Saturday, March 9, 2019, C.C. Burnikel

Themeless Saturday Puzzle by C.C. Burnikel

In 2005 a man named Jeff Goldblatt was having trouble getting over a recent romance that ended badly and so he declared National Get Over It Day. He felt it apt to be between Valentine's Day and April Fool's Day and thus he settled on March 9.

The intent is well summarized below the sign shown here and like many, I am better at dispensing this advice than taking it. We occasionally get a naysayer here at the blog (Oh really, Gary?) and perhaps they could follow this course of action. Even critical submissions can be couched in diplomatic terms free of negativity. 

If you linked to my CARPOOL KARAOKE video two weeks ago where Paul McCartney told said that he came up with the song Let It Be when his mother told him to let his anger go and everything will work itself out. This is very similar.

C.C.'s puzzle today challenged me to the max but, as always, I had a very satisfying experience after IDNO, EDER and ONE-K gave up the ghost via perps (I got over it!!).  Listing blind alleys I traversed early on wouldn't really help all that much.

This week someone linked us to a C.C. puzzle in USA Today and I solved her light and breezy puzzle. However I noticed as the constructor she was listed as Zhouqin Burnikel and not C.C.  I wrote and asked her why that was so and she replied all the other sites require her legal name. She further told me "I use C.C. in real life. Zhouqin is just so tricky and hard to pronounce and write. Most people just add an U after the Q."

Let's see what C.C. (aka Zhouqin) has for us today.


Across:

1. Sign words suggesting a bad shortcut?: ROAD ENDS - There was no sign but the ROAD definitely did END for the two women in their eponymous movie.

9. Mental grasp: UP TAKE - When I started at this, I'm sure C.C. thought I was slow on the UPTAKE 😕

15. See to the door: USHER OUT - When done with great force, it might be called "The Bum Rush"

16. Cruise woe: NAUSEA - Cruises are having many woes these day besides NAUSEA

17. "Let's get started!": THAT'S A GO.

18. Take shelter, with "down": HUNKER - Did anyone else do a HUNKER DOWN exercise in school?

19. "¿Quién __?": SABE.

20. Green card fig.: ID NO - Latika's is 0018-5978

22. Tanning salon equipment: LAMPS.

23. What unGlue helps parents and kids manage: SCREEN TIME - An app that allows parents to 26. Decide one will: OPT TO to let their kids use their phone but budget their time there and not use a 66. Big group: PASSEL of hours 

29. Linda of Broadway: EDER - Her info

30. Film lioness: ELSA - Born Free is the story of orphaned ELSA and her new "Mom" Joy Adamson

33. Course standard: PAR 

34. Deal with, in a way, as ads: ZAP - I've seen enough of that dang Gecko!

36. Nebraska's official soft drink: KOOL-AID - KOOL-AID was invented here in Hastings, NE

38. Lifts up: ELATES - Hmmm... if you put EV after the L... 

40. Slightly touched: PATTED.

41. Small stingers: RED ANTS - Yikes!

43. Adoptee, maybe: PET - We had International Cat Rescue Day last Saturday

44. Second person?: EVE - Made from one of Adam's ribs so the story goes

45. Mideast port: ADEN - Aden, Yemen is not on our vacation list

46. "The Moor already changes with my poison" speaker: IAGO - The Moor’s mind has already become infected with my poisonous suggestions.

48. Texted the wrong person, say: ERRED - "OMG, I sent that to my mom, not my girlfriend" 

50. Sign of confusion: BLANK STARE - is what you might get from Simon Cowell if you are 65. Unable to hit a pitch: TONE DEAF 

53. Part of a case: STAIR - Does your yacht have a spiral (edit) STAIRCASE like this one does?

55. Figure (out): SUSS - We've got some pretty good SUSSERS here

56. Copper: CENT - After 1982 pennies were over 97% zinc

60. Home of Tumnus, in fiction: NARNIA - Here 'ya go!

62. Angry overstatement, usually: I HATE YOU - "Hey, be cool! Today is LET IT GO Day!"

64. Ideally: AT BEST.

67. Visited overnight: STAYED AT - We STAYED AT  lovely hotels on our Pacific Coast Highway Tour from Seattle to San Francisco except the one in Gold Beach, OR. Yikes!


