Sunday, July 3, 2022 Pam Amick Klawitter

Theme: "Ease Off" - Long E sound is replaced by a long A sound.

22A. Cleaner who doesn't bother with corners?: STRAIGHT SWEEPER. Street sweeper.

45A. Soft sounds from the barnyard?: GENTLE BRAYS. Gentle breeze.

68A. Gardeners who can tend a plot really, really fast?: SPADE DEMONS. Speed demons.

93A. Words on a sale poster?: PRICE PHRASE. Price freeze.

120A. Squabble over whose turn it is to get the car fixed?: MAINTENANCE FRAY. Maintenance-free.

15D. Interruption during the America's Cup?: SUSPENDED SAILING. Suspended ceiling.

37D. Race official?: JUSTICE OF THE PACE. Justice of the peace.

I really admire the creatively into this type of sound change theme. I can only do the letter replacement.

I think newbies can reference this grid when they design a seven-theme for the LAT. It's very well done. Pam is a total pro.

 
Across:

1. Pretend: FEIGN. Injury, interest, etc.

6. Came down: ALIT.

10. Sweets: HON.

13. Playwright Henrik: IBSEN. We have not seen GYNT for sometime.

18. Jetson canine: ASTRO.

19. Actor MacFarlane: SETH.

20. 92-Down base: RICE. 92. Ristorante dish: RISOTTO. Here's Blue Hen's cheater risotto recipe.

21. Timid: MOUSY.

25. Celeb's entourage: POSSE.

26. Epic journey: ODYSSEY. We made two VA trips on Wednesday due to an extra CT scan. Boomer was totally exhausted afterwards.

27. Long skirt: MAXI.

28. Director DuVernay: AVA. Just had her last Sunday.

30. Ad: SPOT.

31. Signature piece?: PEN. Great clue. 

32. Encore presentation: RERUN.

33. Nullify: NEGATE.

35. Army bigwigs: Abbr.: MAJS. Majors. I think 90% of the VA patients I've seen are guys.

38. __ Jima: IWO.

40. Nursery purchase: TREE.

42. Occasion: EVENT.

44. Terre Haute sch.: ISU. Indiana State University.

49. Urgent-care pro: ER DOC. Always takes a long long time to get discharged from the ER. Those doctors tend to disappear.

51. Cotton thread: LISLE.

53. Rosary unit: BEAD.

54. Sporty Chevy: VETTE.

56. Self-image: EGO.

57. Some D.C. pros: NATIONALS. I remember the craze over Bryce Harper's rookie card.

59. Many a middle schooler: PRETEEN.

61. Family man: DAD.

62. Head-scratcher: ENIGMA.

63. Fencing sword: EPEE.

65. Mortise inserts: TENONS.

67. Expert: ACE.

72. __ de cologne: EAU.

74. Deletes: ERASES.

76. Farm tower: SILO.

77. Accommodate: OBLIGE.

80. Loving murmur: COO.

82. Trio-quartet combos: SEPTETS.

84. Rainy day gear: UMBRELLAS.

87. "Walk me!": ARF.

88. More faithful: TRUER.

89. "The Checklist Manifesto" surgeon/author Gawande: ATUL.  Google shows that Atul has the Sanskrit origin, means "matchless or an incomparable person".

90. Besmirch: TAINT.

91. D.C. subway: METRO.

97. Confidentiality contract: Abbr.: NDA. Non-Disclosure Agreement.

98. "Keep your __ on!": SHIRT.

100. Applaud: CLAP.

101. __ Dhabi: ABU.

102. Thickener used in molecular gastronomy: AGAR. Not familiar with "molecular gastronomy", but "thickener" is enough a clue. Agar is widely used in Asian desserts.

