Today makes three solid Friday frolics in a row - Lynn Lempel ( see below ), a seasoned constructor who started making crosswords in the 1970s, now has a total of 104 puzzles published, the EGOT of one for each day, and a whopping 74 of those grids on Monday alone - typically the hardest ones to make, as the clues & answers need to be uncomplicated early in the week. Today we have the added, silent "W" to "R" words that completely change the definition of said words & phrases. A very clever, tight group of in-language phrases, and none of the tripe I do not care for in crosswords - nary a Twurd to be found. A standard 15 x 15 grid, no circles, a few more names than I would like, but most of them not so obscure, a 3LW count just two higher than the number of 5-letter words - and three ovine references. The four, all 11-letter themers;
17. Get-together before the holidays?: WRAP SESSION - Rap session
Goes well with 56 Across
30. Bicycles and airplanes?: WRIGHT STUFF - ( The ) Right Stuff, a movie - I had another play on the word/name 'Wright' in this crossword
45. Broken-down washing machine?: DEAD WRINGER - A washer's "rinse" cycle spins up to a speed high enough to "wring" out one's clothes. Dead Ringer - two meanings; the truth one, and the false(th) one - and a movie ( pluralized ) as well
61. "Good job on that coup you pulled off"?: WELL WRESTED - Well-rested, a slight outlier with the hyphen
But Wait, Thewre's Mowre~!
ACROSS:
1. Homes in the sticks?: NESTS - Har-har~! I reached out to sumdaze for an Eagle update; her words -
"As it turns out, the two chicks just hatched this [last] weekend so these are very exciting times on the nest! The parents are Shadow & Jackie. The two chick will not get names until they're much bigger."
6. Fabric for a fez: FELT - Alliteration
10. World Series org.: MLB - Major League Baseball - we're officially into the 2026 season
13. Puff piece?: ÈCLAIR
Nom-nom, yum-yum, win-win~!
15. Boba option: ALOE - filled via perps; #18 on the chart - see 44D. below
16. Wearable souvenir: TEE - T-shirt, like from a concert, and not "LEI" - TEE comes in at #43
19. By way of: VIA
20. Big band member?: TUBA - I think the "?" could have been left out on a Friday
21. Puss in Boots, for one: CAT - I am not having much success with finding a Schnauzer rescue, so now I am considering getting me a kitty-cat - I like the idea of a cat, and I have field mice that get into the basement on occasion ( though not this winter, and it was a cold winter ), but I need to "claw-proof" some things, and then I am going down to the shelter.
26. Gives a hoot: CARES - Our constructor is old school, like me
Woodsy says, "Give a hoot, don't pollute"
27. __-Man: PAC
34. "Killers of the Flower Moon" people: OSAGE - I do the Downs first, so I was 60% filled VIA perps
36. One who might make a ewe turn?: RAM - Sheep humor #2
37. Like avocados: OVAL
38. Peru's "City of Kings": LIMA - geo name #1
39. Brand of riding mowers: DEERE - name(ish); my tractor is a Massey Ferguson, and I got a flat last year - need to address this problem soon
41. Irk: RILE
42. Genesis plot: EDEN - a garden plot of dirt, that is . . .
43. Before, in verse: ERE - #4 on the list
44. Many a Chopin piece: ETUDE
49. Distress signal: SOS - #223
50. Word in some English place-names: SHIRE - The shire reeve came to be pronounced "sheriff"
No dagnubbit, the sheriff is a - . . .
51. College World Series org.: NCAA - National Collegiate Athletic Assoc. - the Wiki
53. Hummus ingredient: TAHINI - I wanted CHICK PEA to fit, but I had two extra "beans"
55. Tower of note: AAA - Tow - er, like Flow-er = 'river'; the author got me this time - Triple A being this organization since 1902 - I did not know it was THAT old . . .
