Wednesday, Aug 7th, 2024, Annemarie Brethauer

EGGS BENEDICT

 Yeah, that guy....Hi there, and welcome again to the Corner, where we'll discuss today's puzzle from Annemarie Brethauer, who is a free-lance constructor and has had several grids for the LA Times.  Today we don't have "theme" answers, per se, but instead the dreaded circles that "turn" the word COAT - and very cleverly done, I might add, such that the letters rotate to a distinct quadrant of the square with each version.  This does lead to a few "meh" fills and dreaded proper names, but a mere twenty TLWs.  I could recreate the boxes with the associated fill, but methinks it would just be simpler to post the solution up top, and mention the long fills in the Across that relate to the circles;

18. "Ha! April Fools!": "AH, I GOTCHA~!" - this feels a little forced, IMHO, esp. with the "Ha" and "AH" in the clue/answer

20. Rile up: ANTAGONIZE - but then we get this sparkling fill

62. Starbucks order: VENTI LATTE - this fill has some crossword history; it is NOT "ventilate"

65. Made-up: FICTIONAL - A fictional Time Machine

Back To The Future,1985

And back in time for some history of the grid-centered reveal . . . .

39. Traitors, and an apt title for this puzzle: TURNCOATS - believed to be coined during the English Civil Wars, when soldiers turned their coats inside out to match the opposing side's colors

 And "Back to the Future~!" We Go


ACROSS:

1. Food grinder: MOLAR - AH, one's back teeth, not a kitchen appliance; see 5D.

6. Mischievous rascal: IMP - I was being an intentional mischievous rascal last week

9. Bee-related: APIAN

14. Puccini composition: OPERA

15. In-like-a-lion mo.: MARch - goes out like a lamb, sometimes

16. Impressions: DENTS - someone left an "impression" on my car's bumper - and I have no idea when it happened; I just noticed it last week when I walked up on the back of my Prius; I do know it was a white car . . . .

17. Intel mission: RECONnaissance

22. Early ISP: AOL - America OnLine

23. Went bad: SOURED - AH, not ROTTED

24. Pack it in: EAT

26. Blokes: MEN

28. __ La Table: kitchenware shop: SUR - filled via perps; their website

29. California sch. near the Mexican border: SDSU - San Diego State University; had the "S"s from perps, so . . . .

32. Meet, as a challenge: RISE TO

34. Capital of Thailand?: TEE - I know some Cornerites don't care for this kind of clue, but I don't mind; the "T" that is the capital letter of T-hailand

36. Quite a long time: EONS

38. Surgical tool: LASER

42. "Trust the __ touch": longtime slogan of a car repair chain: MIDAS

Commercial from 1985

45. Duds: GARB - dress, finery, apparel, clothing

It's a Zoot Suit riot

46. QVC alternative: HSN - Home Shopping Network

49. Brunch order: OMELET - AH, not having Eggs Benedict~?

51. Vegetables in a "mushy" dish: PEAS - AH; my parents may have been British, but I never had this growing up - I went looking for some recipe info

53. __ & Perrins steak sauce: LEA

55. Nonstick spray brand: PAM - I use this - very convenient in a spray

56. Canine command: SIT~! - whenever I hear a distant dog barking, I say "sit~!", because it reminds me of this movie, and this scene

Fletch, also from 1985 - @1:42

58. Lawn party cover: CANOPY  - I am pondering the purchase as a place to park my tractor

60. State in southwest India: GOA - name

67. Nerve center: LOCUS - meh, but it is the first definition of the word - I am used to the math definition

68. Took apart: UNDID - meh

69. Finale: END

70. Muscat citizen: OMANI - name

71. Musical silences: RESTS

72. 2022 film starring Cate Blanchett as a conductor: TÁR - name; the IMDb 

73. Electrician, at times: WIRER - one who WIRES outlets, switches, etc.


DOWN:

1. Convoluted situation: MORASS - good fill; the NW and SE corners were tough for Wednesday

2. Unfurl: OPEN OUT - Sigh.  Yes, this is true . . . .

3. Good talking-to: LECTURE - AH.  I got the email "lecture" from C.C. last week as well 😜

4. Very loud: AROAR - we had this last Saturday

5. Appliances that may have pilot lights: RANGES - AH - I had STOVES to start

6. Vellani who plays Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel: IMAN - name, no clue -the IMDb

7. Fish often grilled for tacos, informally: MAHI - formally, mahi-mahi

8. Booker or Pulitzer: PRIZE - name(s) - I know about the Pulitzer, here's the Booker

9. "And now, without further __ ... ": ADO

10. Anti-65-Down org.: PETA - AND - 65D. Pelt: FUR

A FAUX coat, not a TURN coat

11. Earnings: INCOMES - meh; I don't care for the pluralized version

12. Typical Wheaties box portrait: ATHLETE

Little Chocolate Donuts for breakfast - and the cigarette

I love Belushi's facial expressions in this skit

13. Code-cracking org.: NSA - a WAG; National Security Agency

19. One of four-on-the-floor: GEAR - the only "four-on-the-floor" I owned was my Subaru Brat

Also 1985 - huh.

It had "O-tops", as there was a frame over the door, so not quite "T-tops"

21. Harder to explain: ODDER - meh.

25. Pinball faux pas: TILT

27. Negative conjunction: NOR

30. "Yesterday" or "Tomorrow": SONG - clever clue

31. Remove the lid: UNCAP

33. Scout uniform accessory: SASH

Russell, from "UP" - love this movie

35. "Plus some other writers" abbr.: ET. AL.

37. Really mad: SORE

40. Takes advantage of: USES

41. Beaded counters: ABACI

Technically, a beaded counter(top)

42. Floor-washing tool: MOP - a looong way to go for a TLW

43. Envision: IMAGINE

44. Garage band output, once: DEMO CDs - AH.  Meh.  I know, I know; I'm stuck in 1985 - this is also the name of the Apple software expressly for the purpose of producing one's own music, but TAPES just seem more "sincere"

47. Toy racer: SLOTCAR

48. Farthest planet from the sun: NEPTUNE - PLUTO~!  Stuck in 1985

50. DVR option: TiVO

52. Sickly looking: SALLOW

54. Response to Captain Kirk: AYE, SIR

Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home - OK, so this is actually 1986

57. Guiding principle: TENET

59. Watts of "The Painted Veil": NAOMI - name, filled via perps - the IMDb

61. Plugging away: AT IT

63. "Peter Pan" dog: NANA - name I did not know; it occurs to me I have not seen this animated classic

64. Abbr. with a synopsis: TL;DR - Too Long; Didn't Read - the modern world of zero attention span

66. Wallet cards: IDs

Splynter

Tuesday August 6, 2024 Amie Walker

Spin the Bottle.  The last word or portion from each theme answer can be combined with Bottle to give us a new concept.

19-Across. Romantic involvement without defined parameters: SITUATIONSHIP.  Ship in a Bottle.  The dictionary defines Situationship as "a romantic or sexual relationship that is not considered to be formal or established."

25-Across. Brand in a nursery: DIAPERGENIE.  Genie in a Bottle.

49-Across. Email alternative: TEXTMESSAGE.  Message in a Bottle.

And the unifier:

55-Across. Classic Jim Croce song, or a stretch for the ends of 19-, 25-, and 49-Across?: TIME IN A BOTTLE.

Across:

1. Atlas page: MAP.

4. Detective agency often outsmarted by Carmen Sandiego: ACME.  Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?  Carman is a fictional character in a video/computer game that is designed to teach children geography, math and other skills.  [Name # 1, Fictional]

8. Hit the brakes: STOP.

12. Utter delight: GLEE.  Also the name of a television series that ran from 2009 to 2015.  Sadly, several of the young cast members have died.

14. Lets loose: FREES.

15. Cornmeal cake: PONE. Yummers!

16. "Right Here Waiting" singer Richard: MARX.  Apparently Richard Noel Marx (b. Sept. 16, 1963) is an "adult contemporary" singer-songwriter.  I don't recognize the name, nor do I recognize the song.  [Name # 2.]

17. Godiva rival: LINDT.  Yummers!  The history of Godiva.  The History of Lindt. [Name adjacent.]

18. Cathedral area: APSE.  A crossword staple.

22. Wi-Fi device: ROUTER.

24. Create a cartoon: ANIMATE.

28. __ Talks: lecture series: TED.  Not a person's name, but a public-speaking presentation given at the TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) annual event or one of its many satellite events around the world. 

29. Designer Gucci: ALDO.  Aldo Gucci (May 26, 1905 ~ Jan. 19, 1990) was the son of the founder of the Gucci fashion company.  He ran the company for over 30 years, from the early 1950s until the mid-80s.  [Name # 3.]

30. Japanese currency: YEN.

31. The "A" of LGBTQIA+, informally: ACE.  Okay.  LGBTIQA+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer/questioning, asexual and plus. Many other terms (such as non-binary and pansexual) that people use to describe their experiences of their gender, sexuality and physiological sex characteristics.

