Sunday August 4, 2019 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: "Walk-off" - BAT goes backward in each theme entry.
 
3. Hacker's coup: DATA BREACH.
 
5. SunTrust Park player: ATLANTA BRAVE.

11. Presidential moniker: HONEST ABE.

15. Genre from Mississippi: DELTA BLUES.

40. Heart rhythm manager: BETA BLOCKER.

66. University of California city: SANTA BARBARA. And 50. City near 66-Down: OJAI.

74. "Sweet Love" R&B singer: ANITA BAKER.

79. Annual Arizona football game: FIESTA BOWL.

82. Almost: JUST ABOUT.

Reveal:

118. Something flipped after a walk-off home run ... and in the nine longest Down answers: BAT.

Again, the title is Rich's, who is a devoted Yankees fan. I originally had "Bat Flip" as a title. Rich suggested that I put BAT in the grid and used "Walk-Off" as title.

Rich accepts Sunday theme queries, so constructors do not waste time filling in a Sunday grid. Such a luxury!

Across:

1. Org. with the slogan "No More Victims": MADD. You can't talk on the phone while driving in Minnesota now. Hands-free law went into effect last Thursday.

5. Addis __ University: ABABA.

10. Thunder god: THOR.

14. Tributes in verse: ODES.

18. Inbox pileup: EMAIL.

20. Made level, with "up": TRUED. I only submitted "Made level". Rich added [ " with "up" ] extra. TRUED up = Made level. Hence the extra. He's just a wordsmith.

21. State since 1846: IOWA.

22. Present: HERE.

23. Mucho: LOTSA.

24. Ski resort hangout: LODGE.

25. Big name in women's apparel: ANN TAYLOR. Owns the Loft brand.

27. "Ozark" or "Fargo": DRAMA.

28. Young Darth: ANI.

29. Goose that sometimes nests in lava fields: NENE.

31. Lies for, maybe: ABETS.

32. On an even keel: BALANCED.

35. Job for Sam Spade: CASE.

37. Remote battery: AAA.

38. Two-time NBA Finals MVP: BRYANT. Kobe.

39. Asian fusion restaurant chain: NOBU. Their signature dish is miso-marinated black cod. Yellowrocks probably made this before.

41. Glad offering: TRASH BAG.

45. Become defunct: DIE.

46. Multi-platinum Steely Dan album: AJA.

47. Type of sale: CLEARANCE.

49. Language in the Tai family: LAO. Lots of vowels in Lao: 33.

52. Challenge in court: OBJECT.

54. Orchestra pitch setter: OBOE.

55. Fourth-down play: PUNT.

56. Unbearably confident: COCKSURE.

58. Instruction Alice followed: EAT ME.

60. Rapid-fire: SPEEDY.

62. "Hmm ... doubt it": UH NO.

63. Withdrawal site: ATM. Money withdrawal.

65. Cry at a shearing: BAA.

66. "I'm good with it": SUITS ME.

67. Streamed, perhaps: ON TV.

69. Run-D.M.C.'s "You Be __": ILLIN.

71. Pretended to be: APED.

72. "You don't have to remind me": I'M AWARE.

75. "The Matrix" role: NEO.

76. Big ball of energy: SUN.

78. Food since the Han Dynasty: TOFU. One of my favorite food.

81. "Casino" co-star: DE NIRO.

82. Like ripe mangoes: JUICY. These are the Asian-style mangoes.

84. "Well done, sista!": ATTA GIRL.

87. Chocolat chaud need: LAIT. Hot chocolate.

88. It has colorful suspects: CLUE.

90. __ Khan: KUBLAI. Grandson of Genghis Khan, founder of the Mongol Empire.

92. Crazy Taxi publisher: SEGA.

93. Summer hrs. in Buffalo: EDT.

94. Knock response: WHO'S THERE.

96. Deli order: BLT.

98. Put a Singer to work: SEW.

99. Track tie: DEAD HEAT.

101. 105-Across output: ARTE. 105. "Mae West Lips Sofa" sculptor: DALI.

102. Modifies to fit: ADAPTS.

104. Drone, e.g.: BEE.

107. Thai chili sauce: SRIRACHA. In that red bottle. Popular sauce for Pho. You should be able to find it in your local grocery store. Asian section.

109. Saves, with "away": SALTS.

111. Cause of some nodding: BORE.

113. "Hold on a sec," in texts: BRB. Be Right Back.

114. Lunar path: ORBIT.

117. Acknowledges the applause: TAKES A BOW.

119. Early life stage: LARVA.

121. Haka dancers: MAORI.

122. "American Psycho" author __ Easton Ellis: BRET.

123. Ancient France: GAUL.

124. Prime minister after Major: BLAIR. Tony Blair was the prime minster when Hong Kong was handed over to China. I don't remember paying attention to him, or Prince Charles at the ceremony. The guy in the middle is the then-governor Chris Patten, who was very liked. So sad to see what's happening in HK now.

125. Nubian Museum city: ASWAN.

126. Have the nerve: DARE.

127. Bar worker: Abbr.: ATTY.

128. Cigna rival: AETNA.

129. "Frozen Fever" queen: ELSA.

Down:

1. Canasta play: MELD.

2. Love in Spain: AMOR.

4. Consternation: DISMAY. A bit of mess when Boomer and I went to the Mississippi dam on Friday. Lots of construction work along the parking lot area. Looks like they're going to charge a fee next year.

