Wednesday, Apr 30th, 2025 ~ Tim D'Alfonso

 TRAVELING RIVERSIDE BLUES

A "red" version of the Led Zeppelin cover

I have not had the pleasure of blogging a puzzle from Tim - this is his fifth construction for the LA Times - his last grid was almost a year ago.  An impressive collection of triple sevens in each corner, without being "Saturday" level difficult - and that's hard to do midweek.  I sailed though this one and I enjoyed it.  We have twelve seven-letter words, 18 fivers, 20 4LW, and 21 3LWs; a handful of names, but none that were too obscure, IMHO.  My first thought was we were looking at some "double letter" fills for a theme ( e.g. the Y-Y in 17A., and the R-R in 25A. ), but no - instead we have four places described by a shade of BLUE.  Three of the five themers are unique to crosswords, and the other two have only appeared one other time.  The themers & reveal;

17. Sites for shipbuilding: NAVY YARDS - navAL yards sounds more natural

25. Spots for guests to freshen up: POWDER ROOMS - there's only one bathroom in my house, and it's my yellow/orange/red "dragon" room - see 1 Down

39. Metropolitan area at the junction of three rivers, familiarly: STEEL CITY - officially known as Pittsburgh - but I found this list of several others ( not at a three-river junction )

55. Home for a king and queen: ROYAL PALACE

66. Geographic regions known for the longevity of their residents, and what 17-, 25-, 39-, and 55-Across are?: BLUE ZONES - the Wiki

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Oscar winner Sorvino: MIRA - her Wiki, name #1

5. __ moss: PEAT - what do you call a man in a bog~? see 22D.

9. Italian luxury brand: PRADA - name(ish)

14. Eden resident: ADAM - We've had similar three times this week now - it sucks when you're only one of two 'renters', and you get evicted . . . name #2

15. Bit of baby talk: DADA

16. Narrow margins of victory: HAIRS - semi-meh; I don't care for the plural in this instance - one does not win by hairS, but by 'A' hair

19. Fairy tale monsters: OGRES

20. Frito pie topper: CHILI

21. Itinerary approx.: ETA

23. "Yes," in Tokyo: "HAI."

24. Chicago's __ Center: AON - the Wiki

30. Flying geese formation: VEE

31. Venue for wraps and scrubs: SPA

32. Laptop alternative: TABLET - I now have three laptops, and one tower - the latest laptop is to be kept in the "music room" for playing songs and recording - see 1 Down

33. Feminine Italian pronoun: ESSA - sort of like contESSA

35. Early Peruvian: INCA - I'd like to see the ruins

38. Potential jurors: PEERS

42. Ferret relative: STOAT

45. Come across as: SEEM

46. Rogen of "Kung Fu Panda": SETH - name #3

50. "Shoulda listened to me!": "TOLD YA~!"

52. Bio class: LAB - I skipped Biology in high school

54. Once known as: NÉE

58. "Step away from my kibble": GRR - Dogspeak

59. Sofa headrest, for a napper: ARM

60. Classic record label: EMI

61. Racket: NOISE - how 'bout this Racket Noise~?

Alexander Bublik

63. View from Everest: NEPAL

69. Investment profits: GAINS

70. Doesn't keep pace: LAGS

71. Bits in citrus sorbet: ZEST - learned from doing crosswords

72. Spanish folk hero: EL CID - name #4 - Happy travels, Naomi~!  My parents honeymooned in Spain in 1966 - and attended a bullfight, no less

73. Fifth letter of the NATO alphabet: ECHO - We were challenged about this last Friday - I caught your Unicorn~!

74. "Salus populi suprema lex __": Missouri motto: ESTO - Latin; "Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law" - shout-out to inanehiker~!

DOWN:

1. Sanctuary in the basement, maybe: MAN-CAVE - When I first told my coworkers at my last NY job that I was going to make the basement of my new CT home a "man-cave", they said the WHOLE house would be a man-cave - and this turned out to be quite true~!

My living room is my "blue" room - the office is the "green" room, ....

