google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Sunday July 7, 2024 Will Pfadenhauer

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Jul 7, 2024

Sunday July 7, 2024 Will Pfadenhauer

Theme:  "Work With What You've Got" - Not sure I got the theme. The second words are made up of letters that appear in the first word? (Sorry for the wrong title earlier.)

23. *Often color-coordinated wedding attire: BRIDESMAID DRESSES.

34. *Camden Yards player: BALTIMORE ORIOLE.

51. *"Star Wars" action sequence: LIGHTSABER BATTLE.

68. *Sports car introduced in 1953: CHEVROLET CORVETTE.

84. *Event for social workers?: CORPORATE RETREAT.

99. *Spot where one might find boxers?: UNDERWEAR DRAWER.

Reveal:

114. Parts used over and over again, such as the letters in the answers to the starred clues: RECYCLED MATERIALS.

OK, guys, I'm just stumped. I did notice that the second words are all "recycled" letters of the first word. Is that it?

The theme is harder to execute than it looks, as the second words are all pretty long.

Across:

1. Enter quickly: DASH IN.

7. Like many cagers: TALL. I thought Yao Ming is the tallest. Nope.
 

11. Cries during a Real Madrid vs. Barcelona match: OLES. And 15. "Right on!": RAD.

18. Flammable gas: ETHANE.

19. Southernmost Great Lake: ERIE.

20. Come clean?: BATHE. Great clue. I hope you can "come clean" slowly in your tub, weed-free.

22. Cards, on scoreboards: ARI.

26. Uncle, in Spanish: TIO.

27. Place to check out: TILL. Checkout counter.

28. Buckwheat noodle: SOBA. Thanks for the birthday cards and emails. I had a long walk along the Coon Rapids Dam, then made myself a huge bowl of birthday noodles. Similar to this, but mine had Shanghai bok choy.

29. NorCal neighbor: ORE.

30. Forced (open), as a pistachio: PRIED.

32. Tijuana toast: SALUD.

39. Phrase on some menus: NO MSG.

41. Eclipse, to some: OMEN.

42. Slightly: A BIT.

43. Savanna tree: ACACIA.

46. Pal: BUD. And 96. Megastar: IDOL. Andrea Carla Michaels has been visiting Minnesota. Here she is with the Big Pencil along the Lake of the Isles.

47. Marches, maybe: PROTESTS.

56. Greek X: CHI. Guess what this means in Chinese?

57. Dined: ATE. Chi = Eat in Chinese.

58. Animal sidekick in "Frozen": SVEN.

59. Some tree snakes: BOAS.

60. Paintball cry: I'M HIT.

62. Lookouts: SENTRIES.

65. "I don't want to __, but ... ": BRAG.

67. Woodward of "The Long, Hot Summer": JOANNE.

72. NBA star Wade: DWYANE.

74. Charity fun run distance: ONE K.

75. Doing some lawn work: AERATING.

78. Supply with new hardware: REFIT.

79. Friendly nudge at a green light: TOOT.

81. Unreturned serves: ACES.

82. Actor Daniel __ Kim: DAE.


83. Blvd. kin: AVE.

89. Nerdy yet fashionable: GEEK CHIC.

92. Vitality: VIM.

93. Longs (for): YEARNS.

94. Christmas carol: NOEL.

95. Dead even: TIED.

97. Plague: BESET.

104. "Shrinking" star Jason: SEGEL.

108. Spindrift ingredient: PUREE. See it? Water, fruit puree.

109. __ Paulo, Brazil: SAO.

