google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday, October 6, 2021 Winston Emmons

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Oct 6, 2021

Wednesday, October 6, 2021 Winston Emmons

Theme:  The unifier captures it perfectly, so let's go with it:  

61. MLB rally killers, briefly, and a hint to what's in the four longest puzzle answers: DPS.  In baseball, a Double Play occurs when the defenders are able to make two OUTS on one hit ball.  This can occur in a variety of ways, but the most common is when a runner on first base is forced out at second, and the batter is also out at first base to complete the play.

 

As we shall soon see, each theme entry also contains two OUTs.

21 A. Ring result: BOUT OUTCOME.  For reasons that are unlikely to appear any time soon, the square stage where a boxing match is fought is call a ring.  This event is called a BOUT.  One boxer usually losses while the other wins.  Occasionally there is a draw.  Either way, that result is the OUTCOME. What sneakily is concealed there is a pair of OUTs.

32 A. Unlicensed rainbow catcher: TROUT OUTLAW.  You need a fishing license to catch fish.  Otherwise you can become this fill.  The clue is a clever misdirect, but the answer is contrived, and you're highly unlikely to ever encounter that phrase again.  

41. Camporee, for instance: SCOUT OUTING. A camporee is a local or regional gathering of Scouting units for a period of camping and common activities. In my Boy Scout years, we always had a two week stint at camp Miakona in the summer.  There were other troops there, but I don't recall a lot of common activities; so I'm not sure if that counts.  Maybe we were on the OUTS with them.  We did do some tent camping, though, throughout the year.  

53. Tap water: SPOUT OUTPUT.  This is self-explanatory, but again contrived - though accurate.  That is where the water comes OUT OUT from.

Hi, Gang, JAzzBumpa here, not OUT somewhere else.  Contrivances aside, I'm rather in awe of this theme, where each two word entry has OUT as the end of the first word and again as the beginning of the second.  And with the playoffs beginning and the end of the season drawing near, a baseball-related theme is welcome.  Watch for many DPs in these games.  And let's see what's ahead in this puzzle.

Across:

1. Composer Bartok: BELA.  [1881-1945]. One of the most prominent 20th century composers.

5. Word with ship or school: YARD.  One for work and the other for play.

9. Restoration locations: SPAS.  Relax and be pampered.

13. Beasts that work in pairs: OXEN.  Yoked bovines.

14. Largely phased-out ersatz fat brand: OLEAN.  The brand name for olestra, an indigestible artificial complex fat.  It was phased out due to unpleasant digestive issues - unpleasant unexpected side effects.   Also the name of a city in New York

16. Org. for fur foes: PETA. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.  An animal rights organization founded in Norfolk, Virginia in1980 and led by Ingrid Newkirk,

17. Envelope-directing abbr.: ATTN.  To the attention of the intended recipient.

18. "Out of Africa" setting: KENYA.  A democratic republic on the east coast of Africa.


 

 19. Starting on: AS OF.

20. Three at the start: TRI-.  A prefix indicating three of something.

23. 1993 coming-of-age baseball film, with "The": SANDLOT. This movie is a hoot.  See it if you get a chance.

 
More baseball

 25. Hen or sow: SHE.   Barnyard females.

26. Really long time: EON.  Of indefinite duration.  Comes into English from Ancient Greek.

27. Surround sound components: SPEAKERS.  Hear here.

36. Floral accessory: LEI.  From the islands

37. Urges: YENS.  I thought about going to Japan, but didn't have the YEN to travel.

38. Backing: PRO-.  In favor of.  A rare backing prefix.

39. Place for a catcher's guard: SHIN.  A bit of baseball gear.

40. Portuguese king: REI.  

45. Former California speedway that was the site of a 1969 rock concert: ALTAMONT.  The event in December, 1969, only a few months after Woodstock, was a violent disaster, with 4 deaths, scores of injuries, and multiple car thefts.

47. Genetics lab material: RNA.  RiboNucleic Acid is a polymeric molecule essential in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes.

