google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Gerry Wildenberg

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Showing posts with label Gerry Wildenberg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gerry Wildenberg. Show all posts

Jul 9, 2025

Wednesday, Jul 9th, 2025 ~ Gerry Wildenberg

SQUA-RE RE-PAIR

gERry WildenbERg - doubled ER ER 

This is Gerry Wildenberg's debut for the LA Times - he has two other crosswords published in the NYT going back 10 & 11 years ago - and I checked again, just to be sure, because I was friends with a Geri, who was Geraldine; Gerry's a dude - a cool-looking older guy, and from his picture, I am guessing an outdoorsman, a hiker, a camper....Anyway, today's construction has "R-E" doubled in the theme answers, with the center being a grid-spanner, and no stray RE's anywhere else.  More 4LW than 3LW, but I felt, even with some being easy, there were again too many names ( a dozen by my count ) for my solving experience.  The theme answers, all unique, and the reveal;  

18. *Bills wide receiver who played in four consecutive Super Bowls: ANDRE REED - name #1


24. *Wildlife sanctuary: NATURE RESERVE - the first part was blank, but I did fill in "PREserve", which was close - can anyone offer a solution to the pesky gnats that hover around one's eyes & ears~?  I walk every other day, and they are so aggravating, I end up cutting the hike short - I practically bathe in Off! with DEET, but that's of no use - and I am going to try Picaridin as well - I do not want to wear a net....

36. *Meh evaluations: MEDIOCRE REVIEWS - I've had my share in my time blogging

49. *Like material that slows flames: FIRE RETARDANT

57. Made twice as great, and what can be found in the answers to the starred clues: "REDOUBLED"


And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Clown's prop, maybe: STILT - yeah, but how about a drywall mudder~?


6. Criminally assist: ABET

10. Breakfast spot: NOOK

14. "Golly!": "OH GEE~!"

15. Angelic adornment: HALO

16. Prefix meaning "all": OMNI

17. Oscars host O'Brien: CONAN - name #2, but I know him

20. Paraguayan pals: AMIGOS

22. Airport pickup info: ETA

23. Acid initials: LSD - the "dropped" acid

28. Cry of insight: "I SEE~!" - I used Ghostbusters, now here's Die Hard . . . .

ya~! I SEE him~! @ 0:20

29. Fit, as matryoshka dolls: NEST

Irish Miss, I am still on the lookout for my four-legged friend; last week on my walk, a guy in my neighborhood came out with HIS Schnauzer, but he did not have much to tell me about where to get one :7(

30. Volcano near Catania: ETNA - four-letter volcano~?

33. Whiskey flavor: PEAT - Sunday fill, too - this week, I am trying "Ryze", the mushroom coffee that supposedly helps burn fat - I will let you know.  It has a distinct 'earthy', almost broth-like flavor, and I like it - I am down to 27lbs since May 1st

34. Chewy mints: MENTOS

41. Only national park in New England: ACADIA - in Maine; knew this from solving crosswords, like this past Sunday

42. One of 14 in a sonnet: LINE

43. "u crack me up": ROFL - Rolling On Floor Laughing - textspeak

44. Part of a Rorschach test: BLOT


45. Operatic solo: ARIA

53. Artist Yoko: ONO - name #3, crossword staple, like Sunday - JEEZ

55. Boxing family name: ALI - name #4, crossword staple

56. Shelter with a sloping roof: LEAN TO

61. Urged (on): EGGED - 11D. is "egged", too

62. Cheese with an edible rind: BRIE

63. Gymnast Korbut: OLGA - name #5, crossword staple

64. Wicked one: FIEND - In honor of Black Sabbath's "Back to the Beginning" final show with Ozzy Osbourne last Saturday in their home town of Birmingham, UK, here's one from their debut album

Wicked World
65. Convinced: SOLD

66. Golf club choice: WOOD

67. Varieties: SORTS


DOWN:

