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

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Mar 19, 2017

Sunday, March 19, 2017 Cheri Kedrowski and Victor Barocas

Theme: "Big Appetite" - The last words (all animals) are replaced by the bigger animals in the successive theme entries.

22A. Practice good web courtesy? : NOT HURT A SPIDER. Not hurt a fly (back to the reveal theme entry). Like the Jains. Fun clue. Made me think of Internet.

30A. Description of the start of some Road Runner cartoons? : ALONG CAME A BIRD. Along Came a Spider.


53A. Nibbles on Friskies? : EATS LIKE A CAT. Eats like a bird.

61A. Warning for a snoopy Snoopy? : CURIOSITY KILLED THE DOG. Grid spanner. Curiosity killed the cat.

73A. Treatment for a milk hangover? : HAIR OF THE COW. Hair of the dog.

95A. Line that might not calm down Richard III? : DON'T HAVE A HORSE. Don't have a cow. "My kingdom for a horse".

107A. Song that inspired this puzzle : I KNOW AN OLD LADY. I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly,

C.C. here. Alas, I have no memory of this song, despite a Jeffrey puzzle a few years ago.

Asked Boomer. He started to sing "... I don't know why she swallowed a fly. Perhaps she'll die...". Then I checked the Wiki page and understood the rationale of Cheri and Victor's approach. Quite neat. Orderly increase of animal size. 

Google shows that Cheri Kedrowski is a manager with 3M. This seems to be her debut. Congrats, Cheri!

You all know Victor Barocas, the very  talented and self-effacing crossword constructor and editor of our local Minnesota Crossword Tournament.

 Victor Barocas, David Liben-Nowell & Michael David

The 7 theme entries are all fairly long. Total 101 theme squares.  Heavy themage. Cheri and Victor still managed to put two great 11's and five 9's in the Down slots.

Across:
       
1. Plymouth Reliant, e.g. : K-CAR

5. Spanish cathedral city : LEON. Here is the cathedral.

9. Yawner : DRAG

13. Flakes in geology class : MICA

17. Language that gave us "bard" : ERSE

18. Magazine founder Eric : UTNE. Our local Barnes & Noble carries Uten Reader. But no LA Times.

19. Graceful leap : JETE. Clue echo with 36. Graceful leap : AXEL

20. Wasn't plumb : LEANED. I read it as "Wasn't plump".

25. With merchandise, say, as payments : IN KIND

26. Snack cake that can be deep-fried : TWINKIE. I meant to ask. Have any of you had these Oreo pies before? 
27. Author Morrison : TONI. Also 89. Mystery author Grafton : SUE

28. Bening of "The Kids Are All Right" : ANNETTE

29. Proof-ending abbr. : QED

33. Foot bone : TALUS

37. Clarifying words : AS IN. V as in Victor.

38. Non-discriminatory hiring abbr. : EOE

39. Et __ : ALII. Put in ALI? then wait.

40. Cruised through : ACED

41. Cool play area, maybe : RINK. Nice clue.

43. "Erie Canal" mule : SAL

45. Frequent mother-and-child painter : CASSATT (Mary)

47. Last verb in the Gettysburg Address : PERISH. "... shall not perish from the earth". Victor always digs deep for different clue angles.

49. Bar game : LIMBO

56. Supreme Roman : EMPEROR

58. Pamplona's kingdom : NAVARRE. Forgot. We had this a while ago.


59. '70s extremist gp. : SLA. Symbionese Liberation Army.

60. Boast opener : VENI. "veni, vidi, vici"

68. Scads : A TON

69. Chilean pronoun : ESO

70. Cellphone setting : VIBRATE

71. Rock band member : BASSIST

78. 1921 Valentino role : SHEIK


79. Breastbones : STERNA. I learned this word from an Alan Cumming/Fresh Air interview.

81. Not let go of : BELABOR

83. __ Moines : DES

85. Jackie's designer : OLEG (Cassini)

86. Tobacco plug : CHAW

88. Record, in a way : TIVO

91. Distinctive flavor : TANG. Also the last major Chinese dynasty with capital in my hometown Xi'an. Zhou, Qin, Han & Tang. That's how I got my Mandarin name.

