google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, March 12, 2024 Dan Schoenholtz

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Mar 12, 2024

Tuesday, March 12, 2024 Dan Schoenholtz

Dropping Your Change.  The circles, when read from bottom to top, a spell out a foreign coin that is "flipped".

3-Down. Fix for distressed genes?: DNA REPAIR.  Rand.  The Rand is the currency of South Africa.  As of this week, 1 Rand = $0.054 Dollars / $1.00 = 18.68 Rands.

7-Down. Carrier that makes short hops: REGIONAL AIRLINE.  Rial.  The Rial is the currency of Iran.  As of this week, 1 Rial = $0.000024 / $1.00 = 42,040.00 Rials.

9-Down. Source of information for vacation planners: TRAVEL BUREAU.  Ruble.  The Ruble is the currency of Russia.  As of this week, 1 Ruble = $0.011 / $1.00 = 90.95 Rubles.

21-Down. Reaction to a chill or a fright, to Brits: GOOSE PIMPLES.  On this side of the pond, the expression would be Goose Bumps.  Peso.  Several countries use the Peso as currency, including, but not limited to, Argentina, Columbia, Cuba, and Mexico.  For comparison, I will use our closest neighbor, Mexico:  As of this week, 1 Mexican Peso = $0.060 / $1.00 = 16.80 Pesos.  

35-Down. Decide by calling heads or tails, and an apt title for this puzzle: FLIP A COIN.

Across:

1. Spots for pillow talk: BEDS.  //  And 55-Across. "Sweet dreams!": SLEEP WELL.


5. 43,560 square feet: ACRE.


9. British streetcars: TRAMS.

14. Forearm bone: ULNA.


15. Agonize (over): FRET.

16. Morocco's capital: RABAT.


17. Din: ROAR.

18. Like takeout food: TO GO.


19. Love, in Italian: AMORE.  Today's Italian lesson

20. Bit of rosemary: SPRIG.



22. Temperature-controlled storage for bottles: WINE VAULT.


24. Shirt that may have a V-neck: TEE.

25. Nabisco brand: OREO.  A crossword staple.  //  And 30-Across. Nabisco brand: NILLA.


27. Caused: LED TO.

28. Cunning scheme: PLOY.

32. Sentence part with a subject and a predicate: CLAUSE.  Did you have to diagram sentences when you were in high school?



34. Many an Omani: ARAB.  The Sultanate of Oman is a country on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula.



35. Vaccine-approving org.: FDA.  As in the Food and Drug Administration.

38. Trusting to a fault: NAIVE.

39. Sort: ILK.

40. Like some monuments at night: UPLIT.


42. Listener-supported news source: NPR.  National Public Radio.



43. Dad: PAPA.  We saw Ain't Too Proud recently, which is a musical about The Temptations.  Papa Was a Rollin' Stone.


45. Confident poker declaration: I RAISE.

46. Red Sea peninsula: SINAI.


47. Fill-in worker: TEMP.

48. "__ and Punishment": CRIME.  Did you know that Crime and Punishment, an 1866 novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky (November 11, 1821 ~ Feb. 9, 1881) was initially published in a Russian literary journal in 12 monthly installments?  I read this book in high school.

50. Alabama-born activist Parks: ROSA.  When she died, Rosa Parks (née Rosa Louise McCauley; Feb. 4, 1913 ~ Oct. 24, 2005) lay in honor in the Rotunda of the Capitol.  She was the first woman and second African-American to receive that honor.  A bronze sculpture depicting the Rosa Park can be found in the United States Capitol's National Statuary Hall. 


52. Kerfuffle: ADO.

57. Open, as toothpaste: UNCAP.



59. Gem from an oyster: PEARL.

60. Kristen of "Bridesmaids": WIIG.  Kristen Carroll Wiig (b. Aug. 22, 1973) was on Saturday Night Live for many years.


62. Move like sap: OOZE.


63. Close-knit group: CADRE.

64. Jealous feeling: ENVY.


65. Neck and neck: TIED.


66. Districts: AREAS.

67. "We __ to be at an impasse": SEEM.


68. Puts the kibosh on: ENDS.

Down:
1. Fly into pieces: BURST.

