Monday January 16, 2023 Jack Murtagh

  

Hello Cornerites!

sumdaze here. Today's puzzle comes to us from constructor Jack Murtagh. Searching our blog, I could only find one other L.A. Times puzzle by Jack. That one appeared on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019 and had a fun, step-down gimmick. Welcome back, Jack!

The theme for today's puzzle is        GO FIGURE!

an idiomatic expression that expresses perplexity, puzzlement, or surprise.

One might find a bit of each of those in today's offering. Let's take a look.

Beginning with the themed clues, we find:

20 Across. *Spiderlike arachnid: DADDY LONG-LEGS.

Why "Spiderlike"?

33 Across. *Does some rear-tire balancing on one's bike: POPS A WHEELIE.

41 Across. *Personification of a snowy season: OLD MAN WINTER.

Old Man Winter by Keegan Currier
pen & ink on bristol board

And the unifier:

56 Across. Some male role models, and what can be found at the starts of the answers to the starred clues: FATHER FIGURES.

noun

1. an older man who is respected for his paternal qualities and may be an emotional substitute for a father.

DADDY, POPS, and OLD MAN are all synonyms for FATHER. (You can ask Anon-T about the 2nd one.) CSO to all the Cornerite FATHERs & FATHER FIGURES!

Now that we have that straightened out, I will warn you that, in recognition of the FATHERly subject matter, I am going to intersperse today's write up with a dozen DAD jokes.  Groan!

Dad Joke #1:  Why do spiders know everything?  They get their information from the web.

Dad Joke #2:  Why didn't the bicycle stand up?  It was tw0 tired.

Still here? OK, let's move on to the rest of the grid.

Across:

1. Fastener that's an apt rhyme of "clasp": HASP.  a flat metal plate with a loop through which the lock goes in. 

5. Damp: MOIST.  MOIST makes the List of Words Everyone Seems to Hate

10. Units of electrical resistance: OHMS. and 10 Down. Greek letter that represents 10-Across, in physics: OMEGA.  Nice crossing!

14. Norway's capital: OSLO. Its currency is the Krone.

15. Elevator button symbol: ARROW.

16. TV alien played by Robin Williams: MORK.

Mork & Mindy 1978 - 1982
Hand up for having a pair of ranibow suspenders like Mork's.

17. Bank claim: LIEN.  Add an 'a' to get 16A.

18. Sierra __, Africa: LEONE.  7 Interesting Facts

19. Marketplace for unique gifts: ETSY.  Founded in 2005. How did constructors manage before that?

23. French toast need: EGG.  My grandmother immigrated from Marseilles, France. French toast was her best dish.

Dad Joke #3:  What kind of cars do EGGs drive?  Yolkswagons.

24. Mantra syllables: OMS.  Not to be confused with 10A. OHMS.

25. Slushy drink: FRAPPÉ.  I do not drink caffeine so I had to look this up. It appears to be a shaken iced coffee drink invented in Greece in the 1950s, though the name derives from the French word for "shaken".

28. Sitcom title role for Brandy: MOESHA.  Here is the IMDB Page.

30. Alien-hunting org.: SETI.  Acronym for Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence. about SETI and a Primer on SETI

32. Large deer: ELK.  Differenece Between Elk and Deer

36. Mother Earth, in Greek myth: GAIA.

39. "It's the end of an __": ERA.

40. Pub orders: ALES.

46. Female deer: DOE.  a deer, a female deer ♪♪♪

47. Charged particles: IONS.

48. Attribute (to): IMPUTE.

52. Rudder locales: STERNS.

54. Computing pioneer Lovelace: ADA.  Recognizing Ms. Lovelace's contributions is a good opportunity to recommend this episode of the Planet Money podcast on women and computing. Episode 576: When Women Stopped Coding (You can listen for 17 minutes or read the transcript.)

55. Green vegetable: PEA.

Dad Joke #4:  I went to see a beet poet the other day. There were a lot of hip PEAs there.

60. Protruding part of a fedora: BRIM.

Indiana Jones wore a brown fedora.

62. Speechify: ORATE.

Speechify:  verb

1. deliver a speech, especially in a tedious or pompous way.

63. Post-it __: NOTE.

Lisa Kudrow in Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion (1997)

"Um, I invented Post-Its."