Down:

1. Sticking points?: RUTS - Not Shakespearean RUBS (Ah there's the RUB) it turns out

2. Org. with a QuickTakes online newsletter: OSHA - I'm sure it's a real electronic page turner

3. Model for Hook: AHAB - J.M. Barrie modeled Peter Pan's Captain HOOK after Herman Melville's Captain AHAB in Moby Dick

4. Not fancy at all: DETEST - In the U.K. you could get dumped by someone who doesn't FANCY you and will probably tell you 54. Word on the way out: TATA 

5. Med. show locales: ERS 

6. Outer space feature: NO AIR - Richard Branson's rocket will launch very soon and it can go over 3,000 mph because it will fly in space where there is NO AIR resistance 

7. Found inner strength: DUG DEEP - I think I can, I think I can...

8. High: STONED - The synonym de jour for "under the influence"

9. The Wildcats of the America East Conf.: UNH - There it is in Durham, NH, just below our cwd friend, the Black Bears in Orono, ME

10. Physics Nobelist Wolfgang __: PAULI - At one time I halfway understood his Pauli Exclusion Principle 

11. Hot lunch order: TUNA MELT.

12. "Not now": ASK ME LATER.

13. Preserve: KEEP. 

14. All __: EARS 

21. RAM unit: ONE-K - ONE KB is 1,024 bytes

24. Cheat: COZEN - In your vocabulary?

25. Irony, say: TROPE - This trope occurred in High Noon when Gary Cooper's life is saved by his non-violent Quaker wife who shoots the man that was going to kill him

26. Play with music: OPERA - I'll take Jesus Christ Superstar

27. Showed fear, perhaps: PALED.

28. Spar: TRADE BARBS - Ever watched senate hearings where they take verbal 43. Bit of sparring: POTSHOTS at each other?

31. It won't hold water: SIEVE.

32. Topped with, say: ADDED.

35. Sean of "Rudy": ASTIN - Here he is with his mom Patty Duke. He was adopted by Patty's husband John Astin

37. Film on the range: OATER - These cowboy movies used to be Sunday Morning TV fare for me

39. Tropical vacation souvenirs: TAN LINES.

42. Barneys rival: SAKS - I first thought of Rowland MACY and BARNEY Pressman

47. Gear for some test pilots: G-SUITS - These pilots wear these tight suits to keep blood from piling up in their boots on steep climbs

49. Move away: RECEDE - The less said about my hairline...

51. Spring up: ARISE 

52. Mountain Pose is a standing one: ASANA - A yoga pose

53. Piece of cake: SNAP - or "Easy as pie"

57. Observed: EYED.

58. Weather-tracking org.: NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

59. Thread cluster: TUFT

A TUFT of woolen thread 

61. Icel. surrounder: ATL - Yeah, I suppose the ATLantic Ocean does surround ICELand 

63. "Miss Pym Disposes" author: TEY - Josephine TEY was a pseudonym for Elizabeth MacKintosh

Now take a deep breath and in the spirit of Let It Go Day feel free to make some constructive comments: 

Friday, March 8, 2019, David Alfred Bywaters

Title: G that was a cute puzzle!

DAB is back with our second week in a row with an add a letter to the end of a phrase to create a new and fun phrase theme. He adds a really perfect reveal. You are directed to reparse ENDING into three parts - END IN G. As with all of his work, we get a variety of topics and some easy and some hard fill. He gave me lots of opportunities to link music so I had extra fun. Speaking of which, there were many 3 and 4 letter fill but lots of excitement with DELIGHT, OFF GRID, PERSONA, PRESETS, REMARKS, SARONGS, OBAMA CARE  and PAVAROTTI.

18A. Didn't just knock?: ALSO RANG (8). Logical and for me, revealed the theme immediately.

29A. Barbecue dinner followed by dyspepsia?: RACK AND RUING (12). My favorite, as I see people suffering after bbq.

49A. Part for a robot vampire?: ELECTRIC FANG (12). Very cute image of the vampire. 

62A. Eagerly excited for an extended period of time?: LONG AGOG (8). Is AGOG an A word?

73A. Conclusion ... or, in three parts, what four answers in this puzzle unexpectedly do: ENDING.(6).

Time for the rest

Across:

1. Fencing needs: SWORDS. Did anyone think PANELS?

7. Soup holder: POT. Where you cook it, not serve it.

10. Web creation: SITE.

14. "Amen": SO BE IT. Another interesting array of letters. I am surprised we do not see this more.

