Friday, March 28, 2025 - Katherine Simonson

 Theme: "PrEEEE-fix" - or - "Four E-'s [sic] a jolly good fellow ..."

Puzzling thoughts:  

First, thanks to NaomiZ for filling in for me while I was taking some time off of the puzzle boards to recover from my eye surgeries.  I appreciate the well-wishes from you readers, though I am still working towards better vision. Maybe I will have good news to share on my next blog ...

Second, with most eye surgery layoffs comes the need to refocus on the task at hand; that being, to clearly see what the constructor is trying to illustrate in her puzzle.  Cataract surgery or not, I re-viewed the puzzle after completing it in less than 10 minutes.  It seems that Ms. Simonson (owner of two published LAT puzzles) was merely trying to convey a witty (or is it, "wit-E-") connection between her clues and a common phrase/item that begins with the letter "E".  As follows:

16-across. Headquarters for a simulated space launch?: E-MISSION CONTROL.  An emission control system on a car, for example, might be a catalytic converter which converts noxious gases into a less harmful substance. (Note:  How come they haven't been able to develop something similar for the flatuant society?)

I digress ... the clue, however, refers to a "mission control center" - the facility that monitors and guides space flights, e.g.  The humor/wit is associated with how I've hyphenated the answer.  Items that begin with the prefix "E -" usually refer to something "electronic" or done "on-line" (e-commerce/e-mail/e-ticket).  If there ever existed a place where space-traffic control applicants could go to train in a simulator, it might be here ... @ e-mission control

29-across. Recognition for top cyber snoops?: E-SPY AWARDS.  I would hope that all who have solved crossword puzzles are familiar with the ESPY awards which honor professional and amateur athletes.  The word ESPY is very commonly used by crossword puzzle constructors. By hyphenating the "e" from the "spy" in this example, an on-line (cyber) recognition for top sleuths might be called the e-spy awards

47-across. Group of online church leaders?: E-RECTOR SET.  Hands up for how many of you Crossword Corner readers played with one of these when you were a kid?  A rector is defined in various ways, as the hyperlink shows.  Not sure if the American Anglican church is ready to hand over their priestly duties to an e-rector set just yet.  If they did, would they now be called: e-piscopalians?

62-across. Co-branding by web-based sellers?: E-MERGING MARKETS.  You seeee [sic] where this is going by now?  😉

I guess if I had to choose one of the four entries today that gave me a slight grin it would be the E-SPY AWARDS.  The others were kinda "meh" IMO, although E-RECTOR SET might be the best of the other three

As for the rest of the fill, it was actually quite tight.  No weird words, nor too many TLW's or abbrs.  Also, the inclusion of the words: TOE TAP, CORKER, and GREEN MEN added to its enjoyment.  All in all, I score it, ⭐⭐ - 3/4⭐, though I think a few solvers today might use the "juice/squeeze" analogy in their comments. It certainly was not very hard for a Friday puzzle, but that seems to be the norm these days

Here is the filled in grid with the "E-s" highlighted, then off to the rest ... 

The Grid

Across:

1. Legato symbol on a score: SLUR.  The arced line connecting the scale notes below

5. High flyer: JET.  Glad to see an actual word here instead of SST, for example

8. Medicinal or savory plants: HERBS.  Hand up for trying ALOES, first?

13. Prong: TINE.  As on a fork

14. "That was a long time __": AGO.  When C-Moe last blogged, maybe?

15. Fermented Japanese condiment: TAMARI.  Not familiar with this condiment

[themer]

19. Spunk: MOXIE.  I love this word! 

20. Like many shower stalls: TILED.  

This type of tile seems to be the current trend for shower stalls

21. NYC hrs.: EST.  Eastern Standard Time (only during late fall and winter hours, however)

22. Grocery department: DELI.  When I stop by there, they make me feel like a hero

24. Working diligently: AT IT.  What I found myself doing with today's blog! A bit rusty I admit

26. One of Padmé and Anakin's twins: LUKE.  Star Wars dude, Skywalker 

[themer]

34. Mil. branch: USN.  I waited for the perps to fill this

35. Dust speck: MOTE.  Seems synonymous - let's check with the thesaurus-saurus: 

Close enough

36. Jasper Johns genre: POP ART.

The artist and one of his images (pop art)

37. Cal State city: CHICO.  Here is a link to the Cal State dot edu website.  CHICO is in the north/central part of the state, between Sacramento (the capital) and Redding.  My partner Margaret was on the library staff of Cal State Channel Islands, once upon a time

39. Droop: SAG.  Gravity takes over on we older persons.  My extra bit of paunch is what I refer to as "Dunlop" disease ... my belly done lopped over my belt

41. Consideration when halving or doubling a recipe: RATIO.  I liked this clue!  3:1 = 6:2

42. Rehabilitate: REFORM.  There is no reforming C-Moe, I'm afraid 

44. Wearying trip: TREK.  @ Picard - would you define the journey of the Star TREK Enterprise to be wearying?

46. Brew in a mug: TEA. and its "clecho" @ 64-down. Brew in a mug: ALE.

[themer]

49. Anatomical sac: CYST.  Moe-ku: 

        How would the cheer go

        If an ovine's zit explodes?

