Wednesday, Aug 7th, 2024, Annemarie Brethauer

EGGS BENEDICT

 Yeah, that guy....Hi there, and welcome again to the Corner, where we'll discuss today's puzzle from Annemarie Brethauer, who is a free-lance constructor and has had several grids for the LA Times.  Today we don't have "theme" answers, per se, but instead the dreaded circles that "turn" the word COAT - and very cleverly done, I might add, such that the letters rotate to a distinct quadrant of the square with each version.  This does lead to a few "meh" fills and dreaded proper names, but a mere twenty TLWs.  I could recreate the boxes with the associated fill, but methinks it would just be simpler to post the solution up top, and mention the long fills in the Across that relate to the circles;

18. "Ha! April Fools!": "AH, I GOTCHA~!" - this feels a little forced, IMHO, esp. with the "Ha" and "AH" in the clue/answer

20. Rile up: ANTAGONIZE - but then we get this sparkling fill

62. Starbucks order: VENTI LATTE - this fill has some crossword history; it is NOT "ventilate"

65. Made-up: FICTIONAL - A fictional Time Machine

Back To The Future,1985

And back in time for some history of the grid-centered reveal . . . .

39. Traitors, and an apt title for this puzzle: TURNCOATS - believed to be coined during the English Civil Wars, when soldiers turned their coats inside out to match the opposing side's colors

 And "Back to the Future~!" We Go


ACROSS:

1. Food grinder: MOLAR - AH, one's back teeth, not a kitchen appliance; see 5D.

6. Mischievous rascal: IMP - I was being an intentional mischievous rascal last week

9. Bee-related: APIAN

14. Puccini composition: OPERA

15. In-like-a-lion mo.: MARch - goes out like a lamb, sometimes

16. Impressions: DENTS - someone left an "impression" on my car's bumper - and I have no idea when it happened; I just noticed it last week when I walked up on the back of my Prius; I do know it was a white car . . . .

17. Intel mission: RECONnaissance

22. Early ISP: AOL - America OnLine

23. Went bad: SOURED - AH, not ROTTED

24. Pack it in: EAT

26. Blokes: MEN

28. __ La Table: kitchenware shop: SUR - filled via perps; their website

29. California sch. near the Mexican border: SDSU - San Diego State University; had the "S"s from perps, so . . . .

32. Meet, as a challenge: RISE TO

34. Capital of Thailand?: TEE - I know some Cornerites don't care for this kind of clue, but I don't mind; the "T" that is the capital letter of T-hailand

36. Quite a long time: EONS

38. Surgical tool: LASER

42. "Trust the __ touch": longtime slogan of a car repair chain: MIDAS

Commercial from 1985

45. Duds: GARB - dress, finery, apparel, clothing

It's a Zoot Suit riot

46. QVC alternative: HSN - Home Shopping Network

49. Brunch order: OMELET - AH, not having Eggs Benedict~?

51. Vegetables in a "mushy" dish: PEAS - AH; my parents may have been British, but I never had this growing up - I went looking for some recipe info

53. __ & Perrins steak sauce: LEA

55. Nonstick spray brand: PAM - I use this - very convenient in a spray

56. Canine command: SIT~! - whenever I hear a distant dog barking, I say "sit~!", because it reminds me of this movie, and this scene

Fletch, also from 1985 - @1:42

58. Lawn party cover: CANOPY  - I am pondering the purchase as a place to park my tractor

60. State in southwest India: GOA - name

67. Nerve center: LOCUS - meh, but it is the first definition of the word - I am used to the math definition

68. Took apart: UNDID - meh

69. Finale: END

70. Muscat citizen: OMANI - name

71. Musical silences: RESTS

72. 2022 film starring Cate Blanchett as a conductor: TÁR - name; the IMDb 

73. Electrician, at times: WIRER - one who WIRES outlets, switches, etc.


DOWN:

1. Convoluted situation: MORASS - good fill; the NW and SE corners were tough for Wednesday

2. Unfurl: OPEN OUT - Sigh.  Yes, this is true . . . .

3. Good talking-to: LECTURE - AH.  I got the email "lecture" from C.C. last week as well 😜

4. Very loud: AROAR - we had this last Saturday

5. Appliances that may have pilot lights: RANGES - AH - I had STOVES to start

6. Vellani who plays Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel: IMAN - name, no clue -the IMDb

7. Fish often grilled for tacos, informally: MAHI - formally, mahi-mahi

8. Booker or Pulitzer: PRIZE - name(s) - I know about the Pulitzer, here's the Booker

9. "And now, without further __ ... ": ADO

10. Anti-65-Down org.: PETA - AND - 65D. Pelt: FUR

A FAUX coat, not a TURN coat

11. Earnings: INCOMES - meh; I don't care for the pluralized version

12. Typical Wheaties box portrait: ATHLETE

Little Chocolate Donuts for breakfast - and the cigarette

I love Belushi's facial expressions in this skit

13. Code-cracking org.: NSA - a WAG; National Security Agency

19. One of four-on-the-floor: GEAR - the only "four-on-the-floor" I owned was my Subaru Brat

Also 1985 - huh.

It had "O-tops", as there was a frame over the door, so not quite "T-tops"

21. Harder to explain: ODDER - meh.

25. Pinball faux pas: TILT

27. Negative conjunction: NOR

30. "Yesterday" or "Tomorrow": SONG - clever clue

31. Remove the lid: UNCAP

33. Scout uniform accessory: SASH

Russell, from "UP" - love this movie

35. "Plus some other writers" abbr.: ET. AL.

37. Really mad: SORE

40. Takes advantage of: USES

41. Beaded counters: ABACI

Technically, a beaded counter(top)

42. Floor-washing tool: MOP - a looong way to go for a TLW

43. Envision: IMAGINE

44. Garage band output, once: DEMO CDs - AH.  Meh.  I know, I know; I'm stuck in 1985 - this is also the name of the Apple software expressly for the purpose of producing one's own music, but TAPES just seem more "sincere"

47. Toy racer: SLOTCAR

48. Farthest planet from the sun: NEPTUNE - PLUTO~!  Stuck in 1985

50. DVR option: TiVO

52. Sickly looking: SALLOW

54. Response to Captain Kirk: AYE, SIR

Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home - OK, so this is actually 1986

57. Guiding principle: TENET

59. Watts of "The Painted Veil": NAOMI - name, filled via perps - the IMDb

61. Plugging away: AT IT

63. "Peter Pan" dog: NANA - name I did not know; it occurs to me I have not seen this animated classic

64. Abbr. with a synopsis: TL;DR - Too Long; Didn't Read - the modern world of zero attention span

66. Wallet cards: IDs

Splynter

Friday, November 10, 2023 - Annemarie Brethauer

Theme: "OB Left!"

Puzzling thoughts:

First off, if you're not a golfer or don't follow the game, "OB" refers to "OUT of bounds". The white stakes in the image above marks the golf course "boundary", and in my theme name example, if a golfer were to hit their shot to the LEFT of these stakes, the ball would be OUT of play. The penalty for this - in golf - is one the most egregious as the player must rehit their shot AND take a penalty of one stroke to add to their score for the hole. BTW, the best explanation of the game of golf is in the video below ... I was able to find the one rated PG!

So, Moe, how does this golfing analogy fit into today's puzzle? Very easily; it's the 61-across answer, and the reveal for the puzzle. All one has to do is add the word OUT to the LEFT of the first word of 18-, 22-, 38-, and 56-Across. This action is what is excluded (LEFT OUT), and what is needed to match their clues (add OUT to the LEFT)

Our constructor du jour is Annemarie Brethauer. [Brittanica dot com] "Annemarie Brethauer is a freelance crossword constructor whose work has appeared in newspapers through Andrews McMeel Universal and L.A. Times syndicates, in Simon and Schuster publications, in Games World of Puzzles magazine, in the woman-oriented online site Inkubator, and elsewhere."

Annemarie cleverly came up with four familiar phrases, (LET DOWN; FIELD DAY; FIT FOR A KING; and BACK TALK) but clued them to imply that something was missing. The "AHA" Moe-ment for me was when I got to the reveal @ 61-across when I realized that when I added the word OUT to those four the clues then made sense

18-across. Pillow filling bought at wholesale?: (OUT)LET DOWN. Which of course prompted this Moe-ku:

OUTLET store pillow
Filling didn't sell. You think
They would markdown DOWN?

22-across. Specialized session of baseball practice?: (OUT)FIELD DAY.

38-across. Crown, scepter, and ermine robe?: (OUT)FIT FOR A KING.

And MY favorite: 56-across. Barbie, bush telly, choccy biccy, etc.?: (OUT)BACK TALK

Well done, Annemarie!

