google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday July 26, 2021 Rebecca Goldstein

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Jul 26, 2021

Monday July 26, 2021 Rebecca Goldstein

 

Theme: TANGLED WEB (56. According to Sir Walter Scott, what "we weave, / When first we practice to deceive" ... and what appears in each set of circles) - Anagrams (full set) of WEB are hidden inside each theme answer.

17. Reebok rival: NEW BALANCE.

22. "Bravo!": A JOB WELL DONE.

36. Pasture neckwear: COWBELL.

38. Creator of a spider named Charlotte: E B WHITE.

48. 1968 Steppenwolf hit featured in "Easy Rider": BORN TO BE WILD.

Boomer here.  

I think the above says it all about this puzzle.  So I just want to mention that my younger sister from San Francisco is traveling the USA with a friend and plans to stop here in Minnesota for a round of Mini Putt Putt golf and a meal on the shores of Lake Minnetonka. C.C. and I are looking forward to the fun.

Across:

1. "A Sorta Fairytale" singer Tori: AMOS.  Many years ago Tim Moore and Spencer Williams were AMOS and ANDY on a sitcom TV show.  I enjoyed the comedy but it was removed and deemed racist.

5. Hawaiian coffee region: KONA.  Hyundai has one of these on sale.  It is smaller than a Santa Fe. 


9. Mostly closed, like a door: AJAR

13. Points connector: LINE.  Also connects a hook and sinker to your fishing pole.

14. World's most populous democracy: INDIA.  They seem to have a Covid problem there.  Of course the USA is not totally vaccinated either.

15. Expert: GURU.

16. "Closing Bell" channel: CNBC.  I tune in a bit to check the stock market, but I cannot stand Jim Cramer.



19. Rowing implement: OAR.  "Gently down the Stream."

20. Field of expertise: AREA.  C.C.'s AREA is Crossword Puzzles.

21. There are 10 in standard Monopoly named for states: Abbr.: AVES. Vermont. Connecticut, Virginia, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and the three I have been to: Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois.

26. Chicken-king link: A LA.  Also a link between Mississippi and Georgia.

27. Creep (along): SLINK.  Who might remember a SLINKEE and making it travel downstairs ?

28. "Sesame Street" rating: TV G.

31. Passions: ARDORS.

34. "__ you ready?": ARE. I am always ready but I do not know "For What"?

35. Poet Silverstein: SHEL.



40. GPS calculations: ETAS.

41. Pro vote: YEA.

43. "Silent Spring" author Rachel: CARSON. Also  "Tonight Show Host" Johnny.


44. Like wallflowers: SHY.  Not Me.

45. Vegan sources of protein: BEANS.  We planted some in our backyard garden but I think squirrels ruined the plants.  I thought those varmints only ate nuts.

47. Sign-off kisses: XES.

52. Distort, as data: SKEW.  Is there any way to SKEW squirrels?

54. Bearded flower: IRIS.  We do not have IRIS In our flower garden.  I suppose the squirrels would eat them too.  They ruined our Asian Lily.

55. Actress/activist Ruby: DEE.  I only remember Bobby Darin's wife Sandra DEE.



59. Fervor: ZEAL.

60. Swedish furniture store: IKEA.  I think they sell a lot of half-done stuff.

61. Bursts of laughter: PEALS.

62. Expel: OUST.  Looks like fans got the OUST from Tokyo. Stupid Covid strikes again.

63. Stitched up: SEWN.

64. Haywire way to go: AWRY.  Sometimes my golf ball does this.

65. Chooses: OPTS.  Then I take a new one from my bag.

Down:

1. Former maker of Reynolds Wrap: ALCOA.  Aluminum is used in many electrical wires however copper is a better conductor but it costs more.

2. Rapper Nicki: MINAJ.


3. Where many caught "Cats": ON BROADWAY.

4. Part of a min.: SEC.  And the red hand on your clock will count them for you.

5. Gets down to a tot's level: KNEELS.  When I was a kid, we use to have kneelers in church.  Now the choices are sit or stand.  Good thing too, If I had to kneel I don't think I could get up.

