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?

Monday February 5, 2024 Aidan Brand and David Karp

  

Theme:                Sometimes You Fell Like A Nut  

Happy Monday, everyone! Well, I sure felt like a NUT looking for hidden nuts in the themed clues. It turns out NUTS were there -- just not almonds, walnuts, pecans, etc.

Let's take a closer look:

16 Across. Elements of a PG-rated outburst: MILD EXPLETIVES.  An example would be yelling out, "Aww NUTS" after stubbing your toe.

22 Across. Groups of groupies: FAN CLUBS.  These college football FANs look NUTty to me.

35 Across. Dessert served in a goblet: ICE CREAM SUNDAE.  Here is a SUNDAE in a goblet (drinking glass with a foot & a stem) with peaNUTS on top.  

43 Across. Common accessory at a construction site: TOOL BELT.  I am skeptical that one would have NUTS & bolts on a TOOL BELT but the "hardware" connection is close enough for me. Let's just go with it and smile while we try to spot any on this favorite construction worker's TOOL BELT.  

Village People YMCA (1978)

Here is the reveal:

52 Across. Allergy warning, and a description of 16-, 22-, 35-, and 43-Across?: MAY CONTAIN NUTS.

MILD EXPLICITIVES, FAN CLUBS, an ICE CREAM SUNDAE, and a TOOL BELT may contain different types of nuts.  

Constructors Aidan Brand and David Karp opted for a 14X15 grid to accommodate their three 14-letter fills. Let's see what else they might have stashed away for us to find....

Across:
1. Reduce to a paste: MASH.  This one made me think of making guacamole with a mortar & pestle.

5. Self-confident and then some: SMUG.  

9. City in "Aeneid" and "Iliad": TROY.  The ancient city of Troy was located along the NW coast of Asia Minor, in what is now Turkey.

CSO to our two Cornerite TROY inhabitants!

13. Field of expertise: AREA.

14. __ Grey tea: EARL.  DH drinks this but I stay away from caffeine.

15. Philosopher Descartes: RENÉ.  (b. Mar. 31, 1596 in France; d. Feb. 11, 1650 in Sweden)

19. Computer capacity: MEMORY.  

20. __-purpose flour: ALL.  I buy the unbleached variety.

21. Yoga pose: ASANA.  

27. Oodles: SCADS.  

29. Still contending: IN IT. ...to win it!

30. Vehicle for a large family, perhaps: VAN.  

33. Jazz legend Fitzgerald: ELLA.  I'm always happy to see ELLA in a grid. I need the footholds.

34. __-toity: HOITY.  haughty or snobbish

38. Former Iranian rulers: SHAHS.

39. Ferris wheel locale: FAIR.  county FAIRs

40. NBA tiebreakers, for short: OTS.  Overtimes

41. Speck: IOTA.  an extremely small amount or, later in the week, the ninth letter in the Greek alphabet

42. Covers for outdoor wedding receptions: TENTS.  Who does covers at a wedding reception? The obvious go-to is Adam Sandler in The Wedding Singer (1998).  

45. Larceny: THEFT.

50. Charged particle: ION.

51. Baby's foot warmer: BOOTIE.  

BOOTIEs for future MLB players in Pittsburgh???

57. Color associated with the L.A. Dodgers: BLUE.  This is an L.A. Times puzzle, after all.  

Shohei Ohtani got some serious green when he donned the Dodgers' BLUE.

58. "Checkmate!": I WIN.  The terminology of modern chess has Persian etymological roots: the Persian word rukh ("rook") means chariot; the term shah mat ("checkmate") means, literally, "the king is frozen".

59. Adjust for space limitations, say: EDIT.

60. Long-term goals: AIMS.

61. Addendum to a real estate sign: SOLD.  I like this clue. An addendum is something added. The SOLD part is added after the sale.

62. Strong urges: YENS.  strong desires or propensities  

Down:
1. "__ Mia!": Meryl Streep film with ABBA music: MAMMA.  

Here's Meryl with Mama Mia (Here I Go Again) (2008).

2. Zodiac ram: ARIES.  March 21 - April 19.  (Segue alert!) They are supposed to make a good match with Aquarius birthdays like today's birthday girl, Wendybird. Happy birthday, Wendybird!! 🎂

3. 2014 civil rights drama set in Alabama: SELMA.

4. Was dressed in: HAD ON.

5. Hot: SEXY.  I'd give you a link but I already get plenty of weird adds based on the Googling I do to write this blog.

6. Weather report backdrop: MAP.  When I lived in Japan, I always got a kick out of the big, foam ball pointers the weather reporters used to point at the map -- so wonky for a country with serious tech cred!

7. Cybersquatter's target, for short: URL.  Cybersquatting is an internet-based crime where one seeks to profit off of someone else's name or trademark by registering an expired domain name. An example would be if C.C. stopped this blog then someone else took over the URL. Unsuspecting victims would come here and click on bad links because they trusted the site in the past. This happens more than you might think. Be careful out there!

