Newcomer Alisya Reza and up-and-comer Shannon Rapp have teamed to create a puzzle featuring
some fancy swordplay. Be careful! You might get a paper cut!
I
found this puzzle to be much harder than last week's. You remember, the
one everybody thought was too easy? Be careful what you wish for! I
blanked on most of the names in the NW when just getting started. If it
weren't for circles, this could be a Friday. The 16 x 15 grid is
over-sided, with bilateral (left-right) symmetry that always reminds me
of Space Invaders.
18. "Espresso" singer: SABRINA CARPENTER. SABER. In 2008, she was one of 7,000 to enter the online singing contest The Next Miley Cyrus Project. She placed third, which opened doors for her, but my favorite CARPENTER is Karen.
30. Taking time off from school?: CUTTING CLASS. CUTLASS. RightBrain will always make time for a Brad Pitt movie. She calls him "a man with a view!" (Should I be worried? Nah! He's got nuthin' on me, except for wealth and fame and...) Here he is in his first major role circa 1989 when he was 25.
49. Pet adoption that wasn't planned: FOSTER FAIL. FOIL. Despite how it sounds, a FOSTER FAIL just means their temporary home became permanent - a good thing! We adopted FuzzyBrain during COVID. A FOSTER success! Here's the puppy we fell in love with.
65. Metaphor for something with positive and negative consequences, or what 18-, 30-, and 49-Across literally are?: DOUBLE EDGED SWORD. Each of the theme answers begin and end in letters that spell out types of swords. That is, both "edges" of the answers.
I thought the theme was fine, but got dragged down by too many names, only half of which I knew off the bat. A game show contestant?!
Let's see if the pen is mightier than the sword:
Across:
1. Wood used by luthiers: ALDER. I own a lot of guitars, but this one eluded me as I was thinking of traditional acoustic guitar woods, such as cedar and maple (which both fit), spruce, mahogany and rosewood. Lesser-known ALDER is used in making solid-body electric guitars, primarily those by Fender. Note the light grain of the ALDER Stratocaster body on the left vs. the pronounced grain of an ash body on the right. (Don't get me started talking about guitars!)
6. High-five sound: SLAP.
10. One of many in Indonesia's Kepulauan Seribu: ISLET. Kepulauan Seribu means "Thousand Islands."
15. He-Man's twin: SHE-RA. I don't see the resemblance. I think they were switched at birth.
16. Area: ZONE.
17. "I have a good lawyer and I'm not afraid!": SUE ME. Unfortunately, in today's litigious society, we hear that more and more, instead of, "Let's work this out."
18. [theme]
21. 2024 Korean Air merger partner: ASIANA.
22. More haunted: EERIER.
23. "Jeopardy!" champion Amodio: MATT. MATT is a mathematician who won $1.5 million over 39 games, ranking him third in winnings. And who cares?
24. Collectible card protector: SLEEVE.
29. Wee: ITTY. I had the "Y" of TERRY Gross, so wrote "TINY," then replaced that with "ITSY," before reaching the promised land.
30. [theme]
33. Flavor of fermented foods: UMAMI. The "fifth taste" wasn't known to me in the 20th century. Back in the olden days, we had to rely on MSG for our meat fix.
35. Secure, as a boat: MOOR.
36. Mississippi formation: DELTA.
39. Something to shoot for: PAR.
40. Start to fix?: PRE. PREfix, meaning before it's been fixed, i.e. still broken.
42. Tub with jets: SPA. Tug with jets: SPRAY
44. Product of a redox reaction: ION. Redox reactions frequently produce IONs through the transfer of electrons, where one species is oxidized (loses electrons to become a positive ion or higher oxidation state) and another is reduced (gains electrons to become a negative ION or lower oxidation state). Got it? Here, let me draw it out for you.
45. Tranquil: SEDATE. I entered "serene" first, which seems like a better answer.
47. "Make it __!": SNAPPY. And for you tap dance aficionados:
54. Infield call: SAFE.
56. Taquería drink: AGUA. A taqueria is a Mexican restaurant specializing in tacos - and glasses of water, apparently.
57. European range: ALPS. "Beyond the Alps lies more Alps. And the Lord 'Alps those that 'Alps themselves." Groucho Marx in Horse Feathers, 1932. I watched all the Marx Brother's movies when I was in high school, hence what's wrong with me today.
60. Pachakamaq worshippers: INCA. Pachacamaq was a major creator deity worshipped by pre-Inca coastal cultures as a powerful god of earthquakes and fertility.
61. Quick look: GLANCE.
63. Mammal with a saddle patch: ORCA. Mammal with a saddle bag: MULE
65. [theme]
68. Freelancer's targets: OUTLETS.
69. Gave meaning to: DEFINED.
70. Knight rider's companions?: STEEDS. This knight got his STEED in the mail.
71. "Nothing yet!": NO NEWS.
Down:
1. Tea in masala chai, perhaps: ASSAM. Masala chai is a fragrant Indian tea made by brewing strong, robust black tea—typically ASSAM—with a mixture of aromatic spices, milk, and sweetener.
2. Tibet's capital: LHASA.
3. Payment method: DEBIT CARD.
4. Printing gaffe: ERRATUM. This is normally seen in plural: ERRATA.
5. Part of the water cycle: RAIN. Part of the water cycle: SNOW. With the Winter Olympics in progress, I've become an armchair judge of ice skating routines. But, as usual, I'll soon forget my expertise in Salchows and Lutz's for another four years. Go Team USA!
6. Kendrick Lamar's Grand National Tour co-headliner: SZA. I don't like when there are so many names and I have to find photos of all these people.
7. Follower of wisdom or love, in hairstyling: LOC. LOC as in lock of hair. It's usually just a single dreadlock, often placed in the back to signify spiritual, personal growth (wisdom) or to honor someone (love). Cool concept; I'll have to keep my eye out for it
.
8. Actress Gasteyer: ANA. Like many comedians, ANA Gasteyer got her start on SNL.
9. A pop: PER. A pop: PERE (in France, anyway).
10. "Got it": I SEE. Uh-huh.
11. Daily spectacle: SUNRISE. Here's a photo I took last year of the SUNRISE on Fort Lauderdale beach. I later found out that the sun comes up every day.
12. Accidentally reveal: LET IT SLIP.
13. Do a virtual interview, say: E-MEET. Turns out you can add an "E " to just about anything.
14. "Fresh Air" co-host Gross: TERRY. She's been at NPR (National Public Radio) since 1975 and has interviewed thousands of guests.
19. Condé __: NAST.
20. Orange skin: PEEL. Lime skin: PEEL.
25. Citrus fruit: LIME. Citrus fruit: ORANGE.
26. Indigenous people of North Carolina: ENO. I don't know the ENO.
27. Alter __: EGO. But I do know the EGO!
28. Devices for watching old home movies: VCRS. Video Cassette Recorders were once a household staple, but they made lousy clocks.
31. Sneak (around): TIPTOE.
32. "Minor Detail" novelist Shibli: ADANIA. ADANIA Shibili is a Palestinian author and essayist. Her award-winning crime novel Minor Detail was controversial because of its portrayal of Israelis.
33. Shipper with brown trucks: UPS. Brown is the least used color for corporate identities, but I thought UPS used it because it looked like cardboard boxes. They say it imparts "reliability and stability." OK, if they say so...
34. Astronaut Jemison: MAE. MAE Jemison became the first African-American woman to travel into space when she served as a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992. You go girl!
37. Be better than: TOP. Better than that: ZZ TOP!
38. Whichever: ANY.
41. In medias __: RES. Latin for "in the middle of things," it's a literary technique where a story begins in the midst of the action to immediately engage the reader, with backstory revealed later through dialogue or flashbacks. Its been hijacked by the film industry, where it seems every movie opens with an action scene known as a "cold open."
43. Educational ad: PSA. Public Service Announcement.
46. Warm: AFFABLE.
48. Admit: ALLOW IN.
50. Lore: TALES. Lore: HEADS. "Lore heads" are passionate, dedicated fans who deeply analyze the backstories and universes of fictional worlds, primarily in gaming.
51. "Holy moly!": EGAD.
52. Step on a ladder: RUNG. Step on a rake: RUNG (one's bell).
53. Stood up to, say: FACED.
54. Aardvark feature: SNOUT. Aardvark feature: CLOUT. It's the first animal alphabetically. Name your locksmith shop after it and everyone will call you first!
55. Like some accents: ACUTE. In English, the mark over an é is called an ACUTE accent and changes the 'e' to an 'ay' sound, as in cliché and passé.
58. Given (to): PRONE.
59. Item in an Ikea kit: SCREW. This refers to what happens to you if don't follow their "simple" directions - you're SCREWed.
60. Wedding exchanges: I DOS. I DOS seem to be getting more popular than VOWS in xwords.
61. Understands: GETS. I see it now.
62. Starter home?: EDEN. Fun clue.
64. Puts together: ADDS. This one ADDS up.
66. Was in charge: LED.
67. NorCal hub: SFO. SFO is the airport code for San Francisco International Airport in Northern California. The "O" is for Oakland.
Be good. RB
Whew! That was
ReplyDeletetough! Seemed more like a Saturday than a Thursday.
“Sabrina Carpenter” was all perps and WAGs. And the rest was hard to dig out, too ! I’m just glad I (eventually) got it!
FIR, so I’m not only happy, I’m relieved!
I agree this was a difficult Thursday with many unknowns for me. The perps eventually did the trick and I did get the theme without which I could not have solved. This had many new cultural references as well as unlikely names such as SZA though SABRINA CARPENTER has been on TV often recently including for an Olympic promo so that helped. Karen Carpenter was a very talented but doomed singer who left us much too soon. Thanks all for the wonderful workout
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteYou call it the PEEL, I call it the RIND. Wite-Out, please. Also needed it to correct AmiABLE and Gander. Spent two weeks in Coatzacoalcos back in the '70s. Learned that beer for breakfast, lunch, and dinner isn't all bad. Also learned how to spell Coatzacoalcos. Thanx, Alisya, Shannon, and R-B. (Interesting dissertation on ION. Can we expect a revisit with Ion Redux?)
Thank you, Alisya and Shannon.
ReplyDeleteAs is my norm, I started in the middle. The answers flowed and I kept thinking this is too easy. And it was easy, except for 6 and 7 down. I had Kendrick Lamar's co-headliner as SIA (often clued as the singer of Chandelier) and I was fairly confident with that answer.
But that left me with I-NE for "Area" at 16A
And no help from 7D L-C.
I was a few seconds over 13 minutes when I paused the puzzle. I then solved the NYT crossword (the syndicated one) by Wendy Brandes and Barbara Lin. That one was tougher until I figured out the gimmick.
So back to the LAT with one missing letter. I spent a full ten minutes thinking of various letter changes for an Area answer that made sense. I thought of ZONE so I put the O in as the last fill, but I never changed from SIA to SZA. As soon as I entered it I knew it had to be ZONE, but it was too late.
Not sure that I've ever heard of SZA. Maybe. I doubt that I'll forget that name the next time SIA doesn't work out.
Oh well. No big deal.
Time to make some coffee and then read RustyBrain's review.
It's pronounced Siz'-uh.
DeleteThanks, Desper-otto.
DeleteFIW. This puzzle had everything I dislike, circles and weird proper names, and a vertical grid to boot.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of a foster fail, so that had me flummoxed, but my WAG was right.
I cannot say this about the center top. Loc and Sza crossing with zone did me in.
Overall not even close to an enjoyable puzzle.
Ditto. And ditto again. I FIW
DeleteI agree!
DeleteThat's exactly the AREA that did me in, too.
Delete
ReplyDeleteThank you, RustyBrain.
