Good Morning, Cruciverbalists, Malodorous Manatee here with a Friday, post-Thursday-food-coma, puzzle co-authored by Deanne Cliburn and Will Eisenberg. An online search reveals that Will has previously shared puzzles with us. I am not sure about Deanne. Her name does not "pop up" when entering labels so a hearty "Congratulations on your LAT debut, Deanne" may be in order.
Today, our collaborating constructors conjure up a theme where they start with common two-word combinations. In each case, the second word begins with the letter S. By removing the S from the second word and appending the S onto the end of the first word, they make that first word possessive and, thereby, manage to completely alter the original meaning in a humorous manner without in any way altering the letter sequence.
The gag is implemented at these five places in the grid:
19 Across: Having to watch the hare win over and over, perhaps: Tortoise Shell morphs into TORTOISE'S HELL.
27 Across: Cabbie who picks up crustaceans, perhaps: Crab Shack morphs into CRAB 'S HACK. HACK, of course, being slang for taxi driver.
35 Across: Birdhouse opening, perhaps: Cardinal Sin morphs into CARDINAL'S IN. As in the bird's way in.
43 Across: Device needed to renovate a small pad, perhaps: Toad Stool morphs into TOAD'S TOOL. Toads, of course, like to hang out on lily pads.
54 Across: Legal proceeding in the grazing meadow, perhaps: Sheep Shearing morphs into SHEEP'S HEARING. Or, a different type of hearing . . .
Here is the completed grid:
. . . and here are the rest of the clues and answers:
Across:
1. Goal for some night sch. students: GED. While you may hear other meanings for GED such as Graduate Equivalency Degree or General Educational Diploma, GED traditionally stands for General Educational Development Test.
4. Class for a 1L: TORTS. A law school reference. A 1L is a first-year law school student.
9. Device with 1080p resolution, e.g.: HDTV. High-Definition TeleVision
13. Actor Malek: RAMI. He portrayed Freddie Mercury in the film Bohemian Rhapsody.
14. Star ingredient in Chinese five-spice powder?: ANISE.
Star ANISE
15. Irish cheddar?: EURO. Cheddar, in this case, being slang for money.
16. Sunburn soother: ALOE. A frequent soother.
17. Bushel fractions: PECKS.
18. "Call Her Daddy" podcast host Cooper: ALEX. All you might wish to know: Wiki - Call Her Daddy
22. Common mark on a beginner's crossword: ERASURE. Not limited to beginners.
23. March VIP: ST. PAT. VIP is abbreviated.
26. Timetable locale: DEPOT.
31. Unenviable grade: DEE. Although better than an EFF.
33. Hubbub: ADO.
34. "Who am __ judge?": I TO. Cute. Without the punctuation marks, and the space, it reads Judge Ito.
39. Something to shoot for?: PAR. A golf reference.
41. Believer's suffix: IST. Does a Cruciverbalist believe in crossword puzzles?
42. Homey room: DEN.
47. Stage: PHASE.
51. Fake ID?: ALIAS. I know a guy who know’s a guy. I had him make me a fake ID card with a different name. My alias was Justin Case.
52. Did the dishes: CATERED. Clever. Not something to do with cleaning up. Prepared the dishes (food).
58. Besmirch: SOIL.
60. Was circumspect about: GOT AT. Not sure I agree with the way this one was clued.
61. East, in El Salvador: ESTE. A directional Spanish lesson.
62. Salon service, informally: MANI. MANIcure.
63. "Here we go __": AGAIN.
64. Square one?: NERD.
65. Minor name in constellations?: URSA. Hope this one wasn't too much of a bear.
66. Doctrine: DOGMA. What did the Catholic say to the Hindu? Your karma just ran over my dogma!
2. Genre with moody hip-hop elements: EMO RAP. Never heard of it but not too difficult to perp.
3. Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, for one: DIET SODA.
4. Herbivore with a short proboscis: TAPIR.
5. "Hold your horses": ONE SEC. Idiomatic clue.
6. Sushi component: RICE. Rice is so basic and this solver thought of several other possibilities before the AHA moment. Doh!
7. Shows judgment: TSKS. Not as in sagacity. As in being judgmental,
8. Casual get-together: SESH. We've seen this for Session before.
9. __ food: HEALTH. So many words could have filled the blank. If they'd fit. And perp'd.