48. Director Jean-__ Godard: LUC. [b 1930] His first film, BREATHLESS, is considered one of the best films ever made.

 

 49. Evening parties: SOIREES.  From The French word for evening.

58. Pre-A.D.: BCE.  Before the Common Era.

59. Injure: HARM. Do damage to.

60. Willow twig: OSIER.  Often used in furniture and basketry.

61. Dire prophecy: DOOM.  Originally, fate.  Now a tragic or unhappy destiny.

62. Nobelist Pavlov: IVAN.  [1848-1936]  a Russian physiologist known primarily for his work in classical conditioning and dog training. 

63. Evans' news partner: NOVAK. Rowland Evans Jr. [1921 – 2001] and Robert David Sanders Novak [1931 – 2009] worked together in newspapers and then television for decades.

64. __ sci: POLI. Political Science is the study of politics and power from domestic, international, and comparative perspectives. It entails understanding political ideas, ideologies, institutions, policies, processes, and behavior, as well as groups, classes, government, diplomacy, law, strategy, and war.

65. Elizabeth of "La Bamba": PENA.   Elizabeth Maria Peña {1959 – 2014] was an American actress, writer and musician. She won the 1996 Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female and a Bravo Award for Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film for her role in Lone Star.  

66. Torso muscles, collectively: CORE.

67. Watersports gear: SKIS.

Down:

1. Lakeside rentals: BOATS.  I was thinking cottages - which don't fit - but, OK

2. Additional: EXTRA.  But wait -- there's more!

3. Allowed to enter: LET IN.  Like guests.

4. Cleeves who wrote Shetland Island mysteries: ANN.  [b 1954] She studied English at the University of Sussex but dropped out and then took up various jobs including cook at the Fair Isle bird observatory, auxiliary coastguard, probation officer, library outreach worker and child care officer before winning  the Duncan Lawrie Dagger for her novel Raven Black.  Some people just can't keep a job.  

5. Bed-ins for Peace participant: YOKO ONO.  [b 1933] She is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter and peace activist. She was married to English singer-songwriter John Lennon of the Beatles from 1969 until his murder in 1980. With their performance Bed-Ins for Peace in Amsterdam and Montreal in 1969, Ono and Lennon used their honeymoon at the Hilton Amsterdam as a stage for public protests against the Vietnam War. 

6. Native Alaskan: ALEUT.  I had Inuit.  But, no.  These are the natives of the Aleutian Islands.

7. Monthly expense: RENT.

8. Belafonte classic: DAY-O.  AKA The Banana Boat Song.

 

 9. Lynn portrayer in "Coal Miner's Daughter": SPACEK.  [b 1949] Mary Elizabeth "Sissy" Spacek is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and nominations for four British Academy Film Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Grammy Award. Spacek was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011.

 

 10. Mexican money: PESO.   Approximately 20.5 to the U.S. Dollar.

11. Minuscule amount: ATOM.  Tiny particle.

12. Ump's call: SAFE.  Or out.  Hard to tell sometimes.

15. Queasiness: NAUSEA.  Digestive issue.

21. Reputation stain: BLOT.   Often the result of a scandal. 

22. Winter warm spell: THAW.  Winter is coming.

24. __ ex machina: DEUS.  God from a Machine.   A plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem in a story is suddenly and abruptly resolved by an unexpected and unlikely occurrence.   The term was coined from the conventions of ancient Greek theater, where actors who were playing gods were brought onto stage using a machine - either a crane from above or a trap door from below. 

27. Peacock's gait: STRUT.  To walk with a vain, pompous bearing, as with head erect and chest thrown out, as if expecting to impress observers

28. Scheme: PLOT.  A plan made in secret by a group of people to do something, often illegal or harmful.

29. K-12, in brief: EL-HI.  Elementary and high school

30. Bit attachment: REIN. For controlling horses.

31. Do a number, say: SING.   That's one interpretation.

32. Supermodel Banks: TYRA.  Tyra Lynne Banks (b.1973, also known as BanX, is an American television personality, model, businesswoman, producer, actress, and writer. 

33. Line holder: REEL.  Fishing gear

34. Handling the matter: ON IT.  I'll let you kn ow when I'm finished.

35. Familiar with: UP ON.  Or, perhaps, in on.

39. Sirius, e.g.: STAR.  The brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Greek word Σείριος (Seirios, lit. 'glowing' or 'scorching'). The star is designated  Alpha Canis Majoris, with a visual apparent magnitude of −1.46

41. Lewd stuff: SMUT.  Clean mind, clean body -- take your pick.

42. Pupa protector: COCOON.  A silky case spun by the larvae of many insects for protection in the pupal stage.

43. 2020 candidate Beto: O'ROURKE.  Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke [b 1972] is an American politician who represented Texas's 16th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2013 to 2019. O'Rourke is best known for his 2018 campaign for U.S. Senate, which he lost to Republican incumbent Ted Cruz.

