google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Michael A. MacDonald

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Showing posts with label Michael A. MacDonald. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michael A. MacDonald. Show all posts

Apr 12, 2023

Wednesday, April 12, 2023, Michael A. MacDonald

Theme: ALL HEART ๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ’œ๐Ÿงก๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ’š

19. *Particularly memorable event: ONE FOR THE AGES.

32. *Party topper: PAPER HAT.

43. *1990 theft at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, e.g.: ART HEIST.

53. Attitude shift, and the shift found in five letters in the answer to each starred clue: CHANGE OF HEART.

Melissa here. Each theme answer contains an anagram of HEART.  

Across: 

1. Lots of bucks: DEER. DEER is both singular and plural. Some are for other animals - fish, moose, sheep, swine, buffalo. Here are 101 Words That are Both Plural and Singular.

5. Bird's crop: CRAW.
"Craw" is an obsolete term for "crop," and this is still seen in the saying "it sticks in my craw," meaning "I can't [metaphorically] swallow it," that is, a situation is unacceptable, or at any rate annoying. Wikipedia: A crop is a thin-walled expanded portion of the alimentary tract used for the storage of food prior to digestion. This anatomical structure is found in a wide variety of animals. It has been found in birds, and in invertebrate animals including gastropods, earthworms, leeches, and insects.

9. Small amounts: DABS. Remember this?


13. Folklore brute: OGRE. A hideous giant represented in fairy tales and folklore as feeding on human beings. Ogres have appeared in many works, including Tom Thumb; Hansel and Gretel, where the witch is a type of ogre because she intends to eat the children; and Little Red Riding Hood, where the wolf resembles an ogre.


14. Fissile rock: SHALE. Easily split.

15. Some cold drafts: ALES.

16. "This week has gone on long enough!" letters: TGIF. Thank God/Goodness It's Friday.

17. Estate home: MANOR. A large country house with lands

18. Jedi Master voiced by Frank Oz: YODA. "Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try.” 


22. __ Speedwagon: REO. American rock band from Illinois, named after the REO Speed Wagon, a 1915 truck that was designed by Ransom Eli Olds. Neal Doughty had seen the name written across the blackboard when he walked into his History of Transportation class on the first day they had decided to look for a name. Rather than pronouncing REO as a single word as the motor company did ("REE-oh"), they chose to spell the word out, pronouncing each letter individually ("R-E-O").

23. Reindeer reins holder: SANTA.

24. Beats, as an incumbent: UNSEATS.

28. Stand: STOMACH. Ohh, verb. To bear without overt reaction or resentment : put up with.

34. Lighthearted: MERRY.

35. One-named "Chandelier" singer: SIA.


36. Moles, maybe: SPIES. In espionage jargon, a mole (also called a "penetration agent," "deep cover agent," "illegal" or "sleeper agent") is a long-term spy (espionage agent) who is recruited before having access to secret intelligence, subsequently managing to get into the target organization. However, it is popularly used to mean any long-term clandestine spy or informant within an organization (government or private).

39. English cuppa: TEA.

40. Send packing: EVICT. Nice clue.

46. Sinews: TENDONS. A tendon or sinew is a tough, high-tensile-strength band of dense fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone. Ligaments connect bone to bone.

49. Most miserly: MEANEST.


50. Barbecue briquettes: COALS.

52. Pipe plastic: PVC. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is one type of thermoplastic polymer that is currently penetrating many aspects of life through its wide use, and has become a universal polymer.

58. Disdainful chorus: BOOS. I have a cat named Boo, after the character in To Kill A Mockingbird, played by a very young Robert Duvall. Scout utters the words "Hey, Boo," a child's gesture of understanding kindness that leads To Kill a Mockingbird to its unforgettable conclusion.

59. Fiction or nonfiction: GENRE.

60. Prom attire: GOWN.

62. Besides: ELSE.

63. Fiji alternative: EVIAN. Bottled water brands.

64. Menu heading often next to File: EDIT. On your computer.

65. Ink spots?: TATS. Nice. Remember this group?


66. Leader with a .edu address: DEAN. Academia.

67. "A Suitable Boy" novelist Vikram: SETH. Also a a BBC television drama miniseries.


