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

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Oct 5, 2020

Monday October 5, 2020 Tyler Burnett

Theme: Rivalry

17A. Big Ten school with eight national football titles: OHIO STATE. 46. Rival of 17-Across: MICHIGAN.
 
28A. AP's Co-driver of the Century Mario: ANDRETTI. 52. Rival of 28-Across: FOYT.

60A. Rival of 12-Down: LETTERMAN. 12D. Car-collecting comic Jay: LENO.

Boomer here. Congrats to Tyler Burnett on his LAT debut!

Of course my thoughts went to Big Ten rivals Minnesota and Iowa.  I never was much of an auto racing fan but I chuckled when I saw car-collecting comic LENO. I thought it might be a card-collecting comic Boomer.

SKOL! Holy Helmet Horns, my Vikings finally won a game. Although it was against winless Houston.  But I am taking back 25% of the bad things I said about the Vikes. 

Across:

1. Grocery store sack: BAG.  Paper or plastic?  We still receive bags for our groceries at no charge.  There are stores in Minneapolis that are charging 5 cents or more.

4. Outdoor dining spot: PATIO.  We have a nice outdoor deck, but we don't eat on it.  Sometimes squirrels do though.

9. Sauce fruit: APPLE. 13. Garden with a taboo 9-Across: EDEN.  APPLE is a high tech computer company.  Maybe do not mention Eve.

14. Secluded plight on a desert island, say: ISOLATION.  Sorry, reminds me of a secluded spot on a hill in Hardheim Germany.  With a missal buried in a silo that I never saw.
 


16. Stacked: PILED.

18. Stretched out like a sharpshooter: PRONE.  Or like a Vikings running back.

19. Good thing for a film's audio and video to be in: SYNC.

20. Presidential period, say: ERA.

21. Dueler's choice: WEAPON.

22. Tolstoy's Karenina: ANNA.

24. Enjoy dinner: EAT.  "EAT, EAT, EAT said the privates, happy men are we.  There's none so fair as can compare with the fighting infantry. "

25. Contacted on a cellphone: CALLED.  "I just CALLED to say I love you." Stevie Wonder.

33. Burn-soothing creams: ALOES.  Summer in Minnesota does not produce sunburns.

34. Socket insert: PLUG.  A PLUG is a PLUG, but a socket is a receptacle.  You need to screw a light bulb into a socket.

35. Small amount: DRIB.

36. Fix, as a fight: RIG.  I think a semi-truck is better known as a RIG.

37. Mickey, to Rocky: TRAINER.  "Gonna Fly Now!"

40. Pair in London?: ENS.

41. Somber news item: OBITAbejo obit.

43. Mining finds: ORES.  Many mines in northern Minnesota are producing taconite.

44. Water bill basis: USAGE.  We pay about $40.00 per month.  How about you?

48. Defeated: BEATEN.  Apollo Creed?

49. Before, in poetry: ERE.  "And I heard him exclaim ERE he drove out of sight"

50. Santa's naughty-and-nice record, e.g.: LIST.  "You better watch out, you better not cry !"

51. Illicit romance: AFFAIR.

54. "Psych!": NOT.

55. Protein-rich egg part: YOLK.  What Stan said to Ollie when he brought him hard boiled eggs in the hospital,  "That's a YOLK on you".

59. Ransacks: LOOTS.

62. French school: LYCEE.

63. Far-reaching: EXTENSIVE.  I think my drives need to be a little more EXTENSIVE on the golf course.

64. Displeases James Bond, at the bar?: STIRS.  What's the difference between SHAKE and STIR?  McDonald's sells shakes. 

65. When "the mouse ran down": ATONE.

66. Fancy marble: TAW.  I had Shooters, Steelies, Agates, Cat's eyes, and Peeries.  I never SAW a TAW.

Down:

1. Playbill listings: BIOS.  I yak so much about Minnesota and myself, I suppose any of you could BIO me.

2. Like an unswept fireplace: ASHY.  Our fireplace is clean.  We do not use it anymore because it gets too ASHY.

3. Enter: GO IN.  "Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin"

4. Partners for mas: PAS.

5. Show up at: ATTEND. Church still tells me not to ATTEND.  Too old and too much Covid going around.

6. Headpiece at the Miss America website: TIARA.  What ever happened to Bert Parks.

7. Greek "i": IOTA.

8. Free throw value: ONE.  But the guy shooting it is probably a millionaire

9. Show up: APPEAR. I will APPEAR on the golf course today. Might be the last time.  Minnesota golf weather is spotty in October..

