L.A.Times Crossword Corner

Oct 24, 2023

Tuesday, October 24, 2023 Samuel A Donaldson

Once, Twice, Three times ...

18-Across. "So tasty!": NOM NOM NOM.

20-Across. Disco hit with the repeated lyric "How do you like it?": MORE MORE MORE.

36-Across. Dance syllables: CHA CHA CHA.

54-Across. "Exactly right!": DING DING DING.

58-Across. "Wait for it": DOT DOT DOT. ...

And a bonus theme clue:

1-Across. Three, so they say: CROWD. Two is company, but Three's a crowd, Four is too many, and Five's not allowed. This made me think of the 1970s sit-com, Three's Company, which starred Suzanne Somers (née Suzanne Marie Mahoney; Oct. 16, 1946 ~ Oct. 15, 2023), who died just a few days ago.

Across:

6. "You're a riot": HA HA!

10. Monterey __ cheese: JACK. Yummers! Everything you wanted to know about Monterey Jack cheese, but didn't know to ask. I like the pepper jack version of this cheese. [Name adjacent.]

14. Prying tool: LEVER.

15. Pizazz: ELAN. This word has become a crossword staple.

16. Not pro: ANTI.

17. Mimic's talent: APERY.

22. Naval initials: USS. USS = United States Ship. The abbreviation is used in official documents to identify a commissioned ship of the Navy. It applies to a ship while it is in commission. Ever wonder how ships got named?

23. French agreement: OUI. Today's French lesson.

24. Polite child's reply: YES, MOM.

28. Bit of plastic foam packing material: PEANUT.

30. Soviet news agency: TASS.

32. Director DuVernay: AVA. // Not to be confused with 45-Across Green who played Vesper Lynd in "Casino Royale": EVA. Ava Marie DuVernay (b. Aug. 24, 1972) is an American film maker. She is probably best known for her films Selma, about Martin Luther King, Jr.; and A Wrinkle in Time. Eva Gaëlle Green (b. July 6, 1980) is a French actress who appeared in the 2006 Bond film. [Names # 1 and 2.]

Ava DuVernay

Eva Green

33. Crisis unit: SWAT TEAM.

35. Sink-cleaning brand: AJAX.

39. Roll up, as a flag: FURL. Unfurl is a far more common word than its opposite, furl, which means "roll or fold." Did you know that the origin of the word comes from the French ferler?

42. Volatile types: HOT HEADS.

46. Slender woodwind: OBOE.

48. "Earthsea" series writer __ K. Le Guin: URSULA. Ursula K. Le Guin (né Ursula Kroeber; Oct. 21, 1929 ~ Jan. 22, 2018) was an American author best known for her works of speculative fiction, including science fiction and the Earthsea fantasy series. Ursula is not a name you hear often. [Name # 3.]

50. Big name in pianos and motorcycles: YAMAHA. Everything you wanted to know about Yamaha but didn't know to ask.

52. Army fare, briefly: MRE. MRE = Meals Ready to Eat.

53. Baseball great Hodges inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022: GIL. Gilbert Ray Hodges (Apr. 4, 1924 ~ Apr. 2, 1972) had a long career with the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers. Sadly, he died young of a heart attach just 2 days before his 48th birthday. He was formally inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in July 2022, 50 years after his death. Little known fact: When he was born, his surname was Hodge. At sometime in the 1930, his family added an "s" to the end of their name. [Name # 4.]

61. New wave band __ Boingo: OINGO. Apparently this band was active in the 1980s and early '90s. I don't remember it. [Name # 5.]

62. In that case: IF SO.

63. Sunup direction: EAST.

64. ATM key: ENTER.

65. Überfan: STAN. Hand up if you knew this one. Apparently Stan is defined as a maniacally obsessive fan of a celebrity, particularly one whose fixation with the celebrity is unhealthy or intrusive. Thank goodness for the perps.

