Sunday May 16, 2021 Roland Huget

Theme: "Extra Bedrooms" - BR is added to each familiar phrase.

23A. Toaster oven user?: BROWNER OPERATOR. Owner operator.

34A. Barbecue guests?: BROIL COMPANY. Oil company.

52A Fraternity news contacts?: BROTHER SOURCES. Other sources.

76A. Really dangerous edge?: INVISIBLE BRINK. Invisible ink.

93A. Structural pieces for a tiny Christmas village?: POCKET BRACES. Pocket aces.

110A. Ship's rope?: NAVIGATION BRAID. Navigation aid.

16D. Dirt at the stable?: BRIDLE GOSSIP. Idle gossip.

58D. Fight among poor pool players?: SCRATCH BRAWL. Scratch awl.

I bet many of you immediately guessed the theme after scanning at the title. 

Amazing grid work today. Heavy themage, but only 140 words and 69 black squares. No cheater squares. No surprises, since Roland Huget is also an accomplished themeless constructor.

Across:

1. Bleak genre: NOIR. Film noir. Dark crime dramas.

5. Monthly bill: CABLE.

10. Keep time, in a way: CLAP. Had to ask D-Otto. He said "You clap along to the music."

14. Mosey: AMBLE.

19. Locale of the Tomb of Akbar the Great: AGRA. Akbar the Great was the third Mughal emperor (1556 to 1605). He was the grandfather of Shah Jahan, the guy who commissioned Taj Mahal. Shah Jahan was the fifth Mughal emperor (1628 to 1658). So ornate.

20. Set boundaries for: LIMIT.

21. Tanning target: HIDE.

22. "The Sound of Music" matriarch: MARIA.

26. Steinbeck migrants: OKIES.

27. Mounted security system component: SENSOR.

28. Dr. Al Robbins on "CSI," e.g.: CORONER.

29. Stressed out: ON EDGE.

30. Coil of yarn: SKEIN.

32. Pearly coating: NACRE.

33. "1984" working class: PROLES.

38. Milwaukee MLBer through 1965: BRAVE. And 90. Red or Card: NLER. National Leaguer. Cardinal.

39. Student in English class?: NOUN. OK, "student" is a noun.

40. Shed item: TOOL.

41. Certain hip-hop dancer: B BOY.

43. Breakfast choice: EGGS. Not for me. I just need carbs.

46. "Wanna __?": BET.

47. Section that doesn't include the sax, surprisingly: BRASS. There are three straying BR's. Can you locate the other two?

49. Looks rudely at: OGLES.

51. Team golf event: PRO-AM.

55. Hindu title: SRI.

56. Fred Flintstone's boss: MR SLATE.

59. Geeked, so to speak: EAGER.

60. Rachel Brosnahan's "Marvelous Mrs.": MAISEL. "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel".

62. First name in design: COCO. Chanel.

63. Winter Palace rulers: TSARS.

66. Really ticked: IRATE.

68. Little bit: MITE.

69. Use Listerine, say: GARGLE. I use Scope. Listerine is so strong.

71. Deep sleep: SOPOR.

73. Progressive decline: ATROPHY.

75. It shares a small border with BC: IDA. British Columbia.

80. Abate: LET UP.

82. Idyllic places: EDENS.

83. Drake production: RAP CD. Drake also has an impressive Birkin bag collection.

84. Pre-holiday time: EVE.

87. It might be picked: LOCK.

88. Holiday desserts: PIES.

89. iPad assistant: SIRI.

91. Tribe also called the Wyandot: HURON. Here's the Wiki info: "In the early 17th century, this Iroquoian people called themselves the Wendat, an autonym which means "Dwellers of the Peninsula" or "Islanders". The Wendat historic territory was bordered on three sides by the waters of Georgian Bay and Lake Simcoe. Early French explorers referred to these natives as the Huron, either from the French huron ("ruffian", "rustic"), or from hure ("boar's head"). According to tradition, French sailors thought that the bristly hairstyle of Wendat warriors resembled that of a boar."

