google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Friday

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Showing posts with label Friday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Friday. Show all posts

Mar 15, 2024

Friday March 15, 2024, 2024 - Alan Levin

 Theme: Ides and Go Seek

 










Puzzling thoughts:  

Blogging a puzzle on the Ides of March?  Be prepared, then, fellow Cornerites for some puns (and jokes) to "celebrate" the 2068th year of Julias Caesar's assassination.  For starters:

This is a story about a Roman. His name was Herman. His name was Roman Herman. The fad of the era was berries. People collected berries. They were a status symbol. One day, while Roman Herman was roaming the outskirts of Rome, he spied a berry. It was the most beautiful berry he had ever seen. He took the berry and brought it to his wife, who loved berries. She saw the berry. She praised it. She said, "That's an awfully nice berry you got there Herman!" Pretty soon, word got around about the berry. People came from all over Rome to see the berry, and to praise it. One night, there was a menacing knock on the door. It was late. Herman opened it. He said, "Who are you?" They said, "We've come for your berry." He says "It's not my berry, it's my wife's berry. Have you come to praise her berry?" "No, we've come to seize her berry, not to praise it." 

OK, I digress ... on this year's Ides of March, our constructor du jour (Alan Levin) decides to tease us with a series of entries whose clues contain the "aha" behind the reveal:

58-across. When read as three words, suitable sponsor for "Sesame Street" and an alternate answer for 18-, 20-, 30-, 36-, 46-, and 53-Across: THE LETTER S.  


Wait, what??  THE LETTER S?? What does that have to do with the 6 entries??  Well, let me try to use the KISS method, as I highlight the key word(s) in each clue for you ...

18-across. It concludes The Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds": CAROLINE, NO.  Forget about the final song track on the Beach Boys' album "Pet Sounds" and think about the last letter of the album's name; "Sounds" ends/concludes with THE LETTER S





20-across. Character seen at the beginning and end of "Star Wars": AR-TOO DE-TOO.  R2-D2 (the droid) is quite a character. Additionally, the movie title (name), "Star Wars" begins and ends with THE LETTER (aka, CHARACTER)





30-across. It comes early in September: LABOR DAY.  LABOR DAY is not only celebrated early in September (the first Monday, traditionally, in the US), but THE LETTER S also comes early in the "word" SEPTEMBER



This year's LABOR DAY is 9/2


36-across. One is used in basketball but not in hockey: SHOT CLOCK.  This is probably my most favorite of Alan's ... the "SHOT CLOCK" is a timer that sits above each backboard at a basketball game.  In the NBA, e.g., the team with possession has 24 seconds to attempt a SHOT, and at the very least, hit the rim of the net (or make the basket), or else they would turn the ball over to the other team  

In hockey, the only CLOCK is the one on the scoreboard that ticks down the minutes/seconds (20:00, to be exact) in each of three periods.  The skaters/players on each team have no sense of urgency to take a shot; hence, there is no SHOT CLOCK  

So what makes this clue/answer even more amazing is that the word "basketball" contains THE LETTER S; the word "hockey" does not ... very, very clever

The SHOT CLOCK is above the backboard for easy visibility



46-across. What can be seen in two places in Missouri: MLB TEAMS.  At first, I was a bit miffed at this answer (before I solved the puzzle) because the clue contains no abbreviated word(s).  Usually, if part of a crossword answer should be abbreviated, an abbreviation appears in the clue.  

But after further review I get it.  Both the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals are MLB TEAMS in the state of Missouri.  And guess what?  THE LETTER S also is seen in two places in the "word" Missouri.  Nice!  

 





53-across. One can't print dollars without it: SPECIAL INK.  Try printing the word "dollars" without THE LETTER S; it can't be done.  The word would be "dollar".  Try printing a sheet of US Dollars without SPECIAL INK (or special paper) and you'd be arrested for counterfeiting, if caught


Lots of SPECIAL INK used
                                    


I highlighted all 14 of THE LETTER ESSES found in today's puzzle.  Can't wait for the rest of the clues/words to see what else is in store ... 



The Grid

Across:

1. Cotillion VIPs: DEBS.  More information about a Cotillion vs a Debutante

5. Fades: DIMS.  Many lighting sources come with some sort of DIMming device these days

9. Redolence: AROMA.  Its literal meaning; mostly used as an adjective (redolent) 

14. Strip of wood: SLAT.

15. Legendary: EPIC

16. Participated in a regatta, maybe: ROWED.  My first thought was that a regatta was a boat race for sailing vessels, not rowing vessels ... but this image below shows the type of boat referred to:



17. Prefix between giga- and peta-: TERA. A GIGA-byte is 1 billion bytes; a TERA-byte is 1,000 gigabytes; but a PETA byte is what happens when a worker at the SPCA doesn't pay attention to the rescue's bark ...

22. Gain an advantage: ONE UP.  Who wants to ONE UP the Chairman today on dad jokes??!😏

23. Collection of vineyards, perhaps: ESTATE.  This one is right up the Chairman's alley

28. Tune from "10": BOLERO.  Been a lonnnnggggg time since I saw this EPIC film starring Bo Derek and Dudley Moore ... the clip below is definitely NSFW [be warned!]



