google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Sunday September 17, 2023 Pam Amick Klawitter

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Sep 17, 2023

Sunday September 17, 2023 Pam Amick Klawitter

Theme: "Subtraction" - Parse it as Subtract ION.

21A. Court case brought by an upstanding citizen?: CLASS ACT(ION) LAWSUIT.

36A. Parade of lumber workers?: MILL(ION)MAN MARCH.

67A. "More than a million Earths can fit inside the sun," e.g.?: SPACE STAT(ION).

96A. Searching for that one lost shoe after a night on the town, e.g.?: AWKWARD QUEST(ION).

115A. Printer-ready manuscript with a signature?: AUTOGRAPHED EDIT(ION).

14D. Failure to use tact in a delicate situation?: DIPLOMATIC MISS(ION).

45D Much-loved member of a D.C. squad?: MOST FAVORED NAT (ION)
 
We had this same theme a while ago. No surprise about the title repeat, as it's just perfect. 

Have not seen Mike's Sunday byline for a while. He used to be very active when I started solving the L.A. Times crosswords. Pam was also active then.

Across:

1. Face of technology: EMOJI. So wild in WeChat.

6. __ squad: PEP. And 57. Support squad: ALLIES. One more neighbor has joined our fight. She called the cops last Sunday about gunshots from 5501. No idea what happened later. The cops never updated us on who killed the previous 5505 renter two years ago.

9. TV monitor: FCC.

12. Gave up: CEDED.

17. Fathered: SIRED.

18. Shaker fill: SALT.

19. Preppy pullover: POLO.

20. Walled Spanish city: AVILA.


24. Compensate: REPAY.

25. Prince in "Frozen": HANS. The cruel prince.


26. Filmmaker Ephron: NORA.

27. Tall concert instrument: HARP.

28. Be convincing: SELL IT.

29. Barely beat: EDGE.

30. Half of 9-Down: TWO. 9. Twice 30-Across: FOUR. 99. Twice 9-Down: EIGHT.

31. Filmmaker Brooks: MEL.

32. Pacers of the 1970s, e.g.: AMCS.

34. "I See Rainbows" artist Yoko: ONO.

35. Deli choice: RYE.

39. Sign: OMEN.

40. Used (up): ATE.

41. Name on a Chicago cap: SOX. I like A.J. Pierzynski. Colorful guy.


42. Marathoner's asset: STAMINA. Sumdaze!

44. "Gotta go!": I'M LATE.

47. __ one's time: BIDES.

50. Words to live by: TENETS.

52. Since: AS OF.

53. Joan of __: ARC.

55. Silent actors: MIMES.

59. "Miracle on Ice" losing team: Abbr.: USSR.

60. Title said with a curtsy, perhaps: MA'AM.

62. Feed and protect: NURTURE.

64. __-Magnon: CRO.

65. Booking.com quotes: RATES.

69. Florida host of the ReliaQuest Bowl: TAMPA. Unfamiliar to me.

71. "Who's a good boy?" reply: ARF.

72. Frito-Lay puffs: CHEETOS.

74. Drywall support: STUD.

76. Santa Monica landmark: PIER.

77. Yellow Teletubby: LAA LAA.



79. Spread here and there: STREW.

81. __ on the side of caution: ERR. And 89. Badly mistaken: OFF BASE.

82. Phishing fodder: Abbr.: SSNS.

83. Turns inside out: EVERTS.

85. Skating legend Sonja: HENIE. Norwegian.Wikipedia says she was also a big film star.


87. Most fresh: NEWEST.

91. Presidential advisory gp.: NSC.

93. Bro counterpart: SIS. Andy just calls me "Jie", meaning "sis" in Chinese.

94. Civil suit cause: TORT.

100. Gym cushion: MAT.

103. World Cup cheer: OLE.

104. Latin years: ANNI.

105. Home work letters?: DIY. Great clue.

106. Spanish aunt: TIA.

107. Miffed: SORE.

108. Stark patriarch: EDDARD. Ned. "Game of Thrones". Played by Sean Bean.


110. "All of Me" singer Legend: JOHN. And 112. Rapper Snoop __: DOGG.