Down: 

1. Small point: DOT.

2. French Toaster Sticks brand: EGGO.

3. "Blue Bloods" daughter played by Bridget Moynahan: ERIN.

4. Judo official: REFEREE. An unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.

5. Arctic trout: CHAR. What’s The Difference Between Trout And Char?

6. Diatribes: RANTS.

7. Warm welcomes: ALOHAS. Aloha actually comes from two Hawaiian words: Alo – which means the front of a person, the part of our bodies that we share and take in people. And Ha, which is our breath. When we are in each other's presence with the front of our bodies, we are exchanging the breath of life. That's aloha.

8. "If you __ you, then we'd all be a bit less we": wisdom from Piglet: WEREN'T.


9. Afternoon sports event: DAY GAME.

10. Household succulent: ALOE.

11. Garden areas: BEDS. It's almost time!

12. Fed. benefits provider: SSA. Social Security Administration.

14. Irons (out): SMOOTHS.

20. Phobia: FEAR.

21. Bit with neutrinos: ATOM. I am not going to pretend I have any idea what this means.

24. Beat, as a favored incumbent: UPSET.

25. Unsophisticated: NAIVE.

26. Much of Iberia: SPAIN. The Iberian peninsula is located in the West of Europe where modern-day Spain and Portugal are.


27. Plant juice: SAP.

29. Kevin McHale's "Glee" role: ARTIE. Kevin McHale, who plays all singing, all dancing, wheelchair using geek Artie Abrams, is not disabled himself.


30. Peppery salad green: CRESS. A fast-growing, edible herb.

31. Omni rival: HYATT. Hotel resorts.

33. Spanish aunt: TIA.

37. Sound of hesitation: ERM. I see this in books, but don't think I've ever actually heard someone make that sound.

38. Colbert of late-night: STEPHEN. I recently saw this clip of Colbert telling this charming story of how he met his wife Edie. Look how rapt the band is.


41. Jewel boxes: CD CASES.

42. Multiple-cel creature?: TOON. Animation. A cell is a transparent sheet of celluloid or similar film material, which can be drawn on and used in the production of cartoons.

44. Give birth to: HAVE.

45. Confines, as a pet bird: ENCAGES.

47. Kept bothering: NAGGED.

48. LP cover: SLEEVE.

51. Justice Sotomayor: SONIA.


53. Cuba libre mixer: COLA. Rum and Coke, or the Cuba libre, is a highball cocktail consisting of cola, rum, and in many recipes lime juice on ice.

54. Large number: HOST.

55. Hall of Fame quarterback Tarkenton: FRAN.

56. Needled: RODE. Tricky clue. Needled is to annoy someone, especially by repeated criticism: His mother was always needling him about getting a job. To ride is to harass persistently.

57. Silly goose: TWIT.

58. "After Happily Ever After" cable channel: BET. Did not know about this show. Hosted by Bow Wow, seven former couples live under the same roof as one person plays matchmaker for their ex and tries to find the perfect new person to date.

61. To the __ degree: NTH.
 



Feb 9, 2021

Tuesday, February 9, 2021 Michael A Macdonald

Hit the Road, Jack!  The last word of each theme answer is an infrastructure that one can take to get from  Point A to Point B.


18-Across. *   Nostalgic place for a walk: MEMORY LANE.


27-Across. *   Place to pursue pleasure: PRIMROSE PATH.




47-Across. *   Place with no options: END OF THE ROAD.


62-Across. *   Evidence in white-collar crime: PAPER TRAIL.


And the Unifier:
60. Cry of approval ... and what the end of each answer to a starred clue is: WAY TO GO.


Across:
1. One of the Three Bears: MAMA.




5. Pro concerned with Apr. 15: CPA.  As in a Certified Public Accountant.  We have a few CPAs in our crossword community.

8. Like one liable for libel: SUABLE.  An awkward, but valid, word.

14. Tons: ALOT.  A crossword staple.

15. The Boston Bruins retired his #4 in 1979: ORR.  Bobby Orr (nรฉ Robert Gordon Orr; b. Mar. 20, 1948) is a Canadian former professional hockey player.  He is considered the GOAT of Hockey.  He played 10 years with the Boston Bruins and two with the Chicago Black Hawks.


