Theme:
3D. Singer whose last name is Pig Latin for a slang word for "money" : ANITA O'DAY. The crosses filled most of entry for me, but it took me the longest time for the penny to dop - I was trying to figure out the slang word DANITAO and why I'd never heard of it. Then I saw "last name" in the clue and D'OH! - "dough". Cool clue.
7D. Toyota Center team : HOUSTON ROCKETS. I know only a few any of the sponsored arenas beyond the ones in my own city, but a few crosses and I can usually get the team pretty quickly. I know that the baseball Houston Astros play at Minute Maid Park, but that's because I was at a hotel last year two steps from the stadium and I could see it from my room.
14D. Activity for some ex-presidents : LECTURE CIRCUIT. I'm sure they're all tremendously interesting.
34D. London locale that's a music industry eponym : ABBEY ROAD. I've done the famous "Beatles Walk" on the pedestrian crossing outside the studio, but, (of course) when I was younger and lived a mere two miles away I was way too cool for school to do that. Ah, the ignorance of youth! Here's a setup shot:
and the reveal:
23D. Appears unexpectedly, and a hint to this puzzle's circles : CROPS UP.
Nice one from C.C. - some great long downs and two sets of double-stacked 9's in the acrosses. Both ANITA O'DAY and LECTURE CIRCUIT are first-timers to appear in the LAT, you can't get much fresher than that. However - one quibble. If I were to ask a farmer what crop he was growing, I'd be happy to hear RICE, CORN and RYE, but if I was told OAT I'd wonder how many milli-ounces of yield was expected. However, I tend to forgive quibbles about circle entries (cirquibs?) because they don't affect the clue or the answer.
Let's see what else catches the rye - I mean eye:
Across:
1. Detergent with Oxi Booster : ERA. If you say so. I'm not brand-conscious with laundry detergent, I get whatever is discounted at Ralph's when I need some.
4. DVD precursor : VHS
7. Scout, to Tonto : HORSE
12. "Face the Nation" group : PANEL
15. "My mom's gonna kill me!" : I AM SO DEAD. Fun entry.
17. Uncle relative? : I GIVE
18. Golden Globe, e.g. : STATUETTE. Awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for excellence in film and TV.
19. Nail care target : CUTICLE
21. Congressional period : SESSION
22. Vocal quartet member : ALTO
23. Use WhatsApp, say : CHAT
24. Junior nav. officer : ENS. Naval Ensign, from the old French "enseigne". Also the flag flown from the stern of a ship.
25. Long time follower : AGO
27. Manipulator : USER
29. Cut : LOP
31. Roll of dough : WAD
32. Popular weekend destination for many Northern Californians : RENO. Across the border in Nevada. Gamblin' an' boozin' an' such.
33. Deceitful : SNEAKY
37. Remove : ERASE
39. Drop (out) : OPT
41. Russian lettuce? : RUBLE
42. Fog machine substance : DRY ICE. Carbon Dioxide cooled to around -110F.
No self-respecting 70's rock band would be seen dead on stage without it. Here's Led Zeppelin rocking the CO2.
44. Average : SO-SO
46. Ballerina's hairdo : BUN
47. Prohibit : NIX, Funny, I used Pig Latin "ixnay" in the blog last week.
48. Offensive to some, for short : UN-PC. People get offended by MacBooks? Oh - wait. Not politically-correct.
49. Rescue squad initials : EMS
50. ___ Fridays : TGI
53. Speak harshly : RASP
55. ''Fine by me'' : OKAY
57. Salon piece : ARTICLE. Wig? Toupée? Oh - "salon" in the literary gathering sense.
59. Swallowed one's pride : ATE CROW
62. Chinese cooking staple : PEANUT OIL
64. "__ were the days" : THOSE
65. Not working : AT LEISURE
66. "Lone Survivor" military group : SEALS. From the movie adaptation of the book by Marcus Luttrell. Many current and ex-members of the elite forces are upset by the proliferation of "insider" books being published as they feel it damages the esprit de corps without which the units could not function.
67. Speak, old-style : SAY'ST,
A Midsummer Night's Dream, I, iii William Shakespeare
68. Not strict : LAX
69. One of two in Pompeii : DOT. I missed this until the write-up - the crosses filled it in for me. Funny clue - two dots over two "i"s.
