Wednesday July 8th, 2020 Margit Christenson

Theme: A LONG LEASH (59. Lots of freedom, as illustrated in each set of circles)

17. "Horsefeathers!": BALDERDASH.

27. Imbibes to excess: DRINKS LIKE A FISH.

45. Wee-hours program with James Corden: THE LATE LATE SHOW.

Boomer again, filling in a blog schedule gap. LA Times debut for Margit Christenson. Congratulations!

C.C. has me on a short LEASH but I am happy to be here, I just want to help the ball club (Crash Davis).

Across:

1. More ironic, as a smile: WRYER.

6. Bunyan's blue ox: BABE.  Babe lives at the Paul Bunyan Center in Brainerd, Minnesota..

10. Questlove hairdo: AFRO.  I wonder if Colin Kaepernick will be offered a job this year.

14. "... said __ ever": NO ONE.

15. "Jeopardy!" host Trebek: ALEX.  I sort of backed off from Jeopardy,  I guess they can not tape new shows due to the virus, so they are showing replays.  Last week they showed the one where James got beat.

16. Dull: BLAH.  "The force can't do a decent job 'cause the kids have no respect for the law today ... and BLAH, BLAH, BLAH."  Save the Life of my Child.  - Simon and Garfunkel.

19. "Piece of cake!": EASY.

20. One-celled creature: AMOEBA.

21. Artist's paint holder: PALETTE.

23. Having prolonged success: ON A ROLL.  The only time I was ever "ON A ROLL" was in a bowling center.

26. Air traffic branch of the DOT: FAA.  The Federal Aviation Administration is probably not too busy these days.

32. Actress Chaplin: OONA. Granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin.

33. Instrument from the French for "high wood": OBOE.  "On Base On an Error?"  MLB is opening soon they say.  From a Twins fan - "Miguel Sano tested positive."

34. Cal. column: MON. "Monday, Monday, So good to me". Mamas and the Papas.

35. Sea debris: JETSAM.

37. Eateries' outdoor seating areas: PATIOS.  We have a few here, without problems so far.  It seems that the indoor restaurants and bars have trouble with social distancing.

40. Boater or bowler: HAT.  I am a BOWLER but no one ever called me a hat.  I've been called lots of other names though.

41. Sleeper agent: MOLE.

44. Org. that collects workplace injury data: OSHA.  I remember when Graybar had to reorganize the warehouse stock so nothing heavy fell on my head.

49. "Ouch!": YOW.

50. Take up again: RE-ADOPT.

51. Treatise on verse: POETICS.

53. Confession about the last piece of cake: I ATE IT.

58. Fencing sword: EPEE.  This is not a sign in a men's bathroom.

62. Alan of "M*A*S*H": ALDA.  "The game of life is hard to play, you're gonna lose it anyway."

63. Head of France: TETE.

64. App with pics, familiarly: INSTA. Instagram.

65. Get fresh with: SASS.

66. Canadian gas: ESSO.  "Canadian gas eh"

67. Early fur trader: ASTOR.  John Jacob had a few bucks. 

Down:

1. Org. with the Sun, Storm and Sky: WNBA.  We have the LYNX.  With former star Lindsey Whalen.  She now coaches the Minnesota Gopher Women's team.

2. Go here and there: ROAM.  Montana - Room to Roam.

3. "Life is short" initialism: YOLO. You Only Live Once.

4. "The Neverending Story" author: ENDE. Michael.

5. Adidas subsidiary: REEBOK.  No shoes, but I do have a comfortable pair of stretch pants perfect for bowling.  I also have bowling equipment.  Now all I need is a vaccine.

6. Word that oddly can mean "good" in slang: BAD.  or it could mean "Leroy Brown".

7. Chicken __ king: A LA.  "Oh moon of Alabama, we now must say goodbye". The Doors.

8. Custom-made: BESPOKE.  I used to have these on my beecycle wheels.

9. Sigh, say: EXHALE.

10. Have __ in one's bonnet: A BEE.  I have never owned a bonnet but I have swatted a few bees.

11. Common paint choice for ceilings: FLAT FINISH.  Only for FLAT ceilings.

12. Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer: RASTAS.

13. "I remember now": OH YEAH.

18. Kidnapper's demand: RANSOM.  I have never been kidnapped.  I must not be worth a RANSOM

22. Peruvian pack animal: LLAMA.  Since the Washington team is changing their name, Maybe Chicago NFL team could become the LLAMAs ??  Sorry TTP, I didn't mean it.

