My Treat. I'll PAY the BILL. Give me the CHECK and put it on my TAB, then you can CHARGE my card.
17-Across. Wild West stage name of William Cody: BUFFALO BILL. Buffalo Bill (né William Frederick Cody; Feb. 26, 1846 ~ Jan. 10, 1917) was a
soldier, bison hunter, and showman. At age 15, he became a Pony Express
rider. In 1883, he founded his famous Buffalo Bill's Wild West, a
touring company that traveled through out the United States and Europe putting
on shows that romanticized the American West. [Name #1.]
29-Across. Word processor error finder: SPELL CHECK. I had a boss named Darryl. I had to be careful when I sent him
emails, because spell check always wanted to change his name to Diarrhea.
43-Across. Something opened while on Safari?: BROWSER TAB.
It's been discontinued.
59. Underwater explosive: DEPTH CHARGE.
And the unifier:
34-Across. Vow made while shaking one's fist or when referring to the ends of
17-, 29-, 43-, and 59-Across?: YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS. You may need Anger Management, you Angry bird.
Across:
1. Language also known as Persian: FARSI. Farsi is the official language of Iran. It is also spoken in parts of
Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iraq, Oman, Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates.
It is written in the Arabic alphabet.
11. Past the "sell by" date, perhaps: BAD. But is it
still safe to eat?
14. __-proof: easy to operate: IDIOT.
15. Double agents: MOLES.
16. Sporty truck, briefly: UTE. UTE is short for Utility
Vehicle.
19. Stubbing victim: TOE.
20. Early residents: SETTLERS.
21. Inclined walkway: RAMP.
22. __ fide: BONA.
23. South Pacific island region: OCEANIA. There are 14
countries in Oceania.
26. "Les Misérables" novelist Victor: HUGO. Victor-Marie
Hugo (Feb. 26, 1802 ~ May 22, 1885) wrote many books in addition to Les Misérables. I had to read Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame when I was in High [Name # 2.]
Victor Hugo
31. "The Shipping News" novelist Proulx: ANNIE. Annie Proulx
(née Edna Ann Proulx; b. Aug. 22, 1935) will celebrate her 88th birthday next
Tuesday. She also wrote Brokeback Mountain, which was made
into a movie. [Name # 3.]
42. Birthing coach: DOULA. Today's Greek lesson. The
word originally referred to a female slave, however.
49. With skill: ABLY.
50. __ Stone: software for language learners: ROSETTA. The
original Egyptian Rosetta Stone was found in July 1799. The original stone is now housed in the
British Museum in London.
51. Shortening: LARD.
53. Enclosed by: AMID.
54. TV 64-Across from the planet Remulak (or France): CONE HEAD.
// And 64-Across Extraterrestrial: ALIEN. A
blast from the past!
58. __ for the course: PAR. // Not to be confused with
61-Down: Each: PER.
62. Singer DiFranco: ANI. Fall 2023 dates for Ani DiFranco's
(née Angela Maria DiFranco; b. Sept. 23, 1970) Righteous Babe consort tour. [Name # 5.]
63. "Carmen" or "Elektra": OPERA. Have I ever mentioned
that Carmen is one of my favorite operas?
65. Spanish two: DOS. Hi, Lucina!
66. British nobles: EARLS.
67. Consecrate: BLESS. I misread this clue as Concrete, so
confidently wrote in SOLID.
Down:
1. Little lies: FIBS.
2. Together, in music: A DUE. Today's French and music
lesson. We have occasionally seen this phrase in the puzzles.
3. Break in relations: RIFT.
Great Rift Valley
4. Cook for three minutes, as an egg: SOFT BOIL.
5. Writer Calvino: ITALO. I am familiar with the name
of Italo Calvino (né Italo Giovanni Calvino Mameli; Oct. 15, 1923 ~ Sept. 19, 1985), but
have never read any of his works. [Name # 6.]
6. Genre for Lil Uzi Vert: EMO RAP. Emo Rap is a fusion of
Hip Hop and Emo music. Lil Uzi Vert (né Semer Bysil Woods; b. July 31,
1995) is probably not a household name to most of us. [Name # 7.]
7. Tosses gently: LOBS.
8. One of the "Manningcast" brothers: ELI. Manningcast is a
football broadcast hosted by the two Manning brothers ~ Payton (né Payton
Williams Manning; b. Mar. 24, 1976) and Eli (né Elisha Nelson Manning; Jan. 3,
1981). The Manning brothers were both born in New Orleans. [Name #
8.]
