Monday March 10, 2025 Jess Shulman and Amie Walker

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here. Jess Shulman and Amie Walker threw out a fun, early-in-the-week solve for our entertainment. The theme is:  

Take Out the Trash  ~  They Might Be Giants  ~  (2007)

These are the three themers: 

16 Across. Collection of personal clippings: SCRAPBOOK.  

29 Across. Puppies born together: LITTERMATES.  

Ahhhh.....

48 Across. Last minutes of a blowout game: GARBAGE TIME.  

Def.:  (noun) the final moments or minutes of a game in which one side has an insurmountable lead, substitutes often enter the game in place of starting players, and scoring is typically easier because of looser defensive play.  

64 Across. Taunts between teams, or an apt description of 16-, 29-, and 48-Across?: TRASH TALK.  

Def.:  (noun) disparaging, taunting, or boastful comments especially between opponents trying to intimidate each other.  

Click to enlarge.

SCRAP, LITTER, and GARBAGE are all synonyms for TRASH.

Works for me -- although I am a bit surprised to see that two of the themers are one-word answers.

Well, let's not waste any more time. We need to sort out the other clues....

Across:

1. NFL team that shares SoFi Stadium with the Chargers: RAMS.  

SoFi Stadium is in Inglewood, CA (about 4 miles from LAX airport).
It is the home of the Los Angles Chargers and the Los Angeles Rams.
The opening and closing ceremonies for the 2028 Summer Olympics
will be held there, as well as the swimming events.

5. "We __ to please": AIM.

8. Photograph holder: FRAME.  

13. Snare: TRAP.

14. Black-and-white ocean predator: ORCA.

15. Blood drive participant: DONOR.  Want to lose one pound in ten minutes? Donate a pint of blood.

18. Person on a role?: ACTOR.  On a role or IN a role?

19. Walk confidently: STRUT.  

John Travolta STRUTs though the opening credits of

Saturday Night Fever (1977).

<H-Gary:  I hope this makes up for not including a "good" Disco song last Monday!>

20. "The Matrix" protagonist: NEO.  Morpheus (Lawrence Fishburne) STRUTs through the crowd in this scene from The Matrix while Neo (Keanu Reeves) tries to keep up.

22. Smooch: KISS.  

23. Puerto Rico y Cuba: ISLAS.  Spanish is an official language on both of these islands.

25. Cat's noise: MEOW.

27. Actor Aykroyd: DAN.  (b. July 1, 1952) Dan was an original Not Ready for Prime Time Player on SNL (1075-1979). He also starred with John Belushi in The Blues Brothers (1980). 

Everybody Needs Somebody to Love scene

34. Yale alum: ELI.

35. Winter forecast, often: SNOW.

36. Crow "In your face!," say: GLOAT.  today's Easter egg (if C-Eh! agrees)

37. Short hairstyles: BOBS.  

four Bobs (l to r: Ross, Sponge, Newhart, & Marley)

39. Body part that's a metaphor for courage: SPINE.  

42. Misplace: LOSE.  

43. Self-mover's van: U-HAUL.  

This one is for our Florida Cornerites.
Ghost Orchids of the Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve

45. Didn't float: SANK.  

47. Mauna __: only Hawaiian volcano taller than Mauna Loa: KEA.  Mauna Kea on Hawaii's Big Island is the highest mountain on Earth -- if you measure from its base on the ocean floor.   

51. "__ away": "I have nothing to hide": ASK.

52. Preworn, say: USED.  I USED to love getting hand-me-downs because I wanted to be just like my older siblings and cousins. 

53. Subway tracks: RAILS.

55. Permanent mark: SCAR.  

another reason to NOT use your phone while driving

58. Pen point: NIB.  Yeah, despite years of doing crossword puzzles, I still do not say NIB.

60. Census figures: STATS.

62. Excuse: ALIBI.  

67. Walkie-talkie, e.g.: RADIO.  

68. Roof overhang: EAVE.  

EAVE on a house on E AVE., perhaps???

