Sunday August 10, 2025 Amanda Cook

Theme: "EXCHANGE" - Ex is added to a common phrase, then removed from the next one, alternating in order.

22. Student council leader with demanding bake sale goals?: EXACTING PRESIDENT. Acting president.

33. Drama at the salon?: HAIR TENSIONS. Hair extensions. 

49. "Halt all Acela trains immediately!"?: STOP THE EXPRESSES. Stop the presses. 

65. Wizard at converting spreadsheets to PDF?: EXPORT AUTHORITY. Port authority. 

82. Spending one's days reading philosophy and meditating?: PENSIVE LIFESTYLE. Expensive lifestyle.

98. Shocking article proving the conspiracy theory that birds aren't real?: PIGEON EXPOSE. Pigeon pose.

111. Status of an unexpectedly viral research study?: CITED BEYOND BELIEF. Excited beyond belief.

I wonder if Amanda planned to have one more theme entry with EX removed but could not find a workable candidate. 

Total 105 theme squares. About our average. This grid was so carefully filled, no obscure names or Abbrs.

Across:

1. Times up: AT BATS.

7. Brightest star in the constellation Lyra: VEGA.

11. Look (like): SEEM.

15. Bowler or boater: HAT.

18. Vegetable in some cakes: CARROT. In Guangzhou, we have taro cakes, traditional Spring Festival treats.

19. "Pronto!": ASAP.

20. __ dish: PETRI.

21. Fútbol cheer: OLE.

25. Accessory that may match a prom date's dress: TIE.

26. Wistful exhalation: SIGH.

27. Coffee or tea: NOUN. Not BREW.

28. Mauna __: KEA.

29. From days past: OLDEN.

31. First name in cosmetics: ESTEE.

37. Fuming: IRATE.

40. Purple bloom: LILAC. We have pink lilacs here.

42. Mailing: SENDING.

43. Skater Harding: TONYA.

44. Had the courage: DARED.

46. Desktop feature since Windows 95: TASK BAR.

54. Nice one: UNE. Nice, France. 

55. Fashion: MODE.

56. Landmark Obama legislation, initially: ACA.

57. Kodiak, for one: BEAR.

58. Fruit soda created by Coca-Cola Deutschland: FANTA.

60. Before, poetically: ERE.

61. Bonfire remnants: ASH.

62. Confide in: TRUST.

64. Shimmering threads: TINSEL.

69. Selling points?: STORES.

72. Comes by honestly: EARNS.

73. UFO pilots: ETS.

74. "Harriet the __": kid-lit classic: SPY.

77. Himalayan country: NEPAL. They live in year 2082 now. Nepali calendar is about 56 years and 8 months ahead of the Gregorian calendar.

 

78. Like an underwatered plant: LIMP. I now have a peony besides my Asiatic lilies. Let's see if it blooms next year. 

79. Slick-back product: GEL.

80. Item removed at a TSA checkpoint: SHOE.

81. Raw bar bed: ICE.

87. Put into words: PHRASED.

90. Spud: TATER.

91. Cookies that may be crumbled to make cheesecake crust: OREOS.

92. Claims: ALLEGES.

95. Warble: TRILL.

97. Wetland: MARSH.

101. Like sardines: BONED. My RA doc says I can enjoy all the sardines I want. So I will. 

103. Henhouse perch: ROOST.

104. __ for the course: PAR.

105. Croft of "Tomb Raider": LARA.

106. Marcel Duchamp genre: DADA.

110. Be in debt: OWE.

117. Spoil: MAR.

118. Cherish: ADORE.

119. Connection: BOND.

120. Warm-up for a headliner: OPENER.

121. Walk-__: ONS.

122. Vent: RANT.

123. Software issues: BUGS.

124. Cozy eatery: BISTRO.

Down: 

1. King toppers: ACES.

2. Hailed ride: TAXI.

3. Gloat: BRAG.

4. Perfect example: ARCHETYPE. Three more great 9's in the Down slots: 7. Inkling: VAGUE IDEA. 79. The Go-Go's and the Bangles: GIRL BANDS. 80. Is on both sides of: STRADDLES. Plus a pair of 10s: 15. Ball Park Franks holders: HOT DOG BUNS. And 71. Donizetti devotees: OPERA-GOERS. 

5. Kiddo: TOT.

6. Period of work: STINT.

8. "First Take" network: ESPN.

9. Needle-nosed fish: GAR. Huge.

10. Donkey Kong, e.g.: APE.

11. Steady and measured: SEDATE.

12. Le Tour de France saison: ETE. Did you know that those bikes cost more than $13K?

13. Sea eagle: ERN.

14. Cell division process: MITOSIS.

16. Stitch, for one: ALIEN.

17. Many first-year students: TEENS.

20. Jetties: PIERS.

23. "The Great British Baking Show" co-host Fielding: NOEL.

24. Hit the slopes: SKI.

30. "The Legend of Zelda" protagonist: LINK.