97. Storied: FABLED.

99. Writer __ Rogers St. Johns: ADELA.

101. Slow-moving tree dweller: SLOTH.

102. Words on some Québec road signs: ARRETS. Stops.

103. Creative kind of thinking: LATERAL.

106. Tía's mom: ABUELA. Grandma.

109. Author Calvino: ITALO. Hahtoolah might have dived into his books.

112. Pisa landmark: TOWER. Hi Gary & Picard!

113. Neglect: OMIT.

114. The "five" in "take five," e.g.: BREAK.

115. Impressed?: APED. Did an impression.

116. "The Planets" composer: HOLST. Gustav Holst.

117. Spoil, with "on": DOTE.

118. Taps feed them: SINKS.

119. Red ink: LOSS.

Down:

1. Collars: NABS.

2. Fairy tale baddie: OGRE.

3. Removes, as wrinkles: IRONS OUT. I have not ironed anything for ages.

4. Abrasion result: RAW SKIN.

5. Service leader: CLERIC.

6. Half of a vacation rental app: AIR. 34. The other half of 6-Down: BNB. Airbnb.

7. Admired coll. guy: BMOC. Big Man on Campus.

8. Slimming surg. procedure: LIPO.

9. Timeless: ETERNAL. So excited that J-Lo and Ben Affleck are back again.

10. Uncertain: CHANCY.

11. Soda bottle size: LITER.

12. Cherish: ADORE.

13. Word in many rates: PER.

14. Supreme Egyptian god: AMON RA. Sometimes it's AMEN RA.

15. Create a new look for: MAKE OVER.

17. Feudal subject: LIEGE.

18. Relaxes: EASES.

24. Yule tune: NOEL.

25. Color at the stable: ROAN.

29. Nashville attraction: OPRY.

31. Jots down: NOTATES.

35. Future fish: ROE.

36. Dance in a pit: MOSH.

37. Mug for a selfie: POSE.

38. Winter pear: BOSC. Pretty sweet. My favorites are still Korean pears.

41. Like a darker purple: BLUER.

42. Immortal catcher with "-ism" associated with his first name: BERRA. Yogi.

44. Nephew of King Arthur: GARETH. Sir Gareth. Shout-out to constructor Gareth Bain.

45. The __ Company: Walmart foe in 2000s lawsuits: SMILEY. Wiki says It holds the rights to the smiley face in over 100 countries". Wow.

47. Maidenform purchase: BRA.

48. No-good: ROTTEN.

49. Mexican mama bear: OSA.

50. "Make it happen, sister!": GO GIRL. Need "you".

51. Free TV spot: PSA.

52. Place for a post: BLOG.

53. "Wheel of Fortune" action: RE-SPIN.

54. Ipecac, for one: EMETIC.

56. Jimmy __, Saul's real name on "Better Call Saul": MCGILL.

57. Truckers' competition: ROADEO.

61. "No harm done": I'M OK.

64. Remark to the audience: ASIDE.

65. Gift to a Valentine: ROSES.

67. La Brea formations: TAR PITS.

70. Backtalk: LIP.

72. Delivery room docs: OBS.

74. Boxing match unit: Abbr.: RND. Round.

77. Style of expression: VEIN.

78. Composer Satie: ERIK. Or "Crossword editor Agard". MM solves USA Today every day. TTP occasionally. You won't find grids cleaner than USA Today.

79. Unfurnished: BARE.

81. Luau instruments: UKULELES.  And 89. Hieroglyphic beetles: SCARABS. Great fill.

84. One who finesses the tab, facetiously: EL CHEAPO.

85. Notch shape: VEE.

86. Hesitant sounds: ERS.

88. Whale groups: PODS.

90. One with inborn talent: NATURAL.

92. One might begin, "Oh, yeah?": RETORT.

93. Small dress size: PETITE.

94. Couturier Cassini: OLEG.

95. Shuts out, in baseball: BLANKS.

96. Stark heir on "Game of Thrones": ROBB.  Robb Stark is played by Richard Madden.

97. Religious belief: FAITH. Two of Boomer's aunts are Faith and Charity. His mom is Hope.

98. Threepio's pal: ARTOO.

99. Enterprise competitor: ALAMO.

100. Lifeboat crane: DAVIT. Like this.

104. Bell town in a Longfellow poem: ATRI. Have not seen entry for a long while.

105. Property claim: LIEN.

107. "None of it is true!": LIES.

