CRISS-CROSS-EYED
This appears to be Sala Wanetick's first solo effort for the LA Times - I found three other puzzles with a co-constructor, Emily Biegas. The grid is size 15 x 16, and the theme is two-word formations known as reduplication. Some really vague clues/answers today, 18 TLWs, just two less than the number of four letter words, and a handful names, some of them totally obscure. The themers;
18. Drag one's feet: DILLY-DALLY
27. Idle banter: CHIT-CHAT
40. Indecisive: WISHY-WASHY
57. Mixed bag: MISH-MASH
69. Tchotchke: KNICK-KNACK - I learned the word "tchotchke" ( CHOCH-key) from the terminal manager at Roadway Express - he was referring to the truckload of Home Interiors goods we had to sort every Friday night
And Away We Go~!
ACROSS:
1. Loose-fitting: BAGGY
6. Hiker's snack mix: GORP - AND - 32A. Tidbit in 6-Across: NUT - Good Ol' Raisins & Peanuts
10. New England fish: SCROD
15. Tunisian couturier Azzedine __: ALAÏA - Wow. On a Wednesday. Beyond obscure. His Wiki. Name #1
16. Is short: OWES
17. __ Troopa: Mario Bros. turtlelike foe: KOOPA - I grew up with Atari 2600;
this was the "next generation" of video gaming - Name #2
21. Italian sub slice: SALAMI
22. Unleash (on): SIC
23. Management level: TIER
24. Seeking, in ads: ISO - the old newspaper classified dating section - In Search Of . . . .
25. Organic lip balm brand: EOS
34. Drops in on: VISITS
35. Petro-Canada rival: ESSO - Name #3, but a common fill
36. Play areas?: STAGES
39. __ rally: PEP
44. "Silent Sunday Nights" cable network: TCM - filled via perps
47. Hangs loose: CHILLS - how 'bout some Chillaxing music~?
Rapture At Sea
52. "Got it": "OH, I SEE" - a bit meh.
54. Secret agent: SPY
56. Knitting loop: PURL - I used to watch several women in AA meetings knit, to the point where my curiosity got the better of me, and I asked Carol to teach me.
63. Like those on a world cruise: ASEA - Rapture~?
64. Float filler: AIR - I was not sure what "float" this referred to - I am guessing this . . . .
68. Hybrid piece of flatware: SPORK
71. Neutral shade: TAUPE
73. Aerie nester: EAGLE
74. Counterpart of "ser," in Spanish: ESTAR - I had no idea - I used Google translate; both mean "be"
75. "Save me a __!": SEAT
76. Track athlete's asset: SPEED
DOWN:
1. Less photogenic angle: BAD SIDE - my "top side" is bad; the field manager is obsessed with taking pictures of my bald spot
3. Runs fast: GALLOPS
4. __ monster: GILA
5. Self-congratulatory cheer: "YAY ME~!" - cute, but a bit meh.
6. Smallest state in India: GOA - learned by doing crosswords; name #4
7. Parliament birds: OWLS - a 'parliament' being a group of owls - very clever
8. Piece of history: RELIC - this was my nick-name when I worked at Winn-Dixie; I was 27yrs old, roughly 10 years older than the rest of the stock crew - I was actually enamored of the moniker
10. Like some newly rescued dogs: SKITTISH - understandable
12. Fruit from a flowering shrub: ROSE HIP
13. Manage: OPERATE - manage/operate is more Saturday clue/answer, IMO
14. Who __ Nation: New Orleans Saints fans: DAT - I have heard of this; it appears from the Corner map that Hahtoolah and Big Easy might be fans of this NFL team . . . .
19. Pop diva Celine: DION - Name #5, but I knew this one
26. Food that may be served via conveyor belt: SUSHI - I did not understand this clue; when I did an internet search, I discovered that there are restaurants that have sushi dishes going around on a belt - fascinating~!
28. St. __ Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub: IVES - fresh cluing for an old fill
31. Auto club service: TOW - I toyed with AAA first, but that would be the club, not the service
33. Texting farewell: TTYL - text-speak, Talk To You Later
37. Knob-handled stickers: AWLS - stickers has different meanings in different places. I was asked by an associate of the Pipe Organ company to get a couple of "stickers"; growing up on Long Island, "stickers" are the self-adhesive images that went on your books and binders - here in New England, it would seem that they are the "chocks" for under lumber stacks. Go figure. In this clue/answer, the term "sticker" is more like "poke-r"
41. Spot with falling rocks?: ICEMAKER - very clever clue / answer
42. Former home of the Mets: SHEA - name #6, but I grew up a Mets fan on Long Island, so . . . .
43. "Reckon so": "YEP."
44. Actor Holland: TOM - name #7; his IMDb
45. Mexican state bordering Guatemala: CHIAPAS - name #8, no clue; tough for a Wednesday
49. Riffle (through): RUMMAGE
50. Thing: ARTICLE - ITEM was way too short
51. Didn't bring one's A game, say: SLACKED
53. Ethnic group native to Nepal and Tibet: SHERPA
55. "Ew! Gross!": "YUCK~!"
58. Fermented brews often served warm: SAKES - Sock-EEs, to drink with your conveyor belt sushi
59. Shutter hardware: HINGE - Shutters SHUT; I have "fake" shutters that would not come close to protecting the windows on my house
they will come off when I do stucco in the future
61. Prods: POKES - you mean, with a sticker~? Or an awl~?65. Latvia's capital: RIGA - learned by doing crosswords
67. Onesie feature: SNAP
70. Winter hrs. in Tulsa: CST - the clocks are "normal" again
Splynter
