Sunday May 28, 2023 Rose Sloan & Shannon Rapp

Theme: "Secret Ingredients" - Eight different spice are anagrammed and spanned across two words.

23. Pony car since 1964: FORD MUSTANG. Mustard.

34. Flavor with Oreos: COOKIES AND CREAM. Anise.

52. Association for former classmates: ALUMNI CLUB. Cumin.

58. Genre satirized in "Only Murders in the Building": TRUE CRIME. Turmeric.

72. "Back to the Future" vehicle: TIME MACHINE. Mace.

86. Rom-com mainstay: LOVE SCENE. cloves.

89. Bank job necessity: GETAWAY CAR. Caraway

110. Information often included in a bridal shower invitation: WEDDING REGISTRY. Ginger.

Reveal:

123. Mixes such as garam masala and ras el hanout, and what are found in this puzzle's circles?: SPICE BLENDS.

Not famliar with ras el hanout. Google shows that it's a Morocco spice with salt, cumin, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, etc. It's used in tagines, soups, rice dishes, and vegetables.

 

Notice how consistent the theme entries are. All of the key letters span across two words. Some are inspiring finds.

Congrats on your LAT Sunday debut, Rose!

Across:

1. West African capital: ACCRA. Ghana.

6. Page with many views?: OP-ED.

10. Veg out: LOAF.

14. Grads-to-be: SRS.

17. Root beer treats: FLOATS.

19. Apple's counterpart of 3-Down: SIRI. And 3. Microsoft's counterpart of 19-Across: CORTANA. Who still uses Cortana?

20. Sportbacks, e.g.: AUDIS. Not famliar with Sportbacks.

22. Morita of "The Karate Kid": PAT.

25. Game option featuring cutscenes: STORY MODE. We had this fill a few months ago.

27. Jazz legend James: ETTA.

28. Kelly Clarkson's "Since U __ Gone": BEEN.

29. Pilot: STEER.

31. Cellphone giant: NOKIA. Hugely popular in Guangzhou in early 2000s.

32. Green sold in rainbow bunches: CHARD. How do you make it tasty?

37. Language class subject: TENSES.

39. Grabs a chair: SITS.

40. PreCheck org.: TSA.

41. Just: ONLY.

42. Govt. ID issuer: SSA.

43. Comice, e.g.: PEAR.  Wikipedia says it's a "French pear variety first cultivated in the 19th century." 

46. Word with care or aware: SELF.

48. D&D monster with a beak attack: ROC.

50. Some alfresco dates: PICNICS.

61. Get older: AGE.

62. Baggy: LOOSE.

63. Take turns: ROTATE.

64. __ science: DATA.

68. Guys: LADS.

70. Ranch grazer: COW.

71. Thanksgiving side dish: YAMS. Here's some purple yam cake.

76. Dad: PAPA.

77. Altar-ed words?: I DO. Ha.

78. Convoy rig: SEMI.

79. Squirrel's home: TREE.

80. Many a campaign ad: MAILER.

82. Some second-generation Americans: NISEI. Japanese. The first generation is ISSEI. Sei = Generation. Sansei is third. San = Three. Same in Chinese.

84. Egyptian viper: ASP.

92. Passes on, as knowledge: IMPARTS.

93. __ Minella: vest-wearing Muppet chimpanzee: SAL.

94. Crochet need: YARN.

96. Mix: STIR.

97. Gp. for those who putter around a lot?: PGA. Oh I like this new clue.

100. Maumee River endpoint: ERIE.

103. Battery size: AAA.

106. Mama's mama: NANA.

108. Gets to the point?: TAPERS. 121. Long series of romances?: SOAP OPERA. Great clues.

115. Bowling sites: LANES.

116. Kodiak Island resident: ALEUT.

117. Rook kin: RAVEN. I did not know rook is a bird.

118. Soph, probably: TEEN.

120. __-pedi: MANI.

126. "¿Qué __?": Spanish "What's up?": TAL.