108. Puts in: ADDS.

110. Auction gesture: NOD.

111. Furniture wood: OAK.

C.C.

Wednesday, March 10, 2021 Roland Huget

Theme:  Once again, the unifier sums it up perfectly.

60. Skirt, as an issue ... or a hint to the puzzle's circles: DANCE AROUND.  To make an evasive move.  Here the letters spelling a particular kind of dance book-end the theme fill.  It's easy to see if you got the circles.  Otherwise, not so much.

17. "ABC" group, with "The": JACKSON FIVE.   A pop singing group founded in 1965 with the brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael.


 

JIVE dance originated in the early 1930's.  Not sure how closely modern competitive jive dancing matches the original, but here we go.

26. Part-plant DC Comics superhero: SWAMP THING.  A humanoid/plant elemental creature with environmentalist tendencies.  It has been featured in comics, movies, animation and a TV series.

SWING dance is from the 1940's big band era.

36. Pioneer's wagon with an upward-curved floor: CONESTOGA.  The curve was to prevent cargo from tipping or shifting.  You can read about it here.  

The CONGA is a dance that likely originated in Africa and came to the U.S. via Cuba, in the 1930's.  It's a line dance, never mind that these dancers aren't in a line.

50. Weight loss guru:  JENNY CRAIG.  Genevieve Guidroz (b. 1932) from Louisiana, married Sindney Crain in 1979.  In 1983, they created a nutrition, fitness, and weight loss program in Australia and began offering the program in the United States in 1985.

The JIG is a dance form in 6/8 or 9/8 time with rapid footwork.  It is derived from British isles folk dancing of the 16th century.

Hi, Gang.  JazzBumpa here to lead you through today's adventure.  There's dancing to be done, so let's step to it.

Across:

1. Is sporting: HAS ON.  Wears

6. Bobby who lost to Billie Jean King in tennis' "Battle of the Sexes": RIGGS.

11. Place to unwind: SPA.  Relaxation site

14. Grenoble's river: ISERE.  It's 178 mile course runs from its source in the Alps near the Italian border to where it joins the Rhone.

15. Sign up, in Sussex: ENROL.  British spelling, I assume

16. Reliever's asset: ARM.  Baseball pitcher who replaces the starter.

19. USN clerk: YEO.  Shouldn't this be YOEMAN?

20. Hot state: IRE.  Anger

21. Heat unit: THERM.  A unit equivalent to 100,000 BTU's.

22. Ruhr Valley city: ESSEN.  Famous for its coal mining and steel production.

24. Art class subject: NUDE.   A form of visual art focussed on the unclothed human form.  It's history goes back to the ancient Greeks.

28. Compulsive thief, for short: KLEPTO-.  One experiencing a certain kind of impulse-control disorder.

30. Thoughts spoken onstage: ASIDES.  Words spoken by a character directly to the audience, not to other characters.

31. Prefix with comic: SERIO-.  Some combination of the comic and the serious.

32. "Not for me": PASS.  I'll sit this one out.

35. Left on a liner: PORT.  Right is starboard.

39. Popular side: SLAW.  Chopped cabbage in a vinaigrette or mayonaise dressing.

42. Sore: ACHY.  In pain.

43. Makeshift knives: SHIVS.  Home-made sharp edged weapons.

47. More minute: TINIER.  Smaller

49. Without a musical key: ATONAL. Sure.  But can you dance to it?



54. New Haven Ivy: YALE.  Founded in 1701.

55. Stream of insults, say: ABUSE.  Cruel or harsh treatment.

56. "It's __ to you": ALL UP.  Do your part.

