Wednesday, January 5, 2022, David Poole

Theme: TALL ORDER

39. Noted Italian campanile that hints at each group of circled letters in this puzzle: THE LEANING TOWER.

The ALOHA Tower is a retired lighthouse that is considered one of the landmarks of the state of Hawaii in the United States.

COIT Tower is a 210-foot tower in the Telegraph Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, California, offering panoramic views over the city and the bay.

The EIFFEL Tower is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France.

The SEARS Tower The Willis Tower (formerly known as and commonly referred to as the Sears Tower) is a 108-story, 1,450-foot (442.1 m) skyscraper in Chicago.

(Edited later: There's also a leaning CN Tower in the lower left.)

Melissa here. The definition of a campanile is an Italian bell tower. The other four towers here are not bell towers, but all are well-known landmarks.

Across:

1. With regard to: AS FOR.

6. One might be en route to the ER: EMT. Emergency Medical Technician.

9. Burn the midnight oil, perhaps: CRAM. Study for a test.

13. Leachman tied for the most (eight) Emmy wins as a performer: CLORIS. Always forget there's no H in her first name. Tied with Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Leachman died in January of this year.

15. Immediately: NOW.

16. Screenwriter Ephron: NORA. My daughter and I always watch Ephron's You've Got Mail over the holidays. Charming, even though the Joe Fox character is actually kind of a creep, imo. YGM is actually a remake of The Shop Around The Corner with Jimmy Stewart. Worth a watch if you haven't seen it.

17. Greet with a honk: TOOT AT.

18. Gave the okay to: GREENLIT.

20. Where a ring may be left: BATHTUB.

22. Beauty: GEM.

23. "Mangia!": EAT. Italian.

24. Like Vivaldi's "Spring": IN E. The first concerto of the Four Seasons is Spring, describing its freshness and beauty. Spring is a solo concerto with 3 movements: quick, slow, quick. The quick movements are written in Ritornello form, which literally means “returning”.

25. Like cartoons: ANIMATED.

28. Fröbe who played Goldfinger: GERT. James Bond. Auric Goldfinger was played by German actor Gert Fröbe. Fröbe, who did not speak English well, was dubbed in the film by Michael Collins, an English actor.

30. Martial arts rank: DAN. The term Dan (단) is commonly used in Korean martial arts to denote a black belt. Literally, however, the word more closely translates as "level" or "stage". For example, some jumping kicks are called "ee dan" kicks, which translates as "level two", where ee is the number two in the sino-Korean numbering system

31. Show with skits: REVUE.

35. Theater director?: USHER. Nice clue.

38. Brunch standard: MIMOSA. Champagne and chilled citrus juice, usually orange juice.

43. Gregarious: SOCIAL.

44. Miller's salesman: LOMAN. Arthur Miller's Willie Loman in Death of a Salesman is an insecure, self-deluded traveling salesman who believes in the American dream, but never achieves it.

45. Name in book publishing since 1915: KNOPF.

46. "Silk Stockings" co-star Charisse: CYD.

47. Yields to gravity: SAGS.

51. Fur coat quality: SOFTNESS.

55. Water tester: TOE.

56. Number of stars on Ghana's flag: ONE. The red represents the blood of those who died in the country's struggle for independence from Great Britain, the gold represents the mineral wealth of the country, the green symbolizes the country's rich forests and natural wealth, and the black star is the symbol of African emancipation.

 59. Vein contents: ORE.

60. Singer Ed with albums titled "+," "x" and "˜": SHEERAN.

62. Like a tutor's lesson, often: REMEDIAL. Provided or intended for students who are experiencing learning difficulties.

65. Wedding acquisitions: IN-LAWS. Cute.

66. Dot-__: COMS.

67. Punk rock offshoot: EMO. A style of rock music resembling punk but having more complex arrangements and lyrics that deal with more emotional subjects.

68. Respect: ADMIRE.

69. Lose one's cool: SNAP.

70. Retired boomer: SST.

71. Some HDTVs: SONYS.

Down:

1. Feign toughness: ACT BIG.

2. She took a day off with Ferris: SLOANE. Ferris's girlfriend who skips school with him. Played by Mia Sara.

3. Page number, often: FOOTER.

4. Sports med. branch: ORTH. Sports medicine is a subspecialty of orthopedic medicine that deals with the physical fitness, preventive care and treatment of amateur and professional athletes within the world of sports and exercise.