        You'd say: "CYST", "BOOM", "BAAA ..."

50. __ fresca: AGUA.  CSO to Lucina

51. Sound reflection: ECHO.  Clue reflection = clecho

53. Science site: LAB.  Or for some owners, "lap site"

56. Martian, perhaps: ALIEN. and its "clecho" @ 40-down. Martians, perhaps: GREEN MEN.

58. Clear: ERASE.

[themer]

65. Silky fabric: SATEEN.

66. Hair-raising product: GEL.  This look would scare me; you?? 

How much GEL was used to create this whatever it is you'd call it?

67. Stretches often named for music genres: ERAS.  Any Disco ERA fans here? 

68. Some Central Europeans: SLAVS.  

69. Dollar: ONE.  Store, Tree, or General did not fit

70. Automation prefix: ROBO.  

Down:

1. Derive (from): STEM.  Or in 2020's speak, an acronym for Science Technology Engineering and Math

2. Prom conveyance: LIMO.  Or in my case, a 1964 Dodge Dart GT, equipped with a 225 cu in slant 6, and Chrysler's TorqueFlite push button transmission - I think the young lady that rode with me was named Debbie ... great car for driving: not so much for a prom date ... bucket seats ... 

3. Linux predecessor: UNIX.  I will defer to the resident computer geeks to better explain this clue and answer ... 

4. Dwell: RESIDE.

5. __ alai: JAI.  Here is an erstwhile popular crossword pair of entries - I think "Alai" appears more often then "Jai"

6. Narcissists: EGOTISTS. Nudists: ECOTISTS

7. Collette of "The Power": TONI. This link will tell you about her

8. Artisan's output: HANDIWORK. According to @CrosswordTracker, this entry word has shown up just once - also in 2025 - so kudos to Ms. Simonson for finding this

9. First aid pro: EMT.    

10. Not well-done: RARE.  The hyphenated "well-done" led me to think it referred to a temperature of steak.  Here is how I prefer my steak prepared:

"Pittsburgh" style; Rare +

11. Frat boys: BRO'S. [note: I added the apostrophe so you could see that it's an abbreviation] Fraternity members are called "brothers".  Moe-ku #2:

        The sorority

        XTP's* fraternity

        Partner: BRO's for Rho's

*X = Chi; T= Tau; P = Rho

12. Fine-grained soil: SILT. and its clecho (count 'em, three clechos today!) 18-down. Fine-grained soil: CLAY.

15. Keep time with one's foot: TOE TAP. Here is a golden oldie that includes tapping all five TOES  

17. Behold: SEE.

[cut and pasted next to 12-down]
 
23. Many an August baby: LEO.  The others are Virgos - hands up for any LEOs here? Not I

25. Taberna dish: TAPA.  Taberna: Spanish; Tavern: English ... tapas are small plate dishes (appetizers) that are offered by many tabernas 

26. Ill-gotten gains: LUCRE.  Crossword-y?? Not a word I use in everyday speak

27. Guide: USHER.  I like this clue, as the clue word and entry word mean both whether it's used as a noun or a verb.  "The guide ushered me to my seat, or the usher guided me to my seat" 

28. Kitchen block insert: KNIFE.  We have one of these kitchen blocks, but they contain a mis-matched set of knives a pair of food scissors and a meat fork

Picture this unbranded, for mine

30. Bog accumulations: PEATS.  Not sure that I like seeing the word "PEAT" pluralized; maybe a forced entry or something edited in?  Moe-ku #3

        Well-known model Kate

        Married tennis pro Sampras.

        She became Pete's Moss

31. Threadbare: RATTY.  This picture describes it perfectly!

Star of a new movie called "Ratty Toile"

32. Hangs on the line: DRIES.

33. Weasel with a black-tipped tail: STOAT.

35. Household expenses: MORTGAGES.  Another word that shouldn't be pluralized, IMO, given the context of the clue.  Unless, of course, you have two (or more) mortgages to pay.  One is enough for me/us, thank you!

38. __-Cola: COCA.  Is this really Friday?  Did anyone else think that the clues/answers were not "Friday-tough"

[cut and pasted next to 56-across]

43. __ Rouge: Paris cabaret: MOULIN.  Online reservations are available!

45. List shortener: ETC.  Et al had one too many letters

48. Picnic spoiler: RAIN.  ANTS fit until it didn't

49. Excellent joke: CORKER.  This brought back memories of the 15 odd years I lived in New England.  The word corker has its roots in the UK and means: a person or thing that is especially good, attractive, hilarious or funny.  The folks I knew in NE wouldn't pronounce this as it appears (Cork' - er), they would say: (Caw'-kuh)

Here's a real "corker"!

