Wendy has had several puzzles in the LA Times but they were all weekday or collaborative puzzles. Today is her first LA themeless Saturday.
Wendy is a lawyer, professor and children’s book author. Her puzzles have appeared in the Inkubator, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Boswords and Universal Crosswords. When she is not thinking about crosswords, she can be found knitting, engaging in vicious games of Catan, or rooting on the Yankees, Rangers, Giants and Swarthmore Garnet.
All in all it was very doable and a fun solve for this camper. Let's jump in and see what Wendy has for us today.
Across:
1. Bulb that rarely needs to be replaced: TULIP - This was my first thought but I waited for crossings.
6. Steel (oneself): GIRD - I knew the fill and was glad to learn the origin of the phrase.
10. Verge: CUSP.
14. Weigh in: OPINE.
15. Mideast leader: EMIR.
16. Purnell of "Yellowjackets": ELLA.
17. Repetitive sonata movement: RONDO - The RONDO is a musical form that contains a principal theme which alternates with one or more contrasting themes. Fur Elise has been called the "ultimate RONDO" and is illustrated in both auditory and visual fashion here:
18. Shuriken: NINJA STAR - A shuriken is a Japanese concealed weapon that can be used as a hidden dagger.
20. Topping: ONE UPPING - Betty Hutton and Howard Keel sing a song with this theme in Annie Get Your Gun. (3:00)
22. Fixes holes in hose: DARNS π
23. Where to save for a rainy day?: CLOUD STORAGE π- I guess "rainy day" is a metaphor for when your computer loses something you had stored. Hopefully, your work is saved/stored "in the cloud".
25. Makes a difference: MATTERS.
28. Alley-__: OOP.
29. Too green: UNRIPE.
30. Film lengths: RUN TIMES -Cleopatra - Run Time: 4 hrs, 8 min. However, Dick and Liz's stormy relationship ran for years.
35. Spot for a toaster?: STOOL π - Oh, a bar STOOL!
36. Simple bed: COT - A lesser blogger might write, "The unfaithful soldier got caught in the COT!"
37. Square things: ATONE.
38. Stella alternative: HEINEKEN.
40. Modest response to compliments: OH STOP.
41. Melody: AIR.
42. Member of a sorority founded at Boston University, familiarly: TRIDELT - Maybe so, but meanwhile on SNL...
43. Mark of a decent student: B-PLUS AVERAGE.
48. Kicked off the covers, say: AROSE.
49. "Riverdance" numbers: IRISH JIGS.
53. Airport transport, maybe: LIVERY CAB - Livery rides and fares must be prearranged and may not be street-hailed. Does this sound somewhat like Uber to you?
55. W-2 information: WAGES.
56. Palm reader: SEER - Ed McMahon's introduction: "And now, the great SEER, soothsayer, and sage, Carnac the Magnificent."
57. Simplicity: EASE.
58. Stave off: AVERT.
59. Puts two and two together: ADDS - Yesterday we had ADDENDS
60. Cold drafts: ALES.
61. Steppes tents: YURTS - A luxury one
Down:
1. Rafael Nadal's logo: TORO.
2. Atop: UPON.
3. Prompter's cue: LINE - If an actor has a memory lapse, he might call out, "LINE, LINE?" to a prompter
(Notes from C.C.: MM is on vacation. Steve will cover for him the next few weeks. Thanks for helping us again, Steve!)
Theme: Dis-located. "DIS" pops up in the middle of a phrase:
17A. Blackmailer's ultimatum?: CASH OR DISCREDIT.
26A. Message such as "Still looking for my golf ball in the tall grass"?: ROUGH DISPATCH.
42A. Pawn shop, essentially?: HOUSE OF DISCARDS.
and the reveal:
53A. Faded away, and what happened in 17-, 26-, and 42-Across?: DISAPPEARED.