Down:
1. "Paradise Lost," e.g. : EPIC
2. Marinara brand : RAGU. I never buy it, it takes about 60 seconds to make your own. A can of San Marzano tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, chilli pepper, salt, dried oregano, give it a whizz with your stick blender and bingo! Cleanup takes 20 seconds. No-brainer.
4. Workshop gadget : VISE. Spelt VICE in England. This bilingual thing is tough.
5. Derby or boater : HAT
6. Huge success : SMASH
8. Laudatory verses : ODES. Sometimes written on Grecian urns. No?
9. Tighten, as laces : RETIE
10. Kept quiet : SAT ON
11. Paradises : EDENS
13. Really bad : EVIL
16. Good buys : STEALS
20. Get rid of : LOSE
25. Knocked out : AWED
26. "Tootsie" actress : GARR. Thank you, crosses.
28. Co-producer of the art rock album "High Life" : ENO. Busy chap, Brian.
30. Little, in Marseille : PEU. Stumped me for a moment - not petit/petite? Ah - a small amount, un peu. You can also have "un petit peu" if you're going extra-small.
35. "America's Got Talent" judge Heidi : KLUM. One of my friends sometimes handles security for her. He says she's completely down-to-earth. Here she is wearing a body-paint swimsuit for "Sports Illustrated".
36. Deep desires : YENS
38. Lust, e.g. : SIN
40. Weigh station unit : TON
43. Praises : EXALTS
45. Pick out of a crowd : SPOT
50. Spanish appetizers : TAPAS. They were originally simple slices of bread you put over your wine glass to keep the flies out, then the bars started dressing 'em up with a smear of this and that. "Tapa" means "cover".
51. Actress Scacchi : GRETA
52. Birthplace of the violin : ITALY
54. Peninsular capital : SEOUL
56. Icy Hot target : ACHE
58. Supermodel Sastre : INES. Crosses. I'm not too up on my supermodels, although Heidi Klum is in my "known" category.
59. Longtime teammate of Derek : ALEX. I tried A-ROD first. Gong! Wrong!
60. Nobel Peace Center locale : OSLO
61. From Green Bay to St. Paul : WEST
63. Often rolled-over item : IRA
Here's the grid, with the circles for those of you who didn't get them:
Have a great day. I'm going to "The Happiest Place on Earth" today (Disneyland, not my kitchen!) with my daughter who is visiting from London.
Steve
3D. Singer whose last name is Pig Latin for a slang word for "money" : ANITA O'DAY. The crosses filled most of entry for me, but it took me the longest time for the penny to dop - I was trying to figure out the slang word DANITAO and why I'd never heard of it. Then I saw "last name" in the clue and D'OH! - "dough". Cool clue.
7D. Toyota Center team : HOUSTON ROCKETS. I know only a few any of the sponsored arenas beyond the ones in my own city, but a few crosses and I can usually get the team pretty quickly. I know that the baseball Houston Astros play at Minute Maid Park, but that's because I was at a hotel last year two steps from the stadium and I could see it from my room.
14D. Activity for some ex-presidents : LECTURE CIRCUIT. I'm sure they're all tremendously interesting.
34D. London locale that's a music industry eponym : ABBEY ROAD. I've done the famous "Beatles Walk" on the pedestrian crossing outside the studio, but, (of course) when I was younger and lived a mere two miles away I was way too cool for school to do that. Ah, the ignorance of youth! Here's a setup shot:
and the reveal:
23D. Appears unexpectedly, and a hint to this puzzle's circles : CROPS UP.
Nice one from C.C. - some great long downs and two sets of double-stacked 9's in the acrosses. Both ANITA O'DAY and LECTURE CIRCUIT are first-timers to appear in the LAT, you can't get much fresher than that. However - one quibble. If I were to ask a farmer what crop he was growing, I'd be happy to hear RICE, CORN and RYE, but if I was told OAT I'd wonder how many milli-ounces of yield was expected. However, I tend to forgive quibbles about circle entries (cirquibs?) because they don't affect the clue or the answer.
Let's see what else catches the rye - I mean eye:
Across:
1. Detergent with Oxi Booster : ERA. If you say so. I'm not brand-conscious with laundry detergent, I get whatever is discounted at Ralph's when I need some.
4. DVD precursor : VHS
7. Scout, to Tonto : HORSE
12. "Face the Nation" group : PANEL
15. "My mom's gonna kill me!" : I AM SO DEAD. Fun entry.
17. Uncle relative? : I GIVE
18. Golden Globe, e.g. : STATUETTE. Awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for excellence in film and TV.
