"THE HEAT"
Labor Statistics on cooks, chefs & bakers
It would appear that today's crossword from Marshal Herrmann is his debut for the LA Times, and it's the closest we are going to get to a "Halloween" themed puzzle, as far as I can tell. Three Across theme answers, plus the reveal, with two equally long 11-letter non-theme fills in the Down as well. Double the number of four-letter words over TLWs, no circles, and a mere handful of names - though I did not know half of them. I note, too, that several answers are straight definitions of the clues. The theme answers;
20. Chiles near the top of the Scoville scale: GHOST PEPPERS
20. Chiles near the top of the Scoville scale: GHOST PEPPERS
36. Hard-boiled hors d'oeuvres: DEVILED EGGS
42. Citrus with red pulp: BLOOD ORANGE
56. Gordon Ramsay cooking competition that sounds like it should involve 20-, 36-, and 42-Across?: HELL'S KITCHEN - Devils, yes; Ghosts, likely; Blood, not so much . . . .
56. Gordon Ramsay cooking competition that sounds like it should involve 20-, 36-, and 42-Across?: HELL'S KITCHEN - Devils, yes; Ghosts, likely; Blood, not so much . . . .
And Away We Go~!
ACROSS:
5. Ritalin target: Abbr.: ADHD - Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder
9. The real deal: LEGIT
14. Zig or zag: VEER
15. Darling: DEAR
16. Many a resident of the Fertile Crescent: IRAQI - I tried iraNi first
17. Treadmill setting: PACE - I do the Downs first; the "P" made my 1D. wrong
Cat on a hot tread mill
19. So last year: PASSÉ
23. Plant anchor: ROOT
24. Cornea locale: EYE
25. Concealed: HID
28. __ and reel: ROD - made my 28D. wrong
30. One of a set needed for a monopoly in Monopoly: DEED
This is the first time I have paid attention to the "Connecticut" square since
I moved to the state - right next to "jail"
33. Landform generally bigger than a gully but smaller than a valley: RAVINE
35. Curved path: ARC
38. Ernie's bestie: BERT - name #2, but who doesn't know this duo~?
41. "Hot Girl Summer" rapper Megan __ Stallion: THEE - no clue, filled via perps, name #3
47. Not close: FAR
48. "Honest!": "I SWEAR~!"
49. Arise (from): STEM
50. Gallery collection: ART - I am slowly building a collection of art in my home
51. Fictional coach Lasso: TED - name #4, I know, but never watched the show
52. Light touch: TAP - not DAB
54. Pine for: MISS
61. Off the cuff: AD LIB
64. Comparable (to): AKIN
65. Word on an Irish passport: EIRE - AND - 7D. Symbol on an Irish passport: HARP
66. Small crown: TIARA
67. Casserole pasta: ZITI
68. Eggy seasonal drinks: NOGS - with EGGS in a theme answer, I would have preferred a different clue for this fill
69. Taxi fare calculator: METER
70. Primatology subjects: APES
71. Grandson of Adam: ENOS - name #5
DOWN:
1. Common sitcom rating: TV-PG - I figured it was a little more mature; TV-MA . . . .
2. "Sure," informally: "YEAH..."
3. Feature of a 2023 women's volleyball match at Nebraska's Memorial Stadium: RECORD CROWD - they moved the game to the football stadium to beat another record; watch to hear why . . . .
Did you make it to the game, HuskerG~?
5. Rescued dog, e.g.: ADOPTEE - I SO want to adopt a dog, but going on the road to install Pipe Organs, like I did for the last two weeks, this week, and next week, is not fair to the animal, even with a dog-sitter. Here is the progress of the organ we are installing at St. Peters in Harwich, MA