6. Rodeo mount: BRONC.

7. Theater group: AUDIENCE.

8. Plead with: BEG.

9. Yemen's principal port: ADEN. Their capital now.

10. "The Princess and the Frog" princess: TIANA.

12. Beat consistently: OWN.

13. Pro __: RATA.

14. "Now I remember": OH YEAH.

16. Bow-toting god: EROS.

17. Sun. delivery: SER.

19. Yellow Teletubby with a curly antenna: LAA LAA.

26. Humiliate: ABASE.

30. Quito's land: Abbr.: ECUA.

33. European pear: ANJOU. I think I tried it once. I much prefer Korean pears on the bottom.

Korean Pears

34. Sweetly, to Salieri: DOLCE.

36. Game designer Rubik: ERNO.

38. Delicate trinket: BIJOU.

42. Hickok's last hand, reportedly: ACES UP.

43. Texas school, informally: A AND M.

44. "Somebody That I Used to Know" singer: GOTYE. Unusual name. Hope this area did not give you trouble.

45. Dwarf wearing specs: DOC.

48. Punic Wars fighters: ROMANS.

51. "You don't have to remind me": I KNOW IT.

53. Jacuzzi feature: JET.

55. Nana and Toto: PET DOGS.

57. Ping producer: SONAR.

59. __ chi: TAI.

61. St. Peter's Basilica sculpture: PIETA.

64. Movement in Brahms' Serenade No. 1: MINUET. Rich's clue, of course!

68. Throat lozenge: TROCHE. MedicinNet says "Strictly speaking, a troche should be circular since the word derives from the Greek "trokhiskos" meaning "a little wheel."

70. Molokai memento: LEI.

72. Sat at a light: IDLED.

73. Winner at Gettysburg: MEADE.

77. AA flying rival: UAL. American Airlines.

80. Prompts: URGES.

83. Domed Asian shelters: YURTS.

85. Swinton of "Burn After Reading": TILDA.

86. Bar code?: LAW.

89. Dryer unit: LOAD.

91. Sausage at tailgate parties: BEER BRAT.

94. Piques, as an appetite: WHETS.

95. Locks up?: HAIR.

97. Washington port: TACOMA.

100. Remove: DELETE.

103. Sentence fragment: PHRASE.

106. Humble: LOWLY.

108. NFL Network analyst Michael __: IRVIN.

109. Lee whom nobody doesn't like: SARA.

110. Long tale: SAGA.

112. Island off Tuscany: ELBA.

115. Some S&L plans: IRAS.

116. Grammy winner Turner: TINA.

117. Sched. uncertainty: TBD.

120. Mirror Pond product: ALE. Again, Rich's clue. Never heard of this brand.

C.C.

Saturday, August 3, 2019, Kyle Dolan

Saturday Themeless Puzzle by Kyle Dolan

The hot, damp environment of corn fields (and other crops) are a perfect breeding place for fungi, aphids and other assorted yield-decreasing problems. On August 3 we celebrate the men and women who apply chemicals from the air - Crop Dusters. 

They become necessary when the crop becomes so tall that tractor sprayers can't get down the rows.The aerial spraying operation can increase the grain yield by 20 - 30 bushels per acre

Our Saturday regular Kyle Dolan has supplied us with yet another of his fine themeless puzzles. My times to solve his puzzles seem to indicate Dr. Dolan and I are usually on the same wavelength. I wonder if a British Consulate-General in Chicago cares a whit about the Cubs, White Sox, Bull or Da Bears.

Across:

1. "The Howdy Doody Show" cry adopted by '60s California surfers: COWABUNGA - Yes, I am old enough to remember Chief Thunder Thud saying this on that early TV show.

10. Ask: PUT TO - You can gauge a reporters courage/bias by assessing questions he PUTS TO interviewees 

15. How horses may run during warmups: AT A CANTER.

16. Mozart work: OPERA.

17. Reason for an R rating, perhaps: LOVE SCENE - Strategically placed bed clothes can dictate the rating

18. Pigtails: PLAIT - The plural is PLAITS and so I wonder about pigtails/PLAIT

19. Antonio's "Evita" role: CHE - Antonio Bandereas played the narrator of the film - CHE Gueverra 

20. Coding logic word: ELSE 

If Day = Saturday 
Blogger = "Gary"
ELSE = "Someone ELSE"

21. Leonard Bernstein's "Chichester __": PSALMS - If you must

22. Marginally: A BIT.

23. Echolocation users: BATS - I hear lunch!

24. Ancient provincial governor: SATRAP - Persian big shot

27. Calculating bunch?: MATH TEAM.

31. Helvetica cousin: ARIAL - A screen shot of choices for us here at Blogger.com. The one we use is checked.

32. Gift recipient: DONEE 

33. Market letters: IGA - South Africa hopes to have 250 IGA "Markets" like this one in their country

34. British breakfast dish with an onomatopoeic name: BUBBLE AND SQUEAK.

37. Fade: EBB.

38. Hangs on a rack: DRIES.

39. Combine: UNITE.

40. Most rough, in a manner of speaking?: RASPIEST - Janis Joplin and Joe Cocker leap to my mind

42. Rejections: VETOES - FDR (635) and Grover Cleveland (414) combined for over a thousand

43. Like some bridal dresses: LACY.

44. Ramen flavoring: MISO.

45. Conceived, with "up": DREAMT.

48. Protective excavation: MOAT 

49. Coast Guard pickup: SOS.

52. __ Unido: United Kingdom, in Spain: REINO - España importa vehículos del Reino Unido (Spain imports vehicles from The United Kingdom)

53. "Darn!": HANG IT ALL -  The more familiar to me "DANG IT ALL" didn't make the cut

55. Thomas' veep: AARON - Jefferson and Burr got the same number of electoral votes in the 1800 election but the House Of Representatives picked Thomas Jefferson and Burr became veep by Article II, Section 1, Clause 3 of the Constitution.

