google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday, April 8, 2020, Zachary David Levy

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Apr 8, 2020

Wednesday, April 8, 2020, Zachary David Levy


Theme: IT'S A CAKEWALK

17. Early stage of most tornados: FUNNEL CLOUD.


24. Bikini Bottom fry cook: SPONGE BOB.


36. Common nickname for a redhead: CARROT TOP.


51. Hashtag symbol: POUND SIGN.


60. Easy-peasy ... or a hint to the start of 17-, 24-, 36- and 51-Across: PIECE OF CAKE.

Melissa here. What a sweet puzzle, self-explanatory theme. I don't know about you but now I'm hungry. These pics may inspire bakers with some extra time on their hands this month. You're welcome.

Across:

1. Continent with 11 time zones: ASIA. Wow.


5. Gift for a creative kid: ART SET.

11. Slyly include in an email, for short: BCC. Blind carbon copy.

14. Textile machine: LOOM.

15. "Who __ thunk it?": WOULDA.

16. Significant time span: ERA.

19. Smallish batteries: AAS.

20. Knotted up: TIED.

21. Actress Basinger: KIM.

22. Former Clannad singer: ENYA. A little obscure.  From 1980 to 1982, Clannad operated as a six-piece band with Enya Brennan on additional keyboards and vocals, before she left the group to pursue a solo career.

23. Terrible twos, one hopes: PHASE.

27. Pacific current: EL NINO.

29. "Fan-cee!": OOLALA.

30. Curiosity org.: NASA. Curiosity is the car-sized rover designed to explore the crater Gale on Mars as part of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission.


31. Practitioner of total patient care: HOLIST. Tricky. I've never seen the noun form of this word.

35. Neon or Freon: GAS.

39. "Oh, puh-leeze!": HAH.

42. Congregation leader: PASTOR.

43. Fail to include: OMIT.

47. Turkish inn: IMARET. Another obscure word. Dictionary.com says, In Turkey, a hospice for pilgrims and travelers. Wikipedia doesn't mention Turkey, but says it is one of a few names used to identify the public soup kitchens built throughout the Ottoman Empire from the 14th to the 19th centuries. The imarets gave out food that was free of charge to specific types of people and unfortunate individuals.

49. At full volume: ABLARE.

55. Dog-__: folded at the corner: EARED. A no-no for library books.

56. Ward of "Sisters": SELA.


57. SADD concern: DUI.

58. "The Grouchy Ladybug" writer Carle: ERIC. He also wrote The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

59. "Conan" channel: TBS. Rather than cease production during the pandemic, the shows are being shot remotely on an iPhone, without an audience and with guest interviews being filmed via video chat.

64. Seine water: EAU.

65. Puts into law: ENACTS.

66. At once, in many poems: ANON.

67. Sales __: REP.

68. Some digital watches: CASIOS.

69. Polliwog home: POND.

Down:

1. ET from Melmac: ALF.

2. Watts Towers neighborhood, briefly: SOUTH LA. Having lived in California most of my adult life, I did not know about the Watts Towers.


3. Greek islanders of old: IONIANS.

4. "Who am I?" speaker, perhaps: AMNESIAC.

5. Leatherworking tool: AWL.

6. Is totally awesome: ROCKS. Cute.

7. Dutch flower: TULIP. Anyone been to the tulip fields in Amsterdam?


8. MLB replay aid: SLO MO. Slow motion.

9. College URL suffix: EDU.

10. Bit: TAD.

11. Pliable seat: BEANBAG.

12. Coloring name since 1903: CRAYOLA.

13. Winter melons: CASABAS.

18. Paradise: EDEN.

22. Skinny swimmer: EEL.

23. Home near a barn: PEN.

25. Cosa __: NOSTRA. The Sicilian Mafia.

26. Show up for: GO TO.

28. "Darn it all": OH RATS.

32. Surg. centers: ORS. Operating Rooms.


33. Used car site: LOT.

34. "Who am __ judge?": I TO.