8. Hang, as a curtain: DRAPE
10. Notable times: ERAS
11. Neon or xenon: GAS - noble, no less
12. Educ. testing data: IQs
13. Deadlock: TIE
21. Welker's "Meet the Press" predecessor: TODD - name #6, no clue
22. Brontë's "Jane __": EYRE - name #7, but a crossword standard
25. Haute couture: HIGH FASHION - Frawnche for "high sewing", according to Google translate
26. Ready to go: IN GEAR
27. Climate for Utah's "Mighty Five" national parks: DESERT - the website for Utah parks
28. Protein in a traditional paella: RABBIT - ah. Not SHRIMP - rabbit in Spanish is coneja
29. Vague warning: OR ELSE - or else what~?
31. At any point: EVER
32. Prima donnas: DIVAS
34. Nov. honoree: VETerans Day - The History of why it's the 11th
37. Pre-Easter period: LENT
39. __ the line: TOE
43. Baked snack with dried fruit: DATE BAR
44. Spoken: ORAL
45. Some June babies: GEMINIs - Ha~! CANCERS fit, too
46. Give off: EMIT
53. Public square: PLAZA
55. Part of an act: SCENE
56. Put on the payroll: HIRE
57. Button that plays the next song on a playlist: SKIP - ah. Stumped me at first
58. Toy on a string: KITE - I toyed with YO-YO
59. Thus: ERGO
60. Loch __ monster: NESS
61. 20s dispenser: ATM
62. Stop working, as a battery: DIE
63. Long. counterpart: LAT - Longitude and Latitude
Splynter
33 comments:
A Halloweenish puzzle the day before Halloween! (Does that make it the eve of an eve?) Nevertheless, not too difficult. In fact, a relatively easy, Wednesdayish puzzle. FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Interesting puzzle. Thought the clues for LIP READ and RABBIT were original. Didn't notice the theme until the reveal. Nice debut, Marshall. Enjoyed your tour, Splynter.
A crew came by yesterday to run the fiber optic from the "flower pot" to the side of the house. Installer is due to come next week, and then it'll be hello Tachus, bye-bye Soddenlink.
There's a 50% chance of rain today. We haven't seen a drop since September 24th, so fingers crossed...
FIR, but arabi->IRAQI. erin->EIRE, and am too->ARE SO.
DATE BAR is where you buy overpriced drinks in swanky surrounds and pretend to have a little class. A Bro BAR is where you buy beer by the bucket and pretend to watch football while discussing your recent DATEs
CSO to our mother ship at LAT.
D-O, I covet your F/O connection.
Thanks to Marshal for the fun, easy-ish Wednesday puzzle. And thanks to Splynter for another fine review.
Took 4:46 today to get out of this haunt.
Seemed easy for a Wednesday puzzle.
I love all of Utah's "Mighty Five": Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Arches, & Canyonlands. Beautiful, breath-taking scenery. "The Narrows" in Zion is one of the most fun hikes we've done. But, if you visit any of the Mighty Five, beware of "monsoon season." The flash floods are not to be taken lightly - I'm speaking from experience.
And, "Ted Lasso" is a wonderful show.
Nice shout-out at 54A to our own Ms. Irish "Miss" today.
Plus the Irish HARP and EIRE
Wonderful Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Marshall (congrats on your debut) and Splynter.
I FIRed in at a good PACE and saw the HELL’S KITCHEN theme. I liked the double parts.
EVE was the Halloween (not Easter) EGG in the centre of the CW.
Hand up for Me too before ARE SO, and Irani before IRAQI.
One other inkblot to change Tow to TOE (what was I thinking!).
Favourite was the clue for LIP READ.
DH raised RABBITs in his youth to sell for their meat. He likes it, but I refuse to cook or eat it. He will choose it if on the menu.
Wishing you all a great day.
FIR. The only problem I had with this easy Wednesday puzzle was of my own making. The NW was the last to fall because I threw down "am too" before "are so". This left me bewildered until I saw the error of my ways.
I got the theme early enough, but failed to see ghost because of my error I just mentioned. But the rest of the puzzle was a walk in the park.
Overall, very enjoyable solve.
Yes, very easy for a Wednesday. Like yesterday, I made another obvious mistake. Duh! We used to call it a V-8 can moment. I noticed right away the foods with a Halloween type first word. With DEV perps plus the themers and the reveal, I wagged Devil's Kitchen.
I was a hockey fan in the 80's. I don't watch it much these days, but still remember DEKE.
I watched The Tyra Banks Show on TV years ago.
I was disappointed when TODD was replaced on Meet the Press.
Using sarcasm, YEAH is close to SURE or I'LL BET. Otherwise they have different nuances. Sure is stronger than yeah. PINE FOR is stranger than MISS. Some sources call these types of words second order synonyms.
My grandfather sometimes hunted rabbits, but nor often. Eating them was no problem. Their meat does not seem different to me than eating the meat of farm animals.
I’m actually I had Am Too before ARE SO
Indeed easy enough puzzle, except, except, I blew it in the NW. it stayed blank. I had am too, didn’t know about GHOST PEPPERS, etc. The rest however was fun, I liked the theme, I SWEAR.
A few years ago I visited the mighty five of Utah, and a few others. I’m a GEMINI(S), but a May baby.
We haven’t had rain in ages either, and unfortunately for the kiddies, relief from the drought will start tomorrow.
Thank you Splynter for your recap.
Not too difficult but tow instead of TOE had me frustrated and confused in the MidWest till corrected
A theme appropriate for the EVE of All Hallows EVE 🎃
(First learnt about GHOST 👻 PEPPERS here in the CW world).
