Tuesday, January 17, 2023 Rebecca Goldstein

Where's the Beef?  In-N-Out Burger serves Animal Style burgers.  Hopefully the burgers are still made with beef and not the animals depicted in today's puzzle.

3-Down. *  Short stiletto: KITTEN HEEL.

6-Down. *  Updo in a scrunchie, maybe: PONY TAIL.

9-Down. *  Shirt with a snug collar: TURTLE NECK.

51-Across. Option on In-N-Out Burger's not-so-secret menu, or the fashion sense that includes the answers to the starred clues?: ANIMAL STYLE.  In-N-Out Burger is a California-based burger chain, so unless you live in that area, you might not be aware of the various "not-so-secret" menu of their burgers.  That may change soon, however.  Just this past weekend, the company announced it will be opening a restaurant in Nashville, Tennessee.

Across:

1. Some cast-iron cookware: WOKS.

5. Letters on a foundation?: SPF.  As in Sun Protection Factor.  Everything you wanted to know about SPF but didn't know to ask.

8. Singer Redding: OTIS.  Otis Redding (né Otis Ray Redding, Jr.; Sept. 9, 1941 ~ Dec. 10, 1967) was a talented singer and songwriter.  Tragically, he his career was cut short when he was killed in a plane crash at age 26.  [Name # 1.]

12. Reebok rival: AVIA.  Both are brands of running shoes.

13. Husband-to-be: GROOM.

15. "That hurt!": OUCH.  //  And 8-Down. "That hurt!": OOF!

16. Oval Office override: VETO.

17. Trivial: MINOR.

18. On the house: FREE.

19. Doc with an otoscope: ENT.  As in Ears, Nose, and Throat.

20. Component of some paint and nails: ACRYLIC.

22. "More info soon": TBD.  As in To Be Determined.

23. Severe: STERN.  Also the back of the boat.

25. Had a bite: ATE.

26. Angels' auras: HALOS.

28. With crisp resolution: IN HD. High Definition.

29. Currency with loonies and toonies, briefly: CAD.  Everything you wanted to know about Loonies and Loonies but didn't know to ask.  Hi, Canadian, Eh!

I guess there will have to be a new version of the Toonie now that Elizabeth is gone.

30. Kingston with a recurring role on "Doctor Who": ALEX.  Alex Kingston (née Alexandra Elizabeth Kingston; b. Mar. 11, 1963) is a British actress who portrayed Dr. Elizabeth Corday on the television series ER.  She also has a recurring role as River Song on the British series Doctor Who.  [Name # 2.] 

31. Textspeak qualifier: IMHO.  In My Humble Opinion, I am not keen on this type of cluing.

32. Leveling strips: SHIMS.

34. "You only live __": ONCE.  YOLO!

36. Nourish: FEED.

37. Prefix meaning "primitive": PALEO-.  It's also a trendy diet.

38. Recover: HEAL.

39. Causing goose bumps, maybe: FREAKY.

41. Clobbers: WHACKS.

43. French couture monogram: YSL.  Yves Saint Laurent (né Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent; Aug. 1, 1936 ~ June 1, 2008) was a French fashion designer. In 1962, he founded his eponymous fashion label.   [Name # 3.]

44. Green prefix: ECO-.

46. Noodle soup garnished with basil and lime: Phở.  I ate a lot of Phở on my recent trip to Southeast Asia.  It is really delicious.

47. Hawaii's Mauna __: KEA.  Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano on the Big Island.  It is the highest point in the State of Hawaii.

48. Revelatory cries: AHAs!

49. Overnight __: breakfast dish: OATS.  You, too, can make this breakfast dish.  I have never eaten overnight oats, but it might be worth a try.

54. Arrange in a row: ALIGN.

56. Obtained: GOT.

57. "Yer __ here!": OUTTA.

60. Spanish toast: SALUD.  Today's Spanish lesson.  Hi, Lucina!

61. Prefix with Pen: EPI-.  The EpiPen was the center of a scandal a few years back.

62. Unit of salt or sand: GRAIN.

63. Group of friends: POSSE.

64. Place that may be kept quiet?: SET.  Think of a movie set.

65. Suitably: APTLY.

Down:

1. Surfer's need: WAVES.

2. Kitchen counters?: OVEN TIMERS.  Cute clue.

4. "Saint," in Portuguese place names: SÃO.  Portuguese is spoken in Brazil, and São Paulo is one of its major cities.

5. Condiment also known as "rooster sauce": SRIRACHA.  Sriracha is a hot pepper sauce that has its origin in Thailand.  Apparently, it is known as Rooster Sauce because of the rooster on the company's logo.

7. "I had no idea!": FOOLED ME!

10. Chilled dessert: ICEBOX CAKE.  If you feel so inspired, here is a recipe.

11. Storage structures: SHEDS.

13. Hummer EV automaker: GMC.  These were hot items several years back.

14. Hosp. scan: MRI.  As we learned last week, they are not kin to the CT.

20. "Your point being?": AND.  //  And 33-Down. "Your point being?": SO WHAT.

21. Tea, in Mandarin: CHA.

24. Valerie Harper sitcom of the 1970s: RHODA.  Valerie Harper (née Valerie Kathryn Harper; Aug.  22, 1939 ~ Aug. 30, 2019) began her career as a dancer on Broadway.  She is probably best known, however, for her portrayal of Rhoda Morgenstern on the Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spinoff Rhoda.  [Name # 4.]

27. Waikiki welcome: ALOHA.

31. Far from certain: IFFY.

32. Hidden video gadget: SPYCAM.

35. Idina's "Frozen" role: ELSA.  Idina Kim Menzel (b. May 30, 1971) is primarily known for her work in Broadway musicals, especially her role as Elsa on Frozen.  [Name # 5.]

40. "President Barack Obama" portraitist __ Wiley: KEHINDE.  Kehinde Wiley (b. Feb. 28, 1977) is a Nigerian-American artist best known for his portraits.  [Name # 6.]

42. Exercise discipline in a very warm studio: HOT YOGA.  It is a trending form of yoga, but not a form I practice.

45. Great Plains people: OSAGES.  For a good history of the Osage tribe, I recommend Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann.

46. Sticky note: POST IT.

48. Scottish beef cattle: ANGUS.  Everything you wanted to know about the Black Angus cattle, but didn't know to ask.

50. Drink noisily: SLURP.

51. Isn't well: AILS.

52. Easy stride: LOPE.

53. Californie, par exemple: ÉTAT.  Today's French lesson.

54. Venomous snake: ASP.  A crossword staple.

55. Thai neighbor: LAO.  What do Thailand and Laos have in common?

58. "Don't knock it __ you try it": TIL.

59. "__ minute now": ANY.  Any minute now you will comment on this blog.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Monday January 16, 2023 Jack Murtagh

  

Hello Cornerites!

sumdaze here. Today's puzzle comes to us from constructor Jack Murtagh. Searching our blog, I could only find one other L.A. Times puzzle by Jack. That one appeared on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019 and had a fun, step-down gimmick. Welcome back, Jack!

The theme for today's puzzle is        GO FIGURE!

an idiomatic expression that expresses perplexity, puzzlement, or surprise.

One might find a bit of each of those in today's offering. Let's take a look.

Beginning with the themed clues, we find:

20 Across. *Spiderlike arachnid: DADDY LONG-LEGS.

Why "Spiderlike"?

33 Across. *Does some rear-tire balancing on one's bike: POPS A WHEELIE.

41 Across. *Personification of a snowy season: OLD MAN WINTER.

Old Man Winter by Keegan Currier
pen & ink on bristol board

And the unifier:

56 Across. Some male role models, and what can be found at the starts of the answers to the starred clues: FATHER FIGURES.

noun

1. an older man who is respected for his paternal qualities and may be an emotional substitute for a father.

DADDY, POPS, and OLD MAN are all synonyms for FATHER. (You can ask Anon-T about the 2nd one.) CSO to all the Cornerite FATHERs & FATHER FIGURES!

Now that we have that straightened out, I will warn you that, in recognition of the FATHERly subject matter, I am going to intersperse today's write up with a dozen DAD jokes.  Groan!

Dad Joke #1:  Why do spiders know everything?  They get their information from the web.

Dad Joke #2:  Why didn't the bicycle stand up?  It was tw0 tired.

Still here? OK, let's move on to the rest of the grid.

Across:

1. Fastener that's an apt rhyme of "clasp": HASP.  a flat metal plate with a loop through which the lock goes in. 

5. Damp: MOIST.  MOIST makes the List of Words Everyone Seems to Hate

10. Units of electrical resistance: OHMS. and 10 Down. Greek letter that represents 10-Across, in physics: OMEGA.  Nice crossing!

14. Norway's capital: OSLO. Its currency is the Krone.

15. Elevator button symbol: ARROW.

16. TV alien played by Robin Williams: MORK.

Mork & Mindy 1978 - 1982
Hand up for having a pair of ranibow suspenders like Mork's.

17. Bank claim: LIEN.  Add an 'a' to get 16A.

18. Sierra __, Africa: LEONE.  7 Interesting Facts

19. Marketplace for unique gifts: ETSY.  Founded in 2005. How did constructors manage before that?

23. French toast need: EGG.  My grandmother immigrated from Marseilles, France. French toast was her best dish.

Dad Joke #3:  What kind of cars do EGGs drive?  Yolkswagons.

24. Mantra syllables: OMS.  Not to be confused with 10A. OHMS.

25. Slushy drink: FRAPPÉ.  I do not drink caffeine so I had to look this up. It appears to be a shaken iced coffee drink invented in Greece in the 1950s, though the name derives from the French word for "shaken".

28. Sitcom title role for Brandy: MOESHA.  Here is the IMDB Page.

30. Alien-hunting org.: SETI.  Acronym for Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence. about SETI and a Primer on SETI

32. Large deer: ELK.  Differenece Between Elk and Deer

36. Mother Earth, in Greek myth: GAIA.

39. "It's the end of an __": ERA.

40. Pub orders: ALES.

46. Female deer: DOE.  a deer, a female deer ♪♪♪

47. Charged particles: IONS.

48. Attribute (to): IMPUTE.

52. Rudder locales: STERNS.

54. Computing pioneer Lovelace: ADA.  Recognizing Ms. Lovelace's contributions is a good opportunity to recommend this episode of the Planet Money podcast on women and computing. Episode 576: When Women Stopped Coding (You can listen for 17 minutes or read the transcript.)

55. Green vegetable: PEA.

Dad Joke #4:  I went to see a beet poet the other day. There were a lot of hip PEAs there.

60. Protruding part of a fedora: BRIM.

Indiana Jones wore a brown fedora.

62. Speechify: ORATE.

Speechify:  verb

1. deliver a speech, especially in a tedious or pompous way.

63. Post-it __: NOTE.

Lisa Kudrow in Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion (1997)

"Um, I invented Post-Its."

64. Like a five-star hotel: LUXE.

adjective

1. expensive and of high quality; luxurious.

   "the luxe 65-room Four Seasons hotel"

65. Some spouses: WIVES.

66. Actress Arlene: DAHL.  (Aug. 11, 1925 - Nov. 29, 2021) She is known for playing the lead in the 1959 version of Journey to the Center of the Earth and for being Lorenzo Lamas' mother. No relation to Roald, a more 'Monday-ish' name.

Arlene & Lorenzo

After completing Sunday's puzzle, I had to add this note to my write-up. Did you remember Arlene's last name? It turns out that C.C. and I grabbed the same pic from the internet.

