L.A.Times Crossword Corner: April 2025

Apr 24, 2025

Thursday, April 24, 2025, Zachary Schiff

Theme: When is a city not a city?

Constructor Zachary Schiff is back with his third crossword puzzle in the L.A. Times, which is his second solo effort in these pages. Apparently Zachary is a writer living in New York City. Today Zachary asks us about city names used for other purposes. The theme answers appear in symmetrically placed rows Across, and two of them span the width of the grid.

20. Boston, e.g.: CLASSIC ROCK BAND. Boston (a band formed in Boston, Massachusetts) has been rocking since 1975. Their best-known songs include "More Than a Feeling," "Peace of Mind," "Foreplay/Long Time," "Rock and Roll Band," "Smokin,'" "Don't Look Back," "A Man I'll Never Be," "Hitch a Ride," "Party," "Amanda," and "Feelin' Satisfied."

Boston

32. Tacoma, e.g.: PICKUP TRUCK. Tacoma is a city in Washington state, but also the name of a Toyota truck. The city moniker comes from the indigenous people's name for Mount Rainier. The mountain is a symbol of strength and rugged beauty -- qualities consumers might seek in a pickup truck.

Mount Rainier AKA Tacoma

41. Philadelphia, e.g.: CREAM CHEESE. In 1872, William Lawrence, a dairyman from Chester, New York, attempted to make Neufchâtel, a tangy, crumbly cheese that was popular in Europe. He used too much cream and created a more spreadable cheese, eventually called "cream cheese." In 1880, Lawrence partnered with A.L. Reynolds, a cheese distributor in New York, to sell more cream cheese. At the time, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and its surrounding area had a reputation for high-quality dairy products, so they used the name "Philadelphia" on their foil-wrapped blocks. It is still one of the best selling brands of cream cheese, currently owned by Kraft Heinz and Mondelez International.

51. Manhattan, e.g.: BOURBON COCKTAIL. Manhattan is a borough of New York City, and also the name of a cocktail made with whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters, traditionally garnished with a maraschino cherry. While rye is the traditional whiskey of choice, other commonly used whiskies include Canadian whisky, bourbon, blended whiskey, and Tennessee whiskey. The cocktail is said to have originated at the Manhattan Club in New York City in the mid-1870s.

Maybe later, thanks! I just had cream cheese.

Now that the geography quiz has gotten us oriented, it's time to find our way through the rest of the clues and answers.

Across:

1. Yankee __: Christmas party tradition: SWAP. A Yankee SWAP is a variety of white elephant gift exchange, or Dirty Santa party game, where amusing and impractical gifts are exchanged during Christmas festivities. Because Yankees are practical folks, the gifts exchanged in a Yankee swap are more likely to be practical or desirable than in other forms of the game.

Stealing is permitted in a Yankee swap.

5. Radar image: BLIP.

9. Go very slowly: INCH. "The car inched forward in heavy traffic."

13. In a heap: PILED.

15. "Black-ish" star Tracee Ellis __: ROSS. Even if you didn't watch Black-ish (which was very good), you've seen Tracee Ellis Ross here before! And you know her famous mom, Diana Ross.

Tracee Ellis Ross

16. Acting gig: ROLE.

17. A-listers: ELITE.

18. Esq.: ATTY. In the United States, "Esquire," abbreviated as "Esq.," is a courtesy title used for attorneys in written communications, generally used after the attorney's name.

19. Like avocados and eggs: OVAL. Add bagels and CREAM CHEESE and call it brunch!

20. [Theme clue]

23. Number of "Seinfeld" seasons: NINE.

24. State where five U.S. presidents are buried: OHIO. William Henry Harrison, James A. Garfield, Rutherford B. Hayes, William McKinley, and Warren G. Harding.

25. Takes an extra base: STEALS.

28. Fixed: INTENT. Both of these words can be used to mean focused, concentrated, resolved, determined.

32. [Theme clue]

36. Baby talk syllable: GOO.

37. Haitian friend: AMIE. Haitian Creole is a French-based language. A male friend in French is an AMI, and a female friend is an AMIE. They are pronounced the same.

38. Edgy fashion line?: HEM. The hem of a garment can be described as a line, and it is also the edge of the garment.

39. Happy look: GRIN.

40. Four-legged sentry: DOG. Dogs make good guards.

41. [Theme clue]

45. Make certain: ENSURE.

47. Element in a password: LETTER. Upper case, lower case, a number, and a symbol, too!

48. Snoozes: NAPS.

50. "Veni, vidi, __": VICI. "Veni, vidi, vici" is Latin for "I came, I saw, I conquered." It was reportedly uttered by Julius Caesar after a quick and decisive battle.