37. Pretended to be: APED.

38. Icy end-of-the-world region: POLAR CAP.


39. Trendy type often parodied on "Portlandia": HIPSTER.

40. Slide organisms: AMOEBAE.

41. Calls on the carpet: HAULS UP. Have never heard this phrase.

44. Rivera in Cooperstown: MARIANO. Mariano Rivera was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY on July 21, 2019.

45. "Seems to me," in dialect: I RECKON.

46. Danson of "The Good Place": TED.

48. Genetic "messenger" initials: RNA.

50. Most steaks: BEEF. Followed by a slice of one of those cakes up top.

52. Notions: IDEAS. Not sewing.

53. Fashion brand identified by interlocking G's: GUCCI.

54. 2012-'18 Mexican president: NIETO.

60. Push-up target, for short: PEC.

61. __ bind: stuck: INA.

62. CIA forerunner: OSS.

63. Close: END. And that's the end.



48 comments:

Jinx in Norfolk said...

FIR, but had to take Zoe for a walk before I could grok the California territory. Guessed RNA x IMARET, and waited for dwi/DUI and la nina/EL NINO. DNK Carle, Portlanda, NIETO, CASABAS, IMARET, or where Conan works for a living.

RIP John Prine. I loved your music. Dear Abby was my favorite, although Paradise was your most famous.

Thanks to Zachary for the fun, tough-for-Wednesday puzzle. And thanks to melissa for the colorful review. I agree with having time on hands. We've been back in Virginia for two weeks now. Seems like two months. We were in Ocala for three months, and it seemed like three weeks.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Had to change ABLAST to ABLARE, but that was my only stumble this morning. Thought HOLIST should be WHOLIST. My CASIO atomic watch showed up, and IMARET came back for an encore. Nicely done, Zachary, and thanx for the tour, Melissa Bee (I've been to Amsterdam many times, but have yet to see a tulip there.)

I knew John Prine had COVID-19, but didn't know that he had died. Sad. Thanx for the update, Jinx. When I Get To Heaven

Hungry Mother said...

FIR, no write-overs, very fair puzzle.

BobB said...

47A Tried to squeeze in "minaret". Otherwise a quick run.
This stay at home order has given my wife and I time to discuss in detail everything I have done wrong in the last 15 years.

Boomer said...

Welcome back Melissa ! After having a look at all those calories in the heading, I had to settle down and take my Metformin. However I really liked the photo and caption of Radar O'Reilly ordering face masks and supplies for his M.A.S.H. I think we could have used him in New York. We are still not able to purchase a mask in Minnesota even after the CDC told everyone to wear them in public. Rochester Mayo is looking good for us. Have a good week and stay safe and healthy everyone. Boomer

Lemonade714 said...

D-O thanks for confirming that we have seen IMARET recently. I just cannot find when we saw it.

Like Jinx, I did not know ERIC CARLE or remember the controversial MEXICAN PRESIDENT .

Thank you ZDL. As always, mb your words are a delight as you explicate Zachary's second LAT.

Be careful, be safe.

desper-otto said...

Lemonade, it was 11d on last Friday's puzzle. Guess who blogged that one?

Anonymous said...

Fine, uneventful puzzle. Needed 6:18 to reach the end.
Deducting a point for "ablast" and for having "beef" dilute the theme (beefcake).

I knew of the Watts Riots, which lead to South LA.

Yellowrocks said...

