Friday, July 11, 2025, Wayne Bergman

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists, Malodorous Manatee here with the recap of a Friday puzzle by Wayne Bergman, an LAT, NYT and WSJ veteran constructor.   Today, Wayne takes a dive down the rabbit hole that is automatic spelling correction on our electronic devices.  To do this, he takes the names of four well-known car makes/models and imagines how spell check might alter them in order to "make sense" - at least according to the spell checker's view of the world.  The use of car makes/models presents an opportunity for an amusing double entendre focused on AUTO which, today bounces back and forth between automatic and automobile.

The reveal is quite straightforward . . .

61 Across:  Texting feature that sometimes goes awry, and what was used on 17-, 28-, and 46-Across?: AUTO CORRECT.  In this instance, as is too often the case, it's AUTO INCORRECT as the names of the automobile manufacturers have become improperly altered.

. . . and the gimmick is employed at these four places:

17 Across:  Antelope who really loves bubble gum?: CHEWY IMPALA.  An impala is a medium-sized antelope found in eastern and southern Africa.

'59 Chevy Impala

Alternatively,

28 Across:  Expert on the hunt for the perfect eating utensil?: FORK EXPLORER.

46 Across:  One who organizes hecklers at a comedy club?: JEER WRANGLER.  Round 'em up.

Jeep Wrangler

Here is how everything appears in the grid:

. . . . and here are the rest of the clues and answers:

Across:

1. Startle: ALARM.  Used, here, as a verb.   As in "That really startled me!"

6. Get straight: ALIGN.  A clue to be taken quite literally (not, for example, as "get straight" is used in the Paul Revere and the Raiders' song).

11. Place for de-stressing: SPA.  A wordplay riff on distressing.

14. Brown hue: COCOA.

15. Antler points: TINES.  As in Fork Explorer?

16. Silken trap: WEB.

19. Winter hazard: ICE.  Also, a name in the news.

20. Sun-Maid morsel: RAISIN.  Sun-Maid is a play on words (sun made) that we learned early on (although most of us would have preferred finding a Hostess cupcake rather than RAISINs in our lunch bags).

21. "General Hospital" network: ABC.  General Hospital is an American daytime television soap opera which has been broadcast on ABC TV since April 1, 1963.

22. Quiet summons: PSST.  Frequently heard in our puzzles.

23. Crumb carrier: ANT.  Why be satisfied with a few crumbs?

24. Old Pontiac: GTO.  Would auto correct change this to the Pontiac GOT?

26. "Wonderwall" band: OASIS.  Five letters - three vowels, two esses.  A constructor's friend often clued with references to the desert.

32. Personal pronoun: SHE.

34. Magic, on ESPN crawls: ORL.  The ORLando, Florida NBA team.

35. Spanish title: SENORA.

36. Walks like a hippo: PLODS.  What do you do with a hippo with three balls?  Walk him and pitch to the rhino.

38. Hawks, on ESPN crawls: ATL.  The ATLanta, Georgia NBA team.

40. Put off: DELAY.  One television outlet had to DELAY televising the 'World Origami Championships' but it's currently available on paperview.

41. Ineffective shepherd of rhyme: BO PEEP.

43. Alley-__: OOP.  A basketball play and an old cartoon strip.

45. Overhead trains: ELS.  Chicago is famous for its ELevated TrainS.

49. Quartet voice: TENOR.  Bass, tenor and alto appear so often in our puzzles that it might be helpful to take a look at the overlapping ranges:

50. Coltrane's horn: SAX.  John Coltrane.  Would that be a TENOR SAX?

51. Big primate: APE.   What do APEs use to fix things?  Gorilla Glue.

54. "Ragnarok" hero: THOR.  Ragnarok is a Norse myth that depicts the cataclysmic destruction of the gods and the world, followed by a new age of rebirth.  The name was appropriated for a 2022 motion picture.

56. Family room: DEN.  Everyone knows Las Vegas is Sin City but are you familiar with Den City?  Mass over volume.

58. Metaphor for fitting items into a tight space: TETRIS.  This solver used to play until his wrist began to hurt severely.  Then he took a couple of aspirin and kept on playing.

60. Greet warmly: HUG.

63. In the past: AGO.

64. Sound during allergy season: ACHOO.

Men In Tights - 1993

65. Name on some compact trucks: TONKA.  Very compact (toy) trucks.

66. Unionize?: WED.  Cute, or cutesy, cluing.

67. Bob Marley's "Get Up, __ Up": STAND.

68. Hotel bookings: STAYS.

Down:

1. West African capital: ACCRA.  Often visited in our puzzles.

2. "Mean Girls" star: LOHAN.  Lindsay.  With four Golden Raspberry Awards and seven "official" arrests.

