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

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Apr 28, 2018

Saturday, April 28, 2018, Andrew J. Ries

THEMELESS SATURDAY PUZZLE BY ANDREW J. RIES ON NATIONAL SUPERHERO DAY



Speaking of Superheroes, here are some of ours in a picture C.C. posted last June 7th. They include today's constructor and our own C.C. who is clearly the rose amid all the thorns! 😀

Left to right: George Barany, Jeffrey Wechsler,Victor Barocas, David Hanson, C.C., Andrew J. Ries, Chris Adams, Tom Pepper & David Liben-Nowell
Look, up in the paper, it's a grid, it's a game, it's Andrew the CROSSWORD GUY! Let's see what Kryptonite-free clues he has for us today.

I am going to start with the two clues that required all my powers to solve, twice. Not only did I finally get the fill but after a few minutes I FINALLY GOT WHAT THEY MEANT!

31. Athlete's best: A GAME - Turns out it's two words! Duh! That slap to my forehead might leave a mark!




61. Cuts in Hollywood?: TENTHS - You can bet that this Hollywood agency gets at least 10% (a TENTH) of their star's earnings




Now that I see the BAT SIGNAL (Okay it's just the glow of my laptop) let's journey on


Across:


1. Has a suggestion (of): SMACKS - Hiring of school personnel this time of year can SMACK of nepotism


7. Play period: RECESS- Much learning goes on at RECESS


13. Stop order: HOLD IT.




14. Echo follower?: FOXTROT - The blog today is by Hotel, Uniform, Sierra, Kite, Echo, Romeo 


15. Jar: RATTLE - JOSTLE rattled around there for a while


16. Construction equipment with a projecting arm: JIB CRANE- Here's a gaggle of them




17. Game with Skip cards: UNO.


18. Difficult to describe: NEBULOUS - Sometimes an explanation is intentionally NEBULOUS 


20. Reaction upon opening a jewelry gift, perhaps: GASP.




22. Goes back to zero: RESETS


23. Connection letters: DSL - Very rare computer connection to the web these days


26. Waits at a music festival?: TOM - I'll take tricky clues for $600 Alex




28. ORD tower gp.: ATC - Air Traffic Controllers at O'Hare (ORD) International. "It looks like I picked a lousy week to give up sniffing glue!"




29. Best of the best: ELITE


31. Site to get tight for a flight?: AIRPORT BAR - If you see your pilot in there...


35. Nervous system transmitter: AXON




36. Post-scoring routine: GOAL CELEBRATION.




38. "__ boy!": ATTA - I'd prefer the cash


39. Easy way to win: DECISIVELY - The National Champion Huskers did indeed rout favored Florida DECISIVELY in 1996




40. Dr. Isles on "Rizzoli & Isles": MAURA - Not a clue, no wait, not a chance

42. "Holy cow!": MAN! - This was the catch phrase of this man with the 43. It may be open at a club: MIC. If  you're a sports fan you absolutely know who this is. If you aren't you probably don't know/care




44. Two hairpin turns, say: ESS.

45. Haus wives: FRAUEN Hausfrauen sind das Rückgrat des Landes. (Housewives are the backbone of the country)


48. "If I may interject ... ": AHEM.


51. Tony winner for his LBJ role in "All the Way": CRANSTON - He explains his approach to the role




53. Pack filler: ICE and 54. Buffalo sighting: LAKE ERIE They seem to go together 




57. "You've Got Mail" genre: ROM COM - ROMantic COMedies aren't my favorite movies but have you looked at what's currently available at the local cinema?


59. Main: OPEN SEA - "Sailing, sailing over the bounding MAIN"


60. Cause to laugh: TICKLE - TICKLING can approach abuse



62. Rubs out: ERASES - I had to get one of these from the Home Ec. teacher last week to ERASE the coffee I decided to wear on my shirt 



Down:

1. [Meh]: SHRUG - The brackets indicate an action


2. 2016 Disney musical set in Polynesia: MOANA - A boatload of vowels!


3. Cloud at heights of about one to five miles: ALTO STRATUS - Pretty easy to suss out


4. K.C. summer setting: CDT - Here in Huskerland as well


5. Ceramics oven: KILN


6. Herd member: STEER - S _ E E _ was not SHEEP as it turns out. Oh yeah, that's a flock, Gary! 😜


7. Subject of an Asimov collection: ROBOT




8. Permit to leave: EXCUSE - I've said before that giving an 18-yr-old, 6'5", 250 lb. student permission to go the bathroom seems odd to me as a sub


9. Large med. facilities: CTRS - The Univ. Of Neb. Med. CTR.




10. Diamond fig.: ERA - Earned Run Average


11. One in a family photo: SON


12. Notre-Dame honoree: Abbr.: STE - Today, April 28, is a feast day for STE. Valerie




14. Record holder: FILE CABINET - My SIL and one of his FILE CABINETS that hold his over half-million sports cards




16. "No reason": JUST BECAUSE - A great reason to bring flowers


19. Worship of John, Paul, etc.?: BEATLE MANIA - Yeah, yeah, yeah...




21. Aspen relative: POPLAR


23. "Wide Open Spaces" country trio: DIXIE CHICKS - They apologized for a foray they took into political commentary in 2003


24. Informant, informally: STOOL - A less elegant clue lept to mind


25. Bruce posthumously pardoned by New York state in 2003: LENNY - Some of what was called obscenity in the 60's seems quaint today but...




27. Comfy footwear: MOCasin 


30. Belarus neighbor: LATVIA - Their common border is only about 107 miles




32. Teensy amounts: IOTAS

33. __-faced: RED


34. Monopoly foursome: Abbr.: RRS - So that's how they got SHORT Lines




37. Biathlon asset: AIM.


41. Over: AFRESH - Wouldn't it be great if North and South Korea could start AFRESH?


46. Collector's prized pursuits: RARES - Seems like an awkward use here. YR?


47. Up from Mexico?: NORTE - If  you go NORTE from Mexico, you wind up in Estados Unidos


49. Paris' __ des Beaux-Arts: ECOLE - Paris' SCHOOL of fine arts

50. Fast-spreading online phenomena: MEMES - Cats seem to be a big part of this internet phenomenon 




51. Till coin: CENT - This messy till makes OCD me squirm just posting it




52. Raymond Chandler specialty: NOIR - His novel, The Big Sleep, is a prime example of the genre 


54. Slew: LOT.

55. Clumsy sort: APE - I like this use as a noun better than as a verb


56. Physician-turned-actor Jeong: KEN - His list of credits is very impressive!   


58. Longtime Elton John label: MCA.



Before you venture into commenting and telling us your favorite super hero, please enjoy a sample of 1950's "high tech" special effects featuring my favorite Super Hero - George Reeves as "The Man Of Steel"



DA GRID