113. Memo heading: IN RE.

114. "Won't you let me?": CAN'T I.

118. Colorful marble: AGATE.

119. Coll. hotshot: BMOC. Big Man on Campus.

120. Hart of wrestling: BRET. Nicknamed "The Hitman". Boomer knew lots of wresting personalities and their ring names.


121. Tequila plant: AGAVE.

122. Bouquet bit: PETAL.

123. Large primate: APE.

124. Pentagon VIP: GEN.

125. "Twilight" author Stephenie: MEYER. More women: 15. Sitcom friend of Jerry and George: ELAINE. 40. Actress Woodard: ALFRE. 44. "Insecure" creator/star: ISSA RAE. 48. "Out of Africa" writer Isak: DINESEN.

Down:

1. Artist M.C. whose work inspired the art of the game Monument Valley: ESCHER. OK, more men: 4. Williams of "Grey's Anatomy": JESSE. 13. First name in stunts: EVEL. 61. Rhys who plays Perry Mason: MATTHEW.
 


2. Title said with a curtsy, perhaps: MILADY.

3. Apt county for Tangerine, Florida: ORANGE. Interesting trivia.

5. Passports, e.g.: IDS.

6. Makes the rounds: PATROLS.

7. R&B singer __ Mai: ELLA.

8. School support org.: PTA.

10. Ready-made digital graphics: CLIP ART.

11. Camp bed: COT.

12. Gives a hoot: CARES. Oh, I put tights in the bag I mentioned last week. I also have this bag for my fins, kick board, etc.


16. Ohio home of the Wright Brothers: DAYTON.

18. Grouchy look: SCOWL.

19. Song of worship: PSALM.

22. Civil War battle site in Western Maryland: ANTIETAM. Wikipedia says this "remains the bloodiest day in American history, with a combined tally of 22,727 dead, wounded, or missing".


23. Timely question: WHEN.

28. Bagel spread: SCHMEAR. I don't eat cream cheese, can I call my peanut butter "schmear"?

31. Saw: MAXIM.

33. MD-to-be's exam: MCAT.

36. NYC subway org.: MTA.

37. Unruly bunch: MOB.

38. Maintains: ASSERTS.

39. New law student: ONE L.

43. Fjord, e.g.: INLET.

46. Clear data from: ERASE.

49. Aussie flock: EMUS. Scary looking.


51. Snake: SERPENT.

52. Ear-related: AURAL.

54. Superhero wardrobe staples: CAPES.

56. Say aloud: STATE.

58. Heads up: SOARS.

63. Risky maneuver on a busy highway: U-TURN.

66. Frosty accessory: SCARF. We had 89.7 inches of snow last winter. Brutal.

68. Workout focus: CORE.

70. Church niches: APSES.

73. Stetson decor: HATBAND. And  75. Equestrian event: DRESSAGE.

78. Took off: LEFT.

80. Suitable for kite flying, say: WINDY.

84. Like ready-to-use planks: SAWN.

86. Law firm abbr.: ESQ.

88. Cleverness: WIT.

90. Winter Olympics ramp: SKI JUMP.

92. Start carving, as a watermelon: CUT OPEN. Boomer and I used to buy a big watermelon every week in the summer time.

94. Work boot feature: TOECAP.

95. Gerontology focus: OLD AGE.

97. Specialized, committee-wise: AD HOC.

98. Nose adornment: RING.

100. Weekend follower: MONDAY.

101. Make it big: ARRIVE.

102. Have trouble balancing: TEETER.

104. Winter of "Modern Family": ARIEL. Very pretty.



107. Long-lasting battle: SIEGE.

109. Flour for naan and chapati: ATTA.

111. Great Plains people: OTOE.

112. Take a chance: DARE.

115. Atty.'s group: ABA.

116. SCOTUS member from 1993 to 2020: RBG.

117. Lake Mead creator: DAM.

C.C.