A word of caution. Be careful about dissing Jeopardy! here. There are a number of big, big fans that read this site. And whatever you do, never ever mention the results of the show before the program is aired on the west coast. A big ruckus usually follows. :>) Ask me how I know this.
May 16, 2020 seems to be the only other appearance of SZA in an LAT.
Same as you. Tiny before ITTY.
Never read the clue for ION. Same for the INCA clue.
I did read the clue for ENO but quickly moved on. It perped in. Same with ADANIA.
He-man and SHE-RA both used DOUBLE EDGED SWORDs. I'll never forget Battle Cat. Stepping on He Man and Battle Cat in your stocking feet is no pleasure.
An enjoyable Thursday puzzle and review.
I'd guess in the Venn diagram of crossword solvers vs. Jeopardy aficionados there'd be a large overlap. I think it's the best game show, but still don't watch it often. I rarely watch broadcast TV in general.
DeleteFIR, but hand up for serene->SEDATE. I guess that if you SEDATE someone you make them tranquil, and if you tranquilize someone you make them SEDATE. For once, the theme actually enabled my solve (@ SABRINA, but not the Teenage Witch.)
ReplyDeleteIn case there are other Cornerites who also don't know "luther," it's a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments. Must be true - I just read it on the internet.
I would be a reliable FOSTER FAIL. That's why I don't FOSTER. Remember shopping malls? Their pet stores would happily bring out a puppy for you to play with. They knew that it was tough to return a puppy to a cage after you spent even a few minutes with it. Especially if you had kids along for the exercise.
Credit cards are much safer than DEBIT cards. Unauthorized credit card transaction handling is prescribed in federal law, but unauthorized DEBIT card transaction handling is directed merely by bank policy.
I liked most of the puzzle, but very much disliked a small part, mainly up around Seattle, Contrary to popular opinion, there is at least one solver who doesn't watch Jeopardy, doesn't listen to NPR, doesn't follow comic books, isn't up to date on pop (music) tarts, and doesn't know the first thing about hairdressing.
Thanks to Rusty Brain for the fun twists on the puzzle, especially your take on pre-fix.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteWith the exception of She Ra, Matt, Orca, as clued, Loc, and Adania, I thought the fill was pretty straightforward and very perp friendly. The circles, however, lessened the challenge and, IMO, were unnecessary due to the specificity of the reveal clue. Any average solver could have discerned the types of swords without any helping hands. The EMeet entry reinforced the current annoying trend of adding an E to anything even remotely electronic-related. Despite these shortcomings, the solve was enjoyable and satisfying, if somewhat on the easy side for a Thursday.
Thanks, Alisya and Shannon, and thanks, RB, for the fun and facts in your commentary. Loved the photo of your adorable rescue puppy!
Have a great day.
Wow! Well as a constructor yourself maybe that’s to be expected, but not for many of us. Agree totally on the “e” everything though.
DeleteIM, there's a new housing development near us. We refer to it as the E-States.
DeleteAnonymous @ 9:02 - I think you may be underestimating your solving abilities. 😉
DeleteDO, that’s too funny! 🤭
DeleteUp and Comer and Newbee trying to be too clever with .many strange names. i.e., SZA and odd clues unworthy of LA Times CW page.
ReplyDeleteI thought Wednesday was crunchy and more like a Thursday, but today was much more crunchy like a Friday (too many personal names and obscure references) but FIR (which I only verified for sure by checking here since SWAG was involved). Happy to finish. I counted 18 personal or obscure clues - at least for me. Fortunately my son was into he man and so shera rang a very vague bell. And changing serene to sedate certainly helped so that debit card became easier which over a long haul lead to Sabrina carpenter - whom I’ve never heard of, much less Sza! And emeet is an actual word nowadays? Vs zoom or teams or Skype? Oh well, moving on to sudoku.
