L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Husker Gary

Showing posts with label Husker Gary. Show all posts

Nov 16, 2024

Saturday, November 16, 2024, Zhouqin Burnikel

Saturday Themeless by C.C. Burnikel

Our friend C.C. gave us a fun puzzle for today but left me flummoxed at the bottom right as you see here where my two empty cells were. I made the right guess for someone named NASIM but had no shot at the name for the nesting Russian figurines. I knew of their existence but could not come up with the correct vowel. I also had no shot at the tofu dish. I'll take one bad cell and soldier on.

I had a very nice lunch with inanehiker [see picture at bottom of write-up] on Wednesday and showed her this SE corner and she laughed at seeing that trouble spot early.

Across:

1. Sweet drink with a velvety texture: MANGO LASSI.

11. Go-to docs: PCPS - My Primary Care Physician is a former student who referred me to another former student for my surgery.

15. "Seems unlikely": I DOUBT THAT.

16. Smoothie option: ALOE - Colorful drinks today

17. Walk of Style locale: RODEO DRIVE.

18. One on Charon's ferry: SOUL

19. Remove all traces of: ERASE.

20. Hostile territory: ENEMY TURF - In Westside Story, if the Sharks or Jets invaded ENEMY TURF, they either danced or had a fight

22. Groups of reps: SETS.

23. Long-running CBS drama: CSI - Crime Scene Investigation

24. Growing needs: SEEDS - Burpee SEEDS are a sure sign of spring

25. Doctor: ALTER - My lovely bride always doctors up a "boughten" pizza

27. Banks at Wrigley Field: ERNIE - ERNIE did it all but never got to play in a World Series

29. Sound cranky: WHINE.

32. Versailles figure: ROI.

The Dream Of A King

34. Evening, in promos: NITE.

35. Jules who pioneered the art of trapeze: LEOTARD - A puzzle I recently blogged had "bloomers" that were named for Amelia Bloomer.

37. Language close to Portugués: ESPAÑOL - Welp, Spain and Portugal do share the Iberian Peninsula so...

39. Liberal follower: ARTS.

40. Brewery vessel: KEG.

42. Draw a parallel: LIKEN.

43. Canyonlands formations: MESAS.

45. Country with a red dragon on its flag: WALES.

47. Salk contemporary: SABIN.

49. Guitar legend Paul: LES - This is the LES Paul #1 he built in 1952.

50. Diplomatic achievement: PACT.

54. Souvenirs caught by fans: FOUL BALLS - An unbelievable one in this year's World Series

56. Actress Ringwald: MOLLY - MOLLY traced her roots to a small house in Arlington, NE which is my hometown and where I sub. When she and a film crew showed up, these kid recognized her and had a picture taken.

57. Mammal on the Vancouver Canucks logo: ORCA.

58. Mollusk native to the northwest Atlantic: SEA SCALLOP.

60. Mount Olympus figure: ARES.

61. Spiritual calm: INNER PEACE.

62. Video game whose fifth and final sequel was End of Ages: MYST ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

63. Nesting Russian figurine: MATRYOSHKA - muh tree OWSH kuh) As I said, I knew of the nesting dolls but the name of this set ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Down:

1. Gets good and stuck: MIRES - I got MIRED down in the SE corner but I still love C.C.! 💗

2. Treasure: ADORE.

3. Signal to: NOD AT.

4. Wild thing?: GUESS 😀 Also an occasional crossword strategy.

5. Woodwind with a Viennese variety: OBOE.

6. Old Ford: LTD.

7. Phrase in Newton's first law: AT REST - I have done this demo, and had kids do it, hundreds of times. Object AT REST want to remain AT REST.

8. More polished: SHINIER.

9. File menu choice: SAVE.

10. Agenda bullets: ITEMS.

11. "Doctor Zhivago" author: PASTERNAK.

12. Seventh heaven: CLOUD NINE.

13. Spares no effort: POURS IT ON - In sports, this is can be known as running up the score

14. __-care: SELF.

21. "Way Up" host Angela: YEE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

23. Court figure: CLERK.

25. Gasteyer of "Mean Girls": ANA - ANA was one of several SNL alums to be in this movie where she played Lindsay Lohan's mother.

ANA Lindsay

26. Eggs on top of toast Skagen: ROE - Common fill with an exotic clue.

28. Fish in unagi musubi: EEL - This musubi has both EEL and Spam. See comment above.

29. "Please forgive us": WE'RE SORRY.

