Theme: Diner Sandwiches - Familiar phrases wrapped around with letters BLT.
23A. *Site of illegal jobs?: BANK VAULT. I immediately thought of those meat factories where illegal immigrants are hired.
25. *Hit the roof: BLOW A GASKET
41A. *Not sportsmanlike: BELOW THE BELT
64A. *Unfamiliar subject: BLIND SPOT. Lots of blink spots for me on LAT Friday/Saturday puzzles.
87A. *Childbirth: BLESSED EVENT
109A. *Arena for illegal trading: BLACK MARKET. Hmm, two "illegal" references in the theme clues.
112A. *Easy way to win a game: BY DEFAULT. The other side fails to show up. How unsatisfying!
37D. *Checkup component: BLOOD COUNT
47D. *19-Across brand: BLUE BONNET. The only starred theme entry with food allusion. The cross-reference is OLEO (19A. Spread selection).
112D. Diner order found "sandwiched" around the answers to starred clues: BLT.
Today's puzzle was constructed by Rich Norris, editor of LA Times Daily Crossword. Sabrina Walden is just another of his pseudonyms, anagram of "Brand New Alias".
To those who are looking for food references after seeing the theme title, Rich gives us:
61A. Osso buco meat: VEAL
93A. Lunchroom staple, for short: PB AND J. I like peanut butter and honey.
119A. General __ chicken: TSO'S
15D. Sushi bar order: SASHIMI. Yummy, yummy.
83D. Sprinkling on French fries?: SEL. French for "salt".
86D. Sliced in thin strips: FINE CUT
The reason why unifying answer like today's BLT is usually placed at the end of the grid is because the constructors want solvers to enjoy the final "Aha" moments. But I always jump around and often obtain the unifier earlier on.
Today I got BLT rather quickly, and initially thought BLT might be sandwiched inside each theme phrase like Dan Naddor's "Heros Welcome", in which SUB is inserted in each theme entry. Had to re-read the clue for BLT after several theme entries emerged.
A few gnarly spots, but I enjoyed the solving (I really dread Saturday puzzles now). Always nice to read Rich's clues and his thinking unfiltered.
Across:
1. CBer's acknowledgment: COPY
9. Severe, as criticism: ACERB. Wanted HARSH.
14. Tests not for srs.: PSATS. For juniors.
20. Tug, say: BOAT. Tugboat.
21. Public commotion: FUROR
22. "Peter and the Wolf" bird: SASHA. Got it from crosses.
27. Compact summary: SYNOPSIS. So is aperçu.
28. Netflix delivery: VIDEO
29. Plate with five sides: HOME. Baseball home plate has five sides.
30. Irish-themed Vegas casino: O'SHEAS. Have never been to Vegas.
32. Board meeting VIP: SECY (Secretary)
33. Dived neatly (into): KNIFED. I don't get the clue.
35. Copyright pg. item: ISBN. Books.
38. Stars of old Rome?: ASTRA. Literally "stars" in Latin.
40. Oz creator: BAUM (L. Frank). "The Wizard of Oz". We also have the comic strip 72D. "The Wizard __": OF ID. Did you first pen in OF OZ also?
46. Awful: HORRIBLE
50. Newsworthy '90s jurist: ITO (Lance). O. J. Simpson trial judge.
51. Alabama rival: AUBURN. Their athletic teams is called Auburn Tigers.
52. Cruise stops: PORTS
54. Place to find loafers: SHOE STORES. Was thinking of the idle "loafers".
56. __ Alps: Eiger locale: BERNESE. And AARE (102A. Rhein feeder), which rises in the Bernese Alps. Also EUR (45D. Alps site).
