Monday August 14, 2023 Brian Callahan

  

Hello Cornerites!

sumdaze here with another fun Brian Callahan puzzle. This is his 5th L.A. Times puzzle. Two were collaborations with Assistant Editor Katie Hale.

Today's theme is: 

Brian sets us up with these 4 themed clues:

17 Across. Stretch of a blowout game when bench players come in: GARBAGE TIME.

I am familiar with this concept but was unfamiliar with this term. As you might guess, it refers to the period of time towards the end of a game where one opponent's score is so far ahead that the outcome has effectively already been decided. "Bench players" refers to the substitutes that come in to replace the starters in this hopeless situation. Some credit Chick Hearn (play-by-play announcer for the L.A. Lakers) with coining the term.

26 Across. Citrus grove inhabitant: ORANGE TREE.  Ever try telling a 2-year old that you have an ORANGE tree in your backyard?

38 Across. Sulu player before John Cho: GEORGE TAKEI.  

Born April 20, 1937, TAKEI is a Japanese-American actor, author, and activist. He portrayed Hikaru Sulu on the TV series Star Trek from 1966 to 1969 (plus follow-ons).

51 Across. Book that's hard to put down: PAGE TURNER.  

The unifier is at 61 Across:

61. Informal meeting, and what can be found in 17-, 26-, 38-, and 51-Across?: GET TOGETHER.

Notice that the word "GET" always spans the 2-word answers. You might say it "GETs them TOGETHER". Very clever!

GET it? Got it? Good!

Here's the grid:  

And now, for our theme's theme song:  

Get Together was recorded in 1967 by The Youngbloods.

Chester Powers wrote it in the early '60s.

NPR's Morning Edition did this piece on it in 2019 as part of its American Anthem series.

Across:
1. Foot-in-mouth incident: GAFFE.  pronounced "gaf". Def:  a social or diplomatic blunder.  

6. "__ goodness": THANK.  Today's puzzle has 10 fill-in-the-blank clues.

11. Airport near OAK: SFO.  Oakland International Airport and San Francisco International Airport

They are 12 miles (19 km.) apart as the crow flies (or 'as the plane flies', if you will), but the road distance is 30.5 miles (49 km.).

14. Spanish "so long": ADIOS.  You might not expect Enya, the Irish singer, songwriter, and musician who frequently visits XWD puzzles and Yoga classes, to have a popular song with ADIOS in the lyrics.

Enya's One by One (2000)

15. "It's an __ just to be nominated": HONOR.

16. Anti-racism movement since 2013, for short: BLM.  Black Lives Matter

19. Summer mo.: AUG.  "Month" is abbreviated, so is "AUGust."

20. Ball club execs: GMS.  General ManagerS. A GM is responsible for the daily activities of a sports team -- handling all of the contracts and (sometimes) acting as a spokesperson for media briefings.

21. Ocean State sch.: URI.  University of Rhode Island  

Rhody the Ram is their mascot.

22. __-pants: SMARTY.  

24. Back muscles, briefly: LATS.  We use our LATissimus dorsi muscles during everyday activities such as picking something up off the ground, grabbing something out of a cabinet, opening doors, and even pulling someone in for a hug.

29. Break things off: END IT.  

Remember the Sex in the City episode when Berger broke up with Carrie on a post-it note? (2:46 min.)  Note:  potty-mouth alert

31. Opposite of NNW: SSE.

32. "Bonanza" brother: HOSS.  Years ago I knew the guy who designed and made Little Joe's green jacket. One day he gave me this jacket. He never took any measurements. He just surprised me with it. I am trying hard to remember his name....  

33. Ruckuses: TO DOS.  It could have been "todos" which is Spanish for "all".

35. Superman's birth name: KAL-EL.  

41. Hit the slopes: SKIED.  "Hit" is an irregular past tense verb. Very tricky!

42. __ dish: lab container: PETRI.  

44. Minor dispute: SPAT.  You might also worry if you suspect the waiter SPAT in your soup.

47. Assistance: AID.

49. Some designer gowns: DIORS.  

She is on her way to Safeway to pick up some cheese & crackers for her book club.

55. Tech tutorials site: CNET.  product reviews, advice, how-tos, and the latest news website

56. Frozen treat: ICE POP.  

When the dad (Jack Nicholson) died in The Shining he became an ICE POP.

57. Nonstick spray brand: PAM.  Some triathletes spray PAM on their wrists and ankles to help pull off their wetsuits faster when transitioning from the swim portion to the bike portion. List of 21 weird uses for Pam cooking spray

59. Tax prep pro: CPA.  "Professional" is abbreviated, so is Certified Public Accountant".

60. 18-wheeler: RIG.  This trucker song will get your wheels turning!

Six Days on the Road (and I'm a-gonna make it home tonight)

Dave Dudley (1963)

65. De Armas of "Blonde": ANA.

66. Egypt's Sadat: ANWAR.  Born Dec. 25, 1918, ANWAR El-Sadat was president of Egypt from 1970 until he was assassinated on Oct. 6, 1981.