10. Robbed at sea: PIRATED.  From the Caribbean? Or from Disneyland?

11. Alka-Seltzer sound: PLOP.  Fizz, Fizz, Oh what a relief it is.

15. Site: LOCALE.

21. Lettuce serving: WEDGE.  C.C. found a coop store in Minneapolis called WEDGE.  They had some neat stuff that no one else has, like South River Sweet White Miso. But the traffic to get there was ..... never mind. 

23. Egg-laying spot: NEST.

25. Billiards bounce: CAROM.  Many bowling centers have billiards tables.  I spent all my money on bowling however. 

26. Suspect's story: ALIBI.  Really!  I was at the bowling center.

27. Science that involves reasoning: LOGIC.

28. Out of this world: ALIEN.

29. "Finale Ultimo" chorus in "The Sound of Music": NUNS.  Doe, a deer, a female deer, Re, a drop of golden sun. ME a name, I call myself, FA a long, long way to run.

30. Word that excites a dog: TREAT.  Especially if there is a little meat on the bone.

31. Trace of color: TINGE.

32. "Peer Gynt" playwright Henrik: IBSEN.

34. Prefix with trooper or legal: PARA.  Graph, Chute.

38. Federer of tennis: ROGER.  "Over and out".

39. Regrets: RUES.  I often thought RUE McClanahan of the Golden Girls was an odd name.

42. Broadway destination: THEATER.  I have never been to New York but I'll bet every city has a BROADWAY.

45. Lecherous man-goats: SATYRS.

47. Flowers in a van Gogh masterpiece: IRISES.  He painted them blue.  I prefer "Sunflowers"  and of course "Starry Night".  "This world was never meant for one as beautiful as you."  Don MClean.

48. Like a mosquito victim: BITTEN.  Minnesota mosquitoes have not been too bad this year.

50. Powerball, e.g.: LOTTO.  We have played this only once or twice.  The prizes are huge but of course the odds of winning are about the same as the Twins in a playoff game.  

51. "__ well that ends well": ALL'S.

53. Central points: FOCI.

54. Ariana Grande album "thank u, __": NEXT.  What you do not want to hear while waiting in the dentist's waiting room.
56. Fail to put in: OMIT.

57. Volcanic output: LAVA.  A great bar of soap - it has grits.

58. Had down pat: KNEW.  "I KNEW it, we are almost done.

60. Pasture: LEA.

61. Opposite of WSW: ENE.
 
Boomer



Oct 4, 2020

Sunday October 4, 2020 Mike Peluso

Theme: "Mistaken Identity" - One part of each familiar phrase is replaced by its partner in a familiar duo.

22A. Banking convenience with the wrong comic magician?: AUTOMATIC PENN. Automatic teller. Penn & Teller.

34A. Builder with the wrong surveyor?: STONE DIXON. Stone mason. Mason & Dixon.

50A. Feeling blue with the wrong publisher?: IN A WAGNALLS. In a funk. Funk & Wagnalls.

68A. Metalworker with the wrong gun manufacturer?: BLACK WESSON. Blacksmith. Smith & Wesson.

84A. Cheap knockout with the wrong puppet?: SUCKER JUDY. Sucker punch. Punch and Judy.

102. African currency with the wrong mapmaker?: KRUGER MCNALLY. Krugerand. Rand & McNally.

2D. Louvre sculpture of the wrong sister?: SERENA DE MILO. Venus de Milo. Serena & Venus.

56D. Intel product with the wrong toon rodent?: COMPUTER DALE. Computer chip. Chip & Dale.

Very consistent theme. Most of the duos are iconic partners. And clues all point to who they are.

I'm not familiar with Krugerand. Wiki says it's "a compound of Paul Kruger, the former President of the South African Republic, and rand, the South African unit of currency."


