Monday January 27, 2025 David Karp

  

Hay there, everyone! sumdaze here. Today's theme:

It's a horse, of course! 

Out of the gate, we'll begin with today's reveal:

58 Across. Deal made with shrewd bargaining, or a swap that could be made with the ends of 17-, 25-, 37-, and 47-Across?: HORSE TRADE.

A HORSE TRADE is as defined in the clue, but this reveal is also telling us that we can substitute (that is, TRADE) the word HORSE for the ends of each themed answer.

Note:  "Ends" is used instead of "words" because 37-Across is hyphenated.  

Rounding up the themers, we have:

17 Across. Prerequisite for going into labor?: WORK PERMIT.  WORKHORSE

The question mark indicates a bit of misdirection about childbirth. A WORK PERMIT is an official document that allows one to work.

A WORKHORSE is a hardworking person.

25 Across. Hypothetical stuff in space: DARK MATTER.  DARK HORSE

NASA webpage on the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope and DARK MATTER

A DARK HORSE is a little-known, unexpectedly successful entrant in a contest.

37 Across. Requiring a lot of careful attention: HIGH-MAINTENANCE.  HIGH HORSE

HIGH-MAINTENANCE is as defined in the clue.

Someone described as being on their HIGH HORSE is acting as if they are superior to those around them.  

47 Across. Unvarying background sound: WHITE NOISE.  WHITEHORSE 

more on WHITE NOISE

There are a few options for this one. WHITEHORSE is the largest city in northern Canada and the capital of the Yukon. A hero can come riding up on a symbolic WHITE HORSE. WHITE HORSE is also the name of a 2008 song by Taylor Swift. We could go on, but let's take a look at the grid instead.

I also noticed a Geography mini-theme. If 47-Across is the Yukon capital, that is Geography question #1. We have eleven more so put on your Geography hats!   

Across:

1. Lively Brazilian dance: SAMBA.  

6. Diet that's high in 10-Across: KETO.  (see next clue)

10. Macronutrients that may be saturated: FATS.

14. Inbox filler: EMAIL.

15. Disney snowman voiced by Josh Gad: OLAF.  Josh Gad was recently a guest on Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! That is when I first realized I was confusing him with panelist Josh Gondelman. (Sorry, Josh G.!)  

(l to r)  Josh Gad, Olaf, and Josh Gondelman

16. Taj Mahal city: AGRA.  [Geography question #2]  

19. "Hacks" Emmy winner Smart: JEAN.  (b. Sept. 13, 1951 in Seattle) I remember her from Designing Women (1986-1993)  

Jean is the blonde.

20. __ Lauder: ESTEE.  

21. Dice finely: MINCE.  

22. Recipe amt.: TBSP.  To make pizza sauce, I combine 1 TaBleSPoon dried MINCEd onion with a small can of tomato sauce, a handful of fresh herbs from my garden, and a few turns of the peppermill. Let simmer.

28. Bother: EAT AT.  If something is bothering you, you could say it is EATing AT you. In that case you might need some 29-DownS.

30. __ Scotia, Canada: NOVA.  [Geography question #3] Nova Scotia is one of Canada's ten provinces. Its estimated population is over one million people. Visitors enjoy exploring its charming coastal towns, eating lobster, and whale watching. 

31. Flirt with: CHAT UP.  Like the clue, I associate this phrase with a romantic purpose to the conversation. Others equate CHAT UP with simply "shooting the breeze". How do you use it?

33. First __ tent: AID.  I always appreciate these volunteers at events.

34. Co. such as Google Fiber: ISP.  Company and Internet Service Provider

41. "__ queen!": YAS.  "YAS queen" is a slang expression that signifies celebration, support, and empowerment. Wiki says it is mostly used by the 42-Across community.

I did not care for this A crossing the name of a Brazilian state.

42. Part of LGBTQ+: GAY.

43. More irate: MADDER.  I'm mad for the lyrics to this song from the Broadway musical Wonderland. 

44. Conference freebies: SWAG.  I think this acronym stands for Stuff We All Get ... but opinions vary.

46. Home Depot department: PAINT.  

Don't forget to ask for a stirring stick!

53. Combinatorics discipline: MATH.  Combinatorics, as the name suggests, is an area of discrete MATH that looks at possible combinations. (There is more to it than that but this will suffice for today.) A sample problem is "A committee of three people needs to be made from a group of ten participants. How many possible combinations of committee members is possible?"  

Use this formula to get the answer 120 combinations.

54. Big name in boxers: HANES.  Chonies -- not dogs!

55. Some party shenanigans: DARES.  This clue refers to the party game Truth or Dare.  

Penny, Bernadette, and Amy play Truth or DARE on TBBT.

