L.A.Times Crossword Corner

May 10, 2025

Saturday, May 10, 2025, Dan Kammann, Zhouqin Burnikel

Saturday Themeless by Dan Kammann & Zhouqin Burnikel

Today C.C. is joined by her hiking friend Dan Kammann and she sent me this short but very impressive bio of him:

Dan Kammann "Ironman Dan" is based in Champlin, MN. He's an avid runner and biker. He has run 5 official marathons and over 50 unofficial ones. He did the Century Ride 10 years ago amid mountain climbing. He visited the Antarctic in 2022 which is the picture he shared with us below.

Across:

1. Plays for laughs: SKITS - SNL is famous for these. Here is part of my favorite:

6. "Phooey!": AW HECK.

12. AMC model whose passenger's side door was longer than its driver's side door: PACER.

13. Herb also known as dragon's wort: TARRAGON.

15. Some geometry products: AREAS.

16. "Save your breath": DON'T ARGUE.

17. One looking for a deal?: NARC - Maybe not the best shirt to wear as an undercover NARC

18. Baroness address: LADY - Past Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher received the title of Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven.

19. Ready for a massage, say: PRONE.

20. White noise machine option: STEADY RAIN - Here is some for you

23. Like some MIA flights: INTL.

24. Barely gets wet?: SKINNY DIPS.

26. Speed's mysterious rival, in cartoons: RACER X ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

28. Hawk: SELL.

29. Reunion gp.: FAM.

32. Tickle: AMUSE.

33. Org. impersonated in some scams: SSA - We're smart enough around here not to give out our number to anyone saying they are from the Social Security Administration

34. Broadcasting: ON AIR.

36. Take care of a gray area, perhaps: DYE 😀

37. Bloke: CHAP.

39. Lives (in): DWELLS.

40. Concert workers: STAGE CREWS - The vehicles needed by then STAGE CREWS for Taylor Swift's ERA Tour.

42. Faucet handle: MOEN 😀

45. Runner-up: SECOND BEST and 55. Admits defeat, informally: TAKES AN L. It can be very close!

48. Navel type: INNIE.

50. Home of the Imiloa Astronomy Center: HILO - It is at 14,000 ft. above sea level on an island and so the skies are very clear.

51. "In __ of gifts ... ": LIEU.

52. Road warning: STOP AHEAD.

54. Monument to Balzac sculptor: RODIN - At 136 Bd Raspail, 75006 Paris, France

56. Still waters?: BOOZE - Andy and Barney break up a still used by two spinster sisters.

57. __-sense: SPIDEY.

58. Was unproductive: IDLED.

Down:

1. Part of BASE jumping: SPANS.

2. Gold standard: KARAT.

3. Answer to a cold call?: ICE RESCUE - A useful device they use

4. Treats with a cuppa: TEA CAKES.

5. SAT takers: SRS - There is a strong correlation between SAT scores and graduation rates.

6. Frame works?: ART 😀

7. Close on a set: WRAP - Or at a graduation

8. Country rock great Emmylou: HARRIS.

9. Push: EGG ON.

10. Run the numbers?: COUNT 😀

11. Prepare for camel pose: KNEEL.

13. Heading on a sidewalk chalkboard: TODAY'S SPECIAL - I love this one

14. "Got a clue?": ANY IDEA.

16. Make whole, in a way: DARN 😀 🧦

18. Minnesota team with four championships: LYNX.

21. Set the scene?: DIRECT - Five famous ones

22. Nothing at all: NIL.

25. Worked in the fields, say: PLOWED - Plows are not seen much any more. Minimum or No Till are are very common around here to save water and fuel.

26. "Wicked!": RAD.