69. Leg bender: KNEE.

70. Brain waves: IDEAS.

71. Genetic material: DNA.

72. Small whirlpool: EDDY.  A large whirlpool is an Edward.  😜

Down:

1. Some QB protectors: RTS.  QuarterBacks and Right Tackles

Remember when Dan Marino (former Miami Dolphins QB) used to make Isotoner gloves commercials? (30 sec.) 

"I take care of the hands that take care of me."

2. Eyebrow shapes: ARCS.  

3. Spot where cocktails may be shaken or stirred: MARTINI BAR.

4. Practices in the boxing ring: SPARS.

5. Preferring platonic relationships, informally: ARO.  An AROmantic has little to no interest in romantic relationships. They may or may not have sexual feelings toward others.

6. Desktop image: ICON.

7. Stubborn reply to a direct order: MAKE ME.  

Clint came to mind on this one.

8. Govt. org. that regulates vaccines: FDA.  The Food and Drug Administration is a government organization.

9. Gym feature for indoor climbers: ROCK WALL.  This video teaches us five fundamentals (2:53 min.).  

10. Pro's opposite: ANTI.  for & against

11. Cattle sounds: MOOS.  Have a laugh at this 1:30 min. video about cow sounds in other languages:  

12. Is off the mark: ERRS.

14. Gets: OBTAINS.

17. Yanks: PULLS.  

This one never gets old.

21. Poetic "above": O'ER.

24. Put an end to: STOP.  

26. "Srsly!?": OMG.  texting shortcuts

27. Fix, as computer code: DEBUG.  DEBUG can refer to removing insects, malfunctions, or listening devices.

28. Hawaiian hello: ALOHA.  Today's tranquil moment:  

Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole   ~   White Sandy Beach of Hawai'i   ~   (1993)

<Picard, I hope this helps.>

30. Surprise in a plot: TWIST.  Gotta love a good plot TWIST!

31. Defended one's point of view: TOOK A STAND.

32. Makes less difficult: EASES.

33. Cut of beef, tuna, or cauliflower: STEAK.  In the case of cauliflower, we are using this definition of STEAK:  a thick slice or piece of a non-meat food especially when prepared or served in the manner of a beef steak.  

cauliflower STEAK w/ arugula & radish slices
recipe

38. Collection of bedroom communities: SUBURBIA.  

Opening credits for The Wonder Years   ~   (1988-1993)   ~   (1 min.)

40. Hair removal brand: NAIR.  Apparently NAIR is still in business.

41. All together: EN MASSE.  If you had to guess, you would probably say we got this word from French...and you would be correct.

44. __ Vegas: LAS.  Their weather forecast for today is partly cloudy with a high of 71°F and a low of 51°F.

46. Country singer Urban: KEITH.  (b. Oct. 26, 1967)  He was born in New Zealand but grew up in Australia. He has citizenship in New Zealand, Australia, and the United States.

Keith with wife Nicole Kidman at this year's Golden Globes.

49. Intro to Xer, Yer, and Zer: GEN.  

It seems the more we label people,
the more we focus on differences.

50. Revised: EDITED.

54. Potato pancake: LATKE.  LATKEs are a traditional food during Hanukkah, often referred to as the Festival of Lights.

55. Diwali dress: SARI.  SARIs are a traditional dress worn during Diwali, often referred to as the Festival of Lights.

56. Dressed (in): CLAD.  

This family is CLAD in traditional Diwali outfits.

57. Assistant: AIDE.

59. Dietary fiber source: BRAN.  A wheat kernal is made up of three parts:  The BRAN, endosperm, and germ. Wheat BRAN is the hard outer layer of the wheat kernel. During the milling process, the BRAN is stripped away from the wheat kernel and becomes a beneficial byproduct.

61. Winter conveyance: SLED.  As it turns out, a famous SLED dog race is happening right now! The 2025 Iditarod started on March 1 and will end on March 16. Find updates about the race, mushers, and dogs here.

63. Apple platform: iOS.  iOS is the operating system that runs Apple's mobile devices. It stands for iPhone Operating System.

65. Hannah Einbinder's "Hacks" role: AVA.  Hacks is a dramady in its third season on HBO Max. I have not seen it; but, IIRC, SS told us he liked Jean Smart in this show.

