Theme: Failing French - Puns on common French-rooted English.
23A. Sense of unity among apples? : ESPRIT DE CORE. Esprit de corps. Morale.
28A. Deceptively realistic painting of The Donald? : TRUMP L'OEIL. Trompe-l'œil. Literally "deceive the eye". L'œil =Le + œil (eye, masculine). Tricky spelling.
45A. Terrible night's sleep? : LAY MISERABLES. "Les Misérables". Dennis loves the musical. I think he brought this to us before everyone was aware of Susan Boyle.
60A. Having a weed-free lawn? : COUP DE GRASS. Coup de grâce. Literally "blow of mercy".
65A. Passenger who doesn't bug the cabbie? : LAISSEZ FARE. Laissez-faire. Literraly "let do".
Savoir-faire means "know what to do".
73A. Justification for a dried grape? : RAISIN D'ETRE. Raison d'être. "Reason for existence".
89A. Garden figure taking up arms? : GNOME DE GUERRE. Nom de guerre. Literally "Name of war". I don't know why it morphed into pseudonym. Nom de plume makes sense to me.
104A. Ocean trip with a skeleton crew? : BONE VOYAGE. Bon voyage.
114A. Perfume at Garfield's house? : ODIE TOILETTE. Eau de toilette. "Toilet water" is not an apt translation. Toilette comes from TOILE the woven cloth, then the diminutive suffice "ette", so, "little woven cloth".
I thought of Splynter & Barry G immediately after I downloaded the puzzle. Their "affection" for French is well-known on the blog.
Fun romp for me. I was entertained by the the theme clues and just know enough French to mangle the language.
Construction wise, the grid has a relative low black square count. Only 68. I mentioned last Sunday that 74-78 is our Sunday norm. And it's Steve's first Sunday! Look at the middle theme entries: 6-letter overlapping. Not easy to do.
Across:
1. __ finish : PHOTO
6. Latin for "heads" : CAPITA. Or TETEs in French.
12. Tease : JEST
16. Uncouth one : OAF
19. Like hayseeds' hangouts : RURAL
20. Issue in May-December romances : AGE GAP. This kind of marriage is often solid.
21. Straighten out : UNTANGLE
25. Place to dry out, in oaters : JAIL CELL. I still thought of "Rehab center", despite the "osters" qualifier.
26. Goddess with a European capital named for her : ATHENA. Athens.
27. "Fooled you!" : NOT
30. Dressed : CLAD
31. Much souvenir shop merchandise : KITSCH. Lovely entry. Consonants heavy.
34. Concert wind : OBOE
35. Egg source : HEN
36. Triumphs : WINS
37. Horn, in Hastings : HOOTER. Did not know British call "Horn" as "Hooter", Steve!
39. They may have soft shoulders : ROADS
44. Point at the dinner table : TINE
47. "__ Irish Rose" : ABIE'S
50. Heyerdahl craft : RA I. Poor Aishwarya Rai. She never gets the credit she deserves in LA Times.
52. Vacation souvenir : TAN
53. Come through : DELIVER
54. "Porgy and Bess" aria : SUMMERTIME
57. Tease : RIB
59. Many families begin at them : ALTARS. Where weddings are held.
62. Humble reply to a compliment : I TRY
64. Nurse's tool : HYPO. So sorry to hear the bad news about your brother, Lucina.
68. Michigan-based financing co. formed in 1919 : GMAC. Now called Ally Financial.
72. Workbench tool : VISE
75. Early online bookstore : AMAZON
79. QB protectors : RGs
82. Admitting, as a lesser charge : PLEADING TO
83. Restraint : LIMITER
85. Pasture : LEA
87. Cholesterol initials : LDL. The bad one.
88. Allergy season runners : NOSES
92. Latvian Academy of Sciences home : RIGA
94. Syrian president : ASSAD. His wife is nuts about Louboutins.
95. Charming, e.g. : PRINCE. Oh, Prince Charming.
96. "Law & Order" panel : JURY
97. 33 1/3 rpm spinners : LPs
100. Country lowland : GLEN
101. New York town named for its salt-mining industry : SALINA. Never heard of it. Makes sense with its salty sounding name.