64. Like a five-star hotel: LUXE.

adjective

1. expensive and of high quality; luxurious.

   "the luxe 65-room Four Seasons hotel"

65. Some spouses: WIVES.

66. Actress Arlene: DAHL.  (Aug. 11, 1925 - Nov. 29, 2021) She is known for playing the lead in the 1959 version of Journey to the Center of the Earth and for being Lorenzo Lamas' mother. No relation to Roald, a more 'Monday-ish' name.

Arlene & Lorenzo

After completing Sunday's puzzle, I had to add this note to my write-up. Did you remember Arlene's last name? It turns out that C.C. and I grabbed the same pic from the internet.

67. Adolescent: TEEN.

68. Part of some school uniforms: SKIRT.

69. Mined materials: ORES.  Not to be confused with 6D.

Down:
1. Texas __: poker variety: HOLD 'EM.  Another HOLDover from yesterday's puzzle.

2. Nutty Italian cheese: ASIAGO.

Dad Joke #5:  What do you call cheese that isn't yours?  Nacho cheese.

3. R&B singer Percy: SLEDGE.  Perhaps best know for When a Man Loves a Woman (1966).

4. Frog habitat: POND.

Just for the smiles....

Dad Joke #6:  Why do frogs never park illegally?  They are afraid of getting toad.

5. Store locator in a large retail space: MALL MAP.

6. Cookies that came in limited-edition Neapolitan and Snickerdoodle flavors in 2022: OREOS.  25 Really Weird Oreo Flavors

7. Waffle __: IRON.  clever way to clue this CW staple

Dad Joke #7:  Why didn't the man IRON his 4-leaf clover?  He didn't want to press his luck.

8. Tune: SONG.  Let's enjoy a cheerful Sesame Street throwback (in Spanish, too).

9. Last of a dozen: TWELFTH.  The 12th elf taught me a trick for writing  this word.

11. Tough stretch of summer: HOT SPELL.

Dad Joke #8:  What is the witch's favorite subject in school?  SPELLing.

12. __ Claus: North Pole resident: MRS. 

13. Cloud's place: SKY.

21. Start of a pirate chant: YO HO. A pirate's life for me!

a YO HO sing-a-long

Dad Joke #9:  How much does a pirate pay to get his ears pierced? A buck an ear.

22. New York canal: ERIE.

26. Ballet class bend: PLIÉ.

27. Squeaks (by): EKES.

29. Email filter target: SPAM. Speaking of OREOS (6D) and SPAM...

Any takers?

30. South Asian dresses: SARIS.

31. Actor McGregor: EWAN.

34. Stitched up: SEWN.

I wonder what this Stitch is Up to?

35. Wyatt of Tombstone: EARP.

36. Neil Gaiman's "American __": GODS.  Not really my thing but I did read it a couple of years ago out of curiosity. Speaking of FATHER FIGURES, it is full of symbolism.

37. Very often: A LOT.

Dad Joke #10:  Why was the math book crying?  Because it had A LOT of problems.

38. French phrase meaning "obsession": IDÉE FIXE.  My French grandmother did not teach me this one.

42. "__ that the truth!": AIN'T.

43. Absentees: NO SHOWS.

44. Most clutter-free: TIDIEST.

45. Online periodical: EMAG.  Electronic MAGazine

49. Commotion: UPROAR.

Dad Joke #11:  What kind of lion doesn't roar?  A dandelion.

50. Sprout incisors: TEETHE.  "Sprout" is a verb here, so it "TEETHE".

51. Art studio stands: EASELS.

53. Budget noodle dish: RAMEN.  When I used to snowboard in Japan, I always liked to stop for a steaming bowl of ラーメン at lunchtime. Then, with a warm belly, I would go upstairs to the napping area.

54. __-dinner mint: AFTER.  Hand up for missing the hyphen and getting stuck on trying to think of a brand name.

57. Miami Heat coach Spoelstra: ERIK.  Men's basketball. Perps helped.

On April 28, 2008, Spoelstra became the 6th Head Coach in Heat history. As of this writing, his team is at 22 (W) and 20 (L). I wonder if any of his players think of him as a FATHER FIGURE.

58. Sitarist Shankar: RAVI.

Dad Joke #Last of a dozen:  Knock knock. Who's there? Ravi. Ravi who? Ravioli.

