CURSES~!
Parker Higgins returns with a "conspiracy" construction - he has two previous LA Times puzzles, and I don't recall this one, but the theme was quite unique. Today we have three incidents of being foiled more than once - I am kinda '"meh" on this one, sorry - having found a clever theme from just two years ago, have we started to run out of ideas~? No circles - we had those yesterday - 25 TLWs, and a dozen names, pretty much what I would expect for a Wednesday grid. The themers;
33. "Another touch point for my opponent!?": OLYMPIC FENCER - Sword Foil
39. "Another literary figure whose qualities contrast my own!?": MAIN CHARACTER - Literary Foil
59. "Another plan thwarted!," or another way to phrase three clues in this puzzle?: FOILED AGAIN
And Away We Go~!
ACROSS:
1. Saweetie songs: RAPS - A name (#1) to start us off - thankfully, I do the DOWNS first - her Wiki
5. Japanese mat: TATAMI
11. Turf: SOD
14. Burn application: ALOE - I am breaking with tradition, Hahtoolah
15. Preplanned, as some viral videos: STAGED
16. Duo: TWO
19. Gun, as an engine: REV
20. "Fame" singer Cara: IRENE - name #2 , but a Crossword staple
21. Designer Jacobs: MARC - name #3 - the website - and you can have a sack bag for just $550
22. Give over: CEDE
23. Private convos: DMs - Direct Messages - for users on a social media platform, i.e., Facebook, etc. Not my thing
24. Trans- opposite: CIS
26. Queens stadium eponym: ASHE - Shea~? Citi~? Ah - the tennis place - name #4
28. Corn core: COB
29. Throbbed: PULSATED
This is what my knees feel like after squats
35. "Mamma Mia" group: ABBA - Crossword staple, name #537. Fish used as currency in medieval England: EEL - 'tis true; at least according to this website
38. Soap unit: CAKE
44. Kids playing in the backyard?: PET GOATS - goat juveniles are kids; seems like a "forced" fill to me; but then again, I had "GOAT YOGA" not too long ago, and that is a "thing"
45. Blue: SAD
46. Remain unsettled: PEND - AND - 12D. Outstanding: OWED
47. Up to, briefly: 'TIL
48. "Stay With Me" singer Smith: SAM - name #6
51. Hefty alternative: GLAD - Garbage bag wars; name(ish)
53. Bangers partner: MASH - Brit-speak for sausage and potatoes
56. Computer expert, briefly: IT PRO - Information Technology 'briefly' is "I.T."
58. Untrustworthy paper: RAG - hey, now, MiB read them on a regular basis
Let's check the hot sheets
62. Flowery, as prose: ORNATE
63. Frozen drink with a domed lid: ICEE
65. Aquarium fighters: BETTAS
66. Muppet material: FELT - and ping-pong balls; more at this museum
DOWN:
1. Overzealous: RABID - Not EAGER
2. First smartphone alert of the day, for many: ALARM
3. Jabs: POKES
4. "I feel __": SEEN - this must be 21st century-speak, as I have said this never
5. Baking amt.: TSP - I wanted to make me some brownies with a peanut butter filling and fudge topping last weekend - went to use the electric beater I got from clearing out the parent's house, and discovered the beaters were NOT in the box - they were kept separately in a kitchen drawer - D'oh~!
7. "Toodles!": "TA-TA~!" - I tried "CIAO" first
8. Food thickener: AGAR - LFDC
9. "Lady Bird" Oscar nominee Laurie: METCALF - name #7
10. Words one utters in an altar-ed state?: "I DO." - har-har
11. Transport largely replaced by light rail: STREETCAR
13. Peace sign: DOVE
18. Diversionary tactic: DECOY
22. Risked: CHANCED
25. ThinkPad maker before Lenovo: IBM
27. NNW opposite: SSE
28. Sounded like heavy metal?: CLANGED - sounded like Heavy Metal~? - let me count the ways - OK, this one has some clever harmonics that sound like bending metal . . .
Blue Öyster Cult - Heavy Metal; The Black & Silver
29. Fishing spots: PIERS - I was recently contacted by two friends from high school for the first time in decades - one of them is the weatherman on TV in Richmond VA, and he has a podcast on fishing - but he prefers upstate NY to the pier
30. Sch. based in Westwood: UCLA - I'm East Coast
31. "A mouse!": "EEK~!"
32. Beats by __: DRE
33. Newspaper section with notable passages?: OBIT PAGES - forced
34. Bog makeup: PEAT
35. Source of feedback for a guitarist?: AMP - Clever clue, but not deceptive - one could argue there's no "abbr" in there, so it should be "amplifier"
41. Went for seconds: HAD MORE - forced - but has been in another puzzle
42. Forensic drama with regional spinoffs: CSI
43. Actress Shire: TALIA - name #8
47. Eta follower: THETA - Greek letters
48. Elbow room: SPACE
49. Mermaid played by Halle Bailey: ARIEL - name #9
50. "Water Lilies" painter: MONET - two weeks ( for me ) having to guess the "A" or "O"; name #10
51. Snag: GRAB - Ah. The verb, not the noun
52. Floor material, in a children's game: LAVA - "don't touch the floor~!"; 'composition' or 'make up' would have been a better word than 'material', but I still got it - I would pretend to be Indiana Jones when we had this "exercise" in gym class
54. Casual contraction: AIN'T - I tried Y'ALL
55. Thin strip: SLAT - oops, not LATH
57. "Yay, the weekend!" letters: TGIF
Thank Grover It's Funny~?
59. Car remote: FOB
60. __ Plaines, Illinois: DES - LFDC
Splynter
2 comments:
Did I say I wanted a more challenging puzzle yesterday? “Be careful what you ask for…” because today I got it! There were a whole slew of “?” clues, for one thing. And misdirection was only the half of it! Nevertheless, I persevered and got the win. FIR, so I’m happy.
Brrrrrrr. Not a Good Morning!
Zipped through this one, but looked sideways at BETTAS -- d-o never was into aquariums. I thought "passages" made OBIT PAGES clever, not meh. Thanx, Parker and Splynter. (What does LFDC mean?)
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