24. Neighbor of Greece: Abbr.: ALB.

25. 2016 Olympics city: RIO.  Now they are holding the Covid - 19 Olympiad

27. Attorney General's org.: DOJ.  You may want to pronounce it DODGE.  Oops, no politics.

28. __ v. Wade: ROE.

29. Overwhelmed with diner orders, as a server: IN THE WEEDS.  Where some of my tee shots land.

30. Like Fran Drescher's voice: NASAL.

31. Pics: FOTOS.  This seems to be spelled incorrectly.

36. Pong game maker: ATARI.  I spent hours attacking "PACMAN" back around 1980.  Now he shows up on the computer now and then.

37. Domesticated farm squealer: PET PIG.  Nice to call them pigs.  I think most are not pets, but rather a supply of pork.

38. "What have we here?!": OHO.

39. Carpenter's tool: SAW.

41. The first "M" in the MMR vaccine: MEASLES.  I had measles when I was a kid.  Must have been before the vaccine was invented.

42. Same __ story: OLD.  "Who you callin' OLD."

43. Philosopher __-tzu: LAO.

45. Ambitious, outgoing sorts: TYPE A's.

46. Hubbub: HOOPLA.  Quite a bit going on last weekend.  Celebrating USA's 244th Birthday.

47. Beer named for a Baja city: TECATE.

48. Latin "and others": ET ALIA.

52. High times?: TEAS.  C.C. is the TEA expert in our home.

54. Change for a twenty, maybe: TENS.  I don't think you can get change when spending a twenty,  Everything costs more than that.

55. Toward sunrise: EAST.  Most of the beaches on the EAST coast are closed, but a few are hangin' in there.

56. Analogy words: IS TO.

57. "__ she blows!": THAR.

60. Tie-breakers: Abbr.: OTS.

61. Classical prefix: NEO.

Boomer

Wednesday, July 1, 2020 Bill Zagozewski

Theme: I can't do any better than the unifier, so let's drive on over there and stop safely.

65. Intersection with flashing lights and bells, for short, and a hint to this puzzle's circles: RRXING.



We have two sets of crossing theme entries, with one across and one down in each, of course. These two-word entries all have the initial R for both words, and the entries cross at the 2nd R.  If you got the two circles in your puzzle, these are the locations.

30 A. Extreme reaction to traffic: ROAD RAGE.  "Any unsafe driving maneuver performed deliberately and with ill intention or disregard for safety."
~Crossing~
10 D. Volunteer with Teddy Roosevelt: ROUGH RIDER.  A member of the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, which, ironically, would up fighting on foot.

45 A. "Standing" entrée: RIB ROAST.  A prime rib cut of beef, generally roasted "standing" on the rib bones, such that the meat does not touch the pan.
~Crossing~
29 D. "And away go troubles down the drain" company: ROTO ROOTER.  An American company founded in 1935, using a patented auger machine to clean tree roots and other debris from sewer lines. It also provides plumbing repair, sewer and drain services, and water damage cleanup services to residential and commercial customers.

Hi Gang, JazzBumpa here.  Rabbit, rabbit.  Now, note that the circled crossings are located symmetrically in the grid, with a 180 degree rotation.  Nice elegant touch.  Having safely encountered the RR CROSSINGS, let us now continue our journey.

Across:

1. Lion controllers: TAMERS.  Those who train lions or other big cats for use in protection or entertainment, according to Wikipedia.

7. From the U.S.: AMERican.

11. Pained cries: OWS.   I use more colorful language.

14. Spotted wildcat: OCELOT.  A medium sized cat weighing from 8 to 15 kg, native to the American southwest, Mexico, Central America and South America.  It is characterized by solid black spots and streaks on its coat, round ears, and white neck and undersides.

15. Brussels-based gp.: NATO. North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

16. Chapel bench: PEW. A long bench with a back to provide seating for the congregation.

17. Sorbetto alternative: GELATO.  Italian frozen deserts that are similar but not identical to sherbet and ice cream.

18. Hall of Fame guest of honor: INDUCTEE.   A person newly added.

20. House speaker after Ryan: PELOSI.  Nancy [b 1940] née D'Alesandro, was speaker from 2007 to 2011, and again currently, starting in January, 2019.  She represents California's 12th congressional district.

22. Coffee machine setting: GRIND.  Reduces the beans to a useful size for brewing.

23. "I'm at my __ end!": WIT'S.  Out of patience, with no more cares to give.