110. Like many language exams: ORAL.

112. Hello, in Oaxaca: HOLA.

113. Before, poetically: ERE.

120. Intel analyst's org.: NSA.

121. Smooth: SLEEK.

122. Superlative acronym: GOAT. Greatest of All Time.

123. Spots for bracelets: ANKLES.

124. FDR's party: DEM.

125. Many: LOTS.

126. Chromosome subsection: GENE.

127. City south of Yosemite National Park: FRESNO.

Down:

1. Arrears: DEBTS.

2. Airy lobbies: ATRIA.

3. Scammer's aide: SHILL.

4. Dined at midday: HAD LUNCH.

5. Hero's end?: INE. Heroine.

6. Loch for monster hunters: NESS.

7. Item with a steep price?: TEABAG. Ha ha. I just had my very first chai thanks to Renee.


8. Common font for important documents: ARIAL. We also had 16. Disney princess with six sisters: ARIEL.

9. Tupperware top: LID.

10. Took charge: LED.

11. Shakespeare's king of the fairies: OBERON. "A Midsummer Night's Dream".

12. __ tag: LASER.

13. UFO occupants: ETS.

14. "That's all __ wrote": SHE.

15. 9-to-5, e.g.: RATIO.

17. The "D" of LED: DIODE.

21. Vivacity: ESPRIT.

24. Swarms: MOBS.

25. Where all roads lead, proverbially: ROME.

31. Baptism, e.g.: RITE.

33. "I dare you!": DO IT.

35. String of concerts: TOUR.

36. Film trivia source: IMDB.

37. Some noblemen: EARLS.

38. Woodwind simulated in "Happy Together": OBOE.

40. Enormous: MASSIVE.

43. "Such a shame!": ALAS.

44. Reference: CITE.

45. Representative's charge: AGENCY FEE.

46. Platt of "Dear Evan Hansen": BEN.


47. "Licorice Pizza" director, to fans: PTA. Paul Thomas Anderson.

48. Landlord in the "One Day at a Time" reboot: SCHNEIDER. Did not know this guy.



49. Scanty: THIN.

50. Venue: SITE.

52. State convincingly: AVER.

53. Spanish X: BESO. Kiss.

54. Taken __: disconcerted: ABACK.

55. "For here or __?": TO GO.

60. Tiny amount: IOTA.

61. Damon of "Oppenheimer": MATT.

63. Tom yum cuisine: THAI. I should try this next time.


64. Lodger's expense: RENT.

65. __ box: BENTO. So cute.



66. Rec from GPS: RTE.

67. Some uniform tops: JERSEYS.

69. Circuit: LOOP.

70. The Boston Marathon, for one: RACE.

71. Swerve: VEER.

72. Queen's garb: DRAG.

73. "__ all been there": WE'VE.

76. Bread served with butter chicken: NAAN. Want some?


77. Appreciates: GETS.

79. Sheer fabric: TOILE.

80. Tolkien beast: ORC.

81. Bread box?: ATM.

84. Masticate: CHEW. I've never used the word "masticate".

85. Motor home driver, for short: RV'ER.

86. Verdi tragedy: AIDA.

87. Pro shop purchases: TEES.

88. Interest-ing development?: RATE HIKE. Interest-ing clue!

90. PliƩ joint: KNEE.

91. Apple accessories: CORERS.

95. Follows closely: TRACKS.

97. Rebuke: BERATE.

98. Part of QED: ERAT.

99. Flip over: UPEND.

100. Hospital worker: NURSE. I've seen so many the past week. My sister-in-law Connie fainted and literally broke her neck. I was surprised that the ER nurses gave her two doses of morphine the first day.

101. Think big: DREAM.

102. To date: AS YET.

103. Wonder __: role for Lynda Carter: WOMAN.

105. Objectives: GOALS.

106. Pompeo who plays Dr. Grey: ELLEN.

107. Coach Beard's colleague: LASSO. Ted Lasso.

111. Canadian flag icon: LEAF.

115. Shape of a corner sofa: ELL.

116. Boardroom VIP: CEO.

117. Big Green __: backyard smoker: EGG. Not famliar with this brand.


118. Buck's counterpart: DOE.

119. Time off, for short: RNR.

C.C.



36 comments:

Subgenius said...

I’m writing this before looking at the review, but I’m not sure I get all the implications of the reveal. I see some ‘recycled’ letters, but I’m not sure what’s meant by “materials.” Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy, if a bit confused.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

I'm sure glad C.C. figured out the theme. All I got was the whooshing sound as it went over my head. This was an easy romp, except for some of the proper names. DWYANE, anybody? Is the Y silent? In the end it was the crossing of two proper names that ruined d-o's slalom through the grid: SEGaL/aLLEN. Bzzzzzt! Thanx to Scott, Katie, and C.C. (JOANNE Woodward was Paul Newman's real-life wife.)

