Theme: Mothers of Invention
23A: When Harriet Farnam invented her "Non-Swarmer" beehive, she __: GOT A HONEY OF A DEAL
44A: When Mary Walton invented sound dampers for elevated railways, she __: TOOK THE HIGH ROAD
64A: When Amanda Jones invented the automatic safety oil burner, she __: WASN'T JUST BLOWING SMOKE
87A: When Ruth Wakefield invented the chocolate-chip cookie, she __: SWEETENED THE POT
112A: When Ida Hyde invented the intracellular microelectrode, she __: CAUSED A SENSATION
16D: When Hedy Lamarr co-invented a radio-frequency encryption system, she __: MADE WAVES
78D: When Josephine Cochrane invented dishwasher, she __: CLEANED UP
All of above theme entries are in simple past tense except 64A. I guess the constructor needs an odd number verb phrases for the very central row #11. Very clever how he added a "JUST" to the entry. It sounds natural and it adds some scrabbliness to the grid, which is only one letter X away from being a pangram. And 9 K's. Incredible.
I thought the theme is very clever and obviously the constructor did a thorough research. Unfortunately I am scientifically challenged. And constructor's creativity and humor are lost on me. Are those "Mothers of Invention" all American? Hedy Lamarr is the only one I've heard of. And I thought she was only an actress. Had no idea that she ever invented anything.
Quite a few cross-referencing clues in the puzzle. And several clues made me laugh. I like how the below answers are clued, from A to AAA:
12D: A, in Arles: UNE
14D: AA co-founder: BILL W. He can continue to remain anonymous. I've never heard of him and don't feel the need to know him.
86A: AAA Option: RTE
I wonder if John Lampkin considered Bette Nesmith Graham (Michael Nesmith's mother) who invented Liquid Paper. I used tons of Liquid Paper this morning. Lots of OOPS instead of OH NO (6D: Klutz's cry) mistakes are made. And too many musical/musician related entries for my simple mind.
I hope you struggled as well. Everyone seems to be doing so well lately. I really don't want to be the only child left behind.
Across:
1A: "West Side Story" dance: MAMBO. Stumped immediately. Have never seen "West Side Story".
2A: Doling out mil. rations: ON K.P. K.P. is Kitchen Police.
10A: Jacket materials? BLURB. Book jacket. Nice misleading clue.
15A: Pianist Gilels: EMIL. No idea. Wikipedia says this pianist was born in Odessa.
19A: Nirvana #1 album "In __": UTERO. See the album cover.
20A: Consider in court: HEAR
21A: "Amazing" magician: RANDI (James). I forgot all about him. Googled him before.
22A: Chance it: DARE. Thought of RISK.
26A: Wedding pair: I DO'S. Good clue.
27A: Work on ribs: GNAW. I need a "with at" for the answer to come readily.
28A: Small Welsh river boats: CORACLES. Unknown to me. Strange boat. So tiny.
29A: Under the surface: LATENT
33A: '50s Reds slugger, familiarly: KLU. Ted Kluszewski. Nicknamed "Big Klu". I've never heard of him. Of course I was thinking of the guy on the right, Ted Williams.
34A: Kin of kitties and fishies?: BOWWOW
36A: About one in three Bosnians: SERBS. Oh, I did not know that fact. I do not have a clear understanding of the Balkans at all.
39A: Saint called the founder of Scholasticism: ANSELM. Have never heard of this saint (ANSELM of Canterbury). Wikipedia says he is famous as the originator of the ontological argument for the existence of God, whatever that is.
42A: Lyre-playing Muse: ERATO. Muse of love poetry. She does carry a lyre.
49A: TV control: VOL
50A: Leak results: DRIPS
51A: Female gamete: OVUM
52A: A joker might pull yours: LEG
53A: Go to: ATTEND
56A: Go on and on: RANT
57A: Drop: OMIT
58A: Parisian passes: NONS. French "No". Alliteration in the clue again.
59A: Popular cups: REESE'S. Good clue too.
61A: French cleric: ABBE
62A: Latin lover's word: AMO. AMO, amas, amat.
43A: __ Reader: UTNE. Named after its founder Eric UTNE. I leafed through a few pages of a recent UTNE Reader at Barnes & Noble the other day. It does not interest me.