 

32 comments:

OwenKL said...

Eating CHEETOS, fingers need licks.
But a little ingenuity will this fix.
A lesson from the East,
To eat a Cheetos feast,
It's neatest to do it with chopsticks!

When English you're trying to learn
Here's a MAXIM that may help your turn.
From a tenant get rent,
A TENET may give assent
To whatever your method, to earn.

{B, B-.}

Subgenius said...

Pretty smooth sailing, although I kept trying to make “Eddard” into “Edward.” (And it took five tries before spellcheck let me even write that!) I sussed the gimmick right away, which made solving the puzzle easier. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Caught the theme when CLASS ACTION SUIT wasn't working. Wite-out, please. Haven't decided if I'm negative or positive about the missing IONs. Thanx, PAK and C.C.

We had a nice day yesterday. Visited a state park about northeast of us in the "Big Thicket." Weather was perfect. Scenery was great. Bugs were sparse.

Anonymous said...

A totally pathetic effort from the constructor and especially the editor. I don't think she could have crammed any more names in there if she tried.I

Big Easy said...

Nice 'missing' theme today. Only had problems with a few unfamiliar proper names that were filled by perps. ESCHER, JESSE Williams, ELSA Mai, ARIEL Woodward, MATTHEW Rhys, ARIEL Winter. Stephenie MEYER, ALFRE Woodward, EDDARD, BRET Hart (of wrestling). Complete unknowns all.

REPAY for Compensate? Usually it's just PAY but I can see how it can mean 'pay back'.
95D Gerontology focus- these OLD AGE Crossword Corner bloggers

Stetsons and DRESSAGE- those crowds don't mix.

The only 'Stark patriarch' that I know of is Willie Stark, played by Broderick Crawford in the movie All The King's Men. Thin disguise of our governor, Huey P. Long.

Whiner said...

I liked and caught onto the ION theme, but there were way too many names that are oddly spelled and unknown to me.

inanehiker said...

This was the puzzle that was mistakenly in my paper a few weeks ago- glad it finally showed up on the blog! Amusing theme

Thanks CC and Pam!

KS said...

FIR. Caught the theme early and that helped with the solve. Perps did the rest.
Way too many proper names today, one of my pet peeves, especially when they cross. Very poor form.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

FIR after taking a break to do a mental ctrl-alt-del. Erased oboe(!) for HARP, bided for BIDES, ark for ARC, i am then am i for ARF, anos for ANNI, edward for EDDARD, and schmere for SCHMEAR.

Today is:
CONSTITUTION DAY AND CITIZENSHIP DAY (without these, the rest don’t matter)
WIFE APPRECIATION DAY (a smart husband will repeat this daily over the next 364 days)
NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL HOUSE CLEANERS DAY (don’t type it, dooon’t type it, doooooon’t type it…)
NATIONAL MONTE CRISTO DAY (yet another excuse to eat maple syrup and powdered sugar)
NATIONAL APPLE DUMPLING DAY (don’t remember ever having these - looks great)

For a change, the theme helped me finish the puzzle. Usually I work the grid, then go back and tie in the theme if I can.

Pam and Patti are both too young to know Mod Squad. I won't post a Linc.

Parrotheads would chant SALT, SALT, SALT at the late Jimmy Buffett's concerts when he sang Margaritaville.

I had a desk overlooking the Santa Monica PIER on the 17th floor of the Lawrence Welk building, 100 Wilshire Blvd. Then I was "promoted" to a cubicle in Phoenix.

"Sonja HENIE's tutu" was a go-to gag for NPR's Click and Clack - the Tappet Brothers show.

The AWKWARD QUEST comes just before the "walk of shame." I see it a lot. I live in the Ghent area of Norfolk, and we have a lot of night life and apartments. I walk Zoё sometime around first light, and it isn't unusual to see someone walking down the street in last night's party clothes.