2. Some spuds: IDAHOES - sssss, close - I had IDAHOAN

3. Steep-sided gorges: RAVINES - I had CANYONS

4. __ acetate: banana-scented compound: AMYL - no clue, filled via perps - the Wiki - some interesting facts in this short article

5. Shared intimacy, briefly: PDA - Public Display of Affection

6. Musician's gift: EAR - I play by tablature - but I am getting better and knowing my guitar notes by name now, rather than positions, which means I am growing as a musician

Can anyone tell me what song this intro is from~?

7. Tossed in: ADDED

8. Personal style: TASTE

9. Soup with rice noodles: PHO - we've seen this before; I needed P_O to recall what it's called

10. New use for an old T-shirt: RAG - yup

11. Pet carrier opening: AIR HOLE - sounds like a soft insult - don't call me an air-hole~!

No new four-legged friend yet, but I'm a(n)- - - next clue/answer

12. Idealist: DREAMER 

13. Hockey stat: ASSISTS - the fast pace of the game results in TWO players getting points for assists

The Broadway Blueshirts failed to make the 2025 playoffs

18. High-pitched barks: YIPS - and golfer woes, too

22. Work on the wall?: ART - Ah.  Now that I see the answer ( filled via perps ), I get it.  Reminds me of names-that-can-be-nouns/verbs jokes - a list here

26. Andy Taylor's son, on classic TV: OPIE - speaking of funny names . . . .#5

27. Opposite of waxes: WANES - like the phases of the moon

Nice shade of  background blue - and there's a "BLUE" moon, too - more here

28. Intensely focused: RAPT

29. Falls into line: OBEYS

34. Carne __: taco option: ASADA

36. The Browns, on scoreboards: CLEveland - hardcore NFL rivals to Pittsburgh

37. Amtrak's fast service: ACELA - Here's a B1M construction channel clip as to why the service cannot get to European/Asian "bullet" speeds (name(ish))

40. Brief "Bye for now!": TTYL - textspeak, Talk To You Later

41. Apple variety: IMAC - not fooled by the fruit / computer ambiguity

42. Bizarre: STRANGE

43. "Scary how lifelike that is!": "TOO REAL~!"

44. Washington's __ National Park: OLYMPIC - I had to wait for crossings before I recalled this

47. "Start your __!": ENGINES - here's another YouTube clip about the facts behind the Ford vs. Ferrari movie - which I thought was a great film

48. Most succinct: TERSEST

49. Toast opening: "HERE'S TO..." - I better start thinking of something to say at my brother's wedding in July....

51. Mimic: APE

53. Auto pioneer Karl: BENZ - Dah~!  I put in OTTO, and should have known better; name #6

56. Stroll: AMBLE

57. Fragrant purple bloom: LILAC

62. Move like honey: OOZE

64. Singer DiFranco: ANI - crossword staple, name #7

65. Psychedelic initials: LSD - Not "L D S"

Star Trek IV - The Voyage Home

67. "I hate it": "UGH~!" - I keep a daily journal ( a "captain's log", if you will ) and UGH makes frequent appearances, usually when I don't care for something, some statement, or some outcome

68. Spanish "that": ESO

Splynter

Thursday, June 8, 2023,Tim D'Alfonso

  MISMATCHED MALAPROPS

Constructor Tim D'Alfonso is back for his 4th appearance in the LA Times, his first being about 2 years ago and like today's puzzle it was just in time for Summer.

Like our frequent contributor from Norfolk, I don't think speling is one of Tim's strong suits, as he leads off with 3 punny themers with mismatched homophones for the IPA pronunciation of raɪt (the International Phonetic Alphabet that is, not the ALE): 

17A. Formal induction ceremony for a league of pickpockets?: SWIPING RITE.  As a leftie who can't tell my right from my left, I stay away from social media because I never know who I might accidentally pick up.

27. Bicycles and aviation, notably?: THE WRIGHT STUFF.  The Wright Brothers were the first to fly a heavier than air craft on 12/17/1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. 

