The Circle of FIFTHS - A minor = C major: C = "B#" - get it~?
This is Yijing Chen's fifth LA Times puzzle - I blogged her debut puzzle here, and today's offering may have led some Cornerites to a Circle of FITs, or even the fifth circle of hell - see 51A. I however, loved this puzzle - I enjoy the extra challenge of trying to figure out the hidden, underlying meaning of a crossword's theme. It took me about 8mins over my usual Friday time to finally figure out just the SW corner alone. Once I caught on to the reveal "NOTES" being the musical Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti vocalizations, it was enough to figure out that the theme answers were completely undefinable from the clues themselves - 45A being the most obscure & difficult to parse; I'm not even sure I am 100% correct, but there is no "sourson" word - the closest I could find was soursop - this fruit. The solution is to take out the duplicate "notes", ( which had to be doubled to match the plural reveal ) and Bob's your uncle. I am sure this construction is going to cause a fair amount of grumbling, but it's Friday, and it does have a theme, albeit a very cryptic one. An over-sized 15 x 16 grid, no outlier letters, several names, no Twurds, sixteen 3LWs, and no circles, but perhaps "*" on the themers would have helped, as they coincided with other same-length fills:
17. Female sib: DOSIDOS - SISter, abbr in the clue, abbr in the answer, no relation to the actual fill of do-si-do, the dance step ( and now I see, a strain of marijuana, plus the Girl Scout cookie ); the same non-relation goes for all of the themers . . .
18. Cozy eatery: CAREFREE - CAFE, not the 'care-free' attitude, e.g.
23. Man of La Mancha: SEMIMINOR - SEÑOR, Español for "man" in the Spanish city - which we also learned from last week's clue/answer "Dulcinea" fiasco; filled mostly via perps, and I did not know what the definition of "Semi Minor" was;
38. The complete set: ALFALFA - ALL - strangely, a sorta dupe from yesterday . . .
45. Big flowerpot: SOURSON - URN - "loses interest in"; almost impossible to fill in without understanding the theme
57. Extemporizes: LAVALAMPS - VAMPS - the "musical improvisation" definition. The green one in my office -
67. Low-level laborer: PETITION - PEON, my first thought, but was obviously too short for the eight-letter fill in the grid
69. "Perfect!," or how to make seven answers in this puzzle match their clues?: NONOTES - D'Oh~! A deer, a female deer - if you were able to "Be Sharp" and remove the doubled Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do pairings ( and I know it's usually referred to as "SOL" ) from the answers, what you're left with are explanations for the clues 😁
ACROSS:
1. Barnyard call: MAA - cows go "moo", sheep go "baa", so this must be goats
4. A pop: PER
7. Compels: FORCES
13. Like some pickup-only deals: IN-STORE
15. Prehistoric hand tool: STONEAXE - A uniquie fill
20. Second singer to be honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award: SINATRA - and the first singer was~? Answer at the end, name #2
22. Some laptops: PCs
25. Ernie's "Sing After Me" duet partner: ELMO - Good guess on my part; not BERT - name #3
28. Monument Valley formation: MESA
30. Winter layer: COAT - I was not fooled, didn't go with SNOW, RIME or HOAR
33. __ Nation: Jay-Z's conglomerate: ROC - name (ish)
36. Novelist Quindlen: ANNA - No clue, more here, name #4
40. Approximately: ABOUT
42. Many a K-pop singer: IDOL
44. Starting lineup: A-TEAM
47. Gaelic speaker: CELT
49. Cornerback Bly in the College Football Hall of Fame: DRÉ - No clue, name #5
50. Was gripping?: HELD - Har-har
51. Breathe fire, say: RAGE - the sin of the Fifth Circle of Hell
53. Inhale, maybe: EAT - slang for eating fast
55. Couple: DUAD - Not being DUET caused all sorts of grief
62. "Thrilla in Manila" boxer: ALI - Crossword staple, name #6
64. Approached bedtime: LATENED - "got late"
66. Wife of Zeus: HERA - name #7
71. Peppers in some mole sauces: POBLANOS - oof. I didn't know the name of this pepper, and it's a unique fill, so new to any crossword - more here
72. Writer/illustrator who often wrote in anapestic tetrameter: Dr. SEUSS - the rhyming 'pace', depicted as da - da - DUM. My blogs are written in all-a-puzzle octalmeter . . . name #8
73. Villainous looks: SNEERS - This fish, my S-i-L calls "Vegas", hovered in the corner of the tank and stared at me the whole time I was down on Long Island . . .
