23. Ants in the British colonies?: CONTINENTAL ARMY. Army of ants.
37. Fish attending Mass?: CATHOLIC SCHOOL. School of fish.
45. Lions marching event?: PRIDE PARADE. Pride of lions.
63. Whales' sorely lacking veggie supply?: TWO PEAS IN A POD. Pods of whales.
80. Wolves from Lower Manhattan?: BATTERY PACK. Pack of wolves.
89. Bats living in an old Chrysler?: PLYMOUTH COLONY. Colony of bats.
106. Crows sailing from Ethiopia to Egypt?: MURDER ON THE NILE. Murder of crows.
This seems to be the first Sunday LAT puzzle for John. He had two weekly puzzles published last year. Congrats, John.
Lots of collective nouns. Some are not workable. Some are not common. John gave us a good set.
Across:
1. Small Mercedes sedan: A CLASS. Gimme for Dennis.
7. Golf match equalizer: HANDICAP. Rich Norris, our editor, used to be a scratch golfer.
15. Less risky: SAFER.
20. Lighthearted: BLITHE.
21. Cheerio relative: AU REVOIR. Zai Jian.
22. Yearn for: CRAVE.
25. Drove at Indy: RACED.
26. Tentative agreement: I GUESS SO.
27. Baton Rouge-to-Jackson dir.: NNE.
28. "Great" Russian czar: PETER I.
29. Sun Devils' sch.: ASU.
30. Updike's "Rabbit Redux," e.g.: Abbr.: SEQ. Sequel.
31. Tennis immortal: ASHE.
33. Dull opening?: DEE. Just the starting letter in Dull.
34. Gp. with a three-finger salute: BSA.
35. Listing: ATILT.
41. Baroque painter Guido: RENI. Wiki says he painted "Crucifixion of St. Peter".
42. Elvis sings it in "Blue Hawaii": ALOHA OE.
44. Sarcastic "So sad": BOO HOO.
47. Cataract surgery replacement: LENS.
48. Green-lights: OKS.
50. Edmond __: the Count of Monte Cristo: DANTES. I read that book in Chinese.
51. Large body of eau: MER.
52. Fiscal execs: CFOS.
54. Pope's jurisdiction: HOLY SEE.
57. Reason for a star: HEROISM.
61. Juno, to Socrates: HERA. Roman/Greek.
62. Punk subgenre: EMO.
67. Goof: ERR.
68. Pringles alternative: LAYS.
70. Nestlé candy with a white covering: SNO CAPS.
71. "Shoulda listened to me!": I TOLD YA.
73. Cool, in '90s slang: PHAT.
74. LAPD unit?: LOS. Spelled out.
75. Madame's Spanish counterpart: SENORA.
77. Pale __: ALE.
78. Dilute: THIN.
85. Things to avoid: TABOOS.
87. Rangers' domains: FORESTS.
88. Wild plum: SLOE.
92. Whoopi's role in "The Color Purple": CELIE. Never saw the movie.
93. VCR button: REC.
94. Degree in math: NTH. Did our tax this year with TurboTax. Pretty sleek. Of course, I have a pro in Texas to guide me.
95. Tinged: HUED.
96. Texter's qualifier: IMO.
98. NBC show since 1975: SNL.
99. Gives the slip: EVADES.
101. Be on duty at, as a battle station: MAN.
102. Aids in DNA sequencing research: GENE MAPS.
105. Fathered: SIRED.
110. Orson Scott Card protagonist __ Wiggin: ENDER. "Ender's Game".
111. Documented: ON RECORD.
112. Swimwear fabric: TRICOT. Learning moment for me.
113. Short: TESTY.
114. Closed ecosystems: BIODOMES.
115. Net worth component: ASSETS.
Down:
1. "black-ish" airer: ABC.
2. Symbol of monastic life: CLOISTER.
3. Alfredo __, "Ratatouille" character named for a pasta: LINGUINI. Helpful clue.
4. Alaskan island invaded by Japan in WWII: ATTU.
5. Least likely to mingle: SHIEST.
6. Connotation: SENSE.
7. Brinker on skates: HANS.
8. Start to correct?: AUTO. Autocorrect.
9. Gun lobby org.: NRA.
10. __ Taco: DEL.
