google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, August 1, 2023 Micah Sommersmith

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Aug 1, 2023

Tuesday, August 1, 2023 Micah Sommersmith

Double Trouble or Double Fun?  Today we have a double reveal.  The FIRST word of each two-word theme answer is a physical PLACE.  The SECOND word of each theme answer relates to LOOKing.

17-Across. *   Google Maps feature: STREET VIEW.

Google Map view of Times Square


21-Across. *   Ultrasound sweep that produces a wedge-shaped image: SECTOR SCAN.  A way to see your innards.

31-Across. *   Observation wheel on the Thames: LONDON EYE.  It looks spectacular, especially at night.


41-Across. *   Local security patrol: CITY WATCH.  It's a Neighborhood Watch where I live.

FIRST Reveal:
50-Across. Top spot on the podium, and what the answers to the starred clues all have?: FIRST PLACE.

SECOND Reveal:
59-Across. Reappraisal, and what the answers to the starred clues all have?: SECOND LOOK.

Across:
1. Scratching post user: CAT.


4. Basketball Hall of Famer Weatherspoon: TERESA.  Teresa Weatherspoon (b. Dec. 8, 1965) is a professional basketball coach.  She is also a former professional basketball player.  In 1997, she was one of the original players in the WNBA; she played for the New York Liberty.  She also played basketball at Louisiana Tech, in Ruston, Louisiana.  Until June of this year, she was also an assistant coach for the New Orleans Pelicans.   [Name # 1.]


10. Healthy aura: GLOW.

14. Even a little: ANY.

15. Spinning one's wheels, literally or figuratively: IN A RUT.


16. Chopped-up fare: HASH.  Anyone here ever had Red Flannel Hash?

19. A single time: ONCE.  Once upon a time ...

20. Jets, Mets, or Nets: TEAM.  Football, Baseball, and Basketball teams respectively, all in New York.

23. Arthur of "The Golden Girls": BEA.    //  And 22-Down. McClanahan of "The Golden Girls": RUE.  Bea Arthur (née Beatrice Frankel; May 13, 1922 ~ Apr. 25, 2009) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.  Before becoming an actress, Bea Arthur had enlisted in the Marine Corps.  She died of lung cancer at age 84.  Rue McClanahan (née Eddi-Rue McClanahan; Feb. 21, 1934 ~ June 3, 2010) is probably best known for her role as Blanche Devereaux from The Golden Girls.  She was also the youngest of the four women in the show.  The cast was rounded out by Betty White (née Betty Marion White; Jan. 17, 1922 ~ Dec. 31, 2021) and Estelle Getty (née Estelle Scher; July 25, 1923 ~ July 22, 2008).  [Names  # 2 and 3.]


25. External: OUTER.

26. Grammy winner Carlile: BRANDI.  I was not familiar with singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile (née Brandi Marie Carlile; b. June 1, 1981).  [Name # 4.]


29. Slaw and fries: SIDES.  As in Side dishes.

33. __ and haw: HEM.

36. Acorn droppers: OAKS.

37. Gold unit: KARAT.

39. Pixar film set in Mexico: COCO.  [Name # 5.]


40. Pre-iTunes stack: CDs.


43. __-Bits: letter-shaped cereal: ALPHA.


46. Studio stands: EASELS.

47. Off-limits: TABOO.  When it's spelled Tabu, it's a perfume.

49. Actor Brynner: YUL.  Yup Brynner (né Yuliy Borisovich Briner; July 11, 1920 ~ Oct. 10, 1985) was born in Vladivostok, Russia.  He is best known for his role as King Mongkut in the musical The King and I.   Vladivostok is in the far east of Russia and is a major Pacific port city near the Chinese border.  It is a 7-day journey by the Trans-Siberian Rail to Moscow.  [Name # 6.]


55. Tablet downloads: APPs.

58. Get one's feet wet: WADE.

61. Nutrient in spinach: IRON.


62. Ottawa's country: CANADA.  //  And 51-Down. Symbol on 62-Across's flag: LEAF.  Hi, CanadianEh!


63. French yes: OUI.  Today's French lesson.

64. Dermatologist's concern: WART.  //  52-Down. Dermatologist's concern: ACNE.

65. Conditional statement type, in programming: IF ELSE.

66. British co.: LTD.  The letters LTD after a company's name stands for Limited Company.  Such a company is the type of corporation that limits the personal liability of the corporation's shareholders.  If the company goes belly-up, creditors can only go after the business assets and not the personal assets of the owners.