32. Ticket assignment: SEAT.

33. Concerto instrument: HARP.

34. HP competitor: ACER.

35. "It's open!": ENTER.

36. Secrecy docs: NDAS.

37. Words before and after "hi, I'm the problem" in Taylor Swift's "Anti-Hero": IT'S ME.

38. Brake disc: ROTOR.

39. Battery part: ANODE.

41. Easygoing: LAX.

45. Premieres: DEBUTS.

47. Stake: ANTE.

48. Genuine: REAL.

50. Shed fasteners: HASPS.

51. Cavern effect: ECHO.

52. Casual band practice: SESH. Session. 

53. Puerto Rican rescue mutt: SATO. Learning moment for me. AI Overview: A Sato is Puerto Rican slang for a mutt or mixed-breed dog, particularly those that are stray or abandoned on the island.

58. Needs no tailoring: FITS.

59. Whichever: ANY.

61. Skating jump: AXEL.

62. La Brea attraction: TAR PIT.

63. Cry in a horror film: RUN.

64. IMDb search result: TITLE.

65. Pitching stat: ERA.

66. Bridle part: REIN.

67. Doctoral regalia: TAMS.

68. Utah's Capitol __ National Park: REEF. 

69. Scissors sound: SNIP.

70. Bay Area industry: TECH.

74. More demure: SHYER.

75. Tops that might have popped collars: POLOS.

76. "I'm embarrassed for you": YEESH.

78. Mantel: LEDGE.

82. Hammer end: PEEN. I fixed this crack, with cement powder and a butter knife.  

83. Distillery drums: VATS.

84. Raison d'__: ETRE.

85. Fragrant neckwear: LEI.

86. Not all: SOME.

88. Sudsy pintfuls: ALES.

89. Tiny track racer: SLOT CAR.

93. Connoisseur: EXPERT.

94. Garden shovel: SPADE.

96. Peerage member: LORD.

98. Film trailer, e.g.: PROMO.

99. Sioux City citizen: IOWAN.

100. Sphere: ORB.

102. Bigwig: NABOB.

105. Pine (for): LONG.

107. "It __ over till it's over": AIN'T.

108. Skittish forest creature: DEER.

109. Prefix with futurism: AFRO. Afrofuturism. 

112. Wyo. neighbor: IDA.

113. Freight weight: TON.

114. Recede: EBB.

115. Both Y's in IYKYK: YOU.  If You Know, You Know.

116. Prefix with Pen: EPI.

I'm sorry that Jayce lost his precious Lotus. As most of you know, Lotus was from Hong Kong and Jayce speaks fluent Chinese. This makes me feel an even closer connection to him in his grief. I'm glad you have a caretaker with you now, and I hope you're surrounded by comfort, kindness, and support during this difficult time.

 

 

Saturday, August 9, 2025, David Karp

 Themeless Puzzle by David Karp

David's fun puzzle started out quickly but slowed to a more moderate pace. Here is what he shared with me after I told him that MWAHAHA/RAWR gave me one bad cell.

Hi Gary,

Glad you enjoyed the puzzle! And sorry to trip you up -- I was a bit worried about how that crossing would play out.

This one is a pretty open grid so it was challenging getting clean yet interesting fill throughout -- it went through a few revisions with the editors, particularly in the bottom right corner. But I'm particularly happy that MUSIC BINGO (I enjoy playing it), ZAMBONI RIDE (I'm a Canadian/hockey fan) and EGG MATZOS (my dad's side of the family is Jewish) made it through.

I can't believe it's been a couple years since my last LA Times themeless puzzle. I've had three crosswords in the LA Times since then (including a couple collaborations with friends and family), but they've all been Mondays, funnily enough. I feel most in my element doing challenging themeless puzzles though so it's nice to be back with a themeless.

Not much to update in the way of my current activities; I still work for the provincial government, enjoy making crossword puzzles in my spare time (I recently published my 50th puzzle -- this one is #52) as well as playing ball hockey and soccer. 

Across:

1. Rank denied to Anakin Skywalker: JEDI MASTER ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  He never became a Jedi Master. He became a Jedi Knight close to the beginning of the clone wars. Knights were also given padawans to train during the unprecedented times in the final years of the Republic. Even after he became a force ghost he was still known more as the Chosen One than a true Jedi Master.

11. Pollutants phased out by the Montreal Protocol, for short: CFCS - Chlorofluorocarbons were identified as destroying the ozone layer and were outlawed in 1987.

15. "Count me in!": I AM SO THERE.

16. Baseball dynasty name: ALOU - They had a lot of talent and vowels.

17. Game whose object is to get lots of hits: MUSIC BINGO - A fav game of David's. Players receive bingo cards with song titles or artists listed in a grid. The host plays short clips of songs. Players identify the songs and mark them off on their cards. Five in a row, column or diagonal wins.