67. Adolescent: TEEN.

68. Part of some school uniforms: SKIRT.

69. Mined materials: ORES.  Not to be confused with 6D.

Down:
1. Texas __: poker variety: HOLD 'EM.  Another HOLDover from yesterday's puzzle.

2. Nutty Italian cheese: ASIAGO.

Dad Joke #5:  What do you call cheese that isn't yours?  Nacho cheese.

3. R&B singer Percy: SLEDGE.  Perhaps best know for When a Man Loves a Woman (1966).

4. Frog habitat: POND.

Just for the smiles....

Dad Joke #6:  Why do frogs never park illegally?  They are afraid of getting toad.

5. Store locator in a large retail space: MALL MAP.

6. Cookies that came in limited-edition Neapolitan and Snickerdoodle flavors in 2022: OREOS.  25 Really Weird Oreo Flavors

7. Waffle __: IRON.  clever way to clue this CW staple

Dad Joke #7:  Why didn't the man IRON his 4-leaf clover?  He didn't want to press his luck.

8. Tune: SONG.  Let's enjoy a cheerful Sesame Street throwback (in Spanish, too).

9. Last of a dozen: TWELFTH.  The 12th elf taught me a trick for writing  this word.

11. Tough stretch of summer: HOT SPELL.

Dad Joke #8:  What is the witch's favorite subject in school?  SPELLing.

12. __ Claus: North Pole resident: MRS. 

13. Cloud's place: SKY.

21. Start of a pirate chant: YO HO. A pirate's life for me!

a YO HO sing-a-long

Dad Joke #9:  How much does a pirate pay to get his ears pierced? A buck an ear.

22. New York canal: ERIE.

26. Ballet class bend: PLIÉ.

27. Squeaks (by): EKES.

29. Email filter target: SPAM. Speaking of OREOS (6D) and SPAM...

Any takers?

30. South Asian dresses: SARIS.

31. Actor McGregor: EWAN.

34. Stitched up: SEWN.

I wonder what this Stitch is Up to?

35. Wyatt of Tombstone: EARP.

36. Neil Gaiman's "American __": GODS.  Not really my thing but I did read it a couple of years ago out of curiosity. Speaking of FATHER FIGURES, it is full of symbolism.

37. Very often: A LOT.

Dad Joke #10:  Why was the math book crying?  Because it had A LOT of problems.

38. French phrase meaning "obsession": IDÉE FIXE.  My French grandmother did not teach me this one.

42. "__ that the truth!": AIN'T.

43. Absentees: NO SHOWS.

44. Most clutter-free: TIDIEST.

45. Online periodical: EMAG.  Electronic MAGazine

49. Commotion: UPROAR.

Dad Joke #11:  What kind of lion doesn't roar?  A dandelion.

50. Sprout incisors: TEETHE.  "Sprout" is a verb here, so it "TEETHE".

51. Art studio stands: EASELS.

53. Budget noodle dish: RAMEN.  When I used to snowboard in Japan, I always liked to stop for a steaming bowl of ラーメン at lunchtime. Then, with a warm belly, I would go upstairs to the napping area.

54. __-dinner mint: AFTER.  Hand up for missing the hyphen and getting stuck on trying to think of a brand name.

57. Miami Heat coach Spoelstra: ERIK.  Men's basketball. Perps helped.

On April 28, 2008, Spoelstra became the 6th Head Coach in Heat history. As of this writing, his team is at 22 (W) and 20 (L). I wonder if any of his players think of him as a FATHER FIGURE.

58. Sitarist Shankar: RAVI.

Dad Joke #Last of a dozen:  Knock knock. Who's there? Ravi. Ravi who? Ravioli.

59. "Go back!" computer command: UNDO.

60. Sandwich letters: BLT.  Bacon, Lettuce, & Tomato

61. "You will __ the day!": RUE.  I hope not. The DAD jokes weren't that bad.

Here's the grid:

That's all for today. I look forward to reading your thoughts!