56. Pittsburgh Steelers' founder: ART ROONEY - Well known to NFL fans

57. Combine: BLEND - Some prefer non-BLENDED varieties  

58. Takes the inside track: HAS AN EDGE.


Down:

1. Subj. with integrals: CALC - My CALC I prof from Indiana gave me an A but, 2. Tweeter's "conversely": On The Other Hand, my CALC II prof from New Delhi gave me a C

3. It may break on sand: WAVE.

4. Big heart: ACE - It's the biggest regardless (irregardless?) of suit

5. It has paths for runners: BASEBALL DIAMOND - In 2016 baseball put in a new rule about sliding to protect infielders from getting hurt by players going out of the base path or making no attempt to hold the base

6. Detach, as some jewelry: UNCLIP.

7. Arms treaty subj.: N-TEST - Nuclear TEST

8. __ therapy: GENE - Fraught with promise and peril

9. Were present?: ARE.

10. Proposes: POPS THE QUESTION - A lyric (@ 1:00 and 3:40) in this wonderful song from my favorite musical. Hopefully a welcome addition to your day as well!

11. Headlining a music festival, say: UP LAST - Ya gotta stay to see the main act

12. Color similar to turquoise: TEAL

13. Cut back: TRIM.

14. Food rich in manganese: OATS - This Strawberry OAT bar says it is High in manganese near the bottom

21. Spread things: PATES - A woman from Slovakia said she adds Allspice to her PATE and she says it kills the taste of beef liver which she hates (me too!)

22. __ League: ARAB - A good geographer can name all these countries

23. Maroon 5 and Ben Folds Five: BANDS.

24. Fencing option: SABER - Touché

25. Home of Queen Beatrix International Airport: ARUBA - How long is the flight from Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam to the Queen Beatrix International in Oranjestad, Aruba, which is still in the Kingdom of The Netherlands?

26. "In the Heat of the Night" detective: TIBBS 

27. "Houses of Parliament" series painter: MONET - Here's the history and a lovely example

28. Kids' song refrain: E-I-E-I-O 

29. Colorful quartz: AGATE - Lake Superior AGATE before and after polishing

30. Creates: MAKES

32. Jay Gatsby's love: DAISY - Jay and DAISY Buchanan in various film iterations 

35. Not slouching: ERECT.

36. Biblical preposition: UNTO 

41. Anticipate: PLAN ON.

42. Drug in the film "Love & Other Drugs": VIAGRA - Hmmm... three clues after 35 Down? Kyle...

44. Alpes features: MONTS - Climbing MONT Blanc (White Mountain), the tallest peak in the Swiss Alps, with a guide, will run you anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000 and take five days

45. Uninspiring: DRAB - Mrs. Cardinal compared to Mr. Cardinal at our feeders

46. Not in one's head: REAL.

47. Cork's home: EIRE - The Gaelic word for Ireland

48. Kate of "House of Cards": MARA - The scene where Kate, as Zoe Barnes, was killed shocked me. I debated on posting the video but declined. Google at your own peril

49. Time measure: SAND - A former favorite of my wife's 

50. Jackie's designer: OLEG - Cassini 

51. Leonard __: Roy Rogers: SLYE - Can you pick out the pre-Roy Rogers Leonard SLYE below when he was an original member of the Sons Of The Pioneers? 

53. "Yeah, right!": HAH.

54. Nail holder: TOE.

Here's hoping that Kyle's puzzle wasn't over your head on this crop duster day. Feel free to drop in with comments.

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Melissa, founder of the Adopt an Inmate project, whose compassion and tenacity are awe-inspiring. Best sister ever!

Friday, August 2, 2019 Jeffrey Wechsler

Defining Cricket


17. Cricket: GAME WITH WICKETS.

25. Cricket: WIRELESS SERVICE.

45. Cricket: DISNEY BUG JIMINY.

59. [Crickets]: AUDIENCE SILENCE.

Four gridspanners !

Across:

1. Center of the Milky Way?: CARAMEL.   Thought this might be about the candy bar and not the galaxy, but the use of THE Milky Way, rather than A Milky Way made me wait for a couple of perps.

8. Calder creation: STABILE.  Alexander Calder.  Here's a pic of his 53' Flamingo 50 ton stabile in front of the Miles Van Der Rohe designed Federal Building in downtown Chicago.

15. First state, in a way: ALABAMA.   If the states are listed in alphabetical order.   That wasn't my first thought when reading the clue.

16. Journey's end: ARRIVAL.

19. Once, in olden days: ERST.

20. 2000 Bell Atlantic acquisition: GTE.  The birth of Verizon.

21. Slashed pronoun: HE / SHE.   I struggled with this one.   I had the ending HE, and so I tried a beginning SHE, then a nonsensical HER and a HIM.  Not surprisingly nothing fit until, as Steve says, "The penny dropped".  D'OH !

