Wednesday, Jul 30th, 2025 ~ Dan Kammann & C.C. Burnikel

X(word)-RAY 

EYES

Blue Oyster Cult - X-ray Eyes, from Heaven Forbid, 1998

which refernces the movie starring RAY Milland

This is the fourth collaboration  between "Ironman" Dan ( see here - thanks HuskerG~! ) and our lovely hostess, C.C., plus their second crossword this month for the LA Times.  A simple but enjoyable puzzle featuring four unique and different "Rays", with two 10-letter Down fills as well.  Twenty 3LWs, Twenty-six 4LWs, a handful of names, and no circles. Yay~!  The themers, with no reveal;  

17. Place to catch some rays: SCI-FI MOVIE - classic "laser guns" type of "RAY" - I loved the original 1953 War of the Worlds movie - and despite being a huge fan of Speilberg's work and the stunning visuals, his remake was awful

Based on the H.G. Wells book

34. Place to catch some rays: ROOFTOP DECK

Now that's how to find 11D.~!

42. Place to catch a Ray: FOOD NETWORK - Rachel Ray, that is - struggling lately

62. Place to catch a ray: OCEAN FLOOR

More on Rays here

And A-Ray We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Like just-cut radish slices: CRISP

6. Butter used in pantua: GHEE - Learned from doing crosswords

10. Lack of objectivity: BIAS

14. Wood that repels moths: CEDAR - I currently have a cedar bench in my kitchen, but I have plans to build a foyer on the front stoop of my house - the bench will move in there; item #28 on my self-inflicted "to-do" list . . . .

15. Covered with grease: OILY - I got covered in grease last week when I discovered the trailer ball on my minivan was rusted into the hitch bar; it took 70A. of penetrating oil, lying on the garage floor, and a sledgehammer to get the thing loose and free, dammit. 

16. "Do __ others ... ": "UNTO" - The Golden Rule

19. Nose-in-the-air sort: SNOB

20. Set of the rosary: DECADE - I have it on good authority that this was the editor's clue; not familiar with a 'decade of the rosary' ( I'm not Catholic, just spiritual ), a "set" of ten Hail Marys - more here

21. Scavenging carnivore: HYENA

22. [This isn't my typo]: SIC

23. Like a locked door: SHUT

26. Visibly embarrassed: RED - or like lethal alien "Death rays"

27. Traffic report vehicles, briefly: COPTERS - Ironic when it creates the traffic and can't report it . . . .

I found this shocking and incedible Wiki article

31. Readily available: ON TAP

33. Guatemala gold: ORO - Espaniol lesson #1

38. __ of Skye: ISLE

40. Not 'neath: O'ER - poetic contractions

41. "Basket of Bread" painter Salvador: DALI - there are TWO, actually - Basket and THE Basket

47. Pepsi holder: CAN

48. Hide from prying eyes: STASH

49. Pool section with diving boards: DEEP END - falls between DEPEND and DEEPENED when unparsed

51. Residue in a fire pit: ASH

53. Desperate request: PLEA

55. Jellyfish home: SEA

56. Midnight fridge visits: RAIDS - If I raid the fridge now, it's for a handful of air-fried shrimp 

58. Petty complaints: GRIPES

61. Coin in the Trevi Fountain: EURO - one day I hope to toss a coin . . . .

66. Penny-__: ANTE - low-cost poker

67. "What __ wrong?": "WENT"

68. "Broad City" star Glazer: ILANA - only name I did not know; filled via perps

Her IMDb

69. Bratty back talk: SASS

70. Tons: LOTS

71. Like reserved seats: TAKEN

DOWN:

1. Loops in on an email thread: CCs - a self-shout-out~?

2. Remote button with a red dot: RECord - or the "Death ray" button 😜

3. Response to "Anyone see that?": "I DID~!" - unparsed, it's "IDID"; looks Latin

4. Least dangerous: SAFEST - "don't push the button with the red dot~!"

5. More expensive: PRICIER

6. "No news is __ news": GOOD

7. Spots for queens: HIVES - oh, that kind of  queen - bees; I was thinking chess board

I made this image with Revit; here's another cool chess image

8. "Hostel" director Roth: ELI - I was going to add a link, but it's horror, and NSFW - or me, really

