Sunday March 26, 2023 Dylan Schiff & Matthew Stock

Theme:  "Split a Ride" - Eight different car makes are split up by one letter, those letters orderly spell out "car parts".

23. Snarky response to criticism: WELL EXCUSE ME. Lexus.

32. Snack source: VENDING MACHINE. GMC.

41. Store with discounted athletic apparel: UNDER ARMOUR OUTLET. Ram.

64. Oscar night phrase: THE ENVELOPE PLEASE. Opel.

74. Festivals with jousts: RENAISSANCE FAIRES. Nissan.

96. Cartoon Network show about a boy-genius inventor: DEXTER'S LABORATORY. Tesla.

105. The whole lot: KIT AND CABOODLE. Kia.

120. "Just wait till I tell Mom!": YOU ARE SO DEAD. Rio.

Did you guys all get the "CAR PARTS" part? Patti normally wants a reveal for this type of gimmick, but 8 long theme entries are always quite a lot to accommodate. The fill is just so smooth.

Across:

1. "Nonsense!": BOSH.

5. Illinois-Indiana border river: WABASH. Indiana state song: "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away"

11. With 56-Down, be connected: HAVE. 56. See 11-Across: AN IN.

15. Pops: DAD.

18. Calculus calculation: AREA.

19. Place to purchase oils: ART SHOP.

21. Mole, for one: UNIT. SI unit of amount of substance. Wikipedia gives these examples: 10 moles of water and 10 moles of mercury .

 22. Rage: IRE.

25. "Drat!": GOSH DARN. Great 8.

27. Candies on sticks, informally: LOLLIES. Candies on sticks, Chinese-style.

28. Like music from "The Twilight Zone": EERIE.

30. Prom queen toppers: TIARAS.

31. "How curious": ODD.

35. "Was that us?": DID WE?

38. Tote __: BAG.

39. "Catch my drift?": SEE.

40. Tripod's trio: LEGS.

48. Gel: SET.

49. Aesop racer: HARE.

50. Gym count: REP. Andy is now happy again. He likes the new gym. The last gym he liked did not survive COVID.

51. Standard: NORM.

52. Filing aids: TABS.

54. Writer/director Phyllis: NAGY. Learning moment for me. She wrote the screenplay for "Carol".

56. "Written in the Stars" musical: AIDA.

57. Carpentry tool: RIPSAW.

61. Put in stitches: SEW.

69. Modify to fit: ADAPT.

71. Hudson Riv. tech school: RPI. Spitzboov went there. We also have 72. The NCAA's Spartans: MSU.

73. Runs in place: IDLES.

80. Nosh: EAT.

81. First name in Indian politics: INDIRA. Gandhi. Daughter of Nehru.

82. "Fall back" interval: HOUR.

83. Drop: OMIT.

85. Tricky rink move: DEKE. Shout-out to Splynter. Maybe an updated picture?

87. Thick hair: MANE.

88. Maker of Two Baroque Pearls nail polish: OPI.

89. Yemen neighbor: OMAN.

93. Watch chain: FOB. Forgot to take the fob out when I washed my puffer. Dumb!

100. Many a Meccan: ARAB.

102. Unagi roll protein: EEL. Our local Asian store has these frozen packages of eels.

103. Dreidel, for one: TOP.

104. Get emotional, with "up": CHOKE.

111. Tuna in poke bowls: AHI.

112. App follower, often: ENTREE.

113. With 121-Down, seat of California's Orange County: SANTA. 121. See 113-Across: ANA.

114. Spanish expression of shock: DIOS MIO. My god.

118. Fibbed: TOLD A LIE.

123. Untouched serve: ACE.

124. Crowd din: ROAR.

125. Member of the "Oregon Trail Generation": XENNIAL. Portmanteau of Generation X and Millennials. According to Wikipedia, it's used to describe a "micro-generation" or "cross-over generation" of people whose birth years are between the late 1970s and the early 1980s, with some sources extending the Xennial date range to the mid-1980s. 

126. Facts and stats, in a debate: AMMO.

127. Poetic partner of Wynken and Blynken: NOD.

128. Figures shared with CPAs: SSNS.

129. Dependable: STABLE.

130. Polite affirmative: YES'M.

Down:

1. Sob: BAWL.

2. Cold Stone Creamery mix-in: OREO.

3. Hawk: SELL.

4. Night when Linus waits for the Great Pumpkin: HALLOWEEN.

5. Treated a surfboard: WAXED.

6. Bottle rocket paths: ARCS.

7. Utility bill meas.: BTU.

8. Burro: ASS.

9. Luster: SHEEN.

10. __ in on: HOMED.

