Theme: How to Read the Personal Ads - Words in Personal Ads are humorously (or rather cynically) interpreted.
23A. "Free spirit" means ... : I LOST EVERY JOB I EVER HAD. A true free spirit!
23A. "Free spirit" means ... : I LOST EVERY JOB I EVER HAD. A true free spirit!
31A. "Enjoys long conversations" means ... : I DIDN'T PAY MY CABLE BILL
49A. "Likes home cooking" means ... : I'M TOO CHEAP TO EAT OUT. Or you're having food intolerant/sensitive problem.
67A. "Adventurous" means ... : I HAVE BEEN TO THE ZOO ONCE. This answer doesn't click for me.
85A. "Enjoys the beach" means ... : I OWN A METAL DETECTOR. What's the connection between "beach" and "metal detector"?
103A. "Likes to cuddle" means ... : MY APARTMENT HAS NO HEAT.
112A. "Takes long walks" means ... : MY CAR'S BEEN REPOSSESSED. Sad excuse.
Great to see Mel Rosen's by-line. He coined the word cruciverbalist and introduced the term "fingers" into crossword construction. Fingers refer to those 2 or 3 black square blocks along the edges of the grid. They look like fingers poking into the grid.
Very often Sunday puzzles are a challenge for me. The sheer size is daunting. And the pressure of finishing the puzzle & getting the write-up done in time take away some pleasure from me. Today I had lots of fun. Nailed those long theme entries with only a few letters in place. Most of the unknowns were easily obtainable via crossings.
Across:
1. Like electric basses : AMPED
6. Chorister's cover : ROBE. One who sings in a choir is a chorister.
10. One of the Wayans brothers : SHAWN. Got his name via crosses.
15. Story morals, e.g. : TAGS. New meaning of tag to me.
19. Rouen room : SALLE. French for "room". Alliteration.
20. Airline since 1948 : EL AL. Israel was established in 1948.
21. Chevy model : TAHOE
22. Another, in Ávila : OTRA. Also OTRO.
27. Without delay : NOW
28. Outback runner : EMU. Lean meat.
29. Have something : AIL. Wanted EAT.
30. Sarge's boss : LOOIE. Nickname for lieutenant.
39. Spohr's Opus 31 and others : NONETS. Not familiar with Spohr, a German composer who was once as famous as Beethoven, a la Wikipedia.
40. Flying Clouds, e.g. : REOs
41. Came to the rescue : AIDED
42. Fractions of a joule : ERGS. Work units.
43. They don't skip 48-Downs : LOCS. And 48D. Stop: Abbr. : STN. I am at sea. What is LOC? (Added later: It's local.)
44. "Otello" composer : VERDI. And 115D. "__ tu": 44-Across aria : ERI. Literally "are". Tu = You.
46. They may be dirt: Abbr. : RDs
55. Solfeggio syllables : FAs
58. Syr. and Eg., once : UAR (United Arab Republic, 1958-1961)
59. "Wassup," formally : HELLO
60. Big name in vacuums : DYSON. Have never paid attention to our vacuum brand.
61. Word of exhortation : RAH
62. E-mail button : SEND
64. Call's partner : BECK. Beck and call.
66. Writable storage media, briefly : CD-Rs. R stands for "recordable".
74. Daughter of Phoebe : LETO. Mother of Apollo.
75. Seaside cottage asset : VIEW
76. Describe in detail : LIMN. Fancy word.
77. Canon camera named for a goddess : EOS. Goddess of the dawn.
78. Alley "oops" : SPLIT. Bowling alley. Great clue.
80. Common people : PLEBS. Windhover likes to use this word to describe his no-NY Times crossword taste.
83. Rented : LET
84. Must-take coll. course : REQ
91. Slapstick prop : PIE
92. Cuts, say : EDITS
93. Big cut : GASH. Nice "cut" clecho.
94. Terrier of film : ASTA. "The Thin Man" dog.
98. Ring for breakfast : BAGEL
100. Brewery oven : OAST
101. Sans contractual buyers : ON SPEC. On speculation. Not specification.
108. Pesto or aioli : SAUCE. I like neither.
109. Ending for ranch : ERO. Ranchero.
110. British ref. : OED
111. Compass dir. : NNE. Could be any direction.
120. Env. stuffer : ENCL
121. "History of the World: __": Brooks film : PART I. Needed crosses for the I part.
122. "La __ Breve": de Falla opera : VIDA. Literally "life".