52. Pronoun option: HER.  HIM works, too

53. Minus: LESS.  Again, it's Friday, folks! Tougher clues, please

54. Human rights lawyer Clooney: AMAL.  George Clooney's better half

55. Phi __ Kappa: BETA. Again, it's Friday, folks! Tougher clues, please

57. Waffle maker: EGGO. I suppose IRON would fit, but again, it's Friday, folks! Tougher clues, please

59. Prefix with dynamic: AERO. Again, it's Friday, folks! Tougher clues, please

60. Grab with a toothpick: STAB. Again, it's Friday, folks! Tougher clues, please

61. Canadian gas brand: ESSO. Again, it's Friday, folks! Tougher clues, please [CSO to Canadian Eh!]

63. Informal title for a clergyman: REV.  Short for Reverand

[cut and pasted alongside 46-across]

Please offer your puzzling thoughts in the Comments section.  I'll shake the blogging rust off next month, promise ... 

Friday, March 21, 2025, Tracy Gray

  Theme:  Precision steering!

In today's puzzle, constructor Tracy Gray challenges us to turn on a dime -- a maneuver that requires precison and flexibility.  Each theme answer begins going Across or Down, and then TURNS on the D in DIME to head the other direction.  

Here are the theme clues and answers:

5 Across. Collection of matching cruets: COND.  With 8 Down. --: DIMENT SET.  Condiment set. The answer reads across and then down, turning on the D of DIME.

A matching cruet set.

1 Down. "Happy our paths crossed!": GLAD. With 19 Across. --: D I MET YOU.  Glad I met you.  The answer reads down and then across, turning on the D of DIME.

32 Across. Violinist recognized at the Kennedy Center Honors in 1986: YEHUD. With 33 Down. --: DI MENUHIN.  Yehudi Menuhin.  The answer reads across and then down, turning on the D of DIME.  Yehudi Menuhin (1916-1999), was an American-born violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in Britain. He is widely considered one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century.

Yehudi Menuhin

41 Down. With 69-Across, change quickly, and a hint to completing three other long answers in this puzzle: TURN ON A D.  With 69 Across. See 41-Down: DIME.  Turn on a dime.  This revealing clue spells out what's been going on with the other themers; they all turn on the D of DIME.

It's neat how the theme answers alternate starting Across or Down.

Let's see how these tight turns look in the grid: 

Okay, if we haven't TURNed you off yet, let's look at the rest of the clues and answers.

Across:

1. Fare topped with tzatziki: GYRO.  A Greek sandwich of grilled meat, tomato, onion, and yogurt sauce (tzatziki) on pita bread.

Veggie gyros for me, please!

5. [Theme clue with 8 Down]

9. "__ we cool?": ARE.  Some of our solvers object to conversational prompts like this one.

12. Like some handwriting: LOOPY.

Apparently, the style of your loops says something about you.

14. Deer friend of Thumper: BAMBI.

Bambi and Thumper.
Thumper's wisdom is frequently cited in our Comments section.

15. WC: LAV.  In British English, "WC" (short for water closet), "lav" (short for lavatory) and "loo" are common terms, all referring to a room with a toilet. 

16. Striped stone: AGATE.

17. Silk region of India: ASSAM.

18. Word with breaker or maker: ICE.  An ice breaker is usually a ship designed for breaking a channel through ice, or something that relieves tensions between people or starts a conversation.  An ice maker is found in the freezer compartment of most modern refrigerators.

19. [Theme clue with 1 Down]

21. Lasting memory of an old flame?: EMBER.  Cute.  The remains of an actual flame, not a romantic attachment.

23. One of three in bunco: DIE.  Die is the singular form of dice.  The game of Bunco uses 3 of them.

24. Pharyngeal tissue: ADENOID.  Adenoids are masses of lymphatic tissue located at the back of the nasal cavity, behind the roof of the mouth.  The pharynx is a hollow, muscular tube inside the neck that starts behind the nose and opens into the larynx and esophagus. Pharyngeal means relating to, located in, or produced in the region of the pharynx.  Don't you feel better?

27. Vis-à-vis: AS TO.  French for "face-to-face," we use vis-à-vis to mean "with regard to."

30. Painter's board: PALETTE.  Typically, a wooden board on which an artist keeps paint handy while painting, and mixes paints to obtain desired hues.

32. [Theme clue with 33 Down]

34. Future JDs' exams: LSATS.  Someone who wants to obtain a Juris Doctor (law degree) has to take the LSAT (Law School Admission Test).