127. Mountain nymph: OREAD.

128. Norsk Folkemuseum city: OSLO.

129. Melodious: DULCET.

130. Ones making alterations, for short: EDS. Editors.

131. Sunrise dirección: ESTE.

132. Butter chicken bread: NAAN. Uyghur-style. Lots of Muslims in Xi'an.

133. Some Scots: GAELS.

Down:

1. Has an influence on: AFFECTS.

2. Outfit: CLOTHES.

4. Location tools: RADARS.

5. Bread box?: ATM.

6. Bone-related prefix: OSTEO.

7. Steinways, e.g.: PIANOS.

8. Directional suffix: ERN.

9. Paleontologist's workplace: DIG SITE. Paleontologists study fossils. Sounds old.

10. Permanently removes hair, perhaps: LASES.

11. Devour more than: OUT-EAT.

12. Decks out: ADORNS.

13. Christmas purchase kids know about before Santa comes: FIR.

14. Already claimed, with "for": SPOKEN.

15. Tire type: RADIAL.

16. Like a good romance novel: STEAMY. Her name is Chiung Yao, the most popular romance novelist in Chinese language.

18. Hero: SUB.

21. Lip-__: SYNC.

24. Dry designation: SEC.

26. African country nearest Spain: MOROCCO. Where the ras el hanout is widely used, as I learned today.

30. Inventor Nikola: TESLA.

33. Create an image of: DEPICT.

35. Peck: KISS.

36. "Aw, heck": DARN.

38. Work like a gland: SECRETE.

44. Singer DiFranco: ANI.

45. Canyon edge: RIM.

47. Miami's st.: FLA.

49. Many Monets: OILS.

50. Aloo mutter ingredients: PEAS.

51. Give up: CEDE.

53. Jamaican tangelo brand name: UGLI. Yesterday I brought some lychees for Tom Pepper and Connie. Tom said they "taste like grapes but a lot more work." He can't stand durians.

54. Have in mind: MEAN.

55. Setting: LOCALE.

56. Annual Queens sporting event: US OPEN. Alright: Nick Kyrgios and Iga Świątek.

57. "Watch out!": BEWARE.

58. Having a go: TRYING.

59. Band aide: ROADIE. Good old clue.

60. Of the __ importance: UTMOST.

65. Tsp., e.g.: AMT.

66. Pothole filler: TAR.

67. Star starter: ACE.

69. Flaw: DEMERIT.

73. "Perhaps": I MAY.

74. Catchall file abbr.: MISC.

75. Nautical wheel: HELM.

76. "__ or it didn't happen": PICS.

78. "Dance Moms" dancer JoJo: SIWA. Much older now. But I really like this pic.

81. Starlike: ASTRAL.

83. Softened: EASED UP.

85. Fork over: PAY.

87. Photo __: OPS.

88. Brewery container: VAT.

90. Actor Tudyk: ALAN. He plays Dr. Harry Vanderspeigle in "Resident Alien"

91. Mountain chain: RANGE.

92. Stops along the way: INNS.

95. Sours, as a parade: RAINS ON.

97. Act of contrition: PENANCE.

98. Beowulf foe: GRENDEL.

99. Stockton's NBA record 15,806: ASSISTS. John Stockton.

100. Discarded tech products: E WASTE.

101. Click a circular arrow, say: RE-LOAD.

102. Core values: IDEALS.

104. Thinks the same: AGREES.

105. Turkish mount consisting of two volcanic cones: ARARAT. Did not know this trivia.

107. __ the Hun: ATTILA.

109. Adlon of "Better Things": PAMELA.

111. "__, sing America": Hughes: I TOO.

112. Sidestep: EVADE.

113. Intel job: RECON.

114. "__-haw!": YEE.

119. "Don't worry abt it": NBD.

122. Ante-: PRE.

124. "The More You Know" spot, e.g.: PSA.

125. Tote (around): LUG.

C.C.