59. "Go back!" computer command: UNDO.

60. Sandwich letters: BLT.  Bacon, Lettuce, & Tomato

61. "You will __ the day!": RUE.  I hope not. The DAD jokes weren't that bad.

Here's the grid:

That's all for today. I look forward to reading your thoughts!

Thursday, August 1st 2019 Jack Murtagh

Theme: Clueless in Los Angeles - but step down and find the unclued related theme entry!

20A. Court address: YOUR + 25A. -: HONOR

18A. World's largest lizard: KOMODO  + 23A -: DRAGON

53A. Percussion piece: SNARE + 57A. -: DRUM

55A. Shotgun type: DOUBLE + 62A. -: BARREL. One of my favorite movies is Guy Richie's "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels". Here is Vinnie Jones, who was a professional football player in England before he moved to acting. Trust me, he was pretty much the same on the field as he was in his movie persona:

The reveal tells us:

40A. Instructions for fire safety ... or for completing four puzzle answers: STOP DROP AND ROLL

Great puzzle - you fill in the first part of the theme entry - then you run out of space, but what? Drop down a square and fill in the second word, unclued. So that takes care of the "STOP" and "DROP" in the reveal, but what is this? A ROLL - Honor roll, Dragon roll (sushi, yay!), drum roll and barrel roll. Woo-hoo! A great puzzle from Jack, there is much to like in this one. I think this might be Jack's first puzzle in the LA Times, so Huzzah! for that.

I had no clue regarding the theme until I noticed that I'd filled in "DRUM" with the crosses, and I just guessed at SNARE. Then I looked at a mostly empty grid, and realized what we were dealing with. I love the unlocking the secret of a puzzle, and this one is up there with my favorites. I respect the creative thought that goes into these. Thanks, Jack, you had me bemused for quite some time. Bravo! - Or, as I have learned from watching the great Tour de France this year - "Chapeau"! *

Across:

1. Digital unit: BIT. Bits, bytes, megabytes. No-one thought of terabytes back in the day, that was science fiction. I have a 2TB hard drive to back up my computer, it's the size of Post-It pad and cheap enough to make Captain Kirk's eyes water. We'll come back to the Post-It note at some point, fascinating history for the iconic 3M product.

4. Play the part of: ACT AS

9. Paintball attire, for short: CAMO. I have camo shorts. I think at one point we all did. No longer a fashion item, I wear them hiking (stealth mode so that I don't get eaten by mountain lions).

13. Cry from a card holder: UNO!

14. Religious leader: CLERIC. I didn't really consider a cleric a leader, I thought he/she would be way down on the totem pole, but I guess a flock, and he leads them.

16. Made man?: ADAM. Made from clay, if I recall correctly. Eve was made with clay and a rib?

17. Home for the holidays, say: OFF. I'm off. Actually, not yet, I still have a puzzle to go.

19. Rooftop spinner: VANE. If it's spinning you've got some serious weather heading your way. Buckle up!

22. FDR job-creating program: WPA

27. Catchers with pots: EELERS. Slippery little buggers - have you tried to catch one with your hands?

28. Like the Avengers: HEROIC

31. Twice DVI: MXII. I miscalculated this and ended up with CODEC which I was sure was correct. Nope. Buzzer!

32. Z preceder: A TO. This was a head-scratcher until I parsed it out. A to Z. There's a town near me called Azusa - it was founded as an industrial manufacturing town - they made everything "from A to Z in the USA."

33. Pancake at a seder: LATKE

36. Longtime Sweethearts maker: NECCO. Hands up everyone who has handed out a Love Heart in school! I gave one to Laura. The pain of unrequited love.

43. Marx forte: HUMOR. Not "Communist Revolutionary Theory"? OK, my bad. Not enough squares.

44. Kim and Kourtney's sister: KHLOE. I hate that I know this.

45. Bundle of cash: WAD

46. Toy with a tail: KITE

48. "Spill it": TELL ME

50. Bassett of "American Horror Story": ANGELA. Crosses all the way. I'm sure she's a great actress in a great movie, but never blipped on my radar.

56. Zing: PEP

61. Where Georgia is: ASIA. I struggle with the Europe/Asia divide, it seems very arbitrary

65. Mineral resource: ORE

66. Move: SELL

67. Cocktail garnishes: OLIVES. Why did I go with LEMONS first? That did not work at all. If I order a martini, I get a Gibson - onions, not olives, in my defense.

