Theme: Alphabet Soup
Puzzling thoughts:
Will Nediger is a name well-known to crossword puzzles. As the link describes, Will has done scores of puzzles in the NYT. I also look forward to solving his Saturday and Sunday puzzles @ Crossword Club.
Lisa Senzel may not be as well-known, but she has also been published in the NY Times. Not sure if this is her debut @ LA Times, but if so, congratulations! Also, I am not sure if she has done solo work, but the company she keeps (Will and Jeff Chen) are both solid collaborators
Today's puzzle uses a series of 4 phrases that are transformed into a play-on-words, of sorts, by adding another word which also contains a filler word ... capisce? No? Want me to explain? OK. Will do. It's why I get paid the big bucks twice a month to help figure out what's going on in today's puzzle!! 😉
16-across. *Diner's entitlement to savory flavor?: UMAMI RIGHT. Or is it: UM, AM I RIGHT?
19-across. *Reason yellowfin tuna are wallflowers at a school prom?: AHI CAN'T DANCE. Or is it: AH, I CAN'T DANCE?
36-across. *Pal who seconds whatever one says?: LIKE-WISE GUY. Or is it: LIKE, WISE GUY?
57-across. *Not-very-straight shooter?: ERRING CAMERA. Or is it: ER, RING CAMERA?
=================================================================
UMAMI = savory flavor; RIGHT = entitlement ... UM (a filler word) AM I RIGHT? (See below)
AHI = yellowfin tuna; (those who) CAN'T DANCE = wallflowers ... AH (a filler word) I CAN'T DANCE! (I dance similar to this person)
LIKE-WISE = same; GUY = pal ... LIKE (a filler word) WISE GUY (As a Stooge, I have to sneak in this image!)
ERRING = not very straight; CAMERA = (picture) shooter ... ER (a filler word) RING CAMERA (we have one installed but it's not active)
The reveal:
61-across. Sound added to everyday speech, and what's been added to create the answers to the starred clues: FILLER WORD. Not sure how else to explain it but to add this image:
1. Blue-green: TEAL. AQUA would have been a fun word to begin with
5. Short form of a name that means "merciful": CLEM. I had "no clue" and penciled in CLEO. Guessing it's short for CLEMENTINE, but I'm not going to confirm
9. Lass: MISS. I had HUGE in 9-down at first; that slowed me down in the NE corner
13. Jessica of "Sin City": ALBA. And 26-across. NHL great Bobby: ORR. Two crossword puzzle proper name staples
14. Eta follower: THETA. The "ABC's" of Greek: ALPHA, BETA, GAMMA, DELTA, EPSILON, ZETA, ETA, THETA ...
15. Shape the narrative?: EDIT. Sometimes there are clues that are too clever, but sure, why knot [sic]?
18. __ therapy: GENE.
21. "Easy-peasy": NO PROB. Isn't the jargon used by kids these days just totes adorb?
24. In __ of: LIEU. Moe-ku:
They used stunt double
In The Tiger's Apprentice,
In Lucy LIEU of
25. Contacts list no.: TEL. 867-5309
27. Little dog: PUP. Does anyone recall the expression "cuter than a speckled PUP"?
25. Contacts list no.: TEL. 867-5309
27. Little dog: PUP. Does anyone recall the expression "cuter than a speckled PUP"?
29. Michelin product: CAR TIRE. This exact clue and entry were last seen at a WSJ puzzle in 2022
31. Planner division: WEEK. Back in the day, this used to be my planner of choice:
33. Q neighbor: TAB. Oh, the "Q" key on a computer keyboard ... not the neighbor fellow who lived next door to the James Bond character ...
35. Yapped like a dog: ARFED. The only dog I recall that said "ARF" was this one:
40. Lopsided: ATILT. Like this famous tower??
42. Cozy room: DEN. Most new houses feature a great room (instead of a separate living room/family room), and an extra room without a closet is now used (mostly) as a home office
43. The Emerald Isle: EIRE. Moe-ku 2:
Calling Ireland
The Emerald Isle, not
EIRE, gets my ire
46. Ill-fated: NOT TO BE. The soliloquy in Shakespeare's Hamlet: "To be or NOT TO BE ..."
49. "Need I go on?" abbr.: ETC. Sometimes there are clues that are too clever ...