5. Ranchero's rope: RIATA. A long, noosed rope, used to catch animals.

6. An official lang. of Malta: ENG. Malta has two official languages: Maltese and English.

7. Actor Freeman: MORGAN.

8. One in a storm, maybe: TWEET. A Tweetstorm is series of tweets from one person that starts with a number and a slash. The first number is the order in which the tweet appears in a line of tweets covering a single topic. The number after the slash is the number of tweets from the same author. A Tweetstorm lets readers know how many tweets to expect.

9. MSNBC rival: CNN.

10. Solo, for Ford: ROLE. Harrison Ford played the role of Han Solo in the Star Wars series.

11. Solo, for Fleming: ARIA. Renée Lynn Fleming (born February 14, 1959) is an American opera singer and soprano.

12. "The Resident" star Czuchry: MATT. Czuchry plays Dr. Conrad Hawkins in Fox's medical drama.

14. Flabbergast: STUN.

19. Many a retired professor: EMERITA.

21. Last of two Pennsylvania-born presidents: BIDEN. The other was James Buchanan, born in 1791.

26. Subject of a painting by Andy and a song by Elton: MARILYN.

27. Exorcism targets: DEMONS.

29. Dutch exports: TULIPS.

32. Promise: VOW.

33. Employ: USE.

34. Canal setting: EAR.

36. Ceviche or sashimi: SEAFOOD.

37. Villain #13 on AFI's "100 Years... 100 Heroes & Villains": HAL. From 2001: A Space Odyssey. Hal 2001, the eerily human-like computer aboard the Discovery space ship, represents technological advancement.

38. "Thelma & Louise" studio: MGM. Metro Goldwyn Mayer.

39. Sound of reproach: TSK.

40. Sweetie: HON.

41. Friendly opening?: ECO. Eco-friendly.

42. Connection points: NODES. A point at which lines or pathways intersect or branch; a central or connecting point.

46. Third-stringers: C TEAMS.

48. Subway in an Ellington classic: A TRAIN.

49. Miss the mark: GO AWRY.

50. Feels: SENSES.

52. Fast-food favorite: FRIES.

53. Branch of Islam: SHIA.

54. Thrills: SENDS. Tricky clue.

56. Tolkien monsters: ORCS.

57. Element #10: NEON. A noble gas. It's colorless and has no smell.

58. Madame Bovary: EMMA.

61. Ticklish Muppet: ELMO.

63. Clairvoyant's claim: ESP. Extra sensory perception.

64. Filming site: LOT.

Tuesday, January 4, 2022 Stella Zawistowski

That's Deep, Dude!

17-Across. *   Stuffed items in the frozen-food aisle: HOT POCKETS.  Deep Pockets.

23-Across. *   Apartment storage measure: CLOSET SPACE.  Deep Space.

39-Across. *   Ideas in support of gender equality: FEMINIST THOUGHT.  Deep Thoughts.

 50-Across. *  Tiny white flower used as filler in bouquets: BABY'S BREATH.  Deep Breath.

And the unifier:

63-Across. *   Where to dive in a pool ... and what the answers to starred clues all share?: THE DEEP END.

Across:

1. The "A" in many gp. names: ASS'N.  As in Association.  //  See 21-Across. Docs' org. with a noted journal: AMA.  As in the American Medical Association.

5. Pandowdy fruit: APPLE.  A Pandowdy is a type of apple pie or cobbler.  A learning moment for me.

10. Golden St. school: UCLA.  As in the University of California, Los Angeles.

14. Seed in some yogurt: CHIA.  Apparently this "growing pet" is also mixed overnight in yogurt for a healthy breakfast.

15. Manicurist's smoothing tool: FILER.  Also known as an Emery Board.

16. Bridal accessory: VEIL.  We had a bridal veil just last Tuesday, but that was so last year.

19. 'Enry's greeting: 'ELLO.  Just you wait!

20. Hunt played by Cruise in "Mission: Impossible" films: ETHAN.  I didn't remember that the character's first name was Ethan, but the perps gave me enough letters to fill in the name.

22. Chinese city that was the starting point of the Silk Road: XI'AN.  Hi, C.C.!  The home of C.C. and the Terra Cotta Warriors.