58. Arles article: UNE. One.
59. Spreadsheet entry: DATUM.
60. Troubled: AILED
62. Holy, to René: SACRE. Sacre Coeur in Paris can make a man cry.
68. Exxon merger partner: MOBIL
69. Cyclo- ending: TRON. Cyclotron.
70. Where to see "The Sopranos" nowadays: A AND E. No problem parsing it today.
71. Boxer Marciano's birth name: ROCCO. Only know him as Rocky.
73. Country on the Rio de la Plata: Abbr.: URU (Uruguay). I was stumped.
74. Castle with a stone: BLARNEY. Blarney Stone.
77. Wildly excited: IN A FRENZY. Terrific entry.
81. "Gee!": MAN
82. Spanish poet García __: LORCA. Maybe a gimme for Clear Ayes. I don't know this fellow.
83. Arenas: STADIA. Have only used the plural stadiums.
84. Family tree word: NEE
85. Present: PUT FORTH. Of course I was in the gift "present" direction.
90. 500-mile race, briefly: INDY
91. Modesto winery name: GALLO. Did not know they are based in Modesto.
92. Yours, in Ypres: A TOI. Alliteration again. Ypres is a town in W Belgium. Who knows?
96. Unbending: FIRM
97. Bubbly brand that rhymes with an entrance chime: KORBEL. No idea. Wikipedia says it's founded by two Czechoslovakian brothers named Korbel.
103. How the confident do crosswords: IN INK. Ha ha, I do write in ink, though I need Wite-Out.
105. Ruffian: HOOLIGAN. I often associate this word with those unruly soccer fans in Britain.
113. Advantage: LEG UP
114. "Hollywood Nights" rocker Bob: SEGER
115. Wanton look: LEER
116. Expos, since 2005: NATS. Washington Nationals.
117. "Golden Boy" dramatist: ODETS (Clifford)
118. Irony, e.g.: TROPE
120. Chicago daily, familiarly: TRIB
Down:
2. Big name in skin care: OLAY. I love the smell of the Olay Original cream.
3. Philly school: PENN. Penn State. (Correction: It's University of Pennsylvania, thanks June & D.D.).
4. "Starpeace" musician: YOKO ONO. Surprised myself by getting the whole answer with just a few letters in place
5. Embarrass: ABASH
6. One of Donald Duck's nephews: LOUIE. Cheated on this one.
7. Ballroom dance: SALSA
8. Giant slugger: OTT (Mel)
9. Mil. jet locale: AFB (Air Force Base)
10. Drain: CULVERT. New word to me.
11. Beethoven's Third: EROICA. Originally dedicated to Napoleon.
12. Boisterous: ROWDY
13. Loch Lomond hill: BRAE. Learned from doing Xword.
14. Free TV spot: PSA
16. Want from: ASK OF
17. Central idea: THEME. BLT for today's puzzle.
18. Glutted: SATED
24. CEO's underlings: VPS
26. Amusement park attraction: GO KARTS
31. Sussex sword: SABRE. British spelling of "saber". Sussex is chosen for alliteration purpose.
32. Mo. town: STL. Nice play on Motown.
34. Care for: NURSE
35. Bird sacred to Tut: IBIS. I wonder why Egyptians consider ibis sacred, Al/MJ?
36. Genesis brother: SETH
39. Rep.'s counterpart: SEN
40. Bring to tears?: BORE. Bore to tears.
42. Refuse: WASTE
43. "The Nutcracker" garb: TUTU
44. Oppenheimer opposed it: H-BOMB
46. 1953 John Wayne film: HONDO. Nope. Here is the poster.
48. Maui neighbor: LANAI. The Pineapple Island.
49. ''The Girl Can't Help It'' actor Tom: EWELL. He's also in "The Seven Year Itch".