Historian David McCullough has pointed out that every time they flew they were risking their lives.  The Wrights had not only great courage, but the superb mental and physical characteristics that author Tom Wolfe termed The Right Stuff  (a pun on the Dayton brothers?) in his book about the Mercury Seven Astronauts, later made into this film:

43A. Tax advice for slugger Aaron Judge?: WRITE OFF THE BAT.  The deduction for just one of his bats could probably put him in a lower tax bracket.

58A. "That tracks," and an apt description of 17-, 27-, and 43-Across?: SOUNDS RIGHT.  Finally, Tim spelled it correctly! 😀

Here's the grid ...

... and here's the rest ...

Across:

1. "Maybe less": IF THAT.

7. "I could use a hand!": HELP.  One of the hardest things to ask for ...

11. Bioengineering letters: GMO.  Genetically Modified Organisms.  The Science and History of GMOs and Other Food Modification Processes.

14. Capital of Pakistan's Punjab province: LAHORE.  LAHORE (/ləˈhɔːr/ lə-HOR; Punjabi: لہور [ˈlɔ̀ːɾə̆]; Urdu: لاہور [laːˈɦɔːɾ] (listen)) is the second largest city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th largest in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is situated in the north-east of the country with River Ravi flowing north-west of the city.

Royal Mosque
Lahore, Pakistan

15. U.S. citizen: AMER.

16. Say no to: NIX.

17. [Theme clue]

19. Unreturned serve: ACE.

20. Hathaway of "The Intern": ANNE.  ANNE Jacqueline Hathaway (born November 12, 1982) is an American actress. Her accolades include an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Her films have grossed over $6.8 billion worldwide, and she appeared on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list in 2009. She was among the world's highest-paid actresses in 2015.  In this pic, Anne is NOT the Intern ...

21. Forest female: DOE.

22. "Amsterdam" novelist Ian: MCEWAN.  Ian Russell McEwan, CBE, FRSA, FRSL (born 21 June 1948) is an English novelist and screenwriter. In 2008, The Times featured him on its list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945" and The Daily Telegraph ranked him number 19 in its list of the "100 most powerful people in British culture".   Here's his website.

Ian McEwan

24. "Stay" singer Lisa: LOEB.  Lisa LOEB (/loʊb/; born March 11, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author and actress. She started her career with the number one hit song "Stay (I Missed You)" from the film Reality Bites, the first number one single for an artist without a recording contract.  Here's her career starter (with corrected lyrics) ...

26. Dos y dos y dos: SEIS.  Today's Spanish lesson.

27. [Theme clue]

33. Shot in the dark: GUESS.

34. Hardly well: RARE.  As long as it doesn't MOO, it's okay with me.

35. Compete (for): VIE.

36. MLB Triple Crown category: RBIS.  Leading a league in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in.

37. Hard to clean: GRIMY.

39. __ of thumb: RULE.  In English, the phrase RULE of thumb refers to an approximate method for doing something, based on practical experience rather than theory. This usage of the phrase can be traced back to the 17th century and has been associated with various trades where quantities were measured by comparison to the width or length of a thumb.  See the link for other, more controversial, etymologies.

40. British ref. work: OED.  The Oxford English Dictionary is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a comprehensive resource to scholars and academic researchers, as well as describing usage in its many variations throughout the world.

41. Soft French cheese: BRIE.

42. Boot bottoms: SOLES.

43. [Theme clue]

47. From Denver to Topeka: EAST.

48. Puerto __: RICO.

49. Houston WNBA team until 2008: COMETS.  The Houston COMETS were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Houston. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. They are one of two teams in the WNBA that are undefeated in the WNBA Finals; the Seattle Storm are the other. The Comets were the first dynasty of the WNBA and are tied with the Minnesota Lynx and Seattle Storm for the most championships of any WNBA franchise. The team was folded and disbanded by the league in 2008 during the height of the Great Recession because new ownership could not be found.  

52. iPhone platform: IOS.