67. Bagel variety: WHEAT.  Hand up for liking pumpernickel bagels!

68. Cut (off): LOP.   

That is why these are called "LOPping shears".

69. Sly sound or sty sound: SNORT.  Good cluing!

70. Vehicles for hire that once sported fuzzy pink mustaches: LYFTS.  

the origin of the pink stash

Down:
1. __ of geese: GAGGLE.  

Who let the goose loose?

2. Inflexible: ADAMANT.  Def: refusing to be persuaded to change one's mind.  

It could have been ADAM ANT, a rocker from the early '80s. IMDb page

3. Informal title for a pet such as Major Biden: FIRST DOG.  George Washington had Polly the Parrot and 36 hounds. Presidential Pets list

4. Key __: car unlocker: FOB.  Spell check does not like "unlocker".

5. Genesis twin: ESAU.  

6. Nonbinary possessive: THEIRS.  and  64 Down. Biblical possessive: THY.

7. Trendy: HOT.  

Fashion is a fickle thing.

8. Nickname in the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy: ANI.  ANI is the childhood nickname that Shmi Skywalker (Anakin's mother), Watto (Anakin's slave master), and Padme Amidala (Anakin's love interest) use for Anakin Skywalker (who later became Darth Vader) in Episode I:  The Phantom Menace and Episode II:  Attack of the Clones. source

#WhyWeGetPaidTheBigBucks

9. Claim on some food packaging: NO MSG.  

10. Krispy __: KREME.  They hold the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest box of donuts. 11 Things You Might Not Know About Krispy Kreme

11. Food court pizza chain: SBARRO.  You have probably seen this fast-food restaurant in malls and airports. It was founded in 1956 and specializes in New York-style pizza sold by the slice, along with other Italian-American cuisine.

Need help deciding what to order? Eat This, Not That at Sbarro

12. Champagne glasses: FLUTES.  

13. "lol of course": OMG YES.  textspeak

18. Miracle-__: garden brand: GRO.  It is ironic how some people insist on buying organic produce then feed their tomato plants non-organic Miracle-GRO.

23. Good at sports: ATHLETIC.

25. Dodge: SIDESTEP.  Merriam-Webster shows "SIDESTEP" as a verb and "SIDE STEP" as a noun. Google dictionary shows both with a hyphen. 🤔  

This comic uses the no-space version for a noun.

27. Didn't leave waiting at the door: ASKED IN.

28. "No ice" or "Noice!": NEAT.  The first, we know, refers to beverage orders. The second, when pronounced with an exaggerated Australian accent, means "nice" as in "awesome". Perhaps Brian is relating it to "NEATo". Fortunately, knowing 50% of the clue was enough to get an A on this one.

30. Ran off with: TOOK.  Yet, if you "TOOK part", you joined in.

34. __ Lanka: SRI.  The weather forecast for today shows rain, a high of 85°F (29°C), and a low of 70°F (21°C).

36. Track unit: LAP.  

37. Barely managed, with "out": EKED.

39. Drive or park: GEAR.  fun clue!  

40. Cooking competition series that originated in Japan: IRON CHEF.  Last year Netflix put out a new spin-off, IRON CHEF: Quest for an Iron Legend. Here is the trailer:  

43. "Once more ... ": I REPEAT.

Yesterday we had 29 Down. Said again: RE-STATED.

44. Like some space-saving staircases: SPIRAL. I first had "narRow".

45. Al of "Scarface": PACINO.  He was in the news last month for becoming a dad again at 83 years old.

46. Generational divide: AGE GAP.  Noor Alfallah, the mother of Al PACINO's new son, is 29 years old.

48. Kick out: DEPORT.  and 50 Down. Kicks off: STARTS.

52. Roman garments: TOGAS.

53. Philly Ivy League sch.: UPENN.  University of PENNsylvania  

Quaker is their mascot.

54. Many an old tee: RAG.

58. Cry weakly: MEWL.

62. Pair: TWO.

63. La Brea __ Pits: TAR.

Thanks to Splynter for covering while I was away! I'm sure everyone was happy to read you again!

Some of you might recall that I did a cycling trip in the Canadian Rockies last summer. I had such a good time that I went back for a similar trip. This time I cycled in the Kootenay Range, British Columbia. Good times!  (Hi CanadianEh! I'm sure I don't have to tell you that you live in a beautiful country!)

Here I am, geared up and ready to start riding at Halcyon Hot Springs on Upper Arrow Lake.
This was our longest day's ride -- 65 miles (105 km.)!!

Notes from C.C.:

1) Welcome back, Sumdaze! Stunning distance.

2) Here's a great picture of our Chairman Moe (Chris), his girlfriend Margaret, MM (Joseph), and his girlfriend Valerie. So happy that they finally met one another! 

 

So far, Chris has met with Lemonade, me and MM, who met with Picard a while ago.

I've met with Lucina, JimmB (CA), Gary and Chris on our blog. 

 

Lucina met with more blog friends than I have: Me, Dodo, Wolfmom, JD, Clear Ayes, Chickie (Leah), Garlic Gal , Windhover and the other Judy on our blog.