10. Ache: DULL PAIN.
11. Three, in Rome: TRE.
12. News site that hosts the "Future Perfect" reporting project: VOX. All that you might wish to know: Vox
13. Placed on a scale: RATED. Not as in weighed.
20. The "O" of North Carolina's OBX: OUTER. The OUTER Banks.
21. First of September?: ESS. One of those clues. September starts with S.
24. Perform in a play: ACT.
25. Bout-ending decision: TKO. A boxing reference, Technical Knock Out.
28. Totaled: RAN TO. Like this but past tense:
29. Law that led to many curb cuts, for short: ADA.
30. Fearless: BOLD.
32. Make shipshape, in a way: EDIT. A bit of a mixed metaphor. EDITing text puts it into shape.
35. Ocean Spray snack: CRAISINS.
36. Kin of equi-: ISO.
37. Commuter's way around Philly: SEPTA.
38. Bone-deep: INHERENT.
39. School support gp.: PTA. Group is abbreviated.
40. MSN rival: AOL. This solver still uses America OnLine for some emails. My kids were right.
44. National flower of Mexico: DAHLIA.
45. GPS heading: SSE. Sur Sureste
46. Hebrew toast: L'CHAIM.
48. Comes up: ARISES.
49. Compact Nissan: SENTRA. An automotive reference.
1982 Datsun Sentra
50. Finished some landscaping: EDGED.
53. Insurer owned by CVS: AETNA.
55. "Crikey!": EGAD. My sentiments, exactly.
56. __ stick: POGO. So many words could have filled the blank. If they fit. And perp'd.
57. Partnerless: STAG.
58. The Mustangs of the ACC: SMU.
59. Paddle kin: OAR. When rowing I often do not know which paddle to use. I guess that it is a case of either OAR.
Wishing everyone a great holiday long weekend. I will be off to the mountains for a while to recharge and will be taking a break from blogging over the next month. Rest assured, however, that Friday commentary will be in extremely capable hands.
Good Morning, Cruciverbalists. Malodorous Manatee here with a recap of this Friday's puzzle by the top-flight and prolific constructor Mark McClain. From Mark: "Fun fact, my very first published puzzle was also an LAT Friday, and it was almost exactly 10 years ago (10-3-14). I think this is #68, but the first in a couple of years, so it's good to be back."
In this puzzle, Mark takes commonly known two-word combinations and, by reversing the meaning of the first word, conjures up amusing answers to the clues. There is no reveal. The word play is performed at these four places within the grid:
17 Across: People less likely to appear in a police lineup?: UNUSUAL SUSPECTS.
Casablanca
I know. I know. I could have gone with Keyser Söze.
26 Across: Institute of weird learning?: ABNORMAL SCHOOL A NORMAL SCHOOLis an institution that trains teachers by teaching them pedagogy and curriculum.
Young Frankenstein
42 Across: Salad dressing ingredient that has to be special ordered?: NONSTANDARD OIL. Oil and Vinegar dressing.
55 Across: Group of TV episodes shown out of order?: IRREGULAR SEASON. During the 2024 REGULAR SEASON, the Los Angeles Dodgers won 98 baseball games. They also won 11 games during the POST SEASON.
The rest of the clues and answers can be found at:
Across:
1. Lots and lots: SCADS.
6. Some bits of harvest festival decor: COBS. Corn COBS. Swans, anyone?
10. Ladder part: STEP. Hand up for first thinking RUNG.
14. Prohibited by social custom: TABOO.
15. Showroom selection: AUTO. As in AUTOmobiles at a car dealership.
16. Not fancy at all: HATE. Very clever cluing here and at 33 Across. Here, the clue is taken in the British English (probably from the 16th century) sense as in "to (not) like" something. At 33 Across, the clue is taken in the sense of something not being ornate.
20. Trifecta, for one: BET. The bettor must pick the top three finishers in the correct sequence.
21. Dismissive sound: PFFT. My sentiments, exactly.
22. Really bug: EAT AT.
23. Four-time winners of the FIFA Women's World Cup, for short: USA. 1991, 1999, 2015 and 2019.
24. Suppressed, with "up": PENT.
33. Not fancy at all: PLAIN. See also 16 Across.
34. Deliver a stemwinder: ORATE. From The Grammarist:
A stem-winder or stemwinder is an exciting speech that whips the crowd into a frenzy; a rousing speech that energizes a crowd; a persuasive speech that stirs emotion. The idiom stem-winder or stemwinder is derived from a type of watch that came into use after the American Civil War. A stem-winder or stemwinder is a watch with a winding stem attached to it, rather than a key. In Britain, this type of watch was called a keyless watch. The idiom stem-winder or stemwinder to describe a speech came into use near the end of the nineteenth century. Note that the form stem-winder is a hyphenated compound word that is preferred by the Oxford English Dictionary, and stemwinder is a closed compound word with no hyphen or spaces that is preferred by other dictionaries.
35. The Horned Frogs of the Big 12, familiarly: TCU. Texas Christian University.
36. Stand the test of time: LAST. Endure.
37. Clinic pro: NURSE. What did the nurse say to the man who fainted at the airport? I think you might have a terminal illness.