32. W-2 org.: IRS.  One month - to the day - and our 2023 1040 tax returns are due

33. Benefit: AVAIL. Many of us AVAIL ourselves of the blog to see where we went wrong (or succeeded)

35. Nose (out): EDGE.  Also a horse racing term; when a horse "wins by a nose" and EDGEs out its rival

Also known as a "photo finish", but the inside horse EDGEd out the other



39. Hearty partner: HALE

42. Animal also called a forest giraffe: OKAPI.  Fun facts about it in this short video clip:




43. Boxer's warning: GRR.  Maybe THIS is the warning made by a dog prior to giving one a "peta-byte"

49. Dinner-and-a-show platform: TV TRAY.  Margaret and I still use this device

Tables for two??



51. Small accident: MISHAP.

52. One-named K-pop singer: IRENE.  This filled in with perps; Her

62. Powdery mineral: TALC.  I'm sure the sales of this powder plummeted once the discovery of its connection to cervical cancer was made public

64. Inbox filler: EMAIL.

65. Cut down to size: CROP.  Most of my images in this blog are CROPped from its original size

66. Poetic tributes: ODES.

67. Study aids: NOTES.  I was a prolific NOTES taker when I was in school

68. Physicist Bethe portrayed in "Oppenheimer": HANS.  The movie "Oppenheimer" is bound to provide us with many new clues/entries this year in xword puzzles

69. Moon landing org.: NASA.

Down:
1. Summer hrs.: DST.  Not here in AZ (except for the Navajo Nation) ... apparently there is a bill before the Senate (and/or House) that would make DST permanent ... YMMV ... having more daylight here in the desert SW during the summer would not be welcomed

2. Roosevelt whom Truman called the "First Lady of the World": ELEANOR.  FDR's wife

3. Crude carriers: BARRELS.  TANKERS also fit as an answer

4. Square figure?: STATUE. Nice misdirection for a clue ... square, as in "town square", where many statues reside, though many that had to do with Civil War figures (CSA) have been torn down/removed.  

Here is a joke related to square figures ... (just one cuss word)

For decades, two heroic statues, one male and one female, faced each other in a town square until one day, an angel came down from heaven. "You've been such exemplary statues," the angel said, "that I'm going to give you a special gift. I'm going to bring you both to life for thirty minutes, during which time you can do anything you want." 

And with a clap of his hands, the angel brought the statues to life. The two approached each other a bit shyly and dashed for the bushes, from whence there came a good deal of giggling, laughter, and shaking of branches. Fifteen minutes later, the two statues emerged from the bushes with wide grins on their faces. 

"You still have fifteen more minutes," said the angel, winking at them. Grinning even more broadly, the female statue turned to the male statue and said, "Great! Only this time you hold the pigeon down and I'll shit on its head!"
[Jokes4us dot com]

5. Ert 's style: DECO.  as in Art DECO

6. Tablet since 2010: iPAD.  No tablets in the Moe household; just PC's and cellphones

7. Marshy spot: MIRE.  BOG didn't fit

8. Dundee resident: SCOT.

9. Melodic passage: ARIOSO.  Here is a nice Bach ARIOSO:



10. Director Howard: RON.  He's come a long way from playing Opie

11. Have debts: OWE. Mine include just a car payment and mortgage payment; credit cards, no

12. Guys: MEN.  MALES was too long to fit

13. Flap: ADO.  Had to check all of the synonyms ... does the thesaurussaurus agree?

Nope; ADO didn't make it



19. "Stay" singer Lisa: LOEB. Lots of proper names in today's puzzle; who kept track of them? Not I

21. 2021 interviewer of Meghan and Harry: OPRAH.

22. Kimono sash: OBI.  Lots of 3-letter words (TLW) today; who kept track of them?  Irish Miss, perhaps?

24. Arduous journey: TREK.

25. Append: ADD.  

26. Graffiti signature: TAG.  This, maybe??




27. Needle hole: EYE.

29. Lacto-__ vegetarian: OVO.  One who consumes dairy and eggs in their non-meat diet

30. Soundly defeats: LICKS.  I have been known to "soundly defeat" a lollipop ...

31. Penne __ vodka: ALLA.  Italian for "with"

34. Speck: ATOM.  IOTA fits, too

36. MacFarlane or Green of "Family Guy": SETH.  The man of many voices.  Does anyone else here watch The Graham Norton show?  It's one of our favorites - shown on BBC America 




37. Elect (to): OPT.  OPT in or OPT out; that's the "election"

38. Polite: CIVIL.  Unlike the CIVIL War, which was anything but "polite"

39. "Let me see ... ": HMM.  HMM and GRR in the same puzzle?? ARRGGHH

40. Mahershala with two Oscars: ALI.  Not the "boxer's" family member

41. Nt. wt. units: LBS.

43. Southernmost of the Windward Islands: GRENADA.

Grenada is situated to the northeast of Venezuela; to the northwest of Trinidad and Tobago; and to the southwest of Saint Vincent and Grenadines.



