google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Jerry Edelstein

Advertisements

Showing posts with label Jerry Edelstein. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jerry Edelstein. Show all posts

Jan 19, 2023

Thursday, January 19, 2023, Jerry Edelstein

You have to dial your Wayback Machine to  September 16, 2013 to find veteran Jerry Edelstein's first LA Times puzzle, blogged by the inimitable Argyle.  This marks Jerry's 39th appearance here, and today he schools us in a little business management with a lesson about

The C Team

As there are no circles, no stars, and no question marks you have to put your ear to the ground and listen very closely to hear the 4 homophonic themers:

20A. C's: MEDIOCRE GRADES.  Hand up if you never got one of these in college (I got some even worse).  Don't be shy ...

33A. Seas: GLOBAL SEPTET.   Our GLOBE is girt with Seven Oceans, traditionally called "The Seven Seas", but some sources cite others:

The Seven Seas
43A. Sees: GETS THE POINT.

58A. Seize: CAPTURE BY FORCE.  "Well it seemed like a good idea at the time." - V. Putin

And Jerry even threw in a pseudo-reveal, kinda sorta ...

28A. VIP with a corner office, perhaps: CEO.  "Leader of Executive Officers? abbr."

Here's the grid:
 


Here's the rest ...

Across:

1. Sven's transport in "Frozen": SLED.  I've never seen Frozen, but my research indicates that it was Kristoff, an ice hauler who was being transported in a SLED pulled by the reindeer Sven:

Kristoff's Sled

5. 35-Down company founded in Milwaukee in 1844: PABST.  The Pabst Brewing Company is an American company that dates its origins to a brewing company founded in 1844 by Jacob Best and was, by 1889, named after Frederick Pabst. It is currently a holding company which contracts the brewing of over two dozen brands of beer and malt liquor:

10. Ziploc feature: SEAL.

14. Exercise target: CORE.   Why you should strengthen your core muscles.  And here are some exercises to do it.

15. "Love Me Like You Do" Grammy nominee Goulding: ELLIE.   Elena Jane "Ellie" Goulding, born 30 December 1986) is an English singer and songwriter.  "Love Me Like You Do" was included in the soundtrack to the 2015 film Fifty Shades of Grey.

16. Cut: PARE.

17. Missing: AWOL.

18. Spa amenity: SAUNA.  The word sauna is an ancient Finnish word referring to both the traditional Finnish bath and to the bathhouse itself.
Modern Finnish Sauna
19. Doesn't just assume: ASKS.

[Theme clue]

23. Start to mature?: PREPREMATURE, as in too soon.

24. Eyeglass frames: RIMS.  I'm running out of doctors to see.  I think my next one will be an optometrist.

25. Gift with an aloha: LEI.  The traditional greeting and gift to arrivals in HAWAII.
 
Hawaii Lei
26. Matter of debate: ISSUE.

[Theme clue] Kinda. Sorta.

30. Dec. 31: NYENew Years Eve.

[Theme clue]

38. Antlered deer: STAG.

41. Retro photo hue: SEPIA.  A word derived from the brown melanin-containing pigment from the ink of cuttlefishes.  It was used in old photographic prints and is a setting on most smart phone cameras.  Leonardo da Vinci also used the pigment to make ink:
Water Wheels
pen & ink by Leonardo da Vinci

42. Burial isle of many Scottish kings: IONA.  Also the name of the ABBEY on the island where early Scottish kings, as well as kings of Ireland, Norway, and France are buried.
Iona Scotland

[Theme clue]

46. Skin art, for short: TAT.

47. Unit of corn: EAR.

48. Titan with a heavy load: ATLASAtlas was one of the most famous Titans, the son of Iapetus and the Oceanid Asia (or, possibly, Clymene). He was the leader of the Titan rebellion against Zeus, and he got a fitting punishment after the end of the Titanomachy: he was condemned to eternally hold up the sky.  It's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it ...