30. What might really put a fire in one's belly?: HOT SAUCES.

31. Part of a rave review: IT'S A BLAST.

33. Key chains?: ISLES 😀

35. On the __: LAM.

36. Drops in the yard: DEW 😀

38. Film noir figures, briefly: PI'S - Bogie as Sam Spade leaped to my mind

41. Chivalrous: GALLANT - GAL ent or archaic Guh LAHNT

44. Part of the fam: SIB.

46. Not as important: LESSER.

48. "Chad" star Pedrad: NASIM ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

50. Ends of the earth: POLES 😀

51. The Almighty, to most Uyghurs: ALLAH.

52. Second place?: CLOCK 😀 - Also minutes and hours

53. Strong personality: TYPE-A.

54. Head: FOAM.

55. Headey of "White House Plumbers": LENA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

56. __ tofu: spicy Sichuan dish: MAPO ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

59. Noise on a baby monitor: CRY.

This is picture of inanehiker (Dr. Nina Kiekhaefer - nee Miller 😊), her friend Marla and me having lunch at The Venue in Lincoln on Wednesday. My grandfather emigrated to America from Switzerland with his sister named Nina (NY nuh) and he and grandma named their firstborn Nina. I wondered if our Nina pronounced her name that way or as NEE nuh. She uses my great aunt's pronunciation said she tells people to think of eight-uh, nine-uh, ten-uh. Very cool 😀

Nina is a lovely person and we had a great visit on personal and crossword topics! BTW, I really enjoyed my turkey ciabatta.

Nina Me Marla
I'm the thorn midst two roses.

Nov 9, 2024

Saturday, November 9, 2024, John Andrew Agpalo

Saturday Themeless by John Andrew Agpalo

John's third LA Times puzzle turned out to be a pleasant and quick walk in the park for this solver. John's construction had a low word count of only sixty four which yeilded a very desirable count of only six three-letter words. When the long fills appear with ease, it greatly facilitates obtaining a "got 'er done!"

Across:

1. Running tally?: VOTES - I followed a bunch of these Tuesday night.

6. City on the River Clyde: GLASGOW - GLASGOW on the Clyde at night

13. Fast train between Union Station and Back Bay Station: ACELA - This train and its lovely three vowels pulls into our crossword station quite often.

14. Target of a dehumidifier: MOISTURE and 12. Adds 14-Across: WETS - I'll be making the switch in our basement very soon.

15. German city: STADT - The largest in Germany according to their 2018 census

16. Outline in a plaster of paris keepsake: HAND PRINT.

17. "Get lost!": TAKE A HIKE.

19. Mike Trout's team, familiarly: HALOS - Mike Trout has been one of the MLB's best players for years as a member of the Los Angeles Angels, but like the Cubs' Ernie Banks, has never been in a World Series.

20. Vulcan salute, e.g.: GESTURE.

21. "Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe" painter: MANET - The Luncheon On The Grass with clothing optional. Our friend Jeffery Wechsler would be so disappointed I don't know my MANET from my Monet.

22. Hall of Famer Ronnie who won four Super Bowls with the 49ers: LOTT - Some consider Ronnie to be the best safety in NFL history. Here he is separating a receiver from the ball

23. Got completely out of hand: RAN WILD.

25. Colony toiler: ANT.

26. Commits a hoops infraction: GOAL TENDS - If a basketball shot is in or above the basket cylinder, neither the offense or defense can touch it. Ironically, as our own goal tender Splynter can attest, it is perfectly legal in hockey!

30. Incapable of having a bad hair day, say: BALD - Waddaya think?

32. Gives hell?: DAMNS.

33. Catastrophic: DIRE.

34. Deliberate: SLEEP ON IT - The verb not the adjective. My car salesman friend says the chances for a sale go way down when a customer wants to do this.

36. Veto: NIX.

37. Pioneer in "New New Orleans" cuisine: LAGASSE.

39. Tax: LEVY.

40. Quite buff, casually: SWOLE.

42. In proportion: TO SCALE - Gutzon Borglum made a scale model and then transferred those dimensions to the mountain.

44. Airport featured in "Home Alone": O'HARE.

45. Notable name on a case: SAMSONITE - My 1964 H.S. graduation present from Grandma Opal

47. Dish that requires one's level best?: LAYER CAKE - Usually

49. Strikingly real: VIVID - This amazing holographic reproduction of an ABBA concert now playing in London is said to be very VIVID!

50. Supersuit designer who insists, "No capes"!: EDNA MODE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ - A cartoon based on Edith Head. If you're interested...

51. "They Called Us __": graphic novel co-written by George Takei: ENEMY - The story of his family's life in Japanese internment camps after Pearl Harbor.

52. [Look below]: SEE NOTE.

53. Levels a theatre, say: RASES - Alternate spelling for RAZES [Look below]

Down:

1. Seemingly endless: VAST.

2. Like many gazebos: OCTAGONAL.

3. Water heater: TEA KETTLE - Wrapped by a tea cosy not cozy (similar to raise and raze?)

4. Like Meg, among the March sisters: ELDEST - Little Women

5. Occupied, as a table: SAT AT.

6. Missing: GONE.

7. Topper: LID.

8. Lot surface: ASPHALT.

9. High and dry: STRANDED - How hurricanes can leave boats

10. Chicanery: GUILE.

11. Second-guessing phrase: OR NOT.

14. "Let me be clear": MAKE NO MISTAKE.

16. Some characters in Japanese writing: HIRAGANA - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

18. "Ben-__": HUR - It took 800 workers 4 months to build this recreation of Rome's Circus Maximus for the 13-minute chariot race scene in the 1925 version of Ben-Hur. [Look Below] Today this land has massive lanes of traffic and shops in Culver City, CA.