52. Scrub up, e.g.: PREP. In operation room I suppose.
55. Net: EARN
56. Fussbudget: BIDDY. Fussbudget is new to me.
57. Additional: ELSE
60. Ill-fated Boleyn: ANNE
61. Sotto __: softly: VOCE. Literally "voice" in Italian. Sotto = Under.
62. Confound: STUMP
63. Pianist Claudio: ARRAU. No idea. He's a Chilean pianist.
65. Durable wood: LARCH
66. Collector's suffix: IANA. As in Americana.
67. Sports headline item: TRADE
68. Jazz singer Carmen: MCRAE. Her name escaped me.
74. Like Dennis the Menace: BLOND. Did not know Dennis is blond.
75. Conrad novel: LORD JIM. See the book cover. Not in my memory file.
76. Chichi: ARTY
77. "Everything is fine": IT'S OK
78. __ in November: N AS. Not the rapper for a change.
79. Greek philosopher known for a paradox: ZENO. Zeno of Elea.
80. Himalayan legend: YETI
87. Beer server: BAR KEEP
88. Advanced legal deg.: LLM. Latin for "Lēgum Magister" (Master of Laws). Why two LL in the abbreviation?
89. Foster's prince: VALIANT. I was clueless. Comic strip "Prince Valiant". We often see ARN clued as "Prince Valiant's son".
91. __ biloba: claimed memory-enhancing extract: GINKGO. Does it work?
93. Artist Picasso: PABLO
94. In bundles: BALED
95. Very angry, after "in": A RAGE. In a rage.
96. One with an ax?: FIRER. Nailed it. One who gives others the ax (fires others).
98. "For sure!": OH YES
99. Where the big bucks are?: RODEO. I was thinking of money "big bucks".
100. Afrikaans speakers: BOERS
101. One of Santa's team: ELF
104. Tammany Hall caricaturist: NAST (Thomas). He created the GOP elephant and Democratic donkey as well.
106. Gum-producing plant: GUAR. It looks like this. The gum is from the seeds in those pods. Legume family.
107. Height: Pref.: ALTI. As in altitude.
108. U.S. accident investigator: NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board)
110. G.I. mess crews: KPS. KP - Kitchen Police.
111. Amount past due?: TRE. "Due" here is Italian for "two". Uno, due, tre. Can't fool me any more.
Answer grid.
C.C.
23A. *Site of illegal jobs?: BANK VAULT. I immediately thought of those meat factories where illegal immigrants are hired.
25. *Hit the roof: BLOW A GASKET
41A. *Not sportsmanlike: BELOW THE BELT
64A. *Unfamiliar subject: BLIND SPOT. Lots of blink spots for me on LAT Friday/Saturday puzzles.
87A. *Childbirth: BLESSED EVENT
109A. *Arena for illegal trading: BLACK MARKET. Hmm, two "illegal" references in the theme clues.
112A. *Easy way to win a game: BY DEFAULT. The other side fails to show up. How unsatisfying!
37D. *Checkup component: BLOOD COUNT
47D. *19-Across brand: BLUE BONNET. The only starred theme entry with food allusion. The cross-reference is OLEO (19A. Spread selection).
112D. Diner order found "sandwiched" around the answers to starred clues: BLT.
Today's puzzle was constructed by Rich Norris, editor of LA Times Daily Crossword. Sabrina Walden is just another of his pseudonyms, anagram of "Brand New Alias".
To those who are looking for food references after seeing the theme title, Rich gives us:
61A. Osso buco meat: VEAL
93A. Lunchroom staple, for short: PB AND J. I like peanut butter and honey.
119A. General __ chicken: TSO'S
15D. Sushi bar order: SASHIMI. Yummy, yummy.
83D. Sprinkling on French fries?: SEL. French for "salt".
86D. Sliced in thin strips: FINE CUT
The reason why unifying answer like today's BLT is usually placed at the end of the grid is because the constructors want solvers to enjoy the final "Aha" moments. But I always jump around and often obtain the unifier earlier on.
Today I got BLT rather quickly, and initially thought BLT might be sandwiched inside each theme phrase like Dan Naddor's "Heros Welcome", in which SUB is inserted in each theme entry. Had to re-read the clue for BLT after several theme entries emerged.
