Wednesday, December 13, 2023 ~ Erik Agard

Minced Metaphors

21. Get what's really going on: KNOW THE SCORE.

53. Avoid elimination: MAKE THE CUT.

29. Rhyming slogan opposing a Kansas City Chiefs fan gesture: STOP THE CHOP.

30. Take a gamble: ROLL THE DICE.

Hi All! Anon -T reporting for duty.
And what a privilege it is to review one of Erik's puzzles. For those who don't know, Erik is a Jeopardy! champion, ACPT winner (2018), and, when he was Editor of the USA Today crossword, really up'd the game and modernized the puzzle's inclusivity and current pop-culture references.

Today, Erik offers four (semi-sport related) metaphors ending in the kitchen sous'ing: Score, Cut, Chop, Dice #YesChef!

Fun, no? I enjoyed it. Let's check out the fill and see if Erik butchered that too :-)

Across:
1. Fuzzy fruit: KIWI.

5. Nails-on-a-chalkboard sound: SCRAPE.

11. Heart of the matter: CRUX.

15. Very dry: ARID.

16. __ network: NEURAL. A neural network is a group of interconnected nodes that enables computers to "learn" by example (ie. recognize patterns in data). When I studied AI, we liked the idea of neural-nets but didn't have 1) sufficient sample sizes nor 2) the storage. Our nets were dinky and the idea was mostly shelved. The internet fixed #1 and cheap storage fixed #2. Now we have NNets like ChatGPT.

17. Public prank: HOAX.

18. Taper off: WANE.

19. Not remote: ON-SITE. Post-Covid, our office is remote M,F and ON-SITE T,W,Th.

20. Highest point: APEX.
 

21. [See: Theme]

24. Abbr. in recipes: TSP. Teaspoons.

25. Prefix meaning "three": TRI. TRI-pod, TRI-cycle, TRI-dent.
 

For people with only three teeth?

26. Seconds, but for drinks: REFILLS. My buddy from Algiers said one of his first impressions of America was "Land of Free Refills!"

30. Lasagna ingredient: RICOTTA.

34. A third of a yard: ONE FOOT.

35. Standing __: OVATION. Bravo, Ole, Whoot!

36. Time for presents, for short: B-DAY. X-MAS fit too.

37. Need a shim, perhaps: WOBBLE.

40. Stitched: SEWN.

41. Your and my: OUR.

42. Warlock's repertoire: SPELLS.

43. Steamed bun: BAO.

Yum!

44. Get hot, in a way: TREND.

47. Lacking slack: TAUT.

48. Terrifying: SCARY.

50. Passover feast: SEDER.

51. "Oh, be quiet!": HUSH.

52. Poutine pieces: CURDS.

53. [See: Theme]

56. Hereditary: GENETIC.

59. "If Beale Street Could Talk" actor Colman: DOMINGO. I know Beale Street in Memphis is Home of the Blues but I didn't know of Colman Domingo [WikiP].

Colman Domingo

63. Line on a graph: AXIS.

3D Euclidian Space with x, y, and z axes.  

64. "Oh, be quiet!": SHUT IT.

67. In a slump: COLD.

68. Not full-size: MINI.

69. Former name of the NBA's Thunder, informally: SONICS. Oklahoma City Thunder nee Seatle SuperSonics. The Sonics were sold, renamed, and relocated circa 2007.

70. Burden: LOAD. ONUS fit but I perp-checked b/f fill :-)

71. In-transit figs.: ETAS.

72. "Scandal" crisis manager Olivia: POPE. Olivia Pope is a fictional character played by Kerry Washington.

Kerry Washington

73. Burnt __: barbecue delicacy: ENDS.

Corkscrew BBQ (aka Saturday's lunch w/ DW) in Old Town Spring, TX

Down:
1. Midwestern people: KAW. Tribe from Oklahoma and parts of Kansas.

2. 401(k) alternative: IRA. An Individual Retirement Account is an alternative to a 401(k) which is a bla bla something paragraph in the tax code bla bla. D-O can explain in more detail.

3. Knowing gesture: WINK. I. Can't. Resist...

A nod's as good as a WINK to a blind bat.

