google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Sunday December 7, 2025 John Andrew Agpalo

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Dec 7, 2025

Sunday December 7, 2025 John Andrew Agpalo

Theme: "APPENDIX" - Ix sound is added to the end of each theme entry, changing spellings as needed.

22. Compensation for those expecting bad outcomes?: THE WAGES OF CYNICS. The wages of sin.

32. Gem that's been photoshopped?: BRUSHED UP ONYX. Brushed up on.

50. Class that teaches the science behind flair bartending?: SLOE GIN PHYSICS. Sloe gin fizz.

70. Paper jam?: PRINTERS REMIX. Printer's ream.

90. Well-worn long tops?: FAMILIAR TUNICS. Familiar tune.

105. Genetic makeup of a Trojan war hero?: ACHILLES HELIX. Achilles' heel.

117. Message to a graduating class at an occult school?: YOU WILL BE MYSTICS.  You will be missed.

When I read the title, I figured IX is added to each theme entry, like Pie/Pixie, Par/Pixar, etc. John's approach is more creative. Consistent too. 

Lots of fun clues in this puzzle. 

Across:

1. "The Count of Monte Cristo" novelist: DUMAS.  The former French president Sarkozy said he would bring this book to prison to read.

6. Gallagher of Oasis: LIAM.

10. Sour taste: TANG.

14. Queue before Q: LGBT.

18. "Didn't we just see this?": AGAIN.

19. Meat dish topped with mashed potatoes: COTTAGE PIE. Have some.


21. Ohio border lake: ERIE.

24. Like some parks: Abbr.: NATL. National.

25. Coat flaps: LAPELS.

26. Receipt fig.: AMT.

27. This evenin': TONITE.

29. Quick chats?: IMS. Instant messaged.

31. Iguana, to some: PET.

36. LuPone of "Agatha All Along": PATTI

38. Croc, but not gator: SHOE.

40. Jalapeño kin: SERRANO.

41. Front covers?: APRONS. More clever clues: 10. Column that's beside the point?: TENTHS. 81. Hairstyles that many pick?: AFROS. And  89. Turner once big in the music industry?: CD PLAYER

43. Cartography collection: ATLAS.

46. Poetic contraction: NE'ER.

47. Browning's "__ Lippo Lippi": FRA.

53. Periods of inactivity: STASES. Plural of stasis. 

55. Kinda-sorta: SEMI.

56. Rep. group: GOP.

57. Pottery supplies: CLAYS.

59. Went down: SANK.

60. Dramamine target: NAUSEA.

63. Yale grad: ELI.

64. Shoulder ornament: EPAULET.

67. Vegan sammie: PBJ.

73. Pair: TWO.

74. Stuffed meat dish: ROULADE. Never had this either.

76. Tattle (on): RAT.

77. Tiltrotor military aircraft: OSPREY. Tiltrotor is a new word to me. Tilt-rotor.


79. Writer Bombeck: ERMA.

80. Boondi __: spiced yogurt dish: RAITA.


82. Dead __ Scrolls: SEA.

83. Alleviate: EASE.

87. With all judges present: EN BANC.

94. Opposite of paleo-: NEO.

95. Smell: ODOR.

97. Glinda, to Elphaba, at first: ENEMY.

98. Snare: ENTRAP.

99. Secondary thread: SUBPLOT.

102. Ikebana vessel: VASE.

104. Gleefully spiteful: CATTY.

109. Lentil dish: DAL.

111. Pack animal: ASS.

112. LASIK target: CORNEA.

113. Lennox of R&B: ARI.

114. Hindu god with the head of an elephant: GANESH. God of wisdom.


116. Create a narrative out of reality show footage, e.g.: EDIT.

124. Tibetan monk: LAMA.

125. Sine qua nons: ESSENTIALS.

126. Kevin McHale's "Glee" role: ARTIE.

127. Serpents on sarcophagi: ASPS.

128. Frost's "The __ Not Taken": ROAD.

129. Race goal, sometimes: SEAT. Senate race, e.g.

130. Damp: MOIST.

Down:

1. Who __ Nation: Saints fans: DAT.

2. Disgusted sound: UGH.

3. Turbulent situation: MAELSTROM. Terrific entry.

4. Japanese consumer electronics brand: AIWA.

5. __ turtle: SNAPPING.

