Thursday, August 14, 2025, Kathy Lowden

 Theme:  Staggering stories.

Today's puzzle appears to be Kathy Lowden's 6th for the LA Times, and her first Thursday offering.  Welcome to Thursday, Kathy!  Mind the steps!

Very likely the first thing you noticed about today's puzzle is the circles.  Say what you will about circles in the crossword puzzle, it's an impressive puzzle within the puzzle, and would certainly not have been discernible without the circles.  Let's start with the reveal, which is a grid spanning entry.

39-Across. Common midcentury modern suburban home, or what is depicted by each set of circled letters: SPLIT-LEVEL HOUSE.  A split-level house is a house in which the floor levels are staggered. There are typically two short sets of stairs, one running upward to a bedroom level, and one going downward toward a basement area.  It was a popular building style in the 1950s and 60s.

The circles spell out types of houses, which are all split onto three rows (or levels) of the puzzle:

Starting at 9-Across:  VILLA

Starting within 17-Across:  COTTAGE

Starting within 51-Across:  MANSION

Starting at 61-Across:  RANCH

Now that Kathy has made you feel at home, let's pull back the curtain on the rest of the clues and answers.

Across:

1. Picnic spoilers: ANTS.

5. Dad jokes, often: PUNS.

9. Hardly reticent: VOCAL.

14. Zoom call button: JOIN.

15. Privy to: IN ON.

16. Works the soil: TILLS.

17. With the bow, in music: ARCO.  This notation on a musical score tells string instrument players to use the bow (Italian "arco"), as opposed to plucking the strings ("pizzicato").

Pluck, then bow.

18. Muppet who refers to himself in the third person: ELMO.

19. Detective Holmes: ENOLA.  The Enola Holmes Mysteries is a series of detective novels by Nancy Springer, starring Enola Holmes as the teenage sister of Sherlock Holmes, twenty years her senior.  The books inspired a 2020 film and 2022 sequel, with a third movie in the works.

20. Slow-cooked rice dishes: RISOTTOS.  I used to think the constant stirring of risotto on the stove would make it too difficult to attempt at home.  I was wrong.  It's a favorite now.

22. Loosen, as shoelaces: UNKNOT.

23. Sorts projects by priority: TRIAGES.

25. CGI invaders: ETs.  Computer-generated imagery is used in films to represent extraterrestrial characters, who sometimes invade the earth.  An abbreviation in the clue calls for an abbreviation in the answer.

26. Summitt in the Basketball Hall of Fame: PAT.  Pat Summitt (1952-2016) was a women's college basketball coach and college basketball player. She served as head coach of the University of Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team from 1974 to 2012 and is considered one of the greatest basketball coaches of all time.  Go Vols!

Pat Summitt

29. "__ of discussion": END.

30. Oxidize: RUST.

33. Iridescent gems: OPALS.

35. "Ugly Betty" actress: ANA ORTIZ.  Ugly Betty was a television series on ABC from 2006 to 2010. It was based on a Colombian telenovela, Yo soy Betty, la fea.  You may remember America Ferrera, who starred as Betty.  Ana Ortiz played Betty's sister.

Ana Ortiz in Ugly Betty

39. [Theme clue and reveal -- see above.]

42. Cadillac SUV: ESCALADE.

43. Puts money in: ANTES.

44. Steep-walled formation: MESA.

45. Off-rd. ride: ATV.  An off-road ride (or vehicle) is an all-terrain vehicle.  An abbreviation in the clue calls for an abbreviation in the answer.

47. Game, __, match: SET.  "Game, set, match" is a phrase used in tennis to announce the end of a match and the winner's victory. It signifies that a player has won the final game of the final set. The expression can be used to indicate a final victory in any context. 

48. Org. for locavores: CSA.  Community Supported Agriculture is a way to buy local food directly from a farmer.  The farm delivers boxes of seasonal goods on a regular basis.  We tried this once, but I didn't know what to do with the odd assortment:  one beet, a couple of carrots, and so on.  We go to our local farmers' market instead.  Does that make us locavores?  Once again, an abbreviation in the clue calls for an abbreviation in the answer.

