Theme: Thievery - Five synonyms, five plural nouns, five common phrases clued punningly.
19A. Steal items on parking lot windshields?: LIFT TICKETS. I got a ticket recently when I forgot that it was Saturday, not Sunday, when I went to get breakfast at the deli on Ventura Boulevard - the meters are free on Sundays. Then I forgot to pay the darn thing until it was a day too late and the charge doubled. That was one expensive plate of pastrami & eggs.
24A. Steal kitchen tools?: POCKET KNIVES. You'd make a mess of your pockets if you tried to make off with mine. They're sharp.
40A. Steal plastic?: SWIPE CREDIT CARDS. Will "swipe" cease to be a thing when all cards have chips and all readers have a slot in which to insert the card?
53A. Steal wishing well money?: PINCH PENNIES. Or redistribution of wealth, depending on how you look at it.
64A Steal watch components?: PALM SPRINGS. LCD's, batteries and solid-state movements don't work so well.
I sprinted through the top half, then waded through treacle for the bottom half of this one. The theme is solid and the grid is stretched to accommodate the 16-letter grid spanner across the center, so there's a slightly-unusual 16x15 layout today.
Across:
1. Tax time VIPs: CPA'S
5. GE competitor: AMANA. Kitchen appliance showdown.
10. "Stranger Things" actress: RYDER. The first actress/actor of the day I've never heard of.
15. A studio may be in one: LOFT
16. Doughnut-shaped: TORIC
17. Line from the heart: AORTA
18. Folksy Guthrie: ARLO
21. Bottleneck problem: SNARL
23. Neatened a bit: TIDIED UP
28. Fashion icon London: STACY. "What Not To Wear" personality.
29. Adjective for fighter Joe Frazier: SMOKIN'
34. Drivel: ROT
37. Hold responsible: BLAME
39. Western casino city: RENO
45. Trattoria bar order: VINO. Rosso or bianco. Or rosato.
46. Island east of Java: TIMOR. The sovereign state of East Timor is on the eastern part of the island (!) and Indonesia occupies the west.
47. Reuben bread: RYE. I had rye bread with my aforementioned expensive breakfast.
48. Lassie, for one: PET DOG
51. Sushi bar array: TUNAS. Back to the fish plural debate. I say "tuna" for both one and many.
59. Have an average day on the links?: SHOOT PAR. In my dreams. My average day looks a LOT different from that.
63. Buddy: KIDDO
68. "Voilà!": TADA! Beloved of online crossword solvers everywhere.
69. __ planner: EVENT
70. French film award: CÉSAR
71. Crispy snack: CHIP. CHEX, my first thought, didn't work too well.
72. Synthesizer brand: CASIO
73. Intense exams: ORALS
74. Breaks up a plot: HOES. Nice clue.
Down:
1. Necklace part: CLASP
2. X-rated stuff: PORNO. Not the first time in the LAT, but this is one of those entries that I'm surprised that Rich lets go.
3. Company whose mascot uses fowl language: AFLAC
4. Wading birds: STORKS
5. Only city from which two NHL hockey teams relocated (both went to Canada): ATL. I didn't think twice about this and I'm not even a particularly keen hockey fan. The Atlanta Flames went to Calgary (now I think about it, the name makes sense, I thought it was something to do with oilfield fires.) The Thrashers went to Winnipeg and became the second incarnation of the Jets.