9. Hair goo: GEL.
10. Couture initials: YSL. Yves Saint Laurent (né Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent; Aug. 1, 1936 ~ June 1,
2008) makes frequent appearances in the puzzles. [Name # 9.]
11. Lighter filler: BUTANE.
12. Super hot, as wing sauce: ATOMIC.
13. New Age writer Chopra: DEEPAK. Deepak Chopra (b. Oct.
22, 1946) is an Indian-American author and advocate of alternative medicine.
[Name # 9.]
18. Telescope part: LENS.
21. "Go team!": RAH.
23. "Frozen" snowman: OLAF. [Name # 10.]
24. Advertising award: CLIO. The Clio Awards are named after
the Greek goddess Clio, the mythological muse known for celebrating great
deeds and accomplishments. [Name # 11.]
25. Stampless greeting: E-CARD.
26. Foal food: HAY.
27. Spanish one: UNO. Also the name of a card game.
28. Wildebeest: GNU. What's gnu with you?
30. Land of pharaohs and pyramids: EGYPT. // And
45-Down. God of the dead, in ancient 30-Down: OSIRIS.
Everything you wanted to know about Osiris but didn't know to ask. [Name # 12.]
32. Horror film loc.: ELM ST.
35. Amanda of "Brockmire": PEET. Brockmire is a
sit-com about Jim Brockmire major league baseball announcer who suffers an
embarrassing on-air meltdown, then tries to reconstruct his career several
years later. I am not familiar with the show, but am familiar with the
actress Amanda Peet (b. Jan. 11, 1972)[Name # 13.]
36. Mystical glow: AURA.
37. "The Wind in the Willows" residence: TOAD HALL. The Wind in the Willows is a children's book that was first published in 1908. I wonder
if children still read this book or whether it seems too antiquated.
38. Center: HUB. In case you are wondering, Boston,
Massachusetts is the Hub of the Universe.
39. Under the weather: ILL.
40. Remark: SAY.
43. Undergarment insert: BRA PAD.
44. Pecorino __ cheese: ROMANO. This is a hard, salty Italian cheese. It is often used as a grating cheese.
Pecorino means ovine, thus, the cheese is made
of sheep's milk.
46. Become one: WED.
47. Hawaiian greetings: ALOHAS.
48. Judicial seat: BANC.
52. Postop regimen: REHAB. Well wishes to our friend Vidwan.
We have missed you.
54. Bottom-row PC key: CTRL.
55. Keystone State port: ERIE. Pennsylvania is the Keystone
State. It got its nickname because of its essential role in the founding
of the United States.
56. Forever and a day: AGES.
57. Lairs: DENS.
59. Female deer: DOE.
60. Clean air org.: EPA. The Environmental Protection Agency makes frequent appearances in the Tuesday puzzles.
sumdaze here with another fun Brian Callahan puzzle. This is his 5th L.A. Times puzzle. Two were collaborations with Assistant Editor Katie Hale.
Today's theme is:
Brian sets us up with these 4 themed clues:
17 Across. Stretch of a blowout game when bench players come in: GARBAGE TIME.
I am familiar with this concept but was unfamiliar with this term. As you might guess, it refers to the period of time towards the end of a game where one opponent's score is so far ahead that the outcome has effectively already been decided. "Bench players" refers to the substitutes that come in to replace the starters in this hopeless situation. Some credit Chick Hearn (play-by-play announcer for the L.A. Lakers) with coining the term.
26 Across. Citrus grove inhabitant: ORANGE TREE. Ever try telling a 2-year old that you have an ORANGE tree in your backyard?
38 Across. Sulu player before John Cho: GEORGE TAKEI.
Born April 20, 1937, TAKEI is a Japanese-American actor, author, and activist. He portrayed Hikaru Sulu on the TV series Star Trek from 1966 to 1969 (plus follow-ons).
51 Across. Book that's hard to put down: PAGE TURNER.
The unifier is at 61 Across:
61. Informal meeting, and what can be found in 17-, 26-, 38-, and 51-Across?: GET TOGETHER.
Notice that the word "GET" always spans the 2-word answers. You might say it "GETs them TOGETHER". Very clever!
GET it? Got it? Good!