Down:
1. Acting credits list: CAST.

2. Poker buy-in: ANTE.



3. Supermodel who created "America's Next Top Model": TYRA BANKS.  Tyra Lynne Banks (b. Dec. 4, 1973) began her modeling career at age 15.  She was also the first African-American to be featured on the swimsuit cover of Sports Illustrated.  [Name # 7.]


4. Bind (to): TIE.


5. Sinus docs: ENTs.  ENT = Ear Nose and Throat.

6. "Must-see" review: RAVE.  Barbenheimer is all the rage and getting RAVE reviews.


7. Actor Stoltz: ERIC.  Eric Cameron Stoltz (b. Sept. 30, 1961) has been in numerous movies, including the 1985 film Mask and the 1994 film Pulp Fiction.  [Name # 8.]


8. Bird feeder cake: SUET.

9. "The Testaments" novelist Margaret: ATWOOD.  Margaret Eleanor Atwood (née Nov. 18, 1939) is a Canadian author.  She is probably best known for her 1985 novel The Handmaid's Tale.   The Testaments her 2019 the sequel to The Handmaid's Tale.  [Name # 9.]


10. CBS sitcom set in a haunted mansion: GHOSTS.  There is both an American version and a British version of Ghosts.  The premise is that a young married couple acquire an old house/mansion that they intend to transform into an inn.  It just so happens to be inhabited by ghosts who died on the property and only the wife can see them.  Each ghost appears just as they did at the time of their death, thus they are from various periods of history.



11. Stick on a horse?: LANCE.


12. Hollywood award: OSCAR.  The award is the Academy Award and the Statuette is called the Oscar.  The origin of the Oscar has several possibilities.  [Name # 10.]


13. "At what time?": WHEN?

18. Fixes, as text: EMENDS.

24. Big fuss: ADO.  Much ADO about Nothing.

26. Coalition: BLOC.

27. Line on a map: ROAD.

Road Map of Tel Aviv.
28. Calligraphy supply: INK.

29. Lebanon neighbor: SYRIA.


30. "__ my peas with honey ... ": I EAT.


32. Apiece: EACH.

33. Spot for a dip while on a trip: HOTEL POOL.


34. OT book after Proverbs: ECCL.  The OT = Old Testament is the hint that we are looking for the book that follows Proverbs in the Christian Bible.  ECCL is an abbreviation for Ecclesiastes.  Both books are also found in the Hebrew Bible, but the order is different.  In the Hebrew Bible, Job follows Proverbs and Ecclesiastes comes after Lamentations.

35. Mineral hardness scale: MOHS.  The Mohs hardness scale is a measure of a mineral's resistance to scratching.  It is named after Friedrich Christian Mohs (Jan. 29, 1773 ~ Sept. 29, 1839), a German chemist and mineralogist who created the scale.


38. "Ready Player One" actor Sheridan: TYE.  Ready Player One is a sci-fi film that takes place in 2045, which stars Tye Kayle Sheridan (b. Nov. 11, 1996).  [Name # 11.]


39. Like some Friday work attire: CASUAL.


42. Method: WAY.

43. Somewhere else: ABSENT.

44. Parking area: LOT.


45. Mag that produces the podcast "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week": POP SCI.  As in Popular Science.



47. Small crown: TIARA.  There is a very British protocol on wearing tiaras.


48. Zeal: ARDOR.

50. "Just sayin'," in texts: FWIW.  Textspeak for For What It's Worth.

53. Mined fuel: COAL.


54. Stops: ENDS.

56. Sulk: POUT.


57. Lose traction: SKID.

60. Actor Daniel __ Kim: DAE.  Daniel Dae Kim (né Kim Dae-hyun; b. Aug. 4, 1968) is a Korean-born actor best known for his role as Chin Ho Kelly on the remake of Hawaii Five-O.  [Name # 12.]


Here's the Grid:



חתולה



32 comments:

  1. This Tuesday puzzle seemed to me to have a pretty good “”crunch” to it . On the other hand, two “reveals” made it a little easier than it might have been. FIR, so I’m happy.
    FLN - I’m back! Sorry to “disappoint “ you, SS, but I prefer not to be “anonymous “ if I can help it. And I have (perhaps temporarily) fixed my “server” problem.

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  2. Good morning!