66. __ lime pie: KEY.  

It is the official state pie of Florida.

The grid:  

Today's puzzle might have been about refuse, but I refuse to end without first wishing everyone a wonderful day!

Monday January 6, 2025 Brian Callahan and Jess Shulman

  

Happy first Monday of 2025, everyone! sumdaze here. Brian Callahan has become a popular constructor on The Corner with six solo and five collaborations for the LAT since 2023.  Jess Shulman has two LAT Friday collaborations. It was fun to see them team up on today's puzzle.

I'm going to give it the same title Merle Haggard gave this 1977 song, 

The Running Kind

You may wonder what kind of running we talking about. A look at the three themers will answer that:

17 Across. *New job that's hardly a promotion: LATERAL MOVE.  

28 Across. *Honking collective: GAGGLE OF GEESE.  

45 Across. *Phenomenon of collective false memories: MANDELA EFFECT.  This one was an interesting learning moment for me. Paranormal researcher Fiona Broome named this phenomenon after discovering that she and others possessed strong, yet false, memories about the death of Nelson Mandela.  Britannica article  (See 52-Down.)

Then the unifier:

58 Across. Vice presidential hopeful, and what the first part of the answer to each starred clue can be: RUNNING MATE.

LATE, GAG, and MAN can all be MATEd to (joined with) the word RUNNING to form these in-the-language phrases:

• RUNNING LATE is to be behind schedule.
• A RUNNING GAG is a joke that is repeated several times (often with slight tweaks) throughout a performance or literary piece. (See 14-A & 40-A.)
• The RUNNING MAN is a 1982 Stephen King Novel set in a dystopian United States in the year 2025 (This year!) In 1987 a movie version was released starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. 

I liked how only a few letters were connected to the unifier. That helped the theme stay hidden until after I completed the grid.

Across:

1. Packs on muscle, with "up": BEEFS.  I quickly threw down BulkS. What is it D-Otto likes to say? I wonder if he made the same error.

6. Aspect: FACET.  

11. Q's keyboard neighbor: TAB.  computer keys

14. Super Breakout console: ATARI.  Super Breakout is the sequel to a 1976 video game -- but all I really needed was "console that begins with the letter 'A'".

15. "Fame" star Cara: IRENE.

16. Three, on a sundial: III.  Roman numerals (as seen in 21-A)

19. Awareness-raising TV spot: PSA. Public Service Announcement

20. "Anything __?": ELSE.

21. WWII soldiers: GIs.  

a WWII GI Joe toy

22. Big, big stars: IDOLS.  This NASA site will teach you about even bigger stars. 😀

24. "Mind. Blown.": WHOA.  

26. Pointy tooth: CANINE.

31. Axton of country music: HOYT.  (1938-1999) This is a 1 min. clip of Axton doing a guest appearance on WKRP Cincinnati:  

"It was Della and the dealer and a dog named Jake and a cat named Kalamazoo."

32. Pie __ mode: A LA.

33. Reader of a quick-start guide: USER.  Great clue! Most tech today comes with a quick-start guide and a website for more details. Gone are the days of thick USER manuals in eight languages.

34. Pair: DUO.

35. Sofía of "Modern Family": VERGARA.  I know who she is but always forget how she spells her last name.  

39. Consumes: HAS.     and     3-Down. Consumes: EATS.

...as in, "He HAS a sandwich for lunch every day."

40. Grocery chain with a Winking Owl wine brand: ALDI.   E&J Gallo produces ALDI's own, in-house brand labeled Winking Owl -- but all I really needed was "grocery chain that begins with the letter 'A'".  

42. Texting titter: LOL.  To titter is to laugh in a nervous, affected, or partly suppressed manner.

43. Future DA's exam: LSAT.  CSO to my big bro who is a definitely amazing District Attorney who passed the Law School Admission Test on his first try!

49. Led: HELMED.  "HEadED" almost fit. It took me a bit to let go of that one....

50. Constellation bear: URSA.

51. "Head over and take a look": GO SEE.

