Theme: Last Minute Shopping
20A. *Sports section summary : BOX SCORE. Stark statistics hiding the triumphs and disasters of the game.
29A. *Tatum O'Neal's Oscar movie : PAPER MOON. Tatum cropped up last week also.
36A. *Farfalle : BOW-TIE PASTA. Food! The word actually means "butterflies" in Italian.
43A. *One with deck skills : CARD SHARK. Great clue.
57A. Gift counter request involving the starts of the answers to starred clues : WRAP IT UP. Followed by the word "please", I hope.
Another Christmas-themed puzzle this week, this one dealing with gift shopping. I think this is the LAT debut for the splendidly-named Herre Schouwerwou (I hope I pronounced that correctly!) Congratulations, Herre! He's been published in the NYT three times this year so he's got both coasts covered now.
Across:
1. Site in a Steinbeck title : EDEN
5. Hip-hop fan : B-BOY. Kinda. A b-boy is someone who practices b-boying, or breakdancing. Hip-hop is just one of the musical genres that a b-boy dances to.
9. Pack with a plot : CABAL
14. Take-out order? : DELE. Nice clue. I wonder, does anyone edit by hand any more, or are the STETs and DELEs going to go the way of hot-metal printing presses and Etaoin Shrdlu?
15. Not at all refined : RUDE
16. Get melodramatic : EMOTE
17. "No kidding?" : IT IS?
18. Take off : OMIT
19. Turkish coins : LIRAS.
22. Cummerbund folds : PLEATS. It's been a while since I wore one of these. It's always nice to find that it still fits.
23. Him, to Jacques : LUI
24. Letters after a real name : AKA
25. Hyundai rival : KIA. This was a valuable cross for me - helped me out with K-POP and PIETAS.
26. Familiar address : BRO
27. It may lead to a run : ERROR
32. Jeans giant : LEE
34. Become compost : ROT
35. Beaux-__: architectural style : ARTS. The Paris Opera House is a great example of this ornate style.
39. Quick-dial symbol : STAR. I find it amusing that quick-dial wasn't available on a rotary phone, just push-button ones. Therefore you couldn't quick-dial a number on the only phone with an actual dial.
41. One crunching nos. : C.P.A.
42. Beehive State cap. : S.L.C. Salt Lake City, Utah.
46. "Gotcha" : UH HUH
50. Justice Fortas : ABE
51. Bill's "excellent adventure" partner : TED. I once sat at the next bar stool to Keanu Reeves in my local and chatted to him for a while without having a clue who he was.
52. Shot spot : ARM
54. Native Nebraskan : OTO
55. Complaint about equity : NO FAIR
59. Scheduled to land : DUE IN
60. Pointer's choice : THAT. Eeny, meeny, miny, that.
61. Stories of the ages : LORE
62. Not asleep at the wheel : ALERT
63. Simpson trial figure Kaelin : KATO. I see him around the neighborhood occasionally.
64. Wrongdoings : SINS
65. Some Millers : LITES. Hmmm, OK.
66. Comet, to some : OMEN
67. Part of an extended sentence? : ALSO
Down:
1. Safe to bolt down? : EDIBLE
2. Bypass : DETOUR
3. Quack's concoction : ELIXIR
4. Storied loch : NESS. Cold, deep and murky. Just the kind of place to hide a colony of plesiosaurs.
5. Trout source : BROOK
6. Not a fair shake : BUM RAP
7. Jon Arbuckle's dog : ODIE. "Garfield" sometime-antagonist.
8. Moreover : YET
9. Place to pick a rosé : CELLAR. Or wine fridge, in my case. I don't have a cellar. Here's a nice one from Sonoma County made from pinot noir grapes. Cheers!
10. Friend, in Haiti : AMIE. It helps to know that a variety of French is spoken in Haiti.
11. Island in French Polynesia : BORA BORA
12. How harness racers move : AT A TROT
13. Schoolwork : LESSONS
21. Rod who was an A.L. All-Star for 18 consecutive years : CAREW
22. Some religious sculptures : PIETAS. I didn't know this. A pieta is specifically a statue of the Virgin Mary cradling the body of Jesus.
25. Music genre for South Korean artist Rain : K-POP. This is the No. 1 K-pop song of 2015. I'm sure you all know the words.
28. Prayer starter : O LORD. If you were paying attention on Monday, you'd have seen this already this week.
30. Toward the stern : AREAR. Not convinced. I used to sail a lot and I never used nor heard this term. Aft? Abaft? Sure. Arear? Never. What do our US Navy vets here at the Corner say?
31. Contest : MATCH
33. Metal artisan : ETCHER
36. Stocking stuffers? : BARE FEET
37. Device that runs FaceTime : IPAD
38. Economic decline : SLUMP
39. National Enquirer fodder : SCANDAL
40. Middle Eastern salad : TABOULI. Food! What to make when you've got a shed-load of parsley. It's also good made with quinoa rather than couscous for the gluten-intolerant.
44. Stretches on the job : STINTS
45. __ chop : KARATE
47. Fryolator contents : HOT OIL
48. Results of not following directions, maybe : U-TURNS
49. "From your lips to God's ears!" : HOPE SO. I don't believe I'd come across this phrase before.
53. Inform against : RAT ON
56. Concession ending : -AIRE
57. Impact sound : WHAM
58. "Sing it, Sam" speaker : ILSA. Hello again! Didn't we just see you on Tuesday?
60. Ref's ruling : T.K.O. When the boxing referee stops the fight it is a "technical knock-out".
That's about it from me. I've got some last-minute shopping of my own to do before tomorrow. As Herre might say today - "it's a wrap".
