L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Hahtoolah

Showing posts with label Hahtoolah. Show all posts

Jun 17, 2025

Tuesday, June 17, 2025 Lee Taylor

The Dog Days of Summer. The first word of each two-word theme answer is a breed of dog.

9-Down. Classmate who helps with a science project: LAB PARTNER. Everything you wanted to know about the Labrador Retriever.

11-Down. Post-retirement period: GOLDEN YEARS. Things you might not know about the Golden Retriever.

25-Down. Briefs alternative: BOXER SHORTS. Everything you ever wanted to know about a Boxer.

30. Hoarse speaker's feature: HUSKY VOICE. Things you might not know about a Husky.

And the unifier:

71-Across. Head honcho, and a feature of 9-, 11-, 25-, and 30-Down: TOP DOG. Note that each theme answer is in the Down position with the breed Dog at the Top of the answer.

Here's the Grid, so you can find all the Top Dogs.

Across:

1. Container on a bar top: TIP JAR.

7. Hay bundle: BALE.

11. Wrigley product: GUM.

14. Fire up: AROUSE.

15. Site whose original name was AuctionWeb: EBAY.

16. __ and only: ONE.

17. Literary realm created by C.S. Lewis: NARNIA. Usually its the characters from Narnia are we are asked to identify.

18. Piercing spot: LOBE.

19. "The Book of Mormon" org.: LDS. As in the Latter Day Saints.

20. Winter hat feature: EARFLAP.

22. Big commotions: ADOs. Much Ado About Nothing.

23. "Dancing Queen" pop quartet: ABBA. ABBA was a Swedish pop group that was named using the initials of its 4 members: Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. In 1974, ABBA was Sweden's first winner of the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Waterloo.

26. Harp constellation: LYRA. Can't you just see the harp shape??

27. Actress Russo or artist Magritte: RENÉ. One female, one male.

René with a René.

28. "You Bet Your Life" host Marx: GROUCHO. His given name was Julius Henry Marx (Oct. 2, 1890 ~ Aug. 19, 1977). He had two older brothers (Chico and Harpo) and two younger brothers (Gummo and Zeppo).

31. Depleted: DRAINED.

33. Tyrannosaurus __: REX.

34. Throw, as a shot put: HURL.

36. Cafeteria item: TRAY.

37. Fill with wonder: AWE.

38. "Stop asking me!": I SAID NO!

40. Subj. for some citizenship applicants: ESL. As in English as a Second Language. This has become a crossword staple.

43. Skating venue: RINK.

45. Regard as: DEEM.

46. __ moment: AHA!

47. Causes consternation: DISMAYS.

50. Off-campus housing area: FRAT ROW.

52. Amazon gadget activated by saying "Alexa": ECHO.

53. Lemming kin: VOLE. More than you ever wanted to know about Lemmings and Voles.

55. "Full Court Press" network: ESPN.

56. Like some vivid colors: NEON.

57. Wind instrument with an oval body: OCARINA.

60. Sealing goo: TAR.

61. Insta uploads: PICS.

62. Quarterback Joe who was MVP of the 1969 Super Bowl: NAMATH.

66. Writer's rep: AGT. As in Agent.

67. Gets an A+ on: ACES.

68. Small apartment: STUDIO.

69. "__ Misérables": LES. This musical was in the news recently.

70. Love, in tennis: ZERO. Why is Zero called Love in tennis? Who knows?

Down:

1. Browned by the sun: TAN.

2. Nest egg inits.: IRA. As in Individual Retirement Account.

3. __ favor: please, in Spanish: POR. Today's Spanish lesson.

4. Alaska's capital: JUNEAU. The capital of Alaska is named after Joseph Juneau (May 28, 1836 ~ Mar 1, 1899), a French-Canadian gold miner and prospector.

5. Himalayas continent: ASIA.

6. Caboose: REAR. // And 8-Down. On a train: ABOARD.

7. __ laugh: BELLY.

10. Hurricane center: EYE. We have now entered hurricane season. Fortunately, there is no activity yet.

12. Incomplete: UNDONE.

13. Botched, with "up": MESSED.

21. Regional plant life: FLORA.

22. Met solo: ARIA. You knew I was going to include this Aria from Carmen.

23. Taj Mahal city: AGRA.

24. Prepare, as coffee or tea: BREW.

29. Dishes for a special meal: CHINA.

32. Bakery allure: AROMA.

35. To-go cup top: LID.

39. Put off: DEFER.

41. Hunt for bargains: SHOP.

42. Putting green, e.g.: LAWN.

44. "It's showtime!": I'M ON!

47. Insurance type that may complement medical: DENTAL.

48. Global cold spell: ICE AGE.

49. Mia Hamm's sport: SOCCER. Mia Hamm (née Marial Margaret Hamm; b. Mar. 17, 1972) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.