51. Rahm who was U.S. Ambassador to Japan until 2025: EMANUEL.  Rahm Emanuel is an American politician, diplomat, and former investment banker who served as United States ambassador to Japan from 2022 to 2025.  He represented Illinois in the U.S. House of Representatives for three terms from 2003 to 2009.  He was the White House chief of staff from 2009 to 2010 under President Barack Obama and served as Mayor of Chicago from 2011 to 2019.

Rahm Emanuel

54. First-stringers: A-TEAMS.  In sports, the first-stringers or A-teams are the starting players who are considered most valuable and who consistently see the most playing time.

57. Legendary reptile with a fatal gaze: BASILISK.  In European bestiaries and legends, a basilisk is a serpent king, who causes death to those who look into its eyes.  Today, the common basilisk is a lizard endemic to Central and South America, where it is found near rivers and streams.  It is also called the Jesus Christ lizard for its ability to run on the surface of water.

I took this photo of a relatively harmless basilisk lizard in Costa Rica.

61. Back in style: RETRO.

62. Google __: DOCS.  A file sharing application.  In our family, it's used to share photos and videos that are too large to be emailed.

63. Not twice: ONCE.  "Thrice" doesn't fit.

64. Judges' seats: BANCS.  "En banc" is a French term meaning "on the bench."  It signifies a full court hearing, involving all active judges of a specific appellate court. 

65. Pernicious: EVIL.

66. Rip-off: SCAM.

67. Big hit: SMASH.

68. Target of CRISPR editing: GENE.  CRISPR gene editing is a new technology that allows for targeted modifications to the DNA of living organisms.  It offers potential treatments for genetic disorders and advancements in crop engineering.  

69. 50+ group: AARP.  AARP is the American Association of Retired Persons.  It's an organization that focuses on issues affecting people aged 50 and older.  And you don't have to be retired to join.

Down:

1. Partly open: AJAR.

2. Seaweed wrapper on Spam musubi: NORI.  Spam musubi is a Hawaiian food item made of fried Spam (canned meat) on a block of rice, wrapped together with a strip of nori (dried red algae seaweed). 

3. Small spasms: TICS.

4. Snob: SNOOT.

5. Tart pan: PIE TIN.

6. Vent frustration: UNLOAD.

7. Claim on some ramen packets: NO MSG.

8. __-Caps: SNO.  

9. Powerful engine: V-TEN.  A V10 engine is a ten-cylinder piston engine where two banks of five cylinders are arranged in a V configuration around a common crankshaft. 

V10 engine

10. Porcine noise: OINK.

11. Exact copy: CLONE.

12. Apportion: ALLOT.

13. Exams for future AGs: LSATs.  If you'd like to be an Attorney General someday, you'd best become an attorney first.  That process usually begins with the Law School Admission Test.

21. Railroad support: TRESTLE.  A trestle bridge is a bridge composed of a number of short spans supported by closely spaced frames, usually carrying a railroad line.

Trestle bridge with train

22. Normal: USUAL.

24. Sea eagle: ERNE.  A sea eagle or fish eagle (also called erne or ern) is any of the birds of prey in the subfamily Haliaeetinae of the family Accipitridae.  There are 10 species of erne, including the Bald Eagle.

26. Cat or cow, e.g., in yoga: POSE.

27. Starters, casually: APPS.  Appetizers.

28. Soft mineral: TALC.

31. "Me too": SO HAVE I.

32. 1982 film set inside a mainframe: TRON.  I enjoyed this movie at the time!  Haven't seen it since, but it did appear in Tuesday's puzzle.  Did any of our solvers like the film?

TRON

34. Actor Neeson: LIAM.

35. Wide st.: AVE.  Street / Avenue.  An abbreviation in the clue calls for an abbreviation in the answer.

36. Sounds of rebuke: TUTS.

37. "Understood": I SEE.

38. Key lime pie garnish: ZEST.

40. Cuts with a beam: LASES.

41. Semisoft cheese: EDAM.

45. Big name in headache remedies: ANACIN.  Anacin is an over-the-counter pain reliever that combines aspirin and caffeine.  Throw in some acetominophen and you've got Excedrin Migraine.