27. Evanescence lead singer Lee: AMY ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

29. Object of worship in Exodus: FALSE IDOL.

30. French for garlic: AIL - Cette salade a besoin de plus d'ail. (This salad needs more garlic.)

31. Miss after a wedding: MRS 😀

33. Female grouse: SAGE HEN.

35. Recent recruits: NEW BLOOD.

38. Owns: HAS.

39. Bond villain with prosthetic hands: DR. NO.

40. Outbid at the last moment: SNIPED.

41. Like pizza for breakfast, often: COLD.

42. Rainforest phenomena: MISTS.

43. Eligible to be drafted?: ON TAP 😀

44. Mushroom in ramen: ENOKI.

46. Commandeer: SEIZE.

47. Ready to play: TUNED - A chore to perform every time before I played my guitar

49. Effortlessness: EASE.

53. Something that's cut and dried: HAY.

54. Squeeze bunt result: RBI.

May 9, 2025

Friday, May 9, 2025 - Noelle Griskey

Theme: Waiting for the big BUILD-UP

Puzzling thoughts:

Hmm ... where to begin today ... do we talk about the theme (based on the reveal in 25-down)? Do we talk about having another "easy Friday" solve? Do we talk about some rather hackneyed entries/clues?

I address them all, so don't worry about any big "build-up" in today's puzzle re-cap

First - the theme: 25-down. Create high expectations for, or an apt description of the first part of the answer to each starred clue: BUILD-UP (note that the first word of each entry answer below is highlighted in red)

Second - the ease of solving: I solve the puzzles using "Across Lite" software. This software contains a timer, separate from the grid. I don't type nearly as quickly as I solve, and I often have to backspace and/or erase rogue letters I've entered. I also like to take a sip of coffee (or another beverage) whilst solving, so I will never win a prize for being the fastest. But today, I managed to get this in about 7 minutes:30 seconds. That, to me, is not what a "Friday puzzle" should "feel like"

Third - the hackneyed entries (and clues): I will address these within the text of my recap below

Can we all agree that whenever we solve a crossword puzzle - regardless of the venue - we have a certain "build-up" of expectation? Are we wondering on what clever corridor the constructor took us? I know I do. I am always looking for the "aha" moment when the final letter is placed in the grid, and/or the reveal is, well, revealed. So, if anyone had trouble sussing this today, please allow me to "emarf" my answer. Here are the "theme entries":

5-down. *Snappy dresser: NOIHSAF PLATE. The word "FASHION" is inverted and/or built "UP" in the puzzle grid

11-down. *Many a rejection notice: MROF LETTER. The word "FORM" is inverted and/or built "UP" in the puzzle grid

23-down. *Pillar of society: LEDOM CITIZEN. The word "MODEL" is inverted and/or built "UP" in the puzzle grid

29-down. *Mutate: EPAHS SHIFT. The word "SHAPE" is inverted and/or built "UP" in the puzzle grid

FASHION, FORM, MODEL, and SHAPE are all synonyms of the word "build" (when used as a verb)

This is Noelle's third puzzle @ LA Times. Her two previous ones were in 2024 and appeared on a Monday and Tuesday. I think that this one, too, should have been featured on an early-in-the-week day

Level of difficulty (Mohs hardness scale rating): 2.5 out of 10

Let's examine the grid and then the rest of the entries:

The Grid

Across:

1. Country made up of 14,125 islands: JAPAN. This was a learning moment (for me) but also my first choice. I sneaked a peek at 1-down and knew that it had to start with a "J" 🗾

6. Vegetable with a lacinato variety: KALE. Odd clue / odd vegetable; solved with a perp or two

10. License issuers, for short: DMVS. Plurals of abbrs are not my favorite entries

14. Budget, in brand names: ECONO. Budget is also a brand name of a rental car company

15. Storm centers: EYES. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer

16. Part of the HOMES mnemonic: ERIE. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer

17. Italian luxury brand: FENDI.  "Posh", on steroids

18. "Cool!": NEAT. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer

19. Ingredient in some barbecue sauce: COLA. Learning moment for me.  Here is a recipe

20. Anew: FRESHLY.  This is a good and proper Friday word entry. According to Crossword Tracker, this is just the fourth usage of the word freshly - well chosen, Noelle!