52. "Let You Love Me" singer Rita: ORA.  We often see this clue, OR A version of it, on Mondays.

53. __ prep: weekend activity for some home cooks: MEAL.  DH does this. Every Sunday he preps his lunches for the work week and puts them in containers, ready for the microwave.  

DH's lunches

57. Lip balm in egg-shaped containers: EOS.  

62. Spin bike meas.: RPM.  In Spin class, speed is measured in Revolutions Per Minute.

63. Name with Will and Frankie in sitcom titles: GRACE.  This clue refers to two separate sitcoms:  Will and GRACE (1998-2020) and GRACE and Frankie (2015-2022). It took a bit for the penny to drop because I am unfamiliar with the second show. I was trying to think of a show with Will & Frankie. I finally noticed that titles was plural.

64. Gnats, flies, etc.: PESTS.

65. WNW's opposite: ESE.  compass directions

66. "The Princess Bride" co-star Cary: ELWES.  I should have this name memorized by now but I am still working on it.

67. Spaces: AREAS.  ...as in, "Please clean up your work spaces."

Down:

1. Bundle of hay: BALE.  The woman in this video does a good job of showing how to use hay hooks to move a BALE of hay (1:38 min.). It's true, one of my best birthday presents ever was my very own set of hay hooks. 

2. Latin shorthand in a bibliography: ET AL.  It means et alia which translates to "and others". (See 31-D.)

4. Thoroughfare without tolls: FREEWAY.  I liked the without tolls clueing for FREEway.

You have likely heard that Californians use the word "the" before a FREEWAY name, as in "The 405". This is a Southern California thing. As a native Northern Californian, I can say the only people I know who speak that way are people who have spent time in Southern California. YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary).

5. Knight's title: SIR.  

6. Befitting an offspring: FILIAL.  Def.:  (adj.) having or assuming the relation of a child or offspring.

7. Upper limbs: ARMS.

8. Corp. leader: CEO.  Corporation and Chief Executive Officer

9. Pt. of SASE: ENV.  Self Addressed Stamped Envelope and ENVelope

10. Enraging, with "off": TEEING.  "Teed off" is an informal English expression to say one is angry. I always thought it was short for "Ticked off". I suppose one might say, "He is TEEING off the entire committee," but something feels off about this one.

11. Show respect, in a way: TIP ONE'S HAT.  If the clue said "Shows", we would answer TIPS ONE'S HAT.

12. Flight selection: AISLE SEAT.  This is my preference.  

13. Slant: BIAS.

18. Awestruck: AGOG.

23. French deity: DIEU.

25. "Love It or List It" channel: HGTV.  I like this show but I would like it more if they were not so adversarial.

26. Pepsi or Coke: COLA.

27. Way off: AFAR.

28. "Heavens to Betsy!": GOODNESS ME.  Both are quaint expressions of surprise or astonishment.

29. Bird on Mexico's flag: EAGLE.  

Mexico's national animal is the majestic golden eagle.

30. Triage ctrs.: ERS.  centers and emergency rooms

31. Toys to play around with?: HULA HOOPS.  This one is for the Cornerites who turned me on to Ted Lasso (Irish Miss, -T, ET AL.). I just finished Season 2 and am next in line for Season 3 at my library. I would not have known about this clip two weeks ago. It's the HULA HOOP scene from Season 2 with Coach Beard (Brenden Hunt) and girlfriend Jane Payne (1:40 min.):  

This episode was quite the outlier. I'm still processing it. Your thoughts?

34. Beaver's construction: DAM.

36. French fashion magazine: ELLE.  A print-version subscription for 2025 (10 issues) costs $25.

37. Map line: ROAD.

38. Some beers: ALES.

41. Not doing much: IDLE.

44. Con artist: SCAMMER.  This article from the FTC gives advice on recognizing phone scams. Another huge red flag is when someone tells you to not tell anyone about your conversation.

46. Come forth: EMERGE.

47. Greek goddesses of vengeance: FURIES.  ESP for me. "Nemesis" also comes up on a Google search but this clue specifies more than one goddess. more info.