46. Scuffle: TUSSLE.

48. Nutrients eschewed on Atkins: CARBS.  The Atkins diet limits carbohydrates and emphasizes consumption of fat and protein.  This can lead to weight loss, and also to heart disease and cancer.  I'll have the pasta.

49. Momentum: STEAM.

50. Insurer owned by CVS Health: AETNA.

52. On top of: ABOVE.

53. Literature Nobelist Mario Vargas __: LLOSA.  Peruvian novelist Mario Vargas Llosa (1936-2025) is considered to have been one of the most significant Latin American writers of his generation.  He won the 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Mario Vargas Llosa

55. Story lines: ARCS.

56. __ pit: MOSH.  A mosh pit is an area at a live music concert, typically in front of the stage, where people dance in a way that involves pushing and shoving.  

Shall we dance?

58. Machu Picchu native: INCA.

59. Mark that may be emotional or physical: SCAR.

60. Dole's 1996 running mate: KEMP.

62. Ph.D., for one: DEG.  A Ph.D. (philosophiae doctor, or doctor in philosophy) is a degree that usually indicates the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline.  And, as I don't have to tell you, an abbreviation in the clue calls for an abbreviation in the answer.

Here's the grid:

Fellow solvers, did you enjoy today's inventory of SPLIT LEVEL HOUSEs?

Did you UNLOAD some TUTS upon the EVIL circles?

Or did you attack the puzzle with ZEST and decide the whole thing was a SMASH in the END?

Let us know in the comments.

-- NaomiZ

Monday June 16, 2025 Kathy Lowden

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here. If you woke up this morning thinking, "I'm in the mood for some silly rhymes," then today is your lucky day!

Theme:      

Ready, Freddy?

20 Across. "Why should I care if the peasants are starving?," snarled the __: MEAN QUEEN.

26 Across. "Teach your kids some manners! And get better snacks," snapped the __: BITTER SITTER.

43 Across. "Don't try and tell me the route -I've been doing this job for 20 years," growled the __: CRABBY CABBIE.

54 Across. "I need this work done yesterday!," shouted the __: CROSS BOSS.  

No reveal was needed today. Each themer is a two-word phrase where the first word is an adjective describing a cranky attitude and the second word is a human. All the clues are quotes. I liked this tight set! 

Moody Foodie???

Across:

1. Large group of bees: SWARM. SWARM is the collective noun for a large group of bees. My backyard neighbor has bees. They SWARM (verb) every year. It is fascinating to watch!

6. Female deer: DOE.  Some other four-legged mammal whose females are called DOEs are goats, antelopes, and rabbits. But today is Monday so ....

9. Expressed disapproval: TSKED.  

"handy"  haha!

14. Olympic swimmer Ledecky: KATIE.     and     48 Across. Rio automaker: KIA.

Last Monday we had 49. Across. Where Katie Ledecky won four Olympic golds:  RIO.

15. Wane: EBB.

16. Swiftly: APACE.  Def.:  (adverb) at a quick pace; swiftly.

If you read this one too swiftly, you might have thought it said "Swiftie".  

Taylor Swift fans call themselves Swifties.

17. Leaves the motor running: IDLES.  

18. Dove's sound: COO.

19. Come up with, as an idea: HIT ON.  

~  another meaning for HIT ON  ~
DH and I met running. He came up alongside me and said, "How you doin'?"

22. Clickable symbols: ICONS.  

23. Alums-to-be: SRS.  high school seniors  

Zits readers know that Pierce recently confused two types of seniors.

24. Sea urchin, on a sushi menu: UNI.  (rhymes with "Moonie")

Out of the 950 species of sea urchin, only 18 are edible.

I hear college students in The UK love UNI.