4. Name: IDENTIFY.

5. Vehicles for cold times: SNOW PLOWS.

6. Little bit of change: CENT. I had COIN.

7. Not take one's time: RUSH. Could be clued as "The greatest band ever."

8. "Video" singer India.__: ARIE.

9. Touches lightly: PATS.

10. Optional courses: ELECTIVES. Who elected for the easy-A v. something more interesting? Who even had electives (my EE curriculum was pretty rigid)?

11. Vehicles from old times: CHARIOTS. I was thinking Model-Ts but Erik was thinking "further back."

12. Ladder material: ROPE. We made these in Boy Scouts.

Rope Ladder

13. Dubai's fed.: UAE. United Arab Emirates.

14. Spy-fi film series starring Vin Diesel: XXX.
 

I don't think I've seen a movie w/ Vin Diesel in it.

22. Capital of Norway: OSLO.

23. Largest member of the dolphin family: ORCA.

I wasted three rolls of film at Sea World trying to get a shot this cool

26. Many sci-fi characters: ROBOTS. Automatons.

27. Go on: ENDURE.

28. Was terrified of: FEARED.

29. [See: Theme]

30. [See: Theme] I wanted to fill ROLL THE BONES which is RUSH's 14th studio album and the first (and only time) RUSH tried to rap -- One could hear the collective WTF? scream of fans everywhere. Then we all had fun with it (see how many Canadians / Canadian acts you recognize during the "rap").

I won't fault you if you don't click :-)

31. Dressy accessory: TIE BAR.

32. In the direction of: TOWARD.

33. Rubs the wrong way: ANNOYS.

38. Fine specimen: BEAUT.

39. Cheek cosmetic: BLUSH.

45. Bitter enemy: NEMESIS.

46. "Curses!": DRAT.

48. Layer on a stagnant pond: SCUM.

49. Fingernail part: CUTICLE.

54. Touch lightly: KISS. In their early touring year(s), RUSH opened for Kiss.

55. Portable beds: COTS.

56. Willing: GAME. Q:"You in?" A:"I'm GAME" or "I'm willing."

57. Press Esc, perhaps: EXIT. Exit Stage Left is Rush's second live album.

58. "I Put a Spell on You" singer Simone: NINA. Nina Simone nee Eunice Kathleen Waymon (2/21/1933 - 4/21/2003) was a multi-genre musician. WikiP for more.
 

A Tribute Video

60. Halfway between midnights: NOON. Cute clue.

61. Pleased: GLAD.

62. Numbers with a colon: ODDS. Another reference to RUSH's Roll the Bones? In the song, "You Bet Your Life" the refrain contains "The Odds get Even / We play the game ..."

65. Word shouted while putting a card down: UNO. UNO or Gin; wait for perps.

66. Bit of advice: TIP. "Here's a TIP, lose the shirt." -Rodney Dangerfield, Caddyshack.

Wow, I think Erik is a RUSH fan - what, with all the references to Rush in the downs. ;-)

The Grid:

The Grid

WO: Coin->CENT
ESPs: KAW, XXX, NINA
Fav: The entire puzzle was lively & fresh so I'll just go with RUSH :-)

11 days left to shop for Christmas -- no need to panic (yet)...

Cheers, -T

Monday February 13, 2023 Erik Agard

 

Hello Cornerites!

sumdaze here. Today's puzzle was constructed by a Erik Agard. Erik has had several of his creations featured on the L.A. Times puzzle pages. Most (but not all) have been themeless Saturdays.

Perhaps I was a bit slow on the upTAKE; but, at times, I felt today's puzzle was both later-in-the-week difficulty and even themeless. I had to make a few laps before I was able to complete the grid and spot the pattern. In the end, it all came together nicely.

Erik has given us four 2-word entries that have  a _AKE  _OLD pattern.

Turning that around, we arrive at today's theme:              Old Ache

I will let that thought simmer a bit while we look at the grid and appreciate its masterful symmetry. Notice how the themers align in column 8.

26 Across. Dessert-shaping aid: CAKE MOLD.  This is not as gross as it sounds. It is a baking pan used to make special-occasion cakes. (This answer has the potential to keep CED occupied all morning!)