48. Actress Drescher: FRAN.  (b. Sept. 30, 1957) In 2023, during the Hollywood writer's strike, we learned that this star of The Nanny (1993-1999) is the president of SAG-AFTRA.  

51. "Chicago" actor Richard: GERE.

52. In the past: ONCE.  Think, "I was a teenager ONCE." It is an interesting word because the clue, "In the future" works, too. Think, "ONCE you get to the stoplight, turn right."

Also, Once is a 2007 movie with an awesome soundtrack.  

If You Want Me  ~  Marketa Irglova and Glen Hansard

Many people think they are a real-life couple, but they are not.

Perhaps this is an example of a 17-A  MANDELA EFFECT.

54. Simplicity: EASE.  "Simplicity" is also a brand of sewing patterns -- suggesting how EASy it can be to make your own clothes.  

55. "__ boy!": "Well done!": ATTA.

56. "More or __": LESS.  

59. Bookmarked link: URL.

60. "Yep" opposite: NAW.

61. Report card no.: GPA.  number and Grade Point Average

Today's grid:  

How did you do today? Did you run away with this one or did your luck run out?

Friday, July 21, 2023, Jess Schulman, Shannon Rapp

 

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with today's recap of a puzzle by Jess Shulman and Shannon Rapp.

Let us begin with the reveal:

57 Across:  Business retreat, and an apt title for this puzzle?: COMPANY OUTING.

OUTING is used here as a stand-in for take out.  No, not like in take-out food but as in to remove something. The removal is employed at three places within the grid where our puzzle setters delete the abbreviation for COMPANY (CO) from recognizable names and phrases.  

20 Across:  Melt down in response to some trash talk?: PANIC AT THE DIS.  Before the "outing" PANIC AT THE DISCO.  DIS as in to criticize.  Panic at the Disco was an American pop rock band.

36 Across:  Talent for sliding into someone's DMs?: PING SKILLS.  DM is contemporary talk  for Direct Messaging.  Before the "outing" COPING SKILLS.  PING is a network utility used to test reachability of a host.  Alternatively, PING me."

43 Across:  Little cat with a beachy vibe?: CALI KITTEN.  CALI as in California.  I wish they all could be California cats, I suppose.  Before the "outing" CALICO KITTEN.

Here is how this looks in the completed grid.  It proved impossible to highlight the letters that were not there:

The remaining clues and answers are:

Across:

1. History: PAST.

5. Dreamcast maker: SEGA.  A home video game console.

9. Blessing preceder: ACHOO.  Gezuntheit.

14. "__, Brute?": ET TU.  A Shakespearean reference.

15. God attended by Valkyries: ODIN.

16. Intact: WHOLE.

17. Instagram video: REEL.  A contemporary usage of the word REEL.

18. Compact __: DISC.  They replaced LPs

19. Like some seals: EARED.  Most often fur seals and sea lions.

23. Refill: TOP UP.  As in a cocktail or fuel tank.  Do we TOP UP electric vehicles?

24. Costa del __: SOL.

25. AED pro: EMT.  Automated External Defibrillator was new to this solver but the perps quickly led to Emergency Medical Technician because EMTs appear here frequently.

28. Copy cats?: MEOW.  Not exactly copycats as in persons who imitate.   Literally, copy a cat.

30. Noisy bird: MAGPIE.  See also 33 Down.

33. Colorado's __ Verde National Park: MESA.  Cliff dwellings.

39. Haim of "Licorice Pizza": ALANA.  Unknown to this solver.  As the puzzles get more contemporary I find myself becoming less enthusiastic about some of them.  I also know that time marches on and a puzzle full of references to prior generations of entertainers won't do either.

41. Zodiac lion: LEO.

42. __-garde: AVANT.

46. Peepers: EYES.  If one goes looking online for the old song one is "rewarded" with many references to the horror movies.  The phrase predates both.  Louis Armstrong sang it to an eponymous horse.

Jeepers Creepers

47. Connect: ATTACH.   What can you ATTACH to a ball, a cart or a harp to make it something completely different.  OON.

48. "Star Wars" family name of Han and Ben: SOLO.