73A: 130-lb. -plus ref.: OED (Oxford English Dictionary). 20-volume.
74A: Verified: TRUE
75A: No. beginning with a "-": NEG
76A: Certs competitor: TIC TAC. Have never tried this brand.
79A: Sartre's "Huh?": QUOI. I like the Sartre reference.
80A: Opera conductor Daniel: OREN. Foreign to me. He is an Israeli opera conductor. He looks angry. Wikipedia says he is a protégé of Leonard Bernstein.
81D: Note: MEMO
82A: Volunteer: ENLIST. Oh, volunteer for the military service.
83A: Certain brewer: URN
84A: Santa nickname: KRIS. I really like "Miracle on 34th Street".
85A: Oil burners: LAMPS
91A: Cycle part: PHASE
94A: Pulitzer-winning writer Welty: EUDORA. Nope, not a familiar name to me. Such a weathered face. EUDORA means "generous" in Greek, according to Dictionary.com.
96A: __ cordiale: friendly understanding: ENTENTE
98A: Tach readout: RPM
100A: "Whatever you want": NAME IT. "I wanna, I wanna..."
105A: Defraud: FLEECE
106A: Foreshadowed: PRESAGED
110A: K-12: ELHI. EL(ementary) + HI (gh-school).
111A: Teased: RODE. I did not know ride can mean "tease".
116A: Elton's "__ Song": YOUR. Beautiful song.
117A: 1999 Academy Honorary Award recipient: KAZAN (Elia). Not aware of this fact.
118A: Bop: CONK. On the head?
119A: Inched: CREPT
121A: Holst's "The Planets," for one: SUITE. Neither the composer Gustav Holst nor his work "The Planets' is familiar to me. Here is a clip.
122A: "Trick" joint: KNEE
123A: They're often bored: HOLES. Drill a hole. Love this clue too.
Down:
1D: Humid: MUGGY
2D: Compensate (for): ATONE
3D: Sodium, for one: METAL. Oh, I was thinking of my salt.
4D: Free-for-all: BRAWL
5D: "Impressive": OOH. And AWE (30D: Elicit a 5-Down)
6D: Klutz's cry: OH NO. Penned in OOPS of course.
7D: When hell freezes over, in verse: NE'ER. Another great clue. Hot!
8D: Inuit boat: KAYAK. Literally, "man's boat". Umiak means "woman's boat".
9D: Declare: PROCLAIM
10D: Hebrides hillside: BRAE. Another alliteration.
11D: Boys: LADS
13D: Inits. in nutrition: RDA
15D: Revisionist?: EDITOR. Can't fool me. Saw similar clue somewhere before.
17D: Heavy china material: IRONSTONE. New material to me. Looks heavy.
24D: Chamber work: OCTET. Sounds like a lot. What is the most popular Chamber Music ensemble? OCTET?
25D: Hurled: FLUNG. Slung too.
32D: Poses: ASKS. Thought of SITS.
34D: Modern journals: BLOGS
35D: Medical suffix: OMA. As in melanoma.
37D: Equilateral quadrilateral: RHOMBUS. I am having difficulty pronouncing the clue. Can't event tell sax from sex, for heaven's sake.
38D: Beauty groups: BEVIES. Bevy of beauties.
40D: Violinist Mintz: SHLOMO. Nope. He is an Israeli violinist. Wikipedia says Isaac Stern was his mentor.
41D: Heretofore: ERENOW
43D: Bygone GM line: OLDS. Gone in 2004.
44D: Refrain syllables: TRA LA
45D: Pen pal chatter?: OINKS. This clue is making all the pigs in the world happy. Hilarious.
46D: Decide: OPT. Not with a for?
47D: Primitive home: HUT
48D: Tranquilizing weapon: DART GUN. I was thinking of Taser.
50D: Attracted: DREW
54D: Linguist's subject: TENSE
55D: Swarm: TEAM
57D: Doesn't go along: OBJECTS. Like the verb here.
58D: Silent star Nita: NALDI. I tend to confuse this lady with the "Cleopatra" girl Theda Bara.
61D: Book with legends: ATLAS. And MAP (81D: 61Down component)
63D: Social rumblings: UNRESTS
65D: "The Little Red Hen" denial: NOT I. Ha ha, this is the first time I heard of "The Little Red Hen" story.
