Sunday November 12, 2023 Lynn K. Watson & Will Nediger

Theme: "Wardrobe Makeover" - Circled letters are anagrams of clothing items.

23. 1977 Top 10 hit for Styx: COME SAIL AWAY. Camisole.

32. Problem-solve: TROUBLESHOOT. Blouse.

49. Instigators: PROVOCATEURS. Overcoat.

84. "Have our plans changed?": ARE WE STILL ON. Sweater.

96. Act like a chicken?: CROSS THE ROAD. Shorts.

112. Collectibles with baseball stars, e.g.: TRADING CARDS. Cardigan.

Reveal:

65. Switching outfits, and what can be found in this puzzle's circled letters: CHANGING CLOTHES

This is the third LAT collaboration between Lynn and Will, but Lynn's first Sunday. Congrats, Lynn! 

We don't often see one-word theme entries, but often there are just no workable phrases to hide those key letters, hence the exceptions here. All those clothing items have at least 6 letters. Amazing.

Across:

1. Happens again: RECURS.

7. Stares in wonder: GAPES.

12. Promising player in the minors: PROSPECT. Boomer bought a ton of these Mauer and Morneau Prospects cards.

20. Asimov classic: I ROBOT.

21. Catherine of "Schitt's Creek": O'HARA.

22. Sci-fi vehicle: HOVER CAR.

25. Even, as odds: ONE-TO-ONE.

26. Sixth sense letters: ESP.

27. "Belfast" Oscar nominee Ciarán: HINDS. Irish actor.

28. Pickle serving: SPEAR.

30. Secrecy contract, for short: NDA.

31. Impressionist Édouard: MANET. 53. NYC home of 31-Across's "Two Roses": MOMA.

36. Elite squad: A TEAM.

39. Comics dog: ODIE.

41. Adjust an entry on a time sheet, say: RE-DATE.

42. Topiary target: SHRUB.

43. Deceptive estimate: LOW BALL.

45. Root vegetable: TURNIP. Pickled with beets.

51. Tax agcy.: IRS.

54. Secret language: CODE.

55. Theater worker: USHER.

56. Comment made while dusting off one's hands, perhaps: DONE.

58. Industry giant: TITAN.

59. Wow: AWE.

60. "Blast from the past" hashtag: TBT. Throwback Thursday.

61. Fluffy scarf: BOA.

63. "Let's do this!": IT'S GO TIME.

68. "Big Five" film festival held in Germany: BERLINALE.  OK, according to Wikipedia, the "Big Five" film festivals are considered to be Venice, Cannes, Berlin, Toronto and Sundance."

71. Granola morsel: OAT.

72. Lip balm brand: EOS.

73. "The Bachelorette" network: ABC.

76. "Didn't we just have this?": AGAIN.

77. Gloom: MURK.

79. Nobel-winning Swedish poet Tranströmer: TOMAS. We had him a while ago.

81. Sportswear brand founded in Italy: FILA.

82. Wet weather: RAIN.

83. Wooden pin: PEG.

87. Purplish blue: INDIGO.

89. With a firm tone: STERNLY.

90. Ad infinitum: NO END.

91. Big name in convertibles: CASTRO.  I never heard of this brand.

94. Spanish kiss: BESO.

95. Build-A-Bear creation: TEDDY.

100. Art forms?: NUDES. Ha.

103. Corruption, metaphorically: ROT.

104. Indiana NBA player: PACER. 116. Places for Penguins and Ducks: ICE RINKS.

105. Baseball flub: ERROR.

106. Domino dot: PIP.

109. Solo: ACT ALONE.

117. Cut off from escape: HEM IN.

118. Early Ford: MODEL A.

119. Lacking intelligence, in British English: GORMLESS. Also new to me. I presume "gorm" means "intelligence" then.

120. Made a choice: OPTED.

121. Wows: AMAZES.

Down:

1. Basmati __: RICE.

2. Mythical matchmaker: EROS.

3. Provide for free: COMP.

4. Purple yam: UBE. Meaning "tuber" in Tagalog. Our Asian store only carries the purple sweet potatoes.

5. Rock, Paper, Scissors: ROSHAMBO.

6. OxiClean target: STAIN.

7. Shiny dental prosthesis: GOLD TOOTH.

8. Cries of epiphany: AHAS.

9. Bear foot: PAW.

10. Phase of an artist's career: ERA. Like Taylor Swift's eras. 

11. Authority: SAY SO.

12. "Fleabag" star Waller-Bridge: PHOEBE.