68. A long time follower?: AGO. "A long long time ago, I can still remember how the music used to make me smile". Let's sing along with Don McLean. I'm sorry you have to click through a couple of ads, but on a side note, why did the post have a picture of Bob Dylan?

69. Scoundrel: HEEL

70. "Aida" setting: EGYPT

71. Dawn phenomenon: DEW. Sundown also, there is a dewpoint in the evening too. That's when it hurts your plants, when you get dew that freezes overnight.

Down:

1. Elevate: BUOY. "Boy" in English-English, Boo-eey in American English. I think after 25 years I prefer the latter.

2. Scoop: INFO. 

3. Curds in cubes: TOFU. Food! Mine goes into Pad Thai noodles. Pour boiling water onto the cubes to dry them out - I know it's counter-intertuitive but it works. Then add them to the wok.

4. "Oy!": ACK!

5. High-capacity vehicle?: CLOWN CAR Colorful, and a nightmare for anyone with coulrophobia:

6. Record time?: TEMPO. Is 33/45/78 a tempo? I'm showing my age, everything now is a download. Damn, I'm old.

7. Like noisy fans: AROAR. I suppose so. Still doesn't beat Grantland Rice's "Under a blue-gray sky, the four horsemen of the apocalypse rode again". Sports journalism at its finest.

8. Vicious on stage: SID. The Sex Pistols. I won't link a song, not everyone's cup of tea. I saw them in a basement room in a pub in North London before Sid joined the band, and boy, I have to say they were talented, they caught the moment and caught lightning in a bottle.

9. High-and-mighty: CAVALIER

10. Wise words: ADAGE

11. Regal home: MANOR. Regal? Not so sure, regal means royal. Lords of the Manor were certainly elevated in society, but not royal.

12. Warning signs: OMENS

15. Book form that replaced the scroll: CODEX. Featured in "The Da Vinci Code". And I couldn't remember the spelling.

21. Pi follower: RHO

24. Team in a seasonal verse: REINDEER

26. Boring contraption: OIL DRILL. Hmm. Oil Drill? Not sure that's a thing. "Can you bring me an oil drill"? Said on-one, ever.

28. Diner dish: HASH

29. Words to a backstabber: ET TU! More like a front-stabber if you read the text. I'll give this one a pass.

30. Part of a Clue accusation: ROOM. Colonel Mustard, Candlestick, Library. It's always the blunt instrument that gets you.

31. "Iron Chef America" creation: MEAL. Food! Nice clue. Mystery ingredient, five courses. Just don't get me started on Alton Brown who is the biggest charlatan in food shows, period. I wouldn't trust him to judge my cooking as far as I could throw him, and that's not a long way.

34. Casino gratuity: TOKE. Learning moment. I've tipped the dealers cash or tokens, but never thought of it as a "toke". I must consign that to the memory banks.

35. Canadian road sign letters: KPH, Don't go too fast, eh?

37. Monk's hood: COWL

38. Quahog or geoduck: CLAM. A geoduck is one heck of a clam.

39. Renaissance faire word: OLDE

41. Sphere used to capture a Pikachu, say: POKEBALL. Now this one I need some help with. My brother-in-law is a huge Pokémon Go fan, I'd ask him but he's old enough to know better. What is the sphere thing? It filled itself in.

42. "Zip it!": NOT A PEEP!

47. Fitness portmanteau: TAE-BO. Taekwondo and Boxing. Apparently.

49. Was in charge: LED

50. Small recipe amount: A DASH. Food! I tend to use a couple of dashes.

51. Long time follower?: NO SEE. Clecho with 68A. Nicely done.

52. Chicanery: GUILE

53. Rosemary unit: SPRIG. "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme" Plenty of food! today.

54. Brazen: NERVY

58. "Ice __ Truckers": TV reality series: ROAD

59. Impulse: URGE

60. Cry that may mean "I'm out of tuna!": MEOW! Poor kitty.

63. Microbrewery output: ALE

64. WWII craft: LST. Landing Ship, Tank, I believe.

*I learned that the French also "take their hat off" to someone to show respect. They just abbreviate it to "hat" - hence "Chapeau"!

That's it from me today, here's the grid!

Steve