I liked the theme and the resulting phrases, although I'd question "Pawn shop", maybe "Junk shop" might be more accurate. That's a minor nit though. The top center section was sitting quite empty when the rest of the puzzle was complete, but I eventually stared it down. Let's see what else we've got to talk about:
Across:
1. Quad spot: LEG. Quadriceps.
4. Pollen producers: STAMENS.
11. One turn after another?: ZAG. Nice clue, after a zig you zag.
14. Kaplan of Yo La Tengo: IRA.
15. Was allowed to vote: HAD A SAY.
16. Tuber also called a New Zealand yam: OCA. These tubers, grown as a major crop in the Andes:
20. "Which __ say ... ": IS TO.
21. Pollen collector?: PETAL.
22. Extract: MINE.
23. College Park athlete, for short: TERP.
24. Vote against: NAY.
25. Lobbying orgs.: PACS.
31. Dessert ruined by Little Jack Horner: PIE.
32. Washington state brewski: OLY. Not really. Pabst aquired the brand in 1999 and shut down the Olympia brewery in 2003, but still continued to promote is as being produced in the state from Washington water. They faced a class action lawsuit for false advertising in 2018, and the action failed only because they'd ceased to produce the brand by the time the suit came to federal court in 2022.
33. Racket dampener?: SHH.
36. Garment with adjustable straps: BRA.
38. "La __ en Rose": VIE.
39. Tazo product: TEA.
46. Writer Bombeck: ERMA.
47. Arrange, as a sari: DRAPE.
48. Wilts: SAGS.
49. Genre that uses a caricature style known as chibi: ANIME.
51. Mantra syllables: OMS.
52. Matchstick wood: ASPEN.
56. Massage style: SHIATSU.
58. Puts on the line, maybe: AIRS OUT.
61. "I'm ready to play, coach!": PUT ME IN.
62. Duo: TWOSOME.
63. Tina of "30 Rock": FEY.
64. Defunct D.C. stadium: RFK. I had "VET" at first, for "The Vet", or Veteran's Stadium, completely ignoring the fact that the Vet was in Philadelphia, not D.C.
65. Tree feller: SAW.
66. "Sweet!": RAD.
Down:
1. Not outlawed: LICIT. Couple of missteps here until the crosses corrected me. LEGAL followed by LEGIT (which I didn't like anyway) before finally landing on LICIT.
2. Crossword solver's need, maybe: ERASER. We've all been there!
3. Gourmet's prefix: GASTRO.
4. "Billions" airer, briefly: SHO. Showtime.
5. Large spread: TARP.
6. Summer term?: ADDEND.
7. CuraΔao and rum drink: MAI TAI.
8. Takes in the paper?: ESSAYS.
9. Pickling mineral, chemically: NACL.
10. Med. nation: SYR. Quite a few of these. SPA, FRA, MON, SAN, ITA, CRO, SER, GRE ... and I haven''t even got to TUR.
11. Signs from above: ZODIAC.
12. Child's play: A CINCH.
13. Airport array: GATES.
18. Words said while patting a stool, perhaps: HOP UP.
19. Needing filling: EMPTY.
27. Teasing remark: GIBE.
28. Tenor role in "Salome": HEROD.
29. Unflappability: POISE.
30. Guinness of "Lawrence of Arabia": ALEC.
33. __ butter: SHEA.
34. Traffic sound: HORN.
35. Heat index factor: HUMIDITY.
37. Arts festival that calls itself "the other Black experience": AFROPUNK.
38. Prime viewing spots: VIP SEATS.
39. Secret exit, maybe: TRAPDOOR.
40. Periphery: EDGE.
41. Gp.: ASSN.
43. Seuss character: SAM I AM.
44. Almost dry: DAMP.
45. Appraise: ASSESS.
50. Czech Olympian LedeckΓ‘ who won gold in two winter disciplines: ESTER. She won the gold at the 2018 Olympics in in the Super-G and in Parallel Snowboarding, making her the first person to compete in the Winter Olympics using two different kinds of equipment (skis and snowboard), and, by definition, the first person to win gold medals in those events and at the same Olympic Games.
52. Directional aid: ARROW.
54. "You're kidding, right?": AS IF.
55. Boombox brand: AIWA. I thought these were literally a "blast from the past" but you can still buy them.
56. Initialism for certain applications: SPF. Sunscreen.
Constructor Hanh Huynh recently made his debut with the LA Times
(July 7th, 2023), and now he's back with an exploration of
Critter Band Radio
We all know that animals use species-specific language to communicate
with one another. Hahn has apparently discovered that they have recently
begun to adopt modern human communications technology to develop a rather
cryptic form of inter-species communication, a kind of "pigeon trucker"
lingo derived from
Citizens Band Radio (CBR).
Each of his 5 themers are two-way exchanges in what could be
called Critter Band Radio. As they are a bit difficult to
follow I've taken the liberty of italicizing the speakers in
each clue; followed it with my translation of what was said (YMMV); and
provided a real-life example of the resulting fill ...
17A.
Gnat: "Bug spray sighting. Request for assistance." Bee: "__. Backup is on the way.":
FLY STANDBY.
Gnat (FLY) needs help. Bee has called AAA and radios
Gnat to STANDBY.
Here are three tips to FLY STANDBY like a pro ...
26A. Kittens: "Dogs, do you read us?" Puppy: "__. You're coming in loud and clear.":
COPY CATS.
Kittens (CATS) are not sure their message is getting thru and Puppy radios
back that their COPY has been
received.
They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
...
36A. Bunny: "Come in, Hare. Return to base." Hare: "__. Wilco.": ROGER RABBIT.
Bunny (wife) has messaged hubby Hare
(RABBIT) (who has been out on the town). "Where
are you? He replies ROGER [-Wilco]
(short for "will comply"), I'll come home right away.
Translation:Hare replies that he's
headed home (with his cotton tail between his legs).
ROGER RABBIT
is of course the protagonist of
Who Framed
Roger Rabbit?,
the ground breaking movie combining toons and live actors. Here's
ROGER RABBIT's famous femme fatale wife JessicaRabbit, a
bunny of a different sort, voiced by real life femme fatale
Kathleen Turner
...
50A. Bear: "Doe? Stag? Any deer got your ears on?" Deer: "__.": FAWN OVER.
Translation:Bear(either a
smokey or
a real bear prowling for prey): "Any members
of the
Cervidae family
--
are you listening?" Deer: "Yeah, awaiting further instructions". Next the
Bear might say Deer, meet me in the glen in 5 minutes".
As it turns out this
Deer meets someone from Japan. In this early experiment in
cartoon realism (with an uncredited soundtrack by Giochino Rossini) we
can assume that FAWN OVER is meant literally ...
57. Pig: "Hen, put the hammer down." Hen: "Catch you on the flip-flop: __.":
CHICKEN OUT.
CHICKEN OUT is also a metaphor for losing one's
nerve. Here's Smokey and the Bandit with the most famous
CHICKEN OUT scene ever filmed (with real CBR lingo) ...
Here's the grid ...
Here's the rest ...
Across:
1. Rae who plays President Barbie in "Barbie": ISSA. I think
there's a message in here somewhere ...
5. "We __ Overcome": SHALL. We're still waiting ...
10. Piedmont bubbly: ASTI.
14. Former name of a film-rating org.: MPAA. See next clue ...
15. Natasha's "Russian Doll" role: NADIA. Imagine
Groundhog Night --
Natasha Lyonne
plays Nadia Vulvokov, a software engineer who finds herself reliving her 36th
birthday party in an ongoing time loop wherein she repeatedly dies and the
process begins again. The trailer for
Russian Doll
was Rated R.
16. Like lemon drops: TART.
17. [Theme clue]
19. Letter-shaped fastener: T NUT. Here's the kind used to hold the
plywood sides in our garden cart to the frame. I've had to replace one of
them in the last thirty years or so ...