44. Inch or mile: UNIT.  Of measurement.

46. Wellesley graduate: ALUMNA.  Female graduate.

49. Asparagus piece: SPEAR.  I wanted the less dangerous STALK.

50. Fodder for a Fire, say: E-BOOK.  Fire being an E-reader.  Nice misdirection.

51. Food recall cause: E COLI.  A bacterium that does not belong in your food.

52. Truck stop array: SEMIS.  Plural of a semi-tractor-trailer truck, also known as simply a semi-trailer truck, semi-tractor truck, semi-tractor-trailer or tractor-trailer truck, is the combination of a tractor unit and one semi-trailer or more to carry freight. A semi-trailer attaches to the tractor with a type of hitch called a fifth-wheel.

53. Send using 52-Down: SHIP.  Transport an item from one location to another.

54. Finish, as a road: PAVE. Complete the construction of a roadway, generally with concrete or asphalt.

55. Algerian seaport: ORAN.  A major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population, commercial, industrial, and cultural importance. 

56. Colorado-based sports org.: USOC.  The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee is the National Olympic Committee and the National Paralympic Committee for the United States. It was founded in 1895 as the United States Olympic Committee.

57. Digital recorder: TIVO.  Made by a corporation of the same name.

That wraps up another Wednesday.  Hope you made OUT OK.

Till next time, JzB, over and OUT!








46 comments:

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Another Wite-Out-free day here in crosswordland. Yay. Kinda hard to miss this theme. Wasn't sure what the Department of Public Safety had to do with baseball. Thanx for 'splainin,' JzB. Enjoyed the OUTing, Winston.

ANN Cleeves: Do you suppose her parents were thinking of Anne of Cleves when they named her.

O'ROURKE: He's thrown his hat into the ring again -- this time running for Texas governor in 2022.

TIVO: I had a DirecTiVo before DVRs became ubiquitous. There are few programs that we watch "live." How did we cope before time-shifting?

Jinx in Norfolk said...

FIR, but erased chin for SHIN, roi for REI, maim for HARM, NAUSiA (UNTIE!), and took out SHIP when ship arose as a clue at 5a, then it floated back in. Took me WAY too long to get ship/school YARD. We have many of them in Tidewater, including Norfolk Navy ShipYARD, which is actually in Portsmouth, across the river from Norfolk. (It couldn't be named Portsmouth Yard because that one is in Kittery, Maine.) We have tunnels instead of bridges for water crossings that are downstream from Navy bases and YARDs, because if the enemy blows up a tunnel it doesn't keep SHIPs from passing.

We still host the world HQ for PETA. Nice folks and good neighbors, even if they do some antisocial stunts occasionally.

SPACEK, Lange and Fonda were called to testify before the US House of Representatives as experts on the plight of US farmers. They also called a number of actual farmers - the number of actual farmers called was zero.

ELHI wrinkles noses here in the Corner, but I liked the one I attended. All the teachers were required to have at least masters degrees, and students were required to attend summer school for grades k - 8. Grads of that school had a much higher rate of college graduation than other Kentucky schools. However, I don't think they did a particularly good job of teaching spelling, but it could be that I could have been an even worse speller had I attended a typical school.

Thanks to Winston for the challenge. And thanks to JzB for 'splainin' it all.

Big Easy said...

Let's give a SHOUT OUT for Winston on his puzzle. Both OUTS were noticed at TROUT OUTLAW. Even with the SANDLOT fill (perps) I didn't think of baseball and it was nice that the reveal was the last clue to be filled.

ALTAMONT- I remember it but wasn't sure of the spelling
NOVAK or Evans- not familiar with either; perps for that fill along with PENA & ANN.

Would PETA object to yokes on OXEN or REINs on horses?
TYRA- why are some models called a 'supermodels'? Oh, they have the super-power to get more money to STRUT their stuff.
SMUT- as some SCOTUS justice once said, "I can't define it but I know it when I see it".