Across: 

1. It often involves a password: USER ID. It precedes a password.

7. Really wet spot: SWAMP.

12. Lucy's neighbor of old TV: ETHEL.


17. Narrow, roadwise: ONE LANE.

18. Town square art: STATUE.

19. Aced: NAILED.

21. Abrasions: SCRAPES.

24. Prince Valiant's love: ALETA. Sometimes we see their son ARN.

25. Appear suddenly: CROP UP.

27. Prepare for cooking, as beans: SOAK. Often I just cook my adzuki bean directly. 

28. Org. once led by Bush 41: CIA.

29. Hereditary unit: GENE.

30. Les États-__: UNIS.

31. DEA agent: NARC.

32. Editor's "On second thought" decision: STET.

33. That, in Santiago: ESA. And 96. Mex. miss: SRTA. 98. "¿Quién __?": SABE. Who knows?

38. "The Age of Reason" writer: PAINE (Thomas)

39. Gives sparingly: DOLES.

41. CPR pro: EMT. And 67. Part of 41-Acr.: EMER.

42. Hosp. triage specialists: ER DOCS. We have a hero in the VA Hospital in Minneapolis.

43. Refuses to concede: DENIES.

44. Small file folders, e.g.: ICONS.

47. San Antonio-to-Dallas dir.: NNE.

48. Big Apple paper, for short: NYT. They have quite a staff for their crossword division. Unlike LAT. Rich and Patti do all the work.

49. Wanderers: NOMADS.

53. Seed cover: ARIL. Pomegranate.


54. Sean of "Stranger Things": ASTIN.

55. Miami suburb with a Seminole-derived name: OPA-LOCKA.

59. Timbuktu's land: MALI. Remember this Music from Ali Farka Touré.

60. Type of card or watch: SMART.

61. "My Cousin Vinny" Oscar winner: TOMEI.

63. Dom Pérignon maker, familiarly: MOET.

64. Narcissism: EGOMANIA.

66. Underworld: HADES.

71. Like rough seas: CHOPPY.

73. Sty wallower: SOW.

76. Chicago-based grocery franchise: IGA.

77. Amend: ALTER.

78. Saturn, to Greeks: CRONUS.

79. Serious searches: QUESTS.

81. "Smell Ready" deodorant brand: AXE.

82. Rent again: RE-LET.

83. In __: unborn: UTERO.

89. Corner key that may get you out of a corner: ESC. In a corner.

92. Pallid: ASHY.

93. First baseman Wally most famous for being replaced by Lou Gehrig: PIPP.

95. "Was __ harsh?": I TOO.

97. Intl. commerce group: WTO.

99. Liable to sing?: BLABBY. Not a word I use.

101. Tracking device: RADAR.

105. "You didn't start yet, did you?": AM I LATE.

107. Watergate judge John: SIRICA. I only know John Dean.
 

108. Enter: TYPE IN.

109. Tea prep vessels: KETTLES.

110. Exams for sophs and jrs.: PSATS.

111. Hindu life lesson: SUTRA. Vidwan is a sage.

112. Influenced: SWAYED.

Down: 

1. Reunion arrivals: UNCLES

3. Really tickle: ELATE.

4. __ Nui: Easter Island: RAPA.

5. Having four sharps: IN E.

6. Ancestry.com datum: Abbr.: DESC. Descendant.

7. Exasperating, like a car that won't start: STUPID.

8. '60s dance craze: WATUSI. Knew from doing crosswords.

9. Sitting on: ATOP.

10. Silent: MUM.

11. Type of blouse: PEASANT.

12. '40s-'50s "Giant Brain": ENIAC.

13. Stable supplies: TACK.

14. Cool: HIP.

15. Formal choice: ELECTION. We already sent in our ballots. I fear mine might not be counted though. After I sealed my envelope, I realized that I forgot to put the ballot in that little envelope they provided. Boomer helped me unseal and then re-seal the whole thing. They might think my envelope looks suspicious.

16. Judge's choice: LENIENCY.

17. Missouri tributary: OSAGE.

18. River to Lyon: SAONE.

20. Modern crime-solving aid: DNA TEST.

23. Blue Jays, in crawls: TOR. Toronto.

26. Vie for office: RUN.

31. Chinese menu assurance: NO MSG. Still popular in Chinese kitchens.

32. Blue: SAD.

34. Arrived in a cloud of dust, maybe: SLID. Pretty epic.

35. Golfer's pocketful: TEES.

36. CIA predecessor: OSS.

37. TV warrior princess: XENA.

38. Green shampoo: PRELL.

40. Where it's risky to be out: ON A LIMB.
 
42. China's Zhou __: EN LAI. The most beloved politician in Chinese history. He shielded many people from being persecuted in Cultural Revolution. Here he's with his wife. 
 
