Theme: "CALIFORNIA SCHEMIN'" - CA is added to each common phrase.
25A. "12-Point Type: A History"?: LIFE OF PICA. Life of Pi.
27A. Prankster?: CAPER PERSON. Per person.
45A. Cut-rate vacation rentals?: BARGAIN CABINS. Bargain bins.
83A. Motto of a therapist who uses origami to teach anger management?: PAPER PLACATES. Paper plates.
98A. Morning-after-the-wedding stories?: UNION RECAPS. Union reps
104A. Useful tool in making some Thanksgiving pies?: PECAN KNIFE. Penknife.
35D. One with next-level skills in being thoughtful and compassionate?: CARING MASTER. Ringmaster.
40D. The dog days of summer?: CANINE MONTHS. Nine months.
Our first Patti Sunday puzzle in a few years. For those who don't know, long before Patti became the LAT crossword editor, she edited both the Uptown Puzzle Club and Crossword Club puzzles for many years. Those were all 21x21 puzzles.
I like how CA is inserted at different points in the phrases, sometimes at the beginning of a word, sometimes in the middle. The base phrases are all solid and familiar, which is essential for this type of letter-addition theme. Patti prefers constructors to keep the number of three-letter entries in the 20s or fewer. This grid has only 20.
Across:
1. Come & Get It! pet food brand: ALPO.
5. "Scrubs" role for Judy Reyes: CARLA. She was the head nurse.
10. Some language exams: ORALS.
15. Escalator part: STEP.
19. Large Hadron Collider org.: CERN. The European Organization for Nuclear Research. CERN comes from its original French name, Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire.
20. Orca habitat: OCEAN.
21. Upgrade, as machinery: RE-FIT.
22. Simplicity: EASE.
23. Fizzled out: DIED.
24. Versace parent company: PRADA. Prada acquired Versace on December 2, 2025.
30. Fortune: KISMET.
31. Corporate VIPs: CEOS.
32. Dance club version, say: REMIX.
34. Like fabric in a quilting kit: PRE-CUT.
38. Silver-white metal: NICKEL.
41. Audition hopeful: ACTOR.
43. Like a car made between 1919 and 1930: VINTAGE. After that, classic cars.
44. "You for Me" singer Rita: ORA. And 49. Issa of "Insecure": RAE. Friendly letter combo.
50. Chutney fruit: MANGO. I like Asian mangoes. Sweeter.
52. D-backs st.: ARIZ. And 95. H-Town ALer: STRO. And 105. Cy Young stat: ERA. Pattie is an avid Mets fan.
53. Chimp kin: ORANG.
54. Helsinki native: FINN.
55. Perform terribly: STINK.
56. Barbie's boo: KEN.
57. IRS convenience: E FILE.
58. Pickles: BINDS.
59. Rowlands with an Honorary Academy Award: GENA. Loved her in "The Notebook".
60. Poor grade: DEE.
61. Played a pipe in a parade: FIFED.
62. Figure in the 1953 British Mount Everest expedition: NORGAY. Tenzing Norgay reached the summit with Edmund Hillary on May 29, 1953.
63. Decorative jugs: EWERS.
65. Teams: SIDES.
66. Home network need: MODEM.
67. "MasterChef" host Gordon: RAMSAY.
69. Bank investment?: LEVEE. Clever clue. A levee protects a riverbank.
70. Word with brow or blow: LOW.
71. __ bean: FAVA.
74. Noisy, as a crowd: AROAR.
75. Driveway brick: PAVER.
76. With 16-Down, official cocktail of the city of Oakland: MAI. 16. See 76-Across: TAI. Associated with Trader Vic's in Oakland.
77. Shot in the arm, say: DOSED. Need another blood draw next Monday. That nurse always scares me, esp when she says "Oops!".
78. Eyelash treatment: TINT.
79. Basic framework: BONES.
80. Frames: RIMS.
81. Leftover: EXTRA.
82. Playpen denizen: TOT.
86. Cake mix need: EGG.
87. Traditional source of wood for baseball bats: ASH TREE. Maple is another popular choice.
89. On the periphery: OUTER. 113. Periphery: EDGE.
90. "No __!": SIRREE.
