Tuesday, July 16, 2024 / Rebecca Goldstein

The Answer is Always Chocolate.  What was the question?  The first word of each theme answer is Chocolate!

16-Across. Arbitrary allowance for error: FUDGE FACTOR.  Chocolate Fudge

24-Across. Poker player with the tallest stacks: CHIP LEADER.  Chocolate Chip.

47-Across. Rite of passage for a Jewish boy: BAR MITZVAH.  Chocolate Bar.

59-Across. Words on a novelty apron: KISS THE CHEF.  Chocolate Kiss.

Here's the unifier:

36-Across. Sweet treats for a valentine, or what the starts of 16-, 24-, 47-, and 59-Across are: BOXES OF CHOCOLATE.

And, in keeping with the Chocolate theme:

45-Down. Apt candy for a snack break?: KIT KAT.  Yummers!  One of my favorite candy bars.  I guess it is good for a snack break, because you can easily break the bar into pieces.

Across:

1. "Jurassic Park" resin: AMBER.  Everything you wanted to know about Amber, but didn't know to ask.

6. Big name in champagne: MOËT.  The perfect beverage for a celebration.  The company has been making champagne for over 280 years.   [Name Adjacent.]

10. Pigpen: STY.

13. Glacier-climbing tool: ICE AXE.

14. First word of a fairy tale: ONCE.  Best opening line in a children's book:  "Once upon a time there lived... 'A king! ' my little readers will say immediately.  No, children, you are mistaken.  Once upon a time there was a piece of wood."  *

15. __ vez: again, in Spanish: OTRA.  Obviously, this is today's Spanish lesson.

18. Sonnet or ode: POEM.

19. Phony: FRAUD.

20. Margaret of "Fire Island": CHO.  Margaret Cho (née Margaret Moran Cho; b. Dec. 5, 1968) is an American stand-up comedian and actress. In Fire Island, she portrayed an LGBT Asian-American on vacation with a group of gay friends in Fire Island.  [Name # 1.]

21. Play parts: SCENES.

23. Ivy in New Haven: YALE.  Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut was named after Elihu Yale (Apr. 5, 1649 ~ July 8, 1721).  [Name Adjacent.]

26. Out of __ world: THIS.

28. Not online, online: IRL.  Textspeak for In Real Life.  This appears with some frequency in the crossword puzzles.

29. Dove's sound: COO.

31. Prefix similar to quad-: TETRA.  Also the name of an early video game created by Alexey Pajitnov (b. Apr. 16, 1955). 

33. 38-Down dispenser: ATM.  //  And 38-Down: Money: CASH.

35. Talk a big game: CROW.

40. Inning's six: OUTS.  Because each baseball team has three outs per inning.  Clever.

41. Tyrannosaurus __: REX.

42. Many Omanis: ARABS.  The official name of the country is the Sultanate of Oman and it is located on the eastern side of the Arabian Peninsula.

43. Shivered syllable: BRR.  It was unseasonably cold in Iceland.  Temps are normally in the 60s in June, but the first week or so we were there, temps were in the 40s.  BRR ...

44. Barinholtz who won "Celebrity Jeopardy!" in 2023: IKE.  I recognize his face, but did not know his name.  Ike Barinholtz (b. Feb. 18, 1977) starred in The Mindy Project.   [Name # 2.]

46. Community FYIs: PSAs.  As in a Public Service Announcement.

51. Cheeky answers: SASS.

55. Legal scholar: JURIST.

56. Organ with a lobe: EAR.

57. Desert flora: CACTI.

58. Shortly, shortly: ASAP.  As in As Soon As Possible.

62. Piffling: MERE.

63. Uffizi display: ARTE.  Today's Italian lesson.  The Uffizi Gallery, which is in Florence, Italy, houses many Renaissance masterpieces.  It's well worth the visit.  Even the building itself, which was built in the late 1500s, is a masterpiece.

64. "Love that": IN TO IT.

65. NNW opposite: SSE.

66. Body positive activist Holliday: TESS.  Tess Holliday (née Ryann Maegen Hoven; b. July 5, 1985) is completely unknown to me.  [Name # 3.]