46. Ill-fated: NOT TO BE. The soliloquy in Shakespeare's Hamlet: "To be or NOT TO BE ..."
49. "Need I go on?" abbr.: ETC. Sometimes there are clues that are too clever ...
51. Sister: NUN. SIB could've fit, I guess ...
52. Pump part: TOE. Part of a pair of shoes for women (pumps) ... these:
 |
[guessing that these might be open TOE??] |
53. Said, informally: WENT. [someone explain this to me, please ...]
55. Roamed freely: RANGED. Moe-ku 3:
"Home, home on the roam;
Where the deer and buffalo
RANGED. Where seldom is ... "
60. Half-moon tide: NEAP. More crossword-ese
65. Intl. alliance joined by Finland in 2023: NATO.
66. First-year law students: ONE L'S. [Wikipedia] "One L tells author Scott Turow's experience as a first-year Harvard Law School student. The book takes place in Cambridge, Massachusetts where Harvard University is located. First years, or One-L's as they are often called, all face similar issues their initial year of law school. Harvard, known for its reputation as one of the best law schools in the country, takes only about 12% of applicants".
60. Half-moon tide: NEAP. More crossword-ese
65. Intl. alliance joined by Finland in 2023: NATO.
66. First-year law students: ONE L'S. [Wikipedia] "One L tells author Scott Turow's experience as a first-year Harvard Law School student. The book takes place in Cambridge, Massachusetts where Harvard University is located. First years, or One-L's as they are often called, all face similar issues their initial year of law school. Harvard, known for its reputation as one of the best law schools in the country, takes only about 12% of applicants".
Didn't we just have ONE L this past Monday??
67. Sunburn soother: ALOE.
68. Pub pours: ALES. Moe-ku 4:
67. Sunburn soother: ALOE.
68. Pub pours: ALES. Moe-ku 4:
I've heard when a pub
Runs out of an IPA,
This is what ALES you
69. Gift on "The Bachelor": ROSE. "The Bachelor" is not on my watch-list. Are any of you ladies that post here fans of the show?
70. Gripe: BEEF. As opposed to "tripe" which is just offal ...
Down:
1. __ cross: TAU. If Lisa and Will wanted a clecho of sorts they might have chosen: "Sigma follower" ... The "ABC's" of Greek: THETA ... IOTA, KAPPA, LAMBDA, MU, NU, XI, OMICRON, PI, RHO, SIGMA, TAU ...
 |
TAU cross |
2. Bark beetle target: ELM. Bark beetle blog ==> for real!!
3. Old hoops gp.: ABA. American Basketball Association
4. Pulitzer-winning rapper Kendrick: LAMAR. The video clip below is NSFW (or home, for that matter) ...
5. Fashionable: CHIC. (59-across. Fr. title for 9-Across:) MLLE. (44-down. French street:) RUE. Today's obligatory foreign words needed to fill in random places in the puzzle
(in these cases, as Splynter would say, "Frawnche")
6. Pad size: LEGAL. [Blumburg dot com] "The term “legal pad” is a bit of a misnomer; it doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the law. The defining feature of a legal pad is the 1-1/4" vertical margin on the left side of the paper. This margin, also known as the down line, was traditionally used for annotations or side notes.
