google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Friday, May 26, 2023, Andrew Anker

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May 26, 2023

Friday, May 26, 2023, Andrew Anker

 



Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with a Friday recap In Re:  A puzzle by Andrew Anker.  I was not able to find a preexisting label for Andrew on this blog so it may be his LAT debut.

At four places in the grid, Andrew breaks apart the first word of common two-word expressions.  In each case, the first word starts with the letters RE.  By separating those letters we get "regarding" and, thereby, new meanings.  Here are the four themed answers:

20 Across:  Subject line on an email about bog vandals?: REPEAT OFFENDERSRe: Peat Offenders.

25 Across:  Subject line on an email about CPA training?: REFORM SCHOOLRe: Form School.  The implication is that what Certified Public Accountants do is fill out (tax) forms.

42 Across:  Subject line on an email about a guide to raising twins?: REPAIR MANUALRe: Pair Manual.  How to raise two (a pair of) children.

48 Across:  Subject line on an email about art studios?: RECREATION AREASRe: Creation Areas.

. . . . and here are the rest of the clues/answers:

Across:

1. Datum from Elias Sports Bureau, e.g.: STAT.  Sports STATistics

5. Take it easy: COAST.  "Phone it in"

10. "Fine, be like __!": THAT.

14. Gyro part: PITA.  Not a gyroscope.  A Greek sandwich.



15. Forget, as a repulsive image: UNSEE.  Often used in a phrase such as "I wish that I could UNSEE that."

16. Field mouse: VOLE.




17. Berserk: AMOK.

18. Sparkling alternative: STILL.  Do you prefer your bottled water with or without carbonation?

19. Somali-born supermodel: IMAN.  A frequent visitor.

23. __ Grande: RIO.  A suitable name for a big river.

31 December 1978

24. Pity party cry: POOR ME.

31. Creme-filled cookies: OREOS.  We are often offered these snacks while doing our puzzles.

32. Sticker: THORN.  Not, in this case, something to apply to your ski or motorcycle helmet.

33. Stroke: PET.  Not a medical reference.  Used as a verb.


36. Glove: MITT.  I used to be one of those chefs that shouts and swears a lot.  Then I discovered oven MITTs.

37. Behr product: PAINT.  Hand up for first thinking STAIN.  Heck, four of the five letters are the same.

38. Lucy van __: "Peanuts" girl: PELT.



39. Green vegetable in minji stew: PEA.   Not a reference to the K-pop NewJeans singer.



40. __ Park, California: MENLO.  Roughly twenty miles south of SFO.

41. __ fries: CURLY.



44. Fantasized: DREAMT.

47. Set as a price: ASK.

55. Cream additive: ALOE.  A soothing substance frequently found in crossword puzzles.

56. Permissible: LICIT.  Legit or LICIT, the perps know.

57. Miranda of "Homeland": OTTO.  Having never watched "Homeland" I initially found myself wondering, after perping the fill, who the heck was OTTO Miranda.  Then it dawned on me that we're talking about Miranda OTTO from LOTR.

58. Buds: PALS.  Not young flowers.

59. Mound: KNOLL.  Grassy KNOLL jokes are not funny.  They're hill areas.

60. Stick in one's __: CRAW.  Idiomatic.



61. Cloverleaf element: EXIT.  Not a plant reference.



62. Know without knowing why: SENSE.

63. "We came to play" sneakers brand: KEDS.


Down:

1. Practice boxing: SPAR.

2. Life partner: TIME.  As in publishing.


 
3. Straddling: ATOP.   Seems a bit off.  Yes, you might straddle a horse but you could also be ATOP a building without straddling said structure.  Then again, could you be straddling something without being ATOP it?

4. Become established: TAKE ROOT.

5. Made to order: CUSTOM.  CUSTOM-made exit signs are all the rage these days.  But I think that they are on their way out.

6. Aware of: ONTO.

7. "Get real!": AS IF.

