google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner

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Sep 18, 2013

Wednesday, September 18th 2013, C.C.Burnikel

(Note from C.C.: It's Jazzbumpa's turn today, but Steve blogged today's puzzle also. So a rare double treat for us! Jazzbumpa first, then Steve.)

Theme: My mom is one - TWINS.  Each starred clue is answered by one of a brace of famous real or mythical twins.  The crossing theme answer is the other twin of the pair.  Further, one of these twins is indicated by a two-word answer in which the second word is a red herring, while the other is a simple one-word name, clued in a way that should specifically identify the set of TWINS in question.

17A. *Edward Cullen's rival for Bella's hand, in the "Twilight" series : JACOB BLACK.  I haven't watched this series, so it took a lot of perp help. 

2D. *Biblical birthright seller : ESAU.  JACOB's TWIN.  Isaac's non-identical twin sons are both frequent crossword denizens.  You know the story.

23A. *She played Michelle on "Full House" : MARY-KATE. Tricky, since the roll was shared by both of these TWINS.

11. *"High Crimes" actress : ASHLEY JUDD.  As this point, having only half sussed the theme, I'm thinking - wait!  The Judd sisters aren't twins! But MARY KATE and ASHLEY Olsen are.  They have since grown up, or at least gotten older.




45 A. *Brother of Helen of Troy, some say : POLLUX.  I did not know that.

28 D. *Source of an age-old medicinal oil : CASTOR BEAN.  CASTOR OIL, of course.  I don't recall ever being subjected to this cure. CASTOR and POLLUX in Greek mythology, present a confusing case. Per Wikipedia: "Their mother was Leda, but Castor was the mortal son of Tyndareus, the king of Sparta, and Pollux the divine son of Zeus, who seduced or raped Leda in the guise of a swan (Greek myths concerning divine sex are often vague on the issue of female consent)."  That's more than I can comprehend.  Better still, Helen also had a TWIN, the unfortunately named Clytemnestra.  CASTOR and POLLUX are also the brightest stars in the constellation Gemini, and a pet products brand.

59 A. *Beach Boys title girl : BARBARA ANN.  This takes me back to my ute.  But back in the day [1961] this was a hit recording for the Regents.  The Beach Boys cover came later.

44 D. *"Today" correspondent __ Bush Hager : JENNA.  BARBARA and JENNA are the daughters of former President George W. Bush, and clearly non-identical TWINS.  They also got older.  Here they are with their mom, former first lady Laura Bush.


And the unifier:  64 A. Target Field team, and each pair of intersecting names in the answers to starred clues : TWINS.  C.C.'s home baseball team is not having a good year.  They play three games against the Tigers next Mon.- Wed.

It took me quite a while to find C.C.'s wavelength.  But wow - eight paired, crossing theme entries, with the long theme entries in perfect symmetry, plus a unifier stacked below the last horizontal theme fill. Also, two TWIN sets are male and two are female. I don't even want to think about what it took to put this together.

Hi gang, a very impressed JazzBumpa here.  Let's see what else C.C. has in store for us the rest of the way.

Across:

1. Nation between Togo and Nigeria : BENIN.  Along the west coast of Africa where it takes a big sweep to the east.

6. "Look over here!" : PSST.  Sibilant attention getter. 

10. CSNY member : NASH.  Of course I should know what CSNY is, and of course, I didn't.  Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, famous for their tight harmonies.  Back to my ute again.




 
14. Private line? : ASIDE.  A stage line spoken to the audience, not the other players.

15. Elevator man : OTIS.  In 1853, Elisha Otis invented the elevator safety brake.  Now, 160 years later, his company's products are used in over 200 countries around the world.

