Friday, April 5, 2024, Laura Dershewitz

 

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with the Friday recap.  Our puzzle-setter today is Laura Dershewitz who, often co-authoring with Katherine Baicker, has previously created and published several puzzles for us to solve.

Today, things do not go bad .  Things do not go south.  Things do not go to blazes.  Things do not go to pieces.  Things do not go belly up.  Things do not go awry.  Things do not go off the rails.  They do, however, go sideways.  Although it can, and often is, applied to different types of situations, the definition of the idiom, as provided in today's reveal, will suffice:

31 Down:  Completely fall apart, as a deal, or an apt title for this puzzle?: GO SIDEWAYS.

In the grid, the reveal and the themed clues/answers are placed vertically.  This provides the opportunity/necessity to incorporate the word GO horizontally/SIDEWAYS into the answers.  Let's have a look at the grid before taking a look the themers.

Here are the three themed clues and answers:

3 Down:  Mid-March cry: ERIN G BRAGH.

9 Down:  Gentle carnival ride: MERRY G ROUND.  You are probably familiar with the tune but do you know the name of the song that Loony Tunes adopted as its theme song?  It was written in 1937 and reached the #2 spot on the "Your Hit Parade" radio survey.

The Merry Go Round Broke Down

24 Down:  Without a care in the world: HAPPY G LUCKY.

Here are the other clues and answers:

Across:

1. Use a Keurig, say: BREW.  A coffee BREWing reference . . . and the first of (some might claim too) many proper nouns referenced in today's clues and answers.

5. Name associated with a philosophical razor: OCCAM.  I do not have trouble recalling the answer but I can never remember how to spell it.  The perps remind me.

10. Branded tees or mugs, maybe: SWAG.  SWAG is the name for the stuff they give you at e.g. conventions, symposia, reunions, etc.

14. Traditional wisdom: LORE.  As one of the oldest living people in my family, my word is LORE.

15. "I'm not seeing it": WHERE.

WHERE Wolf?

16. Follow: TAIL.  As in to follow a criminal suspect.

17. Bookworm: AVID READER.

19. Alan of "Marriage Story": ALDA.  With STACY and WALT being clued the way that they were, this solver did not know two of the names in that NW stack.  Alan ALDA helped out quite a bit.

20. Lunch option on the Shinkansen, say: BENTO.  Shinkansen (the Japanese bullet train) alerts us to think of Japanese cuisine.

BENTO Box 

21. Took away (from): DETRACTED.  Did you come across anything today that either added to or DETRACTED from your puzzle-solving experience?

23. "Who knew?": GOSH.  What did the fish say when the river stopped flowing? "GOSH dam it!"

25. With diffidence: SHYLY.

26. PD alert: APB.  Police Department.  All Points Bulletin.

28. Ingest: EAT.

30. In the past: AGO.  A few minutes AGO I came to the conclusion that tofu is overrated.  It's just a curd to me.

31. Dollop: GOB.  Given today's theme, that O after the G could be viewed as a bit misleading.

34. Sensitive subject: SORE SPOT.

37. Surname in a classic Styx song: ROBOTO.  Domo arigato Mister ROBOTO.

39. Meat in Hawaiian cuisine: SPAM.  How A Wartime Necessity Became A Hawaiian Delicacy

40. Teaser ad: PROMO.

42. Italian wine region: ASTI.

Asti Spumante Commercial

43. Divination: AUGURY.  This word does not appear often in our puzzles . . . but we should have seen it coming.

45. Head-scratchers: TOUGHIES.  Initially, I thought of POSERS but the word wasn't long enough.

47. Speedometer stat: MPH.

48. __ boost: EGO.

50. Twin set?: DNA.  A reference to the double-helix shape of the molecule.

51. Dr. of rap: DRE.  Née Andre Romell Young

52. French "Cheers!": SALUT.

54. Screwdriver, in a pinch: DIME.

56. Chewy candy bars introduced in 1921: BABY RUTHS.  Many people believe that the candy was named after Babe Ruth the baseball player.  It was, in fact, named after President Cleveland's daughter.