Here's the grid:
And now, for our theme's theme song:
Get Together was recorded in 1967 by The Youngbloods.
Chester Powers wrote it in the early '60s.
NPR's Morning Edition did this piece on it in 2019 as part of its American Anthem series.
Across: 1. Foot-in-mouth incident: GAFFE. pronounced "gaf". Def: a social or diplomatic blunder.
6. "__ goodness": THANK. Today's puzzle has 10 fill-in-the-blank clues.
11. Airport near OAK: SFO. Oakland International Airport and San Francisco International Airport
They are 12 miles (19 km.) apart as the crow flies (or 'as the plane flies', if you will), but the road distance is 30.5 miles (49 km.).
14. Spanish "so long": ADIOS. You might not expect Enya, the Irish singer, songwriter, and musician who frequently visits XWD puzzles and Yoga classes, to have a popular song with ADIOS in the lyrics.
Enya's One by One (2000)
15. "It's an __ just to be nominated": HONOR.
16. Anti-racism movement since 2013, for short: BLM. Black Lives Matter
19. Summer mo.: AUG. "Month" is abbreviated, so is "AUGust."
20. Ball club execs: GMS. General ManagerS. A GM is responsible for the daily activities of a sports team -- handling all of the contracts and (sometimes) acting as a spokesperson for media briefings.
21. Ocean State sch.: URI. University of Rhode Island
Rhody the Ram is their mascot.
22. __-pants: SMARTY.
24. Back muscles, briefly: LATS. We use our LATissimus dorsi muscles during everyday activities such as picking something up off the ground, grabbing something out of a cabinet, opening doors, and even pulling someone in for a hug.
29. Break things off: END IT.
Remember the Sex in the City episode when Berger broke up with Carrie on a post-it note? (2:46 min.) Note: potty-mouth alert
31. Opposite of NNW: SSE.
32. "Bonanza" brother: HOSS. Years ago I knew the guy who designed and made Little Joe's green jacket. One day he gave me this jacket. He never took any measurements. He just surprised me with it. I am trying hard to remember his name....
33. Ruckuses: TO DOS. It could have been "todos" which is Spanish for "all".
35. Superman's birth name: KAL-EL.
41. Hit the slopes: SKIED. "Hit" is an irregular past tense verb. Very tricky!
42. __ dish: lab container: PETRI.
44. Minor dispute: SPAT. You might also worry if you suspect the waiter SPAT in your soup.
47. Assistance: AID.
49. Some designer gowns: DIORS.
She is on her way to Safeway to pick up some cheese & crackers for her book club.
55. Tech tutorials site: CNET. product reviews, advice, how-tos, and the latest news website
56. Frozen treat: ICE POP.
When the dad (Jack Nicholson) died in The Shining he became an ICE POP.
57. Nonstick spray brand: PAM. Some triathletes spray PAM on their wrists and ankles to help pull off their wetsuits faster when transitioning from the swim portion to the bike portion. List of 21 weird uses for Pam cooking spray
59. Tax prep pro: CPA. "Professional" is abbreviated, so is Certified Public Accountant".
60. 18-wheeler: RIG. This trucker song will get your wheels turning!
Six Days on the Road (and I'm a-gonna make it home tonight)
Dave Dudley (1963)
65. De Armas of "Blonde": ANA.
66. Egypt's Sadat: ANWAR. Born Dec. 25, 1918, ANWAR El-Sadat was president of Egypt from 1970 until he was assassinated on Oct. 6, 1981.
67. Bagel variety: WHEAT. Hand up for liking pumpernickel bagels!
68. Cut (off): LOP.
That is why these are called "LOPping shears".
69. Sly sound or sty sound: SNORT. Good cluing!
70. Vehicles for hire that once sported fuzzy pink mustaches: LYFTS.
2. Inflexible: ADAMANT. Def: refusing to be persuaded to change one's mind.
It could have been ADAM ANT, a rocker from the early '80s. IMDb page
3. Informal title for a pet such as Major Biden: FIRST DOG. George Washington had Polly the Parrot and 36 hounds. Presidential Pets list
4. Key __: car unlocker: FOB. Spell check does not like "unlocker".
5. Genesis twin: ESAU.
6. Nonbinary possessive: THEIRS. and 64 Down. Biblical possessive: THY.
7. Trendy: HOT.
Fashion is a fickle thing.