103. Prose pieces: ESSAYS.

106. Cybersales: E-TAIL.

108. Helena hrs.: MST.

110. Tit for tat, say?: TYPO. Another great clue.

112. Furry friend: PET.

113. Broadcasts: AIRS.

114. Lactose-free coffee additive: OAT MILK. I use this extra creamy oat milk for my matcha latte.

118. Literature Nobelist who served in the Irish Senate: YEATS. I knew this!

123. Hard-to-handle plants: CACTI.

124. Goes astray: ERRS.

125. Alaskan seaport: NOME.

126. Earring in a Vermeer painting: PEARL. We also have 48. Dutch painter Jan: STEEN.

127. Creme-filled cookies: OREOS.

128. Surname separator: NEE.

129. Short "So long!": TTYL.

130. Common __: SENSE.

Down:

1. Burkina __: West African country: FASO. Capital city: Ouagadougou.

 

 

2. Cornerstone abbr.: ESTD.

3. "It was nothing": I TRY.

4. Understands: GRASPS.

5. __-canceling headphones: NOISE. Our new neighbor has a kid who likes to play basketball in their garage for hours.

6. Like a used firepit: ASHY.

7. Allowed: LET.

8. Personal identification?: IT'S ME.

9. Scuppered: THWARTED. Consonants-heavy.

10. With it: HIP.

11. "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous" novelist Vuong: OCEAN. Also famous for his "Night Sky with Exit Wounds". Here is why he's named Ocean. I have the same problem. My "bitch" and "beach" are the same.

12. Audacity: NERVE.

13. Troublemaking kid: IMP.

14. Second shot: BOOSTER.

16. Petro-Canada rival: ESSO.

17. Russian "no": NYET.

20. "The Princess Bride" director: REINER (Rob). "As you wish!". 

23. Fabled wish-granter: GENIE.

24. Outlying community: EXURB.

29. Info requested by winery websites: AGE. Also 111. Wine label number: YEAR.

32. Canned tomatoes brand: ROTEL. I just threw away an almost full jar of Ragu. I had no idea that the sauce only lasts a week in the fridge.

34. Active Naturals skin care brand: AVEENO. Oaty!

35. Writer who created Pooh and Roo: MILNE.

36. Seoul airline: ASIANA.

39. Org. whose 2021 MVP was Jonquel Jones: WNBA. Playing for the Connecticut Sun

41. Roof overhang: EAVE.

43. Easily improvised costume: TOGA.

45. Math subj.: GEOM.

46. Shined a light on?: LASED.

47. "The best is __ come": YET TO.

50. __ liver oil: COD.

52. Hybrid big cat: LIGER.

55. Stretching muscle: TENSOR.

58. Lake on the Nile: NASSER.

59. Mani-__: spa treatments: PEDIS.

60. Fishing line holder: REEL.

64. Irksome one: PEST.

66. Harlem Renaissance novelist Larsen: NELLA. Learning moment for me.

69. Caffeinate, perhaps: PEP UP.

70. Flower that sounds like a furrier: ASTER. And 75. Furriers who sound like flowers: ASTORS

71. River delta area: MOUTH.

73. Kenya neighbor: UGANDA.

78. __ noire: BETE.

79. Basic Spanish infinitive: ESTAR. To be.

80. GoPro product, briefly: CAM.

81. Mined finds: ORES.

83. Stonestreet of "Modern Family": ERIC.

85. Big picture?: MURAL. This works without the ? also.

86. Spill the beans: BLAB.

89. Plain to see: APPARENT.

94. Spruces up: CLEANS.

95. Totally face-plant: EAT IT. I overhead Boomer shouted "Take that, Janice" when he was watching a Twins & Guardians (Indians) game.

Janice and her daughter at an Indians Game Pre-COVID

96. Poison __: SUMAC. The one on the left is not poisonous.

99. Faucet: TAP.

102. Money paid to get money: ATM FEE.

104. Oman neighbor: YEMEN.

105. Fixed gaze: STARE.

107. Immature comeback: IS NOT.

109. Dance moves: STEPS.

110. Bygone name in toys: TYCO.

114. Turow book: ONE L.

115. Setting of the memoir "Reading Lolita in Tehran": IRAN.

116. Metallica drummer Ulrich: LARS.

117. "Friday Night Lights" actor Chandler: KYLE.

119. "__-boom-bah!": SIS.

121. Anger: IRE.

122. Minnesota senator Klobuchar: AMY.  We're a super blue state.

Thanks for the sweet birthday wishes. We were super busy that day with various appointments, but we enjoyed a chocolate cake, some red apricots (new to me) on a beautiful Minnesota summer day.