35. Aromatic tree: FIR.  Well known to anyone who has had a fir tree in the house for the holidays.

38. Expressing feeling: EMOTIVE.

40. Eventually, with "in": DUE TIME.

42. Honorific for 32-Across: SIR.  Indeed, Queen Elizabeth II knighted Yehudi Menuhin.

43. Simpson with a blue beehive: MARGE.

Marge Simpson

45. Turkey's national flower: TULIP.

46. London district that includes Shaftesbury Avenue: WEST END.  Fancy shops, restaurants, and theatre.

48. Home facelift, informally: RENO.  Short for renovation.

49. Heartfelt: EARNEST.

51. Legged it: RAN.

53. High-priced Japanese beef: WAGYU.  Wagyu is the collective name for the four principal Japanese breeds of beef cattle. All wagyu cattle originate from cross-breeding between native Japanese cattle and imported stock, mostly from Europe.

Wagyu cow -- prized for the fatty streaks in her muscles.

54. Support neighborhood shops, say: BUY LOCAL.

59. Bungle: ERR.

60. Ask (for): HIT UP.  Youngest is getting married.  She is going to HIT us UP for wedding funds.

63. Novelist Shreve: ANITA.  Anita Hale Shreve (1946-2018) was an American novelist.  One of her first published stories, Past the Island, Drifting was awarded an O. Henry Prize in 1976.  In 1999, Oprah Winfrey selected Shreve's novel The Pilot's Wife for her book club.  Three of Shreve's novels were made into movies:  The Weight of Water, Resistance, and The Pilot's Wife.

64. The "A" of 61-Down: ALE.  IPA is India Pale Ale.

65. "That's not for me": I PASS.  Answer to "Wanna join us for karaoke?" and many other invitations.

66. Held back for now: SAT ON.  As in, officials SAT ON evidence that might have exonerated (or incriminated) a person.  Or, I sat on my response to the karaoke invitation.

67. Pastrami bread: RYE.  Pastrami and rye go together like hummus and crudités.

68. __ a one: NARY.  "Nary a one" means not a single one.

69. [Theme clue with 41 Down]

Down:

1. [Theme clue with 19 Across]

2. Hatha practitioner: YOGI.  Hatha yoga is a traditional form of yoga that focuses on physical postures (asanas) and breathing exercises (pranayama).  A yogi is a practitioner of yoga.

3. Incur cellphone charges, maybe: ROAM.

4. Unsubscribed: OPTED OUT.  We opt out of unwanted email blasts by unsubscribing.

5. Informal duds: CASUALS.  Do you refer to your casual wear as casuals?  I don't!

6. Mantra syllables: OMS.  Om is a sacred sound in Hinduism, representing the divine.  It can be used as a mantra, which is a sacred sound or a group of sounds or words, used as a tool in meditation.

7. Org. that includes nets and Nets: NBA.  The National Basketball Association has nets on hoops, and also the Brooklyn Nets as a team.

8. [Theme clue with 5 Across]

9. Story backed up by a witness, hopefully: ALIBI.

10. Zoomed: RACED.

11. "Best. Day. __!": EVER.  Woo hoo!

13. Igloo rival: YETI.  Igloo and Yeti make coolers to keep food cold when camping.

14. Bun cooked in a bamboo steamer: BAO.  Bao are a type of soft, steamed bun that originated in China and are widely enjoyed across East Asia. They're a popular street food due to their versatility and ease of preparation. Bao can be served either filled or unfilled, making them adaptable for various recipes.  Waseeley showed us some meaty ones yesterday.

20. "You got that right!": YEP.

22. Stooge with the shortest name: MOE.  A shout out to our Chairman Moe, who alternates Friday blog duties with the Malodorous Manatee.

Moe Howard of the Three Stooges

25. Muffle: DEADEN.

26. Caesarean delivery?: ET TU.  Perhaps the last words of Julius Caesar, as he was assassinated by Roman senators:  Et tu, Brute? (You too, Brutus?).  

Detail from The Death of Julius Caesar (1806) by Vincenzo Camuccini.

27. Yes votes: AYES.

28. Big rig: SEMI.  A semi-trailer truck is the combination of a tractor unit and one or more semi-trailers to carry freight.  They are known by various names, including "semis," "semitrailers," "tractor-trailers," "big rigs," "semi-trucks," "eighteen-wheelers," and "semi-tractor-trailers."

29. Brother of Balder: THOR.  In Norse mythology, Baldr is the brother of Thor, and in Marvel Comics, Balder the Brave is the half-brother of Thor.

Thor, I recognize.  Balder, not so much.

31. Tips off: ALERTS.

33. [Theme clue with 32 Across]

35. Mani-pedi tool: FILE.

36. "Wouldn't miss it for the world!": I'M IN.  Substituting one phrase for another is a pet peeve of some of our solvers.

37. Collector's item?: REPO.  If you default on payments for property, the debt may be referred to collections.  Part of that process may involve the REPO man (repossession agent) coming to get the unpaid for item, often a car, which itself may then be called a REPO.

39. Mantel piece: VASE.  A vase is a piece of decoration that you might display on a mantel.

41. [Theme clue with 69 Across]

44. "Stop dawdling!": GET BUSY.  Another substitution of one phrase for another.