22. Fried chickpea bite: FALAFEL. 🐤🫛

24. Bygone Swedish auto: SAAB. Moe-ku #1:

Founder of Swedish

Car was brought to tears when he

Told his SAAB story

26. Relate: TELL.

27. Microbrewery fixture: ALE TAP. This answer might soon become hackneyed

31. Secondhand: USED. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer

33. Pitching stat: ERA. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer

36. On __ the world: TOP OF. Can you be "on top of the world" and "over-the-moon" at the same time?

37. Tech boss: CIO. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer

38. Rice cooker brand: OSTER. Well, I suppose if the clue read "Blender brand" I could pan it as being too easy for a Friday! 😜

40. Forever __: STAMP. Speaking of "BUILD UP", check out the increasing prices of the Forever Stamp since its inception in 2007

41. "__ see myself out": I'LL. This would've been a fun clue and entry @ 64-down!

42. Dull, in a way: MATTE. As in a matte finished photo, e.g.

43. "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" singer Waters: ETHEL. Acceptable; a non-acceptable clue would've referred to erstwhile singer/actress Merman

44. Bother: ADO.

45. Family friendly: CLEAN. I wanted to use "RATED G" but there weren't enough spaces

46. Small batteries: AAS. Plurals of abbrs are not my favorite entries

47. Six-time MLB All-Star Moises: ALOU. Speaking of hackneyed clues/entries

49. Letter before Tango: SIERRA. My last recap contained a reference to the NATO alphabet

50. Make full: SATE. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer

52. Novel idea?: PLOT. Clever clue and answer 📖

54. Reach, as a goal: ACHIEVE. I tried SUSTAIN first

57. Pink Floyd album with the songs "Dogs" and "Sheep": ANIMALS. This 1977 studio-album release from Pink Floyd was loosely based on George Orwell's Animal Farm - the entire album is downloaded below (41 minutes in length).  More about it from Wikipedia

62. __-back: LAID. Not usually a descriptor used for yours, truly

63. Fair, in a way: EVEN. Not according to the Thesaurus-saurus

Not "EVEN" mentioned

65. "Not another sound!": ZIP IT. 🤐

66. Small transverse flute: FIFE. A fife is played in a position transverse to the flute. I wonder if anyone needed a perpendicular to solve this? That would be fitting, wouldn't it?? 😜

67. "The thing is ... ": LOOK. 👀

68. College athletics airer: ESPN U.

69. Picnic pests: ANTS. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer 🐜 🐜 🐜

70. Trinitron developer: SONY. Sony Trinitron history

71. Snooped: NOSED. I tried SPIED first and then changed it

Down:

1. TV host Probst: JEFF. He, of the CBS virtual reality show, "Survivor"

2. Big name in laptops: ACER. DELL also fits

3. Southern cake: PONE. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer

4. "No ifs, __, or buts": ANDS. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer

[5. 1st Entry]

6. "Out of Africa" setting: KENYA. If you had to take a wild guess, there are eight African countries that have a 5-letter name: BENIN, EGYPT, GABON, GHANA, KENYA, LIBYA, NIGER, and SUDAN

7. Yeoman's yes: AYE. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer

8. Part of the Apple logo: LEAF.

9. Manor: ESTATE. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer

10. Parking permit, perhaps: DECAL.

[2nd Entry

12. Wicked: VILE. Its anagram - EVIL - also fits 😁

13. Make airtight: SEAL. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer 🦭

21. Napkin holder: LAP. Moe-ku #2:

(folded) Napkins at strip club

Were quite the hit. They performed

Origami LAP dance

[23. 3rd Entry]

[25. - Reveal]

27. Sailing: AT SEA. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer

28. Led Zeppelin's "Whole __ Love": LOTTA. One of my favorites; this iconic Led Zeppelin hit song:

Another of my favorite Led Zeppelin hits:

[29. 4th Entry]

30. Hefty volume: TOME. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer

32. Aria, for one: SOLO. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer

34. Do some roof repairs: RE-TAR. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer

35. Hockey venue: ARENA. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer

37. Parting word: CIAO. [my use of "how un-Friday like" is starting to get hackneyed]😄 So, I will not use this again ...

39. "Going out of business" event: SALE. What else could it be?