67. Brick-and-mortar worker?: MASON.

Down:

1. Honda luxury line: ACURA.

2. Olympian's aspiration: MEDAL.  What are the medals made of?

3. French loaves: BAGUETTES.  Yummers!  When we lived in France, we had fresh baguettes and cheese every day.  You had to eat the baguette the day you bought it, though, because if you didn't, you could use the baguette to hammer nails.

4. Struck through: EX'ED.

5. Penalty caller: REF.  As in Referee.

6. Sweet rice cake: MOCHI.  Everything you wanted to know about Mochi but didn't know to ask.

7. In first place: ON TOP.

8. Prefix with hotel or tourist: ECO-.  Everything the Eco-Tourist should know about an Eco-Hotel.

9. Less verbose: TERSER.

10. Crustacean eaten by sea turtles: STONE CRAB.

11. Moving sidewalk creators?: TREE ROOTS.  Tree roots can also move driveways.

12. Thanksgiving tubers: YAMS.

13. Not without risk: IFFY.

15. Opinion piece: OP-ED.   The term Op-Ed is short for "opposite the editorial page".  Apparently, the New York Times began publishing the Op-Ed Page in 1970, and it now refers to the practice of newspapers placing opinion pieces on the opposite side of their editorial page.

17. German cries: ACHs!  Today's German lesson.

22. Berkeley, briefly: CAL.  Berkeley is a town/city in California.  

24. Bologna bye-bye: CIAO.  More of today's Italian lesson.

25. Long ride, for short: LIMO.

27. Bits of time?: HRs.  As in Hours.

30. Need to repay: OWE.

31. Band wagons?: TOUR BUSES.

32. Like a limited edition: EXTRA RARE.

33. Hardware chain that celebrated "100 Years of Helpful" in 2024: ACE.

34. "appreciate u": THX.  More textspeak.

35. Mensches: CLASS ACTS.  Mensch, today's Yiddish lesson, and it means a person with integrity and honor.  If someone is called a Mensch, it is a real compliment.  

36. __ for apples: BOB.  [Name adjacent.]

37. Lose sleep, maybe: FRET.

39. "Your Song" singer Rita: ORA.  Rita Ora (née Rita Sahatçiu; b. Nov. 26, 1990) was born in what is now Kosovo, but her family moved to England when she was a baby.  Her parents changed their surname from Sahatçiu, which means watchmaker, to Ora, which means time, because it was easier for English-speaking people to pronounce.  She is married to the New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi (b. Aug. 16, 1975).   [Name # 4.]

44. Online convos: IMs.  Instant Messages.  More textspeak.

46. Take different paths: PART.

48. Like peaches in summer: RIPE.  Yummers!  I love fresh, ripe peaches.

49. Cocktail twists: ZESTS.

50. Bouquet bearers: VASES.

52. Sneeze sound: ACHOO!

53. Oktoberfest mug: STEIN.  Oktoberfest begins in Munich this September 21.

54. Verb in a bread recipe: SIFT.

55. Scone spreads: JAMS.  Yummers!

57. John of "Argylle": CENA.  John Cena (né John Felix Anthony Cena; b. Apr. 23, 1977) is probably best known for being a professional wrestler, although he has moved into acting.  [Name # 5.]

60. Anger: IRE.

61. That guy: HIM.

Here's the Grid:

*  Opening line of Pinocchio, by Carlo Collodi.

חתולה

Monday July 15, 2024 John Beck and Doug Peterson

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here with a dual effort from John Beck and Doug Peterson. Upon searching our blog, I found numerous puzzles from Doug (including this one from two Mondays ago) but none from John. Perhaps congratulations are in order for his LAT debut?! Nonetheless, John has a lot of XWD experience. I am fairly sure this is John scoring big on the TV game show, Merv Griffin's Crosswords from 15 years ago.

Today's theme is   

We will begin with the reveal:

57 Across. "You're not alone," and what the first word in the answer to each starred clue can do: JOIN THE CLUB.

In other words, the first word of each of the four themed clues can be JOINed to the end of the word CLUB to create a new concept. Let's take a closer look:

17 Across. *Alternative sentencing option: HOUSE ARREST.  This is when the court orders an offender to remain confined in his/her residence.

Also... a CLUB HOUSE is a meeting place for a CLUB to hold CLUB activities.  

Rodney Dangerfield yuks it up at the golf CLUB HOUSE

in Caddyshack (1980).

25 Across. *Love for hot rods and drive-in movies: CAR CULTURE.  This is "the shared beliefs, values, purpose, customs, language, arts, institutions, achievements, etc., of a particular group of people that have an affinity for the automobile. There is no single car culture, but some aspects of car culture are shared."

Also... a CLUB CAR is "a railroad car equipped with a lounge and other amenities."  

CLUB CAR scene from White Christmas (1954)

38 Across. *Former name of 30-Down: SANDWICH ISLANDS.   

I am not sure I am OK with a crossed referenced clue used for a themer. Your thoughts? 

This one was a gimme for me because this 56-A
of the SANDWICH ISLANDS is hanging on my wall.

Also... a CLUB SANDWICH is made with chicken or turkey, ham or bacon, tomato, lettuce, mayonnaise, and three pieces of toast. (YMMV)  

46 Across. *Wayyy past irate: HOPPING MAD.  I always think of Yosemite Sam.  

And... CLUB HOPPING means going to several different nightCLUBs in one night.  

John and Doug maxed out the LAT's 78 word limit for M-F puzzles. Here are the other 73 clues:

Across:
1. Angelic auras: HALOS. 

6. Crass: CRUDE.

Also, there this type of "bubblin' CRUDE":  

Beverly Hillbillies theme song (1962-1971)

<I like the dog.>

11. Stat for Shohei Ohtani: AVG.  He is a pitcher and a designated hitter for the Los Angles Dodgers, which is unusual because a DH usually hits for the pitcher. Every DH wants a high batting AVeraGe. As of this writing, his AVG is 0.317. That has him sitting second in the National League.  NL STATS

14. Organic building material: ADOBE.  TREES?

Here is a video of how to make ADOBE bricks. They use dirt, water, and straw -- which technically does make them organic though I have never heard anyone describe them as such. Notice that the wall behind them is made of ADOBE bricks.  

15. A park in a busy city, for some: OASIS.

16. Musical acuity: EAR.  My grandfather and his brother both played several instruments by EAR. This picture shows my great uncle and my grandfather sitting behind the bass drum. People say I look like my grandfather, but unfortunately I did not inherit his musical EAR.  

19. Bitter brew, briefly: IPA.

20. Comedy show host: EMCEE.  Master of Ceremonies

21. General vibe: MOOD.

22. "Fiddlesticks!": RATS.  

29. Like Bono, Branagh, and Brosnan: IRISH.  ... and Irish Miss ☘

31. "Praise be!": AMEN.

32. Starting hr. for some: NINE A.M.  Cue Dolly Parton's 9 to 5 (1980)...  

I have tickets to see a local theater production of 9 to 5 this week. It should be fun!

34. Cry of regret: ALAS.     and   34 Down. Cry of recognition: AHA.

35. "Chandelier" singer: SIA.  ESP, for me  official website

41. Cathedral city near Cambridge: ELY.  Another ESP for me but the first sentence on its Wikipedia page says, "Ely is a cathedral city  and civil parish in the East Cambridgeshire district ...." So it must be true. 😜

42. Penne __ vodka: ALLA.  

43. Indian lutes: SITARS.  A SITAR is a large, long-necked Indian lute with movable frets, played with a wire pick.

44. Italian farewell: CIAO.     and     33 Down. Center of Italy's fashion industry: MILAN.

Speaking of Italy, the Italian Air Force Precision Demonstration Team Frecce Tricolori
stopped at the Monterey Airport to refuel this past Tuesday.
They did an impromptu flyover for the locals.
(I pulled these pics from the KSBW news video.)

45. Spooky: EERIE.

52. "__ we forget": LEST.  

53. Ride-hailing app: UBER.  

Cindy has the app on her smart phone.
Notice she is missing a shoe. #NiceTouch

54. San Antonio mission: ALAMO.

56. Document a new region: MAP.  "Document" and "MAP" are verbs here.

63. Little devil: IMP.

64. Supplement: ADD TO.

65. New Brunswick neighbor: MAINE.  There is also a city called New Brunswick in New Jersey.

66. 24 hours: DAY.  

67. Southwest plateaus: MESAS.  

68. Pop star John: ELTON.  This is the movie trailer for the 2019 biopic Rocketman, starring Taron Egerton as Elton John.