92. Had a snack: NOSHED. And
93. Fillable flatbreads: PITAS.
96. Gain back: RE-EARN.
108. Vedder of Pearl Jam: EDDIE.
109. Make mittens, perhaps: KNIT.
110. Winged archer: EROS.
111. Primer mes del año: ENERO. First month of the year,
112. PowerPoint unit: SLIDE.
114. Well-worn trail: PATH.
115. Showed again: RE-RAN.
116. Words to live by: TENET.
117. Short message of gratitude: TYSM. Thank You So Much.
Down:
1. Adapter letters: AC DC.
2. "Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope" speaker: LEIA.
3. Slice and dice, perhaps: PREP.
4. Coming right up: ON DECK.
5. "Priscilla" writer/director Sofia: COPPOLA.
6. Ranch units: ACRES.
7. Raise: REAR.
8. Some pub pals: LADS.
9. "Devious Maids" star: ANA ORTIZ. She played Marisol Suarez. Here she is with Susan Lucci.
10. Magic, on sports tickers: ORL. Orlando Magic.
11. Form of energy healing: REIKI. The Japanese ki is similar to the Chinese qi, meaning life energy.
12. Tack on: AFFIX.
13. "Not one word of this is true!": LIES.
14. Walking noisily: STOMPING.
15. The continents, e.g.: SEPTET.
17. PC "oops" key: ESC.
18. Split __ soup: PEA.
26. Forest plants: FERNS.
28. Hoka rival: REEBOK. I like Asics.
29. Highlighter hue: NEON.
33. Automatic drip-brew pioneer: MR COFFEE. A fixture in our home for many years.
36. Tanzania neighbor: UGANDA.
37. Wee: TEENSY.
38. Claim on some menus: NO MSG.
39. Mighty mad: IRATE.
41. Correspond: AGREE.
42. Adam's eldest: CAIN.
43. Ivy, for one: VINE.
46. Tools with teeth: RAKES. Leaf-raking season is here.
47. Zodiac ram: ARIES.
48. Un-locked?: BALD. 69. Strike zone?: LANE. Fun clues.
51. Really bothers: GNAWS AT.
54. Mozilla web browser: FIREFOX.
57. Down source: EIDER. The soft down of eider ducks is prized for bedding.
58. Figure, casually: BOD.
60. Towel off: DRY.
61. Fin: FIVE SPOT. Slang for a five-dollar bill.
62. "I don't have all day!": NOW.
64. Tuner's asset: EAR.
65. Cut: SEVER.
66. Damp: MOIST.
67. Lanai furniture material: RATTAN. Lovely woven furniture.
68. Melodic passage: ARIOSO. A vocal style somewhere between recitative and aria.
70. Pulitzer-winning rapper Kendrick: LAMAR.
72. Brink: VERGE.
73. Wise words: ADAGE.
75. Leader of the Holy See: POPE.
76. Attic pests: MICE.
77. Strong urge: DESIRE.
79. Big name in classic travel guides: BAEDEKER. Learning moment for me. Karl Baedeker was a German publisher whose detailed travel guides became so influential that his surname became synonymous with guidebooks.
80. Disorderly place: RAT'S NEST.
83. Primp: PREEN.
84. Island feast: LUAU.
85. Springsteen's __ Band: E STREET.
88. Clobber: THRASH.
91. "Guardians of the Galaxy" voice role for Bradley Cooper: ROCKET. Rocket Raccoon.
93. Overly inquisitive sort: PRIER.
94. Prefix with structure: INFRA.
95. Slyly cutting: SNIDE.
97. Hathaway of "The Odyssey": ANNE.
99. Just chilling: IDLE.
100. All-father of Norse myth: ODIN.
101. Roddick who was the last American man to win the US Open: ANDY. That was 2003. Holy cow!
102. __ in a blanket: PIGS.
103. Half note feature: STEM.
104. Energy: PEP.
106. Basic bed: COT.
107. Long time: EON.
C.C.
I understood the
ReplyDeletegimmick from the beginning, and that helped me solve this sometimes challenging puzzle.
FIR, so I’m happy.
And, by the way, it’s nice to have C.C. back as our commentator!
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteD-o read the puzzle title, and even figured out the theme. Yay. FAVA bean evokes images of Hannibal Lecter. Never heard of 'em before that movie. Never heard of BAEDEKER, either. This one came together in just over 20 minutes -- par for the course for a 21X21. Thanx, Patti and C.C. (I was dreading getting a shot in the eyeball, but the thought of it is more painful than the actual experience.)