Monday February 27, 2023 Rebecca Goldstein and Rachel Fabi

  

Hello Cornerites!

sumdaze here with a "visionary" puzzle by Rebecca Goldstein and Rachel Fabi.

I am calling it

This is Rebecca and Rachel's second L.A. Times collaboration. I remember enjoying their Oct. 4, 2022 puzzle, which our sagacious Tuesday blogger, Hahtoolah, titled, "Cleanup in the Produce Aisle". They also paired up on a NYT puzzle last September. source

Today we have 4 phrases such that each end in a synonym for LOOKING. One might say the LOOKING part of the phrase is at the BACK end of the phrase. You know, LOOKING BACK. Let's take a peek:

17 Across. Excessive introspection: NAVEL GAZING.  I know this term to mean "the contemplation of one's navel as an aid to meditation," but I did not know it had a science-sounding name:  omphaloskepsis.

22 Across. Tourist's agenda: SIGHTSEEING.

35 Across. Consuming "Succession" in rapid succession, say: BINGE WATCHING. I like how they worked the TV show name into the clue.

49 Across. New England fall activity: LEAF PEEPING.

You can see why many people have a LEAF PEEPING trip on their bucket lists.

And the unifier:

56 Across. Reminiscing, and what 17-, 22-, 35-, and 49-Across all have: LOOKING BACK.

Let's view the grid:

In retrospect, we notice that the synonyms for "LOOKING", i.e., GAZING, SEEING, WATCHING, and PEEPING, are each at the BACK end of a phrase.

Kudos to Rebecca and Rachel for fitting 5 themed fills in a 15x15 grid. Well done!

Across:
1. Resistance unit represented by an omega: OHM. Named for Georg Ohm, a German physicist best known for his OHM's law.

V = Voltage        I = Current        R = Resistance

4. __ and field: TRACK.

9. BBC cooking competition, to fans: GBBO.

BINGE WATCHING worthy, I reckon.

13. Battery size: AAA.

14. "__ a Mi Mundo": Selena album: ENTRE.

15. Eddie __: apparel company: BAUER.

16. The Cardinals, on sports tickers: STL.  St. Louis for baseball or Arizona for football

19. In-flight figs.: ETAS.  After planes are in the air, they can better calculate their Estimated Times of Arrival.

21. Like many nouns ending in "s": PLURAL.  It can get complicated. (See 19A.)

26. Bargain footwear chain: DSW.  Designer Show Warehouse, a.k.a. Nirvana

The first store opened in 1991 in Dublin, Ohio.
Today DSW operates more than 500 stores in 44 states.

29. Outcast: PARIAH.  I just realized I often confuse this word with "piranha". It seems I am not the only one guilty of this malapropism. Do you mean "a corporate PARIAH" or "a corporate piranha"? Read about the difference in their definitions at grammarist.com.

30. Bothers: GETS TO.

32. Trailing, as a trailer: IN TOW.

34. Horse coloring: ROAN.

a red ROAN and a blue ROAN

40. Widely shared image: MEME.

41. Stony-faced: STOIC.  10 Stoic Rules from Marcus Aurelius

42. Container: VESSEL.  also, an architectural structure in Manhattan  (more)

45. Next up: ON DECK.  baseball

This sailor is ON DECK.

48. Argument in favor: PRO.

53. Brand of bottled water: DASANI.

55. Headliner: STAR.

61. Skating surface: ICE.  

Peanuts Tribute - Skating by Vince Guaraldi Trio

I think you'll find this video quite calming.

62. Cubs legend Banks: ERNIE.  In 2013, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his contribution to sports.  Hall of Fame page

63. Reddish brown photo effect: SEPIA.  You likely have a SEPIA filter on your phone's camera. This is what it can do.

64. __ out a win: EKE.

65. Suffix with nine- or ump-: TEEN.

66. Pick up the tab: TREAT.

67. Nine-digit ID: SSN.

Down:
1. Caravan rest stops: OASES.  "Stops" is PLURAL, so we needed the plural of "oasis".

2. Gesture of recognition, physical or metaphorical: HAT TIP.  Hand up for first penciling in "Homage".

Sam Elliott is as cool as a penguin on an ice floe.
Oh, wait, that was last Monday!

