Wednesday, April 29, 2026, Yijing Chen

 

POLES APART

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee, here, with the recap of a polarizing puzzle by Yijing Chen who, apparently, had an L A Times crossword debut roughly one month ago.  Like it or not we may not reach agreement on this one.  In fact, we may end up POLES APART.  "What kind of poles?", I hear you ask.  Well, it could have been TOTEM POLES, or TEN-FOOT POLES, or fishing POLES, or Power POLES, or POLE Dancing or the POLE POSITION, or even someone from Warsaw.  However, our constructor elected to go in other directions.  Perhaps a POLL was taken.  Perhaps not.  In any event, let's start with the two-part reveal:

35 Across:  With 39-Across, diametrically opposed, or what this puzzle's sets of circled letters are: POLES.

39 Across:  See 35-Across: APART.

At four places in the grid our constructor has assembled types of POLES by combining letters that are APART in the answers to the themed-clues.  Those four places are:

20 Across:  Cinematic cultural phenomenon in the summer of 2023: BARBENHEIMER.  BARBER POLE.  The answer, here, refers to the phenomenon when two motion pictures, "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer", were very popular simultaneously in 2023.

29 Across:  Abolitionist known for her "Ain't I a Woman" speech: SOJOURNER TRUTH.  SOUTH POLE.  All you might wish to know:  Sojourner Truth

44 Across:  Literary movement that included Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Allen Ginsberg: BEAT GENERATION.  BEAN POLE.  The answer, here, refers to two well-known poets of the 1950's.

54 Across:  Micronutrient such as zinc or iodine: TRACE ELEMENT.  TENT POLE.   Humans require just a little bit, or TRACE, of those elements in their diets.

This is how it all looks in the grid with those often-polarizing circles, no less:

.... and here are the rest of the clues and answers:

Across:

1. Be starstruck: GAWK.

5. Oft-pickled pod: OKRA.  I have a friend always baits her hooks with OKRA when fly fishing...She's really into podcasting!

9. Check for freshness: SNIFF.  Does it pass the smell test?

14. Actor Clive: OWEN.

15. Eclipse body: MOON.  Earth's MOON is involved in both a solar and a lunar eclipse.

16. Voice above baritone: TENOR.

17. The Fates, e.g.: TRIO.  In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Moirai—often known in English as the Fates—were the personifications of destiny. In certain accounts, they were considered as three sisters: Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos, though their number and names varied over time. 

18. Game played "with my little eye": I SPY.  Usually played in a car on a road trip.

19. Hoarse: RASPY.

23. Since Jan. 1: YTD.  Year To Date

24. Misery: WOE.  Relationship WOEs...

I was dating a radiographer. She was a lovely girl, but we broke up recently. 

I was lying and she saw right through me.

Still, at least she knew my heart was in the right place.

25. Toward sunrise, on an equinox: DUE EAST.

32. Green-lights: OKS.  Okay?

33. Winery wood: OAK.  It turns out that the barrels that wines and spirits are aged in have a whole lot to do with the flavor of the finished product.

34. Narrow inlet: RIA.  A word more often used in crossword puzzles than IRL.

38. Cal. divisions: MOS.  CALendar / MOnthS

41. Purple yam: UBE.

42. Vehicle that can really move?: VAN.  Nice (not the city in France) wordplay.  A moving VAN.

43. Hurdle for M.A. hopefuls: GRE.  Graduate Record Examination

50. Some Middle Easterners: SYRIANS.  Several to choose from.

51. Yalie: ELI.  A frequent class of visitor.

52. Numeral associated with "The Force Awakens": VII.

This solver is looking forward to the Mel Brooks version:

May the Schwartz be with you.

57. __ powder: CHILI.

