Wednesday, Dec 18th, 2024 ~ Daniel Hrynick

 SKYFALL

I prefer THIS opening & theme song, however, but

a gratuitous Daniel Craig for C.C.

A clever puzzle from a constructor I've had the pleasure to blog before, Juneteenth this year.  The same "word" moving - that is, falling - through the grid, yet always in the same position relative to the edge of the puzzle.  Not an easy task to accomplish without using the "word" as itself and stay within the vernacular, too.  The grid has mirror symmetry, four unique fills (*) a handful of names ( but ones we see constantly in crosswords ) the same # of TLW & 4LWs (22), and a Moe ( per Splynter ) rating of 4 out of 5⭐.   The theme fill falls thusly;

20. "Take time to consider ... ": *                                                                                ASK YOURSELF

 

40. 1983 Tom Cruise teen comedy: *                                                                        RISKY BUSINESS

47. Hangout for a long-distance couple: *                                                                SKYPE DATE

60. Chicken Little's warning, and an apt title for this puzzle?:                           THE SKY IS FALLING

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Lawyer Goodman in the "Breaking Bad" franchise: SAUL - With the spin-off series "Better Call Saul" - I have watched neither series, and reduced my TV bill from $105/mo. to $20/mo. by "dropping" Disney and ESPN - I just don't watch much TV

5. Brazen: BRASH - a bit 'meh' with both words starting with 'B-R-A-'

10. Deliberate loss: DIVE - TANK did not fit with my DOWNS

14. Workforce addition: HIRE - usually with "new"

15. New __, India: DELHI

16. Gulf States title: EMIR

17. Actor Idris: ELBA - name #1, but we see it all the time

18. City in Provence: ARLES

Bottom left on the map

19. Energizer options: AAAs - I just got a 12-pack from Amazon

23. "Tiny Bubbles" singer: DON HO - we had this recently; name #2

25. Scepter companion: ORB - The Crown Jewels of the UK - more here

"I am your king"/"well I didn't vote for you."

26. Under-the-sink piece: P-TRAP

29. "Looking for" shorthand: ISO - In Search Of . . . . also a TV series hosted by Leonard Nimoy and "Skinner" from the X-files, with its own spin-off  (if you will ) called "Ancient Aliens"

30. Bandleader of the Electric Mayhem on "The Muppet Show": DR. TEETH - name #3

"Animal" on the drums

33. Fitting: APT

34. Sunday __: dread of returning to work on Monday: SCARIES - I had the Sunday Scaries for school when I was a youngster - hearing the theme of the PBS show "All Creatures Great & Small" starting up for the closing credits meant bedtime, and I knew I hadn't done my book report . . . .

The theme song

36. Fossil-preserving spots: TAR PITS

38. Fast-__ restaurant: CASUAL - never heard of this; filled via perps

39. Shaped: MOLDED - I had FORMED first

44. NNW opposite: SSE

45. Tempe sch.: ASU - Arizona State University

46. Automated spammer: 'BOT

52. "Pokémon" protagonist Ketchum: ASH - no clue; the "S" was my last fill; name #4

55. "Mangia!": "EAT~!"

56. Newcastle Brown __: ALE

57. Shearing day sound: BAA

64. Code with dits and dahs: MORSE

65. "The Batman" actress Kravitz: ZOE - Daughter of Lenny Kravitz & Lisa Bonet; name #5

66. Barista canvas: LATTE - canvas as in the "art" in the cream/froth atop an espresso

67. Imminently: SOON

68. Stop: END

69. Pollinators that can see in the ultraviolet spectrum: BEES


DOWN:

1. Feminine pronoun: SHE -or "HER"~?  I do the DOWNS first, but I WAGed correctly

SHE's got legs

2. Feel rotten: AIL

3. Green spot in a concrete jungle: URBAN OASIS * - I see this is an HGTV show, too

4. Obedience school item: LEASH - I'm going to need me some dog food & supplies soon

5. Dec. 25, for Justin Trudeau: BDAY - Dah~!  I was going to fill in "B-DAY", but I thought I was the only one who abbreviated it this way....

6. Digs into new digs, say: REROOTS - not MOVES IN

7. Magnetic power: ALLURE - my buddy Adam owns a restaurant of this name, sorta

A Lure, Southold, NY - the "SKY" is very blue

8. Frozen dessert: SHERBET - I read this as DESERT, and TUNDRA did not fit . . . .

9. Radiator sound: HISS - my house has baseboards, but they still "radiate" - much preferred over the forced-air system in my parents house

10. Gave a hand: DEALT - not AIDED  -- a "hand" as in a poker game.  Very clever

11. "Sorry, but it's true": "I'M AFRAID SO." - two of the last three clues fooled me~?  I'm afraid so. . . .