66D: Got the show on the road: TOURED
67D: Suspect: BE ONTO. Had difficulty obtaining this answer.
68D: "Let __!": high roller's cry: IT RIDE
69D: "__ Time": 70s musical: ONE MO'. Nope. Not even sure if this is the correct link.
70D: Tidy: KEMPT. I actually only know unkempt.
71D: Some are inflated: EGOS
76D: Md. athlete: TERP
77D: Trusted: IN THE LOOP. Can you give me an example?
79D: Line at the Old Vic: QUEUE. Perfect, perfect clue! British call their line QUEUE. Old Vic is the famous theatre in London. And its current artistic director is Kevin Spacey.
84D: Camper's aid: KNAPSACK
85D: Darth's daughter: LEIA
88D: Wrong, with "all": WET. All WET.
89D: Stumbled: ERRED
90D: Possession: HANDS. Why? I don't get it.
92D: Navigates: STEERS
93D: Common Market inits.: EEC (European Economic Community). Can never remember this abbreviation.
97D: Kisses and more: NECKS. Sweet clue!
99D: Bricklayer: MASON
101D: Prefix with __plex: METRO. Metroplex is new to me.
102D: Architect Sarrinen: ELIEL. Father of Eero, who appears in crossword often.
103D: Optimist's phrase: I HOPE. "WE CAN" jumped into my mind. It has 5 letters also.
105D: Popular boot brand: FRYE. Wikipedia says the FRYE Company claims to be the oldest continuously operated shoe company in the United States (since 1863).
106D: Exam for pre-srs.: PSAT. Why not just "Exam for jrs."?
108D: Code carrier: GENE. Wanted DNAS.
109D: 1980s speed skating gold medalist Karin: ENKE. No idea. Her Wikipedia entry shows that Karin ENKE is quite accomplished in the 1980s.
113D: Jr. Olympic Games sponsor: AAU (Amateur Athletic Union). Stymied again today.
114D: Commando's weapon: UZI. Often clued as "Israeli gun".
115D: 6-Down: in Essen: ACH
Answer grid.
Happy Mother's Day to all you moms!
C.C.
23A: When Harriet Farnam invented her "Non-Swarmer" beehive, she __: GOT A HONEY OF A DEAL
44A: When Mary Walton invented sound dampers for elevated railways, she __: TOOK THE HIGH ROAD
64A: When Amanda Jones invented the automatic safety oil burner, she __: WASN'T JUST BLOWING SMOKE
87A: When Ruth Wakefield invented the chocolate-chip cookie, she __: SWEETENED THE POT
112A: When Ida Hyde invented the intracellular microelectrode, she __: CAUSED A SENSATION
16D: When Hedy Lamarr co-invented a radio-frequency encryption system, she __: MADE WAVES
78D: When Josephine Cochrane invented dishwasher, she __: CLEANED UP
All of above theme entries are in simple past tense except 64A. I guess the constructor needs an odd number verb phrases for the very central row #11. Very clever how he added a "JUST" to the entry. It sounds natural and it adds some scrabbliness to the grid, which is only one letter X away from being a pangram. And 9 K's. Incredible.
I thought the theme is very clever and obviously the constructor did a thorough research. Unfortunately I am scientifically challenged. And constructor's creativity and humor are lost on me. Are those "Mothers of Invention" all American? Hedy Lamarr is the only one I've heard of. And I thought she was only an actress. Had no idea that she ever invented anything.
Quite a few cross-referencing clues in the puzzle. And several clues made me laugh. I like how the below answers are clued, from A to AAA:
12D: A, in Arles: UNE
14D: AA co-founder: BILL W. He can continue to remain anonymous. I've never heard of him and don't feel the need to know him.
86A: AAA Option: RTE
I wonder if John Lampkin considered Bette Nesmith Graham (Michael Nesmith's mother) who invented Liquid Paper. I used tons of Liquid Paper this morning. Lots of OOPS instead of OH NO (6D: Klutz's cry) mistakes are made. And too many musical/musician related entries for my simple mind.
I hope you struggled as well. Everyone seems to be doing so well lately. I really don't want to be the only child left behind.
Across:
1A: "West Side Story" dance: MAMBO. Stumped immediately. Have never seen "West Side Story".