A few gnarly spots, but I enjoyed the solving (I really dread Saturday puzzles now). Always nice to read Rich's clues and his thinking unfiltered.
Across:
1. CBer's acknowledgment: COPY
9. Severe, as criticism: ACERB. Wanted HARSH.
14. Tests not for srs.: PSATS. For juniors.
20. Tug, say: BOAT. Tugboat.
21. Public commotion: FUROR
22. "Peter and the Wolf" bird: SASHA. Got it from crosses.
27. Compact summary: SYNOPSIS. So is aperçu.
28. Netflix delivery: VIDEO
29. Plate with five sides: HOME. Baseball home plate has five sides.
30. Irish-themed Vegas casino: O'SHEAS. Have never been to Vegas.
32. Board meeting VIP: SECY (Secretary)
33. Dived neatly (into): KNIFED. I don't get the clue.
35. Copyright pg. item: ISBN. Books.
38. Stars of old Rome?: ASTRA. Literally "stars" in Latin.
40. Oz creator: BAUM (L. Frank). "The Wizard of Oz". We also have the comic strip 72D. "The Wizard __": OF ID. Did you first pen in OF OZ also?
46. Awful: HORRIBLE
50. Newsworthy '90s jurist: ITO (Lance). O. J. Simpson trial judge.
51. Alabama rival: AUBURN. Their athletic teams is called Auburn Tigers.
52. Cruise stops: PORTS
54. Place to find loafers: SHOE STORES. Was thinking of the idle "loafers".
56. __ Alps: Eiger locale: BERNESE. And AARE (102A. Rhein feeder), which rises in the Bernese Alps. Also EUR (45D. Alps site).
58. Arles article: UNE. One.
59. Spreadsheet entry: DATUM.
60. Troubled: AILED
62. Holy, to René: SACRE. Sacre Coeur in Paris can make a man cry.
68. Exxon merger partner: MOBIL
69. Cyclo- ending: TRON. Cyclotron.
70. Where to see "The Sopranos" nowadays: A AND E. No problem parsing it today.
71. Boxer Marciano's birth name: ROCCO. Only know him as Rocky.
73. Country on the Rio de la Plata: Abbr.: URU (Uruguay). I was stumped.
74. Castle with a stone: BLARNEY. Blarney Stone.
77. Wildly excited: IN A FRENZY. Terrific entry.
81. "Gee!": MAN
82. Spanish poet García __: LORCA. Maybe a gimme for Clear Ayes. I don't know this fellow.
83. Arenas: STADIA. Have only used the plural stadiums.
84. Family tree word: NEE
85. Present: PUT FORTH. Of course I was in the gift "present" direction.
90. 500-mile race, briefly: INDY
91. Modesto winery name: GALLO. Did not know they are based in Modesto.
92. Yours, in Ypres: A TOI. Alliteration again. Ypres is a town in W Belgium. Who knows?
96. Unbending: FIRM
97. Bubbly brand that rhymes with an entrance chime: KORBEL. No idea. Wikipedia says it's founded by two Czechoslovakian brothers named Korbel.
103. How the confident do crosswords: IN INK. Ha ha, I do write in ink, though I need Wite-Out.
105. Ruffian: HOOLIGAN. I often associate this word with those unruly soccer fans in Britain.
113. Advantage: LEG UP
114. "Hollywood Nights" rocker Bob: SEGER
115. Wanton look: LEER
116. Expos, since 2005: NATS. Washington Nationals.
117. "Golden Boy" dramatist: ODETS (Clifford)
118. Irony, e.g.: TROPE
120. Chicago daily, familiarly: TRIB
Down:
2. Big name in skin care: OLAY. I love the smell of the Olay Original cream.
3. Philly school: PENN. Penn State. (Correction: It's University of Pennsylvania, thanks June & D.D.).
4. "Starpeace" musician: YOKO ONO. Surprised myself by getting the whole answer with just a few letters in place
5. Embarrass: ABASH
6. One of Donald Duck's nephews: LOUIE. Cheated on this one.
7. Ballroom dance: SALSA
8. Giant slugger: OTT (Mel)
9. Mil. jet locale: AFB (Air Force Base)
10. Drain: CULVERT. New word to me.
11. Beethoven's Third: EROICA. Originally dedicated to Napoleon.
12. Boisterous: ROWDY
13. Loch Lomond hill: BRAE. Learned from doing Xword.
14. Free TV spot: PSA
16. Want from: ASK OF
17. Central idea: THEME. BLT for today's puzzle.
18. Glutted: SATED
24. CEO's underlings: VPS
26. Amusement park attraction: GO KARTS
31. Sussex sword: SABRE. British spelling of "saber". Sussex is chosen for alliteration purpose.
32. Mo. town: STL. Nice play on Motown.
34. Care for: NURSE
35. Bird sacred to Tut: IBIS. I wonder why Egyptians consider ibis sacred, Al/MJ?
36. Genesis brother: SETH
39. Rep.'s counterpart: SEN
40. Bring to tears?: BORE. Bore to tears.
42. Refuse: WASTE
43. "The Nutcracker" garb: TUTU
44. Oppenheimer opposed it: H-BOMB
46. 1953 John Wayne film: HONDO. Nope. Here is the poster.
48. Maui neighbor: LANAI. The Pineapple Island.
49. ''The Girl Can't Help It'' actor Tom: EWELL. He's also in "The Seven Year Itch".
52. Scrub up, e.g.: PREP. In operation room I suppose.
55. Net: EARN
56. Fussbudget: BIDDY. Fussbudget is new to me.
57. Additional: ELSE
60. Ill-fated Boleyn: ANNE
61. Sotto __: softly: VOCE. Literally "voice" in Italian. Sotto = Under.
62. Confound: STUMP
63. Pianist Claudio: ARRAU. No idea. He's a Chilean pianist.
65. Durable wood: LARCH
66. Collector's suffix: IANA. As in Americana.
67. Sports headline item: TRADE
68. Jazz singer Carmen: MCRAE. Her name escaped me.
74. Like Dennis the Menace: BLOND. Did not know Dennis is blond.
75. Conrad novel: LORD JIM. See the book cover. Not in my memory file.
76. Chichi: ARTY
77. "Everything is fine": IT'S OK
78. __ in November: N AS. Not the rapper for a change.
79. Greek philosopher known for a paradox: ZENO. Zeno of Elea.
80. Himalayan legend: YETI
87. Beer server: BAR KEEP
88. Advanced legal deg.: LLM. Latin for "Lēgum Magister" (Master of Laws). Why two LL in the abbreviation?
89. Foster's prince: VALIANT. I was clueless. Comic strip "Prince Valiant". We often see ARN clued as "Prince Valiant's son".
91. __ biloba: claimed memory-enhancing extract: GINKGO. Does it work?
93. Artist Picasso: PABLO
94. In bundles: BALED
95. Very angry, after "in": A RAGE. In a rage.
96. One with an ax?: FIRER. Nailed it. One who gives others the ax (fires others).
98. "For sure!": OH YES
99. Where the big bucks are?: RODEO. I was thinking of money "big bucks".
100. Afrikaans speakers: BOERS
101. One of Santa's team: ELF
104. Tammany Hall caricaturist: NAST (Thomas). He created the GOP elephant and Democratic donkey as well.
106. Gum-producing plant: GUAR. It looks like this. The gum is from the seeds in those pods. Legume family.
107. Height: Pref.: ALTI. As in altitude.
108. U.S. accident investigator: NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board)
110. G.I. mess crews: KPS. KP - Kitchen Police.
111. Amount past due?: TRE. "Due" here is Italian for "two". Uno, due, tre. Can't fool me any more.
Answer grid.
C.C.