53. Westminster spot for art lovers: TATE.  The TATE has a large collection of paintings and engravings by the poet William Blake (1757–1827).  Here is a coloured print of Isaac Newton:

Newton

57. Mimic: APE.

58. [Theme reveal]

61. Abolish: BAN.

62. Cologne ingredient: MUSK.  An acquired odor apparently.

63. Acid artist: ETCHER. Dutch Master Rembrandt van Rijn, known simply as Rembrandt, was a master not only of painting and drawing, but  ETCHING as well.  He was arguably the greatest etcher to have ever lived, creating a body of work that spanned subjects and genres. Both successful and prolific, his oeuvre boasts close to 300 authenticated prints:

Christ Seated Disputing with the Doctors
1654

64. Over the hill: OLD.  I resemble that remark! 😉

65. Flight sked figs.: ETAS.

66. Kind of oil used in hummus: SESAME.

Down:

1. Woman who says "Play it, Sam" in "Casablanca": ILSA.

2. Babe in the woods?: FAWN.  My all time favorite video, with a soundtrack by Gioachino Rossini (uncredited) ...

3. Slender: THIN.

4. Sure to fail: HOPELESS.

5. D'backs, in box scores: ARI. The state of  ARIzona not the MSNBC broadcaster, another frequent visitor to the Corner.

6. Warmhearted: TENDER.

7. Fabled napper: HARE.

8. Former Abbey Road Studios owner: EMI.  Where the eponymous Beatles album was recorded.  Looks like we hit the jackpot!  Here's the Medley from Side 2 (16:10 min:) ...

9. "Maybe I'll have better luck": LET ME TRY.

10. Exact: PRECISE.

11. Chew like a beaver: GNAW.

12. Flaky mineral: MICA.  A family of minerals actually, the most common being Muscovite.  The first time I found a piece of this (circa age 11) it seemed so exotic that it started my love affair with geology ...

Muscovite

13. Rice paddy plow team: OXEN.

18. Mongolian desert: GOBI.  The setting for Alexander Borodin's In the Steppes of Central Asia ...

23. Inexact fig.: EST.

25. Yelps of pain: OWS.

26. Fancy pillowcase: SHAM.

27. One floating down a river or speeding down a snowy slope: TUBER.

28. Gardner of "Saturday Night Live": HEIDI.  HEIDI Lynn Gardner (born July 27, 1983) is an American actress, comedian, and writer. Gardner has been a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live since 2017.

Heidi Gardner

29. Heartache: GRIEF.

30. Soft palate projection: UVULA. The UVULA, also known as the palatine uvula, is a conic projection from the back edge of the middle of the soft palate, composed of connective tissue containing a number of racemose glands, and some muscular fibers. It also contains many serous glands, which produce thin saliva. It is only found in human beings.

31. Boneless cut: FILET.

32. Charges: FEES.

33. Get taller: GROW.

37. Completely disgust: GROSS OUT.   I hope that the pic above of the UVULA didn't GROSS YOU OUT!

38. Divide: RIFT.

39. Branch of engineering whose name was coined by Asimov: ROBOTICS.   One of the earliest instances of mechanical devices carrying out physical tasks dated to 3000 BC: Egyptian water clocks using human figurines to strike the hour bells.  These early "automata" as they were called even appeared in works of art, e.g. the mechanical doll Olympia in  the 1880 opera The Tales of Hoffmann is so convincing that she even passes the Turing Test (at least to the besotted poet Hoffmann!).  Here coloratura soprano Kathleen Kim performs the (exceedingly difficult) aria Les oiseaux dans la charmille (translation):

The first use of the word ROBOT occurred in 1921 in another drama, this one about mechanical men that are built to work on factory assembly lines and that rebel against their human masters. These machines in R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal ROBOTS), written by Czech playwright Karl Capek, got their name from the Czech word for slave.  Isaac Asimov coined the term ROBOTICS in his science fiction collection I, Robot to describe Three Laws of Robotics governing the behavior of robots toward humans. However it was not until 1957 that Joseph Engelberger and George Devol founded Unimation, the first ROBOTICS engineering company.

41. "No clue": BEATS ME.