60. Full of the latest: NEWSY.  Current and/or topical.

63. Triumphant cry: I WON.   A big cat said this after every race that she ran.  She was a cheetah.

64. Fresh start: CLEAN SLATE.   A somewhat anachronistic figure of speech.

66. U2 singer: BONO.  Not Sonny BONO.  Paul David Hewson.

67. Little meower: KITTY.  It might have been clued with a "Gunsmoke" reference but then it would have been yet another proper noun.  Speaking of which,

68. Cannon of film: DYAN.

69. Toy on some holiday cards: SLED.

70. Matzo's lack: YEAST.  Exodus:  This day will be a memorial for you, and you are to celebrate it as a feast to the Lord, as a permanent statute for the generations to come.  For seven days you must eat unleavened bread.

71. "Last four digits" IDs: SSNS.

Down:

1. Say too much: BLAB.   Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. Everyone I BLABbed to told me that they wouldn't say anything to anyone.

2. Wander about: ROVE.  We never know, initially, if it is going to turn out to be ROVE or ROAM but we can fill in the R and the O.  I sometimes wonder why this is rarely, if ever, clued with "Karl".

4. United with: WED TO.

5. Have loans: OWE.

6. African lake in four countries: CHAD.

7. Surrenders: CEDES.

8. First name in soul: ARETHA.

ARETHA Franklin - "Think"

10. Gwen __: Spider-Man's first love: STACY.  A Marvel Comics reference.

11. Sky's "Breaking Bad" spouse: WALT.  In times past, this might have been clued with a reference to Whitman or Disney or Kelly or Frazier.

12. Campaign staffer: AIDE.

13. Chuffed: GLAD.  New to this solver.

18. Bunch of romantics?: ROSES.  Not a group of impractical visionaries but, rather, a bouquet of flowers that a romantic person might give to their beloved.

22. __ gobi: South Asian potato dish: ALOO.  The first of two South Asia Subcontinent references in a row.

26. State in northern India: ASSAM.  The second.

27. Temporary, as a bar or restaurant: POP UP.

29. Publisher with a mountain peak logo: TOR.  We sometimes see TOR clued with just the mountain peak reference.  Self-published, as it were.

32. Marine mammal that uses rocks to crack shells: OTTER.

33. State capital in the Treasure Valley: BOISE.  In a recent Sunday puzzle, BOISE was clued as "the City of Trees".  With three vowels and an S it's a useful word for constructors.

35. Flightless bird: EMU.  Did you hear about the EMU who was taller than his friends?  He was ostrich-sized.

36. Word with tater or tiny: TOT.  At least we were spared the casserole reference (unlike last Saturday).

Tater TOT(s)                                                Tiny TOT

38. "Curses!": BAH.  How would a sheep say BAH?

41. Online admin: MOD.  MODerator

44. Bring up, or something to bring up: REAR.  Cute.  Raise your children or be in last place.  Alternatively, what you are sitting on as you read this.

46. Acquires: GAINS.  What does a doctor get from a urine test?  She GAINS whizdom.

49. Extend past: OUTLIE.

52. Church council: SYNOD.

53. Angle symbol, in trigonometry: THETA.  By definition, much as Delta represents a difference or Pi represents the ratio of a circle's circumference and diameter.

55. Merges: MELDS.

56. Lobsterfest wear: BIBS.

57. Missing GI: AWOL.  Absent WithOut Leave

58. Fillet's lack: BONE.

Fillet Minion

59. Coll. entrance exams: SATS.  

61. Superfan: STAN.  Current slang.  The term comes from a song on an Eminem album.   The song tells the story of an obsessed fan named, you guessed it, STAN.  Possibly, a portmanteau derived from "stalker" and "fan".

62. Strong desires: YENS.  YEN is the shortest of the bunch (URGE, ITCH, DESIRE, HANKERING, etc.) and was handy here because, including the S, only four letter could be used.