56. Ductwork sealer: TAPE - actually, it's the one thing Duct Tape is not good for - foil tape is better
60. __ Bravo: RIO - geo name #2, and slides into the top 100 at #99
64. Blow it: ERR - just misses the Top Ten at #12
65. Some long-term investments, briefly: IRAs - #27 in the singular
66. Considered: DEEMED
67. Hook's partner: EYE - in the plural, it's #439
68. Fish sought by Marlin and Dory: NEMO - name #3
69. Like voices after a loud concert: RASPY
DOWN:
1. Terrarium critter: NEWT - "I got better . . ."
2. Beige shade: ECRU
3. Chunk: SLAB
4. Spanish apps: TAPAS - Dah~! I had taCOs to start - the appetizers, that is
5. Girl of the fam: SIS - abbrs
6. Observe Ramadan, say: FAST
7. "ManningCast" co-host: ELI - name #4, one of three Manning brothers - fill #5 on the Top Ten
8. Attention hog's cry: "LOOK AT ME~!" - first 8-letter Down
9. Choral section: TENORS
10. Pompeii destroyer, for short: Mt. VESUVIUS - Dah~! Got caught up thinking "ETNA"
11. Skywalker twin: LEIA - Star Wars name #5; LUKE fit, too
12. Three __ salad: BEAN
14. Happen again: RECUR
18. Wrapped silk dress: SARI - I would have reworked the dupe "wrap" out of the clue
23. Be short with, perhaps: RETORT - and . . .
25. Be short with?: OWE - in at #354, tied with ESC, IGOR, NNE & ODD
26. Scorch: CHAR
27. Propelled, as a punt: POLED - I had OARED, so, close, but no gondola gold
28. Parenthetical remark: ASIDE - [ I told them we already got one~! ]
The Frawnche taunting the silly English Kuh-nig-its
29. Returned to dry land: CAMEASHORE - the second 10-letter Down
31. Earth-friendly: GREEN - ah. I was thinking ECO, but what~?
32. Three-time Masters winner who was knighted in 2009: FALDO - golfer Nick, name #6
Rebecca Goldstein has been creating square grids for a very long time, but today she has us going around in circles.
63A. Waste time and effort, in a way, or progress as this puzzle's circled letters do?: REINVENT THE WHEEL. Looks like we are going to build a WHEEL, one letter at a time.
:3D. "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" novelist: L. FRANK BAUM. This gives us one letter of the word WHEEL.
6D. Smallest Central American country: EL SALVADOR. Now we have two letters, building a WHEEL from the bottom up.
9D. Durable material made from hagfish skin: EEL LEATHER. Three letters - we're halfway there!
Pacific hagfish are not eels, but they produce fine leather.
12D. Sideways jump flourishes: HEEL CLICKS. With the four letters, we've almost come full circle.
I
thought this worked out wheel well. The letters built up like stacking
blocks, each themer adding one more as you worked across the puzzle. I
also liked that each partial WHEEL was the stand alone first word of its answer: L., EL, EEL, and HEEL. The fact that all the themers were the same length did my OCD good, and justified the unique layout.
Black
hole department: I tried to discern some sort of image in all the black
squares and large crosses, but they are simply part of the grid.
Mirror
image department: Kudos to Rebecca for using the reflective symmetry to
place INCAS opposite MAYAN, and the video game answers LUIGI and ATARI
next to those.
All set? Let's roll!
Across:
1. Designation for some food carts: HALAL. HALAL is an Arabic term meaning "permissible" or "lawful" under Islamic law, governing all aspects of life including food.
6. Outer space?: EDGE.
10. Portal name with an exclamation point: YAHOO. YAHOO!
was one of the Internet pioneers 32 years ago, but has lost relevance
since. However, it's still worth $7.4 billion, so there's that.
15. Actress Woodard: ALFRE. I didn't know ALFRE, but she is very
worthy. She has graced the stage and screen, winning four Emmy's, a
Golden Globe, and three Screen Actors Guild awards. She's even been
nominated for two Grammy's and and Oscar!
16. Tales as old as time: LORE.
17. Justice Kagan: ELENA. ELENA was appointed in 2010 by President Barack Obama and is the fourth woman to serve on the Supreme Court.
