Friday, November 24, 2017, Leonard Williams

Title: Bottom's up!

I am back for this post-thanksgiving puzzle. My trip to Thailand to meet my wife's family, renew our vows and get her to doctors who speak Thai was a wonderful experience. Now on to the puzzle.

We have our second puzzle from LEONARD WILLIAMS who has 8 NYT publications, and a 2016 WSJ.  His LAT was a SUNDAY in 2012. This was strange creation, easy in places, but no reveal for the theme. I have blogged enough puzzles where themers all go from bottom to top, but I don't recall one without a reveal.  This will likely upset those who do not like themes but it was all well put together. The five all have second word (read from the bottom to the top) synonymous with "rising."
Two relate to climb/ascent and two relate to hike/increase. I had fun.

3D. Government revenue generator, aptly : ESAERCNI XAT (11). Tax increase.

13D. Hillary's feat, aptly : TNECSA TSEREVE (13). Everest ascent.

15D. Retailer's increase, aptly : EKIH ECIRP (9). Price hike.

23D. What Red Bull provides, aptly : TSOOB YGRENE (11). Energy boost.

27D. Scale a cliff, aptly : BMILC KCOR (9). Rock climb.


Across:

1. Old AT and T rival : GTE. General Telephone and Electric.

4. __ Na Na : SHA. More from Woodstock.

7. Pigsty : DUMP. These are not synonymous for me. A palace can be a pigsty if not cleaned etc.

11. Least used : RUSTIEST. A Friday stretch.

14. Nightmare reaction : TERROR. This was obscure to me.

16. "Collages" author : ANAIS NIN.  Angela Anaïs Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmell, known professionally as Anaïs Nin, was an American diarist, essayist, novelist, and writer of short stories and erotica. wiki.

17. Grammy winner for "I Believe I Can Fly" : R KELLY.

18. Part of a Requiem Mass : DIES IRAE. Dies irae is a Latin hymn attributed to either Thomas of Celano of the Franciscans (1200 – c. 1265) or to Latino Malabranca Orsini. The hymn is best known from its use as a sequence in the Requiem (Mass for the Dead or Funeral Mass). wiki.

19. Name suffix : III. On any application they ask for suffixes like jr. etc.

20. Ukr. and Georgia, once : SSRS.

21. With legal tender : IN CASH. meh.

23. Even prime : TWO. The only even number that cannot be divided by any other.

26. 2016 World Series Champions : CUBS.

28. Locale : SITE.

29. Con target : SAP.

30. "The Hunger Games" nation : PANEM. Bread. LINK.

32. Pianist Templeton : ALEC. I did not know this COMPOSER.

33. Estadio shout : OLE.

34. Formal reply to "Who's there?" : IT IS I.

35. Foul line shots: Abbr. : FTS. Free Throws.

36. "Too rich for my blood" : I FOLD.

38. Loose : LAX.

39. "__ and the Real Girl": 2007 film : LARS. I ended up enjoying this very odd movie.

41. Judicial attire : ROBES.

42. Altar constellation : ARA. The name means ALTAR.

43. Hudson Bay native : CREE.

44. Like kittens : SPRY.

45. Honda subcompact : FIT.

46. Actor Culkin : KIERAN. Macaulay's brother. he continues to act, 2015 in tv series Fargo.

48. Some NCOs : SGTS.

51. Nipper's brand : RCA. Nipper was a mongrel -part fox terrier part jack Russell - from Bristol, England, who served as the model for a painting by Francis Barraud titled "His Master's Voice which was used by RCA

52. Saint of "On the Waterfront" : EVA MARIE.

54. Something to exercise: OPTION. This right so many ways.


57. Particularly noxious: VIRULENT.

58. Cialis competitor: VIAGRA.

59. Periodic table listing: ELEMENTS.

60. Numbered piece: OPUS.

61. Obstinate critter: ASS.

62. That, in Tijuana: ESA.

Down:

1. Alumni: GRADS. I know, no mention of abbreviation.

2. North African capital: TUNIS. Tunisia.

4. Emphatic Acapulco assent: SI SI.

5. Rousseau et al.: HENRIS.

6. Like many elephants: ASIAN. Here is Oo after she just fed a lime to an Asian Elephant.

7. Eins und zwei: DREI. Adding in German.

8. Google find: URL.

9. Basic chem. unit: MOLecule.

10. Ask too many questions: PRY.

12. Cold sufferer's boxful: TISSUES.In Thailand they use tissues in place of napkins and paper towels.


14. Sad, to Sartre: TRISTE. French.

22. Is out sick, say: AILS.

24. Pixar title robot: WALL-E.

25. Slanted pieces: OP-EDS.

30. Rice dish : PILAF.

31. Longtime video game name : ATARI.

35. For the taking : FREE.

37. On the market : FOR SALE.

40. Singer Grande : ARIANA. Seems like a very real person, but what do I know.

44. Certain drums : SNARES.

47. Walled Spanish city : AVILA. Not sure, but I immediately thought of out dear Lucina. LINK.

49. Colors : TINTS.

50. __ precedent : SETS A. A little law reference...