15. Complement for a tango: TWO. The SAYING. The song...

16. Sharp: ACID. Like a tongue.

17. Fill with love: ENAMOR.

20. Like a male lion: MANED. A typical Friday stretch, correct but who uses it?

22. Housecleaning aid: SPONGE. This needed perps, there are so many.

23. Arctic trout: CHAR. Interesting not only this fish but a house cleaner in Britain.

25. Completely erase: WIPE. Interesting, not only what you do when you sell your phone, but one of the things you do with a sponge.

28. PC key above Shift: ENTER. Not CAPS LOCK.

32. Audibly amazed: AGASP.

33. Period: ERA.

34. Bad Ems and Marienbad, for two: SPAS. I knew MARIENBAD, (actually, it is Czech) but I never heard of BAD EMS.

38. Animal protection agent: FUR.

39. Public face: PERSONA. This from the Latin word - an individual's social facade.

43. Muhammad's son-in-law: ALI. He married Fatima. This is RELIGION but educational.

44. Ready to drive: TEED. I think you really need "UP" but it is a Friday.

46. Contend: VIE.

47. Trailer follower: MOVIE.

53. Prop for a Tell skit: APPLE. William Tell that is.

56. Label caveat: AS IS.

57. Wandering the range, say: FREE.

58. Thinking things: BRAINS.

60. Game with 25 squares: BINGO. I call Bingo for a 13 week winter season at our condo when the snowbirds are in town. Come on by, we have fun. I play Pat and Oo is Vanna.

65. Containing more lemon: TARTER.

68. O.T. book after Neh.: ESTH.er. Purim is coming.

69. Pedi pinkie: TOE.

70. French teacher: MAÎTRE. If you remember Zazie's French lesson, the circonflexe becomes an "S" giving us MASTER.

71. Remainder: REST.

72. "I think my love as rare / As any __ belied by false compare": Shak.: SHE. Another Friday Will S. This time a Sonnet. 130.


Down:

1. Memphis-to-Mobile dir.: SSE.

2. Outplayed an opponent: WON.

3. 2010 health statute, informally: OBAMACARE.

4. They may be nasty: REMARKS. Yes, they may, especially on Fridays.

5. Belmonts frontman: DION. From my childhood.

6. Thrown around: STREWN. Old English strewian, streowian "to scatter," from Proto-Germanic *strawjan- (source also of Old Frisian strewa, Old Saxon strowian, Old Norse stra, Danish strø, Swedish strö, Middle Dutch strowen, Dutch strooien, Old High German strouwen, German streuen, Gothic straujan "to sprinkle, strew"), from suffixed form of PIE root *stere- "to spread." Related: Strewed; strewn; strewing. I like this word.

7. School org.: PTA.

8. Hogwarts mail carrier: OWL.

9. Discard: TOSS.

10. Simple island garments: SARONGS. This will always be my image of a sarong.

11. "__ even!": I CAN'T. Valley speak.

12. Bit of color: TINGE.

13. Landscaping tool: EDGER.

19. Taking customers: OPEN. For business.

21. Completed: DID.

23. Boat, or the building of one: CRAFT.

24. World Court site, with "The": HAGUE. All that you need to KNOW.

26. Car stereo conveniences: PRESETS.

27. Continental currency: EURO.

30. Dictionary on a phone, say: APP.

31. Scottish John: IAN.

35. "King of the High C's": PAVAROTTI. A publicist long ago gave Luciano Pavarotti the sobriquet King of the High C’s, for his remarkable ability to hit and sing the heck out of one of the highest notes of the tenor voice. NYT

36. Dress style: A-LINE. A bit of the history. LINK.

37. "Iliad" topic: SIEGE. This was perps. The PLOT.

40. Party time: EVE.

41. Costa __: RICA. I have a friend who always says Costa Rico. I go crazy.

42. "Preacher" airer: AMC. No longer its original American Movie Classics name, this channel creates original TV programs like this one based on a DC Comic Book. Seth Rogen is one of the writers. LINK.

45. Gladden: DELIGHT.

48. Independent of public utilities: OFF GRID. Very important to SURVIVALISTS.

50. Singer Horne: LENA. A wonderful talent.

51. Tease: RIB.

52. Self-reflective thought: IS IT ME?

53. Not so ham-handed: ABLER. Ham-handed is such an old phrase; do you all know it?

54. Verse alternative: PROSE. Here we get both, with OKL starting off most days.

55. Slacks: PANTS.

59. PD ranks: SGTS. Police Departments.

61. Bread with tikka masala: NAAN.

63. "That's amazing!": OOH.