3. Stick the landing, so to speak: ACE IT.  Meh.  ACE IT is usually reserved for exams in our puzzles . . . but NAIL IT wouldn't fit.

4. Tiffs: ROWS.   Tiffs is only one of several possible definitions of ROWS.

5. Request to be excused: MAY I GO.

6. Scratch removal device?: ATM.  Scratch, in this case, is used as slang for money.

7. "New Love" singer Dua __: LIPA.  A frequent visitor.

8. Ready for shipping: IN A BOX.  Anybody remember the SNL bit with Justin Timberlake?

9. Some oral meds: GEL CAPS.  Abbreviated clue . . .

10. Intel org.: NSA.  Abbreviated clue . . .

11. Snack cake with a swirl: SWISS ROLL.

12. Bench press targets, for short: PECS.  PECtoral muscleS.

13. Criminally aid: ABET.  There is an annual day devoted to puns.  Abet and Aid Punsters Day

18. Foreword: INTRO.  Not an abbreviated clue but I guess INTRO is now an accepted form of the word INTROduction.

22. First of a kind: PIONEER.

25. Oft-pickled pod: OKRA.  I have a friend who always baits his hooks with OKRA when fly fishing . . . He's really into podcasting!

27. Arctic coaster: SLED.

28. Tennis great Roger: FEDERER.

29. Pop icon John: ELTON.  Covered, here, by Country Gazette (Byron Berline, Roger Bush, and Alan Munde):

30. Notable stretches: ERAS.

31. Bright line: RAY.  A little RAY of sunshine, a little bit of soul (The Turtles).

32. Blackthorn fruit: SLOE.  As in a SLOE gin fizz.

33. Fervently wish: HOPE TO GOD.

Animal House - 1978

36. Brown bag sando: PBJ.  Sando = Sandwich  PBJ = Peanut Butter and Jelly

37. Stitched: SEWN.

39. Records: LOGS.

42. Result of multiplying: PRODUCT.

44. "Theory of Forms" philosopher: PLATO.  This solver was not familiar with the title but his limited knowledge of philosophers actually made the answer easier to perp.  LOCKE didn't work out and Aristotle wouldn't fit.

47. Franklin who received honorary degrees from Harvard, Princeton, and Yale: ARETHA.  This solver thought, initially, that Franklin was being used as a first name.  The next thought was Benjamin.

The Blues Brothers - 1980

48. Wields, as influence: EXERTS.

51. Taylor Swift concert venue: ARENA.  Anagrams to, or when read backwards, AN ERA.  Apropos.

52. Hard to please: PICKY.

53. "¿Cómo __?": ESTAS.  S'up?

54. Become friendlier: THAW.  As in detente.

55. King-size: HUGE.

57. Morning's end: NOON.

59. Home run pace: TROT.

61. Some Energizers: AAS.  Energizer, capitalized, is a brand name of batteries.

62. Atlantic food fish: COD.  My girlfriend tried giving me some flatfish last night instead of COD!  Know your plaice woman!

. . . and on that note

____________________________________________

Thursday, July 10, 2025, Zhou Zhang, Kevin Curry

 Theme:  Automatic replies

When I'm going to be out of the office, I set my work email to send automatic replies to anyone who sends email to me, assuring them that I will return on a given date and attend to their needs.  In today's puzzle, four well known characters craft automatic replies that let you know they're up to their usual behaviors.  The theme clues and answers are:

18-Across. Automatic email reply from Glinda?: GONE FOR GOOD.  If Glinda, the good witch from The Wizard of Oz, is gone, she must be up to something good.

28-Across. Automatic email reply from Lightning McQueen?: OFF TO THE RACES.  If Lightning McQueen, the anthropomorphic stock car from the Disney/Pixar Cars movies, is off, it must be to the races.

45-Across. Automatic email reply from Pigpen?: LEFT IN THE DUST.  If Pigpen has left, you can expect to find this character from Peanuts in a cloud of dust.

60-Across. Automatic email reply from the Tasmanian Devil?: OUT FOR A SPIN.  If Warner Bros.' Tasmanian Devil is out, you'll likely find him spinning like a tornado.

I think this is Zhou Zhang's third appearance as puzzle constructor in the LA Times, and Kevin Curry's second.  I like the symmetry of the theme answers in the grid, and the fact that each of the automatic email replies is a familiar phrase.  Zhou Zhang was co-author on Sunday, June 29, 2025, when C.C. described the News Splash! theme this way:  "One word in each common phrase is replaced by its nautical homophone."  Brevity is the soul of wit!  And yet ... here I go with the rest of the clues and answers.