51. Fixes, in a way : RIGS.

53. Fall bloomers : MUMS. Mums the flower as well as the WORD.

54. Lacto-__ vegetarian : OVO. They eat milk products and eggs.

55. Domino depression : PIP.

56. Sigma follower : TAU.

I imagine most of us are somnabulant, but I learned today that chicken has more tryptophan than turkey. I renew my thanks to C.C. and all of you for 9 fun years.

Notes from C.C.:

1) As Lemonade mentioned earlier, he and his lovely wife Oo renewed their vows in Thailand. Here are a few pictures.

 

2) Here is a sweet picture of JD's grandson Truman and Grady. Truman is 10. Grady is 8. JD joined our blog shortly after Truman was born. Almost 10 years. Who else have been with our blog for that long?

Sunday March 4, 2012 Leonard Williams

Theme: Subtext - The initialism of each four common phrases spans across another four two-word common phrase.

23A. Its abbreviation is hidden in 61-Across : LAUGHING OUT LOUD (LOL)

61A. Flight school hurdle : SOLO LANDING

73A. Its abbreviation is hidden in 36-Across : IN MY OPINION (IMO)

36A. 1993 literature Nobelist : TONI MORRISON. She called Clinton "our first Black president".

116A. Its abbreviation is hidden in 97-Across : THANKS IN ADVANCE (TIA)

97A. Like opposers of the Roe v. Wade decision : ANTI-ABORTION

46D. Its abbreviation is hidden in 17-Down : TALK TO YOU LATER (TTYL)

17D. They're less than grand : PETTY LARCENIES. I like this one a lot. So unexpected, all consonants.

I think those letters are initialism, to be exact. Read here for a succinct summary of Acronym, Initialism and Abbreviations. NATO, Scuba are acronyms. They're pronounced as one word. TTYL or IMO, on the other hand, is initialism and pronounced letter by letter.

Neat concept. All common in text-speak. Ambitious grid, with low word count and low black square count. Look at those stacked long edge entries. No picnic. It's always challenging to fill when there are 3 rather than 4 black square groups poking into the grid (called Fingers in cruciverb language). Hence a few compromise here and here.

This might be Leonard Williams' first LA Times puzzle. If so, congratulations!

Across:

1. Rite using water : BAPTISM. Total 21 7-letter entries in this grid.

8. Leaves in water : TEA BAGS. Always loose leaves for me. You, Jayce?

15. Subject : TOPIC

20. Botanical bristles : ARISTAE. Plural of arista. And 31D. Roman marketplaces : FORA. Plural for forum. And 52D. Polar lights : AURORAE. I use S-ending for all.

21. Without being expressed in words : TACITLY

22. Elysiums : EDENS. Castles for a certain long-leg lover.

25. Dodge SUV model : NITRO. Part of TNT also.

26. Pays attention, informally : LISTENS UP

27. Cop, in Cannes : FLIC. You all know this?

28. Swiss district : CANTON. Also the historical name for current Guangzhou, where I had lots of fun for 6 years.

29. Sale warning : AS IS

30. Enjoy a salon, maybe : TAN

31. Adversary : FOE

32. Khloé Kardashian __ : ODOM. She'll be tweeting her presence in a crossword.

34. Long-haired bovine : YAK

35. Agnus __ : DEI. And 63. Gilberto's god : DIOS. Spanish. 105D Reason-based faith : DEISM. Same root, right? Shouldn't be in the same grid.

39. Bisset co-star in "The Mephisto Waltz" : ALDA (Alan). Not familiar with the film.

40. Conger, e.g. : EEL

41. Rocky peak : TOR

42. Yoko Ono genre : NEO-DADA. Also new to me. Absurd!

44. 1945 conference site : POTSDAM. 15 miles southwest of Berlin, see this map.

48. Elemental : BASIC

51. Fish with sucker-like organs : REMORAS. They suck on sharks. Why not? Free ride.

54. Word of sorrow : ALAS

55. Pacific island nation : FIJI

57. Here, to José : ACA

58. Slip in a pool parlor : MISCUE

59. Chronicle anew : RE-LOG

65. West end : ERN. Western.

66. Sound of disapproval : TSK

67. Bailiff's instruction : RISE

69. Nonspecific ordinal : NTH

70. __ doing: thereby : IN SO

71. Japanese drama : NOH. Literally "talent" or "ability".

72. Addams family cousin : ITT

76. Hubert's successor : SPIRO (Agnew). Hubert Humphrey. From Minnesota.

78. Water or wind, e.g. : ERODER. And 11D. One working on charges : BILLER. Also 103. Comic book artists : INKERS. I'm sure the constructor would have changed the first two into ERODED or BILLED if he had an option.