103. Enjoy a hot tub : SOAK
110. American __ : LIT
111. Saudi neighbor : QATARI. Crossing 93D. Citizen of Basra : IRAQI. Both U-less.
113. Allergic inflammation : RHINITIS. New word to me.
117. Louis Sachar kids' book heroine : ANGELINE. Never heard of this book.
118. Empty __ : NESTER
119. Bill who said, "It's all been satirized for your protection" : MAHER. "Real Time with Bill Maher" is funny at times.
120. "Silly me!" : D'OH
121. Certain tech sch. grad : ENGR
123. Downhill racers : SLEDS
Down:
1. Take the pulpit : PREACH
2. Try to catch up : HUSTLE
3. Oliver Twist, e.g. : ORPHAN
4. Accounted for the container : TARED. Wow, TARE can be a verb also?
5. Actress Lena : OLIN
6. Dishonorable dude : CAD
7. Representatives : AGENTS
8. Carlsbad's river : PECOS.
9. "Makes sense to me" : I GOTCHA
10. Deck swabber : TAR
11. In __: miffed : A PET
12. Movie goodies : JUJUBES. Chinese dates is also called JUJUBES. That are not sweet as medjools.
13. Smitten : ENAMORED
14. R.E.M. frontman Michael : STIPE
15. One way to walk : TALL
16. Curved molding : OGEE
17. Sheryl Crow's "__ Wanna Do" : ALL I. That song was quite popular when I first arrived in the US.
18. Dropped : FELL
22. Cpl., e.g. : NCO
24. "__ It to the Streets": Doobie Brothers hit : TAKIN'. Here is a clip.
29. Spiral pasta : ROTINI
32. Helium or neon : INERT GAS
33. Knuckleballer Wilhelm : HOYT. Hall-of-Famer of course. He retired when he was 49 years old. Same as Jamie Moyer.
36. Became less reckless, say, with "up" : WISED
38. Poet Khayyám : OMAR
39. Pre-closing bell excitement : RALLY
40. Dead lines? : OBIT. Nice clue.
41. Inventing middle name : ALVA. Thomas Alva Edison.
42. A hundred bucks, maybe : DEER. English is so irrational. Why can't DEER be plural?
43. Estonia and Armenia, once: Abbr. : SSRS
44. Conductor's beat : TEMPO
45. Green beans : LIMAS. They're not green when dried.
46. Hit from behind : REAR END
47. Social psychology pioneer Solomon : ASCH. Nope. Stranger to me.
48. Elevate : BUOY
49. "It's not too early to call" : I'M UP
51. Less stuffy : AIRIER
55. Put a new layer in, as a jacket : RE-LINED
56. Road race challenge : ESS
58. Not neutral : BIASED
61. Rev.'s address : SER
63. Test : TRIAL RUN
66. Skip over, as ads : ZAP
67. Future femme : FILLE. "Daughter" in French.
68. Middle Ages rival of Venice : GENOA
69. Conf. table events : MTGS (Meetings). And 71. Conf. table heads : CEOs.
70. Renoir output : ARTE. French for "art".
72. Chose, with "for" : VOTED
74. Not at all bright : DINGY
75. Pond organism : ALGA
76. Hr.'s 60 : MINS
77. Singer Tori : AMOS
78. Old Coors product pitched as "Zomething different" : ZIMA
80. Grade school art activity : GLUING
81. Experienced : SEEN. Hi there, Seen!
84. Dealing with an invitation : REPLYING
86. Fly ball paths : ARCS
90. Pomaded '50s subculturist : GREASER. Look here, Wiki says they liked Converse Chuck. I like my Vans.
91. Idealist's opposite : REALIST. Too many similar letters in clue/answer.
96. TV image fluctuations : JITTER. New word to me also.
97. Detest : LOATHE
98. "When We Two __": Byron poem : PARTED
99. Downhill racers : SKIERS
100. Arrived : GOT IN
102. Mislead : LIE TO
103. Rip off : STEAL
104. Thin fastener : BRAD
105. [Gasp!] : OH NO. My mouse suddenly stopped working earlier. Putting in new batteries did not help. Had an "Oh no" moment..
106. Near : NIGH
107. Dallas-to-Memphis dir. : ENE
108. Contemptible : VILE
109. Long times : EONS
112. Benevolent donations : ALMS
115. Narc's employer : DEA
116. "Do it, __ will!" : OR I
Answer grid.
Please click here if you're looking for an creative Mother's Day gift. And an heartfelt "Thank you" to those who bought our package. Don and I appreciate your support.
C.C.
