google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner

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Apr 15, 2015

Wednesday, April 15th, 2015 Ed Sessa

Theme: Split the Distance - as the reveal explains at 60A, the three theme entries are book-ended by 1,760 yards.

17A. Key collection of records : MASTER FILE.

27A. Canadian crooner with four Grammys : MICHAEL BUBLE. I could link a song here, but I'll spare you the schmaltz.

45A. Telltale white line : MILK MUSTACHE. I could link a "Got Milk" topless David Beckham here, but I'll spare you the torso.

60A. Not even close to an agreement ... or, literally, what 17-, 27- and 45-Across have in common : MILES APART

Happy Tax Day, if there is such a thing. Hopefully everyone has come to an agreement with our friends at the IRS over how much figurative blood should have been sucked from our 2014 income. It's a sobering thought that Tax Freedom Day for the average American - the day you stop working for the IRS and start working for the state and finally yourself - doesn't arrive until April 21st. Now I've cheered you all up, let's dig into what Ed created for us today.

Its a straightforward theme, with the MILE separated on a 1-3, 2-2, 3-1 pattern. Is MASTER FILE still a thing? It's been quite some time since I've heard anyone refer to such a thing.

Across:

1. Request an ID from : CARD

5. Classic milk flavoring : BOSCO. Dick Van Dyke was a pitchman. His cockney accent in "Mary Poppins" was a thing of beauty. Not.


10. Degs. for choreographers : M.F.A.S. Masters degrees in Fine Arts.

14. Yours, to Yves : A TOI. What if you're an Yves who isn't French?

15. One making a leaf pile : RAKER

16. Wild speech : RANT

19. Command to Fido : STAY

20. Trophy : PRIZE

21. Slyly suggest : INSINUATE

23. Religious offense : SIN

24. Common "terrible twos" responses : NOS. Usually accompanied by a foot stamp, followed by a clip around the ear by a parent (back in the good old days), then squawking.

26. Quiet time : LULL

32. Came out with : ISSUED

35. Protein-rich beans : SOYS

36. Sushi fish : EEL. Food! Smoked eel is delicious in sushi rolls.

37. Scratching post users : CATS

38. Peeper : EYE. Jeepers, Creepers!

39. "Divergent" heroine __ Prior : TRIS. Thank you, crosses. This young lady has never before visited my wheelhouse.


40. Uplifting wear : BRA. OK, have at it, all you linkers.

41. Oil magnate Halliburton : ERLE. He also designed aluminum suitcases and was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame (What?) in 1957.

43. Feared African fly : TSETSE. Nasty little buggers, these. They cause sleeping sickness in humans and animals.

48. Home to Sean O'Casey : ERIN. "E" and wait for the crosses to decide between ERIN and EIRE.

49. Take to court : SUE

50. Buzzy body : BEE

53. Aspiring rock star's submissions : DEMO TAPES. Do these even exist any more? I'd have thought A&R men would today expect an emailed link to a YouTube clip, not a cassette tape in a padded envelope.


57. Mineral used in water softening : BORAX. We had a discussion about mule teams, muleteers and borax recently.

59. Dr. Seuss' "If __ the Circus" : I RAN

62. Like some beers : LITE. I'm not sure if these actually qualify for the term "beer". All the ones I've tried are a little bland for my taste.

63. Visually teasing genre : OP-ART

64. Continuously : EVER

65. Creepy look : LEER

66. Smallville family : KENTS. Jonathan and Martha were farmers in Smallville who adopted an alien from the planet Krypton named Kal-El. He grew up to be a pretty good journalist at the Daily Planet.

67. Zilch : NADA

Down:

1. Tent sites : CAMPS

2. Centipede video game creator : ATARI

3. Pitcher's gripping aid : ROSIN. Versatile stuff, it's also used on violin bows.

4. Ding-a-ling : DITZ

5. "Close the window!" : BRR

6. Like a boor : OAFISH

7. Crispy fried chicken part : SKIN Food! Sinful, but oh so good! I'm in Atlanta for a couple of days, I should go hunt down some righteous soul food.


8. Cartoon collectibles : CELS

9. "No Spin Zone" newsman : O'REILLY

10. Enterprise helmsman, to Kirk : MR SULU

11. "Hey hey hey!" toon : FAT ALBERT. Also a new visitor to my wheelhouse. He caused me a couple of problems in the nor'east today.

12. Gross subj.? : ANAT. If you want to be educated and entertained by all things human anatomical and dead, read "Stiff" by Mary Roach. She followed up with "Gulp", an entertaining journey through our alimentary canal. I love her writing.

13. 38-Across sore : STYE

18. Counting word in a rhyme : EENIE. I caused something of a stir before when I mentioned that this could also be spelled "EENY". I was surprised by the reaction, so I won't say that again. Oh dear, I think I just did.

22. Well-worn pencils : NUBS

25. Med. condition with repetitive behavior : O.C.D. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Excuse me while I go and make sure all the labels on my spice jars are facing the same way. There's only 60 or so jars to check.

27. Conservatory subj. : MUS. Oh - not the "greenhouse" definition. Although you could play music in the greenhouse, apparently tomatoes enjoy Mozart. I'm not kidding.

28. So far : AS YET

29. Fair-hiring initials : EOE. Equal Opportunity Employer

30. Flowery rings : LEIS

31. Ultimatum ender : ELSE. Back to the bratty two-year-old? Stop that squawking or else!

32. Long-range nuke : I-C.B.M. Inter-continental ballistic missile.

33. Rani's wrap : SARI. Vibrant, colorful garb for this Indian "Queen"




34. Deadlock : STALEMATE

38. Aboveground trains : ELS

39. Golf gadget : TEE. I think "gadget" is a bit of an elaborate description for a stick that you put your ball on.

41. Exude : EMIT

42. Go wild : RUN AMOK

43. Ft. Worth campus : T.C.U. Texas Christian University, home of the Horned Frogs.


44. Queen of __: noted visitor of King Solomon : SHEBA

46. Copenhagen coins : KRONER. I had "KRONAS" first, then saw sense.

47. State as fact : ASSERT

50. Cry to a prima donna : BRAVA. Bravo! to the tenor, Brava! to the soprano.

51. Dog-__: folded at the corner : EARED

52. Spare : EXTRA

53. Pickle herb : DILL

54. Albany-to-Buffalo canal : ERIE. When it was first built, "Clinton's Ditch" was dug only four feet deep to save on construction cost, to the befuddlement of potential suicides who tried to drown themselves in it by leaping from various bridges. It's 12 feet deep now.

55. Water carrier : PIPE

56. Spirited style : ELAN

58. Major tennis event : OPEN. Three Opens (Australian, French and US) make up three-quarters of the tennis Grand Slam. The fourth event, "The Championships, Wimbledon" is the only one played now played on grass. Those Brits have to be different, eh?

61. MD and ME, e.g. : STS. Which T in STATES is the abbreviation? I think we should be told.

That's enough from me - here's the answer grid.

Steve


Note from C.C.:

I got below note from Irish Miss. Can any of you help her? I recall JD had the same problem with her iPad before.

"Every time I go to the blog to post, I have to sign in to Google.  I have never signed out but this happened once before, although it eventually cleared itself up, until recently.  When I go to the blog home page, in the upper right hand corner, it shows only Sign In, there is no Dashboard.  When I post my comments and sign in, then go back to the home page, my email address shows and Dashboard, too.  If I go back to the blog later, no email address or Dashboard appears, just Sign In.  I'm at a loss how to get signed in and stay signed in.  Any ideas?  Thanks."