ReplyDeleteNice steady solve for a Thursday, I don't know if I would have easily identified the SWORDs without the circles - probably would have figured it out from the theme reveal looking back or by coming to the blog ;)
ReplyDeleteLike TTP I went from Sia to SZA - which makes sense with Kendrick Lamar being a rapper that the fill would also be a rapper
Coincidentally, they are having some sort of return of past winners tournament on Jeopardy and MATT Amodio was a contestant yesterday. I've been watching it more, recently, since in our area it comes on right after the Olympic afternoon broadcast
Thanks RB for the fun blog and Alisya & Shannon for the puzzle!
Inanehiker, I always want to spell it Imodium.
DeleteFIR in 10:13, almost six minutes faster than yesterday's Saturday-level puzzle.
ReplyDeleteDOUBLEEDGEDSWORD filled in with zero perp help, thanks to the circled letters in the first two themed answers. Reveals should not be so obvious.
Is Matt Amodio more obscure to the average solver than Adania Shibli? 🤔
Overall, a smooth, enjoyable puzzle.
For this average guy, both are totally unknown. I look at the "today's birthdays" feature in my local fish wrapper, and find that I recognize about 10% of the "celebrities."
DeleteFair enough. My point was that Jeopardy! draws an audience of close to nine million viewers per night, and slightly more for its tournaments, in which Matt Amodio is a regular contestant.
DeleteI just wonder if Shibli has a similar following.
Musings
ReplyDelete-Like the mostly snowness prairie this winter, I had some tough sledding, but I got it done and we are expecting 4 – 6 inches of snow this afternoon.
-FOSTER FAIL was fun learning
-I first saw CUT…..LASS and thought this might be about Oldsmobiles
-“Conjugating” wee: TINY, ITSY, ITTY
-Our anniversary meal cost over $100 even though we had no appetizers, no desserts and drank AGUA.
-INCA is a decent four-letter guess when you have a really odd group in the clue
-Any printing I do will result in ERRATA not an ERRATUM
-Another Grouchoism: I wouldn’t belong to any club that would ALLOW me IN
-Ikea hardware is more likely to have connectors more unusual than SCREWS
-I had my guitar serviced at a luthier in Lincoln years ago. The people were competent and friendly but were also chain smokers.
Addendum
ReplyDelete-My cataract surgery yesterday went fine and was a no-pain 15-minute procedure. When I woke up, I asked joann when they were going to start.
-I’m doing fine and adjusting with the great assistance of my live-in "nurse" of 59 years.
-My surgeon did 15 of them yesterday.
-It was comforting to be attended to by a lot of people I knew or knew me
Good news, HG!
DeleteGreat news.
DeleteYay!!!
DeleteYou answered my main question with "after" you woke up!
DeleteThank goodness, I thought you might be awake for this. Shades of clockwork orange! Thank you for the good news...
I was awake for my cataract surgeries but doped up. I just remember hearing people talking and putting “things” on me. The ophthalmologist spoke to me but I don’t remember what he said or what I responded. It’s a very weird feeling.
DeleteDid better than yesterday, which ended up in the recycle bin after 20 minutes of frustration. Today, FIW, with most errors in the NW. Theme and circles helped me at least complete the puzzle.
ReplyDeleteThe theme was easy enough. I quickly detected the DOUBLE EDGED SWORDS, but I didn’t know SABRINA CARPENTER. The rest, not so much. What some have said, lots of names, and most were totally unfamiliar to me.
ReplyDeleteI completed the NW blind. Once I got ALDER and LHASA, I guessed my way through. I wasn’t so lucky in the far north however.
I too had serene for a long time instead of SEDATE. All in all, this puzzle was not my cup of tea, ASSAM or otherwise.
Thank you RB for your fine, though grumpy 🤣🤣 review. Little FuzzyBrain is adorable.
TITT. Another "look how clever and how many totally obscure things we know" ego-fest, not a crossword puzzle. SZA? LOC? unknown CARPENTER? Sheesh. ITTY? The spider was ITSY-bitsy! About all this one was good for is a birdcage liner.
ReplyDelete“Lutherans” have a wood preference? Like the cathedral doors Marty nailed his Post-it notes to cuz they wouldn’t stick?