46. Like some humor: WRY.  Humor that is sarcastic, cynical, biting, or ironic.

47. Like some humor: DRY.  Humor delivered with a straight face and a serious tone.

49. In advance: EARLY.

50. Say yes: AGREE.

52. Sad sigh: ALAS.

53. Sport: WEAR.  As in, he showed up sporting CASUALS.

55. FedEx rival: UPS.  United Parcel Service.

56. Amex rival: CITI.  American Express and Citibank both offer credit cards.

57. Bohr model subject: ATOM.  Niels Bohr developed a model of the atom from 1911 to 1918.  It improved on earlier models, but was replaced by the quantum atomic model in the 1920s.

58. Assignment for a swimmer or a sprinter: LANE.  Our blog mistress, C.C., says she is assigned to lane one because she's not the faster swimmer in the pool.  She is, however, swimming faster than everyone who is *not* in the pool.

61. Brewpub brew: IPA.  India Pale Ale.  See 64 Across!

62. Road or roof goo: TAR.

I hope you enjoyed the twists and TURNs of Tracy's puzzle, and that my exposition was not too

NaomiZ

Friday, March 14, 2025, Matt Revis

 Theme:  AIR PRESSURE.

Constructor Matt Revis has whipped up an airy treat which pressures us to think of homonyms for the very stuff we breathe.  The theme clues and answers, all Across, are:

15. Time when everyone woke up achy and sore?: ERE MATTRESSES.  In days of yore, I went camping with my ex, and we eventually acquired air mattresses.  That time when we woke up achy and sore?  That was ERE (before) MATTRESSES.

Not bad, but then DH introduced me to the concept of hotels.
Reader, I married him.

22. "Reader, I married him," "I would always rather be happy than dignified," etc.?: EYRE QUOTES.  Jane Eyre is a novel by Charlotte Brontë, published in 1847.  The title character tells the story in the first person, and the clue gives us some quotations from the book.  If I were to quote Jane Eyre to you in person, I might use air quotes.

air quotes

35. Key component of a royal line of succession?: HEIR POWER.  Air power usually refers to the use of planes in combat, reconnnaissance, transport, and bombing.  But a heriditary monarchy relies on a suitable HEIR to the throne, giving the ruling family some HEIR POWER.

The British Crown has plenty of HEIR POWER with these folks waiting in the wings.

48. Eligible bachelors in Berlin?: HERR SUPPLY.  Air supply is air delivered to a space.  Our youngest took her first scuba diving lesson recently, and of course had to carry her air supply while underwater.  But over in Berlin, there is a supply of men she might marry --  HERR Schmidt, HERR Bauer, HERR Klein, HERR Weber, et al.  If only she would stop and come up for HERR.

57. Car wash freebies, or an apt title for this puzzle: AIR FRESHENERS.  

Does your car wash throw in one of these for free?

Having cleared the ERE / EYRE / HEIR / HERR / AIR, let's review the rest of the puzzle.

Across:

1. Some tech support agents: CHATBOTS.  These pop up in a dialog box when you are completely frustrated with a website, and are looking forward to further frustration.

9. Director Peter recognized with an Academy Honorary Award in 2023: WEIR.  Peter Weir is a retired Australian film director. You may remember him for films such as Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), Gallipoli (1981), The Year of Living Dangerously (1982), Witness (1985), Dead Poets Society (1989), Fearless (1993), The Truman Show (1998), Master and Commander (2003), and The Way Back (2010).

13. Professional charge from a 16-Down, perhaps: LEGAL FEE.

14. River through Florence: ARNO.  Eldest daughter used to live and work in Florence, so we had a few opportunities to visit and impress the Arno into our memories.

15. [Theme clue]

17. Like venison, compared to beef: GAMIER.  Meat of wild animals is said to taste "gamy" or "gamey," which means it has a strong flavor, possibly tainted due to mishandling.  "Game animals" or just "game" are wild animals hunted for food or recreation.  Venison is the meat of a game animal, especially a deer.  It isn't much of a game when one player has a rifle and the other has no hands.

18. "That's sorta right": ISH.  -ish is a suffix added to a word to create an adjective:  Finnish, boyish, bookish, fortyish.  By itself, it is now used to mean "to some extent."  "Are you busy?"  "ISH."

19. Tear: RIP.

21. "__ go bragh!": ERIN.  “Ireland until eternity” or "Ireland forever."  

You may encounter this phrase on Monday.

22. [Theme clue]

26. Release: LET GO.

28. Western treaty gp.: OAS.  Thirty-five sovereign states of the Americas are members of the Organization of American States.  Cuba and Nicaragua are the only sovereign states that are not members, but both used to be.

29. Credit card giant: VISA.  What's in your wallet?

30. QB stats: TDs. Quarterbacks score touchdowns in football.

31. Deep purple: PLUM.

Pantone Plum

33. Picks up the tab: TREATS.

35. [Theme clue]

37. Mediterranean capital: ATHENS.

40. Era: SPAN.  An era is a long SPAN of time.

41. Nt. wt. units: LBS.  Net weight may be measured in pounds (LBS) or other units.

44. Home of the Mets from 1964 to 2008: SHEA.  Shea Stadium in Queens, New York, hosted the New York Mets and New York Jets.

