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
14 comments:
Whew! That was
tough! 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
Good morning!
You 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.
As 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.
FIW. This puzzle had everything I dislike, circles and weird proper names, and a vertical grid to boot.
I'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.
Thanks, Desper-otto.
Thank 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.
FIR, 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.)
In 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:
With 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.
Up 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.
I 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.
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.
Nice 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 ;)
Like 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!
Post a Comment