Jam Session ...
Today's puzzle was brought to us by Bill Bipal and Jeff Chen, a mentor to many fledgling constructors. Bill is making his LA Times debut, and the big news is that Jeff is retiring from his position as a commenter to the indispensable NYT xwordinfo blog. Jim Horne, creator and editor of that site informs us emphatically that he won't miss Jeff Chen!
I know a lot of solvers don't like it when clues cross reference other clues,
especially when they reference themers. But that is also a big
giveaway that they are probably pointing to the reveal. If you perp
down on that fill you can often get yourself out of a sticky situation.
At least in this case ...
17A. See 54-Across: GRAPE JELLY. Personally I prefer marmalade, a traditional English preserve. You can even make your own ...
22A. See 54-Across: RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. Getting stuck in TRAFFIC can be a real slow drag. To cope with the GRIDLOCK I'd suggest keeping a copy of this classic puzzle by Merl Reagle in your glove compartment.
36A. See 54-Across: SLAM DUNK. A SLAM DUNK, also simply known as DUNK, is a type of basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air, controls the ball above the horizontal plane of the rim, and scores by shoving the ball directly through the basket with one or both hands. Some say that this one by Hamidou Diallo in 2019 is the greatest of all time. He jumps over Shaq, sinks the ball, and then opens his jersey to reveal a Superman shirt! ...
48A. See 54-Across: A DILLY OF A PICKLE. A very, very sticky situation and a piquant pun on a different kind of PICKLE.
And all the themers point to this one ...
54A. "I love this song!," and what might be said about 17-, 22-, 36-, and 48-Across?: THAT'S MY JAM. Personally I think JAM beats BOPS from last Thursday's puzzle.
Here's the grid ...
Here's the rest ...
Across:
1. Purview: REALM.
6. Novelist Leon: URIS. Leon Marcus Uris (August 3, 1924 – June 21, 2003) was a Baltimore born author of historical fiction who wrote many bestselling books including Battle Cry (1953), Exodus (1958), Mila 18 (1961) and Trinity (1976).
10. Disapproving noises: TUTS. Also a long line of Egyptian pharaohs ...
14. "The Bare Necessities" bear: BALOO. From the Jungle Book soundtrack ...
This clue is also the name of a local ladies apparel shop in
Greenspring Station, MD. Or so I've heard.
15. Salade niçoise ingredient: TUNA. We first had this salad at The Café de la Gare in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. Here's Julia Child's recipe.
16. Still abed: NOT UP.
17. [Theme clue]
19. Weigh in: OPINE. Short for O Christmas Tree? There are only 102 shopping days left!
20. Jag: SPREE. Start shopping now and you won't have to go on a
last minute SPREE!
21. Long-winded: PROLIX. I resemble that remark!
But I won't admit to being pleonastic, whatever that is!
22. [Theme clue].
27. Snares: ENTRAPS.
28. Overhead: ALOFT.
29. Hubbubs: ADOS.
30. Candlelit ceremony, e.g.: VIGIL. The classic candlelight VIGIL ceremony in our Church is called Tenabrae, usually held on the Wednesday before Easter. The service begins at twilight and as various hymns are sung and psalms are read, the candles in the church are extinguished one by one. When the last candle is snuffed out the participants leave in total darkness.
32. "Affirmative": YES.
35. Pay-__-view: PER.
36. [Theme clue]
39. Khan who founded Khan Academy: SAL. Khan Academy is an American non-profit[2] educational organization created in 2006 by Sal Khan. Its goal is creating a set of online tools that help educate students. The organization produces short lessons in the form of videos. Its website also includes supplementary practice exercises and materials for educators.
40. Texter's "My bad": SRY.
41. Actress Shire: TALIA. TALIA Rose Shire (née Coppola; born April 25, 1946) is an American actress who played roles as Connie Corleone in The Godfather trilogy and Adrian Balboa in the Rocky series. For her work in The Godfather Part II and Rocky, Shire was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress and Best Actress, respectively, and for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama for her role in Rocky.