I'm watchin' you . . . Creepy
74. With 27-Across, big name in watercraft: SEA - AND - 27A. See 74-Across: DOO. Their website
75. Therapist's maj.: PSYchology
DOWN:
1. King with a touching story?: MIDAS - the golden touch of mythology - my first thought was ELVIS😜, #9
2. Battery part: ANODE
3. Breakfast tea variety: ASSAM - Dah~! Not PEKOE
4. Pea sheller's discard: POD
5. Canyon former: EROSION
6. Amber, once: RESIN
7. "Seriously?": "FORREAL~?" - Rhymes with . . .
8. "Gorilla Warfare" artist Shaquille: O'NEAL - Name #10, but that's who I figured - not too many people named Shaquille - and his "art"
9. NWSL official: REF - abbr for the National Womens' Soccer League; I ventured a guess at something something Sports League . . . enough to take a WAG
10. Didn't ride solo: CARPOOLED
11. Corp. bigwig: EXECutive
12. Goes out with: SEES - Crossword friendly "E"s and "S"s on the edge
14. Retiring: TIMID - Dah~! Not IN BED, but an obscure definition
15. Shake: SCARE - Friday. Vague.
16. Ink spot, for short: TATtoo - so many ladies at the gym with ink art, but I just don't care for it; to me, it's like graffiti on the Venus De Milo
Yecht - looks "dirty"
21. Digital __: remote tech worker: NOMAD - I have not heard this phrase, but sounds like a great way to work in the 21st century
24. Deep defenses: MOATS - two weeks in a row on Friday
Caerlaverock castle, Scotland
26. MD-to-be's exam: MCAT - Medical College Admission Test
29. Clearance event: SALE
31. Not nearby: AFAR
32. No longer feral: TAME - this guy only gets feral when the FedEx guy pulls up . . .
Told you he was a licker . . .
33. Impetuous: RASH - I went with RUDE, only 25% correct
34. Clarinet kin: OBOE - about the only 'gimme' in the SW
35. "Do my eyes deceive me?": "COULDITBE~?" - Solid, but tough to suss in the Down position, and no crossings to work with either
37. Totenberg of NPR: NINA - I don't listen, more here. Name #11
39. Like some flaws: FATAL
41. Linguistic cousin of Hindi: URDU
43. One of a geographic quintet: OCEAN - Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Antarctic & Arctic
46. Formally decrees: ORDAINS - that's the word I could not think of; I was stuck on ORATES
48. Galena, e.g.: LEADORE - I knew this, but for some reason, put in IRON - that's these ores
52. Bonny landscapes: GLENS
Aye, she's a bonny lass
54. Sierra Nevada lake: TAHOE - Geo name #12
56. Match point?: ALTAR - And I thought I was being clever with "FLAME" = tip, but this is the wedded bliss kind of point - the "location"
58. Sells: VENDS
59. Came together: METUP
60. Olive oil maker: PRESS
61. Flip: SASSY - flip, the adjective, not the verb
62. Intro courses?: APPS - Ah. The restaurant menu appetizers, that is
63. Swimmer Marchand who won four gold medals at Paris 2024: LEON - oof. Friday. Frawnche. Name #13
65. "__ true!": TOO - I had "TIS" to start
68. __-de-France: Paris's region: ILE - Frawnche #2 - guessed it, put it in, took it out, put it right back in, and I shaked it all about . . . 🙄
Happy Birthday to our dear Dave (CrossEyedDave)! He's always there when I need a helping hand with the blog, and he never misses a chance to celebrate our regulars with his wonderful birthday cake pictures. Thank you for your kindness, thoughtfulness, and all the smiles you bring to our little crossword family. We're so lucky to have you in our corner, Dave!
Wyatt Johnston is a PhD student in Operations Research at UT Austin whocreates and publishes his own custom crossword puzzles. Today he makes his LAT debut. Congrats!
No revealer, just clues that pit one entity against another, and answers that end in synonyms for "conflict."
17. Gas vs. electric?: OVEN BROIL. BROIL is an outdated word for an argument. And ovens have a broiler, so there's that. This one had me speculating if the "B" was added to ROIL as part of a theme, but that was a red herring. In and of itself, OVEN BROIL isn't anything but it does characterize the gas vs. electric debate.