9. Calm part of a storm: EYE

10. Unable to hang out: BUSY

11. State sought in meditation: INNER PEACE - OM - our first 10-letter Down fill

12. Right wrongs: ATONE - Dah~!  Not AMEND; 40% correct, plus an "E"

13. Just terrible: SO BAD - like my War of the Worlds 2005 review

18. "Large" prefix: MACRO - Don McMillan, Technically Funny

Better than "Microsoft"

21. URL opener: HTTP - HyperText Transfer Protocol

24. Souped-up car: HOT ROD

25. __, dos, tres: UNO - Espaniol lesson dos

27. Hairdo: COIF - had it, took it out; my 29D was GOLF shirts, so the Across answers were not making any sense

28. Approximately: OR SO

29. Top choices for golfers: POLO SHIRTS - 'top' as in clothing; by default could NOT  be "GOLF shirts", Duh.  The second 10-letter Down fill.

30. Provide comfort to: SOOTHE

32. Say further: ADD

35. __ and far between: FEW

36. Family group: CLAN

37. Warmhearted: KIND

39. Toronto summer hrs.: EDT - Eastern Daylight Time - we need to scrap this nonsense

43. Catches a few z's: NAPS - I am up at 3 or 4am every day, and take a nap every day - I like this way of living

44. Adult ed class: ESL - Crosswordese, English as Second Language

45. Sticky pine secretion: RESIN

46. Stay in shape: KEEP FIT - Dah~!  Not WORK OUT - I have grown to enjoy my workout at the gym - this past Saturday, my trainer was out ( he went to the ball game the night before ) and I had the opportunity to "play hookey", but I went in anyway; he sent me a text of what exercises I could do that morning

50. Spanish dish with rice and saffron: PAELLA - I enjoy this dish, but over the past few weeks, I have been perfecting my "chicken crust" pizza, where I use ground chicken, 93% lean, to make a 'pie' - it is so good, and good for me

51. Calculus calculations: AREAS - specifically the area under a curve

 I prefer L x W . . . . 😁

52. Bathhouse hot spot: SAUNA

54. Singer's representative: AGENT - I'd like to be just famous enough to require an agent, whether for my music, games, or publications - I am still working on my Sci-Fi novel

57. "What __ it matter?": "DOES"

59. "Well, darn!": "RATS~!"

60. Enjoy a bubble bath: SOAK  - I came home to soak last Saturday, partially due to being sore, and also due to the poison ivy - which I get every F*&%ing summer - aaah, Aveeno~!

62. Bird with piercing eyes: OWL - "WHO" has piercing eyes~?

Are you lookin' at me~?

63. Jensen Huang of Nvidia, e.g.: CEO - didn't recognize him, but it was easy enough to suss 

64. Atomic number of hydrogen: ONE - the first, and most abundant element in the universe

The other elements artistically rendered

65. Competed in a relay, say: RAN - I like to walk my neighborhood; I don't "get" running - JMHO

Splynter

Wednesday, Jul 23rd, 2025 ~ Wendy L. Brandes

 TALENT

Australian B-double, backing into Shed "B"

Alright, let's see if I can get this straight - today's puzzle is from veteran author Wendy L. Brandes, who has at least sixteen LA Times crosswords, and I have personally blogged (just shy of a year ago) one of HER constructions.  Phew.  Middle of the week, middle of the road theme & grid; some good clues / answers, but some were Meh in my opinion.  Three out of four unique theme fills, 36 4LWs, over 4x the # of 3LWs, a handful of names, and the dreaded circles.  The themers and 'reversed' reveal:

20. "Hmm, is it possible for me?": WONDER IF I COULD - FIRE truck, backwards

Existential ponderings

25. Slow-moving forest-dweller: TWO-TOED SLOTH - TOW truck, backwards

42. Tale spun before lights-out: BEDTIME STORY - SEMI truck, backwards - Strangely, I was musing over the weekend WHY it's called a "semi" when it's typically more than half a vehicle ....😜 Read more here

It's a "semi" truck

50. "Wait, what did you just say?," or a hint to the circled letters in this puzzle:

"BACK UP THE TRUCK..." - This driver has some talent - I can't get my single boat trailer done right on the first try - but then again, they do this for a living - I hope you can watch the video, it's impressive

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Milk choice: SKIM - I start with the Down clues, had 2 & 3D. wrong, so my NW corner was a mess