48. Takes to the ground: LEVELS. I remember when a few of the older casinos in Vegas were imploded ...

49. Bart, to Homer: SON. Monday clue/entry

51. Hill workers: AIDES. As in "Capitol Hill" (assistants to senators and representatives in Washington, D.C.)

53. Long and lean: LANKY.

54. Letter before Bravo: ALFA. My last recap contained a reference to the NATO alphabet; today's recap contains two

55. "Mildred Pierce" novelist: CAIN. Acceptable; a non-acceptable clue would've referred to a family member in the Book of Genesis

56. Vinaigrette acronym: EVOO. This answer might soon become hackneyed

58. Japanese soup base: MISO. This answer might soon become hackneyed

59. Home screen array: APPS. This answer might soon become hackneyed

60. Part of a script: LINE. My last recap used this as the clue: Actor's "What am I supposed to say?": LINE.

Is it me or have my recaps been made redundant? Or are they, too, becoming hackneyed?

61. Wall support: STUD.

64. Countless lifetimes: EON. No comment ...

OK, final thoughts as I wrap this up:

a) Note to the editor(s) - Friday puzzles should be more difficult than this. Please invite Barry Silk and/or Jeffrey Wechsler to re-submit a puzzle for a Friday inclusion

b) Noelle Griskey- if you happen to see/read this recap please accept this constructive tip: maintain symmetry in your clues. Too many were too easy for a Friday puzzle. If this puzzle was meant to be an early week submission, your clues were just fine ... BTW, are you the Noelle Griskey who has an ETSY site, and is from Pittsburgh?

May 8, 2025

Thursday, May 8, 2025, Enrique Henestroza Anguiano

Theme: Neighboring states

How exciting to have the opportunity to blog a puzzle by Enrique Henestroza Anguiano! On Saturday, April 5, 2025, Enrique co-authored a puzzle in the L.A. Times with Erik Agard in which they used the clue & answer: Brown bread specialist: BURSAR. In the comments section of our Corner, it was the most hated puzzle I can remember. Enrique had a solo puzzle in the L.A. Times on Saturday, February 15, 2025, which I liked, but some loathed. Enrique has also published in the New Yorker and in the New York Times. Is he closer to our wavelength and abilities today? I think so! And you know what else is close today? The circled abbreviations for neighboring states.

The theme clues and answers are:

18. Guest spot in a studio, perhaps: FOLD OUT COUCH. In a studio apartment, a guest might sleep on a fold out couch. The circled letters are UT (Utah) and CO (Colorado).

fold out couch

31. Denim option: ACID WASH JEANS. Acid wash jeans are soaked in chlorine bleach, then washed with pumice stones. The bleach removes the indigo dye, while the stones create a pattern of dark and light patches. The circled letters are ID (Idaho) and WA (Washington).

acid wash jeans

49. Spot for a home bartender's stash: LIQUOR CABINET. Some folks keep the booze in a cabinet, some display it on a little cart. The circled letters are OR (Oregon) and CA (California).

liquor cabinet

65. Big name in money transfers, and a hint to the neighbors found in this puzzle's circled letters: WESTERN UNION. Western Union was a pioneer in telegraph technology, but today focuses on helping folks send money hither and yon. It hints at the relationship of the circled letters in the theme answers: they are all Western states, and they form a union with the state next door by virtue of being placed right next to it in the circles.

Looks like Enrique has come back to be a good neighbor.

The rest of the puzzle goes like this:

Across:

1. Network in Venice: CANALS. Venice, Italy, is famously crisscrossed by a network of canals.

Venice is a marvel of engineering.
Built on wood stakes driven into muddy islets in a lagoon,
it has survived for 1600 years.