8. Mirror image: SELF.  What you see in the looking glass.

9. Appear out of nowhere?: TELEPORT.



10. Small-screen fave: TV IDOL.

11. Simpson who demands, "Operator! Give me the number for 911!": HOMER.



12. Rating unit for 29-Down: ALARM. and
29. Cook-off potful: CHILI.



13. Perfect or imperfect: TENSE.  Adjective was too long.

21. Publicizes: AIRS.

22. Halfway to midnight: NOON.  

25. Easy win: ROMP.  ROUT?  The perps know.

26. Lake that drains into the Niagara: ERIE.

27. Crumbly cheese: FETA.  Do we get FETA with our PITA?

28. "Castle" co-star __ Katic: STANA.

30. Lionize: HONOR.

33. Ucayali River country: PERU.  A more obscure reference than something Incan related would have been but, hey, it's Friday.

34. "Heart on My Sleeve" singer __ Mai: ELLA.

35. "Chat soon," in texts: TTYL.  Talk TYou Later

37. Pregame motivators: PEP TALKS.



38. Rotten genre?: PUNK ROCK.

Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols

40. Viral post: MEME.  A shortened version of the Greek mimeme itself derived from the Ancient Greek meaning mimema meaning imitated thing.

41. La __ Azul: Frida Kahlo museum: CASA.  A Spanish lesson.  The Blue House.



42. Most prized, perhaps: RAREST.

43. Hall of Famer known as "The Mick": MANTLE.



44. Fall in folds: DRAPE.

45. "Don't get so worked up": RELAX.

46. Common recall trigger: E COLI.



49. Jabber at the table?: TINE.



50. Screen image: ICON.  I showed my grandson an old floppy disk.  He said, "Cool!  You 3-D printed the save ICON."

51. Many Louvre works: OILS.  One would have thought that this answer would be in French.

52. Raison d'__: ETRE.  This one is.

53. Hardly any: A TAD.  A BIT.  A FEW.  SOME.  The perps know.

54. Scatters seed: SOWS.  Not clued as female pigs.



__________________________________________________


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41 comments:

Subgenius said...

Though others may disagree, I didn’t find this puzzle as difficult as the “typical” Friday puzzle, if there is such a thing anymore. For one thing, the “re” pattern was evident from the first themed solve. For another, there were few obscure proper names (though there were a couple of them). Surprisingly, one of the hardest things for me to get (at first) was “coast” and “custom.” “Coast” is not the first thing I think of when it comes to “taking it easy.” Another problem I had: “pat” or “pet”? But “Ella” made more sense than “Alla,” so I got through that one okay. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Agreed. This was easier than a typical Friday used to be. D-o managed to suss the theme, and COASTed to victory. There was a minor stumble at PEP SQUAD/TEAMS/TALKS, but that was quickly fixed. Thanx, Andrew (nice debut) and Mal-Man (nice expo).

Jinx in Norfolk said...

FIR, but erased a few for A TAD and legal, then legit for LICIT. Waited for mantel / MANTLE. The RE theme helped me get started in a couple of places.

I always think of crossword-favorite TAE for MENLO Park. The unincorporated NJ MENLO Park area of TAE was named for the California city.

Seems like it is always the dad (HOMER) who is the brunt of these hapless scenes. But it IS an old joke.

I was a fan of Homeland for several seasons, and couldn't figure out why I didn't remember OTTO. Upon further review, it turns out she was in only one season, likely after I had tuned out.

Thanks to Andrew for the fun challenge. My favorite was "jabber at the table" for TINE. And thanks to our MalMan for delivering again.

TTP said...

Good morning. Thank you, Andrew Anker, and thank you, M&M.

Fun puzzle and better review.

KS said...

FIR, but had a little trouble center right. Another proper name issue for me of which once again there were too many for my liking. Thank heavens for perps. The theme was clever and I enjoyed figuring it out. Overall, a typical Friday CW.

inanehiker said...

