L.A.Times Crossword Corner

Oct 6, 2024

Sunday October 6, 2024 Susan Gelfand & Katie Hale

Theme: "All in a Day's Work" - Each common phrase is rephrased as if it's part of the job description fitting the professional in the clue.

23. Part of an orchestra conductor's job description?: KNOW THE SCORE.

34. Part of a deckhand's job description?: TIE THE KNOT.

42. Part of an EPA technician's job description?: TEST THE WATERS.

66. Part of a wedding caterer's job description?: TAKE THE CAKE.

72. Part of an angler's job description?: HOLD THE LINE.

95. Part of a museum curator's job description?: GET THE PICTURE.

102. Part of a road maintenance worker's job description?: PAVE THE WAY.

119. Part of a set designer's job description?: MAKE THE SCENE.

We've seen fitting job themes in the past few years, but none with this "verb + the + noun" consistency. This extra layer attracted Pattie's attention, I'm sure.

Very smooth fill, as expected from two veteran constructors. So few proper names. Not easy to pull it off.

Across:

1. Goes on to say: ADDS.

5. Thinks the world of: ADORES.

11. Stain layer: COAT.

15. Chat__: GPT. GPT stands for Generative Pre-training Transformer. A mouthful.

18. Evening, in Venice: SERA.

19. Cool Ranch snack brand: DORITOS.

21. Wheelbarrow part: AXLE.

22. Bike tire filler: AIR.

25. Sensitivity training exercise: ROLE PLAY. Role-play training.

27. Doodlebug, e.g.: ISOPOD.

28. Focused, at work: ON TASK.

30. Cold snap temps: TEENS.

31. Annapurna's country: NEPAL. Annapurna's is the 10th-highest mountain in the world.

32. Hill builder: ANT.

37. Hidden: SECRETED.

41. "You saved the day!": MY HERO.

46. Subside a bit: EASE OFF.

50. "Blech!": UGH.

51. Pack animal: ASS.

52. Penny prez: ABE.

53. Lane marked with diamonds: Abbr.: HOV.

54. Texter's chuckle: LOL.

55. "Tough noogies": TOO BAD.

58. All thumbs: CLUMSY.

60. Expatriate: EMIGRE. Am I an emigre?

63. Puff from an iron: STEAM.

64. Pie __ mode: ALA.

68. Toddler's siesta: NAP TIME.

71. Tiny puncture: PINHOLE.

76. Install, as carpeting: LAY.

77. Moisten while roasting: BASTE. I associate this word with Thanksgiving turkey.

81. Oil-rich peninsula: ARABIA.

82. Criticize sharply: ASSAIL.

84. Prepared for takeoff: TAXIED.

85. Tip, briefly: REC. Recommendation.

86. Cars singer Ocasek: RIC.

88. Coffee holder: URN.

89. Like unsewn edges: RAW.

91. Sharks and minnows, essentially: TAG. Is this a gimme to you guys?

92. Camrys and Corollas: TOYOTAS.

99. Like winter base layers: WOOLEN.

101. 96-Down member: HOOPSTER. 96. Charlotte NBA team: HORNETS.

106. Caviar: ROE.

107. Drops from the sky: RAINS.

111. Select few: ELITE.

112. Greet the day: AWAKEN.

115. Famous Liverpudlian: LENNON. John Lennon was born in Liverpool.

116. Heart-pumping class: AEROBICS.

122. French vineyard designation: CRU.

123. Quite frequently: A LOT.

124. Western topper: STETSON.

125. White-tailed sea eagle: ERNE. I want to have a dark green tail.

126. Sci-fi subjects: ETS.

127. Sheer delight: GLEE.

128. Lengthy exam answers: ESSAYS.

129. Planetary system center: STAR. And 75. Third in a noted set of eight: EARTH. Solar system planets.

Down:

1. More than greet at the door: ASK IN.

2. Like thick fog: DENSE.

3. Turn down?: DROOP. Truly "turn down".

4. Looked beyond: SAW PAST.

5. Med. condition that often presents in childhood: ADHD.

6. Forest female: DOE.

7. Hosp. theaters: ORS. Not famliar with this "operating theater" meaning.

8. Lasagna cheese: RICOTTA.

9. British boarding school by the Thames: ETON.

10. Separate, as laundry: SORT.

11. Ignition insert: CAR KEY.

12. Good Grips brand: OXO.

13. The complete set: ALL.

14. Vacillates: TEETERS.

15. Ancient Greek physician: GALEN. Google shows that he served several Roman Emperors, including .

16. Grand instrument: PIANO.

17. Lovers' meeting: TRYST.

20. Stadium spot: SEAT.

24. Vacancy sign: TO LET.

26. Orange __ tea: PEKOE.

29. Virtual city population: SIMS.

32. Son of Zeus: ARES.

33. Reportage: NEWS.

35. Ted's alternate nickname: THEO.

36. Cry aboard a frigate: HEAVE HO.

38. Landlocked African country: CHAD. The other answer is MALI. We also have 53. Spotted African predator: HYENA.

39. List-shortening abbr.: ET AL.

40. World premiere: DEBUT.

42. Sounds of disapproval: TUTS.

43. Four-award acronym: EGOT.

44. Cleat or clog: SHOE.

45. Update after a survey: RE-MAP.

47. Gymnast Korbut: OLGA.

48. Food picker-upper: FORK.

49. Hightail it: FLEE.

56. Cozy inn, casually: B AND B.

57. Master luthier: AMATI. From Cremona.

58. Sleeveless tops, briefly: CAMIS. And 74. Like some wedding gowns: LACY.

59. Craft: SKILL.

61. __ toast: MELBA.

62. Alpine climber's tool: ICE AX.

64. Noshed: ATE.

65. Pastel purple hue: LILAC.

67. "Above __ deep and dreamless sleep / The silent stars go by": THY.

69. Egyptian ruler: PHARAOH.

70. Follow: ENSUE.

72. Stag: HART.

73. Milkshake mix-in at Five Guys: OREO.

78. In __: as found: SITU.

79. Shred: TEAR.

80. Periphery: EDGE.

83. Gaga over: INTO.

84. Silly billy: TWIT.

87. Archipelago piece: ISLE.

89. Property takeback: REPO.

90. Cathedral recess: APSE.

93. Have a debt with: OWE TO.

94. Canvas carrier: TOTE BAG. So many people go crazy over Trader Joe's mini tote bags.

95. Nibble (on): GNAW.

97. Agriculture goddess: CERES. Roman goddess.

98. Hypnotic states: TRANCES.

100. Discarded cells: E WASTE.

102. Tranquility: PEACE.

103. Warning: ALERT.

104. Computer bug: VIRUS.

105. Some purple tubers: YAMS. Just bought some at the farmers market. I like boiling them with walnuts.

108. Like argon: INERT.

109. Mamma's mamma: NONNA.

110. Scornful look: SNEER.

113. "Running up That Hill" singer Bush: KATE.

114. Squeaks (out): EKES.

115. Tinted sunglasses part: LENS.

117. Sick: ILL.

118. Iowa college: COE.

120. Screening org.: TSA.

121. Today, in Spanish: HOY.

C.C.

Oct 5, 2024

Saturday, October 5, 2024, David P. Williams

Saturday Themeless by David P. Williams

I was fortunate to blog Dave's first puzzle that was published for the LA Times on May 15, 2021. It was so long ago that Rich Norris was still the editor.

The brilliance of Dave's puzzle is evident when you see the three vertical and three horizontal 11-letter fills in the heart of the puzzle. Subsequently, he had a very low word count of 66. The last horizontal fill is only 51. Across and the last vertical fill is 47. Down

My failure was at MIN_US/_ENTIANS which fills my definition of a Natick. I wrote my grandson (see below), who is a professional jazz musician and getting a Graduate Degree at The University of North Texas, and he immediately knew MINGUS and told me some terrible stories about him.