42. Tuscany town: PISA. PISA is built on a Tuscan hill,
which makes all the pictures of the prominent tower appear ASLANT.
😁
43. Cyber Monday sector: ETAIL. Hot tip -- the Monday after Black Friday there will be a fire sale on the AI phenom chatGPT!
45. Presidential advisory group: CABINET. There's the CABINET and then there's the KITCHEN CABINET.
48. [Theme clue]
51. Black Sea peninsula: CRIMEA. The Russian occupation of Crimea is an ongoing military occupation within Ukraine by the Russian Federation, which began on 20 February 2014 when the military-political, administrative, economic and social order of Russia was spread to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol. The occupation of Crimea and Sevastopol was the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian War.
52. Principle: TENET.
53. Mandolin kin: LUTES. A LUTE is any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. I think it's only a distant kin of the mandolin, as it's more like a violin-sized guitar.. Here is Maryland lutenist Ronn McFarlane at St. David's Church in Baltimore, playing W. Lee's Reel accompanied by Carolyn Surrick on viola da gamba ...
54. [Theme reveal]
59. "Don't push that button!": ABORT. Or "Push that button to ABORT!"
60. Low-carb diet: KETO.
61. In unison: AS ONE.
62. "Stars on __": reality show hosted by William Shatner: MARS. Hand up if you're a FAN?
63. About: OR SO.
64. Fabric fold: PLEAT.
Down:
1. "Notorious" SCOTUS justice: RBG. Ruth Bader Ginsburg (March 15, 1933 – September 18, 2020) was nicknamed "Notorious" because she was formidable in the courtroom. She spent a lifetime flourishing in the face of adversity before being appointed a Supreme Court justice, where she successfully fought against gender discrimination. The comic opera Scalia/Ginsburg was written about her and Antonin Scalia, her political nemesis on the court, both of whom shared a love of that art form. She was recently given a posthumous honor by the elevation of her Jabots to the status of crosswordese ...
2. Musical gift: EAR.
3. Selma's st.: ALA. Selma is a city in the state of Alabama.
4. Prune: LOP.
5. Sitcom role for Brandy: MOESHA. MOESHA is an American television sitcom that aired on UPN from January 23, 1996, to May 14, 2001. The series stars R&B singer Brandy Norwood as Moesha Denise Mitchell, an African-American teenager living with her upper middle class family in the Leimert Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. Apparently she has step-mother issues ...
6. Embryo's home: UTERUS. Sounds cozy!
7. Yardstick, e.g.: RULER.
8. Small bay: INLET.
9. For instance: SAY.
10. Fill to the brim: TOP OFF.
11. Laundry room convenience: UTILITY SINK.
12. Forum top: TUNIC.
13. X-ray __: gadget advertised in classic comic books: SPEX. X-ray specs or X-ray glasses are an American novelty item, purported to allow users to see through or into solid objects. In reality, the spectacles merely create an optical illusion; no X-rays are involved. The current paper version is sold under the name "X-Ray SPEX"; a similar product is sold under the name "X-Ray Gogs". Standard equipment for those who think they are voyeurs.
16. City with the world's largest naval complex: NORFOLK. A CSO to our friend Jinx and his friend Zoё. Jinx tells me that her racing handle is Jugni (Hindi for "female firefly."), but at the racing kennel they called her "Cookie" ...
18. Genre that's an element of Kawaii metal: J POP.
21. Monty Python alum Michael: PALIN. In 1989 actor Michael PALIN retraced the fictitious steps of Jules Verne's Phileas Fogg to circumnavigate the wold in 80 days, sans airplane. Here's a trailer from the 7-part BBC television series ...
There have been several adaptations of Verne's story. We haven't seen
the Palin documentary, but we would highly recommend the more recent
PBS Masterpiece series starring David Tennant.