26. Like many flights to LAX: INTL.  International - i.e from foreign countries into Los Angeles. Travel through LAX was off by 95% in mid April.  Can't quickly find how it is doing now.

27. Skating legend Sonja: HENIE. [1912 - 1969] She was a multiple award winner in the Olympics, and European and World Championships, and movie star in the late '30's.  She died of leukemia.

28. More aloof: ICIER.  Cold.  Very, very cold.

32. '50s prez: IKE.  Dwight David Eisenhower.  [1890-1969]

33. Place to use a mitt: OVEN.  For heat protection.

35. Grafton's "__ for Evidence": E IS. From her Alphabet mystery series.

36. Went around in circles: GYRATED. Quickly spun or moved in a spiral.

38. Confound: BEDEVIL.  Confusticate and bebother, as Bilbo would have it.

42. Decompose: ROT. Come undone.

43. Suffix with gazillion: -AIRE.  One who has all that money and stuff.

44. Brian of rock: ENO. [b 1948] A self-described non-musician with several solo albums and collaborations with many others who are known as musicians.  He has also produced albums for several of them.

48. Strict precision: RIGOR.   The quality of being extremely thorough, exhaustive, or accurate, derived from the Latin word for stiffness.

50. Simply not done: TABOO.  Forbidden.

51. All-purpose vehicles, for short: UTES.  Sport utilities.

53. Sugar source: CANE.  In Michigan it's beets.

54. In __: unborn: UTERO.  In the uterus.

55. Dress down: BERATE. Angrily scold and criticize.

57. New in theaters: FIRST RUN.

59. Jalopy: BEATER.  Beaten up old vehicle

63. Vous, less formally: TOI. You, in French; and you, in French.

64. Pair on a Disney World hat: EARS.

Costumes available here

66. Federal retirement org.: SSA.  Social Security Administration.

67. Actress Russo: RENE. [b 1954] American actress, producer and model.  She was in many movies through the 90's, and more recently appeared as Thor's mother in a series of superhero movies..

68. Corrects, as text: EMENDS.

Down:

1. Dress (up): TOG.  I've heard of TOGS as fancy clothing, but not of its use as a verb.

2. Opening day pitcher, typically: ACE.  The best starting pitcher on the staff.  Opening day seems to be something we might not experience this year.

3. "Coca Cola Cowboy" singer Tillis: MEL.



4. Slip by, as time: ELAPSE.

5. Repetitive learning: ROTE.  Memorization.

6. Vodka with Razberi and Ohranj flavors: STOLI.  Short for Stolichnaya.

7. Jennifer of "The Good Girl": ANISTON. [b 1969] She is am American actress, producer and business woman who reached fame and success playing Rachel in the TV series FRIENDS.  She then went on to make a series of romantic comedy movies that I never saw.

8. Capital on Luzon: MANILA.  In the Philippines.

9. Boarding pass info: ETD.  Estimated Time of Departure.

11. Going (for): OPTING.  Making a choice among options

12. Frank on the grill: WEENIE.   AKA the hot dog.

13. Stockholm native: SWEDE.

19. Pressed-pants feature: CREASE.

21. When rights are sometimes permitted: ON RED.  A right turn at an intersection, in this regard treating the red light as a stop sign.

23. "The Martian" actress Kristen: WIIG. [b1973] She is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer who has appeared in several movies over the past decade..

24. Eww-inspiring: ICKY.  Nasty and disgusting.

25. Concert level: TIER.  Rows of seating at some elevation.

31. Antelope playmates: DEER.  On the range, where the buffalo roam.

34. Reject, presidentially: VETO.  The president's or governor's right to reject a proposed law passed by the legislature.

37. Shady alcoves: ARBORS.  A shady sitting place or pergola usually in a park or garden, surrounded by climbing shrubs, vines or other vegetation. A grove of trees.

38. Dog to avoid: BITER.  Seems like good advice

39. 1970s Chevy subcompact: VEGA.  I wanted NOVA.

40. A party to: IN ON.  Knowledgable about.

41. Passed-down history: LORE.  Knowledge and traditions passed down through the generations.

43. Equally strained: AS TENSE.

45. Proportions: RATIOS.  The quantitative relationship between two amounts.

46. Spain and Portugal comprise most of it: IBERIA. A peninsula in south-western Europe.

47. The Tigers of the SEC: AUBURN.  Teams associated with the University.

49. Climber's tool: ICE AXE.

50. Clumps of hair: TUFTS.

52. Buffalo NHLer: SABRE.  Player on the profess


ional hockey team

56. Time in office: TERM.  With specified beginning and end dates.

58. "Norma __": RAE.  A movie about southern textile mill workers.