6. "You can't mean me!": MOI
7. 48-Across sound: ARF
8. Capone henchman: NITTI. I knee-jerked GOTTI first before I had to unpick part of it.
9. When the "Macbeth" witches add "eye of newt": ACT IV. With the V in place, nothing else could work.
10. Subject of the film "42": RACISM
11. Farm link: YOKE. Ox-to-ox link, making yoked oxen.
12. 1857 litigant Scott: DRED
13. Caesar's last gasp: ET TU. Nice connection with the neighboring 20D
14. Rough file: RASP
20. Caesar's last day: IDES
22. Don't bother: LET BE. LET GO at first. Didn't work.
25. Powder source: TALC
26. 1980s Chrysler offering: K-CAR. Look at those sleek, elegant lines and the subtle color palette:
27. Citi Field MLBer: NY MET
30. "... boy __ girl?": OR A
31. Actress Deborah: KERR
32. 500 nickname: INDY
33. Wine quality: NOSE
34. Short answer?: RSVP. "Answer" in the sense of the instruction. Yes, No or Maybe are the answers.
35. Boo-boo: OWIE
36. Shade: TINT
38. Gloria's mom in '70s TV: EDITH. Bunker. Of course I knew this. (I didn't).
41. Okra unit: POD
42. Morning mumble: I'M UP. Alright, already.
43. Shade: TONE. 36D clecho.
44. Model T feature: CRANK. My Dad's first car had a starting handle as backup for when the battery went flat, a not-unusual occurrence.
49. Decides one will: OPTS TO
50. Reagan role in a Notre Dame football movie: GIPP. "Rock ..."
52. Teller?: SNITCH
54. DEA cop: NARCO
55. Old news source: CRIER. Oyez! Oyez!
56. State bordering six others and the Canadian mainland: IDAHO. Didn't we see this self-same clue a few weeks ago?
57. Redmayne of "The Theory of Everything": EDDIE. Thank you, crosses.
58. Some daytime TV: SOAPS
59. Building guideline: SPEC
60. "__ Nagila": HAVA
61. World Cup cheers: OLES
62. Potent start?: OMNI
65. Govt. code crackers: N.S.A. I recently hired a new analyst who previously worked for the N.S.A - her office was in a bunker on Oahu. Nice place to live, but you're still working in a bunker.
66. Square dance dancer: GAL
67. H.S. yearbook section: SR'S Seniors. Adios!
I picked up a potential new client from one of the recent Vegas expos. They're based in Australia. I smell some long-haul air travel in my tea leaves.
With that, here's the grid and g'day mates!
Steve
19A. Steal items on parking lot windshields?: LIFT TICKETS. I got a ticket recently when I forgot that it was Saturday, not Sunday, when I went to get breakfast at the deli on Ventura Boulevard - the meters are free on Sundays. Then I forgot to pay the darn thing until it was a day too late and the charge doubled. That was one expensive plate of pastrami & eggs.
24A. Steal kitchen tools?: POCKET KNIVES. You'd make a mess of your pockets if you tried to make off with mine. They're sharp.
40A. Steal plastic?: SWIPE CREDIT CARDS. Will "swipe" cease to be a thing when all cards have chips and all readers have a slot in which to insert the card?
53A. Steal wishing well money?: PINCH PENNIES. Or redistribution of wealth, depending on how you look at it.
64A Steal watch components?: PALM SPRINGS. LCD's, batteries and solid-state movements don't work so well.
I sprinted through the top half, then waded through treacle for the bottom half of this one. The theme is solid and the grid is stretched to accommodate the 16-letter grid spanner across the center, so there's a slightly-unusual 16x15 layout today.
Across:
1. Tax time VIPs: CPA'S
5. GE competitor: AMANA. Kitchen appliance showdown.
10. "Stranger Things" actress: RYDER. The first actress/actor of the day I've never heard of.
15. A studio may be in one: LOFT
16. Doughnut-shaped: TORIC
17. Line from the heart: AORTA
18. Folksy Guthrie: ARLO
21. Bottleneck problem: SNARL
23. Neatened a bit: TIDIED UP
28. Fashion icon London: STACY. "What Not To Wear" personality.
29. Adjective for fighter Joe Frazier: SMOKIN'
34. Drivel: ROT
37. Hold responsible: BLAME
39. Western casino city: RENO
45. Trattoria bar order: VINO. Rosso or bianco. Or rosato.
46. Island east of Java: TIMOR. The sovereign state of East Timor is on the eastern part of the island (!) and Indonesia occupies the west.