Steve
20A. *Sports section summary : BOX SCORE. Stark statistics hiding the triumphs and disasters of the game.
29A. *Tatum O'Neal's Oscar movie : PAPER MOON. Tatum cropped up last week also.
36A. *Farfalle : BOW-TIE PASTA. Food! The word actually means "butterflies" in Italian.
43A. *One with deck skills : CARD SHARK. Great clue.
57A. Gift counter request involving the starts of the answers to starred clues : WRAP IT UP. Followed by the word "please", I hope.
Another Christmas-themed puzzle this week, this one dealing with gift shopping. I think this is the LAT debut for the splendidly-named Herre Schouwerwou (I hope I pronounced that correctly!) Congratulations, Herre! He's been published in the NYT three times this year so he's got both coasts covered now.
Across:
1. Site in a Steinbeck title : EDEN
5. Hip-hop fan : B-BOY. Kinda. A b-boy is someone who practices b-boying, or breakdancing. Hip-hop is just one of the musical genres that a b-boy dances to.
9. Pack with a plot : CABAL
14. Take-out order? : DELE. Nice clue. I wonder, does anyone edit by hand any more, or are the STETs and DELEs going to go the way of hot-metal printing presses and Etaoin Shrdlu?
15. Not at all refined : RUDE
16. Get melodramatic : EMOTE
17. "No kidding?" : IT IS?
18. Take off : OMIT
19. Turkish coins : LIRAS.
22. Cummerbund folds : PLEATS. It's been a while since I wore one of these. It's always nice to find that it still fits.
23. Him, to Jacques : LUI
24. Letters after a real name : AKA
25. Hyundai rival : KIA. This was a valuable cross for me - helped me out with K-POP and PIETAS.
26. Familiar address : BRO
27. It may lead to a run : ERROR
32. Jeans giant : LEE
34. Become compost : ROT
35. Beaux-__: architectural style : ARTS. The Paris Opera House is a great example of this ornate style.
39. Quick-dial symbol : STAR. I find it amusing that quick-dial wasn't available on a rotary phone, just push-button ones. Therefore you couldn't quick-dial a number on the only phone with an actual dial.
41. One crunching nos. : C.P.A.
42. Beehive State cap. : S.L.C. Salt Lake City, Utah.
46. "Gotcha" : UH HUH
50. Justice Fortas : ABE
51. Bill's "excellent adventure" partner : TED. I once sat at the next bar stool to Keanu Reeves in my local and chatted to him for a while without having a clue who he was.
52. Shot spot : ARM
54. Native Nebraskan : OTO
55. Complaint about equity : NO FAIR
59. Scheduled to land : DUE IN
60. Pointer's choice : THAT. Eeny, meeny, miny, that.
61. Stories of the ages : LORE
62. Not asleep at the wheel : ALERT
63. Simpson trial figure Kaelin : KATO. I see him around the neighborhood occasionally.
64. Wrongdoings : SINS
65. Some Millers : LITES. Hmmm, OK.
66. Comet, to some : OMEN
67. Part of an extended sentence? : ALSO
Down:
1. Safe to bolt down? : EDIBLE
2. Bypass : DETOUR
3. Quack's concoction : ELIXIR
4. Storied loch : NESS. Cold, deep and murky. Just the kind of place to hide a colony of plesiosaurs.
5. Trout source : BROOK
6. Not a fair shake : BUM RAP
7. Jon Arbuckle's dog : ODIE. "Garfield" sometime-antagonist.
8. Moreover : YET
9. Place to pick a rosé : CELLAR. Or wine fridge, in my case. I don't have a cellar. Here's a nice one from Sonoma County made from pinot noir grapes. Cheers!
10. Friend, in Haiti : AMIE. It helps to know that a variety of French is spoken in Haiti.
11. Island in French Polynesia : BORA BORA
12. How harness racers move : AT A TROT
13. Schoolwork : LESSONS
21. Rod who was an A.L. All-Star for 18 consecutive years : CAREW
22. Some religious sculptures : PIETAS. I didn't know this. A pieta is specifically a statue of the Virgin Mary cradling the body of Jesus.
25. Music genre for South Korean artist Rain : K-POP. This is the No. 1 K-pop song of 2015. I'm sure you all know the words.
28. Prayer starter : O LORD. If you were paying attention on Monday, you'd have seen this already this week.
30. Toward the stern : AREAR. Not convinced. I used to sail a lot and I never used nor heard this term. Aft? Abaft? Sure. Arear? Never. What do our US Navy vets here at the Corner say?
31. Contest : MATCH
33. Metal artisan : ETCHER
36. Stocking stuffers? : BARE FEET
37. Device that runs FaceTime : IPAD
38. Economic decline : SLUMP
39. National Enquirer fodder : SCANDAL
40. Middle Eastern salad : TABOULI. Food! What to make when you've got a shed-load of parsley. It's also good made with quinoa rather than couscous for the gluten-intolerant.
44. Stretches on the job : STINTS
45. __ chop : KARATE
47. Fryolator contents : HOT OIL
48. Results of not following directions, maybe : U-TURNS
49. "From your lips to God's ears!" : HOPE SO. I don't believe I'd come across this phrase before.
53. Inform against : RAT ON
56. Concession ending : -AIRE
57. Impact sound : WHAM
58. "Sing it, Sam" speaker : ILSA. Hello again! Didn't we just see you on Tuesday?
60. Ref's ruling : T.K.O. When the boxing referee stops the fight it is a "technical knock-out".
That's about it from me. I've got some last-minute shopping of my own to do before tomorrow. As Herre might say today - "it's a wrap".
Steve
