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

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Oct 24, 2018

Wednesday, October 24 2018, Tim Schenck

Theme: IN GOOD SPIRITS

17A. Roadblocks: BARRICADES. SIDECAR. Cognac, orange liqueur, and lemon juice.

65A. Gambles in a church basement, maybe: PLAYS BINGO. GIBSON. Gin, dry vermouth, garnished with a pickled onion.

10D. Wawa and 7-Eleven: MINI MARTS. MARTINI. Never heard of Wawa - it is only in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Florida. A MARTINI is made with gin or vodka and vermouth, garnished with an olive or a lemon twist.

36D. Captivating: ARRESTING. STINGER. Crème de menthe added to brandy.

25. With 38-Down, bar offering found in each set of circles: MIXED.

38. See 25-Down: DRINK.

Melissa here. Grokking this theme would be next to impossible without the circles, since the drink anagrams did not include all the letters in each theme answer. Sneaky and so clever.

Across:

1. Vote to accept: ADOPT.

6. Sincerely asks for: BEGS.

10. Vicki Lawrence sitcom role: MAMA.


14. Harley owner: BIKER.

15. "This is __ a test": ONLY.

16. Flower painted by van Gogh: IRIS. Beautiful.


19. Friendly: NICE.

20. Win the affections of: ENAMOR.

21. "__ lost!": GET.

22. Mental flash: IDEA.

23. Be rude to: SASS.

24. Doc's org.: AMA.

26. Good name for many a tree-lined street: ELM.

28. Energy: VIM.

29. Barely sufficient: MEAGER.

33. "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" co-creator Fey: TINA. Love Tina Fey, but have never seen this.

37. Crossed (out): EXED.

39. Prepare, as Romano: GRATE.

40. Womb-related: UTERINE.

42. Crowd control weapon: RIOT GUN.

44. Part of TNT: NITRO.

45. Trace amount: DRIB. Thought to be a shortening of driblet.

47. Not tacit: SAID.

48. Ledger column: ASSETS.

50. Charlotte-to-Raleigh dir.: ENE.

51. Did nothing: SAT. Lots of people who sit in front of their computers would BEG to differ.

52. Calypso-influenced genre: SKA.

53. __ of March: IDES.

57. Minor argument: SPAT.

60. Baseball bat wood: ASH.

62. In the center: MEDIAL.

64. Airport idler: TAXI. Less and less, due to Uber and other ride-hailing apps, which are also impacting airport parking revenue.

67. Golfer's selection: IRON.

68. Easy gait: LOPE.

69. Winemaker with 1900 acres of vineyards in California: BOGLE. If you like beefy reds, their Old Vine Zinfandel is delicious.

70. __ a bell: sounded familiar: RANG.

71. Short-horned bighorns: EWES. Ewe can't pull the wool over their eyes.

72. Lid inflammations: STYES.

Down:

1. Clerics in un monastère: ABBES. French - monastery / abbot.

2. "Outlander" novelist Gabaldon: DIANA. First in an eight-part series. Adapted to a television series on Starz.


3. Gumbo pods: OKRAS.

4. Salon jobs: PERMS. Is that still a thing?

5. Crosby, Stills & Nash, e.g.: TRIO.

6. Fancy neckwear: BOA.


7. Final stage of a chess match: END GAME.

8. TV series with choreographed numbers: GLEE.

9. Word with metric or merit: SYSTEM.

11. Bone-dry: ARID.

12. Attic pests: MICE.

13. Topside, perhaps: ASEA. New to me, topside means "above the waterline."

18. Cowardly: CRAVEN.

27. Big name in small construction: LEGO. Cute. Parents know exactly what it feels to step on them barefoot. There's a funny haiku about this - google if you're not offended by curse words.

30. "Poker Face" Lady: GAGA.

31. Needle case: ETUI.

32. Tear to bits: REND.

33. Sushi option: TUNA. Any sushi lovers here? A Japanese Guide to Sushi Tuna. Between overfishing and mercury - it's hard to know what to eat anymore.

34. "For real?": IT IS.

35. Brooklyn NBA team: NETS.

41. Greek letter: IOTA.

43. Support group?: I-BEAMS. Nice clue.

46. Mold into a new form: RESHAPE.

49. Paper clip alternative: STAPLE.

53. Senseless sort: IDIOT.

54. Shabby: DINGY.

55. Sharp-eyed hunter: EAGLE.

56. Astringent plumlike fruits: SLOES. In keeping with today's theme, what is sloe gin?

57. Prepare, as a 25-/38-Down: STIR.

58. Prefix with graph: PARA. Paragraph.

59. Neural transmitter: AXON.

61. Hoping for more customers: SLOW.

63. Drops off: EBBS.

66. "Amen!": YES.