The third quick and easy one this week.
To see the tulips in Amsterdam has been on my bucket list for many years. Unfortunately age and reality have relegated most items on my bucket list to virtual tours. Now that I am finally on my own, I am old and don't like flying anymore.
Anon @7:56, yes knowing of the Watts Riots was a big help.Such a sad episode in our history.
"Hauled up on charges" or "hauled before the judge" IMO are the most commonly heard usages of HAUL UP.
Clannad sounded Irish. Irish singer, four letters, likely to be ENYA. She appears here often. Just now LIU. First time I saw her picture.
IMARET, another crossword oldie.
I am okay with excluding BEEF CAKE from this theme. All the other cakes were actual cakes, desserts. BEEF CAKE refers to a human. OTOH I guess, "I want a piece of that," would fit the theme, but too DF.
Can anyone explain the prejudice here against A words? Why is blasting better than ABLAST? IMO having a variety of words for the same thought makes life colorful.
I am still not bored. I am reading a novel a day. Getting totally immersed in reading drives away all problems for the time.
I finished my project. Much needed glow of satisfaction and accomplishment. I made square dance club plans and wrote callers' contracts for Sept. 2020 through August 2021. I wonder how much of it we will be able to accomplish.

jfromvt said...

Pretty easy Wed puzzle....am i the first to say it was a piece of cake?

I had one of those strange coincidences doing the puzzle. On the same page of our paper, they always have a few articles on celebrities. Today a blurb on Kim Bassinger, and lo and behold, she’s also in the crossword.

Now, if I was on a deserted island, think I’d want the other crossword guest Sela Ward with me, but Kim would do in a pinch.

Ray - O - Sunshine said...

FIR but lots of crossouts. Had AAA for AAS. "Calls out" for HAULS UP crossed with "ampersand for POUND SIGN (I don't tweet, dont ask me). Remembered the Turkish inn from an earlier CW but spelled (spelt?) it IMARiT. That mess kept me in the dark in the SW corner for quite a while.

CRAYOLAS ...a word that conjures up memories of bitterness and shame........

In grade school a kid's social status and worth was adjudged by the number of TIERS In his Crayola box ...
The smug one-percenters flaunting their fat boxes with the sharpener built INTO THE BOX. Mom and Dad explained they could afford nothing larger than a MEASLEY two teared set or forego makng the rent that month
Our first grade teacher would sneer at us "crayon peasants" and say "take out your CRAYOLAS (not "crayons" )" to add to our embarrassment.
Fate would inevitably deal me another blow. A *snap* echoed through the classroom...my favorite color had broken in two ...a fact I tried to conceal by replacing the two halves stacked in their slot. Pretending all was well, with a weak smile, showed the box to the rest of the class....But they knew....EVERYONE knew......


A shout out to Canadian Eh. Last night, after 6 seasons sadly watched the last episode of one my favorite comedies..the incredible Canadian production "Schitts Creek" with a hilarious Canadian cast including Eugene Levy (Hamilton; Ont) his son Dan and wonderful Catherine O'hara ( both born in "Trono"). After a hard day in the trenches that insane family always lifted my spirits with a good laugh.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

As soon as I entered Sponge Bob and glanced back at Funnel Cloud, I figured we were going on a Cake Walk. I went astray (Nice A word, YR) at Ablast/Ablare (Hi, DO), and Erin/Eric, not knowing the author. I wasn't keen on Haul up, Holist, or the Oo la la variation. Cute theme and an easy, speedy solve.

Thanks, Zachary, for a mid-week treat and thanks, Melissa, for the extensive and informational summary, especially the article on the Watts Towers which was fascinating to read and learn the background; I may have heard of the Watts Towers but had no idea what they were in reality. I also enjoyed the visual of the "Capped" Polar Bear's gyrations.

FWIW, for those who have Spectrum cable service, they are offering free access to EPIX and SHOWTIME until April 19th. I checked their listings but wasn't overly impressed, although if you had the time and patience to binge-watch numerous episodes, Homeland, Ray Donovan, Billions, Dexter and The Borgias were all highly touted.

FLN

CED, the tiny little "canned" canine picture was cute and appreciated. (More, please) I'm sure you're aware of how talented your daughter is and if she is pursuing a singing/acting career, I wish her well.

Stay safe, all.

Sherry said...

Thks Melissa. Turkish inn clue was a misdirection, had no clue. Never heard the expression, "Hauls Up" for called on the carpet. Otherwise a piece of cake.lol

Wilbur Charles said...