65. "The 1619 Project" publisher, for short: NYT.   New York Times  "The 1619 Project" focused on slavery and the founding of the United States.

That's it for today.

_______________________________________________

Notes from C.C.:

 

1) Chairman Moe (Chris) made Wednesday's Newsday puzzle. Click here to solve and let him know your feedback. 

2) Happy 83rd Birthday to dear Irish Miss (Agnes), the sunshine of our little corer. Thanks for the care and love you've shown everyone on our blog, Agnes! I'm so lucky to have you as a close friend and puzzle collaborator.

 

Agnes (right) and her sister Eileen, Nov 22, 2013

 

Friday, March 29, 2024, Lisa Senzel and Will Nediger

Theme:  Alphabet Soup

Puzzling thoughts:  

Will Nediger is a name well-known to crossword puzzles.  As the link describes, Will has done scores of puzzles in the NYT.  I also look forward to solving his Saturday and Sunday puzzles @ Crossword Club.  

Lisa Senzel may not be as well-known, but she has also been published in the NY Times.  Not sure if this is her debut @ LA Times, but if so, congratulations!  Also, I am not sure if she has done solo work, but the company she keeps (Will and Jeff Chen) are both solid collaborators

Today's puzzle uses a series of 4 phrases that are transformed into a play-on-words, of sorts, by adding another word which also contains a filler word ... capisce?  No?  Want me to explain?  OK.  Will do.  It's why I get paid the big bucks twice a month to help figure out what's going on in today's puzzle!! 😉

16-across. *Diner's entitlement to savory flavor?: UMAMI RIGHT.  Or is it: UM, AM I RIGHT?

19-across. *Reason yellowfin tuna are wallflowers at a school prom?: AHI CAN'T DANCE. Or is it: AH, I CAN'T DANCE?

36-across. *Pal who seconds whatever one says?: LIKE-WISE GUY. Or is it: LIKE, WISE GUY?

57-across. *Not-very-straight shooter?: ERRING CAMERA. Or is it: ER, RING CAMERA?

=================================================================

UMAMI = savory flavor; RIGHT = entitlement ... UM (a filler word) AM I RIGHT? (See below)

AHI = yellowfin tuna; (those who) CAN'T DANCE = wallflowers ... AH (a filler word) I CAN'T DANCE! (I dance similar to this person)

LIKE-WISE = same; GUY = pal ... LIKE (a filler word) WISE GUY (As a Stooge, I have to sneak in this image!)

ERRING = not very straight; CAMERA = (picture) shooter ... ER (a filler word) RING CAMERA (we have one installed but it's not active) 

 

The reveal:

61-across. Sound added to everyday speech, and what's been added to create the answers to the starred clues: FILLER WORD.  Not sure how else to explain it but to add this image:

Across:
1. Blue-green: TEAL.  AQUA would have been a fun word to begin with

5. Short form of a name that means "merciful": CLEM.  I had "no clue" and penciled in CLEO.  Guessing it's short for CLEMENTINE, but I'm not going to confirm

9. Lass: MISS.  I had HUGE in 9-down at first; that slowed me down in the NE corner

13. Jessica of "Sin City": ALBA.  And 26-across. NHL great Bobby: ORR.  Two crossword puzzle proper name staples

14. Eta follower: THETA.  The "ABC's" of Greek:  ALPHA, BETA, GAMMA, DELTA, EPSILON, ZETA, ETA, THETA ...

15. Shape the narrative?: EDIT. Sometimes there are clues that are too clever, but sure, why knot [sic]?

18. __ therapy: GENE. 

21. "Easy-peasy": NO PROB.  Isn't the jargon used by kids these days just totes adorb?

