google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner

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Jan 1, 2024

Monday, January 1, 2024 Jeff Stillman

  

Happy New Year, everyone!

Today's theme is:  
sumdaze here with the first blog in 2024. Woot!
Our constructor, Jeff Stillman, gives us three sets of circles, highlighting the fact that the letters YEA, and R have been scrambled. Eventually, he puts them in order at ...

51 Across. Celebratory shout heard before "Auld Lang Syne" is played, and an apt title for this puzzle?: HAPPY NEW YEAR.  

I put up the Rolling in the New Year image because it sort of feels like the letters in the circles are rolling into their proper place. I really cannot say if that is what Jeff had in mind. Perhaps he is simply saying that 51-A was a "new" way to arrange the letters from the circles. If there is another layer, I missed it. Whoosh!  
Nonetheless, I am a fan of holiday-themed puzzles so I am giving Jeff's puzzle a thumbs up. 👍 Notice that his circles always span two words. Additionally, it is nice to see two 15-letter answers on a Monday puzzle.  Here's the grid:  

There are 4! = 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 = 24
ways to arrange the letters Y, E, A, and R.

Let's keep on rollin' with the other clues:

Across:
1. Underground areas explored by spelunkers: CAVES.  A spelunker is someone who makes a hobby of exploring CAVES.  
trailer for Ancient Caves, a 2020 IMAX documentary

6. Car-buying necessity, for many: LOAN.

10. Degs. for some entrepreneurs: MBAS.  Master of Business Administration degrees

14. Stuffy "Me too": AS AM I.  I started with AS do I, but perps told me that choice was an outlier.

15. Competent: ABLE.

16. Noble rank above viscount: EARL.

17. Stuck in the muck: MIRED.  
That poor duck had bad luck!

18. French champagne brand: MOET.  a nice fit for a New Year's grid

19. "Well, would you look at that!": MY MY.  

20. Make a polite visit: PAY RESPECT TO.  
23. "__ whiz!": GEE.

24. Runs easily with long strides: LOPES.  
Watch as British equestrian Ben Maher keeps his horse, Explosion W, in an smooth LOPE
between jumps to win a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

27. False start punishment, in football: FIVE YARD PENALTY.  False start is when an offensive player does it. Offsides is when a defensive player does it.  Do the players get fined?

34. County Clare's nat.: IRE.  I did not know this one but "County Clare" just sounds like it lies in the nation of IREland.  (Hi Irish Miss! ☘)

35. Internet letters: EMAILS.  This was my favorite clue because I fell for the "letters" misdirection and was trying to think of an initialism.

36. "The Banana Boat Song" opener: DAY-O.  as in "It's New Year's DAY-O"  
This one never gets old.
Harry Belafonte released Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) in 1956.

37. Trails behind: LAGS.  To LAG behind is to fail to keep pace with one's peers.

39. Color TV pioneer: RCA.  I think of Misty when I see RCA in a puzzle because she has such fond memories of her father. I can feel her smile through the internet.

40. "Barbie" actor Liu: SIMU.  He is a Canadian actor born in Harbin, China on April 19, 1989. Last week CanadianEh! reminded us  about his book, We Were Dreamers:  An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story. It's on my library queue.
Simu Liu rocks the Ken hair.

41. La __: Real Madrid's division: LIGA.  European f
útbol

42. Frank on the grill: WEENIE.  
the Oscar Mayer wienermobile

45. Naught: NIL.  Those on Santa's naughty list get NIL for Christmas.

46. Incredibly hard to hold: SLIPPERY AS AN EEL.  
Wow, this one took me on a trip down memory lane to Bozo Under the Sea, a 78 RPM record I used to listen to at my grandmother's house while reading its accompanying book. I remember this picture of him touching an electric EEL.   

49. Photo app filter shade: SEPIA.  Last Friday, ZDL's puzzle had a good clue for this word -- Retro tone.

50. Time period often named for a monarch: ERA.

58. C
rèche trio: MAGI.  Most western Christian churches celebrate Three Kings' Day on January 6.
Click to expand.

61. Moisturizer brand: OLAY.

62. Missouri River tributary: OSAGE.  


63. Minnesota representative Ilhan: OMAR.  Minnesota has eight congressional districts. Rep. Ilhan Omar's district is #5 (Minneapolis).  