51. [Theme clue]

58. Unmoving: IDLE.

59. Botanical anchor: ROOT.

60. "The Hunchback of __ Dame": NOTRE. You don't need to understand French to know the name of the cathedral, Notre Dame, which translates to "Our Lady."

61. "How We Do (Party)" singer Ora: RITA. Rita Ora is crossword's favorite chanteuse (French for female singer.).

Rita Ora

62. Heavy book: TOME.

63. Again and again: OFTEN.

64. "Shake on it!": DEAL.

65. Risked a ticket, say: SPED.

66. Short-lived fashions: FADS.

Down:

1. Job detail, briefly: SPEC.  A job spec or specification is a requirement such as knowledge, skills, abilities, and minimum qualifications.

2. Mental resolve: WILL. Intent can mean this, too!

3. Shawkat of "Being the Ricardos": ALIA.  Being the Ricardos is a 2021 film about the relationship between I Love Lucy stars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Alia Shawkat plays Madelyn Pugh, a writer on the show. She's played many other roles in movies and on TV, too.

Alia Shawkat

4. Purchase at a reptile shop: PET SNAKE.

5. "__ yourself": BRACE.

6. Fantasy trilogy, initially: LOTR. Lord Of The Rings.

7. "Life __ short to skip dessert": IS TOO.

8. Medium with powers: PSYCHIC.

9. Will Smith sci-fi film set in 2035: I, ROBOT. I, Robot is a 2004 science fiction film named after Isaac Asimov's 1950 short-story collection. Will Smith plays a detective investigating the death of a robotics company founder. Was it a suicide, or did a robot defenestrate the man?

Will Smith in "I, Robot"

10. Big East school in Pennsylvania, to fans: NOVA. Villanova is a Catholic university in Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine in 1842 and named for Saint Thomas of Villanova, Spain. It is highly rated for both undergraduate and graduate academic programs. In sports, "Nova" competes in the Big East Conference.

Villanova Wildcats mascot

11. Family group: CLAN.

12. Maintained: HELD.

14. Production company started by Ball and Arnaz: DESILU. Echoes of 3-Down.

21. Clouseau's rank: Abbr.: INSP. In The Pink Panther movies, Inspector Clouseau is an incompetent French police detective. The role has been played by Peter Sellers, Alan Arkin, and Steve Martin.

Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau

22. Pain in the neck: KINK.

25. Comic actor David: SPADE. David Spade started out as a stand-up comic. He was a writer and cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1990 to1996. Since then, he's acted in TV sitcoms and quite a few movies. He hosts a podcast, Fly on the Wall, with Dana Carvey.

Dana Carvey and David Spade

26. Meerkat in "The Lion King": TIMON. According to Disney.fandom.com,Timon is a major character in Disney's 1994 animated feature film The Lion King and the protagonist of the 2004 film The Lion King 1½. He is a wisecracking meerkat and the best friend of Pumbaa, a warthog.

27. Tobaccoless smokes: E-CIGS. An e-cigarette or vape uses a heating element to vaporize a liquid solution of nicotine. The user inhales vapor instead of smoke. There are many risks associated with vaping, including harmful chemicals in the liquid, and leaching of metal from the heating element into the liquid. Flavored liquids attract younger users.

29. Gulf Coast wading bird: EGRET.

30. Tick or tock: NOISE.

31. Skin care product: TONER. Toner is supposed to remove any remaining impurities after cleansing, balance the skin’s pH, and soothe and hydrate the skin.

33. Part of FTW: THE. For The Win! Possibly originating with the TV game show Hollywood Squares, "For The Win" is used to express support for a choice that should guarantee success. Lengthy example: "Dining out is the classic date experience, but it can be really expensive depending on when and where you go. Weekend brunch FTW! It’s cheaper than going out to dinner at the same restaurant, and many places offer unlimited mimosas or other alcoholic beverages. Plus, you get to choose between breakfast and lunch options. Brunch is the best meal of the day." -- https://lifehacker.com/top-10-wallet-friendly-date-ideas-1758826946

34. "V for Vendetta" actor Stephen: REA. Stephen Rea is an Irish actor of stage and screen. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for the 1992 thriller The Crying Game. Other movie credits include V for Vendetta, Michael Collins, Interview with the Vampire and Breakfast on Pluto.