24. In __ of: LIEU.  Moe-ku:

    They used stunt double

    In The Tiger's Apprentice,

    In Lucy LIEU of

25. Contacts list no.: TEL.  867-5309
    
27. Little dog: PUP.  Does anyone recall the expression "cuter than a speckled PUP"?

29. Michelin product: CAR TIRE.  This exact clue and entry were last seen at a WSJ puzzle in 2022

31. Planner division: WEEK.  Back in the day, this used to be my planner of choice:  

33. Q neighbor: TAB.  Oh, the "Q" key on a computer keyboard ... not the neighbor fellow who lived next door to the James Bond character ...

35. Yapped like a dog: ARFED.  The only dog I recall that said "ARF" was this one:

40. Lopsided: ATILT.  Like this famous tower??  

42. Cozy room: DEN.  Most new houses feature a great room (instead of a separate living room/family room), and an extra room without a closet is now used (mostly) as a home office 

43. The Emerald Isle: EIRE.  Moe-ku 2:

    Calling Ireland

    The Emerald Isle, not

    EIRE, gets my ire

46. Ill-fated: NOT TO BE.  The soliloquy in Shakespeare's Hamlet: "To be or NOT TO BE ..." 

49. "Need I go on?" abbr.: ETC.  Sometimes there are clues that are too clever ...

51. Sister: NUN.  SIB could've fit, I guess ...

52. Pump part: TOE.  Part of a pair of shoes for women (pumps) ... these: 

 [guessing that these might be open TOE??]

53. Said, informally: WENT.  [someone explain this to me, please ...]

55. Roamed freely: RANGED.  Moe-ku 3:

    "Home, home on the roam;

    Where the deer and buffalo

    RANGED. Where seldom is ... "

60. Half-moon tide: NEAP.  More crossword-ese

65. Intl. alliance joined by Finland in 2023: NATO.

66. First-year law students: ONE L'S.  [Wikipedia] "One L tells author Scott Turow's experience as a first-year Harvard Law School student. The book takes place in Cambridge, Massachusetts where Harvard University is located. First years, or One-L's as they are often called, all face similar issues their initial year of law school. Harvard, known for its reputation as one of the best law schools in the country, takes only about 12% of applicants". 

Didn't we just have ONE L this past Monday??

67. Sunburn soother: ALOE.

68. Pub pours: ALES.  Moe-ku 4:

    I've heard when a pub

    Runs out of an IPA,

    This is what ALES you

    

69. Gift on "The Bachelor": ROSE.  "The Bachelor" is not on my watch-list.  Are any of you ladies that post here fans of the show?

70. Gripe: BEEF.  As opposed to "tripe" which is just offal ... 

Down:
1. __ cross: TAU.  If Lisa and Will wanted a clecho of sorts they might have chosen: "Sigma follower" ... The "ABC's" of Greek:  THETA ... IOTA, KAPPA, LAMBDA, MU, NU, XI, OMICRON, PI, RHO, SIGMA, TAU ...

TAU cross

2. Bark beetle target: ELM.  Bark beetle blog ==> for real!!

3. Old hoops gp.: ABA.  American Basketball Association

4. Pulitzer-winning rapper Kendrick: LAMAR.  The video clip below is NSFW (or home, for that matter) ... 

 
5. Fashionable: CHIC.  (59-across. Fr. title for 9-Across:) MLLE.  (44-down. French street:) RUE.  Today's obligatory foreign words needed to fill in random places in the puzzle 

(in these cases, as Splynter would say, "Frawnche")

6. Pad size: LEGAL. [Blumburg dot com] "The term “legal pad” is a bit of a misnomer; it doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the law. The defining feature of a legal pad is the 1-1/4" vertical margin on the left side of the paper. This margin, also known as the down line, was traditionally used for annotations or side notes.

