One concerned with 13-Down: SPEEDER. And RADAR (13D: It can trap a 24-Across). Oh well, I was thinking of bunker and golf balls.
29A: Rifles: LOOTS. I need a "Ransacks" clue to get LOOTS immediately.
35A: Amazes: STUNS. Look at our fellow LA Times solvers Wolfmom's food painting and Elissa's scarves. Stunning!
36A: "Was it you?" answer: NOT I. Mine was "IT'S I".
38A: Stinker: MEANY. Always thought "Stinker" means something difficult.
39A: Bourne portrayer: DAMON. My favorite Matt DAMON movie is "The Talented Mr. Ripley". Which is yours?
42A: Vague: GENERAL. I suppose so.
45A: Novelist Shaw: IRWIN. Heard of his name in Ben Bradlee's "A Good Life". Don't know what novels he wrote.
46A: Apply to: USE ON
47A: Pharyngeal tissue: ADENOIDS. No idea. Aden/adeno is a prefix for "gland". Did not know the adjective for pharyx is pharyngeal. The plural for pharyx is pharynges or pharyxes .
54A: Spelling of TV: TORI. See her name in gossip magazines often. Have never seen any of her TV shows/films.
56A: Years during Nero's reign: ANNI. Plural of anno. I thought the clue was asking for how many year Nero reigned. FOUR/FIVE does not fit. He actually rules 31 years.
57A: 2000 N.L. home run champ: SOSA. My first ever crossword fill in SOSA. I think the clue was "Slugger Sammy". What about you? Do you still remember the first time you solved a crossword?
59A: D-day transports: LSTS
Down:
1D: Lade: STOW. LADE is often clued as "Stow" in our old puzzle.
3D: Marginal comments: NOTATIONS
4D: Evidence in paternity suits: DNA TESTS. I suppose no abbreviation hint is needed.
5D: Actress Trudie who's married to Sting: STYLER. She won big when she bet on Giacomo in 2005 Kentucky Derby. Giacomo is named after their son. I could only picture how she looks. Don't know her name. STYLER fits her quite well.
6D: Motorboat's wake: ROOSTER TAIL. No idea. Is it because the wake looks like a real rooster's tail?
7D: "Right you are": TRUE. Not "You are right"?
8D: Rhine tributary: AAR. Three letter river has to be AAR. It lies entirely within Switzerland.
9D: Miss identification?: SHE. "Mrs. identification" too.
10D: Where Mount Carmel is: ISRAEL. See this map. What's the difference between mount and mountain?
11D: Scottish landowner: LAIRD. I keep forgetting this word. It's Scottish for lord. THANE is feudal lord.
12D: Collège attendee: ELEVE. Thought of étudiant.
21D: Middle Earth beings: ENTS. No idea. Those tree creatures in Tolkien's book?
24D: Eggs order: SUNNY SIDE UP. I like this answer a lot.
25D: Preceders of Omega: PSIS. Sigh! I don't know this letter precedes Omega.
26D: Stream: FLOW. Noun or verb? Or both?
27D: "Lady Jane Grey" dramatist: ROWE. No idea. Nicholas ROWE. Wikipedia says the title is "The Tragedy of Lady Jane Grey". Clear Ayes mentioned several months ago that Lady Jane Grey had the shortest rule of England (less than 2 weeks). I forgot the reason, but she was beheaded.
28D: Man-goat deities: FAUNS. Last time when I linked a picture of SATYR, it says the Roman equivalent is FAUNS. See this picture. The man with goats' ears, horns, tail and hind legs. The picture of the "Horse-man" CENTAUR leapt into my mind
31D: India and Pakistan under British: DOMINIONS. Can only think of colonies.
32D: School founded by Henry VI: ETON. In 1440. Unknown trivia to me.
33D: What birds take?: WING. Great clue. I wanted SEED.
35D: Medical supplies: SERA
36D: Like some pride: NATIONAL. Was this a gimme to you? Did not come to me easily at all.
38D: Strategic WWI river: MARNE. Here is the map again. Alfred Joyce Kilmer, the poet of "I think that I shall never see /A poem lovely as a tree" was killed at the second battle of the MARNE in 1918.
40D: Everycity, USA: PEORIA. See this map. Obama gave a big speech there a few weeks ago, from Caterpillar's HQ. Williams clued PEORIA as "Location of Bradley University" on a December puzzle.
41D: Kmart founder: KRESGE. No idea. Have never heard of this guy before. He looks like a mafia member. Walmart founder is Sam Walton.
42D: Windy day features: GUSTS
43D: Finland's second largest city: ESPOO. Close to Helsinki, Finland's largest city. I've never heard of it before. Wikipedia says Nokia is headquatered somewhere in ESPOO.
48D: "Stop": DON'T
49D: Street supplies?: SKIS. For those who ski on the street? (Note: Street refers to Olympic skier Picabo Street)
52D: Enrolled: Abbr.: REG (Registered). Not a familiar abbreviation to me.
Answer Grid.
C.C.