Down:
1. "A likely story!": HAH.  The phrase, a likely story is used to express disbelief of an excuse.

Click to expand.

2. Flap: ADO.  Flap = Fuss = ADO

3. Bud's partner in classic comedy: LOU.  Last week we had LOU clued as "Rugrats grandpa".  

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello  (3:48 min.)

4. Overly preoccupied (with): OBSESSED.  Here's some advice:  

5. Appear to be: SEEM.  

Pericles, Prince of Tyre

6. Jazz composer Chick: COREA.  waseeley and MalMan have been talking about Béla Fleck lately. Perhaps they will enjoy this collaboration with Chick Corea.  

7. Not as easily found: RARER.

8. "__ your head!": USE.  

Ouch!

9. Talk smack about: DIS.  I like how slang in the clue (smack) hints at a slang answer.

Def.: (v.) slang: to treat with disrespect or contempt.

10. "C'__ la vie!": EST.  French for "That's life!".

11. Phonics lesson quintet: A-E-I-O-U.  

12. Humidifier output: VAPOR.

13. B-, for example: GRADE.

18. N.C. State's athletic gp.: ACC.  "North Carolina State University" and "group" are abbreviated, so is the "Atlantic Coast Conference."

I hope your FIR was not riding on this one!

21. Topography abbr.: MTN.  MounTaiNs 

22. Quickly hose off: RINSE.  

23. Basic font: ARIAL.  Speaking of fonts, you might be interested in learning about this font, designed for people with dyslexia. Henry Winkler used it in his Here's Hank books.

24. Having a thin, metallic sound: TINNY.  Did someone say, "Metallica sound"?  

One (1988)

Note:  Probably best to skip this video if you are not into heavy metal music.

26. Southwest Colombian city: CALI.  According to Columbia.travel, Cali is known by the rest of Colombia as the "Rumba Capital" and by the world as the "Salsa Capital". It's elevation is 3,340 ft. (1,018 meters).

27. Amherst sch.: UMASS.  "School" is abbreviated, so is "University of MASSachusetts".

28. WNBA legend Lisa: LESLIE.  (b. 7/7/1972 in Compton, CA)  WNBA site

30. State whose official individual sport is surfing: HAWAII.  

Surfing made its Olympic debut in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The 2024 Olympics surfing competition will be held at Teahupo'o, Tahiti in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France.

35. Capture: SNARE.

36. "Hijack" star Elba: IDRIS.  Hi Lucina!  

37. Item of value: ASSET.

39. Problem that a snake might solve: CLOG.   

Oh, that type of snake! 

40. Supported growers in one's community: ATE LOCAL.  "ATE" was needed to match supported.

Eating LOCAL does not mean frequenting your local McDonald's. Instead, it means to enjoy more locally grown produce from the farmers in your community. 7 Benefits to Eating Local

44. Lifesaving letters: CPR.  CardioPulmonary Resuscitation

46. Muggy: HUMID.  

47. Only U.S. president born in 30-Down: OBAMA.  President Barack Obama was born at the Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women & Children in Honolulu, HAWAII.

48. Full of vigor: PEPPY.

49. Tropical ray: MANTA.  Here is a beautiful video showing giant MANTA rays (2:38 min.). Adults average 3,600 lbs. (1,633 kgs.) ... yet they are so graceful!  

50. Midrange voices: ALTOS.

51. "Well, lah-di-__!": DAH.

55. Video that's suddenly everywhere, say: MEME.  Def.:  an amusing or interesting item (such as a captioned picture or video) or genre of items that is spread widely online especially through social media
This MEME is trending this week:  

57. Scanner problem: JAM.  

I like how the cartoonist drew the glass ceiling.

58. Celebratory verse: ODE.

59. Confirms someone's age, for short: ID'S.  This means to check someone's ID to make sure they are "old enough".

60. Blazing: LIT.  This could be slang, but then again it could just mean "on fire". Oh, wait, that's slang, too.

61. __, dos, tres: UNO.

62. Actor Kingsley: BEN.  (b. 12/31/1943 in Snainton, U.K.)  his IMDb page

Here is today's grid:  

That's everything for today. Congratulations! You have made it through initiation, are now in the CLUB,  and are invited to comment below.