24. Kenwood vs. Sony?: RADIO STATIC. On the other hand, RADIO STATIC is a real thing and also depicts an argument between stereophiles.
41. Old World vs. New World?: CONTINENTAL RIFT. Here he's changed the rules and dropped a letter to create a pun. Instead of continental Drift, we have CONTINENTAL RIFT.
51. Montagues vs. Capulets?: ITALIAN BEEF. Now we're back to a real thing again. The Montagues and Capulets are rival ITALIAN families in Romeo and Juliet. Their feud may be described as a BEEF.
66. Carnivore vs. vegetarian?: FOOD SCRAP. A SCRAP over FOOD. Although after dropping a letter in "drift," and possibly adding one for "roil," I wondered if this should be SCRAPE, which also can be a fight.
These themers seem to be all over the place. Real phrases vs. meaningless ones, and complete vs. omitted letters. I also found this puzzle to be a little tricky because of the afore mentioned odd phrasing. So, I'm a bit conflicted but it's still a valiant first effort.
Let's look at the rest:
Across:
1. __ bass: SLAP. SEA was too short so we're talking about a percussive playing technique on a bass guitar. Well-known examples of SLAP bass are the scene transitions in Seinfeld.
My trusty 1976 Rickenbacker 4001 bass
5. Support before a run, perhaps: T-BAR. A T-BAR is a surface lift that drags pulls skiers up a slope before a run.
9. One way to take the bull by the horns?: LASSO. Fun clue.
14. Gilded element in some religious art: HALO. A gold HALO in paintings represents divine light, holiness, royalty, and spiritual illumination. One often appears magically above me in my photos.
15. "The Good Dinosaur" dinosaur: ARLO. ARLO Guthrie may be old, but I wouldn't call him a dinosaur...
16. In base eight: OCTAL.
17. [theme]
19. Play lightly: STRUM. While I sometimes STRUM, I'd rather play lead. 🤘
20. Course selection for a student with senioritis, maybe: EASY A. A "gut" course in my old college parlance.
21. Mind: OBEY.
23. Hose shade: NUDE. Designed to look like you're not wearing hose. Go figure.
24. [theme]
27. Benders: SPREES.
31. Ruling to restart court proceedings: LET. On a tennis court, when a served ball strikes the net but still goes in, it is a do-over called a LET.
32. Arctic Monkeys lead singer Turner: ALEX. The Arctic Monkeys are an English rock band that has won seven Brit Awards (like Grammy Awards) and has sold over 30 million records. ALEX also cowrites the songs.
33. Denny's rival: IHOP. The International House Of Pancakes rebranded itself as IHOP because they were paying by the letter on signage. Probably.
37. Subtle vibes: AURAS. These are often depicted in art as a luminous cloud or ring (like a HALO) around the head or body of a deity or sacred figure.
41. [theme]
44. Katana, e.g.: SWORD. A katana is a traditional Japanese swordcharacterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a long grip designed for two-handed use.
45. Average: MEAN.
46. Home of the Taj Mahal: AGRA. Luckily for xword constructors, the Taj Mahal will always be in AGRA, no matter how they clue it. And this one was as straightforward as they come.
47. The whole lot: ALL.
49. Country legend Willie: NELSON. In the '60s, Willie played a Baldwin 800C acoustic-electric guitar. In 1969, a drunk person accidentally stepped on and crushed it during a performance in Texas. When he found it couldn't be fixed, his repairman sold him the now-famous Martin N-20 classical guitar that he named Trigger.
Willie back in the '60s with his Baldwin 800C
51. [theme]
57. Sufi mystic who wrote the six-volume poem the Masnavi: RUMI. A masnavi is a poem written in rhyming couplets. It is the workhorse long form of Persian poetry, the most famous of which is the Masnavi-ye Ma'navi, a spiritual epic by the thirteenth-century Persian poet Jalal al-Din RUMI.
58. See 48-Down: POOL.
59. "You got that right": FACTS. FACTS is slang to express strong agreement. FACTS!
64. Green shade: OLIVE.
66. [theme]
68. Stanley's "The Devil Wears Prada" role: NIGEL. Stanley Tucci portrays NIGEL Kipling, the sharp-witted Art Director at the fashion magazine Runway.
