Jay Silverman is no stranger to the LAT, and today presents us with a cautionary tale. Watch your step!
57. Deep part of the outfield, and an apt description of 20-, 28-, 37-, and 49-Across: WARNING TRACK. A WARNING TRACK runs along the wall or fence and
is made of a different material than the grass field so that fielders
can sense when they are getting close without taking their eyes off the
ball. In this puzzle, however, each themed song TRACK issues a WARNING
of some sort.
20. 2019 Dua Lipa hit single: DON'T START NOW. DON'T START NOW means telling someone not to begin an annoying, or unwanted behavior that
they have a history of doing, particularly in a relationship context.
28. 1986 Kenny Loggins hit single: DANGER ZONE. A DANGER ZONE is a restricted area with limited access to reduce risk and protect people from injury.
37. 2018 Cardi B hit single: BE CAREFUL. BE CAREFUL is a phrase used to alert someone to take precautions and pay attention to avoid danger, accidents, mistakes, or damage.
Overall, I liked the theme, but DANGER ZONE seems different from the rest. It's something you'd read on a sign rather than something you'd say, but it does issue a WARNING. The downside of five long themers, however, is tons, lots, and even a lot of 3LWs & 4LWs, which made for a pretty easy Thursday.
Now, if you'll just follow me...
1. Grans: NANAS. My gramps was from Czechoslovakia and we called him Tata, which means dad. Here he is working on a giant ceramic insulator at General Electric's main plant in Schenectady, NY where I was born (in a hospital, not in the factory).
 |
| Tata (on left) |
6. Deceptive action: FEINT. Deceptive action: FAINT.
11. Trident-shaped letter: PSI. Ψ.
14. Exhaust: USE UP.
15. Heavy-duty cooler brand: IGLOO.
16. Shade tree: ELM. ELM is the 7th most popular street name in America because many towns and cities relied on them as a primary street tree. Unfortunately, by the 1970s, Dutch Elm Disease had destroyed millions of trees, fundamentally altering the landscape. That's the real nightmare on Elm Street.
17. __ rhythm: brain wave pattern: THETA. Θ.
18. Respectful refusal: NO SIR.
19. 2022 National Toy Hall of Fame inductee: TOP. The classic spinning TOP, along with Lite-Brite and He-Man dolls, were selected for their longevity, creativity, and impact on play. Longevity! Ha! I'd say that the TOP was in another league, one having been found in King Tutankhamun's tomb dating to 1300 BCE.
 |
| Tut's top |
23. Dense grove: THICKET.
25. Change one's story?: EDIT. Change one's story?: WAFFLE. With SYRUP, of course.
27. Marmalade bit: PEEL.
28. [theme]
33. Waffle topper: SYRUP. Insist on pure maple SYRUP. It's healthier and tastier than corn SYRUP - fit for a king! I know because archeologists stumbled upon a sticky TOP which led to the discovery of King Tut's tomb under this pyramid:
35. Irish designer Kiely known for her stem leaf print: ORLA. Keily ORLA began her career designing hats, and moved on to design work on handbags and a variety of other items including kitchenware and cars.
36. Some QB protectors: RGS. Right Guards protect quarterbacks from unsightly underarm stains.
41. Australian bird: EMU.
44. On-campus digs: DORM.
45. Grassy yards: LAWNS.
49. [theme]
53. Third-qtr. month: SEPT. SEPTember falls in the 3rd quarter of the year, along with July and August. Those Caesars! It's one thing to have a building or a road named after you, but to have a month like Julius and Augustus do, well, now you're somebody.
54. "Juno" actor Michael: CERA. I first saw the Canadian actor as child in Arrested Development (very funny show, BTW) and he's played many nerdy characters since.
55. 10,000 square meters: HECTARE. A HECTARE is also 100 ares (100 square meters).
57. [theme]
62. Canadian prov.: PEI. Prince Edward Island is one of eastern Canada's maritime provinces noted for its lighthouses and iconic red sand beaches.
63. Pong platform: ATARI. Kong platform: NINTENDO
 |
| Donkey Pong |
64. Photo finish: MATTE.
67. Oft-redacted ID: SSN. Because of rampant identity theft, Social Security Numbers are often hidden.
68. High anxiety: PANIC. "My SSN has been stolen!"
69. Beg: PLEAD. "Please don't access my bank account!"
70. Gobbled up: ATE. "Hackers ATE my savings!"
71. Crept stealthily: SLUNK. This looks odd in the past tense.
72. Incline: SLANT.
Down:
1. Energy bar bit: NUT.
2. Once-common wood for Louisville Slugger: ASH. This one's not ASH yet.
3. Requiring more help: NEEDIER.
4. Motorist's group: AUTO CLUB.
5. Defeat soundly, in slang: SPANK.
6. Secret social media account, perhaps: FINSTA. A FINSTA (Fake INSTAgram) is a secondary, private Instagram account used by individuals—often teenagers—to share unfiltered or silly content with a close-knit group of friends.
7. Showbiz grand slam: EGOT. Winning Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards.
8. Ingrid's "Casablanca" role: ILSA. Here's looking at her:
9. Pinot __: NOIR. Pee-no-more: see 11D.
10. Legal wrong: TORT.
11. Target of some air fresheners: PET ODOR. I had PEE ODOR at first, which is almost the same thing.
12. Hitting the brakes: SLOWING.
13. Little dickens: IMP.
21. Kristen's "The Good Place" co-star: TED. Kristen Bell starred alongside TED Danson.
22. Pince-__ glasses: NEZ. When I started needing reading glasses, I found them uncomfortable when using headphones. I bought a pince-nez (pinch nose in French) which sorta worked but they kept slipping off, so I went back to standard readers with temples. Besides, they didn't make me look cool like Morpheus.
 |
| Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus from The Matrix |
23. Pranks with rolls, for short: TPS. Toilet Paperings are usually messy but harmless, yet one was in the news this week when a teacher in GA was accidentally run over by some of his students. Sad situation.
24. "Watch it!": HEY. This could be another WARNING!
26. Your, in French: TES.
29. "__ Rae": Sally Field film: NORMA. NORMA Rae is based on the true story of a textile worker who fought a trade union over poor working conditions. Sally won the Best Actress Oscar in the 52th Academy Awards for her portrayal.
30. Univ. senior's test: GRE. Graduate Record Examination.
31. Sprite: ELF.
32. Actor Julia who played Gomez Addams: RAUL. He was the second to play the head of the "altogether ooky" Addams family.
 |
| John Astin, Raul Julia and Luis Guzman |
34. Mani-__: PEDI. Manicure and PEDIcure.
38. Foldable bed: COT.
39. Amount to: ARE. The verb "to be" is always tricky to define.
40. Announcement before closing time: LAST CALL.
41. And so on: Abbr.: ETC. The abbreviation of ET Cetera.
42. 1930s film star known for double entendres: MAE WEST. She certainly was known for her double entendres!
43. Kyiv's country: UKRAINE. I first learned of Ukraine, and the world at large, by playing Risk as a child.
46. Bad argument, informally: WEAK TEA.
47. "Fresh Air" airer: NPR. National Public Radio.
48. Sault __ Marie: STE.
50. Orecchiette shape: EAR. Orecchiette means "little ears" from Southern Italian cuisine. I never heard this.
51. Comedy routine: SHTICK.
52. "So's __ old man!": YER. "Same to you, buddy!"
56. Stays in tents: CAMPS. Stays intense: VIVID.
 |
| A vivid tent? |
59. Milan lang.: ITAL. ITALian is the language spoken at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympic Games, which are currently in progress.
60. Orkan farewell syllables: NANU. Often repeated by Mork from Ork, played by Robin Williams. Not to be confused with Oaken farewell syllables by Treebeard (the Ent) in Lord of the Rings, "I'll look for thee, and wait for thee, until we meet again."
61. Crack a smile: GRIN.
62. "The More You Know" TV spot, e.g.: PSA. A Public Service Announcement that lets me know more.
65. Get some sun: TAN.
66. Philly summer hrs.: EDT. Philadelphia summer hours. We switched to Eastern Daylight Time this past Sunday, in case you're wondering why you've been late to work every day this week. You're welcome.
Be good. RB