Enjoyed this amusing theme- congrats to Andrew if this is a debut!

And the blog was fun MM- good start to the day - but I need to head to a meeting

ATLGranny said...

Fun theme and some twisty clues in this Friday puzzle by Andrew. I managed to dodge most traps, thanks to perps, but got a FIW. I put CURRY instead of CURLY, not catching that ELLA would be a more likely name for the perp. I guess I was thinking more about a curry ketchup or sauce on fries. Thanks, Andrew.

Thanks, MalMan, for the fun tour in your review. Hand up for PEP SQUAD before TALKS and I entered CHILL before COAST. Only other WO was PAT to PET in my most troublesome area since I dithered before settling on PELT too. TINE, the clever jabber, filled with perps before I got the meaning.

All in all, a fun start to the day. Enjoy your Friday, everyone!



Andrew Anker said...

Thanks everyone, it is indeed my debut puzzle. Appreciate the good thoughts!

Anonymous said...

Welcome Andrew to the corner. A fun Friday puzzle. Thanks MalMan for the recap. Enjoy your weekend everyone. kkFlorida.

Anonymous said...

Took 6:31 today for me to resign off on this one.

An original theme ... with no circles! Solid puzzle, although easier than the (old) usual Friday-level.

Like others, I struggled in the middle of the right side. Not knowing the singer of a song I didn't know, the texting initialism, and the Spanish word (as clued). And, as usual, I didn't know today's actresses (Otto, apparently from 1 season of the show; and, Stana).

Is 45D an email about lacrosse? Re: lax.
[Lacrosse is often shortened to "lax".]

Malodorous Manatee said...

Welcome to The Corner, Andrew of Woodside, CA. IIRC, that's not too far from where The Star Hill Academy of Anything was located. Believe it or not, I had a good friend who lived there for a while and I used to hang out there a bit.

Wilbur Charles said...

RE. The solve. Difficult for me but I didn't take a smart (CBD) pill. Perhaps it was clueing but I should have put together CHILI and ALARM

addon for sticker(THORN) messed up the middle which was sticky enough

MENLO is associated for me with the town in NJ where Edison invented

Yep, I was a router before I ROMPed

TG STANA was solid on the perps. Not a lot of pop-cul but all UNK but TTYL seemed solid
I see the early reviews = NOT re. DIfficult. c. Paragraph I. Andrew combined sticky clueing with doability

WC


RosE said...

Good Morning! I’m a happy camper today. I thought the puzzle was filled with clever clues, fills and the theme. Thanks, Andrew, and welcome!

2 WOs: STaLe -> STILL and ramp -> EXIT.

Sports stats: I remember the movie Moneyball with Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill.

Menlo Park: I know of New Jersey & Edison, but didn’t know there was one in Calif.

STANA: I loved Castle and watched the series beginning to end. I just referenced it a few days ago w/ the episode of Black DAHLIA. I read somewhere she pronounced her name as STAWNA, if you please.

The perps were kind today & in all the right places. I didn’t see E COLI until I read the recap. Funny toon to go with it, MalMan. Thanks for that and a fun journey you led thru today’s recap. Loved the hound with the kitten. Sweet!

Fav fill: TELEPORT

Monkey said...

Agreed, not a usual Friday difficulty, but enough crunch to make it fun. Lots of good clues, clever theme, and few impossible proper names.

I feel redeemed after yesterday’s fiasco.

CrossEyedDave said...

After all these years, it finally occurred to me why I so often miss how clever many of the themes are...
I do the puzzle online, and when the TADA comes up, it covers over the entire puzzle, and if I am not currently puzzled about the theme, I just go to the blog to see if I missed anything. If I am puzzled about the theme, then I take the time to figure out how to remove the TADA image and look at the puzzle again.

Who and where do I send the memo to get them to change the stupid TADA image!?