    No fuss, no drama, no Wite-Out. This was an easy solve. Didn't fully appreciate the dual nature of the theme until Hahtoolah pointed it out. Impressive. Have never seen Ghosts, but the synopsis sounds very similar to the old Topper show from the early '50s. BRANDI was a gimme; I've got several of her albums on my server. Thanx for the amusement, Micah, and for the expo, Hahtoolah. (Otto-correct gotcha -- changed your "abbreviation" to "appreciation.")

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  3. Good morning. Thank you, Micah Sommersmith, and thank you, Hatoolah

    Very clever. FIRST PLACE, SECOND LOOK. I liked it.
    I did not notice that The Golden Girls was referenced twice until the review.
    I first knew of YUL Brenner from The Magnificent Seven. I've only see bits of The King and I when my sister was watching it.
    CanadianEh! gets a pair of easy fills with clear Canadian advantage.
    Hahtoolah, I too thought of Barbie at the "Must-see review" clue, but only because of the gate.
    Never heard of "I EAT my peas with honey" but it perped in easily enough.
    Your McDonalds cartoon... I grabbed a McDonalds Cheesy Jalapeño Sausage Egg McMuffin the other morning when I was in a hurry. It was actually pretty tasty. I have yet to try the new Oreo Cheesecake at Popeyes that just debuted. Anyone?

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  4. Good Morning, Crossword friends. Another scorcher today.

    Thanks, D-Otto-correct! Appreciation for your eagle eyes!

    QOD: It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation. ~ Herman Melville (Aug. 1, 1819 ~ Sept. 28, 1891), American novelist

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  5. FIR, but it was a workout, especially for a Tuesday puzzle. Many more proper names then I like, and several arcane clues. Thank heavens for perps in just the right places.
    The theme was extremely clever and it must have been hard to put together. Two themers that worked on four starred clues was brilliant in my opinion.

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  6. FIR quickly. Eric, Brandi, Tye, Teresa, Coco had easy perps and wags. Only IF ELSE was all perps. The other names were known. One person's arcane is accessible to some others.
    We had so many oak trees we couldn't keep all the acorns off the walks. We had to be very careful not to fall. It was almost like shoveling the walks during a snow storm.
    I love corn beef hash, especially homemade. I can't imagine adding beets. Ugh!
    Google: "The two words emend vs. amend cannot be used interchangeably in all contexts, so it's important we know when to use which word. Amend is to change something, usually a document or personal behavior, to make it better. Emend is to correct something, usually in a text, to fix an error."
    Amend is usually to improve, emend to correct.
    Very slight distinction.
    Clever theme which I needed help deciphering. Susan, I loved your blog, especially the teapot notice.

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  7. Took 4:51 today for me to see the sites.

    Clever theme, which I missed while solving.

    At first, I wrote "If then" instead of "if else".

    I didn't know today's WNBA'er or author.

    On the review, Tyra may have been the first African-American featured on the swimsuit edition of SI.

    SubG, it's ok, we can still be friends.

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  8. FIR, but erased like for I EAT. I always confuse ERIC Stoltz with ERIC Balfour of 24.

    I've been told that the current dress code in most large companies is "employees may dress in casual attire only on days that end in 'y'."

    I've heard of "else if" and "if then else" statements, but never "if else." Softheads, please straighten me out. Also new to me:
    TERESA Witherspoon
    SECTOR SCAN
    BRANDI Carlile
    LONDON EYE
    CITY WATCH
    Margaret ATWOOD
    TYE Sheridan
    POPSCI

    Thanks to Ha2la for the fun visual tour. I have a friend who claims that the cat is demonstrating what is apparently a classic stripper pole move.

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  9. Jinx, IF...ELSE is/was in COBOL programming

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  10. Good Morning:

    This was a tricky solve due to the unfamiliarity of three out of the four theme phrases. London Eye was the only one I knew, but perps and common sense gave me a successful solve. There were more unknowns than usual in a Tuesday grid, e.g., Teresa, Brandi, Tye, and PopSci., although all were easily discernible. Having two reveals is a refreshing concept that is fun for the solver and, I imagine, challenging for the constructor. (I believe we had a similar offering very recently.) CEh gets two big CSOs and they cross each other, to boot!

    Thanks, Micah, for a Tuesday treat and thanks, Hahtoolah, for the always enlightening and entertaining review. Favorite comics were the ones for Hem and Haw, Iron, and Easels. Corned Beef Hash conjures scary memories of my mischievous brother, his inquisitive baby sister, a tempting meat grinder, and a lopped off fingertip. 🫢

    Have a great day.