5. Bra part: STRAP

10. Three-person card game: SKAT

14. Actress Kendrick: ANNA - name #1; her IMDb

You can't see her bra strap

15. Clamor: NOISE

16. Crafted: MADE - there's an "Art Box" on my walk in front of a home, and I would like to contribute something - I have decided to do some origami

Going with a sloth theme today

17. Bigfoot kin: YETI

18. "E," at Fenway: ERROR - a C.C. clue - baseball box score

No "E"s, but still a blowout

19. Like the NYSE at 9:30 a.m. Eastern on most weekdays: OPEN - the NY Stock Exchange; see 42D.

23. Rocker Quatro: SUZI - name #2 - her website

24. Drinks made with steamed milk: LATTES

30. "You're a riot": "HA-HA."

31. Not slack: TAUT

32. Fishing pole: ROD - could have been a name - I see ROD Stewart is on AARP magazine - Jeez, I am old . . . .

Still rockin' it at 80 yrs old

35. In need of a heating pad, say: ACHY - like me, about 1pm last Saturday

36. Online diaries: BLOGS - or crossword Corners~!

38. Run into a closet, say: HIDE - Then at some point, you'll have to come out of the closet

39. French pronoun: TOI - Frawnche for "You~!"

40. P.O. Box filler: MAIL

41. Box on a touchscreen: ICON - the icons of my touchscreen laptop

46. Prepares to run a marathon, say: TRAINS - I am not running any distance, any time soon, but I do like to walk my neighborhood every other day at 5am.  Here's me trying to show up my trainer at the gym; he was brutal this past Saturday 😜

That's me on the left - er, right - the other dude is Brett from Big Sky

49. Go offstage: EXIT

55. Fairy tale meanie: OGRE

56. Speak from a podium: ORATE

57. Gram, to some: NANA - it was Granny for me

59. Dark film genre: NOIR

60. Show, as an old show: RERUN

61. Always and always: EVER - My brother got married Saturday, July 12th - got to hang briefly with Cooper - I am going to pet-sit the last week of September when they honeymoon

bother Kevin, new wife Jacquie, her sister and husband

62. Odds and __: ENDS

63. Entice: TEMPT

64. Appear to be: SEEM

DOWN:

1. "You __ 'goodbye,' and I __ 'hello'": SAY - not overly complicated lyrically, but one of my personal favorite Beatles songs

The Beatles - Hello, Goodbye - Paul the Lefty bassist

2. Was aware of: KNEW - I had ON TO

3. Digging: INTO - wrong kind of digging, I had "AT IT"

4. Backbone: MAINSTAY - good clue/answer, sort of Saturday-ish

5. React to pepper, perhaps: SNEEZE

6. Hot and heavy: TORRID

7. "Diamonds" singer, to fans: RI RI - HA~!  I got burned by this in the May 28th 2025 puzzle at 11D. - I will not miss it again; Rhianna, more here - name #3

8. Since: AS OF - I tried FROM

9. Dangerous: PERILOUS - "I must face the peril~!  NO~!  It's too perilous~!" - Wendy had "PERIL" in the puzzle I blogged, and I posted this link then as well.

Monty Python & the Holy Grail

10. Like hair that's been flat-ironed: SMOOTH

11. No longer working: KAPUT

12. "Someone Like You" singer: ADELE - The constructor likes her; Adele appeared in Wendy's last LA Times construction; personally, I prefer "NO ONE Like You" . . . .name #4

Scorpions - No One Like You

13. Looks after: TENDS

21. The Bryan brothers of tennis, e.g.: DUO - name (ish)

22. Women's suffrage leader Carrie Chapman __: CATT  name #5

25. "All __ and a bag of chips": THAT

Yup, she's "All THAT and a bag of chips~!"

26. Texas city between Dallas and Austin: WACO - TX shoutout to Anon and D-Otto

27. "Didn't expect to see you here!": "OH, HI~!"

28. Vodka brand whose label features a sketch of a Moscow hotel: STOLI - I expected an "abbr" in the clue, as the brand is actually Stolichnaya - but it makes no difference - they filed for bankruptcy . . . .