18. Needing a nap: TIRED.
19. Pot filler: SOIL. Pot filler: ANTE.
20. Put in a seat, say: ELECT.
21. Travel approx.: ETA. Your Estimated Time of Arrival is an
estimation and subject to change. I often drive to Miami, and the ETA is
an hour. A half-hour later, I'm still an hour away as traffic builds up
like I'm in a backwards time machine!
22. Crushes underfoot: TRAMPLES.
25. "__ Misérables": LES. "The Miserables" describes Russell Crowe's singing in the movie.
26. Orange variety: NAVEL.
28. Work __: ETHIC.
30. Kinds: ILKS.
32. Online image: AVATAR. Mine is a sunburst Fender Stratocaster. I have two from the 60s.
35. Poetry event: SLAM. A
poetry SLAM is a competitive event in which poets perform original
spoken-word poetry before a live audience and a panel of judges.
38. Much-used pencils: NUBS. My dad always said, "Beware of people with long pencils and short erasers."
39. One with good taste?: PALATE.
40. Falafel bread: PITA. But it doesn't taste falafel.
41. Langley org.: CIA. I grew up in the Tidewater area of
Virginia and my dad worked at Langley AFB, so when I hear Langley, the
Central Intelligence Agency is not the first thing that comes to mind.
42. "The lady __ protest too much, methinks": DOTH. One of hundreds of quotes attributed to Shakespeare. "Words without thoughts never to heaven go."
43. Small island: CAY. CAY is pronounced "key" as in Key West.
44. Orinoco flow: AGUA. The Orinoco River flows through Columbia
and Venezuela, hence the Spanish word for water. The phrase "Orinoco
Flow" was made popular by a song from new-age artist Enya.
46. Having more wiggle room, say: LOOSER.
48. Gumbo vegetable: OKRA.
Oops! Wrong picture! This is an orca.
49. A lot alike: SIMILAR. I liked this a lot!
51. Arrives casually: ROLLS IN.
53. Free (of): RID.
54. Small tweak?: MOD. Just a little MODification.
55. Spots to let sleeping dogs lie: PET BEDS. This bed seemed so big when Buster was a pup. We adopted him during COVID, and he turns 6 today!
59. Small spot: SPECKLE. Small spot filler: SPACKLE
63. [theme]
66. Part of UAE: ARAB. United ARAB Emirates. The UAE has ARABs in it.
67. Not as grim: ROSIER. As in the Grim Reaper's kid sister, ROSIER Reaper.
68. Large vases: URNS.
69. Green carpet: MOSS.
70. Boggy places: SWAMPS. This one mired me down.
71. Teeny bit: MITE.
Down:
1. Abhor: HATE. This clue is detestable.
2. Settled: ALIT.
3. [theme]
4. "All bets __ off": ARE.
5. Streaming device, maybe: LED TV. This one seemed off, so I turned it on.
6. [theme]
7. Tragic fate: DOOM.
8. Strong hold: GRIP.
9. [theme]
10. "Oof": YEESH.
11. Every last one: ALL. ALL at ONCE.
12. [theme]
13. A single time: ONCE. ONCE and for ALL.
14. Quaker grains: OATS.
23. Sow's counterpart: REAP. Ah, the verb, not the noun. I wanted "boar."
24. To be, in Paris: ETRE.
Vous êtes ici.
27. Donkey: ASS.
29. Co. for surfers: ISP. An Internet Service Provider is a company that connects individuals and businesses to the internet.
30. Natives of pre-Columbian Peru: INCAS.
31. Super Mario brother: LUIGI.
33. Potatoes, in Urdu: ALOO.
34. Body art: TATS. People get TATS (tattoos) of the weirdest things...
36. Arcade pioneer: ATARI.
37. Like the ruins in Tulum: MAYAN.
45. Some short-term rentals: AIRBNBS. A very good friend lives
just blocks from the Atlantic. Three houses surrounding him have become
AIRBNBS, turning his quiet neighborhood into a party zone. Residential
zoning laws need to be updated to prevent this.