44. Really irks: RANKLES.

45. Saloon pour: RYE.  As opposed to a "salon" pour, which would've been DYE.  RYE is one of the Chairman's favorite whiskies - especially when used to make a Manhattan cocktail

47. Stands in front of artists: EASELS. MODELS could've answered this clue, too ... yes??

48. Dr. visit: APPT.  I like to make mine (APPT.'s) mid-morning

50. Son of Poseidon: TRITON.

54. Engrave: ETCH.

55. "Life & Beth" actor Michael: CERA. Michael Austin Cera is a Canadian actor and musician. He is known for his awkward, offbeat characters in coming of age comedy films and for portraying George Michael Bluth in the sitcom Arrested Development (2003–2006, 2013, 2018–2019). He is also known for voicing Brother Bear in The Berenstain Bears

56. Curling __: IRON.  RINK also fit, though I bet most Canadians refer to the surface for curling as a sheet

57. Egyptian snakes: ASPS.  Cleo's foil

58. Number of digits on a keypad: TEN. Note: the final five clues in today's puzzle yield TLWs, Irish Miss ...

59. Med. care provider: HMO.

60. "Don't let it get cold": EAT.

61. Whopper: LIE.

63. Farm-share program, for short: CSA.  Clues that match this answer to the group that split from the USA in 1861 are no longer allowed, methinks

And there you have it!  The IDES of March puzzle fell with no additional stab wounds.  Curious to know YOUR thoughts ... in the comments section below.  

On another note, the Chairman and Margaret will be attending the funeral of her mom today, so I won't be coming here until tomorrow, or much later tonight to see your comments.  Her mom passed peacefully a few weeks ago (at the age of 94).  May she RIP; she is now reunited with the love of her life who passed away in 2019, just a few days after their 68th wedding anniversary

Mar 8, 2024

Friday, March 8, 2024, Joe DiPietro

 


Greetings, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with a recap of today's puzzle by veteran constructor Joe DiPietro.  Let's jump right in with the reveal at:

57 Across: "That's a lost opportunity," and what can be said to the writer of four clues in this puzzle: YOU'RE MISSING OUT.

Alternatively, you might say to the writer "That's not what Timothy Leary meant!"  At four places in the puzzle, Joe has literally dropped OUT from the clue.  In other words, we are, indeed, MISSING OUT.  As solvers, we must mentally append OUT to the sole remaining letter and thereby create a perfectly acceptable, albeit brief, crossword puzzle clue.  Here are the four places where the gimmick is employed and what can we say except, "Far out, man!":

17 Across:  R.  When we add OUT to R we get ROUT.  LOPSIDED VICTORY.

24 Across:  B.  Tack OUT onto B and the result is BOUT.  PRIZEFIGHT.

38 Across:  P.  P plus OUT equals POUT.   SULKY EXPRESSION

46 Across:  T.  A CSO !  Appending OUT to T results in  TOUT.  CREATE HYPE.

The perps were certainly helpful in sussing out the above answers but, after the gimmick was recognized, none were overly difficult or obscure.  Of course, prior to grasping the gimmick, this solver was seriously considering WTF as a possible title for this blog.

The completed grid appears near the end of this recap.  For now, here are the ins and outs of the rest of the clues and answers:

Across:

1. Sanitizer targets: GERMS.  Bacteria was too long.  HANDS was, briefly, considered.

6. "Mad Money" cable network: CNBC.  The first of about a dozen (depending on one's criteria) abbreviated answers in today's puzzle.  TBH SMH IYKWIM

10. Actress Mazar: DEBI.  Per Rotten Tomatoes:  A character actress known for feisty and heavily accented New York roles.

14. Lab vessel: FLASK.  Not Lab as in Labrador Retriever.  Lab as in chemistry lab.


15. Does some horticultural work: HOES.  We had several horticultural/botanical references in today's puzzle.  This was one of them.

Otis Lee - Hard Row To Hoe - Circa 1968


16. Group with reserves: OPEC.



20. Widespread alert, for short: APB.  All Points Bulletin

21. "The Tilled Field" painter Joan: MIRO.  A surreal botanical reference.  I wonder what MIRO was dropping (ingesting).  



22. Speed: RACE.  Used as a verb.  Otherwise, PACE?

23. Leaves in hot water?: TEA.  Not leaves as in departs.  Another botanical reference.

27. Trifle (with): TOY.

29. __ pen: VAPE.    Doctor to patient:  Do you smoke?
                                        Patient:  Yes.
                                        Doctor:  Cigarettes, VAPE, cigars, marijuana?
                                        Patient:  Brisket and pork shoulder, mostly.

30. Whit: IOTA.  A crossword staple although clued many different ways.

32. What coastlines and hairlines may do: RECEDE.  This solver would have preferred a slightly different clue.

35. Reel Big Fish genre: SKA.  SKA Punk, actually.

Take On Me


41. "Three Little Kittens" treat: PIE.  Lose your mittens.  Then find them and get rewarded with PIE.