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-COAST – What a lot of H.S. seniors did this month
-In baseball, I’ve only heard of a catcher’s glove being referred to as a MITT
-Friday cluing for OTTO, ELLA and PERU that all had backdoors
-HOMER is exhibit A for the TV trope of clueless fathers.
-I doubt if CUSTOM-made clubs would help my game
-Mirror image: There’s this older gentleman looking back at me these days
-Desi never said, “You got some splainin’ to do” and Kirk never said, “Beam me up Scotty”.
-Someone must be interested when the British royals AIR their problems publicly
-MANTLE was my IDOL and at the end said he wished he’d had better knees and family skills
-Jabber as a noun was fun.
-Nice job, MM (not #7!)

Big Easy said...

I was onto the RE today with REPEAT, REFORM, REPAIR, & RECREATION filling nicely but I struggled to get OFFENDERS and the rest. On most weekday puzzles I COAST to completion but not today. The usual unheard of unknown A&E fills for shows, actors, songs, and singers.- STANA, CASA, OTTO, ELLA (ALLA didn't look like a name because PAT was as good as PET). PERU was a WAG and I struggled to understand why E COLI was a 'recall trigger' and the V8 hit me; recall food, not remember.

UNSEE- only wish I could do that sometimes, especially on grossly overweight people who wear yoga pants or the ripped jeans. Or some of the blue, green, or purple hair and multiple piercing on people with tattoos all over them. What are they thinking.

Andrew, thanks for stopping by. I hope Patti didn't make you change too much of your original puzzle. There's no way I could ever know some fills as I don't listen to pop tunes, rarely watch a movie, and certainly have no intention of ever paying for Netflix, Hulu, HBO,...etc.

Gary- CUSTOM made clubs will work- if you never change your swing AND you body stays exactly the same. Enjoy playing with the clubs you already have because at our age we ain't getting any better. Chipping and putting is where you gain or lose strokes.

Ray - O - Sunshine said...

Sheesh let's hope 3rd times the charm🙄



Like yesterday's puns today's emails especially with the given starter RE for each answer made for a RElatively easy Friday. Not too many PNs either.

Inkover: ideate/DREAMT

So what is the number for 911? 🤔

OREO cookie and MOUND(s) candy bar. Didn't know Katic (thought it said Katie) STANNA or is it STANNA Katic? Liked "Jabber at the table" I also thought MENLO Park was on the east coast.

KAOS agent: "The CRAW" nemesis of Maxwell (Get) Smart

Rodent version of Wheel of Fortune, "Pat I'd like to buy a ____ "....VOLE
What the makeup artist did to Bert Lahr in the Wizard of Oz...LIONIZE
One who keeps complaining about the "gyro part"...REPITAFFENDER

Thanks for dropping in at the corner Andrew, much appreciated.

Andrew Anker said...

There were a couple of back and forths with the editors on this one, one of my original themers was their favorite and we had a few iterations to find a good alternative. Definitely the hardest I’ve worked for $150 since my time at Chuck E. Cheese in the early 1980s. But ultimately, a very enjoyable process. The clues are mostly theirs which I hear is pretty normal experience for a debut puzzle. I tend to lean much more heavily on pop culture and trivia than most editors like.

Andrew Anker said...

I should have said “wasn’t their favorite”....

Charlie Echo said...

Fun theme, Andrew! Some really clever clues, too! I enjoyed MalMAns groaners also. FIR with perps and WAGs, but the names soaked up some of the fun. When I manage to perp or WAG an unfamiliar actual WORD, I get a feeling of accomplishment along with the "aha" or "d'oh". With obscure names, the feeling is more like "and so? WHO CARES!

Yellowrocks said...