Legal pads originated from paper mill scraps bound together and cut to legal size, hence the name. They were initially used by lawyers, which further contributed to the name"
8. Country singer Kathy: MATTEA. This is the theme song for the country version of "The Bachelor":
9. Bigger than big: MEGA. HUGE was my first thought ... yours, too??
10. Naming: IDENTIFYING. Pretty common synonym, as my friend the Thesaurussaurus says:
11. Heartfelt: SINCERE. I tried GENUINE first; another mini-roadblock on my way to solving this in 25+ minutes, but I didn't cheat too much ... had to look up MATTEA
12. Girded (oneself): STEELED. [Merrium Webster dot com] defines STEELED (transitive verb) as:
2
a
: to cause to resemble steel (as in looks or hardness)
b
: to fill with resolution or determination (girded)
The video below defines how to "gird ones loins" [courtesy of Redemption Community Church]
14. Ozzy Osbourne album in memory of Randy Rhoads: TRIBUTE. [Wikipedia] "Tribute is a live album by British heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne, featuring his work with hard rock guitarist Randy Rhoads, in whose honor the album was released. The album was released in April 1987 in the US and May 1987 in the UK, five years after the death of Rhoads"
17. "Let's put a smile on your plate" chain: IHOP. IHOP Brand Campaign - 2022
20. Garment that preserves hair waves: DURAG. I thought it was spelled "DOORAG" but I discovered otherwise: [Wikipedia] "A durag (alternate spellings) is a close-fitting cloth tied around the top of the head to protect the hair; similarly a wave cap is a close-fitting cap for the same purpose. Durags may be worn to accelerate the development of long curly/kinky hair, waves or locks in the hair ..."
21. This instant: NOW. STAT and ASAP did not fit
22. Mine find: ORE. Moe-ku 5:
"49'ers" left
CAL for their northern neighbor;
They found ORE in ORE
23. Communicating with pictograms, perhaps: PRE-LITERATE. My my, that's a big word for describing a stick-figure!! BTW, this is a debut word for crossword puzzles. Congrats!
23. Communicating with pictograms, perhaps: PRE-LITERATE. My my, that's a big word for describing a stick-figure!! BTW, this is a debut word for crossword puzzles. Congrats!
 |
Lasceaux Cave Painting |
28. Dog's attention-getter, maybe: PAW.
 |
| Covid Cartoon |
30. Loyal: TRUE.
32. Scottish wedding garb: KILT. This one is for the ladies here at the Corner ... I was told this was taken just before the wedding ...
34. eBay action: BID.
37. Nabe that might have an H Mart: K TOWN. I suppose that every puzzle needs to have an odd clue/answer or two these days ... K TOWN is an abbr. for "KOREATOWN" (as opposed to CHINATOWN, e.g.). Nabe is an abbr. for neighborhood. H Mart is a name for a chain of Asian food stores ... learning moe-ment, for sure
38. Get the picture: SEE.
39. Main courses: ENTREES.
40. Vehicle's shark fin, maybe: ANTENNA. For modern cars, yes. It's that fin-shaped device on vehicles that acts as an ANTENNA. But the "shark-fins" on vehicles that I grew up with are shown below:
41. Uncomfortably close to home: TOO REAL.
45. Sew up: END. Good mis-directional clue
47. Request, as table food: BEG FOR. I'm beginning to think that this puzzle has "gone to the dogs" 😀
48. Los Angeles neighborhood near Reseda: ENCINO. Well, I have heard of ENCINO, but I haven't a clue where Reseda is ... maybe Art Fern does, but not today:
50. Quarterback Derek: CARR. Erstwhile Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders QB, he now slings passes for the New Orleans Saints
54. Lore: TALES. Tried STORY with no success
56. Muslim honorific from which "nabob" is derived: NAWAB. I will let others comment about this entry ... I did confirm that this word has been used before in published crossword puzzles, but it's been almost a decade ... and only once before @ LA Times
58. Wall St. debuts: IPOS.
62. Flamenco shout: OLE.
63. Sushi topper: ROE. Moe-ku 6:
Sushi bar offers
New roll shaped like a ship, called:
ROE ROE ROE the boat
64. __ Jam Recordings: DEF. [Wikipedia] Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop"
And just like that, we are done. At the end of the day, I, um, hope, er, that I, ah, explained the gist of the puzzle.
Before publishing this blog I asked Margaret if she got it, and her response was "Like, totally"!
So OK, like seriously, add some of YOUR comments below ...
The grid:
