Theme: Circle Scrambles - different kinds of messages scrambled and highlighted by the circles
20A. Surprisingly little, pricewise : NEXT-TO-NOTHING. [TEXT]
27A. Superfast : A MILE A MINUTE [EMAIL] Not really so fast any more, it's only 60 MPH.
37A. Maxim about frugality : WASTE NOT, WANT NOT [NOTE]. Good housekeeping advice from 1914:
45A. It's learned the hard way : BITTER LESSON [LETTER]
and the reveal:
54A. Confusing statements ... and a hint to the circled letters : MIXED MESSAGES
I think this is the first time Bob has appeared in the LA Times, so congratulations on that debut. Jerry is a more familiar face. I found this one tough going - the circles only made sense when the theme entries were complete, so the reveal didn't help any. Some of the clues were pretty tricky too. I basically picked around letter-by-letter, not the smoothest solve.
With puzzles like this which are heavy on the themage, you are going to get a lot of three- and four-letter fill. Four longer downs broke things up a little, CONGRUENT was my favorite word in the puzzle.
Let's see what else jumps out:
Across:
1. "... __ a puddy tat!" : I TAW. I know it's easy to criticize, but I always think that 1A sets the tone for the puzzle and I liked to come out firing. I might have stopped to rethink this corner.
5. Bygone 26-Down rival : PAN-AM. Pan-American Airways. When it filed for bankruptcy in 1991 the cross-referenced Delta bought out its last remaining viable assets.
10. Limit : CAP
13. Small rodent : VOLE
14. Bold alternative : ITALIC
16. Have a mortgage : OWE
17. "... two fives for __?" : A TEN
18. Helix-shaped pasta : ROTINI. Food! Often used in pasta salads, the spirals hold the dressing nicely.
19. Pince-__ : NEZ. Eyeglasses that sit on your nose. Literally "Nose Pliers" or "Nose Tongs" which I find rather amusing. Moral - don't try to translate words that are understood in your own language. When I first went to France with a friend we went to check our bags at the Gare Du Nord when we arrived in Paris so we were free to explore the city. These places were called "Left Luggage" offices in England. My chum, proud of our high school french, inquired as to the whereabouts of the "Bureau de gauche baggages".
23. Picasso's birth city : MALAGA
24. Desertlike : ARID
32. RR stops : STAS. Stations.
35. Healthy drink : SWIG Healthy as in large or enthusiastic.
36. Immigrant's subj. : E.S.L.
42. Comic strip cry : ACK!
43. "Deadliest Catch" narrator Mike : ROWE. I actually knew this, one of the few TV references where I didn't need help from the crosses.
44. View from Catania : ETNA. Mt. Etna looms large in the background of this Sicilian city.
50. Put away : STOW
51. Split up : PARTED. Past tense; the clue could be present or past tense. Tricky. The "D" was my last entry.
60. MSNBC's "Morning __" : JOE
62. Add value to : ENRICH
63. Avian digestive system part : CRAW. Also known as the crop, it's just below the throat in some birds, not all birds have one. When I first dressed a wild pheasant, I was surprised to find the craw was full of little pebbles. Apparently the birds swallow them to help start the digestion process when they eat seeds.
64. Brewpub order : ALE
65. School bud : ROOMIE
66. Singer Horne : LENA
67. "Not __" : YET
68. Bond and others : SPIES. Agent 007 James, of course.
69. Macron's state : ÉTAT. President of France Emmanuel Macron suggests the french word for "state".
Down:
1. Nobelist Pavlov : IVAN. He of the "conditioned reflex".
2. Revered emblem : TOTEM
3. Singer/songwriter __ Ray Joel : ALEXA. Who? I think she's better known for being the daughter of Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley.
4. Followed the crowd? : WENT LAST
5. European dumpling : PIROGI. More correctly pierogi. Steamed dumplings.
6. Not exactly hummable : ATONAL
7. Post-WWII alliance : NATO. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
8. Settled on a branch : ALIT
9. Ho Chi __ City : MINH. I have to think twice about the order of the "N" and the "H".
10. Harmonious : CONGRUENT. Word of the day. I first learned it in geometry class to describe triangles which could be proven to be identical.
11. Leave open-mouthed : AWE
12. Candy with an Emoji dispenser set : PEZ
15. VI x XVII : CII. 102.
21. Flat-topped cap : TAM
22. Editor Talese with a Doubleday imprint : NAN. I had the "A" in place and jumped in with GAY, even though at the back of my mind I knew he was a writer, not an editor.
25. "Show time!" : IT'S ON!
26. Co-founder of the SkyTeam alliance : DELTA
28. Skin care name : ESTÉE
29. "That is sooo cute!" : AWW!
30. Wasikowska of "The Kids Are All Right" : MIA. Crosses all the way. She looks familiar now that I look her up:
31. Engine starter: Abbr. : IGN. Ignition.
32. DNA lab items : SWABS
33. Unspoken : TACIT
34. Call for an appointment : ASK TO MEET
38. Before, in ballads : ERE
39. Scand. land : NOR.
40. Temple athlete : OWL
41. Squid appendage : TENTACLE. I've got fried calamari on the brain now.
46. Light opener? : TWI-
47. Coined money : SPECIE. A little obscure. When I worked for a marine insurance company I learned that "specie" described cargo that was bullion, usually silver or gold.
48. Pageant bands : SASHES
49. Anesthesiologists' work sites, briefly : OR'S. Operating Rooms.
52. White-plumed wader : EGRET. Egads! An egret!
53. "Strawberry Wine" country singer Carter : DEANA. Not familiar, the song has a nice lilt to it.
55. Gen-__ : X'ER
56. First family grandson? : ENOS. Adam and Eve's son Seth was 105 when Enos was born, according to biblical text.
57. Let go of : DROP
58. Actress Rogers : MIMI. Tom Cruise ex, also appeared in Playboy magazine. She's a professional poker player too.
59. Rescue team acronym : SWAT. Special Weapons And Tactics. I did not know that.
60. Word with hawk or walk : JAY. If a Kansas U hoops player wanders across the street, he's a jaywalking Jayhawk.
61. "¡Viva el matador!" : ¡OLÉ!
... and ¡olé!
I took a client to a hockey game on Monday night - LA Kings vs. Calgary Flames at the Staples Center. I don't think I could have scored better seats! He could coach his own team, he's been a Flames fan since he could skate (probably before he could walk!)
And .. here's the grid:
Steve
Notes from C.C.:
Argyle is out of the hospital. He has moved to the Wesley Center on Lawrence St. in Saratoga Springs. His room has no phone at the moment. Hopefully he'll be back on line soon. Tough road ahead for dear Santa: rehab, prosthesis, etc.
Argyle is out of the hospital. He has moved to the Wesley Center on Lawrence St. in Saratoga Springs. His room has no phone at the moment. Hopefully he'll be back on line soon. Tough road ahead for dear Santa: rehab, prosthesis, etc.
