Monday February 24, 2025 Malaika Handa and Stephen Lurie

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here with a music-themed puzzle by Malaika Handa and Stephen Lurie. Malaika gave us two LA Times Saturday puzzles back in 2022. It looks like this is Stephen's LA Times debut. Congrats!

Theme:  

We will begin with the unifier:

63 Across. Adopted a new attitude, or what music producers did to create the answers to the starred clues?: CHANGED ONE'S TUNE.  

Each of the three themed answers is a way music producers might alter a well-known tune to fit a specific situation. To demonstrate, I have linked three versions of Adele's Rolling in the Deep. 

17 Across. *Song that's been modified to have an intimate sound: ACOUSTIC VERSION.

In this first version you will only hear Adelle, a guitar, and a piano.  

27 Across. *Song that's been modified to be family-friendly: RADIO EDIT.  

This next version is the one played on the radio. It does have the work sh**. I do not know if that is allowed on the airways these days. Perhaps a more family-friendly version would change that word to stuff.  

49 Across. *Song that's been modified to have a dance beat: CLUB REMIX.  

This final version presents Adele's vocals but the tempo has been sped up. You will also notice, among other things, changes in the percussion instruments and background vocals.  

There you have it. Three ways to change one's tune. (In this case, Adele's tune.)

If you like this sort of thing, I recommend Pandora's Coffeehouse Covers playlist.

Let's keep rollin'....

Across:

1. __ Tuck: pal of Robin Hood: FRIAR.  

Disney made an animated version in 1973.

6. One of the four classical elements: AIR.  

9. Assistant: AIDE.

13. Sharp-eyed bird: EAGLE.  

14. Part of a recipe: STEP.

16. Sparkling wine choice: BRUT.  BRUT is the most common style of sparkling wine. BRUT means "dry, raw, or unrefined" in French. To be considered BRUT, the Champagne must be made with less than 12 grams of added sugar per liter. It is the driest (meaning the least sweet) classification for Champagne. 

20. Time in office: TERM.

21. On solid ground: ASHORE.

22. U.S. ID issuer: SSA.  Do you carry your Soc. Sec. card in your wallet? The Social Security Administration recommends that you do not carry your card with you. Instead, leave it at home in a safe place. Keeping it in your wallet potentially makes it easier for identity thieves to access your personal information. Additionally, the SSA asks that you do not laminate your card.

23. Midday snooze: NAP.  I like how this one is located next to 25-Across in the grid.

25. Midday meal: LUNCH.

32. Yosemite rock formation, familiarly: EL CAP.  El Capitan in Yosemite National Park rises 3,000 feet (900+ meters) above the valley floor. It is more than three times taller than the Eiffel Tower.

35. "I'm __ roll!": ON A.  

Whoo-hoo!

36. Squad: CREW.  

37. Like a filling stew: HEARTY.  See 28-Down.

38. Play opener: ACT I.

40. Perón of Argentina: EVITA.  Born María Eva Duarte in 1919, she was the first lady of Argentina from 1946 until her death in 1952 from cancer.

Evita looking glamourosa with her husband in 1947.

42. Have on: WEAR.

43. Like a spot under a beach umbrella: SHADED.  

45. Ruffles rival: LAYS.  Both are brands of potato chips.

47. "__ we there yet?": ARE.  

48. Maguire who played Spider-Man: TOBEY.  Tobias Vincent Maguire (born June 27, 1975) is an American actor and film producer. He is best known for starring as Spider-Man in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy (2002-2007), a role he later reprised in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).

51. Yogurt condiment: RAITA.  This is a condiment made from yogurt -- not a condiment for yogurt (like blueberry compote).

53. Objective: AIM.

54. Unreturned serve: ACE.  racquet sports terminology

56. Regular: NORMAL.

59. Milky birthstone: OPAL.

66. Squeaky critters: MICE.

67. Posted: SENT.  think "posted a letter"

68. Invaders such as 58-Down and 66-Across: PESTS.

69. Repeat: ECHO.  ...as in "He ECHOed her sentiments."

70. Uno y uno: DOS.  1 + 1 = 2

71. Bonfire residue: ASHES.

Down:

1. Accomplishment: FEAT.  Is running a marathon a feet FEAT?

2. Tortoise-and-hare affair: RACE.  On a related note... a harrier is any of a breed of hunting dogs, like a large beagle, that were originally used for hunting rabbits.

