Sunday, Jun 22nd, 2025 ~ Christina Iverson

 GENRE FUSION
OR
"I WANNA ROCK GARDEN"

Twisted Sister, "I wanna rock" garden

Splynter here, subbing for our unhappy hostess, who had her infusion done this past week, and was not feeling well.  This is my first time blogging a Sunday grid, but not my first Christina Iverson puzzle - her last LA Times contribution was Memorial Day this year; I blogged her Wednesday crossword back in Nov 2024.  Since I have no reference to any previous Sunday statistics, I can say that we have no circles, a few names, 50 four- but not foul- letter words, and not only are all the theme answers unique, but two of the 9-letter Downs are unique* as well.  I thought this was a well-made, clever crossword - the theme answers are a playful 'expansion' that ties an in-the-language phrase to a musical genre; 

23. Title of a memoir written by Madonna's daughter?: MOM AND POP MUSIC

39. Young and adorable Twisted Sister enthusiast?: PRECIOUS METAL HEAD

56. Exclamation upon finding "Honky Tonkin'" in the dumpster?: IT'S A FREE COUNTRY ALBUM

75. Spend every waking moment in one's Rolling Stones-themed bedroom?: 

LIVE UNDER A ROCK POSTER - I grew up with Iron Maiden, who had the best merchandising

The Trooper & Aces High, two of their coolest "Eddie" posters

89. Accidentally books the hip-hopper with no rhythm?: GETS A BAD RAP ARTIST

111. Go-to for Pete Seeger or Woody Guthrie?: COMMON FOLK SONG

 My favorite was not the METAL or ROCK reference, but the one genre I probably like the least - 

IT'S A FREE COUNTRY ALBUM~!

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Card game also called contract whist: OH HELL - new one to me; more here

7. Jerks: SPASMS

13. Southwestern people: APACHE

19. Affectionate knuckle rub: NOOGIE

20. Many a social media opinion: HOT TAKE - Essentially, statements that play Devil's Advocate by raising people's ire - e.g., anything political posted here on the Corner

22. Comedy series starring Bob Odenkirk and David Cross: MR. SHOW - never heard of this; I do know David Cross, as he appeared in Men in Black 1 & 2

25. Trig function: COSINE

26. Scraped (by): EKED

27. Gawk: GAPE

28. Clarinet kin: OBOE

30. Antlered deer: BUCKS - STAGS didn't work

31. Plus: ASSET - AND - 119A. Column on a record: LOSSES - this second clue stumped me because with the musical references of the theme, I was thinking of "record" as "LP"

33. Premier League team, to fans: MAN U - Manchester United - English soccer/football

35. Taken __: startled: ABACK

37. FD employee: EMT - a change-up on the typical clue for this abbr answer

45. Like fuzzy fruit: MOLDY - ah, not PEACH or KIWIS, but the ones gone bad . . . .

47. Recipe nos.: AMTS

48. Dowser's objective: WELL - WATER was too many letters

49. Confidentiality doc: NDA - Non-Disclosure Agreement; I will need this for my board games

50. Actor Rickman: ALAN - He made a compelling villain in "Die Hard"

"Die Hard" IS a Christmas movie in my home

51. Brought forth: BEGAT - there was a lot of Biblical begatting

53. Some nonalcoholic pours: BEERS - Years ago, I drank a half-dozen O'Doul's at a gentlemens' club; all you get are trips to the bathroom and a nagging headache

55. Sound from an enthusiastic diner: MOAN - I guess; I personally don't usually associate a moan with something good - or - food

60. "Thanks a __!": "LOT~!"