22. Realizes: REAPS.
23. Below: UNDER.
24. Production team member who shapes narratives: STORY EDITOR. As of this writing these folks are still on the picket line.
25. Slugger's stat: HRS.
26. Mama's Special Garden Sauce maker: RAGU.
30. ROTC school near D.C.: VMI. The Virginia Military Institute (VMI) is a public senior military college in Lexington, Virginia. It was founded in 1839 as America's first state military college and is the oldest public senior military college in the United States.
31. Civil rights pioneer __ B. Wells: IDA.
IDA Bell Wells-Barnett
(July 16, 1862 – March 25, 1931) was an American investigative journalist,
educator, and early leader in the civil rights movement. She was one of the
founders of the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP). Wells dedicated her career to combating prejudice and
violence, and advocating for African-American equality—especially that of
women.
33. Art studio stand: EASEL.
34. Online magazine with a "Dear Prudence" advice column: SLATE. "Prudie" responds to your questions about relationships at home, work, and beyond. Dear Prudence is also the name of a song ...
36. Least original: STALEST.
37. Undefeated boxer Ali: LAILA. LAILA Amaria Ali (born December 30, 1977) is an American television personality and retired professional boxer who competed from 1999 to 2007. During her career, from which she retired undefeated, she held the WBC, WIBA, IWBF and IBA female super middleweight titles, and the IWBF light heavyweight title. Ali is widely regarded by many within the sport as one of the greatest female professional boxers of all time. She is the daughter of boxer Muhammad Ali
38. Friend: ALLY.
42. Insta upload: PIC.
44. Stopwatches: TIMERS.
45. "Just watch me!": CAN TOO.
46. Mimics: APES.
47. JPEG alternative: BITMAP. What is the difference between BITMAP (BMP) and JPEG files?
48. Island birthplace of shortstop Xander Bogaerts: ARUBA. Xander Bogaerts is an infielder for the San Diego Padres. Here are his stats ...
49. Catchall check box: OTHER.
50. Achievements: FEATS.
51. Happy as a __: CLAM. Clams are not always happy, only at high tide.
54. Possible UFC match ender: TKO.
Technical Knock Out.
What is the difference between a knockout and a technical knockout? Only
3 of Laila Ali's 24 victories
were won by a TKO.
55. Designer label initials: YSL. Yves Saint Laurent. But then you already knew that.
56. Java: JOE.
57. California's Santa __ Mountains: ANA. The Santa ANA Mountains are a short peninsular mountain range along the coast of Southern California in the United States. They extend for approximately 61 miles (98 km) southeast of the Los Angeles Basin largely along the border between Orange and Riverside counties.
58. Joined: MET. Also
the name of a building in New York
where people have often MET to see operas ...
Cheers,
Bill
And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.
waseeley
17A. See 54-Across: GRAPE JELLY. Personally I prefer marmalade, a traditional English preserve. You can even make your own ...
|
|
Homemade Marmalade brought to you by Jacqui |
22A. See 54-Across: RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. Getting stuck in TRAFFIC can be a real slow drag. To cope with the GRIDLOCK I'd suggest keeping a copy of this classic puzzle by Merl Reagle in your glove compartment.
36A. See 54-Across: SLAM DUNK. A SLAM DUNK, also simply known as DUNK, is a type of basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air, controls the ball above the horizontal plane of the rim, and scores by shoving the ball directly through the basket with one or both hands. Some say that this one by Hamidou Diallo in 2019 is the greatest of all time. He jumps over Shaq, sinks the ball, and then opens his jersey to reveal a Superman shirt! ...
48A. See 54-Across: A DILLY OF A PICKLE. A very, very sticky situation and a piquant pun on a different kind of PICKLE.
And all the themers point to this one ...
54A. "I love this song!," and what might be said about 17-, 22-, 36-, and 48-Across?: THAT'S MY JAM. Personally I think JAM beats BOPS from last Thursday's puzzle.
Here's the grid ...
Here's the rest ...