22. Suspect: PRESUME.

33. Seed-to-be: OVULE.

34. LAX calculation: ETA.  Los Angeles Airport / Estimated Time of Arrival.  Not that you needed me to spell it out...  Oh, by the way, the X means nothing.   It's just a filler so the airport code has three letters.

35. Energy source: ATOM.  Incredible reactions when harnessed.  Atom Ant was a mid '60s Hanna Barbera cartoon.   He was incredibly strong.  Of course, so was Mighty Mouse and Underdog.

36. They might help you change your position: WANT ADS.   One place you might visit if you are looking for a job.

39. Prepare for coating, as aluminum:  ANODIZE.

41. Within: Pref.: ENTO.  ENdO wouldn't work this time.  You must rely on the perp to get the third letter correct.

42. Land of Freud: Abbr.: AUS.  I completed a puzzle the other day and the clue was, 'Birthplace of Freud".   It needed 7 letters and I confidently entered Austria.   The perps didn't support that, and it soon worked out that the answer was Moravia.  That answer sent me to the internet.

Both are correct.  Moravia was part of the Austrian Empire in the year of his birth, 1856.   The area of Moravia became part of Czechoslovakia in 1918 with the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.  When Czechoslovakia broke up in 1993 to become the Czech Republic and Slovakia,  the Moravia region became part of the Czech Republic. 

44. Scrooge: MISER.

49. Beat by a hair: NOSE OUT.  Edge.  Made me think of a photo finish horse race.

50. Wheat species that's also a British past tense: SPELT.   Not fooled.  Wheat belt farmers like PK would know this.

54. Article in Bonn: DER.   All nouns in German are either masculine, feminine or neuter.  The little word in front, the article, will tell you the gender.  Another tidbit ?    As you know, in English, only proper nouns are capitalized, but in German, ALL nouns are capitalized.   

Here are the German definite and indefinite articles:

der - the (masculine)
die - the (feminine)
das - the (neuter)
ein - a (masculine and neuter)
eine - a (feminine)

Thank you Rocket Languages for the lesson.

Your challenge when solving a crossword is to recognize the gender, but like a number of Spanish clues that don't give you a hint (compare the clue "Other, in Spanish" to the clues, "Juan's other" or "Juanita's other")  you are going to have to get the perp to be correct.   Or get lucky.

55. Fraternity activity: RUSH.   "He doesn't always listen to RUSH, but when he does, the whole neighborhood does too".

63. Like answers that lower test scores: IN ERROR.

64. Pre-owned item: USED CAR.  A specific answer to a general clue.  Friday worthy.

65. Top-rated TV show of 1984-'85:  DYNASTY.   Who shot JR ?   Oh wait, that was Dallas.  This was prime time show designed to be competition to Dallas, and it eventually worked.

66. WWII vessels: PT BOATS.  Patrol Torpedo.  Saw my first one watching McHale's Navy.

Down:

1. Source of tweets ... or growls: CAGE.   Another very good Friday clue that required creative thinking.

2. Defunct fruit coating: ALAR.  The FDA approved the spray that was used on apple trees (and cherries) to regulate growth so the apples didn't ripen and fall to the ground too early.  A few years later, questionable EPA testing and a questionable 60 Minutes feature story incorrectly terming it a pesticide raised significant public awareness that it was a carcinogenic.  Public concern (deemed "hysteria" by many, but especially the apple growers) created the "Alar Scare" that caused the manufacturer to withdraw the product.

3. Barrels into: RAMS.

4. Help the bad guys: ABET.

5. Big mouth: MAW.

6. Political refugee: EMIGRE.

7. Barista's output: LATTES.  Didn't we have LATTE ART recently as the answer ?

8. Understood: SAW.  Tried got first.  No bueno.

9. Start to cycle?: TRI.   I had to go from one wheel to three wheels to complete this answer.

10. Many a Middle-earth combatant: ARCHER.  When I see Middle-earth, I think of J.R.R Tolkein. You ?

11. Eco-friendly carrier: BIKE.  Clever.  Bicycle, and arguably, motorcycle when compared other motorized vehicles.

12. Composer Charles: IVES.


13. Plastering strip: LATH.

14. Other than this: ELSE.

18. 1946 Literature Nobelist: HESSE.  Perps.  Don't know how a person could answer this based on the clue alone, unless they were were a literature expert.  It is Friday.

22. __ bargain: PLEA.

23. Sports gp. that originally had "Lawn" in its name: USTA.  I usta play tennis.  Got smoked in the very first tournament I entered.   It was a small town contest run by the parks department.  Still have the Wilson T2000.

24. Nasty: MEAN. Ilie Nastase's nickname was Nasty, but I think that was a bit unfair. He was no shrinking violet.  That's for sure.  But he wasn't nasty.

25. Knocked the socks off: WOWED.

26. Grand Prince of Moscow, 1328-'40: IVAN I.

27. Litters' littlest: RUNTS.  Easy to think the response would be singular.

28. John of music: ELTON.  Sir Elton.


29. "Barbarella" director Roger: VADIM.   I saw the movie but didn't think much of it.  Kinda goofy. Would never have got this without the M in JIMINY.   And four others.

30. Formal identification: IT IS I.  Formal, in the sense that it is the grammatically correct response. Nice clue.

31. Deceive: COZEN.  To trick or cheat, or obtain by deception.  There's a large law firm in Philly called Cozen O'Connor that has probably had to bear the brunt of many jokes.

