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

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Jan 26, 2019

Saturday, January 26, 2019, Andy Kravis and Erik Agard

Themeless Saturday Puzzle by Andy Kravis and Erik Agard


Today's holiday takes me back to a candy treat we always had during Christmas at Grandma's house. She had a bowl of assorted nuts (plus a houseful of the same) and a plate of peanut brittle. 

It was much darker and thicker than this shown here but I remember it very fondly. Now that my teeth are much older and not likely to be replaced as they were when I was 10, I don't indulge any more but I fondly remember the taste!

Today's constructors have made a mark on TV gaming as well. Andy became a millionaire on Million Second Quiz with Ryan Seacrest. As you can see below, Erik was threatened with a pie by Alex Trebek because Alex, a dedicated crossword solver, was frustrated by this puzzle Erik created with Tracy Bennett and I blogged here. Did you do better than Mr. Trebek on that August 18th exercise? In our gmail exchange, Erik told me that he and Tracy started with the middle stack on that puzzle and worked out from there. Erik also told me he won on Jeopardy that day!


Andy Kravis                             Erik Agard 

Across:

1. Selection process including the Sky and the Sun: WNBA DRAFT  - I didn't look up who the Connecticut Sun drafted in the Women's National Basketball Association 2018 draft but here's who the Chicago Sky took



10. Anna of "The Emoji Movie": FARIS She was the voice of Jailbreak

15. Lip-syncing accompaniment?: AIR GUITAR - Is Hugo Chavez also Lip-synching at the U.N.?



16. "Me too": AS AM I.

17. Bingo center square: FREE SPACE.

18. Hasbro game that requires twisting and pulling: BOP IT - If you're interested

19. Spacewalk initials: EVA - NASA's first Extra Vehicular Activity was a space walk in 1965 by Ed White. NASA's most famous EVA occurred on July 20, 1969



20. Ready for fumigation: TENTED Tenting by Termite Terry

22. Metaphorical low area, with "the": PITS - Also very active place during the Indy 500 😏

23. Gathering tools: RAKES.



25. Film dialect that uses subject-object inversion: YODA SPEAK.



27. 1990s gaming release, initially: SNES - Super Nintendo Entertainment System


28. "LOTR" initials: JRR - Here 'ya go:



29. Visitor center: SHORT I - The center of the word Visitor is a SHORT I

30. Course with fruit, perhaps: ART CLASS - Heads we do fruit, tails we do nudes

33. Sure-footed critters: ASSES - 'Nuff said

34. Licorice, e.g.: ROOT - Here's a bunch of licorice herb roots



35. Increase: HIKE - A tax HIKE in gov't speak is a "revenue enhancement"

37. Commented on EweTube?: BAAED.



40. Ironically, designation for the fourth film release in a classic sequence: EPISODE I - George Lucas made the first Star Wars movie in 1977. He later labelled it IV so he could make assorted prequels and sequels.



44. Remove the zest from: UNPEEL - "Hey, don't throw that lemon peel away, I need zest for my martini!"

46. Record no.: RPM - David Seville recorded the Chipmunks at half the RPM's and then played them back at normal RPM's

47. Tablets brand ... or, cutely, what they treat: TUMS - Tums for your tummy

49. Saves for the future: SALTS AWAY

51. Hardly taciturn: VOCAL - "Where's my dinner?"



52. Whack: STAB - Every Saturday I take a whack/STAB at blogging 

53. Andalusian city on the Costa del Sol: MALAGA- MALAGA is a city in the province of MALAGA on Spain's Costa del Sol. 



55. One in a conflict, maybe: EGO - Conflicts involving EGO's can result in a 56. Utter: TOTAL disaster

58. 2017 hit comedy about a women's weekend getaway: GIRL'S TRIP -  Rated R (for crude and sexual content throughout, pervasive language, brief graphic nudity and drug material). Rotten Tomatoes assessment

60. QB's protection, in football lingo: O-LINE - Offensive LINE



61. Type of gland: ENDOCRINE All you want to know

62. Hangs: PENDS - Any decision in this house PENDS until there is a mutual decision 

63. Where I-35 and I-80 intersect: DES MOINES - The last time I was here, I turned left and met Boomer and C.C.




Down:

1. Symbols of thinness: WAFERS - WAFER THIN = Twiggy to me

2. End point of the Noble Eightfold Path: NIRVANA Here 'ya go

3. CBer's opening word: BREAKER - BREAKER 19 is a request to use channel 19 on a CB radio. The CB craze during the 55mph oil embargo days had many people talking like they were all "good ole boys". Play as much of this song that starts with BREAKER 19 and you will hear as much of the lingo anyone should want



4. Golden __: AGE - Many modern TV sitcoms seem to be rehashing I Love Lucy plots that were from what some say was TV's Golden AGE

5. Decisively outraces: DUSTS - Usain Bolt has DUSTED about everyone

6. Begging to be picked: RIPE 7. Nonetheless: AT ANY RATE - this is one person's opinion

8. Two and one, for two: FACTORS - Yes, 2 and 1 are the FACTORS of 2 because 2 x 1 = 2

9. Trapped, in a way: TREED.

10. Old-style dope?: FAB - Dope is current slang for "cool" 11. In contrast with: AS OPPOSED TO FAB which is so yesterday!

12. Narrow-bladed swords: RAPIERS A guide to foils, epees swords and RAPIERS

13. Do in a bit: IMITATE - Will Jordan had a famous "comedy bit" where he "did" Ed Sullivan



14. Winter Paralympians' equipment: SIT SKIS that can negotiate the 48. Inclines: SLOPES.



21. Legal pros: DAS - District AttorneyS

24. Jersey Shore rockers since the '70s: E STREET BAND - Bruce Springsteen's backup band

26. Visored military cap: SHAKO - A French-made Shako for those who 50. Engaged in: WAGED war in the American Civil War



28. Companion of A-Rod: J-LO - A portmanteau of Jennifer Lopez

31. Works on programs: CODES - I don't think I could sit all day and produce CODES



32. Where some subs are fixed: SHIP YARDS - Hitler fixed his subs in his nearly impregnable submarine pens. I tried to get my subs fixed in a Deli here at first



36. Belief: ISM.

37. No-parking area: BUS STOP.

38. Literary France: ANATOLE - ANATOLE - A Nobel-winning Frenchman of letters

39. Lang. test for top students: AP LATIN - Advanced Placement LATIN. Good Luck with this sample question: 



41. Cajun confection: PRALINE - Billboards used to tell you to get one here



42. Skincare brand from the Greek for "beautiful wax": EUCERIN.



43. Envision: IMAGINE 

45. Fast flight: LAM - In this TV series of my ute, David Janssen as Dr. Richard Kimble was on the LAM every week



51. Explorer da Gama: VASCO - VASCO's voyage can be compared to America's moonshot. The spice trade he started made Portugal a very wealthy nation. Who knew 54. Latch (onto): GLOMming onto black pepper, etc. could be so profitable?



57. Arles article: LES LES blogueurs ici sont très intelligents! (The bloggers here are very smart)

59. Piece of TNT?: TRI - TRI Nitro Toluene - BOOM!

A very nice and hardly brittle puzzle by our TV stars today. Comment away: