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

Advertisements

Oct 17, 2020

Saturday, October, 17, 2020, Sheryl Bartol

 Saturday Themeless by Sheryl Bartol

Today's constructor is Sheryl Bartol from Evanston, IL whose first LA Times puzzle I blogged this year on May 23. Sheryl learned to construct crosswords from her sister Debbie Ellerin whose byline we see here also. This is a very attractive picture of the two sisters.

This was Sheryl's lovely response when I asked her about this puzzle: 

Hi Gary,

Nice to hear from you again.  This puzzle went through a lot of iterations and rework.  In the end, it was quite different from where I started, as I discovered new word combinations along the way.  Here are a few comments on some of the entries:

One of my favorite words is EMOTICON which I often use in my emails ;) 
We play a lot of board games in my house, especially during a pandemic, which inspired my CARTEL clue.  
I am also a big Indian food fan, hence the way I clued LENTIL.
Lastly, I love the change that our dear editors made to my clue for POET, which was not nearly as clever.

I hope everyone enjoys solving it!

Thanks,
Sheryl




Across:

1. They clean up: JANITORS - They are a great asset to any school or business especially these days.

9. Menu category including shells: PASTA - Conchiglia is Italian for conch shell

14. Park, for one: OPEN AREA.

15. Monopoly player?: CARTEL - Real money and products 

16. Sign in many restaurant windows: UBER EATS which can lead to this delivery service


17. Emblem on a dollar bill: US SEAL.


18. For or against: SIDE - If you choose a SIDE, you might have to 57. Retreat from, as a previous statement: WALK BACK - Wait, that's not what I meant

19. Parisian street food: CREPES - Parfait in French means perfect. Oh, but you already knew that. Uh, the truck doesn't seem to be parfait!


21. CPR group: EMS The difference between EMS and EMT

22. "__ Story": TOY.

23. Reasons for sighs: CLOSE CALLS - Put down that cell phone!


25. Female rabbit: DOE.

26. Like "Home Alone": RATED PG 


28. City NNW of Park City: OGDEN.


31. Many glasses are sold as one: PAIR - I got my first PAIR at 15. You? 

33. Queen dowager of Jordan: NOOR A Jordanian Queen born in Washington D.C.

34. Browning but not cooking: POET - A clue change Sheryl admired for POET Elizabeth Barrett Browning 

35. Have the ability to: COULD.


36. Ripped: TORE.

37. Barbecue tool feature: TINE.

38. Fireside sight: LOGS.

39. Like some tricks: DIRTY.

40. Showed scorn: SNORTED - Yeah, I'm the only one who first put SNEERED

42. "Erie Canal" mule: SAL 
I’ve got an old mule and her name is Sal, Fifteen years on the Erie Canal. She’s a good old worker and a good old pal, Fifteen years on the Erie Canal

43. App update messages, say: PUSH ALERTS - It's up to you whether to get 'em  or not


46. Award show VIPs: MCS - The Golden Globes had Ricky Gervais MC their award show and he promptly made fun of everyone in Hollywood. What did they do? They had him back!


49. Egg dropper: HEN - I conducted thousands of these over the years sans any HENS


50. Plane, for one: EVENER - After a trip through the PLANER


51. "What can I help you with?" speaker: SIRI - "Who was James Buchanan's vice president?"

52. Clear out: VACATE.

54. It often includes a colon: EMOTICON - :-) Sheryl says she really enjoys these.  I have found Bitmojis which are pretty cool!
56. Amtrak speedsters: ACELAS - NYC to DC takes 2h and 35m on this train

58. Gives up: CEDES - There are several below


59. Clomps (through), as a puddle: SPLOSHES - Yeah, I'm the only one who put SPLASHES. Even GALOSHES made more sense instead of this word that is foreign to me (and my spellchecker) 

Down:

1. Renaissance faire contest: JOUST.


2. Challenging H.S. science class: AP BIO - A page on Speciation from an Advanced Placement Biology  book


3. Clingy, say: NEEDY.

4. Memo intro: IN RE.

5. Menlo Park, N.J., notable: TAE - Edison and his staff are said to have comprised the first R & D facility 


6. Pythia of the Temple of Apollo, for one: ORACLE - This ORACLE was always a woman and was said to have made her prophecies after inhaling fumes (hallucinogenic?) that rose from cracks in the Earth in the temple at Delphi.


7. Vintage: RETRO - Acme dinettes are still in production 70 years later


8. MS enclosures: SASES - Self Addressed Stamped Envelopes ("en vuh lopes" or "awn vuh lopes?")

9. Volkswagen sedan: PASSAT - In German, PASSAT means "trade wind"

10. MGM motto word: ARS.


11. Safe room barrier: STEEL DOOR - This safe room from the Atlas Company might interest you if you live in Oklahoma's "Tornado Alley"


-

12. Baseball or soccer: TEAM SPORT.

13. Start of a Shakespeare title: ALL'S -ALL'S Well That Ends Well - "Love all, trust a few. Do wrong to no one." Act I scene i.

15. Its lines have lines: CUE CARD.


20. Hazards: PERILS - Even I'm not old enough to remember this 1914 movie serial


23. Sting: CON - I'd pay to see it again 


24. Ingredient in the Indian dish dal: LENTIL - Indian LENTIL (a Sheryl fav) curry with spinach 


25. Discourages: DETERS.

27. Like a cloudy London day: GREY - How that "colour" is spelled where you might be able to see only a few "metres"

28. Goes (for): OPTS.

29. Gentle parting sentiment: GO IN PEACE.

30. Criticized publicly: DENOUNCED - Election day can't get here fast enough 

31. Charley, in Steinbeck's "Travels With Charley": POODLE.


32. National Mustard Day mo.: AUG.

35. Adheres ... or separates: CLEAVES - A poetic expression using the less common (first) definition


39. "__ Kapital": DAS - Is it ironic that a first edition of Marx's anti-capitaliism book now sells for $300,000?


41. Angle symbols: THETAS.


42. Boardwalk activity: STROLL.

44. Online show offering Hollywood info: E-NEWS.

45. Update after a new survey, maybe: REMAP - After Lewis and Clark's survey


46. Biblical prophet: MICAH

47. "Time in a Bottle" singer: CROCE - This song and its scenes tug at my heart


48. Some islands have them: SINKS.


49. Temperature control syst.: HVAC - Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning 

51. They're often rivals: SIBS - I'm sure there was none of that with Sheryl and Debbie!!    


53. Ginger __: ALE.

55. Ring decision, briefly: TKO.

Comment below:



Notes from C.C.:
 
Happy birthday to Wilbur Charles (Bill)!