11. Significant addition to a team: HUGE GET. Debut fill.

12. "That's __-brainer!": A NO.

13. Scenic view: VISTA.

14. Value system: ETHIC.

15. Books about everyday life?: DIARIES. Nice clue.

16. Put in order: ARRANGE.

17. Most populous: DENSEST.

20. Gilpin of "Frasier": PERI. And 26. Actress Arlene: DAHL.

24. Down source: EIDER.

29. "To recap ... ": IN SUM.

32. Improvised jazz part: VAMP.

33. Challenge to clubhouse chemistry: EGO.

34. Patty __: MELT.

35. "How obvious!": DUH.

36. Garten of "Barefoot Contessa": INA.

37. Video game with a floor mat, for short: DDR. Dance Dance Revolution.

38. Frozen dessert brand: BREYERS. I used to get this for Boomer.

42. "Gah!": ARGH.

43. Abbr. on some college apparel: UNIV.

44. Sat atop: RODE.

45. __ surgeon: ORAL.

46. Tombstone name: EARP.

47. Georgia capital: TBILISI. The country. Also 98. Ga. capital: ATL.

53. Raced: SPED.

55. Clad: ATTIRED.

58. Kid-lit classic "Caps for __": SALE.

59. On the ocean: ASEA.

60. Left in the map room: WEST.

61. Wraparound dress: SARI.

62. Idyllic setting: EDEN.

63. Mascara applicator: WAND.

65. Org. funding clean transportation: EPA.

66. Actor Sharif: OMAR.

67. Tire meas.: PSI.

68. Ace of Base genre: EUROPOP.

70. Invoice stamp: PAID.

75. Hibachi restaurant potable: SAKE. My toner has sake.

76. Blacken: CHAR.

77. Forever and ever: EONS.

78. Gas or wood: FUEL.

79. Gulf States title: EMIR.

84. Until now: TO THIS DAY. I can't wait for April.

86. Office VIP: EXEC.

87. __ toast: MELBA.

88. Thin wind: OBOE.

90. __ juice: MOO.

91. Torah holder: ARK.

92. TV's "Science Guy": NYE.

93. Color from a bottle: FAKE TAN. Tom Pepper has been in Florida for 3 months. You won't believe how tanned he is. I don't think I shared with you this picture I found on Boomer's Facebook. It was taken a little over 10 years ago when we attended the Second Minnesota Crossword Tournament. The guy the left is constructor Michael David, who now lives in Wisconsin.

Feb 2, 2013

94. Venezuelan river: ORINOCO. Nice to see the river as a fill rather than part of a clue for ENYA.

95. Went head-to-head: BATTLED.

97. Some promos: TEASERS.

99. "Gesundheit" trigger: ACHOO.

101. Play-ful sort?: BARD.

106. Closes in on: NEARS.

107. Día __ Muertos: DELOS. The Day of the Dead.

108. Part of a mineralogist's collection: ONYX.

109. Great Plains natives: OTOES.

110. Intimidate: DAUNT.

111. Usher's place: AISLE.

114. Give a hand?: DEAL.

115. Distracted boyfriend, for one: MEME.

116. Food brand with a paw print logo: IAMS.

117. Leslie __ Jr. of "Glass Onion": ODOM.

119. Olympic swimmer Thorpe: IAN.

122. Umbrella spoke: RIB.

C.C.

Saturday, March 25, 2023, Doug Peterson & Christina Iverson

 Saturday Themeless by Doug Petersen and Christina Iverson

This quote from one of our favorite crossword authors sums up my feeling for this puzzle. Sue's title for a mystery story based on my experience today would be. "F is for Frustrating" or "C is for 47. Dull sound: CLUNK."

Unlike some recent  walks in the park, today the bear almost got me and I had some real struggles. Oddly, though, I really enjoyed the puzzle and only 7. "The Song by God" scripture: BHAGAVAD GITA was an impossible "get" but served as some real learning. Some of Doug and Christina's fiendish cluing stymied me but then amazed me when I found out the answer. Of the thousands of puzzles I have done, this is among the most difficult I have ever tackled but I would do another puzzle by this combo again, any time. As I always say, I am smart enough to know how little I know.