51. Join forces: TEAM UP.

54. Coach Ted played by Jason Sudeikis: LASSO.

58. Research org.: INST. As an Institution.

59. Alliance headed by Mark Rutte: Abbr.: NATO. Mark Rutte (b. Feb. 17, 1967) is s a Dutch politician who has served as the 14th secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization since October 2024.

61. La __, Bolivia: PAZ.

63. Contribute (to): ADD.

64. Spanish uncle: TIO. More of today's Spanish lesson.

65. Greedy one: HOG.

חתולה

Jun 10, 2025

Tuesday, June 10, 2025 Emily Biegas and Sala Wanetick

A Menagerie in the House. One word in each two-word theme answer is a Sound a Pet might make.

17-Across. American government official accused of Soviet espionage in the McCarthy era: ALGER HISS. // Snake (or a Cat). Alger Hiss (Nov. 11, 1904 ~ Nov. 15, 1996) was and remains a controversial figure. He was accused of spying for the Soviet Union, but was never convicted on these charges. Instead, he was convicted of perjury. Whether or not he actually committed espionage remains unresolved.

25-Across. Arts and entertainment company known for large-scale interactive installations: MEOW WOLF. // Cat. I was not familiar with Meow Wolf.

34-Across. Traditional canoe material: BIRCH BARK. // Dog. A brief history of the Birch Bark Canoe.

48-Across. Kaleidoscope opening: PEEP HOLE. // Chick.

And the unifier:

57-Across. Beach Boys album that's No. 2 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and what can be found in 17-, 25-, 34-, and 48-Across: PET SOUNDS.

Across:

1. Chatted privately online, for short: DM'ED. As in Direct Message(ed)

5. Smack: SLAP.

9. College mil. unit: ROTC. As in Reserve Officers' Training Corps.

13. Meaty red sauce: RAGU. Ragu a sauce typically made with ground meat, onions, tomato puree, and red wine, and served with pasta. It is also the name of a commercially prepared pasta sauce.

14. Musical finale: CODA.

15. Belgian bills: EUROS. The euro (€) is the official currency of 20 out of 27 European Union member countries. The following countries use the euro: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain.

19. Curry who was the NBA MVP in 2015 and 2016: STEPH. Steph Curry (né Wardell Stephen Curry II; b. Mar. 14, 1988) professional basketball player and is currently a point guard for the Golden State Warriors.

20. Subgroup: FACTION.

21. Golf peg: TEE.

23. Soccer star Hamm: MIA. Mia Hamm (née Mariel Margaret Hamm; b. Mar. 17, 1972) is an American retired professional soccer player, two-time Olympic gold medalist (1996 and 2004) and two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion (2001 and 2002).

24. Connects with: TIES TO.

27. Class for some immigrants: Abbr.: ESL. As in English as a Second Language. It's a crossword staple.

28. Anaheim MLB team: ANGELS.

30. Heaps: ALOT.

31. Oscar winner Benicio __ Toro: DEL. His full name is Benicio Monserrate Rafael del Toro Sánchez (b. Feb. 19, 1967). He won an Oscar for his portrayal of a conflicted Mexican detective in the 2000 crime thriller Traffic.

32. Pre-Easter period: LENT.

33. Plans secretly: PLOTS.

37. Colorado spot for hitting the slopes: ASPEN.

40. Daytime TV host Kelly: RIPA. Kelly Maria Ripa (b. Oct. 2, 1970) has been co-hosting the Daytime show Live! since 2001. She has had a number of co-hosts including: Regis Philbin, Michael Strahan, and Ryan Seacrest. Her current co-host is her husband, Mark Consuelos (né Mark Andrew Consuelos; b. Mar. 30, 1971).

41. Indy 500 sponsor: STP. Did you know that STP stands for Science, Technology, Performance?

44. Ballet class bend: PLIÉ.

45. Verse: POETRY.

47. Cartoon frame: CEL.

50. Break free: ESCAPE. On May 16, 10 inmates escaped from a jail in New Orleans. As of yesterday, 8 of the 10 had been recaptured.

52. Suffix with puppet: -EER. As in a puppeteer.

53. Total: ADD.

54. Latvia's northern neighbor: ESTONIA.

55. Declares publicly: AVOWS. A crossword staple.

59. Genuine, casually: LEGIT.

60. Wild and crazy: AMOK.

61. Brazilian soccer legend: PELÉ. Pelé (né Edson Arantes do Nascimento; Oct. 23, 1940 ~ Dec. 29, 2022), was a Brazilian professional soccer player and is generally regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.

62. One-__-fits-all: SIZE.

63. Comedian Love: LONI. I am not familiar with Loni Love (b. July 12, 1971). Before turning to show biz, she earned a degree as an electrical engineer and worked in that field until the early 2000s.