ReplyDeleteI remember my now 46 year old son’s 1980’s collection of He-man (“I have the power”), Skeletor, and Castle Grayskull stuff but not SHE-RA
Whenever TERRY starts with “ this is an interview I had with _____ in 19- - “ her next line is “who died yesterday from ___…”
SZA? … “Pachakamaq” ? Since only 4 letters an easy WAG. SZA, LOC totally new to me but I bet we will see more of these 3 letter fills . LOC is a med abbrev for “ loss of consciousness” CT scan indication : “Pt fell, hit head, no loc”
Almost put rind for PEEL
Where to park a gondola , a ____ of Venice …. MOOR
Pod veggie … SNAPPY
Specified time …. SEDATE
Expelled from paradise for ____ an Apple …. EDEN
On a flight from Naples Fl for work for two weeks then flying back till end of March. Didn’t want to be away a full two months. Too many changes. and not surprisingly got an email a few days an ago that IT is requiring a new 2 factor identification that must be adding by Feb 24. I’ll bug one of my 40something colleagues to help me with it. 🤨
SNuck in at 9:30 today, without an emcEE.
ReplyDeleteThis seems like a fine example of why I don't care for circle puzzles: in exchange for getting three swords broken-up, we have to deal with the following: Sza, Adania, Asiana, Loc, Eno (not Brian!), aqua, emeet, an astronaut, and a game show winner.
RB's reviews are always entertaining.
Oh joy, circles!
Time for the women's gold medal hockey match between Canada and the USA. I'll run some errands with the DVR on hold so I can fast-forward through the commercials and the two intermissions. (I like to say the two halftimes, but my hockey-nut son snarls at me when I do.)
ReplyDeleteThe NW corner did me in. No idea about Alder, Shera, Sabrina , Asiana or Matt. I was trying to work "card" in with the payment method but I was happy with "serene". Finally got it straight but gave up as previously described. Even figuring the circles out didn't help me. Thanks for the great recap RB. Also nice to hear about another successful cataract surgery Husker Gary.
ReplyDeleteChallenging, but interesting, Thursday puzzle--many thanks, Alisya and Shannon. And your commentary is always a help, so many thanks for that too, Rusty.
ReplyDeleteWell, a puzzle that gives you a SLAP at the very top hardly leaves you SEDATE and has you think of CUTTING CLASS and getting out of the ZONE to find some better OUTLETS. But we'd probably need a DEBIT CARD for that, and most of us don't have one of those these days. So, maybe we should just get up at SUNRISE and TIPTOE to the SPA to spend time in a safer place where we can maybe hang out with a NURSE and play with her TORTOISES. Sounds like a lot more fun, doesn't it?
Have a happy and cheerful day, everybody.
Hola! Unlike some of you I found this one not too easy and not too hard, just right. MATT Amodio was my first fill since I am an avid Jeopardy! fan and saw him just yesterday. ASSAM stayed in my mind since I associate it with India but then it worked out. ADANIA is a complete unknown, but I have seen SZA before so that helped. Me too on SERENE before SEDATE.
ReplyDeleteSigh. I had EMEEE and failed to see my error! I think I may need stronger readers.
Gary, congratulations on your successful surgery. I had mine several years ago and found it to be surprisingly smooth.
Have a lovely day, everyone!
Constructor Finished it Wrong. AREA could have been LANE or LINE. And SZA was clearly impossible to consider. LOC is just nonsense. Went with LANE and I will claim I FIR. Too bad. The theme was fun and clever.
ReplyDeleteNot my cup of ASSAM (for which I first had PEKOE.)
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize ASSAM was a type of tea. I thought it was the name of a place where tea is grown.
At least Gary's cataract surgery went well, for which I am happy.
Good reading all of your comments.
Spent a half hour finding witty comments and links for today's commentary,
ReplyDeleteI had "just one more" link to go, and when I came back, my prepared comments were gone. No history, no nothing...
I just don't have the energy to recreate it...
No worries. I'm sure it would've been great, as always!
Delete