23A. Sense of unity among apples? : ESPRIT DE CORE. Esprit de corps. Morale.
28A. Deceptively realistic painting of The Donald? : TRUMP L'OEIL. Trompe-l'œil. Literally "deceive the eye". L'œil =Le + œil (eye, masculine). Tricky spelling.
45A. Terrible night's sleep? : LAY MISERABLES. "Les Misérables". Dennis loves the musical. I think he brought this to us before everyone was aware of Susan Boyle.
60A. Having a weed-free lawn? : COUP DE GRASS. Coup de grâce. Literally "blow of mercy".
65A. Passenger who doesn't bug the cabbie? : LAISSEZ FARE. Laissez-faire. Literraly "let do".
Savoir-faire means "know what to do".
73A. Justification for a dried grape? : RAISIN D'ETRE. Raison d'être. "Reason for existence".
89A. Garden figure taking up arms? : GNOME DE GUERRE. Nom de guerre. Literally "Name of war". I don't know why it morphed into pseudonym. Nom de plume makes sense to me.
104A. Ocean trip with a skeleton crew? : BONE VOYAGE. Bon voyage.
114A. Perfume at Garfield's house? : ODIE TOILETTE. Eau de toilette. "Toilet water" is not an apt translation. Toilette comes from TOILE the woven cloth, then the diminutive suffice "ette", so, "little woven cloth".
I thought of Splynter & Barry G immediately after I downloaded the puzzle. Their "affection" for French is well-known on the blog.
Fun romp for me. I was entertained by the the theme clues and just know enough French to mangle the language.
Construction wise, the grid has a relative low black square count. Only 68. I mentioned last Sunday that 74-78 is our Sunday norm. And it's Steve's first Sunday! Look at the middle theme entries: 6-letter overlapping. Not easy to do.
Across:
1. __ finish : PHOTO
6. Latin for "heads" : CAPITA. Or TETEs in French.
12. Tease : JEST
16. Uncouth one : OAF
19. Like hayseeds' hangouts : RURAL
20. Issue in May-December romances : AGE GAP. This kind of marriage is often solid.
21. Straighten out : UNTANGLE
25. Place to dry out, in oaters : JAIL CELL. I still thought of "Rehab center", despite the "osters" qualifier.
26. Goddess with a European capital named for her : ATHENA. Athens.
27. "Fooled you!" : NOT
30. Dressed : CLAD
31. Much souvenir shop merchandise : KITSCH. Lovely entry. Consonants heavy.
34. Concert wind : OBOE
35. Egg source : HEN
36. Triumphs : WINS
37. Horn, in Hastings : HOOTER. Did not know British call "Horn" as "Hooter", Steve!
39. They may have soft shoulders : ROADS
44. Point at the dinner table : TINE
47. "__ Irish Rose" : ABIE'S
50. Heyerdahl craft : RA I. Poor Aishwarya Rai. She never gets the credit she deserves in LA Times.
52. Vacation souvenir : TAN
53. Come through : DELIVER
54. "Porgy and Bess" aria : SUMMERTIME
57. Tease : RIB
59. Many families begin at them : ALTARS. Where weddings are held.
62. Humble reply to a compliment : I TRY
64. Nurse's tool : HYPO. So sorry to hear the bad news about your brother, Lucina.
68. Michigan-based financing co. formed in 1919 : GMAC. Now called Ally Financial.
72. Workbench tool : VISE
75. Early online bookstore : AMAZON
79. QB protectors : RGs
82. Admitting, as a lesser charge : PLEADING TO
83. Restraint : LIMITER
85. Pasture : LEA
87. Cholesterol initials : LDL. The bad one.
88. Allergy season runners : NOSES
92. Latvian Academy of Sciences home : RIGA
94. Syrian president : ASSAD. His wife is nuts about Louboutins.
95. Charming, e.g. : PRINCE. Oh, Prince Charming.
96. "Law & Order" panel : JURY
97. 33 1/3 rpm spinners : LPs
100. Country lowland : GLEN
101. New York town named for its salt-mining industry : SALINA. Never heard of it. Makes sense with its salty sounding name.
103. Enjoy a hot tub : SOAK
110. American __ : LIT
111. Saudi neighbor : QATARI. Crossing 93D. Citizen of Basra : IRAQI. Both U-less.
113. Allergic inflammation : RHINITIS. New word to me.
117. Louis Sachar kids' book heroine : ANGELINE. Never heard of this book.
118. Empty __ : NESTER
119. Bill who said, "It's all been satirized for your protection" : MAHER. "Real Time with Bill Maher" is funny at times.