Boomer completed his radiation on Friday. Unfortunately his oncologist tested positive for COVID, so he was not able to get bone strengthener infusion, which is postponed to July 11th. 

Next week we'll meet with the spinal cord doctor. And his normal PT/OT. 

C.C.

Saturday, July 2, 2022, Angela Olson Halsted

 Saturday Themeless by Angela Olson

Angela Olson Halsted is a legal secretary in Washington, D.C., and the mother of two college students. She is also a baseball fan and her favorite team is the Washington Nationals.

Angela's puzzle contained some very interesting and fascinating fill for which I can say, I was "TODAY'S YEARS OLD" when I became enlightened! The Chase slide rule was fabulous! So now, while I'm still wondering how I knew about WARNERS intimates, let's explore Angela's puzzle.

Across:

1. Acknowledged mistakes: ERRATA - I had some but they self-corected

7. Leads: CHAIRS - CHAIRperson over CHAIRman is fine by me

13. Secure, in a way: SEAL OFF - How we SEAL OFF our garden from the bunnies

15. One cog in the Big Red Machine: GRIFFEY.

16. Bach work: CANTATA - What is a CANTATA?

17. Birthplace of Kamala Harris: OAKLAND - California, October 20, 1964

18. Ron Rifkin spy series: ALIAS - Ron and Jennifer Garner are front and center

19. Shortsighted one: MYOPE - Nearsightedness is MYOPIA so...

21. Number of Olympic medals won by Katie Ledecky: TEN - Here's some of them

22. Map marker: PIN.

23. Many chords: TRIADS - C E G

25. Saltimbocca flavor: SAGE - Mistaking Saltimbocca for the liquor Sambuca sent me into a blind alley before the herb appeared.

26. Spanish 101 word: ESTA.

28. Troubles: ILLS.

29. Chase with a slide rule: UTLEY - My favorite clue. This vicious slide by Chase UTLEY broke Ruben Tejada's fibula and so MLB rewrote the "slide rule" and it has informally been called the Chase UTLEY slide rule ever since. I knew the name and baseball fan Angela must have as well.

 

30. Age of enlightenment?: TODAY YEARS OLD - Another fun clue. I was TODAY YEARS OLD when I learned about the information below.

35. Oscar nominee who voiced Michelle Obama on "The Simpsons": ANGELA BASSETT.

33. Brody of "The O.C.": ADAM - Second from the left w/Saturday cluing 

34. Like one due for an inheritance?: MEEK - Another great clue! Yeah sure, you didn't first think of HEIR like I did. Unfortunately having HEIR in the clue violated crossword protocol. 

40. It may be pulled by an athlete: GROIN

41. Polo who played Rebecca on "Sports Night": TERI - Second from the left. I thought is was a smart, funny show but it couldn't find an audience after two seasons 

42. Emulate Kelly Slater: SURF.

44. __ buco: OSSO - Frequent crossword fare 

45. Beer mugs: STEINS.

47. Drag queen Bianca Del __: RIO.

48. Present mo.: DEC - The present (adj.) month is July but in DEC. you get presents (noun)

49. All thumbs: INEPT - Not him

50. Freezes, say: NUMBS.

52. Unavailable, in a way: ON ORDER - The couch for our sunroom has been ON ORDER since May 2.

54. Like Romeo and Juliet: AMOROUS.

56. "All You Need" intimates brand: WARNERS - Google if you must

57. Carriage return creation: NEW LINE - A remnant of manual typewriters with its own song.

58. Nats division: NL EAST - Angela's team.

59. Theologian for whom a Connecticut university is named: WESLEY - Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT. My Father's Day puzzle constructor was Dr. Fred Ohles who is the President Emeritus of Nebraska Wesleyan University. He also was the constructor for the Feb. 3, 2021 LA Times Crossword.

Down:

1. "__ at Dannemora": Arquette miniseries: ESCAPE.