32. Board at one's fingertips: EMERY.

37. How "The Banana Boat Song" begins: DAY O.  Why was this song popular ?


38. Fills in: SUBS.  Substitutes.  Husker Gary is apt to fill the void when a teacher needs time off.

40. Drop: OMIT.

43. Soft leather: SUEDE.

46. Takes the stage: ENTERS.  Thespians, musicians, emcees, comics, public speakers etc.  They all strive to take the stage.

47. Becomes harder to afford: GOES UP.   What goes up, must come down.   Spinning wheel, got to go 'round.


48. Legal scholar: JURIST.

50. Came out with: SAID.

51. Inconsequential: PUNY.  Not of significant concern.  Mere.

52. Early banishment site: EDEN.

53. Pre-Euro currency: LIRA.

55. Start from scratch: REDO.

56. Donald, to Huey, Dewey and Louie: UNCA.  Comic strip vocalization of uncle.  The characters are a Walt Disney production.

57. "Get lost!": SCAT.

58. "... nor shall ever see that face of __ again": Lear: HERS.

60. Excluding: NOT.

61. Shout: CRY.

62. Syr. neighbor: LEB.  Syria and Lebanon.

Thursday, August 1st 2019 Jack Murtagh

Theme: Clueless in Los Angeles - but step down and find the unclued related theme entry!

20A. Court address: YOUR + 25A. -: HONOR

18A. World's largest lizard: KOMODO  + 23A -: DRAGON

53A. Percussion piece: SNARE + 57A. -: DRUM

55A. Shotgun type: DOUBLE + 62A. -: BARREL. One of my favorite movies is Guy Richie's "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels". Here is Vinnie Jones, who was a professional football player in England before he moved to acting. Trust me, he was pretty much the same on the field as he was in his movie persona:

The reveal tells us:

40A. Instructions for fire safety ... or for completing four puzzle answers: STOP DROP AND ROLL

Great puzzle - you fill in the first part of the theme entry - then you run out of space, but what? Drop down a square and fill in the second word, unclued. So that takes care of the "STOP" and "DROP" in the reveal, but what is this? A ROLL - Honor roll, Dragon roll (sushi, yay!), drum roll and barrel roll. Woo-hoo! A great puzzle from Jack, there is much to like in this one. I think this might be Jack's first puzzle in the LA Times, so Huzzah! for that.

I had no clue regarding the theme until I noticed that I'd filled in "DRUM" with the crosses, and I just guessed at SNARE. Then I looked at a mostly empty grid, and realized what we were dealing with. I love the unlocking the secret of a puzzle, and this one is up there with my favorites. I respect the creative thought that goes into these. Thanks, Jack, you had me bemused for quite some time. Bravo! - Or, as I have learned from watching the great Tour de France this year - "Chapeau"! *

Across:

1. Digital unit: BIT. Bits, bytes, megabytes. No-one thought of terabytes back in the day, that was science fiction. I have a 2TB hard drive to back up my computer, it's the size of Post-It pad and cheap enough to make Captain Kirk's eyes water. We'll come back to the Post-It note at some point, fascinating history for the iconic 3M product.

4. Play the part of: ACT AS

9. Paintball attire, for short: CAMO. I have camo shorts. I think at one point we all did. No longer a fashion item, I wear them hiking (stealth mode so that I don't get eaten by mountain lions).

13. Cry from a card holder: UNO!

14. Religious leader: CLERIC. I didn't really consider a cleric a leader, I thought he/she would be way down on the totem pole, but I guess a flock, and he leads them.

16. Made man?: ADAM. Made from clay, if I recall correctly. Eve was made with clay and a rib?

17. Home for the holidays, say: OFF. I'm off. Actually, not yet, I still have a puzzle to go.

19. Rooftop spinner: VANE. If it's spinning you've got some serious weather heading your way. Buckle up!

22. FDR job-creating program: WPA

27. Catchers with pots: EELERS. Slippery little buggers - have you tried to catch one with your hands?

28. Like the Avengers: HEROIC

31. Twice DVI: MXII. I miscalculated this and ended up with CODEC which I was sure was correct. Nope. Buzzer!

32. Z preceder: A TO. This was a head-scratcher until I parsed it out. A to Z. There's a town near me called Azusa - it was founded as an industrial manufacturing town - they made everything "from A to Z in the USA."

33. Pancake at a seder: LATKE

36. Longtime Sweethearts maker: NECCO. Hands up everyone who has handed out a Love Heart in school! I gave one to Laura. The pain of unrequited love.

43. Marx forte: HUMOR. Not "Communist Revolutionary Theory"? OK, my bad. Not enough squares.

44. Kim and Kourtney's sister: KHLOE. I hate that I know this.

45. Bundle of cash: WAD

46. Toy with a tail: KITE

48. "Spill it": TELL ME

50. Bassett of "American Horror Story": ANGELA. Crosses all the way. I'm sure she's a great actress in a great movie, but never blipped on my radar.

56. Zing: PEP

61. Where Georgia is: ASIA. I struggle with the Europe/Asia divide, it seems very arbitrary

65. Mineral resource: ORE

66. Move: SELL

67. Cocktail garnishes: OLIVES. Why did I go with LEMONS first? That did not work at all. If I order a martini, I get a Gibson - onions, not olives, in my defense.