6. Source of grief: LOSS.

7. Skater Midori: ITO.

8. Org. with bomb-sniffing dogs: ATF.

9. One spelling of an Asian gambling hub: MACAU. Carmen has been there a few times. She just loves the real jade there. 

11. Bee fore?: API.  Prefix for "bee". 

12. Actor Cage, casually: NIC.

13. Hand motions: GESTURES.

14. McCartney's songwriting partner: LENNON.

15. Application for dubious advice: GRAIN OF SALT. Partnered with 69. Cocktail ingredient: JUMBO SHRIMP. Love both.

16. Wee: BITTY.

17. Email ancestor: TELEX.

19. Irish speakers, e.g.: CELTS.

20. Press rooms?: GYMS. Bench press, etc.

23. "Isn't that something": GEE.

28. Visual style that tricks the eye: OP-ART.

29. Card table declaration: I PASS.

30. __ syrup: MAPLE.

32. Greedy choice: BOTH.

33. Depend (on): RELY. Thanks for saving me last Sunday, Brian! Got the precious infusion on Tuesday, now I'm good for another 8 weeks. Grateful for the good days and the people who help me get to them.


34. Wee: EENSY.

35. Rapper Dr. __: DRE.

37. Front-wheel alignment: TOE IN.

39. Occur: HAPPEN.

42. Brynhild's beloved, in Norse myth: SIGURD. Learning moment for me also. Google AI says Sigurd is the beloved of Brynhild. Their love story is a tragic one, marked by a love potion that caused Sigurd to forget Brynhild, leading him to marry another woman and indirectly causing Brynhild to orchestrate his death. Ultimately, Brynhild takes her own life to be reunited with Sigurd in the afterlife

 

44. Find out: ASCERTAIN.

45. Places for small herb gardens: SILLS.

48. Option for a library book: RENEW.

49. Invite for: ASK TO.

51. More meddlesome: NOSIER.

52. African capital: CAIRO.

54. Tempe sch.: ASU. They still have a good swimming team after Bob Bowman left for Texas. This guy is their star Ilya Kharun. 


58. Start of the Marine Corps motto: SEMPER. Fidelis. 

61. Therapists' org.: APA.

62. Bright spots?: ATRIA.

65. Unlicensed radio broadcaster: PIRATE.

66. Body spray brand: AXE.

67. Fuss in the mirror: PREEN.

68. Carried: BORNE.

71. Wonderland cake words: EAT ME.

72. Contents of college blue books: ESSAYS.

75. Trout's team, on scoreboards: LAA. Mike Trout. LA Angels.

78. Gossipy person: YENTA.

84. Carrier in French Polynesia: AIR TAHITI.

85. Performs like Ella: SCATS.

86. Awards for excellent plays and players: ESPYS.

88. Aristocratic: NOBLE.

91. __ Strauss & Co.: LEVI.

92. Big-screen movie format: IMAX.

93. 119-Down figure: UNCLE SAM. 119. Country that turns 250 years old in 2026: Abbr.: USA.

96. Spanish cheer: OLE.

100. Range that includes Utah's Kings Peak: UINTAS.

101. Sat on the kitchen counter, perhaps: THAWED.

103. Cheeses from the Netherlands: EDAMS.

105. Fast Amtrak train: ACELA.

106. Musical conclusions: CODAS.

107. Pam's successor on "The Office": ERIN.

108. Cheerful ditties: LILTS.

110. Whichever: ANY.

114. Coins in a game of dreidel: GELT.

115. Houston MLBer: STRO.

118. Spanish bear: OSO.

120. Whopper: LIE.

121. [Stop shearing me!]: BAA.

122. Not trans: CIS.

123. Fixed: SET.

Happy 80th birthday to Windhover (Larry), who used to comment on our blog years ago. I still think of you often, Larry. Hope all's well with you and Irish. Here's a picture of Windhover with Lucina. 

  

Windhover & Lucina, July 24, 2015


24 comments:

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Interesting theme, well executed. I'm not familiar with John's byline, but hope to see more of his work. Thanx, John and C.C.

Lemonade 714 said...

