Yijing Chen - is back again; her last LA Times puzzle was the "no notes" musical theme back on Oct 16th that we either loved or hated. I loved that one, and today's construction, too - it might well be the epitome of a crossword, at least within the context of a themed, Friday-level one. A solid concept, four answers in a pinwheel, plus a grid-spanner, with each of the matching "?" clues beginning with "Go", but interpreted as "G and O" - the letters that start the matching two-word fills. A theme that even if solvers sussed out, only gives them two cells for "free". Plenty of deceptive and/or obscure clues, with almost no dreck for fill, a high Grid Flow, and four 9-letter Downs on top of the themers. My only 'nits' ( 58D. ) were the five additional "?" clues that were non-themers, used as a hint at punny answers, and of the mere four names ( one a themer ), one could have been clued differently; perhaps a change by the editor. The five themers, no reveal; 18. Go with the flow?: GIANTOTTER - This animal "weaseled" its way into the crossword . . . 🙄
38. Go wild?: GREATOUTDOORS - An 80's movie I did not see - Dan Aykroyd, John Candy
I went as Dan Aykroyd's Ghostbusters character Ray Stantz at the gym on Halloween
59. Go vegan?: GREENONION - A.K.A. 'scallions', I liked the fact that "Go Green" was not used for any of the clues. I chop up and add the whole bunch when I make my Kung Pao Chinese chicken dish. Here's the musical version
Booker T & the M.G.s
3. Go blond?: GOLDENOREO - I liked the cute clue for this version of our beloved crossword cookie
31. Go figure?: GARYOLDMAN - One of my favorite actors, I am fascinated how his appearance and demeanor changes drastically from role to role, with hardly any makeup; here he is in the Fifth Element as Zorg, then Sirius Black from the Harry Potter movies, and again as commissioner Gordon from one of the Batman triologies - name #1
But Wait - Go On - There's More~!
ACROSS:
1. Wilts: SAGS
5. Lacking the knack: INEPT
10. Each, informally: APOP - OK, twurd(ish)
14. Monkey's fist, for one: KNOT - solid Friday obsure, if you're not into sailing - or crafts . . .
15. James of "North by Northwest": MASON - second of only four names today; didn't have to be one - he was the actor originally cast as "Drax" for the 007 movie "Moonraker"; here's more from YouTube . . .
Fact #9 @ 8:12
16. At its prime, in a way: RIPE - this is true, of fruit - B.O., not so much - see 56 Down
17. Online chat status: IDLE
20. Reduce the importance of: DEVALUE
22. Osso buco cut: SHANK
23. Early tourney rounds: PRELIMS - tournament & preliminaries both abbrs
25. Storage tower: SILO
27. German article: EIN - "a"
28. Clothes line: SEAM - We've seen this misdirection before
30. Herding breed that originated in Wales: CORGI - proper noun, not quite a 'name'
33. Sponsor, as a stretch of highway: ADOPT - Here's a link to the history, and how it works
I believe this is on a stretch of I-84
35. Exceed 21 at a casino, say: LOSE - Dah~! Not BUST
37. Legged it: RAN - my thanks to the constructor fo teeing this one up for me . . .
A leg, a run, a tragedy
41. Shrill cry: "EEK~!"
42. Part of AM: ANTE - Latin, ante meridian, before ( meri dies ) mid-day
43. Make quickly, as eggs: FRYUP - Also learned this is what Brits call a full breakfast
47. One, for two: HALF - another vague, yet great clue for Friday
49. It's mined, all mined!: ORE - Great new way to clue this old fill
"Mining" Nemo
50. Noun suffix: NESS - I read this as the suffix one puts on a noun - e.g. SOFT is an adjective - softness, however, is the noun . . . one can't put "ness" on a noun; I have never enjoyed the "deskness" of my office . . . 😜
52. Handout to a passerby: LEAFLET
54. Tempo slower than adagio: LARGO
57. Gulped down: INHALED - had this clue/answer two weeks ago
61. "Could not agree more": "AMEN~!" - two weeks in a row for Friday
67. Point of view: TAKE - as in, "what's your - - - on things~?"
68. Optional stair part: RISER - the vertical part between treads if they're NOT optional by code
Vertiginous
69. With 23-Down, stir-fry vegetable: SNOW - AND - 23. See 69-Across: PEA
. . . OR . . .
DOWN:
1. Compete in the super-G, e.g.: SKI - I start with the Down clues to give me some crossings at the themers, which was only 3/5ths effective today; I did not know what 'sport' this clue referred to
2. "Is there more to this story?": "AND . . .?"
4. __ wool: STEEL - Dah~! I shoulda known this one . . . 😖
5. "Sign me up!": "I'MGAME~!"
6. Paperless filing center?: NAILSALON - "?" clue #2, very clever, and the first of four 9-letter Down fills; the place one can go to get your fingernails filed, trimmed, painted, etc.
7. Genesis sibling: ESAU - Dah~! I went with ABEL; CAIN, SETH, and even LEVI fit; name #3
8. Southern cornmeal cakes: PONES - A bit Meh in the plural
9. Letters on red Minecraft blocks: TNT
10. Hybrid subgenre for Ari Aster and Jordan Peele: ARTHORROR - Down 9 #2, I have not heard of this type of film-making, and I only recognized ONE movie from this IMDb list; name(ish)
11. Kebab bread: PITA - Dah~! I filled in NAAN to start
12. Kick off: OPEN
13. Added benefit: PERK - I tried PLUS; 25% correct
19. Scandinavian city served by Gardermoen Airport: OSLO - Four letter yada yada Scandinavia~?
21. Far-reaching outlook: VISTA
24. Like Ruffles: RIDGED
26. Sugar-coated, in a way: ICED - another great clue, talking birthday cake, e.g.
29. Cave entrance: MOUTH - I pondered our more obscure crosswordese "ADIT"
32. Create a policy for: INSURE - spot on, but took me a while
34. Toy breed that originated in China: PEKINGESE - Down 9 #3
36. Touch base in an unusual way?: STEALHOME - "?" #3, and Down 9 #4 - baseball, but it's a bit 'meh' as home is a 'plate', not a base . . .
39. License plates: TAGS - I see this in books and hear it in movies, but most of the people I am acquainted with on the East coast do not call them "tags" - it's just "the plates". Perhaps due to my time in New York where the registration is a sticker in the lower corner of the windshield, not on a corner of the plate
40. Ingredient used by nose-to-tail chefs: OFFAL - Another learning moment; I never realized that "offal" is the word/term/definition of the edible organs of an animal. More about the cuisine - also British - here in an LA Times article
44. Caress: PET - I put in PAT
46. Inert gas: NEON - second in the Noble gases class
48. More economical: LEANER - CHEAPER didn't fit, but I left in the "E R" and waited on perps
51. Red Sea peninsula: SINAI - More Bible, Geo name #4
53. Psychoanalysis topics: FEARS - nailed it - not the fingernail kind of hammering fear, either . . . 🙄
54. Pride Month letters: LGBT
55. Side by side?: AREA - a very clever, but fourth "?" non-theme clue
56. Raise a big stink?: REEK - our last, "?" clue #5
58. Minor complaints: NITS - see above
60. Poetic contraction: O'ER - in just a couple of weeks, we will be o'er the fields jingling bells . . .
62. I, to Claudius: EGO - Dah~! I went with "ONE", for the Roman numeral
63. Still in the box: NEW - "in mint condition" - I have these two original Star Wars toys, but they're pretty banged up, as I played with them when I was a kid . . .
