google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday, Oct 1st, 2025 ~ Katherine Simonson

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Oct 1, 2025

Wednesday, Oct 1st, 2025 ~ Katherine Simonson

HERE'S A DOLLAR . . .


Get yourself a fig leaf, man~!

Katherine has had several puzzles published in the LA Times - her last was here, Friday Sep 12.  Today we have an odd-sized grid, 14 x 16, which allows for the "passing" of synonyms for "BUCK", as they progress from the start of the first themer, and shift by four letters to the last one - clever.  Yes, circles, but I think that it's for clarification purposes, not an anagram-like necessity.  I am even more impressed that we have barely a handful of names, most being crossword staples. 16 3LWs, an even 20 of four- and five-letter words, plus two new, unique* fills;

18. Enthralled by the theater: STAGESTRUCK - I have not heard of this ( usually, I'm STAR struck ) but in my search, I discovered a movie, and at least one company that does stage/exhibit production - I would like to work with a company like that, building sets, props, special effects, etc.

31. Green-and-yellow farm playthings for kids: JOHN DEERE TOYS* - I have a similar "toy", but it's a Massey Ferguson; here's the son of my friend Melina on his "tractor"


45. Folks who get creative in court: SKETCH ARTISTS* - I grew up seeing these renderings on the evening news, not knowing the reason why; I believe the first major "televised" court case I can recall, if I am not mistaken ( and I frequently am ) was the OJ trial - and now it's part of an exhibit of courtroom sketches

From a New York Times article

58. Shift responsibility to someone else, and an apt title for this puzzle: PASS THE BUCK


And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Ill-fitting: INAPT - this word speaks awkwardly, IMO

6. Ground-breaking tool: SPADE - I showed you all my broken spade in the Sep 10th blog

11. Passed with flying colors: ACED

15. Zenith's opposite: NADIR

16. Stand in art class: EASEL

17. Theater box: LOGE

20. Apple variety: iMAC - the ol' computer/fruit deception

21. Outlets: EXITS - Doors, not electrical receptacles

22. Swimwear brand founded in Australia in 1914: SPEEDO - kinda like a 20th century "fig leaf" - and yeah . . . TMI clothing, IMO

24. Viola clef: ALTO - filled via perps

Relative position of Middle "C"

27. Scallions' kin: LEEKS

30. Squirming: ANTSY

34. Krauss of bluegrass-country: ALISON - Odd spelling; I know she collaborated with Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant on the album Raising Sand in 2007, and again with Raise the Roof in 2021

Please Read the Letter

35. "One more thought ... ": "ALSO . . ."

36. Bubbly drink: POP - Soda, Cola, Coke - depends on your location/dialect

39. Fled: RAN

40. Frozen Four org.: NCAA - College ice hockey

43. Early bloomers: TULIPS

48. Quick bread at tea: SCONE - My parents were born & raised in England - I have had scones

51. Detective story?: ALIBI - and the name of my ex-GF's cat in Florida

52. Boundless: VAST

53. Smoothie fruit: PAPAYA - I mix in "berry medley" with chocolate protein powder, and "tropical" with vanilla - no papaya in my smoothies, but I'd try it

55. Lower back bones: SACRA - plural of sacrum

Why does this image make me think of the movie "ALIEN"~?

57. System operator: USER

64. Spot for curlers: RINK - These curlers


65. Lauder of cosmetics: ESTÉE

66. First Greek letter: ALPHA

67. Intrusive: NOSY

68. Veggies for chips: SPUDS

69. Intel job: RECONnaissance - The etymology of  this Frawnche word


DOWN:

1. LiMu business: INSurance - Most insurance advertising is extremely annoying, IMO - I am covered by Geico, and their commercials are the only ones that I can tolerate - and WHY is it such a huge presence in the market~? There's an INS ad every TV break

2. D.C. ballplayer: NATional - baseball for C.C.

3. 1990 accessibility law, for short: ADA - Americans with Disability Act - required knowledge for me as a commercial/residential drafter/designer.  The website has this section, which never occurred to me.

4. Statue toppers: PIGEONS - Ah.  That kind of "topper"

The caption: "I'm extremely conflicted here."

5. Dino with long teeth and short arms: T-REX

6. Small sofa: SETTEE - Check out the "legs" on this settee

The curvy ones - uh, well, that's not too distinctive

7. Text analyst: PARSER - a  bit meh.

8. Tempe sch.: ASU - Arizona State University - the region where my ex-wife now lives - not quite the whole continent away, but close enough....

9. Advent mo.: DECember

10. Community group with lodges: ELKS

11. Extraterrestrial visitors, perhaps: ALIENS

12. Extraterrestrial visitor, certainly: COMET - I just finished "Seveneves" by Neal Stevenson, a science fiction novel with a fair amount of the story involving a comet

13. "Yikes!": "EGADS~!"

14. Wooden duck, e.g.: DECOY

19. "Hush": "SILENCE~!" - I tried 'BE QUIET' first

23. Shareholder dividend: PAYOUT

24. Slightly cracked: AJAR - Again Doors, not minds . . . .

25. Title person in a Kinks hit: LOLA - I was never a fan of the song - this one was better, IMO

Come Dancing

26. Lean: THIN - oops, not TILT - see below

28. Mauna __: alphabetically first of two Hawaiian volcanoes with similar names: KEA - thanks for the hint~! The other is LOA

29. Mo. town: STL - Not "Detroit", which is related to the muscial Motown

32. Party animal?: DONKEY - as in "Pin the Tail On the. . ."

33. Big bird: OSTRICH - our second "Big Bird" of the puzzle - LiMu ads feature an Emu

36. Tuscan tower town: PISA

Saw this on FB under "Dad Jokes"

37. Makes a choice: OPTS

38. Covert summons: PSST~!

41. One step __ time: AT A

42. Knee stabilizer, for short: ACL - the ligament that is prone to injury

44. Suitable for habitation: LIVABLE

45. Snidely critical: SNARKY

46. Sounded like a 59-Down: HISSED - AND - 59. Nile snake: ASP

47. Becomes less intense: ABATES

48. Rebuff: SPURN

49. Label printer maker: CASIO


50. Blossoms: OPENS

54. Gibbons, e.g.: APES

56. Nurture: REAR

60. Early Beatles bassist Sutcliffe: STU

61. Scanned lines on a pkg.: UPC


62. Margaret of "Fire Island": CHO

63. Mo. neighbor: KANsas - who knew that Kansas lived next to Chairman "Moe"~?

Splynter



2 comments:

Subgenius said...

No need for a reveal
for this one, which, unlike the last couple of days, seems perfectly appropriate for its Wednesday slot: not too hard, and not too easy.
Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

D-o saw all the ruminants. We've got a good sized herd hanging around our town. It's not unusual to see a dozen or so in our back yard. My labelmaker was made by Dymo, but I do have a CASIO solar calculator from the '80s (still works) and an "atomic" wristwatch. Thanx for the amusement, Katherine, and for the stellar expo, Splynter.