8. Nickname in the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy: ANI. ANI is the childhood nickname that Shmi Skywalker (Anakin's mother), Watto (Anakin's slave master), and Padme Amidala (Anakin's love interest) use for Anakin Skywalker (who later became Darth Vader) in Episode I: The Phantom Menace and Episode II: Attack of the Clones. source
11. Food court pizza chain: SBARRO. You have probably seen this fast-food restaurant in malls and airports. It was founded in 1956 and specializes in New York-style pizza sold by the slice, along with other Italian-American cuisine.
18. Miracle-__: garden brand: GRO. It is ironic how some people insist on buying organic produce then feed their tomato plants non-organic Miracle-GRO.
23. Good at sports: ATHLETIC.
25. Dodge: SIDESTEP. Merriam-Webster shows "SIDESTEP" as a verb and "SIDE STEP" as a noun. Google dictionary shows both with a hyphen. 🤔
This comic uses the no-space version for a noun.
27. Didn't leave waiting at the door: ASKED IN.
28. "No ice" or "Noice!": NEAT. The first, we know, refers to beverage orders. The second, when pronounced with an exaggerated Australian accent, means "nice" as in "awesome". Perhaps Brian is relating it to "NEATo". Fortunately, knowing 50% of the clue was enough to get an A on this one.
30. Ran off with: TOOK. Yet, if you "TOOK part", you joined in.
34. __ Lanka: SRI. The weather forecast for today shows rain, a high of 85°F (29°C), and a low of 70°F (21°C).
36. Track unit: LAP.
37. Barely managed, with "out": EKED.
39. Drive or park: GEAR. fun clue!
40. Cooking competition series that originated in Japan: IRON CHEF. Last year Netflix put out a new spin-off, IRON CHEF: Quest for an Iron Legend. Here is the trailer: 43. "Once more ... ": I REPEAT.
Yesterday we had 29 Down. Said again: RE-STATED.
44. Like some space-saving staircases: SPIRAL. I first had "narRow".
45. Al of "Scarface": PACINO. He was in the news last month for becoming a dad again at 83 years old.
46. Generational divide: AGE GAP. Noor Alfallah, the mother of Al PACINO's new son, is 29 years old.
48. Kick out: DEPORT. and 50 Down. Kicks off: STARTS.
52. Roman garments: TOGAS.
53. Philly Ivy League sch.: UPENN. University of PENNsylvania
Quaker is their mascot.
54. Many an old tee: RAG.
58. Cry weakly: MEWL.
62. Pair: TWO.
63. La Brea __ Pits: TAR.
Thanks to Splynter for covering while I was away! I'm sure everyone was happy to read you again!
Some of you might recall that I did a cycling trip in the Canadian Rockies last summer. I had such a good time that I went back for a similar trip. This time I cycled in the Kootenay Range, British Columbia. Good times! (Hi CanadianEh! I'm sure I don't have to tell you that you live in a beautiful country!)
Here I am, geared up and ready to start riding at Halcyon Hot Springs on Upper Arrow Lake. This was our longest day's ride -- 65 miles (105 km.)!!
Notes from C.C.:
1) Welcome back, Sumdaze! Stunning distance.
2) Here's a great picture of our Chairman Moe (Chris), his girlfriend Margaret, MM (Joseph), and his girlfriend Valerie. So happy that they finally met one another!
So far, Chris has met with Lemonade, me and MM, who met with Picard a while ago.
I've met with Lucina, JimmB (CA), Gary and Chris on our blog.
Lucina met with more blog friends than I have: Me, Dodo, Wolfmom, JD, Clear Ayes, Chickie (Leah), Garlic Gal , Windhover and the other Judy on our blog.
74. Barista-inspired dessert? (O+): AMERICANO PIE. American Pie.
76. Warmup stretches at a company retreat? (O-): STAFF L(O)UNGES. Staff lounges.
91. Excited cry when the shellfish course finally arrives? (AB+): ABALONE AT LAST. Alone at last.
106. Reason so many classic songs are earworms? (AB-): OLD H(AB)ITS DIE HARD. Old habits die hard.
The
orderly + and - letter placement makes the theme easier to spot and
adds elegance to the puzzle execution. The letter hints in the clues are
probably not needed for our blog regulars, but novice solvers need the
extra hint.
