Sunday August 3, 2025 Ella Dershowitz

Theme: "Kinetic Exercises" - Anagrams of various sports are hidden inside each theme entry. 

22. Series of musical tones that evoke sadness: MINOR SCALES. Lacrosse.

24. Weaponized food in a Hitchcock episode: LEG OF LAMB. Golf.

31. Desire to cause harm: MALICIOUS INTENT. Tennis.

37. Mathematical operation that may have a remainder: LONG DIVISION. Diving.

55. Scam: CONFIDENCE TRICK. Cricket.

64. Like some voting systems: WINNER TAKE ALL. Karate.

78. Lip product in a Katy Perry song: CHERRY CHAPSTICK. Archery.

92. Lean patty choice: TURKEY BURGER. Rugby. 

 99. July Fourth: INDEPENDENCE DAY. Dance.

115. Athletic record: SCORECARD. Soccer. 

Reveal: 

117. Party poopers, or what this puzzle's circled letters do: SPOILSPORTS.

Congrats, Ella, on your first LAT Sunday!

This is just brilliant construction. Some of the sports names are long, not easy to anagram. And we have 11 theme entries with one reveal. Normally we have 7 or 8. Ella is an actor. 

Ella Dershowitz

Across:

1. Romantic painter Francisco: GOYA.

5. "Is it ever!": AND HOW.

11. Lettuce variety: BIBB. Also called butter lettuce. Sweet and buttery.

15. Levy of "Schitt's Creek": DAN.

18. Copied: APED.

19. Copy illegally: PIRATE.

20. Taiwanese laptop brand: ACER.

21. Unlikely cat name: FIDO.

26. Main course: ENTREE.

27. Damage: MAR.

28. "Elsbeth" network: CBS. Wikipedia says "Elsbeth" is "a spin-off of "The Good Wife" (2009–2016) and "The Good Fight" (2017–2022)". 

29. Name-caller: MEANIE.

30. Artifact: RELIC.

34. __ as a pin: NEAT.

36. Add to, as an already big pile: HEAP ON.

43. Fixes, at the vet: NEUTERS.

49. Favor: PREFER.

50. Like mood lighting: DIM.

51. Inflation no.: PSI.

53. Gymnast Comaneci: NADIA. First gymnast to receive a 10.

54. Blood test liquids: SERA.

59. Bach production: SONATA.

62. Fairy tale first: ONCE.

63. Detest: LOATHE.

69. Cinder collector: ASH PAN.

73. Director Kazan: ELIA.

74. Colorful New Zealand fish: RED COD. Due to its color. 

83. Villainous Count of kid-lit: OLAF.

85. Handed (out): DOLED.

86. Feel ill: AIL.

87. German outburst: ACH.

88. Spanish grandmother: ABUELA. Po Po in Chinese.

90. Techie's major, for short: COMP SCI. Computer science. 

95. State where almost all of U.S. hazelnuts are grown: OREGON. I didn't know this. 

98. Check in spots?: ATMS. Meaning you can deposit a check at an ATM?

107. Counter: REBUT.

111. Spot for self-reflection?: MIRROR. Ha. 

112. Half an inning?: ENS. Three n's in inning.

113. Title for two Beatles: SIR.

114. Private sign?: SALUTE.

119. Unagi roll fish: EELS.

120. First name in whodunits: ERLE. Erle Stanley Gardner, creator of Perry Mason.

121. Like chinchillas: ANDEAN.

122. Olympian with a fighting spirit: ARES.

123. 31-Down countdown show: TRL. Total Request Live. 31. "Unplugged" network: MTV.

124. Bucks and does: DEER.

125. Invitees: GUESTS.

126. Nick Jr. explorer: DORA.

Down:

1. Minecraft streamer, e.g.: GAMER.

2. Give a take: OPINE.

3. Streisand musical: YENTL.

4. Groupie: ADORING FAN. Partnered with 75. Class list: COURSE LOAD. Not a lot of long fill due to the heavy themeage. 

5. Church nook: APSE.

6. Actor Cage, to fans: NIC.

7. Emmy category: DRAMA.

8. Haram counterpart: HALAL. We've yet to see HARAM in our LAT grid.

9. "Dog Man" voice actress Cheri: OTERI.

10. Director Craven: WES.

11. Fictional boxer for whom Philadelphia's Rocky Steps are named: BALBOA. AI Overview: The Rocky Steps are a set of 72 stone steps leading to the entrance of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, made famous by the movie "Rocky".