93. Like details you'd rather be spared : GORY

94. In the stars : FATED

99. Tool for Cinderella : MOP

100. Remove from the box : UNCRATE

101. The __: Horace works : ODES

102. Small detail : MINUTIA

106. 1958 hit that won the first Song of the Year Grammy : VOLARE. Learning moment for me. Wiki says it's Italian for "To fly".

110. Puts up : ERECTS

111. Level : TIER

112. Humor that evokes winces : CORN

113. Myrtle or hazel : TREE

114. Thing to do : TASK

115. Postulates : SAYS

116. Joint for jumping : KNEE. Another nice clue.

117. Large septet : SEAS

Down:

1. Surrey neighbor : KENT

2. Fox's fabled flattery victim : CROW

3. Italian sparkler : ASTI

4. Burger successor : REHNQUIST. The Chief Justice when I first came here.

5. Shocking : LURID

6. Kitchen extension? : ETTE. Kitchenette. Also  55. Trick ending? : ERY. Trickery.

7. Bump-log link : ON A

8. Snugly situated : NESTLED

9. Muslim spirit : DJINN. Also JINNI.

10. Make anew, as a trench : RE-DIG

11. Downed : ATE

12. Lang. of Luther : GER

13. Pretend : MAKE BELIEVE.Also 64. Advantage : INSIDE TRACK. Sparkly 11s.

14. Ab __: from the start : INITIO 

15. Middle of England? : CENTRE. Normally a clue for ELL.

16. Threw in : ADDED

20. Housekeeping concern : LINENS

21. Sicilian province or its capital : ENNA

23. Maui music makers : UKEs

24. Combine : POOL

28. Port-au-Prince pal : AMI

30. Pink-slip : AXE

31. "That's enough!" : CAN IT

32. Poses : ASKS

33. Middle X, in a game : TAC

34. Roman wings : ALAE. Learned from doing crosswords.

35. Hall of Fame WNBA star __ Leslie : LISA Incredible career.

36. Ones seeking change : ACTIVISTS

40. Books with legends : ATLASES

41. Warehouse job : RECEIVING

42. Savings plan letters : IRA

44. European peak : ALP

46. "This comes __ surprise" : AS NO

47. Leave in the garage : PARK

48. Kept down : HELD AT BAY. Great fill as well.

50. Sitcom with the episode "Stable for Three" : MR. ED. Mister Ed is the preferred spelling. Rich also prefers Doctor Who rather than DR WHO.

51. Lead singer on "The Joshua Tree" : BONO

52. Not a copy: Abbr. : ORIG

54. Green Hornet's driver : KATO
 
57. First book of the New Testament : MATTHEW

59. Feudal peasant : SERF

61. Pickup artists? : CABS. Not CONS. The driver can be the "Pickup artist". Not the car itself. 

62. Bountiful locale : UTAH. Bountiful, Utah.


63. Left the ground : ROSE

65. Turkish coin : LIRA

66. Corp. raider's ploy : LBO. Leveraged Buyout.

67. Cad : HEEL

72. Devastating 2008 hurricane : IKE

73. Comic strip mother of Hamlet and Honi : HELGA. Hagar the Horrible.

74. "You __": Lionel Richie hit : ARE

75. Launches : CATAPULTS. Love this word.

76. Departure notice? : OBIT

77. Emulated Arachne : WOVE

80. Word with musical or muscle : TONE

82. Reel partner : ROD

84. With 92-Down, Monopoly prop. bordering the Electric Company : STATES. And 92. See 84-Down : AVE
 
86. Russian Civil War fighter : COSSACK

87. Maximilian I's realm: Abbr. : HRE

89. Chihuahua neighbor : SONORA

90. Ben and Sam : UNCLES
 
93. Gathered steam : GREW

94. Affectionate : FOND

95. Bed cover : DUVET. Not SHEET.

96. Playwright Moss : HART

97. Baklava sweetener : HONEY. I recall Baklava is favorite at the Spitzboov household. Best wishes for Betty's quick recovery! Relieved to hear the good news for your son too, Wilbur!

Spitzboov, Betty and Argyle

98. Glade targets : ODORS

99. "The Wrong Sort of Bees" author : MILNE

102. Seconds : MORE

103. Shipping deduction : TARE

104. Planning session input : IDEA

105. Positive words : AYEs

107. "__ Not Easy Being Green" : IT'S

108. Soul seller : KIA. Not FAUST. Great clue.

109. Nantes negative : NON



C.C.