Stephen Rea

35. "Lemme think": UMM.

39. Squeal when a bug lands in one's hair: GET IT OFF.

41. Soft-shell __: CRAB.

42. School assignments: REPORTS.

43. Bic's __ Stic: CLIC.

44. Emphatic refusal: HECK NO.

46. Absolutely amazing: UNREAL.

49. Do some poking around: SNOOP.

50. Cast a ballot: VOTED.

51. Nesting creature: BIRD. Here in Southern California, many eyes are glued to a webcam trained on a Bald Eagle nest in the local mountains. The parents spent an incredible amount of time on the nest during a massive snow storm, and in the end, two of their three chicks survived.

Jackie and Shadow keep the eaglets warm.

52. Garfield's slobbering housemate: ODIE.

Garfield and Odie

53. Sephora rival: ULTA.

54. "On the __ Up": Angie Thomas novel about a teenage rapper: COME. Angie Thomas is an American young adult author, best known for writing The Hate U Give (2017). Her second young adult novel, On the Come Up, was published in 2019.

55. Flour for roti and naan: ATTA. Learned in LA Times crossword puzzles.

56. Hopping mad: IRED. Ire can be used as a verb, to make angry. Nothing ires him more than having to wait for his dinner. He had to wait for his dinner, and was predictably ired. Or so Merriam-Webster's online thesaurus would have us believe.

57. Perspective, figuratively: LENS. As in, I see everything through the lens of cruciverbalism.

Here's the grid:

Did you enjoy the city tour?

Did you get IRED near the end?

NaomiZ

Apr 23, 2025

Wednesday, April 23, 2025 Katherine Simonson

Theme: It's the unifier - FAILURE TO LAUNCH. At my age, I think of this as an unsuccessful attempt in rocketry. But the modern usage refers to young adults who struggle to achieve expected milestones of independence and self-sufficiency. This seems to be Google's preference. More generally, it can be any unsuccessful venture. Here, we have an imbedded word or phrase in each theme fill that represents the concept. Ironically, it seems like a success.

17 A. *Call to Rapunzel: LET DOWN YOUR HAIR. Rapunzel is the main character in a German folk tale recorded by the Brothers Grimm in 1812. She is trapped in a tower with a window and no other entrance. Her long, golden hair, when dropped down from the window, becomes a type of ladder. A LET DOWN is a failure to provide some expected assistance.

Wikipedia

22 A. *Outmoded forms of payment for some commuters: BUS TOKENS. Physical or digital tickets that allow passengers to ride a bus or other public transport service. A BUST is a failed endeavor of almost any variety.

33 A. * Like a beagle but not a corgi: FLOPPY EARED. A description of an animal's ears that hang down the sides of the head, rather than standing upright. A FLOP is an unexpected failure of some activity. Our oldest granddaughter just returned from 15 months in Japan, where she was dancing at Tokyo Disney. When she returned, I called her "cookie," because she was away fer so long. As you can imagine this joke was a complete FLOP. But I was amused.

Not Snoopy, probably

49 A. *Western vacation destination: DUDE RANCH. This is a vacation site where city dwellers can experience some aspects of cowboy or old west living. A DUD is an object that doesn't work, like a fire cracker that doesn't crack.

55. Rocket mishap, or what can be found at the start of the answer to each starred clue: FAILURE TO LAUNCH. Still, this gets the puzzle off to a good start.

Hi Gang, JazzBumpa here, hoping to continue with success in this puzzle journey.

Across:

1. Fish tacos fish, familiarly: MAHI. More formally, mahi-mahi, a tropical fish also known as dolphinfish.

5. Give a ring: PHONE. Call someone on a telephone. They don't necessarily ring any more, though that alert sound setting is usually an option.

10. Portland-to-Boise dir.: ESE. East-south-east.

13. Revered figures: ICONS. Originally depiction of religious figures, now often referring to famous athletes or entertainers.

15. Ingested: EATEN. Consumed.

16. Bolt: RUN. Run away suddenly.

20. Largest African antelope: ELAND. A spiral-horned African antelope that lives in open woodland and grassland.

Built like a cow

21. Party with a piñata: FIESTA. A Latin-American party. The piñata is a decorated vessel (such as of papier-mâché) filled with candies, fruits, and gifts and hung up to be broken with sticks by blindfolded persons as part of especially Latin American festivities

26. Move stealthily: CREEP. Move slowly and carefully in order to avoid being heard or noticed.

27. Tension: UNEASE. Mental or emotional strain.

28. Home to three of Massachusetts' Five Colleges: AMHERST. Actually, there are five colleges there:  Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The greater Boston area has dozens more.