69. Not on board with: ANTI.
70. Whipped up: MADE.
71. Twitch: SPASM.
72. Overflow (with): TEEM.
73. Quaint cry: EGAD.
Down:
1. Card dispenser: SHOE. A dealer's SHOE is a gaming device used mainly in casinos to hold multiple decks of playing cards.
2. Heavy-duty soap made by WD-40: LAVA. The key natural ingredient of LAVA is pumice (ground volcanic ash). It works very well to remove heavy grease and even TAR.
3. Some drafts: ALES.
4. Petting zoo ride: PONY.
5. Paving gunk: TAR. If you get some on your hands, try using LAVA.
6. Clutch: BROOD. These aren't quite the same. A clutch is a group of eggs laid together in a nest, while a BROOD is the group of young offspring that hatch from those eggs.
7. "I was home watching TV all night," e.g.: ALIBI. "I was watching crime dramas."
8. Birling contest: ROLEO. Birling is commonly known as logrolling. It is an event at a lumberjack ROLEO (a twist on a RODEO).
9. Spanish article: LOS.
10. "Quick, look like you're not up to something!": ACT NATURAL. "Hey, I'm just watching TV!"
11. Confident gait: STRUT.
12. __ Arabia: SAUDI.
13. Early Mesoamerican civilization: OLMEC. Like last week, the answer wasn't Aztec (which I tried) or Mayan. The OLMEC civilization was the first major culture in Mesoamerica (southern Mexico), dating approximately from 1200 to 400 BCE.
18. Expose: BARE.
22. Runway letters: YSL. Yves Saint Laurent.
25. "That is to say ... ": AS IN. This one doesn't quite click either.
26. Aqua kin: TEAL.
27. Egg pouches: SACS.
28. Snowbank creator: PLOW. In South Florida, our garbage trucks double as snowplows.
29. Silver State city: RENO.
30. Boosts in some games: EXTRA LIVES.
34. Cutting edge of fashion?: HEM. Winner: Best Clue. 🏆
35. Common Scrabble tile value: ONE.
36. School org.: PTA. Parent-Teacher Association.
38. Semis: RIGS. Semi-trailer trucks are big RIGS.
39. Curly coif: AFRO.
40. Superfan: STAN. I'm finally getting the hang of this one. It only took twenty-five years.
42. Asian rice cake: IDLI. "An IDLI cake is the devil's food." Or something like that.
IDLI is a traditional South Indian steamed rice cake
43. Green Gables girl: ANNE.
48. With 58-Across, exercise venue: LAP.
50. Really bad grades: EFFS. Why no "E"s on a report card? I once got straight "E"s and I told my parents that meant Excellence, not near failing. They almost bought it.
51. Does a laundry chore: IRONS. I wrote FOLDS at first, which briefly screwed up the SW corner.
52. Spring bloom: TULIP. Last March, my son and DIL visited the Skagit Valley TULIP Festival near Seattle. Amazing fields of color!
53. Latina friend: AMIGA.
54. Like some lean products: NO FAT.
55. Yankees manager Aaron: BOONE. The former infielder has been the Yankees manager since 2018.
56. Street corn often topped with cotija: ELOTE. ELOTE is a popular Mexican street foodconsisting of grilled or boiled corn on the cob slathered in a creamy sauce and topped with cheese and spices.
60. Cartoon supplier of instant roads: ACME. ACME also makes Portable Holes.
I think that's where our highway department gets them.
Well, the theme is obviously in The Reveal: TAG Lines.
The Reveal:
59. Across. Marketing slogans, or what the answers to the starred clues are?: TAG LINES.
But, what makes these themers so Tag Worthy?
17. Across. *Black Friday enticement: LOW PRICE.
Hmm, I wonder if C.C. would let me make some money doing these write ups...
(I work cheap...)
Um, CE:D here,, none of the other volunteers would stoop this low...
24. Across. *Words with a WWII-era doodle: KILROY WAS HERE.
If you visit the WWII memorial in Washington D.C.
Be sure to walk around the back,
Where you will find etched into the granite,
"Kilroy Was Here!"
They say there are two, I have yet to find the second one..
39. Across. *Shout on a playground: YOU'RE IT.
50. Across. *Introductory phrase: HELLO MY NAME IS.
I once accompanied DW to her High School reunion,
And everyone had to wear a name tag...