50. Bentley of "Yellowstone": WES.

51. Substance that lacks refinement?: ORE.  Nice word play.   No, not the French city.

54. Benchmarks: NORMS.  If Weird Al Yankovic wasn't weird he'd be called NORM Al.

62. Language of Iran: FARSI.   . . . and portions of Los Angeles.

64. Exam with a max score of 180: LSAT.  The law school aptitude test.

65. Sunburn salve: ALOE.  Often applied in crossword puzzles.

66. __ beverage: ADULT.  Alcohol.

67. Entice: LURE.

68. Mario __: game with a Rainbow Road: KART.

69. Captcha target: ROBOT.    A contrived acronym for "Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart".  It is a type of challenge-response test used in computing to determine whether the user is human.

70. Itches: YENS.  As in desires not allergic reactios.

71. Docs who insert tympanostomy tubes: ENTS.  Our second medical reference with an abbreviated clue (Docs) and answer.  Ear Nose and Throat specialistS

Down:

1. BOLO target: PERP.  Be On The Alert.  PERPetrator not a crossing word in a puzzle.

2. Patronized, as a restaurant: ATE AT.

3. Shorthand pro: STENO.  A somewhat obsolete profession.

4. Dutch market craze of the late 1630s: TULIP MANIA.  Perhaps not what we have been led to believe,

Smithsonian Magazine - September 2017

5. Soft drink: SODA POP.

What Is It Called Across the USA

6. Address plot holes, perhaps: EDIT.

7. General ideas: GISTS.  What do biologists, archaeologists and meteorologists all have in common?  They all get the GIST of their fields.

8. Dried poblano: ANCHO.

9. Amazed: AWED.  A truck loaded with thousands of copies of Roget's Thesaurus crashed yesterday losing its entire load.  Witnesses were stunned, startled, aghast, taken aback, stupefied, confused, shocked, rattled, paralyzed, dazed, bewildered, mixed up, surprised, awed, dumbfounded, nonplussed, flabbergasted, astounded, amazed, confounded, astonished, overwhelmed, horrified, numbed, speechless, and perplexed.

10. Milky spiced tea: CHAI.

11. Tomfoolery: HORSEPLAY.

12. La Liga cheer: OLE.  A soccer reference.

13. Ref. work that once employed J.R.R. Tolkien: OED.  Oxford English Dictionary.  Tolkien was an English author best known for the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

21. Snooker stick: CUE.

22. Long-lived trees: ELMS.  Neither Sequoias nor Bristle Cone Pines would fit.

26. Eeyore creator: MILNE.  A Winnie The Pooh reference.

27. Challenges: TESTS.  Both can be used as nouns or verbs so that wasn't at issue.

29. Go limp: WILT.

31. Pseudonym indicator: AKA.  Also Known As

32. "Ish": GIVE OR TAKE.

33. Noisy bird: MACAW.  The second noisy bird today.

34. Thrill: ELATE.

35. Element of a margarita pedicure: SALT SCRUB.  Margarita pedicures are not within my ken.  SALT, however, was not surprising as part of the answer.

37. Aquarium scoop: NET.

38. "So It __ ... ": song on Taylor Swift's "Reputation": GOES.  Is Taylor Swift now channeling Kurt Vonnegut?

40. "For the love of all things dog" org.: AKC.

44. Eatery with a "Happy Face" combo on the kids menu: IHOP.

45. "Don't change a thing": NO NOTES.

49. "Mambo No. 5" singer Bega: LOU.

52. Comeback: RALLY.

53. Follow: ENSUE.

55. "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" novelist Kundera: MILAN.  MILAN Kundera passed away on July 11, 2023.

56. Stifled laugh: SNORT.

58. Norse city name that can be translated as "meadow of the gods": OSLO.  Frequently visited in our puzzles.

59. Fly catcher?: MITT.  A baseball reference.

"I Got It"

60. Crocheter's supply: YARN.

61. Understands: GETS.  Can you dig it?

62. Way off: FAR.

63. Fuss: ADO.

Well, coworkers, that will wrap things up for today.  For those of you entertaining guests this weekend, enjoy your COMPANY.

__________________________________________