16. Like mosaic stones: INLAID.   We saw some beautiful mosaics at the Villa Romana del Casale in Sicily.  The villa was built in the early 300s CE.  The mosaics show beautiful scenes of daily life, including women competing in athletic events.


17. Ilk: SORT.

20. Patella: KNEE CAP.  I shattered my knee cap in a car accident about 20 years ago.  In an X-ray, my patella probably looks like a mosaic.


22. Sign of summer: LEO.  Hi, Leo III!


23. D.C. figure: SEN.  As in a Senator.

24. Alabama march city: SELMA.  In March 1965, there were three Civil Rights marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.


25. Porcine sounds: OINKS.


33. Brought back to its original condition: RESTORED.  Art Restorations gone bad.

Before and After

36. Song for a diva: ARIA.  The Habanera from Carman.


37. Sturdy tree: OAK.  Louisiana is known for its Live Oak Trees.




38. Some shower components: METEORS.


42. Overnight option: INN.


43. Plumbing concern: DRIP.

45. Fixed, as old shoes: REHEELED.

51. Relaxed: EASED.

52. Trivial, as issues: MINOR.

56. Have debts: OWE.
59. Without end, to the Bard: EER.

65. Dunkable cookie: OREO.  A crossword staple.


66. Aphrodite's love: ADONIS.  In Greek mythology, Adonis was the god of desire and beauty.



67. Web address: URL.  As in Uniform Resource Locator.

68. Measure of versatility: USES.

69. Renter: LESSEE.


70. Map part: KEY.



71. Measure of proficiency: TEST.

Down:
1. Batman and Robin wore them: MASKS.



2. Without help: ALONE.

3. Type of mushroom: MOREL.  This mushroom used to be a crossword staple.



4. NFL passing stat: ATTEMPT.

5. Robin Cook's breakout 1977 novel: COMA.  I read this back when I was in high school.



6. Pre-cooking job: PREP.  I find prep bowls to be extremely useful when I cook.

7. Limb on a rest: ARM.  It has been way too long since I have flown, so the arm on the armrest hasn't been an issue.


8. Fire alerts: SIRENS.  Mythological Sirens.


9. Break up, as a bovine team: UNYOKE.



10. Without exception: ALL.

11. Ewe sounds: BAAs.


12. One drawn in the sand: LINE.


13. First home: EDEN.


19. Potpourri: OLIO.

21. Pool shot: CAROM.


25. Said, "I'll have the lobster," say: ORDERED.

26. Health resort: SPA.


28. Rage: IRE.

29. Bumped into: MET.


30. Seed cover: ARIL


31. Diner sticker: TINE.


32. Round of applause: HAND.

33. Went in a taxi: RODE.

34. Merit: EARN.

35. Icy street risk: SKID.


39. "__ the ramparts ... ": O'ER.  A line from the Star Spangled Banner.

40. P-like Greek letter: RHO.


41. Sordid: SEAMY.


44. Author of macabre tales: POE.  As in Edgar Allan Poe (Jan. 19, 1809 ~ Oct. 7, 1849).


46. Remove from text: EDIT OUT.

48. Spenser's "The __ Queene": FAERIE.  The Faerie Queene is an English epic poem by Edmund Spenser (1552 ~ Jan. 13, 1599).  The poem was originally published in 1590.


49. Fly to avoid: TSETSE.  The Tsetse fly is a carrier of the vector that causes sleeping disease in humans.


50. Bonn mister: HERR.  Today's German lesson.

53. Like Odin and Loki: NORSE.

54. Curved moldings: OGEES.


55. Fowl pole: ROOST.  Fun clue.


56. Australian gem: OPAL. Hi, Kazie!  These gemstones have such sparkle.


57. Walk in the shallows: WADE.

Wade Boggs (b. June 15, 1958)


58. Grand-scale poetry: EPOS.  Think of The Illiad or The Odyssey.  Hand up if you have ever read either of these epic poems.

60. Line with a plug: WIRE.



61. One on your side: ALLY.

63. Sunny pair?: ENs.  As in the letter "N".  Sunny.

64. Arctic diving bird: AUK.  How to tell the difference between an Auk and a Penguin.


Here's the Grid:



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