45. Take to court: SUE.

46. Freedom, in Swahili: UHURU.  This word inspired the name of Star Trek character Lieutenant Uhura, played by Nichelle Nichols in the original television series.

Nichelle Nichols as Lieutenant Uhura

48. [Theme clue]

52. Deep purple berry: ACAI.

53. Antidiscrimination letters: EEO.  Equal Employment Opportunity laws prohibit specific types of job discrimination in certain workplaces.

54. 1950s political moniker: IKE.  Dwight D. Eisenhower, also known by his nickname Ike, was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961.

55. Sheepish reply to "Where's the rest of the pizza?": I ATE IT.

57. [Theme clue]

61. Crabby mood: SNIT.

62. Cellphone lack: DIAL TONE.

63. Socials with finger sandwiches: TEAS.

64. Playground game similar to hide-and-seek: SARDINES.  Sardines is a variation of hide-and-seek where players join the hidden person in the hiding place until they are all packed in tight.  News to me!

playing sardines

Down:

1. Took home, in a way: CLEARED.  One of many meanings of clear as a verb is to gain without deduction, or to "net."  

2. Loners: HERMITS.

3. Getting on: AGEING.  American and Canadian writers use aging.  Ageing is the preferred spelling outside North America. 

4. Far from daring: TAME.

5. Strident noise: BLARE.

6. Many times o'er: OFT.  An archaic or poetic form of "often."  "O'er" (for "over") lets us know that the answer will be archaic or poetic.

7. Lunar festival in Vietnam: TET.  Tết is the Vietnamese lunar new year festival, which celebrates the start of spring and the transition from the old year to the new. It's the most important holiday in Vietnamese culture. This year, the national holiday fell on January 31st.

8. Word on some Emmy Awards: SERIES.  The 2024 Emmy for outstanding drama series went to Shōgun.  It was truly outstanding!

Anna Sawai as Toda Mariko in Shōgun

9. St. Louis sch.: WashU.  Washington University in Saint Louis, Missouri.  "At WashU, we’re connecting learners, thinkers, leaders and doers who inspire each other to ask big questions and find real solutions – together. This is what WashU can do."

10. Hosp. areas: ERs.  Hospital areas:  Emergency Rooms.

11. Resistance to change: INERTIA.

12. Most optimistic: ROSIEST.

16. Atty.'s title: ESQ.  Attorney's title:  Esquire.  In the United States, esquire (often shortened to Esq.) is a title of courtesy, given to a lawyer and commonly appended to his/her surname (e.g. , John Smith, Esq. or John Smith, Esquire) when addressing the lawyer in written form.  The title comes from England, where it used to mean someone superior to a gentleman but inferior to a knight.

17. Hanukkah chocolate: GELT.  Gelt is Yiddish for money, and German for gold.  Money used to be given to children at Hanukkah, but has been replaced in many families by chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil.  At our house, the dreidel players tend to eat a lot of their winnings before the game ends.

20. Some ads: PSAs.  A public service announcement is a message in the public interest disseminated by the media, without charge, to raise public awareness and change behavior.

23. Part of FYI: YOUR.  For Your Information.

24. Builds dramatically: RAMPS UP.  Increases in amount, intensity, extent:  builds.  A company ramps up production to meet booming demand.

25. Above: OVER.

27. Willing to talk: OPEN.

32. Fleur-de-__: LIS.  The fleur-de-lis is a stylized image of a lily (fleur being French for flower, and lis being French for lily).  It has been used to represent France for a thousand years.

Fleur-de-lis design on the coat of arms of the French monarchy.

33. Bygone airline: TWA.  Trans World Airlines was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1930 until it was acquired by American Airlines in 2001.

34. Big name in saline: RENU.  A cleansing solution for soft contact lenses from Bausch & Lomb.

35. Catch, in a way: HEAR.  Did you catch that?

36. Astra and Corsa automaker: OPEL.  Opel is a German car manufacturer.  Astra and Corsa are model names.

37. Tennis legend Arthur: ASHE.

38. Whence one Wicked Witch: THE EAST.  Whence means "from what place or source."  Where did one Wicked Witch come from?  The East.

The Wicked Witch of the East did not get much screen time in The Wizard of Oz.

39. Wonder Woman, for one: HEROINE.

41. Swiss home of the rock relief known as the Lion Monument: LUCERNE.  The Lion Monument in Lucerne, Switzerland, honors the Swiss Guards who were killed during the French Revolution, defending the family of King Louis XVI in Paris.

42. Sears and simmers: BRAISES.  To braise is to cook slowly in fat and a small amount of liquid in a closed pot.

43. Diamonds, for one: SUIT.  A standard deck of playing cards comprises 13 ranks in each of the four suits:  clubs (♣), diamonds (♦), hearts (♥) and spades (♠).

