Made of STEEL
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| Hot Stuff |
Hi All!
Today, Amanda & Amie collaborate on a rugged theme. From what I've found, these two have joined forces at the LAT twice as Amie & Amanda [12 JUN & 08 OCT 2025]. They've had a Wednesday & a Thursday, so this will be their first Tuesday together.
Let's ROCK & Roll:
17. Cocktail poured with a heavy hand: STIFF DRINK.
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| Looks like a strong pour to me. |
29. Honest amount of reliable work: SOLID EFFORT.
45. Resilient person: TOUGH COOKIE.
60. Social media debut of a romantic relationship, or what 17-, 29-, and 45-Across have: HARD LAUNCH.
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| STIFF is 18th on the list... |
DW & I met when #SocialMedia consisted of messages on BBS (Bulletin Board System). So, to me, HARD LAUNCH means "no turning back now." As for Social Media, we had to tell our friends to be at the Judge's house Sunday, IRL (In Real Life).
Across:
1. Wig makeup: HAIR. I soooo wanted talc in the barrister's wig he waggled.I Waggled Me Wig
5. Food that might be served alla vodka: PASTA. Pene alla Vodka is a simple dish that will put you into a happy coma.
10. Diamond experts?: UMPS. Baseball! And an Easter Egg as diamonds are rock HARD.
14. "KPop Demon Hunters" bandmate of Mira and Zoey: RUMI. KPop Demon Hunters blew up so big last year, they dropped in on SLN:
Feat. Bad Bunny
15. Fuel-carrying ship: OILER. So many stuck in the Strait of Hormuz - did no one really NOT see that coming?
16. Go past a simmer: BOIL. Warm, heat, simmer, rapid simmer, BOIL.
17. [See: Theme]
19. Teeny bit: IOTA.
20. Norway's capital: OSLO.
21. Texting format, briefly: SMS. Short Message Service. It's a crime carriers charged us $0.10 for piggybacking a message on mobile to tower control-channel pings. Jinx, care to comment?
22. School composition: ESSAY. Not a crappy-production play put on by 3rd graders ;-)
23. "As __ on TV": SEEN. This c/a screams Weird Al...
Mr. Popeil
25. Dessert that quivers: JELLO. Oasis came to mind until I saw the clue's second S.
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| An Oasis |
27. Chopping tool: AXE.
29. [See: Theme]
34. Young chap: LAD.
35. Male cat: TOM.
36. Some church donations: TITHES. I attended Catholic school on and off [depending on parental custody], and, what Pop appreciated, one only paid according to means. Pop tithed ~10% and we got a SOLID education at St. Joe's.
37. Frosty: ICY.
38. Grasped: GOT.
39. __ and yang: YIN.
40. Hoppy beer letters: IPA. Indian Pale Ale.
41. Like plagiarized text: STOLEN.
43. Delt neighbor: LAT.
44. La Brea __ Pits: TAR.
45. [See: Theme]
48. Method: Abbr.: SYS.
49. Sportscaster Musburger: BRENT. The answerer would have filled faster if clued "Light, sweet crude."
50. "Another thing ... ": ALSO.
52. Like steaks with a lot of marbling: FATTY. Don't fat-shame your dinner ;-)
55. Mermaid's realm: SEA.
57. Singular: LONE.
59. Baghdad locale: IRAQ.
60. [See: Theme]
63. iPhone virtual assistant: SIRI.
64. Skip, as a syllable: ELIDE.
65. Passed-down tales: LORE.
66. "Ciao!": TATA. I waited for the perp b/f not filling Tigger's TTFN.
67. Breadmaking need: YEAST. If it's unleavened, you don't kneed naan :-)
68. Like some Olympic races: SWUM. Time out! Is this really a word? Yes, swim, swam, and the past participle, SWUM. It's one of a few non-Germanic words I know that's got a Triple-U.* Swung, wuss, Kuwait, and wurst [admit it, that German word is so borrowed it's English :-)] are the others.
Down:
1. Time sheet figs.: HRS. When my team was on the clock for multiple clients, I created the "Bing sheet." Every 6 minutes, a clock would go "Bing," and you'd quickly scribble down the client you're currently working with / billing. //My buddy's dad was a lawyer - that's where the 6 min. came from :-)2. Car: AUTO.
3. "So happy to be back together!": I MISSED YOU. I say nothing, just hugs & kisses.
4. Rummage (through): RIFLE.
5. "Love Is Blind" personal space: POD. No clue.
6. Broadcasts: AIRS. Something you can also put on for puffery.
7. Car-unlocking tool: SLIM JIM. This is in my lane - Eldest & I enjoy picking locks.
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| Eldest with her first picks and beginner's lock. |
8. Grew anxious: TENSED.
9. Torah holder: ARK.
10. Assassin's Creed game company: UBISOFT. I never played the game but I know of the company. Their origin story is interesting.
11. Sounds from cows: MOOS. Where is Gary Larson when the world needs him?
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| [See also: 39-down] |
12. Pocket bread: PITA.
13. Defeat, as a dragon: SLAY. Roll a 17 or better on a d20 and you're heralded the hero.
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| A d20 for the uninitiated ;-) |
18. Enemies: FOES.
22. Pixieish: ELFIN. Are we still playing D&D?
24. Never: NOT ONCE.
26. Wright of "Black Panther": LETITIA.
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| Letitia Wright |
27. Red carpet celebs: A-LIST.
28. Precision knife brand: X-ACTO.
30. "Thanks a __!": LOT.
