(Note: LA Times website does not support circled letters feature. Here is the pdf file of today's puzzle.)
Theme: Country Kitchen - a UN Day Tribute puzzle. Each familiar food phrase contains two 3-letter country codes used by the UN.
23A. Lunch box item : BOLOGNA SANDWICH. Bol: Bolivia. And: Andora.
41A. Sautéed fish entrée : PAN FRIED TROUT. Pan: Panama. Rou: Romania.
48A. Cup-shaped breakfast fare : BRAN MUFFIN. Bra: Brazil. Fin: Finland.
77A. Basil-based topper : PESTO SAUCE. Est: Estonia. Sau: Saudi Arabia.
85A. Honey-coated dish : GLAZED CHICKEN. Aze: Azerbaijan. Ken: Kenya.
103A. Tangy confection : PEPPERMINT CANDY. Per: Peru. Can: Canada.
16D. It's milder than yellowfin : ALBACORE TUNA. Alb: Albania. Tun: Tunisia.
58D. Some links : SWEET SAUSAGE. Swe: Sweden. USA, not AUSA, the first A is for the crossing Aze. John probably could not find a better phrase where all the embedded codes are isolated.
54D. Country __: used by the org. in 65-Across, there are 16 circled in this puzzle : CODES.
65A. Oct. 24, every year : UN DAY. Today.
Great central placements of the odd number lettered CODES & UN DAY.
Some of the codes are not familiar to me. Had to check Wikipedia NATO country code. So has trigram replaced digram or both are in use?
I can''t imagine the amount of research John did for this puzzle. We all can pick a few phrases which contains 2 different country codes. But to pick 8 with no repeat and to make the grid work is daunting.
As usual, no cheater square, only one letter Q away from a pangram. Lots of fun & witty clues, many clechos (highlighted in green) as well.
Across:
1. Breakfast-on-the-run choice : BAGEL
6. On the way : SENT. Mails.
10. Competed in a triathlon : SWAM
14. Moves with the music : SWAYS
19. Building on a 1936 centennial stamp : ALAMO. Was unaware of the trivia.
20. Speed : PACE
21. Plane starter? : AERO. As in aeroplane. And the real PILOT (22. Plane starter).
26. Ready to bloom : IN BUD
27. Shout : YELL
28. One-named Irish singer : ENYA. Bono too.
29. Its formula includes a plus or minus : ION. Because it can be both positive and negative?
30. Mattress giant : SERTA. Sealy is 5-letter as well.
32. Archimedes' shout : EUREKA
34. They may be behind pictures : SAFES. Wall safes are often hidden behind pictures.
36. People in trees, perhaps : NIECES. Family trees.
39. So-called autobiographer of "Before You Leap" : KERMIT. Here's the book cover. I thought the author is a real person
43. Dvorák contemporary : GRIEG (Edvard). Norwegian composer. Of "Peer Gynt Suite" fame.
44. Aegean region where an architectural order began : IONIA. Oh, no wonder the name.
46. False-sounding soap components : LYES
47. Tech sch. near Albany : RPI. Hey, Spitzboov!
50. Prying tool : LEVER
52. Glassmaker's oven : LEHR. Pronounced like "leer". New word to me.
53. Holes a gimme : TAPS IN. No yip.
54. Made 7 into 343, say : CUBED. "Made 1 into 1" could be tricky.
55. __-Rooter : ROTO
56. Rm. coolers : ACs
59. One of two in a Frost poem : ROAD. "The Road Not Taken".
60. Ping maker : SONAR. Dennis said "when a ship or submarine sends out a sonar signal, it's a PING. I was lost. Could only picture Ping golf clubs.
61. Bolt down : SECURE. Crossing EAT (62D. Bolt down). Great clechos.
63. Herder's equine : COWPONY. Another new word for me.
66. Waxy-flowered plant : BEGONIA
67. Louisiana language : CREOLE
68. Bygone news medium : CRIER
69. Lewd look : LEER
70. Do one's part : ACT
71. Take-out order? : DELE. Editing "take-out".
72. Crabber and cutter : BOATS. Dictionary says crabber is a boat used in catching crabs.
73. Court clown : JESTER. And 83. __ clown : CLASS.
75. Partner of starts : FITS. Fits and starts.
76. Heavy hammers : MAULS
81. Gp. from which Cuba was suspended from 1962 to 2009 : OAS. Ha ha. I knew this fact.
82. Phone call : RING
84. Cranial recess : SINUS
89. Streetcar name? : DESIRE. "A Streetcar Named Desire".
90. Rocketeer gear : G-SUITS
91. Netlike hair wear : SNOOD. Learned from doing Xword.
92. Tiny sandwich : SLIDER
94. Ill will : SPITE
96. Early riser? : SUN. Lovely clue.
97. Jubilance : GLEE
98. Hip : COOL. And 87. Hip location? : IN SPOT. Where the hip crowd are.
101. Jumped : LEAPT
107. Heavenly body? : ANGEL
108. One with many fans : IDOL
109. Say no to : DENY
110. '60s protest : LIE-IN. Like what John Lennon and Yoko Ono did.
