L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Rachel Fabi

Showing posts with label Rachel Fabi. Show all posts

Apr 7, 2025

Monday April 7, 2025 Jill Weiskopf Brufsky and Rachel Fabi

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here with what appears to be Jill's debut LAT puzzle. Congrats! Rachel has been giving us mental workouts since 2022.

Theme: You say po-tay-to, I say pot-ah-to.

(As in, po-tay-ato SALAD and po-tah-to something else.)

Let's Call the Whole Thing Off ~ Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong ~ 1957

17 Across. Permanent resident's document: GREEN CARD. According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigrations Services website, having a GREEN CARD (officially known as a Permanent Resident Card) allows one to live and work permanently in the United States. Even though they are "permanent", they are usually valid for 10 years and need to be renewed before they expire -- sort of like a driver's license. The steps required for applying for a GREEN CARD vary depending on an individual's situation.

a GREEN CARD and a GREEN SALAD

25 Across. Patch for some squash, say: GARDEN PLOT.

community GARDEN PLOTs and a GARDEN SALAD

38 Across. Part of many a sorority's name: GREEK LETTER.

GREEK LETTERs on sorority T-shirts and a GREEK SALAD
(The white cubes are feta cheese.)

53 Across. Divisive political topic: WEDGE ISSUE. Sometimes referred to as a "hot button", WEDGE ISSUEs are political or social topics of public debate. They can be polarizing and may cause a rift or disagreement between members of what would otherwise be a unified group, such as the citizens of a country or the members of a political party.

a clever Wisconsin WEDGE ISSUEs graphic that uses a WEDGE of cheese
and a WEDGE SALAD made from iceberg lettuce

62 Across. Dish that may accompany a main course, and what can be found at the start of 17-, 25-, 38-, or 53-Across?: SIDE SALAD.

Not only do GREEN, GARDEN, GREEK, and WEDGE all appear on the left-hand SIDE of the themed answers, but they are also types of SALADs. Works for me!

Lettuce continue with the romaine-ing clues and see what else the constructors tossed in:

Across:

1. Vatican-related: PAPAL. In case you were wondering, the first A is pronounced with a long-A sound.

6. Weep noisily: SOB.

9. Hurts after exercise: ACHES. Try a nice Epsom salt bath. WebMD

14. "Rolling in the Deep" singer: ADELE. We have several Adele fans here on The Corner. I would be remiss if I did not include this song.

15. Coloring: HUE.

16. Self-serve dessert choice, familiarly: FROYO.

FROzen YOgurt restaurants have self-serve machines
similar to the Slurpee machines at 7-11.
I think they sell FroYo (plus toppings) by the ounce. Perhaps someone can verify that.

19. Solemn acts: RITES.

20. Alley-__: OOP.

21. Chef Colicchio: TOM. (b. August 15, 1962) Top Chef fans know Tom as the head chef of that show.

Quick Fire mushroom challenge (7:22 min.)

22. Citrus garnishes for tacos: LIMES. If you watched the video above, you saw a LIME with the mushroom tacos.

chipotle tempeh tacos with avocado and LIMES recipe

23. Ran out of battery: DIED.

29. Interior courtyards: ATRIA. ATRIA is the plural of atrium.

An ATRIUM is also a heart chamber.
No wonder I get these mixed up. It's the same word!

31. Paper or plastic: NOUN. and 58-Across. Word after sports or training: BRA.

Both are fun clues!

32. Apple assistant: SIRI.

33. Tiresome, maybe: OLD. I am assuming this OLD does not mean elderly.

35. Tee-toter's org.?: LPGA. golf tees and Ladies Professional Golf Association

This was a fun play on the word teetotaler (one who abstains from alcohol).

37. Unagi protein: EEL.

unagi nigiri sushi
(This EEL is usually cooked.)

41. From __ Z: A TO.

43. New York canal: ERIE. New York State, not city

Built between 1817 and 1825, the original Erie Canal traversed 363 miles from Albany to Buffalo. It was the longest artificial waterway and the greatest public works project in North America. interesting history

44. Fiery: HOT.

45. "Amazing!": WHOA.

47. Milky Way maker: MARS. They were first sold in 1924 and are the oldest Mars chocolate bar brand still around. Their flavor was designed to capture the taste of malted milkshakes and named after a famed malted milk drink of the day, not the MILKY WAY galaxy.

49. Gear for goalies: MASKS.

56. Cabbage dish: SLAW. Another SIDE SALAD???

57. Paper bundles: REAMS.

60. "You __ loved": ARE.

61. "Cool beans!": NEATO.

65. Fall flower: ASTER. I got hung up here for a bit because I misread the clue as "Fall follower" and "winTER" did not fit.

66. 54-Down email ending: EDU. and 54 Down. Atlanta university with an Oxford campus: EMORY.