Across:
1. Uses a treadmill: RUNS.
5. Many a personal website: BLOG. Can you see that guy in hard hat?
9. Apple player: IPOD.
13. Deceives: LIES TO.
19. "Am __ loud?": I TOO.
20. Spanish tender: EURO.
21. Purple pet in old cartoons: DINO. "The Flintstones". Wikipedia has a pink one.
22. Turn over: INVERT.
26. Antenna: FEELER.
27. Fencing move: THRUST.
28. Distribute: ALLOT.
29. Sales agt.: REP.
30. Music producer Brian: ENO. Ambient music.
31. Geopolitical alliance: BLOC.
37. Bagel feature: HOLE.
39. Cover story piece?: ALIAS. Great clue.
41. Jet stream heading: EAST.
42. Bit of sunlight: RAY.
43. __ au lait: CAFE.
44. Tight end Rob with four Super Bowl rings, familiarly: GRONK. Gronkowski. Played with Tom Brady for many years.
45. Siddhartha __: the Buddha: GAUTAMA.
47. Wisecracking extraterrestrial of 1980s TV: ALF.
48. Riot: HOOT.
57. Top __: TEN.
58. Milne character who likes to swing on Tigger's tail: ROO.
59. Cook quickly, as vegetables: BLANCH. Authentic Cantonese veggies are often blanched.
60. Fraud: SHAM.
61. Parting exchanges: BYES.
63. Subway Series side: METS.
64. "I guess that works": UMM OK.
65. Menial worker: PEON.
66. "Family __": FEUD.
67. "Tut-tut" evokers: NO NOS.
68. Yardstick's three: FEET.
69. Brink: CUSP.
70. __ chic: GEEK.
71. Oscar-nominated film about a South Korean family in rural Arkansas: MINARI. That green plant is called minari.
16. One-named Tejano singer: SELENA. Played by J-Lo.
17. Hot now: TRENDY. Everyone and her mom seem to be wearing this Lululemon crossbody bag now.
18. Others, in Oaxaca: OTROS.
24. Key in the sea: ISLE.
25. Not optimistic: BLEAK.
29. Said again: RE-STATED.
32. Legume used in vegan chocolate: CAROB.
35. Apply messily: DAUB.
36. Many an Emirati: ARAB.
37. Lamb eaten on Eid, e.g.: HALAL MEAT. I also like 38. Heard but not seen, maybe: OFF-CAMERA. 43. Those with a driving passion?: CAR BUFFS. 50. Sport that encourages horsing around?: ARENA POLO. 51. Infamy: NOTORIETY. 62. Crack some jokes: YUK IT UP. 84. Infielder's untimely move: LATE TAG. And
85. "Plot twist ... ": BUT THEN. Just great fill.
40. Some sacred flowers: LOTUSES. I love lotus roots.
44. Post-punk subculture: GOTH.
45. Long-nosed fish: GAR.
46. Gents: MEN.
48. "Consarn it!": HECK.
49. Special find: GEM.
52. Spycraft files: DOSSIERS.
54. Massage target: KNOT. Oh I need this for my left shoulder. Wendy, do you think "high elbow" when you pull and recover?
55. Selling point?: SHOP.
56. Sun-kissed: TAN.
61. Taproom offering: BEER.
63. Stereo alternative: MONO.
65. Sedate: PUT UNDER.
66. Extra charge: FEE.
69. Portico pillars: COLONNADES.
70. Buicks, e.g.: GMS.
71. Indicator: MARK. Shout out to this Mark, Nina's husband.
73. Banned refrigerant, for short: CFC. OK, it stands for "chlorofluorocarbon".
74. __ Lingus: AER.
75. Riverside rental: CANOE. And 79. Sailor's boon: GUST.
77. "__ in the blanks": FILL.
78. ESPNU focus: NCAA.
86. Mamá's mamá: ABUELA.
87. Plot-makers: CABALS. Conspiracy.
89. Assemble: GATHER.
90. Acrimony: BILE.
91. Pitching duel?: AD WAR.
92. NASA-approved watch brand: OMEGA.
93. Park ranger's post: LODGE.
95. "Downton Abbey" figures: MAIDS.
99. Accept an invite, perhaps: RSVP.
101. Poi base: TARO. The way we eat in Guangzhou.
102. Upper limbs: ARMS.
103. Annual milestone, briefly: B-DAY.
105. Pet doc: VET.
106. __ Henriksen: skin care brand: OLE. Famous for their "truth serum".