68. A long time follower?: AGO. "A long long time ago, I can still remember how the music used to make me smile". Let's sing along with Don McLean. I'm sorry you have to click through a couple of ads, but on a side note, why did the post have a picture of Bob Dylan?

69. Scoundrel: HEEL

70. "Aida" setting: EGYPT

71. Dawn phenomenon: DEW. Sundown also, there is a dewpoint in the evening too. That's when it hurts your plants, when you get dew that freezes overnight.

Down:

1. Elevate: BUOY. "Boy" in English-English, Boo-eey in American English. I think after 25 years I prefer the latter.

2. Scoop: INFO. 

3. Curds in cubes: TOFU. Food! Mine goes into Pad Thai noodles. Pour boiling water onto the cubes to dry them out - I know it's counter-intertuitive but it works. Then add them to the wok.

4. "Oy!": ACK!

5. High-capacity vehicle?: CLOWN CAR Colorful, and a nightmare for anyone with coulrophobia:

6. Record time?: TEMPO. Is 33/45/78 a tempo? I'm showing my age, everything now is a download. Damn, I'm old.

7. Like noisy fans: AROAR. I suppose so. Still doesn't beat Grantland Rice's "Under a blue-gray sky, the four horsemen of the apocalypse rode again". Sports journalism at its finest.

8. Vicious on stage: SID. The Sex Pistols. I won't link a song, not everyone's cup of tea. I saw them in a basement room in a pub in North London before Sid joined the band, and boy, I have to say they were talented, they caught the moment and caught lightning in a bottle.

9. High-and-mighty: CAVALIER

10. Wise words: ADAGE

11. Regal home: MANOR. Regal? Not so sure, regal means royal. Lords of the Manor were certainly elevated in society, but not royal.

12. Warning signs: OMENS

15. Book form that replaced the scroll: CODEX. Featured in "The Da Vinci Code". And I couldn't remember the spelling.

21. Pi follower: RHO

24. Team in a seasonal verse: REINDEER

26. Boring contraption: OIL DRILL. Hmm. Oil Drill? Not sure that's a thing. "Can you bring me an oil drill"? Said on-one, ever.

28. Diner dish: HASH

29. Words to a backstabber: ET TU! More like a front-stabber if you read the text. I'll give this one a pass.

30. Part of a Clue accusation: ROOM. Colonel Mustard, Candlestick, Library. It's always the blunt instrument that gets you.

31. "Iron Chef America" creation: MEAL. Food! Nice clue. Mystery ingredient, five courses. Just don't get me started on Alton Brown who is the biggest charlatan in food shows, period. I wouldn't trust him to judge my cooking as far as I could throw him, and that's not a long way.

34. Casino gratuity: TOKE. Learning moment. I've tipped the dealers cash or tokens, but never thought of it as a "toke". I must consign that to the memory banks.

35. Canadian road sign letters: KPH, Don't go too fast, eh?

37. Monk's hood: COWL

38. Quahog or geoduck: CLAM. A geoduck is one heck of a clam.

39. Renaissance faire word: OLDE

41. Sphere used to capture a Pikachu, say: POKEBALL. Now this one I need some help with. My brother-in-law is a huge Pokémon Go fan, I'd ask him but he's old enough to know better. What is the sphere thing? It filled itself in.

42. "Zip it!": NOT A PEEP!

47. Fitness portmanteau: TAE-BO. Taekwondo and Boxing. Apparently.

49. Was in charge: LED

50. Small recipe amount: A DASH. Food! I tend to use a couple of dashes.

51. Long time follower?: NO SEE. Clecho with 68A. Nicely done.

52. Chicanery: GUILE

53. Rosemary unit: SPRIG. "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme" Plenty of food! today.

54. Brazen: NERVY

58. "Ice __ Truckers": TV reality series: ROAD

59. Impulse: URGE

60. Cry that may mean "I'm out of tuna!": MEOW! Poor kitty.

63. Microbrewery output: ALE

64. WWII craft: LST. Landing Ship, Tank, I believe.

*I learned that the French also "take their hat off" to someone to show respect. They just abbreviate it to "hat" - hence "Chapeau"!

That's it from me today, here's the grid!

Steve

Wednesday, July 31, 2019, Zachary David Levy

Theme: On The Table. Unscramble the circled letters to reveal various tables.

17. Manga series also known as "Mach GoGoGo": SPEED RACER. Card table.

28. Toucan Sam's cereal: FROOT LOOPS. Pool table.

34. Today's painting, sculpture, etc.: CONTEMPORARY ART. Tray table.

43. "Golly!": MY GOODNESS. End table.

57. DJs' devices ... and a hint to this puzzle's circles: TURNTABLES. Vinyl is popular again.

Melissa here. This makes three or four Wednesdays in a row with circles, wonder if it will continue. It also appears to be a corner debut for Zachary David Levy.

Across:

1. Gulf of California peninsula: BAJA.

5. SLR setting: F-STOP. SLR = Single-lens reflex camera. Here's all you want to know about F-STOPs.

10. Exchange words?: EDIT.

14. Voting unit: BLOC.

15. Make amends: ATONE.

16. Headey of "Game of Thrones": LENA. Finally, another Lena.

19. History: PAST.

20. Operates properly: WORKS.

21. U.K. equivalent of an Oscar: BAFTA. British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

22. Crisis point?: MIDLIFE.

26. Day to put all your eggs in one basket: EASTER.

27. Perfectly, with "to": A TEE.

31. Sunday entrée: ROAST.

33. Novelist Grey: ZANE.

41. __ Beat: old fan mag: TEEN.