30. Bagel shop: DELI. A store where ready-to-eat food products (such as cooked meats and prepared salads) are sold; short for delicatessen.

31. Free, in a way: UNTIE. Remove a restraining rope or cord.

38. Puffed on an e-cigarette: VAPED. Inhaled and exhaled vapor containing nicotine and flavoring produced by a device designed for this purpose.

39. Honey liquor: MEAD. An alcoholic drink of fermented honey and water.

42. Innocence: NAIVETE. Lack of experience, wisdom, or judgment. Is this innocence? You decide.

46. NPR White House correspondent __ Keith: TAMARA.  Tamara Dawnell Keith [b. 1979] is an American journalist. She is the White House correspondent for NPR and co-hosts the NPR Politics Podcast with Scott Detrow. She regularly appears on the PBS NewsHour weekly segment "Politics Monday". Keith is on the board of the White House Correspondents' Association, of which she served as president from 2022 to 2023

48. Big name in kitchen appliances: OSTER.  Oster is an American manufacturing company specializing in small kitchen appliances, known for its blenders, toasters, and roaster ovens.

52. Vitriolic rant: TIRADE. A long, angry speech of criticism or accusation.

54. Get fit for competition: TRAIN. Prepare someone or yourself for a job, activity, or sport, by learning skills and/or by mental or physical exercise.

60. Stone or ice follower: AGE. These are notable periods on planet earth. The Stone Age is a prehistoric period characterized by the use of stone tools and weapons. It spans roughly 3.3 million years, from the first evidence of stone tools to the introduction of metalworking, marking the beginning of the Bronze Age. An ice age is any geologic period during which thick ice sheets cover vast areas of land. Such periods of large-scale glaciation may last several million years and drastically reshape surface features of entire continents. A number of major ice ages have occurred throughout Earth history. The last major ice age, also known as the Last Glacial Period, occurred between approximately 115,000 and 11,700 years ago.

61. Eco-friendly vehicles: BIKES. A two-wheeled vehicle powered by peddling.

62. Smooth change in topics: SEGUE. A movement without interruption from one piece of music, part of a story, subject, or situation to another:

63. K'Nex connector: ROD. K'Nex is a building toy with a variety of interlocking shapes.

64. Clairvoyants: SEERS. Persons who claim to have a supernatural ability to perceive events in the future or beyond normal sensory contact.

65. "So many!": LOTS. An unspecified large quantity.

Down:

1. Domain suffix for a private employer: MIL. You expect this to be COM, for a private company, but it's MILitary, the employer of privates. Clever clue.

2. Star pitcher: ACE. A person who excels at a particular sport or other activity.

3. Like cayenne: HOT. Spicy!

4. With painstaking precision: IN DETAIL. With close attention to particulars; thoroughly.

5. Tubular pasta: PENNE. Penne pasta, a popular Italian pasta shape, derives its name from the Italian word "penna," which translates to "pen" or "quill" in English. The name reflects the pasta's shape, a short, cylinder-shaped pasta with diagonally cut ends, reminiscent of a quill or writing pen.

6. Composer Joseph who mentored Mozart and Beethoven: HAYDN. Franz Joseph Haydn [1732 - 1809] was an Austrian composer and a central figure in the development of Classical music. He's often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" for his contributions to establishing their forms and styles.

7. Great Plains Native: OTO. A Native American people of the Midwestern United States. The Otoe language, Chiwere, is part of the Siouan family and closely related to that of the related Iowa, Missouria, and Ho-Chunk tribes.

Historically, the Otoe tribe lived as a semi-nomadic people on the Central Plains along the bank of the Missouri River in Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, and Missouri. They lived in elm-bark lodges while they farmed, and used tipis while traveling, like many other Plains tribes. They often left their villages to hunt buffalo.

8. Nine, in Normandy: NEUF. 9

9. Agent that gets good results: ENRICHER. A component or entity that improves or adds to the quality, value, or richness of something. This generally refers to things, not persons.

10. Soft end of a pencil: ERASER. It's soft because it made of rubber; and it's called rubber because it erases pencil marks by rubbing them out.

11. Multiroom accommodations: SUITES. A set of rooms designated for one person's or family's use or for a particular purpose.