120. "Silly me!" : D'OH
121. Certain tech sch. grad : ENGR
122. Zen enlightenment : SATORI. Literally "awakening"/"understanding". I just call it "D'oh".
123. Downhill racers : SLEDS
Down:
1. Take the pulpit : PREACH
2. Try to catch up : HUSTLE
3. Oliver Twist, e.g. : ORPHAN
4. Accounted for the container : TARED. Wow, TARE can be a verb also?
5. Actress Lena : OLIN
6. Dishonorable dude : CAD
7. Representatives : AGENTS
8. Carlsbad's river : PECOS.
9. "Makes sense to me" : I GOTCHA
10. Deck swabber : TAR
11. In __: miffed : A PET
12. Movie goodies : JUJUBES. Chinese dates is also called JUJUBES. That are not sweet as medjools.
13. Smitten : ENAMORED
14. R.E.M. frontman Michael : STIPE
15. One way to walk : TALL
16. Curved molding : OGEE
17. Sheryl Crow's "__ Wanna Do" : ALL I. That song was quite popular when I first arrived in the US.
18. Dropped : FELL
22. Cpl., e.g. : NCO
24. "__ It to the Streets": Doobie Brothers hit : TAKIN'. Here is a clip.
29. Spiral pasta : ROTINI
32. Helium or neon : INERT GAS
33. Knuckleballer Wilhelm : HOYT. Hall-of-Famer of course. He retired when he was 49 years old. Same as Jamie Moyer.
36. Became less reckless, say, with "up" : WISED
38. Poet Khayyám : OMAR
39. Pre-closing bell excitement : RALLY
40. Dead lines? : OBIT. Nice clue.
41. Inventing middle name : ALVA. Thomas Alva Edison.
42. A hundred bucks, maybe : DEER. English is so irrational. Why can't DEER be plural?
43. Estonia and Armenia, once: Abbr. : SSRS
44. Conductor's beat : TEMPO
45. Green beans : LIMAS. They're not green when dried.
46. Hit from behind : REAR END
47. Social psychology pioneer Solomon : ASCH. Nope. Stranger to me.
48. Elevate : BUOY
49. "It's not too early to call" : I'M UP
51. Less stuffy : AIRIER
55. Put a new layer in, as a jacket : RE-LINED
56. Road race challenge : ESS
58. Not neutral : BIASED
61. Rev.'s address : SER
63. Test : TRIAL RUN
66. Skip over, as ads : ZAP
67. Future femme : FILLE. "Daughter" in French.
68. Middle Ages rival of Venice : GENOA
69. Conf. table events : MTGS (Meetings). And 71. Conf. table heads : CEOs.
70. Renoir output : ARTE. French for "art".
72. Chose, with "for" : VOTED
74. Not at all bright : DINGY
75. Pond organism : ALGA
76. Hr.'s 60 : MINS
77. Singer Tori : AMOS
78. Old Coors product pitched as "Zomething different" : ZIMA
80. Grade school art activity : GLUING
81. Experienced : SEEN. Hi there, Seen!
84. Dealing with an invitation : REPLYING
86. Fly ball paths : ARCS
90. Pomaded '50s subculturist : GREASER. Look here, Wiki says they liked Converse Chuck. I like my Vans.
91. Idealist's opposite : REALIST. Too many similar letters in clue/answer.
96. TV image fluctuations : JITTER. New word to me also.
97. Detest : LOATHE
98. "When We Two __": Byron poem : PARTED
99. Downhill racers : SKIERS
100. Arrived : GOT IN
102. Mislead : LIE TO
103. Rip off : STEAL
104. Thin fastener : BRAD
105. [Gasp!] : OH NO. My mouse suddenly stopped working earlier. Putting in new batteries did not help. Had an "Oh no" moment..
106. Near : NIGH
107. Dallas-to-Memphis dir. : ENE
108. Contemptible : VILE
109. Long times : EONS
112. Benevolent donations : ALMS
115. Narc's employer : DEA
116. "Do it, __ will!" : OR I
Answer grid.
Please click here if you're looking for an creative Mother's Day gift. And an heartfelt "Thank you" to those who bought our package. Don and I appreciate your support.
C.C.