58. Given a meal: FED.  

59. Printemps month: MAI.  In France.

63. Outer: Prefix: ECT-. As in ectoderm.

64. Slices in a pie, often: OCTAD.  Any grouping of 8 items.

65. Gold unit: OUNCE.  This is the Troy ounce, equal to 31.1034768 grams. 

66. Blue shade: SKY.

67. Designer fragrance: C K ONE.  A Calvin Klein product

68. Prepared for a TV interview: MIKED.  Equipped with a microphone.

Down:

1. Mischief: HI-JINKS.  Boisterous or rambunctious carryings-on : carefree antics or horseplay. Mischief is causing annoyance, trouble or minor injury.

2. Ordinarily: AS A RULE. Typically, what you can expect.

3. Any of 11 1860s states: SECEDER.  The confederacy.  And, yes, it was all about slavery.  The Articles of Secession of each confederate state make this abundantly clear.

4. Sitcom planet: ORK.  From the the TV show Mork and Mindy.

5. Outdoor home: NEST.   Where birds dwell.

6. Agree to more issues: RENEW.  Ambiguous clue.  To continue a subscription to a publication.

7. Start to structure: INFRA-.  Refers to the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (e.g. buildings, roads, power supplies) needed for the operation of a society or enterprise.  I dislike this kind of clue for a prefix.

8. Big name in fairy tales: GRIMM.   The Brothers Grimm, Jacob Ludwig Karl Grimm and Wilhelm Carl Grimm, were German academics, philologists, cultural researchers, lexicographers and authors who together collected and published folklore during the 19th century. 

9. Federal URL ending: GOV.  The last portion of the internet address.

10. Makes things slippery, in a way: SLEETS.  Sleet is a mixture or rain and ice pellets. 

11. Closes the marital deal: SAYS I DO.  You may now kiss the bride.

12. Peacock, e.g.: PREENER.  It straightens its feathers with its beak.

13. Surrounded by: AMONGST.  In the midst of.

18. Extremely: OH SO.  Very, very.

23. Shout from the main mast: SHIP AHOY. A call to greet or get attention.

25. Momentous victories: EPIC WINS.  

27. Part of UTEP: PASO.  University of Texas at El . . . 

29. Excessively: TOO.  As too much, too often, too far, etc.

32. Bench press target, for short: PEC.  Pectorals, for long -- each of the four large paired muscles that cover the front of the rib cage and serve to draw the forelimbs toward the chest.

33. Bat wood: ASH.  What Bat Man hits with.

34. Metaphor for a mess: STY.  Where pigs live.

37. "Breaking Bad" agent: NARC.   The word narc is slang shorthand for "narcotics agent," a federal agent or police officer who specializes in laws dealing with illegal drugs.

38. Prime meridian std.: GST.  Presumably Greenwich Standard Time.  I don't mean to be mean, but I don't think this is legit.  Everything I can find refers to Greenwich Mean Time

39. Place near the Pennsylvania Railroad: ST JAMES.  Properties on the Monopoly game board.

40. Relax: LIE BACK.  Recline

41. Retirement income source: ANNUITY.  A form of insurance or investment entitling the investor to a series of annual sums.

44. Down: IN A FUNK.  Depressed.

45. Chemical bonding number: VALENCE.  The number of chemical bonds between an atom and the other atoms it is bonded to in a molecule.

46. Tobogganed: SLEDDED.  Slid down a snowy hill.

48. Ophthalmologist, for short: EYE DOC.   An ophthalmologist diagnoses and treats all eye diseases, performs eye surgery and prescribes and fits eyeglasses and contact lenses to correct vision problems. 

49. Lago filler: AGUA.  Spanish lake with Spanish water.

51. Wound up costing: RAN TO.  Total of all purchased items.

52. Highway through Whitehorse: ALCAN.  The Alaska Highway (French: Route de l'Alaska; also known as the Alaskan Highway, Alaska-Canadian Highway, or ALCAN Highway) was constructed during World War II to connect the contiguous United States to Alaska across Canada. It begins at the junction with several Canadian highways in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, and runs to Delta Junction, Alaska, via Whitehorse, Yukon. When it was completed in 1942, it was about 2,700 kilometres (1,700 mi) long. [Wikipedia]

53. __-France: ILE DE.   A region in north-central France. It surrounds the nation’s famed capital, Paris, an international center for culture and cuisine with chic cafes and formal gardens. 