111. Name on a mower : DEERE
112. Puppylike : CUTE. And 113. "Puppy Love" singer : ANKA (Paul).
114. List in the back : INDEX
Down:
1. Labor day output? : BABY. Great clue. Also 4D. Compensation for labor : EMOLUMENT. Another new word for me.
2. Soothing balm : ALOE
3. Shopping mecca : GALLERIA
5. Turtle's basking spot : LOG. Vivid image.
6. Punish, in a way : SPANK
7. Hardly a tough course : EASY A
8. Sweet Sixteen org. : NCAA
9. Pin in the back : TEN. Bowling pin.
10. Prune : SAW OFF
11. "Mad Men" creator Matthew : WEINER. No idea. Any "Mad Men" fans?
12. Episodic story line : ARC
13. Mineralogist with a scale : MOHS. Hardness scale. And 89D. You probably need a scale to tell if it's working : DIET.
14. Apparitions : SPIRITS
15. Concerto in Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" : WINTER. Needed crossing help.
17. Word said while pointing : YOU
18. Not irr. : STD (Standard)
24. First hair remover to be marketed in cream form : NEET. ENYA prevented me from penning in NAIR.
25. Roman goddess of the hunt : DIANA. Artemis in Greek.
31. Rear-__ : ENDER
33. Tediously detailed process : RIGMAROLE. Mainic likes to use this word.
34. Three-time All-Star pitcher Johnny who threw the first major league pitch to Jackie Robinson : SAIN. Interesting trivia. I knew his name only from the poem "First we'll use Spahn/then we'll use Sain/Then an off day/followed by rain...".
35. Dinnerware : SILVER
37. Deliriously happy : EUPHORIC
38. Recipe instruction : STIR
39. CIA rival, once : KGB. Putin was a KGB.
40. Lose money on "Jeopardy!" : ERR
41. Nabokov novel : PNIN. Also learned from doing Xword.
42. Looked at : EYED
44. "Suppose ..." : IF SAY
45. "The Wizard __" : OF ID. Comic strip "The Wizard of ID". I've learned not to recklessly put in OF OZ.
49. Barely winning : UP ONE.
50. Like some eclipses : LUNAR
51. 24/7 auction site : EBAY
52. Crackers : LOCO. Another great clue.
55. Backslid : REGRESSED
56. Blue Devils' gp. : ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference). Blue Devils is Duke's sports team.
57. Liqueurs : CORDIALS. Oh, new meaning of cordial to me.
60. Piques : SNITS
61. Take care of : SEE TO
64. D.C. insiders : POLS
65. River to the Caspian : URAL
66. Defeats : BESTS
68. Hacks : COUGHS. Hack has so many meanings.
69. On sale, say : LESS
72. Judicial seat : BANC. Literally "bench" in French.
73. Author Auel : JEAN
74. Run riot : RAISE CAIN. Not many multi-word today.
75. Verne's traveler : FOGG. Phileas Fogg. "Around the World in Eighty Days". I can never remember his name.
76. Heart : MIDST
77. Appealed : PLED
78. Having a pressing need? : UNIRONED. Nice clue.
79. Contemptible one : CUR
80. Peking add-on : ESE. Pekingese.
82. Do an editor's task, perhaps : RE-TITLE. Rich does re-title some of the Sunday puzzles.
83. Unisex designer cologne : CK ONE. Sparkling fill.
86. It may be under a fly : ZIPPER
88. Link : COUPLE. Both verbs.
92. Move furtively : SLINK
93. Singer of many Weill songs : LENYA
95. "Paradise Lost," e.g. : EPIC. Did you want POEM?
97. Racketeer busters : G-MEN
99. Slobbering comics dog : ODIE
100. Forest cat : LYNX. Hey, dog and cat, consecutively.
101. Little shaver : LAD
102. 67.5 deg. : ENE. This kind of clue often confuses me.
104. Campus URL ending : EDU
105. Old vitamin bottle abbr. : RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowances). Now it's RDI (Recommended Daily Intake).