3. Inventor Sikorsky: IGOR.  (b. 1889 Kyiv, Russia - 1972 Easton, CT)  a bio worth reading

DH is a student of Sikorsky products so I asked him for a bit of trivia. He told me that all dual-pilot aircraft in which the two pilots sit side-by-side have the pilot in command sitting on the left (like cars in the U.S.) except for helicopters. The pilot in command of a helicopter sits on the right because this was Sikorsky's design. 

4. Many university donors: ALUMNI.

5. Low-__: fuzzy, as computer graphics: RES.

6. Thrift shop caution: AS IS.

7. Rash symptom: ITCH.  Poison oak is plentiful in my neck of the woods. A lot of people know to look for its red leaves but it changes with the seasons. 

8. Rebellion: REVOLT.

9. Muscles worked by bicycle crunches: ABS.  

Be careful not to pull on your neck.

10. Liqueur made by Baileys: IRISH CREAM.  

It is produced and bottled exclusively in Ireland.

11. Teams of two: DUOS.  Here are Nichole Ahsinger and Cheyenne Sarah Webster competing in women's synchronized trampoline in 2023:  

12. Sicily's highest peak: ETNA.

15. Country whose national dish is ceviche: PERU.  

The plantain chips look yummy!

18. Coming to a point: TAPERED.  

TAPER candles TAPER from the bottom upward.

19. Actress Zellweger:  RENÉE.  Have you heard that she made a new Bridget Jones movie? So far it is only available on Peacock. This is the trailer:  

24. NYC rep who was once a bartender: AOC.  New York City and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

26. Lobster's grabber: CLAW.  Unrelated to lobsters, here is the CLAW scene from Toy Story (2 min.):  

27. Skewer: ROAST.  My guess is the constructors are using this definition of skewer:  (verb) to criticize or ridicule sharply and effectively.

28. Pepper in pozole: ANCHO.  Pozole is a traditional soup or stew from Mexican cuisine. It is made from hominy and typically contains chicken or pork, cabbage, chili peppers, onion, garlic, radishes, avocado, and limes.  

It looks HEARTY.
recipe

29. Result of some cyberattacks: DATA BREACH.  A DATA BREACH is any security incident in which unauthorized parties access sensitive or confidential information, including personal data (Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, healthcare data) and corporate data (customer records, intellectual property, financial information).

30. Software engineer, for short: DEV.  DEVeloper

31. Volunteer's phrase: I WILL.  

33. Video game pioneer: ATARI.

34. Brand of glass measuring cups: PYREX.  

I have this one. It gets used a lot.

37. Small agricultural organization?: HAY BALE.  I like the attempt at word play with agricultural organization but it is misplaced on HAY BALE. There really isn't anything organized about a single bale of hay. It is a lot of dried grass tied together. On the other hand, a stack of many hay bales requires organization.

39. Thought: IDEA.  

Louis Armstrong   ~  (When We Are Dancin') I Get Ideas   ~   1951

41. Greek letter that resembles a "T": TAU.  

44. Looking at: EYING.

46. __ Lanka: SRI.  

49. Asked for identification: CARDED.  I ask for identification routinely at the tax office.

50. Gushes on stage: EMOTES.  

This clue made me think of Sally Field at the 1985 Oscars.

52. "Just keeping you on your __": TOES. Say this when you want to be really annoying.

54. High point: ACME.

55. Fashionable: CHIC.  Def.:  (adj.) cleverly stylish; smart; currently fashionable.

57. Single-channel: MONO.  Think speakers, not waterways.

58. Colony insects: ANTS.  Have you ever wondered where ants go in the winter ?

60. Shove: PUSH.  When PUSH comes to shove....

61. Penny-__: ANTE.  Def.:  (adj.)  small time; two-bit.

(I thought "two bits" equaled 25¢.)

