L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Jess Rucks

Showing posts with label Jess Rucks. Show all posts

Mar 16, 2024

Saturday, March 16, 2024, Jess Rucks

Themeless Saturday by Jess Rucks

Jess returns after a six month hiatus and brightens our Saturday with a wonderful puzzle. I sailed through in sixteen minutes and was slowed only to be amazed and amused by her skill. I found Jess on FaceBook and can't tell you what a bright, engaging person she is.

Jess has separated from the Air Force after five years of service where she told me served as an Urdu linguist, not interpreter. She now lives in Colorado Springs with her husband who serves in the U.S. Space Force. This is a picture with her and her then 5-year-old son having a good time on the playground. Jess assures me this is Urdu for, "I hope you enjoyed Jess's puzzle."

مجھے امید ہے کہ آپ نے جیس کی پہیلی کا لطف اٹھایا ہوگا۔

Across:

1. Beach blanket: SAND - 😀 Yeah, I guess beaches are blanketed with SAND

5. __ Men: one-hit junkanoo band of 2000: BAHA.

9. Member of a dazzle: ZEBRA - I'd probably still say herd

14. "Van Helsing" role: IGOR.

15. Smart __: ALEC.

16. Location of the Karnak Temple Complex: EGYPT - A visit to the Karnak Temple Complex is part of Agatha Christie's plot in this Poirot movie.

17. Have empathy: CARE.

18. Pepa or pepper partner: SALT - 😀 The less common of the pairing.

19. "Buona __": NOTTE - Good Night in Italian. I hope Jess will stop in to tell us if شب بخیر is correct in Urdu.

20. Phrase on a shamrock-green T-shirt: KISS ME I'M IRISH - I'd love to buy this for a dear lady we all know on our Crossword Corner!

23. "Almost ready": ONE SEC.

24. Sleeping soundly: OUT.

25. Hermey of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," for one: ELF - Who knew?

28. Comedian who wrote "Cracking Up" and "I Know I Am, but What Are You?": SAMANTHA BEE.

32. Hodgepodge: MISH MASH.

35. Hoity-toity type: SNOOT.

36. Euler's field: MATH - If you're a math peep like I am, you know it is pronounced OY LER. Bonus points for understanding this:

37. Vital organ elements: PIPES - Our good friend Splynter knows a lot about these elements! Be sure to read his comments below the write-up!

39. Sound quality: TONE.

40. "Long story short ... ": IN SUM.

42. Motocross need: DIRT BIKE.

44. Cozy aesthetic: COTTAGE CORE.

46. Goof: ERR.

47. Camel kin: TAN.

48. Some event notices: E-VITES

53. "Stop misquoting me!": I DIDN'T SAY THAT.

57. Treadmill options: PACES - It's in here somewhere

59. Throaty sound: AHEM.

60. Cornstarch brand: ARGO - Also the ship for Jason and the Argonauts

61. Rice brews: SAKES.

62. "American Chopper" argument, e.g.: MEME.

63. Diminutive of Dolores: LOLA - Did anyone else think of Gwen Verdon and Damn Yankees?

64. Aromatic herb: THYME.

65. Robed dignitary: EMIR.

66. Chuck: YEET - A well known synonym for throw is softball circles

Down:

1. Travis Scott's "__ Mode": SICKO.

2. Once more: AGAIN.

3. Like Freya and Hel: NORSE.

4. Word with down or up: DRESS 😀

5. One of two near Everest: BASE CAMP - All who climb 29,00o foot Everest must first make the 8 - 12 day difficult but doable trek up to BASE CAMP at 17,500 feet. This family did make it to BASE CAMP with their kids.

6. Jai __: ALAI - A fav game in Crosswordland

7. Tiller: HELM - He is "at the HELM" because he has his hand on the tiller

8. Lara Croft, for one: ACTION HERO.

9. High points: ZENITHS - Big brother to cwd regulars acme and apex

10. Super followers?: EGOS.

11. Without any variation: BY THE BOOK.

12. Sch. assignment: RPT.

13. Made a fast stop: ATE 😀 On Easter Sunday, March 31 this year, those of you who fast for lent can stop.

21. Breathable fabric: MESH.

22. Groove: RUT - There can be a big difference

26. Currency in West Africa: LEONE - This bike in Freetown, Sierra Leone will run you 107,000,000 LEONES or about $4,400.