2. Pragmatic sort: REALIST - They would choose possible over insisting on perfect.

3. Met: RAN INTO.

4. Resort near Deer Valley: ALTA - It looks like a one hour drive

5. Done for: TOAST - Custer was TOAST when he underestimated the Lakota and Cheyenne warriors at Little Big Horn

6. Back on board: AFT - Back of the boat

7. Casino game: CRAPS.

8. Sharp increase: HIKE - You want how much for a gallon of gas?

9. Samuel Gompers' org.: AFL.

10. "... maybe not even that": IF AT ALL.

11. Went back (on): RENEGED.

12. World's largest natural harbor: SYDNEY - If you look closely, you can see SYDNEY's most famous landmark jutting out into the harbor 

14. Jaleel White's show: FAMILY MATTERS - He was the irrepressible Urkel

15. Roadside assistant?: GOOD SAMARITAN.

20. Lupita Nyong'o's alma mater: YALE - From a 2/1/22 Julian Lim puzzle: "50-Across. Oscar-winning actress for "12 Years a Slave": LUPITA NYONG'O"

24. Saudi capital: RIYAL - Either of these meals will run you 20﷼ RIYALS ($5.33) in Riyadh 

25. Stirs up: STOKES.

27. Not quite lento: ADAGIO - Both are slow, ADAGIO is 66 - 76 beats/min and lento is 45 - 60 beats/min

29. Presses into service: USES.

31. Arabian port: ADEN - If you want to drive from ADEN to Riyadh for that McDonalds deal, it'll take a lot of gas.

32. Frankincense or myrrh: RESIN - Where can I get these?

35. Football club founded in 1886: ARSENAL - We say soccer, in London they say football

36. Love all?: NO SCORE - 0 - 0 in tennis's arcane scoring system

37. Honk: BEEP.

38. Unrest: TURMOIL.

39. Chicago daily: TRIBUNE.

40. Happen: GO DOWN - Everybody knew when the confrontation would GO DOWN in this minute-by-minute movie. 

43. "Woman in the Mists" subject: FOSSEY - Her book and a book about her

45. Comics dog in a Viking helmet: SNERT.

46. Olympia from Maine: SNOWE.

49. Time to beware: IDES - Last Saturday, Nova and Matthew had the very clever "55. Mid day?: IDES" 

51. Bing returns: URLS - Bing is a search engine 

53. Messenger __: RNA - Interested? Here's a 2 min. video

55. Catlike Pokémon: MEW - There are 905 Pokémons and I think you can pick MEW out of this limited assortment.

Angela, we would love to have you comment on your puzzle by clicking below.

Friday, July 1, 2022, Doug Peterson

Title: This is no laughing matter! It is a puzzle, so solve it!

It is interesting that a constructor with at least 400 published puzzles is back at the LAT with 5 or 6 new ones this year, but who is counting. It is worth revisiting his INTERVIEW with C.C. back in 2008, a year when he had 11 published here alone. He was an influence on C.C., I am sure. 

Today we have a "remove letter" theme to create new and whimsical phrases clued for silliness. This makes the puzzle a gem as its title is opposite to the apparent intention of the puzzle. Brilliant. Doug excises HA from the four theme answers with the central reveal. It is a 16 letter phrase, so the puzzle becomes a 16 x 15 grid which adds to the solving fun, more words, more fun. While the puzzle is dominated by the themers and the reveal there are some sparkly fill, BRAGGARTS, ELDORADOS, POTENTATE and SAUCEPANS. It is unusual to have three with plurals. Let's start with the themers.

18A. Nana who deciphers coded messages?: GRAHAM CRACKER (11). I find this one very funny, picturing my dear grandmothers (both) sitting around, talking to each other about their rotten children while every so often getting a transmission to decode. Yes, they are sipping tea and dunking their GRAHAM crackers. 

24A. Skirmish between rival hives?: BATTLE OF HASTINGS (14). Also amusing as I can picture the Queen Bees (one of whom looks like Queen Mary of Scots) sending out the poor soldiers to die. The HISTORY here was real and the dead really died. We enjoyed watching:

52A. Horses now tame enough to ride?: CREATURES OF HABIT (14). This is a real stretch for me. While it is true they are taught ride with a bit controlled by a rider, the phrase does not resonate. A mini CSO to our favorite Nun (Lucy), except maybe Sally Field. How many bad habits did you have Lucy? You know I mean outfits.