Jfromvt, when I'm about to choose between Kim and Sela I punch my awake.

Yes, I noticed that many 60D's may produce a 50D "Cake" bod.

Easiest of the work but I had sOCKo, Seicos and CAsAwBAS. I didn't know Bob was a frycook.

For what it's worth: 42(as -T pointed out). Owen had a late Monday post on the J re "Combination Lock puzzlers. Now if I could just do sudoku.

As YR alluded, if a person having amnesia is an AMNESIAC then a practitioner of holistic medicine would be an HOLIST.

Thx Mbee for your usual entertaining write-up

WC

Wilbur Charles said...

I meant "pinch me" awake but I probably will get a punch from Betsy

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-FUNNEL Cake is a staple of fairs and ball games for us
-$1.50/gal gasoline (so far) – Who WOULDA thunk it?
-Will the COVID-19 ERA change our country?
-What are we gonna tell our friends when they say OO LA LA?
-Conan got paid $50M to leave The Tonight Show and let Leno back in
-The literal translation of EAU de Toilette is disturbing :-)
-Omaha’s Lauritzen Botanical Gardens imports Dutch TULIPS and keeps them in cool dark storage until their fabulous spring display
-“That D.A. HAULS UP a lot of dope smokers in front of a judge”
-COSA NOSTRA means “our thing”. In Godfather II Kay tells Michael “This Sicilian thing must END!” He slaps her for that and what else she had done.
-RAY – A mournful reminder of my childhood. Sigh…
-FLN – Merck and Burgoo made for interesting reading

Abejo said...

Good morning, folks. Thank you, Zachary David Levy, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Melissa Bee, for a fine review.

Puzzle went through just fine. Theme became obvious after I got60A, PIECE OF CAKE.

SOUTH LA and WATTS. I worked in WATTS, at the GTE C.O. I remember they had some big time riots there years ago.

Never heard of CASABAS. I do not eat very much melon type food. Just watermelon in the summer.

Took me a while to spell IMARET. Got it. HIPSTER helped.

Did not remember NIETO, perps.

Well, I am going to the post office, then walk the dog, then eat something, then off to my urologist to get a hormone shot.

See you tomorrow.

Abejo

( )

Wilbur Charles said...

HG, Everly Bros., "Phil and Don"*

WC

*Wings. But who was Uncle Ernie? I thought Kovacs? Open the Door

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Almost a PIECE OF CAKE solve. The SW was a bit cranky but once I fully remembered IMARET from several days ago, I sussed HIPSTER and HAULS UP. I was astounded with ABLARE, but YR makes a point. Not easy to use in conversation, though, unless the speaker is tuned to it. I still remember our Captain yelling "avast" to the pusher tugs as we were mooring. Whoops!
ASIA really didn't need a clue since the 4 cells were clear. (Only continent with 4 letters)
POLAR CAP - The world really doesn't END there, it just continues down the other side.
TULIP - Brought to Europe by the Turks. Ottawa has lush TULIP gardens; a gift to Canada from the Netherlands for hosting the Dutch royal family during WWII.
RECKON - (Popular in oaters). The Germans have 'rechnen', L. German 'reken'. (In the sense of counting or tallying)

Thanks for the intro, Melissa.

Wilbur Charles said...

I saw this explanation of the CSO's

Paul McCartney "shouted out" to several of his relatives and friends in this song: his aunt ("Auntie Gin") and brother ("Brother Michael"), the Everly Brothers ("Phil and Don"), Keith Moon ("Uncle Ernie") and his famous former bandmate ("Brother John"). His reference to "Sister Suzie" was a reference to Linda, who once recorded a song under the name "Suzie And The Red Stripes."

WC

waseeley said...

Boomer, there are tons (literally!) of patterns for masks on YouTube that don't require sewing. I made one with just an old tee shirt and a pair of scissors (google 'dr jeremy howard diy face mask') I'm making one today one from a pair of old jeans, double-stick tape, and shoe laces. Masks - don't leave home without one!