42. Quick bursts: 
SPURTS.

43. Go: EXIT.  Used as a verb.

Snagglepuss


44. Like racehorses: SHOD.  Hand up for FAST.
 
45. Skin pic: TAT.  TATtoos are frequently visible in our puzzles.

51. "Go me!": YAY.  See also 63 Across

54. Harvest: REAP.  Possibly another botanical reference.  Anyone first think of this?:



55. "__ Flux": 1990s MTV series: AEON.

56. HHS agency: FDA.



61. Spoonful, perhaps: DOSE.  Hmmm, should we go with Julie Andrews here?  Nah.

Royal Albert Hall - 2005


62. __ learning: ROTE.  Memorization, basically.

63. "Go me!": I RULE.  See also 51 Across

64. Brief timetable: SKED.  Right up there with SESH on the "Come on, enough of this type of thing already" scale.

65. Takes to court: SUES.

George Harrison


66. Organizes: SORTS.


Down:

1. Major key for some piano works by Chopin and Schubert: G-FLAT.  We knew that this answer had to begin with either A B C D E F or G

2. Travel to an away match?: ELOPE.  Cute clue.  Match as in wedded pair.

3. Climactic scene in the Eminem film "8 Mile": RAP BATTLE.

4. Bks.-to-be: MSS.  A punt that we have seen before.  Books-to-be are ManuScriptS in this instance.

5. Revealing, in a way: SKIMPY.  Today's "I had better pass on the GIF" moment.

6. French endearment: CHERI.

Pepe LePew



7. Help for the overnight shift, maybe: NODOZ.  UPPER would have fit but is not "crossword friendly".

8. Writer/activist Harris in the documentary "Hacking Democracy": BEV.  The documentary explored the level of integrity of electronic voting machines.

9. Procedural franchise since 2000: CSI.  A TV show reference often viewed in puzzles.

10. Mental decline: DOTAGE.

11. Unit in geochronology: EPOCH.  Has geochronology previously appeared in our puzzles?  Geochronology is the scientific study of the age and history of Earth's rocks and rock assemblages.

12. Top of the art world?: BERET.  Cute clue, although TOP more often refers to a shirt or blouse than it does to a hat.  Artists are stereo-typically depicted wearing BERETs.



13. Distant: ICY.  Not as in far away.  A behavioral reference.

18. Hollywood VIP: DIR.  DIRector, I suppose.  Probably not the constructor's favorite answer in this grid.

19. "Jinkies!": CRIPES.  Not previously a part of this solver's vocabulary.

25. Chris who won four straight US Opens in the 1970s: EVERT.  A women's tennis reference.

26. Tapered haircuts: FADES.  FADES, to this observer, seem to combine the worst elements of two older hairstyles.



28. Wine cask wood: OAK.  Another botanical reference.



30. Web access co.: ISP Internet Service Provider

31. "Certainement!": OUI.  Clue en français / Answer en 
français

32. Tend to an overgrown plant: REPOT.  Smoke another doobie?

33. Give off: EXUDE.

34. EMT skill: CPR.  A common crossword pairing.

35. Number of squares on a chess board: SIXTY FOUR.  Eight by eight.

36. Fish that can transform into a dragon, per Japanese legend: KOI.


37. Little pest: ANT.  Anyone try IMP first?

39. Tuning fork feature: Y SHAPE.  I have an A-440 tuning fork lying around somewhere.  These days, one uses an electronic gadget.





40. Neptune's realm: SEA.  A reference to the god and not to the eponymous planet.

44. Pan-__ scallops: SEARED.

45. Game of love: TENNIS.  Cute.  In a tennis match love means zero.

Wayne Fontana And The Mindbenders


46. Thief: CROOK.  Or not.  Or not not.




47. Get more mileage out of: REUSE.  I tried to change the color of my monk's cowl costume so that I could REUSE it but old habits dye hard.

48. Celerity: HASTE.  Anyone first misread this as Celebrity?  Celery?

49. Some 20 Questions answers: YESES.

50. Luau fare: POI.  Often served in our puzzles.

52. Not for minors: ADULT.  When my children were little they sometimes said "When I grow up I want to be a dult."

53. "Revolutionary Road" author Richard: YATES.

57. NFL stat: YDS.  YarDS  A football reference.

58. "__ Doubtfire": MRS.  You are missed, Robin Williams.



59. Letters of credit?: IOU.  Not letters of credit as your bank might issue. I OWE YOU.

60. Syllable in some lawn product names: GRO.  Today's final botanical reference.



As promised, here is the completed grid:




And now, in keeping with today's theme . . .

_______________________________________________




“I'm paranoid about everything in my life. Even at home. On my stationary bike, I have a rear-view mirror, which I'm not thrilled about.”   - - - Richard Lewis  1947 - 2024

Mar 1, 2024

Friday March 1, 2024 - Ryan Patrick Smith

Theme: Friday night at the movies

Check out the link in the theme title to see movie trailers and short video movie clips. I may want to bookmark this for finding future links for my blog ...