27. Swanky gala: FETE.

29. Handle for a née-sayer: MAIDEN NAME - I have no issue with keeping a surname after marriage

30. Savory jelly: ASPIC.

31. Start to freeze?: ANTI.

32. Large estate: MANOR.

33. "Too much to get into": IT'S TRICKY.

34. Close: SHUT - klōz not klōs

36. Game for owls: MICE 😀

38. Cord cutter, perhaps: STREAMER 😀

41. "Blue Nude" painter: MATISSE.

A set of three

43. Large group: BEVY.

45. Josh who plays Shakespeare on "History of the World, Part II": GAD.

49. Winner of four FIFA World Cups: ITALY.

50. Paroxysm: THROE.

51. Old quarter back: EAGLE - 😀 In this clue, quarter back is two words. Now the obverse side still has George Washington but the reverse side has hosted an EAGLE and many special images

Old quarter

A example of a new quarter

52. Mink kin: STOAT.

54. Judge: DEEM.

55. Creature feature with giant ants: THEM - Circa 1954

56. Quasi: SEMI.

57. Wash. setting: PST - Washington state is two hours behind me where I'm on CST

58. "That's the spot": AAH - I'll bet that's how you feel after finishing Jess's fun puzzle!

From Splynter:

Hi Gary,

Most of what I do for the company concerns design, drafting and the installation of the components of a pipe organ - chests, reservoirs, windlines, etc. I am rarely on site when the actual pipes get put on the chests. I did find some images, but nothing special, see attached. I had a coworker snap the image, also attached, when we recycled zinc pipes that did not get voiced and reinstalled at a church. I then took a selfie ( and I really, really wanted to send you a "shelfie", too ) Here are half of the facade pipes from the National Cathedral before we took them down and refurbished them.

Splynter

Sep 30, 2023

Saturday, September 30, 2023, Jess Rucks

Saturday Themeless. by Jess Rucks

Carly Jess

Despite my attempts to make Jess's fun puzzle difficult, I did mange to finish in a nice time for a Saturday and had a pleasant experience along the way.

I loved this picture of Jess and our circus trainer/constructor Carly Schuna when their paths crossed in Madison, WI. recently, Be sure to see the picture at the bottom of the write-up where Carly is showing Jess how to manipulate the Giant German Wheel.

Jess is originally from Minnesota but now lives in Colorado Springs where her husband is in the Space Force. Jess has held several interesting jobs including serving as an Urdu linguist for the Air Force. She now is a counselor and loves working with and advocating for kids.

"I hope you enjoyed Jess's puzzle" or in Urdu:

مجھے امید ہے کہ آپ نے جیس کی پہیلی کا لطف اٹھایا ہوگا۔

Across:

1. Red aperitif: CAMPARI - I have no idea why this leapt to my mind very quickly.

8. Defib experts: EMTS.

An EMT with an external
defibrillation device

12. Really clean up: MAKE A MINT - Bit coin, pet rocks, etc.

14. Love or life follower: BOAT - It wasn't the Love BOAT but the Titanic only had enough Life BOATS for half the passengers.

15. "Let me try again ... ": I MEAN TO SAY.

17. Morsel: BITE.

18. Old Irish: CELTS - Kelts or Selts? It can go either way but most say it is Kelts unless you're referring to sports teams in Boston, MA or Glasgow, Scotland

19. Mireille of "Big Love": ENOS - I know nothing about Ms. ENOS but I have caught on to the fact that she has displaced a biblical character and an old MLB baseball player in this venue. Her IMDB

21. Street cred: REP(utation) - Richie doesn't have any (3:48)

22. Crush a 23-Across performance, perhaps: SLAY and 23. Nothing to fret about?: 😀 AIR GUITAR.

26. Expand: ADD TO.

27. Up from Spain?: NORTE - España está al NORTE de Marruecos (Spain is north of Morocco)

29. Hero with a weak spot: ACHILLES.

33. Inuk of film whose real name was Allakariallak: NANOOK - I knew nothing about Inuk or Allakariallak but those names reminded me of NANOOK which was in the deep recesses of my memory.