61. Count (on): RELY

62. Thakhek locale: LAOS - More like Saturday cluing, filled via perps

63. __ bran: OAT

64. Amazes: WOWS

65. Be a cast member of: ACT IN

67. Scribbles (down): JOTS

69. Hat with a tassel: FEZ - everything you ever wanted to know about "The Fez"

Steely Dan from the album "The Royal Scam"

70. Inventor Sikorsky: IGOR - no, EYE-gor . . . .

71. Smudge on Santa's suit: SOOT

72. Letters on some protective lip balm: SPF - Sun Protection Factor

81. All the __: RAGE

82. Thick-__ boots: SOLED

83. Foil alternatives: ÉPÉES

84. Storybook bear: PAPA

85. German cry: ACH

86. French bean?: TETE - Frawnche for "head"

87. Transparent: OPEN

88. Colorful relative of a violet: PANSY

95. Knock: DIS - as in disrespect

96. Actress Hannah: DARYL - I know her from Blade Runner, Splash and Roxanne - her IMDb

97. Site with a Fashion Finds section: ETSY - the website here

98. Informal attempts: STABS

100. Like a Brit's proverbial milk: SPILT - as opposed to "Spilled"

102. Fashionably __: LATE

104. Prefix with fill or complete: AUTO - curses, Autocorrect~!

There were so many to choose from, but mostly NSFW

106. Italian musical phrase often abbreviated as "a2": A DUE - two players, in unison

109. Immature, in a way: LARVAL - $2 word

115. Playful aquatic mammals: OTTERS

116. One might end on a high note: SOPRANO

117. Bug with pincers and a flat body: EARWIG

118. Gym: PHYS. ED. - semi-meh; gym may be an abbr for gymnasium, but gym class - better

120. Biases: SLANTS

DOWN:

1. "I'll treat": "ON ME."

2. Bit of fishing gear: HOOK

3. "Finally, I can sleep in my own bed!": "HOME AT LAST~!" - appeared one other time in the NYT

4. "Golly!": "EGADS~!"

5. Maya who designed the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery: LIN - her Webpage

6. Actor Heath: LEDGER - I liked him in "A Knight's Tale", and as the Joker in "The Dark Knight" - died at 28yrs old from a prescription drug overdose in NYC - his Wiki

7. Mart: SHOP

8. Catholic leader: POPE

9. Bread box?: ATM - another alternative clue for an over-used fill

10. "The Simpsons" disco guy: STU

11. Workers who may use concrete saws: MASONS - I tried PAVERS

12. Slopes habitué: SKI BUM

13. Regal competitor: AMC - Movie theatres

14. The big leagues: PRO BALL

15. Given that: AS SUCH

16. Get cold feet: CHICKEN OUT

17. Beep: HONK - I tried "TOOT"

18. Some flock members: EWES - AND - 42D. Fancy jugs: EWERS

21. System starter: ECO - ECOsystem

24. Party spread: PÂTÉ - "What am I, chopped liver~?"

29. Spot to get a bite: EATERY - can I get some PATE~?

32. Mole: SPY

33. Words to live by: MOTTO - Dah~! Not CREDO

34. Swimming powerhouse in the Olympics, for short: AUStralia - I was not sure where this clue was going; even after it filled via perps, I had to check online; here's a medal count by country

36. Model material: BALSA

37. Drafts folder filler: E-MAIL

38. Very, to Vivaldi: MOLTO - Italian 

40. Not forthcoming: CAGEY

41. Big Apple product: iMAC - I tried iPAD

43. Savage of "MythBusters": ADAM - I know him....

44. Savage of "Savage Love": DAN - I do NOT know him

46. Genetic material: DNA

51. Cold __ coffee: BREW

52. Slithering swimmers: EELS

53. "Children of," in temple names: B'NAI - Hebrew

54. Berkshire school: ETON - I was thinking Berkeley, and tried UCLA - hey, I am EAST coast....

55. Degs. for entrepreneurs: MBAs

57. Panicked, perhaps: FROZE - Fight, Flight or Freeze~?

58. Super: ULTRA

59. Game of luck: LOTTO

64. "I don't believe __ met": "WE'VE"

65. Posthumous Pulitzer winner James: AGEE - good WAG on my part

66. Firewood quantity: CORD 

67. One might start with a knock: JOKE - As in, "Knock Knock, who's there~?"

68. "My bad!": "OOPS~!"