Friday night "date night"

Puzzling thoughts:

I don't know about you, but Friday night has become sort of  a "date night" at the Chairman's house ... dinner is almost always pizza and salad, and afterward we watch a movie; either on DVD or on one of the streaming sites. It's quite fitting that Ryan Patrick Smith chose this play-on-words clued movie theme for today's puzzle; five entries and no reveal, with the themers being placed in a pinwheel display. Lots to digest so let's get started, OK?

20-across. Movie with lots of pan shots?: RATATOUILLE. First thing to digest with these entries is that all of the parodied clues "focus" on an element of filming a movie. For example, in the entry RATATOUILLE the clue "... pan shots" refer to the scenes shot in a kitchen (pots and pans) as opposed to a filming technique that involves horizontally moving the camera from a fixed position. The camera pivots either to the left or right, capturing a panoramic view (see image and video below)


There's got to be a pan in there, somewhere



41-across. Movie with an iconic long shot?: ROCKY.  Lots to like here, too.  In this case, the clue refers to ROCKY being a "long shot" (underdog) to win the bout, as opposed to the movie filming technique of a long shot (see examples below)

The Chairman ran up these same steps many moons ago

58-across. Movie with lots of reaction shots?: OPPENHEIMER. How cool to find a current movie title that allows for this play-on-words clue?! In film production, cinematography and video production, a reaction shot is a shot which cuts away from the main scene in order to show the reaction of a character to it.  The reaction shot is a basic unit of film grammar.  The "reaction shots" in OPPENHEIMER are featured below, as well as another type of reaction shot that this clue/answer ISN'T about ...

A literal reaction to a shot






 







11-down. Movie with lots of zoom shots?: SPEED RACER. So, by now, I hope y'all have figured out the connection between the clues, the movie references, et al. The video below shows an old commercial (Zoom, Zoom) with a zoom shot or two ... 

BTW, didn't we have "SPEED RACER" in a puzzle earlier this week?


Last, but not least, 29-down. Movie with lots of dolly shots?: CHILD'S PLAY. See images below:

Chucky doll

A film dolly












A mid-blog recap:

    1) "Pan shot", as in a photo of a pan used by a chef or a film-making term that shows lateral                     movement of the camera (RATATOUILLE)

    2) "Long shot", as in an underdog or a film-making term that shows multi-layers of detail in a scene        (ROCKY)

    3) "Reaction shot", as in picture of a nuclear reaction or a film-making term that show a character's          expression about an off-camera event (OPPENHEIMER)

    4) "Zoom shot", as in a sound made by a racecar or a film-making term that shows a closeup of an          image or character (SPEED RACER)

    5) "Dolly shot", as in a picture of a doll (child's toy) or a film-making term that is taken from a                "vehicle" known as a "dolly" (CHILD'S PLAY)


The grid (sorry, forgot to highlight "ROCKY")

On to the rest of the clues/words/phrases ...

Across:
1. Curly's replacement in the Three Stooges: SHEMP.  This one caught Chairman Moe's attention 😀

6. Canal spot: EAR.  Panama / Erie / Suez did not fit

9. Files that can't be opened: RASPS.  Cute Friday clue; a RASP is a type of file

14. Bar mitzvah scroll: TORAH.  Ryan could've clued it as "Bat mitzvah scroll" and had the same answer

15. Name of the T. rex at Chicago's Field Museum: SUE.  Sue, the T. rex

16. Short exile?: EXPAT.  As in "EXPATriate".  "An expatriate 

is a person who resides outside his or her country of citizenship. The term often refers to a professional or skilled worker who intends to return to their country of origin

 ..." [Wikipedia]

17. State known for huckleberries: IDAHO.  Moe-ku:

    IDAHO dog breed
    Can sniff out certain fruits; they're
    Huckleberry Hounds

Huckleberry was around in my childhood days 


    

18. Canine care org.?: ADAAmerican Dog Association?? Oh, the other canine ... or in the case of the inage below, a canine's canine ... would the American Dental Association approve of these choppers? I'D BET they would

Pretty clean looking, for a dog; it must floss



19. Actress Witherspoon: REESE. Have we established that she only likes peanut butter cups?

23. Language suffix: ESE. Chinese Japanese Portuguese ...

24. Actor Chaney: LON

25. Ramble: MEANDER.  As opposed to "serpentine":

27. Missing criminal who inspired James M. Cain's "Rainbow's End": D.B. COOPER. Read all about it

32. Limburger feature: ODOR. Limburger cheese is pretty stinky

33. "Wowzers!": OOH. I think I've seen the exclamation "wowzers!" used here by another blogger, perhaps?