123. Tropical palm : ARECA. Source of betel nuts.
124. Handy abbr. : ET AL
125. Liqueur herb : ANISE
126. Struck (out) : EX'ED
127. Small songbirds : LARKS
Down:
1. Just plain silly : ASININE. Silly word.
2. Stink : MALODOR
3. Digging up some dirt : PLOWING
4. 2002 British Open champ : ELS (Ernie). I remember that brilliant bunker shot.
5. Windup toy device : DETENT. New word to me. Looks like it has the same root as détente.
6. Excite : REV UP
7. Opry adjective : OLE
8. Piano or roll follower : BAR
9. Bridge guru Culbertson : ELY. Learned his name from doing Xword.
10. Impassive : STOIC
11. "Aquí se __ español" : HABLA. "Speak" in Spanish. Spanish spoken here. Aquí = Here.
12. Some sushi tuna : AHI. Yellowfin tuna.
13. Distressed state : WOE
14. Ariz. neighbor : NEV
15. Doughnut-shaped : TOROID. Adjective of torus.
16. Playwright Fugard : ATHOL. South African playwright. Sometimes we see ALOES clued as part of his novel title "A Lesson from Aloes".
17. Chalice's cousin : GRAIL
18. "Smooth Operator" singer : SADE. Here is a clip. Beautiful song.
24. Paramedics, briefly : EMTs
25. Rogers Centre team, familiarly : JAYS. Toronto Blue Jays.
26. North Sea feeder : ELBE. You've got to remember your European rivers.
32. Lucie's dad : DESI (Arnaz)
33. Buck suffix : AROO. Buckaroo.
34. "Guh-ross!" : YECCH
35. Six-Day War figure Dayan : MOSHE. With his trademark eyepatch.
36. Milhouse's pal : BART. Have never watched "The Simpsons".
37. Venice Film Festival site : LIDO. Learning moment for me.
38. Warhol "superstar" Sedgwick : EDIE. Such a tragic figure. Died when she's only 28.
43. "SNL" producer Michaels : LORNE
44. Restaurant worker who's rarely in the restaurant : VALET. True.
45. Historic period : EPOCH
46. "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" author : ROSSNER (Judith). No idea. See the book cover.
47. One may be an item : DUO. Oh, like Taylor Swift and Jake Gyllenhaal.
50. "La Bohème" waltzer : MUSETTA . Again, needed crosses.
51. Exercise portmanteau : TAE BO. From TAE kwon do and boxing.
52. Jostled : ELBOWED
53. Enlarge, in a way : ADD ONTO
54. Rookie : TYRO. Haven't seen this word for a long time.
55. Calendar col. : FRI
56. "That feels go-o-o-od" : AAH
57. "Let's" evoker : SHALL WE
63. Research assoc.? : DEV (Development). The D in R & D.
65. Kenan's TV pal : KEL
66. Tailed orbiter : COMET
68. Ore source : VEIN
69. Bug like a pup : NIP AT
70. Doesn't hold back : TELLS. Not easy to be Deep Throat.
71. Zip : ZILCH
72. Cedar Rapids college : COE. Coe College. Iowa.
73. Litigator's letters : ESQ
78. Just a taste : SIP
79. Luau dish : POI. Taro dish. Freshly baked taros are tasty.
81. Had, in the Bible : BEGAT
82. Hidden supply : STASH
86. Big opening? : MEGA. Like megabyte.
87. River of central Germany : EDER
88. Arcade foul : TILT
89. "¿Cómo __?" : ESTA
90. Hardly thoughtful : RASH
95. "The Faerie Queene" poet : SPENSER (Edmund)
96. New Jersey town near the George Washington Bridge : TEANECK. Total unknown to me.
97. Substituted for : ACTED AS
98. "Key Largo" co-star : BACALL (Lauren)
99. Me-tooer : APER
100. __ about : ON OR
101. Till bills : ONEs
102. "I won't sign" : NO DEAL
103. Is forbidden to, quaintly : MAYNT. "May not" I suppose.
104. New Mexico state flower : YUCCA. Yucca in bloom, from Gunghy's bike series.
105. Bumps into : MEETS
106. Banks called "Mr. Cub" : ERNIE. Spent his entire career with the Cubs.
107. "Such a pity" : SO SAD
108. Right-hook man in "Peter Pan"? : SMEE. Captain Hook has an iron hook to replace his right hand. Smee is his right-handed man. Somehow this clue doesn't work for me.
113. Mud bath venue : SPA
114. Block : BAN
116. Apple pioneer? : EVE. Because Eve is the first person to eat the apple.
117. Thumbnails, nowadays : PIX
118. Poetic praise : ODE
119. Málaga Mrs. : SRA
Answer grid.
C.C.