Sample Card

18. Gamer who lacks game: NOOB.

19. 1971 cult classic: SHAFT - The fabulous Isaac Hayes theme song below has the lyrics start at 1:48

 
 

20. Startles: SPOOKS.

22. Celeb gossip site: TMZ - It stands for the Thirty Mile Zone surrounding Los Angeles and the entertainment business. Here's the latest edition

25. Story that may remain unfinished: ATTIC 😀 An unfinished top story ATTIC would get pretty toasty around here.

27. Spine-tingling: EERIE.

28. Treats: HEALS.

30. "What a bore!": SNORE.

32. "Wanna __?": BET - TV's most famous BET!

33. "__ Vep": HBO miniseries: IRMA - An anagram of Vampire More

34. Crispy kosher snack: EGG MATZOS.

36. Clouds of gas and dust: NEBULAE.

38. "They'll never catch me!": MWAHAHA and 31. Noise made while curling one's fingers, perhaps: RAWR the crossing of these two cost me a "got 'er done".

 

40. Debate figure: MODERATOR.

42. Layered sandwich: OREO.

43. Actor Chaney: LON.

44. Blacksmith garb: APRON.

45. "Paul Bunyan" librettist: AUDEN.

46. __ coffee: IRISH - IRISH is also a beloved member or our community

48. Networks, for short: SYSTS.

50. Fr. holy title: STE - French abbreviation for SAINTE the female form for Saint 

51. Some adoptees: STRAYS - God bless those that do this

53. One of the three R's: REUSE - Oh, those 3 R's. I first tried "RITIN'"

55. Duck out early: BAIL - We did BAIL on a Husker FB game once when it looked like they would lose. The cheering we heard on the street told us we made a mistake.

56. Unlikely to show mercy: IRON FISTED - These leap to mind: Stalin, Lenin, Putin in Russia. Idi Amin in Uganda. Fidel Castro in Cuba. Daniel Noriega in Nicaragua. Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Hafez Assad in Syria. Hitler in Germany. 

61. "Balladz" poet Sharon: OLDS ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  Her bio

62. Tale that may be told with a fire in one's eyes: GHOST STORY 😀

63. On a cruise: ASEA.

64. Easy wins for presidential candidates, often: HOME STATES - Most do but in 1972 George McGovern, among others, even lost his home state of South Dakota in the Nixon landslide.

Down:

1. Actor Parsons: JIM - He was a big reason The Big Bang Theory was a huge hit.

2. Evian, e.g.: EAU.

3. Private convos: DMS - Direct MessageS

4. Mother of Horus: ISIS.

5. Drinks made from two kinds of beans: MOCHAS - A mixture of cocoa and coffee beans

6. Rockie start?: AT BAT - 😀 Their AT BATs have not been very productive as the Colorado Rockies have the worst record in MLB (30 - 85).

7. Takes a turn: SHIFTS GEARS - I really liked this clue as it references a turn in a conversation or strategy not in a car.

8. Part of a nomad's lifestyle, perhaps: TENTING.

9. Work unit: ERG - I love this definition of an ERG: It's the equivalent of an ant doing one push up 

10. Some classic cars: REOS - Ransom Eli Oldsmobile invented the Oldsmobile Car and then, after a falling out with a partner, stopped that and started building the REO

11. __ Journey: annual event for Pacific Northwest Indigenous peoples: CANOE.

12. They may be swept under the rug: FLOOR BOARDS - There is a difference between actually doing this and the sense of ignoring a bad topic

13. Need for one who's rolling in dough?: COOKIE SHEET 😀

14. Part of the whole: SUBSET - We crossword solvers are a SUBSET of the general population 

21. "The Hunger Games" boy: PEETA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

22. Scarce: THIN.

23. They're only human: MERE MORTALS.

24. Hockey fan's intermission experience, perhaps: ZAMBONI RIDE.

26. Sound track?: COMMON SENSE 😀

29. Credit: LAUD.

34. Tombstone name: EARP - Despite his adventures in Tombstone, AZ, Wyatt's actual, uh, tombstone, along with his wife's, is in Colma, CA near San Francisco.

35. Dynasty before the Qin: ZHOU.

37. __ Law: human rights measure named for the third-longest-serving U.S. senator: LEAHY.

39. Top-notch: A-ONE.

41. Place for kidding around at home?: TOY ROOM 😀

43. Capital city in Província da Estremadura: LISBOA - Portuguese in clue means the city will be spelled in that language

45. One of 3,234 for Sue Bird: ASSIST.

47. Verde or roja topping: SALSA - Even I knew green and red

49. Boston university: TUFTS.

52. [Not this again!]: SIGH.

54. Spanish pronoun: ESTA.

 

57. Density symbol, in physics: RHO - Density = Mass/Volume 

58. Threenager, e.g.: TOT 😀

59. Bard's before: ERE.

60. Start to function?: DYS.

Notes from C.C.:

 

Wishing Ray O. and his wife a joyful celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary - what a wonderful milestone!