45. Exceeds the limit: SPEEDS.

47. Disparage: HATE ON.  "Hate on" is an informal verb phrase that means to criticize or say bad things about someone in a public way. For example, "These kids get hated on for no good reason at all."  You can hate someone in private, but once you go public with your antipathy, you're hating on them.

49. Combs (through): SIFTS.

50. Kyiv's country: Abbr.: UKR.  Kyiv is the capital of Ukraine -- which we've all come to know through a prolonged tragedy.

Kyiv, Ukraine

51. Make way: YIELD.

56. Against: ANTI.

58. Narrow waterway: RIA.

59. "Unstoppable" singer: SIA.  "Unstoppable" is a song by Australian singer-songwriter Sia, taken from her seventh studio album, This Is Acting (2016).  It was released as a single in the U.S. in 2022, reached one billion streams on Spotify in 2023, and was named Most Performed Australian Work Overseas in 2024. 

60. Laugh syllable: HAR.

Here's the grid:

Did this puzzle have you walking on AIR?  Or did you ERR along the way?

NaomiZ

Friday, March 7, 2025, Julius Tausig

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with the recap of a Friday puzzle by Julius Tausig.  I did a quick web search on Julius and found this:  Julius Tausing Clue and Answer  Talk about meta!  As I could find no previous references to Julius here on the Corner, it appears that this might be his L. A. Times debut.  If so, congratulations, Julius!

In any event, in today's puzzle we have a theme that involves adding the letter L in order to morph common English usage into the sought-after answers to the clues.  The reveal is found at:

64 Across:  Accepted defeat, and what 17-, 24-, 40-, and 51-Across did?: TOOK THE L.  Took the Loss.  

These four clues "took the L" and incorporated it:

17 Across:  Hideout that's not very hidden?: OPEN LAIR.  From Open Air.

24 Across:  Times of year for competitive baking?: FLOUR SEASONS.  The Fours Seasons of the year.  Hmmm, we'll go with Carole King but it could have been Vivaldi . . . or Fankie Valli.

40 Across:  Hip-hop subgenre dedicated to the woes of hair loss?: BALD RAP.  A Bad Rap, more often a Bum Rap (which was an answer in one of our puzzles last week), is an unjust accusation.  Bad Rap might be redundant.

51 Across:  Assorted barrettes and clips?: HAIR PIN BLEND.  From Hair Pin Bend or, more often, Hair Pin turn.

This is how everything looks in the grid:

Here are the non-themers:

Across:

1. "Thriller" debut channel: MTV.   MTV was the pioneering broadcaster of music videos.   "Thriller" was a mega-hit album by Michael Jackson. 

4. Dull pain: ACHE.  A sensation frequently experienced in our puzzles.

8. Manatee: SEA COW.  It's been teed up . . .

Sea Elephants?

14. __ milk: OAT.  SOY would have fit the allotted space but none of the letters would have worked out.

15. Dramatic outburst during court testimony: LIAR.  We have LAIR in the puzzle so why not LIAR?

16. Like Enigma machine messages: IN CODE.  The Enigma machine is a cipher device developed and used in the early- to mid-20th century to protect commercial, diplomatic, and military communication. It was employed extensively by Nazi Germany during the Second World War.

19. Small beard: GOATEE.

Maynard G. Krebs

20. Recipient of a wish list: GENIE.  Hand up for thinking SANTA.  The N would have worked out.

21. Zen paradox: KOAN.  This solver was introduced to the KOAN by a High School English teacher.  A KOAN is a puzzling, often paradoxical statement, anecdote, question, or verbal exchange, used in Zen Buddhism as an aid to meditation and a means of gaining spiritual awakening.

23. Shirt: TOP.  TEE would have fit and the T would have worked out.

28. Historic fort near Charleston: SUMTER.  Best known as the site for the opening of the Civil War.

31. Quark-antiquark particle: MESON.

Beyond This Solver's Ken

32. "That is not __!": parents' words of warning: A TOY.  OKAY would have fit and the Y would have worked out.

33. __-Cola: COCA.  We'll do Easter at 11 Down.

36. Rite place: ALTAR.  I just learned than my neighbor lives a secret life as a priest.  It's his ALTAR ego.

39. Greek god of pastures: PAN.

42. Pro: ACE.  Not fer.  An accomplished person.

43. Stood out: SHONE.

45. MRI output: SCAN

46. __ novel: DIME.  DIME novel is a term for cheap, sensational paperbacks that were popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries in the U.S.  Alas, the price component has gone the way of Two Buck Chuck.

47. Composer Frederick: LOEWE.  Were you thinking Classical Music?  Chopin, perhaps?  In this case, Alan Lerner's collaborator.  One example from their prolific output:

49. Got down pat: NAILED.  There was an off-color joke involving Richard Nixon going around in the '70's.  NAILED was not part of it.