57. Senior's highlight: PROM. A formal dance, often with a theme [but not part of this puzzle's theme] held near the end of the academic year.

61. Comic strip cry: ACK.  Of pain or dismay.

62. Non opposite: OUI.  No and Yes in the Ile de France, ne c'est pas?

So ends our dance sessions.  Hope you avoided any potential faux pas.

Cool regards!

JzB

Thursday December 24, 2020, Roland Huget

Today's outing by Roland Huget presents us with a perfectly piscatorial puzzle.  The unifier at 30D smells a bit fishy but if you nose around a bit you'll sniff it out:

30. Structure that creates a path for upstream migration, and a hint to hidden words in four long Down answers: FISH LADDER. 

Fish ladders are man made structures, necessitated by the construction of damns that prevent salmon from reaching their spawning grounds in the Spring, the exact spots where each was originally spawned.  How they remember the way to get there is still a great mystery. Without fish ladders there would be no salmon. And no Alaskan Brown bears either:



The fish names in the puzzle are inverted and hidden in the DOWN theme phrases, representing their scaling the FISH LADDER.  Other than the COHO Salmon I doubt that any of the other fish would make the effort (although it would be interesting to see what a surprise it would be to a Brown Bear if a full-sized tuna suddenly emerged from the waters!):

3. Incur debt beyond one's means: GO INTO HOCK.  COHO Salmon.  I decided not to try and ham this one up.

21. Progress without faltering: NOT MISS A BEAT.  BASS. People with AFIB sometimes do miss a beat (YT included).

18. Succinctly: IN A NUTSHELL.  TUNA.  A fellow named O'Reilly made a fortune publishing the In a Nutshell series of  "succinct" (NOT!) computer reference books.  TTP and Dash T know them.

9. Equine contest with weight penalties: HANDICAP RACE. CARP.  I guess that if Brown bears get hungry enough in the Spring they'll eat anything.

The rest of the clues:

Across:

1. Streaming delay: LAG.  Why network lag is such a drag.

4. Blubber: SOB. Or someone you're not particularly fond of.

7. Goddess whom Arachne challenged to a weaving contest: ATHENA.  Early web developers.  ARACHNIDA is also a class of the phylum ARTHROPODA that includes SPIDERS, the original web spinners.

13. Lennon collaborator: ONO.  Yoko is now 87 years old and reportedly not in good health.



14. "Roth" investment: IRA.  Also George Gershwin's brother and lyricist.



15. Driveway application: SEALER.  Our driveway is going to need an application before we sell.

16. Mono- kin: UNI.  Or an Aussie institute of higher education.

17. Market area with a counter: DELI.

19. Dojo teacher: SENSEI. "She's not a girl who misses much!" (per 13A).  I think her name is Violet.  Watch for the bubble gum at the end!



20. __ rigate: pasta dish: PENNE.  ... and "Ruffles have ridges".

22. Number-crunching need: INPUT DATA.  The insatiable maw of the Cybersphere.  See 50D.

24. Get by a threat: EXTORT.  Or a former chocolate cake.  Also see 8D.

26. Tokyo brew: ASAHI.  I'm partial to Sapporo myself.

27. Siouan people: OTOE.  500 Years of OTOE & Missouria History

28. Dog or hound: NAG.

29. Corporate money mgrs.: CFOS.  Members of the "C" Team.

33. Big name in 2008 financial news: LEHMAN.  And it wasn't good news:

On September 15, 2008, Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy.  Hundreds of employees, mostly dressed in business suits, left the bank's offices one-by-one with boxes in their hands. It was a somber reminder that nothing is forever—even in the richness of the financial and investment world.

35. Mod or nod suffix: ULE.

36. "SNL" Emmy nominee Bryant: AIDY.

37. Steer clear of: AVOID.

38. Armored truck stop: ATM.

39. Cathedral areas: APSES.  These are niches on the sides of the cathedral that often have a saint's statue and a PRIE DIEU, a kneeler for pleading to the saint for intercessory prayers.

40. Some quirks: TICS.

41. Hotel room sets: TVS.

42. Busby or ushanka: FUR HAT.

43. Benevolent order: ELKS.  Note explicit pluralization.  None needed for this bugler ...



44. Support syllable: RAH.

45. Severely damaged sea: ARAL.  See 52D.

46. Became an issue: AROSE. "... by any other name would smell as sweet" Romeo and Juliet Act II Scene 1.

48. Take back: RECANT.  Pour back in the bottle?

51. Competition with rhyme and rhythm: RAP BATTLE.

55. WWII observance: VE DAY  May 8, 1945.  VJ DAY was September 2, 1945, but it wouldn't perp.  My parents were married in England on that day.  They were relieved that my Dad wouldn't be shipped out to the Pacific.

56. Acquaint with the existing situation: ORIENT.  Also an old name for ASIA, à la Murder on the Orient Express.

57. Prom rental: LIMO.  A stretchable, gluey answer.

59. Ballroom dance move: DIP.  Used a lot with SALSA.

60. Facial expression: VISAGE.  French for FACE actually.

61. Versailles monarch: ROI.  Parle du diable.

62. December 24, e.g.: EVE.

63. Flying high: ELATED.

64. Cup handle: EAR.  Other terms for pottery parts borrowed from the body include "foot", "belly", and "lip".

65. __ tape: RED.

Down:
1. Jeweler's glass: LOUPE.  Funny that a retired programmer couldn't figure out a way to riff on this.

2. Wing of no help in flying: ANNEX.

4. Detour part, maybe: SIDE ROAD.

5. Rock with potential: ORE.  Or maybe not.  It might be a VEIN effort to mine.

6. "__ Ha'i": BALI.  Lots of possible meanings, some of which are unsupportable on this blog.

7. Soften: ASSUAGE.

8. Effective means of enforcement: TEETH. Also pronounced TEEF, à la Monty Python's Killer Rabbit, a highly effective means of enforcement:









10. "Frozen II" sister: ELSA.

11. Bikini wax alternative, formerly: NEET.  Or NAIR.  The latter two sound a lot less painful to me.

12. Opera highlight: ARIA.  The word OPERA is Latin for WORKS, the plural of OPUS.  Opera works are a series of ARIAS (embellished with ensembles, choruses, recitatives, and interludes all thrown in for good measure).

23. Sacred song: PSALM.  Hebrew for HYMN.  A collection of 150 Old Testament poems, which were sung by the Hebrews.  Many of them, including the famous Psalm 23, are attributed to David, a shepherd who later became the king of Israel.   The Psalms are unquestionably the most widely read section of the Bible.  They comprise parts of the 4 week PSALTER (a synonym for Psalms) recited daily by priests, religious, and laypeople around the world, as a part of the Liturgy of the Hours.

25. Number of Taylor Swift's Grammy: TEN. Shouldn't that be "Grammies"?  Most of us only have two. 

31. Classical theaters: ODEA.  These structures were built for the presentation of Greek tragedies and comedies. They were usually built into hillsides and could be quite elaborate.



32. Part of iOS: Abbr.: SYST. 

33. After curfew: LATE.

34. Good opponent: EVIL.

38. Salty "Halt!": AVAST.

39. Parting words: AU REVOIR.  But not goodbye!  This would have been more effective as the last clue.  Not enough room in the Southeast I guess?

41. Rounded the bases after a homer, say: TROTTED.  CSO to CanadianEH!  Any idea who this guy is?


42. Not within walking distance: FAR.

47. Safe place to drive: RANGE.

49. Unsophisticated: NAIVE.

50. Used a keyboard: TYPED.  See 22A.

51. Gad about: ROVE.

52. Seed coat: ARIL.  Not to be confused with 45A.
 
53. Galileo's hometown: PISA.  Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) is considered by many to be the founder of modern experimental science, parting with Aristotle who believed that truths about the world could be derived by reasoning from first principals and careful observation of nature.  Galileo's experiments included careful measurements of the rate of fall of objects dropped from the Leaning Tower of Pisa, discovering that the rate of fall was independent of an object's mass.  Quick, which falls faster: a pound of lead or a pound of feathers?  They fall at the same rate in a vacuum.