For those who thought that Mal Man was supposed to blog today, he and I switched weeks. Joseph will blog on Friday the 17th. He sends his regards ...

The grid, and then the rest of the clues and answers:

Across:
1. View from much of U.S. Highway 101: PACIFIC. So many to choose from as this coastal highway stretches from San Diego California to the perimeter of the Olympic Peninsula and Olympic National Park in Washington

8. Water stopper: DAM. The amount of water that this dam stops has gone down considerably since it was filled (created Lake Mead) in the 1930's. Interesting read

11. __ Dhabi: ABU. People ask: Is Abu Dhabi different from Dubai? "Yes, Both are 2 different states or what they call as emirates in the country United Arab Emirates. U.A.E consists of 7 emirates namely Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Ras- Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain, and Fujairah. Abu Dhabi is the capital."[Quora dot com]

14. Oval-shaped instrument: OCARINA. Beautiful

15. One of the only two South American countries that doesn't border Brazil: ECUADOR. CHILE didn't fit

17. Compete in a hybrid winter sport: PARASKI. This was one that MalMan could better explain, as he is a skiier. Not I

19. Unusual: ODD. EVEN I got this one! 藍

20. Contacted with a click: E-MAILED. On Monday of this week we had CLACK as an answer; today we have "click" in the clue

25. Separate by type: ASSORT.

29. Sound engineer's slider: FADER. Notice the technique

30. Starship Enterprise letters: NCC. [fandom dot com] "According to both "The Making of Star Trek", and the second seaon writers guide update, NCC officially stands for "Navy-Curtis Craft", referring to the fact that the design and construction of the cruisers was a combination of the Navy's and Curtis Industries inputs"

32. "Don't reckon so": NAW. YEP

33. Some govt. lawyers: D.A.S. Pluralized abbr. for District Attorney. DAS is also one of the three German definite articles of grammar(DER, DIE, DAS). Das Buch = "the book". Ich habe Deutsch von 1963 bis 1974 studiert. Erste, in Hochschule, und dann beim Universität

35. Fossey subject: APE. As opposed to Fosse subject:

37. Genesis maker: SEGA. Hyundai didn't fit. Video game

41. Home of the Muscat Gate Museum: OMAN.

43. "Let You Love Me" singer Rita: ORA. Solved via perps and mistake (notice the red mark in the "A" square on my grid photo)

44. Fall Out Boy genre: EMO.

45. Benatar in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: PAT. According to a Google search, the song below is her all-time best hit. Do you agree?

46. Yukon XL maker: GMC. $60k is the price for the base model of this SUV

48. Killer whales: ORCAS.

52. Cooks in a bamboo basket: STEAMS.

58. Share a course?: CO-TEACH. A CSO (in a way) to our Saturday blogger, Husker Gary who CO-TEACHes when he substitutes for the regular teacher

60. Vegetable soup bit: PEA. I couldn't think of any other 3-letter word that fit here

64. Uncomfortable situation: HOT SEAT. HA HA. Speaking of GMC:

67. Emphatic denial: "I SAID NO!!". An erstwhile expression ...

68. Hosp. triage expert: ER NURSE. Nurses also performed triage behind the battle lines ... this scene from M*A*S*H* shows Major Houlihan saying goodbye to her fellow officers as she and her NURSEs leave to provide aid ... typical Hawkeye!

69. TiVo antecedent: VCR. Video Cassette Recorder. I had an uncle who pronounced the word "CASSETTE" with the emphasis on the first syllable

70. Oft-redacted ID: SSN.

71. Has no use for: DETESTS. That's a bit harsh

Down:
1. Rant: POP OFF. Moe-ku #2:

Vodka drinker's mad;
Store ran out of his brand. Might
POP OFF for Popov

2. National park on the Maine coast: ACADIA. Margaret and I have been visiting National Parks the past few years when we vacation. She has never been to Maine; I am pretty sure that this Park is on her bucket list

3. Stopped at the door, perhaps: CARDED. Or the pearly gates, perhaps??

4. Writer Levin: IRA. Moe-ku 3:

Writer Levin has
Retirement fund called an
Ira I.R.A.