Here is a heart-shaped CAKE MOLD for tomorrow.

33 Across. Inspire fearlessness in: MAKE BOLD.  Another way to clue this could be "Ctrl B".

46 Across. Start to have an effect: TAKE HOLD.

52 Across. Cheap jewelry material: FAKE GOLD.  Does it sound fancier if we call it "faux gold"?

And now, the mistAKEs fortOLD...

Across:

1. Cut on a cutting board: CHOP.  I checked a perp before entering "dice".

5. Decorative or dental creation: INLAY. Even with a double clue, I was still lost.

decorative wood floor & dental INLAYs

10. Bestselling South Korean band: BTS.  Credit to ATL Granny for her memory trick "Boys That Sing".

13. Duration of a massage, typically: HOUR.  I am 'all in' on the hot rocks.

14. Followed a doctor's instruction: SAID AH. Two weeks ago we decided that ahh was a contented sound (see 13A) and that aah was uttered with a tongue depressor. Aargh!

16. Creature in fantasy stories: ORC.

17. See 38-Down: ALTO. and 38 Down. With 17-Across, Silicon Valley city: PALO.

PALO ALTO is named after a majestic 1,000 year old coastal redwood tree along San Francisquito Creek where early Spanish explorers once camped and has grown alongside Stanford University for more than 125 years. Palo Alto is recognized as a global leader in cutting-edge technological development and is known as the "Birthplace of Silicon Valley.” 

18. As opposed to: UNLIKE.  This meaning usually fits when UNLIKE is the first word of the sentence. Example:  UNLIKE pre-Facebook days, today's trollers often use icons to SLAM others' ideas.

19. Actress Long: NIA.  IMBd page

fashionable NIA Long

20. Assessment: TEST.

21. Highway or byway: ROAD.  Cute clue!

22. Not banned: LEGAL.

24. Flag holder: POLE.

28. "Without further __ ... ": ADO.

30. "I just got it!": AHA.

32. Grains that aren't part of a healthy diet: SAND.  Today's winner of The Best Misdirection Award!

grains of SAND

36. Spingarn Medal org.: NAACP.  I am familiar with the NAACP but was unfamiliar with the Spingarn Medal. This is what I learned.

39. Part of a process: STEP.

40. Bucatini or capellini: PASTA.

Bucatini and capellini PASTAs

42. Criticize: SLAM.  (See 18A.)

44. Studio Ghibli specialty: ANIME.  Studio Ghibli is an animation studio founded in 1985 and based in Tokyo. Here is a sampling of their films:

48. "¿Qué te __, calabaza?": PASA.

Spanish slang. It literally means, "What's happening, pumpkin?" and is a childishly friendly way of asking someone what is going on.

50. Like the main characters in "Fire Island": GAY.

Fire Island (2022) official trailer (2:21 min.)

51. "Help!" letters: SOS.

Speaking of Morse Code, did you know that the Morse Code for the letter V (  .  .  .  -) is a tribute to Beethoven's 5th Symphony? Get it? 5=V in Roman numerals. Now say it in your head, "dot dot dot daaaaash". Source:  Good Job Brain podcast (where I get most of my trivia knowledge)

56. Woman yelling at a cat, for one: MEME.

Is this is what this is about? Is it supposed to be funny?
I do not see the humor.

58. NCAA basketball powerhouse: UCONN.  National Collegiate Athletic Association is abbreviated, so is the University of Connecticut. 

59. Basketball great Leslie: LISA.  LISA Leslie did not go to UCONN. She went to USC (1990-1994). She and her team played in the NCAA tournament 4 consecutive years.

61. LSD: ACID.

64. GPS stat: ETA.  Global Positioning System is abbreviated, so is Estimated Time of Arrival.

65. Familiarized with: USED TO.

67. Earned: MADE.

68. "Gr8 joke!": LOL.  Both are textspeak.

69. Turn indicator, e.g.: SIGNAL.

70. Squander, as cash: BLOW.

71. Spanish title: Abbr.: SRA.

72. __ dish: biologist's container: PETRI.  and 25 Down. Experiment site: LAB.

amoebas in a petri dish

73. Enemy's opposite: ALLY.

Down:
1. Talk a bit: CHAT.

2. Doughnut's middle: HOLE.

3. Very vocal: OUTSPOKEN.

(adjective) direct and open in speech or expression; spoken or expressed without reserve.

4. Prefix with type: PROTO.

5. "Uh, yeah, it better be!": I SURE HOPE SO.

6. Prefix with tech: NANO.  Hand up for first entering robO.

I learned this from listening to Neil deGrassse Tyson:

The speed of light is approximately 186,000 miles per second which is about 1 foot per NANOsecond (1 billionth of a second). So if I am sitting 3 ft. away from you, I see you 3 billionths of a second in the past.

Kind of mind-blowing, right?

7. Purple flower: LILAC.

Depending on where you live and the variety you choose,
LILACs bloom April through June.

8. Nike competitor: ADIDAS.

9. Talk a lot: YAK.  "gAb" changed to YAK

10. Afro-Cuban drum: BONGO.  Here are 3 beats:

11. Experiment: TRIAL. as in "a trial run"

12. Heat to nearly boiling, as milk: SCALD.  why it is good to scald milk

15. Montana capital: HELENA.

23. Long punctuation mark: EM DASH.  I remember this was discussed here on the Corner not too long ago. Here is a reminder.

27. Native Hawaiians: KANAKA MAOLI.  This is a tough one but it is made 54% easier if you know that there are only 13 characters in the Hawaiian alphabet. One is a glottal stop (the okina, indicated by an apostrophe). These are the other 12:

28. Morning hrs.: A.M.S.  a.m. plural

IMHO, this clue plays a bit fast & loose with the Ante Meridiem ... but I like it.

29. Experiment results: DATA.

31. __ carte menu: À LA.

34. Emergency treatment for an allergic reaction: EpiPen.

35. Setting not observed by Hawaii: Abbr.: DST.  Is this because the letters D, S, & T are not in the Hawaiian alphabet?  😉

This year, all states except for Hawaii and Arizona will switch to Daylight Savings Time on Sunday, March 12, "springing forward" from 1:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.

37. "Phew!": CLOSE CALL.  Here's one for baseball fans:

41. Word after price or phone: TAG.  another fun clue!

43. Hosp. personnel: MDS.  "Hospital" is abbreviated, so it Doctors of Medicine.

45. Name that means "great" in Latin: MAGNUS.  Most Popular Viking Names

47. Retina's place: EYE.

This is Husker Gary's helpful diagram from Saturday's puzzle.

49. Claim: ALLEGE. verbs

52. Propane and ethanol: FUELS.

53. Cast member: ACTOR.

54. Australian marsupial: KOALA.

55. "__ Cha Know?": Erykah Badu song: DIDN'T. The "cha" was a hint at the contraction.

57. Fast snake: MAMBA.  Black MAMBAs are among the fastest snakes in the world, slithering at speeds up to 12.5 mph (20 kph). Tonight when you go to sleep, try not to dream about them chasing you.  more black MAMBA facts

60. __ of David: STAR.

Israel's flag features the Star of David.

62. Big celebrity: IDOL.

63. Description for hydrated skin: DEWY.  The Dewey Decimal System is spelt differently.

66. Quick drink: SIP.

Here is one more before I go:

snowflAKE cOLD

That's all for today. I look forward to reading your comments!

Tuesday, December 20, 2022 - Erik Agard

O-Men

Jon Stewart once said of USA Today puzzles, "I will solve [it] but I don't feel good about myself." [cite: Wordplay trailer]

If you don't know, today's constructor, Erik Agard (ironically, no Os in his name), is a 3-time Jeopardy! (and the 2018 ACPT) champ and, as now-editor of USA Today's x-word, has really upped-the-game for that paper's puzzle.

Jon Stewart's gonna need to revisit his comment. //The floor is yours, good sir. :-)
Read a little about Erik [WikiP]. For more, just Google him.

I'm not a big fan of names in puzzles but, um, that's the core of the theme!
All but one name was totally unknown, so that's fair(ish). Today's offering presents fresh clues for stale fill [see: RENO] and, while I'm still just an apprentice, I can appreciate the build.