16. "It's clear now" : I SEE

19. Genghis __ : KHAN.  No relation to Madelaine.

20. "The Plains of Passage" author : AUEL.  Jane

21. Former SSR : UKR.  The Ukraine.

22. Pharmaceutical rep's samples : PILLS.  

26. Dogpatch creator : AL CAPP

31. Alley cats, e.g. : STRAYS

33. Some crowns : TIARAS

34. Desert tableland : MESA.  Spanish for "table."

35. Blue bird : JAY

37. Looking for a fight : TESTY

38. Suffix with infer : IOR  This, I believe, is pushing it.

39. Cook, in a way : SAUTE

41. Bar bowl item : NUT

42. "Don't tell me!" : OH NO

44. 2007 "American Idol" winner Sparks : JORDIN. Pretty obscure.

47. Fails to pronounce : ELIDES.  This took some thought.  It means omitting a sound or syllable in a spoken word.  I heard it in my ute.

48. Image to identify on a driver's license exam : ROAD SIGN

51. Drifters : HOBOS

53. Diarist Anaïs : NIN

54. Neighbor of a Cambodian : THAI

58. Short race, briefly : ONE K.  One kilometer, about .6 miles.

62. Ruse : SCAM.  Phoney business.

63. Duel tool : EPEE. The most common crossword weapon.

65. Funny Dame : EDNA.  Dame EDNA Everage is a character created and performed by Australian comedian Barry Humphries.  That's all I know.

66. Bombs : DUDS.  Funny how language twists.  "A bomb" is a failure, but "THE bomb" is something really cool, while a "bomb" can blow you away.

67. Narrow piece, as of cloth : STRIP.  Other definitions are possible.

Down:

1. __ California : BAJA.  Spanish for "lower."  The peninsula extending south from CA is part of Mexico.

3. "Great shot!" : NICE.  Well done

4. Teen Vogue subject : IDOL.  Today's star, tomorrow's has-been.

5. Lincoln's st. : NEB.  Nebraska.  Gary can tell us all about it.

6. Beer garden music : POLKA.  Oom-pah!

7. Super Bowl I and II MVP : STARR. Bart, QB for the Packers.

8. [Not my error] : SIC.  Short for sic erat scriptum, "thus was it written."  Used when something in a quote looks not quite right.

9. "That wasn't nice" : TSK.  Comic book admonition.

10. Former Soviet leader Khrushchev : NIKITA.  Famous shoe banger.  Or maybe not.

12. Corporate emblem : SEAL.  I wanted LOGO.

13. Egg sources : HENS.

18. Bruises partner : BUMPS.  They go together.

22. Shade provider : PARASOL.  I wanted ELM TREE.

24. North Sea feeder : YSER.  I didn't know what I wanted.

25. Naut. speed units : KTS.  Knots.  Wikipedia again: The knot (pronounced not) is a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile (1.852 km) per hour, approximately 1.151 mph

26. Env. router : ATTN. Abrv. for attention, often used on inter-office communication envelopes.

27. Stay awake in bed : LIE UP.  Or deliberately leave your golf shot short of a hazard.

29. Part of MOMA : ART.  The Museum of Modern ART.

30. Promotional bribes : PAYOLAS.  Big scandal back in my ute.

32. Composer Erik : SATIE.  French.




34. Cattle call : MOO.  Of the cattle, not to the cattle.

36. Hankerings : YENS.  I thought about going to Japan, but didn't have the YEN to travel.

38. "Need You Tonight" band : INXS

40. First name in shipping : ARI.  Onassis.

43. 1963 Newman/Neal film : HUD.  Family strife, sexual tension and diseased cattle on a Texas ranch.

46. Start of a show-off kid's cry : LOOK MA.  Followed by "No hands!"  and CRASH!

49. How traditional Chinese brides dress : IN RED.  Why not?  It's a festive color.

50. Taunts : GIBES

51. Garden waterer : HOSE

52. Burned, in a high-tech way : ON CD.  Probably the next music presentation format to become obsolete.

54. "I __ I taw ..." : TAWT.  A puddy tat.  Tweety Bird

55. It may have highlights : HAIR.

56. Years, to Caesar : ANNI.

57. Clouseau's rank: Abbr. : INSP.  Inspector Jacques Clouseau, the bumbling police detective played by Peter Sellers.  A portrayal by any other actor is a SCAM and a fraud.

