L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Adam Aaronson

Oct 26, 2024

Saturday, October 26, 2024, Adam Aaronson

Saturday Themeless by Adam Aaronson

There are lots of ways to struggle with a crossword and today I decided to enter what I thought was a solid/clever fill that turned out to be wrong. At 46. Upper class, often: SEMINAR, I thought SENIORS compose most upper classes and stuck with it. When I saw that I should have had SEMINAR, that part of the puzzle opened up very quickly. I do have to take one bad cell at S(H)EIN/(H)EARTH but I did enjoy the struggle.

Here is a wonderful story about Adam's start in the construction game at 19 years old.

Across:

1. Genre embraced by Miles Davis in the late 1960s: JAZZ FUSION.

11. Intel on a political rival: OPPO - What they dig up in OPPOsition research makes you wonder how you could vote for anybody.

15. Speaker of the house?: AMAZON ECHO.

16. Einsteinhaus city: BERN - Where Albert lived from 1902 - 1909 and developed his theory of relativity

17. Bottom of a pie: PIZZA CRUST 😀

18. Quantity of strontium in an award-winning 2018 photograph: ATOM.

19. Professor's domain: EDU.

20. Throng: MOB.

21. Insect that collaborates through stigmergy: TERMITE - Stigmergy is the method in which social organisms communicate indirectly by sensing and shaping what’s around them without following a plan. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

23. "__ de Funk": Horace Silver composition: OPUS ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

24. Postop prescription: OPIATE.

A common one

25. Narrow channel: STRAIT - The one that leaps to my mind

28. __ musubi: meat-and-rice snack: SPAM - I knew SPAM was popular in Hawaii

29. "__ Mubarak": EID.

31. Hestia's domain: HEARTH - Greek goddess ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

32. Didn't divulge: HID.

33. "Dumb Money" star Paul: DANO.

34. Extremities: EDGES.

35. Check: VET - You try to VET anyone before you hire or appoint them

36. Stallone role: RAMBO - Turns out Rocky works too

37. Checked at the door: IDED.

38. Cap: LID.

39. Decidedly non-vegan kid-lit character: SAM I AM - Sam keeps offering...

40. Airport code that encompasses EWR, JFK, and LGA: NYC.

41. Boatloads: TONS.

42. "The Twelve Days of Christmas" musicians: PIPERS.

43. Dress part: BODICE.

45. Some Barbieland residents: KENS.

47. Unite: WED.

48. York mother: MUM.

51. Placed, as bets: LAID - In last year's Super Bowl, you LAID the points if you thought KC would win by more than 1.5 points and took the points if you thought SF would win. KC won by 3 and that was the winning bet.

52. Made a solo arrangement?: LIVED ALONE 😀

55. Rainbow forms: ARCS.

56. Bright green cocktails: APPLETINIS.

57. Furtive summons: PSST.

58. Walkway created by foot traffic: DESIRE PATH - I've never heard of the term but it makes good sense

Down:

1. Zinger: JAPE.

2. During: AMID - The start of one of my favorite poems

3. Bird voiced by John Oliver in "The Lion King": ZAZU.

4. "Bo-o-oring!": ZZZ.

5. Spots for soft landings: FOAM PITS.

6. Crude: UNCOUTH.

7. Jokic and Jovic of the NBA, e.g.: SERBS - +1

8. Hosp. area: ICU.

9. "You're too much!": OH STOP IT.

10. Tablet: NOTE PAD - Oh, one you don't plug in!

11. "Becoming" memoirist: OBAMA.

12. French girlfriend: PETITE AMIE.

13. Energy consumption unit?: PROTEIN BAR. 😀

14. "Your money's no good here!": ON ME.

22. Perimeter: RIM.

23. Spent time on the lake, say: OARED.

25. Fast-fashion giant based in Singapore: SHEIN ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

26. Loveable sorts: TEDDY BEARS.

27. Crudely drawn cartoons expressing frustration: RAGE COMICS.

28. Shakes: SHEDS.

30. Makes toast?: DOOMS.

33. Makes wet: DAMPS.

35. Like some tomatoes: VINE RIPE.

36. Outdoor concert contingency: RAIN DATE.

38. Yard sale sign, essentially: LOCAL AD.

39. Likely ticket holder?: SPEEDER.

41. __ ear: TIN.

44. Performed in a Shakespeare play?: DIDST.