8. Gathers bit by bit: GLEANS.  Humans used to GLEAN grains that fell after the harvest. Now we GLEAN intel on the internet.

9. Enormous number: TRILLION.  One TRILLION equals a thousand billions or a million millions. You can write it as a 1 followed by 12 zeros. A TRILLION seconds equals almost 32,000 years. Imagine!

10. Fire up, as an engine: REV.  This clue did not go over so well last Tuesday.

11. Dollar bill: ONE.     and     55 Down. Early afternoon: TWO.

12. "That's correct": YES.  

Would you like to take a physics class from The Doctor?  Yes. Correctamundo!

[David Tennant played the tenth incarnation of The Doctor

in the Doctor Who serries (2005-2010; 2013).]

17. Whiteboard wipers: ERASERS.

18. "90 Day Fiancé " channel: TLC.  TV channel questions are always 1 perp and 2 WAGS for me.

22. Vegetarian pita filler: FALAFEL.  I like to pick these up at my local Greek restaurant on Saturdays. Falafels are made from garbanzo beans ("chick peas" for you east-coasters) and various herbs and spices.

23. Insistent: ADAMANT.

24. Reino __: England's country, in Spanish: UNIDO.  I have not gotten this far yet in my Duolingo Spanish lessons.

25. Tried to chomp on: BIT AT.

26. Eyelid woes: STYES.

28. The NBA's Cavs, on scoreboards: CLE.  

30. Sojourn: VISIT.

31. "Bless you!" trigger: ACHOO.

32. "Peachy keen!": NEATO.

34. "Their Eyes Were Watching God" author Zora Neale __: HURSTON.  goodreads link

36. Goblets: CHALICES.  Did you notice "goblet" was also in the clue for 35-Across?

37. Take a load off: SIT.  

The Weight by The Band (1968)

"Take a load off, Fannie."

42. Sport played on a variety of surfaces: TENNIS.  There are four main types of surfaces for tennis courts:  grass, clay, hard, and artificial grass.

44. "Get off the stage!": BOO.

46. Mead need: HONEY.  Mead is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey, water, and other flavors.

It turns out humans can be extremely resourceful when it comes to making alcohol. Some native tribes near the Artic Circle make alcohol from dead seagulls.  Only look at this list of 5 weird alcoholic beverages if you have a strong stomach.

47. Many a Chopin piece: ETUDE.  Def.:  a short musical composition, typically for one instrument, designed as an exercise to improve the technique or demonstrate the skill of the player.  

This one is Etude Op. 25 No. 6 in G# minor "Double Thirds".

48. Feel at home: FIT IN.  

49. Class challenges: TESTS.  not conflicts between social classes

51. Tie: BIND.  

52. Deg. for a CFO or a CEO: MBA.  Chief Financial Officers and Chief Executive Officers typically have a Master of Business Administration.

53. "Rumble in the Jungle" boxer: ALI.  He coined this term to refer to his heavyweight boxing championship bout against George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire on October 30, 1974.

54. "Tastes great!": YUM.  See 22-Down.

56. Feel poorly: AIL.

Today's grid:

Have a great day, everyone! I'll cashew later!

Tuesday November 8, 2022 David Karp

Shake it Off!  Three phrases that involve a Shake.

17-Across. Shiver during a horror film, perhaps: TREMBLE WITH FEAR.  Shake # 1.

29-Across. Thick fast-food beverage: CREAMY DRINK.  The illustration gives us Shake #2 and Shake #3.

46-Across. Finalize an agreement, say: SEAL THE DEAL.  Shake # 3.

And the unifier:

61-Across. Start of a KC and the Sunshine Band title, and 17-, 29-, and 46-Across: SHAKE,  SHAKE, SHAKE.

Across:

1. Hissed "Hey! Over here!": PSST.

5. Island nation near Fiji: TONGA.

10. Milky birthstone: OPAL.  These gemstones make frequent appearances in the puzzles.  Hi, Kazie!

14. Teensy bit: IOTA.

15. Smells: ODORS.

16. Payroll tax that funds Soc. Sec.: FICA.  As in the Federal Insurance Contributions Act.

20. Whenever one wants: AT WILL.

Not always, apparently.

21. Historic German state: PRUSSIA.  More than you ever wanted to know about Prussia.

22. Hay storage areas: LOFTS.

25. Curved piece: ARC.

26. "Slumdog Millionaire" actor Patel: DEV.  Dev Patel (b. Apr. 23, 1990) is an English actor.  He was the star of the 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire.  [Name #1.]

34. Colorful eye part: IRIS.

36. Jazz great Fitzgerald: ELLA.  Ella Jane Fitzgerald (Apr. 25, 1917 ~ June 15, 1996) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.  [Name #2.]