12. Mesmerized: ENRAPT. Fascinated, enthralled.

14. Pilots' milestones: SOLOS. The experience of flying an aircraft alone, without an instructor or other pilot in the flight crew. It's a significant milestone in flight training, signifying a student pilot's proficiency and readiness to operate an aircraft independently.

18. Ship follower: WAKE. The track left by a moving body (such as a ship) in a fluid (such as water)

19. Present: HERE. In or at this place or position.

22. Sign of spring: BUD. A compact growth on a plant that develops into a leaf, flower, or shoot.

23. Half of deux: UNE. 1/2 * 2 = 1.

24. Subject of an autobiography: SELF. A person's essential being that distinguishes them from others, especially considered as the object of introspection or reflexive action.

25. Quenched: SATED. Satisfied fully, regarding drink or food. Truly equivalent? You decide.

29. Soccer star Hamm: MIA.  Mariel Margaret "Mia" Hamm [b. 1972] is an American former professional soccer player, two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion. Hailed as a soccer icon, she played as a forward for the United States national team from 1987 to 2004.

31. Boosted: UPPED. Augmented of amplified.

32. "Science Guy" Bill: NYE.  William Sanford Nye [b. 1955] also known as "Bill Nye the Science Guy", is a scientist, comedian, inventor, author, and television personality. He's best known for hosting the Emmy award-winning PBS show Bill Nye the Science Guy, which first aired in 1993 and educated millions about basic science.

34. Layers audio tracks: OVERDUBS. Overdubbing is a technique used in audio recording in which audio tracks that have been pre-recorded are then played back and monitored, while simultaneously recording new, doubled, or augmented tracks onto one or more available tracks of a digital audio workstation or tape recorder.

35. Gentle touch: PAT. Touch quickly and gently with the flat of the hand. With the back of the hand, it's a TAP.

36. President of France Macron: EMMANUEL.  Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron [b 1977] is a French politician who has served as President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017. He was Minister of Economics, Industry and Digital Affairs under President François Hollande between 2014-16. He has been a member of Renaissance since he founded it in 2016.

37. College bigwig: DEAN.  a senior administrator who oversees a specific academic unit, such as a college or department. They are responsible for academic, programmatic, managerial, and fiscal responsibilities within that unit. Deans typically ensure the adequacy of instruction, monitor academic integrity, and are involved in student recruitment, admission, and academic progress.

40. Path of a fly ball: ARC. A continuous portion of a curved line, as part of the circumference of a circle. Sometimes the result of a launch.

41. "Well, lah-di-__!": DAH. Describes someone who behaves in an affectedly elegant or refined way, often in a way that seems unnatural and intended to impress others. It implies a pretentious or upper-class manner that is considered to be an over-the-top show of sophistication.

42. In the vicinity: NOT FAR. Near by.

43. Italian cheese with a nutty flavor: ASIAGO. A cow's milk cheese, first produced in Asiago in Italy, that can assume different textures according to its aging, from smooth for the fresh Asiago (called Asiago pressato, which means "pressed Asiago") to a crumbly texture for the aged cheese (Asiago d'allevo, which means "breeding farm Asiago").

44. "Did my best": I TRIED. Sometimes one's best u=isn't good enough.

45. Scaloppine meat: VEAL. Veal is the meat from young cattle, typically those under one year old. It's a lighter, more tender meat than beef and is often pale pink in color. Veal production involves raising calves, many of whom are male calves from dairy breeds that are not needed for milk production.

46. Blue-green hue: TEAL. Or aqua. Always need perps.

47. Prima donnas' songs: ARIAS. Accompanied, elaborate melodies sung (as in an opera) by a single voice.

50. Vocalize: UTTER. Speak.

51. Trivial matter: DROSS. The scum or unwanted material that forms on the surface of molten metal, hence something useless or worthless.

53. Great Lake that drains into the Niagara River: ERIE. Lake Erie is the fourth-largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and also has the shortest average water residence time. At its deepest point, Lake Erie is 210 feet (64 m) deep, making it the only Great Lake whose deepest point is above sea level.

56. __ out a living: EKE. Manage to support oneself or make a living with difficulty.

57. Private aid gp.: NGO. Non-Governmental Organization.

58. Trim: CUT. Make something smaller by cutting away or otherwise removing a portion.

59. "__ making a list ... ": HE'S. Keeping a record, to use for cataloging or decision making, Sung of Mr. Claus.