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  11. Terrific Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Micah and Hahtoolah.
    I FIRed in very good time with only one inkblot to change my Order to SIDES. Plus, saw the double theme. Interesting that we had FIRST and Second while the Wordle today was farther down the list.

    Yes, I will accept a CSO for CANADA and LEAF (and ATWOOD and LTD). But we had OAKS instead of Maples, (and a missing U in ARDOR). A rare Canadian advantage day.

    There were some unknown names, but they perped easily. No complaints.
    Is that dermatologist concerned about ACNE, skin, mole, WART?

    Wishing you all a great day.

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  12. B-O, Thanks. I've avoided COBOL like COVID.

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  13. Good Morning! I think today’s puzzle would have been better placed later in the week. I felt like I was walking on eggshells throughout, but FIR in the end. Too many WAGs, the last being COCO crossing ECCL.
    I was so glad to be finished I didn’t see (or care much about) the theme.

    Thanks, Hah2lah, for your always entertaining recap. Especially enjoyed the HEM & Haw toon and the rhino artist!
    So interesting about the TIARA protocol. Beautiful picture of the Queen.
    Red Flannel Hash – yes!! After the St. Patrick’s Day corned beef & cabbage. Yum!! My only concession is that I substitute carrots for beets.
    CSO to CanadianEH in today’s puzzle & thanks for sending down the cool air. This week projected in the low 80’s with even a 78° high for today. Nice!!

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  14. Definitely hard on the MOHS scale for a Tuesday. The theme even higher up on the scale, kinda out there IMHO
    For a bit thought I might DNF it. Then found a couple of blank perps I hadn’t noticed.
    Inkovers: only/ONCE, rash,itch/Wart, slid/SKID

    OUI, unless you’re answering yes to a negatively asked question (“aren’t you going to school today?”) then the response is Si

    I hadda think twice about SECTORSCAN started to fill sonar SCAN: too short just like Belinda CARLILE was too long, plus she spells it “Carlisle” anyhoo. “Ghosts” both the Brit and American versions almost identical series both favs

    IF ELSE? …. Saw “ Barbie” yesterday , some of it quite cerebral with esoteric themes that I was a bit confused over but esthetically a colorful delight.

    Don’t come aknockin’ on ……. ARDOR
    If the company won’t comply…. SUET
    _____ love him in “The King and I”…… YUL

    H2LH , is it you or an imposter? Where are the laugh-out-loud ‘toons?


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  15. I did manage to FIR in a bit longer than usual Tuesday time. By my expansive count 15 names. DNK many of them. I’ve been on the London Eye, it is pretty cool, and now has been copied all over the world. Dopey me tried writing EDITS in for EMENDS, and had a cell left over: OOPS! Only W/O today. I’ve always been amazed that a model can become famous and make huge money. For what, trying on and showing off clothes? Yet people working on cancer cures and global warming solutions toil on unrecognized. Did not see the double reveal until Hahtoolah explained it. Overall, a fun CW, thanx, MS, and thanx too to Hahtoolah for the (as always) fun and informative review, complete with the usual excellent cartoons.

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  16. Speaking of TIARAs, there is an interesting story re Queen Elizabeth (then Princess) and an “almost disaster” before her wedding.
    TiaraBroke

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  17. Zip, zip, FIR. Thought this one was easier than yesterday. What didn't perp, Wagged. Prime example of how "YMMV" works for different folks.

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  18. Easy workout for a Tuesday, FIR. Perps where needed.

    Been to London, rode the eye. Quite a view from the top. The form in BASIC programming IF .., THEN .. ELSE .. (fill in conditions for the ..) allows conditional branching in a program. Example: countdown loop that ends in zero.

    An enthusiastic shout out to Micah for his effort. (I have a cat named Micah) Finally, a sincere bow to H2LH for the well done exposition of the puzzles composition.

    Have a great day, all.

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  19. I forgot to include with my earlier post (at 7:37 a.m.) that for those of you unfamiliar with Brandi Carlile, I strongly recommend that you listen to her song, "The Story." It's excellent.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8pQLtHTPaI

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  20. Must be losing my mind. Coulda sworn there were no toons when I loaded the web version, the way I have to sign on now. Read ‘‘em all this time round. 😬

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  21. Hola!

    First, my parish church is named St T(H)eresa, second a CSO to my cousin's son, MICAH.