Across:
1. Purview: REALM.
6. Novelist Leon: URIS. Leon Marcus Uris (August 3, 1924 – June 21, 2003) was a Baltimore born author of historical fiction who wrote many bestselling books including Battle Cry (1953), Exodus (1958), Mila 18 (1961) and Trinity (1976).
|
|
Leo Uris Israel in the 1950s |
10. Disapproving noises: TUTS. Also a long line of Egyptian pharaohs ...
14. "The Bare Necessities" bear: BALOO. From the Jungle Book soundtrack ...
15. Salade niçoise ingredient: TUNA. We first had this salad at The Café de la Gare in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. Here's Julia Child's recipe.
|
| Salade Niçoise |
17. [Theme clue]
19. Weigh in: OPINE. Short for O Christmas Tree? There are only 102 shopping days left!
21. Long-winded: PROLIX. I resemble that remark!
|
22. [Theme clue].
27. Snares: ENTRAPS.
28. Overhead: ALOFT.
29. Hubbubs: ADOS.
30. Candlelit ceremony, e.g.: VIGIL. The classic candlelight VIGIL ceremony in our Church is called Tenabrae, usually held on the Wednesday before Easter. The service begins at twilight and as various hymns are sung and psalms are read, the candles in the church are extinguished one by one. When the last candle is snuffed out the participants leave in total darkness.
32. "Affirmative": YES.
35. Pay-__-view: PER.
36. [Theme clue]
39. Khan who founded Khan Academy: SAL. Khan Academy is an American non-profit[2] educational organization created in 2006 by Sal Khan. Its goal is creating a set of online tools that help educate students. The organization produces short lessons in the form of videos. Its website also includes supplementary practice exercises and materials for educators.
|
|
Sal Khan TED Conference 20111 |
41. Actress Shire: TALIA. TALIA Rose Shire (née Coppola; born April 25, 1946) is an American actress who played roles as Connie Corleone in The Godfather trilogy and Adrian Balboa in the Rocky series. For her work in The Godfather Part II and Rocky, Shire was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress and Best Actress, respectively, and for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama for her role in Rocky.
|
|
Talia Shire |
43. Cyber Monday sector: ETAIL. Hot tip -- the Monday after Black Friday there will be a fire sale on the AI phenom chatGPT!
45. Presidential advisory group: CABINET. There's the CABINET and then there's the KITCHEN CABINET.
48. [Theme clue]
51. Black Sea peninsula: CRIMEA. The Russian occupation of Crimea is an ongoing military occupation within Ukraine by the Russian Federation, which began on 20 February 2014 when the military-political, administrative, economic and social order of Russia was spread to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol. The occupation of Crimea and Sevastopol was the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian War.
|
|
Crimean Peninsula |
53. Mandolin kin: LUTES. A LUTE is any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. I think it's only a distant kin of the mandolin, as it's more like a violin-sized guitar.. Here is Maryland lutenist Ronn McFarlane at St. David's Church in Baltimore, playing W. Lee's Reel accompanied by Carolyn Surrick on viola da gamba ...
54. [Theme reveal]
59. "Don't push that button!": ABORT. Or "Push that button to ABORT!"
60. Low-carb diet: KETO.
61. In unison: AS ONE.
62. "Stars on __": reality show hosted by William Shatner: MARS. Hand up if you're a FAN?
63. About: OR SO.
64. Fabric fold: PLEAT.
Down:
1. "Notorious" SCOTUS justice: RBG. Ruth Bader Ginsburg (March 15, 1933 – September 18, 2020) was nicknamed "Notorious" because she was formidable in the courtroom. She spent a lifetime flourishing in the face of adversity before being appointed a Supreme Court justice, where she successfully fought against gender discrimination. The comic opera Scalia/Ginsburg was written about her and Antonin Scalia, her political nemesis on the court, both of whom shared a love of that art form. She was recently given a posthumous honor by the elevation of her Jabots to the status of crosswordese ...
|
|
|
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Notorious RBG |
|
3. Selma's st.: ALA. Selma is a city in the state of Alabama.
4. Prune: LOP.
5. Sitcom role for Brandy: MOESHA. MOESHA is an American television sitcom that aired on UPN from January 23, 1996, to May 14, 2001. The series stars R&B singer Brandy Norwood as Moesha Denise Mitchell, an African-American teenager living with her upper middle class family in the Leimert Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. Apparently she has step-mother issues ...