67. Express with passion: EMOTE.

68. Full of hot air: GASSY.

69. Bunion spot: TOE. Bunions are bony growths that form on the joint where your big toe meets your foot.

70. High points: ACMES.

Also, last week they announced that the movie Coyote vs. Acme will be released in 2026. Here is the gist: After years of trying and failing to catch his rival the Road Runner, and often using Acme products in his pursuit, Wile E. Coyote takes the company to court. Representing the coyote is down on his luck attorney Kevin Avery (Will Forte). Wile E. and Kevin strike up a friendship with each other while facing down the intimidating Acme lawyer Buddy Crane (John Cena). more detes from Newsweek

C-Echo, I know you're a Wile E. fan. Let's double date with our SOs and go see this one!

Down:

1. Tiered temple: PAGODA.

I took this photo while cycling in Borneo.

2. Skillful: ADROIT. This is one of my favorite words. It makes me think of cats and of Jack the candlestick leaper.

3. Tree frog with a chirping call: PEEPER. Here's one:

4. Beverage in a stein: ALE.

They store the steins on the ceiling at the local Navy bar.
They use a special hook to get yours down when you are there.

5. Church season that begins on Ash Wednesday: LENT. a complete guide to Catholic Lent

6. Healing figure in some cultures: SHAMAN. Today we had several spiritual words: PAPAL, RITES, LENT, and SHAMAN.

7. "__ Flag Means Death": Max comedy with pirates: OUR. This one is new to me. Here is the trailer. It looks fun! You might recognize Rhys Darby from Flight of the Conchords where he played the manager.

8. Resting place?: BED. The ? means there is wordplay. A common association with resting place is a grave.

9. Brand of nasal spray: AFRIN. DH's ENT recommended AFRIN after his deviated septum surgery. The box says to not use if for more than three days. Comedian Nate Bargatze has a funny bit about his dad using it for 45 years. (1 min.)

10. Creates pleats in, as pie crust: CRIMPS. We do this to seal the edges so the good juices do not leak out during baking -- plus it looks nice. It's done like this:

11. Hospitality entrepreneur: HOTELIER. a proprietor or manager of a hotel

12. Building with little curb appeal: EYESORE. something offensive to view

13. Mayday call: SOS. and 52 Down. All four members of ABBA, e.g.: SWEDES.

SOS ~ ABBA ~ 1975

It was released as the fifth song from their self-titled album.

18. Gear tooth: COG. This is a pic of the inside of my clock. Many moons ago it kept time in my great-grandfather's bakery. I wind it every four days and have it cleaned every 5-7 years. I had to have its guts replaced a few years ago because the COGs were worn out. It's a commitment....

22. Width counterpart: LENGTH.

24. J'adore fragrance maker: DIOR.

It is a "Parisian haute couture fragrance".
Walmart sells 3.4 fl. oz. for $75.

26. Hair-curling aids: ROLLERS.

Beauty School Dropout ~ Grease ~ Frankie Avalon ~ 1978

27. Pull one over on: DUPE.

DUPE can be a verb or a noun.

28. From dawn __ dusk: 'TIL. I recently learned from Grammar Girl that most style guides now recommend against using 'TIL. It was OK in the 1980s but no more. She also said that until and till are nearly equivalent. Another shocker: till is not a contraction of until.

30. Protected, nautically: ALEE. and 59 Down. On the briny: ASEA.

34. Skin layer with hair follicles: DERMIS. I waited to see if the last two letters were AL or IS.

36. Heart of the matter?: ATOM. Cute. Matter is made up of tiny particles called ATOMs.

38. Alton Brown cooking show: GOOD EATS. This one was in the punchbowl. I only needed two perps to ladle it out.

39. Souls and Rios: KIAS. cars -- not country capitals

40. Figs. near baggage claim: ETAS. Estimated Time of Arrivals are posted in the baggage claim area because that is where your friends wait to pick you up at the airport. They want to know when to expect you.

41. "So cute!": AWW.

I could also use that pic of Splynter's nephew-dog, Cooper.

42. May who was prime minister during Brexit: THERESA. (b. 1956) Theresa Mary May, Baroness May of Maidenhead, is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served as Home Secretary from 2010 to 2016.

46. Banded stones: AGATES. They roll through our grids from time to time.

48. Tamp down: SUBDUE.

The writing is small. It says,
"Please hurry -- I don't know how long my cat can keep him subdued."

50. Winding ski race: SLALOM.

51. Sport with belts: KARATE.

This is the color order.

55. Before, poetically: ERE.

61. Bother repeatedly: NAG.

62. Matching pair, perhaps: SET. For example, sweater twin SETs were popular in the 1950s and 1960s. The make a reappearance every now and again.

63. Wedding vow: I DO.

64. Theater chain with ads featuring Nicole Kidman: AMC. We had American Multi-Cinema last week. The clue refers to this overly dramatic commercial:

The grid:

That's all. It kales me that I have to leaf so soon!

Dec 7, 2024

Saturday, December 7, 2024, Rachel Fabi & Lewis Rothlein

Saturday Themeless by Rachel Fabi & Lewis Rothlein

Rachel is a bioethics and humanities associate professor at SUNY. Lewis is a yoga instructor in Asheville, N.C.