Atlas
52. "Hellboy" actor Perlman: RONHellboy is a 2004 American superhero film written and directed by Guillermo del Toro from a story by the latter and by Peter Briggs.  I think he's a good guy.


54. Comfort Revolution bra-maker: BALI.  None of the pics passed the breakfast test.

57. Tolkien terror: ORC.  Definitely bad guys.

[Theme clue]

62. Clicking devices: MICE.

63. Poet Dove and actress Moreno: RITAS.  We've seen Ms Dove before as a clue for her home state of OHIO.
Rita Dove
Rita Moreno (born Rosa Dolores Alverío Marcano December 11, 1931) is a Puerto Rican actress, dancer, and singer. Noted for her work across different areas of the entertainment industry, she has appeared in numerous film, television, and theater projects throughout her extensive career spanning over seven decades.  She is one of just 17 EGOT winners.
Rita Moreno

64. "Less" Pulitzer winner Andrew __ Greer: SEAN.  "A generous book, musical in its prose and expansive in its structure and range, about growing older and the essential nature of love".  Here's Greer on "Less" and so much more.
Andrew Sean Greer

65. "It's for you," on an env.: ATTN.

66. "Wrong!": NOT SO.

67. "Smooth Operator" singer: SADEHelen Folasade Adu CBE (Yoruba: Fọláṣadé Adú born 16 January 1959), known professionally as Sade Adu or simply Sade (shah-DAY), is a Nigerian-born British singer, known as the lead singer of her eponymous band.

68. Crime novelist Gerritsen: TESSTess Gerritsen (born Terry Tom; June 12, 1953) is the pseudonym of Terry Gerritsen, an American novelist and retired general physician. - "She has an imagination that allows her to conjure up depths of human behavior so dark and frightening that she makes Edgar Allan Poe and HP Lovecraft seem like goody-two-shoes..." - Chicago Trib.
Tess Gerritsen
69. Alloy containing carbon: STEEL. All you need to know about steel alloys.

70. Brewpub brews: ALES.

Down:

1. Shrimp dish: SCAMPIHere's a recipe.
Shrimp Scampi
2. Reduces: LOWERS.

3. Reduces slowly: ERODES.

4. Supermarket section: DELI.

5. "GoodFellas" Oscar winner: PESCIGoodFellas is a 1990 American biographical crime film directed by Martin Scorsese.  It is a film adaptation of the 1985 nonfiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi. Starring Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco and Paul Sorvino, the film narrates the rise and fall of mob associate Henry Hill and his friends and family from 1955 to 1980. 

6. Heist obstacle: ALARM.

7. St. Louis team: BLUES.  The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis, MO. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference.   Here's the latest Blues news.
8. Compete on "The Voice": SING.  Here's Bryce Leatherwood, winner of the 2022 competition, singing Justin Moore's "If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away":
9. Rip: TEAR.

10. Digging tool: SPADE.

11. Gradually become familiar with: EASE INTO.

12. Slow-moving boats: ARKS.

13. Paul in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: LESLester William Polsfuss (June 9, 1915 – August 12, 2009), known as Les Paul, was an American jazz, country, and blues guitarist, songwriter, luthier, and inventor. He was one of the pioneers of the solid-body electric guitar, and his prototype, called the Log, served as inspiration for the Gibson Les Paul.  While Paul  is mainly known for jazz and popular music, he had an early career in country music. In the 1950s, he and his wife, singer and guitarist Mary Ford, recorded numerous records, selling millions of copies.  Among his many honors, Paul is one of a handful of artists with a permanent exhibit in the R&R HOF.  He is prominently named by the music museum on its website as an "architect" and a "key inductee".  He is the only inductee in both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame AND the National Inventors Hall of Fame.  My Dad played the guitar and my Mom Mary sang and we watched every one of their shows on TV, so it was hard to stop with just one selection:

Here are Les and Mary performing How High the Moon:

And here's their The World is Waiting for Sunrise

And Teri found this tribute to Lucina: 

21. Former pitcher Hershiser: OREL. Orel Leonard Hershiser IV (born September 16, 1958) is an American former baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1983 to 2000. He later became a pitching coach for the Texas Rangers from 2002 to 2005 and a broadcast color analyst for the Dodgers. He is also a professional poker player.  Here are his stats.  
Orel Hershiser
22. Body wash ingredient: ALOE.

27. Some slouchy boots: UGGSUGH, not again!

28. Ad writer's award: CLIO.  The Clio Awards is an annual award program that recognizes innovation and creative excellence in advertising, design, and communication, as judged by an international panel of advertising professionals.  For some reason they're named for the Greek Muse of History.  Nobody asked me but I think they should put some of their creative excellence into a better logo:

29. Actor Morales: ESAIEsai Manuel Morales Jr. (born October 1, 1962) is an American actor. He has had notable roles in the films Bad Boys with Sean Penn and La Bamba with Lou Diamond Phillips (1987).
Esai Morales
31. Desire: YEN.

32. Schedule abbr.: ETA.  Or the 7th letter of the Greek Alphabet ...
34. Hazmat monitor: OSHA.  The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is a large regulatory agency of the United States Department of Labor that originally had federal visitorial powers to inspect and examine workplaces. OSHA's mission is to "assure safe and healthy working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education, and assistance" The agency is also charged with enforcing a variety of whistleblower statutes and regulations. 
35. Heady stuff?: BEER.  For example:

36. Smartphone download: APP.

37. The Panthers of the ACC: PITT.   The Pittsburgh Panthers football program is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh. Pitt competes as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

38. Lt.'s underling: SGTLieutenants outrank Sergeants.

39. Bagged leaves?: TEA.

40. Has some pull?: ATTRACTS.   GravityMagnetism?  Political connections?  Let's leave the latter unconnected.

44. Collapsible shelter: TENT.

45. Gullible sort: NAIFForrest Gump has been rated by at least one source as the #1 NAIF character in film history.   Here's a short clip of one of 25 great quotes from the film that proves that sometimes gullibility pays off.  Forrest has made a bit of money in the shrimping business and on the advice of his boat's first mate he has invested it in a fruit company (it's only a few seconds long so you may have to replay it to get the gag):

49. World's largest cosmetics company: LOREAL.  Here's one of their lip smacking ads.

50. Game keeper?: ARCADE.  The ? gave Jerry's game away and we knew right away he wasn't talking about lions and tigers, and bears.   Here's a short history of ARCADE gaming.

51. Movie parts: SCENES.  See trailer for 54D.

53. Makes the first bet: OPENS.

54. Actress Davis played by Susan Sarandon in TV's "Feud": BETTEFeud is an American television series that premiered on March 5, 2017. The eight episodes document the well-known  rivalry between Hollywood actresses Joan Crawford and Bette Davis during and after the production of their 1962 psychological horror thriller film What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?. Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon star as respectively Crawford and Davis, supported by an all-star cast. This movie was so over the top that the trailer itself has 4 episodes:

55. Humiliate: ABASE.  The opposite of ANACID.  Either one will burn you.

56. Disinfectant brand: LYSOL.  The first Lysol Brand Antiseptic Disinfectant was introduced in 1889 by Gustav Raupenstrauch to help end a cholera epidemic happening in Germany.  In 1918, during the Spanish flu pandemic, Lysol advertised it as an effective countermeasure to the virus.  And it has helped a lot of us to get through the COVID pandemic.  OTOH in 1911, poisoning by drinking Lysol was the most common means of suicide in Australia and New York.
58. Quote: CITE.

59. Large garden planters: URNS.  Very versatile containers.  They can be used to serve coffee, ashes, and plants.

60. Barrel of laughs: RIOT.  A CSO to Ray - O

61. Mount of Greek legend: OSSA.  The legend sounds like it was a bit of a stretch.
Mount Ossa
Mount OSSA is in the region of Thessaly in West central Greece. 
62. Little rug: MAT.

