theme: that's gross!
17A. One in a dozen difficult jobs : LABOR OF HERCULES. greek mythology. hercules performed twelve labors given to him by king eurystheus.
32A. One in a dozen old family lines : TRIBE OF ISRAEL. old testament. jacob had twelve sons, from whom descended the twelve tribes of israel.
52A. One in a dozen constellations : SIGN OF THE ZODIAC. wikipedia says in both astrology and historical astronomy, the zodiac is a circle of twelve divisions of celestial longitude that are centered upon the elliptic: the apparent path of the sun across the celestial sphere over the course of a year.
melissa here.
very straightforward theme, but i had to stare at the theme answers for a while to figure it out. the zodiac gave it away. i know very little about mythology, and had no idea about labor of hercules.
twelve dozen is a gross, and twelve gross are called a great gross.
a dozen, a gross, and a score,
plus three times the square root of four,
divided by seven,
plus five times eleven,
equals nine squared plus zero, no more.
across:
1. Use as an ingredient : ADD IN
6. Coordinating pillowcase : SHAM.
10. Big fishhook : GAFF
14. "__ evil ..." : SEE NO
15. Something in the air : AURA. i like this clue.
16. Fisherman's gadget : LURE
20. Command from le général : ORDRE. french for order.
21. If nothing else : AT LEAST
22. Strait of Gibraltar port : TANGIER. pretty.
24. Antiseptic element : IODINE
25. "As Husbands Go" novelist Susan : ISAACS
26. Without : SANS. merriam webster says: Middle English saun, sans, from Anglo-French san, sanz, modification of Latin sine without.
28. Mountain goat's perch : TOR. wikipedia: A tor is a large, free-standing residual mass (rock outcrop) that rises abruptly from the surrounding smooth and gentle slopes of a rounded hill summit or ridge crest. like this.
29. V __ Victor : AS IN
30. Mischievous sprites : PIXIES
37. Wrongly desires : COVETS
38. Fed. crash investigator : NTSB. national transportation safety board.
40. Commotion : ADO
43. "Nothing's stopping us" : LET'S. i suppose.
44. Change the expiration of, as milk : REDATE. re-dating …. never a good idea. let's not.
46. Fishy fellows? : MERMEN. just seems wrong.
48. Event after morning twilight : SUNRISE
49. Find after digging : UNEARTH
51. __ pool : TIDAL
56. Cupid's counterpart : EROS
57. The Miners of Conf. USA : UTEP. university of texas at el paso.
58. Shakespearean barmaid : WENCH
59. No longer in the oven : DONE. by that definition, i guess these are done.
60. Some hosp. staffers : LPN'S. licensed practical nurse.
61. Seamless transition : SEGUE
down:
down:
1. Subj. taught in silence : ASL. american sign language.
2. Justice Dept. division : DEA. drug enforcement administration.
3. Sophisticatedly charming : DEBONAIR
4. Like ammonia, chemically : INORGANIC
5. Alternative to Alpine, in skiing : NORDIC
6. Not as dangerous : SAFER
7. "What'd you say?" : HUH?
8. Cordoned-off space : AREA. seems a little weak.
9. Bond's were shaken : MARTINIS. the apostrophe gave it away.
10. Bonded, in a way : GLUED
11. Café specification : AU LAIT. coffee with milk.
12. California's largest inland city : FRESNO. didn't know this trivia.
13. Rankle, as resentment : FESTER.
18. Metal-yielding rocks : ORES
19. The Yankees' Mariano Rivera, e.g. : CLOSER
22. Niña's aunt : TIA. spanish.
23. Mgr.'s helper : ASST. assistant.
26. Puts through a strainer : SIFTS
27. Center of rotation : AXIS
30. One who "can survive everything but a misprint": Wilde : POET. oscar.
31. "A Summer Place" actress : SANDRA DEE
33. Ravel classic : BOLERO
34. Momentous : EVENTFUL
35. Online stores, collectively : E-TAILING. wanted e-tailers.
36. WWII carriers : LST'S. wikipedia: the military designation for naval vessels created during World War II to support amphibious operations by carrying significant quantities of vehicles, cargo, and landing troops directly onto an unimproved shore.
39. Comb user : BEE. honeycomb.
40. Pleasantly diverted : AMUSED
41. Young Vito Corleone portrayer in "The Godfather Part II" : DE NIRO
42. End of an old trail : OREGON. the oregon trail ran from independence, missouri to oregon city, oregon.
44. Phillies catcher Carlos : RUIZ
45. Provides funding for : ENDOWS
47. Pastor's place : MANSE. residence of a minister.
48. Instruction manual segments : STEPS
50. URL leader : HTTP. hypertext transfer protocol.
53. Feathery layer : HEN. great clue.
54. Start to puncture? : ACU. acupuncture.
55. Cohort of Fidel : CHE. castro and guevera.
Answer grid.
melissa
From C.C.:
Please click here about about the 2nd National Brain Game Challenge to be held on Sept 30, 2012. It's a part of "a collaborative effort by the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America and Merl Reagle to boost awareness of lifestyle choices that promote brain health, as well as raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease. (Merl’s mother in law had Alzheimer’s disease)".
Answer grid.
melissa
From C.C.:
Please click here about about the 2nd National Brain Game Challenge to be held on Sept 30, 2012. It's a part of "a collaborative effort by the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America and Merl Reagle to boost awareness of lifestyle choices that promote brain health, as well as raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease. (Merl’s mother in law had Alzheimer’s disease)".
