Tuesday, July 1, 2025 Robin Stears

A Riot a Minute:  The first word of each theme answer, including the unifier, is a description of a type laughter.  Several of these terms seemed a bit antiquated to me.

17-Across. Canned responses featured on many classic sitcoms: LAUGH TRACKS.

. 

28-Across. Alcohol, in 1920s speakeasy slang: GIGGLE WATER.  I was not familiar with this term.  It even predates my parents.

46-Across. Egg, in diner slang: CACKLEBERRY.  I was not familiar with this term, either.  Apparently, Cackleberry is a slang term for a hen's egg because it is a combination of the word "cackle" (the sound a hen makes), and "berry", which is roughly the shape of an egg.

And the unifier:

59-Across. Bozo, and a feature of 17-, 28-, and 46-Across: CHUCKLEHEAD.  Also known as a blockhead.

Any other laughs?

Across:

1. Curved segments: ARCS.

5. Happy shout: HOORAH!

11. Scoreboard figs.: PTS.  As in Points.

14. Actress Petty: LORI.  Lori Petty (b. October. 14, 1963) was in many films in the 1990s.

Then and now.

15. Saint of Ávila: TERESA.

16. Nev. neighbor: ARI.  Arizona is the neighbor of Nevada.  The Hoover dam is on the border of these two states.  Hi, Lucina!

19. Bled, as dyed fabric: RAN.

20. Fix a sloppy cartographer's work: REMAP.

21. Generic painkiller: ASPIRIN.  The active ingredient of aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid.  It is derived from willow bark and has been known to relieve pain for over 3,500 years.  Aspirin, that we purchase from the drug store was developed in the late 1890s by chemist Felix Hoffmann (Jan. 21, 1868 ~ Feb. 8, 1946) at Bayer.  Aspirin taken in large quantities, however, can cause gastric bleeding.

23. Fictional lion whose name is Turkish for "lion": ASLAN.  Aslan is a major character in The Chronicles of Narnia, by C. S. Lewis (né Clive Staples Lewis; Nov. 29, 1898 ~ Nov. 22, 1963).

24. Course for intl. students: ESL.  As in English as a Second Language.  This has become a crossword staple.

26. Shape of a tornado: CONE.

27. Cowboys, on scoreboards: DAL.  Think football and the Dallas Cowboys.

32. Attempt: STAB.

34. "__ too shabby!": NOT.

35. Rather thick: DENSE.

36. Share a border with: ABUT.

38. Needs one more candle on one's cake: AGES.

39. Jackrabbits, e.g.: HARES.  Jackrabbits are hares, but are not rabbits.

41. Peach or coral: HUE.

42. Milky gemstone: OPAL.  Everything you ever wanted to know about opals.

49. Quaint "Hurry up!": HIE.

50. Rich person's suffix: -AIRE.  Hand up if you are a Billionaire.

51. Stat that may increase with a homer: ERA.  As in Earned Run Average.

52. Love, in Torino: AMORE.  Today's Italian lesson.

54. Before daybreak: PRE-DAWN.

57. Striped African antelope: ELAND.

58. Touchdown hr.: ETA.  Not football, but flying in a plane.  Estimated Time of Arrival.

63. Oil field structure: RIG.

64. Force: COMPEL.

65. Buy in, in poker: ANTE.  //  And 66-Across. Call, in poker: SEE.  //  And 1-Down.  Winner takes __: ALL.

67. __ rasa: blank slate: TABULA.  Today's Latin lesson.

68. "Stay" singer Lisa: LOEB.  Stay is career-making song Lisa Anne Loeb (b. Mar. 11, 1968).  The song was from the movie Reality Bites, and was the first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 for an artist without a recording contract.

Down:

2. Greets like a tiger: ROARS AT.

3. Villain de Vil of "101 Dalmatians": CRUELLA.

4. Greek letter on the AutoSum button in Excel: SIGMA.

5. URL intro: HTTP.  We had this recently.  HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol.

6. Poetic "above": O'ER.

7. Pop star Rita: ORA.  Rita Sahatçiu Ora makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzle.  She is a British singer, actress, television personality, and fashion icon.  She was born in Kosovo in 1990.

8. Think back to: RECALL.  Do you have total recall?

9. Gives a proper "Jeopardy!" response: ASKS.

10. Locking device: HASP.

11. Colorful, chatty birds: PARROTS.

12. Company noob: TRAINEE.

13. One seeking redemption: SINNER.

18. Put up, as art: HANG.

22. "Just watch me!": I CAN SO!

23. Some Super Bowl highlights: ADs.

24. Awards "quadruple crown": EGOT.  The EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) Awards is often seen in the puzzles. 

25. PD rank: SGT.  As in Sergeant in the Police Department.

29. Occupied: IN USE.

30. Groundskeeper's tool: EDGER.

31. Tiny: WEE.

33. Spoke in a husky voice?: BARKED.

37. "The Fresh Prince of __-Air": BEL.  A Will Smith sit-com that ran in the 1990s.