6. Discontinued smoothie brand: ODWALLA.


7. Penpoint: NIB. I remember that this is licorice sold in movie theatres.

8. Roadside assistance org.: AAA.

9. Tequila source: AGAVE.

10. May follower: JUNE.  We just said goodbye to June, Now I wonder if it will cool off a bit in August.

11. Rainbows, e.g.: ARCS.

12. Feel remorse for: RUE.  Or one of the "Golden Girls"



14. Memo heading: IN RE.  I don't think anyone uses this anymore.

18. Like a beanpole: LANK.

20. Far from clueless: AWARE.  What did DelAWARE?  She wore her brand New Jersey.

23. Splotches: BLOBS.

24. Desperate, as straits: DIRE.

25. Last non-AD yr.: ONE BC.  I wonder how people lived without TV, computers, or bowling balls.

28. Box orientation instruction: THIS SIDE UP.

29. White House no: VETO.

30. Secluded spot: GLEN.

31. "Pocket rockets," in poker: ACES.  I used to play a bit of poker but I never heard an ace called a rockets.  I did hear them called Bullets now and then.

32. Kind of IRA: ROTH.  I guess this is okay for some. I get by with a regular IRA.

33. More foxy: SLYER.

35. Mole-like mammal: SHREW.  I think it's been tamed.


37. Tilt: LEAN.  That's all Jack Sprat could eat.

39. Shapes, as eyebrows: WAXES.  Does anyone wax their car anymore??

42. Like many peaceful protests: ANTI-WAR.

45. Cereal serving: BOWL. Yes I have cereal in a BOWL every morning but I can think of another meaning.

46. In a bad way: SORELY.

48. Started: BEGAN.

49. Drool catchers: BIBS.  I cannot remember those days when I wore a BIB.  But these days some of my meal ends up on the front of my shirt.

50. "It's the __ I can do": LEAST.

51. Shoulder muscles, briefly: DELTS.

52. Sushi bar beverage: SAKE.  No Thank you.



53. Was informed (of): KNEW.

56. "__ the season ... ": TIS. "The season to be jolly" (In 5 months)

57. AQI monitor: EPA.

58. Beads on grass: DEW.  I have not seen much of it this year.

59. State of chaos: ZOO. "Someone told me it's all happening at the ZOO." Simon and Garfunkel.

Boomer


40 comments:

OwenKL said...

Oh, the TANGLED WEB we weave,
A life of sense we strive to achieve.
But Fate's ARDORS
For chaotic shores,
Sends AWRY all plans that we conceive!

We try to do A JOB WELL DONE,
Hope for NEW BALANCE under the sun,
But imps at WAR
Find doors AJAR,
SLINK in, our ACES are undone!

We RUE the efforts, now defiled
By dharma, BORN, TO BE WILD.
With broken ZEAL,
To Life we KNEEL
And with TANGLED WEBS are reconciled.

{One poem, 3 stanzas, A-.}

unclefred said...

Nice lines there, Owen! Well done. This wonderful Monday CW was a FIR joy to fill. Got the theme immediately, which helped. Mondays and Tuesdays are about my level: I can FIR in reasonable time. This one fell right in place, though I struggled to remember CARSON. And DNK ODWALLA, filled with PERPS and looked so wrong. Anyway, fun CW, thanx, RG. And as usual a terrific write-up, thanx Boomer.

Lemonade714 said...

Rebecca has been on a bit of a hot streak since her debut on Monday, February 1, 2021. Three LAT in less than 6 months plus a Universal is a great start.

I hadn't noticed ODWALLA was gone from the shelves, but apparently Coca Cola did some serious restructuring during the pandemic. They are discontinuing 200 BRANDS . I confessed I did not care for most of them.

Enjoy the rest of July as August is fast approaching.

Thank you Rebecca and Susan

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

It cannot be. But it is. D-o just racked up his third DNF in as many days. Turned those pesky DOTS into a LINE, turned that LEAN guy to a LANK one (Lean came up later). But failed to change WAVES to WAXES. Bzzzzzt. Enjoy the ceramic Dalmation. Thanx, Rebecca and Boomer. (Ruby Dee was the wife of Ossie Davis. Famous couple.)

Jinx in Norfolk said...

FIR, but erased rtes for ETAS, aye then yes for YEA, amok for AWRY, and lean for LANK.