And here we land after today's successful launch. Hope you enjoyed the ride.

If you're in the Dearborn area on Sunday, come on down to the Michael Guido Theater in the Civic Center on Michigan Ave. The Dearborn Big Band is playing a free concert at 3:00. You can hear a song I wrote.

Cool regards!

JzB

Apr 22, 2025

Tuesday April 22, 2025 Catherine Cetta

If You Keep Making that Face, it Will Get Stuck in That Shape. The circles spell out features of the face.

17-Across. "Everyone knows that!": IT'S NO SECRET. Nose

22-Across. Mountain hiker's protection: BEAR SPRAY. Ears.

38-Across. "I haven't decided": MAYBE YES, MAYBE NO. Eyes.

49-Across. TV episodes that are mostly flashback scenes: CLIP SHOWS.

And the unifier:

58-Across. Smirking, scowling, or smiling, and what the sets of circled letters in this puzzle are doing?: MAKING A FACE.

Across:

1. Swimmer's unit: LAP.

4. "Safe!" or "Strike!": CALL.

8. Pesto herb: BASIL. Yummers!

13. Part of some sports drink names: -ADE. Hi, Lemonade!

14. California/Nevada resort lake: TAHOE.

15. Bacteria that may cause gastroenteritis: E. COLI. Short for Escherichia coli, a bacterium commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms.

16. Type: ILK.

19. Spanish wine region: RIOJA. Everything you wanted to know about the Rioja Wine region, but didn't know to ask.

21. Main dish: ENTREE.

25. Snow pusher: PLOW.

28. "Elder" or "Younger" figure of ancient Rome: CATO.

29. Put in the attic, perhaps: STORE.

30. Ben Affleck Best Picture winner set in Iran: ARGO. The movie Argo was based on a true story of a CIA rescue mission during the Iranian hostage crisis. The film depicts the CIA's efforts to evacuate six American diplomats who had escaped the U.S. Embassy in Tehran by disguising themselves as a Canadian film crew. The CIA tapped Tony Mendez, portrayed by Ben Affleck, to pose as a Hollywood producer to scout locations in Iran for a film.

33. Cow's milk cheese from an Alpine region of Italy: ASIAGO. Yummers! The cheese is named after the village of Asiago in the Veneto region of Italy.

37. Plant, as seeds: SOW.

41. PC pioneer: IBM. International Business Machines.

42. Military programs intended to influence attitudes: PSY OPs. Psychological Operations.

43. Remove wrinkles from: IRON.

44. Taco topping: SALSA. Yummers!

46. Scannable bars on mdse.: UPCs. As in Universal Product Code.

48. Word on a red sign: STOP.

54. Caterpillar's cover: COCOON.

56. Put into law: ENACT.

62. La Brea __ Pits: TAR.

63. "Rolling in the Deep" singer: ADELE. I know we have several Adele (née Adele Laurie Blue Adkins; b. May 5, 1988) fans here. This is one of my favorites.

64. Public outcry: FUROR.

65. Notable stretch of time: ERA.

66. As bad as can be: WORST.

67. Sulking state: SNIT.

68. Single crunch, say: REP.

Down:

1. Hibernation location: LAIR.

2. Go off script: AD LIB. Today's Latin lesson. Short for ad libitum, which means with out prior preparation.

3. Tea variety: PEKOE. Technically, Pekoe tea is not a variety, but rather a classification of tea.

4. Lion or tiger: CAT.

5. Sounds of satisfaction: AHs.

6. One who doesn't like company: LONER.

7. British pop singer Lewis: LEONA. I am not familiar with Leona Louise Lewis (b. Apr. 3, 1985), but she has an alliterative name.

8. Keg contents: BEER.

9. Receive, as a gift: ACCEPT.

10. Player who is not graceful in defeat: SORE LOSER.

11. Suffix with infant: -ILE. As in Infantile.

12. Like birthday candles before a wish: LIT.

14. Prom queen crown: TIARA.

18. Messy digs: STY.

20. 2018 and 2019 Cy Young winner deGrom: JACOB. Jacob Anthony deGromm (b. June 19, 1988) is a professional baseball pitcher who currently plays for the Texas Rangers.

23. Doesn't go: STAYS.

24. "The White Lotus" actress Parker: POSEY. Parker Posey (née Parker Christian Posey; b. Nov. 8, 1968) was known as the Queen of the Indies because she starred in so many independent films when she started her acting career. She portrayed a neurotic dog owner in Best of Show.