Theme: Staggering stories.
Today's puzzle appears to be Kathy Lowden's 6th for the LA Times, and her first Thursday offering. Welcome to Thursday, Kathy! Mind the steps!
Very likely the first thing you noticed about today's puzzle is the circles. Say what you will about circles in the crossword puzzle, it's an impressive puzzle within the puzzle, and would certainly not have been discernible without the circles. Let's start with the reveal, which is a grid spanning entry.
39-Across. Common midcentury modern suburban home, or what is depicted by each set of circled letters: SPLIT-LEVEL HOUSE. A split-level house is a house in which the floor levels are staggered. There are typically two short sets of stairs, one running upward to a bedroom level, and one going downward toward a basement area. It was a popular building style in the 1950s and 60s.
The circles spell out types of houses, which are all split onto three rows (or levels) of the puzzle:
Starting at 9-Across: VILLA
Starting within 17-Across: COTTAGE
Starting within 51-Across: MANSION
Starting at 61-Across: RANCH
Now that Kathy has made you feel at home, let's pull back the curtain on the rest of the clues and answers.
Across:1. Picnic spoilers: ANTS.
5. Dad jokes, often: PUNS.
9. Hardly reticent: VOCAL.
14. Zoom call button: JOIN.
15. Privy to: IN ON.
16. Works the soil: TILLS.
17. With the bow, in music: ARCO. This notation on a musical score tells string instrument players to use the bow (Italian "arco"), as opposed to plucking the strings ("pizzicato").
16. Works the soil: TILLS.
17. With the bow, in music: ARCO. This notation on a musical score tells string instrument players to use the bow (Italian "arco"), as opposed to plucking the strings ("pizzicato").
 |
| Pluck, then bow. |
18. Muppet who refers to himself in the third person: ELMO.
19. Detective Holmes: ENOLA. The Enola Holmes Mysteries is a series of detective novels by Nancy Springer, starring Enola Holmes as the teenage sister of Sherlock Holmes, twenty years her senior. The books inspired a 2020 film and 2022 sequel, with a third movie in the works.
20. Slow-cooked rice dishes: RISOTTOS. I used to think the constant stirring of risotto on the stove would make it too difficult to attempt at home. I was wrong. It's a favorite now.
22. Loosen, as shoelaces: UNKNOT.
23. Sorts projects by priority: TRIAGES.
25. CGI invaders: ETs. Computer-generated imagery is used in films to represent extraterrestrial characters, who sometimes invade the earth. An abbreviation in the clue calls for an abbreviation in the answer.
26. Summitt in the Basketball Hall of Fame: PAT. Pat Summitt (1952-2016) was a women's college basketball coach and college basketball player. She served as head coach of the University of Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team from 1974 to 2012 and is considered one of the greatest basketball coaches of all time. Go Vols!
 |
| Pat Summitt |
29. "__ of discussion": END.
30. Oxidize: RUST.
33. Iridescent gems: OPALS.
35. "Ugly Betty" actress: ANA ORTIZ. Ugly Betty was a television series on ABC from 2006 to 2010. It was based on a Colombian telenovela, Yo soy Betty, la fea. You may remember America Ferrera, who starred as Betty. Ana Ortiz played Betty's sister.
 |
| Ana Ortiz in Ugly Betty |
39. [Theme clue and reveal -- see above.]
42. Cadillac SUV: ESCALADE.
43. Puts money in: ANTES.
44. Steep-walled formation: MESA.
45. Off-rd. ride: ATV. An off-road ride (or vehicle) is an all-terrain vehicle. An abbreviation in the clue calls for an abbreviation in the answer.
47. Game, __, match: SET. "Game, set, match" is a phrase used in tennis to announce the end of a match and the winner's victory. It signifies that a player has won the final game of the final set. The expression can be used to indicate a final victory in any context.
48. Org. for locavores: CSA. Community Supported Agriculture is a way to buy local food directly from a farmer. The farm delivers boxes of seasonal goods on a regular basis. We tried this once, but I didn't know what to do with the odd assortment: one beet, a couple of carrots, and so on. We go to our local farmers' market instead. Does that make us locavores? Once again, an abbreviation in the clue calls for an abbreviation in the answer.