60. Hot rod's rod: AXLE.  A double automotive reference.

61. Geometric calculation: AREA.

62. Bamboozles: DUPES.  Used, here, as a verb.

63. Academic reviewer, often: PEER.  Not used, here, as a verb.

64. Vermeer's "__ With a Pearl Earring": GIRL.

1665

65. Runaway hit: SMASH.

66. Small vortex: EDDY.

67. Site for artisans: ETSY.  A web site frequently visited in our puzzles.

Down:

1. Eked out a living: GOT BY.  A nice role reversal.  Often we get EKED as an answer clued in various ways.

2. "Fiddlesticks!": AW RATS.  So many possible combinations involving AW, oh, ah, darn, dang, RATS . . . among several others.  Thanks, perps.

3. Odd duck: WEIRDO.  Speaking of ducks and WEIRD . . .

4. Radio dial: KNOB.

5. Portending danger: OMINOUS.  What do you call a guy doing ominous Latin chanting?  Greg or Ian.

6. Acceptable, casually: KOSHER.

7. Line that might get tied up: ROPE.  Not a telephone reference.  A clue meant to be taken quite literally.

8. "What do you think?": ANY IDEAS.

9. F1 circuit type: STREET.  An automobile racing reference.

10. More warm, in a way: NEARER.  Idiomatic.  As in "You're getting warmer."

11. Useful connections: INS.

12. Dandy: FOP.

13. Cook, as pot stickers: FRY.  

21. Endor inhabitants: EWOKS.   Do EWOKS defecate in the woods?  No, they have Endor plumbing.

22. Gloom: MURK.

26. Spiritual glow: AURA.  All of the psychics got this one.

27. Hullabaloo: STIR.  Not a reference to the old TV show.

28. "Fine, be like __!": THAT.

30. Average __: JOE.  Sometimes clued with a coffee reference.

31. Who lives in a ghost town?: NO ONE.

35. Trivia night spots: PUBS.

36. Heed: OBEY.

37. "O, that way madness lies" king: LEAR.

38. Use Beard Club products, perhaps: MANSCAPE.  MANSCAPE 

refers to the trimming or shaving of a man's body hair to enhance his appearance. It typically involves grooming areas such as the chest, back, and groin for a neat and polished look.

39. "Glee" teen played by Kevin McHale: ARTIE.  A reference to the TV show.

40. Smallest Canadian prov.: PEI.  Prince Edward Island

Eastern Canadian Provinces

42. __ cava: VENA.  The VENA CAVA is one of two venae cavae.  They are two large veins that return deoxygenated blood to the heart from the human body.

43. Drawing room?: GALLERY.  Another clue meant to be taken literally.  A place where one would find drawings.

45. Mr. and Mrs.: TITLES.  From the specific to the general.  The clue could have been a couple of hundreds of things.

46. Like some Christmas sweaters: GARISH.   Excessively bright or showy.  Ugly was too short. 

47. Had trouble moving steadily: REELED.

48. Ready to move on: OVER IT.  As in "I am so OVER IT !"

49. SF NFLers: NINERS.

53. 2026 Olympics host: ITALY.  This type of clue is easier to figure out now that the summer and winter games are not held in the same year.

55. Crossed (out): EXED.

56. Final Fantasy spellcaster: MAGE.  Final Fantasy was an unknown reference to this solver but various mystical-related stuff was not and MAGE is often found in other contexts.

From Wikipedia, "Final Fantasy is mostly an anthology series with primary installments being standalone role-playing games, each with different settings, plots and main characters, but the franchise is linked by several recurring elements, including game mechanics and recurring character names."

57. Jewel case items: CDS.  Those clear, square cases that the Compact DiscS are stored in are often referenced in our puzzles.  A bit of misdirection if a solver first thinks of forms of jewelry.

58. Sound of a running fridge: HUM.

59. Hoppy brew, for short: IPA.  India Pale Ale originated in the 18th century when British Brewers created a hoppy ale that could survive the long sea voyage to India.

Well, that will wrap things up for today.  If there was any snow left, this marine mammal would grab his favorite type of POLES.  

M M Out