Do you know how you can really make a connection with constructors and fly through their puzzles? Well, this was not one of those for me. I struggled mightily with foreign words, beyond obscure cluing for less common usage of common words and words that worked only in my imagination. I'll take a couple of bad cells and try to keep a stiff upper lip. You'll also see a few 😀's for some clever cluing.

Across:

1. Account shortcut: ETC ETC.

7. Subatomic particle in the world's largest collider: HADRON - This physics teacher had 13. [Shrug]: NO IDEA.

14. Mitigate: RELIEVE - RESOLVE fit but...

15. Not rare: NORMAL.

16. Beverage also called Silver Needle: WHITE TEA. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

17. Michael Jordan's sch.: UNC.

18. __ wit: RAPIER - Robin Williams leapt to my mind.

20. Mouth-squinching: TART - Sour - not so much.

21. Observation observation: I SAW 😀

23. Certain guest permits: VISAS 😀

24. Heat from a vent: IRE - If you are venting, your IRE may generate some heat

25. Tweaks: AMENDS.

27. Extra-ordinary mark?: C-PLUS 😀 A C is an ordinary mark but I suppose adding a + makes it somewhat extra-ordinary.

29. From both sides, in a way: STEREO 😀

30. Bring up: PARENT.

31. Spy glasses?: ONE WAY MIRRORS - I called this as a two-way mirror when I taught this concept

33. Some mats: SNARLS 😀

34. Doctors or nurses: TREATS 😀 - Doctors and nurses are trained to TREAT whatever ailment you have. I remember Hawkeye saying to Father Mulcahy who had to help out in the OR, "Father, nurse is also a verb!"

35. Best Play awards: ESPYS - Tonys did not get it. This is the award for best Play in sports for the year.

36. Addresses: SEES TO.

37. Salsa, or a salsa move: DIP 😀

38. Vales: GLENS - Dells and Dales, uh, no.

39. "Open at your own risk" indicator: NSFW - No Safe For Work. Quick, switch back to that spreadsheet!!

43. Protected, in a way: ALEE.

45. Like no films released to theaters in 2023: RATED-G - I attended many Disney RATED-G movies during my yute. and 2. Some in a cel block: TOONS 😀 This is now an obsolete art

47. DeLaria of "Orange Is the New Black": LEA - In character and in real life

48. Plague in a Poe tale: RED DEATH ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

50. "Well, dang!": OH RATS.

52. Dramatic: INTENSE.

53. Thin: WEAKEN - Another word that can be used as two different parts of speech.

54. Skippers on a lake: STONES.

55. Youngest, as a family member: NEWEST - I guess...

Down:

1. Languor: ENNUI - Who else but Cole Porter could put this word in a lyric. Here's the intro to I Get A Kick Out Of You.

My story is much too sad to be toldBut practically everything leaves me totally coldThe only exception I know is the caseWhen I'm out on a quiet spreeFighting vainly the old ENNUIAnd I suddenly turn and see your fabulous face

3. Dating convenience: CIRCA - Tokyo's Ginza CIRCA 1960's

4. Percussive genre, for short: EDM.

5. Make the rent?: TEAR - Anything you TEAR or rend has been rent.

6. Día de los Muertos skulls: CALAVERAS

Day of the DEAD skulls

7. Whodunit suspects, often: HEIRS 😀 Where there's a will...

8. __ text: ALT -ALT text, also known as an alt attribute, alt description or alt tag, is a snippet of detailed information describing what an image shows.

Bad - Skiing

Good - Add ALT text to a picture, which is what I try to do

SKIING!

9. Inflation reduction act?: DIET 😀

10. Chain components: RETAILERS 😀

11. Surpasses: OVERRUNS.

12. Clearest, as a note: NEATEST - People die every year from lack of neatness here

14. Large birds of the pampas: RHEAS.

16. Some molars: WISDOM TEETH.

19. Like the fragrance of many wreaths: PINEY 😀

22. Thin: WATERY.

26. Kitty litter sound?: MEWLS - Ah, it's from a litter of kitties not kitty litter! 😀

27. Ice mass unit: CARAT - Ice can be slang for diamonds

28. Element element: PROTON - Every science teacher has had kids make a Bohr model of an atom.

This model has 6 PROTONS
and so it is Carbon - At# = 6

29. Abruptly became alert: SNAPPED TO. 42. "__ expecting that": WASN'T.

30. Triceps exercise: PRESS DOWN.

31. In a cell block?: ON SILENT 😀

32. Nobel laureate Joliot-Curie: IRENE - Irène Joliot-Curie (1897-1956) was a French scientist and, like her mother, won a Nobel Prize.

Pierre Irene Marie

Receiving her award

33. "Santaland Diaries" humorist: SEDARIS - Written after a stint of playing Santa at Macy's

36. Ticket: SLATE - A candidate can be put on the party's ticket or SLATE.

38. Rough stuff?: GRASS 😀 I tried DROSS, GROSS and DRAFT (I thought rough daft was clever at _ R A _ _)