x x TIMES Crossword Puzzle
The _os _ngles Times building
Splnyter stepping for our Sunday Bloggess C.C., who takes the honor of being today's constructor. I usually skip Sunday's puzzle and work on my Wed blog, but it was a JazzB week, so here we are. My solve had lots of "well, it fits, but it's wrong" answers ⁽⁺⁾ today. No circles, a fair number of names, a balanced spread of 3-, 4-, 5- and 6-letter words, 88 squares ( if my math is correct ) of theme fill - but - they're 'missing' the "L" and "A" from in-the-vernacular phrases, leading to some humorous, unique fill. The themers, and the reveal in the final Across;
23A. *Ensemble for finals week?: (LA)TEST FASHION
28A. *Slug made from an old can?: (LA)TIN QUARTER
58A. *Christmas tree in an atelier?: ARTISTIC F(LA)IR
83A. *Courses full of twists and turns?: (LA)MAZE CLASSES - birthing technique
110A. *Organizer for a nail tech?: MANI(LA) FOLDER
119A. *Treadmill setting for a Roman emperor?: CAESARS PA(LA)CE
32D. *Pride of a jacked security guard?: ANTI-THEFT A(LA)RM
43D. *Thanksgiving stuffing dishes that aren't up to snuff?: SA(LA)D DRESSINGS
130. Mardi Gras city nickname, and an apt description of the answers to the starred clues: NOLA - New Orleans, LouisianA, "The Big Easy" ( the 'other' theme title ) or, parsed for the theme, "No L A"
And "L A" We Go~!
ACROSS:
1. Layer outside the germ: BRAN - I do the DOWN clues first; I had B - - N to start
5. Like a perennial: HARDY - durable - they keep coming back~!
10. LAPD alerts: APBs - No LA~! #1
14. No. 1 pals: BFFs - Text-speak, Best Friends Forever
18. Sacred flower in Buddhism: LOTUS
I'll take this Lotus - the Turbo Esprit
20. In the know: AWARE - toyed with ALERT⁽⁺⁾ because this cluster was a bit messy with wrong fill
21. Helpful hint: CLUE
22. Ontario lake: ERIE
25. Purple boba tea flavor: TARO
26. Roof overhang: EAVE
27. Hit lists: TOP TENS
30. Playing surface that favors topspin: CLAY - I so wanted FELT here, as in pool tables
33. Video camera button: RECord - I am making a table for my brother for Christmas, and I am thinking about shooting a video of the process - I bought this thing for holding my phone:
34. Bro or stepbro: SIBling
36. Total score: TALLY
37. "Mulan" invader: HUN
38. Maker of off-road vehicles: TONKA - HONDA⁽⁺⁾ fit, and a good 60% correct, but Bzzzt
40. Guitar licks: RIFFS - I am very familiar with this concept - it's good to go back to songs that were once difficult for me to play and now find easier from practice and learning scales
42. Runner-up: LOSER
46. Visiting the area: IN TOWN - I had planned to drive to Cincinnati, OH at the end of the month for the 25th anniversary of "The Golem", the made-for-TV movie I worked on, but now I'm told it's just a showing in a theater - no cast or crew were invited to attend - 12hrs is a long way to drive to sit in a cinema.
48. Mall pizza chain: SBARRO
50. Striped stone: AGATE
51. Egyptair hub city: CAIRO
52. David of "ABC World News Tonight": MUIR - filled via perps
54. LED component: DIODE - Light-Emitting, that is
57. Focalin target, briefly: ADHD - no clue, had ADHG via crossings
61. Greeting to a mate: G'DAY - an Aussie, mate~!
62. Genetic material: DNA
63. Application in some massages: HOT OIL - the subject of massages came up at the gym last week; they are offered in my club, but I have never actually HAD a massage - perhaps I should treat myself this Christmas
64. Creole chef Chase: LEAH - again, filled via perps; more here
66. Holds nothing back: LETS RIP
69. Course track for a future JD: PRE-LAW - "JD" being a learning moment for me - the Wiki
71. Falcons city: ATLANTA - their NFL team
74. Marathon setting: GREECE - I had AVENUE - but this is the city, not the run
75. Person who calls the shots: REFEREE - meh~?
77. Quindim ingredient: YOLK - with YOL -, I WAGed the "K"
78. Kale and cabbage: GREENS
80. Traditional mo. for a Bavarian beer festival: OCTober - happening NOW
81. Sultry growl: RAWR - I recall having this fill just recently, and not too many people cared for it
87. Make airtight: SEAL
89. Strip in the kitchen: STEAK - with - 24D. Cook wear?: APRON - cute misdirections
How's that for an apron - care for some (un)dressing with that salad~?
91. Parks of Alabama: ROSA
92. Crocheted mat: DOILY
93. "Snowfall" actor Damson __: IDRIS - my final fill; good to see an alternative to "ELBA"