6. Embryo's home: UTERUS. Sounds cozy!
7. Yardstick, e.g.: RULER.
8. Small bay: INLET.
9. For instance: SAY.
10. Fill to the brim: TOP OFF.
11. Laundry room convenience: UTILITY SINK.
12. Forum top: TUNIC.
13. X-ray __: gadget advertised in classic comic books: SPEX. X-ray specs or X-ray glasses are an American novelty item, purported to allow users to see through or into solid objects. In reality, the spectacles merely create an optical illusion; no X-rays are involved. The current paper version is sold under the name "X-Ray SPEX"; a similar product is sold under the name "X-Ray Gogs". Standard equipment for those who think they are voyeurs.
16. City with the world's largest naval complex: NORFOLK. A CSO to our friend Jinx and his friend Zoё. Jinx tells me that her racing handle is Jugni (Hindi for "female firefly."), but at the racing kennel they called her "Cookie" ...
|
| Zoё |
21. Monty Python alum Michael: PALIN. In 1989 actor Michael PALIN retraced the fictitious steps of Jules Verne's Phileas Fogg to circumnavigate the wold in 80 days, sans airplane. Here's a trailer from the 7-part BBC television series ...
22. Realizes: REAPS.
23. Below: UNDER.
24. Production team member who shapes narratives: STORY EDITOR. As of this writing these folks are still on the picket line.
25. Slugger's stat: HRS.
26. Mama's Special Garden Sauce maker: RAGU.
30. ROTC school near D.C.: VMI. The Virginia Military Institute (VMI) is a public senior military college in Lexington, Virginia. It was founded in 1839 as America's first state military college and is the oldest public senior military college in the United States.
|
|
Ida B. Wells |
34. Online magazine with a "Dear Prudence" advice column: SLATE. "Prudie" responds to your questions about relationships at home, work, and beyond. Dear Prudence is also the name of a song ...
37. Undefeated boxer Ali: LAILA. LAILA Amaria Ali (born December 30, 1977) is an American television personality and retired professional boxer who competed from 1999 to 2007. During her career, from which she retired undefeated, she held the WBC, WIBA, IWBF and IBA female super middleweight titles, and the IWBF light heavyweight title. Ali is widely regarded by many within the sport as one of the greatest female professional boxers of all time. She is the daughter of boxer Muhammad Ali
|
|
Laila Ali |
42. Insta upload: PIC.
44. Stopwatches: TIMERS.
45. "Just watch me!": CAN TOO.
46. Mimics: APES.
47. JPEG alternative: BITMAP. What is the difference between BITMAP (BMP) and JPEG files?
48. Island birthplace of shortstop Xander Bogaerts: ARUBA. Xander Bogaerts is an infielder for the San Diego Padres. Here are his stats ...
|
|
Xander Bogaerts |
50. Achievements: FEATS.
51. Happy as a __: CLAM. Clams are not always happy, only at high tide.
|
|
Happy Clams |
55. Designer label initials: YSL. Yves Saint Laurent. But then you already knew that.
56. Java: JOE.
57. California's Santa __ Mountains: ANA. The Santa ANA Mountains are a short peninsular mountain range along the coast of Southern California in the United States. They extend for approximately 61 miles (98 km) southeast of the Los Angeles Basin largely along the border between Orange and Riverside counties.
|
|
Santa Ana Mountains Orange County, CA |
.jpg)
|
|
The Metropolitan Opera House |
Cheers,
Bill
And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.
waseeley
