google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday February 12, 2024 Amanda Cook

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Feb 12, 2024

Monday February 12, 2024 Amanda Cook

  

Theme:                    Takin' Care of Business  
Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Takin' Care of Business (1973)

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here. We'll waste no time getting down to business. Constructor Amanda Cook has placed the reveal across the equator:

37 Across. Sign outside a new store, or what the first words of 18-, 24-, 52-, and 59-Across can do?: OPEN FOR BUSINESS.
The words FUNNYMONKEYSHOW, and BIG can all make an in-the-language phrase when place in front of (open for) the word BUSINESS.  

18 Across. Sunday comics locale: FUNNY PAGES.
FUNNY BUSINESS refers to dishonest behavior intended to trick someone.  
24 Across. Pull-apart breakfast treat: MONKEY BREAD.
MONKEY BUSINESS is silly, mischievous, or deceitful conduct.  

52 Across. Broadway number that brings the house down: SHOW STOPPER.
SHOW BUSINESS is the performance arts that constitute the entertainment industry.  

59 Across. High roller: BIG SPENDER.
BIG BUSINESS is large-scale or important financial or commercial activity.  

And now for the remaining 71 clues:

Across:
1. Nudge: PROD.  A NUDGE in the right direction can go a long way. I like the saying, "Make the right thing easy and the wrong thing difficult." In other words, use your brain to engineer the situation so it is easier for everyone to make better choices.

5. Photocopier unit: REAM.  

9. __ Day: tree-planting occasion: ARBOR.  This year, National ARBOR Day in the U.S. is Friday, April 26.

14. "The Real" co-host Love: LONI.  Unknown to me but she has 2 million Instagram followers so that shows what I know....

15. Ill at __: troubled: EASE.

16. "Make like a tree and __!": LEAVE.  You know ... make like a check and bounce; make like a baby and head out; make like Tom and Cruise; make like a bread truck and haul buns; or make like a banana and split!

17. In the thick of: AMID.

20. Shaggy's sidekick, familiarly: SCOOB.  
Scooby Doo theme song (1 min.)
This cartoon gave me nightmares when I was a kid.

22. Season for the 2024 Olympiques: ETE.  The French spelling tips us off that we need the French word for "summer". BTW, t
he official languages of the Olympics are English, French, and the host country's language(s).

23. Brita rival: PUR.  
very similar


28. That, in Tijuana: ESO.  "Tijuana" tips us off that the answer will be a Spanish word. No digas ESO translates to "Don't say that."

30. "Russian Doll" co-creator Poehler: AMY.  
Amy Poehler (left) with the star of Russian Doll, Natasha Lyonne. 

31. "There's __ in team": NO I.  But there is an M and an E.  

32. Built: ERECTED.  

34. Conger catcher: EELER.  
This is a conger eel.

36. Did one's civic duty: VOTED.  When I worked at the Australian Embassy in D.C., expats came from all over to vote. Voting is compulsory for them. Table 1 on this site shows 32 countries with compulsory voting. Nineteen pursue it with enforcement.

42. Language of India that derives from Sanskrit: HINDI.  I've learned several Sanskrit words from practicing yoga.

43. Cuba y Cozumel: ISLAS.  Both are islands in Spanish-speaking countries.

44. All together: IN TOTAL.  This one adds up.

47. Go through dots like Pac-Man, e.g.: EAT.  
Pac-Man EATs the dots.

48. Amiss: OFF. as in "not quite right"

51. Happy Greek cry: OPA.  
Has anyone seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 yet?
I'm waiting for my turn at the library.
Rotten Tomatoes only gives it 29%. Oof-a!

55. Turn __ dime: ON A.  Is this good or bad?

57. Endeavour astronaut Jemison: MAE.  
National Women's History Museum link

58. 29-Down, for example: RATIO.     and     29. FanDuel stat: ODDS.
FanDuel is an online gambling company.