12. Passing through: VIA

13. Hosp. triage units: ERs

21. Alaskan bear: KODIAK

22. Filmmaker Nora: EPHRON - I am sure you've seen at least ONE of her movies - her IMDb; name #6

23. __ jockey: DISC

24. Academy honors: OSCARS - I had the wrong academy in mind - see below, 37D.

27. Subj.-specific exam for the college-bound: AP TEST - Advanced Placement - I took the classes, but only one of the tests

28. Condition that may be treated with exposure therapy, for short: PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - George Carlin's take on the "words" - ** WARNING** may be considered "political" 

31. Count (on): RELY

32. Roman of "The Ms. Pat Show": TAMI - no idea; filled via perps; her IMDb; name #7

35. Sly tactics: RUSES

37. Academy cadet: PLEBE

41. Christen: BAPTIZE

42. Play for a pawn: USE

43. Decongestant brand: SUDAFED

48. Palmer of "Nope": KEKE - also no clue, her Wiki; name #8

49. "Woo-hoo!": "YAY~!"

50. __ mode: À LA

51. Bluffer's giveaway: TELL - more poker

52. Cash dispensers: ATMs

53. Wave away: "SHOO~!"

54. Foot-long sandwich: HERO - I just had one for the first time in a looong time for lunch Friday

57. Orthodontist's instruction: BITE - yeah. but meh.

58. Poker game starter: ANTE - and yet more poker

59. Range listed on board games: AGES - ah; did not make sense until it filled in 

Parker Brothers RISK is appropriate for AGES 10 to Adult

61. Tax form ID: SSN - Social Security Number

62. Daughter's brother: SON - did you have to "think" about this~?  I did - too funny.  How about this~?  My aunt married the brother of her mother's second husband - try and figure that one out . . . .

63. Bunsen burner setting: LAB - ah. Not "LOW"

Splynter

One Week 'til Christmas~!

Wednesday, Jun 19th, 2024, Daniel Hrynick

 DON'T EAT THE FISH~!

 

Today's puzzle, I believe, is Daniel's debut, at least for the LA Times.  Way to Go~!  And - it's NOT from Rebecca, and NOT 16x15 - but still about food. Hey, I'm getting there, slowly but surely - "and don't call me Shirley".  Five foods, or "snacks", with movie title adjectives, and no reveal.  The themers: 

17. Wrapped movie snack for a Rowan Atkinson comedy?: BEAN BURRITO

23. Spicy movie snack for a Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze fantasy romance?: GHOST PEPPERS

38. Roasted movie snack for a Leslie Nielsen disaster comedy?: AIRPLANE PEANUTS

 

The best comedy movie ever~?   Airplane~! Trailer

50. Cold movie snack for a Disney princess musical?: FROZEN YOGURT

62. Sweet movie snack for an Arnold Schwarzenegger comedy?: JUNIOR MINTS

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Like a bad Goodyear: BALD - and, unfortunately, a "good" Splynter's fate, as well

5. Media network based in Ontario: THE CBC - the Wiki, and a shout-out to our friends up north

11. Tanqueray liquor: GIN

14. After-lunch sandwich: OREO - I really like BJs chocolate-chip cookies

15. Nickelodeon toon tyke: RUGRAT

16. Blackjack card: ACE

19. Not quite break, as a record: TIE

20. Seasonal mall worker: SANTA

21. Exam: TEST

22. Slough off: SHED

26. Monastery leaders: ABBOTS - I recommend the "Cadfael Chronicles" by Ellis Peters, Cadfael being a Crusader turned Benedictine monk, set in 1100 England, and a great set of mystery novels

29. Christian name?: DIOR - Christian Dior, designer, very clever

30. __ Lanka: SRI

31. "Very funny": HA-HA

35. Shasta and Fanta: SODAS

42. __ dish: lab container: PETRI - Spellcheck doesn't like this

43. Graph lines: AXES

44. Ready to go: SET

45. LP player: Hi-Fi

 

I don't think the music has the dog's attention

47. Eases: ABATES

55. Passed-down tales: LORE

56. Mower brand: TORO - Mine is a Massey-Ferguson, and I am getting better at driving it~!

57. On the open ocean: AT SEA - I ordered a piece of art from China, and the website supplied the tracking info for the vessel it was loaded on, then I found this site, which is incredible - the number of ships AT SEA. . . .