33. Cry upon stubbing one's toe: YELP.

35. Yoga studio accessory: MAT.

37. Parts of psyches: EGOs.

40. On the __: running: LAM.  The possible origin of the expression On the Lam.

42. Fish and chips fish, often: COD.  Yummers!  I had some of the best Fish and Chips while in Iceland.

44. Get a grip on: GRAB.

46. Tony-winning singer/actress Salonga: LEA.  I am not familiar with Lea Salonga (née Maria Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga; b. Feb. 22, 1971).  She is a Filipino singer and actress and is best known for her theater work.  She has starred in Broadway musicals, including Miss Saigon and Les Miz.  [Name # 4.]

52. Top player: ALL-STAR.

54. Rang out: PEALED.

58. Big celebrity: IDOL.

59. Red wine grape: SYRAH.  Everything you wanted to know about the Syrah grape but didn't know to ask.

60. Figure skating leap: AXEL.

63. Hawaiian goose: NENE.  When I first began working on crosswords, this Hawaiian Goose was a crossword staple.  It would appear at least once a week.

64. Glum drops: TEARS.

65. Title for Emma Thompson: DAME.  Dame Emma Thompson (b. Apr. 15, 1959) is a British actress.  She gained the title "Dame" in 2018.  [Name # 5.]

66. Throws into the mix: ADDS.

67. Sportsbook calculations: ODDS.

68. Cow's sound: MOO.

Down:

1. Film studio founded in 1924: MGM.  MGM stands for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.  The company is named after three companies which were combined in 1924: Metro Pictures, Samuel Goldwyn Productions, and Louis B. Mayer Productions.

2. In the manner of: À LA.  Today's French lesson.

3. Bring around: PERSUADE.

4. Vegas casino with a musical name: ARIA.  I was just in Vegas last week attending a conference.  We weren't staying at this hotel/casino, though.  I did see the Aria casino and hotel.

5. Penny: CENT.

6. Middle of the road: MEDIAN.  It's known as the Neutral Ground in New Orleans.

7. Tallinn's country: ESTONIA.  I visited Tallinn several years ago.  It is a beautiful city.

8. Muscle twitch: SPASM.

9. Part of a Willy Wonka costume: TOP HAT.

10. Not remote: ON-SITE.

11. Sounded like a baby bird: PEEPED.

13. Election Day survey of voters: EXIT POLL.

14. Commotion: FLURRY.

20. Short-sleeved shirt: TEE.

21. Sabrina, to Hilda and Zelda: NIECE.  Okay.  These names are totally unknown to me, although it was easy enough to suss out the word Niece.  Sabrina (née Sabrina Spellman) is a character from the comic Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.  She apparently lives with her aunts, Hilda and Zelda.  Not only was Sabrina the Teenage Witch a comic strip, but was also a television series.  [Names # 6, 7 and 8, fictional.]

22. Nutrition fig.: RDA.  As in the Recommended Daily Allowance.  According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the RDA is the average daily dietary intake level sufficient to meet the nutrient requirement of most healthy individuals in a particular gender and life stage group.

23. Like some garage floors: OILY.

26. Shining example: GEM.

27. Put into law: ENACT.

32. Sandwich filling with hard-boiled ingredients: EGG SALAD.  Yummers!

34. "Godmother of Soul" LaBelle: PATTI.  Patti LaBelle (née Patricia Louise Holte; b. May 24, 1944) began her singing career in the 1960s as the frontwoman for the band Patti LaBelle and the Bluebells. [Name # 9.]

36. Shiv's partner on "Succession": TOM.  Succession was an HBO television series that centered on Logan Roy, an aging media mogul and his family.  Tom Wambsgans was the son-in-law who was married to Logan's daughter, Siobhan "Shiv" Roy.  [Names # 10 and 11, Fictional]

38. Challenge for a doctoral student: ORAL EXAM.

39. Wise: SAGE.

41. Has every intention of: MEANS TO.

43. Unexplored ocean regions: DEPTHS.

45. Place with pillows: BED.

46. "Gran Cocina __": Maricel E. Presilla cookbook: LATINA.  If I cooked, I would probably like the recipes from this book.  Maricel Presilla specializes in the foods of Latin America and Spain.  She was he first Latin American woman to have been invited as a guest chef at the White House.  She also holds a Ph.D. in medieval Spanish history.  [Name # 12.]

47. Left out, as a syllable: ELIDED.

48. Energy bar nut: ALMOND.

50. Saw right through, in a way: X-RAYED.

51. Game, __, match: SET.

53. 1990s tennis great Monica: SELES.  Monica Seles (b. Dec. 2, 1973) was the youngest champion of the French Open when she won at age 16 in 1990.  [Name # 13.]

56. Small fastener: BRAD.  It could be a name, but not in this case.

57. Rower's pair: OARS.

61. Taking Back Sunday genre: EMO.  Apparently Taking Back Sunday is a rock band that was formed in the late 1990s.

62. Zodiac sign for one with an August 6 birthday: LEO.

Here's the Grid:

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