Why do we call folks from south of our boarder Latin, if they speak Spanish or Portuguese? Oh well, I've got plenty of eraser left on my Pentel Twist Erase.

In my experience, most guys who think they are BMOCs are full of BM.

To me, visiting ANTIETAM was even more moving than Gettysburg.

Around here, we protect UTURNs on busy highways by giving them green arrows. (We also have signs clarifying who must yield when UTURNers meet right-on-red drivers.)

To me, a SIEGE isn't a long-lasting battle, but a long-lasting blockade - basically starving them out. Worked fine in Yorktown, and ended our War for Independence.

Thanks to PAK for another fun challenge. And thanks to CC for another great review.

TTP said...

A pretty easy solve today.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

In the crossword world, Lynn Lempel is known as the Queen of Monday puzzles and Robyn Weintraub as the Queen of Friday puzzles and, in my opinion, Pam Amick Klawitter should be known as the Queen of Sunday puzzles. Pam’s themes are always playful and, usually, are a cut above the often fill-in-the blank, obvious themes. Like DO, filling in Class Action Suit slowed me down in seeing the theme, but once perps corrected that error, the rest of the solve went smoothly. I agree that there was a preponderance of proper names, many unknown to me, but the perps were kind and, in all fairness, Sunday grids, by their sheer word count, rarely escape this pitfall. The themers were clever but I thought Awkward Quest and Autographed Edit were on the weaker side, compared to the others, but the brilliance of the title being parsed Subtract Ion makes up for any and all quibbles.

Thanks, Pam, for your continuing Sunday fun solves and thanks, CC, for your analysis and commentary. Missed seeing the usual photos of some delicious culinary creations, but that’s on Pam, not you! 😅 I hope your neighborhood issues get solved soon.

FLN

sumdaze, from early on, based on several clips and general knowledge of Breaking Bad, I knew it wasn’t the type of show that appealed to me, so I never watched it. That’s also the reason I avoided Better Call Saul, until I finally realized that it was a prequel to BB and had a different story arc. So far, I’m enjoying it very much and, while there is some violence and unsavory (to say the least) characters and rampant skullduggery, there are far more interesting, quirky, and comical situations. I love the contrast between Jimmy and Chuck, bad/good vs good/bad. Rhea Seehorn is as talented as she is lovely and Bob Odenkirk is extraordinary.

Have a great day.

CrossEyedDave said...

Wees, (I think Irish Miss said it best)
Issarae and Alfre, two downs one word apart gave me alphabet run agita to finish. Should not really have been a three Natick crossing, but it was for me with USSR...

loved the theme!

CC, did I miss something? Shootings? 5501?
5505? What are you talking about?

Lee said...

I am impressed with this puzzle. Well clued theme entries and nicely placed to affect most of the other answers. Of note: only missing a "Z" for a pangram.

FIR today. Knew most of the names and the others perped. Worst mislead was mod instead of PEP squad. The biggest game in puzzles lately seems to be how many ways can you clue the most common 3 and 4 letter words eg; Ono, oreo, ole, ape, omen etc.

Thanks to Pam for her fine contribution today and kudos to C.C. for her recap. She has started to become more loquacious in her comments.

Sayonara

Monkey said...

I got the theme quickly, and that added to the fun of being on the look out for the other theme answers. There were quite a few names unknown to me, but perps or WAGS took care of that problem with not much effort.

For the “All of Me” singer I had ??hn, and I just knew it would be an exotic name I couldn’t spell until the SKI JUMP appeared and JOHN showed up.

I had no problem with this puzzle in spite of names I had never seen BMOC, that I remember anyway., but it was easy to figure out.

CC I hope your neighborhood regains its peace and quiet soon.

Lucina said...

Hol!

It appears that someone is trying to hijack our Blog with foreign comments!

This was more fun than most Sundays in that I was able to finish it before getting ready to go to church.

AVILA brings back memories of one of my trips to Spain.

These days I don't have much STAMINA.