63A. Speck of dust atop the Matterhorn?: ALPHA PARTICLE (11). LINK.

And the reveal:

40A. Serious business, and a hint to four answers in this puzzle: NO LAUGHING MATTER (16). I love that a puzzle designed to make me laugh is billed this way. A good set-up for the rest, but don't rest yet.

Across:

1. Symbol in the center of Cameroon's flag: STAR.
                                                           

 

5. Sentence server: INMATE. Once the perps led me here it was easy. Been there done that. 

11. Retro-hip beers, for short: PBRS. Pabst Blue Ribbons. My first beer was a Pabst which convinced me beer was not for me.

15. Quaint sigh: AH ME. 

16. "Mad About You" co-star: REISER. Paul has resurrected his career with his stints in STRANGER THINGS, THE KOMINSKY METHOD and even a 35 year sequel to the original show.

17. Baseball analyst Hershiser: OREL. A very successful player  for the LA Dodgers.

20. Finger food, in Zaragoza: TAPA. Zaragoza is the capital of northeastern Spain's Aragon region, but to me it was just a Spanish sounding name and there are many restaurants in South Florida offering Tapas. Though. I have never tried the fingers. 

21. Colleague of Amy and Elena: SONIA. Out of 115 justices that have served on the court, only five have been women. Three are currently serving: Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Amy Coney Barret, who replaced RBG who had before her death suggested 9 women would make a good court. 

22. Novelist Jaffe: RONA. Ms. Jaffe wrote a book called The Best of Everything describing her four years working at Fawcett Publishing. As show in this Encyclopedia.com ARTICLE it has spawned many successful books, movies and tv series.

23. Showbiz grand slam: EGOT. I think this makes three write ups in a row for this answer in one form or another.

28. Used a rocker: SAT. A specific sounding clue hides a general answer.

29. Black Sea resort: YALTA. The Yalta Conference was a meeting of three World War II allies: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin. The trio met in February 1945 in the resort city of Yalta, located along the Black Sea coast of the Crimean Peninsula, an area very much back in the news. 

30. Functions: USES. See, some are easy.

34. ESPNU topic: NCAA. Colleges are the focus for both.

37. Boot camp barker: SARGE. A CSO to Tom from Wednesday?

44. "The Masked Dancer" panelist Paula: ABDUL.

45. Serious locks: MANE. More horsing around.

46. Name in a Salinger title: ESME. A short story in a book he published before Catcher in the Rye. Our academics can expound here. 

47. The planets, e.g.: OCTAD. Can you name all eight, or do you hang on to Pluto?

50. Masked caller: UMP. A really fun clue/fill. Not easy but inferable. 

58. Smack: SLAP. A common form of discipline when we were young at home or in school.

59. Evian et Perrier: EAUX. The French word for water, and two waters from France. 

60. Like some Windows errors: FATAL. You do not want to see that message. A fatal error is a type of error that forces a computer program to close or the entire operating system to shut down suddenly. This type of error is commonly associated with the blue screen of death in Windows, but less severe fatal exception errors only cause a single program to close. Lifewire.

62. Best Picture Oscar winner directed by Siân Heder: CODA. Siân, despite the exotic spelling of her name was born in Massachusetts and began writing and putting together movies at an early age. Her IMDB.

66. Big name in skin care: AVON. Are they calling you?

67. Coffee cup insulator: SLEEVE. I think this is backwards, as the sleeve insulates the hand buying the drink.

68. Consequently: THEN. People can buy and drink hot coffee.

69. Snafu: MESS. Ooh, ooh! Bad words implied here.

70. Shadow canvas: EYELID.

71. Org. scheme: SYSTem.

Down:

1. Gives a little: SAGS. I hope we are talking pillows not bodies.

2. Pulsate strongly: THROB. Is it just me or does the Scottish porn star Throb Roy come to mind? See 24A, supra.

3. Maker of the first refrigerator with a dry-erase door: AMANA. Wow, but what do I do with all the free calendars and note pads?