BEANS give me not only proteins.

Whenever I hear or read ON BROADWAY, I want to send a check to Radio Free Europe.

DNK that folks wax their eyebrows. I did know that they wax their Brazilians.

I liked this puzzle, but thought it was Thursday-hard. Thanks to Rebecca for the challenge. And thanks to Boomer for another fine review. (I thought that Champ's decision to hit driver on 18 was very DeChambeau-ish. Or maybe Phil-ish.)

Madame Defarge said...

Good Morning.

First and foremost, FLN, CHEERS to Anon-T for a fine and fun Sunday puzzle. I started it very late but finished it in good time. I really enjoyed it. My fave clue was 5A. I hadn't looked at the author yet, and thought to my self, Ah! there's an English teacher in the room. I checked the constructor and wondered if Mrs. Professor Anon-T offered that entry. Congrats, Tony! Thank you very much. Thanks to C.C. for acting as mentor and tour guide.


Today's puzzle is the start of what I believe will be a lovely day. Thanks, Rebecca, for spinning this WEB! And to the other half of Team Burnikel: thank you for another delightful witty and informative tour.

Enjoy a sunny day even if it's a bit hazy.

KS said...

FIR, but never heard of Odwalla; Oh well!

ATLGranny said...

Off to a good start this Monday with a FIR. Nice to see you back, Rebecca. Enjoyed your puzzle today, finding it not too easy, not too hard. A JOB WELL DONE. Thanks to Boomer, too, for the witty review bringing PEALS of laughter.

A few WOs: Phil/SHEL (got to get that name straight since it pops up often enough). kneals/KNEELS (what was I thinking?) and am.../ALCOA (?). Like YR it seems to help me puzzle things out when I write down possibilities, but it usually leads to a messy grid. In the end it all got sorted out and was fun. Hope you all have a fun day!

staili said...

Fun puzzle! Today I learned that Odwalla was discontinued last summer. I guess the fact that I and others hadn't noticed until now may be part of the reason why it was discontinued...

I think Tab is the biggest brand that was discontinued by Coca-Cola last year.

desper-otto said...

In Washington do they call it Odwalla Walla?

inanehiker said...

Today's puzzle was quick, with the circles making the variations on WEB easier to fill and speeding up the solve.

Getting started early at work with tele-visits - so gotta run.

Thanks Boomer and Rebecca!


Husker Gary said...

Musings
-My eraser got just enough work to make this interesting
-Our lush landscape has WEBS everywhere
-Not only did I not know EB WHITE but his name was part of the gimmick as was the title of the book
-Want to fascinate J.H. kids in science? Get out a SLINKY or dry ice!
-My dashboard’s GPS’s ETA keeps going down as I tend to go slightly over the legal speed limit
-Margaret to Hawkeye, “I’ll change the tire but the LEAST you can do is get out of the Jeep”. Hawkeye’s reply, “Never let it be said I didn’t do the LEAST I could do.”
-I’m off to play 18 starting in the DEW.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

This was an easy, breezy solve with the only unknown being Odwalla. What an odd name. No w/os and no stumbling blocks. The theme was obvious early on and I smiled at the spot on reveal. Fun duo of Lean and Lank. This would be a perfect challenge for a newbie solver. CSO to Boomer at Bowl, ignoring the clue, of course.

Thanks, Rebecca, for a fun start to the week and thanks, Boomer, for brightening our day, as usual.

Have a great day.

unclefred said...

Boomer, you mentioned that you "can't stand Jim Cramer". I have trouble tolerating him too, but it's CNBC's Joe Kernan that I really can't even watch. Megalomaniac; knows everything, or at least thinks he does. I have to wait until 9:00am to tune into the stock market to avoid throwing something at the TV. Nuff said.

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

FLN - Congrats to _T and C.C. on the Sunday puzzle.

Becky - I'm with you on the Olympics. I will not be watching them.


Straightforward solve. Had 'lean' before LANK. Got the theme just before the end. Clever enough. Had to pause briefly a few times, but got it done correctly w/o aid. FIR.
TANGLED WEB - was a gimme. We used to quote it at work if a co-worker seemed to be 'going off the rails.'
NEW BALANCE - - My sneaker of choice. I buy them directly from the Tampa store. Seems to be a major outlet.
SLYER - - We've had a red fox of the vulpine persuasion traipse across our lawn several times in the last couple weeks. Handsome creature with a tiny white tip to his tail.