42. Alternative energy choice: SOLAR.

49. You can skip it: ROPE. Nice.

50. Grieves: MOURNS.

51. Chemist's tube: PIPETTE.

53. Some govt. bonds: MUNIS.

54. Hilarious folks: RIOTS. Perped it.

56. Curse: BANE.

62. Algerian setting of Camus' "The Plague": ORAN. Have heard of this book but never read it. Wikipedia: "The Plague is a novel by Albert Camus, published in 1947, that tells the story of a plague sweeping the French Algerian city of Oran. It asks a number of questions relating to the nature of destiny and the human condition."

63. Maxim: ADAGE.

64. Hawkeye State: IOWA.

65. Saucy: PERT.

66. Bay Area NFLer: NINER.

67. Do as directed: OBEY.

Down:

1. Air rifle ammo: BBS.

2. Swiss peak: ALP.

3. Charlie Brown hero __ Shlabotnik: JOE.

4. Maven: ACE.

5. In the distance: FAR OFF.

6. Rude observer: STARER.

7. Sound heard around the clock: TOCK. Great clue.

8. Tips for a street performer: ONES. Also great.

9. Each: PER.

10. Texas border city: EL PASO.

11. Unwilling to hear, as criticism: DEAF TO.

12. Arched foot part: INSTEP.

13. Volga region natives: TATARS. I did not know Russia's second-largest ethnicity.

18. MADD focus: DWI. Mothers Against Drunk Drivers.

21. Hay bundlers: BALERS.

22. Artist Chagall: MARC.

23. "__ lived - Brooklyn, of ample hills, was mine": Whitman: I, TOO. Crossing Brooklyn Ferry.

24. Campus official: DEAN.

25. For fear that: LEST.

26. Sicilian hot spot: ETNA.

29. Depleted atmospheric layer: OZONE.

30. One may be displayed on a boathouse wall: OAR.

32. View from Yellowstone: TETONS.

35. Scrip orders: MEDS.

36. Signature piece?: PEN.

37. Bygone period: YORE.

38. Tons: A LOT. The alot is better than you at everything.

39. Eagerly attentive: RAPT.

40. Image in the Timberland logo: TREE.

43. 1997 Hanson #1 song: MMMBOP. Ear worm.

44. 1983 Lionel Richie title words before "the sun" and "the rain": YOU ARE.

45. One of the Nelson brothers of '90s rock: GUNNAR. Matthew and Gunnar Nelson are the twin sons of Ricky Nelson. In their heyday, below.

46. "Murder on the __ Express": ORIENT.

47. Dishwashing aid: SPONGE.

48. Parents' date-night expense: SITTER.

52. "The More You Know" TV spot: PSA. Public Service Announcement.

54. Fashion's Gernreich: RUDI. Austrian-born American fashion designer, died in 1985. The brand was relaunched in 2018.

55. OPEC member: IRAN. One of fourteen.

57. Light brown: TAN.

58. LinkedIn profile, e.g.: BIO.

59. Soft toss: LOB.

60. Lamb's mom: EWE.

61. "By the way ... ": SAY.

Tuesday July 30, 2019 Susan Smolinsky & C.C. Burnikel

Theme: TO ERR IS HUMAN  (65. Start of a Pope line about fallibility ... as shown by 19-, 25-, 42- and 55-Across?) - Each person has ERR hidden in their name.

19. Frequent Fred Astaire partner: GINGER ROGERS.

25. Army doctor for whom a D.C. medical center is named: WALTER REED.

42. Movies Superman portrayer: CHRISTOPHER REEVE.

55. "Glee" star who won "Dancing With the Stars" in 2017: AMBER RILEY.

Boomer here. Susan Smolinsky is Hahtoolah on our blog and this is her first puzzle for the L. A. Times.  No Runs, No hits, 4 Errors.

Hahtoolah (Susan)

Across:

1. Daytime snooze: NAP.  It can only be a nap if you do not snore.

4. Sprinkler liquid: WATER.  Have not had too much to use this year.  Mother Nature is watering our garden.

9. Nursery rocker: CRADLE. Rockabye baby

15. Mine find: ORE.  Lots of iron ore in the Northern Minnesota range near Hibbing, childhood home of Robert Zimmerman.  You may know him as Bob Dylan.

16. Classic Dior style: A-LINE.  Indeed a classic dress, Do you remember these ??

17. Eagerly unwrapped: TORE AT.  This is how we opened packs of baseball cards. 

18. Pronoun for a filly: HER.  Or SHE.

21. Salad veggie: ONION.  In potato salad maybe, I usually don't mix onions with lettuce.

23. River delta deposit: SILT.

24. Salary: PAY.  And it's work all day for the sugar in your tay, down beyond the railway

29. Close bud, in texts: BFF.

31. More loyal: TRUER.

32. Wool clippers: SHEARS.

35. '60s "acid": LSD. "Picture yourself in a boat on a river, with tangerine trees and marmalade skies. Lucy in the sky with diamonds".

38. Lewd material: SMUT.

40. Photographed from a plane: AERIAL.  I can never identify any land marks on these aerial photos.

46. Big rig fuel: DIESEL.  There are some pickup trucks manufactured to run on diesel also.  Many stations sell it, but it's a bit more expensive than gasoline, but maybe diesel produces economy mileage.