61. Not even: ODD

64. Itty-bitty: WEE

65. Apply a cipher to: ENCODE

66. "__ quote you on that?": "CAN I~?"  OK boys, let's get some pictures

67. Den. neighbor: NORway - sorta; Sweden is much more "neighborly"

top left corner - Norway is peekin' a teensy bit

68. Itty-bitty: TEENSY - Spellcheck doesn't care for this, either

69. Bridge distance: SPAN

DOWN:

1. "And __ your uncle": Brit's "Voilà!": BOB'S - my parents were born and raised in England; while I did not hear this phrase often, one that did come up on a day of thunderstorms was "It's a bit black over Bill's mother's" = more here

2. Field: AREA - think "expertise"

3. Favor one side: LEAN - like that tower in 25D.

4. "Stay!": "DON'T GO~!"

5. Hilton brand: TRU - On my first trip with the pipe organ company to Lynchburg VA, we had to stay at a different hotel for ONE night due to some convention at the usual place; the second spot was a "Tru", sort of like the "trendy", wacky color scheme, odd art, Millennial vibe version of Hilton

6. Causes pain: HURTS

7. Wading bird found in salt- and freshwater marshes: EGRET

8. Crunchy: CRISP

9. Swung for the fences, maybe: BATTED

10. Engineering exec at a startup, e.g.: CTO - Chief Technology Officer

11. Sit untouched: GATHER DUST - my drum set has been sitting untouched the whole time I have lived in CT; I am planning a music room in the basement - complete with pipe organ - once my new kitchen is done - but that can't happen until the side porch gets done, and so on and so on....

12. More slick: ICIER

13. Requires: NEEDS

18. Thai currency: BAHT

22. Sour cream utensil: SPOON - I prefer the newer squeezee bottle

A dollop of 63D.~?

24. Plant inspection org.: OSHA - the National Cathedral insisted on steel-toe boots for all who work with the pipe organ company, so we went shopping at Skechers last week, and I got some new, free kicks~!

25. Tuscan tower town: PISA

26. Rush job letters: ASAP

27. "The Marvels" star Larson: BRIE - no clue, filled via perps

28. Factor in sibling relationships: BIRTH ORDER - I am first born, have but one sibling, a brother, and he has some sort of inferiority issue with me - so he comes across as the Alpha male in most instances; it doesn't make any difference to me

32. The NHL's Ducks, on sports tickers: ANAheim - Florida could have hoisted the Stanley Cup last night, but they're going back to Edmonton

33. Bad spell: HEX - ah.  Missed this.  A "?" would have helped.

34. Large primate: APE

36. Fit to __: A TEE - Crosswordese

37. Old fleet fleet: SSTs - I am fascinated by the TV Show "Air Disasters", mostly because of how the show depicts the investigation progresses, and how a very tiny part failure can make a very big tragedy

39. Cherish: PRIZE - Dah~! not ADORE

40. Word with hack or coach: LIFE - Life-hack, Life-coach; I like watching the mini Life Hacks and carpentry tips on Facebook

41. Biblical twin: ESAU

46. Not sharp or flat: IN TUNE - Meh.  "Natural" did not fit.  Being musical, I am not entirely in agreement with this clue; e.g. Van Halen songs are all tuned a half-step down, or "flat", but they are "in tune"; pipe organs can be sharp and/or flat and still be "in tune" - the temperament Wiki

48. Gothic horror novelist Stoker: BRAM

49. Rooms that often have little room: ATTICS - Meh.  My attic is huge, and I plan to make it into a loft one day; I prefer the "top floor" kind of clue for this answer

50. __ the coop: escaped: FLOWN

51. Event with clowns and bulls: RODEO

52. Part of the Queen Bey song "Partition": YONCÉ - Beyoncé - her Wiki, and that's as far as I go

53. Hunter in the night sky: ORION - this is more like my musical tastes

R.I.P. Cliff Burton, bass player, Metallica - Orion

54. Merchandise: GOODS - I tried WARES first

58. Pic: SNAP - semi Meh.

59. Volcano on Sicily's east coast: ETNA - ah, trying to throw us for a loop with the whole "east coast" thing~?  I wasn't fooled~!

60. Q __ Quebec: AS IN - more Canadien, Eh~?

62. East Coast NFLer: JET - yes, us long-suffering NY Jets fans. . . . can we get a quarterback in here~?

63. Daisy Ridley's "Star Wars" role: REY - I am a huge Star Wars fan - saw the original at a drive-in when I was six - but the last trilogy was lacking, sadly

Splynter

And a Juneteenth to all~!

Good Luck, we're all counting on you....