51. Rahm who was U.S. Ambassador to Japan until 2025: EMANUEL. Rahm Emanuel is an American politician, diplomat, and former investment banker who served as United States ambassador to Japan from 2022 to 2025. He represented Illinois in the U.S. House of Representatives for three terms from 2003 to 2009. He was the White House chief of staff from 2009 to 2010 under President Barack Obama and served as Mayor of Chicago from 2011 to 2019.
 |
| Rahm Emanuel |
54. First-stringers: A-TEAMS. In sports, the first-stringers or A-teams are the starting players who are considered most valuable and who consistently see the most playing time.
57. Legendary reptile with a fatal gaze: BASILISK. In European bestiaries and legends, a basilisk is a serpent king, who causes death to those who look into its eyes. Today, the common basilisk is a lizard endemic to Central and South America, where it is found near rivers and streams. It is also called the Jesus Christ lizard for its ability to run on the surface of water.
 |
| I took this photo of a relatively harmless basilisk lizard in Costa Rica. |
61. Back in style: RETRO.
62. Google __: DOCS. A file sharing application. In our family, it's used to share photos and videos that are too large to be emailed.
63. Not twice: ONCE. "Thrice" doesn't fit.
64. Judges' seats: BANCS. "En banc" is a French term meaning "on the bench." It signifies a full court hearing, involving all active judges of a specific appellate court.
65. Pernicious: EVIL.
66. Rip-off: SCAM.
67. Big hit: SMASH.
68. Target of CRISPR editing: GENE. CRISPR gene editing is a new technology that allows for targeted modifications to the DNA of living organisms. It offers potential treatments for genetic disorders and advancements in crop engineering.
69. 50+ group: AARP. AARP is the American Association of Retired Persons. It's an organization that focuses on issues affecting people aged 50 and older. And you don't have to be retired to join.
Down:
1. Partly open: AJAR.
2. Seaweed wrapper on Spam musubi: NORI. Spam musubi is a Hawaiian food item made of fried Spam (canned meat) on a block of rice, wrapped together with a strip of nori (dried red algae seaweed).
3. Small spasms: TICS.
4. Snob: SNOOT.
5. Tart pan: PIE TIN.
6. Vent frustration: UNLOAD.
7. Claim on some ramen packets: NO MSG.
8. __-Caps: SNO.
9. Powerful engine: V-TEN. A V10 engine is a ten-cylinder piston engine where two banks of five cylinders are arranged in a V configuration around a common crankshaft.
 |
| V10 engine |
10. Porcine noise: OINK.
11. Exact copy: CLONE.
12. Apportion: ALLOT.
13. Exams for future AGs: LSATs. If you'd like to be an Attorney General someday, you'd best become an attorney first. That process usually begins with the Law School Admission Test.
21. Railroad support: TRESTLE. A trestle bridge is a bridge composed of a number of short spans supported by closely spaced frames, usually carrying a railroad line.
11. Exact copy: CLONE.
12. Apportion: ALLOT.
13. Exams for future AGs: LSATs. If you'd like to be an Attorney General someday, you'd best become an attorney first. That process usually begins with the Law School Admission Test.
21. Railroad support: TRESTLE. A trestle bridge is a bridge composed of a number of short spans supported by closely spaced frames, usually carrying a railroad line.
 |
| Trestle bridge with train |
22. Normal: USUAL.
24. Sea eagle: ERNE. A sea eagle or fish eagle (also called erne or ern) is any of the birds of prey in the subfamily Haliaeetinae of the family Accipitridae. There are 10 species of erne, including the Bald Eagle.
26. Cat or cow, e.g., in yoga: POSE.
27. Starters, casually: APPS. Appetizers.
28. Soft mineral: TALC.
31. "Me too": SO HAVE I.
32. 1982 film set inside a mainframe: TRON. I enjoyed this movie at the time! Haven't seen it since, but it did appear in Tuesday's puzzle. Did any of our solvers like the film?
 |
| TRON |
34. Actor Neeson: LIAM.
35. Wide st.: AVE. Street / Avenue. An abbreviation in the clue calls for an abbreviation in the answer.
36. Sounds of rebuke: TUTS.
37. "Understood": I SEE.