69. Hit below the belt: FIGHT DIRTY *- I tried SUCKER PUNC, ran out of spaces

70. Ran in place, maybe: IDLED

71. Trademarked element of Play-Doh: SCENT - HA~!  I tried "TASTE" first

72. Gives up: STANDS DOWN *- neat contradictory clue/answer

73. "Is __ OK?": response to a request for Coke: PEPSI - in the South, the question is always "What kind of Coke do you want~?" "I'll have a Diet Pepsi."

74. Becomes ragged: FRAYS

75. Weblike fabric: LACE

Ballerina Black Secret Scarlet Lace Tights

76. Milk carton phrase: USE BY

77. Some: NOT ALL - that would be the definition....

78. "How can I ever __ you?": REPAY

79. Abbr. on old phones: OPERator; here's a funny Millennial video

Four minutes to dial a number....

80. Place for a couples retreat: SPA

81. Joplin work: RAG - SCOTT Joplin - The Entertainer kind of rag

86. Steak __: TARTARE - Basically, raw beef - a recipe

87. Batter's stat: OPS - Baseball lingo for On-Base Plus Slugging

88. Gp. that might plan a readathon: PTA

90. Soothing balms: SALVES - ALOES was too short

91. Make more suitable: RETOOL

92. "Resume speed," to a musician: A TEMPO - definition

93. Colon, at times: IS TO - analogy; see 35A.

94. Wraps: STOLES

99. Iraqi port city: BASRA

100. Piggie's favorite dish in the "Elephant and Piggie" books: SLOP - makes sense

101. Line on a trail map: PATH - I followed the advice of two Cornerites, desper-otto & TTP, ordered me a pair of New Balance 608 V5s

The brown ones were $10 less - I'm not picky, and they match my sweatpants~!

103. Bldg. coolers: A/Cs - gotta put my big window unit in; we are going to get close to 100° this week here in Connecticut 😝

104. Green Gables girl: ANNE

105. Blurry craft in tabloid pics: UFOs

107. Storage __: UNIT

108. Quiche need: EGGS

110. Acid letters: LSD

112. Peacock title: MRS. - Definitely Saturday cluing, and a reference to the board game Clue; I had an inkling this was what we were looking for; I also considered "MRT", as Mr. T was in the NBC "Peacock" show "The A-Team"

113. Western treaty gp.: OAS - Organziation of American States - the Wiki

114. Actor Penn: KAL - His IMDb; I knew of him from "House, M.D."

Splynter

Monday May 26, 2025 Christina Iverson

  

Happy Memorial Day, everyone!  

sumdaze here. Today's theme is:

Things We Need to Trim for $200, Alex.  

You can put away your hedge clippers. This one is more personal. We'll begin with the three themed clues & answers:

16 Across. Really, really strong: AS TOUGH AS NAILS.  

26 Across. Delicate pasta often served with a light sauce: ANGEL HAIR.  It is one of the thinnest pastas available. Its Italian name is capellini which means "little hairs". 

<not for those with trichophobia>

44 Across. French folktale that inspired a Kurt Vonnegut novel: BLUEBEARD.

Britannica's write-up  

The reveal:

52 Across. "I wasn't sure at first, but ...," or what could be said about the ends of 16-, 26-, and 44-Across?: IT'S GROWING ON ME.  We use this idiom to say that we like something better as time goes on. It can also imply an increasing attachment. Ex.:  At first I did not like my roommate's pet iguana but now IT'S GROWNING ON ME.

Also, the words NAILS, HAIR, and BEARD name things that GROW ON the human body.  

Play-Doh Buzz 'n Cut Fuzzy Pumper Barber Shop Set

Across:

1. Flurries of activity: ADOS.  This fill always makes me think about the Shakespeare play Much Ado About Nothing.

5. Swedish aerospace giant: SAAB.  SAAB aerospace history

9. Pet food brand: ALPO.  

Remember the Lorne Greene ads?
(BTW, he was a Canadian, born in Ottawa...eh!)