11. Scott classic: IVANHOE.
12. "Race Matters" author West: CORNEL. Unfamiliar to me.
13. Lyon lover's word: AIME.
14. Ask invasively: PRY.
15. Certain owl's howl: SCREECH.
16. "How now? __?": Hamlet: A RAT.
17. News source for millions: FACEBOOK FEED. Lots of great fill in this puzzle.
18. "Be it __ humble ... ": song lyric: EVER SO.
19. Phone button: REDIAL.
24. Law firm abbr.: ESQ.
28. Baja bar tender?: PESOS. Nice clue.
29. __ The Magazine: AARP. Soon they'll send me letters.
31. Just barely: A TAD.
32. Oxford, but not Cambridge: SHOE.
33. Mousetrap brand: D-CON.
36. 1970s Plumber: LIDDY. G. Gordon Liddy.
37. Exercise target: CORE.
38. Shouts of discovery: AHAS.
39. Madrid-based airline: IBERIA.
40. Moonshine: HOOCH.
42. Reuters apps alternative: AP NEWS.
43. Tardy with: LATE ON.
46. Down __: Maine nickname: EAST.
47. Writer Uris: LEON.
49. "My bad": SORRY.
51. ER scans: MRIS.
53. "Love Song" singer Bareilles: SARA.
54. Beatles album with a bang: HELP.
55. The Wizard of Oz's hometown: OMAHA. Really? I don't remember Omaha mentioned in the movie.
56. Rewards for regulars: LOYALTY CARDS. Does any of you have the Target RedCard?
57. Lukas of "Witness": HAAS.
58. Debatable "gift": ESP.
59. Small piano: SPINET.
60. General __: MOTORS. Hope Hyundai Santa Fe has big leg room. The Ford Escape was tough for Boomer to get in and out.
64. Refinement: POLISH.
65. Aspiring MBA's major: ECON.
66. Fishing boat: DORY.
69. Boiling sign: STEAM.
72. What a subscription renewal prevents: LAPSE.
75. WWII weapon: STEN.
76. Crafts website: ETSY.
78. Hypes: TOUTS.
79. Frozen planet in "The Empire Strikes Back": HOTH. Another learning moment for me.
80. Tree trunk: BOLE.
81. J.Lo's fiancé: A-ROD.
82. Pumpkin pie seasoning: ALL-SPICE.
83. Vending machine feature: COIN SLOT.
84. Underwater projection: KEEL.
86. Not even moist: BONE-DRY.
87. Based: FOUNDED.
89. Car radio button: PRESET.
90. Adam of Maroon 5: LEVINE.
91. Mexican horseman: CHARRO. Read more here. Mexican cowboy.
92. Rising stars: COMERS.
96. QB's pass to a CB, say: INT.
97. L.A. Philharmonic Conductor Emeritus: MEHTA (Zubin)
100. Tick-ing bomb?: DEET.
101. City bond, briefly: MUNI.
102. "An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power" author: GORE.
103. Results: ENDS.
104. Spanish cordial: ANIS.
106. Rabble: MOB.
107. "The Name of the Rose" author: ECO.
108. __-com: ROM.
109. Presumed UFO crew: ETS.
Happy 81st birthday to dear Keith Fowler (Ol' Man Keith), the longest-living Fowler on record.
The 43rd American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (March 20-22, 2020) will be held at the Stamford Marriott in Stamford, Connecticut.
Time to reserve your Cru Dinner again. As I mentioned before, the
Cru Dinner officially kicks off the
tournament and is a great opportunity to meet with constructors and
fellow solvers. Will Shortz stopped by last year. The space is limited, so be sure to contact with Mike Alpern as
soon as possible. Mike's email address is: alpernm@aol.com
More details can be found here.
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| Cru Dinner Celebrities, Will Shortz and Mike Alpern |
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| Jeffrey Wechsler and Mike Alpern, ACPT, 3/23/2019 |