38. Subtle glow: AURA.

39. Scrunchie, for one: HAIR TIE.

40. Farm measure: ACREAGE.

41. Feminine pronoun: HER.

43. Bus. card info: PHONE NO.

44. Broadcast time: AIR DATE.

45. Gymnast Suni: LEE.  Suni Lee (née Sunisa Phabsomphou Lee; b. Mar. 9, 2003) is an American artistic gymnast.  In the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, she was the all-around gold medalist and won the bronze medal on the uneven bars bronze medalist.

46. Tangy buds in chicken piccata: CAPERS.  Everything you ever wanted to know about capers.

47. Deaden: BE NUMB.

48. Ivy university featured on "Gilmore Girls": YALE.  I never watched Gilmore Girls, but Yale was an obvious fit.

53. Taj __: Indian tourist site: MAHAL.

55. Bank holding: Abbr.: ACCT.  As in Account.

56. "OMG!" kin: WHOA.  Really?

57. Purnell of "Yellowjackets": ELLA.  Ella Summer Reed Purnell (b. September 17, 1996) is a British actress who began her career as a child model.

60. PC core: CPU.  As in Central Processing Unit.

61. Kenan's former comedy partner: KEL.  Kenan and Kel was a sit-com from the late 1990s that starred Kenan Thompson (b. May 10, 1978) and Kel Mitchell (né Kel Johari Rice Mitchell; b. Aug. 25, 1978).  Kenan later went on to star on Saturday Night Live.

62. "Smitten Kitchen Every Day" cookbook writer Perelman: DEB.  I am not familiar with Smitten Kitchen Every Day.  Apparently, the Smitten Kitchen began as a cooking blog.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

White Rabbit on this First Day of July.

Friday, June 21, 2024, Robin Stears

Oh!  Oh!

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with a puzzle by Gunther Toody.  Oh! Oh!  Wait a minute.  That's wrong on a couple of counts.  First, isn't today scheduled to be Chairman Moe's day?  Well, yes but we've traded days to accommodate some scheduling issues and Moe will be back in a couple of weeks.  Second, our friend from "Car 54 Where Are You?", Joe E. Ross, did not construct today's puzzle.  That was done by Robin Stears.  To quote Chairman Moe (October 7, 2022):

"Robin is no stranger to either this blog or blogger; (see my Jan 1, 2021 recap) at last count she must have at least ___ puzzles (fill-in-the-blank, someone!) published at the LAT, and perhaps 1,000+ puzzles published in total. Maybe she will stop by today and help me with my math!"

At four places in the grid Robin has added the letter O to common words and phrases in order to create clever answers to the clues.   Three of the four are riffs on entertainment staples.  The fourth is a bit of an odd duck and/or,  perhaps given the clue,  a rubber ducky.

Here are the spots when the gimmick has been employed:

17 Across:  Excellent rendition of a Belafonte hit?: ONE FINE DAY O.  Harry Belfonte's "Banana Boat Song" was a big hit in the early 1950's.  The "hook"  was "Day O, Day-ay-ay O, Daylight come and me wan' go home."  The clue also gives a nod to the song by Carole King and Gerry Goffin (recorded by the Chiffons).  Here is ONE FINE DAY O :

27 Across:  Help a former first lady feel better?: NURSE JACKIE O.  "Nurse Jackie", as we have come to know her more recently, is the main character of a Showtime dramedy series.  The clever reference is Jackie Kennedy Onassis who, in this case, is being nursed back to health.  Here, she gives a tour of the White House.

44 Across:  Gala for the cops?: PARTY OF FIVE O.  A reference to the TV show "Party of Five" is morphed  into a reference to the TV show "Hawaii Five-0".  Book 'em, Danno.

59 Across:  Give a cool cat a thorough bath?: SCRUB DADDY O.  Scrub Daddy is a brand of sponges.  Are you a cool cat?  Can you dig it, DADDY-O ?

Here, for all of you hep cats and dollies, is how the completed grid looks:

Here are the rest of the ginchiest clues and answers:

Across:

1. Insect-preserving resin: AMBER.  We all learned about this from "Jurassic Park".

6. Kick in or kick off: START.   Are we waiting for the drugs to kick in?  Is the election season  about to kick off?

11. Crunch targets: ABS.  Not as in 48 Across.  A workout reference.

14. Coupe de __: classic Cadillac: VILLE.  Ah, tail fins.

1959 Coupe de Ville

15. Airport structure: TOWER.  Control TOWER.

16. Shot chaser?: PUT.  One of these type of clues.  PUT follows shot in track and field.

The Shot Put

19. Time for the history books: ERA.  Sometimes clued with a baseball pitching statistical reference.

20. Oyster bed?: ICE.  Hand up for first thinking SEA or someplace where oysters breed.  This location comes later.

21. Shabby: SEEDY.  In the 1970's a SEEDY joint was something else.  My friend knows just who he can trust in the SEEDY part of town to get him safe candy and sweets.  He has treat smarts.