46. Corporate structures: LADDERS.
47. Tots' playwear: ROMPERS. Tots' quandary - where should we wear our ROMPERS?
48. Buddy from way back when: OLD CHUM. OLD CHUM is also useful for luring orcas.
50. Actor Schreiber: LIEV. LIEV Schreiber is an acclaimed American actor, producer, director, and screenwriter.He's known for his roles asSabertooth, Wolverine's brother,in the X-Men series and the titular Ray Donovan in the TV series.
52. Theater eponym: LOEW.
55. Brit's stroller: PRAM.
56. Wireless router brand named for a Finnish architect: EERO. EERO
Saarinen was a Finnish-American architect and industrial designer,
famous for the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and the TWA Terminal at JFK in
NYC. He also designed iconic furniture. I guess if he were around today,
he'd have come up with a router casing?
1956 Tulip Chairs and Pedestal Table
57. Spanish aunts: TIAS.
58. Winter coat?: SNOW.
59. Herding dog name: SHEP. Here's the most faithful border
collie, SHEP. After watching his master's coffin leave on a train in
Montana in 1936, he waited in vain for years at the station.
Now Buster wants a bronze statue!
60. Russell of "The Diplomat": KERI.
61. Mardi Gras follower: LENT. LENT follower: EASTERTIDE, the 50 days following Easter, culminating in Pentecost.
62. "How __ can I say it ... ": ELSE.
64. Org. that operates AIT scanners: TSA. The
Transportation Security Administration primarily monitors aviation, but
also does rail and mass transit. And until recently, the organization
worked without pay as they were used as pawns by Congress.
Advanced Imaging Technology
65. Actor/comedian Meadows: TIM. Another SNL alum.
Rebecca spoke and now I'm tired. Wheel see you 'round!
54 Across. Prince: HEIR TO THE THRONE. This simple answer is not as simple as you might think...
But which one is the true Heir?
You will have to watch the whole move to find out...
(Or, just read the book...)
I believe this is Kathy's 6th contribution to The L.A.Times, and is becoming quite the prolific Constructor. I look forward to seeing many more puzzles from her here in future... (if we can steal her away from The New York Times... : )
15. Job inspection org.: OSHA. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
16. "Uh, I doubt that": UM, NO...
17. [ Theme }
20. Makes a request: ASKS.
21. "Yo!": HEY.
22. Warm welcomes?: ALOHAS. (I like this clue/answer...)
23. Part of UCLA: LOS.
24. Lacking scruples: AMORAL.
25. Many a social media pic: SELFIE.
A famous example.
29. Action in Uno: DRAW. Not Go Fish?
30. Egg-shaped: OVOID.
31. Tortellini filling option: MEAT. First choice, followed by Cheese, followed by anything you can imagine... A piece of curious trivia: In Italian regional slang, particularly in Bologna, "tortellino" (singular) or "tortellone" (large tortellini) is used to describe a person who is naive, not very bright, or slightly chubby. So if planning to visit Italy, please be very careful in your pronunciation at a restaurant. You don't want to accidentally insult your waiter...
32. Graph paper pattern: GRID.
36. [ Theme ]
39. Flamenco cheers: OLES.
40. Redding of R&B: OTIS. Best known for [sitting on] The Dock of the Bay. But has had so many more hits if you delve deeper.
41. Painter's prop: EASEL.
42. Long, long time: AGES. (I wanted Eons...)
43. Alloy in some decorative plates: PEWTER. Mostly Tin (92%) hardened with Antimony and Copper.
47. Letters at the end of a proof: QED. AI Overview
Q.E.D. stands for the Latin phrase
quod erat demonstrandum, meaning "which was to be demonstrated" or "thus it is proven". It is used at the end of a mathematical proof or philosophical argument to indicate that the theorem or proposition has been fully proven.
Doesn't work at Starbucks...
48. Fix for a noisy car: TUNE-UP. Being a DIY Mechanic, I would think of this as one word. However linguistically:
"Tune-up" is typically written as two words connected by a hyphen (
tune-up) when used as a noun or adjective, or as two separate words (tune up) when used as a verb.