Odd not seeing Subgenius as the first poster, but I guess all is well. Back soon with actual puzzle comments

Jinx in Norfolk said...

FIW, missing my WAG @ ROULAnE x SIGURn. Lots of other stuff I didn't know, but perps took care of them.

The OSPREY is a bird seen frequently around these parts, since we have a large USMC presence. Last week i saw one hovering over the waters of Willoughby Bay, making a lot of racket and stirring huge plumes of water. I'm still not too sure those things are safe to fly.

I thought the worst thing about this puzzle was the nine-word clue for EDIT. Somewhere Rich Norris is shaking his head in disappointment. My favorite was the clue and fill for CD PLAYER.

Thanks to John for the Sunday morning workout, and to CC for the tour. Glad your infusions are working as expected.

Lemonade 714 said...

As Jinx said, there are many unknowns, for me the Browning poem FRA LIGGO LIPPI, IKEBANA flower arranging and UINTAS being the best examples. I never watched GLEE so all clues relating to that troubled show are also beyond me, but the perps were fair so the puzzle was done. This is John’s second Sunday to go along with a Saturday and a Friday. It inspired me to read all about the troubled military TILTROTOR, the Osprey which didn’t explain what the benefit of this creation might be especially with all of its problems and $110 million for each.
The theme was well done combining sounds to make a nice group.
I guess my time away had me miss the fact of CC’s infusion therapy but it is good to hear it is helping.
Thanks John and always CC

Anonymous said...

Took 22:38 today to find the fix.

I had a similar experience as Lemondade 714 did today with many unknowns (but most of the crosses were fair), and not knowing about CC's infusion.
I hope all is well.

I'm a huge fan of 24A - Natl Parks.

Where, oh where, is our SubG?

YooperPhil said...

It took a lot of thought and a couple breaks before I managed a FIR in 55:56 on this harder than usual Sunday (at least for me). It may have helped a bit if I had looked at the puzzle title 🤦🏼‍♂️. Needed perps for LIAM and DAL. the D in ROULADE/SIGURD, the R in ARI/ERIN, and the G in GANESH/GELT were all correct WAGs. I think I’ve finally committed RAITA to memory! Thank you John for your cleverly themed and challenging puzzle and to C.C. for the enlightenment!

Currently holed up in a hotel room in Chicago awaiting an 8:45 flight tonight, DW and I heading to London for a whirlwind week. Got about 5” of ❄️ here last night, hope it doesn’t affect our schedule. 🤞

John M27 said...

FIW. The cross of ROULADE/SIGURD was a natick/"learning moment" for me. The unknown APA in close proximity didn't help. (Turned out to be Assn, but Org and even Soc needed to be considered considering I was in the City of Natick.) Sorting out that the theme was a sound and not just an added X took a while. Come back SubGenius! Need somebody to be reliably happy.

Charlie Echo said...

An FIW for me. Close, but no cigar. Done in by the SIGMUND crossing ROULADE. That said, I really enjoyed the challenge this morning. Lots of clever fill, well-known names, and fair perps for the obscurities. (Except ol' Siggy!) Fun start to the day.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

The OSPREY is designed to carry Marines and their gear to and from areas with very little area that can be used as a runway. It carries a bigger load and is much faster than helicopters. When teaching a five-day project management certification test preparation course, I made a mildly disparaging remark in class, something like "great plane if it doesn't crash." Several of my (retired Navy and Marine) students took exception to that, and explained why it was a great plane, period. If you say so.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

It took me a while to figure out the theme but, eventually, it was apparent, aided by the title. I thought the difficulty level was beyond the usual Sunday norm, but this is a welcome deviation, IMO. As CC pointed out, the cluing was clever, but not show-offy, and the fill was fresh and lively and required some thought. All in all, this was a challenging, enjoyable, and satisfying solve.

Thanks, John, come back soon, and thanks, CC, for pointing out the strengths and pluses of the author’s talents. Hope those infusions are working their magic for you!

I watched a Cary Grant [sigh] movie on TCM last night, one that I never heard of before, titled People Will Talk from 1951, co-starring Jeanne Crain, Walter Slezak, and Hume Cronyn. Grant’s role was a mixture of a serious, dedicated and compassionate physician vs an amateur orchestra conductor, filled with exuberance and animated joy. Both portrayals were Grant at his finest.