13. Olympic skier Lindsey: VONN.  [b. October 18, 1984 in St. Paul, MN]  Lindsey Vonn: All alpine ski titles, records, and medals - complete list  

She is simply amazing!

14. The Bruins of the Big Ten Conf.: UCLA.  University of California, Los Angeles

memory trick for next time:  the bear on the CA state flag

15. Devil costume part: TAIL.

19. Impressive display: ARRAY.  This is the first of three answers that could be clued in a math way.  

20. One whose age is given in months: TODDLER.

22. Brick and __: MORTAR.  In this age of E-TAIL, brick and mortar has developed a more specific meaning to distinguish businesses with a physical building where clients and customers can visit.

24. Plead: BEG.  Does anyone remember this Olivia Newton-John song from 1975?  

Please Mr. Please

I may or may not have sung this song into a hairbrush

while roller-skating in my driveway back in the day.

25. __ Star State: LONE.  CSO to our TX Cornerites!

28. "Please explain?": HOW SO?.

29. Chilled: ICED.  

30. Bus. letters: INC.  Business and INCorporated.

31. "Right this minute!": NOW.

32. Allow: LET.

33. Musician known as the "Godfather of Punk": IGGY POP.  [b. James Newell Osterberg Jr. on April 21, 1947]  I question how many IP fans we have on The Corner; but, in case you are curious....

Iggy Pop   ~   Lust for Life   ~   released 1977

35. Beaver's project: DAM.  

38. "As if!": HAH.

39. Prefix with gender: CIS-.  Wiki list of English words prefixed with CIS-

40. "Of __ and Men": MICE.  John Steinbeck [1902-1968] was an American author who won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writing, combining sympathetic humor and keen social perception." To me that perfectly describes this novella (published in 1937) as well as his other works. Steinbeck is much celebrated here in Monterey, his home county.

41. Lofty goal: DREAM.

46. Tidy: NEAT.

47. Stick in a pool hall: CUE.

48. Stovetops: RANGES.  This is the second of three answers that could be clued in a math way.  

49. "Wow, so soon?": ALREADY.

51. Refried beans bean: PINTO.

56. "If the __ fits ... ": SHOE.  

57. World-traveling Verne protagonist: FOGG.  Phileas Fogg is the protagonist in the 1872 Jules Verne novel Around the World in Eighty Days. This is the trailer for the 2004 Disney movie version starring Steve Coogan and Jackie Chan:  

58. Train travel: RAIL.  

The Doobie Brothers   ~   Long Train Runnin'   ~   1973

59. Watch part: HAND.  

60. Own (up): FESS.  

This one didn't go where I thought it was going.

61. Loud noise: SLAM.     and     45 Down. Loud noise: BANG.

Down:  

1. Director DuVernay: AVA.     and     27 Down. "Brokeback Mountain" director Lee: ANG.

We see these directors regularly in our grids.

2. Uno y uno: DOS.  "Y" (pronounced "ee") translates to "and" in English. I love the name Marysol (sea and sun).

3. Properly aimed: ON TARGET.  Eaglets instinctually shoot their poop outside of their nest but they do not seem to first look to make sure family members are not in the way. In this video Sunny NAILS eagle dad Shadow 🎯, who takes it in stride.  

video from 5/11/25

As of this writing, neither Sunny nor Gismo have fledged

-- but I am keeping an eye on them!

BTW, the correct word for an eagle poop shoot is slice.

4. Showed appreciation for a bad joke, maybe: SNORTED.  

5. Result of a Halloween candy binge: SUGAR HIGH.  This was not a first-y but it is a great bonus word! I started with SUGAR rusH.

6. Sore: ACHY.

7. In the style of, on a menu: À LA.

8. Tool often used on Thanksgiving: BASTER.

9. Just slightly: A TAD.

10. Brought down to the ground: LAID LOW.

11. Bed cushion: PILLOW.

12. "Full House" twins: OLSENS.  They did that thing where twins play one character so a TODDLER would not have to be on set so much.  

