Sunday July 14, 2024 Scott Hogan & Katie Hale

Theme:  "It's a Sign" - Each traffic sign is rephrased as non-traffic.

23. "Put that Sandra Bullock bomb-on-a-bus DVD in the clearance bin!": REDUCE SPEED. "Speed" the movie.

33. "Keep it clean! This is a family musical!": CHILDREN AT PLAY.

51. "Base jumping is awesome!": FALLING ROCKS.

67. "Play every song the whole way through!": DO NOT STOP ON TRACKS.

85. "Don't you dare throw another interception!": PASS WITH CARE.

99. "Our new corporate partners are almost here!": PREPARE TO MERGE.

117. "Can we please banish traveling salespeople already!?": END ROADWORK.

Fun theme. I'm very fond of this type of re-phrasing approach. I think the END ROADWORK is purposely placed as the last theme entry.

Textbook LAT Sunday grid. Super smooth. Low number 3-letter fill. Katie is a pro at making Sunday grids.

Across:

1. "Kung Fu __": Jack Black film franchise: PANDA. Master Po.

6. Italian "Enough!": BASTA.

11. Seat on a hayride: BALE.

15. Kiss, in Camden: SNOG. London. I only know Camden Yards.

19. Phone setting: ALARM.

20. "Bunnicula" voice actor Sean: ASTIN.  Bunnicula is a vampire rabbit.

21. "You haven't changed __": A BIT.

22. Cod, for one: CAPE.

25. Reasons not to: CONS. Pros and cons.

26. Say, say: AVER.

27. Molding, e.g.: TRIM.

28. Sends: SHIPS.

29. Common nest spot: EAVE.

30. False flattery: SMARM.

31. Fruity baked treats: TARTS. No ovens in most Chinese kitchens. Our treats are just steamed or fried.

36. "Fine, I guess": OH OK.

38. More than want: NEED.

39. Letters on a face: XII. Clock face.

40. Tierra en el océano: ISLA.

42. Sup: EAT.

45. "The Morning Show" star: ANISTON. Jennifer.

48. Blow in the ring: JAB. Boxing ring.

54. Porcelain treasure: MING VASE.

56. Before now: AGO.

57. Spanish 101 verb: ESTAR. To be.

58. Breathes on glass, say: FOGS.

59. Sharqiya Sands country: OMAN.

60. Real drag: DOWNER.

63. Tart pub quaff: SOUR ALE.

66. Very good (at): ADEPT.

71. Late-night host Ferguson: CRAIG. He was succeeded by James Corden.

73. Gives off strongly: REEKS OF.

74. Boss: LEADER.

77. Sunscreen metal: ZINC.

78. Brought a case: SUED.

79. Word on a Paris map: METRO. And 82. Evian or Perrier: EAU.

83. Student's hoped-for university response: ACCEPTED.

89. Tuna tartare topper: ROE.

90. Conference unit: SESSION.

92. Cargo weight: TON.

93. Writers McEwan and Fleming: IANS.

94. Pronoun option: SHE. I used to confuse Boomer with my " ... then she/he said ..." It's all Ta in Chinese, whether she, he or it.

95. Small change: CENT.

97. Artful: DEFT.

106. October birth sign: LIBRA.

109. Extend a subscription: RENEW.

110. Biscuit containers: TINS.

111. Pulls down: EARNS.

113. State with a triangular swallowtail flag: OHIO. Hi there, Janice!

115. Utah ski resort: ALTA.

116. Subj. for which trig is a prereq: CALC.

119. Like some humor: DARK.

120. "Mon __!": DIEU.

121. Bar perch: STOOL.

122. Respected villager: ELDER.

123. Choppers: AXES.

124. "Make it shorter," made shorter: TL;DR. Too Long; Didn't Read.
 
125. Fish with neon stripes: TETRA.

126. Carne __: grilled meat: ASADA.

Down: 

1. Pigtails separation: PART.

2. Phone setting: ALERT.

3. Gymnast Comaneci: NADIA.

4. Announcement build-up, maybe: DRUM ROLL. Partnered with 88. Places where things may seem fishy: CAT BOWLS. Both great entries.

5. "Dark Winds" network: AMC.

6. Ram: BASH.

7. Molded jelly made with meat stock: ASPIC. Chinese aspic.

8. 2022 NBA Finals MVP Curry: STEPH.

9. Aptly links (with): TIES IN.

10. "Do go on ... ": AND.

11. Rum brand with a bat logo: BACARDI.

12. __ and beyond: ABOVE.

13. Summer fabric: LINEN.

14. "3 Body Problem" antagonists, briefly: ETS. Based on the novel of Liu Cixin.