2. Get hitched in a hurry: ELOPE.


4. Draped garment in Hindi films: SARI.


5. Toward the rudder: AFT.

6. "Jerry Maguire" director Cameron: CROWE.  "You had me at Hello."  This Cameron Crowe (né Cameron Bruce Crowe; b. July 13, 1957) movie was first released in 1996.   Cameron Crowe's first film was the 1982 movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High when he was still in his 20s.


8. Elite British boarding school: ETON.  Prince William (b. June 21, 1982) and Eddy Redmayne (né Edward John David Redmayne; b. Jan. 6, 1982) were classmates at Eton.


10. Best Western rival: RAMADA.  Both are hotel chains.

11. Approximately: ABOUT.

12. "The Wire" drug lord Stanfield: MARLO.  Marlo Stanfield is a fictional character, portrayed by Jamie Hector (b. Oct. 7, 1975) on the HBO series The Wire.



13. Editor's "Actually, don't cut that": STET.

23. Fitzgerald of jazz: ELLA.  We haven't seen Ella Fitzgerald (née Ella Jane Fitzgerald; Apr. 25, 1917 ~ June 15, 1996) on a Tuesday in quite some time.  She is a frequent guest in the puzzles.


26. Pastrami on __: RYE.


29. Hon: LUV.


31. Nettle: IRK.  A crossword staple

32. "Erin Burnett OutFront" channel: CNN.

33. Friendly cat's spot: LAP.



36. Bad-mouth: DIS.

37. Devoured: ATE.

39. Hoppy brew, briefly: IPA.  India Pale Ale.  Everything you wanted to know about India Pale Ale but didn't know to ask.

41. Cooking spray brand: PAM.  It comes in lots of flavors.


44. Again: ANEW.

45. "__ Always Sunny in Philadelphia": IT'S.  It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is a comedy series that follows a group of misfit, narcissistic sociopaths, referred to as "The Gang", who runs a meager, unsuccessful Irish bar called Paddy's Pub in the neighborhood of South Philadelphia.


46. Word before Leone or Madre: SIERRA.

48. "Understood?": CLEAR.

49. Duane __: New York drugstore chain: READE.  I learned about the Duane Reade drugstore chain from doing the crossword puzzles.


51. Mediterranean oil source: OLIVE.


53. In a mental fog: DAZED.

54. Newspaper pundit pieces: OP-EDs.  The term Op-Ed means Opposite the Editorial Page.

55. Pet adoption org.: SPCA.  Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.


56. Female sheep: EWES.


58. Post-it jotting: NOTE.



61. Fitness class: GYM.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה



30 comments:

Subgenius said...

I will admit that I didn’t see the “coins” until the reveal (some of them were pretty obscure currencies). And there were a few other obscurities as well, including the drugstore chain. But the perps were more than fair, so I would say that the puzzle wasn’t too difficult to get through. FIR, so I’m happy.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Zipped right through this one in about six minutes. No stumbles, no drama, no theme. Oh, there were circles. Didn't notice 'em until I'd already finished. Then the different currencies stood out. (I don't think the RIAL is used in South Africa -- Mideast.) Methinks Duane READE is only found in NYC; odd entry for a west coast crossword. Thanx, Dan. Enjoyed your illustrations, Hahtoolah, especially the DaVinci.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

FIR on line.

Today is:
NATIONAL GIRL SCOUT DAY (I do my best to resist buying their cookies)
NATIONAL WORKING MOMS DAY (when is “working girls” day?)
NATIONAL PLANT A FLOWER DAY (can’t help thinking of the fun song Plant a Radish from The Fantasticks
NATIONAL BAKED SCALLOPS DAY (love ‘em)

Zoё woke me up this morning at 1:30. Took her out for an emergency pee break, and we came back in. Since I was wide awake by then, I called up the puzzle and tried to print it on my big inkjet scanner/fax/printer that is in my office downstairs. I think the three month layoff for my Florida spring break trip allowed the ink to harden, because the printer now gives me an error message and won't even try. If I have spare cartridges around I'll try that, but otherwise I think I'll just get a new monochrome laser printer, either with a flatbed scanner or a standalone scanner. On the rare occasion when i need to print in color, I can always send a file to a local print shop.