13. President after Jimmy: RONALD.

14. Ignores feelings of fullness, perhaps: OVEREATS. 70. Midnight trip to the fridge: RAID.

15. Gel: SET.

16. Big leaguer: PRO.

17. Word in budget-friendly brands: ECONO.

18. __ attitude: CAN DO.

19. Pay for everyone: TREAT.

24. Having four sharps: IN E.

29. Knitting stitch: PURL.

31. Violet kin: MAUVE.

32. Bay Area town whose name means "shark" in Spanish: TIBURON. Learning moment for me.

33. Bring up: REAR.

34. Pro wrestling patriarch Hart: STU.

35. Company boycotters?: HERMITS. 57. Crudely built places?: OIL TOWNS. And 58. Ten below?: TOES. Love those clues.

36. Pet rescue org.: ASPCA.

37. Lose on purpose: THROW.

38. Gradually wear away: ERODE.

40. More of a nerd: DWEEBIER. Spellcheck does not like it.

43. Application entry: LAST NAME.

44. Acid rock's acid: LSD.

46. "Moi? Never!": NOT I.

47. Islamic leader: IMAM.

48. Glazier's unit: PANE.

50. Caribbean native: CUBAN.

51. Gaga over: INTO.

52. "Relax, it's under control": REST EASY.

60. Svelte: THIN.

62. Past: AGO.

64. Secondary image: GHOST. I had to google: ghost image.

65. Treatment centers: CLINICS.

66. Guzzling sound: GLUG.

67. Like most wedding receptions: CATERED.

68. Italian port on the Adriatic: BARI.

69. Pulitzer-winning novelist Jennifer: EGAN.

73. Wasn't feeling 100%: AILED. I just told sumdaze that this bent elbow thing in freestyle just does not feel natural to me. My left arm recovery feels jammed, then I try to rotate my body more to the right to compensate, then it feels like I'm rolling over.

74. Light-haired: BLOND.

75. Sweet stuff: CANDY.

78. Actress Dennings: KAT.

80. Fruit discard in a compost bin: MELON RIND. Love these Korean melons.

81. Ocean sheets: FLOES.

83. Table: POSTPONE.

85. "Not That Fancy" singer McEntire: REBA.

86. Office buzzer: INTERCOM.

88. Argon or xenon: GAS.

89. Really ticked: SORE.

92. "I owe you one!": THANKS.

93. Intermission: RECESS.

96. Bond player Daniel: CRAIG. Oh, oh, Splynter would have linked a nice one for me.

97. Cookbook author DiSpirito: ROCCO.

98. Mudbank frolicker: OTTER.

99. Weed B-Gon maker: ORTHO.

101. Large planter: URN.

102. Matter taken on faith: DOGMA.

105. Actress Falco: EDIE.

106. Chief exec: PREZ.

107. Inactive: IDLE.

108. Awareness-raising ads: PSAS.

110. Shirt part: ARM.

111. Wee, for short: LIL.

113. Wear the merch of, say: REP.

114. Qty.: AMT.

115. "__ Twist, Scientist": animated series based on a bestselling picture book: ADA.

Happy Birthday to Rich Norris, the constructor for yesterday's themeless and the crossword editor for the L.A. Times before Patti. I'm thinking we'll have a Rich Norris themeless treat on November 9, 2024.

Rich and his wife Kim

Happy birthday also to Lemonade's beautiful wife Oo. This is a picture from their 2017 trip to Thailand. Lemonade and Oo just spent the October in Thailand again.