Across:

1. Place: PUT.  You might place, or put, dishes on the table.

4. Nearly match: RIVAL.  "A photographer whose fame rivaled that of his subjects."

9. Impressive deeds: FEATS.

14. "Or so": ISH.  Let's meet for lunch noonish.

15. Savory food quality: UMAMI.  The tasty je ne sais quoi triggered by glutamate, inosinate, and guanylate.

16. Aptly named cooler brand: IGLOO.

17. Leaves in hot water: TEA.

18. [Theme clue]

20. __ and crafts: ARTS.

22. Rejects: NIXES.

23. Bear necessities?: DENS.

24. Wraps found in Delhi: SARIS.

26. Weep: CRY.

28. [Theme clue]

33. Water nymph of Greek myth: NAIAD.  Not to be confused with Dryads (tree nymphs), Oreads (mountain nymphs) and other specialized nymphs.  They are all female nature spirits.

Hylas and the Nymphs by John William Waterhouse

34. Spiritual glow: AURA.

35. Buddy: PAL.

38. Itty-bitty: TINY.

39. Detests: HATES.

41. Many a Marvel character: HERO.

42. "Let You Love Me" singer Rita: ORA.  If you've been solving LA Times crossword puzzles, you know Rita Ora, at least by name.

43. Had on: WORE.

44. Sources of dates: PALMS.  Date palms are native to the Middle East and North Africa.  They need an arid climate with plenty of water at their roots.  A few species were transplanted to the Palm Springs area, where the fruit is popular with tourists, especially in the form of date shakes.  Yum!

45. [Theme clue]

49. Sound of a lightbulb turning on?: AHA.

50. Become edible: RIPEN.

51. Go at it: SPAR.

54. "In case you didn't hear me ... ": I SAID.

57. Slant: SKEW.

60. [Theme clue]

63. Decorate at a bakery: ICE.

64. Essential at a bakery: FLOUR.

65. Dazzled: SHONE.

66. Org. with up to 23 Senators: NHL.  The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa and competing in the National Hockey League. An NHL team roster has a maximum of 23 players, but only 20 players are allowed to dress for each game. All of this being news to me, of course.

67. McIntosh or Macintosh: APPLE.  McIntosh is a fruit: Macintosh is a computer.  The first is an apple; the second is an Apple.

68. __ fund: HEDGE.  A hedge fund is a pooled investment fund that holds liquid assets and that makes use of complex trading and risk management techniques to improve investment performance and insulate returns from market risk.  In the U.S., only institutions and high net worth individuals are allowed to invest in hedge funds due to the risks involved. 

69. 41-Down, e.g.: GOD.

Down:

1. Wrap found in a deli: PITA.

2. App customer: USER.

3. "End of discussion": THAT'S FINAL.

4. Prayer __: RUG.  Muslims use a prayer rug for cleanliness during the various positions of Islamic prayer. These involve prostration and sitting on the ground.  Orthodox Christians and Baháʼís may also use prayer rugs.

5. "Consider this done!": I'M ON IT.

6. Disappear: VANISH.

7. MC alternative: AMEX.  MasterCard vs. American Express.  The crossing of AMEX with NIXES was a sticking point for me, especially because I did not recognize MC as an abbreviation for MasterCard.  

8. Word with partner or lesson: LIFE.

9. Christmas purchase: FIR.  This is a tree, not what cruciverbalists write in our comments section when they Finish It Right.

10. Easter purchase: EGG DYE.

11. Soothing ingredient: ALOE.

12. Bluey, for one: TOON.  Bluey is an Australian animated television series aimed at preschool children, available for streaming on Disney+.  Both the main character and the series can be called a TOON, short for cartoon.

13. Lays down turf: SODS.

19. Honors given to Walt Disney a record 26 times: OSCARS.

21. Kebab with peanut sauce: SATAY.  Satay is a Southeast Asian dish of skewered and grilled meat, marinated in a blend of spices and served with a peanut dipping sauce.  DH and I enjoy soy "chicken" satay from LA Vegan.

25. Divining __: ROD.

27. Co. that purchased Victor in 1929: RCA.

28. Not fooled by: ONTO.

29. Unbiased: FAIR.

30. Downed: EATEN.

31. Regret: RUE.

32. Cave man's hobby?: SPELUNKING.  Loved this clue and answer.  Spelunking is the exploration of caves, especially as a hobby.  

I took this photo in the caves of Nerja during my recent trip to Spain.