47. Reuben bread: RYE. I had rye bread with my aforementioned expensive breakfast.
48. Lassie, for one: PET DOG
51. Sushi bar array: TUNAS. Back to the fish plural debate. I say "tuna" for both one and many.
59. Have an average day on the links?: SHOOT PAR. In my dreams. My average day looks a LOT different from that.
63. Buddy: KIDDO
68. "Voilà!": TADA! Beloved of online crossword solvers everywhere.
69. __ planner: EVENT
70. French film award: CÉSAR
71. Crispy snack: CHIP. CHEX, my first thought, didn't work too well.
72. Synthesizer brand: CASIO
73. Intense exams: ORALS
74. Breaks up a plot: HOES. Nice clue.
Down:
1. Necklace part: CLASP
2. X-rated stuff: PORNO. Not the first time in the LAT, but this is one of those entries that I'm surprised that Rich lets go.
3. Company whose mascot uses fowl language: AFLAC
4. Wading birds: STORKS
5. Only city from which two NHL hockey teams relocated (both went to Canada): ATL. I didn't think twice about this and I'm not even a particularly keen hockey fan. The Atlanta Flames went to Calgary (now I think about it, the name makes sense, I thought it was something to do with oilfield fires.) The Thrashers went to Winnipeg and became the second incarnation of the Jets.
6. "You can't mean me!": MOI
7. 48-Across sound: ARF
8. Capone henchman: NITTI. I knee-jerked GOTTI first before I had to unpick part of it.
9. When the "Macbeth" witches add "eye of newt": ACT IV. With the V in place, nothing else could work.
10. Subject of the film "42": RACISM
11. Farm link: YOKE. Ox-to-ox link, making yoked oxen.
12. 1857 litigant Scott: DRED
13. Caesar's last gasp: ET TU. Nice connection with the neighboring 20D
14. Rough file: RASP
20. Caesar's last day: IDES
22. Don't bother: LET BE. LET GO at first. Didn't work.
25. Powder source: TALC
26. 1980s Chrysler offering: K-CAR. Look at those sleek, elegant lines and the subtle color palette:
27. Citi Field MLBer: NY MET
30. "... boy __ girl?": OR A
31. Actress Deborah: KERR
32. 500 nickname: INDY
33. Wine quality: NOSE
34. Short answer?: RSVP. "Answer" in the sense of the instruction. Yes, No or Maybe are the answers.
35. Boo-boo: OWIE
36. Shade: TINT
38. Gloria's mom in '70s TV: EDITH. Bunker. Of course I knew this. (I didn't).
41. Okra unit: POD
42. Morning mumble: I'M UP. Alright, already.
43. Shade: TONE. 36D clecho.
44. Model T feature: CRANK. My Dad's first car had a starting handle as backup for when the battery went flat, a not-unusual occurrence.
49. Decides one will: OPTS TO
50. Reagan role in a Notre Dame football movie: GIPP. "Rock ..."
52. Teller?: SNITCH
54. DEA cop: NARCO
55. Old news source: CRIER. Oyez! Oyez!
56. State bordering six others and the Canadian mainland: IDAHO. Didn't we see this self-same clue a few weeks ago?
57. Redmayne of "The Theory of Everything": EDDIE. Thank you, crosses.
58. Some daytime TV: SOAPS
59. Building guideline: SPEC
60. "__ Nagila": HAVA
61. World Cup cheers: OLES
62. Potent start?: OMNI
65. Govt. code crackers: N.S.A. I recently hired a new analyst who previously worked for the N.S.A - her office was in a bunker on Oahu. Nice place to live, but you're still working in a bunker.
66. Square dance dancer: GAL
67. H.S. yearbook section: SR'S Seniors. Adios!
I picked up a potential new client from one of the recent Vegas expos. They're based in Australia. I smell some long-haul air travel in my tea leaves.
With that, here's the grid and g'day mates!
Steve
