Theme: "My Ex Was a Monster!" - Each spooky answer and its spooky clue narrate a scary "Ex" story & a current date for 115A.
23A. My first crush was on a mummy, but . . . : HE'S WRAPPED UP IN HIMSELF. Mummies were wrapped in cloth.
47A. Everyone liked my ghost boyfriend, but . . . : I SAW RIGHT THROUGH HIM. Ghosts are transparent.
67A. I had a relationship with Frankenstein's monster, but . . . : IT CAME APART AT THE SEAMS. Frankenstein's monster had lots of stitches on.
89A. When I moved to Sleepy Hollow, I started dating a soldier, but . . . : HE KEPT LOSING HIS HEAD. The Headless Horseman.
115A. Now I'm dating Count Dracula. Things are going well, but . . . : HE CAN BE A PAIN IN THE NECK. Dracula sucks! The title "Ex" is not inclusive, isn't it?
Then HORRORS (99A. "Little Shop of __) and a few other ghostly bonus entries.
Only 5 theme entries, but they're all very long, occupying a total 101 theme squares. Quite a few outstanding long Downs today:
3D. Two-part David Bowie song from "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)" : IT'S NO GAME. Gimmie, Avg Joe? Creepy clue. Nice.
7D. Fresh out of the oven : PIPING HOT
8D. Number retired by the Orioles for Jim Palmer : TWENTY TWO. Hall-of-Famer. Cal Ripken's number is 8. Retired by the Orioles also. I admire guys who spent their entire career with one team.
14D. Vampire-romance series : TWILIGHT. Another bonus entry.
16D. Taking issue? : KLEPTOMANIA. Great clue.
58D. Critter in old Qantas ads, popularly : KOALA BEAR
69D. Feline who said "We're all mad here" : CHESHIRE CAT
78D. Fine porcelain : BONE CHINA
81D. Munch museum masterpiece : THE SCREAM. You can almost hear it.
This is the debut puzzle for Jonathan L O'Rourke. Congratulations!
Across:
1. "Evil Under the Sun" detective : POIROT ( Hercule). And 25D. Ustinov who played 1-Across : PETER.
7. Class-conscious orgs.? : PTAs. Saw this clue before.
11. Like Granny Smiths : TART
15. Hershey bar : SKOR. Toffee bar. Wiki said Skor is Swedish for "shoes".
19. Traveling, like Blues Traveler : ON TOUR. Rock band.
20. "Yay! Go me!" : I WIN
21. From square one : ANEW
22. Bjorn rival : ILIE (Nastase)
27. Chaney of film : LON. More horror.
28. Minting process : COINAGE
29. Slippery : EELY
30. Home to four-and-twenty blackbirds : PIE. "... Four-and-twenty blackbirds/Baked in a pie...".
31. Wide of the mark : OFF
34. Demolition supply : TNT
35. Part of SOP: Abbr. : STD. SOP = Standard Operating Procedure. Then we have 96A. Morsel for dipping : SOP. Different meaning.
37. York __: British cathedral : MINSTER. Gothic Cathedral.
39. Folded corner : DOG EAR. Annoying.
42. Training room : GYM. Been ages since I heard from Dennis.
44. Hosp. units : ERs
46. Florida's team : GATORS. Hi there Gator Mom!
51. PIN requester : ATM. 119D. Big 51-Across manufacturer : NCR.
52. "Prove it!" : SHOW ME
53. Prefix for fall : PRAT. Pratfall.
54. Dear one, in Italy : CARO
57. Veggie that looks like an overgrown scallion : LEEK. We just call scallion "green onion".
59. Green Hornet sidekick : KATO. Played by Bruce Lee.
60. 87-Down fruit : SLOES. And 87D. Bar staple : GIN.
62. "It's __": "Problem solved" : OK NOW. You won't see any partial longer than 5 letters in LA Times.
63. Get __ years: age : ON IN
65. God-fearing : PIOUS
66. Like some obedience : FILIAL
73. Composer Gustav : MAHLER. Born in Bohemia.
74. Crosswise, shipwise : ABEAM
75. L.A. Angel, e.g. : ALer. American Leaguer.
76. Tool for a mountaineer : ICE AX
77. "Hungarian Fantasy" composer : LISZT. Nice consonant cluster.