Saved by perps. FIR, but I misread 20A, blog vandals instead of bog vandals, so how does REPEAT OFFENDERS fit? Oh!
Realizing the theme answers began with Re helped the solve. Clever theme.
I thought of bespoke and sui generis before custom.
Cute pic, the dog gently petting the kitten.
I like flavored sparkling water, especially blood orange.
I didn't expect the Louvre works to be in French. We call the museum that in English, too. They have works from all over the world.
Gary, I thought of high school, also. Some teens coasted all year, doing as little as possible.
I live near Menlo Park, NJ and have visited it several times. Edison was known as "The Wizard of Menlo Park." Only recently have I discovered, most likely here on the Corner, CA has a Menlo Park.
I echo you, Charlie, about unfamiliar words vs names.

Chairman Moe said...

Gary @ 9:42 --> I think I've also heard a first baseman's glove called a MITT before ... also, regarding custom golf clubs ... I finally have as many "woods" as irons in my bag

waseeley said...

Thank you Andrew for the fun puzzle and congrats on your debut. I really liked the theme on this puzzle - once sussed (after the first question) I was able to COAST to a FIR.

And thanks MalMan for another fun-filled and well-illuminated review.

A few favs:

16A VOLE. I wish I could UNSEE that pic. We had an infestation of VOLES in our garden a few years back and they ate all the lettuce!

18A STILL. We go through a bottle of TJ's SPARKLING water every evening for dinner.

20A REPEAT OFFENDER. A buddy of mine and I were involved in BOG VANDALISM some years back. It was during a trip to Ireland and is legendary among our friends as "the caper of the purloined PEAT". One day we chanced upon an apparently abandoned stack of PEAT by the roadside and helped ourselves to a few sticks to burn in our fireplace. Little did we know that it had to be completely dry before burning and if it isn't it smokes up the house. We think it must have been a trick they play on unsuspecting tourists. The Irish in Connemara are probably still laughing about it.

33A PET. Aww. That's a really cute GIF MM!

36A MITT. Teri props two MITTS on any hot dishes she takes out of the oven, as a warning to prevent me from SHOUTING and SWEARING should I touch one.

38A PELT. The cutest little SADIST in cartoon land.

57A OTTO. Yeah, LOTR was the first thing that came into my mind too MM. Sure.

12D ALARM. I was working at the Census Bureau and they had a CHILI bake off during lunch one day. They passed around a bottle of hot sauce made by a guy from Iran and I was about to slather some on a meat sandwich when the Director walked by and said "I'd be very careful with that stuff if I were you". It was the kind of sauce that required an APB to all the fire stations in the vicinity.

50D ICON. Floppy disks underwent a lot of evolution over the years from 8"->5 1/4"->3 1/2". The National Archives must continually maintain the ability to access these and other types of digital media that government agencies submit to them for archival.

Cheers,
Bill

Husker Gary said...

Musings 2
-Andrew, thanks for stopping by. Here is a nice picture and some info on Andrew.
-Big Easy: My swing is pretty much set as I can know hit it down the fairway and find it! I’ve only lost three golf balls since March.
-As I have said many times, my worst day on the golf course is way better than the best teacher’s meeting I ever attended.
-Chairman: A golfer in our morning league has no irons and uses up to a 15 Wood.

sumdaze said...

Your puzzle was REally fun, Andrew. Thanks and congratulations on your debut! FAV: PEP TALKS

MalMan, thank you for all the smiles today! Who knew a fork had so many parts???

FLN. Hello to GarlicGal!

Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

Andrew's puzzle was the most fun I've had all week. Great theme, fun/clever wordplay, and minimal #names. Thanks Andrew and congrats on the debut.
Also, thanks for stopping by The Corner with a little "behind-the-scenes."

MManatee - a few of your one-liners took a second ("they're on their way out") but LOL. Thanks for the playful post-puzzle review.

WOs: PuT (golf stroke?) -> PET
ESPs: IMAN, ELLA, OTTO
Fav: Jabber at the table == TINE.

FLN: Nice to see you again GarlicGal!