31. "You asked for a fight, you'll get one!": OH, IT'S ON NOW. "TOUGH words," said The Dragon.
32. Square up with: REPAY.
33. Former Russian rulers: TSARS.
38. Walt Disney Concert Hall designer Frank: GEHRY.
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| Frank Gehry's WikiP |
39. Shaggy ox: YAK.
42. Letters on some Pride merch: LGBTQIA+. Click here for an explanation.
43. Traditional Mexican game of chance: LOTERIA. Lottery in Spanish.
46. At a reduced price: ON SALE.
47. Jazz icon Fitzgerald: ELLA.
51. All __ Day: November 2: SOULS.
52. Black Power symbol: FIST.
53. Song that might end on a high note: ARIA. Cute.
54. Like a cranberry, or a dessert that might contain cranberries: TART.
56. Does some math: ADDS.
58. Very light brown: ECRU.
60. "Wait just a minute!": HEY. Did you just say, "Heads I win; tails you lose?"
61. Permit: LET.
62. Dress edge: HEM. If mumbling while sewing, are you hawing your hem?
The Grid:
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| The Grid |
WOs: N/A
ESPs: BRENT, LETITIA, GEHRY
Fav: OH, IT'S ON NOW
Cheers, -T
*W is Double-U, ergo SWUM can be written as sUUUm -- with a Triple-U :-)
13 comments:
At first, I thought this
was going to be another simple Tuesday puzzle, but the “Pride” letters, among other obscurities, soon dissuaded me from this notion.
So, it wasn’t always easy. But at least, it turned out to be doable.
FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Immediately inked in PENNE at 5a. Only the P was correct. That M in RUMI was the final fill. I thought that vertical answer would begin IT IS. Nope. GOBI was too short, SAHARA too long. Oh, JELLO. Despite my stumbles, I liked this one. Thanx, Amanda, Amie, and Dash-T.
FIR, but stout drink->STIFF DRINK, and leticia->LETITIA.
I MISSED YOU. I guess a little practice at the RIFLE range is in order.
NOT ONCE evoked memories of an intern's blue dress.
I've heard of soft launch / HARD LAUNCH in business, especially restaurants. But I've never heard of relationships using the term. Maybe treating relationships so transactionally is why so many younger people complain about the difficulty of sustaining them.
I've given up on keeping track of the ever-evolving LGBTQSDFCJGOUEFPIUMLCMKLWXYZ+ acronym.
Thanks to Amanda and Amie for letting me try this one that was clearly designed for younger minds. I enjoyed the challenge. And thanks to Bayou Tony for another great review. Always loves me some Weird Al. BTW - My teams were mainly chartered to provide the service and weren't involved in pricing components. We did provide input to bean counters so they could guess how much it cost to provide the service. BTW Part II - You scared me when you included "LETINTIA" as an ESP. Made me double-check both of our work.
Thanks Jinx! I fixed the ESP. -T
Loved the Far Side reference!
FIR but didn't care for this puzzle
FIR. This had more than a little crunch to it for a Tuesday. Ubisoft, Rumi, and loteria for example, complete unknowns.
And the crossing of two proper names, Brent and Gehry, is a no-no for crosswords.
And trying to remember all the many, many pride letters is above my pay grade.
I get the theme, but fail to see that "hard launch" as a romantic relationship thing.
Overall a very unenjoyable puzzle.
Musings
-RUMI was an “any port in a storm” obscurity
-Reading adolescent ESSAYS can be HARD to do
-BRENT was stopped by Lincoln police 21 years ago and had an open Budweiser in the car. $144 fine.
-107F heat index this afternoon means only 9 holes this morning.
Took 5:24 today, ironically, without much difficulty.
I didn't know the Actress of the Day (Letitia), the Mexican game (loteria), and the last few letters of "lgbtqia". So, turns out it was a rough day for "L" answers of down clues. I "also" didn't know "Gehry" or "Rumi."
Not a HARD challenge. Odd but gettable theme.
Thought tankers carried oil so filled liners fit but wrong … strong drink was too long (STIFF = “heavy hand” ?
ITS SO ON NOW sez the TOUGH COOKIE raising a FIST 👊🏾 … why IOTA!!
Almost a pangram with those high count scrabble tiles Q Z J but no V,Z
Inkovers: Elvin/ELFIN
Thought LOTERIA was just Spanish for “lottery” but it’s actually a bingo like game says Señor Google
Cobbler’s time off: ALL SOULS DAY
“Can you supply any bread ingredients”? “It’s the ____ I can do”… YEAST
Hamilton’s last words… “I MISSED YOU”
Have a SOLID day 😊
Am I misremembering? I thought it was All Saints Day.
FIR, but lots of unknowns like RUMI as clued, UBISOFT, LETITIA, BRENT, and HARD LAUNCH. Somehow that reveal was a let down. OH IT’S ON NOW was all perps, I have no idea who would say that. And I know SWUM is correct, but not very pretty.
Each time I say the word “series” out loud, SIRI pops up with a comment like yes, what do you want. DH is not happy that SIRI is eaves dropping on us.
Thank you A-t for your neat review.
November 1st is All Saints’ Day.
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