25. Consumed: ATE.  Yet when we describe people as consumers, the first thing to come to mind is not eaters.

32. Must: HAVE TO.

35. Rejections: NOs.

36. Went by skateboard: RODE.  

Rad Dog

37. Photographer's request: SMILE.  

Peg   ~   Steely Dan   ~  1977

"So won't you SMILE for the camera." 𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯

38. Little one: TOT.

39. Goes out with: DATES.

40. Second to none: BEST.

41. Feel poorly: AIL.

42. Passionate: ARDENT.

46. Abu Dhabi's fed.: UAE.  federation and United Arab Emirites

47. Substance that may be crushed or cubed: ICE.

51. Heroic tales: EPICS.

57. Puts in order: RANKS.

58. Ray gun sound: ZAP.  Sometimes it is "pew".

59. Tests for doctoral candidates: ORALS.

60. Sock terminus, often: ANKLE.  

ANKLE socks

61. Lennox of R&B: ARI.  [b. Courtney Shanade Salter on March 26, 1991 in Washington, D.C.] I watched two videos and had to pass on both. Perhaps someone reading this is a fan and can suggest their favorite Ari Lennox song.

62. __ mignon: FILET.

63. Eye maladies: STYES.

64. TiVo button: REC.

65. Daring achievements: FEATS.  Ultramarathoners complete FEATS with their feets. 

Down:

1. Reads quickly: SKIMS.

2. Flamingo, for one: WADER.  

3. Book of maps: ATLAS.

4. "Non, je ne regrette __": Edith Piaf song: RIEN.  ESP for me but when I listened to the song, I recognized it. The title translates to, "No, I regret nothing." Edith's version came out in 1960.  

5. Wood used for grilling: MESQUITE.  

They are beautiful trees inhabiting arid and semiarid regions throughout
the southwest U.S., Mexico, South America, northern Africa, and eastern Asia.

6. Web of lies: DECEIT.  

7. Double-reed woodwind: OBOE.

8. Black, to poets: EBON.  EBONy.  "To poets" is a hint that the answer is somehow abbreviated.

9. Setting for many Gauguin paintings: TAHITI.  

Parau Api. What's new?, 1892. by Paul Gauguin

10. Silk Road enterprise: SPICE TRADE.  This link takes you to a 518-word article on the Silk Road. Some of the SPICEs that were TRADEd include cloves, ginger, turmeric, nutmeg, frankincense, black pepper, cinnamon, and saffron.

11. The Green Hornet's aide: KATO. I thought he had a lamp so I first tried that. KATO was his crime-fighting sidekick.

12. Business maj.: ECON.  major and ECONomics

13. Fox holes: DENS.

21. "Do __ others ... ": UNTO.

25. Stubborn animal: ASS.

26. Prize at a rodeo: BELT BUCKLE.  

27. Sherlock's teen sister: ENOLA.

28. Go bad: ROT.

29. Fundraiser freebie: TOTE.  I have so many! I keep a TOTE full of TOTEs in my car.

30. Genesis garden: EDEN.

31. Take a breather: REST.

32. U.K.-based bank founded in Asia: HSBC.  Once known as the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, HSBC began in Hong Kong in 1865 to finance trade between Europe and Asia. Today they are in 58 countries and territories, including the U.S. and Canada. 

33. U.S. citizen: AMER.  The abbreviation in the clue let us know that AMERican would be shortened.

34. Travel document: VISA.

38. Involuntary twitch: TIC.

39. Uses a towel: DRIES OFF.

41. Favorable vote: AYE.  All those in favor....

42. Basics: ABCS.

44. Voices lower than tenors: BASSES.  Last Monday we had 8-Down. Low opera voice: BASSO.  

There are detailed differences between the two; but, basically, basso is an Italian word and usually refers to opera or classical singing. Also note that this week we were looking for a plural answer because of voices.  

45. Film about a real person, informally: BIOPIC.  The word BIOPIC often makes the list of misles (pronounced with a long /i/). These are words that people often mispronounce in their heads while reading them because they do not match the pronunciation with the spelling. Their name comes from misled which people sometimes misread as MY-zel-ed. In the case of BIOPIC, people often read it as bi-OP-ic (rhyming with myopic). Some other misles are:  awry, colonel, corps, infrared, sword, and Yosemite.

48. Fluffy-eared marsupial: KOALA.  

today's "So cute!" moment

49. Small part of an archipelago: ISLET.  According to NOAA, an archipelago is an area that contains a chain or group of islands scattered in lakes, rivers, or the ocean. The Canadian Arctic Archipelago includes 36,563 islands.