2A: Doling out mil. rations: ON K.P. K.P. is Kitchen Police.
10A: Jacket materials? BLURB. Book jacket. Nice misleading clue.
15A: Pianist Gilels: EMIL. No idea. Wikipedia says this pianist was born in Odessa.
19A: Nirvana #1 album "In __": UTERO. See the album cover.
20A: Consider in court: HEAR
21A: "Amazing" magician: RANDI (James). I forgot all about him. Googled him before.
22A: Chance it: DARE. Thought of RISK.
26A: Wedding pair: I DO'S. Good clue.
27A: Work on ribs: GNAW. I need a "with at" for the answer to come readily.
28A: Small Welsh river boats: CORACLES. Unknown to me. Strange boat. So tiny.
29A: Under the surface: LATENT
33A: '50s Reds slugger, familiarly: KLU. Ted Kluszewski. Nicknamed "Big Klu". I've never heard of him. Of course I was thinking of the guy on the right, Ted Williams.
34A: Kin of kitties and fishies?: BOWWOW
36A: About one in three Bosnians: SERBS. Oh, I did not know that fact. I do not have a clear understanding of the Balkans at all.
39A: Saint called the founder of Scholasticism: ANSELM. Have never heard of this saint (ANSELM of Canterbury). Wikipedia says he is famous as the originator of the ontological argument for the existence of God, whatever that is.
42A: Lyre-playing Muse: ERATO. Muse of love poetry. She does carry a lyre.
49A: TV control: VOL
50A: Leak results: DRIPS
51A: Female gamete: OVUM
52A: A joker might pull yours: LEG
53A: Go to: ATTEND
56A: Go on and on: RANT
57A: Drop: OMIT
58A: Parisian passes: NONS. French "No". Alliteration in the clue again.
59A: Popular cups: REESE'S. Good clue too.
61A: French cleric: ABBE
62A: Latin lover's word: AMO. AMO, amas, amat.
43A: __ Reader: UTNE. Named after its founder Eric UTNE. I leafed through a few pages of a recent UTNE Reader at Barnes & Noble the other day. It does not interest me.
73A: 130-lb. -plus ref.: OED (Oxford English Dictionary). 20-volume.
74A: Verified: TRUE
75A: No. beginning with a "-": NEG
76A: Certs competitor: TIC TAC. Have never tried this brand.
79A: Sartre's "Huh?": QUOI. I like the Sartre reference.
80A: Opera conductor Daniel: OREN. Foreign to me. He is an Israeli opera conductor. He looks angry. Wikipedia says he is a protégé of Leonard Bernstein.
81D: Note: MEMO
82A: Volunteer: ENLIST. Oh, volunteer for the military service.
83A: Certain brewer: URN
84A: Santa nickname: KRIS. I really like "Miracle on 34th Street".
85A: Oil burners: LAMPS
91A: Cycle part: PHASE
94A: Pulitzer-winning writer Welty: EUDORA. Nope, not a familiar name to me. Such a weathered face. EUDORA means "generous" in Greek, according to Dictionary.com.
96A: __ cordiale: friendly understanding: ENTENTE
98A: Tach readout: RPM
100A: "Whatever you want": NAME IT. "I wanna, I wanna..."
105A: Defraud: FLEECE
106A: Foreshadowed: PRESAGED
110A: K-12: ELHI. EL(ementary) + HI (gh-school).
111A: Teased: RODE. I did not know ride can mean "tease".
116A: Elton's "__ Song": YOUR. Beautiful song.
117A: 1999 Academy Honorary Award recipient: KAZAN (Elia). Not aware of this fact.
118A: Bop: CONK. On the head?
119A: Inched: CREPT
121A: Holst's "The Planets," for one: SUITE. Neither the composer Gustav Holst nor his work "The Planets' is familiar to me. Here is a clip.
122A: "Trick" joint: KNEE
123A: They're often bored: HOLES. Drill a hole. Love this clue too.
Down:
1D: Humid: MUGGY
2D: Compensate (for): ATONE
3D: Sodium, for one: METAL. Oh, I was thinking of my salt.
4D: Free-for-all: BRAWL
5D: "Impressive": OOH. And AWE (30D: Elicit a 5-Down)
6D: Klutz's cry: OH NO. Penned in OOPS of course.