Lucina said...

Hola!

Yes, this was a PIECE OF CAKE! Thank you, Zachary David Levy. This is the only way I enjoy CAKE nowadays. Occasionally I eat a sliver at someone's party.

NIETO was not only a past president of Mexico, it also means "grandson" and ELNINO means "the child" (male).

An ARTSET might include a box of CRAYOLAs which when I was a child came in only one tier. I recall the feeling of shock the first time I saw multiple tiers.

My deduction of ENYA was much the same as YR and it was a treat to see topnotch actresses KIM and SELA.

It was summer when I went to Amsterdam so the TULIPs were long gone. One of my friends planned to go this month but of course that trip was cancelled.

ERIC Carle is well known to elementary teachers. His books are not only clever and creative, they usually have cutouts where the young reader can insert a finger or manipulate the character.

Was it intentional to cite who am I TO judge as Judge ITO?

I well remember the Watts riots in SOUTH LA and the towers later built from the scraps.

Thank you, Melissa Bee for the amusing recap!

I hope you are keeping healthy and safe, everyone!

Lucina said...

Abejo:
Hormone shots? Is there something you're not telling us?

Yellowrocks said...

WC. LOL, A beefcake bod is not only large, but muscular. It is produced by many reps at the gym, rather than many pieces of cake. It is a glamorous male body similar to cheesecake for a female. Beefcake is considered sexy, but I prefer just normally fit.

Wikipedia"..."holism" usually refers to the idea that a whole is greater than the sum of its parts In this sense, "holism" may also be spelled "wholism"... Finally, in the context of holistic medicine, "holism" refers to treating all aspects of a person's health, including psychological and cultural factors, rather than only his/her physical conditions or symptoms" This was certainly the case in evaluating Alan's many problems. I had to be the holist, uniting all the parts for the varied specialists because we consulted so many of them.

I think ABLARE is used in writing rather than in everyday speech."With trumpets ablare, the band entered the stadium." I sometimes resent that we must avoid speaking so many wonderful words for fear of being called pretentious or elitist. I sometimes wonder whether people are being pretentious about their own unpretentiousness. Saying, "I am always very humble," is not true humility, IMO.

HG, your post about the tulip garden reminds me of our local beautiful Presby Iris Gardens, Upper Montclair, NJ. I am sure that COVID 19 will keep it closed this spring. Alas!

FLN. CED, Thanks for sharing. Sara is so talented. And thanks for the adorable pup in a cup.

Ray, what a sad Crayola experience. When I was six none of us came from the 10%. We all seemed quite similar to one another. So no prob. However, as a teacher in a 10%er neighborhood, I felt very sorry that the few kids of lesser means were put down like that. I commented to two third grade girls that they had very similar shirts. The 10%er said in a smug voice, "But MINE is Izod."

Misty said...

I loved this Wednesday puzzle--many thanks, Zachary, for the treat. I got almost everything, though it took a bit of interesting work here and there, but loved the way everything eventually fell into place. And when I got PIECE OF CAKE and checked, there they were, FUNNEL and SPONGE and POUND, and CARROT filled in later. My only problem was the middle south. I know what SADD stands for and that they worry about alcohol, but coudn't get D__. And I just didn't know that fashion brand at all. I do drink two glasses of Merlot every evening, but I haven't shopped for clothes in ten years or more (there's a half century of clothes in my closet just sitting there) so I don't know my fashion brands. But that's only four letters out of place--not a big deal--and it was lots of fun to do so well on this puzzle. And, Melissa, I just loved your picture of the TULIP field.

Have a great day, everybody.

Anonymous said...

Lucina if you read the article you will see that the man who built Watts Towers died before the Watts Riots began.

CrossEyedDave said...

Found the puzzle to be just at my wavelength today
it's nice when you are in tune...

However, I am loathe to regurgitate another cake link for this theme...

