With the exception of REEVE for 44A: Superman in movies, this puzzle has no mention of any pop culture stuff. All those obscure authors/bands/singers/old actors/actresses are taking today off.
I stumbled on 1A: the Jewish sect immediately. I penned in a few with authority, inked a few with hesitation, and gratefully filled in a few "S", "ED", "ER" lots of "ING"s .
Have you noticed that there are 5 clues ending with ING:
27A: Lamenting loudly: ULULATING
30A: Supposing: REPUTING
52A: Directing: GUIDING
6D: Beginning: INCEPTION. I was wrong to put "ing" here.
8D: Donning official vestments: ROBING.
A nightmarish struggle. But I was smart enough to realize that this war was not worth fighting for. I shifted to cheat gear (Thank you Larry Page & Sergey Brin) quickly.
Here is a quick recap:
1A: Memebers of a Jewish sect: HASIDIM. Hasid is the single form. Strange plural form. This word "Hasid" looks very wrong.
8A: Even more isolated: REMOTER. Shouldn't it be More Remote?
15A: Surpassed: OUTDONE
16A: Chrysolite: OLIVINE. Too technical for me.
17A: Divide into three equal parts: TRISECT
18A: Emotional stability: BALANCE. That's what Britney Spears needs now. It's not fun to watch her stumble any more. It has become a tragedy.
19A: Dry, as wine: SEC
23A: Jab: POKE
25A: Dried Plum: PRUNE. I love dried dates. After they are dried, plums becomes prune, grapes become raisin, dates are still dates. That's consistency. No flip-flop.
26A: Right on maps: EAST
27A: Lamenting loudly: ULULATING. Unknown to me. This word looks very loud and noisy.
29A: Abalone eater: OTTER. So many ways to clue this creature.
30A: Supposing: REPUTING. I put POSITING first.
31A: Formal, informally: DRESSY
32A: Inventor of catchphrases: SLOGANEER. Mission Accomplished?
34A: Upolu resident: SAMOAN. Apia is the capital.
37A: Resound: RESONATE.
42A: City of the Temple Mount: JERUSALEM
45A: " Clair de __": LUNE. French for "Moonlight". I don't know whether refers to the poem or the Broadway play here.
47A: Short-legged, long-eared hounds: BASSETS
50A: Roughly vehement: VIOLENT
54A: Tract of farmland: ACREAGE
55A: Anticipatory payment: ADVANCE
56A Took up again: RESUMED
57A: Inland passages for oceangoing ships: SEAWAYS
Down Clues:
1D: Impetuous person: HOT SPUR. I never heard my husband used this word before.
2D: Halo: AUREOLE. I know Aura. Aureole can also be spelled as Aureola. Let's be prepared in case the crossword editor decides to trick us with a variation next time.
3D: Robbery at gunpoint: STICK UP
5D: Activist: DOER
6D: Beginning: INCEPTION. I was trapped to put an "ING" at the end.
7D: Stamping, in a way: METERING. Why? Can anyone explain this to me please?
9D: Fill with high spirits: ELATE
10D: Wire measures: MILS. Dictionary says it's "a unit of length equal to 0.001 of an inch (0.0254 mm), used in measuring the diameter of wires." I will forget it soon I think.
11D: Caesar's eggs: OVA. The singular form for Latin egg is ovum.
12D: Old-time soldiers' headgear: TIN HAT
13D: Contains in a box: ENCASES
14D: Opposite of launch: RE-ENTRY
21D: Denim overalls: DUNGAREES. The singular form "Dungaree" refers to the denim fabric. It's also a Hindu Goddess.
24D: Cleverly evasive: ELUSORY
26D: Perpetual: ETERNAL.
31D: State of inactivity: DESUETUDE. I put in INERTNESS initially. Here is the explanation of the word.
33D: Banned war weapon: NERVE GAS
34D: Urn with a tap: SAMOVAR. Saw this word before. Russian teapot. Here is the look.
35D: Cupidity: AVARICE. Greed.
36D: Trusted teacher: MENTORS
38D: Corundum: ALUMINA. Unknown to me.
39D: Period of occupancy: TENANCY. I was thinking of a different occupancy period, like "Occupied Japan", "Meiji Period", or something like that.
40D: Comes forth: EMERGES
42D: Made witty remarks: JESTED
44D: Scope: RANGE
47D: Smile broadly: BEAM. I put GRIN first.
48D: Hindu Deity: SIVA. Also, DEVA, KAMA, RAMA. At least, Hindu Gods have short names, those Greek Gods, or Roman Gods all have fancy long names.
51D: Romanian currency: LEU. Never heard of it. "The subdivision of leu is the ban, pl. bani, meaning both "money" and "coin".
53D: European crow: DAW. I don't like any kind of crow. Did not even bother to check how they look like.
Have a great weekend.
One more thing to blog: My husband bowled 747 last night, his 5th 700 series this year.
C. C.
