google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Sunday July 9, 2023 John Andrew Agpalo

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Jul 9, 2023

Sunday July 9, 2023 John Andrew Agpalo

Theme: "And/Or" - OR is added to each common phrase.
 
23. Abridged version of a Greek myth featuring a box full of troubles?: PANDORA EXPRESS. Panda Express.

41. Title of a "Jack and the Beanstalk" subreddit?: FEE-FI-FO FORUM. Fee-fi-fo-fum

58. Cry from a reveler who wants the weekend party to keep going?: SATURDAY NIGHT FOREVER. Saturday Night Fever.

79. Desire of a greedy lord?: EVERY MANOR FOR HIMSELF. Everyman For Himself.

93. Like a florist after Valentine's Day?: BORED OF ROSES. Bed of roses. Should have avoided: 28. Rest area?: BED.

115. Research scientist's unique explanation?: SINGULAR THEORY. Singular they.

I think this is our constructor. Congrats on your debut, John Andrew Agpalo!

Again we have a grid full of great long Downs. So impressive from a rookie constructor. 

Across:

1. Power couple?: AC DC. Nailed it. I once made a puzzle with POWER COUPLE as the reveal.

5. Furniture board: SLAT.

9. Flow slowly: SEEP.

13. "Hasta __": MANANA. Tomorrow.

19. "Go away!": SHOO.

20. Musical finale: CODA.

21. Category: TYPE.

22. Like a sleeping snake: COILED. They coil when they're scared also.

26. Current event in climate studies?: EL NINO. 37. Fox chaser?: TROT. Foxtrot. Lovely clues.

27. World record suffix: EST.

29. Baby's 28-Across: CRIB.

30. Ecru kin: TAN.

32. Parted partners: EXES.

33. Work on hooves: RE-SHOE.

35. Draw absentmindedly: DOODLE. Have any of you read Tim Urban's "Wait But Why?"



39. Hot dog: WEENIE.

46. One of Adam's sons: ABEL.

48. Rios on the road: KIAS. Kia Rio.

50. "__ Too Well": Taylor Swift song: ALL. I've never seen a more talented singer/song-writer.


51. Flow forth: EFFUSE.

52. Verses-versus-verses competitors: SLAM POETS.

55. "Show your cards": I CALL.

57. Tendon: SINEW.

61. Cut short, perhaps: EDITED.

62. Slice of history: ERA.

63. Party-planning site: E-VITE.

64. Asian occasion: TET. Same day as Chinese Spring Festival.

65. "Happy Birthday" writers, often: ICERS.

68. Smith of "The Karate Kid": JADEN. With Jackie Chan.


70. __ Na Na: SHA.

73. South African author Alan: PATON. He wrote "Cry, the Beloved Country".


 

75. Bridle attachment: BIT.

76. Like some cheese: GRATED.

85. Stationery shade: CREAM.

86. Lincoln neighbor: OMAHA. Gary is a bit north.



87. Lunar surface: MOONSCAPE.

88. Garage capacity: ONE-CAR.

90. Hush-hush maritime org.: ONI. Office of Naval Intelligence.

91. See 66-Down: ESTA. 66. With 91-Across, Spanish "How's it going?": COMO.

92. "You are something __": ELSE.

96. Church instruments: ORGANS.

99. Word from a baby doll: MAMA.

100. Start of the Marine Corps motto: SEMPER. Fi.

102. "Wednesday" actress Jenna: ORTEGA.


105. Flaky layered mineral: MICA.

108. __ Dhabi: ABU.

110. Munich article: EINE.

111. Campaign funding org.: PAC.

112. Hired ride: CAB.

113. Writer/director Nora: EPHRON.

119. Discipline featuring slow movements: TAI CHI. My hometown Xi'an.



120. Unit in the Monty Hall problem: DOOR.

121. Empire State canal: ERIE.

122. Terminates: ENDS.

123. Bronchial malady: ASTHMA.

124. "Even __ speak ... ": AS WE.