50. Aides: Abbr.: ASSTS.  ASSisTS

51. Historical spans: ERAS.  

52. Huff and puff: PANT.  This common nighthawk is PANTing. Read more about how birds PANT at this U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service page.  

53. Deep black: INKY.

54. Policy honcho: CZAR.

55. Not medium or well: RARE.  Think "meat cooking options".

56. Camembert kin: BRIE.  fromage  

Click to enlarge.

The grid:  

I'll be away when today's blog posts. Fingers crossed everything goes smoothly.

Read you later, alligator! 

Monday May 19, 2025 Kathy Lowden

  

Happy Monday, everyone!  sumdaze here with a head scratcher from constructor Kathy Lowden. This is Kathy's fourth LAT puzzle and second one this month!

Theme:         

Use Your Noggin

   I also found this 1966 Soupy Sales song: 

The themed clues are:

16 Across. Picnic side that may contain chickpeas: BEAN SALAD.  

Chickpeas are often called "garbanzo beans" here on the West Coast
but we cannot have bean in the clue and the answer.

33 Across. Potluck dish often made with cream of mushroom soup: NOODLE CASSEROLE.  

This one also has chicken and peas.

40 Across. Tchaikovsky composition excerpted in Disney's "Fantasia": NUTCRACKER SUITE.  

Thank you, Kathy, for giving me a reason to revisit this beautiful film!

And the reveal:

61 Across. Advantage in a race, and what can be found in 16-, 33-, or 40-Across: HEAD START.

Here is an example of someone taking a HEAD START in a race:  

Oops!

Also... BEAN, NOODLE, and NUT are all slang terms meaning HEAD. Plus, they are at the START of each of the answers. The answers have a HEAD START!

After filling the first two themers I thought everything was going to be potluck food but NUTCRACKER SUITE told me otherwise. Maybe using three food nicknames for the human HEAD was purposeful or maybe it just turns out that food words do the job nicely. We might have had GRAPEFRUIT DIET or MELONY G. GRIFFITH (former MD State Senator).

It's time we made some headway on the remaining clues....

Across:

1. __ but not least: LAST.  This clue was first and foremost today.

5. Dino with short arms: T. REX.  Dinosaur is shortened, so is tyrannosaurus rex. Rex means "king" in Latin.  Why T. Rex has Tiny Arms

9. 12-Down, for one: CHEF.     and     12 Down. Food Network Emmy winner Bobby: FLAY.

13. Rights org.: ACLU.

14. Part in a film: ROLE.

15. "And never the twain __ meet": SHALL.  The Ballad of East and West is a poem by Rudyard Kipling. It was first published in 1889.  full poem

18. Inventor Nikola: TESLA.

19. Bus-catching spot: STATION.  

The Hollies   ~   Bus Stop   ~   (1966)

20. "__ away": "RuPaul's Drag Race" catchphrase: SASHAY.  

21. Misdeed: SIN.

22. __ and drabs: DRIBS.  DRIBS and drabs is an informal plural noun that means "small amounts that come or happen over a period of time".  

24. Tennis champion Swiatek: IGA.  I learned this one from Husker Gary. He said IGA is commonly clued this way or as the grocery stores. I think I remember seeing the IGA symbol on the paper bags at the grocery store back in the day. 

27. Hawaiian welcome garland: LEI.  

29. Clickable link: URL.  This is the URL of the page that explains how to post a comment on this blog:

https://crosswordcorner.blogspot.com/2008/09/how-to-post-comment.html

30. Gave a snack: FED.  

Bill Murray (well, his stunt double) FED a snack to an orca in
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2005).

37. Farmland measure: ACRE.

38. Tax-collecting agcy.: IRS.     and     62 Down. Syllable of disapproval: TSK.  

I wonder if this cartoonist knows that campaign contributions
are not tax deductible.

39. Landed: ALIT.

45. Clean air org.: EPA.  organization and Environmental Protection Agency

46. Tetris shape: ELL.  as in the letter L  

This example shows an orange ELL shape and
 a dark blue ELL shape in a Tetris game.

47. Tetley drink: TEA.  Tetley is a brand name of TEA.

48. Above, in odes: O'ER.  over

49. Low-power mode: SLEEP.  I liked this clueing angle. SLEEP mode on a computer is a power-saving state that stops all actions. Any open documents and applications are moved to its RAM.