While Galileo didn't invent the telescope, he did refine it and was the first to point it to the heavens, whereas it had previously been used primarily for military purposes.  He was the first to observe moons orbiting around the planet Jupiter, a discovery that paved the way for the Heliocentric theory of the Solar System.

54. Word on Irish stamps: EIRE.

58. Extinct bird: MOA.  This includes several species of flightless birds, some that were as tall as 12' high.  They lived in New Zealand for 60 million years, but were driven to extinction within a few hundred years of the arrival of Polynesian settlers in about 1300 AD.  This painting shows two Moas being attacked by a Haast's eagle, their only predator prior to the arrive of men.  Apparently the Haast's eagles also became extinct shortly after the Moa's extinction. due to the loss of their chief food supply.

And here's the grid, with some clever embellishments by C.C.

waseeley

Saturday, December 5, 2020, Roland Huget

Themeless Saturday Puzzle by Roland Huget

Here are Roland's very informative comments:

Hi Gary,

This is my first time providing info to the LA Times crossword blog.

My name is Roland Huget and I a retired nuclear engineer. I live in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Including this crossword, I have had 41 published in the LA Times, every day of the week except Sunday.

I started out constructing themeless crosswords, but for the last couple of years I have focused exclusively on themed ones. Earlier this year I decided to re-visit the freestyle genre. This grid design is very similar to one of my earliest efforts that appeared in the New York 
Times in March 2015. In this grid the "wheel" is "rotating" in the opposite direction to that in the NYT.  The NYT grid design was borrowed from a Manny Nosowsky puzzle in an omnibus.

As far as the fill is concerned, it's certainly Scrabblier than my previous effort. I minded my Z's and Q's and W's in assembling the central crossed answers. I am also more aware now of limiting proper nouns and acronyms than I was back then. It also helps that my word list has improved significantly in the intervening 5 years.

Roland.

Across:

1. Doesn't block: ADMITS - He ADMITS you only if you have some serious ID 

7. Financial crime trial evidence: LEDGER - This is one page of a LEDGER that turned Al Capone into a 30. Cell occupant: CON, eventually at Alcatraz

13. Daybreak?: SIESTA - Yeah, I get it, but shouldn't the clue be two words? (YR agreed)

14. Pronoun sung multiple times in the 1968 hit "Turn Around, Look at Me": SOMEONE.

15. French president after Hollande: MACRON - We had this definition on 11/15/20

16. One can hold about 500 hours of HD video: TERABYTE.

17. "I hate that!": UGH - For me it's liver!

18. Wine-and-food match, e.g.: PAIRING 

20. Ancient refuge: ARK.

21. Compensate for goofing off, maybe: CRAM - "That exam's tomorrow?"

23. Fill with wonder: AMAZE.

24. Not busy: FREE 

25. Capital NE of Vientiane: HANOI 

27. Cream __: PIE.

28. __ one's time: waited: BIDED - I always liked this "rhyme" fashioned by Ira Gershwin for his brother George's melody, "But I'm BIDIN' my time, Cause that's the kinda guy I'm"

29. Motivation in "The Manchurian Candidate": MIND CONTROL.

32. Designers' tools: COLOR WHEELS.

34. Begged off formally: SENT REGRETS.

36. Negotiations: TALKS - The TALKS to end the Korean War lasted 2 years and 17 days and only achieved a cessation of hostilities, no peace treaty.

39. Proof letters: QED - So there!

40. Guitar attachment: STRAP - One of mine broke when I was singing for a candlelight Christmas time wedding and the guitar hit the floor with a thump. Everyone looked at me with mouths AGAPE (Hey, I used that word!). What did I do? I picked up the instrument and sang two more songs with two broken strings and the others out of tune. Waddaya gonna do? The bride and I still laugh about it 40 years later.