Jinx- I don't know which is funnier. Watching Congress reps (O'ROURKE) ask stupid questions or watching the questioned squirm and try to give an answer without misspeaking. Congressmen can lie all day long on the floor but it's against the House rules for anybody to call them a liar while in the chamber but if someone testifying lies it a criminal offense.

Yellowrocks said...

FIR. Easier than the normal Wed.
I saw the double OUTS right away which helped the solve. I missed the clever theme because I forgot what DP means.
I, too, thought of Anne of Cleves. ANN and PENA were all perps. I never heard of ALTAMONT, perps and wags.
Jazz, thanks for giving the origin of DEUS EX MACHINA.
I liked Out of Africa, but I preferred African Queen with Bogart and Hepburn, which I watched 3 or4 tomes.
Here is why a boxing ring is square. I surmised it was because originally boxing was done in a ring. Historical novels to the rescue again, but I LIU.
square ring

OwenKL said...

SHE said, "What HARM can there be?"
And so began to learn to SKI.
She was STAR of show,
Till there was no snow,
"What harm can paragliding be?"

There was a horse from ALTAMONT
Who liked to STRUT when on a jaunt.
He'd take the REINS
And then explain,
"That's how I do it as an Alta-Mount!"

He wanted it clean, so got his clout OUT,
Soaps to wash that stubborn grout OUT!
It got so clean
He made a scene
Waving the shirt as he would shout OUT!

{B+, B, B+.}

waseeley said...

Thank you Winston for a wonderful Wednesday puzzle, which I was eventually able to figure OUT for a FIR. I got the theme, sorta. And thank you Ron for fully explaining the latter and for a very illuminating review.

A very musical puzzle as it turns out:

1A Bartok's magnum opus was "The Concerto for Orchestra" a virtuoso piece for every member of the orchestra. It was introduced to me by Teri on one of our first dates. I didn't like it then, but it has since become one of my favorite pieces of music. Here's a snippet from a rehearsal, led by the late great Georg Solti.

32A TROUT OUTLAW, my favorite clue as it describes to a tee the German Lied "Die Forelle" (The Trout). A CSO to Spitz.

47A Had to wait for perps on this one. Yesterday's clue, which included the word "messenger" was easier to fill than today's ambiguous "genetic lab material". mRNAs are copies ("messengers") of segments of DNA ("genes") used in the synthesis of proteins.

58A IMHO BCE is PC for BC. What does the "D" in "AD" stand for, and why was it used to separate BCE from CE?

11D ATOM, the smallest of the answers, was the last to fall.

Gotta go get new tires on the truck. TTFN!

Cheers,
Bill

ATLGranny said...

A fun FIR puzzle today created by Winston. Thanks! No trouble seeing the two OUTs, but wasn't sure of what DPS meant, thinking it might be designated pitchers. No, it's Double PlayS. The terms I got confused are designated hitters and relief pitchers. I need to watch some baseball games! But still, a FIR today.

WOs today were maim/HARM (hi Jinx!) and PLan/PLOT. I started to think about filling iota/ATOM but quickly saw perps wouldn't allow it. Thanks for the nice review, Jazz B. I guessed it was you. Hope you all are doing well today.

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Liked today's puzzle with all the double OUTS. Creative. Got it all. No searches needed.
OLEAN - Is a city in SW NY State astride the Allegheny River.
ShipYARD - I've been to Norfolk Naval Shipyard several times. Also the Brooklyn Navy YARD.
ALTAMONT - is a village in Albany Co., NY just below the Helderberg escarpment.

Nice intro, JzB

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-Another perfect day for golf but my friend requested me to sub. Right now I’m watching seniors wading through Beowulf
-BOUT OUTCOME made no sense and so I knew something was afoot
-Subbing motto: “First do no HARM” :-)
-A good golf swing uses the CORE more than the arms, wrists and hands. “Use the big muscles!”
-We usually get a January THAW
-Ex DUES Machina – In one Seinfeld episode, george’s marriage problem is solved when Susan suddenly dies
-STRUT – The standard gait of pro wrestling villains
-Gotta love “Fodder for a Fire”
-Bell rang – Out go the seniors and in comes the 7th graders to start reading The Outsiders. Yikes!

Malodorous Manatee said...