55. Insect whose colony has a queen: ANT.  What did the Pink Panther say after stepping on the ANT hill?  Dead ant, dead ant, dead ant, dead ant, dead ant . . . .

56. "Ah, got it": I SEE.  Indeed.

57. Garden party?: GNOME.  Party, in this case, means an individual that might be found in a garden.  Not a Ricky Nelson reference.

61. Split: IN HALF.  Not "split" as in it's time to leave.  Not a bowling reference.  Not a reference to a city in Croatia.

66. __ 101: skyscraper in an Asian capital: TAIPEI.  Designed to withstand earthquakes and typhoons.

Taipei 101 Tower

67. Latin year: ANNO.  A translation clue/answer.

68. Sick: ILL.

69. Turn on the charm?: INCANT.

incant

 /ĭn-kănt′/

transitive verb   To chant or intone (ritual or magic words). To state solemnly, to chant.  To recite an incantation

70. Scorch: SEAR.  CHAR would have fit and the R would have worked out.

71. Loving poem: ODE.

Down:

1. First commercial synthesizer maker: MOOG.

2. Cassette: TAPE.  State of the art at one time.

3. Powerful engine banned by F1: V-TEN.  The F1, in this case, stands for Formula One auto racing.

4. Gene variant: ALLELE.  Fortunately, for this solver, the word was remembered even if the spelling was not.  Thanks, perps.  From Wikipedia, "An allele is a variant of the sequence of nucleotides at a particular location, or locus, on a DNA molecule. Alleles can differ at a single position through single nucleotide polymorphisms, but they can also have insertions and deletions of up to several thousand base pairs."  Got that?

5. Longtime KGB spycraft enemy: CIA.

6. Poem with a 5-7-5 syllable pattern: HAIKU.  Hand up for thinking MoeKu.

7. Wrong move: ERROR.  Oops!

8. Contract endorser: SIGNEE.  A word that we do not often hear. . . or see.

9. Musician Brian: ENO.  A frequent visitor.

10. Obama-era legislation, initially: ACA.

11. Small rabbit: COTTONTAIL.

Danny Kaminsky

12. Ancient theater of Ephesus: ODEON.

13. Cries: WEEPS.  I saw my sister WEEPing uncontrollably, worried that her Economics degree wouldn’t land her a job.  I said, “Are you having a financial cry, sis?”

18. "Swell!": NIFTY.  Slang.  Bitchen'.  Rad.  Far Out!  Groovy.

22. Eritrea's capital: ASMARA.   A place not so frequently visited in our puzzles.

25. Killer whale: ORCA.  A mammal which frequently visits our puzzles.

26. "By yesterday!" letters: ASAP.  Alternative cluing:  Recent aquittee.

27. Spanish sun: SOL.

en español

28. Drains: SAPS.

29. Zion locale: UTAH.  Zion National Park.

30. Like an ancient obelisk: MONOLITHIC.   This could have been clued with a reference to 2001 A Space Odyssey.

34. Twins who created the fashion label The Row: OLSENS.  This solver did not know about the fashion line but Mary-Kate and Ashley OLSEN are twins who often appear in our puzzles.

35. Public health org.: CDC. Is it going to be NIH?  No.

37. Fictional company whose products tend to malfunction: ACME.  A Wile E. Coyote reference.

38. Woodwind insert: REED.

40. Appliance alert: BEEP.

41. Great-aunt of Prince George: ANNE.  We fought a revolution to separate from the British royals.  Some of us pay them very little or no attention.  Thanks perps.

44. Scand. land: NOR.  Probably not Juilius' favorite answer.

46. "That __ hurt": DIDN'T.

48. Video game that uses a balance board: WII FIT.

50. Cambodia's __ Wat: ANGKOR.

Photo By MM

51. Part of Hispaniola: HAITI.

52. Diplomat Kofi: ANNAN.

Former U.N. Secretary General

53. Releases with bugs, probably: BETAS.  A computer coding/debugging reference.

54. Sierra __: LEONE.  Often visited in our puzzles.

58. Weird or cringe, in Gen Alpha slang: OHIO.  As for OHIO used in this context, this I know from nothing.  But Merriam-Webster does:  The Gen alpha slang use of Ohio as an insult originated on the Internet shortly after a series of memes about the US state of Ohio began circulating in the late twenty-teens. The most common type of these memes is the "only in Ohio" variety, which describes something weird or awkward and then claims that it happens in Ohio.

59. Combine: MELD.  MESH would have fit and both the M and the E would have worked out.

60. Vogue rival: ELLE.  A magazine frequently read in our puzzles.

62. Shrinks' org.: APA.

63. Actor Cariou: LEN.  LEoNard Joseph Cariou

 

65. "Based __ true story": ON A.  When it says this you can bet that significant liberties have been taken with the facts in the name of entertainment.

Yours truly will be heading to the mountains in a bit and will be skipping the next couple of otherwise-scheduled blogging cycles.  See all y'all after returning.

___________________________________________