63. Corgis and collies: DOGS.  
A Borgi is a Border Collie / Corgi mix.

64. Like seven candles on the first night of Hanukkah: UNLIT.

65. Volcano associated with Hephaestus: ETNA.  I got this at 4-letter volcano, but a little Googling taught me that Hephaestus is the Greek god of fire, smiths, craftsmen, metalworking, stonemasonry, and sculpture. It seems he was thrown out of Mount Olympus after a bad argument with Jupiter. He fell on a lovely island, creating a deep hole in a high mountain. He decided to use that mountain as his blacksmith forge and (you guessed it) the result was a sparking Mt. ETNA.

66. Litter's littlest: RUNT.  There are several reasons for variations in the size of newborn puppies and kittens. A RUNT might occur in a very large litter because of positioning in the womb or because matings took place over several days.

67. Fitbit units: STEPS.
  

68. Tragic fate: DOOM.  

69. Online artisan marketplace: ETSY.  
You can order this pink brain beanie for your Valentine on Etsy.

Down:
1. Life-saving donation: PLASMA.  

2. Enemies-to-lovers movie genre: ROM-COM.  ROMantic COMedies sometimes start with two people getting off on the wrong foot, like the time when Harry met Sally.
Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally ... (1989)  (2 min.)

3. Like some bagels: 
ONIONY.  adjective describing the flavor of allium plants
My chives have woken up from their winter naps and are already 5-inches tall.

4. Got a C, say: DID OK.  
"I got an A-, Tina". "You got an Asian F?"  (40 sec.)
Glee  (2011) 

5. NHL whistle blower: REF.  Here is a list of not-National Hockey League whistle blowers in the U.S. going back to 1777.

6. __ de parfum: EAU.  French for "water"

7. Ed of "Elf": ASNER.  
Will Ferrell and Ed Asner in Elf.  (2003)  (1 min.)
[Yeah, I think someone just pointed the video camera at their TV.]

8. P
rotégéMENTEE.  A protégé is someone who is protected or trained or whose career is furthered by a person of experience, prominence, or influence. You know, like a mentor's MENTEE. 

9. Tour de France mountain: ALP.  This year, Le Tour begins on Saturday, June 29 in Florence, Italy. (You know I'll be watching!) 
Click to enlarge.
10. Gather in the fields: REAP.

11. Boulangerie loaf: BAGUETTE.  There seems to be a French mini-theme in today's puzzle.  
The Flight of the Conchords show off their French in Foux du fa fa.

12. Supervises: 
OVERSEES.  If you are an expat supervisor, you OVERSEE while you are overseas.

13. Hi-__ photo: RES.

19. Date component: YEAR.  alas, neither roses nor chocolates
DH and I had a Valentine's date on Saturday. We did a couple's candle-making class. Mine is the pink one -- eucalyptus/lemongrass/library book scent  

21. Health insurance, paid time off, etc.: BENEFITS.  Both are perks that might come with one's job.

25. "Here goes nothing" hashtag: YOLO.  You Only Live Once

26. Oktoberfest quaff: BIER.  The German spelling tips us off that we need the German word for beer.

27. One straying from the norm: DEVIATOR.

33. Downsides: CONS.  
Pros and CONS of adulthood

34. Exo- opposite: ENDO.  This one made me think of skeletons.  

35. Cleanup hitter's stat: RBI.  "Statistic" is abbreviated, so is Runs Batted In.

37. Pro Football Hall of Fame location: OHIO.  I read the clue too quickly and thought it was asking about the Pro Bowl so I entered Oahu

38. Zero in on: PINPOINT.  Here is the Pro Football Hall of Fame PINPOINTed on a map.  

39. Get wrapped up in a sticky situation: ENTANGLE.  

40. Doesn't waste: USES.  Waste not, want not.

41. Bedframe part: SLAT.

45. "Alas ... ": AH, ME.

46. Gave temporarily: LOANED.

48. Say "I pass": OPT OUT.

49. Pretends: FEIGNS.  It is nice to FEIGN interest when someone you care about is excited to tell you something about which you do not care.

50. Snowman with a magic hat: FROSTY.  
You know the hat is magic because of all the sparkles.

53. Joined with: WED TO.

54. San Diego slugger: PADRE.  Their mascot is the Swinging Friar.
56. Small taste of liquid: A SIP.

59. Magic vehicle for Ms. Frizzle: BUS.  This refers to a set of children's books (and later TV show) where the teacher, Ms. Frizzle, takes the students on extraordinary Science field trips.
60. TD's six: PTS.  Touch Downs are worth six Points (I hope your team got them yesterday.)