Ray-O beat me to 86's nemesis The CRAW.
WC beat me to 1st-baseman's MITT.
I don't play enough golf to warrant buying clubs - just rent whatever the Pro-Shop has and try to beat the "gentleman's eight" my BIL would pencil.

Today is my last full day w/ Eldest (flies back to VA tomorrow) but we packed a lot in: Violent Femmes & They Might Be Giants concerts, went to Rent last night, and rolled her coffee-can full of coins ;-)
Tonight, Youngest flies in (from Ireland) and we'll all hit sushi.
DW still won't be home (in Barcelona w/ her students) 'till Wednesday :-(
//I'm still waiting on DW for next episode of Ted Lasso.

Enjoyed reading y'all today.
Cheers, -T

Misty said...

Delightful Friday puzzle, many thanks, Andrew. And thanks also for your helpful commentary, Mal Man.

As soon as I saw RECREATION AREA I figured we ought to have a party. How about starting with PEA soup and CHILI, along with some PITA bread and with OREOs for dessert. Not many games going on, although somebody left a baseball MITT behind. But maybe we'll get some music with a PUNK ROCK band featuring a TV IDOL, and giving us some cool music. Sounds like a great party, where you'd RELAX and not even think about doing an EXIT.

Have a fun weekend coming up, everybody.

Ol' Man Keith said...

MalMan is at the helm today, bringing us this Anker PZL.

I used to know people from MENLO Park, although I have never been there myself--not to my knowledge.

I knew a certain part of the RIO Grande quite well. I used to cross it several times in a day.
That was the summer I spent in El Paso, directing a Macbeth. My Macduff lived in Juarez, just across the river and I would often visit with him and his family.
Back in those days, Juarez didn't have parking meters, but there were plenty of kids around. The cops would advise you: you should get muchacho to sit on your car's fender for a quarter, to save the vehicle from a ticket, or from vandalism.
Sure, it was a protection racket, but it worked. Win win, I say.
~ OMK
____________
DR:
Four diagonals, three on the far side.
On the near end, the single diagonal offers an anagram (12 of 15) that, while ungrammatical, speaks perfectly to whoever or whatever happens to be the most insincere ingratiating person or item of them all!
Of course, I mean it when I say they are just...

"TOO SMARMIEST"!

Big Easy said...

Gary, glad to see you can hit 'em straight. My problem was my draw would always move left into the rough or worse. Lots of woods, brush, and water around the local courses. My dreaded tee shot was water on the left side of a fairway that had short rough.

Fades slow down but draws keep rolling.

Lucina said...

Hola!

I did not COAST my way through this puzzle but giggled though most of it. Thank you, Andrew, for the fun!

My LIFE partner was WIFE before the magazine appeared. At one time many years ago I subscribed to both TIME and LIFE.

KNOLL for me always partners with grassy and recalls a tragic moment in 1963.

Lucy van PELT and I share a name.

All those TV ads about BEHR PAINT finally culminated in a puzzle.

Many, many years ago there was a store called HOMER's which I believe eventually evolved into Home Depot.

Last summer I visited MENLO Park where the Diocesan Seminary is located and attended Mass in their chapel. It was my first visit there and I was invited to ordination but could not attend.

STILL water is a mystery to me. I buy bottled water only for travel. A friend crocheted a CUSTOM made holder for my water bottle.

Time to go. Wishing everyone a happy day today!

unclefred said...

By the time I got to the blog today what I woulda said has been said: RECALL=MEMORY so ECOLI long time coming. GYRO = gyroscope, no? Well....no. Lucy Van PELT I knew but tried to write PELT in the wrong place, and was stymied for a while when it didn't fit where I tried to write it. In the end, FIR, in a typical (for me) Friday time. Fun CW, thanx AA and congrats on your debut. Clever theme which I did get immediately, which helped. Terrific write-up, MalMan, thanx for all the time and effort you put into it for our entertainment.

Anonymous T said...

Lucina:

In Italy, when I'd order water for the table, I'd have to specify STILL otherwise it would be carbonated (sparkling).