3. Spanish port town that's the namesake of a dessert wine: MALAGA.  Known for its beaches, culture, and food, MALAGA is a popular destination in Andalusia, Spain.  15 Things to Do in MALAGA

4. Roman X: TEN.

5. Genetic letters: RNA.  Ribonucleic Acid is a nucleic acid present in all living cells that has structural similarities to DNA. Unlike DNA, however, RNA is most often single-stranded.  lots more info.

6. Off-rd. ride: ATV.  Road is abbreviated, so is All-terrain Vehicle.

7. Thin pancake: CREPE. 

Here is a (subtly humorous) video on how to make crepes. (3:14 min.)

8. "Law & Order: SVU" actress Giddish: KELLI.

Kelli on the "Law" side of L&O.
Apparently there was some off-camera drama, too. She has left the show.

9. __ strip: region that borders Egypt: GAZA.

10. Uses as a foundation: BUILDS ON.

11. Jerry's dairy partner: BEN.  A couple of months ago, the NPR podcast, Planet Money, did a piece on a shadow barter economy in Vermont where people use pints of B&J's ice-cream to pay for goods & services. This came about because each employee was allowed to take home 3 free pints every single work day. Pause and think about that for a minute. (The episode covers a few topics. Here is the transcript. Scroll down to "Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi". The B&J's segment begins there.)

12. Assn.: ORG.  Association is abbreviated, so is Organization.

15. Storm (in): BARGE.  Remember the New York garbage BARGE from 1987 news headlines?

18. __-ho: enthusiastic: GUNG.

20. Holy sites: SHRINES.  This "floating" tori (gate) is part of the Itsukushima Shinto Shrine in Miyajima, Japan.  UNESCO World Heritage site

23. High-pitched sound: TING.  as in, "the TINGing of glasses".

24. Fill completely: SATE.

25. Site for DIYers: EHOW.  eHow website

27. Male deer: STAG.

28. Was victorious: WON.

31. Pushup muscles: TRICEPS.  Practicing the yoga pose chaturanga dandasana (4-limbed staff pose) strengthens these muscles.

tri = 3 muscles
Long, Lateral, & Medial.

33. Used to be: WAS.  The verb used to is a 'marginal' modal verb. Unlike the other modal verbs, it is only found in the past tense.

35. Pilsner, e.g.: BEER.

36. "This is the last straw for me": I'M SO DONE.

37. Roof option for some Camaros: T-TOP.

38. Convalescent puppy's accessory: CONE.

39. Conceal: HIDE.

40. Letters on a trophy, maybe: MVP.  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has won the most career Most Valuable Player awards in the NBA, with 6. Look up your favorite player here.

43. "Eighth Grade" actress Fisher: ELSIE.  ELSIE was born in 2003 in Riverside, CA. Her show was on Netflix. In 2018, she received a Golden Globe nomination for best actress. She also voiced Agnes in Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2.

ELSIE & Agnes.  (Hi Irish Miss!)

44. Rely (on): LEAN.

Bill Withers sings Lean on Me live in Chicago (1972).

I'd like to think that we are here for each other in this way.

46. St. Louis and St. Petersburg, for two: CITIES.  In this case, "St." was a distraction.

47. Natural talents: KNACKS.  This clue calls for another song...

My Sharona by The KNACK (1979)

50. Inner turmoil: ANGST.

51. Nutrient found in whole grains: FIBER.  We're entering artichoke season. They are full of FIBER and delicious, too!

Click to enlarge. This is good gouge!

52. "Bein' __": Kermit the Frog's song: GREEN.  Alas, it's not easy.

It's Not Easy Being Green by Kermit the Frog

54. Similar (to): AKIN.

56. Allow: LET.

57. Mine find: ORE.

58. Tailless primate: APE.

59. "Homeland" gp.: CIA.  Group is abbreviated, so is the Central Intelligence Agency.

60. "WandaVision" actress Dennings: KAT.  This is a Disney+ show. Earlier this month I Googled another WandaVision cast member, Elizabeth Olson, for my blog. Unfortunately, I failed to memorize the whole cast for future puzzles.

I prefer the candy bar
but sometimes it's good to change things up.

That's all for today. I look forward to reading your thoughts!