29. Zoom delay: LAG - Zoom, the online meeting format/app

32. Puerto __: RICO - name, but easy enough

33. Emission from rotting fruit: ODOR

34. Say no to: DENY

36. Sore loser, for one: BAD SPORT

37. Like a fun party: LIT

38. Pop favorites: HIT TUNES - Dah~! - I had HIT SONGS; 62.5% correct

40. Grubhub link: MENU

42. Hog enthusiasts: BIKERS - HOG as in Harley Davidson - the company's NYSE stock symbol

43. Get together: MEET UP

44. Scope: EXTENT

45. Title for London's mayor: SIR

46. Steakhouse order: T-BONE

47. Tease mercilessly: RAG ON - not TAUNT - but we already had Monty Python

48. Bitter-tasting: ACRID

51. Yoga pose that requires good balance: TREE - My balance is horrible - Brett gives me one-legged exercises that strain muscles I didn't know I had, and need to improve

52. Damage: HARM

53. Batman's lair: CAVE - Wayne Manor didn't fit 😜

54. ACL joint: KNEE - I knew where the Anterior Cruciate Ligament was located . . . .

58. UCL limb: ARM - but learned today about the Ulnar Collateral Ligament

Splynter

Wednesday, Jul 9th, 2025 ~ Gerry Wildenberg

SQUA-RE RE-PAIR

gERry WildenbERg - doubled ER ER 

This is Gerry Wildenberg's debut for the LA Times - he has two other crosswords published in the NYT going back 10 & 11 years ago - and I checked again, just to be sure, because I was friends with a Geri, who was Geraldine; Gerry's a dude - a cool-looking older guy, and from his picture, I am guessing an outdoorsman, a hiker, a camper....Anyway, today's construction has "R-E" doubled in the theme answers, with the center being a grid-spanner, and no stray RE's anywhere else.  More 4LW than 3LW, but I felt, even with some being easy, there were again too many names ( a dozen by my count ) for my solving experience.  The theme answers, all unique, and the reveal;  

18. *Bills wide receiver who played in four consecutive Super Bowls: ANDRE REED - name #1

24. *Wildlife sanctuary: NATURE RESERVE - the first part was blank, but I did fill in "PREserve", which was close - can anyone offer a solution to the pesky gnats that hover around one's eyes & ears~?  I walk every other day, and they are so aggravating, I end up cutting the hike short - I practically bathe in Off! with DEET, but that's of no use - and I am going to try Picaridin as well - I do not want to wear a net....

36. *Meh evaluations: MEDIOCRE REVIEWS - I've had my share in my time blogging

49. *Like material that slows flames: FIRE RETARDANT

57. Made twice as great, and what can be found in the answers to the starred clues: "RE, DOUBLED"

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Clown's prop, maybe: STILT - yeah, but how about a drywall mudder~?

6. Criminally assist: ABET

10. Breakfast spot: NOOK

14. "Golly!": "OH GEE~!"

15. Angelic adornment: HALO

16. Prefix meaning "all": OMNI

17. Oscars host O'Brien: CONAN - name #2, but I know him

20. Paraguayan pals: AMIGOS

22. Airport pickup info: ETA

23. Acid initials: LSD - the "dropped" acid

28. Cry of insight: "I SEE~!" - I used Ghostbusters, now here's Die Hard . . . .

ya~! I SEE him~! @ 0:20

29. Fit, as matryoshka dolls: NEST

Irish Miss, I am still on the lookout for my four-legged friend; last week on my walk, a guy in my neighborhood came out with HIS Schnauzer, but he did not have much to tell me about where to get one :7(

30. Volcano near Catania: ETNA - four-letter volcano~?

33. Whiskey flavor: PEAT - Sunday fill, too - this week, I am trying "Ryze", the mushroom coffee that supposedly helps burn fat - I will let you know.  It has a distinct 'earthy', almost broth-like flavor, and I like it - I am down to 27lbs since May 1st

34. Chewy mints: MENTOS

41. Only national park in New England: ACADIA - in Maine; knew this from solving crosswords, like this past Sunday

42. One of 14 in a sonnet: LINE

43. "u crack me up": ROFL - Rolling On Floor Laughing - textspeak

44. Part of a Rorschach test: BLOT

45. Operatic solo: ARIA

53. Artist Yoko: ONO - name #3, crossword staple, like Sunday - JEEZ

55. Boxing family name: ALI - name #4, crossword staple

56. Shelter with a sloping roof: LEAN TO

61. Urged (on): EGGED - 11D. is "egged", too

62. Cheese with an edible rind: BRIE

63. Gymnast Korbut: OLGA - name #5, crossword staple

64. Wicked one: FIEND - In honor of Black Sabbath's "Back to the Beginning" final show with Ozzy Osbourne last Saturday in their home town of Birmingham, UK, here's one from their debut album