59. Place to sleep : BED.  Or plant flowers

60. Bart's Squishee provider : APU.  He runs the Kwik-E-Mart on the Simpson's TV show.

61. ACLU concerns : RTS.  Rights, not routes, except for the one to the court house. 

There you have it.  This puzzle did not BOMB.  In fact, I'd say it was THE bomb.

Cool regards!
JzB


****************

 
Theme: Double Vision: Squint a little further and there's another solve right there!

17A. *Edward Cullen's rival for Bella's hand, in the "Twilight" series : JACOB BLACK
2D. *Biblical birthright seller : ESAU: And a very expensive bowl of soup.

23A. *She played Michelle on "Full House" : MARY KATE
11D. *"High Crimes" actress : ASHLEY JUDD. And a very expensive backpack - $55,000 anyone? To be fair, Ms. Judd had nothing to do with this. A reference to the Olsen twins.



45A. *Brother of Helen of Troy, some say : POLLUX
28D. *Source of an age-old medicinal oil : CASTOR BEAN: You really should look these two up. Not appropriate for family viewing.

59A. *Beach Boys title girl : BARBARA ANN
44D. *"Today" correspondent __ Bush Hager : JENNA: POTUS 41 offspring.

64A. Target Field team, and each pair of intersecting names in the answers to starred clues : TWINS

Just because I love saying "Miiiinesodda" - here's POTUS 40 announcing a Twins game back in 1935:




Hi everyone - Steve again. Was this just me or was this a really tough Wednesday? I was picking around the corners, I couldn't see a theme, there were names, names, names .. these are the puzzles I love - I know I can ....... just ...... get ...... there ..... if ....... I .... keep ...... at ......it. Oh, then I see it's a  C.C teaser. Thanks, I swear she does it just to keep all the regulars honest! 

Across:

1. Nation between Togo and Nigeria : BENIN. I know that, I drive that road every day. Ummm.

6. "Look over here!" : PSST

10. CSNY member : NASH. Now this was thoroughly obscure for me. I was thinking "C whatever State New York" University- Nash College? Oh no, wildly wrong. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. My bad.

14. Private line? : ASIDE

15. Elevator man : OTIS

16. "It's clear now" : I SEE

19. Genghis __ : KHAN

20. "The Plains of Passage" author : AUEL. A thoroughly opportune vowel combination to guarantee crossword immortality! The book isn't bad, either.

21. Former SSR : UKR. My swim coach Dmitri is from the Ukraine, and coached for the Soviet Socialist Republics before he realized is was better to move to sunny SoCal and coach me.

22. Pharmaceutical rep's samples : PILLS

26. Dogpatch creator : AL CAPP

31. Alley cats, e.g. : STRAYS They strut, those stray cats ....

33. Some crowns : TIARAS

34. Desert tableland : MESA

35. Blue bird : JAY

37. Looking for a fight : TESTY

38. Suffix with infer : IOR, Hmmmmmm , not a fan of this one - it's not really a suffix infer/inferior - ah not the same thing

39. Cook, in a way : SAUTE Food! Yay! I sautéd some shrimp for dinner tonight

41. Bar bowl item : NUT. Don't eat the nuts on the bar unless you've seen them poured and you've had the only hands in them. I won't gross you out by explaining.

42. "Don't tell me!" : OH NO. After you find out about the nuts on the bar.

44. 2007 "American Idol" winner Sparks : JORDIN. Perps.

47. Fails to pronounce : ELIDES. I finally got this one after YEARS of telling myself to remember it. And I needed it for a whole bunch of crosses

48. Image to identify on a driver's license exam : ROAD SIGN

The ones in my native Ireland are not always too helpful as Irish Miss and Mari can affirm:


51. Drifters : HOBOS

53. Diarist Anaïs : NIN

54. Neighbor of a Cambodian : THAI

58. Short race, briefly : ONE K, I'm running a 5K in November in November as a prelude to a triathlon in San Diego in January. It's been mmmmnmmnmm years since I've run to the store, so it'll be interesting.