Thanks JAzzB for the recap. The puzzle went smoothly although for a while I dealt with Beto O'Dourke. Not a political comment. I had RNA in lieu of DNA on the crossing.

Lucina said...

Hola!

Hello, my crossword friends! It has been a long while since I solved a crossword puzzle and it was a joy to do this one. Thank you, Winston!

BELA Bartok started me off and then it was a quick sashay to the end. I saw a lot of OUTs but of course I know nothing about baseball so it did not occur to me that there was a relation. Thank you, JazzBumpa, for explaining!

CSO to my late DH who loved boxing.

ORAN always reminds me of Casablanca.

We desperately need to PAVE our driveways but a huge underground water leak used up most of our reserves and so now we must start saving again. Ours is a small community of 57 units so it takes a long time to accumulate the money.

This past weekend was the Believe Walk in Redlands. There was no organized walk as in other years, but our family walked together in honor of my late niece who died of breast cancer.

Now I'm set to go again to Charlotte to visit my sister who lives there. My flight is in a few hours so I don't have much time. I really wanted to do a puzzle and greet all of you. I hope all have been well and that I haven't missed any important news. I might be able to post from NC.

Take good care, everyone! I'll be back in two weeks.

Spitzboov said...

BCE - 700 BCE

Wilbur Charles said...

Lots of trouble in south. Dnk NOVAK except I finally dredged it up along with TIVO. Beto's last name finally dawned thus OSIER(sprig) perped. Yes, asparagus has SPEARS not stalks. USOC not NCAA or professional league.

The Yankees had several DPS but the Redsox had the HRs.
Terrible baserunning blunder by Judge but efficient relay by Sox. On to playoffs

Theme saved me. We just had DPS but I had to actually think to grok the Double OUTS.

I was thinking Hilary for that Wellesley ALUMNA. Maim became simply HARM and I recalled ORAN.

Great write-up JazzB. Combo of difficult and easy Wednesday

WC

Gary, the key was getting rid of the actress that the Big4 didn't like. Played the part very well.

CanadianEh! said...

Wednesday workout. Thanks for the fun, Winston and JazzB.
Today was a big FIW for me, but I may chalk it up to Canadian disadvantage.
But I did get the OUT OUT theme (although similar to ATLGranny, I thought DPS were Designated Players not Pitchers).
Was SANDLOT an Easter Egg to the baseball theme?

My downfall were the crosses of NOVAK, USOC, and OROURKE (yes, even this Canadian knew about him, but with my DNA instead of RNA and a blank at the K, the name was just not coming to me).
Thankfully ALTAMONT perped.

A TAD changed to ATOM after I parsed correctly (what’s a Tom?)

OLEAN was not familiar to this Canadian, but I have learned Oleo here and perps helped. We have margarine.
I learned OSIER early in my CW solving.
A Wellesley ALUMNA would be a SHE.
IVAN is a Slavic variation of our John, (meaning God is gracious). Other variations include Iwan, Ian, Jan.

We had LEI and REI. (and TRI)..
Thanks for pointing out the O endings yesterday Misty. We miss IM’s eye for noting these.
I smiled at REEL crossing TROUT OUTLAW.

The scenery in Out of Africa was gorgeous. DH and I got to see it in person during our safari in KENYA. An experience of a lifetime!!

Welcome back Lucina (briefly!) and happy further travels.

Wishing you all a great day.

CrossEyedDave said...

I usually rely on serendipity in my search for silly theme links,
And when nothing strikes me as funny, usually just take a Thumper.
But when I saw this math sequence I was stumped and
had to google for a learning moment...

I had no idea it would lead to "smut".

it just went downhill from there...

Hmm, should've just taken the Thumper..

Ex machine reminded me of this movie.
If you do not like science fiction, give this movie a try, as it is more thriller and suspense
Than anything else. (Note, it does contain some smut....)

Oh well,
In an effort to save this post,
here are some Corgis for Irish Miss.

CrossEyedDave said...

Sorry,
here is the missing Ex Machina link

Spitzboov said...

Waseeley - - Thanks for linking "Die Forelle". Very pleasant to listen to. Noted the anagram spelling of German Angel -English angle for 'fishing'.

Ray - O - Sunshine said...