A look at the O-Dudes first:

1a. *Fictional swordfighter with a horse named Tornado: ZORRO.
ZORRO was my first thought, but I wanted omega for 1d (always check the perps, people) and I started trying to remember Three Musketeers' (and the horses' they rode in on) names.

20a. *"Parasite" director: BONG JOON-HO. I'll be honest, all perps and I had to Google how to parse the good director's name. I'm not much for movies much less who was in them (unless they're comedies - then I'm all over that).
Bong Joon-ho is a South Korean film director, producer and screenwriter. The recipient of four Academy Awards, his filmography is characterized by emphasis on social themes, genre-mixing, black humor, and sudden tone shifts. [WikiP]. #Learning!

The guy's got Bling

31a. *Abolitionist who was the first person executed for treason in the United States: JOHN BROWN. The nuns at St. Joe's taught us this song [Pete Seeger's version] in kindergarten.

40a. *Former MLB pitcher nicknamed "Flash": TOM GORDON. I'm sure Boomer (R.I.P.) had this card.

52a. *Marvel supervillain who created deadly robot clones of himself: DOCTOR DOOM. Yeah, that guy.

66a. What one might say after figuring out what the answers to the starred clues have in common?: OH, MAN.

See? Men with only O(h)s in their name.
A nice Tuesday puzzle with a bit of learning. What's not to like?
And now, for the rest of the grid:

Across:
1. [See: theme].

6. Weight: HEFT.

10. Early aughts music buys: CDS. More O's, er, zerO's. The early aughts (2000's) - when one could still hear, and buy(!), music without autotune.

13. French bottled water brand: EVIAN. You pay for that water; I'll just drink it out of the tap and save my cash.

14. At any point: EVER. Did you EVER? [That Dog (I had this on CD)]

15. "Go bother someone else!": SHOO. Ooo!, more Os.

16. Midterms and finals: TESTS. Wait, I was supposed to remember stuff after syllabus-day? Oy!

17. Largest city in Washoe County, Nevada: RENO. Washoe County is named for the Washoe people who were there first.

Washoe County

18. Hard precipitation: HAIL. Hail storms - not fun for your car's finish nor windshield.

19. "Rules __ rules": ARE. Them's the breaks (if you're caught breakin' them :-))

20. [See: theme]

22. Leisurely walk: STROLL. Ah, finally, time to slow down and think about stuff...

Jack Handey

25. __ football: ARENA. Not to be confused with the NFL - WikiP will tell you.

26. Promises of eventual repayment: I.O.U.S. My Amex bill come January.

28. Health product chain: GNC. General Nutrition Center. They sell nutrients you could just get from eating real food. 'Nuff said.

29. Holiday lead-in: EVE. Christmas will be led in with one (lasagna dinner at Pop's!). So will New Years. And then there's Amex-bill eve.

31. [See: theme]

35. Smart __: know-it-all: ALEC. Trebek! Oh, wait, that was Alex...

36. Bring to mind: EVOKE. Well, you see what Smart ALEC brought to (my) mind :-)

37. Aussie animal, for short: ROO. Also, a Jr. in Milne's wonderful stories.

38. Deceive: LIE TO. Would I Lie to You? [Eurythmics]

39. __ ex machina: DEUS. Gods from (in?) the machine.

40. [See: theme]

42. Form 1099 org.: IRS. April will be here before we know it.

43. Org. concerned with toxins: EPA. 'Concern' seems to depend on the administration.

45. Ohio border lake: ERIE.

46. Completely stop: CEASE.

48. Formally charge: INDICT. Someone is getting time for something, maybe.

52. [See: Theme]

56. Female pig: SOW. See also: 23d & 38d.

57. Masjid prayer leader: IMAM. I like the specificity of the clue - better than the generic "Muslim leader" or some such.

58. Cut, as grass: MOWN. I don't think I saw this clue while solving but I'd have missed past-tense for "cut" for a bit, I'm sure.

59. Throb: PULSE.

61. Slippery fish: EELS. I like the fish-plural here.

62. Not doing anything: IDLE. Me doing this expo? //I should really start the wash.

63. Quartz type: AGATE.

64. Internet access option: DSL. My backup to fiber. What do y'all use to get on-line?

65. Throw in the trash: TOSS. And then dig it out ala éclair.

George eats from the bin

66. [See: theme]

Down:
1. Greek Z's: ZETAS. I was thinking, "English alphabet end equivalent to the Greek alphabet end" and nearly entered Omega.