    The song BRANDI is now an ear worm.

    My friends who are visiting from out of state are likely at their HOTEL POOL right now.

    I shall also give a CSO to CANADIAN Eh for CANADA and Maple LEAF.

    CSO to my niece's DH, LANCE.

    Peas with honey sounds disgusting to me.

    Have a wonderful day, everyone!

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  22. Puzzling thoughts:

    FIR, with just a few EMENDS along the way ... thanks to Micah and Susan for the "ordinals"

    TYRA BANKS - while no relation to the character on Mary Poppins, Margaret and I watched both Saving Mr. Banks and the original Mary Poppins movies the past few days. I had forgotten (or perhaps, never knew) the story behind the making of MP, and the whole interaction between Walt Disney and P. L. Travers (the author/penname of the book series). Worth a see; both

    An "almost CSO" to yours truly with the word "MOHS" ... which of course has inspired both a haiku and a future reference for rating crossword puzzles:

    All crossword puzzles
    Will be graded, 1 to 10,
    Using the MOES Scale

    Today's will earn a "3" from the Chairman ... (on the Moes Scale)

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  23. Ah, POP SCI. I wanted Pepsci(sic). LEAF was hard to fit; DAE/DAy;

    I was amazed to learn gen-xers in IS found COBOL hard. Input,Process,Output

    I had Ezra/ECCL. OT should have given away abbr. Micah didn't fit

    C-Moe, good to see you back in rare form

    WC

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  24. No correlation to today's puzzle, but I found this interesting. Didn't know that August is National Dog Month until I read a popup ad. LIU and found that it's true

    Today is also:
    World Scout Scarf Day
    National Raspberry Cream Pie Day
    International Mahjong Day
    World Lung Cancer Day
    Respect For Parents Day
    National Girlfriends day (Plural, not possessive. A young Jinx dream - Plural girlfriends who are not possessive.)

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  25. Childhood chant

    I eat my peas with honey.
    I've done it all my life.
    It makes the peas taste funny
    But they sure stay on the knife.

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  26. For some reason, "I eat my peas with honey" evoked a memory of The Newbeats big hit Bread & Butter.

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  27. Hahtoolah presents this Sommersmith PZL in fine style.

    A pleasant way to start the day, even late, as I have this one.
    My only error was to fill CITIWATCH w/o the "Y." This gave me two instances of TIE for today, and we know that should never be.

    My wife and I enjoyed going aloft in the LONDON EYE early in its career along the Thames. It is remarkable what one may experience on the South Bank these days.
    Imagine if Will Shakespeare had looked out from the Old Globe (where the New Globe now stands) and spotted the EYE!
    What if he had ridden it. I can hear him now, after achieving the highest position and starting to descend:
    "Down! Down I come, like glistering Phaeton, wanting the manage of unruly jades!"
    ~ OMK
    ____________
    DR:
    Two diagonals, like yesterday, one per side.
    Going with the near side today, its anagram (14 of 15) denotes a falsehood, whether hallucinatory or deliberate, told by an old debauched man.
    Naturally, this is ...
    "A ROUE MENDACITY"!

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  28. Yellowrocks, thanks for posting that childhood chant. It doesn't ring a bell, but at least now I know a little more.

    Moe, funny. Your rating of 3 on the MOES scale equates to Calcite on the MOHS scale that Hahtoolah pictured, so fairly easy, right ?

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  29. TTP @ 5:19 --> correct. 1 is the easiest and 10 is the hardest. It will now be a feature of my "Puzzling thoughts" ...

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  30. Hi All!

    That North Central area was a little Crunchy but, fortunately, Teresa Weatherspoon was a Sr when I was a freshman at Louisiana Tech.

    Thanks for the fun puzzle, Micah - excellent theme. Thanks for the entertaining review, Hahtoolah. Comics you pick are always amusing.
    //Which HOTEL POOL is that? Kinda looks like the courtyard at Bourbon Orleans.

    WOs: SlID -> SKID
    ESPs: ERIC, DAE, BRANDI, TYE, POP SCI
    Fav: LEAF xing CANADA

    CASUAL - since COVID, every day is jeans day at our office.

    Thanks for Peas with Honey, YR.
    Funny, MOE's scale, Chairman.
    Interesting Tiara story, C, Eh!

    Enjoyed reading everyone today.
    Cheers, -T

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  31. Triple theme of Canada, leaf and Atwood.

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