49. First word of the Lord's Prayer: OUR.
50. DIY tutorial site: EHOW.
54. [ Theme ]
57. "Are you __ out?": IN OR.
58. Liu of "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings": SIMU. His full Wiki, he has a long list of appearances.
59. Broadcaster: AIRER.
60. PlayStation maker: SONY.
61. Word in a vague ultimatum: ELSE.
62. Tied up in knots: TENSE. Guy goes to a shrink, says, "Doc' I can't tell if I am a Teepee, or a Wigwam." Doctor says, " Your two tents... "
Down: 1. Chapati flour: ATTA. Chapati is a simple, unleavened flatbread from the Indian subcontinent, made from whole wheat flour (atta) and water, cooked on a griddle (tawa).
2. Very, in Versailles: TRES. (French)
3. Sty sound: OINK.
4. ICU employees: LPNS. Licensed Practical Nurse.
5. Island ring: LEI. I didn't know there were so many types of Leis.
How to make a Haku Lei.
6. Spa attire: ROBES.
7. "By Jove!": I SAY. Or, "they are real, and they are spectacular!"
8. Org. whose members play at a 6-Across: NHL. National Hockey League.
9. Greek city with a namesake olive: KALAMATA. Cured in Brine, "and Red Wine Vinegar."
Explore the best places in 3 minutes? 4K
10. One of 12 in "12 Angry Men": JUROR.
Why I never get selected for Jury Duty...
11. Nebraska city that's home to the Great Plains Black History Museum: OMAHA. More Here...
13. Signs of recognition: NODS. What happens when I read the A.I. Overview above...
18. Manolo Blahnik creation: SHOE.
This Guy.
19. "Let's __ this popsicle stand": BLOW. ("But not without new shoes above.")
23. __ deck: pool's spot on a cruise ship: LIDO.
But Wait! Where's the Poop Deck? (I have to go!)
24. Many Mecca residents: ARABS.
25. NYC nabe: SOHO. (South Of Houston Street.)
26. Like one twin in a soapy drama, typically: EVIL.
How and Why The Evil Twin was invented...
(Bring a towel...)
27. Shake: LOSE.
28. Trees at a Christmas tree farm: FIRS. As a whole, yes. But there is Douglas, Fraser, Noble, Scotch Pine, and many many more...
Douglas Fir is known to give heartburn...
29. Sub contractors?: DELI'S. (Very cute...)
31. Swabbie pal: MATEY. This is cute too...
Swabbie at 1st made me think of this guy,
Which had me imagining cotton ear swab imaginary friends,
But it was all just Sailors Jargon...
32. Chew like a beaver: GNAW.
33. Musical pause: REST.
34. Words of comprehension: I SEE.
35. High-end camera, for short: DSLR. Digital Single Lens Reflex.
37. Element of a Sun Salutation: YOGA POSE.
38. Property transfer need: DEED.
42. Border on: ABUT.
43. Cheeky: PERT.
44. Good, in Spanish: BUENO.
45. Pico de gallo ingredient: ONION. Turns out, onion is the only 5 letter ingredient. Unless you count "spice" as an optional ingredient, (Cumin, Black Pepper.) but of course, you would never use just one spice (singular). However, you could go all out, and add fruit! Fruit has 5 letters, (but which fruit...?)
46. In high spirits: MERRY. Hmm, could you add Gin to Pico de gallo?
47. Waiting line: QUEUE. Hmm, if you tried the above at your next party, would your guest wait in line?
48. Not that: THIS. (Or the other thing...)
49. Units of electrical resistance: OHMS.
50. Ohio border lake: ERIE.
I always think Ohio is where Illinois is...
51. Noisy car part: HORN. Unless your driving a piece of junk...
52. Column to the left of the decimal point: ONES.
53. "And __ off!": WERE. (This clue/answer is in the wrong place...)
55. Ending at, briefly: TIL. (Til we meet again...)
56. Cap: HAT. Yes, as a Noun, but if used as a verb...
And here's the Grid:
See you in the comments, I'm sure I must have left "something" out.
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