T-NUT
20. NBA stat: REB. Rebounds
21. Meas. of time: HRS. Hours.
22. Co-op divisions: UNITS.
24. Milne character with a "Gloomy Place": EEYORE. This was the
most upbeat EEYORE clip I could find! ...
26. [Theme clue]
29. Primer mes del aΓ±o: ENERO. January. La lecciΓ³n de espaΓ±ol de hoy.
30. Prohibit: BAN.
31. Seating assistant: USHER. Last Thursday I ran a clip of a
movie for this fill based on a story by Edgar AlanPOE.
This week I'll just help you find your clue. Number 31 right?
32. Stood the test of time: ENDURED.
35. "__ Twist, Scientist": kid-lit bestseller: ADA.
ADA Twist, Scientist
is a 2016 children's picture book written by Andrea Beaty and
illustrated by David Roberts. The story was well received and praised
for encouraging children, especially girls, to develop an interest in STEM.
The book also received a television series adaptation in 2021. Here's
the trailer
61. Astrobiology org.: SETI.
Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence. There doesn't seem to be a lot of it on Earth, so I don't know why
scientists hope to find any on the other side of the Universe π. But
Earthlings are a curious lot and unofficially SETI has been around as
early as 1896, when Nikola Tesla suggested that an extreme version of his
wireless electrical transmission system could be used to contact beings on
Mars. The trick of course is distinguishing "intelligent signals" (from
intelligent beings) from "unintelligent" signals arising from "natural
causes". The latest approach to this problem is to use
Artificial Intelligence to aid in this search. Certainly an AI will know intelligence when it sees it, right?.
62. La Festa di San Valentino emotion: AMORE. Today's Italian
lesson.
Saint Valentine
(Italian: San Valentino; Latin: Valentinus) was a 3rd-century Roman saint and
martyr commemorated in Western Christianity on February 14 and in Eastern
Orthodoxy on July 6. From the High Middle Ages, his Saints' Day has been
associated with a tradition of courtly love. He is also a patron saint of Terni,
Italy, epilepsy and beekeepers.
63. German spouse: FRAU.
64. "Hey, c'mere!": PSST.
65. Introvert: LONER.
66. Country star Lovett: LYLE. Finally some music!
LYLE Pearce Lovett
(born November 1, 1957) is an American country singer, songwriter, record
producer and actor. Active since 1980, he has recorded 13 albums and released 25
singles to date, including his highest entry, the number 10 chart hit on the
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, "Cowboy Man" (lyrics) ...
Down:
1. "Now's a good time": IM FREE. ... or at least reasonable.
2. Abdominal organ: SPLEEN. Everything you'd want to know about the
SPLEEN
(and perhaps too much) ...
6. "Frozen" villain: HANS. I've never seen Frozen, but this
clip seems to tell the whole story and HANS IS absolutely evil. But
I'm certain though that it will have a happy ending ...
7. Do some sums: ADD.
8. Ad-__: LIB. Yes, I am making this up.
9. Easy two-pointer, in basketball: LAY UP.
10. Rooms under roofs: ATTICS.
11. Red-and-white topper: SANTA HAT. The SANTA HAT has
evolved through the ages. We have
Thomas Nast
to thank for one of the first modern images ...
Santa Claus Thomas Nast
The image Santa Claus we're all familiar with, inspired by the "jolly old elf"
in Clement Clark Moore's 1822 poem
A Visit From St. Nicholas, was created by illustrator Haddon Sundblom for a
Coca Cola advertising campaign ...
Santa Claus Haddon Sundblom
Santa 'Claus, is of course an abbreviation of the name
Saint Nicholas of Myra
(circa 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), an early Christian bishop of Greek
descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor during the time of the
Roman Empire and an heir of wealthy parents. St. Nicholas is legendary for
secret gift giving, as is Santa today.
The most famous account of his generosity
was to three orphaned girls, who were left without dowries and would have likely
ended up prostitutes had he not secretly thrown purses full of gold through
their windows, enabling their father to arrange marriages.