7. Tire pattern: TREAD.

12. LGBTQ History Mo.: OCT. DNK but perps helped.

15. "Well, I guess so": UM YEAH. Some of our solvers hate these conversational equivalents. This one wasn't easy. Again, perps to the rescue.

16. 32-Down need: VODKA. 32-Down is a COSMO cocktail: vodka, cointreau or triple sec, cranberry juice, and lime juice. I don't do vodka. Nope.

Cosmopolitan cocktails were the drink of choice on "Sex and the City"

17. Travel to or from 67-Down: FLY. 67-Down is an airport, so you would FLY to or from there.

18. [Theme clue]

20. Smart dresser: FOP. A man who is concerned with his clothes and appearance in an affected and excessive way; a dandy.

21. Natural hairstyle, for short: FRO. Short for Afro.

Afro hairstyle

22. Tempest: STORM.

23. Periodical release: ISSUE. A periodical is a magazine or newspaper. From time to time, it releases an issue.

25. Text status: SENT.

27. Came across as: SEEMED.

30. "__ Lasso": TED. Looks like we're all going to have to subscribe to Apple TV again, as season 4 is in the works.

31. [Theme clue]

35. Guiding light: BEACON.

38. Couldn't keep a secret: TOLD.

39. Transgression: SIN.

40. Leaves out: OMITS.

41. Nouveau réalisme artist Klein: YVES. Yves Klein (1928-1962) was a leading member of the French artistic movement called Nouveau réalisme. In the 1950s, he focused on monochrome paintings, eventually settling on International Klein Blue. People bought this stuff.

Yves Klein, IKB 191, 1962

43. Without help: ALONE.

45. "This means __!": WAR.

46. Many a viral GIF: MEME.

48. Music app on old Macs: iTUNES.

49. [Theme clue]

53. Tote: LUG.

54. Coastal city in Andalusia: MÁLAGA. Málaga was founded around 770 BCE by Phoenicians. It has been under the rule of Ancient Carthage, Rome, the Visigoths, the Byzantine Empire, Islamic caliphates, the Spanish Catholic monarchy, and today's constitutional monarchy.

Málaga in the south of Spain

55. Breakfast burrito proteins: EGGS.

59. WordPress sites: BLOGS.

61. Word derived from the Japanese for "a bit": SKOSH.

63. Sign of summer: LEO.

64. Hoppin': LIT. "It's lit" is a slang term meaning something is really good, fun, exciting, or intense, similar to other terms like "poppin'," "hoppin'," or "off the chain."

65. [Theme clue]

69. Put into practice: USE.

70. Fill in the blanks, in a way: INFER. To infer is to derive as a conclusion from facts or premises. Deduce is a near relative. We do a lot of this in crossword solving.

71. Meeting outline: AGENDA.

72. UFO pilots: ETs. Extraterrestrials pilot Unidentified Flying Objects.

73. "Music" from a cat organ: MEOWS. That organ being the larynx.

74. Tin alloy used in ancient Egypt: PEWTER.

Down:

1. Slaps: CUFFS. To cuff is to hit someone with your hand in a light, joking way.

2. Love, in Firenze: AMORE.

3. Parachute fabric: NYLON.

4. Lifesaving device for an EMT: AED. An Automated External Defibrillator can be used by an Emergency Medical Technician to treat a person whose heart has suddenly stopped working.

5. Vietnam neighbor: LAOS.

6. Closes the door on: SHUTS IN.

7. Network news team: TV CREW.

8. Casual movie night partner: ROOMMATE.

9. Howard URL suffix: EDU. Colleges and universities use .EDU domains for their websites.

10. Pedigree org.: AKC. American Kennel Club. There's a place for purebred dogs, but I miss our mutts.

Daphne and Huxley, 2008-2024

11. Yogurt in lassi: DAHI. Dahi is a traditional Indian yogurt. Lassi is a yogurt-based beverage.

12. Time for travel deals: OFF SEASON. There are things to be said for traveling in the off season, especially fewer crowds and lower prices. But sometimes the weather is a challenge!