Mary-Kate and Ashley
(or Ashley and Mary-Kate???)

17. Asian territory on a Risk board: URAL.  Risk is a board game of strategy and territorial conquest.

18. Eggy holiday drink: NOG.

21. __ Speedwagon: REO.

22. Put in the post: MAIL.

23. A single time: ONCE.

24. Transport with training wheels: BICYCLE.  We see training wheels less and less because today's TODDLERs learn to ride on balance bikes. Pretty nifty!!  

28. Move like a frog: HOP.

31. Some facial jewelry: NOSE RINGS.  Speaking of frogs...

33. Terse affirmative: I AM.  "Remember to take out the recycling."  "I AM!"

34. More, on a music score: PIÙ.  This is an Italian musical term that means "more". It is commonly used in conjunction with other musical instructions to indicate that the performer should increase certain aspects of the music, such as volume, speed, or emotion.  source  

35. Like the lines on argyle socks: DIAGONAL.  This is the third of three answers that could be clued in a math way.  

36. Land unit: ACRE.

37. Rx items: MEDS.  Note that both the clue and answer are abbreviations.

38. Talks trash about: HATES ON.  Just as it is not a good idea to roll around in trash, it is not a good idea to wallow in HATE.

40. Trusted career guides: MENTORS.

41. Genetic letters: DNA.

42. Condiment on a hot dog: RELISH.  This word is a good fit for Memorial Day picnics.

43. "Santa Baby" singer Kitt: EARTHA.  [1927-2008]  Eartha also played Catwoman in two episodes of the 1960s Batman TV series. Here she is with Cesar Romero as The Joker.

44. Bribe: BUY OFF.  I had paY OFF before BUY OFF.

47. Capt.'s underling: CDR.  In the U.S. Navy, a Captain is over a Commander.

50. Became older: AGED.  Speaking of birthdays, Happy 75th Birthday to Sophia!  

51. Babe and Wilbur, for two: PIGS.  Young PIGS are called piglets and young hedgehogs are called hoglets.  

Babe, Wilbur, and a hoglet

53. Deep sadness: WOE.

54. "Mamma __!": MIA.  Such a great soundtrack! I'll take a chance on this one:

55. Furniture wood: ELM.  If this were 1-Down, I would have inked in oak but by 55-D it had filled itself.

Today's grid:  

Christina put ten (non-themed) two-word answers in this grid.

I hope this puzzle measured up to your expectations!

Have a safe and happy holiday!

Wednesday, Nov 27th, 2024 ~ Christina Iverson

  THE MIND...

I am a pluviophile

Another 16 x 15 grid for a Wednesday puzzle - but - no circles, then again eight or ten names, depending on how you count, 22 each of TLWs and four-letter words, eight "quoted" clues, and a whopping ELEVEN abbreviations;

18. *Is treated unfairly: GETS THE SHAFT

29. *Biodiverse ecological layer: RAINFOREST CANOPY

49. *Lost control of one's emotions: FLEW OFF THE HANDLE

64. Expression that covers a broad category, or what is found at the end of the answer to each starred clue?: UMBRELLA TERM - Today's $2 word for this phrase is "hypernymy"

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Coastal country with approximately a quarter of Africa's gorillas: GABON - I recall "Survivor" had a season there

6. "Huh, really?": "THAT SO~?"

12. Panda car driver: COP - I did not know this is a British term, despite having parents born & raised in England, but it makes sense; black & white . . . . the Wiki

15. The "A" of the ABC islands: ARUBA - the others being Bonaire and Curaçao

16. Become less intense: EASE UP

17. Singer DiFranco: ANI - name #1 

20. Slump: SAG

21. Skedaddles: SCOOTS

22. Fish out of water: MISFITS - semi-meh.  FishES would have helped

24. Data unit: BYTE

26. "A little assistance here!": "HELP~!"

