"Endurance Test," by Patrick Jordan

Constructor's Comments

This theme is proof that inspiration can come from the most unexpected sources.  I was watching an episode of The Muppet Show from my DVD collection, and Fozzie made a joke about how he never had children because he couldn't "bear" them.  This groaner made me think of how "bear" has multiple meanings, one of which is "tolerate."  A thesaurus consultation provided the rest.

I am one of those constructors who like to include 8- and 10-point Scrabble letters when it's possible to do so without compromising the fill.  Happily, I was able to place three Zs and a J in this one.

Editor's Comments

I feel this is a textbook example of a synonym theme—the theme entries are all lively and in-the-language, and they completely change the meanings of their "endurance words."  In fact, Patrick did such a good job of disguising the endurance words that I have a feeling some solvers won't pick up on the theme until the very end.  How quickly did you figure out what was going on?  Theme aside, I can tell Patrick really polished this grid.  I especially like GLORY BE, PREAKNESS, and the sprinkling of Scrabbly letters that don't compromise the quality of the fill.