Sunday, August 15, 2021 Dylan Schiff

Theme: "Just Desserts" - Cakes with the same letter count are layered on top of each other.

21. *Poet who influenced T.S. Eliot: EZRA POUND.

25. *Flattering words before a request: BEAN ANGEL.

26. *'90s nickname for pop's Mel C: SPORTY SPICE.

31. *Pre-TV performance genre involving arias: RADIO OPERA. Unfamiliar with opera cake. Wiki says it's French cake made of " layers of almond sponge cake soaked in coffee syrup, layered with ganache and coffee (or Grand Marnier) French buttercream, and covered in a chocolate glaze."

50. *Pancake order: SHORT STACK.

60. *Fish that doesn't taste like its name suggests: LEMON SOLE.

72. *Killjoy, in modern lingo: FUN SPONGE.

77. *Kraft offering, casually: MAC N CHEESE.

98. *Sushi fish: YELLOW TAIL.

104. *Fruity fountain offering: BANANA SPLIT.

106. *Drywall material: SHEET ROCK.

Reveal:

111. *Dessert literally represented in six pairs of answers to the starred clues: LAYER CAKE. Functions as a reveal and the lower layer of SHEET.

I did a "Layer Cake" for the Crossword Club ages ago. One of the theme entries is long, the other is just short cake word. Similar to the Double Day I did for the LAT.

This makes me appreciate Dylan Schiff 's puzzle that much more. It's hard to layer a short word on top of another. It's incredible to layer two long entries. And the grid has very few gluey entries.

Across:

1. Defeat: TOP.

4. Miniature vehicle that uses a remote, briefly: RC CAR. RC = Radio-Controlled.

9. 1956 hot spot: SUEZ.

13. Seafarer's direction: THAR.  "Thar she blows!"

17. Biker's ride: HOG.

18. "__ roll!": I'M ON A.

19. Cavalry weapon: LANCE.

20. Provide an address: ORATE.

23. Hold-up man?: ATLAS. Atlas was one of the Titans.

 

24. Brought down: RAZED.

28. Regarding: AS TO.

29. Cut: AXED.

32. Of course, in Cannes: BIEN SUR. Mais bien sur!

35. Swerved at sea: YAWED. Yaw, Pitch, Roll.

37. "Sister Act" role: NUN.

38. Fa follower: SOL.

39. Terminus: END.

40. To boot: ALSO.

42. Seriously outrun on the track: LAP.

43. Price-qualifying word: PER. Do you guys still have Grape Nuts shortage in your area?

44. Packaging meas.: NT WT.

45. Bath tissue packaging word: PLY. You won't catch us running short on toilet paper again.

46. Santa Monica landmark: PIER.

48. Class assignment: ESSAY.

54. Baker's dozen?: EGGS. Cute clue.

56. '50s TV innovation: CABLE. Wow, this early.

61. Numbered work: OPUS.

62. "Fantastic Four" villain, briefly: DR DOOM.

63. Brown brew: ALE.

64. Row of seats: PEW.

65. Joltless joe?: DECAF. "Joltin' Joe" would have liked this clue. 

67. AFL-__: CIO.

68. GOP org.: RNC. Republican National Committee.

69. Unidentified flying radar blips: BOGIES. New term to me. Is the singular Bogey or Bogie?

71. Salsa order: MILD.

75. It may take a licking: STAMP.

76. Went down: SANK.

78. Old Turkish title: PASHA. Learned from doing crosswords.

80. Blubber: BAWL.

81. Hip: MOD.

82. Stuns: WOWS.

85. Common URL ending: COM.

86. Spot for suds: MUG. OK, shaving mug.

87. Very little: A DAB.

89. Twin, say: SIB.

92. Here, in Jalisco: ACA. Jalisco map here. Its capital is Guadalajara.

93. "As __ to breathe were life!": Tennyson: THO.

94. Silently understood: TACIT.

96. "Encore!": ONE MORE.

101. Formally surrender: CEDE.

103. Novelist Waugh: ALEC. Brother of Evelyn Waugh.

109. Busy: IN USE.

110. "101 Dalmatians" protagonist: PONGO.

112. Soda measure: LITER.

113. Solo: ALONE.

114. "The Jungle Book" wolf: AKELA.

115. "M*A*S*H" set piece: COT.

116. Highlands miss: LASS.

117. Arguments: ROWS.

118. Fresh: SASSY.

119. Blasting stuff: TNT.

Down:

1. 1992 baseball biopic: THE BABE. Babe Ruth is played by John Goodman. Have you guys seen "Little Big League?"  The little boy is the owner of the Minnesota Twins.

 

 

2. Enters slowly: OOZES IN.

3. Like many Pixar movies: PG RATED.

4. Kelly of morning TV: RIPA.

5. "Let's go!": C'MON.

6. BYU team nickname: COUGARS. Barry G graduated from BYU.

7. Make part of a larger state: ANNEX.

8. "To Kill a Mockingbird" recluse Boo __: RADLEY.

9. Course for H.S. exam takers: SAT PREP.

10. Empty, as a U-Haul: UNLOAD.

11. Digital greeting: E CARD.

12. Zing: ZESTINESS.

13. "The Sound of Music" name: TRAPP. Von Trapp.

14. Least distinct: HAZIEST.

15. Was humiliated: ATE CROW.

16. Handed out fresh cards: RE-DEALT.

19. Head for Vegas?: LAS. Boomer will love this clue. Every year after our Vegas trip, he'll start saving money in a jar for the next one.

20. Director Welles: ORSON. "Citizen Kane".

22. Presently, quaintly: ANON.

27. Letter closer: YOURS.

30. Destructive "Doctor Who" creature: DALEK.  Another learning moment.

33. "Push It" hip-hop trio: SALT-N- PEPA.

34. Tennyson work: ULYSSES.

36. Target of some Bob Dylan songs: WAR.

41. Birthstone after sapphire: OPAL.

43. Cribbage pieces: PEGS.

44. Long-distance swimmer Diana: NYAD. So inspiring.

45. MLB player, e.g.: PRO.

47. Trapped, in a way: ICED IN.

49. Scottie in Hitchcock's "Vertigo," for example: ACROPHOBE. Fear of height.

50. Concrete hunks: SLABS.

51. Spartan serf: HELOT. Wiki says "Tied to the land, they primarily worked in agriculture as a majority and economically supported the Spartan citizens."

52. __-3 fatty acids: OMEGA.

53. Pull behind: TOW.

54. Greener Living org.: EPA.

55. Hearty laugh: GUFFAW.

57. Conveyed: BORNE.

58. Yearns (for): LONGS.

59. Run from a stage?: EMCEE. Great clue.

61. Med. condition with repetitive behavior: OCD.

62. Old Sony CD player: DISCMAN.

66. Lodge member: ELK.

67. Anderson Cooper's network: CNN.  Cute Wyatt.

70. Little devils: IMPS.

71. Polite address: MA'AM.

73. Mayim Bialik alma mater: UCLA. Jeopardy!

74. Voluminous ref.: OED.

76. Has a mediocre round ... for a pro: SHOOTS PAR. Boomers plays a 9-hole executive course on Monday mornings. Had a birdie a few weeks ago.

77. Copperfield field: MAGIC. David Copperfield.

79. Neutral vowel symbol: SCHWA.

80. Tampa Bay NFLer: BUC. Buccaneer.

82. Shipping document: WAYBILL. Unfamiliar with the term.

83. South Pacific region: OCEANIA.

84. Waldorf salad morsels: WALNUTS. Good for your brain, supposedly.

86. Speaks badly of: MALIGNS.

88. Stereotypical ingenue facial feature: DOE EYES.

89. Beyoncé, since 2002: SOLO ACT. Previously with Destiny's Child.

90. "S'pose so": I RECKON.

91. "Waiting for Godot" playwright: BECKETT (Samuel)

93. Cosmetics liquid: TONER. My favorite.

94. Up to this point, informally: TIL NOW.

95. Model 3 autos: TESLAS.

97. "Walking in Memphis" singer Cohn: MARC. He was married to Elizabeth Vargas for a while.

99. Cuts with a beam: LASES.

100. Ohno on skates: APOLO.

102. Bangladesh capital: DHAKA.

105. Low digit: TOE.

107. Snaky swimmers: EELS.

108. Cafeteria fixture: TRAY.

C.C.