28. Monogram pt.: INITials - abbr#1

34. Irene who matched wits with Holmes: ADLER - #2; I did not know this character

35. Eateries that might have 1950s decor: DINERS

Hello~? McFly~?

36. Actress Gadot: GAL - #3; I am getting used to seeing her in crosswords now

37. Apple platform: iOS

40. Foot part: TOE

41. Arthur of "The Golden Girls": BEA - #4, crossword staple

44. "You're making me blush!": "STOP IT~!"

47. Sacred song: PSALM

54. Actress Chaplin: OONA - #5 - her IMDb

55. Phone message: TEXT

56. Genesis garden: EDEN

57. Suitcases: LUGGAGE

61. Gutter ball preventer: BUMPER

I think she's cheating . . . .

63. Genetic material: DNA - abbr#2

68. Common breakfast ingredient: EGG

69. Hearty: ROBUST

70. Loads (of): SCADS

71. Poor grade: DEE

72. Real estate and the like: ASSETS

and "the like"  :7))

73. "Aw, shucks": "OH MAN..."


DOWN:

1. "Eww!": GAG

2. "__ you nuts?": ARE

3. "And yet ... ": BUT STILL...

4. More than a little indecent: OBSCENE - "the words he knows are all obscene, but . . . "

We lost Phil Lesh last month - Oct 25th

5. Brussels-based gp.: NATO - Wed-level crossword clue - abbr#3

6. Wobble: TEETER - good WAG on my part

7. Pestered: HASSLED - but ANNOYED was not

8. Volcanic residue: ASH

9. United group: TEAM

10. Certain Muslim: SUFI

11. Makes a selection: OPTS - meh. chooses is  better

12. Vegas venue: CASINO - I have ZERO desire to go to Las Vegas, other than to see the architecture

13. How some bet: ON A TIP - Dah~! Not ONLINE

14. Spot that isn't spotless: PIG STY

19. Hostess brand: HoHo - meh.  I don't like this clue; isn't it a "product", not a brand~?

23. Snorkeler's footwear: FINS - how goes the swimming, C.C.~?

24. Boast: BRAG

25. When repeated, "Blah, blah, blah" kin: YADA - the "Elaine-ism" from Seinfeld

27. Trident-shaped letter: PSI

30. __ pie: dish with corn chips: FRITO - does make sense; we called it "Dip" in Cincinnati

31. Explosive letters: TNT - two blogs in a row for me; abbr#5

32. Corp. suit: CEO - ah; 'suit' meaning the 'person' in the position; the term for this is "metonymy" - and abbr#6

33. Colombian street snack: AREPA

A recipe here - a taco made with a thick corn flatbread

38. "Sounds painful!": "OOF~!"

39. UV-filtering measurement: SPF - Sun Protection Factor - for UV "B" rays, and abbr#7

41. Nightmare: BAD DREAM

42. Fanning of "Super 8": ELLE - #5, More from her IMDb page

43. Prayer ending: AMEN

44. Branded totes and pens, e.g.: SWAG - I am quietly wondering if I will ever get invited to the Pipe Organ convention, and see what swag they are offering. . . . 

45. Hairy Addams cousin: ITT - duh-duh-duh dun....snick - snick - #6

46. Tina Turner's signature song: THE BEST - I can think of others that are "BETTER"

48. Star-bellied Dr. Seuss creature: SNEETCH - I've never heard of these guys, #7

49. Practiced origami: FOLDED - practiced POKER, too

50. Upscale waiting area in an airport: LOUNGE - total WAG

51. Take part (in): ENGAGE

And a Picard Shout-Out~!

52. Rejoices: EXULTS

53. Web design code: HTML - abbr#8

58. Supernatural glow: AURA

59. Engineered foods, for short: GMOs - Genetically Modified Organisms, abbr#9

60. Subsides: EBBS

62. El __, Texas: PASO

65. Regret: RUE

66. Dietary amt.: RDA - abbr#10

67. Early AOL rival: MSN -  MicroSoft Network - abbr#11

Splynter

Savor Stuffing the Stuffing tomorrow~!