42. Min. fraction: SEC.

44. Concert purchase: TEE.

45. Stepped: TROD.

46. Shows disapproval, in a way: HISSES.  Could have been clued "Partner to Boos".

49. Mexican resort, familiarly: CABO.  DNK CABO,  thinking it was Mexican slang for "resort".  CABO San Lucas is a resort city at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur.  Here's one of the most iconic sights ...

El Arco de Cabo San Lucas
(today's Spanish lesson)

50. Milky birthstone: OPAL. AKA White OPALS.  Experts report that Australian mines produce between 90% and 95% of the world's gem-quality OPAL. Opal mining takes place all over Australia, with primary sites like Coober Pedy and Lightning Ridge producing the majority. White OPAL is the astrological gemstone for the Zodiac sign Libra. Until 1912, it also served as the official birthstone for those born in October. It has long been associated with purity, love, goodness, and nurturing.

White Opal

51. Stitch up: MEND.  RAT ON was too long.

52. Color printer refills: INKS. 

54. Turkish title of honor: AGHA.

55. The other side: THEM.  The fact that we don't usually know THEM very well can lead to a lot of misunderstanding.

56. French 101 verb: ETRE.  TO BE.  Today's French lesson #2 (see 39D for lesson #1)

59. Olympics chant: USA. 

60. Short way to go?: RTE.

Cheers,
Bill

As always, thanks to Teri for proof reading, for her constructive criticism.

waseeley

Tuesday, March 28, 2023 Tim D'Alfonso

I've Gotta Hand it to You:  Today's theme made me think of Bob Fosse and Jazz Hands.  Each theme clue has a Handsy meaning.

17-Across. Nondigital means of telling time: ANALOG WATCH.

29-Across. Display after a poker player's call: CARDS ON THE TABLE.

49-Across. Appreciation at a live performance: ROUND OF APPLAUSE.

And the unifier:

61-Across. Quick polling method, and what 17-, 29-, and 49-Across all are, in different ways: SHOW OF HANDS.  Hand up if you sussed today's theme.

Across:

1. Hotel amenity that may require a password: WI-FI.

5. Put up with: ABIDED.

11. More, in Spanish: MAS.  Today's Spanish lesson.  Hi, Lucina!

14. Playmates: PALS.

15. Negative campaign message?: VOTE NO.  Cute clue.

16. Molecule in some vaccines: RNA.  Everything you wanted to know about RNA vaccines but didn't know to ask.

RNA's structure vs DNA's structure

19. Plum's center: PIT.

20. Bar bill: TAB.

 

21. Southeast Asian language: LAO.  Everything you wanted to know about the language of Laos but didn't know to ask.  The language is very similar to that spoken in Thailand.  Laos is a land-locked country that primarily borders Thailand and Vietnam.

22. __ Valley: Reagan Library site: SIMI.

23. Takeout option with egg rolls: CHINESE.  Yummers!

27. Tool for opening wooden crates: CROW BAR.

31. "Star Trek Beyond" actor John: CHO.  John Cho (né Cho Yo-Han; b. June 15, 1972) was born in Seoul, South Korea.  He also stared in the Harold & Kumar movies.  [Name # 1.]

32. Small vortex: EDDY.

33. Pigpen: STY.

34. Breathe heavily: PANT.

36. Place for a peel: SPA.

38. Common promise from a procrastinator: SOON.

42. MMA org.: UFC.  Mixed Martial Arts and Ultimate Fighting Championship.

45. Stately trees: ELMs.

48. Be nosy: PRY.

54. Naval officer: ADMIRAL.

55. Onion kin: SHALLOT.  What's the difference between Shallots and Onions?

56. Snoozes: NAPS.

57. Milk source: COW.

59. Sault __ Marie: STE.  Sault Ste. Marie straddles the international boarder of the United States (Michigan) and in Canada (Ontario).  The twin cities are connected by a bridge across the St. Mary River.     Sault Ste. Marie claims to be one of the oldest cities in the United States.  Hi, Yoopers Phil and CanadianEh!  

60. Brief "Oversharing!": TMI.  Textspeak for Too Much Information.  It has become a crossword staple, appearing in a puzzle just last week.