Greek Alphabet

2. Not veiled: OVERT. Or, "not the bride"(?)

3. Platform on a stage: RISER. Stage(s) above the stage. Eldest sang in choir - I was sure at least one of those kids were going to fall off the riser.

4. Zodiac rodent: RAT.

Chinese Zodiac Calendar

5. Add-__: extras: ONs.

6. Day saver: HERO.

Dudley Do Right

7. Balanced: EVEN. Karma always evens it out in the end.

8. __ shui: FENG. One of DW's BFFs warned us not to buy our old house because of it's feng shui: "Money will just run out the front door." I don't know if there's anything to her Vietnamese wisdom but,... we did spend a ton of money fixing the foundation :-(

9. USC athlete: TROJAN. The J was my last fill. [see: 12/10's LAT "SEC" clue for my (lack of) NCAA divisions knowledge :-)]

10. Did an uncanny impression of: CHANNELED. When a comedian can really CHANNEL someone...

Rich Little channels Carson and Rickles

11. Slumped-shoulders response to a task: DO I HAVE TO? Yes, and have it on my desk by 8am.

12. Unaccompanied: SOLO.

15. Sneaker, e.g.: SHOE. I was hoping for a reference to the old hacker movie.

A burglar, a spy, a fugitive, a delinquent, a hacker, and a piano teacher...
And those are the good guys.

20. Indistinct memory: BLUR. Some weeks are all a BLUR.

21. Fantasy creature: ORC. J.R.R. Tolkien and every D&D game I played. Nasty little buggers, them.

23. Pig talk: OINKS. Not Latin?

Not Peppa

24. Dangling ear part: LOBE.

27. "In a sense, I guess": SORTA. ish.

28. Small garden party?: GNOME. The little ornaments protecting your garden (or stealing your underwear!)

Forbes Explains

30. Class studying demand curves, for short: ECON. Supply and demand (expectations) over time. Quants have fun with these.

31. "Star Wars" knights: JEDI. May The Force be with you (and also with you).

32. Gets past: OVERCOMES. Some things, like Catholic school, are hard to overcome. [see: above ;-)]

33. In-home appointment: HOUSE CALL. A relic of the past come back to being by Tele-Docs. One plus of the pandemic(?).

34. "Wow, this rocks!": WOO! I wanted 'Rad', MAN.

35. Broadcast: AIRED.

38. Meat cut: LOIN.

No sows were harmed in this image

41. Not looking good: GRIM. Dark clouds hang over... #O-MEN

43. That, in Spanish: ESO.

44. Allow: PERMIT. A six-year-old in CA is the first to get a Unicorn Permit. //read the whole story - it's the kind of 'feel-good' we all need.

47. Dispensers of 20s: ATMS. Cute. I read 'of THE 20's' and had tommy-guns in my head for a moment.

49. Five Pillars faith: ISLAM.

50. __ Rica: COSTA.

Middle America?

51. Preadolescent: TWEEN. Almost there, kid. Just a little bit of more of the world (and, apparently, curse words) to learn before you're 13.

52. Ran out of battery: DIED. Some afternoons are like that.  Nap time!

53. Extinct bird: DODO. Hand-up if you remember our dear DoDo here at The Corner.

54. Nocturnal birds: OWLS. I like the feathered-friends side-by-side.

55. Singles: ONES. Not something ATMS offer.

59. Kung __ chicken: PAO.

Yummers!

60. "Blech": UGH. Um, yep.

The Grid:

Erik's Grid

WO: exams -> TESTS
ESPs: BONG JOON-HO | TROJAN, DEUS
Fav: DO I HAVE TO?

Erik, it was a pleasure breaking-down and making silly comments about your puzzle. I look forward to more LATs from you (yeah, I know you have a day job). Thanks for the puzzle!

Well, there you have it folks. Another expo in the books. I hope y'all enjoy'd the puzzle and my little fun with it.
Now it's your turn - gimme your $0.02.

Cheers, -T