Inkovers: stir (was thinking “arise from” sleep)/STEM, tow/TOE
RABBIT in “paella”. I remember passing farms in Italy that raised the most enormous rabbits (actually hares) I’d ever seen, for commercial consumption. In the years I lived there had it quite often. For whatever reason not very popular on the American dinner table.
Singles tavern: DATEBAR
Those who still prefer vinyl…. RECORD CROWD
No more Neon or Xenon? … Where did all the ERGO?
Had a systems wide computer crash that lasted all day yesterday on the one year anniversary of the opening of our new hospital . Even the telephones. Needed to hand write reports. My Palmer Method penmanship came in handy. Most of my block-printing young colleagues think cursive means swearing 😀
After GHOST PEPPERS guessing a Halloween theme was easy. I only know of HELLS KITCHEN as an area of NYC. The TV show was basically perps, never heard of it. The theme answers were easy fills.
BLOOD ORANGES are grown just a few miles away. I prefer the regular navel oranges grown in Plaquemine Parish (where Big Muddy hits the Gulf) that are only available in Dec. and early Jan. I drive there and get them by the bushel.
THEE- with the name Megan- must be a trans horse Never heard of the song.
RECORD CROWD- no knowledge of the volleyball game but an easy guess after RE was filled. Also DNK RABBIT or GEMINIS as clued.
TODD or Welker- unknowns. "Meet The Press" has become a show nobody watches. All the politicians show up on cable networks all day, every day. Why bother to go on Sunday morning to go somewhere when all the networks have quasi-studio setups in the capitol and will come to you. Just don't jump between a politician and a camera.
I've always heard of your definition of DATE BAR as a Meat Market. I've told my kids and grandkids- never marry anybody you meet in a bar.
This was fun, MH, a very good debut! I made the same mistakes as other: ,am too/ ARE SO, arabi/IRAQI, and made some of my own: as in AKIN, adopted/ADOPTEE.
Only went hunting once. Shot a rabbit that my Mother cooked that I couldn’t eat, or EVER eat rabbit again. My Father, long time hunter, at the end of his life would go hunting with his friend, but wouldn’t fire a shot. He just enjoyed being in the woods and watching the animals. He said he didn’t want to kill anything. However, that didn’t turn us into vegetarians - just buy our meat in a store.
Thanks Splynter for the review. I didn’t know what deck hockey was so I looked it up. Now I know! It looks like fun. Grandson with 2 shoulder operations from ice hockey. Tough sport!
Good Morning! I enjoyed this morning’s puzzle. The few names were familiar, and it was void of pop lingo. Nice!
Congrats of your debut, Marshall.
WOs came with two spelling issues: BERT (u), DEKE (ek), and I failed to check the perps for yoyo or KITE, guessed wrong.
In coming to the Corner, I found I had skipped over a couple of clues which were already filled by the perps. 😉
Splynter, RE: dogs. Watch a couple of Rocky Kanaka videos on YouTube to see what a difference a volunteer can make in the life of a shelter dog. It’s heartwarming and I’m hooked! Something to consider between travel demands. And thanks for you recap.
I miss IM☘️ on a day when her name is evoked in the CW. Maybe she’ll show up later.
Nice debut, Marshal; the puzzle was clever and a lot of fun--and appropriate for Halloween eve.
I am sitting here wearing my Zion National Park sweatshirt. I have visited Zion dozens of times, often with my high school students. The official climate of Zion is given as "cold and semi-arid," by the way, not desert. Elevations there rise to over 8000', and we often freeze there.
Of the many trails in Zion, one of the most notorious is Angels Landing. It claims one of the highest death tolls (from falling over 1500 feet) for any National Park trail.
On that happy note, thanks again, Marshal, for a most pleasant Wednesday diversion.
Thanks Splynter for counting the names for us. Only 6 must be a record. I knew half. Pleasant Wed. Puzzle.
Nice puzzle today, and nifty seasonal theme! Unknowns for me were RECORD CROWD, DEKE, TODD, and RABBIT as clued, but all were easy to complete with fair perps. Now it's time for me to get IN GEAR; I have a long walk planned, and need to keep up the PACE with my much faster friend.
1A, very first clue, called for a name, and I thought, "Oy! This is gonna be a 'name-fest' CW". Wrong! In fact, VERY wrong. Even by my expansive count, only 8 and only 1 DNK. Congratulations, MH, not only on your first LAT CW, but on having the least names I have seen, maybe ever. AND on creating an enjoyable CW, too. Kinda Monday-on-a-Wednesday CW, which I love! So very big Thanx to MH. Splynter, we can always count on you to have an entertaining and informative write-up, usually with at least one sexy-lady pic. Just one question: why don't I ever have someone like her at my door for Trick-or-Treat? I even liked the cat video you included; I usually turn my nose up at cat videos, but this one was fun to watch. Thanx for all your time and effort, Splynter.