36. Cuttlefish's octet: ARMS.  Cuttlefish are marine molluscs in the class Cephalopoda which also includes squid, octopuses, and nautiluses.  We saw cuttlefish on restaurant menus in Spain.

37. Missing: LOST.

39. Windbag's output: HOT AIR.

40. Cards, to NFL fans: ARI.  The Arizona Cardinals are a professional football team based in Phoenix, ARIzona. The "Cards" compete in the National Football League.

My mom took this photo of a real Arizona Cardinal in her garden north of Phoenix.

41. Brother of Zeus and Poseidon: HADES.  Greek gods.

43. Status of remote employees, for short: WFH.  Work From Home.

44. Pizzazz: PEP.

46. Sharp scolding: EARFUL.

47. Three-footer?: TRIPOD.  One of my best friends adopted a tripod dog.

48. Concealing: HIDING.

51. Nap location: SOFA.

52. Orange juice option: PULP.

53. Perched on: ATOP.

55. Accessory in a homecoming court: SASH.

56. Arthur __ Courage Award: ASHE.  The Arthur Ashe Courage Award, presented by ESPN, is named for tennis player Arthur Ashe. The award is presented annually to individuals whose contributions "transcend sports."

58. Bounce off the walls, say: ECHO.

59. Fuse using heat: WELD.

61. NorCal neighbor: ORE.  Northern California abuts Oregon.

62. Formerly known as: NÉE.  French for "born," feminine.  My NÉE name is a couple of names behind me.

Here's the grid:

That's enough HOT AIR from me!  It's only FAIR that other solvers have a say!

Let us know what you thought about the puzzle in the comments.

-- NaomiZ

Wednesday, Jul 9th, 2025 ~ Gerry Wildenberg

SQUA-RE RE-PAIR

gERry WildenbERg - doubled ER ER 

This is Gerry Wildenberg's debut for the LA Times - he has two other crosswords published in the NYT going back 10 & 11 years ago - and I checked again, just to be sure, because I was friends with a Geri, who was Geraldine; Gerry's a dude - a cool-looking older guy, and from his picture, I am guessing an outdoorsman, a hiker, a camper....Anyway, today's construction has "R-E" doubled in the theme answers, with the center being a grid-spanner, and no stray RE's anywhere else.  More 4LW than 3LW, but I felt, even with some being easy, there were again too many names ( a dozen by my count ) for my solving experience.  The theme answers, all unique, and the reveal;  

18. *Bills wide receiver who played in four consecutive Super Bowls: ANDRE REED - name #1

24. *Wildlife sanctuary: NATURE RESERVE - the first part was blank, but I did fill in "PREserve", which was close - can anyone offer a solution to the pesky gnats that hover around one's eyes & ears~?  I walk every other day, and they are so aggravating, I end up cutting the hike short - I practically bathe in Off! with DEET, but that's of no use - and I am going to try Picaridin as well - I do not want to wear a net....

36. *Meh evaluations: MEDIOCRE REVIEWS - I've had my share in my time blogging

49. *Like material that slows flames: FIRE RETARDANT

57. Made twice as great, and what can be found in the answers to the starred clues: "RE, DOUBLED"

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Clown's prop, maybe: STILT - yeah, but how about a drywall mudder~?

6. Criminally assist: ABET

10. Breakfast spot: NOOK

14. "Golly!": "OH GEE~!"

15. Angelic adornment: HALO

16. Prefix meaning "all": OMNI

17. Oscars host O'Brien: CONAN - name #2, but I know him

20. Paraguayan pals: AMIGOS

22. Airport pickup info: ETA

23. Acid initials: LSD - the "dropped" acid

28. Cry of insight: "I SEE~!" - I used Ghostbusters, now here's Die Hard . . . .

ya~! I SEE him~! @ 0:20

29. Fit, as matryoshka dolls: NEST

Irish Miss, I am still on the lookout for my four-legged friend; last week on my walk, a guy in my neighborhood came out with HIS Schnauzer, but he did not have much to tell me about where to get one :7(

30. Volcano near Catania: ETNA - four-letter volcano~?

33. Whiskey flavor: PEAT - Sunday fill, too - this week, I am trying "Ryze", the mushroom coffee that supposedly helps burn fat - I will let you know.  It has a distinct 'earthy', almost broth-like flavor, and I like it - I am down to 27lbs since May 1st