47. Excursion: TRIP.  See 35A.

48. Lion's lair: DEN.  Also a pack of Cub Scouts.

49. Attached with glue: PASTED.

51. Layered cookies: OREOS.

54. Kid's bleat: MAA.

60. Grounded fast flier: SST.  There once was a plane called a Concorde that could get you to Europe in less than three hours.  Grounded now, but I'll bet some of those millionaire golfers would have been happy to take it to the British Open.

62. "I did it!": TA DA. And 59-Down: "I did it!": YAY ME.

64. What the nose knows: AROMA.

70. Coquettish: COY.

71. Palindrome ending: I'M ADAM.  Once in Las Vegas, I traveled to the Arizona border near lake Mead and there was a big wall in the river.  I asked what it was and it said "____". 

72. Surrounded by: AMONG.

73. Quarterback's asset: ARM.  A good tight end and a couple of wide receivers will help also.

74. Zones for different usage, say: RE-MAPS.

75. Foamy coffee: LATTE.  I never had one, but I heard you can get one at Starbucks for the same price as 2 gallons of diesel.  Probably tastes better but could mess up your carburetor.

76. Caustic solution: LYE.

Down:

1. "Ain't gonna happen": NO HOW.  Slang, but what the heck?  It's a crossword puzzle.

2. Gladiator's milieu: ARENA.  Lots of NBA games will be starting soon.

3. Problem for Pauline: PERIL.

4. Ring Cycle composer: WAGNER. I have heard of Wagner Spray Tech and also Honus.

5. Boxer who proclaimed, "I am the greatest!": ALI.  He was quite a showman.  He left us in 2016.
  
6. Sardine container: TIN.  With a skate key attached to the lid, that you had to turn to open.  "Do you remember these ??"

7. Required H.S. class: ENG.  Odd, I went to high school with a whole bunch of guys and we all spoke English pretty well.  But we still had to take the class.

8. Witherspoon of "Big Little Lies": REESE.  A fantastic baseball shortstop for the Brooklyn Dodgers, (and a little before my time.)  Pee Wee Reese was elected to Cooperstown in 1984. 

9. PC corner key: CTRL.

10. Classic A&W soda: ROOT BEER.  My father used to make root beer in a basement crock. It was pretty good, maybe not as good as A&W or Hires, but we really liked it. 

11. Neighbor of Uru.: ARG.

12. Like fish and chips: DEEP-FRIED.  I generally bake the fish, and do not prepare greasy French Fries.

13. "Doctor Zhivago" heroine: LARA.  "Although the snow, covers the hope of Spring."

14. Online craft shop: ETSY.  I'll bet Etsy does not have my homemade boondoggle zipper pulls.

20. Clears (of): RIDS.

22. Baseball great Mel: OTT.  Another great player for the New York Giants. A little before my time, his 21 year career ended in 1947.  He was inducted to Cooperstown in 1951.

26. Steal steers: RUSTLE.

27. San __: Riviera resort: REMO. I've never been to Italy, but my sister Connie goes there now and then.  Not sure if she visits San Remo. 

28. Blow, as a volcano: ERUPT. Or explode at umpires like Aaron Boone (Yankees).  A great Billy Martin imitation a couple of weeks ago.

30. Taxi charge: FARE.

33. Creator of Atticus, Scout and Jem: HARPER.  Phillies Right fielder Bryce who left Washington for greener pastures,

34. All but: SAVE.

35. TV screen type: LCD.

36. Be sent via FedEx or UPS: SHIP.  I think Fed Ex and UPS both use trucks and airplanes.

37. Group of star athletes: DREAM TEAM.  Maybe the 1965 All-Star Game, with Mantle and Killebrew.  I am not a big basketball fan.

39. Beat strongly: THROB.

41. Spy novelist Deighton: LEN.

43. "Insecure" Emmy nominee __ Rae: ISSA.

44. Attempt to ensnare, with "for": SET A TRAP.  We had to set traps for mice, mostly in the garage, but once or twice in our basement.  I am not sure how they get in, but since we bought new doors for our home, we don't see the little critters anymore.

45. Land of the banshee: EIRE.

50. June honorees: DADS.  That was a brand of root beer.  Not the stuff Dad brewed in the basement.

52. Breakfast juice flavor: ORANGE.

53. Title for Paul McCartney: SIR.  "To Sir, With love" sung by Lulu in a great movie with Sidney Poitier.

56. Taj __: MAHAL.

57. Bus that makes all the stops: LOCAL.  When I play golf I stop at all 18 greens on the local course.

58. Atlanta university: EMORY.

60. Recipe instruction: STIR.

61. Not all: SOME.

63. Goals: AIMS.  Sign in the men's rest room - "We aim to please, you aim too please."

66. Old food label abbr.: RDA. I think it was an acronym for Required Daily something or other.

67. Thurman of "Pulp Fiction": UMA.

68. Witty remark: MOT.

69. Pantry pest: ANT.  We do not see them in the house, but we have plenty in the driveway.

 
Confidential to TTP.  Several weeks ago we suggested that Twins Jake Odorizzi and Lucas Giolito could be competing for a Cy Young award.  Well, Jake gave up nine runs to the Yankees in four innings, and Lucas coughed up seven runs to the Twins in half a game last week, so I am withdrawing my vote.

Boomer

Notes from C.C.:

Congratulations on your debut, Susan! You're such a joy to work with. So fast and efficient.