Legal pads originated from paper mill scraps bound together and cut to legal size, hence the name. They were initially used by lawyers, which further contributed to the name"

7. Of a particular culture: ETHNIC.

8. Country singer Kathy: MATTEA.  This is the theme song for the country version of "The Bachelor":

 

9. Bigger than big: MEGA.  HUGE was my first thought ... yours, too??

10. Naming: IDENTIFYING.  Pretty common synonym, as my friend the Thesaurussaurus says: 

11. Heartfelt: SINCERE.  I tried GENUINE first; another mini-roadblock on my way to solving this in 25+ minutes, but I didn't cheat too much ... had to look up MATTEA 

12. Girded (oneself): STEELED.  [Merrium Webster dot com] defines STEELED (transitive verb) as:

2

a

: to cause to resemble steel (as in looks or hardness)

b

: to fill with resolution or determination (girded)

The video below defines how to "gird ones loins" [courtesy of Redemption Community Church]

14. Ozzy Osbourne album in memory of Randy Rhoads: TRIBUTE. [Wikipedia] "Tribute is a live album by British heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne, featuring his work with hard rock guitarist Randy Rhoads, in whose honor the album was released. The album was released in April 1987 in the US and May 1987 in the UK, five years after the death of Rhoads"

17. "Let's put a smile on your plate" chain: IHOP.  IHOP Brand Campaign - 2022

20. Garment that preserves hair waves: DURAG.  I thought it was spelled "DOORAG" but I discovered otherwise: [Wikipedia] "A durag (alternate spellings) is a close-fitting cloth tied around the top of the head to protect the hair; similarly a wave cap is a close-fitting cap for the same purpose. Durags may be worn to accelerate the development of long curly/kinky hair, waves or locks in the hair ..."

21. This instant: NOW.  STAT and ASAP did not fit

22. Mine find: ORE.  Moe-ku 5:

    "49'ers" left

    CAL for their northern neighbor;

    They found ORE in ORE

23. Communicating with pictograms, perhaps: PRE-LITERATE.  My my, that's a big word for describing a stick-figure!!  BTW, this is a debut word for crossword puzzles.  Congrats!

Lasceaux Cave Painting

28. Dog's attention-getter, maybe: PAW.  

Covid Cartoon

30. Loyal: TRUE.

32. Scottish wedding garb: KILT.  This one is for the ladies here at the Corner ... I was told this was taken just before the wedding ... 

34. eBay action: BID.

37. Nabe that might have an H Mart: K TOWN.  I suppose that every puzzle needs to have an odd clue/answer or two these days ... K TOWN is an abbr. for "KOREATOWN" (as opposed to CHINATOWN, e.g.).  Nabe is an abbr. for neighborhood.  H Mart is a name for a chain of Asian food stores ... learning moe-ment, for sure

38. Get the picture: SEE.

39. Main courses: ENTREES.

40. Vehicle's shark fin, maybe: ANTENNA.  For modern cars, yes.  It's that fin-shaped device on vehicles that acts as an ANTENNA.  But the "shark-fins" on vehicles that I grew up with are shown below: 

41. Uncomfortably close to home: TOO REAL.

45. Sew up: END.  Good mis-directional clue

47. Request, as table food: BEG FOR.  I'm beginning to think that this puzzle has "gone to the dogs" 😀

48. Los Angeles neighborhood near Reseda: ENCINO.  Well, I have heard of ENCINO, but I haven't a clue where Reseda is ... maybe Art Fern does, but not today:

50. Quarterback Derek: CARR.  Erstwhile Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders QB, he now slings passes for the New Orleans Saints

54. Lore: TALES.  Tried STORY with no success

56. Muslim honorific from which "nabob" is derived: NAWAB.  I will let others comment about this entry ... I did confirm that this word has been used before in published crossword puzzles, but it's been almost a decade ... and only once before @ LA Times

58. Wall St. debuts: IPOS. 

62. Flamenco shout: OLE. 

63. Sushi topper: ROE.  Moe-ku 6:

    Sushi bar offers

    New roll shaped like a ship, called:

    ROE ROE ROE the boat

    

64. __ Jam Recordings: DEF. [Wikipedia] Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop"

And just like that, we are done.  At the end of the day, I, um, hope, er, that I, ah, explained the gist of the puzzle.  

Before publishing this blog I asked Margaret if she got it, and her response was "Like, totally"! 

So OK, like seriously, add some of YOUR comments below ... 

The grid: