L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Kevin Christian

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Dec 11, 2023

Monday December 11, 2023 Kevin Christian

Hello Cornerites!

sumdaze here. Veteran constructor Kevin Christian keeps us entertained with a fast & fun Monday solve. Our theme is: HOSERS

Bob and Doug McKenzie are a pair of fictional Canadian brothers who hosted Great White North on SCTV in the early 1980s. Bob is played by Rick Moranis (left) and Doug is played by Dave Thomas (right).
They introduced this impressionable Lower 48-er to the Canadian term "hoser" (an unsophisticated, rural person).

Now, for the actual puzzle.... We have 4 themers and a unifier:

17 Across. Baskin-Robbins option: WAFFLE CONE.

25 Across. Lemon-lime soda brand discontinued in early 2023: SIERRA MIST.

a PepsiCo product

37 Across. Wet postgame celebration: CHAMPAGNE SHOWER.

Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, Wedding Crashers (2005)

47 Across. Wealthy executive's plane: PRIVATE JET.

This themer answered the, "Are we doing 'foods'?" question.

59 Across. Backyard item with settings found at the ends of 17-, 25-, 37-, and 47-Across: GARDEN HOSE.

Technically, we are talking about an attachment to a GARDEN HOSE. Close enough! Works for me!

CONE, MIST, SHOWER, and JET are all settings on a spray nozzle for a GARDEN HOSE.
(They seem to be specifically designed to land on the lever when I set them down so either I or my dog gets sprayed.)

Across:

1. Sheets of paper: PAGES. Hand up for first thinking "reams", but I waited for perps.

6. Indian prince: RAJA.

10. Walk back and forth anxiously: PACE.

14. Walled city near Madrid: AVILA.

You can take a train from Madrid to Avila for about 15 Euros.

15. List-shortening abbr.: ET AL.

16. MC or Visa alternative: AMEX. credit cards

19. Green gemstone: JADE.

This past summer I was at an art fair where all the booths sold JADE. I saw some unpolished JADE and thought to myself, "Huh, I have a 6 lb. (2.7 kg.), bright green rock. I wonder if it is JADE?" I went home and did some research and found this video online. Prospector Dan shows three tests. I do not have the tools for Test #1 "Light Passing Through" (at 15 min.) or Test #2 "Hardness" (at 17 min.), so I decided to do Test #3 "Specific Gravity Test" (at 20:25 min.) When DH got home, I said, "We're going to do a Science experiment!" Our calculations equaled 3. My rock is JADE!

20. Minor complaint: NIT.

knitters' NITs ???

21. North Carolina campus: ELON. I learned this one from doing XWDs.

22. Dasani product: WATER. Easter egg #1!

pricier than water from your GARDEN HOSE

23. Piggy bank opening: SLOT.

28. __ monitor: prenatal device: FETAL. "FETAL" is an adjective which means "relating to a fetus."

30. Smidgen: IOTA.

PSI'm sorry for the bad puns.

31. One over par, in golf: BOGEY.

Are the top two real? I do not remember hearing of them.

33. "Back in Black" rock band: AC🗲DC.

34. Part of TNT: TRI. Trinitrotoluene

41. Corn discard: COB.

42. "Yeah, right": I BET.

43. "Circle of Friends" novelist Binchy: MAEVE. She was an Irish novelist and playwright. (1939-2012).

44. Aspire laptop maker: ACER.

45. Big name in farm equipment: DEERE.

51. Put in the overhead bin: STOW.

Hmm....Is Earl a hoser?

54. Within the rules: LEGAL.

55. Part of TLC: CARE. Tender Loving CARE

Sending some TLC out to C.C. this week. 💜

57. Latvia, once: Abbr.: SSR. In the past, Latvia was part of the Soviet Socialist Republic.

58. "Put a lid __!": ON IT. This idiom means to stop something before it gets out of control.

62. Sandals brand owned by Deckers: TEVA. Deckers was founded in Santa Barbara (Hi Picard!) in 1973. It acquired the UGG brand in 1995, TEVA in 2002, and Hoka (a running shoe brand) in 2012.

TEVAs are great for water activities!

63. Figure skating leap: AXEL.

64. "Coming along?": YOU IN?

65. Fortuneteller: SEER.

66. Like grass at dawn: DEWY.

Huey, Dewey, & Louie on DEWY grass???

67. Adds to the poker pot: ANTES.

Down:
1. Chess pieces that are often moved first: PAWNS.

2. To no __: in vain: AVAIL.

3. Ability to speak persuasively: GIFT OF GAB. One source traces the origin of this idiom to the Middle English word 'gob', which means mouth, and 'gabbe' which means idle talk.

4. Santa's helper: ELF. With Christmas just 2 weeks away, I need some ELF help!

5. Black Friday event: SALE. Black Friday Around the World

6. Shrink back in fear: RECOIL. Easter egg #2! (sort of)

After you finish watering, it is good to RE-COIL your GARDEN HOSE.
(OK...it's just "coil" -- but this is more fun!)

7. Make amends: ATONE.

8. Middle Brady girl: JAN.

Being the middle child, JAN sometimes got tired of her older sister, Marcia, getting all the attention.

9. Pub brew: ALE.

10. __ party: sleepover: PAJAMA. I started filling in S-L-U-M-B-E then ran out of boxes.

11. Valuable violin: AMATI. AMATI is the last name of a family of Italian violin makers who lived from about 1538 to 1740. In May 2013, an auction record $654,588 was paid for an AMATI violin.

12. Gives over (to): CEDES.

13. Apply, as pressure: EXERT. I was thinking "massages"....

18. Actress Pataky: ELSA. She was born in Madrid on July 18, 1976 and is mostly known for being in the Fast & Furious movies.

sexy Elsa with her hunky husband Chris Hemsworth (Thor)

22. "Don't think I won't!": WATCH ME. Fun clue & fill!

24. Overflow (with): TEEM.

26. Grain grown in a paddy: RICE.

I took this picture of a farmer harvesting his RICE in Japan.

27. Towel holders: RODS.

29. Usual: TYPICAL.

31. Include on an email surreptitiously: BCC.

32. "Caught you!": OHO. an exclamation used to show pleased surprise or recognition

33. Picnic invader: ANT. They frequently invade XWD puzzles as well.

34. Announces on X: TWEETS OUT. Now that Twitter has been renamed X, I guess it would not sound right to say "Xes OUT".

35. Gun, as an engine: REV. Vroom! Vroom!

36. Wrath: IRE.

38. Help in wrongdoing: ABET.

39. Richard of "Sommersby": GERE. his IMBd page

40. Rowboat set: OARS.

44. Gamer's virtual persona: AVATAR. An AVATAR is a personalized graphical illustration that represents a computer user. Sometimes it is a character or alter ego that represents that user.

Here is an excellent example ... and choice!

45. Lethal: DEADLY.

46. "To be," in French: ETRE.

47. Parcels of land: PLOTS.

48. Actress Zellweger: RENÉE. her IMBd page

49. "Uncle!": I GIVE.

50. Preppy clothing brand: J.CREW. This company turned 40 this year. It filed for bankruptcy in 2020 but it is still selling its Cape Cod look.

52. "Grumpy Old Men" actor Davis: OSSIE. (1917 - 2005) He led a distinguished life.

Ossie Davis played Chuck in Grumpy Old Men (1993).

53. Small chirpy birds: WRENS.

Wren ten tin ???

56. Irish New Age singer: ENYA. IIRC, RosE also likes ENYA's music. Since it is December, I am choosing Christmas Secrets (2006).

59. Wander (about): GAD. Def: (verb) go around from one place to another, in the pursuit of pleasure or entertainment.

While GADding about the internet, I accidentally came across this history video entitled The Sunken Town of Gad, West Virginia (17:46 min.) Some of you might find it interesting. The town was lost to the Summersville Dam in 1966. I especially liked the interviews with the former residents. (Watch for the water skiers in the background at 5:34 min.!)

60. Logger's tool: AXE. The other day I watched firefighters loading up their truck after a false alarm. One carried a large AXE. #NotJustAStereotype

61. Sweetie: HON. Bs make HON.

That's all for today. I look forward to reading your comments. Have a great week, everyone!

Oops! I just realized I forgot to add the grid. Better late than never....

Sep 6, 2022

Tuesday, September 6, 2022 Kevin Christian and Mangesh Sakharam Ghogre

Yoga Class: The last word of each theme answer is also a yoga pose.

17-Across. * George Plimpton football memoir set in Detroit: PAPER LION. [Name # 1.]

25-Across. * Courtroom hotshot: LEGAL EAGLE.

35-Across. * Informer: STOOL PIGEON. This is my favorite yoga pose.

48-Across. * Cowardly type: SCAREDY CAT.

And the unifier:

57-Across. Asanas found at the ends of the answers to the starred clues: YOGA POSES. Everything you wanted to know about Asana Yoga, but didn't know to ask.

Over a decade ago, C.C. interviewed Mangesh Sakharam Ghogre. You can read the interview here.

Across:

1. "Sorry, rules __ rules": ARE.

4. Dizzying designs: OP ART. Short for Optical Art.

9. __ up on: unites against: GANGS.

14. Villain Luthor: LEX. [Name # 2.] // Change the vowel, and you get 29-Across. Bagel topper: LOX.

15. Prefix with -lithic: PALEO-. Paleolithic. Also known as the Old Stone Age.

16. Love to pieces: ADORE.

19. One awarding stars, perhaps: RATER.

20. "... the __ of defeat": "Wide World of Sports" phrase: AGONY.

21. "Black Panther" director Coogler: RYAN. [Name # 3.] Ryan Kyle Coogler (b. May 23, 1986) has directed a number of films.

23. Excite, with "up": AMP.

24. King or queen, but not prince or princess: CARD.

28. House pest: ANT. Remove a consonant from the Pest and the ANT becomes a house Pet. Yesterday, the ANT was an Unwelcome Picnic Guest.

30. Manage to achieve: ATTAIN.

31. Reciprocal of cosine: SECANT. // And 39-Down. Inverse trig function: ARCSINE. We all remember our high school math class, right?

34. Trace: HINT.

38. Water-to-wine town: CANA. A Biblical reference where Jesus performed the miracle of turning water into wine at a wedding.

40. Hiking sites: TRAILS.

41. Maker of Zesty Curly frozen French fries: ORE-IDA. Yummers! Actually, I have never tried these, but I do like Ore-Ida's Tater Tots, which appeared in yesterday's puzzle.

44. D.C. stadium: RFK. Formally known as the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium. It is currently being demolished. [Name adjacent.]

45. D.C. fundraising org.: PAC.

51. Love, in tennis: ZERO. Why does Love mean nothing in Tennis?

52. Chiding syllable: TSK.

53. Milne bear: POOH. Winnie the Pooh is a fictional teddy bear created by A.A. Milne (né Alan Alexander Milne; Jan. 18, 1882 ~ Jan. 31, 1956) in the 1920s.

54. Puts in order: SORTS.

55. Sibling's daughter: NIECE. Word origin.

60. Scandal-plagued energy company: ENRON. This company disintegrated almost overnight back in 2001.

61. Nebraska city: OMAHA. Hi, Husker Gary! Years ago, when I was first looking for a job, I was offered a job in Omaha. My potential boss told me, however, that moving from the Northeast, I would experience "extreme cultural shock" living in Nebraska. So instead, I moved to the South. No cultural shock there, eh?

62. Mined resource: ORE. Not to be confused with the 41-Across and the Ore-Ida potato products.

63. Patch, as a lawn: RE-SOD.

64. Fruit-hitting-the-floor sound: SPLAT.

65. Big Apple paper, for short: NYT. As in the New York Times.

Down:

1. Llama kin: ALPACA.

2. 1980s president Ronald: REAGAN. Ronald Wilson Reagan (Feb. 6, 1911 ~ June 5, 2004) was the 40th President. Can it really be over 40 years since he began his term as President? [Name # 4.]

3. Commodity sold abroad: EXPORT.

4. The Grand Ole __: OPRY. The home of country music.

5. Chum: PAL.

6. Boxer who said, "It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am": ALI. Muhammad Ali (né Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.; Jan. 17, 1942 ~ June 3, 2016) would "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." [Name # 5.]

7. Corp. shake-up: RE-ORG. As in Reorganize. It seems like the banking industry is always undergoing re-orgs.

8. Skater Harding: TONYA. Tonya Maxene Harding (b. Nov. 12, 1970) is best known for her troubles past. In 1994, her ex-husband attacked her rival, Nancy Kerrigan. Tonya was banned from competitive skating and turned to boxing. [Name # 6.]

9. January birthstone: GARNET. I have 3 options for my birthstone.

10. Oral health org.: ADA. As in the American Dental Association.

11. "Why does this keep happening!?": NOT AGAIN. Yup. I'll be out next week again.

12. Unseen troublemaker: GREMLIN. Also the model of a vehicle that was manufactured in the 1970s.

13. Garden of Eden creature: SERPENT.

18. Terminate: END.

22. Mobile's st.: ALA. Mobile, Alabama is on the Gulf of Mexico. The George Washington Tunnel on I-10 runs under the Mobile River, then emerges to join the bridge that spans the Bay of Mobile. The tunnel is a bottleneck on the interstate and there is always a long line of traffic of cars waiting to go through the tunnel. Interesting fact about Mobile: the first Mardi Gras in the Americas was held in Mobile.

25. El Pollo __: southwestern restaurant chain: LOCO. El Pollo Loco is a California-based chain. I was about to say I had never heard of this restaurant, but our local paper recently announced the company is expanding in south Louisiana.

26. Glorify: EXALT.

27. One of the Musketeers: ATHOS. The Three Musketeers is a French historical adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas. It was written in 1844 and is on my TBR list. The novel, which is set in the 1620s, recounts the adventures of a young man named d'Artagnan who befriends Athos, Porthos and Aramis, who are the musketeers. [Name # 7.]

29. Summer sign: LEO. Hi, Leo III!

31. Flight part: STAIR.

32. "Fresh Air" airer: NPR. Fresh Air is a radio talk show hosted by Terry Gross. She has been hosting the show since 1975. [Name # 8.]

33. Small crown: TIARA. Apparently in the British royal family there are strict rules about wearing Tiaras.

35. Tennis shoes: SNEAKERS.

36. Birthday present: GIFT.

37. Caribou cousin: ELK. What's the difference between an Elk and a Caribou?

38. Kevin of "Yellowstone": COSTNER. Kevin Costner (né Kevin Michael Costner; b. Jan. 18, 1955) plays the patriarch in the television show Yellowstone. [Name # 9.]