57. Native of ancient Peru: INCA.  [Geography question #4]

63. Free kick cause: FOUL.  I'm going to go with Isaac McAdoo's penalty kick in Season 3 of Ted Lasso (3:11 min.).

Warnings:  Spoiler alert and F-bombs.  

64. Line on a graph: AXIS.  More math!!  😎  

65. Camera giant: NIKON.

66. Fragrant trees: FIRS.  

67. Prying: NOSY.  

Get it? They're elephants.

68. Die down: ABATE.  Def.:  to decrease in force or intensity.

I always associate this word with IRS penalties. I have written many letters for clients asking that the IRS ABATE their penalty.

Speaking of the IRS, it is time for my annual PSA announcement.... Tax season in the U.S. is just around the corner. The IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs offer free tax help for taxpayers who qualify. This will be my 7th year as a VITA preparer. D-Otto volunteered for many years, too. If you know someone who needs assistance with filling out their forms, perhaps recommend they try VITA. We do both Federal and State income taxes. Certain complicated returns are out-of-scope. Use this link to find an IRS VITA location near you.

Down:

1. Do some needlework: SEW.     and     26 Down. Do some needlework: KNIT.

2. "Yo te __": AMO.  

3. Damage: MAR.  

"Vitiate" is a Saturday word.

4. Cyclist's route through a park: BIKE PATH.  How to find bike paths on Google Maps video (1 min.)

5. Swiss mountains: ALPS.   [Geography question #5]  Britannica.com

6. Divided Asian peninsula: KOREA.  [Geography question #6]

7. Wabbit hunter Fudd: ELMER.  

8. __ chi: martial art: TAI.  ...not to be confused with chai tea!  

9. Frequently, in poems: OFT.  short for OFTen     and     52 Down. Before, in poems: ERE.

10. Sizzling Tex-Mex fare: FAJITA.

11. Customer service representative: AGENT.  They as are elusive as the secret spy AGENTs.

12. Tiny amount: TRACE.  

13. More reasonable: SANER.

18. Takeoff approx.: ETD.  "Approximation" is abbreviated, so it "Estimated Time of Departure".

21. Big D cager: MAV.  Big D is Dallas, TX. A cager is a basketball player.  Dallas' NBA team is the Mavericks.  

22. Futuristic: TECHY.  TECHY is an adjective which means "characterized by technical sophistication". Its first known use was in 1977.

23. Brazilian state where the 1-Across originated: BAHIA.  [Geography question #7] Bahai is one of Brazil's 26 states. Its estimated population is over 14 million people. The Travel Channel says that Bahia is Brazil's "pulsing epicenter of Afro-Brazilian culture".

24. Bucks: STAGS.  ...not slang for money.

27. Surfer's gear?: MODEM.  web surfer

29. Stomach, cutely: TUM.  stomach  -->  tummy  -->  TUM

32. Winter solstice celebrant: PAGAN.  Here is an NPR piece from last December 20th.

33. One or more: ANY.

34. World's most populous country: INDIA.  [Geography question #8]

Click to enlarge.

I like this graphic, too.

35. Aromatherapy choice: SCENT.  Eucalyptus is one of my favorites.

36. Capital of Western Australia: PERTH.  [Geography question #9]  Western Australia is one of Australia's six states and two territories. Perth's population is estimated at 2.3 million people. It is known for its beaches, favorable climate, and outdoor activities. A non-stop flight from Sydney to Perth is about five hours.  

38. "Othello" villain: IAGO.  CliffsNotes explains why IAGO is a villain:

Iago in this play, has the qualities of the Devil in medieval and Renaissance morality plays: He is a liar, he makes promises he has no intention of keeping, he tells fancy stories in order to trap people and lead them to their destruction, and he sees other's greatest vulnerabilities and uses these to destroy them.

39. Day break?: NAP.  This one had some fun wordplay. This break in the day is a rest -- not the dawning of a new day.

40. Tracy/Hepburn romantic comedy: ADAM'S RIB.  ESP for me. Here is the trailer for this 1949 film. (I love her houndstooth robe!)

44. Amazing deals: STEALS.  The price is so good it is like you are STEALing it.

45. Director Anderson: WES.  There is something about the pacing of Wes Anderson's films that make them fun to watch. You can see what I mean in this short clip from The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) with Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori, and Edward Norton.  

47. Faint smell: WHIFF.  

48. Vietnam's capital: HANOI.  [Geography question #10]

49. Rack up: INCUR.  For example, one can rack up (INCURE) penalties.

50. Actor Elba: IDRIS.  Is he the new 007 ???!!!  

51. Full of attitude: SASSY.

56. Sicilian volcano: ETNA.  [Geography question #11]

58. Solo of "Star Wars": HAN.  

59. Kitchen gadget brand: OXO.  

OXO's jar opening tool makes a good gift for people of a certain age.