125. Small coin: DIME.

126. Dedicated works: ODES.

Down:

1. In accordance with: AS PER.

2. Action film climax, often: CHASE.

3. "Stop fretting": DON'T SWEAT IT. Partnered with 70. Move closer to home?: STEAL SECOND.
I love this pair of 10s also: 15. Hours for a typical day shift: NINE TO FIVE. 73. Nonviolent protest: PEACE MARCH.

4. Fish oil source: COD.

5. Use an X-ray, e.g.: SCREEN.

6. Dishwasherful: LOAD.

7. Sports drink suffix: ADE.

8. Mexico city known for silver jewelry: TAXCO. Rose from our local flea market is very into Taxco silverware. 



9. Walk confidently: STRIDE.

10. Solution for something that can't be unseen?: EYE BLEACH. From Urban Dictionary: "Looking or experiencing something nice after witnessing something horrid like a disgusting gif or a disturbing video".

11. Mini-albums, for short: EPS.

12. Unwelcome visitor: PEST.

13. John who won Wimbledon three times in the 1980s: MCENROE.

14. Yahoo! Inc. brand: AOL.

16. Hugo-winning writer __ E. Harrow: ALIX. Learning moment for me.



17. Aloha State bird: NENE.

18. Big fusses: ADOS.

24. Prominent instrument in "Swan Lake": OBOE.

25. Many univ. employees: PROFS.

31. DOJ bureau: ATF.

34. Former German chancellor Kohl: HELMUT.

35. Pantheon member: DEITY.

36. Note in a C minor triad: E FLAT.

38. Balance: OFFSET.

40. Store with a Swedish food market: IKEA. Someday I want to try their picked herrings.


42. Far from sated: ILL-FED.

43. Diviner's letter: RUNE.

44. App ad target: USER.

45. Kitten's "I'm hungry": MEW.

46. Benefit: ASSET.

47. Grass unit: BLADE.

49. "Up" actor Ed: ASNER.

53. Opposite of post-: PRE.

54. Unusual thing: ODDITY.

55. Tennis player Swiatek: IGA.

56. Totally adore: LOVE. Been loving cold sesame noodles lately. You need 68. Skippy rival: JIF.

 

59. Form 1040 org.: IRS.

60. Celebrate, as a new year: RING IN.

67. Captivate: ENAMOR.

69. Proton carriers: ATOMS.

71. Gives a hand: HELPS.

72. Price for a spot: AD FEE.

74. Spanish fleet: ARMADA.

75. Lingerie piece: BRA. So happy that Etam is also available in the US. 



77. Hotel divs.: RMS.

78. Upward climb: ASCENT.

79. Inventor Rubik: ERNO.

80. Turn suddenly: VEER.

81. Old iPods: NANOS.

82. "Ah, yes": OH I SEE NOW. Another nice fill.

83. Wind turbine part: ROTOR.

84. Winter coat?: HOAR. Frost.

85. Cookout discard: COB.

89. Black Sea country: ROMANIA.

91. "College Football Live" channel: ESPNU.

94. "Super": FAB.

95. Expatriate: EMIGRE.

97. Pointed beard: GOATEE.

98. Aqueduct element: ARCH.

101. Joined a conger line?: EELED. OK. Conga line.

103. Avant-__: GARDE.

104. Bottomless gulf: ABYSS.

105. Like crossword clues about crossword clues: META.

106. Milkshake beers, for short: IPAS.

107. Gambler's marker: CHIT.

109. Egg-grading org.: USDA.

111. Straight-laced: PRIM.

114. Resistance unit: OHM.

116. Memoji platform: IOS.

117. The NFL's Cardinals, on sports crawls: ARI. Arizona.

118. Dept. of Labor concern: EEO.

Happy 53rd birthday to dear Tony (Anon-T), our knowledgeable foodie, techie and loving friend. Here is a picture of Tony and Leo on July 3, 2021.

Anon-T & Leo


28 comments:

OwenKL said...

If you tell a "puddy tat" to SHOO,
That is what he'll hardly ever do.
His replies
Are pleading eyes,
And a very understated, "MEW".

I've had it with the singular they!
Its usage always drives me away!
I get so confused
Any time it is used
Is it a person or a mob come my way?