Have a great day.

Irish Miss said...

YP, safe travels and have a wonderful time!

Monkey said...

DNF again. The north, again. I kept TSA for ATF, so it threw everything off. I kept thinking of a shepherd’s PIE, but couldn’t make it for.

The rest filled eventually but had to do some erasing. For LGBT I had MNOP for a long time. I finally caught on to the theme with ACHILLES HELIX, the best entry of the lot.

Quite a few unknowns, but I did know the Browning poem FRA Lippo Lippi since I studied it in graduate school.

Thank you CC for your analysis of the puzzle. Best of luck with the infusions.

Enjoy London YP.

Monkey said...

That should be fit not for.

RustyBrain said...

FIW on the same letter! Grrr

RustyBrain said...

Great theme by John, with clever plays on the "IX" sound. Spent way too much time in Florida once I had YOU WILL BE MY____. MY what?

C.C. I'm glad you filled in the blanks on my bailiwick, the cross of ROULADE and SIGURD. I hope your treatments have continued success. Call on me anytime you need a break.

Anonymous said...

Did people get that the theme literally is APPEND-IX ?

JoyB said...

Wherefore art thou Subgenius? I’m praying that you and your loved ones are all safe and well.

Subgenius said...

To my Crossword
Corner friends;

Irish Miss, whom I correspond with regularly, asked me to say something about my absence. Now, to explain myself, I’ll have to go into the “taboo” area of religion. I hope you will indulge me.
Most of you don’t know this about me, but I love the Lord, and I am a committed disciple of Jesus Christ.
I don’t want the Crossword Corner puzzle and comments to be the “first thing I think of” in the morning any more, as it has been for about the last three years. I want THE LORD to be the first thing on my mind in the morning!
So, therefore, I am giving up the Crossword Corner, and will no longer participate.
Goodbye, folks. It’s been fun.
I will also publish this first thing tomorrow morning, for anyone who has missed it today.
God bless you all!

Subgenius said...

To my Crossword
Corner friends ( additional sentences of explanation added ):

Irish Miss, whom I correspond with regularly, asked me to say something about my absence. Now, to explain myself, I’ll have to go into the “taboo” area of religion. I hope you will indulge me.
Most of you don’t know this about me, but I love the Lord, and I am a committed disciple of Jesus Christ.
I don’t want the Crossword Corner puzzle and comments to be the “first thing I think of” in the morning any more, as it has been for about the last three years. I want THE LORD to be the first thing on my mind in the morning!
**To those who say , “Why don’t you just post later in the day?” I must tell you that I’m not interested in doing ANY crossword puzzles anymore. I’m going to devote my time to what are to me, more important things!
So, therefore, I am giving up the Crossword Corner, and will no longer participate.
Goodbye, folks. It’s been fun.
I will also publish this first thing tomorrow morning, for anyone who has missed it today.
God bless you all!

YooperPhil said...

The commitment to you faith is admirable Sub, but after your morning attention to that, you could still do the puzzle and comment. Obviously people were a little concerned about your absence this morning.

Misty said...

What a challenging, interesting Sunday puzzle--many thanks, John. And it's always a pleasure to get your commentary and pictures on a Sunday, C.C., so thanks for those too.

Well, I didn't know the first two names starting the puzzle, but TANG suggested food, something I'm certainly familiar with, and seeing that COTTAGE PIE right away was great. I have to admit that I probably wouldn't share it with my PET, who would probably be SNAPPING for some breakfast at this point. But first he'd need to be BRUSHED and I'd have to wear my APRON to keep myself tidy. Then it would be time for lunch, and nothing could be better on a Sunday than that wonderful JUMBO SHRIMP along with some EDAMS. After that one should probably go out on one of the ATRIA and say a prayer for a good morning with no NAUSEA, and for a quiet afternoon when one can write some ESSAYS. Sounds like a pretty good day, doesn't it?

I'll pray you all have one too.

Acesaroundagain said...

I enjoyed this one. My favorite was "turner once big in the music industry" Heh. Good luck on the infusions CC. We will miss you SubG. FIR always.

Prof M said...

Ditto on MNOP

Irish Miss said...

I missed that completely, so thanks for mentioning it.