AMERICA'S MOST HAUNTED
Wanted Dead, or . . . Undead~?
We have a Halloween-themed puzzle a day early; I was unaware that we would have a similar theme yesterday, as I wrote today's blog earlier in the week, but solve the rest of the week's puzzles as they come out . . . The LA Times editor, Patti Varol, is back again with a crossword that takes common in-language phrases and gives them a trick-or-treat-ment . . . 🙄 Five themers, including a grid-spanner, totalling 61 squares, that become "creepy" puns in a timely fashion. A solid Friday construction, maybe more names than I would care for, but I did some historical research, and found even our host & crossword master C.C. has "bemoaned" them - on Halloween, no less. Huh. Standard grid, no circles, no outliers, a Twurd, and thirteen names - we have a Friday the 13th coming in November. The themers, no reveal;
17. Suggestion at the start of a Halloween decoration workshop?: MAKE-A-WITCH - Make-A-Wish; I don't have a tree in my front yard, or I'd put one of these up . . .
23. Expectation during a Halloween concert?: RHYTHM AND BOOS - Rhythm & Blues
Bminor, same key as Hotel Cali- . . .
36. Apparition who only appears on Halloween in the Golden State?: CALIFORNIA GHOST - I had ghoul first - as in Califronia girl, but no, it's the California Coast, which I see is currently threatened
Ghost, "Faith" 🠟
49. Got separated from a spooky friend at a Halloween party?: LOST ONE'S GHOUL - Lost One's Cool - the "nameless Ghouls" are the members of the Swedish rock band Ghost, behind "Papa Emeritus V". Now for a song about that vampire from Transylvania . . . not the Muppet, the other one
Nosferatu, off "Spectres", from Blue Öyster Cult
59. "My Halloween monster costume is so disappointing!"?: I DON'T SCARE - "I. Don't. Care."
"We're Ready to Believe You"
Buuuuuut Waaaaaait There's Mooooooan~!
ACROSS:
1. Oodles: ALOT - A Twurd to start us off
5. Mattress material: FOAM - I do the Downs first, had perps
9. Tablet downloads: APPs
13. Kidney-related: RENAL - my dad had a kidney transplant, so I heard this word ALOT growing up
15. Red inside, maybe: RARE
16. Victory lap speed: TROT
19. Depend (on): RELY
20. Sugar suffix: OSE - fructose, sucralose ( OK, that's fake sugar ), etc.
21. Shoreline shaper: TIDE - The King Tide is the threat to the west coast
22. Yaz's team from 1961 to 1983: BOSOX - abbr for abbr - Carl Yastrzemski, played for the Boston Red Sox - not a baseball fan, but I knew this name, #1
27. Athletic honor: ESPY - The award given out by ESPN, the sports network; I see our favorite crossword WNBA player made the list . . .
28. Horn of Africa nation: ERITREA - Geo name #2
31. Omnia vincit __: AMOR - Latin, "love conquers all"
34. "Right on!": "AMEN~!"
These Halloween tights are right on
35. Dragon boat steerer: OAR - Chinese "ship", but when I punched "Dragon Boat" into Google, I get more Chinese restaurants than rowers; more here
41. Meadow mouthful: CUD - cow candy - alliteration 😜
42. Turn off the security cameras for, maybe: ABET
43. Iowa college town: AMES - Geo name #3
44. Accessory that may match cuff links: TIE CLIP
46. Sportages and Tellurides: KIAs - autos
54. Copious: AMPLE
56. Covent Garden solo: ARIA - yada yada four letter solo~? ARIA - more about the centre here
57. Cold-sounding commercial prefix: SNO - Sno-cone, sno-caps, sno-balls, etc.
58. Rich soil: LOAM - AND - 53. Windborne sediment: LOESS - Both good for wine-making, it seems
63. Alaskan gold rush town: NOME - Geo name #4
64. __ fun at: POKES - hard to see the 'plural'
65. Mystery writer?: ANONymous - frequent visitors to the Corner comments section
66. "The Crying Game" writer/director Jordan: NEIL - Friday vague, and I did see the movie, back in 1992; name #5
67. Intervals: GAPS
DOWN:
1. Medieval museum display: ARMOR - When I build my castle, I'll have a suit of armor on display
2. Spot checker?: LEASH - Dog humor, har-har
Cooper-checker
3. Harmonious, in a way: ON KEY - a bit meh.
4. __ kwon do: TAE
5. End of the workweek, for some: FRIDAY - Technically, it's the "start" of my "work" week 😜
6. Like some breakfast bars: OATEN - I made my own granola, but the calories in a tray are outrageous
I divvy it up into 20 squares, 238cals each
7. Part of a circumference: ARC
8. Underwhelmed review: MEH - Friday's puzzles have been 50/50 Yeah/Meh of late
9. Intrinsically: AT ROOT
10. Briefing setting: PRESSROOM - Brief setting = Dressing room
For the ladies
11. See 24-Down: POLO - AND - 24. With 11-Down, "The Fosters" actress: TERI name #s 6 & 7
12. River that made Achilles (mostly) invincible: STYX - dipped all but his "heel", hence the "weak" term
14. Plastered strips: LATHS - Meh in the plural
18. Fraidy-cat: WIMP - fitting clue/answer
22. Sound of spring?: <<BOING>> - Har-har
25. Lovato with the 2025 album "It's Not That Deep": DEMI - name #8; her website
26. City near Anaheim: BREA - west coast, again - I get it - it's the LA Times . . . 😑Geo name #9
29. Smooth sailing: EASE - Dah~! I tried CALM
30. Newspaper section: ARTS - not op-ed
31. Checkbook no.: ACCT
32. Home of Kahului Airport: MAUI - sounded Hawaiian, tried OAHU to start - Geo name #10
33. Tex-Mex brand: OLD EL PASO - I usually buy their flat-bottom taco shells
34. Echidna snack: ANT - learning moment; did not think of Echidna as an animal, but a place . . . turns out it's another Greek mythology figure, and the mother of Cerberus, for one
37. "F" on a test: FALSE - Five letters, therefore, not "FAIL"
38. Notice in passing?: OBITuary - Standard crossword humor
39. Credit report blot: REPO - A repossession, typically of a vehicle - I own my two cars
40. Leftovers dish: HASH - I toyed with STEW but waited on perps
45. "The Favourite" Oscar winner Olivia: COLMAN - looks like it might be a funny movie; name #11
46. Seed: KERNEL - corn - candy corn
47. Skeptical reply: "IS IT~?"
48. Showing shock: AGASP - Dah~! Not AGAPE
The Scream
50. With 51-Down, 2019 and 2021 Australian Open winner: NAOMI - AND -
51. See 50-Down: OSAKA - tennis, a Corner shout-out, and name #12
52. General Assembly fig.: UN REP - United Nations representative - the list, here
54. __ mater: ALMA
55. Bellyache: MOAN - Bark at the Moan . . .
OZZY~!!!
59. Travel stop: INN - How about a stop at "The Stanley Hotel"~? it's the one from The Shining
60. Generic surname: DOE - lucky #13, didn't hafta be one . . .
61. Horologist's piece: COG - I was thinking astrology, but this is a watchmaker
Splynter
Grid Flow 24.1