38. Key lime pie garnish: ZEST.
40. Cuts with a beam: LASES.
41. Semisoft cheese: EDAM.
45. Big name in headache remedies: ANACIN. Anacin is an over-the-counter pain reliever that combines aspirin and caffeine. Throw in some acetominophen and you've got Excedrin Migraine.
46. Scuffle: TUSSLE.
48. Nutrients eschewed on Atkins: CARBS. The Atkins diet limits carbohydrates and emphasizes consumption of fat and protein. This can lead to weight loss, and also to heart disease and cancer. I'll have the pasta.
49. Momentum: STEAM.
50. Insurer owned by CVS Health: AETNA.
52. On top of: ABOVE.
53. Literature Nobelist Mario Vargas __: LLOSA. Peruvian novelist Mario Vargas Llosa (1936-2025) is considered to have been one of the most significant Latin American writers of his generation. He won the 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature.
50. Insurer owned by CVS Health: AETNA.
52. On top of: ABOVE.
53. Literature Nobelist Mario Vargas __: LLOSA. Peruvian novelist Mario Vargas Llosa (1936-2025) is considered to have been one of the most significant Latin American writers of his generation. He won the 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature.
 |
| Mario Vargas Llosa |
55. Story lines: ARCS.
56. __ pit: MOSH. A mosh pit is an area at a live music concert, typically in front of the stage, where people dance in a way that involves pushing and shoving.
 |
| Shall we dance? |
58. Machu Picchu native: INCA.
59. Mark that may be emotional or physical: SCAR.
60. Dole's 1996 running mate: KEMP.
62. Ph.D., for one: DEG. A Ph.D. (philosophiae doctor, or doctor in philosophy) is a degree that usually indicates the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline. And, as I don't have to tell you, an abbreviation in the clue calls for an abbreviation in the answer.
Here's the grid:
Fellow solvers, did you enjoy today's inventory of SPLIT LEVEL HOUSEs?
Did you UNLOAD some TUTS upon the EVIL circles?
Or did you attack the puzzle with ZEST and decide the whole thing was a SMASH in the END?
Let us know in the comments.
-- NaomiZ
5 comments:
Well, the theme was
pretty obvious from the get go, so that made this fun puzzle easier to solve.
FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Didn't look at the circles until after I'd finished. They didn't enhance or detract from the solve. I'm familiar with CSA, but in the Civil War sense rather than as clued. ANACIN was a big seller back in my drug store clerking days, along with Geritol and Carter's Little Liver Pills. Thanx to Kathy for a Thursday-worthy puzzle, and to NaomiZ for explaining it all.
FIR, missing my total WAG @ LcOSA x BASIcISK. When I got finished with everything else, I was so cross with that cross that I didn't bother with the theme.
I've always used Microsoft's products, but since I got my iPhone I've started to migrate toward Google's suite of products. Certainly makes cross-platform sharing easier, but I'm leery of putting anything sensitive in Google's hands. (Full disclosure - I've always gotten Microsoft software at no charge, because I was teaching their products at a certified partner training center, and I needed the software to work up classes. Covid killed that company, so my free ride and my employment are gone.)
Hand up for knowing CSA only in the context of the Northern War of Aggression.
I'm sure I've seen TRON, but don't remember much about it. To me, War Games (of the same era) is much more memorable, especially its tag line "the only winning move is not to play."
Thanks to NaomiZ for the pinch-hit home run.
FIW. Ignored the circles which it turns out to be a lame theme in which the reveal has nothing at all to do with the stepped answers except for the splits. Split level and mansion alike? Split level and villa alike? I think NOT.
And the crossing of Llona and basilisk did me in. Took a WAG and was wrong. As far as this solver goes that was a nasty trap that very few would be able to avoid.
Overall a very UN-enjoyable puzzle.
Hola! This puzzle was quite the challenge! Just having ANA ORTIZ, LLOSA and BASILISK is enough to discourage all but avid solvers. I braved all of those and, whew! finished correctly. The circles were a complete after thought and did not help me with the solve. But, thank you, NaomiZ, for your helpful explanation.
If I have ever heard of a BASILISK I certainly don't remember so I don't know how legendary it is.
And I, too, think of CSA only in the historical content.
Enjoy your day, everyone!
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