Jinx in Norfolk said...

CC, the grid in your review isn't today's. (I'll go to the LAT web site to check my grid, then come back.)

Jinx in Norfolk said...

FIR, but salut>SALUD, a tad>A BIT, asps>BOAS, and arial>ARIEL.

Or as C-Eh! would say, LIGHT SABRE.

"X and a horseshoe, CHI O(mega.)" The coda for my mom's and both sister's sorority songs.

SHILLs aren't always part of a scam. Casinos use them in games that are profitable, but don't have a wide following, like high-stakes baccarat. Many high rollers don't like to sit down at a table where there are no other players. Those SHILLS are always attractive women, dressed to the nines. The casinos call them "house players."

Everyone's favorite Ektorp - OBOE - made its appearance today.

CSO to moi @ RVER and motor home driver.

The only Pompeo I know is Mike, the former Secretary of State.

The extra large Big Green EGG is very expensive ($1,500) and very heavy (220 lbs.) Other than that, they're great.

Thanks to Will for the easy-ish Sunday puzzle, and to CC for the fun review.

Big Easy said...

Unsure about not getting the theme? I'm positive I never saw it. Thanks for explaining because, although it was a nice theme, I didn't see it. The puzzle wasn't that hard to FIR with just a few unknowns filled by perps- SEGAL, BEN, ELLEN, SCHNEIDER, PTA, DAE, LASSO, PUREE, RAD. I guess the BESO for X in Spanish is for kiss. RAD is not an expression I've experienced for "Right on". The others are just proper names. Never heard of 'Spindrift' drinks.

AGENCY FEE- the term was unknown to me but wasn't hard to fill.

BATHE- I wish I could right now but it will take a month for the cut to heal; shower chair for me.

90. PliƩ joint: KNEE. I got a new one 11 days ago.

NURSE- there's no rest in a hospital. They take your BP, Oxygen level, and blood samples all the time. We are surrounded by RNs. Three directly across the street, one next door, and on directly behind us, and granddaughter is ana ER nurse.

BobB said...

I read plie joint as pipe joint, since when is a knee a pipe joint Doh!

TTP said...



C.C., sorry that I missed your birthday. Sheng ri kuai le!
I hope Connie is doing as well as can be expected. I can't imagine.

I think you got the theme. The second words all reuse (recycle) letters from the first word. Some letters are reused once, some twice and, and in the case of DRESSES, the E is used reused twice and the S three times.

I misread Spindrift as spendthrift.
Just at the time I was working out FRESNO, the national news had a report about the Basin fire in FRESNO County.

Anonymous said...

Took 11:46 today.

Seemed like an easy Sunday puzzle, though I didn't see/get/look for the theme.

Got to run.

Anonymous said...

Still don't get the theme,no idea what imbd stands for. I was looking for some indication in the clue that it was an abbreviation. And then there is the ridiculous amount of crossing proper names. Fir somehow tho. Sorry, can't say that I enjoyed this one

KS said...

FIR. I too do not get the theme. I tried to suss it out but I keep coming up empty.
Fortunately getting the theme had no relation to solving the puzzle. Too many proper names for me, and even some crossing. That's just poor form in my opinion.
But I finished, and although it wasn't enjoyable, it's done. So there's that!

Sandyanon said...

IMDB is Internet Movie Data Base

memphisbelle said...

I have just one comment about today’s puzzle. Meant years ago, I sold Tupperware. The company called their tops, seals, because of their unique design. In order to “seal” a bowl , for instance, one would lift an edge of the seal and burp it. We, the reps, were forbidden to call the tops”lids.”

RustyBrain said...

Easy peasy. I prefer Sunday's that are little more challenging than merely filling in the blanks. In fact, my only uncertainty was how to spell ARIAL, but a few clues later came ARIEL and cleared that up.