St. Nicholas of Myra Icon by Jaroslav ΔermΓ‘k
12. Had faith in: TRUSTED.
13. Addams cousin: ITT.
18. Large crowd: THRONG.
23. Washington Square Park sch.: NYU.
New York University
(NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in
1831 by the New York State Legislature,[14] NYU was founded by a group of New
Yorkers led by Albert Gallatin.
"To persevere and to excel"
25. After-lunch sandwich: OREO.
26. Airline, e.g.: CARRIER. Every cruciverbalist's favorite
CARRIER is EL AL, right?
27. Possible score before a penalty shootout: ONE ALL.
28. Spanish spouse: Abbr.: SRA.
30. CrossFit staple: BURPEE. In high school we called a similar
exercise squat thrusts. Here's how it's done ...
36. Shares, in a way: RETWEETS. Wow, Hanh (or Patti?) has not been
reading the news. This should be REXES (or REXS?) Help me out here
folks!
37. Senator Sanders: BERNIE. BERNIE is the subject of this
picture, which made photographer
Brendan Smialowksi
famous ...
Bernie Sanders Brendan Smialowksi
38. "You have no __!": IDEA. I certainly don't!
39. DOJ bureau: ATF.
40. Net protectors: GOALIES.
43. Heeds a relationship red flag: ENDS IT.
44. Bit of Morse code: DOT. Not DIT, nor DAH, nor
DASH (which was too long). I DNK that
Samuel F. B. Morse, in addition to being the inventor of the telegraph in 1844, was also a
famous painter. The immediate and long term impacts that Morse's simple
invention had, would have, and will have on society are incalculable. The
telegraph spread rapidly and gave rise to what author Tom Standage calls
The Victorian Internet.
Samuel Morse* self portrait (with his name in Morse Code)
The invention literally blew Victorian novelist and essayist
Samuel Butler's mind when he learned of it in 1863. He was raising sheep in New
Zealand when the first telegraph was installed between the two ridges of a wide
steep valley and he immediately saw
its astounding implications.
47. Military storehouse: ARMORY. The Pikesville ARMORY in
our neighborhood was built in 1903 and decommissioned in 2016.. We
recently received word that the 14 acre tract of land on which it stands has
been awarded to Baltimore County and approved for conversion to a
community use space. The plans sound like it
will be a major shot in the arm for this aging West Baltimore suburb.
Pikesville Armory December 2009
48. Shared, as a friend: MUTUAL.
49. Lady Liberty, for one: STATUE.
She's more than just a STATUE
and let's pray that she holds high her torch forever!
Lady Liberty
51. Outspoken: VOCAL.
52. Job at DC Comics: INKER. As all you real solvers know, the only
way to solve crossword puzzles is in INK. Shoddy solvers such as I
do it in pencil, so that we can erase our mistakes and no one will know about
all our FIWs. Likewise shoddy cartoonists do it in pencil and then
turn the real work over to an INKER. Here is a recent tribute to
real INKER,
Don Carlton, the man behind Gary Trudeau's success:
Don Carlton December 28, 1936 – May 16, 2023
54. Lot of land: ACRE.
56. Meas. of thyme: TSP. NSEC was too long.
58. Medical gp.: HMO.
59. Charged particle: ION. A hungry atom.
60. Gridiron org.: NFL.
* Since there was a paucity of musical
opportunities in this puzzle I've decided to end the review with the haunting
introduction to the
Inspector Morse
mystery series on PBS. This music has accompanied the show from its very
first episode in 1987 and was originally created by Australian composer
Barrington Pheloung (10 May 1954 - 1 August 2019)
. Variations on this theme are also used during the credits for the
recently completed prequel
Endeavor. The theme is of course a musical pun on Samuel Morse's name (see
44D for a visual pun) ...
Cheers, Bill
And as always, thanks to Teri for proof
reading and for her constructive criticism.
Theme: Right on time.In-the-language phrases are repurposed to describe arrivals in a way that relates to the thing that is arriving. Let's have a look.