34. Chewy mints: MENTOS

41. Only national park in New England: ACADIA - in Maine; knew this from solving crosswords, like this past Sunday

42. One of 14 in a sonnet: LINE

43. "u crack me up": ROFL - Rolling On Floor Laughing - textspeak

44. Part of a Rorschach test: BLOT

45. Operatic solo: ARIA

53. Artist Yoko: ONO - name #3, crossword staple, like Sunday - JEEZ

55. Boxing family name: ALI - name #4, crossword staple

56. Shelter with a sloping roof: LEAN TO

61. Urged (on): EGGED - 11D. is "egged", too

62. Cheese with an edible rind: BRIE

63. Gymnast Korbut: OLGA - name #5, crossword staple

64. Wicked one: FIEND - In honor of Black Sabbath's "Back to the Beginning" final show with Ozzy Osbourne last Saturday in their home town of Birmingham, UK, here's one from their debut album

Wicked World

65. Convinced: SOLD

66. Golf club choice: WOOD

67. Varieties: SORTS

DOWN:

1. Confident retort to a boast: SO CAN I~!

2. Inventor Edison: THOMAS - name #6, but not too obscure

3. Set off, as fireworks: IGNITE - thankfully, the folks of my neighborhood set off only a handful of medium-sized noise-makers about 9pm on July Fourth, and then it tapered off within the hour - another reason I am glad to be in CT.  Down on the Island~?  It's about who can waste the most money for a smoky backyard

4. Maritime measure: LEAGUE - Dah~!  Not FATHOM

5. Voice above baritone: TENOR - aaaand Sunday, too - wow.

6. Cry of insight: A - HA~!

7. Abolish: BAN

8. Like Cain, of Adam's sons: ELDEST

9. Dense cake: TORTE

10. Neither's partner: NOR

11. Brunch option: OMELETTE - Ah.  The "extended" version of omelet, just like on Sunday

12. Change for a five: ONES

13. "The Secret Life of Bees" novelist Sue Monk __: KIDD - filled via perps; I suppose 'Captain' was not Wednesday worthy - name #7

19. Linguist's asset: EAR - TONGUE did not fit - and EAR makes me think of muscians

21. __ Falls: women's suffrage convention site: SENECA - upstate NY, filled via perps, name #8

25. Tail end: REAR

26. Getty of "The Golden Girls": ESTELLE - second time this week the show was in a clue, still, name #9

27. Caesar's "I came": VENI - Julius Caesar boast, veni vidi, vici - I came, I saw, I conquered

31. "__ we're talking!": "NOW~!"

Naomi, these legs are "for the birds" ( BTW, how big IS  this Splynter file ~? )

32. Pack animal: ASS - What'd you call me~?  A pack animal~?

33. Taro-based staple: POI

34. __ block: MENTAL - Ah.  I could not make WRITERS or LEGO fit

35. Night for last-minute wrapping: EVE - could'be been a name . . .

36. Stain or tear: MAR

37. Italian scholar Umberto: ECO - obscure, for a 3LW that could be a "not" name, #10 - the editor~?

38. National flower of Wales: DAFFODIL - I did not know this

39. South Asian rice cake: IDLI - filled via perps - more here - name(ish)

40. Hilarious comedian: RIOT

44. S.O.S competitor: BRILLO - I have caught two field mice in glue traps over the last month - I though this was a "winter" problem; now I am thinking about investing in an ultrasonic repellant, but I really have to go around and seal up the places where the little buggers are getting in; it was suggested to stuff steel wool, or better, soap-infused steel wool pads in thr holes around the pipes of my baseboard heaters.

45. "Slowly," on sheet music: ADAGIO - oops, I thought it was LEGATO - but that's tied notes

46. Madison Square Garden hockey player: RANGER - I knew this because I am a long-suffering NY Rangers fan; they never seem to have the tenacity, the drive, the desire to fight for the toughest trophy in sports - they're more like "eh, whatever", and that's very frustrating for fans

Igor Shesterkin is the exception

47. Purpose: INTENT - thie intent of playing an NHL season is to get to the Stanley Cup playoffs ...

48. In conflict: AT ODDS - but this seems to be AT ODDS with the NY Rangers

50. Novelist Santha Rama __: RAU - name #11 - more here

51. Jab with one's arm: ELBOW

52. Coral colonies: REEFS

53. Snow globes, e.g.: ORBS - good WAG on my part

54. Wolfe of detective fiction: NERO - I've read the whole series from Rex Stout, and the follow-up novels from author Robert Goldsborough - name #12

58. Uni reference: OED - we had this on Monday

59. Feeling of self-worth: EGO - semi Meh. Is it a "feeling~?"

60. June honoree: DAD

Splynter

Notes from C.C.:

Happy 55th birthday to Anon-T, who's always there when I need a pinch-hitter. 

 

Tony At Wit's End near Carmel on Father's Day 2017