38. Tennis match units: SETS.
39. Parisian pal: AMI. A frequent French lesson.
40. Open-weave fabric: SCRIM. Often clued with a reference to stage curtains.
41. Media mogul with a book club: OPRAH.
45. Aunts of Andalusia: TIAS. One of today's Spanish lessons.
46. D.C. summer hrs.: EDT. Eastern Daylight Time.
47. Reject: SPURN.
50. Stand up to: DEFY. I once witnessed a magician make the fog over a lake disappear. It was mist DEFYing.
52. Glass of NPR: IRA. A frequent visitor often confused, by this solver, with ARI Shapiro.
59. First name in civil rights history: ROSA. ROSA Parks. ROSA was her first name.
60. Summoning instrument: GONG.
61. Parcel out: ALLOT.
62. Email annoyance: SPAM. Named for the canned meat product that many find unappealing.
64. Really stinks: REEKS. A local man was causing a disturbance in town because he stunk like fish. He was REEKing haddock on the neighborhood.
Down:
1. Scant Wikipedia article: STUB. Often clued with a reference to concert, or other types of, tickets.
2. Stroller's accessory: CANE. Not stroller as in baby carriage. Stroller as in a person taking a walk.
3. Lie against: ABUT.
4. __ Equis beer: DOS. Literally, Two X's.
5. "Dinner's ready!": SOUP'S ON. "Soups on" is an idiom of Anglo-Saxon origin. This idiomatic phrase was originally used to alert others that the Soup was ready and it was time to eat. In a broader context, it is often used to signify that something is ready or about to begin. Whether it is a meal, an event, or a project, the phrase can denote a sense of readiness and urgency. Therefore, the phrase can be used in a variety of situations not limited to food, expanding its versatility in everyday language.
6. Leg part: CALF.
7. Remove from office: OUST.
8. HVAC meas.: BTU. British Thermal Unit
9. "Mamma Mia!" number: SOS. ABBA have sold over 150 million records. This solver owns none.
10. Blade cover: SHEATH.
11. Sense of appropriateness: TACT.
12. "Call My Name" singer James: ETTA.
13. Annoying sort: PEST.
18. Off in the distance: AFAR.
19. London coppers: PENCE. Coppers as in coins, not as in police.
23. Military outfit: UNIT. Not as in what a soldier might wear. As in a group of soldiers.
24. Obsolete display type: PLASMA. A PLASMA display is a type of flat-panel display that uses ionized gas to create images. PlasmaTVs were the first large flat-panel displays to be released to the public, but they have been superseded by other technologies such as OLED and QLED.
25. Spanish direction: ESTE. East. One of today's Spanish lessons.
26. San Antonio landmark: ALAMO. Frequently visited in our puzzles.
27. Bathroom fixture: BASIN. It's best to just let this one sink in.
28. Feels sorrowful: MOURNS.
29. Ban rival: ARRID. A deodorant reference. Both are brand names.
30. Comic actor Cheri: OTERI. On the subject of women's history:
Saturday Night Live
31. In base eight: OCTAL.
32. Cosmetics retailer known for vegetarian and vegan products: LUSH. New to this solver.
33. Strategize: PLAN.
37. Frozen Four org.: NCAA. The ice hockey version of the Final Four (basketball). Abbreviated clue .... abbreviated answer.
41. 2023 or 1999: ODD YEAR. So many from which to choose.
43. Watch a series on Disney+, say: STREAM.
44. NBA game trio: REFS. REFerees. A basketball REFerence.
47. House of Lords titles: SIRS. You need not have a seat in the House of Lords to have the title.
Sir Paul McCartney & Sir Elton John
48. Stagehand concern: PROP. Someone leaked the prop notes for the movie Thor Ragnarok. They had to use a lot of low-key lighting.
49. Bear in the night: URSA.
50. "Oh, heck!": DANG.
Roger Miller
51. Consequently: ERGO.
52. Cruise ship stop: ISLE.
53. Chess piece: ROOK.
54. Colony insects: ANTS.
56. "This tastes awful!": UGH.
57. Brock in the Baseball Hall of Fame: LOU. Renowned for his base stealing.
58. Brewpub option: ALE. My local bar ran out of ALE. It was a bitter disappointment.
This solver enjoyed the puzzle. The gag was not difficult and it was quite amusing. The two fifteen-letter answers were a nice touch and the relative lack of proper nouns (bucking the recent trend that we have seen of puzzles as trivia contests) was refreshing. Besides, the constructor has very good initials. Welcome back, Mark.
. . . and a hearty, although belated, "Thank you!" to NoamiZ for filling in for me a couple of weeks ago. Your efforts are very much appreciated.
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