Thanks Rebecca for the challenge, and Boomer for easing me into the day. Nice that your sister will visit.

We were blessed this weekend by the visit of 2 of our sons, and 2 grand-daughters. One son came in his Tesla model 3 from near the Boston area. He 'recharged' coming and going at Crossgates Mall outside Albany.






Wilbur Charles said...

I believe archeologists have found signs of bowling in ancient civilizations (Egypt?)

A BIB is de rigueur for lobster in NE(INRE to the butter )

Great poem, Owen

Fln @630 this morning(Unknown) ONO is Yoko of John Lennon fame

This was no walk in the park but FIR none the less

WC

Wilbur Charles said...

Glad previewed. Google had "Greasemonkey Owen "!!

desper-otto said...

Spitz, can you name a fox that isn't of the "vulpine persuasion?"

Alex Alecy said...


Redd Foxx

Ray - O - Sunshine said...

Typical br-easy Monday with four EBWHITE "weaving" TANGLED WEBS..plus a mention of Charlotte coming on the heels of Anon Tony's spider-mobile pic yesterday. Maybe he did have a "spidey" sense of today's theme. (When I was in University I saw the full feature cartoon "La Tela di Carlotta")

Then right across the top it seems Tori AMOS wants AJAR of KONA coffee. Held off on SL_ ER for the perp...YEA(h), sometimes it's spelt "slier" in puzzles. ***

I knew SHEL Silverstein wrote "The Giving Tree" kid's book but a poet? didn't knowet... ODWALLA? 😳 huh, wha? ...shoulda tried an alternate brand name🤔...why the ZOO shaming?😲

JERRY STEALS....AWRY

Dad used to send special occasion greeting cards to Mom signed "ZZZs". Not sure if he didn't realize it should be "XES" or more likely thought he was being funny 😆. Yes, nonsense does run in the family.

To wit:

_____ à trois ....MINAJ.
French street of regret....RUE
As an actress, she's Close.....GLEN
What the pieman wouldn't offer Simon...AWARE
Film about "fruitful" investments? "The Grapes of ___ " ...ROTH.

*** this may start one of the drier summer weeks. Will the dryer be temporarily replaced by the clothesline?

oc4beach said...


Got it done without having to search the WEB for any answers. Good puzzle from Rebecca. Boomer added a great grid tour without resorting to a GPS.

Like others I never heard of ODWALLA smoothies, but perps filled it in. I'm not into smoothies, however, I do like KONA coffee among others. My favorite is a Dutch brand called Douwe Egberts that I found on a tour of New England in a small hotel in Salem.

-T: I didn't realize that you and C.C. did yesterday's puzzle. I started to fill it out in the Washington Post but didn't finish it. I'll have to go back and finish it.

It's a nice summer day here in Central Pennsylvania. I hope it's nice where you are.

Lucina said...

Hola!

Thank you, Boomer and Rebecca for a fine start to the week. I finished in good time, i.e, one cup of coffee.

One of my favorite authors is INDIA Edgehill so I'm always happy to see the name.

The only time I remember hearing COWBELLS is on the Swiss Alps.

I also favor NEW BALANCE shoes but I can buy them locally.

WAXES? That has never been my choice. In fact, many years ago I had my eyebrows permanently shaped with electrolysis. Our family is quite hirsute.

No time to chat. Today is money counting day.

Have a beautiful day, everyone!

Misty said...

I loved this Monday puzzle, Rebecca--many thanks for the pleasure. And your Monday commentary is always a delight, Boomer.

I got the WEB theme after the third one started filling in, and loved the TANGLED WEB solution when I got it. Surprised to learn that INDIA has the world's most populous democracy. Would have thought one KNEELS to make a marriage proposal (well, in the old days), but I guess getting down to a tot's level requires that too. Like many others, ODWALLA totally stumped me, but in the end, a fun burp in an otherwise smooth and delightful puzzle.

Nice poem, Owen.

Have a great week coming up, everybody.

Picard said...

Got the fun TANGLED WEB theme immediately which helped a bit. Learning moment that ODWALLA is DISCONTINUED. It was popular here. I would rather eat fruit than drink it, though. Much more satisfying. Last to fill was ARDORS.

Here I was very happy to experience STEPPENWOLF performing BORN TO BE WILD live!

I never saw EASY RIDER which came out when I was a child; I am now inspired to watch it.

Boomer and Unclefred I share your dislike of these TV "financial advisors" who have zero qualification for that job. What was even scarier was that Kudlow of Kudlow and Cramer was actually put in a position of economic power for our entire country. The person appointing him didn't seem to notice that he was not a financial expert, he "just played one on TV" as the old TV ad went.

AnonymousPVX said...


This was a bit of a crunchy Monday, but no issues.

Write-overs…BLOTS/BLOBS. Before the theme became obvious.

I get my KONA from Big Island Coffee Roasters. They do it right.

New Balance is my shoe of choice as well.

The Yankees are just stinking it up. Yesterday they take a guy who had a no hitter out after he gave up a hit. Then they bring in their “lack of” relief pitching that promptly gives up 5 runs and loses the game. Again. Ugh.

See you tomorrow.

Picard said...

From Yesterday:
Alice, Vidwan, OwenKL and Wilbur Charles Thank you for the very kind words about my HOLI photos. I have been very fortunate to be welcomed into a diverse group of different communities. My friend Mallika who invited me used to come on my hikes until she moved to the Bay Area. I was honored that she came back to attend our wedding.

Vidwan Thank you for the additional background information on HOLI and for your kind comments about my photo collection. My father was a serious photographer and he documented everything very carefully at the time he took them. I have adopted that habit and have been typing up old hand written notes into searchable electronic form. Most recently with the help of my wife. The important part is to make the notes right away before the details are forgotten.

WilburCharles and OwenKL Thank you for your reply to my ZEBRA CROSSING and ISLE OF WIGHT connections to the Beatles.

Here is the ISLE OF WIGHT reference all cued up at 1:26 in the Beatles' song "When I'm Sixty Four"

Does anyone else remember this?

Bob Lee said...

This puzzle made me think of photos I saw a few months ago about a town covered in spider webs! Did a search to find it. Ugh--a short video of all of them in a town in Greece.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONBAvAQCHYw

waseeley said...

D-O @9:24 AM Nicki Minaj?

waseeley said...

Thank you Rebecca for a slightly crunchy, but FIRable Monday. And thank you Boomer for A JOB WELL DONE.

A few favs:

9A When a door is not a door, it's _____.

15A Yesterday we celebrated another achievement by our favorite GURU, Anonymous -T!

22A ... or AN ARIA WELL SUNG. In this case a TENOR aria maybe. A SOPRANO would be greeted with a BRAVA.

36A I can't see the word COWBELL without thinking of this clip.

38A A "RADIANT" clue.

48A The RIDERS weren't EASY in end.

56A My sentiments about the state of the INTERNET today.

2D Thank you Boomer for that CAREFULLY CURATED CLEFT, er CLIP.

6D I knew ODWALLA, but stopped buying it when I bought a Vitamix (a 2 HP blender). The best investment I ever made. I hope I didn't put anybody out of work.

Cheers,
Bill

Lucina said...

What an odd name, ODWALLA. I don't recall ever seeing it but then only rarely do I buy juices.

Picard:
We are a lucky bunch here on the corner to have someone who can immediately show us photos of a given reference. Thank you.

unclefred said...

Picard @12:09. ALWAYS disliked Larry Kudlow. To be appointed chief economic advisor was mind-blowing. The height of incompetence to appoint Kudlow to that position. He is not even an economist, and has no degree in economics! Equivalent to appointing a horse-breeder to head FEMA. We saw how well that worked. Anyway, I have CNBC on most of the day and question the qualifications and/or judgement of many of the “stock market analysts” they have on their network. I don’t call them analysts, I call them
anal-ists. Occasionally someone actually knowledgable does show up which is why I watch. I need to squeeze enough income from my meager nest-egg to pay my bills.

Wilbur Charles said...

