Theme: "Begging the Question" - Each theme entry is a question raised by the clue.
23A. York, Jersey, Mexico, etc.?: SO WHAT ELSE IS NEW?.
46A. R?: IS THAT RIGHT?.
70A. None, few, many, most, __?: WILL THAT BE ALL?.
96A. Ralph Emerson?: WHERE'S WALDO?.
122A. "Mice guys finish last"?: WOULDN'T IT BE NICE?.
16D. Sesa Street?: DID YOU MISS ME?. Same clue angle as 122A. Misspellings.
64D. Guess __?: WHO GOES THERE?.
I don't remember seeing a theme like this before. Fun and fresh. Varied clue angles.
Here's
a short bio about MaryEllen. Noticed the second constructor Kelly
Clark? That's the Kelly that comments on our blog frequently.
Across:
5. Feeling no pain: NUMB.
9. Hard exterior: CRUST. I like the hard part.
14. Rock projection: LEDGE.
19. Field of study: AREA.
20. On a cruise: ASEA.
21. Adele chart-topper that won three Grammys: HELLO. I must have heard of this song a thousand times.
22. __ skeleton: AXIAL.
26. TV, radio, newspapers, etc.: MEDIA.
27. Minnesota twins?: ENS. The two letters in Minnesota.
28. Like modern farmhouse decor: RUSTIC.
29. Small chess piece: PAWN.
30. "Breaking Bad" star Cranston: BRYAN. He played Walter White.
31. More slippery: ICIER.
33. Legless reptile: SNAKE.
35. Muse of poetry: ERATO.
37. Swiped, in a way: SCANNED.
39. Doctrinal breakaways: SECTS.
42. "__ a virtue, if you have it not": Hamlet: ASSUME.
45. Vermicelli, e.g.: PASTA. This is sweet potato noodles. Very popular in China and Korea.
50. Dallas NBAer: MAV.
51. Midrange voice: ALTO.
52. Greek letter that seems like it should be last: ZETA.
53. Unaccompanied: SOLO.
54. Beethoven honoree: ELISE.
56. Neckwear pins: TIE TACKS.
60. Fasten, as buttons: DO UP. I've only used "button up".
62. NCAA pt.: ASSN.
63. Get dizzy with delight: SWOON.
65. Sierra __, Africa: LEONE. Without the "Africa", you might want MADRE.
67. Firmly decided: DEAD SET. Against.
69. "Amazing!": OOH.
74. Juilliard subj.: MUS.
75. Type of court concerned with wills: PROBATE.
77. Like a cold-weather jacket: LINED.
78. Western show: OATER.
80. Logician's "hence": ERGO.
81. Soccer period: HALF.
84. Generosity: LARGESSE. Super grid-friendly letter combo.
86. Barrels of laughs: RIOTS.
88. 1973 Toni Morrison novel: SULA.
90. Aptly named cooler brand: YETI.
91. Nick at __: NITE.
95. Smithwick's beer: ALE. Not a familiar brand to me.
100. Like corned beef: CURED.
101. Orderly method: SYSTEM.
103. Art studio stand: EASEL.
104. Impulse-conducting cells: NEURONS. Guess how many neurons are in your brain?
106. Lock of hair: TRESS.
108. Soul singer Baker: ANITA.
111. "__ you clever!": AREN'T.
112. Informal name for Google Talk: G CHAT. Now just Chat.
114. Old Dodge subcompact: OMNI.
117. Hopeless cases: GONERS. Like my eyebrows.
119. Hang loosely: SAG.
121. Naproxen brand: ALEVE.
125. Stuff to sell: WARES.
126. Respected figure: ELDER. Asian tradition: always respect your elders.
127. Seesaw sitter of classic tongue twisters: ESAU.
128. Not engaged: IDLE.
129. Lowered oneself?: KNELT. Some of you might find this incredible.
130. Like the sound of bagpipes: REEDY.
131. Mix together: MELD.
132. Scallion kin: LEEK.
Down:
2. Humorously twisted: IRONICAL.
3. Anchor venue: NEWSCAST.
4. "Lah-di-__!": DAH.
5. The great outdoors: NATURE. Beautiful weather here in Minnesota!
6. Puts to work: USES.
7. Softens: MELTS.
8. Washbowl: BASIN.
9. City with two MLB teams: CHI. Cubs and White Sox.
10. Has high regard for: RESPECTS.
11. Forearm bone: ULNA.
12. Whole bunch: SLEW.
13. "Chinatown" screenwriter Robert: TOWNE. I never watched "Chinatown". Was it good?
14. Scold harshly: LAMBASTE.
15. Applies, as pressure: EXERTS.
17. Greek earth goddess: GAIA.
18. Lively spirit: ELAN.
24. Ice Capades setting: ARENA.
25. Cybercurrency: E CASH.
32. All things considered: IN TOTO.
34. Hawaii's Mauna __: KEA. or LOA.
36. Cheer-full message: RAH.
37. Health resort: SPA. 43. 37-Down staffer: MASSEUR.
38. Food regimen: DIET.
40. Stepped heavily: TROD.
41. Missile housing: SILO.
44. Goings-on: EVENTS.
47. Play for time: STALL.
48. "Be silent," in music: TACET.
49. Mild Dutch cheese: GOUDA.
52. Apex: ZENITH.
55. A.E. Housman's "A Shropshire __": LAD. Learning moment for me.
57. Sioux City state: IOWA.
58. Former German Chancellor Helmut: KOHL.
59. Algae-eating aquarium critter: SNAIL.
61. House speaker Nancy: PELOSI.
63. In a regretful manner: SORRILY.
66. Italian peak also known as Mongibello: ETNA.
68. "Such a pity!": ALAS.
69. Some musical works by Kaija Saariaho: OPERAS. She's a Finnish composer.
 |
71. Rental document: LEASE. The people who live next door to us
are renters. Quite a few houses in our HOA have changed hands during
COVID and become rental units.
72. Emerald, for one: BERYL.
73. Nosed (out): EDGED.
76. CAPTCHA prey: BOT. I'm not a robot. I'm a Ninja.
79. Academic status: TENURE.
82. Entice: LURE.
83. Pet collar target: FLEA.
85. British school attended by many prime ministers: ETON.
87. Most saccharine: SWEETEST.
89. Attacked: ASSAILED.
92. Raymond Burr crime series: IRONSIDE.
93. Sci-fi monster's appendage: TENTACLE.
94. Mag managers: EDS.
97. "__ Pinafore": HMS.
98. Former Chinese Premier __ Jiabao: WEN (2003-2013). Succeeded by Li Keqiang.
99. Adjust, as car wheels: ALIGN.
100. Hex: CURSE.
102. Visit faraway places: TRAVEL.
105. Tiny headphone: EARBUD.
107. Seed scatterer: SOWER.
109. Sacred emblem: TOTEM.
110. Fennellike herb: ANISE. I've only used star anise.
112. Goggle: GAWK.
113. Extended family: CLAN.
115. Burrowing insectivore: MOLE.
116. Needing extra sunscreen?: NUDE. Ha.
118. Etc. kin: ET AL.
120. __ Squad: Best Buy tech support: GEEK.
123. Like unbuttered toast: DRY.
124. Zero, in soccer: NIL.
Boomer's PSA jumped to 742. It was 525 on 7/11/2022. So the oral chemo Olaparib has not worked its magic yet. We'll continue for two more months
hoping the number might drop as it has done so for a few other patients.
C.C.