SERPENT. Hikers have been warned to be on the lookout for rattlesnakes as they emerge from their dormant stage.

Stark patriot means nothing to me.

Time to go. Have a great Sunday, everyone!

Charlie Echo said...

Pretty straightforward solve today. Too many proper (obscure) names, but perps were fair, and p&p plus WAGs carried it across the finish line. REPAY seemed a tad squishy to me, but I enjoyed the challenge.

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-My favorite podcaster is in D.C. and talks of the NATS every day. EDDARD, ARIEL, ATTA and LAALAA did not help.
-Uber obscure names for fill and uber obscure clues of common names. Yikes!
-Girls cannot believe that when I was in school they could only be in the PEP SQUAD. Where I sub, they can now choose between four fall sports.
-I do play golf in POLOS but am far, far from preppy
-Could MEL’S Blazing Saddles be made today?
-The losing team of Miracle On Ice did not wear those letters
-It amazes me how a STUD finder works
-DAYTON reminds me of our cwd friend Mary Lou Guizzo
-Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation five days after bloody ANTIETAM
-The new four-lane highway to my golf course requires a U-TURN to get to that city’s Main Street
-We drove to OTOE County two days ago for Apple Jack Days in Nebraska City

Susie said...

Hey Hey!!!! Nebraska won yesterday.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

H. Gary said: "-Could MEL’S Blazing Saddles be made today?" I can't say no, but I CAN say "Oh HELL NO."

Fall sports - At one time, the AAU took the position that women or girls should not play basketball in public, and the predecessor to the USOC declared its opposition to the participation of women in Olympics "basket ball" competition. The Women's Division of the National Amateur Athletic Federation (WDNAAF) attacked basketball as being unhealthy and inappropriate. They were concerned that women's scholastic athletics would begin to resemble men's. They went on to pass a resolution outlawing extramural competition, opposing gate receipts at women’s games, all travel for women’s games, and all publicity of women’s sports. As Dylan sang, The Times They Are a-Changin'.

Husker Gary said...

How 'bout dem Huskers. They could be 3 - 0 so easily if they didn't lead the world in turnovers.

Anonymous said...

Reference to Sonja Henie brought back memories of Ice Capades and Black Hawk games in the Chicago Stadium accompanied by the great organ. Sonja Henie was a beautiful talented Norwegian skater.

sumdaze said...

I enjoyed Pam's perfectly titled puzzle even though I was unable to parse FAVORED. It's the price I pay for never watching GoT.
FAVs: 1A was a fun start! Also, Make it big and the clue for ARF

Thanks for your write-up C.C. Perhaps you should start writing a TV drama based on your street -- a gritty version of Melrose Place.

IM@9:52. Agreed. Character motivation drew me in while watching BCS. Bob Odenkirk and Michael McKean really raise the bar (pun. haha!) I was shocked when I realized MM was the same guy from the Christopher Guest mocumentaries and also Lenny from Laverne & Shirley. Wow!

Vidwan827 said...


My two earlier posts got deleted by my mistake, and my enthusiasm is running on MT.

I have to mention that I enjoyed this Sunday offering very much. It had enough familiarity so that vital entry points were sussable, and that made the long answers fairly guessable and thus to complete, so as to fill in the gaps. Thank You Pam Amick Klawitter.
It was a lenghty solve, but for a Sunday, amidst a dozen chores, it still gave a feeling of achievement.

Thank you CC, for your commentary, and notes on the points of the various clues. I feel so sad and desultory that you are having such a miserable bunch of neighbors in your rseidential area, and I feel absolutely indignant and down that such talented, serious and upright citizens, like you, should have to put up with such seedy and lawless company. I hope and pray that things will improve for you and there will be much better days ahead.

RosE said...