Easy Humpday challenge, the theme of two OUTS became obvious early and provided quick fill for long clues. DPS? double plays, know what they are but didn't know there was an abbrev. Remember NOVAK in Crossfire and Capital Gang back when opposing politics could be debated without it turning homicidal 😤..but "Evans" partner kind of a stretch. (How about a midweek level puzzle "Kim" NOVAK clue? 😃)

Mid south was last to go. Forehead slapping trying to remember Beto's last name. Didn't know USOC, thought a "willow twig" was a dowser (to find water) hence a perp and a WAG. ..ALTAMONT was a deep brain WAG.

I move on to the next preview when NETFLIX describes a feature as "coming of age" since I came of age 50-60 years ago, can't relate my ELHI experience. (Anyone see the Netflix series "Sex Education"? on NE...wow 😯😲😳 ...the most we ever did was "MakeOUTOUTside")

Inkovers: inon/UPON, atad/ATOM

"Global warming is fake" .....ECOLI
"The election was rigged"....POLI
Town in Southern Tier, original host of the Miss New York State Pageant 👸...OLEAN (oh-lee-ANN). (to add to Spitz's info.)

Had my pfizer booster a couple hours ago 💉...keep checking the mirror...no horns yet.😝

Lucina said...

I hope to get my booster in NC. I tried here but no appointments were available in my narrow window of time.

Thank you, Ceh! for the well wishes. So far my plane flights have been uneventful. Today it's a direct, 6 hour flight.

Good wishes for the best of health for Irish Miss.

desper-otto said...

Ray-O, it's not supposed to make you horny.

Ray - O - Sunshine said...

DO 🤘 sez who 😃

Misty said...

Well, after sailing through the Monday and Tuesday puzzles this week, this one was a lot tougher for me. But still fun, and still many thanks, Winston. Loved your commentary, JazzB--many thanks to you too.

I got the BOUTOUTCOME, but had to laugh when the TROUTOUTLAW fell into place and gave me the theme. That made the bottom part of the puzzle much easier.

No trouble getting the first names of BELA and IVAN and LUC, but didn't know NOVAK. Oh, but I did remember Sissy SPACEK.

Love animals, and so got PETA instantly.

Have a great day, everybody.

Yellowrocks said...

PRE AD = BCE?
I thought PRE AD was BC: Anno Domini and Before Christ (Christian version)
BCE, before the common era, and CE, common era (secular version).

I remembered Evans and Novak from the 80s. "By 1980, Evans & Novak were among the most widely syndicated columns in the United States as well as frequent guests on news-oriented radio and television." 40 some years ago! I was a news junkie, even then.

BOUT OUTCOME, I like this type of clue. Either the clue or the fill is true in a literal sense, but not in normal speech.

waseeley said...

CEh! @10:20AM Um, "DPS" = Double Plays as in 2 OUTs.

Chairman Moe said...

Puzzling thoughts:

Thanks Winston and JzB for the fun Wednesday romp. I will STRUT my feathers for finishing it right and with zero mistakes or wo's

Too funny, MM - O'Dourke! He is quite the character. I wonder if POLI-Sci was his major? I knew several classmates in college who were POLI-Sci majors, and some went on to become lawyers. I studied/majored in Economics and became a spender . . .

I started the puzzle at the bottom (SE corner) and worked my way north. I got the theme after SPOUT OUTPUT, although since I had already solved DPS, I wondered whether the entries would have a D and a P somewhere. Glad to see it was literally "two OUTS"

Lucina, if you're traveling non-stop between PHX and CLT, your flight shouldn't be more than 3 hours. You're probably factoring the 3-hour time difference (Charlotte is EDT while PHX is MST) between the cities. At any rate, enjoy your trip and visit.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

C-Moe, 3 hrs is right: 2 hr. for Central and Eastern zones, plus one for Arizona's refusal to adopt DST (except in Navajo country). When I lived in Phoenix I was glad NOT to have an extra hour of daylight on summer afternoons. I lived in a still-being-built community, and the roofers started hammering at the crack of dawn to get their shift completed as early as possible. I'm glad they didn't start hammering at 4 am.

unclefred said...