I did appreciate the M*A*S*H* pic of Radar ordering face masks!
reminded me of a clip where Potter is bemoaning to Father Mulcahy
about Klinger being awful replacing him, & Mulcahy recalls the trials
of his predecessor teaching Radar the ropes.
I tried ti find the clip for you, but YouTube kicked me while I'm down...

So instead,
in a repeat of how I religiously dog ear certain books for a reason,
(sheet music books for page turning, don't freak out!)
I give you Victor Borge, & his Son as the page turner...

oc4beach said...


Reasonable solve today. Nice puzzle from Zachary. Melissa Bee provided a nice narrative of the puzzle.

I finally saw the theme. Makes me hungry for some cake too. But about all I can bake are brownies and some cookies. Cakes and Pies are not in my baking wheelhouse. Have to see if I can con(vince) DW into baking today.

I let perps fill in ENYA (unknown) and decide between PASTOR and PRIEST. Perps also helped with HOLIST and CASIOS.

HG: Here are the Everly Brothers singing Wake up little Susie. OO LA LA.

Rained overnight, actually heavy Thunderstorms, but it's nice now. So, decided to go out to get some take-out subs for lunch from our favorite Italian place. One waitress taking orders and one cook fixing the orders. They're making some money, but not a lot. I hope they survive. One restaurant a few doors down has already gone out of business for good. More will follow I'm afraid.

I hope everyone is safe. Wear your masks and gloves.

Bill G said...

Hi everybody,

I have visited the Watts Towers several times. They are very impressive; having been constructed by an Italian immigrant out of junk. I have been meaning to take my grandson to visit them. Years ago, they were thought to be unsafe and they got a big crane to try pull them over. The big crane tilted over instead and the towers remained. Yea for our side...

Jinx, have you gotten to northern Virginia? I'm from Falls Church.

There's nothing wrong with words like Ablast/Ablare. I just don't like some of them.

I remember the small thrill at having a new box of Crayons. They had a special smell.

CrossEyedDave said...

How do I know Victor Borge's page turner was his Son?
(because I am obsessed of course...)
but in lighter trivia, I also found out that "Negi" is Japanese for onion...
(what is French for onion - i don't care...)

Which brings me to OCD,

(possible political rant follows, tune out now...)

For many years, I have been horrified by the Supermarket
cashier licking his/her fingers to get a plastic bag off the dispenser
and then handle my food! (I purposely avoid known finger lickers...)
& what do I see Victor Borge doing turning the pages?
Ack! my hero worship has been ruined...

I have been known to admonish such cashier finger lickers,
even dare to spit on the money and say, "here, how do you like it!"
I think I will head out to the store now,
if you see me on the eleven o'clock news, you will know what happened...

Oh dear, I am afraid I have gone off again.

Here is a link of atonement, something I don't mind taking a licking from...

Wilbur Charles said...

YR, when I was in Boston last October I read where a law was considered banning Reiki, Reflexology and other Holistic Healing Arts. Ostensibly for combating trafficking but obviously Commercial Medicine fighting for their monopoly.

If it heals, if it helps let it happen. If hypnotism can end smoking, AA the same with drinking etc, all is well.

And this from a world class sceptic

WC

inanehiker said...

This was a a nice and delicious looking (thanks Melissa) stroll on a cake walk!

My kids loved all the Eric Carle books - his most famous being "The Very Hungry Caterpillar". If you are ever on vacation in Western Massachusetts, there is The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art - it has a lot of original art from different picture books(not just his but many well loved books! We happened upon it when we were waiting for the Emily Dickinson House and Amherst College to open up in Amherst, MA and it ended up being a highlight of our trip!
https://www.carlemuseum.org/

Thanks Melissa and Zachary!

Jayce said...

Bill G, for you: "I've got a horse right here." Also for you: 7 relaxing minutes of "Solace."

AnonymousPVX said...


I thought this Wednesday go a bit tough but fair.

Write-overs...STAGE/PHASE, STY/PEN, AMNESIAK/AMNESIAC, MEAT/BEEF, AMOEBAS/AMOEBAE.