Cheers,
Bill

As always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism. 

And I have to add one very important member to Jerry's C TEAM, our inspiring Corner Maestra C.C. Burnikel. Some months back in one of her reviews she included a picture of a dish she called "Pine nuts and corn stir fry", which inspired me to come up with this recipe:
 
waseeley


Sep 13, 2022

Tuesday September 13, 2022 Jerry Edelstein

Theme: HALF AND HALF (61. Coffee creamer option, or what can precede both parts of the answers to the starred clues)

16. *Sibling by marriage: STEP BROTHER. Halfstep. Half brother.

23. *Best Picture Oscar winner directed by Barry Jenkins: MOONLIGHT. Half-moon. Half light.

29. *Wee: PINT-SIZE.  Half-pint. Half-size.

43. *Lengthy warranty period: LIFETIME. Half-life. Half-time.

50. *Retrace one's steps: BACKTRACK. Half back. Half-track.

Boomer here again. Susan is in Houston to take care of her mother-in-law. She'll be back next Tuesday.  

Indeed I found out yesterday that my work was only HALF-finished.  I think I earn time and a HALF for overtime.

Across:

1. Shed tears: WEEP.  No, I can handle it.

5. Candy __ Saga: match-three game app: CRUSH.  An Orange drink.

10. Fourth-yr. students: SRS.  Also people like me. Over 70.

13. Org. with a Women's Rights Project: ACLU.

14. Small cap: BEANIE.  Never had to wear one.


15. Split __ soup: PEA.  I prefer chicken noodle.

18. Old tee, perhaps: RAG.

19. Can opener: POP TAB.  I prefer bottles.

20. "Am __ time?": I ON.

21. Bad habit: VICE.  The VICE squad will get you.

22. Barnyard bird: HEN.

25. Fictional wolf's disguise: GRANDMA.  I had one GRANDMA as a kid.  Never got to know my maternal Grandma.

28. "Get Smart" crime org.: KAOS.  Maxwell Smart fought KAOS.


31. Floats on the wind: WAFTS.

35. Pretend: ACT.  I had a lead in a high school play.

36. Video game princess: ZELDA.  Legend of Nintendo.

39. Early ISP: AOL.  America on Line.

40. "Such a tragedy": SO SAD.  England is sharing their loss.

46. __ hog: ROAD.  Keep to the right!

49. Played the lead: STARRED.  Yup, I was NOYE.  Benjamin Britian spelled Noah wrong.



54. Fin. neighbor: RUS.

55. Mid-month date: IDES.  Beware in March.

56. "__-ching!": CHA.

57. Leash: TETHER.

60. __ & Perrins steak sauce: LEA.  I never tried it.



63. Trains that rumble overhead: ELS. Or golfer Ernie.

64. "Murder on the __ Express": ORIENT.

65. "Just teasing ya": I KID.

66. Match, in poker: SEE.  Just pay a little.  Do not raise.

67. Raise a glass (to): TOAST.  Cook some bread.

68. Salty expanses: SEAS.

Down:

1. Stinging insect: WASP.  Ouch it hurts.

2. Prefix with -plasm: ECTO.

3. Tusked animals: ELEPHANTS.  I guess I'd see about everything when I see one fly.



4. Small camping shelter: PUP TENT.

5. VIP with a corner office, perhaps: CEO.  Corner office is a lasting tradition.

6. Mathematical comparison: RATIO. A batting average.

7. Loosen, as a bra: UNHOOK.

8. "Burnt" crayon color: SIENNA.

9. That woman: HER.  She fits too.

10. Parsley piece: SPRIG.  Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme.



11. Get through to: REACH.

12. Bob who had a recurring role on "Fuller House": SAGET.

14. Texter's "Gimme a sec": BRB.  My son's initials.

17. Music groups: BANDS.  Not rubber

21. Travel document: VISA. Or credit card.

23. Pencil puzzle with dead ends: MAZE.  In Minnesota, the farmers make a big one in their fall cornfield.


24. Fan setting: LOW.  All ballparks have upper decks.

25. Honor roll figs.: GPAS.  Grade Point Average.

26. Puerto __: RICO.  Will it ever be a state?

27. "Les __": musical nickname: MIZ.