12. Freezes over: ICES UP.

13. Ask and then some: BEG.

14. Hot tub chemical: BROMINE. To disinfect the water. Chlorine too.

15. Actress Keaton: DIANE.

16. One with extra online privileges: ADMIN.

17. "Check," in a casino: NO BET.

21. Like hair after removing a beanie: FLAT. 

23. Move back: RECEDE.

25. Bog: FEN.

28. Diez squared: CIEN. 100. 

32. Comic Margaret: CHO.

33. Genesis hedgehog: SONIC.

35. Element whipped into eggs to make meringue: AIR.

37. Collection at a listening bar, briefly: LPS.

38. Major finds for miners: ORES.

39. "Too Many Cooks" sleuth Wolfe: NERO.

40. Uniting words: I DO. Wedding. 

41. Transgression: SIN.

42. U.N. financial arm: IMF.

44. Indescribable: UNTOLD.

45. Olympic gold medalist Lipinski: TARA.

46. Cut and paste, say: EDIT.

47. Loaded: RICH.

48. Sushi bar drink: SAKE. Can't have sake or any alcohol due to the methotrexate. 

51. Demure kiss: PECK.

52. Giants legend Chris: SNEE. Didn't know him. Fresh clue angle.

55. Tuna holder: CAN.

56. Little letters?: IOTAS.

57. CSI stuff: DNA.

58. French fashion magazine: ELLE.

60. Nobels, e.g.: AWARDS.

61. __ houses: minimalist trend: TINY. This one looks nice.

65. Peach soda brand: NEHI.

66. Mideast airline: EL AL.

67. Tear (into): RIP.

68. Genesis boat: ARK.

69. Australian rock band: AC DC.

70. "Don't bug me!": SHOO.

71. Vessel control post: HELM.

72. Mise en place: PREP. Wikipedia gives this example: mise en place for a peanut brittle recipe.

76. Cassini of fashion: OLEG.

77. Small valley: DALE.

79. Pile of stones to mark a trail: CAIRN.

80. Pitch: TAR.

81. "So gross": ICK.

82. Revolutionary Guevara: CHE.

84. Miles away: FAR.

88. NYC dance co.: ABT. American Ballet Theatre.

89. Undeserved infamy, informally: BUM RAP.

91. Compelled: COERCED.

92. Oodles: TONS.

93. Coll. in the Research Triangle: UNC. Didn't know the Research Triangle, formed by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University and North Carolina State University. 

94. "Excellent news!": YAY.

96. English Channel swimmer Gertrude: EDERLE.

97. __ reveal party: GENDER.

99. "All good here": I'M SET.

100. Like party clothes compared to everyday clothes: NICER.

101. Oddly funny: DROLL.

102. Books a table for seven at 6 instead of six at 7, say: ERRS.

103. Macabre poet: POE.

104. Channel for college games: ESPNU.

105. The "D" of LED: DIODE.

106. Sign of spring: ARIES.

108. Small donkey: BURRO.

109. Say aloud: UTTER.

110. Thompson of "Westworld": TESSA.

114. Form W-2 digits: SSNS.

116. Is for many?: ARE.

117. Mattress malady: SAG.

118. Muscle useful in rock climbing: LAT.

C.C.

Saturday, August 2, 2025, Adrian Johnson and Will Nediger

Saturday August 2, 2025 by Adrian Johnson & Will Nediger

 

Adrian

Will

I had a collaborative puzzle from these two constructors back in February. As you can see by the colorful grid, there was a lot of "Unique" fill in this one! I had to work around some alternate fills that I love to do and, of course, the long horizontal and vertical fills were the real key. This was about a 40-minute excursion to get to an unassisted "got 'er done" 

Across:

1. Strategic chess move, casually: SAC - SACrificing a piece so that you can gain an advantage

4. Vegetable in Nigerian cuisine: TARO.

8. 41-Across developer: SALK and 41. Major medical breakthrough of the 1950s: POLIO 

VACCINE - Some of us stood in lines just like this

12. Thin reed: OBOE.

14. Each: A POP.

15. Home of the Nubian Pyramids: SUDAN.

16. Handy navigational aids: ARROW KEYS 😀

18. Came to the surface: AROSE.

19. Chap with chaps, perhaps: RANCHER 😀 - RODEOER? seemed right to me in this part of the world. Yeah, spell checker didn't think much of it either.

20. "Let's meet up then": I'M FREE.