34. Trojan War figure: PARIS.  Learning moe-ment: "Paris (Ancient Greek: Πάρις), also known as Alexander (Ἀλέξανδρος, Aléxandros), is a mythological figure in the story of the Trojan War. He appears in numerous Greek legends and works of Ancient Greek literature such as the Iliad. In myth, he is prince of Troy, son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba, and younger brother of Prince Hector" [Wikipedia]

36. Pathway stone: SLATE.  Hand up for having "PAVER" as the first word chosen for this spot?

39. Dip: SWIM.  As in taking a dip in the pool; or as in skinny-dip ... but not as in taking a dip from a tin of Skoal

43. Antioxidant-rich sorbet base: ACAI. A 21st century example of crossword-ese

44. Measure out: ALLOT

46. Berlin's "Blue __": SKIES. The Willie Nelson version (with lyrics)

48. Goof: ERR. Something the Chairman does often when he tries to solves an xword puzzle

49. Capital on the Persian Gulf: DOHA. I've seen this clue/word before

51. Orange garnish for sushi: SMELT ROE. aka "Masago" (a type of fish egg or fish roe. Masago is a very popular ingredient throughout Asia, particularly in Japanese cuisine), or the stuff shown in the image below








53. Some Cassatt works: PASTELS. OILS and WATER COLORS didn't fit. Here's a Cassatt for you to gaze upon









56. Ryan's "La La Land" role: SEB. All by perps. Never saw "La La Land" so this did not resonate

57. Little dickens: IMP. Could TINY TIM be clued as "A little Dickens'?"

64. Not as flushed: PALER. Flushed, as in "red-in-the-face"; not flushed, as in "partially-filled commode"

66. Regret: RUE.

67. River that feeds Utah Lake: PROVO. Never knew the city name PROVO was also the name of a river. The Provo River (Ute: Timpanoquint, “Rock River) is located in Utah County and Wasatch County, Utah, in the United States. It rises in the Uinta Mountains at Wall Lake and flows about 71 miles (114 km) southwest to Utah Lake at the city of Provo, Utah [Wikipedia] (see image)







 

 

68. Stage: PHASE.

69. Spleen: IRE. ORGAN didn't fit

70. "Yeah, sounds like": "I'D BET!".

71. Affectionate letters: ILYSM.  I had not seen this text abbr. before today.  Thanks to Margaret's younger son, he correctly identified the acronym as: I Love You So Much😍

72. 30-Down, for one: GOD. (30-down. Mythical archer): EROS.

73. "It's Gonna Be Me" band: NSYNC.  Margaret's younger son helped here, too

Down:
1. Shift slightly: STIR. [crossword tracker dot com] is a very useful data site for crossword puzzle constructors as well as solvers.  When I checked, this is a first use for this clue and answer:

Results

Sorry, no matches were found. If you think this is in error, please send us an email with what you were searching for and someone will take a look.

Tip: Try changing the clue to just a keyword (for example, if the clue is "Measurement with square units" try entering just "measurement") and supplying what you know of the answer so we can look for answers that are the right length. Even if you don't know any of the letters, just knowing the length of the answer can help the search engine immensely.


2. TV host Kotb: HODA.  She shows up every now and again

3. Proof word: ERAT.  If ACAI is 21st Century Crossword-ese, ERAT is a 20th Century example

4. Island "thank you": MAHALO.

5. Camera setting?: PHOTO OP.  Not an F-STOP - wouldn't fit and wasn't punny 

6. Genesis twin: ESAU.  Like OREO, ERIE, EIRE, and scores of other words that have 3 vowels and 1 consonant ... very useful to xword constructors

7. Bavaria-based automaker: AUDI.  I owned two of these in my lifetime; great cars.  Another 4-letter word with three vowels and one consonant

8. Sphere: REALM.

9. Enjoys a favorite novel, say: RE-READS.  I am happy when I read a novel, let alone RE-read it

10. Felling tool: AXE

12. So five minutes ago: PASSE.  RETRO also fits, but I don't think anything five minutes old should be considered passe
 
13. Use a wheelchair's joystick, say: STEER.  In the assisted living care community where my mom lives they refer to these vehicles as "scooters"

21. Commensurate (with): ON PAR.  A slight CSO to HuskerGary who more often scores a PAR when playing golf ... though the phrase ON PAR has nothing to do with golf

22. Zodiac lion: LEO.  Folks born under the sign "LEO", and who want to know their 2024 "forecast", it is described here

26. Home of the NBA's Pels: NOLA.  CSO to all those from the Pelican State, and specifically New Orleans

27. Pancake served with chutney: DOSA.  I checked the word out @ [crossword tracker dot com] to see its usage.  This is an "archaic" word (crossword-wise) that's making a big comeback, post-pandemic:

Recent usage in crossword puzzles:

  • Universal Crossword - Dec. 24, 2023
  • Universal Crossword - Sept. 14, 2023
  • USA Today - March 14, 2023
  • LA Times - Aug. 16, 2022
  • USA Today - May 2, 2022
  • USA Today - March 14, 2022
  • USA Today - April 6, 2021
  • USA Today - Jan. 26, 2021
  • USA Today - Jan. 19, 2021
  • USA Today - Sept. 7, 2020
  • New York Times - April 1, 1987
  • New York Times - Feb. 14, 1970


28. Cereal dish: BOWL.

31. "Casablanca" cafe: RICK'S.