Anyway, since I couldn't print I just finished it online. I really miss the ability to jot notes in the margin, and to review my work before looking at the reveal.

I finally got back to sleep around 2:30, and Zoё woke me up at 3:00 for another emergency walk. That's when I heard what was making her so uneasy. We are a couple of miles from a railway yard that amasses coal for shipment abroad. The yard pushes the full rail cars up a mound, turns them upside down to empty them, puts them down on another track, then lets them roll downhill until they BANG into the other empties waiting to go back to the mountains for more coal. The BANG isn't as upsetting to the dog as fireworks, but it is enough that she feels she has to pace. I went to sleep on the couch so I wouldn't have to climb down the stairs for another trip, and when I awoke at 7:00, Zoe had gone upstairs to bed. It is a good thing for her that she is such a sweet dog.

Oh well, this one was fun. Thanks to Dan and Ha2la for the good time.

KS said...

FIR. I groaned when I saw the circles but as I solved the puzzle I realized they were superfluous and not needed for the solve.
So this was an enjoyable puzzle that was typical for a Tuesday. The fact that there were circles was irrelevant. When I was done and saw the reveal, only then did I see the gimmick. And IMO, they were a waste of round things. Could have lived without them!

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, Crossword Friends. Three of the currencies in today's puzzle began with the letter "R". I thought that was the direction until I came upon the Peso. Too bad Rupee, the currency in India, couldn't have been incorporated into the puzzle.

QOD: Practice kindness all day to everybody and you will realize you’re already in heaven now. ~ Jack Kerouac (né Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac; Mar. 12, 1922 ~ Oct. 21, 1969), American writer and poet

inanehiker said...

Fun theme - and since we were FLIPping A COIN and creative to have them going up vertically like when a coin is flipped at a football game or wherever.

Duane READE are only in NY and NJ- but now they have been bought by Walgreens. Remember it because they seem to be everywhere in NYC. Every region has their stores that you learn of when you visit and are handy for crosswords and for whatever you forgot on your trip like: Publix and Piggly Wiggly in the South, HEB in Texas, Fred Meyer in the PNW, King Soopers in CO.

Enjoyed the Simon & Garfunkel link for the rosemary SPRIG - their greatest hits album was the first that I bought with my own money

Work begins- thanks Susan for the blog and Dan for the creative puzzle!

Anonymous said...

O h joy, Circles!

R an through this one in 4:50 today.

U nknown was: goose pimple.

E ven I knew today's actress (Wiig).

Whiner said...

When I got FLIP A COIN and then UPLIT, I thought, OK, these are going to be some kind of phrases that are flipped, like "lit up". Never saw another flipped phrase, but finished the puzzle without any reveals or checking. NE corner came last but after getting over my disdain for foreign words I got AMORE (thank you Dean Martin) it fell together.

RosE said...

Good Morning! Nice puzzle followed by a sterling recap. Thanks Dan and Hah2lah.
I liked the change in direction both for the vertical clues, fills and theme.
Two WOs: that darn second “I” in WIIG and the “A” in RABAT crossing the unknown MARLO. Everything else flowed smoothly.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

I saw the familiar currencies right away but not knowing they were also coins, I thought the reveal might be something like Funny Money. Wine Vault is a new term to me as Cellar is more familiar, but I'm sure it's old hat to our Chairman, though. Marlo, as clued, was the only unknown and no w/os were necessary. Fun to see Oreo and Nilla sharing top billing in cookie world. Overall, a smooth, pleasant solve.

Thanks, Dan, for a Tuesday Treat, and thanks, Hahtoolah, for the usual fun and facts. Favorite cartoons today were the ones for Elope and Uncap. Your closing quote is hilarious!

SS @ 8:14 ~ Cute! 😉

Have a great day.

Anonymous said...

Is looking up a word in the dictionary cheating? INK wasn’t a good fit for nettle so I looked up nettle. IRKed me to no end.

Monkey said...

I didn’t FRET. I saw the RAND right away, so l looked for the theme and was nicely surprised to see FLIP A COIN.

My only unknown this time was READE.

Many years ago I worked with a woman from RABAT.

Hahtoolah once again delighted us with neat cartoons and info. I liked the last one in particular.