21. Cold draft in the winter, say: SEASONAL BEER.

24. Not altogether in the altogether: SCANTILY CLAD 😀 Not quite naked!

26. Least sanguine: PALEST.

27. Niger neighbor: CHAD - It's a 26-hr drive between their capital cities 

28. Opposite of fore: AFT.

31. Org. that accepts returns: IRS 😀 - Amazon does a good job too.

32. Ballpark souvenir: CAP - When we were in D.C. this hat was $29.95 at the Pentagon Mall. I got it for $9.95 from a kiosk across the street from Ford's Theater.

34. Spanish pronoun: ESA - ESA pista para el número 19 fue inteligente (That clue for 19 Across was clever)

35. Opposing vote: NAY.

36. Brew that might have ice or spice in it: TEA.

37. "Glad and big" protagonist of an e.e. cummings poem: OLAF.

Sunday Sermon: "i sing of Olaf, glad and big"

XXX (by E.E. Cummings)

i sing of OLAF glad and big

whose warmest heart recoiled at war:

a conscientious object-or

39. Tie: KNOT UP - If your team is behind 1 - 0 but then hits a solo home run, that will KNOT UP the score.

43. Places for puffers: SMOKING AREAS - Here's one at Terminal 3 at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. I can't imagine...

45. Shell casing?: PIE TIN 😀

46. Tidbits: MORSELS.

49. City west of the Wasatch Mountains: OGDEN.

50. Salvadoran eatery: PUPUSERIA - I had my first PUPUSA in a great El Salvadoran restaurant here in town. PUPUSARIA made sense to me at first.

52. Area of expertise, casually: THING.

53. Brownie point?: OVEN.

54. Home of many a steppe family: YURT 😀 - Home, home on the steppe

55. Fantasy football datum: STAT - Top 10 Fantasy Football Points for running backs for 2024

56. "Charlie's Angels" star Cheryl: LADD.

57. Astronaut Jemison: MAE.

Down:

1. Reach great heights: SOAR.

2. Pokémon that ultimately evolves into Alakazam: ABRA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

3. Summery dip: CORN SALSA.

4. Savors the moment: TAKES IT ALL IN.

5. Liqueur similar to Campari: APEROL ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

6. Dodgers legend Campanella: ROY - A man discovered this decades old program in his basement. It was signed by Branch Rickey, Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella. Branch made Jackie and ROY the first and sixth black men to play MLB baseball in 1948.

7. Covert __: OPS.

8. Enjoyed the motion of the ocean: SURFED.

9. Crush on: ADORE - Modern slang for "have a crush on"

10. Element of a security grid in many an action film: LASER.

11. Arthroscopy target: KNEE - I have many friends who have gotten relief with this procedure 

13. Epoch that produced the earliest primate fossils: EOCENE.

15. Carnival performers: SAMBA DANCERS - I felt so comfortable with GANDY DANCERS but I needed to think of Rio de Janeiro!

17. "Something smells good in here!": WHAT'S COOKING.

20. "Someone in my circle probably knows the answer": I'LL ASK AROUND.

22. Loc. of an annual November marathon: NYC 

23. Need kneading, maybe: ACHE 😀

24. Bar tended to at a cookout: SPIT.

25. __ package: CARE. They were a vital operation just after WWII. It is what we used to call "stuff" we sent to our girls when they were in college.

28. Source of immunity: ANTISERUM.

29. Satyr kin: FAUN.

30. "Just My __: A Book About Fonts": TYPE 😀

33. Annoyance: PAIN.

38. Concert stage effect: FOG or other occasions 

40. "Juno and the Paycock" playwright: O'CASEY - Set in the 1922 Irish Civil War. Juno is the wife of Captain Boyle who she calls a paycock (Irish for peacock) because he struts around all day.

41. Heady: POTENT - The early 1970's and middle 1990's were heady days for Husker FB

42. Took off at a jazz club: VAMPED - Herbie Hancock's piece to use an intro or to fill time (left, then right and then both hands)

43. Spectacle: SIGHT.

44. __ fast: MEDIA - I could not give up all my media for 21 days.

45. Kitchen stack: POTS.

47. Source of some Turkish delight?: LIRA.

48. Fully appease: SATE.

50. D.C. insider: POL.

51. Cavaliers sch.: UVA.

Notes from C. C.:

 

Today we celebrate the 71st Birthday of Subgenius (Darryl), who is often the very first to post on the blog each morning. Wishing you a beautiful day, Darryl!