Saturday Themeless by Debbie Ellerin
Today I am happy to blog my 9th Saturday themeless puzzle from Debbie Ellerin. She is a retired computer programmer that has moved to Los Angeles after tiring of Boston winters.
SISTER ACT: In this picture she is seen with her sister and fellow LA Times puzzle constructor Sheryl Bartol.
Across:
1. Netflix series starring Lee Jung-jae: SQUID GAME - Synopsis: "Hoping to win easy money, a desperate Gi-hun agrees to take part in an enigmatic game; not long into the first round, unforeseen horrors unfold." Lee Jung-jae is 456 in the picture
10. "Where the Impossible Becomes Possible" park: EPCOT - I've been there over 40 times and would return tomorrow.
15. MLB great who said, "Play so good they can't remember what color you were before the season started": HANK AARON.
15. MLB great who said, "Play so good they can't remember what color you were before the season started": HANK AARON.
16. Poor showing: NO ONE
17. Fried side: ONION RING - Fresh, never frozen, thank you.
18. Comfort-first footwear: CROCS.
19. Banned spray: DDT.
20. Language similar to Thai: LAO - Hello in Thai: สวัสดี (S̄wạs̄dī). Hello in LAO: ສະບາຍດີ (sabaidi)
21. Server's need: RACKET.
22. How Mulan appears for much of "Mulan": AS A MAN - Groundbreaking on gender identity
25. Bar food: SUSHI.
26. Logic game with clickable cells: MINE SWEEPER - An iPhone obsession for me
29. Laughable: ABSURD.
32. "Spread the word": PASS IT ON.
34. Short notes?: IOU'S - The note is probably short and has to be written because your funds are short
35. App glitch: BUG.
36. Costa __: RICA - In San Jose, Costa RICA, this meal cost 1990 colóns. The currency is named for Christopher Columbus, known as Cristobal Colón in Spanish.
37. Often turned down, in a way: DOG EARED.
40. Pointless tiles?: BLANKS.
42. Lucky charm: RABBIT'S FOOT.
44. Max on the drums: ROACH.
48. Charge: ACCUSE.
50. __ Vegas Aces: LAS.
53. Pupper: POOCH - An affectionate name for a dog or puppy
54. Colorado county with Mesa Verde National Park: MONTEZUMA.
57. Danish astronomer Tycho who lost part of his nose in a duel: BRAHE - His notes tracking the Great Comet of 1577. (TY coh or TEE coh, BRAH or BRAH hay or BRAH see)
58. Kudos: ACCOLADES.
59. Quite full: SATED.
60. "Perfection" gesture: CHEF'S KISS.
Down:
1. Pumped?: SHOD - Yup, pumps are shoes and in a recent Sunday puzzle, we had "Letters on some pumps: EEE"
2. Chance for some grilling: Q AND A - If I give a space talk, grade school kids are much more likely to engage me in a Question AND Answer session than high school kids
3. Hand and foot: UNITS.
4. When doubled, classic New Orleans song: IKO - This Mardi Gras song is too fun not to post!
5. "This Is Us" creator Fogelman: DAN - At the left
6. Gale player: GARLAND - Yes, Judy GARLAND played Dorothy Gale. BTW, Toto's real name was Terry. You're welcome.
7. European rocket: ARIANE.
8. Part of MSG: MONO.
9. Lang. of Ghana: ENG - 68% of Ghanians speak ENGlish
10. Boxes up: ENCASES.
11. Thief who may set off a glitter bomb package: PORCH PIRATE.
12. Gingerbread house?: COOKIE TIN - One might "house" gingerbread cookies in a tin
13. Not now: ONCE.
14. Bechdel __: TEST - New to me but interesting to learn
21. Regrets: RUES.
23. Off-menu small bite: AMUSE-BOUCHE
My granddaughter with a French major had never heard of this word/phrase
24. Orbiter until 2001: MIR.
25. Party favors: SWAG - This year's Oscar's SWAG Bag was valued at just over $137,000 and included items ranging from designer popcorn to a voucher for $12,000 worth of liposuction.
27. Future chips: SPUDS - Steve Gangwish is standing in front of a bin of SPUDS that are raised on several farms in Nebraska for Lay's Potato Chips.
28. Paper loser: ROCK.
29. Swedish folk duo First __ Kit: AID - Two sisters from Stockholm. An obscure musical reference that had a pretty obvious fill.
30. Rude, crude dude: BOOR.
31. Make easier to swallow: SUGAR COAT - Yeah, I know, you thought of this too.
33. "One Mic" rapper: NAS - No links or images from me
35. Broderick of "Sabrina the Teenage Witch": BETH - Beth is on the right. I would have known this "highest charting" Kiss song
38. Mortified: ABASHED.
39. Tahdig ingredient: RICE - "Tahdig (Persian: ته دیگ, tah "bottom" + dīg "pot") is a specialty of Iranian cuisine consisting of crisp, caramelized rice taken from the bottom of the pot in which the rice (chelow) is cooked. It is traditionally served to guests at a meal." You're welcome.
40. Brag about: BOAST OF.
41. Bowie album with "Sound and Vision": LOW - A 45-year-old album
43. Literature Nobelist Anatole: FRANCE - Okay...
47. __ table: TIMES - One place where I support rote learning
48. LAPD alerts: APB'S - Today - BOLO - Be On the Look Out for
49. Sox manager Alex: CORA.
50. Drink of Scotland: LOCH - Drink is slang for a large body of water and so... I wasn't sure about this and so I contacted Debbie. She said her cluing was "Nessie's hangout". C.C. and Irish also agreed with my take.
52. Photon's lack: MASS - CORA and MASS were givens for this baseball fan/physics teacher.
54. Bub: MAC.
55. Literal edges: ELS - LiteraL
56. Drummer Starkey: ZAK - Ringo and Maureen Starkey and young son ZAK in mid 1960's