1. Confident retort to a boast: SO CAN I~!

2. Inventor Edison: THOMAS - name #6, but not too obscure

3. Set off, as fireworks: IGNITE - thankfully, the folks of my neighborhood set off only a handful of medium-sized noise-makers about 9pm on July Fourth, and then it tapered off within the hour - another reason I am glad to be in CT.  Down on the Island~?  It's about who can waste the most money for a smoky backyard

4. Maritime measure: LEAGUE - Dah~!  Not FATHOM

5. Voice above baritone: TENOR - aaaand Sunday, too - wow.

6. Cry of insight: A - HA~!

7. Abolish: BAN

8. Like Cain, of Adam's sons: ELDEST

9. Dense cake: TORTE

10. Neither's partner: NOR

11. Brunch option: OMELETTE - Ah.  The "extended" version of omelet, just like on Sunday

12. Change for a five: ONES

13. "The Secret Life of Bees" novelist Sue Monk __: KIDD - filled via perps; I suppose 'Captain' was not Wednesday worthy - name #7

19. Linguist's asset: EAR - TONGUE did not fit - and EAR makes me think of muscians

21. __ Falls: women's suffrage convention site: SENECA - upstate NY, filled via perps, name #8

25. Tail end: REAR

26. Getty of "The Golden Girls": ESTELLE - second time this week the show was in a clue, still, name #9

27. Caesar's "I came": VENI - Julius Caesar boast, veni vidi, vici - I came, I saw, I conquered

31. "__ we're talking!": "NOW~!"

Naomi, these legs are "for the birds" ( BTW, how big IS  this Splynter file ~? )

32. Pack animal: ASS - What'd you call me~?  A pack animal~?

33. Taro-based staple: POI

34. __ block: MENTAL - Ah.  I could not make WRITERS or LEGO fit

35. Night for last-minute wrapping: EVE - could'be been a name . . .

36. Stain or tear: MAR

37. Italian scholar Umberto: ECO - obscure, for a 3LW that could be a "not" name, #10 - the editor~?

38. National flower of Wales: DAFFODIL - I did not know this


39. South Asian rice cake: IDLI - filled via perps - more here - name(ish)


40. Hilarious comedian: RIOT

44. S.O.S competitor: BRILLO - I have caught two field mice in glue traps over the last month - I though this was a "winter" problem; now I am thinking about investing in an ultrasonic repellant, but I really have to go around and seal up the places where the little buggers are getting in; it was suggested to stuff steel wool, or better, soap-infused steel wool pads in thr holes around the pipes of my baseboard heaters.

45. "Slowly," on sheet music: ADAGIO - oops, I thought it was LEGATO - but that's tied notes

46. Madison Square Garden hockey player: RANGER - I knew this because I am a long-suffering NY Rangers fan; they never seem to have the tenacity, the drive, the desire to fight for the toughest trophy in sports - they're more like "eh, whatever", and that's very frustrating for fans

Igor Shesterkin is the exception

47. Purpose: INTENT - thie intent of playing an NHL season is to get to the Stanley Cup playoffs ...

48. In conflict: AT ODDS - but this seems to be AT ODDS with the NY Rangers

50. Novelist Santha Rama __: RAU - name #11 - more here

51. Jab with one's arm: ELBOW

52. Coral colonies: REEFS

53. Snow globes, e.g.: ORBS - good WAG on my part



54. Wolfe of detective fiction: NERO - I've read the whole series from Rex Stout, and the follow-up novels from author Robert Goldsborough - name #12

58. Uni reference: OED - we had this on Monday

59. Feeling of self-worth: EGO - semi Meh. Is it a "feeling~?"

60. June honoree: DAD

Splynter

Notes from C.C.:

Happy 55th birthday to Anon-T, who's always there when I need a pinch-hitter. 


 
Tony At Wit's End near Carmel on Father's Day 2017

 











Jan 5, 2021

Tuesday, January 5, 2021 Gerry Wildenberg

Let there be Light!  The word Light can be placed in the before, or aHEAD, of the first word in each theme answer to give us a new concept.