20 A. The ice cream truck arrived __: LICKETY SPLIT. This phrase is of uncertain origin, but its meaning is clear - to achieve something very rapidly. I'm guessing the relevant ice cream treat is a banana SPLIT. I would more likely LICK a cone, but OK.
33 A. The food truck arrived __: IN SHORT ORDER. Another phrase that means to do something quickly. In a culinary sense, a SHORT ORDER is a dish which can be prepared and served quickly. So it fits.
42 A. The newspaper delivery van arrived __: WITH DISPATCH. This phrase means quickly and efficiently. A DISPATCH is a news report sent by a correspondent, often from a foreign land. So the connection is perfect.
58 A. The race car arrived __: STRAIGHT AWAY. This phrase means immediately. A STRAIGHTAWAY is a straight section of a road or race track. Another solid connection.
Hi, Gang, JazzBumpa here to register all these timely arrivals. The levels of meaning here are impressive. Let's see what it takes to arrive at the end of this puzzle.
Across:
1. Pub hardware: TAPS. A device to control the flow of liquid from a container.
5. Rotisserie rods: SPITS. Thin pointed rods for holding meat over a fire.
10. Peace and quiet: CALM. A placid state, not showing anxiety or strong emotion.
14. Gaelic tongue: ERSE. The Scottish or Irish Gaelic language.
15. Forearm bones: ULNAE. The thinner and longer of the two bones in the human forearm, on the side opposite to the thumb.
16. Little of this, little of that: OLIO. A miscellaneous collection of things.
17. Eyelid affliction: STYE. An inflamed swelling on the edge of an eyelid, caused by bacterial infection of the gland at the base of an eyelash.
18. Former first lady Bush: LAURA. Laura Lane Bush [b. 1946] is the wife of former President George W. Bush and was the first lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009. Bush previously served as the first lady of Texas from 1995 to 2000. She is also the daughter-in-law of former president George H. W. Bush.
19. Voice above tenor: ALTO. In typical 4 voice harmony, the alto is the voice pitched below soprano, and above tenor and bass
23. Firepit residue: ASH. The solid residue left when combustible material is thoroughly burned
24. Stop on the way home?: BASE. In the game of baseball, a run is scored by progression from home plate, though 1st, 2nd, and 3rd base, and back to home late again. I love this clever clue.
25. State strongly: ASSERT. State a fact or belief confidently and forcefully. See my previous sentence.
29. Squish: STEP ON. Specifically on something soft and -- well - squishy, so as to make a soft, squelching sound.
31. Echidna snack: ANT. Echidnas, sometimes known as spiny anteaters, are quill-covered monotremes (egg-laying mammals) belonging to the family Tachyglossidae. The four extant species of echidnas and the platypus are the only living mammals that lay eggs and the only surviving members of the order Monotremata. The diet of some species consists of ants and termites, but they are not closely related to the true anteaters of the Americas, which (along with sloths and armadillos) are xenarthrans. Echidnas live in Australia and New Guinea.
32. Cultural org. with annual Jazz Master Fellowships: NEA. The National Education Association is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college students preparing to become teachers.
37. Not ajar: SHUT. Closed tight, as a door.
40. Chest-beating beast: APE. Old World simians native to sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. Unlike. monkeys, Apes do not have tails due to a mutation of the TBXT gene.
41. Meat inspector's org.: USDA. The United States Department of Agriculture is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food
47. Part of IPA: ALE. Ale is a type of beer brewed using a warm fermentation method, resulting in a sweet, full-bodied and fruity taste. Historically, the term referred to a drink brewed without hops. As with most beers, ale typically has a bittering agent to balance the malt and act as a preservative.
48. Baseball official: UMP. Short for umpire.
49. Listening aid: EAR BUD. A very small headphone, worn inside the ear.
53. Girl with a missing flock: BO PEEP. The original story is about a little shepherdess who loses her sheep. Her name may have come from a 16th-century children's peek-a-boo game in England known as “Bo-Peep.”