30. Shape of some building additions: ELL.  Also aluminum and galvanized pipe.

32. Equal chance: FAIR SHAKE.  I prefer chocolate!

33. Heavy book: TOME.

34. Iditarod vehicle: SLED.  Every Minnesotan owns one at one time of their life.

37. Floppy __: DISK.

38. Toward a boat's rudder: AFT.  I think I just called it the back.



41. Boats like Noah's: ARKS.  300 cubits, it shall be long.

42. "j" topper: DOT.  Ditto's sister.

44. Dog-__: folded at the corner: EARED.  I only have Doug ears.

45. "To be honest ... ": TRUTH IS.  And that's the truth!

47. Hall of Fame jockey Eddie: ARCARO.



48. National flower of Mexico: DAHLIA.  My Mother grew these annually.

50. Olympic gymnast Simone: BILES.

51. "Rolling in the Deep" singer: ADELE.

52. Halt: CEASE.  Nope - keep going.

53. Sidewalk eateries: CAFES. Incredible number of these at the Minnesota State Fair.

57. Demo stuff: TNT.

58. Director Kazan: ELIA.

59. Country mail rtes.: RFDS. Rural Free Deliveries.

61. Like habanero peppers: HOT.  Some like it HOT!

62. Picnic pest: ANT.  They don't eat much.

Boomer




 

Apr 5, 2022

Tuesday April 5, 2022 Jerry Edelstein

Theme: BANDLEADER (61. Musical conductor ... and what the end of 18-, 23-, 40- or 51-Across can be?) - Band can follow the last word of each theme answer.

18. Do a guard's job: STAND WATCH. Watch band.

23. Prevail in the race (just barely): WIN BY A HAIR. Hairband

40. "Brace yourself": HOLD ON TO YOUR HAT. Hat band.

51. Peel out: BURN RUBBER. Rubber band.

Boomer here again. Hahtoolah needs some extra time. She'll be back soon. 

I saw a peanut stand, I've heard a rubber BAND and seen a needle wink it's eye.  But I be done seen about everything, when I see an elephant fly.


Across:

1. Danish director von Trier: LARS.

5. One of a yardstick's 36: INCH.  I do not see many yardsticks anymore.  Companies used to give them away at the State Fair.

9. "High waving heather __ stormy blasts bending": E. Brontë: NEATH.

14. Actor Baldwin: ALEC.  I think he shot a camera lady on a movie set a year or two ago.


15. Home of the NFL's Saints, informally: NOLA.  New Orleans.

16. Bert's Muppet buddy: ERNIE.


17. Old Italian money: LIRA.  I guess most money is old.  Mine is.

20. Addis __: ABABA.

22. Zagreb natives: CROATS.

25. Pitching stats: ERAS.  Earned Run Average.  Twins pitchers built theirs up during spring training.

29. "Furthermore ... ": AND.

30. Musical effect involving two quickly played repeated notes: TRILL.

31. Lasting emotional injury: SCAR.

34. Llama relative: ALPACA.



39. Jack Ryan org.: CIA.

43. QB's concern: INT.  Then throw it on target meathead.

44. Food on the farm: FODDER.

45. Gas sign in green letters: HESS.  A big number, then a dot and two more big numbers.  Why is the final number usually a nine?