17-Across. *  Football score: TOUCH DOWN.  Light Touch.


11-Down. *  Musical song generating extended applause: SHOW STOPPER.  Light Show.


25-Down. *  Confinement that might involve an ankle monitor: HOUSE ARREST.  Light House.

Nubble Light on Cape Neddick, Maine

26-Down. *  Right-angled flying toy: BOX KITE.  Light Box.



And the Unifier:

63-Across. Night driving need, and what can go with the starts of the answers to starred clues: HEAD LIGHT.


Lots of proper names in today's puzzle.  They shouldn't cause too much trouble, though, since most of people make frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.

Across:
1. Eldest Baldwin brother: ALEC.  Alec Baldwin (né Alexander Rae Baldwin, III; b. Apr. 3, 1958) was great as Jack Donaghy on the sit-com 30 Rock.  His three younger brothers (Daniel, William and Stephen), are also actors.


5. Sales staffers: REPs.  As in Representatives.

9. Fettuccine, e.g.: PASTA.  Yummers!


14. Capital NW of Napoli: ROMA.  Or, as Americans would say, Naples and Rome.  Naples is one of the dirtiest European cities I have visited, but there are still wonderful sight that are "must sees".  And the food there is fantastic.

Visions of Vesuvius from Naples

15. Suffix with stink: -EROO.  As in Stinkeroo!

16. Value system: ETHOS.  Ethos comes to us from the Greek, which means character.

19. Atlanta campus: EMORY.  Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia.  It is a Methodist-affiliated educational institution.  It was named in honor of John Emory (1789 ~ 1835), who was a bishop in the Methodist Episcopal Church.

20. Barge movers: TUGs.  We see lots of tugboats on the Mississippi River.


21. "I'd like to help": ALLOW ME.

23. Island near Bora Bora: TAHITI.  Tahiti is the largest island of the Windward Islands of the Society Islands.  The French artist, Paul Gauguin (1848 ~ 1903), spent 10 years painting in Tahiti.



26. Soft French cheese: BRIE.  Yummers!  When we lived in France, we practically lived on Brie and Baguettes.


27. Chess pieces and board, e.g.: SET.  Remember the chess game from Alice in Wonderland?




28. Lennon's love: ONO.  Yoko makes very frequent guest appearnces in the puzzles.  Yoko Ono (b. Feb. 18, 1933) is nearly 88 years old.


29. Palm starch: SAGO.

31. Sausage on a grill: BRAT.  Bratwurst.  I'll let Spitzboov explain the etymology of this German word.


33. We, to Henri: NOUS.  Today's French lesson.

35. Deli counter cry: NEXT!

37. Got to one's feet: STOOD.


40. Spout, as oil: GUSH.


41. Starts to fly, with "off": TAKES.



43. Nashville venue: OPRY.  I understand it's Grand.  It's genre is County and Western.


44. Yarn coil: SKEIN.  Hi, Madame DeFarge!


46. Like peanut-butter pie: RICH.  I have never had a Peanut butter pie, but here is a recipe.

47. Wall St. events for young companies: IPOs.  As in Initial Public Offerings.

48. Monterrey years: AÑOs.  Today's Spanish lesson.  Monterrey is a city in Nuevo León, Mexico.

50. "God" prefix: THEO.  Think Theology.

52. Brian of rock: ENO.  Brian Eno (né Brian Peter George Eno; b. May 15, 1948) is another friend who makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.


53. MLB dugout boss: MGR.  As in the Manager of the Major League Baseball team.  Johnny Pesky (né John Michael Paveskovich; 1919 ~ 2012) was briefly the manager of the Boston Red Sox.  He was associated with the Red Sox for 61 of his 73 years in baseball.