61. Brian of Roxy Music: ENO.  Brian often frequents our girds.

62. Male sheep: RAM.

Here's the grid:  

It seems were are nearing close of business so I will bid you adieu!  

29 comments:

Subgenius said...


In spite of the fact that I had a hard time spelling “baguette,” this puzzle for me was pretty much a good old “walk in the park.” FIR, so I’m happy.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Finished this one without sensing the theme and was surprised there was no reveal. D'oh. Took longer than a typical Monday, too. Thanx, Amanda and sumdaze. (Australian embassy? How many other surprise careers have you got squirreled away?)

ERECTOR -- In my ute Erector sets were branded "Gilbert." Chemistry sets, too.

REAM -- There are seven of 'em on the bottom shelf of my office bookcase.

RUNT -- We've got a gray tabby, originally named Runty. Dw had pity on her, and officially named her Rumby at the vet.

PADRE -- Good thing I didn't bet on this one. My money would've been on San Antonio.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

FIR without erasure.

Today is:
NATIONAL FOOTBALL HANGOVER DAY (I don’t indulge, so I don’t repent)
NATIONAL CLEAN OUT YOUR COMPUTER DAY (probably not good to do this while hung over)
NATIONAL PLUM PUDDING DAY (the terms cake and pudding were once interchangeable. This is more like a cake)

I thought a "high roller" gambled big money, not spent big money. I remember watching boxing on TV with my dad, and $0.10 cigar commercials using a bastardized version of Peggy Lee's BIG SPENDER: "Hey BIG SPENDER - Spend a little dime with me."

There's a difference between BENEFITS and perks (or perqs.) BENEFITS are generally available, while perks are doled out via RHIP - Rank Has Its Privileges. Perks might include stuff like an assigned parking place, a company car for personal use, country club membership, and profit sharing (which might be a BENEFIT, depending on the company.)

Wasn't the original PADRE mascot the "San Diego Chicken," created by Ted Whatzhisname.

Magic BUS was a big hit for The Who, a really big deal in my ute.

Thanks to Amanda for the fun, Monday-easy puzzle, and to sumdaze for the fine & funny tour.

KS said...

FIR. I found this had a little bite to it for a Monday. Several answers seemed more like forced fill, like oniony for example.
Got the theme early on with the reveal which certainly helped with solving three of the long answers. And very clever it was.

Yellowrocks said...

This was not an "as fast as I can write" Monday puzzle. Not difficult, but more Wednesday like for me.
To the parents of my students, C was not an okay grade. Even if the kid admitted he did not study the teacher was ordered to give him a second chance or a retest. Every child was a supposed genius. The teacher was blowing his likelihood of getting into Harvard. "He'll be devastated because he sister got A's," etc. etc. Helicopter parents!!
This was still better than having uninvolved parents. These kids had many educational advantages.
Cute kitten entangled in the yarn. I still miss my Kahlua after ten or more years. He was playful and into everything.
My students loved "The Magic School Bus."
I always choose onion bagels, freshly baked that morning. Yum.
DO, I remember the Gilbert Erector sets and chemistry sets.

Anonymous said...

Took 4:49 today for me to go through this one like nobody's business.

Not a fan of today's foreign-themed 3-letter words: ete, eso, eau, & opa.
Or, these 3-letter proper names: Eno, Alp, Amy, Mae, & Pur.

"Deviator" didn't look right, but I guess it was. Originally, I had "beer" for "bier" - silly me.

Pro Football HOF clued on the day after the Super Bowl. I think we saw several future HOF'ers involved in the game yesterday.

inanehiker said...

This puzzle really zipped along even for a Monday= still didn't beat SS but came close!

Thanks SD for the ROM-COM clip of "When Harry Met Sally" - one of my favorites in the genre probably because it occurred in my era and I think I had every clothing and hair style that Sally wore in that movie!