37. Iced tea garnish: LEMON.  Hi, Lemonade.  We hope you are doing well.

38. Reef explorer's tube: SNORKEL.

40. Church spire: STEEPLE.  Do you know it's connection with 19-Down?

42. Tiny hairs: CILIA.

43. Odd sock's lack: MATE.

45. "American Gods" novelist Gaiman: NEIL.  Neil Gaiman (né Neil Richard Gaiman; b. Nov. 10, 1962) will celebrate his 62nd birthday in Thursday.  He is an English author of short stories and graphic novels.    I read one of his books of short stories.  [Name #3.]

49. Tennis do-over: LET.

50. Cry of insight: AHA!

51. Killer whales: ORCAS.

53. Starting to spoil: TURNING.

57. Vacuum brand: HOOVER.  [Name adjacent.]

64. Big mountain cat: PUMA.  Also the name brand of a running shoe.

65. Suez Canal tanker: OILER.

66. Small bills: ONES.

67. Lower leg area: SHIN.

68. Shopping centers: MALLS.  The malls are becoming more and more empty.  It's quite eerie to walk through some of them.

69. Exam: TEST.

Down:

1. Bread with a pocket: PITA.  I will probably be eating quite a few Pita and Falafel sandwiches in the next couple of weeks.

2. Put laundry into piles, say: SORT.

3. Meat-and-potatoes bowlful: STEW.

4. Language spoken by many a 35-Down: TAMIL.  //  And 35. Colombo resident: SRI LANKAN.  The official name of the country is the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.  The capital of the country is Colombo.  A brief history of the country.

5. Like many infomercial phone numbers: TOLL FREE.  Because 1-800 didn't fit.

6. Poem written "on" or "to" something: ODE.  We often find Odes in the puzzles.

7. Right this minute: NOW.

8. Hold tight: GRIP.

9. Off course: ASTRAY.

Cats gone astray.

10. Like a movie star's personal life: OFF SCREEN.  But we still have to hear too much about their personal lives, don't we.

11. Diner desserts: PIES.

12. Antioxidant-rich purple berry: AÇAÍ.  This berry has become very trendy and makes frequent appearances in the crossword puzzles.

13. "__ Croft: Tomb Raider": LARA.  Lara Croft is a fictional character, but she was portrayed by Angelina Jolie in the film. [Name # 4.]

18. Group of allied countries: BLOC.

19. Steeplechase obstacle: HURDLE.  Origin of the Steeplechase.

23. "Out with it!": TELL ME!

24. Paolantonio of ESPN: SAL.  I don't watch ESPN, so am not familiar with Sal Paolantonio (né Salvatore Anthony Nicholas Paolantonio; b. June 13, 1956), a Philadelphia-based sports reporter.  [Name #5.]

26. Vertebrae separators: DISCS.

27. 123 Sesame Street resident: ERNIE.  You rarely see Ernie without his pal, Bert.  [Name #6.]

28. String quartet instrument: VIOLA.  What's the difference between a Viola and a Violin?

30. The "M" of MBA: MASTER.  As in a Master of Business Administration.

31. Urge forward: IMPEL.

32. "Honest!": NO LIE!

33. Prepared to pray: KNELT.

39. TV host __ Lee Gifford: KATHIE.  Kathie Lee Gifford (née Kathryn Lee Epstein; b. Aug. 16, 1953) was married to Frank Gifford (né Francis Newton Gifford; Aug. 16, 1930 ~ Aug. 9, 2015).  They shared the same birthdate.  In the 1980s, she did commercials for a cruise line.  [Name #7.]

41. Classroom figures: TEACHERS.

44. Brouhaha: ADO.

47. __ cab: two-wheeled carriage: HANSOM.  The Hansom cab was the creative invention of Joseph Hansom (né Joseph Aloysius Hansom; Oct. 26, 1803 ~ June 29, 1882).

48. Landlocked Asian country: LAOS.

52. Not __: far from optimal: SO HOT.

53. Recipe amts.: TSPS.  As in Teaspoons.

54. "Nah": UH, UH.

55. Actor Malek: RAMI.  Rami Malek (né Rami Said Malek; b. May 12, 1981) starred as a computer hacker in the television series Mr. Robot, but is probably best known for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury in the 2018 film Bohemian Rhapsody.  [Name #8.]

56. Karmann __: classic Volkswagen: GHIA.  The Karmann Ghia was a sporty little car that was made between 1955 and 1974.  It looks so dated now.  [Name adjacent.]

58. Barn topper that indicates wind direction: VANE.

59. Makes do, with "out": EKES.

60. Lie down for a while: REST.

62. Completely: ALL.

63. Kenan's former Nickelodeon partner: KEL.  [Name # 9.]  Kenan & Kel was apparently a buddy sit-com that ran from 1996 until 2000 on Nickelodeon.  

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

If you are reading this on Tuesday, I will likely be on the crossword puzzle's favorite airline heading towards Tel Aviv.  Part business, part fun.  Unlike the song, however, I do know when I will be back.  See you at the end of the month.  You will be in capable hands during my absence.