42. Fruit picked from palms: ACAI.

43. Old Venetian coin: DUCAT - Act 1 Scene 3 from The Merchant Of Venice (3,000 DUCATS is $530,000 today)

45. Estate __: SALE.

46. Place for a bargain: BIN.

47. "See here, fella ... ": LOOK YOU.

49. Misfortune: WOE.

50. Leftovers: ODDMENTS - Did you try REMNANTS first too?

52. Nervous excitement: TREMOR - TREMOR elicits a more negative connotation to me

54. Singer who played a hacker in "Ocean's 8": RIHANNA - RIHANNA is dressed in "fashionable rags" in this picture of the cast. Audiences gave it a 45% on RT

55. Francia neighbor: ESPANA.

56. Enterprise engineer: SCOTTY - Captain Kirk never said this line even once. Picard, do you agree?

57. Small town symbol: MAIN ST.

Down:

1. To the same degree: AS MUCH.

2. Sentence model used in language teaching: DIAGRAM - I love diagramming and my friend knows I might sneak it in when I sub in her English class!

3. Pit crew member: MECHANIC - A pit stop in less than 2 seconds

4. State since 1948: Abbr.: ISR - Arizona in 1912 and then none until Alaska in 1959. Wait a minute...

5. Sporty car option: T-TOP.

6. Arabian Peninsula capital: SANAA.

7. Producer Michaels: LORNE  - SNL producer

8. Salon, for one: EMAG - It is rife with politics and so I chose not to link

9. Ball star: DEB - If it's not Lucille I guess it's a DEButante

 

10. Homer, in baseball jargon: GO YARD -  It means that a home run has left the baseball park (ball yard). Add in dingers below for home run names.

11. Main menu item: ENTREE - I got a shock once when I splurged on a $40 steak and found out the ENTREE was just one item on an á la carte menu. "$8 for a potato?"

12. Gave a strong impression (of): REEKED.

14. Motto attributed to Horace: SEIZE THE DAY - A memorable scene illustrating it

16. Total disasters: TRAINWRECKS - Husker, Michigan and Penn State 2020 football

19. Reason for a Champagne shortage, maybe: IMPORT QUOTA - Quotas and tariffs play a big role in getting French Champagne here 

22. Snowboard relative: MONOSKI - Here quadriplegic Nikko Landeros practices for competition 

24. Sole food: FILLETS - Nice pun Roland

26. Waits at the drive-thru: IDLES - There were 20 cars in the drive-thru line at MacDonalds yesterday. I parked, went inside and had my food in 60 seconds.

28. Participants in Africa's 1830s-'40s Great Trek: BOERS - BOER is Dutch/Afrikaan for farmer

31. Short rule?: REG - In Massachusetts, it is a state REGulation that all day care children must brush their teeth after lunch

33. Deliberately weak argument metaphor: STRAW MAN.

35. Stereotypical swinging-doors sites: SALOONS - There they are in the background of this very famous TV SALOON

36. Small drums: TABORS.

37. Like vinegar: ACIDIC.

38. Cry from a nest?: LAND HO - The name of the sailor in the Pinta's crow's nest who first saw land after 10 weeks at sea is lost to history

41. Study closely: PEER AT.

43. Youngest of a '60s-'70s male quintet, familiarly: DONNY - Here they are with Andy Williams who gave them their first big break. 

44. Carved symbol: TOTEM.

47. Gave for a while: LENT.

48. __ Minor: URSA - The North Star is at the end of the constellation The Little Bear (URSA Minor). That star stays in the same place in the night sky all year long (north of the equator) as you can see in this 8-hr exposure picture. Therefore it was instrumental in navigation for sailors like Columbus.

51. Sweeper's convenience?: MAT - A very common metaphorical practice in my family

53. Center opening: EPI - Seismometers only show how far away the EPICENTER of an earthquake is and not the direction. The EPICENTER is where the three of these circles overlap.