55. Pouty look: MOUE.  She's Baaaack!

 
57. Screenwriter Nora: EPHRON.  Nora Ephron (May 19, 1941 ~ June 26, 2012) was briefly married to Carl Bernstein.  She wrote about their tumultuous marriage in the autobiographical novel Heartburn


59. Smooch that misses everything: AIR KISS.


61. Movie-rating org.: MPAA.  As in the Motion Picture Association of America.

62. Unarmed, to a cop: CLEAN.

68. Proverbial waste maker: HASTE.



69. Puzzle guy Rubik: ERNŐ.  Ernő Rubik (b. July 13, 1944) is best known for his cube.


70. Pâté de __ gras: FOIE.  Pâté de Foie gras has a controversial history.  It is a delicacy of duck or goose liver.


71. First name in perfumery: ESTÉE.  Estée Lauder (née Josephine Ester Mentzer; July 1, 1906 ~ Apr. 24, 2004) often drops in for a visit in the puzzles.  She built up a cosmetics company.


72. Tolled: RANG.

73. Business envelope abbr.: ATT'N.  As in Attention.





Down:
1. The "A" in MoMA: ART.  As in the Museum oModern Art.  The museum has lots of fascinating collections.

2. Place to go in London?: LOO.  Fun misdirection.


3. Big Aussie bird: EMU.  Did you know that they boom and grunt?


4. Desert landscape features: CACTI.  Hi, Lucina!



5. Arcturus, for one: RED GIANT.  Those of us in the Northern Hemisphere should be able to see this Giant Red Star, one of the brightest in the sky.  The name Arcturus is derived from the ancient Greek, meaning Guardian of the Bear.  As you can see below, it is somewhat near the Ursa Major (Big Dipper)


6. Greek Cupid: EROS.


7. "Batman" sound effect: POW!


8. Underwater detector: SONAR.  Sound Navagation and Ranging.


Sonar Explained

9. Apple pie prep tools: PEELERS.


10. Prefix with sphere: ATMO-.  As in the Atmosphere.


12. Velvet-voiced Mel: TORMÉ.  Mel Tormé (né Melvin Howard Tormé; Sept. 13, 1925 ~ June 5, 1999) made 8 guest appearances on the sit-com Night Court.


13. Until now: AS YET.

18. Simple shelters: HUTS.  Some are elaborate vacation hide-aways.


22. Women's __: LIB.

23. Barbecue pair: TONGS.


24. Aimée of "8 1/2": ANOUK.  8 1/2  is a 1963 avant-garde film directed by Federico Fellini, which starred Aimée Anouk (née Nicole Françoise Florence Dreyfus; b. Apr. 27, 1932).  The film starred Best Foreign Language Film.

30. Mechanical part: GEAR.




32. Yours, to Yvonne: À TOI.  More of today's French lesson.

34. Area below the knee: SHIN.


36. Computer repair person: TECH.

38. Maine college town: ORONO.  Home of my alma mater.


39. Bagless vacuum pioneer: DYSON.


42. Border collie, say: SHEEP DOG.


45. Candidate: NOMINEE.

49. "Help!"-ful soap pad brand: SOS.


51. October gem: OPAL.  Hi, Kazie!


53. Papier-__: MÂCHÉ.  This art form literally means Chewed Paper.


54. Biting desert lizards: GILAs.

56. Aisle escort: USHER.


58. Israeli seaport: HAIFA.  It's a city in northern Israel.


60. Evangeline Lilly's "Lost" role: KATE.  I am not familiar with Evangeline Lilly (née Nicole Evangeline Lilly; b. Aug. 3, 1979), nor have I ever watched Lost.


61. Public education advocate Horace: MANN.  Horace Mann (May. 4, 1796 ~ Aug. 2, 1859) was also a United States Representative from Massachusetts.


64. Period often named for a president: ERA.




65. Received: GOT.

66. Two-bagger, for one: HIT.  Think baseball.

67. Half a score ... or a perfect score: TEN.   Meh!

Here's the Grid:


חתולה