5. Grafton's "__ for Fugitive": F IS.

6. Signed in pen: INKED.

7. Large Central American reptile: CAIMAN. Moe-ku #4:

Large croc's corrected
Spelling of Keys near Cuba:
The CAIMAN Islands

8. Grocery section: DELI. Publix Grocery Stores in Florida had the best DELI section

9. Amtrak service that caters to business travelers: ACELA. The nose of this engine resembles that of the SST Concorde

10. Silences with a button: MUTES.

11. Brouhaha: ADO.

12. Fiddle stick: BOW. Clever clue

13. Ornate garden pot: URN.

16. Tots up: ADDS. Hmm; this solved via perps as I was unaware of the British phrase tot up. Of course, it spawned this Moe-ku #5:

The waitress knew that
Her side order was ready;
Chef exclaimed: "Tots up!"

21. "¡Dios mío!": AY CARAMBA. I spelled this incorrectly when I first solved the puzzle; if you go back and look at the solved grid, there is a black mark on the "C" of CARAMBA. I had this as AYE CRUMBA or some such ...

23. Ushered: LED IN.

24. "Cripes!": DRAT.

26. Univ. donor type: O NEG. I had O POS at first before discovering my error

27. Tabloid: RAG. Why is a newspaper called a "RAG" you ask? One answer from [Quora dot com]: "Many people say it's because such papers historically printed on lower-quality, raglike newsprint than respectable papers. Others say the term stuck because the content rag papers printed was salacious and aimed at the lowest common denominator — the equivalent of rag material"

28. Former JFK flyer: TWA. This is just a mock-up; but notice how the front of the plane resembles that of the ACELA engine in 9-down

31. No. cruncher: CPA.

34. West Coast luggage tag letters: SFO.

36. Make (out): EKE. Kiss and neck wouldn't fit

37. Horse noise: SNORT.

38. Lot: FATE.

39. Gp.: ORG.

40. "No broken bones!": I'M OK.

41. Photo __: OPS.

42. Bathroom rug: MAT.

47. Stashed away: CACHED. The word CACHE(D) has evolved its definition into the world of computing (see #3 meaning in the link)

49. Tartar sauce ingredient: CAPERS. Learning Moe-ment. I thought it was just mayonnaise, pickle relish, and mustard

50. Div. of the Blue Jays and the Rays: AL EAST. American League East Division baseball teams

51. Hockey gear: SKATES.

53. When Lear divides his kingdom: ACT I. It could only have been ACT I, ACT V, or ACT X in Roman numerology

54. Humors: MOODS.

55. Bowls over: STUNS.

57. Gofer's task: CHORE.

59. Fleming and Orwell's school: ETON.

61. Actress Tyler: LIV. Steven Tyler's daughter

62. Key next to F1: ESC. Computer keyboard keys (F1 and ESC)

63. At a distance: FAR.

65. Demo stuff: TNT. Clue misdirection; demo as in the abbreviation for "demolish", which fits the answer "TNT" which an abbreviation (acronym) for Tri Nitro Toluene

66. Go after, in a way: SUE. Final Moe-ku:

New Johnny Cash song:
The mis-named lad lawyer's up;
The "boy named SUE" sues

That's all she wrote. Hope that this puzzle didn't find you "OUT in LEFT field". I solved it with a couple hiccups in very moderate time; MOES hardness scale = 5.0. See you in two weeks ... this time "I MEAN IT"!!! 嵐

 

 

Notes from C.C.:

Today we celebrate the 77th birthday of the brilliant Joann (Husker Gary's wife) and her twin sister Joyce. Here they're with their mom Martha, who passed away in August at the age of 100.

 

 

Saturday, April, 1, 2023, Annemarie Brethauer & Katie Hale

 Saturday, April 1, 2023 by Annemarie Brethauer & Katie Hale

No fools these two, as this was a fun, clever puzzle that was entertaining and frustrating at the same time. I'll try to point out both of these qualities as we sally forth today. 

Annemarie worked for twenty years at a local government access channel as a writer/director/producer and was also used to being strictly behind the camera (Documentaries like "Know Your Zoning Code."). She is now retired and freelancing as a puzzle creator. 

Katie Hale, originally from Houston, is now a stay-at-home mom in London and Patti's assistant editor for the LA Times puzzles. We have seen her in a collaborative role quite often. 

Hey, you're shoe is united! 😙

Across:

1. In stitches?: CLAD - SEWN was a perfect wrong start.

5. Luxury purse trade-in app: REBAG - 26. Mail order?: FREE SHIPPING. They do offer FREE SHIPPING on any bag over $500. 😉

10. Cut that may need stitches: GASH.

14. Tops: A-ONE.

15. 19-Down flavor: ANISE and 19. Pastis drink: PERNOD  - Pernod is an anise-flavored liqueur from France that is lightly sweetened. New to this solver but it went quietly.

16. Just made: EKED.

17. "You're rambling": STICK TO THE POINT.

20. Hard wear?: ARMOR.

21. Congratulatory cry: MAZELTOV.

22. Wikipedia battle: EDIT WAR - An EDIT WAR occurs when editors who disagree about the content of a page repeatedly override each other's contributions. 

25. Some zoo ballyhoo: ROARS.

29. Florida team: RAYS.

30. Montgomery of jazz: WES.

31. Vehicle for kids: TOY CAR.

35. "Hail, Caesar": AVE.

36. Bar: BAN.

37. Boater, for one: LID - Yeah, I was the only one who put "hat"

38. "So that's your game!": OHO - Be on the lookout today!

39. Private line?: YES SIR - 😀

41. Chaps: HES.

42. Degrees from Duke's Fuqua Sch., e.g.: MBAS.

43. Halfway decent: NOT TOO SHABBY.

46. Petit déjeuner time: MATIN - My granddaughter loves to use her French degree and told me, "Petit dejeuner" is another word for breakfast (small meal) and MATIN is morning,

49. Some cricket dismissals: RUN OUTS - I don't know anyone who speaks "cricket" but here is what I found: Each batter is out by a “run out” if, while the ball is in play, his wicket is broken while he is out of his ground (that is, he does not have at least his bat in the crease). 😳

50. Impressive structures: EDIFICES.

52. Inventive types?: LIARS.

55. Doodad: WHATCHAMACALLIT - It always seems to be buried in a junk drawer

58. Only: LONE.

59. Pitfall! platform: ATARI - A 1982 video game 

60. See: DATE - My 80-yr-old golf partner has been "seeing" a lovely woman for three years now

61. "The Lion King" voice role for Chiwetel Ejiofor: SCAR.

62. Goes together: SYNCS.

63. "The Orphan Master's Son" Pulitzer winner Johnson: ADAM.

Down:

1. Spanish address: CASA - Mi CASA esta en Fremont, Nebraska (My house is in Fremont, NEBRASKA) and 12. Spanish address: SENOR.

2. Middle-earth trilogy, to fans: LOTR.

3. Lesson in a Japanese art class, say: ANIME EYES - All you'd ever want to know

4. Solves, as a cryptogram: DECODES.

5. __ race: RAT.

6. "Ambient 1: Music for Airports" artist: ENO.

7. GIF alternatives: BITMAPS - I have fond memories of my old BITMAP games

8. Part of the B major scale: A-SHARP.

9. "Sheesh!": GEEZ.

10. Stratigraphy discipline: GEOLOGY - Layers

11. Japanese breed: AKITA.

13. Sharp objects?: HDTVS.

65" Sharp Aquos HDTV

18. Aquino known as the Philippine "Queen of All Media": KRIS - April Fool! She's still alive.

23. Frustrate: THWART.

24. Capital of Österreich: WIEN - Easy enough for even me to figure out this is Vienna, Austria 

26. Skirmish: FRAY.

27. Wild party: RAVE.

28. Overly correct "You are correct": IT IS SO - Uh, yes or no would have been enough for me, pal.

32. Greens dish named for the owner of the Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant: COBB SALAD.

33. Quaker captain of literature: AHAB - Gregory Peck as AHAB in a Quaker hat.

34. Flushed: ROSY.

36. Like classic TV's Jaime Sommers: BIONIC.

37. "Coming Home" singer Bridges: LEON.

40. Pear-shaped glass: SNIFTER.

41. "A Shropshire Lad" poet: HOUSMAN.

42. Title role for child star Mara Wilson: MATILDA.

44. Compact: TREATY.

45. Dance style for Moana: HULA and 48. "The Princess and the Frog" princess: TIANA - Here they are side-by-side

46. Whimpers: MEWLS.

47. Specialized, in a way: AD HOC - Latin "For This". I swear to you my school once appointed an AD HOC committee to discuss gum-chewing.

51. Chuck alternative: CHAS.

53. Actress Hayworth: RITA.

54. Focus of the National Girls Collaborative Project: STEM.

56. Story __: ARC.

57. Gender prefix: CIS - It's only recently that I discovered this was my gender prefix.