60. Bronze component: TIN. Mostly copper with about 12% tin and sometimes smaller amounts of other metals.  Brass, more dear to me, is copper and zinc.

61. Terminate: END.  Finish

62. Some NFL blockers: RGS.  Right guards.  Those in the first position to the right of the center in the offensive line of an American football team.

That's all folks.  Hope all you well trained solvers were able to stay on track.

Cool regards!
JzB

Wednesday June 24, 2020 Roland Huget

Theme: JAM SESSION (58A: Impromptu performance ... or what the starts of 17-, 24-, 34- and 50-Across comprise?) - Jam can follow the first word of each them entry.

 

17. Sequential written evidence: PAPER TRAIL. Paper jam.

24. Firewood device: LOG SPLITTER. Logjam.

 

34. Winter carnival attraction: ICE PALACE. Ice jam.

50. Roadwork marker: TRAFFIC CONE. Traffic jam.

C.C. here. Let's hope all's OK with our Jazzbumpa, who had today's blogging slot. 

This is typical Monday/Tuesday LAT theme with words that can follow/precede theme. But the grid itself is quite Wednesday due to the theme entry length and fill. Always tougher to grid a set of 5 with a middle 9. This resulted in four chunks of stacked 7's. But  Roland is a pro. He makes both themed and themeless grids.

Across:

1. West Coast NFLer: LA RAM.

6. John Deere logo animal: STAG.

10. Hugging duo: ARMS.

14. Stage remark akin to thinking aloud: ASIDE.

15. "Take it!": HERE.

16. Linger in the bath: SOAK.

19. Colombian city: CALI.

20. Removes from the roster: CUTS.

21. Mojito liquor: RUM.

22. Was an omen of: BODED.

23. Singer DiFranco: ANI.

27. Juicy morsels: TIDBITS.

29. Bond creator Fleming: IAN.

30. Before now: AGO.

31. Rudder area: STERN.

32. Shade tree: ELM.

33. Figurehead location: PROW.

38. Sprinkler attachment: HOSE.

41. Took a load off: SAT.

42. Planetary path: ORBIT.

46. No longer fashionable: OUT.

47. Galley mover: OAR.

48. The art of sculpted shrubbery: TOPIARY. Brilliant fill.

53. Hide-hair connector: NOR.

54. Mar. honoree: ST PAT.

55. Story __: ARC.

56. "Show Boat" author Ferber: EDNA.

57. Estate document: WILL.

61. Iowa State city: AMES.

62. Creme-filled cookie: OREO.

63. Philly Ivy League sch.: UPENN.

64. French pop: PERE.

65. Ring stats: TKOS.

66. Prone to giving orders: BOSSY.

Down:

1. Purring companions: LAP CATS.

2. In sync, teamwise: AS A UNIT.

3. Dangerous current: RIPTIDE.

4. Fruit drinks: ADES.

5. Côte d'Azur view: MER.

6. Gestures of indifference: SHRUGS.

7. Reds and Red Sox: TEAMS.

8. Radio journalist Shapiro who sings with Pink Martini: ARI.

9. Come together: GEL.

10. Fancy neckwear: ASCOT.

11. Street sealer: ROAD TAR.

12. Guy's sense of self-importance: MALE EGO.

13. Impoverished urban area: SKID ROW.

18. Jogging pace: TROT.

22. Coal holder: BIN.

24. "The Mod Squad" role: LINC.

25. Tiresome person: PILL.

26. Tibetan priest: LAMA.

28. Actress Larson who plays Captain Marvel: BRIE.

32. Enjoy a meal: EAT.

33. Prefix with meter: PERI.

35. Actor Morales: ESAI.

36. Paris picnic area: PARC.

37. Manage: COPE.

38. Replacement of computer parts without a reboot: HOT SWAP. Gimme for TTP/AnonT/D-Otto. New term to me.

39. Dating site for singles 50 and older: OURTIME. Also new to me.

40. Desk gadget: STAPLER.

43. Tosses about, as ideas: BANDIES.

44. T-shirt transfers: IRON-ONS.

45. Oppressive rule: TYRANNY.

47. Many times o'er: OFT.

48. Sculpted trunks: TORSOS.

49. Way back when: ONCE.

51. F on a test, often: FALSE.

52. Brief appearance: CAMEO.

56. Hockey's Phil, to fans: ESPO.

58. Make a note of, with "down": JOT.

59. Noah's craft: ARK.

60. Underwater craft: SUB.

C.C.