Wicked World

65. Convinced: SOLD

66. Golf club choice: WOOD

67. Varieties: SORTS

DOWN:

1. Confident retort to a boast: SO CAN I~!

2. Inventor Edison: THOMAS - name #6, but not too obscure

3. Set off, as fireworks: IGNITE - thankfully, the folks of my neighborhood set off only a handful of medium-sized noise-makers about 9pm on July Fourth, and then it tapered off within the hour - another reason I am glad to be in CT.  Down on the Island~?  It's about who can waste the most money for a smoky backyard

4. Maritime measure: LEAGUE - Dah~!  Not FATHOM

5. Voice above baritone: TENOR - aaaand Sunday, too - wow.

6. Cry of insight: A - HA~!

7. Abolish: BAN

8. Like Cain, of Adam's sons: ELDEST

9. Dense cake: TORTE

10. Neither's partner: NOR

11. Brunch option: OMELETTE - Ah.  The "extended" version of omelet, just like on Sunday

12. Change for a five: ONES

13. "The Secret Life of Bees" novelist Sue Monk __: KIDD - filled via perps; I suppose 'Captain' was not Wednesday worthy - name #7

19. Linguist's asset: EAR - TONGUE did not fit - and EAR makes me think of muscians

21. __ Falls: women's suffrage convention site: SENECA - upstate NY, filled via perps, name #8

25. Tail end: REAR

26. Getty of "The Golden Girls": ESTELLE - second time this week the show was in a clue, still, name #9

27. Caesar's "I came": VENI - Julius Caesar boast, veni vidi, vici - I came, I saw, I conquered

31. "__ we're talking!": "NOW~!"

Naomi, these legs are "for the birds" ( BTW, how big IS  this Splynter file ~? )

32. Pack animal: ASS - What'd you call me~?  A pack animal~?

33. Taro-based staple: POI

34. __ block: MENTAL - Ah.  I could not make WRITERS or LEGO fit

35. Night for last-minute wrapping: EVE - could'be been a name . . .

36. Stain or tear: MAR

37. Italian scholar Umberto: ECO - obscure, for a 3LW that could be a "not" name, #10 - the editor~?

38. National flower of Wales: DAFFODIL - I did not know this

39. South Asian rice cake: IDLI - filled via perps - more here - name(ish)

40. Hilarious comedian: RIOT

44. S.O.S competitor: BRILLO - I have caught two field mice in glue traps over the last month - I though this was a "winter" problem; now I am thinking about investing in an ultrasonic repellant, but I really have to go around and seal up the places where the little buggers are getting in; it was suggested to stuff steel wool, or better, soap-infused steel wool pads in thr holes around the pipes of my baseboard heaters.

45. "Slowly," on sheet music: ADAGIO - oops, I thought it was LEGATO - but that's tied notes

46. Madison Square Garden hockey player: RANGER - I knew this because I am a long-suffering NY Rangers fan; they never seem to have the tenacity, the drive, the desire to fight for the toughest trophy in sports - they're more like "eh, whatever", and that's very frustrating for fans

Igor Shesterkin is the exception

47. Purpose: INTENT - thie intent of playing an NHL season is to get to the Stanley Cup playoffs ...

48. In conflict: AT ODDS - but this seems to be AT ODDS with the NY Rangers

50. Novelist Santha Rama __: RAU - name #11 - more here

51. Jab with one's arm: ELBOW

52. Coral colonies: REEFS

53. Snow globes, e.g.: ORBS - good WAG on my part

54. Wolfe of detective fiction: NERO - I've read the whole series from Rex Stout, and the follow-up novels from author Robert Goldsborough - name #12

58. Uni reference: OED - we had this on Monday

59. Feeling of self-worth: EGO - semi Meh. Is it a "feeling~?"

60. June honoree: DAD

Splynter

Notes from C.C.:

Happy 55th birthday to Anon-T, who's always there when I need a pinch-hitter. 

 

Tony At Wit's End near Carmel on Father's Day 2017