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-A fun puzzle, ABBA music and golf at noon. Life is good!
-What’s the cost of a Big Mac meal in Johannesburg?
-An American football field, including end zones, covers 1.32 ACRES
-RABAT is a little over an hour’s drive NE from Rick’s Café Américain
-My left-brain loved diagramming sentences in H.S.
-My college dining hall never resembled this one at ETON
-ELLA sings Can’t Buy Me Love
-Our guide in a Tuscan OLIVE orchard said pickers only eat a bitter raw one once!
-FB fans probably thought of this very questionable COIN FLIP decision in last month’s Super Bowl

Tehachapi Ken said...

This one was clean and direct, and frankly easier than yesterday's. It would be a smooth introduction to puzzling for a noob because of many accessible and common traits of crosswords: circles, some clever and fun clues, and helpful perps residing near tough words.

My one nit to pick is that in 21D, Dan (or Patti?) should have left off "to a Brit" in the clue. The expression "goose pimples" is common in the U.S.

Charlie Echo said...

Another pleasant walk in the park today, with a nice recap by Ha2la. Perps were fair for the few unknowns. Changed LIT UP for UPLIT, put in I RAISE because "READ 'EM AND WEEP" wouldn't fit.

NaomiZ said...

I liked Dan's puzzle. The flipped coins must have been a challenge in construction. I got a little help from one in the solve. I agree with Dan, Patti, and Hahtoolah that GOOSE PIMPLES are a British thing, and that in the States we have GOOSE bumps, or even GOOSE flesh.

Anonymous at 9:27 asks if looking up a word in the dictionary is cheating. I say we all play in our own ways. When I was getting started a few years ago, I did a Google search here and there. Now my rule is no lookups or consulting of any kind. In the rare instances that I play online, I don't use red letters. That's the standard to "Finish It Right," but the important thing is to enjoy the process and learn something, too.

I am right there with Jinx, whose little dog gets him up at night. My Daphne does that, too. It's a wonder I can solve the puzzle at all! FIR. Thanks, everyone.

Chairman Moe said...

Puzzling thoughts:

IM @ 8:14 ==> I tried fitting a WINE CELLAR into the WINE VAULT. Much as I would like to say that I knew this, I rarely (if ever) refer to the term WINE VAULT as a storage place for vino; it's a CELLAR

FIR (the puzzle) with a few corrections after filling in the across clues first

I agree with NaomiZ et al that GOOSE BUMPS are the way we "colonists" call 'em

Jinx, regarding the NATIONAL GIRL SCOUTS DAY ... the Girl Scouts [nee, Girl Guides] celebrate the first American troop started on this day in 1912 by Juliette Gordon Low (she, of Savannah GA). As an aside, my mom was a "career" Girl Scout of sorts, as she worked (for a salary) for a couple of regional GS Councils. And of course, the Chairman had a Moe-ku, just for this "topic":

Beware logging on
To the Girl Scouts' new website;
Heard they use cookies

CanadianEh! said...

Terrific Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Dan and Hahtoolah.
I FIRed in quick time and eventually saw the theme. But originally when I filled the circles, I unjumbled the letters into Darn, Pose, Rail and Bluer. No theme was self-evident from these words. Finally I got to the reveal and unjumbled these coins - Rand, Rubel, Peso and Lira. Oh, they’re just flipped on end - and I corrected to Ruble and Rial. What a mixup in my change purse.

Straight-forward clueing today, and only a few names which perped.
I started to make WINE cellar but had to downsize to VAULT.
My monument started out Lit Up before perps forced UPLIT.
I see that I am not alone in the above changes.

This Canadian says GOOSE bumps not the British PIMPLES.
I smiled at ENDS at the end.

Wishing you all a great day.

Tehachapi Ken said...

I use goose pimples and goose bumps interchangeably. As do other Americans and--gasp--Brits.