55. Alternative to fries: TOTS. Potato products.
57. Make a mistake: ERR. Be mistaken or incorrect; make a mistake. Hey - it's only human.
61. Seats for the congregation: PEWS. A long bench with a back, placed in rows in the main part of some churches to seat the congregation.
64. Get around: EVADE. Escape or avoid, especially by cleverness or trickery.
65. Round of applause: HAND. Informal usage of the word.
66. Diva's solo: ARIA. A self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompaniment, normally part of a larger work.
67. More resentful: SORER. Angrier. A clumsy word that you're unlikely to encounter in conversation.
68. Lakefront city between Cleveland and Buffalo: ERIE. Erie [population ca. 94000] is a city in Pennsylvania, on Lake Erie. Presque Isle State Park, a peninsula with beaches and trails, curves around Presque Isle Bay. Nearby, Waldameer Park & Water World has roller coasters and waterslides. The Erie Maritime Museum traces the history of Lake Erie and is the home port of the US Brig Niagara, an updated 19th-century ship.
69. Oodles: MANY. A whole big bunch.
70. Slim-necked swimmers: SWANS. Swans are birds of the family Anatidae within the genus Cygnus. The swans' closest relatives include the geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini.
71. Cruel: MEAN. Unkind, spiteful or aggressive in behavior.
Down:
1. Some electric cars: TESLAS. Tesla, Inc. is an American multinational automotive and clean energy company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Tesla designs and manufactures electric vehicles, stationary battery energy storage devices from home to grid-scale, solar panels and solar roof tiles, and related products and services.
2. Skillful one: ARTIST. A person skilled at a particular task or occupation.
3. Maiden loved by Cupid: PSYCHE. the Greek goddess of the soul and often represented as a beautiful woman with butterfly wings. The name Psyche means "soul" in Greek. She was born a mortal woman eventually granted immortality, with beauty that rivaled even Aphrodite, goddess of love.
4. Aim (to): SEEK. Attempt or desire to obtain or achieve something.
5. Ottoman rulers: SULTANS. A position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun sulαΉah, meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who claimed almost full sovereignty (i.e., not having dependence on any higher ruler) without claiming the overall caliphate, or to refer to a powerful governor of a province within the caliphate.
6. Stage performances: PLAYS. Examples of a type of literary work that is designed for performance in a theater in front of an audience. A play is composed of dialogue between various characters and divided into acts and scenes to increase the dramatic effect.
7. Not vacant: IN USE. As, for example, a public rest room.
8. Weatherproof canvas: TARP. A large sheet of strong, flexible, water-resistant or waterproof material, often cloth such as canvas or polyester coated with polyurethane, or made of plastics such as polyethylene.
9. Weatherproofing application: SEALANT. Sealant is a substance used to block the passage of fluids through openings in materials, a type of mechanical seal. In building construction sealant is sometimes synonymous with caulk and also serve the purposes of blocking dust, sound and heat transmission.
10. Layers: COATS. Plies or applications of material to cover an object.
11. 100%: ALL. Completely.
12. On: LIT. Powered, as a light bulb.
13. Cow sound: MOO. The deep vocal utterance of a bovine.
21. Jet, in poems: EBON. Deep black.
22. Analogy phrase: IS TO. A way of indicating a relational comparison. A is to B as X is to Y
26. Halts: ENDS. Comes to a conclusion.
27. Marsh plant: REED. Any of the tall, grass-like plants of wet places. They occur in reed beds. Reeds are many polyphyletic species, which have all adapted to this wet habitat by convergent evolution. It is a "form" name, not a technical botanical term.
28. Voice actress Strong: TARA. Tara Lyn Strong [b. 1973] is a Canadian-American actress. She is known for her voice work in animation, websites, and video games.
30. __ helmet: safari accessory: PITH. A lightweight cloth-covered helmet made of sholapith. The pith helmet originates from the Spanish military adaptation of the native salakot headgear of the Philippines. Sholapith is dried milky-white spongey plant matter from Aeschynomene species.