43. Biker's headgear, perhaps: DO RAG.

44. Kind of vb.: INTR. Intransitive.

45. "I Am __": Jenner reality show: CAIT.

46. Dominate: OWN.

47. Barbers trim them: NAPES.

49. Identify: NAME.

50. Crooner Chris: ISAAK.

51. Certain club restriction: NO MEN.

52. "Can __ help me?": SOMEONE. "Hi Tom, do you know how ..."  The amount of stuff D-Otto knows!

54. Genoa gal pal: AMICA.

57. Hangs on to: KEEPS.

58. "Give it __!": A TRY.

60. Hosiery headaches: SNAGS.

61. Subdue with a shock: TASE.

62. Telltale warning, maybe: ODOR.

65. Gorsuch colleague: ALITO.

66. Marshall Plan pres.: HST.

69. Dental office simulation: WAX UP. New term to me.

70. Power co. output: ELEC.

71. Street __: CRED.

72. Like some orders: HOLY.

73. Gripes: SQUAWKS.

74. Exceed: OUTSTRIP.

75. Time for night owls: WEE HOURS. Quite a few night owls on our blog.

78. Wine label word: CRU.

80. Texter's "My bad": SRY. Sorry.

81. Ways of looking at an issue: ASPECTS.

85. Impressive, as a deal: KILLER.

86. Latin catchall: ET ALIA.

87. One-named Swedish singer with the 1997 hit "Show Me Love": ROBYN.



88. __ fair: JOB.

90. Specified: STATED.

91. Shows concern: CARES. Thanks, Nina, for helping me understand some medical terms.

93. Law office helpers: PARAS. Paralegals.

94. "Big Blue": IBM.

96. Language description derived from sailors' chatter: SALTY.

98. Breakaway group: SECT.

99. John was one: Abbr.: BAPT.

100. Himalayan denizens: YAKS. Butter tea is made with yak butter.  Goes well with tsampa, which is made of roasted barley flour.

101. "Lovely" citation issuer of song: RITA.

103. Actress Scala: GIA.

104. Manhattan sch.: NYU.

106. Contribution from the kitty: MEW.

C.C.



Oct 3, 2020

Saturday, October 3, 2020, Evan Kalish

Saturday Themeless by Evan Kalish

Today's constructor is our much-travelled "10-K post office" aficionado Evan Kalish (he has visited and photographed over 10,000 post offices). Here is Evan's reflections on this puzzle

Hi Gary,

This puzzle took shape at 4 a.m. one night in July 2018, though I would revise the SW corner a few months later (during daylight hours). My goal was to start off the puzzle with a bang: three modern spoken / colloquial phrases, and the grid flowed from there.

I was glad that Rich kept some of my favorite clues: AURORA (12-D); INUIT (16-A, a place I’d always thought would be fun to visit); and AMPS (49-A). It is also worth noting that the clue for 44-A—YALELAW: Alma mater of about half the Supreme Court, is in need of an update; it is presently exactly half the Supreme Court. Your memory is a blessing, Justice Ginsburg.

Oddly enough I’d considered visiting both 30-A (the DAKOTAs) and 50-D (American SAMOA) this year before, well, 2020 "happened.” American Samoa is home to the only U.S. Post Office south of the Equator! At the end of January I visited my 10,000th post office: the 1940 Century Station post office in Culver City, California. This photo was taken at that time, a.k.a. five years ago.

Since March I, like many others, have spent a lot of time constructing crosswords. This velvety boy was kind enough to lend me some inspiration a couple of months back.


Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night will stay me from the swift completion of my appointed blog:

Across:

1. Handle the roasting: TAKE A JOKE - The good natured Dean Martin roasts devolved into the mean-spirited and profane Comedy Central Roasts 


10. Large amounts: LOADS.

15. Words of exasperation: I CAN'T EVEN.


16. Like most residents of Nunavut: INUIT 


17. Ironic lead-in to stating the obvious: NEWSFLASH - Here's a real NEWSFLASH: Husker fans are glad to see football and volleyball are coming back

18. Slowly consume: NURSE unless you say 20. Request while extending a glass: I'LL HAVE SOME 

19. Org. created in 2001: TSA - All-in-all the Transportation Security Agency has done a good job

22. Light-footed: SPRY - She's 91


24. Disney princess voiced by Kristen Bell: ANNA.


25. Genre in a battle, perhaps: RAP - Yes "Battle RAP" is a real thing where contestants compete to see who can say the most vicious and insulting things to the other. What could possibly go wrong? 26. Pandemonium: CHAOS.


