L.A.Times Crossword Corner

Nov 21, 2023

Tuesday, November 21, 2023 Natasha Erickson

It's Raining Men!

18-Across. * Dude who knows his ABCs?: ALPHA MALE.

24-Across. * Dude whose favorite season is autumn?: FALL GUY.

38-Across. * Dude who always pipes up to support a proposed motion?: SECOND GENTLEMAN. Douglas Craig Emhoff (b. Oct. 13, 1964) is the Second Gentleman by virtue of his marriage to Kamala Harris (b. Oct. 20, 1964), the Vice-President.

51-Across. * Dude who attends every formal dance?: BALL BOY.

59-Across. * Dude who refuses to use even numbers?: ODD FELLOW. What is the origin of the name Odd Fellow?

Lots of Dudes in today's puzzle.

Across:

1. Shielded from the sun: SHADY.

6. Cauliflower unit: HEAD. It comes in a variety of colors.

10. Answer an invite, briefly: RSVP. Today's French lesson. Répondez S'il Vous Plaît, which means: Respond, if you please. You really should respond, whether you please or not.

14. Lake boat: CANOE.

15. Red Muppet: ELMO. The Muppets like to visit in the crossword puzzles. [Name # 1, fictional]

16. October birthstone: OPAL. The Opal has become a crossword staple.

17. Strength: ASSET.

20. Rd. with a no.: RTE. A Road with a number is a Route.

21. Farm division: ACRE.

23. Tied, as sneakers: LACED.

26. Just one of __ days: THOSE. I just had a week of those days.

28. Goal for many community college students: AA DEGREE. A community college grants Associate of Arts degrees which is a two-year course of study.

30. Businesses: Abbr.: COs. As in Companies.

33. Cover story: ALIBI. Cute clue

36. "That really hurt!": OOF!

37. Dark blue shade: NAVY. // Immediately followed by 42-Across. Seaside town structure: PIER, which together gives us Chicago's Navy Pier.

43. Lab rodent: RAT.

44. Waldorf salad fruit: APPLE. Yummers! It's a very easy to make.

45. Spanish condiment: SAL. Today's Spanish lesson. This condiment is known in the sciences as NaCl.

46. HBO teen drama starring Zendaya: EUPHORIA. I am not familiar with this television drama. It's apparently a drama about teen angst as they struggle with love, loss, sex, and addiction. Zendaya (née Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman; b. Sept. 1, 1996) stars as Rue Bennett, a drug-addicted teen in Euphoria. Zendaya was also named as one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people in 2022. [Name # 2.]

49. Many Omanis: ARABS.

55. North African capital: TUNIS. It's the capital of Tunisia and is on the Mediterranean Sea.

57. "Levitating" singer Dua __: LIPA. Dua Lipa (b. Aug. 22, 1995) is a British-Albanian singer-songwriter. [Name # 3.]

58. Log chopper: AXE.

62. Naturally lit courtyards: ATRIA. Today's Latin lesson.

64. Work hard: TOIL.

65. Mystical glow: AURA. A crossword staple.

66. Lets use for now: LENDS.

67. At some earlier time: ONCE.

68. "Frozen" reindeer: SVEN. [Name # 4, fictional.]

69. "That's plenty for me": I'M SET.

Down:

1. Winter neck warmer: SCARF.

2. "__ luego": HASTA.

3. Photographer Adams: ANSEL. Ansel Adams (né Ansel Easton Adams; Feb. 20, 1902 ~ Apr. 22, 1984) was an American landscape photographer best known for his photos of the American West. Most of his work was in black-and-white, which added to the drama of his images. [Name # 5.]

4. Fawn's mother: DOE.

5. "For the millionth time ... ": YET AGAIN.

6. Quaint "Listen up!": HEAR, YE!

7. Fashion magazine with a French name: ELLE. The first issue of Elle magazine was published exactly 78 years ago today (November 21, 1945). It was originally only published in France. It didn't make it to the United States until 1985. [Name adjacent]

8. Band's sound booster: AMP.

9. Play-__: kids' clay: DOH.

10. Tomatoes in marinara sauce: ROMAs. Everything you wanted to know about Roma tomatoes but didn't know to ask.

11. Out-of-this-world summer program?: SPACE CAMP.

12. "Shining __": comedy horror series starring Courteney Cox: VALE. I have never heard of this television series.

13. Begged: PLED.

19. Spiky succulent: ALOE. A fresh new clue for this crossword staple.

22. Cow's mouthful: CUD. Everything you wanted to know about a Cow and her Cud, but didn't know to ask.

25. Repair bill line: LABOR.

26. Jumbo suffix: TRON. Did you known that Jumbotron was a registered trademark owned by the Sony Corporation. The company stopped making the devices in the early 2000s, and because a trademark must be registered every 10 years to remain in effect, it has now become a generic term for a large screen display.

27. Weight: HEFT.

29. "Pride __ before ... ": GOETH.

31. Shape of many racetracks: OVAL.

32. "Auld Lang __": SYNE. Never thought I'd hear him singing this song.

33. Nile snakes: ASPs.

34. Princess "in a galaxy far, far away": LEIA. Princess Leia was portrayed by Carrie Fisher (Oct. 21, 1956 ~ Dec. 27, 2016). [Name # 6, fictional.]

35. Reykjavík language: ICELANDIC. Keep a close eye on Iceland. It seems like a volcanic eruption may be imminent.

37. Kathmandu's country: NEPAL.

39. Defeat thoroughly: DRUB.

40. Empty spaces: GAPS.

41. Retired boxer who wrote the cookbook "Food for Life": LAILA ALI. I was not aware that Laila Ali (née Laila Amaria Ali; Dec. 30, 1977) had written a cookbook. In her boxing career, she was sometimes called She Bee Stingin'. [Name # 7.]

46. Alleviate: EASE.

47. Jedi Kenobi: OBI-WAN. In the initial movie series, Obi-Wan Kenobi was portrayed by Alec Guinness (né Alec Guinness de Cuffe; Apr. 2, 1914 ~ Aug. 5, 2000). [Name # 8, fictional.]

48. Latto's music genre: RAP. Hand up if you knew Latto, or Big Latto as she is also sometimes known, who's given name is Alyssa Michelle Stephens (b. Dec. 22, 1998 )[Name # 9.]