51. Lead-in to gender: CIS-.  "Lead in" leads us to the prefix department.

53. One-on-one students: TUTEES.  This fill has some very useful letters. Last week we had 4-D. Solo scholar:  TUTEE.

56. In a state of shock: REELING.  This clue uses a verb definition of REEL meaning "to waver or fall back (as from a blow)".

60. Extraterrestrial: ALIEN.  

63. Unable to move: INERT.  While three-toed sloths are not completely INERT, they are pretty slow. They have the slowest digestion of any mammal. This 1:55 min. video explains why.  

64. Shrek, for one: OGRE.

65. Yard sale caveat: AS IS.

66. Boys: LADS.

67. A lot (of): TONS.

68. Major or general: RANK.  My friend went to the medical clinic on base and parked in front of a sign that said "General Parking". She thought it meant "parking for the general population", as in "not just for the pooh-bahs". The MPs were not amused.

Down:

1. Scientist's workplace: LAB.  

2. Gets a top score on: ACES.

3. Crosspiece on a bed frame: SLAT.

4. Albacore and yellowfin: TUNAS.

5. Apprentice: TRAINEE.  Which has higher status, a TRAINEE or a TUTEE?

6. Caramel-filled candy: ROLO.  

7. African antelope: ELAND.  ELANDs live in Africa. They can use their horns to bring food on branches within reach. They are both the largest and slowest antelopes in the world. (Don't tell the lions!) 

8. Crossed (out): X-ED.  

9. Game with rooks and pawns: CHESS.

10. Heavenly __ ice cream: HASH.  

It is a lot like rocky road but it has chocolate-covered almonds
instead of walnuts.

11. "__ Enchanted": Anne Hathaway film: ELLA.  

Anne was 22 years old in 2004 when this movie hit the theaters.

15. Horse's home: STABLE.  They are lucky to have a STABLE home life.

17. "Sparkling or __?": STILL.  A server at a restaurant might ask you this question if you request a glass of water. Sparkling water has added CO2 gas which gives it its fizz. 

Translate:  $6 per glass or free?  

20. Gentlemen: SIRS.

23. Baking potato: RUSSET.  

24. Silly: INANE.  CSO to inanehiker!

25. Coffee container at a drive-thru: GO-CUP.  

This???

26. Major artery: AORTA.

28. Eaves dripper: ICICLE.  I liked this one for its similarity to eavesdropper.

30. Shakespearean volume: FOLIO.  This should answer any questions you might have.

31. Top-notch: ELITE.  

32. Dissuade: DETER.

34. NYE month: DEC.  New Year's Eve and DECember

35. Noah's boat: ARK.  

36. French actress/model Ines: RAU.  

In 2017, Ines was Playboy's first transgender playmate.
 Apparently she is also an Iron Maiden fan.

41. Give in: RELENT.

42. Brews that may be pale: ALES.

43. Ebbs: RECEDES.

44. Mast attachments: SAILS.  Masts and SAILS were in the news this past weekend. I had the pleasure of going on board a similar Mexican tall ship when it visited Monterey 20 or so years ago. (Or maybe it was the same one???) I remember the sailors up on the masts when she left the wharf. It was a rousing experience. I am sad that such a positive gesture could end so tragically. (2:10 min.)  

49. Crystal ball consultors: SEERS.  

50. Marinara sauce brand: PREGO.

52. Indian lute: SITAR.

53. Long part of a kite: TAIL.  The TAIL is quite opposite of the HEAD.

54. Arm bone: ULNA.

55. Like a 1-1 score: TIED.

57. Work for: EARN.

58. Mars rover org.: NASA.  

Click to enlarge.

59. Big smile: GRIN.  

61. Like Scotch bonnet peppers: HOT.  I knew that the Scoville Scale tells us how HOT a pepper is but this week I learned what it actually measures. The short answer is it measures the number of sugar and water dilutions required to bring the capsaicinoids level down to that of a bell pepper. The long answer is found here.

SHU = Scoville Heat Units

Here is today's grid:  

That's all for today. It's time to make like a baby and head out....