66. Play it by __: EAR.

67. Taken from above, as photos: AERIAL.  Can you guess the city below?

68. Early color TVs: RCAs.  A timeline of the RCA (Radio Company of America).

69. Unenviable grade: DEE.

70. Harden into bone: OSSIFY.

71. Email folder: SENT.

Down:

2. Bond creator Fleming: IAN.  In addition to creating Bond, James Bond, Ian Fleming (né Ian Lancaster Fleming; May 28, 1908 ~ Aug. 12, 1964) also wrote Chitty Chatty Bang Bang: The Magical Car for his son, Casper.  [Name # 2.]

3. __ Building: Manhattan landmark named for its triangular shape: FLAT IRON.  The Flat Iron building was built in 1902 by renowned architect Daniel Burnham (né Daniel Hudson Burnham; Sept. 4, 1846 ~ June 1, 1912).

4. Kitchen prep spot: ISLAND.

5. Slugger's stat: AVG.  As in Average.

6. Archery device: BOW.

7. Lang. of Florence: ITAL.  Italian is spoken in Florence, Italy, the home of David.

8. Separate: DETACH.

9. Concert bonuses: ENCORES.  Theme adjacent.  I saw the Tina: The Tina Turner Musical recently.  There was a big Encore at the end of the show.  The cast got a big Hand before and after the Encore.

10. Play-__: kids' clay: DOH.

11. Onetime Dr Pepper rival: MR. PIBB.  We think we saw Mr. Pibb recently.  Mr. Pibb arrived on the scene in the summer of 1972.  [Name adjacent.]

12. Cat or rat: ANIMAL.  Not only are they animals, but they are rhyming animals.  

13. Political humor, often: SATIRE.

18. Beyond plump: OBESE.

Actually in this case, the"obese" sheep is too full of wool.

22. Influences: SWAYS.

23. Letters on a Soviet uniform: CCCP.  As in Central Committee of the Communist Party.  //  And 41-Down. Russian "no": NYET.

24. "Very funny": HA HA!

25. Lawn roll: SOD.

26. Conclusions: ENDS.

28. Baseball Hall of Famer Mel: OTT.  Mel Ott (né Melvin Thomas Ott; Mar. 2, 1909 ~ Nov. 21, 1958) was born in Gretna, Louisiana.  He played for the New York Giants for nearly 20 years from 1926 through 1947.  Tragically, he was killed from injuries sustained in a car accident.  He was only 49 years old.   [Name # 3.]

30. Far from laid-back: TYPE A.

35. North African capital: TUNIS.  Tunis is the capital of Tunisia.

37. Swiss peaks: ALPS.

39. Wealth: OPULENCE.

40. "... __ it seems": OR SO.

43. New Deal president's initials: FDR.  As in Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Jan. 30, 1882 ~ Apr. 12, 1945).   [Name # 3.]  //  And 1-Down. 43-Down job-creating program: WPA.  Originally known as Works Progress Administration, later renamed to Works Projects Administration.   //  And 58-Down. Conflict during 43-Down's presidency, briefly: WWII.  Also known as World War II.  [Name #4.]

44. Team instructors: COACHES.

46. Speedometer abbr.: MPH.  As in Miles Per Hour.

47. Drastically lower, as prices: SLASH.

49. __ and raved: RANTED.

50. Whoopi's "Ghost" role: ODA MAE.  [Name # 5.]

51. Ballpark figure?: UMPIRE.  Cute clue.

52. Elevator stops: FLOORS.

53. Chapel fixtures: ALTARS.

61. __ Paulo, Brazil: SÃO.  The city has an interesting history.

62. Clumsy sort: OAF.

63. Go by plane: FLY.  //  And 65-Down.  Bygone jet, for short: SST.  As in SuperSonic Transport.

64. Levy of "Schitt's Creek": DAN.  Dan Levy (né Daniel Joseph Levy; b. Aug. 9, 1983) is the son of Eugene Levy (b. Dec. 17, 1946).  They look alike.  [Name # 6.]

And the Grid:

חתולה