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

Advertisements

Mar 26, 2018

Monday March 26, 2018 Paul Coulter

Theme: LA LA LAND (40. 2016 Gosling/Stone film ... and, as shown by circles, what each of four answers is) - Each theme entry is a place with *LA* and *LA* in it.

 17A. Narrow land formation along the Bering Sea : ALASKA PENINSULA

 33A. Upstate New York Winter Olympics village : LAKE PLLACID

 42A. Washington city with a repetitive name : WALLA WALLA

 58A. Scottish archipelago : SHETLAND ISLANDS
 
Boomer here.

Hi everyone.  Wishing you all a glorious Monday!  I used to hate Mondays but then I retired.  Now I bowl three of seven games on Mondays and in the fall I coach high school bowling so Mondays come and go quickly.  I join all of you in wishing Argyle a speedy recovery, but in the meantime, you are stuck with me.

Today's puzzle was a bit of a challenge and I had trouble with some of the clues.  Plus, I never could get used to calling Los Angeles "LA LA Land". 

 Across:    

1. Norway's capital : OSLO

5. Central Florida city : OCALA - Spring training land.  Major League baseball starts next week!

10. Distillery containers : VATS

14. Procrastinator's promise : SOON - "I'll get around to it" had too many letters

15. Something in the air : VAPOR - Some smokers are trying e-cigs.  I am not sure if they help cut down on tobacco, but they are banned in most places where you are not allowed to smoke.

16. Building beam : I-BAR

20. Price hike: Abbr. : INCR. Not too happy with abbreviations in puzzles.

21. Bard's "before" : ERE

22. Billionaire Bill : GATES - Yup the president and CEO of Micro something.  I think I have heard of him.

23. Puts on the line : RISKS

25. Marshy area : BOG -  This answer makes me remember Wade Boggs first a Red Sox, then a Yankee.

26. Most despicable : BASEST

29. "Citizen Kane" sled : ROSEBUD - I am not a "Citizen Kane" groupie, but I am looking forward to see if the rose bush in our garden survived the winter.

36. Acapulco article : UNA

37. O. Henry specialty : IRONY - I thought O'Henry was a candy bar

38. It was thrown into the harbor in a 1773 "party" : TEA  - I was not there, but it was a legitimate protest.  I object that the renegades chose to disguise themselves as native Americans.

39. Ingenious : SLICK

41. __ long way: help considerably : GO A

44. Intertwined : ENLACED

47. Not as cold, as weather : MILDER - We in the North are looking forward to milder weather.  It's getting there, but we have not seen 50 yet.

48. Hi-tech worker : BOT - A Robot is a machine in a factory.  I thought a BOT was an internet thing that steals your preferences so it will know how you vote.  I must watch too much CNN.

49. Hindu deity : SHIVA

51. "Nonsense!" : PSHAW - My 4th grade teacher had a blast teaching this word for our spelling test.

54. Spy org. called "The Company" : CIA - "The CIA's subversive, and so's the FCC.  There's no one left but thee and we, and we're not sure of thee."  Have fun and name that tune.

55. Hamburg's river : ELBE - Did not know that one.  Remember I said I only visited Hardheim/Wertheim

62. Hot under the collar : SORE

63. Ball girl : BELLE

64. Bothers no end : NAGS

65. Like golf balls at the start of a hole, usually : TEED - Then I get "TEED" off when I hit it into the lake.

66. Nuclear trial : A TEST

67. Weight loss plan : DIET - Many people try the "Seafood Diet" - See Food, Eat it.

Down:

1. Mama bear, in Mexico : OSA

2. Songs sung alone : SOLI. - Plural of solo. Fooled me.

3. Student aid : LOAN - It's really too bad that young people have to borrow money to get an education.

4. In the movies : ON SCREEN

5. Egg cells : OVA

6. "RUR" playwright : CAPEK


7. Copycats : APERS

8. Word with wolf or Ranger : LONE - Clayton Moore once visited a bowling center in St. Paul.  I don't think Jay Silverheels was with him though.

9. Shapiro of NPR : ARI - Also a news guy on MSNBC

10. Countenance : VISAGE

11. Adjoin : ABUT - Add a "T" to the clue and the answer and you will have a busy bar stool.

12. "A __ of Two Cities" : TALE - "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times".  Here we are 150 years later and "after changes upon changes, things are more or less the same." Name that tune.

13. Mmes., in Madrid : SRAS

18. __ Kreme: doughnut brand : KRISPY - They mad a grand entrances in Minnesota, had cars lined up dozens deep at the drive thru, but I think they left Minnesota and took the doughnuts with them.

19. Private nonprofits: Abbr. : NGOS. Non-Governmental Organizations.

24. Mo. town : STL - Motown is Detroit.  Cardinal town is STL where Ozzie and Stan the Man played.

25. Physique, informally : BOD

26. "Mudbound" actress Mary J. __ : BLIGE


27. Composer Copland : AARON - I don't know composers, but I do know who hit 755 home runs in his career.

28. Norwegian toast : SKOAL - I have seen it spelled this way, however when you salute the Minnesota Vikings it's "SKOL".

29. Mideast money : RIAL

30. Erect a house : BUILD - This is an interesting word, because when you finish building, you have a building.

31. Parent's brother : UNCLE - Holler "Uncle" - "I Ain't down" -I'm gonna learn to read and write, I'm gonna see what there is to see, and if the house is red and there's a big brass bed ......"  Name that tune.

32. Senegal's capital : DAKAR

34. Barely more than not at all : A TAD

35. Animation frame : CEL - Some of these by famous cartoonists and animated movie makers are now valuable collector's items.  I only like baseball cards.

39. Turn like a chair : SWIVEL

42. Dripping __: soaked : WET

43. Parisian pal : AMI

45. Died down : ABATED

46. Monastic hood : COWL

49. Move furtively : SIDLE

50. Waves for, as a taxi : HAILS - Sometimes rain turns to ice and you wish a taxi would get you outta here.

51. Hissed "Hey!" : PSST - I am waiting to see a four letter word with three vowels, but this isn't it.

52. Loafer or moc : SHOE - And neither are the next four

53. "Take this" : HERE

54. Tech news site : CNET

56. __ B'rith : BNAI

57. Barely beat : EDGE

59. Attorneys' org. : ABA

60. Filming site : SET - 6-11 games of tennis

61. Retired flier, briefly : SST - Super Sonic Transport.  No sure why it quit flying.  I think people liked to get to Europe in 2-3 hours,  But I know it was pretty pricey.

Boomer

Note from C.C.:

I finally talked to Argyle for a few minutes yesterday. I was happy that recognized my voice. No details on how long he'll stay in the hospital and when/where he'll be headed for rehab. He has no internet access at the moment. Hopefully soon he'll be back on line solving and reading our comments.