15. Garlicky dish: SCAMPI.

16. Like a sub: NAVAL.

17. Glass production?: OPERA. Philip Glass.

18. In need of an antibacterial wipe: GERMY. My sister-in-law Connie is still in the hospital. Still not sure what caused her faint. Probably the pneumonia. She can walk a short distance with a walker now.

24. Petrol pump brand: ESSO.

29. Paradises: EDENS.

30. Undercover operation: STING.

32. Massaman curry cuisine: THAI. We seem to encounter Thai food reference every Sunday.

34. Cause of a drip: LEAK.

35. Neural transmitters: AXONS.

37. Some barrels: KEGS.

40. Othello manipulator: IAGO.

41. Potentially awkward time at a middle school party: SLOW DANCE. No parties in our middle school. Lovers did not even hold hands then.

43. Wall display: ART.

44. Said "Cheers!": TOASTED.

46. Young salmon: SMOLT. Learned from doing crosswords.

47. Big cat: TIGER.

48. "East of Eden" co-star: JAMES DEAN.

49. "Make haste!" abbr.: ASAP.

50. Elbowed: BENT.

51. Craze: FAD.

52. Roman emperor after Claudius: NERO.

53. Swindler: CROOK.

55. Screwdriver need: VODKA. The cocktail.

58. Event for the faithful: FAN FEST. Attended quite a few TwinsFest over the years.

61. Neat: NO ICE.

62. London lang.: ENG.

64. eBayer's option: UPS.

65. Inn requests: ROOMS.

66. Deck one?: ACE. OK, deck of cards.

68. Sets to right: TRUES.

69. Root origins: SEEDS.

70. Oh so much: A LOT. I love this picture.

Andrea Carla Michaels, C.C. and Tom Pepper, 7/8/2024

71. Policy honcho: CZAR.

72. Puerto __: RICO.

75. Some audio receivers: EARS.

76. Word on a Paris map: RUE.

78. Longhorn, e.g.: STEER.

80. Even prime: TWO.

81. Zest source: RIND.

84. "Phooey!": PSHAW.

85. Some wedding readings: POEMS.

86. "The Crown" role for Erin Doherty: ANNE. Princess Anne.

87. Many an audio receiver: HI-FI.

91. "No argument here": I CONCUR.

94. __ volumes: SPEAKS.

96. Dix x trois: TRENTE.

98. To whom Anna sings "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?": ELSA.

99. Italian fashion house: PRADA. And 102. ASOS biz: E TAIL.

100. Chill: RELAX.

101. __ nous: ENTRE.

103. Like a Scrabble board, in a way: TILED.

104. Gal of "Death on the Nile": GADOT.

105. Overthrow in the infield, say: ERROR.

107. Valerie Harper sitcom of the 1970s: RHODA.

108. Ran a program: AIRED.

112. Saints city, informally: NOLA. New Orleans Saints.

114. Stew pod: OKRA.

116. Summer hrs. in Houston: CDT.

117. Not just -er: EST.

118. Anti-trafficking feds: DEA.

C.C.

Wednesday, January 18, 2023, Jason Reich & Katie Hale

Theme: 

 

 27. Downpour, or when parsed another way, what can be found in this puzzle's sets of circles: FALLING RAIN / FALLIN' GRAIN

The circled letters spell four different grains, SPELT, RYE, WHEAT, and RICE. Whole grains A-Z. Because they're all downs, they're FALLING.

We've seen Katie Hale's puzzles before, but this appears to be Jason Reich's debut at the corner. We hope we hear from one or both of you.

Across:

1. Droops: SAGS.

5. Future yearling: FOAL. A yearling is a male or female horse, between one and two years of age.

9. Lengthy test answer: ESSAY.

14. Furrow maker: PLOW. Not BROW.

15. Off course: AWRY.

16. __ lazuli: LAPIS. Intense blue, semi-precious stone. Considered the alternative birthstone for the month of September, together with Sapphires.

17. To whom Rick says, "The Germans wore gray. You wore blue": ILSA. Casablanca.

18. Commits an email faux pas: REPLIES ALL. I once had a (female) boss who accidentally "replied all" with some comments about the sender that should not have been public. I was so glad it wasn't me. Also know a woman who accidentally sent a picture of herself flipping off her cheating spouse ... to everyone on her contact list. The pitfalls of technology are many.

20. Wannabe: COPYCAT.

22. Inscribe: ETCH.

23. Lamb nurser: EWE.

24. Unaccounted for, for short: AWOL. Away without leave.

26. Prop for Gandalf: STAFF. All FIVE Of Gandalf's Staffs (& When They Appear).

29. Reader's Digest co-founder Wallace: LILA.

31. Stink: ODOR.

33. Battery size: AAA. Unless I'm missing something, this couldn't be anything else, since AAA is the only battery size that has three letters (with no numbers). List of battery sizes.