Across:

 
1. Flies past: SHOOTS BY - What the years have done as I am now in my 55th year of being in front of teenagers.

9. Supported in the garden: STAKED.

15. Co-founder of the Iroquois Confederacy: HIAWATHA - Did he do this "By the shining big sea water"?

16. Pottsylvania spy Natasha: FATALE - I never knew her last name. I was pretty sure she was not Mrs. Boris Badenov. 

17. __ calculus: INTEGRAL - I used this graphic two weeks ago to show how INTEGRAL calculus can figure the area under a curve

18. Choice in luxury leather: OX HIDE.

19. Practice figures, for short: MDS - My surgeon from last month is an M.D. who practices medicine.

20. Raced while supine: LUGED - Whoa!

22. Fell upon: BESET.

23. Fruity addition to pico de gallo: PINA.

24. Critics, e.g.: OPINERS - If you know the source, you probably will know the slant of their OPINERS

26. Many a custom Gibson: FLYING V GUITAR - A reflection of the times

30. Freetown currency: LEONE - This Toyota is available in Freetown (the price is in SLL Sierra Leone Leones) Conversion site

31. "The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?" playwright: ALBEE.

32. Grandstand division: ROW.

35. Kicks out of Oz?: UGGS - Kicks is slang for footwear and Oz is slang for Australia (a phonetic abbreviation for its first syllable) where these shoes are made.  😀 

36. NSFW: ADULT - Getting ADULT images on your computer that are Not Suitable For Work can be a dangerous practice.

37. Noodle house noodles: SOBA.

38. Drag strip?: BOA - People who dress in drag may very well have a BOA strip/stole as an accessory. 😀

39. Fibber of old radio: MCGEE - Fibber McGee and Molly were a mainstay of NBC radio from 1935 to 1959

40. Salmon, e.g.: COLOR - My family's first car

41. New York neighborhood also called El Barrio: SPANISH HARLEM.

44. Shiny fabric: SATINET - ARGH!

46. Architectural projection: EAVE.

48. Stagger: AMAZE.

50. O, for one: MAG.

53. Company whose logo is an alien named Snoo: REDDIT.

55. Line at an entrance: ADMIT ONE.

57. Many "The Twelve Days of Christmas" gifts: AVIANS - 😀 I count 23 AVIANS. 

58. Used: LEANED ON.

59. Illinois River port: PEORIA - The Spirit Of Peoria sails on the Illinois River out of PEORIA, IL.

60. Culture club?: ART SCENE.

Down:

1. Level: SHIM.

2. Golden __: Drake's ship: HIND - Here's a $39 model kit

3. Aveeno ingredient: OATS - No ALOE here. 

4. Be somewhat shy: OWE.

5. "The Breakfast of Champions," e.g.: TAGLINE.

6. __ along: STRUNG.

7. "The Song by God" scripture: BHAGAVAD GITA - ARGH! What I learned

8. Rory Gilmore's alma mater: YALE - A fictional character in The Gilmore Girls

9. Alaska Airlines hub: Abbr.: SFO.

10. Uncle Sam's piece of the pie: TAX BITE.

11. Goddess who oversaw the Argo's construction: ATHENA - Here she is shown, seated at the left in this bas-relief, adjusting the sail

12. Deli choice: KAISER ROLL - K _ _ _ E R seemed to call for KOSHER but Kaiser soon became apparent. 

13. Honored one: ELDER.

14. Lowdown: DEETS - Slang for details

21. Train pulled by a pair of locomotives: DOUBLE HEADER - With trains now over a mile long, there can be more than two locomotives doing the pulling. This appears to be a quad header.

23. Spare parts?: PINS - So clever! I had _ I _ S and put in RIBS, but noooo... 😀 Boomer would not have been fooled!

25. First name in geometric art: PIET - My first thought was M.C. Escher but nooo.... It was Piet Mondrian who I have never heard of. Here is one of his paintings adapted to a pair of leggings.

26. Blow: FLUB.

27. Toy company based in Billund, Denmark: LEGO - A gimme

28. Place to stretch one's legs: YOGA STUDIO - Duh and ARGH!

29. Binders: GLUES.

33. Wind often made from grenadilla wood: OBOE - The name of this African wood is, uh, foreign but a four-letter wind instrument was pretty easy.

34. Close, in a way: WARM - 😀 

36. Skin concern: ACNE.

37. Put out: SORE - If a baserunner is "put out" he might be "put out" if he thinks he was safe and "put out" of the game if the protest gets out of hand.

39. Bit of Borat attire: MANKINI - You'll have to look it up to believe it. ARGH! 

40. Sudden collapses: CAVE INS.

42. "Learn what you are and be such" poet: PINDAR - ARGH!

43. Strong suit?: HAZMAT.

44. Like a lemon, eventually: SCRAP - 😀

45. Naproxen brand: ALEVE - $10.99 and $3.99 respectively 

49. __ fide: in bad faith: MALA - The opposite of bona fide

50. Mean relative: MODE.

51. Soon, in stanzas: ANON.

52. Factor in cilantro tolerance, e.g.: GENE - You may be genetically disposed to taste cilantro as soap

54. Org. with wands: TSA.

56. Noir sleuth: TEC - Slang for deTECtive

Friday, March 24, 2023, Samantha Podos Nowak and Katie Hale

Theme: KEY chain

Puzzling thoughts:

One of the benefits of being a Crossword Corner blogger is having access to the puzzle well in advance of the publish date. It is also one of the disadvantages. As I begin creating my blog - a week after solving the puzzle - I am at a loss for what I "felt" after I solved it! Yes, I can go back and see how long it took me, (just under 17 minutes, which isn't "bad", as I am a terrible typist) and perhaps gauge the puzzle's difficulty/creativity/humor/et al ...

The puzzle has a "chain" of KEYS that are commonly found (and used) on a computer KEYboard. Samantha (one of today's co-collaborators) had her debut puzzle here at the LA Times last year. Since then, she has had a solo at Universal Crosswords. Katie Hale is Patti Varol's assistant editor. Together, they used the computer KEYS within the three entries to unlock today's theme:

53-across. Modern way into a building, and what each answer to 20-, 29-, and 43-Across needs to be to match its clue?: KEYLESS ENTRY.

Confused? Well let's see how they used no "physical KEY" to get this outcome

20-across. Portrait painter who specializes in primates?: ESCAPE ARTIST. First off, there are circles. I know that circles within a grid are frowned upon by some of our solvers. However, in order to make the clue fit, one must "remove" the computer KEY (in this entry, it's "ESC") from the common phrase. And et voila! ESCape Artist become APE ARTIST! A real "Houdini" if you ask me

29-across. Foot, essentially?: LEGAL TENDER. "86" the "ALT" key from this and you have "LEG ENDER"

43-across. Pilot's standard routine after leaving the gate?: RUNWAY MODEL. Delete the "DEL" key from this and you have RUNWAY M.O. (abbr. for modus operendi) This made the puzzle and its theme very (39-across. Quick with quips:)WITTY!

Here is the completed grid, and then off to the rest of the fill ... well done, ladies!

Across:
1. Eyebrow shapes: ARCS. Notice the ARCS

5. "Last four digits" ID: SSN.

8. Cold feet or cold shoulder: IDIOM. IDIOM, as defined in [dictionary dot com], "a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words (e.g., rain cats and dogs, see the light )"

13. Theater destination: SEAT. I like to sit in the balcony, toward the front

14. October birthstone: OPAL. Any October birthday celebrators among us?

16. Record holder?: LINER. I'm guessing this means the sleeve in which the record (LP) is contained within its package?

17. __ Alto: PALO. CA city

18. Camembert cousin: BRIE. I prefer Camembert to BRIE as it is a bit more ripe and stinky!

19. What a library does: LENDS. Margaret and I have been using our local library to borrow the seasons of Yellowstone. Great mini-series

23. Turnpike sign: NO U-TURN. Most of these turnpike signs are images now ... it's ONE WAY of looking at it, no?! ;^)

24. Tiny amount: SOU. A French word

25. CPR giver: EMT.

28. Aidy Bryant's former show, briefly: SNL. Aidy Bryant was not a person I was familiar with, but the perps helped

32. Battery fluid: ACID.

34. "The Princess Diaries" princess: MIA. Another example of using a more current "venue" to clue a proper name

35. "Toodles": CIAO.