So I wrote on mine, "No One You Need To Know."
As I never attended this school,
And for some reason, people thought it was hilarious...
Hmm, I dunno, I am having trouble describing this theme.
Perhaps we should let a professional do it...
Um, ok, let's get on with then, shall we...
Across: 1. No-frills supermarket chain: ALDI. There is quite a story about the two brothers quarrel that split Aldi and Lidl into two grocery chains, and then one brother bought Trader Joe's... I will let you Google it as I get enough of this stuff because DW watches Real Wives (of wherever) while I hide in another room...
5. Receipt fig.: AMT. (figure/amount)
8. Puzzle: BEMUSE. (Not enigma...)
14. Weaver's machine: LOOM.
In the coming apocalypse, you may find this useful.
Just try and remember how without Wi-Fi or YouTube...
15. "Pshaw!": HAH.
16. Perfect alignment: UNISON.
Nah! I don't see it happening...
17. [Theme.]
19. Peak with a name from Koyukon: DENALI. This is where I got stuck doing the write up, I mean, we did this before. In a site all about words, what's the point if you keep changing them....?
20. "The Matrix" hero: NEO. Um,, should I post the clip where A.I. glues his mouth shut? (Nah, I 'm just trying to censor myself...)
21. Wee bit: A TAD. ( it was just a little Vodka,,, I swear...)
23. Left in a cave, as some cheese: AGED. Jeez, that explains it, I was cheesed...
24. [Theme.]
28. Mardi Gras song originally called "Jock-A-Mo": IKOIKO. Um, ok, i know I'm supposed to explain all this, but WTF is IKOIKO supposed to be? Really? Dang! I have to look this up? (This is going to take more Grey Hairs than I can affford... )
Ok, a week later,, I finally got up the courage to look this dang thing up,,, and it's supposed to be IKO IKO.
I dunno CC, maybe im too old to do this ...
29. Fabled race day napper: HARE. And fabled puzzle reviewer: CE:D...
30. "I'll shake on that!": DEAL. Are we talking about a nap?
31. Berra with a record 10 World Series rings as a player: YOGI. When you come to the fork, take it...
34. Centipede releaser: ATARI. Hmm, it's a good thing this was a game, because I would be tap dancing all over this ala Fred Astaire...
38. Family guy: DAD. Ok, but this could have been anybody...
39. [Theme.]
41. Pod of whales: GAM. Dang! I am still trying to pencil in "Pod" here...
42. "Do the Right Thing" actor Davis: OSSIE. (Did he ever get stuck in a gam of whales?)
44. Stint in office: TERM. I dunno, lately this could have been "sentence..."
45. Much Duchamp work: DADA. Um, I will let you look this up Here, as when I looked it up, it made me want to go to the bathroom...
46. Pitch setter: CLEF. If you want to know how to draw one... personally, I have a hard time staying in one clef, I guess it's a side affect of being scatterbrained...
48. Superhot, as wing sauce: ATOMIC. Personally, I did not like this clue/answer, As it could have been anything... now, if the perps were friendly, I could stomach this... (were the perps friendly for you?)
63. Does some tailoring on: ALTERS. Hmm, so many possibilities, ,,
64. "Fearless" or "Lover," for Taylor Swift: ERA. ( why is everything an Era with her...? ) jeez girl, lighten up...
65. Iditarod terminus city: NOME. Um, if you want to be uplifted by a true story,
May I suggest Balto...
Also, may I suggest the animated version if you don't want to freeze your toes off...
66. Thrift store transaction: RESALE.
67. Sketch show with celebrity 50-Down, for short: SNL.
Jeez, what do you have to do to get on this show?
68. Flakes: SNOW. I dunno, I'm partial to Idahoan potato flakes myself, and I hate the cold... so this clue/answer that should have been easy, kind of got me into a, hmm, whattaya call it? Not quicksand, but an oatmeal/ porridgey kind of mess to finish the acrosses... at least, with Idahoan, you never get Lumps...
Down: 1. __ too soon: ALL. Ack! What a way to start the downs! ( I feel like I'm falling!)
2. Lav: LOO. (Whew! What a relief to land here..,)
3. Gets off the web: DOWNLOADS. Hmm, used to be easy , now It's work... (see George Jetson for intel...)
4. Put at risk: IMPERIL. "Be careful what you download!"
Um, I tried to find a definition of the geometric meaning of Theta for you,
But it was Greek to me...