106. Caesar's 151 : CLI
Answer grid.
C.C.
Theme: Country Kitchen - a UN Day Tribute puzzle. Each familiar food phrase contains two 3-letter country codes used by the UN.
23A. Lunch box item : BOLOGNA SANDWICH. Bol: Bolivia. And: Andora.
41A. Sautéed fish entrée : PAN FRIED TROUT. Pan: Panama. Rou: Romania.
48A. Cup-shaped breakfast fare : BRAN MUFFIN. Bra: Brazil. Fin: Finland.
77A. Basil-based topper : PESTO SAUCE. Est: Estonia. Sau: Saudi Arabia.
85A. Honey-coated dish : GLAZED CHICKEN. Aze: Azerbaijan. Ken: Kenya.
103A. Tangy confection : PEPPERMINT CANDY. Per: Peru. Can: Canada.
16D. It's milder than yellowfin : ALBACORE TUNA. Alb: Albania. Tun: Tunisia.
58D. Some links : SWEET SAUSAGE. Swe: Sweden. USA, not AUSA, the first A is for the crossing Aze. John probably could not find a better phrase where all the embedded codes are isolated.
54D. Country __: used by the org. in 65-Across, there are 16 circled in this puzzle : CODES.
65A. Oct. 24, every year : UN DAY. Today.
Great central placements of the odd number lettered CODES & UN DAY.
Some of the codes are not familiar to me. Had to check Wikipedia NATO country code. So has trigram replaced digram or both are in use?
I can''t imagine the amount of research John did for this puzzle. We all can pick a few phrases which contains 2 different country codes. But to pick 8 with no repeat and to make the grid work is daunting.
As usual, no cheater square, only one letter Q away from a pangram. Lots of fun & witty clues, many clechos (highlighted in green) as well.
Across:
1. Breakfast-on-the-run choice : BAGEL
6. On the way : SENT. Mails.
10. Competed in a triathlon : SWAM
14. Moves with the music : SWAYS
19. Building on a 1936 centennial stamp : ALAMO. Was unaware of the trivia.
20. Speed : PACE
21. Plane starter? : AERO. As in aeroplane. And the real PILOT (22. Plane starter).
26. Ready to bloom : IN BUD
27. Shout : YELL
28. One-named Irish singer : ENYA. Bono too.
29. Its formula includes a plus or minus : ION. Because it can be both positive and negative?
30. Mattress giant : SERTA. Sealy is 5-letter as well.
32. Archimedes' shout : EUREKA
34. They may be behind pictures : SAFES. Wall safes are often hidden behind pictures.
36. People in trees, perhaps : NIECES. Family trees.
39. So-called autobiographer of "Before You Leap" : KERMIT. Here's the book cover. I thought the author is a real person
43. Dvorák contemporary : GRIEG (Edvard). Norwegian composer. Of "Peer Gynt Suite" fame.
44. Aegean region where an architectural order began : IONIA. Oh, no wonder the name.
46. False-sounding soap components : LYES
47. Tech sch. near Albany : RPI. Hey, Spitzboov!
50. Prying tool : LEVER
52. Glassmaker's oven : LEHR. Pronounced like "leer". New word to me.
53. Holes a gimme : TAPS IN. No yip.
54. Made 7 into 343, say : CUBED. "Made 1 into 1" could be tricky.
55. __-Rooter : ROTO
56. Rm. coolers : ACs
59. One of two in a Frost poem : ROAD. "The Road Not Taken".
60. Ping maker : SONAR. Dennis said "when a ship or submarine sends out a sonar signal, it's a PING. I was lost. Could only picture Ping golf clubs.
61. Bolt down : SECURE. Crossing EAT (62D. Bolt down). Great clechos.
63. Herder's equine : COWPONY. Another new word for me.
66. Waxy-flowered plant : BEGONIA
67. Louisiana language : CREOLE
68. Bygone news medium : CRIER
69. Lewd look : LEER
70. Do one's part : ACT
71. Take-out order? : DELE. Editing "take-out".
72. Crabber and cutter : BOATS. Dictionary says crabber is a boat used in catching crabs.
73. Court clown : JESTER. And 83. __ clown : CLASS.
75. Partner of starts : FITS. Fits and starts.
76. Heavy hammers : MAULS
81. Gp. from which Cuba was suspended from 1962 to 2009 : OAS. Ha ha. I knew this fact.
82. Phone call : RING
84. Cranial recess : SINUS
89. Streetcar name? : DESIRE. "A Streetcar Named Desire".
90. Rocketeer gear : G-SUITS
91. Netlike hair wear : SNOOD. Learned from doing Xword.
92. Tiny sandwich : SLIDER
94. Ill will : SPITE
96. Early riser? : SUN. Lovely clue.
97. Jubilance : GLEE
98. Hip : COOL. And 87. Hip location? : IN SPOT. Where the hip crowd are.
101. Jumped : LEAPT
107. Heavenly body? : ANGEL
108. One with many fans : IDOL
109. Say no to : DENY
110. '60s protest : LIE-IN. Like what John Lennon and Yoko Ono did.