36. Maze choices: PATHS.

38. Roller coaster feature: DIP. If roller coasters had only DIPs and not exaggerated FALLs, I might be a fan

40. Actress Falco: EDIE. Of "The Soprano's" fame

41. Novelist Wolitzer: MEG. See my response to 34-across

42. Peter of reggae: TOSH. Complete unknown, to me at least

46. Sentient hairball of 1960s TV: ITT. The Addams Family character

49. Bar barrel: KEG.

50. "Ew! Stop talking!": TMI.

51. Tea gadget: INFUSER.

55. "Later!": SEE YA.

58. Shiny fabric: LAME. Pronounced, "Lah MAY"

59. Piece of maguro: TORO. Learning "Moe-ment": TORO is the fatty part of the tuna, found in the belly of maguro which is the greasiest part of the abdomen. It has a soft texture and melts in your mouth. This is the more expensive part of maguro because it is rare and you can only get a small quantity. And that's no bull ...

60. Stable issue: FOALS. More wittisism, clue-wise

61. Significant periods: ERAS.

62. Mineral found in kale: IRON. Just because it contains IRON doesn't mean I am gonna eat it!!

63. En pointe: ON TOE. Ballet term

64. Wordle publisher, familiarly: NYT. My one "claim to fame" as a crossword puzzle constructor was using the entry "WORDLE" first among the published crossword puzzles. See 32-down ...

65. Strings for Orpheus: LYRE.

Down:
1. Quakers in a forest: ASPENS. Cute clue

2. Common sense: REASON.

3. Like a cold, ruthless villain: CALCULATING.

4. Short-tailed weasel: STOAT.

5. Came down, with "up": SOBERED. I was drunk with happiness when I solved this clue!

6. Leapt: SPRANG.

7. "Queen of Katwe" director Mira __: NAIR. I hear she waxes her eyebrows ...

8. "You'll be hearing from my lawyer!": I'LL SUE.

9. Try intermittent fasting, perhaps: DIET. Intermittent fasting never worked for me ... I am currently on a seafood DIET: I see food, and then I eat it ...

10. Suite spot?: INN. HaHa

11. Uni resource: OED. As in "UNIversity" library, perhaps? I'm guessing that is what it means. All University libraries have a copy of The Oxford English Dictionary

12. "The Marvelous __ Maisel": MRS.

15. Blab accidentally: LET SLIP.

21. Sheepdogs from Hungary: PULIS. Hands up for those of you who knew this?? I didn't. I wonder if it's related to 46-across? Here is a picture of one:

22. Letter before kappa: IOTA. Are there any fraternity or sorority members here? I recall that when pledging a fraternity I had to recite the Greek Alphabet five times, while holding a lit match ...

25. Handy feature in a shared document: EDIT HISTORY. This appears to be a first-time use for this entry

26. Substance: MEAT. A Friday clue for sure; although many of us "give up" MEAT on Fridays during lent ... just sayin'! ;^)

27. City tricked by a wooden horse: TROY.

30. Chum: AMIGO. Our "Spanish entry" du jour

31. Military police procedural: NCIS. Short for: Naval Criminal Investigative Service

33. __ toy: CHEW. My "Granddog" Guinness loves these, with or without the squeaker!

36. Company car, e.g.: PERK. I enjoyed this PERK for 35 years during my career as a sales rep/sales manager

37. Together, musically: ADUE. [wikipedia says] "A due [a dˈduːe] in Italian or à deux [a dø] in French is a musical direction meaning "for two". Most often seen in its abbreviated form a2, the marking signifies that on a staff that normally carries parts for two players, both players are to play the single part in unison"

38. Choreographer Agnes who wrote a biography of Martha Graham: DEMILLE. "Agnes" is a CSO to our own Irish Miss, as well as my maternal grandmother

39. Detective assisted by Archie Goodwin: WOLFE. Of Nero WOLFE fame

41. "Goodness gracious!": MY MY.

42. Most likely to snap, say: TENSEST. Did anyone "snap" or become "tense" whilst solving this puzzle?

44. Order to relax: AT EASE.

45. Perturb: DISMAY.

47. Babysitter's handful: TERROR.

48. "Have a taste!": TRY ONE.

52. No later than: UNTIL.

53. "The Last Jedi" villain Ren: KYLO.

54. Make: EARN.

55. Calif. hub: SFO. Airline "code" for San FranciscO

56. Countless lifetimes: EON.

57. Dine: EAT.

And there you have it! I hope I gave you enough "KEYS" to understanding this puzzle. Please enter any comments/thoughts below ...