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Got the OR, but kept waiting for the AND to drop. It never did. Went wrong a couple of times with WIENER/WEENIE and RIME/HOAR. Wite-Out, please. Impressive debut, John. Thanx for 'splainin' it all, C.C. (John's photo link is broken. I think you meant "pickled" herring.)

TAI CHI: There's a house for sale in our neighborhood. We'd often see the Chinese lady who lived there on our morning march through the 'hood. She'd be doing TAI CHI in her driveway.

JIF: There's a BBQ guy in east Texas whose claim to fame is putting peanut butter and jelly on his brisket. Sounds absolutely terrible to me, but some folks think it's delish.

Subgenius said...

I didn’t find this puzzle too difficult. The only expression I was unfamiliar with was “singular they” but I can easily imagine how that might be applied. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.

SwenglishMom said...

Enjoyed the limericks Owen! As a midwest American I enjoy various flavors of "pickled herring" (known as sill here in Sweden), but then I love fish in general. I recently bought Wild Garlic and Lemon flavored while I was going through a little tummy trouble and needed nourishment but wanted something mild and filling. Usually eaten with boiled potatoes. Swedes go crazy in June eating new potatoes, so sill and potatoes at midsummer feasts are de rigueur. Skagen toast is also a great swedish treat.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

FIR, but erased exes (after it was drafted for 32A), and steals third for STEALSECOND. If you STEAL SECOND, you are closer to home sequentially, but you are further away distance-wise than you were when you were leading off first base. If you steal third, you are closer to home in both aspects. (I know the tense doesn't work for third, but I mis-tense fill regularly.)

After filling PANDORA, I thought the theme was going to be "andor" in every theme fill. Not.

DNK that snakes sleep COILED. I did know they coil when frightened. Very dangerous if the snake has a triangular head.

FoxTROT - An old dance, or NATO's sixth letter.

Two great Jimmy Buffet songs today, MANANA and DOOR Number Three.

JADEN Smith ofThe Karate Kid, or the "kid from the slap heard 'round the world."

LHF with the Dolly Parton hit NINE TO FIVE.

Unit of grass had to be BLADE, because "Baggie" wouldn't fit.

Thanks to John for the fun workout, and to CC for the usual informative review.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

I echo DO’s waiting for the AND to drop and based on that assumption, I don’t really understand the title. Oh well, maybe someone will come up with an explanation. I’ve never heard the expression Eye Bleach (It pains me to even think about it literally) but I’m not really into current slang. Alix, Ortega, and ONI needed perps, although we’ve had ONI before, just not often enough to remember it. The low number of unknowns and the low number (28) of three letter words were both unusual for a Sunday grid and, as always, appreciated by this solver. My favorite themers were Pandora Express and Bored Of Roses. Any mention of Omaha brings HG to mind, as did Moonscape!

Thanks, John Andrew, and congratulations on an such an auspicious debut and come back soon and thanks, CC, for always sharing the insider’s view of the finer points of crossword world. Your food photos are always a treat, also.

Happy Birthday, dear Tony, and best wishes for many more happy and healthy ones! 🎂🎉🎈🎊🎁 Great photo of you and Leo. (We haven’t heard from Leo in ages.)

Have a great day.

Anonymous said...

I came back from a two week vacation only to find the Washington Post iPad digital LATimes crossword version has a rather large obnoxious advertisement panel on the right side. They have relegated and shrunk the crossword position size and the clue column size to annoyingly difficult to work with minimal left sided location. I’m sure it is in the name of generating advertising dollars but it certainly has taken the enjoyment out of doing the crossword puzzle for my wife and I as we typically like to work on it together during a meal. I hope people will complain to them.

Anonymous said...

Took 14:33 for me today to put the or in the water....

"And/or", to me, means that the constructor has added (and) "or" to the existing phrases.

Unknown to me: Singular they, the South African writer, the other writer (who won an award), oni (?), Taxco, and Iga (it's gotten me each time).

KS said...

FIR. Got the theme when I got to "fee fie fo forum". I had very little difficulty with this Sunday puzzle except for the SW corner. Thank heavens for perps because I still don't get the clues for meta and ipas? I know both words, but don't get the connection, especially meta.

unclefred said...