35. Hardly pore over: SKIM.  As in "read briefly"

37. Staple in African cuisine: TARO.  

38. Country led by the Taoiseach: EIRE.  As a lover of whiskies (Irish and Scotch) the ending "ach" is often used on the labels. I'm guessing it's Gaelic. The word EIRE filled in after I got the E, I, and R

40. Academic: MOOT Moot as in "boot"; not moot as in "mute" (although I do sometimes hear it pronounced this way)

42. "Gimme a break!": YEESH.  Earlier in the week a few of you were discussing the proper spelling of "tush" ... "YEESH" and "Yees" are sometimes used interchangeably, and are just a letter off of each other: Yeesh versus Yees 

45. Math proposition: THEOREM. We haven't seen this word @ an LA Times puzzle since 2018
 
47. Wake up late: SLEEP IN.  Something Margaret and I do often ... retirement is fun ... we try to schedule no appointment(s) before 10:30 am

50. Swiss peak: ALP.

52. Sporty Fords: T-BIRDS.  "... and we'll have fun, fun, fun 'til my daddy took the T-Bird away"

53. Longstocking of chapter books: PIPPI.

54. "__ and the Night Visitors": AMAHL.  An old joke:

A woman gave birth to twins and gave them up for adoption. One of them went to a family in Egypt and was named “AMAHL” 

The other son went to a family in Spain; they named him “Juan.”

Years later Juan tracks down his birth mother and sent a picture of himself to his Mom.

Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband she wishes she also had a picture of Amahl.

Her husband responded, "if you’ve seen Juan, you’ve seen Amahl"


55. Thyme piece: SPRIG.  Ya know, if this word was spelled "SBRIG" it would be pronounced the same.  Try it ...

59. Vision prefix: EURO.  This:  Eurovision Song Contest

60. Shortage: NEED.  Good clue

61. Stage name of electronic musician Richard Melville Hall: MOBY.  Another clue/answer that Margaret's son offered when I asked.  I guess "___ -Dick" would've been too easy ... but it's interesting that Richard MELVILLE Hall shares his middle name with the author (HERMAN Melville) of the book, "MOBY-Dick"

62. Not odd: EVEN.  Anyone care to guess at the smallest EVEN number that is also a prime number?

63. VMI program: ROTCVirginia Military Institute is the school (VMI); naturally they have a ROTC program

65. Self starter?: ESS. The letter "S" (pronounced "ESS") starts the word "self" ... it also starts the word "starter"

And once again we reach the end of the blog.  Thanks to Ryan for the fun solve.  Please feel free to comment below ... 


Feb 23, 2024

Friday, February 23, 2024, Blake Slonecker

  


Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with today's recap of a puzzle constructed by veteran puzzle-setter Blake Slonecker.  Today's theme is straightforward so let's jump right in with the unifier which has been conveniently placed in the middle of the grid:

39 Across:  Camera setting, and what shortened 18-, 24-, 47-, and 58-Across?: F - STOP.  At the four referenced places, Blake has dropped the F (not dropped the F bomb, just the letter F) in order to answer the clues, and provide us with a few chuckles here, here, here and here:

Enough, F, Stop!

18 Across:  Pollinator who can't fly?: GROUND BEE.  Where's the BEEF?

24 Across:  Parents in the Hundred Acre Wood?: RAISES THE ROO.  Parents is used as a verb in the clue.  Kanga is a single mom.  When ROO misbehaves Kanaga idiomatically RAISES THE ROOF.

Roo and Kanga


47 Across:  Product of Shenandoah Valley shepherds?: 
VIRGINIA WOOL.  Who's afraid?

58 Across:  Experimental soft cheese?: TRIAL BRIE.  A TRIAL BRIEF is a legal document presented to the court.  It is intended to provide the court with the presentation of facts, evidence and legal arguments.  A TRIAL BRIE might provide an introduction for someone who has yet to develop a taste for soft cheeses.

Here is how this all looks in the grid:



...and here are the rest of the clues and answers:


Across:

1. Tries out: DEMOS.  Hand up for initially trying out TESTS.

6. Nosegay: POSY.  As in "Ring Around The Rosie".  

10. Pod whose cross sections are pentagonal: OKRA.



14. Skip a syllable or two: ELIDE.


15. Until: UP TO.

16. "Stay" singer Lisa: LOEB.  I searched for a Leopold and (Lisa) LOEB mash up but could not find one.  

17. __ Cup: PGA Tour prize: FEDEX.  A golfing reference.  Both Professional Golfers' Association  and FEDeral EXpress have been abbreviated.  Although, those abbreviations are now used far more often than are the full names.

20. Middle of dinner?: ENS.  We have seen this type of clue before.  There are two N's in the middle of dinner.  If Blake had needed DEES, here, would he have gone with "Middle of middle"?

21. Perfect: IDEAL.

23. "Island of the Blue Dolphins" novelist Scott: O'DELL.


