google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Alan Olschwang

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Showing posts with label Alan Olschwang. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alan Olschwang. Show all posts

Jul 26, 2023

Wednesday, July 26, 2023, Alan Olschwang

Theme: BLAH BLAH BLAH


17. Watch straps: WRISTBANDS.

27. Chardonnay-based wine: WHITE BURGUNDY.

45. Reverse chin lock, for one: WRESTLING HOLD.

61. Verbose, and what the circled letters in this puzzle literally are?: LONG WINDED.

Melissa here. See how WIND is stretched out LONG across the theme answers? AND Circles! I know some people don't like them, but I like an extra layer in a puzzle.

Across:

1. Moving at a snail's pace: SLOW.

5. Wedding invite enclosures: RSVPS. French phrase, "répondez s'il vous plaît," directly translates to "Respond, if you please."

10. "Everything Everywhere All at Once" Oscar winner Michelle: YEOH. I've heard so many good things about this movie, but have yet to see it.

14. Campaign staffer: AIDE.

15. Not as sweet: ICIER. Cold as ice.

16. Event with demos: EXPO. In my area there is a home show every 3-4 months that is very popular. You can buy everything from professional quality blenders, to local spirits, to tiny homes on wheels, and they all have demos or tastings or tours.

19. A-line line: SEAM. Here is a pleated, a-line skirt.

20. Ed Asner's "Elf" role: SANTA.

21. Outdoor gear co-op: REI. Recreational Equipment, Inc., sells camping and hiking equipment and clothing. It's hard to get out of there without going broke.

22. Go by bike: CYCLE.

23. __ and cheese: MAC. So many restaurants have specialty versions now. A favorite lunch spot in Florence (on the Oregon coast) has add-ons of pesto, bacon, roasted veggies, pork chili verde, pot roast or fried brussel sprouts & sriracha.

25. Baja vacation spot, familiarly: CABO. Cabo San Lucas, a resort city on the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula.

33. Too clever __: BY HALF. I like this phrase. It means annoyingly proud of one's intelligence or skill and in danger of overreaching oneself. It was coined in George J. Whyte-Melville's 1858 book, ''The Interpreter.''

35. Many a Mideast native: ARAB. Originally from the Arabian peninsula and neighboring territories, inhabiting much of the Middle East and North Africa.

36. "You Only Love Me" singer Rita: ORA.

37. Oboe insert: REED.

38. TV spot seller: AD REP.

40. Eurasia's __ Mountains: URAL.

41. Paddle kin: OAR. Paddle Vs Oar: The Difference Between Oar And Paddle Explained

42. Continental currency: EURO.

43. Many a chalet: AFRAME. I feel claustrophobic just looking at some of them.


48. Poker stake: ANTE.

49. __ Center: Chicago skyscraper: AON. Chicago’s third-tallest building stands out in Chicago’s skyline, distinctively different from its steel-and-glass peers. Its history is rather more colorful than the stark white stone in which it is clad.


50. Old photo finish: SEPIA. Sepia is a reddish-brown color, named after the rich brown pigment derived from the ink sac of the common cuttlefish Sepia.

53. Pa: DAD.

55. Quai d'Orsay's river: SEINE.

60. Zero-shaped: OVAL.

63. Modest meal: BITE.

64. Accurately pitched: TUNED.

65. University list-maker: DEAN. The dean's list is a comparative award at many universities, awarded to the top percentage of students rather than everyone who earns a certain GPA. During a particularly competitive semester, where many students earn high grades, the GPA you need to qualify for the award may be higher.

66. Vehicle pulled by huskies: SLED.

67. Data for sabermetricians: STATS. From the Society For American Baseball Research (SABRE): As originally defined by Bill James in 1980, sabermetrics is “the search for objective knowledge about baseball.” James coined the phrase in part to honor the Society for American Baseball Research.

68. Singer-songwriter Bareilles: SARA.


Down:

1. Tree topplers: SAWS. No Nonsense Guide to Tree Felling. How to cut down a tree safely. 

2. Italian 42-Across predecessor: LIRA.

3. Norse god played by Anthony Hopkins: ODIN. Marvel: Sir Anthony Hopkins says Thor role was 'pointless acting.'


4. "__ Side Story": WEST.

5. Barbecue bone: RIB.

6. Hard to find: SCARCE.

7. Climbing plant: VINE.


8. Spa menu item: PEDICURE.

9. Next year's alums: SRS. Seniors.

10. "Who else would I be talking to?": YES YOU. That was a little tricky.

11. Corp. bigwig: EXEC.

12. Fall birthstone: OPAL. October.

13. "__ Front": Kristin Hannah novel about a military family: HOME. I've never read anything by Kristin Hannah but she sure is popular.

18. Sri Lankan language: TAMIL. Tamil is a Dravidian language natively spoken by the Tamil people of South Asia.

22. Bygone NYC punk venue: CBGB. Founded on the Bowery in New York City by Hilly Kristal in 1973; CBGB was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk and new wave bands like the Ramones, Blondie, Talking Heads, Misfits, Television, Patti Smith Group, The Dead Boys, The Dictators, The Cramps, and Joan Jett.

24. Guilty: AT FAULT.

26. Indigenous people of Colorado and Wyoming: ARAPAHO. Native American people historically living on the plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Lakota and Dakota.

27. "__ was I?": WHERE.

28. Owned: HAD.

29. Noble rank below viscount: BARON. A member of the lowest order of the British nobility. The term “Baron” is not used as a form of address in Britain. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knight, but lower than a viscount or count.

30. U.S./Canada defense letters: NORAD. North American Aerospace Defense Command is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection for Canada and the continental United States.

31. Small drink: DRAM. "A wee dram to ward off the winter chill."

32. New Haven university: YALE.

33. Forehead: BROW.

34. Calendar interval: YEAR.

39. Dehydrated: DRIED OUT.

40. Link letters: URL.

42. Sicilian peak: ETNA.

44. "Despacito" singer Luis: FONSI
. Puerto Rican singer.

46. Breezed (through): SAILED.

47. Thingamajig: GADGET. Whatsit. Doodad. Thingamabob. Gizmo.

50. Blubbers: SOBS.

51. Malicious: EVIL.

52. Mushroom spread: PATE. Usually made with meat. French term that loosely translates to paste. Paté is a savory filling of meat and fat that is baked in a terrine (an earthenware vessel) and served hot or cold. The most famous pâté is probably pâté de foie gras, made from the livers of fattened geese.

54. Paquin of "The Irishman": ANNA.

56. Wraps up: ENDS.

57. Concept: IDEA.

58. In the area: NEAR.

59. Novelist Ferber: EDNA.

61. Mil. officers: LTS. The time Gary Sinise first saw his missing legs in ‘Forrest Gump.’


62. OED entries: WDS. Oxford English Dictionary entries = Words.


Note from Melissa: Two pieces of NCR (Not Crossword Related) News:

Jaelyn and Harper will be joined by baby #3, also a girl, in late November or early December of this year. 

Some of you know I married in 2017. I met my husband Jacob through my work, he is an incarcerated activist in Washington state who I started working with in 2016, when he organized a fundraiser by prisoners (who make no more than 42 cents an hour) to raise money for our website. We recently received the wonderful and unexpected news that he is coming home soon, in time to meet our new grandlove.​ He is already being courted by various prison reform, legal, and legislative organizations that he has worked with over the last 10 years. We are over the moon.

Sep 11, 2022

Sunday September 11, 2022 Alan Olschwang

 

Theme:  "Triple Play" - Second word is the first word with an extra letter, third word is the second word with an extra letter.

23A. Cherries jubilee?: BIG BING BINGE.

35A. "I mean a different cereal box mascot!"?: NO NOT TONY.

52A. Headline after the IT department fixes a bug on Hulu?: TEAM TAMES STREAM.

90A. Beer brewed by the Royal Family?: REAL REGAL LAGERS.

110A. Where NHLers serve penalty time?: IN SIN BINS.

124. Wading bird that a girl can really look up to?: HER HERO HERON

16D. Dolly the sheep, sitting all by herself?: ONE LONE CLONE.

64D. Cheap perfume?: TEN CENT SCENT.

Some of you are aware that I started blogging the Tribune Media Daily back in 2008. Alan had a quote/quip every Thursday. It's always comforting to see his byline.

Both 124A and 16D have an orderly letter addition to the end or the start. I think Alan tried to come a full set like this but could not make it work.

 
Across:

1. Wii or Xbox aficionado: GAMER.

6. Tantalizes: TEASES.

12. Mop & __: GLO.

15. Persian Gulf capital: DOHA. Legal to have a beer there.

19. Moby Dick, e.g.: WHALE.

20. Hint at, with "to": ALLUDE.

21. Long time: EON.

22. Unknown author, for short: ANON. We have our Anon-T.

25. Area that separates a nave from a sanctuary: TRANSEPT. See this.



27. Nixed, at NASA: NO GO.

28. Make less strict: EASE.

29. Areas of human development: UTERI.

30. "Macarena" band __ del Río: LOS. Quite a craze then.

31. Topped, in a way: CROWNED.

34. French possessive pronoun: SES. His/Her.

37. Actor Holbrook: HAL.

38. Swill: SLOP.

40. Warn with a horn: TOOT.

42. Brown in the kitchen: ALTON. Host of "Iron Chef America".



43. Spring flower: IRIS.

45. India's smallest state: GOA.



47. "Trinity" novelist Leon: URIS.

49. Ships with staterooms: LINERS.

57. "Law & Order: SVU" actor: ICE T.

58. All over the place: ERRATIC.

59. Headliner: STAR.

61. Merrie __ England: OLDE.

62. Hold on to: RETAIN.

65. Comedian Silverman: SARAH. So witty.



68. Scrutinized: EYED.

70. All __ sudden: OF A.

71. Tipped off: ALERTED.

73. Neck parts: NAPES.

75. Sea nymph of Greek mythology: OCEANID. Learning moment for me.

77. Junior: SON.

78. Roof with removable panels: T TOP.

80. Defensive trenches: MOATS.

82. Birch family trees: ALDERS.

83. Check mark: TICK.

85. Reggae great Peter: TOSH. Part of the Wailers. We also have 62. Many dreadlocks wearers: RASTAS.


87. Plain: VANILLA.

89. Sailing: ASEA.

96. Security system component: SENSOR.

99. Manitoba First Nations people: CREE.

100. __ trip: EGO.

101. North Carolina college town: ELON. Was it named after someone named Elon?

102. Crook: THIEF.

104. "Yeah, right!": AS IF.

106. Tight-fitting: SNUG.

109. Former owner of Virgin Records: EMI.

113. Game with matchsticks: NIM.

115. Fruit jam in Sacher tortes: APRICOT.



117. Japanese IT services giant: NEC.

118. Mila of "Bad Moms": KUNIS.

119. Useless, batterywise: DEAD. Also 131. Battery terminal: ANODE.

121. Small fruit pie: TART.

122. Knight spot?: CHESS SET. Works without ? in the clue also.

128. River in Tuscany: ARNO.

129. Before, in ballads: ERE.

130. Changed into: BECAME.

132. "Oh, shoot": NUTS.

133. Leb. neighbor: SYR.

134. "... if you know what's good for you!": OR ELSE.

135. Repairs: MENDS.

Down:

1. Hudson Riv. crossing: GWB. George Washington Bridge.

2. Sushi-grade tuna: AHI.

3. Official flower of two Southern states: MAGNOLIA. Louisiana and Mississippi.


4. __ grease: ELBOW.

5. Rules: REIGNS.

6. Schoolyard game: TAG.

7. Dresden's river: ELBE.

8. Margaret Atwood's "__ Grace": ALIAS. Unfamiliar to me.



9. Nightly show with free admission: SUNSET.

10. Beats by a whisker: EDGES OUT.

11. "Catch my drift?": SEE.

12. Really bug: GET TO.

13. Golfer Ochoa: LORENA.

14. Winning steadily: ON A ROLL. 17. Climb aboard: HOP ON.

15. Some govt. lawyers: DAS.

18. Nasty anagram: ANTSY.

24. Yule tune: NOEL.

26. Tucci's "Road to Perdition" role: NITTI. Frank Nitti.


29. Lets loose: UNTIES.

31. Gambler's marker: CHIT.

32. Almost unique: RARE.

33. Religious doctrine: DOGMA.

36. "Pagliacci" clown: TONIO.

39. Audre Lorde and Lord Byron, e.g.: POETS.

41. NHL great Bobby: ORR. Boston Bruins.



44. Ink mishap: SMEAR.

46. Like most of the world's people: ASIAN.

48. Make full: SATE.

50. Colorful timber tree: RED FIR.

51. Places: STEADS.

53. Travis of country: TRITT.

54. "BoJack Horseman" voice actor Will: ARNETT.


55. "Get lost!": SCRAM.

56. BLT spread: MAYO. Bánh mì as well.

60. Car manufacturer's woe: RECALL.

63. Plaza Hotel girl: ELOISE.

66. Mil. mail drop: APO.

67. Fling with force: HEAVE.

69. Street of mystery: DELLA. Perry Mason.

72. Way in: DOOR.

74. __ whisper: STAGE.

76. Wise words: ADAGE.

79. Tiny fraction of a min.: PSEC.

81. Catches: SNAGS.

84. Golean cereal maker: KASHI. Never had this.



86. Hound: HARASS.

88. Massey of old films: ILONA.

91. French article: LES.

92. Sven of "Frozen," for one: REINDEER.

93. Kind of microscope: ELECTRON.

94. Dallas quarterback after Bledsoe: ROMO. Tony. Right.


95. Cross mood: SNIT.

97. Farmyard noises: OINKS.

98. Picture puzzles: REBUSES.

103. Fancy duds: FINERY.

105. Intense: FIERCE.

107. Until: UP TO.

108. "Gilmore Girls" actress Lauren: GRAHAM.

110. Early Peruvian: INCAN.

111. India's first prime minister: NEHRU.

112. Compound in fireworks: NITER.

114. Taj __: MAHAL.

116. Joliot-Curie who won a Nobel Prize in chemistry: IRENE. Daughter of Marie Curie.

120. Pols from blue states, usually: DEMS.

123. Brillo rival: SOS.

124. "Succession" network: HBO.

125. Food Network host Drummond: REE.

126. Out of the ordinary: ODD.

127. Early video game letters: NES.

 


A few extra notes:

1) Happy birthday to dear Husker Gary, our faithful Saturday sherpa, whose posts are always so informative and cheerful. Off the blog, he's a close friend who has bailed me out so many times. Here he is with his incredible wife Joann. They've been married for over 57 years!


2) Boomer's PSA was 861 last Tuesday (742 last month), at least the increase was not that sharp. The doctor decided to cut the oral chemo from 200 mg to 150 mg due to the severe side effects. Boomer's hemoglobin and WBC count were too low. We'll have one more blood draw next week. If his numbers do not improve, he'll get a blood transfusion. 

C.C.

Oct 12, 2021

Tuesday, October 12, 2021 Alan Olschwang

TailSpins:  The word Tail is "spun" into each of today's theme answers.


17-Across. Crude carrier: OIL TANKER.


31-Across. Gem set by itself: SOLITAIRE.


46-Across. It's useless to argue with one: KNOW IT ALL.



9-Down. Good thing to spend with one's kids: QUALITY TIME.

25-Down. "Rebel Without a Cause" co-star: NATALIE WOOD.  Natalie Wood (née Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko; July 20, 1938 ~ Nov. 29, 1981) died under mysterious circumstances.

And the unifier:
66-Across. Dramatic descents, and a hint to each set of circles: TAIL SPINS.  Interesting how two of the spun tails intersect.  The forms sort of form a bit of a tail spin, I suppose.



Across:
1. Crosses by wading: FORDS.

A Ford Fording a River.

6. Bag-checking org.: TSA.  As in the Transportation Security Administration.



9. Juice buy: QUART.

14. Spreads used instead of butter: OLEOs.  //  Not to be confused with 2-Down. Hodgepodges: OLIOs.

15. Bar passer, briefly: ATT.  As in an Attorney.


16. Latin bears: URSAE.  Today's Latin lesson.  Probably the most well known Latin bears are Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.


19. De La Garza of "FBI": ALANA.  Alana de la Graza (b. June 18, 1976) was also a character in the Law & Order franchise.

20. "Stop stalling!": DO IT!

21. Like a stunt pilot's maneuvers: AERIAL.   See the video above.

23. Disfigure: MAR.

24. Part of an act: SCENE.  Hi, OMK!

26. Notable biblical birth: NATIVITY.


28. "Inferno" poet: DANTE.  Dante Alighieri (circa 1265 ~ d. 1321) was from Florence, Italy.  The Inferno is just one part of his longer poem The Divine Comedy.  The other 2 parts are Purgatorio and Paradiso.  The focus of this poem is the SOUL.

30. Tour de France saison: ÉTÉ.  Today's French lesson.  The Tour de France bicycle race takes place in the Summer.

35. "She loves you" followers, in song: YEAHs.  The Beatles!


39. What may be before now?: ERE.

40. Old nuclear agcy.: AEC.  As in the Atomic Energy Commission.  It operated from August 1946 to 1975.  It was created by Congress during the Truman administration and was designed to control the peacetime development of atomic science and technology for military and civilian use.



41. Chicago winter hrs.: CST.  As in Central Standard Time.


43. Statesman with an eponymous jacket: MAO.  Andy Warhol made many portraits of Mao.

44. Court case: TRIAL.

49. Predicament: FIX.

51. "Speed Racer" genre: ANIME.  Speed Racer is a Japanese comic about car racing.


52. Hikers' flasks: CANTEENS.

56. Serena's sister: VENUS.   As in the tennis-playing sisters Serena (née Serena Jameka Williams; b. Sept. 26, 1981) and Venus (née Venus Ebony Starr Williams; b. July 17, 1980) Williams.


59. Time to remember: ERA.

60. Twist in pain: WRITHE.


62. Barbershop sound: SNIP.

64. Kaka'ako crooner: DON HO.  Don Ho (né Donald Tai Loy Ho; Aug. 13, 1930 ~ Apr. 14, 2007) is best known for his song Tiny Bubbles.


68. Prenatal test, informally: AMNIO.

69. Circus closing?: ESS.  As in the letter "S".  Circus.  I am not a fan of this type of clue.

70. Pigeon shelters: COTES.  These shelters are usually referred to as Dovecotes.  They can come in all shapes and sizes.  You can make your own pigeon cote if you are so inclined.


71. Like starfish: RAYED.


72. Legal thing: RES.  More of today's Latin lesson.

73. It's quite a blast: H-TEST.  Hydrogen Bomb.

Down:
1. __ chain: FOOD.



3. Bit of antiquity: RELIC.
4. Punctuational symbol of completeness: DOTTED I.


5. U.S. ID issuer: SSA.  As in the Social Security Administration.


6. Word before heart or heed: TAKE.  Take heart, you know you can complete today's puzzle.

7. Less lax: STERNER.

8. Skylit courts: ATRIA.
Take Heed of the Atria in the Heart

10. Internet acronym: URL.  As in the Universal Resource Locator.  This appears with some frequency in the puzzles.

11. "Ditto": AS AM I.

12. Approached aggressively: RAN AT.

13. Lachrymose: TEARY.

18. Swaying hip-hop dance: NAE NAE.  I am not familiar with this dance despite the fact that half of the dance appeared in a recent puzzle.


22. Downed: ATE.

27. Sign of success: VEE.



29. Clock sound: TICK.


31. Collector's goal: SET.

32. Yossarian's "Catch-22" tentmate: ORR.  Catch-22 is a 1961 satirical war novel by Joseph Heller (May 1, 1923 ~ Dec. 12, 1999)

33. Island garland: LEI.


34. Janet Yellen's field: Abbr.: ECON.  Janet Louise Yellen (b. Aug. 13, 1946) is an Economist who is the current United States Secretary of the Treasury.  She earned her Ph.D. in Economics at Yale University.


36. Physicians' org.: AMA.  As in the American Medical Association.

37. Scary "2001" computer: HAL.


38. Fifth of a musical series: SOL.


42. Desk chair feature: SWIVEL.



45. Admiral's rear: AFT.  Hi, Spitzboov!

47. '70s tennis star Ilie: NĂSTASE.  In the 1970s, Ilie Năstase (né Ilie Theodoriu Năstase; b. July 19, 1946) was ranked the number 1 tennis singles player.  He was born in Bucharest, Romania.


48. Two fins: TEN SPOT.


50. Gen-__: XER.

52. Aromatic closet-lining wood: CEDAR.


53. Barbecue draw: AROMA.

54. Child minder: NANNY.

55. Fertilizer compound: NITER.  Niter is another term for Potasium Nitrate.  A weird word for a Tuesday puzzle.

57. Act in concert: UNITE.

58. Angle calculations: SINEs.  We all remember this from high school math, don't we!




61. Escaping-steam sound: HISS.


63. Verbal nudge: PSST!

65. Step on it, quaintly: HIE.

67. BYU or NYU: SCH.  Brigham Young University and New York University are both Schools.


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