FIR in an embarrassing 26 minutes. This was a nice fun appropriately WEDNESDAY CW. I’m not sure why it took me so long. W/Os SPRIG:SPEAR, ROI:REI, DNA:RNA. I got the theme with the second double out at 32a, which helped with 41a and 53a. I was sorry to see olestra go away, I never had and side effects, and enjoyed being able to eat potato chips with less guilt. Anyway, thanx for the fun CW, WE. And thanx too for the terrific write-up, JzB. Seems like I learn something every time, this time being deus ex machina.

Jayce said...

I liked this puzzle. WEES.

I just noticed Jean-Luc Godard differs by only 3 letters from Jean-Luc Picard.

Wasn't Robert NOVAK the guy who "outed" Valerie Plame, destroying both her and her husband's careers?

Take care, all.

Ol' Man Keith said...

Not the biggest baseball fan, so wasn't thinking "double plays" when I inked DPS in place.
But that's OK, so long as I still rate my FIR.

Looking back, I see I wasn't the only one thinking it referred to the entry of a powerful relief (designated) pitcher late in the game. Happily, we each made our peace with it.

Overall, this was a good humpday PZL, maybe just a tad too easy. But we'll take the win. Thanks, Winston Emmons!
And thanks, too, of course, to Jazzbumpa.
~ OMK
___________
DR:
Three diagonals, all on the far side.
[WARNING: ADULT-ish FARE below...]
The central diagonal offers a strange anagram (12 of 15 letters), honoring a person who has an especially refined knack for spotting untapped SMUTtiness--or a talent for the trade, as it were.
Others might dismiss him (or her) as merely a pimp, but that would not do this person justice.
He (or she) is, in actuality, a ...

"HO SUPERSCOUT"!

Chairman Moe said...

Jinx @ 2:38:

Another of the many things I love about AZ is not having to ever change my clock, watch, et al. As you stated, the LAST thing we'd want is more daylight in the summer! But despite that, it still is pretty freaking hot here between sunset and bedtime from May through September. The past few nights have been delightful. As my partner Margaret has said quite often, Arizona is the best place to live for about 8 months a year

Ol' Man Keith said...

Hands up if you remember nicknaming 9D "Space Chick."!

And you thought you were funny.
~ OMK

PK said...

Hi Y'all! Thanks for an amusing puzzle, Winston. Great expo, JzB.

I got the OUTOUT part of the theme -- sorta whacked you in the face. Had no idea what DPS meant. Still liked the theme which filled easily for me. TROUTOUTLAW indeed. When I was a teenager, we went around quoting Shakespeare: "OUT OUT damned spot."

Lots of unknowns which perped pretty well: IVAN, PENA, ALTAMONT, LUC, DEUS, NOVAK, ANN. Knew but took a while to remember OROURKE & BELA.

TYRA: Now the host & producer of Dancing with the Stars which was one of my favorite shows until she took over. Can't understand a word she says, shudder over her elaborate ridiculous costumes, hate the overly-busy backgrounds and flashing lights which make it difficult to see the dancing. Would like to hear real tango music if that is the dance being done. Monday night, I mostly watched with the sound off and only when the "stars" were actually moving around. Read thru the rest. Such a disappointment.

Lemonade714 said...

A very skillfully built theme and puzzle. Our Prime Mimister of puzzling delivered again. You on time posters have pointed out all the hidden pitfalls, so I will just say looking forward to tomorrow's fascinating challenge.

Thank you Winston and Ron

Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

FIW - ALUMNi & AnEUT | OnEAN. At least my other wag "SAND LOT" was right.

Fun puzzle Winston. I got DPs early and then saw the OUTS. Beautiful theme.

Thanks for the expo JzB. Ozzie's DP was my fav. 'Course I loved him growing up.

WOs: N/A
ESPs: BELA|ANN, SANDLOT, DEUS, PENi, LUC
Fav: I kinda liked seeing YOKO ONO instead of just ONO.

Evans & NOVAK - I recall from a PBS news program.

O'ROURKE speaks Spanish but with that last name - I don't think he is :-)
//has he actually announced a run for Gov, D-O? Or is he still "exploring a run"?

My favorite O'ROURKE is P.J. He's a hoot on Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me. [Politics Trigger Warning Ahead if you click]

{B, B+, B}
Oh, OMK. SMUT is what I think I see it :-)

HG - wasn't that 'cuz George purchased cheep envelops that poisoned Susan slowly as she licked the wedding invites? //I'll LIU later.