64. Junction point: NODE.  I knowed this one. Did you knowed it, too?

65. Spoke wildly: RAVED.  I was trying to make ranted fit.

66. Sheepherding pig in a 1995 film: BABE.  

67. Smack: SWAT.

68. Austin Powers player Mike: MYERS.  Canadian-American actor Mike Myers made three Austin Powers movies. They were released in 1997, 1999, and 2002. Here's the trailer from the first one, Austin Powers:  International Man of Mystery.  

Down:
1. Training __: NFL preseason practice time: CAMP.  This link goes to the 2023 training CAMP details for every NFL team. Scroll through it to get a feel for the whens & wheres.

2. Tibet's continent: ASIA.  This 3:22 min. video lists four reasons to visit Tibet. You might also find these 2024 Tibet travel restrictions interesting.

3. "Your mileage may __": VARY.  In other words, you might have a different experience in a particular situation.  
The Proclaimers  I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) (1988)
Yes, they're twins.
But I would walk 500 milesAnd I would walk 500 moreJust to be the man who walks a thousand milesTo fall down at your door

4. Come to light: EMERGE.

5. Judgmental glance: SIDE-EYE.  The term is about a physical act that communicates any number of things (e.g., suspicion, scorn, annoyance, jealousy, and veiled curiosity).
Here is some serious 17th century SIDE-EYE.
Detail from The Fortune Teller
French artist Georges de La Tour (circa 1630)

6. Bedside light: LAMP.

7. Double-reed woodwind: OBOE.

8. Actor Guinness: ALEC.  (1914-2000)  his IMDb page

9. Invasive plants with stinging hairs: NETTLES.  description & uses

10. Note-worthy purchases?: MEMO PADS.  "Note-worthy". Good one!

11. Green __, Wisconsin: BAY.  IIRC, unclefred is a Packers fan.

12. Escort's offering: ARM.  
13. Devious: SLY.

21. Tailor's line of stitches: SEAM.

22. Freight weight: TON.

25. "Seinfeld" character who worked for Pendant Publishing: ELAINE.     and     53 Down. When tripled, phrase spoken by 25-Down: YADA.
This is the clip (1 min.):  
"No, I mentioned the bisque."

26. Really frustrate: STYMIE.  Def.:  (verb) to prevent or hinder the progress of.

27. Jam-packs: FILLS.  This reminded me of the well-known story about the jar with rocks. Here is a 2 min. version:  

28. Vowel-shaped track segments: I-RAILS.  
Is this an I-RAIL? The cross section of the rail resembles a letter "I".

29. Carrot or celery, informally: VEGGIE.  

30. Not so common: RARER.

31. Hazardous: DICEY.

32. Initial strategy: PLAN A.

33. "__ be sorry!": YOU'LL.

38. Blue gem: SAPPHIRE.  Note to self:  2P's

42. Some cards in the board game Clue: WEAPONS.  Can you name all six? (*answers below)

43. "Now it's clear!": I SEE.

44. Overly catchy song: EARWORM.  Here is an aptly named EARWORM:  
Kylie Minogue Can't Get You Out of My Head (2001)
La-la-la, la-la-la-la-la

47. Actress Zadora: PIA.

48. Come out against: NAYSAY.  

52. Furrow former: PLOW.

54. No, in Russian: NYET.

55. Icicle site: EAVE.

56. Ripening agent: AGER.  When used on some apples, the result is a Golden AGER. 😜

57. Cincinnati MLB team: REDS.  The team name originated from the high red socks or stockings the team wore with its knee-length pants.  
58. Unruly crowd: MOB.

59. GP's gp.: AMA.  General Practitioner and American Medical Association

60. Chitchat: GAB.  
my friend Julie & me at lunch yesterday 😀

*The six CLUE weapons are:  wrench, lead pipe, rope, knife, revolver, and candlestick.

That's all for today. Wishing everyone health & happiness in the new year!