Greetings! Quite a challenge today. Thanks Pam.
I don’t usually do the Sunday puzzle, but it’s rainy, damp, cold & gray today – a good day to pull on a heavy sweatshirt & cozy up with the longer puzzle. I worked it on & off all day.
I saw the theme right away with “CLASS ACT” so that helped as I made my way through.
I had to look up the unfamiliar JESSE, EDDARD, ARIEL, MATTHEW & LAA LAA.
Perps filled BRET & MEYER.
WO: Aggie – AGATE
A nice way to spend the day. Thanks, CC, for the tour.

Misty said...

Wonderful Sunday puzzle, many thanks, Pam. And thanks, as always, for your helpful commentary and neat pictures, C.C.

Well, this rich Sunday offering seemed to give us a kind of AWKWARD QUEST on someone's efforts that just didn't go very well. Was it the STAMINA of a DIPLOMAT as he MARCHed to coordinate and NURTURE the support of our MOST FAVORED allies, including the NEWEST ones? He did have to admit I'M LATE at some point and that almost put him OFF BASE and made some of his supporters SCOWL. But he may be a little SORE, due to his OLD AGE, and he certainly can't SKI JUMP anymore. Oh, let's just forgive him, and offer him some CHEETOS.

Have a lovely Sunday evening, everybody.

Vidwan827 said...


On a side note, regarding the 3 D... County for Tangerine, Fla. Orange... I happen to live in a small city adjacent to Cleveland, Ohio called Orange ( or Village of Orange )... and many of our streets are named after varieties or genera of the Orange family ... Honeybelle, Valencia, Mandarin, Murcott, Kumquat (alt.), Seville etc.


On 109 Down ... flour for Naan and Chapati (chappati/chappatti ) ATTA.

Atta is the term used in a generic sense for milled wheat flour, as in whole wheat flour.

However, Naan is made from the common pizza dough, ... it is made from highly fermented enriched flour, that is white flour, used in the cake mixes. The word normally used for this enriched white flour is MAIDA.
Chappatis are like whole wheat tortillas, generally, or for the most part, so atta is correct for the second part of the clue.
As to whether the clue and answer are appropriate, on the whole, you be the judge.

Finally, a humorous comment on 93 Bro sibling - SIS. You mentioned that 'Jie' in chinese is the word for 'sister'.
Just mentioning, that 'Ji' added to a name, as commonly used in India, in Hindi, is a term signifing great respect ... much like the added 'san' in Japanese. Thus Gandhi-ji, Biden-ji, Modi-ji ... used irrespective of gender, for man or woman, dead or alive. The 'Ji' can be added after the first name, if spoken alone, or after the last name, if that is the name used.

Have a great week ahead, you all.

Lucina said...

Having toddler grandchildren and great grandchildren who watch cartoons assures me that I up to date on the names like LAALAA otherwise I would not know.

sumdaze said...

Vidwan@7:28. Thank you for the extra info.! Interesting & insightful!

SwenglishMom said...

Hello and thanks for this write-up! I missed the title so needed very much your help in understanding the theme. Just chiming in to say that Dayton is also my home. My father met one of the Wright brothers when he was a youth.

Still in Västerås, Sweden, via Boston, Florida, Malmö, Östergotland, Åland,Tallinn and Stockholm.

Anonymous said...

Too early for an easy Monday ….
Apropos to the above letter …. Have been to Dayton s dozen times, and to Thd US Airfircd museum …. But I’ve also been to Kitty. Hawk off of Duck Islanc No Carolina … Where the Wright brothers tried out their heavier than air flying machine…. National monument.
This is Vidwan827 from someone’s else’s cell phone ….

Anonymous said...

Y’all’s comments pretty much covered my feelings about this Sunday run — clever themers, waaay too many obscure names, and amusing clueing. But no one observed that now we’re being asked to solve math equations in a word puzzle — “Half of 9-Down”, “Twice 30-Across”, “Twice 9-Down”…oh-kay-eee. At least it was all single integer… 🤣

====> Darren / L.A.

emerson said...

Never heard of the AMC Pacer before, which is apparently a car from back before I was born? Otherwise fun fill! I thought they might play with -ion like chemistry or something okee dokeeee