46. Laugh at a joke, say: REACT.

48. Big Aussie bird: EMU.  I really cannot stand the commercials.

50. Banks of "America's Next Top Model": TYRA.


58. Seaman's "Help!": MAYDAY.

60. Surname of vintners Ernest and Julio: GALLO.  I never developed a taste for wine.

65. Hoarse voice: RASP.  Chemo has turned me into a soprano.

66. Disney's Little Mermaid: ARIEL.

67. Miller __: beer: LITE.  Have no taste for beer either.  Even when I served in Germany.

68. Soft French cheese: BRIE.

69. First AFL-CIO leader George __: MEANY.  And he was a Meanie.



70. Unable to find the way: LOST.

71. Tourney ranking: SEED.  I am wondering if we should buy small flower seedlings for our garden, (if it ever warms up here) or maybe we should just plant seeds?

Down:

1. Calif. legal drama: LA LAW.  Are the laws different there?

2. Suspect's out: ALIBI.  I didn't do it .

3. Showed over: RERAN.  I have been watching a ton of "Law and Order" reruns.

4. Sword sheath: SCABBARD.


5. __ and outs: workings: INS

6. Mountain gap: NOTCH.


7. Santa __, Calif.: CLARA.  Near San Jose, just south of San Francisco.

8. Vietnam's capital: HANOI.

9. Small salamander: NEWT.  Mr. Gingrich.

10. Solution for a pencil error: ERASER.

11. Tiny six-legged crawler: ANT.  We have them.  I never counted their legs.

12. It can precede or follow tac: TIC. OK, tactic.

13. Clever chuckle: HEH.

19. __ es Salaam: DAR.

21. Author Rand: AYN.  Russian-born writer.



24. Hersey's "A Bell for __": ADANO.

26. Rolling in francs: RICHE.  A franc is worth a little more than a dollar.

27. "a.k.a." name: ALIAS.  Smith and Jones.

28. Blind strips: SLATS.  We have then on our front window.  Keeps the sun out, if we ever get some.

30. Cross-shaped letter: TAU.

31. Metaphor in a big gambling loss: SHIRT.  Usual sponsor advertisement in bowling.

32. __ Island, home of the original Nathan's: CONEY.  "Good bye my Coney Island Baby".

33. "I do" site: ALTAR.  They used to be marble.  Now it seems like a big table.

35. Part of LLC: Abbr.: LTD.  Limited

36. Group of whales: POD.  Generally they hang out at high stakes tables in Vegas.

37. Vote of approval: AYE.

38. Apple pie maker's device: CORER.  Some apple pie makers just open a can.

41. Poet's "many times": OFT.

42. Tart-tasting preserve veggies: RHUBARBS.  When I was young, a neighbor grew that stuff in a garden.  It tastes terrible, but with a lot of sugar, I have heard of rhubarb pie.


47. Oriole Park at __ Yards: CAMDEN.  Cal Ripken was the best.

49. Coffee cup: MUG.  I have coffee in a tall insulated cup.

51. "So long": BYE.  "See ya!"

52. Arizona politics family name: UDALL. Mo Udall.
 


53. Car music source: RADIO. 55. Play loudly, as a 53-Down: BLARE.  Some people think its cool to BLARE the entire neighborhood.

54. Nos in Novgorod: NYETS.

56. Commercial cow: ELSIE.  A Borden Cow.  We have an Elsie's bowling center on the north side of Minneapolis.

57. Lured (in): ROPED.

59. Friend: ALLY.

61. "Pow!" relative: BAM.  Flintstone pet, BAM BAM

62. "What __ the odds?": ARE.  Six to five on the 6 and 8 in craps.

63. Vardalos or Long: NIA.

64. IRA part: Abbr.: RETIndividual Retirement Account.

Boomer


Notes from C.C.:

Happy 81st birthday to dear Irish Miss, our sweet, observant and loving Agnes! When a regular is absent on the blog for a while, Agnes will always email me and ask. 
 
I'll never forget the happy voice of Argyle when he told me he just got another card from Agnes. I'll never forget the kindness you've shown Boomer and me, Agnes! Your caring cards, your comforting emails, you generous gifts, your quick feedback on my crazy ideas. So grateful to have you in my life.
 
L-R: Anne, Agnes, Eileen, Mary, and Peggy.
St Patrick's Day, 2019