As for the theme? Meh. Spent too much time anagramming answers and turned up nothing except some of the first word's letters appear randomly in the second. No rhyme or reason - some letters reused multiple times, others not at all. Not great and didn't help with the solve anyway.

NaomiZ said...

FIW thanks to some names I didn't know. I had rAE crossing SCHNEIrER, and SEGaL crossing aLLEN. Never heard of Spindrift ... maybe a regional product? I take issue with the clue for TOILE, which is certainly a fabric, but definitely not sheer. I'm glad C.C. explained the theme, because I didn't get it.

Big Easy, good luck with the new knee! I'll bet you have been assigned exercises, and they will be critical in getting things working again. You've got GOALS!

C.C., I'm so sorry for your S-I-L. She is fortunate to have you there. Falling is kryptonite to us older ladies.

Thanks to Will and Patti for the puzzle, and to C.C. for blogging.

Monkey said...

FIW because of the SEGEL/ELLEN crossing. I chose the letter A.

At first I had AGENts FEE and was stumped by the VR combination until I changed the down answer to AGENCY FEE.

I didn’t know spindrift as well as several proper names, but perps helped.

I’m a little confused about the theme. I suppose some of the letters In the first word appear in the second one. I missed that.

In any case, I still enjoyed the CW.

Thank you CC for your recap and best wishes for your SIL.

Big Easy. Congratulations on the new knee. My niece got a new one in March and is doing very well.

YooperPhil said...

Those who play Connections in the NYT know that if you get the first three sets of four correct, you get the fourth set correct by default. But if you can’t figure out the relation of those four, were you 100% successful? That’s the way I feel about a CW where I know there is a theme but can’t figure it out, which was the case today. FIR in 24 minutes thanks to friendly perps. Thank you Will for your construction, and C.C. for the informative expo!

desper-otto said...

YooperPhil, yup it came down to the Mariah Carey connection. Got it, but didn't get it.

Charlie Echo said...

Smooth sailing on today's outing. The many unknown names (to me, at least) perped easily, and many were not seen until CC explained them. Theme? Really? Still scratching my head about that.

Anonymous said...

d -o YP here ~ I got that one third by a WAG after one mistake, couldn’t figure out the last one, so IMO I didn’t make the grade today.

Yuman said...

Fun puzzle to take my mind off our extreme 113° heat today. Pool water too hot to be refreshing.
I too sold Tupperware years ago. Can’t believe the current TW prices, especially on collector pieces.
In 1958, Earl Tupperware, known as the inventor of Tupperware, sold the company for $16 million to Justin Dart of Rexall Drug.

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-I needed the reveal for the “not quite anagrams” gimmick.
-SEGE_/_ASSO was a near natick but seeing the latter here on occasion made for a good guess
-BATHE – We are contemplating taking out our old “spa tub” that seemed so cool 20 years ago.
-From 1960 – 1987, St. Louis had both NFL and MLB teams called the CARDS
-Do all PROTESTERS actually know the issues involved?
-Dwayne fully supports his oldest child’s status
-ACE – How would you do receiving a 163 mph serve?
-I don’t know anyone from SAO PAULO but I have friends who live in St. Paul, MN
-Anyone who wins at 3-card monte is a SHILL to set up the next victim
-Kids have “shot” me in LASER tag but I have never played paintball
-Yeah, I added “TO GO” to an order at a drive-thru
-Tom Yum: Is everything in that bowl edible?
-I remember a funny political cartoon where a candidate claims his opponent is a known MASTICATOR :-)
-Living in an RV looks like it would be fun for about two days

Jinx in Norfolk said...

Forgot to say that I thought of SCHNEIDER at One Day at a Time reboot, but thought "reboot" was being used to imply something different than the original. SCHNEIDER was the super in the original show too. (The original was produced in the "jiggle era" of TV shows, when actresses - including the three leads in the show - often left their upper undergarments in the UNDERWEAR DRAWER.

