Friday, November 15, 2024, Mark McClain

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 SCHOOL is 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.

Monty Python

63. "Les Misérables" author: HUGO.

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. Plasma TVs 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.

38. See in a crowd: SPOT.

40. Beekeeping hazard: STING.  Bee puns really sting.  Bee warned.

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.

Here is the completed grid:

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Friday, October 18, 2024, Josh Horowitz

Good Mornng, Crucuverbalists!  Malodorous Manatee here with a recap of a puzzle by Josh Horowitz.  Josh is a fellow Los Angeleno.  Here is a link to the "About Me" section of his web site where I learned that bit of information:  Josh Horowitz "About Me"   You can peruse the rest of his site by clicking on the headings at the top of that web page.

Per Josh, "(This is) my first published crossword to date. I got interested in crosswords during the Pandemic era lockdowns and came up with the idea to make one myself during the heat of that summer of 2020."  

Let's jump right in and take a look at this inaugural effort in which Josh has added the letters A and C to the start of three everyday two-word descriptions in order to morph those into the answers to their respective clues.  The reveal comes at:

61 Across:  Summertime chore, or an apt title for this puzzle: AC INSTALLATION.  Install the Air Conditioner.

We are asked to "install" AC in the following places:

16 Across:  What poker chips might do?: ACCOMPANY CARDS.   As this was the first "themer" to fall, for a while this solver thought that the "gimmick" might involve A, C and D.  I was thinking of COMPANY CARS.  As it turned out, however, this one was based on COMPANY CARDS (as in business cards) with the D already in place.  Armed with this knowledge the others fell fairly easily.

29 Across:  What people waiting in a long line might do?: ACCOST CUTTERS.  From COST CUTTERS but here folks might be confronting those who are trying to cut the line.

46 Across:  What people who eschew online banking might do?: ACCLAIM CHECKS.  From CLAIM CHECK.  Handwritten checks long preceded Veno, Zelle, Google Wallet and Apple Pay.  In Santa Barbara in the mid 1970's, a poster in the form of a scenic a check showing the Isla Vista branch of Bank of America was widely acclaimed.

Here are the other clues and answers:

Across:

1. Map out: PLAN.

5. With 5-Down, summer shirt: TANK.  The T does double duty here.

9. Keeping folks waiting: LATE.

13. Brontė heroine: EYRE.  A frequent visitor.

14. Woodwind played by Andy Mackay of Roxy Music: OBOE.  He also plays the saxophone.

15. Ireland, poetically: ERIN.

19. Stretch, as one's neck: CRANE.

20. __ and aahs: OOHS.

21. Business letters?: INC.  Not as in correspondence.  LLC would have fit the space.

23. Starpilot and smuggler Solo: HAN.  A  Star Wars reference.  In real life not such a star pilot.

24. No. cruncher: CPA.  A frequent consultant in our puzzles.

27. Rival: FOE.  We all know who is the arch FOE of capitalism.  The lower cases.

28. Scottish no: NAE.  In this case, aye.

33. Synthesizer brand: CASIO.  Also a maker of watches and and calculators.

34. By land __: OR SEA.

35. Folder's loss: ANTE.  A poker (as in card game) reference.  "I fold" means "I quit.  Keep the  chips I have bet so far".

38. Cabs: TAXIS.  Not a wine reference, this time.

41. Spy-fi side: USSR.

42. Knobs: DIALS.  I got offered an amazing deal today.  Someone offered to sell me a stereo with a broken volume knob.  I couldn’t turn it down!

44. Words of clarification: I MEAN.

50. Sat: MET.  As in convened.

51. Brandy bottle letters: VSO.  I am aware of VSOP (very special old pale) , VS (very special) and XO (extra old) on brandy bottles but had not previously seen VSO as a designation.

52. Corvallis sch.: OSU.

53. "Never hurts to __": ASK.

56. Fed. stipend: SSI.

57. Like good angel food cake: AIRY.

59. Rolls partner: ROYCE.  Neither a food nor a music nor a dice game nor an orientation reference .  One of those clues playing on the leading cap convention.

65. Immense: VAST.  Is less immense half-vast?

66. Woeful sigh: ALAS.  In a recent Newsday Saturday Stumper puzzle, ALAS was clued as "word from the Latin for weary".

67. In a thumb-twiddling way: IDLY.  We often encounter variations of IDLE in our puzzles (IDLE, IDLY, IDLED).

68. Shady trees: ELMS.  We frequently avail ourselves of their shade when solving our puzzles.

69. Comedian Foxx: REDD.  Perhaps best known for the TV show Sanford & Son.  Redd often worked blue.

70. Egg cream component: SODA.  Neither egg nor cream are included in the recipe.

Down:

1. Cobbler fruit: PEACH.  Does include PEACH in the recipe.

2. Sports bra fabric: LYCRA.

3. Obscure stuff: ARCANA.  Not to be confused with Texarkana.

4. Like Crayola's Unmellow Yellow and Atomic Tangerine: NEON.  The referenced colors were unknown but the clue clearly hinted at NEON.

5. See 5-Across: TOP.

6. Law school accrediting org.: ABA.

7. Double negative?: NO NO.

8. Early topic in music theory: KEY OF C.  No sharps.  No flats.

9. Allow use of for a fee: LEASE TO.

10. Pt. of ETA: ARR.  Estimated Time of ARRival.

11. Neat quality: TIDINESS.

12. Captures: ENSNARES.

17. Holy city of Islam: MECCA.

18. Singer Jay known as the "King of Mandopop": CHOU.  Unknown to this solver.  He has sold over 30,000,000 record albums.  Thanks, perps.

22. Civil rights activist Chavez: CESAR.  Front and center during many of our formative years.

25. Fruity Pebbles maker: POST.  A cereal reference.  Kellogg's was too long. 

26. Ulaanbaatar's locale: ASIA.  So many ASIAn locations from which to choose for the clue.

30. Common flashlight battery: C CELL.  Mine always had either D cells or triple A's.  Now it has a USB port for charging.

31. __ waste: TOXIC.  Sometimes, in old insulation there can be toxic chemicals.  You should avoid them asbestos you can.

32. Footlocker: TRUNK.

35. "Vice" Oscar nominee Amy: ADAMS.

36. "Wow, you almost dropped that!": NICE SAVE.  The old saying:  If you want to make the highlight reel misjudge the fly ball.

37. Strategic: TACTICAL.  Actually, not exactly.

39. Intro to a texter's two cents: IMHO.  In My Humble Opinion

40. Catches on: SEES.  Also, a purveyor of chocolate candy.

43. Learned experts: SAVANTS.

45. Luxury Honda brand: ACURA.

47. Goddess often depicted holding an ankh: ISIS.  A frequent visitor,

48. Masonry mixture: MORTAR.

49. Marry: SAY I DO.

54. Tell off: SCOLD.  I stubbed my toe and got SCOLDed by my parents for yelling “What the duck”.  They were angry that I used fowl language.

55. Home country of marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum: KENYA.  Home of many long distance running champions.

58. Handsome Dan's school: YALE.  The mascot of YALE University is a bulldog named Handsome Dan.

60. __ Spunkmeyer: OTIS.

62. Philosophy: ISM.

63. Young boy: LAD.

64. Microdosing initials: LSD.  Window Pane, Orange Sunshine or Purple Owsley?

Here, below is the completed grid:

Congratulations on your debut, Josh.  Thanks for the fun!

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