13. State of bliss: CLOUD NINE.

14. Sort: TYPE.

19. Three-__ sloth: TOED. Three-toed sloths live in the tropical forest canopy in Central and South America. Their algae-covered fur is an ecosystem unto itself.

24. Fr. holy title: STE. Sainte (abbreviated Ste) is the feminine form of "saint" in French. We've all heard of Sainte Jeanne d'Arc (Ste Jeanne d'Arc) or Joan of Arc.

26. Social finesse: TACT.

28. Those, in Spanish: ESOS. Used for masculine or mixed gender persons or objects. Those men = Esos hombres. Those men and women = Esos hombres y mujeres.

29. UPS competitor: DHL. UPS (United Parcel Service) and DHL (Dalsey, Hillblom and Lynn) offer shipping and delivery services.

32. Pink cocktail, familiarly: COSMO. Short for cosmopolitan. See 16-Across.

33. Matchmaking app available in Hebrew: JDATE. I know several young people who have looked for love on JDate, but I think their eventual matches occurred through unplanned encounters.

34. Donkey Kong Country console, for short: SNES. Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It helps to be a certain age, or to have children or grandchildren of a certain age. SNES was sold in North America from 1990 to 1999.

35. Get the ball rolling?: BOWL.

36. Need for a marketing blast: EMAIL LIST.

37. Punctuation made with bunny ears: AIR QUOTES.

41. Community gym org.: YMCA.

42. Hearty beef dish: VEAL STEW.

44. Pear-shaped instrument: LUTE.

Lute

47. Hesitant sound: ERM. I think "erm" is British for "um."

48. Just like that: IN A SNAP.

50. Comfy boot brand: UGG.

51. Patisserie staff: BAKERS. Patisserie is French for "pastry shop."

52. "Petrushka" composer Stravinsky: IGOR.

56. Flicker of light: GLINT.

57. Glittery rock: GEODE.

A geode's glitter is all on the inside.

58. Shipwreck-finding tech: SONAR.

59. Smurf-colored: BLUE.

Would Yves Klein have appreciated their blueness?

60. Take a dip: SWIM.

62. Bigger than big: HUGE.

66. WSW opposite: ENE. Directions.

67. Second-busiest Calif. airport: SFO. San Francisco International Airport.

68. Top condition on eBay listings: NEW. My younger sister, of blessed memory, liked to buy fancy dresses on eBay, and taught me to look for the abbreviation NWT -- new with tags.

Here's the grid:

Would you say Enrique's puzzle SEEMED better than the last one?

Would you say it's LIT? Were you on CLOUD NINE while solving?

Did I like it? UM YEAH!

NaomiZ

Thanks in advance to Anonymous T, who's going to blog the next three Thursdays.

À bientôt. Hasta pronto.

May 7, 2025

Wednesday, May 7th, 2025 ~ Parikshit S. Bhat

BE the BRIDGE

This is P.S. Bhat's fourth LA Times contribution - and my first time working one of his constructions. The last one was on a Friday in 2021; the one prior to that was in 2018, blogged by Santa ( Argyle ) on the editor' s (then) assistant Patti's B-day, and my anniversary, Jan 8th. Yes, we have the circles again, outlining scrambled, or "troubled" bodies of water. A handful of names, one of which I was totally "huh~?" about ( I am looking at you, 37D.), a mere 14 3LWs, a 'balance' of 22 4-letter and 20 5-letter words, and two of the four theme answers unique to crosswords. The themers and reveal;

19. Equanimity between nations: BALANCE OF POWER - OCEAN - my step-daughter's name, too

24. Technical support team's headache: COMPUTER VIRUS - RIVER

The acronym "PICNIC"

44. "Get Out" and "Nope" star: DANIEL KALUUYA - LAKE - no clue, and not who I envisioned; I figured his was more of a "Hawaiian" name - see 23A. His IMDb