8. Subject of a 49-foot bronze statue in Nara, Japan: BUDDHA. 9. WSW opposite: ENE. (I hate it when crosswords get me all turned around...)
10. Mosque tower: MINARET.
11. Utility bill data: USAGE.
12. Foot part: SOLE. Not inch, arch, or...
13. "Wednesday" werewolf: ENID. Ok, I know nothing about what happened to The Addams Family after Raul Julia passed away.., But here is more if interested
18. Chess piece in castling: ROOK. Not King!
22. More pale: ASHIER.
24. Little buddy: KIDDO. Hmm, how would you clue this? (Roo-ey?, goat offspring something or other?) I am lost on this one...
25. Stores with Småland play areas: IKEAS. I dunno, I think the whole place is a giant fire hazard... but I do like the meatballs... (have you ever tried to navigate thru IKEA?)
26. Fluctuate wildly: YOYO. (Technically, yo-yo is a hyphenated compound word. But can be one word in informal usage...)
27. Basic Latin verb: ERAT. (I dunno, it's Greek to me...)
32. Determined to get: OUT FOR. Hmm, this seems out of place for a Wednesday puzzle. It's almost like the constructor was out to get us...
35. Leader of the Greek army during the Trojan War: AGAMEMNON.
I always liked how he was portrayed by Sean Connery in The Time Bandits.
If you want to be to know more, ask Kevin...
36. Diameter halves: RADII. (Pronounced EeEye... I think I have it half right...)
37. Apple desktops: IMACS. Yes, it's one word, even when plural...
39. Talk over the clamor: YELL.
40. "Ms. Marvel" star Vellani: IMAN.
43. Pure Leaf beverage: ICED TEA.
Never heard of it...
45. Realms: DOMAINS.
47. Pass by: ELAPSE.
49. Starbucks size: TALL. If you are willing to pay upwards of 4 bucks for a coffee, you also get A ridiculous size terminology for your overpayment...
Hmm, I could have sworn he said can you spare a dime for a cup of Joe...
50. Members of 67-Across's Five-Timers Club, e.g.: HOSTS. Arrows and banjo's optional...
51. Tiny arachnids: MITES.
52. Pine (for): YEARN.
53. Type of ski lift: T BAR. They tried a J bar, but it was a pain in the A**.
You Think You're Feta Than Me? We are in dairy country today where the first word of each theme answer is a type of cheese.
17-Across. Seth MacFarlane cartoon series: AMERICAN DAD. American cheese was invented in the 1910s by James L. Kraft (né James Lewis Kraft; Dec. 11, 1874 ~ Feb. 16, 1953), the founder of Kraft Foods Inc. He patented his manufacturing process in 1916.
26-Across. Conversation that might involve Jordan and LeBron: GOAT DEBATE. Both Michael Jordan (b. Feb. 17, 1963) and LeBron James (b. Dec. 30, 1984) may be considered the Greatest Of All Time basketball players. A brief history of Goat Cheese.
38-Across. Big lottery win: JACKPOT. Jack cheese, also known as Monterey Jack, is a mild, semi-hard white cheese made from cow's milk. What is the true origin of Jack Cheese?
52-Across. "Room" Best Actress Oscar winner: BRIE LARSON. Everything you ever wanted to know about Brie Cheese, but were afraid to inquire.
60-Across. Green Bay Packers fans, or what 17-, 26-, 38-, and 52-Across have: CHEESE HEADS. Note that the first part (or Head) of each phrase is a type of Cheese.
Here's the Grid:
I found this to be another challenging Tuesday puzzle.
Across:
1. Make red-faced: ABASH.
6. Feature of some Southern accents: TWANG.
A Twang so southern it is from New Zealand.
11. Bread with caraway seeds: RYE. Yummers! Rye bread with caraway seeds is a hearty, dense loaf featuring an earthy rye flavor paired with the distinct citrusy, peppery, and anise-like taste of caraway.