27. Dwelled: RESIDED.

31. Monkey house site: ZOO.

32. Amazed: AWED.

33. Requirement for travel abroad, at times: VISA.  Don't leave home without it.  Oh, wait ... that's American Express

36. Future atty.'s exam: LSAT.  As in the Law School Admission Test.

43. Take a taxi, say: RIDE.

44. Hatcher of "Lois & Clark": TERI.  Teri Lynn Hatcher (b. Dec. 8, 1954) also appeared in some episodes of Seinfeld.

45. Enjoy a book: READ.  So many books, so little time.

46. NYC subway org.: MTA.  As in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

48. Swallows: INGESTS.

55. Saudi, usually: ARAB.

56. Gaelic counterpart of John: IAN.

57. Spine-tingling: EERIE.

62. Number of Supreme Court justices: NINE.  There have been Nine Justices on the Supreme Court since 1869, although there is no Constitutional mandate on the number of sitting Justices.  Enough said.

66. Makes a request: ASKS.

67. Propelled a rowboat: OARED.

68. Tempo: PACE.

69. For fear that: LEST.

70. Moves smoothly: FLOWS.

71. Stretch across: SPAN.

Down:

1. Pang: ACHE.

2. Injection: SHOT.

3. "Star Wars" baddies: SITH.

4. Oenotourist's destination: NAPA.  Wine tasting!

5. Balt. Ravens' group: AFC.  The Baltimore Ravens are in the American Football Conference.

6. Commercial suffix with Water: PIK.

7. Court answers: PLEAS.

8. Eager volunteer's cry: LET ME!

9. Like a bad copy: ERSATZ.

10. Sunburn cause, for short: UV EXPOSURE.

11. Salsa singer Cruz: CELIA.  Celia Cruz (Oct. 21, 1925 ~ July 16, 2003) was known as the Queen of Salsa Music.  Her full name was Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso.

12. Purple hue: LILAC.  There are lots of shades of purple.

13. Unaccompanied: ALONE.  //  And 26-Down: Unaccompanied: SOLO.  Hand up if you tried Stag for the latter.

18. Like a lot of '80s-'90s music: ON CD.  

24. Son of Jacob: LEVI.  The Biblical patriarch Jacob had 12 sons, but only one son's name has 4 letters in English.  In Hebrew his name would be spelled: לֵוִי

25. Lofty poet: ODIST.  As in one who writes Odes.

27. Where Prince William served: Abbr.: RAF.  Prince William (b. June 21, 1982) served for several years in the Royal Air Force.

28. Pitcher in art: EWER.

Broken Porcelain Ewer by David Olander

29. Final Four game: SEMI.

30. "That was as good as it gets for me!": I DID MY BEST.

34. Fr. holy woman: STE.  French abbreviation for Saint.

35. Heart chambers: ATRIA.  Plural of Atrium.

37. Many years: AGES.

38. "__ does it!": THAT.

40. Brooklyn NBA team: NETS.

41. Help for a stumped solver: HINT.  Did anyone need Hints on today's puzzle?

42. NFL six-pointers: TDs.  As in Touch Downs.

47. Not very much: A BIT OF.

49. Clarified butter used in Indian cuisine: GHEE.

50. Boring: BANAL.

51. Come to light: ARISE.

52. Fog or cloud masses: BANKS.

That's a massive cloud bank!

53. 1986 Indy 500 winner Bobby: RAHAL.  I am not up on my race car drivers, so was not familiar with this name.  Bobby Rahal (né Robert Woodward Rahal; b. Jan. 10, 1953) will celebrate his 69th birthday next Monday.

54. Primer mes del año: ENERO.  Today's Spanish lesson.  Hi, Lucina!  January is the first month of the year.  It's an appropriate clue, since we have just begun a new year.

58. Omar of "House": EPPS.  Omar Epps (né Omar Hashim Epps; b. July 20, 1973) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  He played Dr. Eric Foreman on House.

59. Take in the harvest: REAP.

60. Ancient Peruvian: INCA.  More about the Inca Empire.

61. Eve's first home: EDEN.

64. Beads on blades: DEW.  My favorite clue of the puzzle.

65. Masthead names, for short: EDs.  As in Editors.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Monday January 3 2022 Bruce Venzke

Theme: SPLIT THE ATOM (51. Nuclear fission phrase, and a hint to each set of circles) - ATOM is split up in each theme entry.

20. Addictive: HABIT-FORMING.

28. Arguing with a cat, say: BIG WASTE OF TIME.

43. Lists of principles for political groups: PARTY PLATFORMS.

Boomer here, blogging another solo from the legend Bruce.