28. Flakes in boxes: CEREALS.

30. Territory from 1861 to 1889: DAKOTA 


32. Branches: SECTS - Some SECTS have broken away because of their views on sex

33. Dove headfirst, maybe: SLID.


34. Surreptitious sip source: FLASK - Prohibition was the mother of invention 


36. __ hammer: CLAW.

40. "Quo Vadis" director Mervyn __: LEROY - His IMDB

42. Area of influence: SPHERE.


44. Alma mater of about half the Supreme Court: YALE LAW - Alito, Sotomayor, Thomas and Kavanaugh. (See Evan's note above)

47. On the level: LEGIT.

48. Long beginning?: ERE - George M Cohan lyric: "Give my regards to Old Broadway
And say that I'll be there, ''ERE long"

49. Measures of current events?: AMPS - Electric current 

51. Nepali wrap: SARI.


52. Briskly depart: SCAMPER AWAY 


55. Hogwash: ROT.

58. Nets: MAKES - After deductions 

59. Lecturer's "My bad": I MISSPOKE - It's 64. Obvious: EASY TO SEE I didn't mean that or didn't think it through

61. "Skyfall" singer: ADELE - A James Bond themer

62. "Dang!": CONSARN IT.


63. Ones who rarely skip class: NERDS.


Down:

1. Add some contrast to: TINT.

2. High pair: ACES - In Texas Hold 'Em they're called pocket rockets 

3. Jet Ski maker: KAWASAKI.


4. Two for dinner?: ENS - diNNer 

5. Before digging deeper: AT FIRST - Constructing crosswords seems easy AT FIRST glance

6. Kids' sandwich ingredient: JELLY - Hey, this kid's 74 and loves a PB&J

7. Like zeroes: OVAL - Sometimes a zero is written Ø to eliminate any confusion


8. "Die Young" singer: KESHA - Google her sexual anthem at will

9. Increases in desirability: ENHANCES - If ENHANCING something makes you feel better, go for it

10. Illustrations without shades and hues: LINE ART.


11. Heavy weight: ONUS.

12. Highlights?: AURORA - The Kirknese Snowhotel in Norway offers beautiful access to the AURORA Borealis


13. Really bad: DISMAL - My poor KC Royals have become DISMAL after a World Series win in 2015. They couldn't afford to keep everyone. 

14. Soaks: STEEPS - STEEP times


21. Tee choices: V-NECKS.

23. Toy with curly hair: POODLE - Ah, our toy dogs reappear

26. Media with narrow tracks: CDS - About 1.6 microns or .0000016 meter


27. Movie villain that reads lips: HAL.


29. "Relativity" artist: ESCHER.


31. Slopeside sight: A-FRAME.

32. "... to name one": SAY - "SAY I give you a raise in your allowance, what will you do?"

35. Ad come-on: LOW PRICE.

37. "Cool Hand Luke" restraints: LEG IRONS.


38. Chase Field team, on scoreboards: ARI - Phoenix Diamondbacks 


39. __ paint: WET.

41. Goes by: ELAPSES - Get all six before time ELAPSES and you win big bucks. Here's the first category:


43. Doesn't do seriously: PLAYS AT.

44. Boss-pleasing guy: YES MAN.

45. "The Suburbs" Grammy-winning indie rock band __ Fire: ARCADE - Here ya go

46. Secret source: LEAKER - Watergate's was called Deep Throat 

50. American __: SAMOA - It is about 76 miles from Apia, the capital of Samoa, and Pago Pago, the capital of American SAMOA. (We had Apia, Samoa in Jeff Stillman's Wednesday puzzle)


51. Showing 'tude: SASSY.

53. Merge: MELD - Nebraska Volleyball has been able to MELD girls from Nebraska and all over the county into national championship teams.


54. Standings column: WINS - Those MELDED Husker Volleyballers have more WINS than any other Division I team

56. Arkansan's neighbor: OKIE - Arky Vaughn was a Hall-Of-Fame baseball player mostly for the Pirates and was born in Clifty, Arkansas. 

57. Nice place for a cap?: TETE Ceci est une casquette portée sur votre TETE de Nice, France (This is a cap worn on your head in Nice, France)

60. Behind: PRO - Not Anti 

Does Evan's puzzle get your stamp of approval? Comment below.