60. Pseudonym letters: AKA.  Also Known As

61. Decimal point: DOT.  "And" also fit ... and is more correct.  

62. Opposite of WSW: ENE.  [Geography question #12]

Time for me to mosey along. Happy trails!

Monday October 14, 2024 Ethan McNamara and David Karp

  

Happy Monday, everyone! My calendar shows holidays in the U.S. and in Canada. Cheers!

Theme:      Viva Las Vegas!  

Elvis Presley & Ann Margret  ~  Viva Las Vegas  ~  1964

Today's puzzle comes to us from Ethan McNamara and David Karp. The convention is that the first name listed is the person who came up with the theme idea. We can congratulate Ethan both on his fun theme and on his LA Times debut! David has five previous LA Times puzzles to his credit, including three Saturday puzzles. (I am not surprised by that last part!)

Let's check in with today's themers:

16 Across. Legendary sword of King Arthur: EXCALIBUR. 

If you like the TV show The Librarians (2014-2018), you will enjoy this clip of Noah Wyle and "Cal". (Season 1, Episode 1 ~ 1:23 min.)  

22 Across. Stevenson novel with buccaneers and buried gold: TREASURE ISLAND.  

This novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson ("RSL" to cruciverbalists) was published in 1883.

43 Across. The city so nice they named it twice: NEW YORK, NEW YORK.  

This is obviously a reference to the city sharing its name with its State, but who said it first? I had to do deep research (I opened 10 tabs.😰) on this one. Ultimately, I am going with a Wiki quote:  "The City So Nice They Named It Twice" is a reverence to "New York, New York" as both the city and state, spoken by Jon Hendricks in 1959 on a jazz cover of Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers' song Manhattan on George Russell's album New York, N.Y. and popularized by New York-based late night talk show host David Letterman.

I did find the lyrics to Manhattan and can confirm that this line is not in the song. It was an improvisation. I wonder, though, did Hendricks hear it from somewhere else?

I also found that Gerard Kenny had a similar lyric in his 1979 song New York, New York.

51 Across. U-shaped object pitched at a stake: HORSESHOE.  

Then the reveal:

33 Across. Second half of a famous tourism slogan, and what 16-, 22-, 43-, and 51-Across literally are: STAYS IN VEGAS.

The first half of the famous tourism slogan is "What happens in Vegas...." The word 

STAYS is being reinterpreted as slang for "places to STAY". It comes form the phrase "hotel STAY".

EXCALIBUR (opened 1990), TREASURE ISLAND (opened 1993), NEW YORK-NEW YORK (opened 1997),  and HORSESHOE Las Vegas (opened 1973 / rebranded in 2022 as a salute to an older Horseshoe) are all hotels on the Las Vegas Strip. I like it! Very clever!

One more note:  Today's grid is a 14X15 so as to accommodate the two, 14-letter grid-spanners. Here is another 14X15 Monday puzzle from David Karp published this past February.

I bet we will find more interesting things in the remaining clues....

Across:
1. Hefeweizen, for one: ALE.

4. Legitimate: VALID.  This answer seems true.

9. Chocolate morsel: CHIP.  A personal hero to many cookie lovers, Ruth Wakefield invented the Toll House chocolate CHIP cookie over 90 years ago.  history

13. Bubblicious product: GUM.  Bubblicious was launched in 1977 in response to the success of Bubble Yum, the first soft bubble gum. (Bubble Yum was introduced by Life Savers in 1975.)

Trivia:  In 2013 former New England Patriots 59-Across Aaron Hernandez was linked to a murder due to his purchase of Blue Cotton Candy Bubblicious.

14. Taylor Swift concert venue: ARENA.  It's another connection to 59-Across!

15. Ump's place: HOME.  HOME plate

18. The whole kit and caboodle: A TO Z.  Caboodle is a noun that means "all the things in a group".

Example sentence from M-W dictionary:  Most pension checks go out monthly. However, some plans let you receive the entire caboodle in a single lump for reinvestment elsewhere.  

19. Nine, in Spanish: NUEVE.

20. Some fiddle songs: REELS.  The "R" was my last box to fill.

A Virginia REEL is an American dance in which two lines of couples face each other and all couples in turn dance in a series of figures.  

The notes on this video say, "The Virginia REEL was the most popular dance amongst the Mormon pioneers who came across the plains to Utah."

27. Method: Abbr.: SYS.  SYStem

28. Up in arms: MAD.

29. AT&T, for one: TELCO.  TELecommunications COmpany

30. Girder: BEAM.

32. Small, cutesily: EENSIE.  Cutesily was added to the clue to account for the unconventional spelling of an informal word (eensy).