Wednesday, June 17, 2020, Gail Grabrowski & Bruce Venzke

Theme: ONE FOR THE ROAD?

18. Organic gardening staple: COMPOST HEAP.  Who remembers the car rental company, "Rent a Cheap Heap?"

24. One experiencing too much stress: NERVOUS WRECK. "A vehicle, airplane, etc., that has been badly damaged or destroyed. 

51. Shipping need: PACKING CRATE. I did not know this, but CRATE is slang for an old rickety vehicle, especially a decrepit automobile or aircraft.

59. Aggressive male gorilla, for one: CHEST BEATER. A beater car is a vehicle that you run into the ground. They are typically older, high-mileage cars that still run well.

38. Jalopy found at the ends of four other long answers: BUCKET OF BOLTS. "A piece of machinery that is not worth more than its scrap value, often an old car."

Melissa here. On the downside to the weekend now. This was clever - I'd heard of all of these except CRATE. Who knew there were so many words to describe junky cars.
 

Across:

1. Drug used in microdosing therapies: LSD. What is microdosing LSD?

4. Corkboard item: TACK.

8. Whoop it up: PARTY.

13. Prefix for a lifesaving "Pen": EPI.

14. WWII wolf pack unit: UBOAT.

16. Irish actor Milo: OSHEA. He played the chief justice of the Supreme Court on “The West Wing.” Died in 2013 at 86.

17. __-relief: BAS.

20. Crafts, in Sevilla: ARTES. Spanish.

22. So yesterday: OUT.

23. Donkey: ASS.

29. Former province of eastern Cuba: ORIENTE.

30. Cry like a baby: WAIL.

32. Calligrapher's tip: NIB.

33. Post-WWII alliance: NATO.

36. Bend at the barre: PLIE. 

42. Texas ALer: STRO.

43. H.H. Munro's pen name: SAKI.

44. DDE's WWII command: ETO.

46. Many, many moons: EONS.

48. Ensnared: IN A TRAP.

54. Jazz horn: SAX.

57. Part of a Swiss skyline: ALP.

58. Movie with gunslingers: OATER.

64. Stage legend Hagen: UTA.

65. OB/GYN test: AMNIO.

66. Dickens' "The Mystery of __ Drood": EDWIN.

67. Word before or after pack: RAT.

68. Like some pasta sauces: MEATY.

69. Male deliveries: SONS. Nice.

70. Application file suffix: EXE.

Down:

1. Israel's northern neighbor: LEBANON.

2. Slab on the grill: SPARERIBS.

3. Hand out: DISTRIBUTE.

4. Seat of Pima County, Arizona: TUCSON.

5. Blood-typing letters: ABO.

6. URL ending: COM.

7. "Bam!": KAPOW.

8. Greenhouse vessel: POT.

9. __ Wednesday: ASH.

10. "Better Call Saul" actress Seehorn: RHEA.

11. Herbal brews: TEAS.

12. Shrill barks: YAPS.

15. Take in the sights: TOUR.

19. Crock-Pot dish: STEW.

21. "Not a creature was stirring" time: EVE. From 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.

25. Magazine founder Eric: UTNE.

26. Senate posts: SEATS.

27. Consigliere's boss: CAPO. A Consigliere is an adviser, especially to a crime boss. Capos, short for caporegimes) are the appointed heads of crews, and are usually given responsibility for delicate tasks (like infiltrating union locals) Dons, Capos, and Consiglieres: The Structure of the American Mafia.

28. Decide not to run: KILL. Unexpected answer.

31. English major's field: LITERATURE.

34. Come __ standstill: TO A.

35. Next __: close relative: OF KIN.

37. Levy put on heirs: ESTATE TAX.

39. Farm output: CROP.

40. Hawaiian coffee district: KONA.

41. Microsoft search engine: BING.

45. Manage: OPERATE.

47. Sign of healing: SCAB. Or SCAR? Waited for the B in BEATER to be sure.

49. Future oaks: ACORNS.

50. __-la-la: TRA.

52. Swiss abstractionist Paul: KLEE. This is his Castle and Sun.

53. Tablets at a Genius Bar: IPADS. Cute.

54. Bogus offer: SCAM.

55. Sighed lament: AH ME.

56. Princess played by Lucy Lawless: XENA.

60. "Take a load off": SIT.

61. Hasbro product: TOY.

62. Couple: TWO.

63. A, in German class: EIN.