My Grandson

Across:

1. Street in London home to many medical offices: HARLEY.

7. Charles known as the "Angry Man of Jazz": MINGUS.

13. Cold spells: ICE AGES.

15. Like most drafts: UNSENT - Mentally, I went through several definitions of draft before I arrived at the ones that indicate that you might want review a few times before you hit Send.

16. "Hang on": JUST A SEC.

18. Pose: STANCE.

19. Duck: AVOID.

20. Admit: COP TO - On the other hand...

22. Get some sun: TAN.

23. Get too much sun: BURN - On the other hand...

24. "No kidding!": TRULY.

25. Guinness order: PINT.

26. Ready: SET.

27. Large venue: ARENA.

28. Song birds?: SWANS - Two came to my mind

29. Serious scratch: PRETTY PENNY - The idiom explained

31. Poutine kin: CHEESE FRIES - You can hold the cheese on my FRIES

Not a big fan below either!

32. Comes full circle?: WRAPS AROUND.

33. Second-most populous urban area of the Tibetan Plateau: LHASA

LHASA pop. 521,000

Getting from LHASA to Kathmandu takes a WRAP AROUND route.

34. Primary rte.?: US ONE - From Ft. Kent, Maine to Key West, Florida

35. Ask sincerely: BEG.

38. A in Kindergarten: EINE - Kindergarten is German so "A" dog is EINE Hund

39. Like some accents: ACUTE.

40. Adidas rival: FILA.

41. Sound of disapproval: TSK.

42. Shorts' lack: KNEES 😀

43. John whose Civil War trilogy was adapted as a miniseries starring Patrick Swayze: JAKES - You'll have to look hard to see John's name in the credit

44. "Don't bother": SKIP IT.

46. Star witness?: SIDEKICK.

48. Moderate: GENTLE.

49. International understanding: ENTENTE - The most famous/infamous one?

50. Instruments that are difficult to donate, ironically: ORGANS - Now that is a great observation!

51. Help: ASSIST.

Down:

1. Garments similar to mantillas: HIJABS.

2. Contacts company: ACUVUE.

3. Sandals, e.g.: RESORT.

4. Mass medium: LATIN - The Catholic Church changed from being all in LATIN just before we got married over 60 years ago. Some LATIN phrases are used during the liturgical year.

5. "Zounds!": EGAD.

6. Pitcher's aim?: YES - Not a baseball pitcher or a water pitcher. This pitcher is a salesman.

7. Dank: MUSTY.

8. Digging: INTO - I really got INTO Dave's puzzle

9. PRISM org.: NSA.

10. Plants whose roots flavor angostura bitters and Aperol: GENTIANS Angostura bitters is a concentrated bitters (herbal alcoholic preparation) based on gentian, herbs, and spices, produced by in Trinidad and Tobago. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

11. Eerie: UNCANNY - Just some of the eerie comparisons

12. Surgical tubes: STENTS.

14. Ingredient omitted from a recipe, perhaps: SECRET SAUCE - There's some things they won't tell you. 😀

17. Retaliates, in a way: COUNTERSUES - The man on the right sued Taylor Swift for $3M saying she got him fired, but he lost the suit. Taylor countersued for $1 for assault which he is doing in this picture and won that suit.

21. Do some sole searching: PLAY FOOTSIE - I know Irish will like this version

24. Arborist's concerns: TREES - After living on the treeless prairie, Nebraskan J. Sterling Morton proposed Arbor Day to support planting trees.

Very early Lincoln, NE

25. Trounced, as a n00b: PWNED - The word "pwned" has origins in video game culture and is a leetspeak derivation of the word "owned", due to the proximity of the "o" and "p" keys. It's typically used to imply that someone has been controlled or compromised ¯\_(ツ)_/¯