Thanks SD for the fun blog and Amanda for the puzzle!

Slow,sleepy start to the week as the OT in the Super Bowl made for a late night as we had people over for it. My Chiefs prevailed, but it was a nailbiter!
Conversation with Mom went okay but wasn't a breeze- she admitted she had slowed down a lot in the past year and had a better understanding of losing some of her executive functioning. But then when she was talking to my brother she said I had "suggested" that she stop driving- even though there wasn't any suggestion about it.

Monkey said...

No complaints this morning. I caught the theme very early since I filled the equator right away.

Just a few unknowns, but perps helped.

Sumdaze. Thank you for all the extra info and that hilarious video of Foux du fa fa.

Ray - O - Sunshine said...


A puzzle that’s “taking care of BUSINESS”..

Started off a bit advanced for a Monday. (Is the puzzle gonna gimme “the BUSINESS” today? ) Usually not so many initial blanks waiting for perps. But eased up as I migrated south and got the theme after a couple heartbeats

Inkover: FUNNY papers/PAGES

Hey BIGSPENDER Julie Andrews pops her cork for Cookie Monster and he literally eats it up. 🍪🍪🍪

Saw “Russian Doll”…not a comedy so surprised created by AMY Poehler. We’ve had MONKEY BREAD but never at breakfast. “Conger” I learnt from CWs. “Got a C”, DIDOK? Don’t think so, 😳 not in our house.

It may be Ms Fizzle’s Magic BUS . ”But WHO is performing …🚌

ENDO or ENtO, hadda solve that in HINDI. Parsed ODDS from “stat” but FanDuel? Been so long since MAE Jemison visited I forgot her first name.

Drink too much Ale and you might end up atop a____ …..BIER
Biblically sire….BAGUETTE
Appropriate too much property…. OVERSEES
What a monarch commands just before they dub you a knight….”ONIONY!”
Shocked remark when you take ASIP in Paris and it’s water not champagne….”EAU!”

Gotta “make like a tree” and drive to my ophthalmologist this morning to see what the plans are for my cat tracks 🐾🐾 🐾

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

This was an easy, breezy solve, very Monday-ish. No unknowns, no w/os, no complaints. I agree with SS, though, that Deviator looks odd. Cute theme and easy to grasp for a newbie.

Thanks, Amanda, and thanks, sumdaze, for the fun and facts, as usual. Loved the comic for Funny Business and the photos of the canine and feline. Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal had wonderful chemistry in that movie, as did Meg and Tom Hanks in Sleepless In Seattle and You've Got Mail.

Have a great day.

RosE said...

Good Morning! I thought today’s puzzle had a bit of a crunch, but in a good way. Thanks, Amanda. And what a fun theme to start the week!

CSO to the CWC’s own Monkey.

WO: E -> I in BIER; E -> O in DEVIATOR

ESP for LONI, PUR and OPA. Now I’ll be vowel challenged again between A and I for a Greek happy cry and CW’s favorite nail polish – OPI. AH ME!!!

3D. I got annoyed when my store always seemed to run out of sesame bagels, so I’ve happily switched to egg bagel. More flavor & puffier!

25D YOLO, an idiom believed by some but not everyone.

Sumdaze, you added to the fun with your 16A collection! LOL!!🤣🤣🤣 Thanks!

sumdaze said...

I am enjoying reading your comments.

inanehiker@8:31. I relate to your WHMS comment. We all loved Sally

Monkey@9:07. Thank you for taking time to watch the Foux du fa fa video. I'm glad you liked it. That song always makes me laugh. Jock Cousteau!

Big Easy said...

An easy Monday puzzle, thanks to perps. I'd never heard of MONKEY BREAD, LONI, "Russian Doll", OPA, seven candles were UNLIT, how to spell BAGUETTE, any hashtag (pound or number sign?), or Ms. Frizzle but I DID OKay today.

With those thoughts I'll:

16. "Make like a tree and __!": LEAVE. or say "could you please shut the door from the outside"

Anonymous said...

A perfect Monday level puzzle.
The theme was clever and the cluing straightforward.
Thanks Amanda
… kkflorida

NaomiZ said...