Musings
-Timely and fun.
-I did not attend that RECOD CROWD VB match but my grandkids did. Husker VB has been among the top two or three programs in America for decades, has sold out over 300 consecutive matches and is the only woman’s program that actually returns a profit.
-We quit playing Monopoly with our neighbor because he was way too competitive.
-AD LIB: Pols can get in trouble when they stray from their talking points and accidentally let their true feelings out.
-Our persistent 30+ mph winds yesterday might have lifted you and your KITE off the ground. :-)
Nice crossWORD puzzle today. Lots of clever clues, no dreck, and a nice recap by Splynter. Made for an enjoyable morning!
Hola! Believe it or not, I am still exhausted from my trip but it could also be old age. However, I did finish the puzzle and did not VEER from the format. Nicely done, Marshal, thank you. I love DEVILED EGGS and that is usually what I take to a pot luck lunch.
I'll take a CSO at DESERT where I live and today is quite chilly today at 63 degrees.
And CSO to my brother, ART. PLAZA is what my grandmother always called any shopping area, "going to the PLAZA" was a common expression with her.
I've never heard of RABBIT in a paella dish but my uncle frequently went RABBIT hunting and for dinner we would have RABBIT stew.
I hope you are all enjoying yourselves. Thank you, Splynter, for a fine review and for the photo of your latest project.
Better late than never, Monkey! See below.
Good Afternoon:
Late with no valid excuse. Mea Culpa. This was a fun theme, although I was looking for a Halloween reference in the reveal. I appreciated the low TLW count and the clean grid, but I was surprised at the easy level of cluing for a Wednesday. Of course, Patti has control over that and does what she feels best, so easy it is. My only w/o was Dab/Tap and there were no unknowns. Record Crowd was a gimme, thanks to HG keeping us informed about Nebraska’s girl’s Volleyball achievements.
Thanks, Marshal, and congrats on your debut and thanks, Splynter, for the great review. All of the photos of your organ repair/restoration are impressive, so thanks for sharing part of your talents with us. The treadmill cats were hilarious!
SS and CanadianEh, thanks for the CSO. SS, Ted Lasso was one of the most enjoyable series I’ve ever watched. I was sad when it ended.
Have a great day.
A fairly easy romp today with a FIR in a few ticks over 10. Thought the theme was only Halloween and even after the reveal, the food part escaped me till I read about it here. No real unknowns or obscurities for me. I thought the clue for LIP READ was good, then I thought, how else could it be clued? Nice work for your LAT debut Marshal!
Nice job on the expo Splynter, wasn’t sure if your “project” was the organ or the trick or treater in the bottom photo.
In the spirit of the season, if you want to solve a Halloween themed crossword, try In Costume by Zhouqin Burnikel at the Universal Crosswords daily site. It actually published Monday (on the same day she had the USA Today puzzle).
After you press the link to go to the site, press the Crossword icon in the upper right corner between the Settings and the Info icon. Then select the Oct 28th puzzle. Have fun.
Congratulations to Marshal on his LAT debut! I liked the fun Halloween words and was delighted by how the reveal tied them together!
Hand up for IRAnI before IRAQI and for liking the LIPREAD clue.
I'm 5th in line to get TED Lasso Season 1 from my library.
Thanks to Splynter for a fun review! That cat video was a blast! Thanks also for providing more info. on that volleyball game. Did you catch at the end the reporter says, "SETTING the bar high"?
You are in for a treat, sumdaze, with Ted Lasso. Enjoy!
Delightful puzzle for your debut, Marshal--many thanks. And your commentary is always a pleasure, Splynter, thanks for that too.
Well, there was a real conflicts of sorts between those scary Halloween creatures and things, the GHOST and DEVIL and BLOOD and HELL, and their location in that KITCHEN where we found PEPPERS, and EGGS, and an ORANGE or two. So, I decided to go back to when we were prompted to look for DEAR friends, like our Irish MISS, and maybe relatives a-KIN to us, and just decide to have a fun party on this HALLOWEEN EVE. We could enjoy playing with all those animals, like that DEAR RABBIT that would make a delightful ADOPTEE, or visiting those APES at the ZOO. And back at home we could enjoy that food we found earlier, along with some OKRA and ZITI and eggy NOGS to drink and then listen to some music. Wouldn't it be nice to hear a HARP playing and watch some DIVAS wearing HIGH FASHION dresses and TIARAs and singing and dancing.
Hey, early Halloween parties don't get any better than this, don't you think?
I liked this puzzle and everything you all had to say.
The Spanish pronunciation of PLAZA is "plasa".
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