PVX, ironically I was enmeshed in the Tony/CC Sunday xword; Sox down 4-0, and then...I caught the winning sac-fly and last 3 outs. Aaron Judge would've thrown the runner out.

Ps, I lived through 1978

WC

A minute or two of that clip is enough. The rest of September, 78 was wild with the Sox catching the Yanks on last day only to lose the playoff.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

Kudlow has not an iota of economics qualifications. Except for working in finance and economics for the New York Federal Reserve, Paine Webber, Bear Stearns and the Reagan administration. Some folks think that decades of adult performance is not nearly as important as the classes one manages to pass when in they are in their early 20s. OTOH, Krugman has all the right alphabet soup behind his name, yet many find his understanding of economics outside of academia to be rather sophomoric.

OwenKL said...

I occasionally drank Odwalla carrot juice before the brand I drink now. Never tried any of their smoothies. Didn't realize they were gone. My Instacart shopper once substituted their green juice (kale, spinach, other weeds) when carrot was out. Vilest drink I ever tasted! Fortunately, Bren will drink/eat almost anything, and actually seemed to enjoy it, I think.
I thought Tab was discontinued decades ago.

LANK -- word used by someone too lazy to say lanky? I see it's also South African for "very numerous or plentiful".

Alecy@9:45 😆😂🤣

Ray-O
, ZZZs meant he enjoyed sleeping with her?

Picky, you gave me today's earworm with
Does anyone else remember this?


Half full/half empty -- AJAR is usually slightly open, but today it's mostly closed!

Vidwan827 said...


Thank you Rebecca Goldstein for a very nice Monday puzzle, and Thank you Boomer for an always humorous review. Enjoyed both of them very much.

From Last Night ... InRe: Holi and its COLORS.

Picard, and any others, who may be interested,... while I don't want to beat this Festival of Love/Colors, ( as was clued yesterday ....) to death,
here is a link, from Wiki, on Gulal, on the colors used, and how this festival has reformed, transformed, and even deteriorated, and redeveloped for modern times.



Have a nice day, all.

Jayce said...

I enjoyed this puzzle, especially the long entries such as THIS SIDE UP. Thank you, Rebecca Goldstein.
Also enjoyed your review, Boomer. Thank you. I sure do remember the Slinkee; we had plenty of fun with it. Nope, we haven't waxed our car for years; it still looks fine.
I have both a Roth IRA and a regular IRA. We are taking the Required Minimum Distribution from the regular one. For some reason the IRS calculates it based on their assumption that I'm going to live for 17 more years.
Misty, I smiled at your using ODWALLA and burp in the same sentence.
Good wishes to you all.

Ol' Man Keith said...

Ah, the DEEs must date us, Boomer.
You remember only Sandra, and I remember only Ruby.
And her husband, Ossie Davis--a brilliant pair as artists and activists.
"Famous," as desper-otto points out.

As for this Sandra person-- well... I do recall Bobby Darin.
For. Sure.
Coolest pop singer of his generation.
"Oh, the shark has pretty teeth, dear / And he shows them pearly white..."
Too bad so many people will only know him as depicted by Kevin Spacey.

A bit of a slog for a Monday PZL, eh?
~ OMK

Jayce said...

Man oh man, I loved Bobby Darin's voice and singing style. That guy really knew how to deliver a song. Also, Sandra Dee was pretty cute.

Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

Enjoyable puzzle Rebecca; fun theme. East-Central was a little sticky with the stack of names - Wasn't until I had to wait until I committed to SHREW and WAXES before I recalled SHEL, EB WHITE, and CARSON.

Thanks Boomer for the expo and kicking-off the after-party

WOs: N/A
ESPs: MINAJ, ODWELLA, DEE
Fav: COWBELL -- waseeley beat me to the SNL link
Sparkle - THIS SIDE UP (Hi Jayce!)

{A}

MdF - 5a was, sadly, not my clue. I think mine was "Comparison word" or some such (original puzzle's at home).

WC - You mentioned Aaron Judge which reminded me of this picture I took at the All Star Game. They'd All Rise when he came to the plate.

Enjoyed reading everyone!

Back at it; play later(?)
Cheers, -T

Misty said...

Jayce, I guess I 'burp' when something surprises or disconcerts me a little--just a quiet signal that something got to me.