62. "Tastes great, __ filling": Miller Lite slogan: LESS.  This is one of those TV commercials:  

64. Opposite of paleo-: NEO-.  Paleo-, as a prefix, means "early; primitive; archaic."

65. Place for a hot stone massage: SPA.  I love, love, love the hot stones. Such a pleasant way to wrap this one up!  

The grid:

Have a good week!

Monday February 17, 2025 Janice Luttrell

  

Happy Presidents Day, everyone! sumdaze here on another holiday Monday. Constructor Janice Luttrell gave us a puzzle with an Executive Branch-adjacent theme. Let's take a look:

17 Across. Chocolate treat from Reese's: PEANUT BUTTER CUP.  

They were created in 1928 -- almost 100 years ago!

25 Across. Replacement on the mound: RELIEF PITCHER.  In baseball, a RELIEF PITCHER is called up to enter the game after the starting pitcher (or another relief pitcher) has been removed.

From the MLB rulebook:  Pitchers must either face a minimum of three batters in an appearance or pitch to the end of a half-inning, with exceptions for injuries and illnesses. If a pitcher faces one batter to end an inning, he may be removed, but if he is brought back for a second inning, he must still face two more batters for a total of three. Once removed, players are not permitted to return to the game in any capacity. 

42 Across. Venue for summer concerts in Los Angeles: HOLLYWOOD BOWL.

The HOLLYWOOD BOWL is an amphitheater and public park in the Hollywood Hills of Southern California. In case you were wondering, it did survive the recent fires.  

Anchors Aweigh  (1945)

In this scene, filmed at the HOLLYWOOD BOWL, 

Spanish conductor and pianist José Iturbi plays Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 

... accompanied by 17 other pianists!

The reveal:

56 Across. High-level government post, and what the ends of 17-, 25-, and 42-Across may have?: CABINET POSITION.  Established in Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, the CABINET's role is to advise the President on any subject he may require relating to the duties of each member's respective office.

Also, a CUP, a PITCHER, and a BOWL might all be found POSITIONed in a CABINET.  

sort of like this

Works for me. Let's see how the other clues stack up.

Across:

1. "Speak of the __!": DEVIL.

6. Pick up a newspaper: READ.     and     50 Down. Solemn bio: OBIT.  

10. __ Valuable Player: MOST.

14. Singer Menzel of "Frozen": IDINA.  John Travolta famously botched her name at the 2014 Oscars but she got him back the following year.

15. "Uh, that's wrong": UM, NO.

16. Culturally pretentious: ARTY.

20. NBC sketch show since 1975, familiarly: SNL.  SNL 50: The Anniversary Special aired last night. Did anyone watch it?

21. "Disgusting!": GROSS.

22. Lady Gaga's instrument: PIANO.  Earlier this month, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars won the Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for this song, Die With A Smile.  

23. Many a restaurant owner: CHEF.

24. One-named "Chandelier" singer: SIA.

31. Pampering place: SALON.     and     31 Down. Pampering place: SPA.

32. Tomato sauce brand named for a New York restaurant: RAO'S.  pronunciation

33. Chicken serving: LEG.  CSO to Splynter!

35. Storyline: PLOT.

36. Put one's foot down: STOMP.  

38. "Dancing Queen" pop group: ABBA.  

39. Spring mo.: APR.  month and APRil

40. Molecule part: ATOM.

41. Slender woodwinds: OBOES.

46. Ginger __: ALE.

47. Partnership for Peace gp.: NATO.  group and North Atlantic Treaty Organization

48. Dwelling: ABODE.

51. Actress Hayek Pinault: SALMA.  (b. September 2, 1966 in Coatzacoalcos, Mexico)

Salma began dating French businessman François-Henri Pinault in 2006.
They married in 2009.

53. Civil rights monogram: MLK.  

59. Buffalo's lake: ERIE.  

60. City near Phoenix: MESA.  

61. Viking language: NORSE.  

62. Sinks out of sight, as the sun: SETS.  

a scientific explanation of the 'green flash'

63. Ready for customers: OPEN.  

64. California, for one: STATE.  This puzzle is published in the LA Times, after all.  

Led Zeppelin   ~   Going to California   ~  (1971) 

Down:

1. Salsa, and some salsa moves: DIPS.  This was my favorite clue today. The first salsa is of the edible variety.

2. Biblical garden: EDEN.  

3. Lab container: VIAL.

4. B and B: INN.  Bed & Breakfast

5. Classic TV show hosted by Rowan & Martin: LAUGH-IN.  

Arte Johnson (1929-2019) was a regular on this sketch comedy program.