34. Breezy farewell: TOODLES.

35. Try again?: RETASTE - Editorial comment: "Nope, that's liver and it still tastes horrible!" 😝

36. Proceed unsteadily: TOTTER.

37. Intrepid: FEARLESS.

38. Promising spot?: ALTAR 😀

39. Crown: TIARA.

40. Ones to "watch out for," per an Amazon Prime reality series: BIG GRRRLS - A seed entry for Jess.

42. Nearly all: MOST.

46. Jiff: SEC.

47. Throw away in disgust, slangily: YEET - Every teenager I asked knew this.

48. 13-Down, for one: DANCE and 13. Habanera kin: TANGO. As soon as I realized the habanera was a dance and not a pepper (habanero) I did a lot of research. Habanero and the Tango. Since it is both a dance and a type of music, this famous habanera will give you the rhythm.

49. Wakeboarding spot: LAKE.

51. Cantina rounds: MARGARITAS.

54. 100 sawbucks: ONE G - A sawbuck is ten dollar bill and 100 of them makes ONE-G (one grand or one thousand)

55. Minor celebrities?: TEEN IDOLS - I'll balance the Bizet opera above with this 60's rock and roll song.

56. Spanish pronoun: ESTO - ¡ESTO es divertido! (This is fun!)

57. Ticked by: ELAPSED - Hitters and pitchers now have time constraints and it greatly improves my viewing experience.

Down:

1. Animal with three sets of eyelids and two sets of eyelashes: CAMEL.

2. Wolf voiced by Giancarlo Esposito in "The Jungle Book": AKELA - I remember him as the ruthless Gus Fring in Breaking Bad.

3. Like Bolognese: MEATY - Bolognese sauce is a meat-based sauce in Italian cuisine, typical of the city of Bologna.

Gnocchi Bolognese

4. Chef's collection: PANS.

5. Receipt fig.: AMT.

6. Code name on "Money Heist": RIO.

7. Paper fatteners: INSERTS - Our paper has almost abandoned all of them in favor or online ads.

8. Go out on the beach?: EBB 😀

9. "Schitt's Creek" character who says, "What you did was impulsive, capricious, and melodramatic, but it was also wrong": MOIRA ROSE.

10. Hot-dish topping: TATER TOTS - They make anything better!

11. Blended family prefix: STEP.

12. Feedback providers?: MICS 😀

16. Second person: YOU - In counseling training, we were told to avoid "YOU" sentences in favor of "I" sentences. "YOU are" vs. "I feel".

20. "Sugar Town" singer: SINATRA.

23. "Inferiority complex" coiner: ADLER - Austrian psychologist Alfred ADLER

24. "Et tu" day: IDES 😀

25. Having a key: TONAL - TONAL vs ATONAL

26. Hypersensitivity: ALLERGY.

28. Squeaks (by): EKES.

29. Chapati flour: ATTA - Frequently found in our crossword pantry

30. "Neat!": COOL BEANS - Derivation

31. All the rage and hard to come by: HOT TICKET - To get one of these, requires either incredible good luck, big bucks or being named Travis Kelce. 😚

32. Entry need, maybe: ID TAG.

33. Comes close: NEARS.

35. Word in many Spanish team names: REAL.

37. Figure on the Oregon license plate: FIR TREE - That is true but check out the basketball court used by Oregon University.

39. Word that may make a dog sit up: TREAT.

41. "Everybody Hurts" band: REM.

42. Part of the inn crowd: MAIDS - MAIDS : Housekeepers :: Stewardesses : Flight Attendants

43. With heels up: ON TOE 😀

44. Get into hot water?: SCALD.

45. "The Last of Us" survivor played by Anna Torv: TESS - I would have known Melanie Griffith's role in Working Girl or Julia Roberts' role in Ocean's 11.