22. Novelist Louise who created the fictional police inspector Armand Gamache: PENNY.  Thanks, perps.

24. Removed from power: DEPOSED.  Also, a legal term.

26. Bearing: MIEN.  I before E except after C.

32. Red-hatted figure in Travelocity ads: GNOME.

35. Group before millennials: XERS.

36. Catch: NAB.

37. More than fancy: LOVE.  Fancy, in this case means not ornate but, rather to want to do something or to like something.

38. Push (for): LOBBY.  As in K Street.

40. In this case: HERE.  A bit obtuse but, hey, it's Friday so HERE it makes sense.

41. "Bravo, mi amigo!": OLE.  A review Spanish lesson.

42. Squabble: TIFF.

43.  Always ready to order?: BOSSY.  Hand up for heading down the ON TAP road.  Ready to BOSS around / give orders.

48. Crunch's rank: CAPN.

49. Some UPS Store customers: SENDERS.  SHIPPERS fits the clue better but does not fit the allotted space.

53. Japanese room divider: SHOJI.  Thanks, perps.

55. As a soloist: ALONE.

57. Cut (off): LOP.  Did you hear about the guy that had his ears LOPped off?  He didn't either.

58. Pursue romantically: WOO.  You know, owls never go on a date if it's raining.  It's too wet to woo.

62. Beseech: ASK.  If you are offended by my dad jokes, please don’t get mad and ask me to go to the artificial excavation filled with water.  I mean well.

63. Small crown: TIARA.  Often worn in crosswords.

64. Foot the bill: TREAT.

65. "You got it": YES.

66. Weapon in a scabbard: SABER.

67. Chucks: HURLS.  As in to throw or to toss.  Not to be confused with upchucks which could also be HURLS.

Down:

1. Dance around: AVOID.

2. __ words: MINCE.  Colloquialism.  All You Want To Know

3. Censor: BLEEP.  Bleeping a curse word is usually funnier than the word itself.  Itself just isn't a very funny word.

4. Rivendell resident: ELF.  A Lord Of The Rings reference.

5. Second edition: REISSUE.

6. Knight mares: STEEDS.  Cute homophone.  Not bad dreams.  Knights' horses.

7. Figure skating great Eldredge: TODD.  Three-time Olympian.  1996 World Champion.  Six-time U.S. Champion.

8. On the road: AWAY.  Let's see.  Willie Nelson or Canned Heat?  Hmmm.  Flip a coin.

9. Lightsaber-wielding heroine: REY.  A "Stars Wars" reference.

10. Torrid Zone region: TROPICS.

11. Italian mountain range: APENNINES.

12. Waste: BURN.  As in BURNing through money, I suppose.

13. "Don't leave!": STAY.

18. Poetic contraction: NE'ER.  NEvER

23. Cry from one atop a chair: EEK.  As opposed to EKE.

EEK A Mouse !

25. "That's a new one __": ON ME.  Not to be confused with 64 Across.

26. "The Pink Sash" painter Cassatt: MARY.  Thanks, again, perps.

28. Split personality?: EXBFF.  Because you have split (cut ties with) your best friend.  Meh.

29. Laura Bush's brother-in-law: JEB.

30. Glasses holders: EARS.  Hand up for RIMS.  Eyeglasses.

31. Follow: OBEY.

32. Mushy bowlful: GLOP.  GLOP GOOP SLOP GUNK

33. French Quarter city, familiarly: NOLA.  The French Quarter is a section of New Orleans, LouisianA

34. Stays on the range too long: OVERCOOKS.  Not an oater reference.  

38. Sphinx, mostly: LION.

39. Clocked out: OFF.

40. Piece of academic regalia: HOOD.  

42. Keyboard pros: TYPISTS.  When we all took typing in junior high little did we know how the skills would come to be applied.

43. Outranked by: BENEATH.  True, but a bit of a stretch.

45. __ Mahal: TAJ.  A place frequently visited in our puzzles.  Or an American blues musician.

46. Weather map line: ISOBAR.  Where meteorologists go for a drink.

47. Peddle: VEND.

50. Church leader: ELDER.  VICAR would have fit.  PASTOR and PRIEST would not.

51. __ flush: ROYAL.

52. Catches: SPOTS.  Again, a bit of a stretch.  Might have been clued as "Catches sight of" earlier in the week.

53. Influence: SWAY.

54. Kiddie pool filler: HOSE.  Water?  No.  Urine?  Not likely in a puzzle.  The means with which to fill the pool with water.

55. Many an Emirati: ARAB.  A reference to the United Arab Emirates.

56. Tackle box gadget: LURE.

60. Org. whose HQ is home to the unsolved puzzle sculpture Kryptos: CIA.  Abbreviated clue/answer.  The Central Intelligence Agency is headquartered in Langley, VA.

61. Gru's long-lost twin brother in "Despicable Me 3": DRU.

Thru

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