6. Wear away: RUB OFF.

7. Tall birds in some insurance ads: EMUS.  

8. Aardvark snacks: ANTS.  

Can you see its long tongue in the tube?
Actually I think this is an anteater, not an aardvark.
Anteater cannot be used to clue ant because they share too many letters.

9. Ellipsis element: DOT.  Let me think....

10. Grammy winner Carey: MARIAH.

11. Killer whale: ORCA.  

Did you catch this one on Mal-Man's last blog? LOL!

12. Shock: STUN.

13. Keyboard blunder: TYPO.  

18. Genealogy chart: TREE.  as in a family TREE

19. Long stories: EPICS.

23. Form a clump: CLOT.

24. Hit the brakes: STOP.  

25. Designer Lauren: RALPH.

26. Spanish Olympian's goal: EL ORO.

27. "Coming soon" ad: PROMO.

28. First words of "Green Eggs and Ham": I AM.  Speaking of elementary poetry....

Hello dear Chairman!

Today's your birthday, so I

Wrote this Hi-Moe-Ku.

🎈🎂🎈🎂🎈🎂🎈🎂🎈

29. Macaroni shape: ELBOW.

30. Defy authority: REBEL.

34. Highway sign: GAS.  The Deets on the Blue Highway Signs  

36. Eyelid problem: STYE.

37. AAA service: TOW.  

38. Suffix with bug or peek: -ABOO.  

A bugaboo is something that causes fear, alarm, or worry.

Peekaboo is a game played with children who have not yet developed an understanding of object permanence.

40. __ wrench: tool that comes with flatpack furniture: ALLEN.  

41. Gets: OBTAINS.  It took me a bit to get this one because we have been trained to associate this clue with the answer SEES.  

43. Women: LADIES.  

Flight of the Conchords   ~   Ladies of the World   ~   (2008)

Flight of the Conchords was an HBO comedy series in 2007-2009.

44. Checked out, as a library book: ON LOAN.  I am currently reading The Wilderness Idiot by Ted Alvarez, ON LOAN from my library.

45. River barriers: DAMS.

48. The tops: ACES.  Green's Dictionary of Slang

49. Plain: BARE.  

51. Ladder rung: STEP.

52. Church recess: APSE.  A four-letter church architecture word is going to be either APSE or nave. The former is the location of the altar while the latter is the seating area leading up to the altar. Memory trick:  APSE begins with an A, as does altar and arc.

53. Actress Sorvino: MIRA.  (b. 1967)  her IMDb page

54. Baffled: LOST.  Back in 2004 DH and I were driving on Oahu's North Shore. We saw small, red signs nailed to posts and trees, much like the signs people buy when they want to sell their own car. Someone had written "LOST" on the signs with an arrow pointing which way to turn. We wondered if maybe they were directions for someone who was potentially LOST on their way to a party. We followed them to a beach. There we found what looked like a plane wreck and suitcases strewn about. Upon closer inspection we could see that the plane was staged. We wondered if this was some sort of training exercise. The following Fall, ABC aired a new TV show called Lost. It ran from 2004 to 2010.

55. Leg joint: KNEE.  Oops! LEG is the answer to 33-Across so it is not supposed to be in another clue. Perhaps it's OK to bend the rules for KNEE.

57. Angsty music genre: EMO.

58. Tyke: TOT.  

I like the looks of this 15-13-13-15 grid.

Enjoy your day!

 

Notes from C.C.:

1) Happy Birthday to our Friday blogger, Chairman Moe. Chris mentioned that he is doing well post-surgery and will have his second eye done in another week.

 

2) Happy 58th anniversary to the sweetest, most caring couple I've ever met: Husker Gary and his wife Joann. Here's a picture of us from 2014 when Gary attended a wedding here in Minnesota.