111. Name on a mower : DEERE
112. Puppylike : CUTE. And 113. "Puppy Love" singer : ANKA (Paul).
114. List in the back : INDEX
Down:
1. Labor day output? : BABY. Great clue. Also 4D. Compensation for labor : EMOLUMENT. Another new word for me.
2. Soothing balm : ALOE
3. Shopping mecca : GALLERIA
5. Turtle's basking spot : LOG. Vivid image.
6. Punish, in a way : SPANK
7. Hardly a tough course : EASY A
8. Sweet Sixteen org. : NCAA
9. Pin in the back : TEN. Bowling pin.
10. Prune : SAW OFF
11. "Mad Men" creator Matthew : WEINER. No idea. Any "Mad Men" fans?
12. Episodic story line : ARC
13. Mineralogist with a scale : MOHS. Hardness scale. And 89D. You probably need a scale to tell if it's working : DIET.
14. Apparitions : SPIRITS
15. Concerto in Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" : WINTER. Needed crossing help.
17. Word said while pointing : YOU
18. Not irr. : STD (Standard)
24. First hair remover to be marketed in cream form : NEET. ENYA prevented me from penning in NAIR.
25. Roman goddess of the hunt : DIANA. Artemis in Greek.
31. Rear-__ : ENDER
33. Tediously detailed process : RIGMAROLE. Mainic likes to use this word.
34. Three-time All-Star pitcher Johnny who threw the first major league pitch to Jackie Robinson : SAIN. Interesting trivia. I knew his name only from the poem "First we'll use Spahn/then we'll use Sain/Then an off day/followed by rain...".
35. Dinnerware : SILVER
37. Deliriously happy : EUPHORIC
38. Recipe instruction : STIR
39. CIA rival, once : KGB. Putin was a KGB.
40. Lose money on "Jeopardy!" : ERR
41. Nabokov novel : PNIN. Also learned from doing Xword.
42. Looked at : EYED
44. "Suppose ..." : IF SAY
45. "The Wizard __" : OF ID. Comic strip "The Wizard of ID". I've learned not to recklessly put in OF OZ.
49. Barely winning : UP ONE.
50. Like some eclipses : LUNAR
51. 24/7 auction site : EBAY
52. Crackers : LOCO. Another great clue.
55. Backslid : REGRESSED
56. Blue Devils' gp. : ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference). Blue Devils is Duke's sports team.
57. Liqueurs : CORDIALS. Oh, new meaning of cordial to me.
60. Piques : SNITS
61. Take care of : SEE TO
64. D.C. insiders : POLS
65. River to the Caspian : URAL
66. Defeats : BESTS
68. Hacks : COUGHS. Hack has so many meanings.
69. On sale, say : LESS
72. Judicial seat : BANC. Literally "bench" in French.
73. Author Auel : JEAN
74. Run riot : RAISE CAIN. Not many multi-word today.
75. Verne's traveler : FOGG. Phileas Fogg. "Around the World in Eighty Days". I can never remember his name.
76. Heart : MIDST
77. Appealed : PLED
78. Having a pressing need? : UNIRONED. Nice clue.
79. Contemptible one : CUR
80. Peking add-on : ESE. Pekingese.
82. Do an editor's task, perhaps : RE-TITLE. Rich does re-title some of the Sunday puzzles.
83. Unisex designer cologne : CK ONE. Sparkling fill.
86. It may be under a fly : ZIPPER
88. Link : COUPLE. Both verbs.
92. Move furtively : SLINK
93. Singer of many Weill songs : LENYA
95. "Paradise Lost," e.g. : EPIC. Did you want POEM?
97. Racketeer busters : G-MEN
99. Slobbering comics dog : ODIE
100. Forest cat : LYNX. Hey, dog and cat, consecutively.
101. Little shaver : LAD
102. 67.5 deg. : ENE. This kind of clue often confuses me.
104. Campus URL ending : EDU
105. Old vitamin bottle abbr. : RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowances). Now it's RDI (Recommended Daily Intake).
106. Caesar's 151 : CLI
Answer grid.
C.C.
