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

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Apr 3, 2019

Wednesday, April 3, 2019, Kevin Christian & Jules Markey

Theme: MIND BENDING

17. When the dot-com bubble began: MID-NINETIES.

23. Form of the game of tag: BLIND MAN'S BLUFF.

39. Small Apple tablet: iPAD MINI.

 51. Ad boast for a relaunched product: NEW AND IMPROVED.

63. Trait for an evil genius ... and a hint to what can literally be found in 17-, 23-, 39- and 51-Across: TWISTED MIND.

Melissa here. These mixed up letter themes can be hard to spot, especially when the word is short. I didn't see all the MINDs until the reveal was filled in.

Across:

1. Specially formed: AD HOC.

6. Suffix with Jumbo: TRON.

10. Outback: BUSH. Australia.

14. Avian crops: CRAWS. Learning moment for me. A craw is an area in a bird's throat in which food can be kept, also called a crop. Thus the phrase, "stick in one's craw."

15. Disney film set in Polynesia: MOANA. With a two-year old granddaughter and another on the way, I am trying to learn all my Disney princesses.

16. "Fancy meeting you here!": OH HI.

19. Prompted on stage: CUED.

20. Energy Star co-mgr.: EPA.

21. Backless slippers: MULES.

22. Country's Haggard: MERLE. After a troubled childhood he was incarcerated a few times in his youth - notably in San Quentin. He joined the prison band after being inspired by a 1958 New Year's Day performance there by Johnny Cash, and went on to write a handful of hit songs about prison. Haggard died in 2016.

27. River formations: DELTAS.

29. Kiwi-shaped: OVAL.

30. Eye-opener?: ALARM.

31. Aplomb: POISE.

34. Hieroglyphics bird: IBIS.

38. Court figs.: DAS. District Attorneys.

42. D-Day vessel: LST. News to me: Landing Ship, Tank (LST), or tank landing ship, is the naval designation for ships first developed during World War II (1939-1945) to support amphibious operations by carrying tanks, vehicles, cargo, and landing troops directly onto shore with no docks or piers.

43. Uninvited picnic arrivals: ANTS.

45. Short or tall thing (and neither refers to height): ORDER. I was thinking coffee or espresso.

46. Zany: LOONY. Fun to see this so close to 50A.

48. Soupçon: HINT. New word for me. French. From Wictionary: "A very small amount; a hint; a trace, slight idea; an inkling. No one is so depraved that a soupçon of goodness cannot be found in them."

50. Acme's best customer?: COYOTE. In production is Coyote vs. Acme, the first Looney Tunes film to be in 3D, RealD, 3D and IMAX 3D. From IMDB: "A story set in the ACME warehouse, the manufacturer of anything and everything used by the Looney Tunes characters."

57. Hoover rival: ORECK.

58. Patterned fabric: TOILE. More French. "A fabric, from the French word meaning 'linen cloth' or 'canvas,' particularly cloth or canvas for painting on."

59. Fuel for the fire: LOG.

62. Almond __: MILK.
 66. Censorship-fighting org.: ACLU.

67. __ Hawkins Day: SADIE. From Wikipedia: "An American folk event and pseudo-holiday originated by Al Capp's classic hillbilly comic strip Li'l Abner (1934–1978). This inspired real-world Sadie Hawkins events, the premise of which is that women ask men for a date or dancing."

68. Ancient Greek region: IONIA.

69. Abrasive tool: RASP.

70. Proof word: ERAT.

71. Itsy-bitsy: TEENY.

Down:

1. Pinnacle: ACME. Again with Wile E. Coyote!

2. Water waster: DRIP.

3. Whooped it up: HAD A BLAST.

4. Dominate: OWN.

5. Forensic TV spin-off: CSI MIAMI.

6. Carved emblem: TOTEM.

7. Mrs. Gorbachev: RAISA.

8. Number of gods worshipped in Zoroastrianism: ONE. Hope to see Bohemian Rhapsody movie soon - I did not know this about Freddie Mercury.

9. "Stillmatic" rapper: NAS.

10. Italian tenor Andrea: BOCELLI.

11. Swahili for "freedom": UHURU.

12. Walmart stock holder?: SHELF. Love this clue.

13. HDTV part, for short: HI DEF.

15. Mix together: MELD.

18. Many "Call the Midwife" characters: NUNS.

22. CFO's degree: MBA. Master of Business Administration.

24. USPS unit: LTR. Letter. My nonprofit receives up to 1,000 units every month.

25. Private reply?: NO SIR. Second favorite clue.

26. "Frozen" reindeer: SVEN.

27. Bit of baby talk: DADA.

28. Pizazz: ELAN.

31. Start of a series: PART I.

32. A little bit off: ODD.

33. "__ Mine": Beatles song: I ME.

35. Sequence of direct ancestors: BLOODLINE. Family tree didn't fit.

36. "Freedom __ free": salute to military sacrifice: ISN'T.

37. Ocular malady: STYE.

40. Spot for a koi or a decoy: POND.

41. "That was awesome!": I LOVED IT.

44. Move in together: SHACK UP.

47. "Listen up," to Luis: OYE.

49. Pen filler: INK.

50. King with a pipe: COLE. Nat King Cole. (*Correction - thanks D-otto, Canadianeh! and Lucina, this was surely a reference to "Old King Cole" of nursery rhyme fame. Ironically enough though, Nat King Cole did collect pipes, and died of lung cancer.)

51. SportsNet LA analyst Garciaparra: NOMAR. Usually rely on perps for sports clues. Retired baseball player who played All-Star shortstop with Boston Red Sox, third base and first base for the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Oakland Athletics.

52. Writer Jong: ERICA.

53. Water sources: WELLS.

54. Crete peak: Abbr.: MT IDA. Had no idea. Wikipedia.

55. Put forth: POSIT.

56. Solemn ceremony: RITE.

60. "Come __!": ON IN.

61. Outback greeting: G'DAY.

63. Mao __-tung: TSE.

64. "__Games": 1983 Matthew Broderick film: WAR.

65. Curly associate: MOE.