For a couple years I lived in France, and where virtually every other language uses the goose for the phenomenon we're talking about, not the French. Their expression is la chair de poule, or hen flesh.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

C-Moe, my mom was a "career" (but unpaid) GSA troop leader. Both of my (MUCH) older sisters went through Brownies and Girl Scouts under her leadership. I got to do a lot of the day stuff with them, memorably making "buddy burners." These were two-part projects - first you had to make a home made Sterno burner from tuna cans, cardboard, candle wicks and paraffin, then you had to make the stove part by cutting out a "door" in an empty 3-pound coffee can using a pair of tin snips. The reason I remember it so vividly is that I cooked me up some bacon and eggs on the set I built, and then my dad didn't want me to put away the still-hot stove. I stood back, and he kicked at the stove part to tip it over so he could put out the "sterno" part. Unfortunately he kicked too hard, and hot bacon grease poured down the mesh top of his right shoe. He was badly burned, and hobbled around for what seemed in my young brain like months, but was probably only a week or so.

One thing that I know about only from the stories was that when I was a baby, my mom encouraged her scouts to look at me when she changed my diapers, so the girls would know how little boys were different. Today I maintain that that largely explains how I turned out.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

We may not have goose PIMPLES in the south, but "fire ant pimples" is an apt description of the damage those little varmints cause. Many little red bumps with white, pussy heads. Itch like crazy.

unclefred said...

FIR quick as a bunny. I got the theme early, which helped. A few unknown names which I managed with perps. Good Tuesday CW, thanx, DS. Terrific write-up and really great cartoons, thanx Hahtoolah. I love comics! So much to worry about, cartoons are SO welcome!

Ray - O - Sunshine said...


Without a doubt a CADRE of EWES were IRKed and LEDTO FRET when you saw those evil ⚪️’s 🙄…. SARI !!

I thought the Brits said GOOSEflesh

The theme held me up a bit but then called it: “head or tails”: FLIP A COIN

Easier than yesterday with just two unknown PNs: CROWE. Only Tuesday, coulda clued the actor “Russell”. Also how ‘bout MARLO Thomas? “That Girl” (As a veteran SNL I always recognize Kristin WIIG)

In Italian AMORE and “Un TRAM Chiamato Desiderio”…Have a 5 yo grandniece, her “madre” and padre named her SIERRA.

Wait, TRipadvisor is too short?
Both Nabisco cookies in one puzzle, Yum.

Inkovers: lit up/UPLIT, ire/IRK,

Holes in the head …SINAI
Santa holds on to those reindeer reins tightly in his___….. CLAUSE
“Trix are for kids, silly ____ ….RABAT

H2LH liked the dish and measuring spoons the best. 😃


unclefred said...

Hahtoolah's cartoon of a plate and spoons reminds me of a comic strip from a while back: The first panel shows Mr. & Mrs. Fork leaving the silverware drawer, rushing to the hospital, Mrs. Fork obviously pregnant. The second panel is in the delivery room, where the OB says, "Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Fork, you have a baby....SPORK!" The third panel is back in the silverware drawer, with Mr. Spoon making a hurried departure.

Now try to tell me that doesn't make you smile!

Chairman Moe said...

Jinx @ 1:54 ==> my mom was the camp director for both of the Councils she served. Quite the two stories that you shared from YOUR mom's experience! ;^)

Jayce said...

I liked this puzzle.

Lucina said...

Hola!

Lucina said...

I forgot to post this morning! My excuse is that I awoke before dawn, solved the puzzle, then returned to bed and forgot all about posting. Old age is hard!

This afternoon I had a doctor's appointment, my credit card still hasn't arrived and that poses all kinds of problems so I'm very distracted,

Tomorrow I'll go and pick up my tax filing and luckily I found my mislaid documents. Have I said how I hate getting old?

On the bright side, my doctor declared me healthy but chided me for not keeping up my diabetes records. I'm just tired of doing it.

I hope you are all enjoying your day. Maybe tomorrow I'll be in a better mood. Please forgive me for seeming grumpy.

Anonymous said...

Hahtoolah-awesome guide through this puzzle! Thanks for the fun & knowledge.

Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

Nice "flipped coins" puzzle. RAND took a nudge from Hahtoolah to remember where it's from.

Thanks Dan for the grid & Thanks Hahtoolah for the wonderful comic laden expo.

WOs: N/A
ESPs: CROWE, MARLO, READE
Fav: I'll go with NPR - it's always on.

FLN - Yes, TTP, things are quite busy keeping up with all the new vulns &attack tactics.

Enjoyed reading everyone today.
I'm just now leaving the office; commuter traffic should be dead by now ;-)
Cheers, -T