95. Like most awards: ANNUAL
97. Mount __: Washington estate: VERNON - my gym is located in Vernon, CT . . .
98. Arizona State's city: TEMPE - my ex is located in Arizona . . .
99. Some choral singers: ALTOs - and my voice is located in the baritone range.
100. Harsh: ACRID
103. Classic muscle car: GTO - "Goat" - here's where the name G T O comes from
104. Doll with neon hair: TROLL
106. Dorm VIPs: RAs - Resident Assistants
108. Hack (off): LOP
109. Secondhand: USED
114. Tofu nutrient: PROTEIN - I have "plateaued" at the gym; my trainer has now dropped my calorie intake to 1900/day, with 30-35% Protein, 30-40% Carbs, and 25-35% Fat
117. 50-50: EVEN
118. Persian greeting?: MEOW - Persian, the cat, that is
123. Religious subgroup: SECT
124. Bend at a barre: PLIE
125. Minor key?: ISLET - Minor = small :: Key = island
126. Underground worker: MINER - the "other" MINOR
It's the key of "B sharp"
127. Inquires: ASKS
128. Straight people, casually: HETS - Clunky, sorta meh; Heterosexuals - don't usually hear it spoken
129. Love, in arias: AMORE
DOWN:
1. Club alternative: BLT - sa'miches
2. Eggs in ikura sushi: ROE
3. Tags on social media: ATS - more commonly "@"s
4. Like some brownies: NUTTY - I like my PB chunky, but not my brownies
5. Light a fire under: HASTEN - ah. Not IGNITE⁽⁺⁾
6. "Doggone it!": "AW HECK~!"
7. Desert rarity: RAIN
8. Smeltery waste: DROSS - SLAG was too short
9. Currency at pachinko parlors: YEN - in retrospect, this makes sense
10. Start of a show: ACT I
11. Nursery nutrients: PLANT FOOD; the set of 8- & 9-letter down fills; 14D. Poses done in a taproom: BEER YOGA; 82D. "Happens to everyone": "WE ALL DO IT"; 88D. Some light cosmetics: LIP TINTS
12. Head-to-toe garments: BURQAS - I had the "K", not the "Q" at first
13. Han River capital: SEOUL
15. Campus group: FRAT - Not ROTC⁽⁺⁾
16. __-second rule: FIVE - I frequently adhere to this phenomenon, despite what Mythbusters proved
The Five-Second Rule tested
17. Oracle: SEER
19. OAK alternative: SFO - I was stumped by this - I am not West coast, so I did not recognize the airport codes of California's Bay Area tarmacs - and now there's controversy . . .
28. Classic Ford: T-BIRD - I had the less-than-classic, but still way-cool, 1986 Turbo Coupe
29. Ristorante menu preposition: ALLA - penne ALLA vodka, e.g.
30. Spanish girl: CHICA
31. Like some eclipses: LUNAR - Not TOTAL⁽⁺⁾
35. Fund that might grow for decades: IRA
38. Like some rear admirals: TWO-STAR
39. "Yeah, right!": "AS IF~!"
Wayne's World
41. Heebie-jeebies: FRIGHT - not CREEPS⁽⁺⁾
44. Sharing a cultural identity: ETHNIC
45. Orangutan: RED APE - I tried BIG APE⁽⁺⁾
47. Warbler lookalike: ORIOLE
49. Scouring brand: BRILLO
52. Wii Sports avatar: Mii - how you appear in the game; this is my Facebook Avatar
53. Golden State sch.: UCLA - No LA~! #2
55. Lentil dish: DAL
56. Product that may reduce dark circles: EYE GEL
59. Castle structures: TOWERS - I loves me a castle, especially with towers
60. Domain: REALM - Not ARENA⁽⁺⁾
65. Capital city in Anatolia: ANKARA
67. Like new tires: TREADED - But what about F1 racing~?
68. Motion detector, e.g.: SENSOR
69. Toast at a Bavarian beer festival: PROSIT - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ - crossing IDRIS, a bit of a Natick
70. Go back: RECEDE - Not RETURN⁽⁺⁾
72. Ruthless ruler: TYRANT - Not DESPOT⁽⁺⁾
73. Forever and a day: AGES - Not EONS⁽⁺⁾
76. Put away: EAT
79. TV pioneer: RCA
84. French novelist Émile: ZOLA - seen this name in Crosswords before
85. Cotija-covered corn: ELOTE - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
86. Council of clerics: SYNOD
90. Bouillon brand: KNORR - they make sides dishes in bags, too
94. Feudal laborer: SERF
96. Miss. home: USA - I was not fooled by this, but I did hesitate - Mississippi is in the US of A
97. Deadly snake: VIPER - not ADDER⁽⁺⁾
99. Gene arising from mutation: ALLELE
101. End-of-game pitcher: CLOSER - Not RELIEF⁽⁺⁾
102. Revolve: ROTATE
105. Extra pep: OOMPH
107. Twitch: SPASM - I had a SPASM in my last puzzle blog
109. Let fall, as hair: UNPIN
That's a BIG PIN
110. Steep-sided plateau: MESA
111. Urban rtes.: AVEs
112. Giraffe feature: NECK
They're "necking"
113. Fleecy mamas: EWES
"Youse" got to check out this mama in fleece-lined tights~!
115. Move quickly?: RELO - move = relocate :: quickly = abbr
116. Magnet end?: ISM - magnetISM - the beginning of Monster Magnet's album Last Patrol, but the link didn't hold up . . . .oh well
119. "Spy Game" org.: CIA
120. "So I should take that as __?": "A NO~?"
121. Cartoon frame: CEL
122. Dynastic period, e.g.: ERA
Splynter
2 comments:
After a little thought,
I was able to see where the “La” fit in all the answers (hint: it’s not always at the beginning!) and I enjoyed C.C.’s fun puzzle. FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
About halfway through, I figured out that LA was missing from the themers, but had no idea what that had to do with "Easy Does It". Had I read the full 130a clue, it would've made sense. But some of us never seem to read the full clue. [Sigh] I needed Splynter to 'splain it. I can never remember which L is doubled in ALLELE. KNORR makes an excellent Hollandaise sauce mix, appreciated by this eggs-ben lover. Enjoyed your clever effort, C.C., and your expo, Splynter. (Your video for Magnetism didn't make the trip.)
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