62. Ruse : SCAM

63. Duel tool : EPEE

65. Funny Dame : EDNA. Dame Edna Everage. Here she is in all her glory:


66. Bombs : DUDS. There's a lot of folks wished the bombs they heard were duds.

67. Narrow piece, as of cloth : STRIP

Down:

1. __ California : BAJA. Just south of me, and a wonderful place to go. Don't believe everything you read in the papers.

3. "Great shot!" : NICE

4. Teen Vogue subject : IDOL

5. Lincoln's st. : NEB. Lincoln the town, not the President - he was born in Kentucky, not Nebraska.

6. Beer garden music : POLKA. It's Oktoberfest very soon - get ready to polka! Which is odd, as the polka is Polish, but what the hey! Drink beer and dance with a green hat and a feather!

7. Super Bowl I and II MVP : STARR. This Green Bay Quarterback also goes by BART, which fits nicely into a puzzle grid when the Simpsons are getting tired.


8. [Not my error] : SIC. Ooops

9. "That wasn't nice" : TSK. [Sorry, not my error]

10. Former Soviet leader Khrushchev : NIKITA

12. Corporate emblem : SEAL

13. Egg sources : HENS

18. Bruises partner : BUMPS

22. Shade provider : PARASOL

24. North Sea feeder : YSER. Not a fish, the Belgian river. Look, here's an Argyle-style explanation:


Oh wait, that's London - never mind

25. Naut. speed units : KTS. A knot is one nautical mile, and it is a precise division of the earth's circumference at it's equator. Lots of nice theme words and a bit of Scrabble in there!

26. Env. router : ATTN. Yeah, you lost me here.

27. Stay awake in bed : LIE UP. Nope. I stay up. When I can can't get up I lie in. Sorry!

29. Part of MOMA : ART. The wonderful Museum of Modern Art in New York City. I spent a day there lost in everything.

30. Promotional bribes : PAYOLAS

32. Composer Erik : SATIE. You've probably heard this but it's wonderful

34. Cattle call : MOO

36. Hankerings : YENS

38. "Need You Tonight" band : INXS. I'd post a link but I'm still listening to Gymnopédie No.1

40. First name in shipping : ARI. Jackie's friend

43. 1963 Newman/Neal film : HUD

46. Start of a show-off kid's cry : LOOK MA. Ends up in the ER.

49. How traditional Chinese brides dress : IN RED. C.C? We'd love to see you in red! (From C.C. I have a picture of Boomer dressed IN RED traditional Chinese coat.)

May 2003, Boomer Retirement Lunch

50. Taunts : GIBES

51. Garden waterer : HOSE

52. Burned, in a high-tech way : ON CD

54. "I __ I taw ..." : TAWT

I worked for Warner Bros. for a while - I learned that Warner Bros. is not Warner Brothers! Oh No! It is Warner Bros.(period) - as I hope I have adequately proven. Also, this this yellow annoyance is called Tweety. Not Tweety Bird. No bird - simply Tweety. Call this thing "Tweety Bird" and it's close to a hanging offense. I escaped - just.




55. It may have highlights : HAIR

56. Years, to Caesar : ANNI.

57. Clouseau's rank: Abbr. : INSP. The clumsy Inspector of the Pink Panther movies.

59. Place to sleep : BED

60. Bart's Squishee provider : APU

61. ACLU concerns : RTS.  Hmmm - Rights? I get the American Civil Liberties Union but ..

That's it from me - a great Wednesday from C.C. - had me guessing and picking all the way. Take care out here and have a wonderful rest of the week!

Steve





More from C.C.:

Some of you solved the "Crosswords with Friends" puzzle I put on the blog last Sunday. George Barany & Friends specially made it for the Will Shortz event. I chucked (Edited later: I meant "chuckled", D-Otto, :-), I'm amazing like that!) reading his comments on the TWINS clue change. See here (almost the bottom).

I submitted this puzzle in February and it was accepted in May, long before the Twins traded Morneau. Sigh. Go Pirates!