14. Like unhelpful hints: VAGUE.
15. Civic-minded brand?: HONDA. Cute clue.
16. Snakelike fish: EEL.
19. Language in which "Baw pen nyang" means "It's nothing": LAO. The language of Laos.
20. Ballpark snack: FRANK.
21. Hotel customer: GUEST.
23. Lane of "Superman": LOIS.
29. Promises: ASSURES.
31. Solemn acts: RITES.
32. Letter before lambda: KAPPA. It's Greek to me.
33. Moral wrong: SIN.
34. Get a better loan rate, for short: RE-FI. As in ReFinance.
37. __ out a living: EKE.
42. __ sum: bite-sized Chinese fare: DIM. We went to a traditional Dim Sum at Maxim's Palace the last time we were in Hong Kong. There were so many tempting dishes to select from.
43. Truly engrossed: RAPT.
45. Quaker possessive: THY.
46. Running track shapes, often: OVALS.
48. Seven, in Spanish: SIETE. Today's Spanish math lesson.
50. Sea cow: MANATEE. A shout out to our very own Manatee.
55. Take a day off, say: REST.
56. Baggy: LOOSE.
57. __-frutti: TUTTI. Today's Italian lesson. Tutti frutti roughly translates from Italian as all fruits. It's also a Little Richard song.
59. Wine cask wood: OAK.
66. Carry-on screeners: Abbr.: TSA. As in Transportation Security Administration.
67. Bridgestone products: TIRES.
68. Bright courtyards: ATRIA. Today's Latin lesson. The word atria is the Latin plural of atrium, meaning the central room or entrance hall of an ancient Roman house.
69. "Charlotte's Web" enclosure: STY. The the backstory of Charlotte's Web.
70. Bowling score indicated by a slash: SPARE.
71. Used a keyboard: TYPED.
Down:
1. "Hacks" comedy writer Daniels: AVA. Ava Daniels is the fictional character in the sit-com Hacks. She was portrayed by Hannah Einbinder (b. May 21, 1995), who is the daughter of Laraine Newman (b. Mar. 2, 1952) of Saturday Night Live fame.
Laraine Newman with her daughter, Hannah
2. Impact sound: BAM.
3. The "A" of A/S/L: AGE. Apparently this means Age, Sex, Location and was used in chat rooms.
4. "Let's catch some waves!": SURF'S UP.
5. Whodunit suspect: HEIR.
6. Marvel villain played by Josh Brolin: THANOS. I am not up on my Marvel villains.
7. Fictional chocolatier: WONKA. As in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. It as an adaptation of the book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl (Sept. 13, 1916 ~ Nov. 23, 1990).
8. "On top of that ... ": AND.
9. Secrecy doc: NDA. As in a Non-Disclosure Agreement.
10. Gizmo: GADGET.
11. Information on a movie poster: RELEASE DATE.
12. Baker's supply: YEAST.
13. Mexican corn dish: ELOTE. Yummers!
18. Bird house?: CAGE.
22. App with a Women Drivers option: UBER.
23. L.A. NBAer: LAKER.
24. Honshu port city: OSAKA. Honshu is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. Osaka is the second largest city in Japan.
25. Server's query after a drink order, perhaps: IS PEPSI OKAY? No, Pepsi is NOT okay.
27. Journey: TRIP.
28. T. rex, for one: DINO.
30. TV friend of Sheldon and Howard: RAJ. A reference to The Big Bang Theory. I never saw the attraction of this show, but it was very popular.
33. Cloud location: SKY.
35. Computer folder contents: FILES.
36. "Nothing for me, thanks!": I'M SET.
39. Flour for chapati and roti: ATTA. This wheat has been making frequent appearances in the puzzles.
40. "Believe" diva: CHER. It's hard to believe that Cher (née Cheryl Sarkisian; b. May 20, 1946) it 80 years old.
41. Heavy load: TON.
44. Formal neckwear: TIES.
47. Assortment: VARIETY.
49. Puts in office: ELECTS. Election day is coming up. I'll be glad when it's over.
50. Styling foam: MOUSSE.
51. Poker stake: ANTE.
52. Rorschach test shapes: BLOTS.
53. Cook in an oven: ROAST.
54. Pilot: STEER.
58. The one there: THAT.
61. __-hop music: HIP.
62. Slice of history: ERA.
63. Dada artist Jean: ARP. Jean Arp (né Hans Peter Wilhelm Arp; Sept. 16, 1886 ~ June 7, 1966) used to make frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.
64. Monopoly cube: DIE.
65. Melancholy: SAD.
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