On to Thursday.

Bill G said...

Jayce, I enjoyed them both very much. Thanks.

~ Mind how you go...

melissa bee said...

it was't ENYA that was obscure (to me), but i didn't know she was part of a band before she went solo. even though i knew immediately the answer was ENYA, i didn't know *why*.

"hauled up on charges" is fairly common - but somehow the clueing made me think smaller, like an argument. never heard it used that way.

boomer, i hope you get your masks. i appreciated that our stove repair tech came in wearing one yesterday. we have two compromised people in the house. every innocent cough from either of them gets my attention.

d-o, i'm envious of your many trips to amsterdam. it's the place i'd love to go most in the world. the tulips, the van gogh museum, the anne frank haus ... so much to see. like yellowrocks though, travel is not too alluring any more, and i doubt i'll ever go.

irishmiss, same for me - had heard of the towers but never knew what they were. fascinating.

lucina, i thought of judge ITO too. LOL at your 10:50 comment ;)

oc4beach, it's sad that some businesses are already shuttering. in our small town the few restaurants we have are still hanging in there with takeout, one closed temporarily. we're trying to support them as best we can. library is closed to patrons but the employees are still going in to (sanitize and) check in books from drop box, and leave requested books outside on a table to pick up. we have one grocery store, which has always been overpriced, and are now selling a 12-pack of tp for $60. vultures.

oc4beach said...


MB: How can people charge so much for basic necessities. Greedy B-----ds!

One restaurant here has been handing out a roll of TP with each take-out order. Free.

I guess the world is really made up of the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Let's hope the Good prevails.



CrossEyedDave said...

Hmm,

I didn't know cakes could solve crosswords...

Ol' Man Keith said...

I see others have already been objecting to the "obscure" fills of this Xwd. From HOLIST to ABLARE, I have not seen so many offbeat words assembled in one place since I-dunno-when.

Ah, well. Got 'em all, anyway. Sheer luck, I suppose.
~ OMK
___________
DR:
One apiece today.
The anagram on the far side refers to the place they may keep you as you wait to address the assembly--in the Speaker's Box, or the...
"ORATOR'S CAGE"!

Yellowrocks said...

Reiki and Reflexology are not my cuppa tea. My take on holistic is not that New Age stuff.
Link text

Yellowrocks said...

OOPS, I hit publish instead of preview.
Here is the rest of it.
I like answers that can be inferred by extending something I already know, even if the result is uncommon or new to me.
Clannad sounded Irish. Irish singer, four letters, likely to be ENYA.
HOLISTIC was well known by me. Just change it to something with the same root word. HOLIST.
I had AB----. Full volume reminds me of BLARE. That can be adapted to fit this clue.
In addition to puns, this is my favorite type of clue. I don't think of these words as obscure.
I read that TP used by schools, workplaces, restaurants, etc. is made by different companies from usually inferior paper, than what is used in households. Maybe the free roll with a take out order is the kind used by these establishments and so is more readily available.
They say households are using much more TP because the whole family is home all day, every day and that is why it is flying off the shelves.

Lucina said...

YR:
I also read that about people being home and therefore needing more TP since they don't use it from their workplace.

About those A- words. Without them literature and all writing would be very grim and unappealing. Varieties of words contribute to the richness of prose and poetry.

Melissa:
It struck me as really clever!

My daughter has used acupuncture with great relief for severe migraine headaches; I would hate to think access to it and other alternative medicines would be unavailable.

Anonymous@12:13
I misremembered the story; thank you for the article.

Yuman said...

Boomer and Weeseeley, yes many mask ideas using tee shirts. I just saw one that used a tee shirt, but inserted a coffee filter for additional protection. So instead of using your coffee filters for toilet paper they have another new use.LOL

Jinx in Norfolk said...

Bill G - I don't get to northern VA much, except I love Colonial Beach and try to get there for a few days a couple of times a year. Lots of history in that area, including the attempted escape route of John Wilkes Booth and the birthplace of James Monroe.