21. Congressional period : SESSION
22. Vocal quartet member : ALTO
23. Use WhatsApp, say : CHAT
24. Junior nav. officer : ENS. Naval Ensign, from the old French "enseigne". Also the flag flown from the stern of a ship.
25. Long time follower : AGO
27. Manipulator : USER
29. Cut : LOP
31. Roll of dough : WAD
32. Popular weekend destination for many Northern Californians : RENO. Across the border in Nevada. Gamblin' an' boozin' an' such.
33. Deceitful : SNEAKY
37. Remove : ERASE
39. Drop (out) : OPT
41. Russian lettuce? : RUBLE
42. Fog machine substance : DRY ICE. Carbon Dioxide cooled to around -110F.
No self-respecting 70's rock band would be seen dead on stage without it. Here's Led Zeppelin rocking the CO2.
46. Ballerina's hairdo : BUN
47. Prohibit : NIX, Funny, I used Pig Latin "ixnay" in the blog last week.
48. Offensive to some, for short : UN-PC. People get offended by MacBooks? Oh - wait. Not politically-correct.
49. Rescue squad initials : EMS
50. ___ Fridays : TGI
53. Speak harshly : RASP
55. ''Fine by me'' : OKAY
57. Salon piece : ARTICLE. Wig? Toupée? Oh - "salon" in the literary gathering sense.
59. Swallowed one's pride : ATE CROW
62. Chinese cooking staple : PEANUT OIL
64. "__ were the days" : THOSE
65. Not working : AT LEISURE
66. "Lone Survivor" military group : SEALS. From the movie adaptation of the book by Marcus Luttrell. Many current and ex-members of the elite forces are upset by the proliferation of "insider" books being published as they feel it damages the esprit de corps without which the units could not function.
67. Speak, old-style : SAY'ST,
Quince: What say'st thou, bully Bottom?
A Midsummer Night's Dream, I, iii William Shakespeare
68. Not strict : LAX
69. One of two in Pompeii : DOT. I missed this until the write-up - the crosses filled it in for me. Funny clue - two dots over two "i"s.
Down:
1. "Paradise Lost," e.g. : EPIC
2. Marinara brand : RAGU. I never buy it, it takes about 60 seconds to make your own. A can of San Marzano tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, chilli pepper, salt, dried oregano, give it a whizz with your stick blender and bingo! Cleanup takes 20 seconds. No-brainer.
4. Workshop gadget : VISE. Spelt VICE in England. This bilingual thing is tough.
5. Derby or boater : HAT
6. Huge success : SMASH
8. Laudatory verses : ODES. Sometimes written on Grecian urns. No?
9. Tighten, as laces : RETIE
10. Kept quiet : SAT ON
11. Paradises : EDENS
13. Really bad : EVIL
16. Good buys : STEALS
20. Get rid of : LOSE
25. Knocked out : AWED
26. "Tootsie" actress : GARR. Thank you, crosses.
28. Co-producer of the art rock album "High Life" : ENO. Busy chap, Brian.
30. Little, in Marseille : PEU. Stumped me for a moment - not petit/petite? Ah - a small amount, un peu. You can also have "un petit peu" if you're going extra-small.
35. "America's Got Talent" judge Heidi : KLUM. One of my friends sometimes handles security for her. He says she's completely down-to-earth. Here she is wearing a body-paint swimsuit for "Sports Illustrated".
36. Deep desires : YENS
38. Lust, e.g. : SIN
40. Weigh station unit : TON
43. Praises : EXALTS
45. Pick out of a crowd : SPOT
50. Spanish appetizers : TAPAS. They were originally simple slices of bread you put over your wine glass to keep the flies out, then the bars started dressing 'em up with a smear of this and that. "Tapa" means "cover".
51. Actress Scacchi : GRETA
52. Birthplace of the violin : ITALY
54. Peninsular capital : SEOUL
56. Icy Hot target : ACHE
58. Supermodel Sastre : INES. Crosses. I'm not too up on my supermodels, although Heidi Klum is in my "known" category.
59. Longtime teammate of Derek : ALEX. I tried A-ROD first. Gong! Wrong!
60. Nobel Peace Center locale : OSLO
61. From Green Bay to St. Paul : WEST
63. Often rolled-over item : IRA
Here's the grid, with the circles for those of you who didn't get them:
Have a great day. I'm going to "The Happiest Place on Earth" today (Disneyland, not my kitchen!) with my daughter who is visiting from London.
Steve