78. Ernie's roommate : BERT
80. PDQ, to an RN : STAT
84. Org. that investigates crashes : NTSB.
85. Carvey who played the Church Lady : DANA
86. Self-interested one : EGOIST
88. Gp. with a co-pay : HMO
94. __ Afghan Airlines : ARIANA. Got any desire to visit that place?
97. Old Testament bk. : NEH
98. "Shazam!" : PRESTO
101. Ryan of "You've Got Mail" : MEG
103. Letters on Windy City trains : CTA (Chicago Transit Authority)
105. Co. designation : INC
106. String after B : CDE. Alphabet.
107. Light bulb unit : WATT
109. Uses FedEx again : RE-SHIPS. We should support UPS. Can you figure out what his favicon is?
112. Actress Charlotte : RAE
120. __ upswing : ON AN
121. Pizzazz : BRIO
122. Obama, as of Jan. 2009 : CINC (Commander-in-Chief) 65D. 122-Across, informally : PREZ.
123. Obscure : ARCANE
124. Camp Swampy dog : OTTO
125. Cry of pain : YELP
126. Aquarium fish : OPAH
127. Messenger god : HERMES. Oh my God. Hermes! Hermes Birkin bag lives in my dream, Santa!
Down:
1. Novelist Frederik : POHL. He has four Hugos.
2. __ cat: baseball variation : ONE O'
4. Obey the coxswain : ROW
5. Lord's Prayer opening : OUR
6. Gillette's __ II : TRAC
9. Opera that premiered in Cairo : AIDA. Nubia.
10. Nestles : SNUGS
11. Mai __: fruity cocktail : TAI. Now I've got to make that ambrosia you guys talked about yesterday. Sounds delicious. No whipped cream though.
12. "Breathing Lessons" novelist Tyler : ANNE
13. Take up, as a homemade costume : RE-HEM
15. Relative's nickname : SIS
17. More smarmy : OILIER
18. Alludes (to) : REFERS
24. __ roast : POT
26. Chatty bird : MYNAH
32. Not many : FEW. It's a great feeling, Jayce, to know that some of my nonsense could be understood by you. You're a awesome Gweilo (Cantonese for "foreigners", literally "ghost man").
33. Not close : FAR
36. GED taker : DROP-OUT
38. Purists : STICKLERS
39. Give a ring : DIAL
40. Bone: Pref. : OSTE
41. More dangerous : RISKIER
43. Old TV production co. : MTM. "Lou Grant".
45. Like the best bet : SUREST
48. Ivory Coast neighbor : GHANA
49. Doesn't act just yet : HESITATES. No hesitation & no inconsistency in front of Roberto.
50. Krypton, for one : GAS
55. Go nowhere in particular : ROAM
56. Nocturnal hunters : OWLS
61. Planter's choice : LOAM
62. River to the Seine : OISE. Just how many many four-letter rivers go to the Seine?
64. Four Corners st. : N MEX
66. Marker feature : FELT TIP
67. "Sounds good to me!" : I'M IN
68. Ambassador's asset : TACT
70. Puts on a coat : PAINTS
71. Son of David : ABSALOM. Third son of King David. I drew a blank.
72. Quite rough : HARSH
77. One can stand to lose it : LAP. Oh, you make a lap when you sit down. Lose it when you stand up. I'm feeling stupid.
79. Early floppy disk size : EIGHT INCH. History.
82. Part of a Latin trio : AMAT. Amo, amas, amat.
83. Brouhaha : TO DO
85. Column begun in 1956 by Pauline Phillips : DEAR ABBY
90. Famous : KNOWN
91. Musical drama : OPERA
92. Title for a guru : SRI
93. Layer : HEN. Hens lay eggs.
94. Blessing elicitor : AH-CHOO
95. Guinea pig, e.g. : RODENT
100. Firewood measure : STERE. I've never baked a potato in a fireplace.
102. Auto insurance giant : GEICO
104. Spot-on : APT
108. Kite attachment : TAIL
110. Barber's stroke : SNIP
111. Ruler deposed in 1979 : SHAH. He had quite a car collection.
113. Teen's affliction : ACNE
114. Scratches (out) : EKES
116. "I'll take that as __" : A NO
117. __ psychology : POP
118. Poet's before : ERE
Answer grid.
