LA Times editor Patti Varol is back again on Friday - this is her fourth that I have blogged in 2026. Another tack-on theme, with two of the fills grid-spanners, this time adding '-TON' to some common things / phrases, resulting in some punniness, and a 'defining' reveal. I breezed through today, just one sticky square, and I was on this Patti puzzle wavelength with most of the proper names being in my wheelhouse. Standard grid, no outlier squares, no circles, thirteen 3LWs, and ten names. The themers & reveal;
24. Lazy way to soothe hurt feelings?: NOOFFENSEBUT...TON
43. Take tiny crustaceans out for a stroll?: WALKTHEPLANKTON
49. Getting heavier, or an apt title for this puzzle: GAININGWEIGHT - in this case, the answers gain a "TON", or about 2000lbs - I, on the other hand, am losing weight. I did a weigh-in with my trainer last Thursday - the same 190lbs, but down to 26.5% body fat, originally at 43% - Yikes~! I keep pushing him to feature me in the Big Sky gym "spotlight" email, but everytime I ask, he tells me "when you get to X" - this time, I have to be down to 24% body fat . . . the carrot at the end of the stick . . . 😖
Button Waiton, There'ston Moreton~!
ACROSS:
1. Band: STRAP
Ankle strap shoes
6. Primer lesson: ABCs
10. Printer refills: INKS
14. Provençal sauce: AIOLI - I do the Downs first, so this corner self-filled in the Across
15. Bread from a tandoor: NAAN - common crossword crust
16. Many a techie or Trekkie: GEEK - Dah~! Not NERD
17. Fruit with a thick rind: MELON
18. Thing that has away with words?: DELETEKEY - I had "I gOt it" crossing, but once that changed, I saw the clever misdirection with 'away', and not "a way" in the clue
22. Raft: SEA - the "other" noun definition, #3 - a large collection or number
23. Fish that's a symbol of Children's Day in Japan: KOI
33. "Wow, nice!": "OHCOOL~!" - Twurd(ish)
34. Approach: WAY
35. Rite answer: "IDO." - well, you'd better give the right answer, or . . .
36. Constant critic: HATER
37. Like fresh nail polish: WET
38. Bridget's daughter in the "Bridget Jones" series: MABEL - never saw it, no clue, IMDb; name #1
40. "Big" and "Bang Bang" singer Rita: ORA - Crossword staple, just about every week now, along with Dua Lipa. Name #2
41. "Happy now?": "SEE~?"
42. Old Spanish coin: PESETA
47. Scand. land: NORway - part of ScandINAVIA - Geo name #3
48. Routine: ACT
56. One who's in it for the money: MERCENARY
"I care . . ."
57. Nebraska rail hub: OMAHA - Friday cluing, still geo name #4
59. Fun run distance, for short: ONEK - my gym is hosting a 5K in October, or, you can just walk it
I got the theme early on which helped me solve this rather deceptively clued puzzle. It seemed about right for a Friday in terms of difficulty. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
FIR, but strip->STRAP, so cool->OH COOL, rut->ACT, ten k->ONE K, and animal->ANDEAN.
"Constant critic" isn't the same as HATER. I thought of Gomer Pyle's Gunnery Sergeant Vincent J. “Vince” Carter. I blame Taylor Swift for stretching the meaning.
I would have clued "NFL shout for 'change the play!'" for OMAHA. The specifics vary from team-to-team, and sometimes game-to-game, but (as they say) "change is constant."
No, no, no. A turn in craps is an "inning." It continues until the roller sevens out, leaves the table, or just decides to pass the dice to the next player.
Our late friend Abejo was an active SHRINER. My uncle, who owned a Chevy dealership, modified an old Ford to backfire and buck by rising up its back wheels. He only drove it in SHRINER parades, where the kids loved it and the adults got the subtle "buy a Chevy not a Ford" message.
Thanks to Patti for the A&E special. I thought the cross of MABEL and NOLAN was the epitome of terrible cluing, but at least the theme was fun. And thanks to Splynter for another great Friday narrative. Great results from your regimen.
MABEL x NOLAN is a perfectly fine crossing. Even if you somehow don't know Christopher NOLAN, once you have MABE- you know that the last letter is L. The worst thing about that section of the grid is the partial ODE TO. There aren't that many options when the themers force the pattern O _ _ _ O in the downs.
Longest solve so far this week. Appropriate. Needed Wite-Out twice: nErd/GEEK, so COOL/OH COOL. My first computer was OCTAL (8-bit) in those pre-hexadecimal (16-bit) days. Thanx, Patti and Splynter.
FIR. Definitely a hard puzzle as befits a Friday. There were a few proper names I thought this puzzle could do without, like Mabel and Thee (?). There was a lot of clever misdirection in some of the clues, but the perps were fair. I got the theme early on and that helped a lot. Overall an enjoyable puzzle.
I knew the Actress of the Day (Ohara), but not the obscure foreign food (aloo mutter = peas) or "Mabel", and I've never heard of Neko Case/Case Neko. Remembering how to spell "Baer" is tricky for me.
I got the theme early on
ReplyDeletewhich helped me solve this rather deceptively clued puzzle. It seemed about right for a Friday in terms of difficulty.
Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
FIR, but strip->STRAP, so cool->OH COOL, rut->ACT, ten k->ONE K, and animal->ANDEAN.
ReplyDelete"Constant critic" isn't the same as HATER. I thought of Gomer Pyle's Gunnery Sergeant Vincent J. “Vince” Carter. I blame Taylor Swift for stretching the meaning.
I would have clued "NFL shout for 'change the play!'" for OMAHA. The specifics vary from team-to-team, and sometimes game-to-game, but (as they say) "change is constant."
No, no, no. A turn in craps is an "inning." It continues until the roller sevens out, leaves the table, or just decides to pass the dice to the next player.
Our late friend Abejo was an active SHRINER. My uncle, who owned a Chevy dealership, modified an old Ford to backfire and buck by rising up its back wheels. He only drove it in SHRINER parades, where the kids loved it and the adults got the subtle "buy a Chevy not a Ford" message.
Thanks to Patti for the A&E special. I thought the cross of MABEL and NOLAN was the epitome of terrible cluing, but at least the theme was fun. And thanks to Splynter for another great Friday narrative. Great results from your regimen.
MABEL x NOLAN is a perfectly fine crossing. Even if you somehow don't know Christopher NOLAN, once you have MABE- you know that the last letter is L. The worst thing about that section of the grid is the partial ODE TO. There aren't that many options when the themers force the pattern O _ _ _ O in the downs.
DeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteLongest solve so far this week. Appropriate. Needed Wite-Out twice: nErd/GEEK, so COOL/OH COOL. My first computer was OCTAL (8-bit) in those pre-hexadecimal (16-bit) days. Thanx, Patti and Splynter.
FIR. Definitely a hard puzzle as befits a Friday. There were a few proper names I thought this puzzle could do without, like Mabel and Thee (?). There was a lot of clever misdirection in some of the clues, but the perps were fair.
ReplyDeleteI got the theme early on and that helped a lot.
Overall an enjoyable puzzle.
Took 6:56 today to sleep on my camp cotton.
ReplyDeleteI knew the Actress of the Day (Ohara), but not the obscure foreign food (aloo mutter = peas) or "Mabel", and I've never heard of Neko Case/Case Neko. Remembering how to spell "Baer" is tricky for me.
I didn't love this one a ton.