31. Sphere: AREA. An area of activity, interest, or expertise; a section of society or an aspect of life distinguished and unified by a particular characteristic.
34. Trunk hardware: HASP. A slotted hinged metal plate that forms part of a fastening for a door or lid and is fitted over a metal loop and secured by a pin or padlock.
35. Like up and down: Abbr.: OPP. Opposites.
36. German mining region: RUHR. A polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km² and a population of over 5 million, it is the largest urban area in Germany.
37. Forensic evidence collector: SWAB. An absorbent pad or piece of material, often on a stick or rod, used in surgery and medicine for cleaning wounds and skin, applying medication, or taking specimens.
38. Largest city on Hawaii's largest island: HILO. Hilo is on the Island of Hawaii. The devastating wild fires on on the Island of Maui, to the north-west. [Map]
39. Sch. near the Rio Grande: UTEP. University of Texas at El Paso.
43. Composition for two: DUET. A piece of music performed by two singers or instrumentalists.
44. Dazzle: IMPRESS. Baffle them with your awesomeness.
45. Ties in place: TETHERS. Physically connects something to something.
46. Slight coloring: CAST. Tint, hue.
50. Ides of March word: BEWARE. A cautionary admonition. From an old PLAY.
51. Muse of astronomy: URANIA. Meaning "heavenly" or "of heaven," she was, in Greek mythology, the muse of astronomy and astrology. Urania is the goddess of astronomy and stars, her attributes being the globe and compass.
52. England's first poet laureate: DRYDEN. John Dryden [1631 - 1700] was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles as the Age of Dryden.
54. Composition: ESSAY. An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story.
55. Headpiece worn by kid-lit's Fancy Nancy: TIARA. Fancy Nancy is a 2005 children's picture book series written by Jane O'Connor and illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser. Its first book entry spent nearly 100 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list, resulting in the launch of a series that now spawns over 100 titles, with sales of more than 50 million volumes. A tiara (from Latin: tiara, from Ancient Greek: ΟΞΉΞ¬ΟΞ±) is a jeweled head ornament. Its origins date back to ancient Greece and Rome. In the late 18th century, the tiara came into fashion in Europe as a prestigious piece of jewelry to be worn by women at formal occasions.
56. City near the Great Salt Lake: OGDEN. Ogden [population 87000] is a city north of Salt Lake City, in Utah. It’s a gateway to ski resorts like Snowbasin, Powder Mountain and Nordic Valley. George S. Eccles Dinosaur Park features life-size models and a paleontology lab. Historic 25th Street, once home to Prohibition-era speakeasies, is now a shopping and dining hub.
59. Admit frankly: AVOW. Assert, declare, affirm, protest, avow mean to state positively usually in anticipation of denial or objection
60. "Can I get a word in?": AHEM. Used to represent the noise made when clearing the throat, typically to attract attention or express disapproval or embarrassment. "Ahem, excuse me . . ."
61. "The Office" role for Jenna: PAM. Regina Marie "Jenna" Fischer [b. 1974] is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Pam Beesly on the NBC sitcom The Office, for which she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2007. She was also a producer for the show's final season.
62. Notable period: ERA. A long and distinct period of history with a particular feature or characteristic.
63. Finish first: WIN. Be victorious at the end of a contest or campaign.
OK, Gang. We made to the end. Hope you all got a win. Happy Wednesday.
Cool regards!
JzB
Notes from C.C.:
Happy
73rd birthday to Joseph (MM), our witty and fun Friday Sherpa. He and
his girlfriend Valerie met with Picard (Robert) and his wife Merlie on
Sept 14, 202 in Santa Barbara. Here's the amazing picture.
Left to Right: Valerie, MM, Merlie & Picard 9/14/2021
Wendy has had several puzzles in the LA Times but they were all weekday or collaborative puzzles. Today is her first LA themeless Saturday. 
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