I managed to FIR in exactly one hour. W/Os = ASH:COB, WEINER:WEENIE, and the SE destroyer STEALSABASE:STEALSBASES:STEALSSECOND. What a mess in the SE. MCENROE and ASNER are the only two names I’m familiar with, the others were perped. DNK TAXCO, either. Thanx for the CW, JAA. And thanx for the terrific write-up, C.C.

CrossEyedDave said...

Been busy,

sorry I missed your birthday Waseely...

HBD An9nymous-T!

honorable anonymous mention...

Gotta run,Busy, busy, busy...

Anonymous said...

I was a bit confused at first (somewhat like d-o @5:43) because PANDORAEXPRESS not only has OR added in, but also has AND in the base phrase, and I thought the AND bit was also relevant. Loved SINGULAR THEY.

Very smooth solving experience despite the unknown names (PATON - the lengths editors go to avoid partials).



Big Easy said...

Good morning. I noticed the added OR at PANDA EXPRESS. Stumbled a bit changing WIENER to WIENIE, but knew HILMUT was wrong and WEENIE and HELMUT corrected it. I found the puzzle easier than normal for a Sunday, with just a few unknowns filled by perps. JADEN, ORTEGA, PATON, ALIX, IOS, and SINGULAR THEORY.

EYE BLEACH- never heard of it but it was easy to fill. Ditto for "ALL Too Well."

NINE TO FIVE- the place I managed started as "eight to four", then "seven to five", and when I left we were "seven to at least eight" when the last freight line picked up for the out of town deliveries. Running a drug wholesale changed so much. All the stores wanted to place their orders at the end of the day and have it delivered when they opened the next day. When I took over in 1972 sales were about $10,000/day; I left in 2000 and they were almost $500,000/day. Rx prices really went up.

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-SATURDAY NIGHT FOREVER gave me the gimmick
-I know CODA is in the sheet music but finales usually have the entire company on stage like this for Oklahoma
-Tell me again, George Strait, where do all your EXES live?
-Granddaughter and husband and daughter and other granddaughter saw Taylor in KC this weekend
-I CALL – You can’t bluff all night, sooner or later you have to back up your bets
-Will Smith’s son’s turn in the remake of The Karate Kid got a 66% on the Tomato-Meter
-Does a 45-minute drive on I-80 make Lincoln and Omaha neighbors?
-ONE CAR garages on older houses can’t accommodate a Chevy Silverado
-Uber has even driven CABS out of our small town of 30,000
-The Monty Hall problem in an advanced math class not on TV
-Tennis needs another great player/brat like McEnroe
-I remember PROFS who tried to teach and not just drone on while we took notes
-Want some excitement, try supervising 25 RMS of teenagers at Disney All-Star Sports!
-Buon compleanno, Tonino

Malodorous Manatee said...

We found this one a bit more challenging than the usual Sunday outing but it came together with a bit of brainstorming.

Happy Birthday Dash Tee!

Bill, apparently I missed yours so Hippo Birdie Two Ewes, also!

Charlie Echo said...

Managed to FIR even with a large number of unknowns (to me, at least). Lots of clever clues and misdirection made for may V-8 moments. Really wanted "lid" for grass unit. Never saw the OR until CC cleared things up.

Lee said...

FIR. Worked my way through with minimal fuss. Perps showed the way and helped fill in the theme answers.

Wanted to use STEALSabase instead of STEALSECOND, but crosses corrected my guess. Nine to five is a great movie whenever you want a chuckle. I even put up with Jane Fonda, as .much a she disgusts me.

Congrats to John on his premiere offering and a gracious nod to our host, C.C., for her nice review.

Stay dry all, thunderstorms abound here in the northeast, but we need the rain. Still short about 3" to recover from the drought.
(I still hate the humidity)

Monkey said...

I too started looking for AND as well as OR, until I settled in and accepted the theme. It was a lot of fun. Quite a fine puzzle with few unknown proper names.

Yesterday we had KOHL as answer today it’s In the clue as HELMUT’s last name.

There were many neat clues such as the very first one power couple, also verses-versus-verses competitors.

CC makes me hungry with her appetizing food pictures.

Happy birthday A-t 🎉🎊🎂

Lucina said...