36. "9-1-1: Lone Star" actress Gina: TORRES.  I know Gina from Firefly and Suits.

9-1-1: Lone Star with Rob Lowe is her current gig.  Gina's IMDb page

Sidenote:  Barbicore is a fashion trend that embraces colors like hot pink.
As you probably guessed, this followed the movie Barbie (2023).

37. Je t'__: French words of endearment: AIME.  

38. African antelope: ELAND.  

Both males and females have twisted horns.

39. Steel-cut grain: OAT.  

40. Scouring pad brand: S.O.S.  

How do I clean stubborn spots off floors?
Certainly not in that outfit.

47. Like some shoes: LACED.  I liked how this answer was alongside 48-Across RETIE in the grid.

48. Adjust, as an apron: RETIE.

49. "Will they __ learn?": EVER.  

It's that time of year!

54. Feathered friend: BIRD.   BIRDS of a feather flock together.

55. Former U.N. head Kofi: ANNAN.  Kofi Atta Annan (1938-2018) was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006.

56. Key sometimes used with Ctrl: ALT.

57. Hunting/fishing retailer __ Pro Shops: BASS.  Have you noticed that people whom you would not think of as anglers are wearing BASS Pro Shop Hats? This article lists six reason these hats are so very popular lately.  

58. Triumphs over: BEATS.

59. The NFL's Travis Kelce and others, for short: TES.  They are Tight Ends in the National Football League. BTW, in case you have been under a rock for the past year, Travis Kelce is dating the mega-star in 14-Across. 

Down:

1. Some airport helpers: AGENTS.  Some airline employees working at the airport are called "ticketing AGENTS".

2. Sumptuous comfort: LUXURY.  The Luxor is another casino hotel on the Vegas Strip.

3. Hosts an award show: EMCEES.

4. Areas between hills: VALES.  I had dALES before VALES so I wondered, "What's the difference?" Turns out the answer is "not much".

5. D'backs, in box scores: ARI.  "Diamondbacks" is shortened, so is "ARIzona".

6. Beirut's country: Abbr.: LEB.  Beirut is the capital of Lebanon.

7. Accustomed (to): INURED.  I am not accustomed to using this word. That and my poor spelling skills made the U in LUXURY a CHALLENGing crossing for me.

Def: (verb) to accustom to accept something undesirable. 

Example sentence from M-W dictionary:  Does violence on television INURE children to violence in real life?  

8. "Would this be too risky for me?": DARE I?.  

9. Confront boldly: CHALLENGE.

10. Taco eater's topping choice: HOT SALSA.  Perps pooh-poohed HOT SAuce.

11. "If u ask me ... ": IMO.  The "u" in the clue lets us know this will be a texting abbreviation.  

12. Brick-shaped candy in a dispenser: PEZ.  

The History of PEZ (3 min.)

17. Director DuVernay: AVA.  Ava's IMDb page

21. Idolize: ESTEEM.

23. New England sch.: UMASS.

24. Malek of "Bohemian Rhapsody": RAMI.  Rami is becoming a crossword regular.  

Rami played nuclear physicist David L. Hill in Oppenheimer (2023).

25. CBS franchise with the 2024 prequel series "Origins": NCIS.  I have not seen either of those TV shows but NCIS is a good place to start when you see "CBS franchise".

26. Mama deer: DOE.  

30. Livestock locales: BARNYARDS.

31. Ophthalmologist, casually: EYE DOC.  

Doctor My Eyes  ~  Jackson Browne  ~  1972

32. Paperless party announcement: E-VITE.

33. Fish that may be served amandine: SOLE.  

34. Fishing boats: TRAWLERS.  We have a mini fish them with BASS, SOLE, and TRAWLERS.

35. Tandoori-baked flatbread: NAAN.

36. Sundial X: TEN.  Roman numeral

39. "There, finished": OK, DONE.

40. "Yeah, since you brought it up ... ": SO THAT....  

41. Baltimore ballplayer: ORIOLE.

42. Rockabilly legend McDonald: SKEETS.  Enos William McDonald AKA Skeets was an American country and rockabilly musician popular during the 1950s and 1960s.

44. Physical therapy, informally: REHAB.

45. Small songbirds: WRENS.  We have a mini avian theme with BIRD, ORIOLE, and WRENS.

46. Exclamation of success: YES.  

49. Flow out, as the tide: EBB.

50. By way of, in itineraries: VIA.

52. Genetic messenger molecule: RNA.  Last week the winners of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine were announced. It went to two scientists for discovering microRNA. Read more here.

53. Parked oneself: SAT.  

This                 ...                 not that.

The grid:  

That's all from me. What did you think?