WC - I have always been a skeptic regarding alternative medicine. But about 20 years ago I had an Irish Wolfhound that had bouts of extreme neck pain. His traditional vet would prescribe prednisone, which made him drink lots of water and have trouble making it outside to pee. He would otherwise NEVER go in the house, even when overtime work required him to hold it for more than 12 hours. When we moved to Virginia a friend recommended a vet who not only did traditional practice, but was also certified in Chinese herbal medicine, acupuncture and chiropractic. When he had a session we took him to her. After an hour of acupuncture he was pain free and never went on pred again. The dog was immune to the placebo effect, and that opened my eyes to alternative medicine.

Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

Easy as Pie! Thanks Zachary for the puzzle -- fun fill too.

Thanks for the expo mb - loved the Radar image/caption. BTW, did you know you blogged Zach's other puzzle (his debut) last July? [I see Lem mentioned that]
That said, construct more Zach!

WO: N/A
ESPs: CASABAS(?), NIETO.
Fav: any one ever read Douglas Adams' Dirk Gently's HOLISTic Detective Agency? [BBC's Trailer]. Fun stuff.

OMK's DR: if they remain during the debate, it's an ORATORS' CAGE-match... , right? :-)

WEES - HAUL UP is not carpet related... In HS (JROTC) I learnt it was Called On the carpet [not that I ever was... *adjusts halo*]

There's a wonderful feature length documentary on Watts Towers [Trailer]. Something else you can do during the quarantine.

Anyone read 53d and think "theme reveal" and then look at SPONGE and GOTO for way too before Cleavon Little hit? Just me, eh?

FLN - Lucina: any USB "web cam" should work. You pretty much can't go wrong with Logitech. Oh, and what Jinx said, don't install their software - Windows 10 will get the right drivers for you.

I've read ERIC Carle's books hundreds of times each - to both girls.

Jinx & D-O: I saw John Prine / Dear Abby trending on Twitter last night - I didn't think I knew of him until I listened to When I get to Heaven (thanks D-O!).

Spitz - do tell - is reken in L. German pronounced oater-like (i.e. reh-kin)?

Ray-O: I was thinking Sharp instead of POUNDSIGN for the tic-tac-toe / number sign / hash / octothorpe. And I too know the MEASLY box of CRAYOLA shame...

Enjoyed reading everyone today.

Cheers, -T

Spitzboov said...

Anon -T @ 2121 - - Reken is pronounced more like rakin' as in "I was rakin' leaves."

PK said...

Hi Y'all! Sweet puzzle, Zachary! Sweet expo, Melissa! Found the Asia time zone map very interesting.

Hurrah! I got the theme for once. I used to make a lot of cake when all my kids were in residence and I took harvest meals to the field. Hard working men appreciated sweets. I've spent the whole day lamenting that I don't have CAKE on hand. Haven't eaten it in years. Brownies is the closest I get -- about once every six months.

DNK: SPONGE BOB's vocation.BOB perped in and I WAGd the rest. Also DNK: MARIANO, NIETO, and forgot IMARET -- knew it had an ET on the end.

Don't live in LA, but knew about the Watts Towers. Remember the riots and have read crime novels that featured the neighborhood.

The woman friend who had the most impact on my life & my kids died yesterday. She was 90. I'm sad but glad she no longer has to suffer the indignities of old age and dementia. This is the third once-close friend to die this week already. The tenth person close to me to die this year, including my brother & a cousin-in-law. Whap! Whap! Whap! Hard to keep one's equalibrium in all this. Stay safe, y'all!

Lucina said...

PK:
I am so sorry for the loss of your friend and mentor. And losing a sibling is a gut wrenching experience. I know. I've lost two brothers.

Today when I delivered my grandchildren's Easter baskets it hurt deeply to just look at them and not be able to hold them. They are all such sweet children, ages 17, 14, & 10.

Thank you, Tony.