7D: When hell freezes over, in verse: NE'ER. Another great clue. Hot!
8D: Inuit boat: KAYAK. Literally, "man's boat". Umiak means "woman's boat".
9D: Declare: PROCLAIM
10D: Hebrides hillside: BRAE. Another alliteration.
11D: Boys: LADS
13D: Inits. in nutrition: RDA
15D: Revisionist?: EDITOR. Can't fool me. Saw similar clue somewhere before.
17D: Heavy china material: IRONSTONE. New material to me. Looks heavy.
24D: Chamber work: OCTET. Sounds like a lot. What is the most popular Chamber Music ensemble? OCTET?
25D: Hurled: FLUNG. Slung too.
32D: Poses: ASKS. Thought of SITS.
34D: Modern journals: BLOGS
35D: Medical suffix: OMA. As in melanoma.
37D: Equilateral quadrilateral: RHOMBUS. I am having difficulty pronouncing the clue. Can't event tell sax from sex, for heaven's sake.
38D: Beauty groups: BEVIES. Bevy of beauties.
40D: Violinist Mintz: SHLOMO. Nope. He is an Israeli violinist. Wikipedia says Isaac Stern was his mentor.
41D: Heretofore: ERENOW
43D: Bygone GM line: OLDS. Gone in 2004.
44D: Refrain syllables: TRA LA
45D: Pen pal chatter?: OINKS. This clue is making all the pigs in the world happy. Hilarious.
46D: Decide: OPT. Not with a for?
47D: Primitive home: HUT
48D: Tranquilizing weapon: DART GUN. I was thinking of Taser.
50D: Attracted: DREW
54D: Linguist's subject: TENSE
55D: Swarm: TEAM
57D: Doesn't go along: OBJECTS. Like the verb here.
58D: Silent star Nita: NALDI. I tend to confuse this lady with the "Cleopatra" girl Theda Bara.
61D: Book with legends: ATLAS. And MAP (81D: 61Down component)
63D: Social rumblings: UNRESTS
65D: "The Little Red Hen" denial: NOT I. Ha ha, this is the first time I heard of "The Little Red Hen" story.
66D: Got the show on the road: TOURED
67D: Suspect: BE ONTO. Had difficulty obtaining this answer.
68D: "Let __!": high roller's cry: IT RIDE
69D: "__ Time": 70s musical: ONE MO'. Nope. Not even sure if this is the correct link.
70D: Tidy: KEMPT. I actually only know unkempt.
71D: Some are inflated: EGOS
76D: Md. athlete: TERP
77D: Trusted: IN THE LOOP. Can you give me an example?
79D: Line at the Old Vic: QUEUE. Perfect, perfect clue! British call their line QUEUE. Old Vic is the famous theatre in London. And its current artistic director is Kevin Spacey.
84D: Camper's aid: KNAPSACK
85D: Darth's daughter: LEIA
88D: Wrong, with "all": WET. All WET.
89D: Stumbled: ERRED
90D: Possession: HANDS. Why? I don't get it.
92D: Navigates: STEERS
93D: Common Market inits.: EEC (European Economic Community). Can never remember this abbreviation.
97D: Kisses and more: NECKS. Sweet clue!
99D: Bricklayer: MASON
101D: Prefix with __plex: METRO. Metroplex is new to me.
102D: Architect Sarrinen: ELIEL. Father of Eero, who appears in crossword often.
103D: Optimist's phrase: I HOPE. "WE CAN" jumped into my mind. It has 5 letters also.
105D: Popular boot brand: FRYE. Wikipedia says the FRYE Company claims to be the oldest continuously operated shoe company in the United States (since 1863).
106D: Exam for pre-srs.: PSAT. Why not just "Exam for jrs."?
108D: Code carrier: GENE. Wanted DNAS.
109D: 1980s speed skating gold medalist Karin: ENKE. No idea. Her Wikipedia entry shows that Karin ENKE is quite accomplished in the 1980s.
113D: Jr. Olympic Games sponsor: AAU (Amateur Athletic Union). Stymied again today.
114D: Commando's weapon: UZI. Often clued as "Israeli gun".
115D: 6-Down: in Essen: ACH
Answer grid.
Happy Mother's Day to all you moms!
C.C.