I thought today's puzzle was challenging for a Monday, but FIR without sighing AH ME. Some of you bemoan the little French and Spanish words, but they certainly help me along. Many thanks to Amanda for the puzzle, to Patti for making sure it all worked, and to Sumdaze for the sparkling review.

CanadianEh! said...

MONKEY BUSINESS Monday. Thanks for the fun, Amanda and sumdaze ( I LOLed at that Monk-y business comic).
I FIRed in good time and saw the theme.
Several inkblots.

Canadian disadvantage had me entering Earth instead of ARBOR and then wondering why the perps didn’t match. We have Earth Day on April 22.
Trying to enter Leant TO instead of LOANED and Added instead of WED TO made a mess of that area. P,us I spelled DEVIATIR with ER ending, which gave me Stepper. I was thinking of a High Stepper Broadway number. MAE opened up that area.

I’m not familiar with PUR. I have Brita.
I thought of Blood before PLASMA, and wanted Beer before I realized the German BIER was needed.

I noted REAM and REAP.
Is there any relationship to CONS crossing VOTED. No politics!
RUNT under DOGS brought a smile.

6 PTS for TD, and OHIO HOF were timely after last nights exciting Super Bowl.
CSO to MONKEY.
inanehiker- thanks for the update on your discussion with Mother re driving. I suspect that she got the message, but was just framing it in more “palatable-to-her” words to tell your brother.

Wishing you all a great day.

TTP said...


An estimated 16M people aren't expected to show up for work today, but I'm glad to see that Sumdaze is on the job, adding fun and "Takin Care of Business."   Very well done.

I initially resisted, but then reluctantly started to key in DEVIAnt.   I needed one more letter.   So DEVIATOR.   I felt better about that word.   To me, deviant connotes a different meaning than deviator.   I think the sense of the meaning has changed over time.   A deviant would be far outside the norm, while a deviator would be someone just a bit outside the norm.   YMMV.   I think that was my only type over.

Borgi, a border collie / corgi mix.   In the Popeyes ad last night, Ken Jeong held a goldendoodle.   When he said, "Two dogs in one!" I cracked up.   BTW, that was his dog, named Mocha.

Thank you, Amanda Cook, and thank you Sumdaze.

Gotta run. Gotta TCB.

Charlie Echo said...

Fast, clever FIR! Nice recap by Sumdaze. What's not to like? Somehow, I've never run across monkey bread before. Spent many an hour with my Erector Set, Lincoln Logs, and sundry other building toys in my ute. C's were my goal in high school classes where the teachers could not generate my interest. In classes where the teachers could, A's were easy to achieve. Jinx, I remember watching the "Friday Night Fights" with my dad, and can still recall the commercials for "Gillette Blue Blades". (A cartoon parrot singing " look sharp!...Feel sharp!".

Lucina said...

Hola!

Finished with EASE on this Monday. Thank you, Amanda Cook and sumdaze.

In high school we always planted a tree on ARBOR Day, and I now wonder how those trees are doing. I hope they are thriving.

No, a C is not OK for me, either. Well, maybe in math, my weakest subject.

There is no I in team made me realize I had BEER instead of BIER. Oops.

PADRE and ESO satisfy my use of Spanish in this puzzle. I always enjoy a sprinkle of it in the solve.

Have a wonderful day, everyone!




Husker Gary said...

Musings
-MONKEY BREAD was on our breakfast menu this morning
-SHOW STOPPERS: For me it was Bring Him Home from Les Misérables and Memory from Cats. Sherry from Jersey Boys is right up there too.
-I remember giving a 14-yr-old girl her first “C” after all “A’s” up til then. Her parents blew up at me but I told them she could memorize well but not take an “open note” test. She never went to college but she was a tall, blonde beauty so…
-Using a cattle PROD on a cheater in Casino
-J. Sterling Morton started ARBOR Day here in Nebraska on the then treeless plains.
-Biff Tannen stupidly said, “Make like a tree and get out of here!” to Marty McFly.
-Rich kids had Erector Sets, I had Lincoln Logs
-ODDS makers should never make Patrick Mahomes an underdog like they did last night
-Parachute PLASMA center is getting ready to open in our town. They are offering up to $130 for your first two donations.
-I remember how I had to FEIGN interest when my principal talked on and on about his golf round.