66. Sazerac spirits: RYES. Yummers. Sazerac is the official cocktail of New Orleans. In 2008, the Louisiana Legislature enacted La. R.S. 33:1420.2, which proclaimed the Sazerac the official cocktail of New Orleans: "There shall be an official cocktail of the city of New Orleans. The official New Orleans cocktail shall be the Sazerac. The Sazerac, created in the nineteenth century by Antoine Amedee Peychaud in the French Quarter of New Orleans, is world known for the use of a local product known as 'Peychaud's Bitters'. Its use on official documents of the city of New Orleans and with the insignia of the city of New Orleans is hereby authorized." Good to know our lawmakers are looking out for its citizens.

67. Retail outlet: STORE.

Down:

1. Refuse to answer questions: CLAM UP.

2. Takes a rest: REPOSES.

3. Supervised: OVERSAW.

4. "Where __ we?": WERE.

5. Sign of dehydration: DRY MOUTH.

6. Painter Matisse: HENRI. French artist Henri Matisse (né Henri Émile Benoît Matisse; Dec. 31, 1869 ~ Nov. 3, 1954) was a printmaker and sculptor as well as a painter. He is best known for being an impressionism and post-impressionism. Click here to see some of his most well-known paintings. [Name # 6.]

7. Natural balm: ALOE. A crossword staple.

8. Soccer legend Mia: HAMM. Mariel Margaret Hamm (b. March 17, 1972) is a former professional soccer player. She also led three Olympic Games: 1996 in Atlanta, 2002 in Sydney, Australia, and 2004 in Athens, Greece. She also competed in four FIFA Women's World Cups: 1991 in China, 1995 in Sweden, and two in the United States (1999 and 2003). She also makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles. [Name # 7.]

9. Drives bonkers: ANNOYS.

10. LeBron who broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's NBA scoring record in 2023: JAMES. Both LeBron James (né LeBron Raymone James; b. Dec. 30, 1984) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (né Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr.; b. Apr. 16, 1947) played for the Los Angeles Lakers, although LeBron has also played for Cleveland and Miami as well. Kareem started his professional career with the Milwaukee Bucks. [Names # 8 and 9.]

11. Novelist Patchett: ANN. Ann Patchett (b. Dec. 2, 1963) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles. Her most recent novel is Tom Lake. [Name # 10.]

12. Exec who's good at networking?: CTO. CTO = Chief Technology Officer.

13. Crime-fighting teen toon __ Possible: KIM. Kim Possible, an obvious pun on Impossible, looks like an average high-school cheerleader, but in her spare time, she saves the world from supervillains. [Name # 11, fictional.]

19. Mine yields: ORES. Another crossword staple.

21. "Straight __ Compton": OUTTA. Straight Outta Compton was a 2015 film.

25. Capt.'s boss: MAJ. The Major oversees (3-Down) the Captain.

26. Egg cells: OVA.

27. Tops: MAX.

29. Table salt, to a chemist: NaCl. Also known as Sodium Chloride.

30. Chevy model that shares a name with a lake: TAHOE.

A Tahoe in the Tahoe, perhaps?

31. Amo, amas, __: AMAT. Today's Latin Lesson

34. Sound in an empty hallway: ECHO.

35. Penlight batteries: AAAs.

37. Device for making butter: CHURN.

38. "Wish me luck!": HERE GOES.

39. Writer/actress Tina who graduated from 40-Down: FEY. Hand up if you knew that Tina Fey (née Elizabeth Stamatina Fey; b, May 18, 1970) graduated from the University of Virginia. [Name # 12.]

40. Charlottesville sch.: UVA.

41. Aries animal: RAM.

43. Explored deeply: DUG INTO.

44. Burger preparer, in diner slang: SLINGER.

46. State on Lake Erie: OHIO.

47. Friendly back-and-forth: BANTER.

49. Dick Cheney's predecessor: AL GORE. Dick Cheney (né Richard Bruce Cheney; b. Jan 30, 1941) was the 46th Vice President of the United States. He served in that Office from January 2001 to January 2009. Al Gore (né Albert Arnold Gore, Jr.; b. Mar. 31, 1948) was the 45th Vice President and served from January 1993 until January 2001. [Names # 13 and 14.]