Hola!

Nice Sunday puzzle from John Andrew Agpalo! Many times I don't finish before going to church but today went pretty fast.

EVERY MONOR FOR HIMSELF was my fav fill!

My daughter loves any film with John Travolta and SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER is one of her favorites. It's the dancing, I'm sure.

Many groups in Hawaii do their TAI CHI routines outside.

Col Sanders likely has the most famous GOATEE.

Time TO GO. Have a great Sudnay, everyone! Happy birthday, Tony!

Lucina said...

ugh. MANOR.

OwenKL said...

{A, B+.}
The singular they is fine for third person, indeterminate gender. It's when it's first or second person that irks me!

desper-otto said...

Dang! I remember that I'd forgot to wish Tony a happy birthday. Twice I came back here to do it, and twice I was sent down the rabbithole by the comments and links. No more. Tony, hope you're having a good one, young man.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

I too forgot to wish -T a HBD. So Happy Birthday, ya old hacker.

HG, Santa Monica and Pomona are in the same county, just a little jaunt down I-10. But when I worked in Santa Monica, I was lucky to make the drive in an hour. We had a lot of engineers who made the daily commute. Ugh. I lived in a dinky apartment just 10 blocks from work, so more often than not I walked or rode my bike. (It was a neat bike. 3-speed twist shift, just right for the flat terrain near the beach. It got stolen when I had to unexpectedly spend the night in Palm Springs, and some lowlife took it from the rack in front of the guard shack.)

I have the Monte Hall problem cued up. Have to wait until DW goes to the bathroom or something to watch it. It agitates her when I do something without her. I remember when Marylin vos Savant addressed the problem. I wrote some pseudocode to simulate the problem, and doing so convinced me that she was wrong. Hopefully your prof will agree, or convince me otherwise. (Don't care which.)

Jayce said...

I liked this puzzle. What Irish Miss said pretty much sums up what I would say. Hand up for seeing PANDORA EXPRESS and expecting all the theme answers to have AND and OR in them, but I liked the added ORs anyway.

Waseeley seems to have a pretty cool GOATEE also. (And mustache.)

Not being sure about TAXCO, I didn't know whether that furniture board would be SLAB or SLAT. I guessed right, based on my feeling that TAXCO is a more likely name for a city in Mexico than BAXCO.

OOZE --> SEEP. My wife has a t-shirt that says "Seep" on it. It's an old shirt, from her days working at Stanford. Since the office she worked in was below ground level, everyone there called themselves "moles," where the moisture seeps in. The cartoon picture of the mole on that t-shirt is pretty cute.

Happy birthday, Tony!

sumdaze said...

Thank you for the Sunday FIR, John. Congrats on your debut! Great start with 1A, Power couple?

Hand up for reading the title then seeing ANDOR together in the first themer and expecting that to continue. It would be fun to see what a constructor could do with that but 5 gimme letters might be a bit much.

Happy b-day, Anon-T!!

Thank you for your write-up, C.C. and for pointing out the BED foul. I have not made cold sesame noodles in a while. They are perfect for summer weather. Thank you for the suggestion!

inanehiker said...

Enjoyed this puzzle with all the theme answers that brought a chuckle - favorite was BORED of ROSES- Congrats to John Andrew!

Fun to see John MCENROE in a puzzle when he is currently a commentator at Wimbledon; though just like his bad boy rep when he was playing - he gets in trouble as a commentator as well.
He was in my freshman class at college - he just attended for one year before he turned pro but he won the NCAA singles title and the team won the team title that year. Except for a separate training table type cafeteria for the athletes, there was no special treatment and they were scattered among the rest of the frosh in the dorms

I have a favorite recipe for Sesame Cold Noodles from the Cultivated Palate cookbook that I love to make in the summer- I need to get that out and make it soon.

Thanks CC for the blog and happy birthday Tony!

Jayce said...

OwenKL, I especially liked your singular they verse.

PK said...

Thank you, John, for a very satisfying loaded puzzle. Thank you, C.C., for 'splainin'. I did get the theme myself tho.

Happy Birthday, dear Tony. May you have many more joyous years! Always enjoy your comments.