27. Joie de vivre: ZEST.  A French phrase (in English, Joy of Living) fully co-opted by English speakers.

28. Emo: ANGSTY.  Slangy clue/answer combo.

32. Storage furniture: CHEST.

34. Prize money: PURSE.  Commonly used this way in the world of professional boxing and in professional golf.

37. Sphere in old referee whistles: PEA.  Before they developed synthetic orbs they used real PEAs.

38. A pop: EACH.

40. Otter kin: MINK.  A relationship that is a bit of a crossword standard.

41. Durango day: DIA.  Today's Spanish lesson.

42. Apt rhyme for "freeze": SEIZE.  As in SEIZE-up.

43. Well-mannered blokes: GENTS.  It is relatively easy to convince ladies not to eat Tide pods but it is more difficult to deter GENTS.

44. Goofs in proofs: ERRATA.  What do you call a list of corrections read out in a suggestive fashion?  ERRATA - CA.

46. Tromp: PLOD.

53. Bird in a bevy: QUAIL.  A group of QUAIL is called a bevy.

56. Hot spots: OVENS.  Not a WiFi reference.

57. Signal: CUE.  Both can be employed as either verbs or nouns.

60. Glossy material: SATIN.  Like most chairs?

62. 55-Down, properly: ISN'T.  See also 55 Down.  Duh, MM.

63. Like most whiskey: AGED.  This 36-year-old whisky can be yours for about five or six thousand dollars.  Let me know and I will send you a link if I can still (pun intended, See 42 Down) find it in my trash file).



64. Heart Eyes or OK Hand: EMOJI.



65. Fancy spread: PATE.  To make chicken PATE one has to first de-liver the chicken.

66. Fool (with): MESS.


67. Wrap sheet: SARAN.  The following, from the mid-60's, might be deemed NSFW:




Down:

1. Schedule for later: DEFER.

2. Two-time WNBA MVP __ Delle Donne: ELENA.




3. Many a sedan: MID-SIZE CAR.

4. Amit Majmudar's "__ to a Drone": ODE.  I was not familiar with this work.  I have now searched for it online, found it, read it a couple of times and .... well, make your own judgement:

5. People's superlative: SEXIEST.  A reference to People Magazine.  The honorific of SEXIEST Man Alive is awarded annually to a male but the magazine awards Most Beautiful Woman Alive in lieu of SEXIEST.

6. Sound of the Northwest: PUGET.



7. O icon: OPRAH.  OPRAH Winfrey of, among many other things, O Magazine.

8. Took second, say: STOLE.  A baseball reference.

9. Second person: YOU.  Not an Adam and Eve reference.  A grammar reference.

10. One whose trick-learning years are behind them: OLD DOG.



11. "The Mamba Mentality: How I Play" writer Bryant: KOBE.

12. Rod and __: REEL.  A fishing reference.

13. Cain's brother: ABEL.  A reference to The Book of Genesis.

19. Nary a soul: NO ONE.

Sir Paul McCartney

22. "Spring forward" letters: DST.  Daylight Savings Time.

25. Quick meeting?: SESH.  "Quick" as in a shortened version of SESSION.

26. Tough talk?: RASP.  

29. Damage control pro: SPIN DOCTOR.


30. High-stakes shelter: TENT.  I don't know about the High bit, but many TENTs certainly do employ stakes.

31. Shaggy beasts: YAKS.  See also 33-Down.

32. Relinquish: CEDE.

33. 31-Down abundance: HAIR.



34. Pump letters: PSI.  Pounds per Square Inch

35. Lays aisle-mate: UTZ.  A snack food (pretzels, potato chips, etc.) reference.


36. Bass output: ROE.  Not a bass guitar.  Not Bass Ale.  Not the Mayor of Los Angeles.  Fish ROE.

39. "__ the Turtle": University of Maryland catchphrase: FEAR.



40. "I would like some more catnip, please": MEOW.

42. Bootlegger's vessel: STILL.



43. Visual aids: GLASSES.  Not, e.g., pie charts, flashcards, flip charts, or the like.  Aids to help us see.

45. Really take off: AVIATE.  Really.  No, really take off.



46. Blame (on): PIN.  As in "Y0u won't PIN that murder on me!"

Eydie Gorme (and friends)


48. Canyon: GORGE.

49. Campus climbers: IVIES.

Tom Lehrer - "Bright College Days"


50. Focus of Maslow's hierarchy: NEEDS.


51. Message board?: 
OUIJA.  Messages from the great beyond.  Supposedly.  OUIJA Board.



52. Red Square honoree: LENIN.

All Hail Marx and Lennon !


53. Sample collector, maybe: Q-TIP.  For the DNA lab.

54. __ Major: URSA.



55. 62-Across, improperly: 
AIN'T.  See also 62 Across.  Duh, MM.

59. "Bang!": BAM.  Onomatopoeia

61. Org. for OBs: AMA.

________________________________________


Notes from C.C.:
 
Voting is now open until March 1 for the 12th ORCA Awards – the annual celebration of creativity in crosswords! Winners will be announced on March 6 during a livestream filled with games and prizes. Five long-time solvers will receive special awards. For each day of their streak, solvers can receive a chance to win crossword memorabilia inscribed to them and signed by Will Shortz. Need not be present to win. Details and voting info can be found at Diary of a Crossword Fiend.