San Pellegrino is great for sipping but no fun if you're thirsty from walking all day and need to rehydrate in a hurry.

Hope that clears up STILL.
BTW, They still sell (and I still get) the 5G orange "Homer" buckets from Home Depot for projects.

Cheers, -T

Kelly Clark said...


Great theme -- this puzzle had me chuckling out loud. Thanks so much, Andrew, and congratulations! And thanks for the fun review, MM!

waseeley said...

Husker @11:45 AM Thank you SO MUCH for that great write up on Andrew. A fascinating and entrepreneurial guy with his hands in a lot of pies, the creation of Wired Magazine to name just one. I've read the mag for years and it has published in depth articles on many tech subjects. The one that moved me most was the years long investigation by the FBI and others leading to the take-down of a group of child pornographers, using block-chain technology to hide their tracks. One of the most difficult things for the investigators was their inability to UNSEE the many photographs that they had to collect and view in order to gain convictions. Incredible article. It was definitely worth a Pulitzer Prize, which I doubt that it received. I look forward to many more puzzles by Andrew.

Lucina said...

AnonT
Thank you for that explanation. I rarely, if ever, go to Home Depot so that is news to me. Lowe's is closer to my home.

Originally, KEDS were sold at the grocery store and I recall buying a pair for $10.

I forgot to say I had not heard of "minji" stew but PEA emerged quickly.

Also, I used to watch "Castle" regularly but it became too predictable so I quit.

Ucayali River was also unfamiliar to me but with four spaces I sussed PERU.

Time to go on a search for a new shoe rack. My gr-great son pulled down the one I have and it proved too fragile to replace.

GarlicGal said...

Friday Funday! Thanks Andrew, hope we get to see more of your puzzles!
Yes, there is definitely a Menlo Park in California, about 50+ miles from me. It's near Stanford University - a very toney area. Median house cost is (hold on to your socks) a cool $3 million! A little too rich for my blood...
I have been MIA from the blog but I'm still solving the LAT and NYT puzzles daily. And of course I check into "the corner" to see what everyone is up to.
Happy three day weekend.

Jayce said...

I liked this puzzle.

RELAX went in at 5-across but had to be taken out when it showed up at 45-down.

Having -IM- at 2-down, I wrongly guessed that "Life partner" was LIMB.

SENSE went in at 62-across, but I took it out when I entered FORK for "Jabber at the table". KNOLL fixed that. Yes, I, too, always think of "grassy" when I see the word KNOLL. Excellent joke about that, MM.

I loved the clues for THORN, TIME, TELEPORT, and TENSE.

Because LW and I used to enjoy the show "Castle" I knew STANA Katic. On the other hand, because we have never watched "Homeland" I did not know Miranda OTTO. I noticed, of course that both of those clues/answers were presented in that same old shopworn format, as were PELT and ELLA.

I am happy that that the editors didn't ruin Andrew's puzzle, even though, as he said, "The clues are mostly theirs."

LW and I are pretty intimately familiar with MENLO Park, CA, and have enjoyed dining at some nice restaurants there. Some good friends of ours used to live there, but they have all moved away. We also have visited the lovely town of Woodside many times. LW and I like the show "Frontline" and I like reading "Wired." Very impressive resume, Andrew.

Good wishes to you all.

Malodorous Manatee said...

I am now sitting at the Atlanta airport waiting to continue a long, one change of planes, trip back to CA and now, after reading all of your kind comments, the only thing running through my mind is "The Craw?" "Not the Craw, the Craw!"

CrossEyedDave said...

Forgive me for going off theme, but i just had to post this amazing contraption...

I am a big fan of making something with nothing, but these guys went over the top...

in a nutshell,
they made a clock,
out of wood,
string,
stones,
and a knife...

Could you do this?

just in case you didnt get the memo...

sumdaze said...

Jayce@5:15. Same same for RELAX @ 5A