C.C.
23A. My first crush was on a mummy, but . . . : HE'S WRAPPED UP IN HIMSELF. Mummies were wrapped in cloth.
47A. Everyone liked my ghost boyfriend, but . . . : I SAW RIGHT THROUGH HIM. Ghosts are transparent.
67A. I had a relationship with Frankenstein's monster, but . . . : IT CAME APART AT THE SEAMS. Frankenstein's monster had lots of stitches on.
89A. When I moved to Sleepy Hollow, I started dating a soldier, but . . . : HE KEPT LOSING HIS HEAD. The Headless Horseman.
115A. Now I'm dating Count Dracula. Things are going well, but . . . : HE CAN BE A PAIN IN THE NECK. Dracula sucks! The title "Ex" is not inclusive, isn't it?
Then HORRORS (99A. "Little Shop of __) and a few other ghostly bonus entries.
Only 5 theme entries, but they're all very long, occupying a total 101 theme squares. Quite a few outstanding long Downs today:
3D. Two-part David Bowie song from "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)" : IT'S NO GAME. Gimmie, Avg Joe? Creepy clue. Nice.
7D. Fresh out of the oven : PIPING HOT
8D. Number retired by the Orioles for Jim Palmer : TWENTY TWO. Hall-of-Famer. Cal Ripken's number is 8. Retired by the Orioles also. I admire guys who spent their entire career with one team.
14D. Vampire-romance series : TWILIGHT. Another bonus entry.
16D. Taking issue? : KLEPTOMANIA. Great clue.
58D. Critter in old Qantas ads, popularly : KOALA BEAR
69D. Feline who said "We're all mad here" : CHESHIRE CAT
78D. Fine porcelain : BONE CHINA
81D. Munch museum masterpiece : THE SCREAM. You can almost hear it.
This is the debut puzzle for Jonathan L O'Rourke. Congratulations!
Across:
1. "Evil Under the Sun" detective : POIROT ( Hercule). And 25D. Ustinov who played 1-Across : PETER.
7. Class-conscious orgs.? : PTAs. Saw this clue before.
11. Like Granny Smiths : TART
15. Hershey bar : SKOR. Toffee bar. Wiki said Skor is Swedish for "shoes".
19. Traveling, like Blues Traveler : ON TOUR. Rock band.
20. "Yay! Go me!" : I WIN
21. From square one : ANEW
22. Bjorn rival : ILIE (Nastase)
27. Chaney of film : LON. More horror.
28. Minting process : COINAGE
29. Slippery : EELY
30. Home to four-and-twenty blackbirds : PIE. "... Four-and-twenty blackbirds/Baked in a pie...".
31. Wide of the mark : OFF
34. Demolition supply : TNT
35. Part of SOP: Abbr. : STD. SOP = Standard Operating Procedure. Then we have 96A. Morsel for dipping : SOP. Different meaning.
37. York __: British cathedral : MINSTER. Gothic Cathedral.
39. Folded corner : DOG EAR. Annoying.
42. Training room : GYM. Been ages since I heard from Dennis.
44. Hosp. units : ERs
46. Florida's team : GATORS. Hi there Gator Mom!
51. PIN requester : ATM. 119D. Big 51-Across manufacturer : NCR.
52. "Prove it!" : SHOW ME
53. Prefix for fall : PRAT. Pratfall.
54. Dear one, in Italy : CARO
57. Veggie that looks like an overgrown scallion : LEEK. We just call scallion "green onion".
59. Green Hornet sidekick : KATO. Played by Bruce Lee.
60. 87-Down fruit : SLOES. And 87D. Bar staple : GIN.
62. "It's __": "Problem solved" : OK NOW. You won't see any partial longer than 5 letters in LA Times.
63. Get __ years: age : ON IN
65. God-fearing : PIOUS
66. Like some obedience : FILIAL
73. Composer Gustav : MAHLER. Born in Bohemia.
74. Crosswise, shipwise : ABEAM
75. L.A. Angel, e.g. : ALer. American Leaguer.
76. Tool for a mountaineer : ICE AX
77. "Hungarian Fantasy" composer : LISZT. Nice consonant cluster.