I knew SPINDRIFT as the spray blown from cresting waves during a gale. (Boring detail follows:) The phenomenon starts happening when the wind speed gets to Force 8 on the Beaufort scale, 35-40 knots. (The town of Beaufort, NC is pronounced "BOW-fert," while the nearby town of Beaufort, SC is pronounced ""BEW-fert.")

TTP - I took meteorology/geography 101 at LA's Pierce College. Professor Powell was from what he called "wicked, sin city FRESNO, California."

Lee said...

First, it is IMDB and second it is an acronym for Internet Movie DataBase.

Lee said...

FIW, I chose PHI instead of CHI for the Greek X.

It is kinda a theme, but not really. I get where Will was going but I am not sure he got there. Maybe some circles would have helped.

Yes the theme wasn't much help in solving the puzzle. Low 3 letter word count.

Just when you thought you were out of the woods . . .

Lookout

Picard said...

I feel as if we must all be missing something clever with the RECYCLED MATERIALS theme. I knew SCHNEIDER from the original ONE DAY AT A TIME series. No idea there was a REBOOT. Does a show count as a TV show if it is not ever broadcast from antennas to TVs?

DWYANE is a perfect example of a point I made not long ago that sometimes parents make a spelling mistake and the child is stuck with that name. Someone argued it is cultural. This is not. You can Google it and see.

When I make a mistake I admit it. I only count a FIW if I made a mistake. This puzzle is a case where the constructor made a mistake. There is no way anyone could WAG SEG?L/?LLEN with better than 50% odds. It could be an A or an E. If you missed this, it is not your FIW. It is theirs. Too bad, as I enjoyed the rest of the puzzle.

Here are my photos at the BOSTON MARATHON finish line during my senior year at MIT.

If I remember correctly, I rode my ancient $5 bicycle about half way out along the route and rode back, catching the runners at various points along the way. Perhaps I even started near Natick!

inanehiker said...

Well, today I had to solve 2 LA Times Sunday puzzles - the one in my paper and the one on the LA Times Website. The first one I solved was titled "It's a sign" by Scott Hogan & Katie Hale
usually this puzzle will show up in a few weeks. When the blog said BZZZT - then went to the website and solved the one all you did!

Had to wait for perps for flammable gas - as most of them are flammable except the inert gasses

I love pistachios - but I've gotten lazy and buy the ones that are unshelled- save the trouble of having to pry them open; SPINDRIFT is my sparkling water of choice- and CC your pic was my favorite flavor raspberry lime! No calories, no sodium and flavored naturally with fruit extract- you can get it everywhere - but not necessarily in every grocery store chain

Humble BRAGs are really annoying

Always need perps to remember Jason SEGEL who was in "How I met your mother" among other things with George SegAl another famous, but much older actor (87)

Agree with Picard - kids get stuck with a misspelled name - but then if they end up famous other people use the famous person's misspelled name on purpose eg Isiah Thomas instead of Isaiah- now there is an Isiah Pacheco running back for the KC Chief; Oprah Winfrey instead of Orpah from the bible and DWYANE Wade

Thanks CC - I think you nailed the theme as far as I can tell- 2nd word comes from letters in the first word
Will keep Connie in our prayers - hopefully it can be treated with time and bracing without needing surgery

Anonymous said...

Maybe “Work With What You’ve Got”” alludes to the fact this puzzle has no theme? FIR after stalling a few minutes over SEGEL/LASSO, the dreaded crossing of two proper names…

CanadianEh! said...

Superb Sunday. Thanks for the fun, Will and C.C. (Belated Happy Birthday wishes).
I solve online on Sundays, and needed a grid check to clean up my act. I never did fully get the theme, although I did notice some common letters.

I don’t take notes when online, thus few comments.
I did note SITE and CITE, (and RITE to rhyme), ARIAL and ARIEL, plus a plethora of size words (both big and small) - A BIT, LOTS, MASSIVE, THIN.
ANKLES and KNEES today. Splynter would have illustrated. LOL

Trail changed to TRACK, Beep to TOOT.
Hand up for Phi before CHI.
The names in the SW corner caused a Natick. I chose the A not E.

I saw the CSO to Jinx with RVER. I’ll take my Canadian CSO for that Maple LEAF.