4. Mail payment: REMIT. When did I MIT the payment? Do I need to pay a late charge?

5. Like some vbs.: IRRegular.

6. PBS benefactor: NEA. National Education Association.

7. Smaller than small: MICRO. A clecho. 9D. Smaller than small: TEENSY.

8. Request from: ASK OF. Yes JFK, good question.

10. Collected goofs: ERRATA. 

11. Sovereign: POTENTATE and 12D. Self-promoters: BRAGGARTS which balance...

32. Cadillacs manufactured for 50  years:  ELDORADOS and 33. They often hang around kitchens: SAUCE PANS all nine letter fill...

13. Bank actions, briefly: REPOS.

14. Crate piece: SLAT. 

19. Pets who may squeeze into shoeboxes: CATS. CED, help.

25. Lana of Smallville: LANG. Kristen Kreuk is one of the early exotic actresses who blend the delicacy of Asian women with the strength of European men. 

26. Mark for good: ETCH. Using acid will make it forever.

27. "Casablanca" role: ILSA. Lauren Bacall, shall we play it for her?

                                

30. Telemundo article: UNA. One in Spinach, oops Spanish.

31. Blubber: SOB. He spilt some milk. 

35. Point: AIM. Then fire.

36. Santa __ winds: ANA.

38. Bit of finery: GEM.  The favorite of my comrades says no!

39. Palindrome in stanzas: ERE. Poetic enough for you all, Owen, Misty, Canadian Eh, Moe? 

41. Sephora rival: ULTA. Would you like some COMPARISONS?

42. Veld grazers: GNUS. M-W tells us this is a grassland especially of southern Africa usually with scattered shrubs or trees. Do they look for new velds?

43. __ pad: MEMO.

48. Relaxed: AT EASE. Yes sir!

49. Pickup truck with four rear wheels: DUALLY. A dual rear-wheel truck (DRW) – often referred to as a dually – is a heavy-duty pickup truck with two rear wheels on each side, allowing more road contact and width for greater stability, balance, and traction while driving. A favorite for some of our players.

51. "Hah, right!": PFFT. The interjection PFFT (pronounced "pufft") is used to dismiss something that someone has said or typed. In Thai it is PFFT.

52. Mulled wine spice: CLOVE. Also our new friend Star Anise. RECIPE.

53. Karachi currency: RUPEE. This CURRENCY; not to be confused with the RUFEE  a strong benzodiazepine.

54. Run out: EXPEL. The bad guys out of town, not the cornmeal for the pone.

55. Heckles: BAITS. Baits seems too specific, as you heckle to upset someone, to interfere but usually not wanting a real response. I see it more as badgering. 

56. Like wool, for many: ITCHY. Just wear underwear there.

57. Lore: TALES. Spoken legends.

58. Grifter's game: SCAM. Grifter is an American invention, dating back to the early 20th century, but appears to be based on the slightly older slang term “grafter,” also meaning “swindler,” “con man” or simply “thief.” Some authorities believe that grifter is actually a combination of “grafter” and “drifter." The Word Detective.

61. Temporarily provided: LENT. Wrong time of the year.

64. Prefix for the birds?: AVI. That sounds rather judgmental, it seems like a fine prefix to me.

65. Rare color?: RED. I guess it is time to go eat some meat, seared on the outside and rare on the inside. This makes for an excellent time to bring this write up to a close and thank Doug, C.C., Patti, Cristina, Moe, Heart Rx, all the current bloggers, and all of you outstanding readers, writers, commenters, thinkers, poets, who make this experience what it is. I also appreciate the understanding of my computer skills, and lack thereof. Until next time. Lemonade out.

I thought I would be back from the beach earlier. Happy Canada Day to C Eh and all of the constructors, commenters and just plain Canucks. My mother's family still have many ties to Quebec, PEI and Ottawa.

Oo and I are starting the 4th month of our beach cleaning walks which are part of my health regimen. Today was very successful with two bags full. Nobody was fishing so it was plastic bottles, cups, paper a single 16EEE basketball sneaker and a hypodermic with needle still attached. They were not near each other so don't worry about Shaq.

There also was the interesting return to our car and this truck delivering to the Briny Pub