78. Ernie's roommate : BERT
80. PDQ, to an RN : STAT
84. Org. that investigates crashes : NTSB.
85. Carvey who played the Church Lady : DANA
86. Self-interested one : EGOIST
88. Gp. with a co-pay : HMO
94. __ Afghan Airlines : ARIANA. Got any desire to visit that place?
97. Old Testament bk. : NEH
98. "Shazam!" : PRESTO
101. Ryan of "You've Got Mail" : MEG
103. Letters on Windy City trains : CTA (Chicago Transit Authority)
105. Co. designation : INC
106. String after B : CDE. Alphabet.
107. Light bulb unit : WATT
109. Uses FedEx again : RE-SHIPS. We should support UPS. Can you figure out what his favicon is?
112. Actress Charlotte : RAE
120. __ upswing : ON AN
121. Pizzazz : BRIO
122. Obama, as of Jan. 2009 : CINC (Commander-in-Chief) 65D. 122-Across, informally : PREZ.
123. Obscure : ARCANE
124. Camp Swampy dog : OTTO
125. Cry of pain : YELP
126. Aquarium fish : OPAH
127. Messenger god : HERMES. Oh my God. Hermes! Hermes Birkin bag lives in my dream, Santa!
Down:
1. Novelist Frederik : POHL. He has four Hugos.
2. __ cat: baseball variation : ONE O'
4. Obey the coxswain : ROW
5. Lord's Prayer opening : OUR
6. Gillette's __ II : TRAC
9. Opera that premiered in Cairo : AIDA. Nubia.
10. Nestles : SNUGS
11. Mai __: fruity cocktail : TAI. Now I've got to make that ambrosia you guys talked about yesterday. Sounds delicious. No whipped cream though.
12. "Breathing Lessons" novelist Tyler : ANNE
13. Take up, as a homemade costume : RE-HEM
15. Relative's nickname : SIS
17. More smarmy : OILIER
18. Alludes (to) : REFERS
24. __ roast : POT
26. Chatty bird : MYNAH
32. Not many : FEW. It's a great feeling, Jayce, to know that some of my nonsense could be understood by you. You're a awesome Gweilo (Cantonese for "foreigners", literally "ghost man").
33. Not close : FAR
36. GED taker : DROP-OUT
38. Purists : STICKLERS
39. Give a ring : DIAL
40. Bone: Pref. : OSTE
41. More dangerous : RISKIER
43. Old TV production co. : MTM. "Lou Grant".
45. Like the best bet : SUREST
48. Ivory Coast neighbor : GHANA
49. Doesn't act just yet : HESITATES. No hesitation & no inconsistency in front of Roberto.
50. Krypton, for one : GAS
55. Go nowhere in particular : ROAM
56. Nocturnal hunters : OWLS
61. Planter's choice : LOAM
62. River to the Seine : OISE. Just how many many four-letter rivers go to the Seine?
64. Four Corners st. : N MEX
66. Marker feature : FELT TIP
67. "Sounds good to me!" : I'M IN
68. Ambassador's asset : TACT
70. Puts on a coat : PAINTS
71. Son of David : ABSALOM. Third son of King David. I drew a blank.
72. Quite rough : HARSH
77. One can stand to lose it : LAP. Oh, you make a lap when you sit down. Lose it when you stand up. I'm feeling stupid.
79. Early floppy disk size : EIGHT INCH. History.
82. Part of a Latin trio : AMAT. Amo, amas, amat.
83. Brouhaha : TO DO
85. Column begun in 1956 by Pauline Phillips : DEAR ABBY
90. Famous : KNOWN
91. Musical drama : OPERA
92. Title for a guru : SRI
93. Layer : HEN. Hens lay eggs.
94. Blessing elicitor : AH-CHOO
95. Guinea pig, e.g. : RODENT
100. Firewood measure : STERE. I've never baked a potato in a fireplace.
102. Auto insurance giant : GEICO
104. Spot-on : APT
108. Kite attachment : TAIL
110. Barber's stroke : SNIP
111. Ruler deposed in 1979 : SHAH. He had quite a car collection.
113. Teen's affliction : ACNE
114. Scratches (out) : EKES
116. "I'll take that as __" : A NO
117. __ psychology : POP
118. Poet's before : ERE
Answer grid.
C.C.