Wishing you all a great day.

Lucina said...

Hola!

WEES. Most of you commented what I also would have commented had I arrived here earlier. First I slept longer than usual so had less time to solve the puzzle; second, I went to church and Mass was longer than usual because a new group was inaugurated. I saw a large number of women (at least 30) come in and all were dressed in white. It was explained later that they belong to a new group called The Catholic Daughters of the Americas. Apparently they are an auxiliary to the Knights of Columbus.

Usually I look for puns in a puzzle but this one had none. I call it an exercise in vocabulary building.

I hope you are all enjoying a fine summer Sunday!

At 79D I had VOILE because I don't recall ever hearing of TOILE and I, too, fell into the SEGaL/aLLEN trap. SCHNEIDER is a familiar name; a friend I know has that surname.


Anonymous said...

George Segal was living with his family in Graton in Sonoma County CA. Passed away recently.

Misty said...

Fun Sunday puzzle, even if a bit tough, but we got helpful aid with all the various names here and there, so it was all manageable. Many thanks, Will, and thank you too for your help, C.C. (and I hope you had a wonderful birthday yesterday).

I hoped we'd get some sort of theme from those BRIDESMAID DRESSES, that hopefully were supported by that UNDERWEAR DRAWER, even if that might have contained RECYCLED MATERIALS. Hope the bridesmaids were able to BATHE in comfortable weather, while listening to some lovely ORIOLES sing. And how nice if they enjoyed a ride to the chapel in a CHEVROLET CORVETTE that was still working after all these years, and took them to a place where they all HAD LUNCH after the ceremony. Bet they're going to BRAG about what a good time they had to their family and friends.

Have a lovely week coming up, everybody.

Anonymous said...

Naomi, I know how critical it is to do the exercises on a regular basis. I had my other knee done 15 years ago. I make a spreadsheet of the exercises that be therapist gives me and I do it on the off days that I do not visit physical therapy.

Big Easy

Anonymous said...

At first I was telling myself that this Sunday trek was going to be a cakewalk — but, as I trotted my way through it, I started adjusting that attitude.

For openers, the good news: I’m gonna say many here on the Blog are perhaps over-thinking the theme; the title says “Work With Whst You’ve Got”, and the “got” part, I think, is the use of letters already in the start of the words. Maybe I’m over-simplifying this, I dunno…but I’ll buy Into that idea.

However…among a pile of very clever clues — fun (but not evil) misdirection, like the ones for ATM, RATIO and CORERS, and ARIAL/ARIEL in the same ‘hood — there were a couple of real bombs. I’m with Mssr. Big Easy on “Right on!” and RAD; they mean two entirely different things…and even come from different generations, fwtw. Then there was that SEG-L/-LLEN cross — aaargh!! Dyson-level suckage! This, as did our friend Picard, I will personally count as a FIR even though I guessed incorrectly with putting in A šŸ˜†

The oboe was “simulated” in the song “Happy Together”? Now I’m curious enough to go YouTube it and see if this is referring to that ‘60s song by The Turtles…

Happy B-Day to you, Ms. C.C. šŸŽ‚ Sorry you got such a lousy present what with your SIL getting hurt; best wishes for her recovery.❤️‍šŸ©¹

====> Darren / L.A.

Picard said...

inanehiker Thanks for the validation about misspelled names. Indeed the misspelled name can become a thing of pride.

Darren Thanks for the validation that we didn't miss SEG?L/?LLEN. The constructor and/or editor did.

From Yesterday's Puzzle:
An Anonymous person posted today at 12:56PM apparently in reply to my comment/question, but mistakenly called me Husker Gary:
===
Husker Gary: Basquiat's "art" IS hideous, like much contemporary art. Art reflects a country's soul, and America's is not in a good place right now.
===
Thank you for noticing my question and for your thoughts. Not sure what happened to the post. It may have been filtered out.

Anonymous said...

desper-otto, please don't spoil other games here.

Picard said...

I have a direct answer about the theme. I posted it in the July 8 Crossword Corner.