C. Moe - you had to change clocks? All mine (except the cars') magically jump back and forth when DST arrives / ebbs.

All the DVRs you may have pay royalties to TIVO.
//full disclosure: a buddy of mine worked at TIVO. He wrote the early interface that helped you find similar shows and lock them into record. It (interface) would "knock" on your screen to get your ATTN, IIRC.

Anyone have an update on IM? Her appointment was today, right?

Have (another) great trip Lucina!

Cheers, -T

Kkflorida said...

Thanks Winston for a fun Wednesday puzzle and JazzB for the thorough expo. I sussed the theme early and managed to set my own personal record of 3 days in a row with no white-out-out needed.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

C-Moe, I liked Phoenix except for monsoon season. DW, on the other hand, couldn't handle even the dry heat.

-T, leave it to you to have a stove and microwave that are part of the IoT. I have to reset mine too.

Anonymous T said...

Jinx - I don't set the oven or the microwave. We lose power so many times a week, it's just not worth the aggravation. Thanks ERCOT / Relient.

-T

CanadianEh! said...

waseeley@2:05pm- LOL re DPS. Yes, JazzB showed me that DPS meant Double Plays; I know the term but not the abbreviation.
I thought it stood for Designated Players. Actually I should have been thinking of Designated Hitter in MLB, but apparently softball has Designated Players. ATLGranny thought it stood for Designated Pitcher, and that similarity was what I meant by my comment.

waseeley said...

Jayce @3:23 PM I'm not defending NOVAK, but Plame wasn't exactly destroyed. She landed on her feet and has parlayed her CIA service and a successful career as a writer into a 5 million dollar nest egg.

The REAL villain in that story was Lewis ("Scooter") Libby who outed her to the Post, and who ended up serving 30 months in prison for perjury and related charges. The REALER villain was probably his boss VP Dick Cheney, and ... I'll stop there as I see the words "No Politics" just above this box. 🙃

Jayce said...

Yes waseeley, Dick Cheney was, IMO, evil.

LEO III said...

Pretty easy Wednesday puzzle. Since I always highlight the theme and reveal clues and squares first, DPS was my first fill, BOUT… filled soon after that, and the other themers followed quickly, giving me quite a leg up. BELA, OLEAN, OSIER and PENA required perps.

Maybe it’s my advanced age and having listened to REAL baseball radio and TV announcers in my ute, but DPS didn’t fool me for a moment. The second baseman and shortstop are OFTEN referred to as a DP combination. Bet Boomer knew it right away.

Oh, and back then we didn’t have (expletive deleted) designated players for (expletive deleted) pitchers! Fill in your own expletive, if you are so inclined.

DAYO was good, but this one is my favorite Belafonte:

"There's a Hole in the Bucket"

LEO III said...

Oh, thanks Winston and JazzB!

Anonymous T said...

LeoIII - I was going to opine on the Designated Hitter (that C,Eh! mentioned) abomination in the AL (which our 'Stros are now part of) Baseball but...
"No Politics" :-)

Cheers, -T

Anonymous T said...

Sentimental -T say...

Did y'all watch all of JzB's Double Play video? Ozzie Smith's SS play is how I modeled my time as a 8->12yro playing the position. That man was an acrobat.

You know whats really fun?
Playing catch with Pop.
We got to do it when I was in IL a few weeks ago.
How cool is that?
A 71yro still tossing the ball to his 51yro kid.
And we both think we could still turn a DP as we tagged out our imaginary runner when the ball is thrown low. :-)

C, -T

Michael said...

I didn't see any mention of this above, so CED's math 'problem' at 10:20 works like this.

When scoring a baseball game, each position is represented by a number -- the pitcher is 1, catcher is 2, first base is 3, ... shortstop is 6, LF is 7. etc.

Thus 5+4+3 = 2 means a play from 3rd to 2nd to 1st base, equaling 2 outs (a DP [I know; the math's not consistent])

Anonymous T said...

Michael - I thought CED's BB DP math comic was hilarious.
I've seen a few DPs that blew my mind...
One, IIRC, 9-6-3 when Hidalgo played RF with the 'Stros back in the early 2000's. [sorry, too late to LIU]
That man's arm was a canon.

Here's the positions as numbered for the non-Baseball fans.

I expect Vidwan to tell us about Cricket positions now ;-)

Cheers, -T