Lee said...

Here is another for your collection, sumdaze; Put an egg in your shoe and beat it.

FIR on an easy Monday. Thank you, Amanda. Hand up for paper before PAGES.

That's all for today, so I am going to make like a Shepard and get the flock outta here.

Use Gilette blue blades for the quickest, slickest shave of all.

Memories.

waseeley said...

Thank you Amanda for an enterprising start to the week.

And thank you sumdaze for the quickie MBA. You seem to succeed in this business without really trying.

A few favs:

1A PROD. Great slogan Renee. They oughta teach that in COMP SCI class.

51A OPA. I have not seen MBFGW, but I recognized John Corbett from your GIF as a star in Northern Exposure. We didn't see it the first time around, but it's now streaming free on Prime. A very creative show.

16A LEAVE. I could say something, but I'd have to forfeit my license to tell Dad jokes.

19D YEAR. I hope DH's candle wasn't the blue one sumdaze. It looks kind of lonely. 😀

25D YOLO. Well if you don't you may have to comeback again and get it right next time.

Cheers,
Bill

Anonymous T said...

Going out on a limb here, but I'm guessing Amanda is Gen-Y based on her clues.

Thanks for the puzzle, Amanda. My unknowns filled in good time.

Sumdaze, you rock! Comics were spot on.

WO: lent(too short) -> lended -> loaned
ESPs: Names & foriegn words
Fav: RATIO crossreferencing ODDS was fun.

And so was last night's "Big Game." I thought the 9'ers had it with the arial game but KC came though at the end.
Tay-Tay didn't get a ring (yes, there were odds on that!)

HG - I wasn't rich but 1st step-dad was(ish) //Xerox $$.
One year I got an Erector Set in the yellow box. I also had Lincoln Logs and Tinker Toys. I built stuff, I did.

Swinging back to Gen-Y (& Boomers):
I'm Gen-X so I knew Ms. Frzzle's (& THE WHO's) BUS.
Ms. Friz was voiced by none other than Lily Tomlin.
My kids loved the show, science, and visuals. I liked the deep humor embedded in it.

Cheers, -T

Picard said...

I enjoyed the BUSINESS theme. Stuck a bit in the NW before getting unknowns AMY, LONI, MONKEY BREAD. Learning moment.

Here I experienced a bit of MONKEY BUSINESS on the Amazon.

From Yesterday:
I FIR, but totally missed the HALFTIME SHOW in the circles until I read the report from CC. I am in awe of this construction. Sorry to see so many nasty comments. Hand up it was a struggle for me, but nothing really unfair.

Husker Gary said...

Picard, Your monkey videos are a hoot!

Jayce said...

"Now that's what I'm talkin' about!" To me this puzzle is what a crossword puzzle is all about. It was an enjoyable pursuit. I always cringe at MENTEE, as if the mentee is somehow getting "mented" by a mentor. I enjoyed the clues for LEAVE, EAT, and UNLIT. I liked words like BAGUETTE, BENEFITS, ENTANGLE, and FEIGNS. And sumdaze's write-up was the FROSTY on the pudding. Yep, it was a nail-biter game yesterday. Good wishes to you all.

Picard said...

Husker Gary Thank you! You made my day!

sumdaze said...

waseeley @ 2:42. Thanks so much for saying that Northern Exposure is now on Prime! I was recently thinking I wanted to revisit the show but my library only has Season 3 (??!!). After reading your post I watched S1 Eps 1&2 on Prime. Really appreciate the gouge! You know, John Corbett was also Carrie's beau in Sex in the City Seasons 3 & 4.
Yep, DH's was the blue one in the Stitch glass. (I'm more of an Experiment 625 fan.)

Lucina said...

OH, no! It happened again. I have to prove my identity; the first time I lost my post but then the second time it was still here. I don't know what is happening.

I just wanted to say that the first time I saw John Corbett was in MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING and I was instantly smitten. The man has charisma!