80. Large load : TON

81. Tiny time fraction: Abbr. : NSEC

83. Scorch : SEAR

84. Repeat : SAY OVER

86. Fencing supplies : EPEES

88. Antarctic waters : ROSS SEA. Happy Feet.

90. Good hole cards in Texas Hold 'em : ONE PAIR. OK, I trust you. Not a poker player.

92. Sporty coupes : GTS

94. Was the right size : FIT

95. Hera's spouse : ZEUS

101. CBS forensic drama : CSI

104. Rose of rock : AXL

105. Cutting remarks : DIGS.

106. More, in Monterrey : MAS. "No mas!"

107. Prof's address ending : EDU

108. H.S. VIP : PRIN. Alright, Principle. (Correction: It's Principal. Thanks, D-Otto.)

109. Attend to, in a way, as a tiny tot : DIAPER

111. Son of Adam : ABEL

113. Large-venue music genre : ARENA ROCK. Like which band?

115. Emperor crowned in 962 : OTTO I. First Holy Roman emperor. Hi there D-Otto!

118. Stinks : REEKS

119. Reason for a siren : AIR RAID

120. More minuscule : TEENIER

121. Relevant, to a lawyer : AD REM. This reminds me of Lemonade's Milli-helen in measuring a girl's beauty. Helen had a face that "launched a thousand ships". What do you think of Gong Li's Milli-helen number?

122. Bizarre : STRANGE.

123. Gofer's list : ERRANDS

Down:

1. Love song : BALLAD.

2. Ask for __: request more pay : A RAISE. Very rarely do we see a 6-letter partial in LAT.

3. Only reigning pope to write an autobiography : PIUS II. No clue. How come no other pope followed him then? Must be a bad idea.

4. Some Air Force NCOs : T-SGTs. Technical Sergeants.

5. Spillane's "__ Jury" : I THE

6. College founded by Norwegian immigrants : SAINT OLAF. Here in Minnesota.

7. Smart one : MENSAN. Hey, the one I know is a Dummy.

8. Sporty car roof : T-TOP

9. __ Claire, Wisconsin : EAU

10. Represent : ACT FOR

12. French possessive : A TOI. Give me this, je suis A TOI!

13. Natural sugar : GLUCOSE

14. Barrett of Pink Floyd : SYD

15. Midmorning hr. : TEN AM

16. Hopkins's "Thor" role : ODIN

18. Encroachment : INROAD

19. Hall of Fame fullback Larry : CSONKA. I can never remember this name.

24. "Give 'er some gas!" : GUN IT

28. Censures : CONDEMNS

33. Means of access : DOOR

36. Newsman Koppel : TED

37. Company with a Pegasus trademark : MOBIL. And 40. Standard Oil name : ESSO.

38. Quechua speaker : INCAN

39. Bustling times : ADOS

43. Pals : AMIGOS

44. Paints the town red : PARTIES

45. Fake fat : OLESTRA

47. Bette's "Divine" nickname : MISS M

49. Krispy cracker : SALTINE

50. Corporate raider Carl : ICAHN. Darn it, I realized I had googled him before.

53. Lisbon lady : SENHORA

56. Milne's Roo, e.g. : JOEY

60. "For pleasures past I do not __ ...": Byron : GRIEVE

62. "Hop __": Seuss work : ON POP

64. Toward the center : INNER

68. Well maintained : IN REPAIR. Sounds like broken, no?

74. Cheri of "SNL" : OTERI

75. Piano, e.g.: Abbr. : INSTR. OK, Instrument.

77. Sibilant attention-getter : PSST

79. Pulls on : DONS

82. Jobs at Apple, say : CO-FOUNDER. Steve Jobs.

85. __ a bell: was familiar : RANG

87. They may be bruised : EGOS

89. Envy, for one : SIN

91. Baseball announcer's cry : IT'S A HIT. Ready for some baseball, LaLaLinda?

93. Unrelenting : STERN

95. "Butterfly" co-star who won the 1982 Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress : ZADORA (Pia). Did not know the Razzie Award trivia. I bet Buckeye does.

96. Left the building : EXITED

98. Supreme Egyptian deity : AMEN RA. Quite a few different spellings. AMON RA as well.

99. Like Serbs or Croats : BALKAN

100. Form concepts : IDEATE. Hey, it's a real word.

101. "The Citadel" author A.J. __ : CRONIN

102. Prompted to attack, with "on" : SICCED

108. One of yoga's five vital forces : PRANA. Another learning moment.

110. Go slowly (along) : POKE

112. 2008 Libertarian presidential candidate : BARR (Bob). Where was I? Did not recall this name at all.

113. Hill helper : AIDE. Capitol Hill.

114. Testify : AVER

116. Sometime classroom leaders, briefly : TAs

117. Milano Mr. : SIG. Short for signore.

Answer grid.

C.C.