35. Space bar neighbor, on a PC: ALT KEY. The space bar has many neighbors, because of its width. On a Mac, it's labeled  "option."

37. Crowdsourced source, briefly: WIKI.

38. Sass: LIP.

39. Tempter of Odysseus: SIREN. Sirens in The Odyssey were alluring creatures who sang beautiful songs that could drive a man mad just by hearing them. The sirens were one of the first ordeals Odysseus and his crew had to pass through so they could continue on their journey home to Ithaca.

40. Unit of resistance: OHM.

41. Matches a bet: CALLS. Poker.

43. Post-op area: ICU. Intensive Care Unit in a hospital.

44. Challenge: DARE. So many activities turned into a challenge now, like a decluttering challenge. Everything has to be a contest. Remember when cooking shows were just people cooking regular food? Like Julia Child's The French Chef, Jeff Smith's The Frugal Gourmet, and  Graham Kerr's The Galloping Gourmet. I would sit in front of PBS on Saturdays, pre-internet, with a pad of paper to write down the recipes.

46. Undoing: DEMISE.

47. Didn't need to be let out: FIT. Ohhhh ... as in altering clothing. I was thinking dog. Cats of course always need to be let in or out, wherever they're not.

48. "Mamma Mia!" pop group: ABBA.

49. Rider's strap: REIN. Horse rider.

50. Actress Birch: THORA. First I remember paying attention to her was in 1995's Now and Then. On the left below. Melanie Griffith played her adult counterpart.

52. Greenish blue: TEAL.

54. Gimlet liquor: GIN.

57. Classic PC game: MYST.

59. Words of apology: I'M SORRY. My son and I have been watching Curb Your Enthusiasm from first season to current. We're up to season 9 now. Larry David apologizes in virtually every single episode. Warning: language.

61. Salisbury Plain megaliths: STONEHENGE. This is what the Salisbury Plain looked like before Stonehenge.

65. Michigan, for one: LAKE.

66. Justice Sotomayor: SONIA. “There are uses to adversity, and they don’t reveal themselves until tested. Whether it’s serious illness, financial hardship, or the simple constraint of parents who speak limited English, difficulty can tap unexpected strengths.”

67. Adderall target, briefly: ADHD.

68. Plan from a nutritionist: DIET.

69. Lack of musical talent: NO EAR.

70. "Roar" singer Perry: KATY.

 
71. Stops: ENDS.

Down:

1. Rub component: SPICE.

2. Greenlight: ALLOW.

3. Undeniably accurate statement: GOSPEL TRUTH.

4. Convince: SWAY.

5. Like a dreamy look: FARAWAY. Faraway vs. far away.

6. Have because of: OWE TO

7. Dadaism pioneer Jean: ARP. Jean (Hans) Arp.

8. Crocodile in Bernard Waber children's books: LYLE.

 9. Fish that shock prey: ELECTRIC EELS.

10. Beyoncé's "I Am... ___ Fierce": SASHA. 6 facts you might not know about Beyoncé's 'I am... Sasha Fierce'

11. Place for some "me time": SPA.

12. Feel off: AIL.

13. DKNY rival: YSL. Fashion houses. Donna Karan New York and Yves Saint Laurent.

19. Generous response to 59-Across: IT'S OK.

21. January 1 to December 31: CALENDAR YEAR.

25. Like sous vide cooking: LOW HEAT. What is Sous Vide?

28. Stops working: FAILS.

30. Barinholtz of "The Mindy Project": IKE.

 32. Not so bright: DIM.

34. Semicircular church area: APSE.

35. "Dream on": AS IF.

36. Permitted by law: LICIT.

40. Poetic sphere: ORB.

42. French pal: AMI.

45. Embarrass: ABASH. Only see this word in crosswords and books.

46. Hybrid genre: DRAMEDY. Drama+comedy.

51. Labor __ vincit: Oklahoma motto: OMNIA. Latin phrase meaning "Work conquers all."

53. Small cube?: EIGHT. A cube number is the result when a number has been multiplied by itself twice. The symbol for cubed is ³. 8 is a cube number because it’s 2 x 2 x 2 (2 multiplied by itself twice); this is also written as 2³ (“two cubed”). The first ten cube numbers are 1, 8, 27, 64, 125, 216, 343, 512, 729 and 1000.

55. Got to: IRKED. Verb - annoyed.

56. Russian refusals: NYETS.

58. Hardwood used for pricey salad bowls: TEAK. What is teak wood and why is it so great?

60. Shoppe adjective: OLDE.

61. Oft-redacted ID: SSN. Social Security number.

62. In addition: TOO.

63. Number of players needed to play solitaire: ONE.

64. Secret-protecting doc: NDA. Non-disclosure agreement.