L.A.Times Crossword Corner

Jan 20, 2018

Saturday, January 20, 2018 Alex Bajcz

THE DOCTOR IS IN

A nice Saturday (corrected) workout supplied by Alex Bajcz (rhymes with badges). He did his B.S. and M.S. in Michigan and then, true to his crossword lineage, got his Ph.D. in, wait for it, ORONO, ME in Ecology and Environmental Science. It can't be more perfect than that. Here we see that Alec has scaled the 852' peak of Norumbega Mountain in Acadia National Park (more crosswordese) in Maine. I wonder if he had OREOS while at the summit. 😏

Husker Gary here at his Saturday post! l had to test many areas before I got one of these for a good start in this challenging exercise.

Here two things in my life that served as long fills and proved to be helpful:

18. Company that pioneered metal drivers in golf : TAYLOR MADE - They dominate my golf bag

23. Thing to get one's claws into : SCRATCHING POST - One of Lily's topped with her favorite perch

Let's now explore the rest of the delightful word environment Alex has proposed for us:

Across

1. Color in the brown family : ECRU

5. Dusty trail figure : PARD(ner) - I imagine he might be dusty after a month on a cattle drive

9. Board that decides without voting : OUIJA - Didn't you always accuse someone else of pushing the planchette (yes, that is what it is called)?

14. Flow hindrance : CLOT - The cause of death for Jimmy Stewart

15. Not expected : UNHERALDED - If you follow college football, you know UNHERALDED University of Central Florida had an undefeated season and the Huskers then hired their coach for $5M/year

17. Duck-like bird : COOT - or Today's blogger : Old ____

19. Perrier units : LITERS - I prefer my water not sparkle

21. Only one fed. holiday falls on it annually : THU - Oh yeah, it's when Macy's has a parade, the Lions play football and Black Friday is the next day! 😏

22. A hockey player may check with one : HIP

27. Often-glazed delicacy : ROAST HAM

28. Tail of a cartoon dog? : DOO - Ruh, roh if you didn't know Scooby DOO!

29. Actress __-Margret : ANN - This Swedish beauty does not like being called Ann or Annie Olsson

30. Hosp. areas : ERS - You find DRS in ERS and ORS

31. Lake Itasca, vis-à-vis the Mississippi : SOURCE

35. Out indefinitely : IN A COMA

38. Certain landing aid : PONTOON - Very handy if you're landing a plane on Lake Itasca

39. Sara Roosevelt's maiden name : DELANO - Sara and her little boy Franklin in 1893

40. Gordon Shumway's title alias, in a sitcom : ALF - I have never ALFED

41. "I didn't need to know that" : Too Much Information - Do you want to hear about my operation? 52. Strong denial : I DO NOT

42. Book after Exod. : LEV - Google the 76 things LEVITICUS prohibits. Some people have cherry-picked from the list to justify their beliefs

43. Settled things : MEDIATED

46. They go on until dawn : SLUMBER PARTIES - One of the rigors of having daughters

50. More at the end? : IER

51. Many a boat, to its skipper : SHE - In Latin ship means Navis which is a feminine word

54. Fulfill, as a promise : MAKE GOOD ON - He did MAKE GOOD ON his famous promise!

58. Advanced : LENT

59. Pac-12 student : OREGON DUCK - My cousin's brother is the head BB coach at OREGON where the DUCKS play on this very distinctive court

60. Colon, in analogies : IS TO - Did you ever take the Miller's?

61. Parachute fabric : NYLON

62. Bldg. units : APTS - With our new $300M chicken plant being built, our city is proposing to build over 200 APTS across the street from us.

63. Pipe organ component : STOP - Wow! That's a lot of 'em!

Down

1. O.T. book : ECCL - Pete Seeger turned this lovely passage into a hit song called Turn, Turn, Turn

2. Fancy enamelwork : CLOISONNÉ - (Kloy zuh nay) - Enamelwork in which colored areas are separated by thin metal bands, fixed edgewise to the ground. I had no idea but it's beautiful!

TIME OUT - Think of something you absolutely hate doing! Now insert that in the blank below.

3. Endodontic therapy : ROOT CANAL - ____ is about as fun as a ROOT CANAL

4. Says : UTTERS

5. Tries to pick up : PUTS THE MOVES ON and 33. Flirts with : COMES ONTO. A little mini-theme, Alex? 😏

6. Political commentator Navarro : ANA - Okay, if you say so.

7. Drummer's creations : RHYTHMS - Our crossword friend here provided RHYTHMS for a fairly popular group of British lads.

8. 2010 Commonwealth Games host city : DELHI - After gaining independence in 1950, India remained in a loose association called the Commonwealth

9. One making a splash? : OAR

10. Rail stop between Stuttgart and Munich : ULM

11. State in both the Pacific and Mountain time zones : IDAHO - Same for Oregon in that area

12. "A __ Fury": "Star Wars" DVD segment : JEDIS

13. More than competent : ADEPT

16. They may involve cheap shots : ROUNDS OF DRINKS - It was so hot on the day I got my hole-in-one that the ROUNDS OF DRINKS only cost me $50 ($20 tip for attendant) because most everyone else had gone home

20. Urban omnivore : RAT

24. Word of amore : CARA - Jay Black of Jay And The Americans still getting it done at 72 with fabulous CARA MIA!

25. Mob hiree : GOON - Luca Brasi, Don Corleone's GOON, wound up "sleeping with the fishes"

26. Show displeasure : POUT - Better not...

27. Carefully timed operation : RAID

32. Worst of the worst : ROTTENEST

34. Lover of Geraint : ENID - Welsh folklore reworked by Tennyson

36. Bad state for sailing : CALM - Blush, I first put IOWA!

37. Seat for a priority boarder : ONE-B - It takes good eyes to see that on this 767 that is an aisle seat in first class

38. Part of a bargain, maybe : PLEA - 97% of Federal cases wind up with the accused entering a PLEA of guilty for a reduced sentence

40. Hyper : AMPED UP

44. "__ be a shame if ... " : IT'D

45. Mediterranean sauces : AIOLIS

46. Do only what he says : SIMON -
"SIMON says put up your hand!"
"Now put it back down!"
"Aha, you're out!" 😛

47. "Rescue Me" star Denis : LEARY and 48. "Did I do that?" TV nerd : URKEL and 49. Sitcom with a 1974 wedding episode : RHODA. Three TV series that did not make it into our living room

53. Sporty car roof : T-TOP - Moviedom's most famous?