Bruce Venzke

I noticed that a lot of L.A. Times themes have this type of split gimmick, but I only know a 7-10 or 4-6 or a big 4. 

I'm still in the hospital and I prepared this blog with major help from C.C.. I hope to be back in the flowing Monday.

 
Across:

1. Negative attention from the press, briefly: BAD PR.

6. Protrudes: JUTS.

10. Police dept. alerts: APBS. All-Points Bulletins.

14. Pear variety: ANJOU.

15. "I'll take care of that, boss": ON IT.

16. Loughlin of "Full House": LORI. Was in trouble a few years ago.

17. Boxer "Iron Mike": TYSON. No relation to the chicken.

18. Inventory methodology acronym: LIFO. Last In, First Out.

19. Thick Japanese noodle: UDON.

23. Altar promise: I DO.

26. U.S. Election Day: Abbr.: TUE. Coming up again in November.

27. Dunkable treats: DONUTS.

32. Intermittent pork offer from Mickey D's: MCRIB.

33. Soothing cream additive: ALOE.

34. Treated, as a patient: SEEN. I'm treated at the VA Medical Center. I've been seen by many doctors.

35. Cop show shocker: TASER. Kimberly Potter got in trouble for using her gun instead of a taser.

37. Wolfgang Puck, e.g.: CHEF.

41. Bottom of a loafer: SOLE. I'm not the only one.

42. Chicago hub: O'HARE. ORD is its code.

48. Gets money for chips after the game, with "in": CASHES. If you're lucky.

49. Hamburger holder: BUN.

50. How poker players may stand: PAT. If his hand is good enough.

55. Rounded hammer part: PEEN. Ball peen hammer.

56. Horse's morsels: OATS. And 54. "A horse is a horse" horse: MR ED. Of course, of course!

57. Encourages: URGES. I've been trying to convince the doctors to get me out.

61. Two-toned cookie: OREO.

62. Solemn ceremony: RITE. I've skipped Catholic mass for a couple of weeks.

63. Fancy watch brand: SEIKO. When I retied, Graybar gifted me a Bulova watch.

64. Recipe amts.: TSPS.

65. Distinctive periods: ERAS. I'll never forget the ERA I'm in right now.

66. Narrowly defeated: EDGED. Lose by a nose.

Down:

1. Lumber, in baseball: BAT. Louisville Slugger is the best.

 

2. "__ port in a storm": ANY.

3. Wedding reception VIPs: DJS.

4. Christopher Robin's friend: POOH. Winnie.

5. Drink now, pay later: RUN A TAB. Most bars are not long allowing this.

6. Prison city near Chicago: JOLIET. Joliet Prison.

7. Part of CPU: UNIT.

8. Brief quarrel: TIFF.

9. Represented: STOOD FOR.

10. Grads: ALUMNI.

11. Speaker's place: PODIUM. Nancy Pelosi's place.

12. Eyre's creator: BRONTE. Charlotte.

13. Tells the cops everything: SINGS.

21. Commuter's ride: BUS. Or subway.

 22. By __: from memory: ROTE.

23. Pioneering PCs: IBMS.

24. Vegas cubes: DICE. My favorite craps tool.

25. Shrek, for one: OGRE.

29. Take the title: WIN. A lot of bowl game titles are decided on New Year's Day.

30. Art studio stand: EASEL.

31. Grand __ Opry: OLE. Nashville, Tennessee. I never visited it.

35. Kid's favorite shopping site: TOY STORE. I bet they were busy 10 days ago.

36. Matterhorn, e.g.: ALP.

37. Comic Margaret: CHO.

38. Heavenly strings: HARP. I left my HARP in San Fink's Disco.

39. Bombeck of humor: ERMA.

40. Word with gab or Oktober: FEST.

41. Cancel, as an edit: STET.

42. Pointless: OF NO USE.

43. Border guard's demand: PAPERS.

44. Out for the night: ASLEEP. Tough to do in a hospital.

45. Safari herbivores: RHINOS. There's a decent bowler on the PBA Tour called Rhino Page.

 

46. Humiliates: ABASES.

47. Legendary boy king: TUT.

48. 100 smackers: C SPOT. A Benjamin.

52. Hippie musical: HAIR.

53. "At Last" singer James: ETTA.

58. Musician's booking: GIG.

59. __ out: just manage: EKE.

60. Grass in a roll: SOD.

Boomer