64. "That's interesting": GEE. A little tongue in the cheek fill from DAB to amuse himself about the theme.

66. Fish-eating bird: ERN. There are many fish-eating birds.

67. Brief rule?: REG.ulation.

We march inexorably to Spring, and once again DAB entertained us along the way. Hope you enjoyed. Lemonade out (somewhat frazzled).

Thursday, March 7th 2019 Gary Larson

Theme: The Great Divide - four rows of the puzzle contain theme words divided by the black squares, as the reveal tells us what to look for:

61A. #3 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time (as of 2016) ... and a hint to what the black squares are doing in four rows of this puzzle: BREAKING BAD

Firstly ...

17A. Teacher on call: SUB. Our friend Husker Gary knows all about this.

18A. John D. Rockefeller's company: STANDARD OIL

... followed by ...

23A. Record: ENTER

24A. Umbrella part: RIB

26A. Grace word: BLESS

... also ...

38A. Woodland goat-man: FAUN. Be careful doing an image search for this, you might get more than you bargained for.

41A. Arraignment answers: PLEAS

42A. Kitchen pests: ANTS

... and finally

52A. Calf-length skirts: MIDIS

53A. 61-Across kingpin __ Fring: GUS. Cross-referencing the reveal, nicely done.

56A. Subtle shade: TINGE

Well, I liked the theme, one of those which doesn't become apparent until you've filled most of the grid and read the reveal. I did think the reveal was clued in a really clunky way "... (as of 2016)" - surely there's a cleaner and more elegant way to refer to the show rather han a clue which is date-specific.

I watched the first few episodes of the show and got bored with it, I know it garnered all kinds of awards and critical acclaim, but it just didn't grab me.

A couple of clunkers/obscurities in the fill, but mostly OK. Let's take a tour.

Across:

1. Cleared (of): RID

4. Tote bag material: CANVAS

10. Down-to-earth: REAL

14. Chemical suffix: -IDE

15. Even though: ALBEIT. I think this was my word-of-the-day, there's something very satisfying about it.

16. Wrinkly hybrid fruit: UGLI. Also known as a Jamaican tangelo. Ugli is a proprietary name, which really is a play on the word "ugly". It's a grapefruit/tangerine hybrid.

20. Cutlery collection: KNIFE SET

22. Moo __ gai pan: GOO. Food! A stir-fry with chicken and veggies.

30. Bilingual "Sesame Street" Muppet: ROSITA. I didn't know this, but it seemed reasonable that it would be a latino or latina name. I had ROS- in place, and the rest came naturally.

32. Bath sponges: LOOFAHS

34. Most babbling: GASSIEST. Really?

37. Bunk: ROT

43. Racing Unsers: ALS. Al Unser Sr, and, very inventively, Al Unser Jr. Of course, there's a III as well.

44. Preparation period: LEAD TIME

46. German mathematician Bernhard: RIEMANN. Who? I was terrible at math in school, so I never came across this gentleman.

48. Softening: EASING

57. Glass lip: RIM

59. Speed trap equipment: RADAR GUN

65. Check out: EYE

66. "Star Trek" race: BORG

67. Mariner's patron: ST ELMO. He of the fire. He likes to mess with airplanes as well as ship's masts:

68. __ Lingus: AER. The Irish national carrier.

69. Pineapple center: CORE

70. "Mercy me!": OH DEAR!

71. Genetic material: RNA. -NA and wait for the cross.

Down:

1. One who agrees to a dare: RISKER. Yuk. "You risker, you!" said no-one, ever.

2. "Got me": I DUNNO

3. Ledger entries: DEBITS

4. Italian city whose Royal Palace has been used as a set in two "Star Wars" films: CASERTA. I'd never heard of it. 76,000 people live there though, so at least they've heard of it. It also hosted the Eurobasket basketball tourney in 1969, so that's a righteous claim to fame. The palace is big though, it looks like all 76,000 residents could live in it and they could host the tournament in the driveway.

5. Hgts.: ALTS. That's an abbreviation for "heights", apparently, so "altitudes" is the answer. I'd be interested in anyone coming up with an example of Hgts or Alts being used. Washington Hgts or other place names don't count

6. Net or Knick: NBAER. Basketball player, although some fans of those teams might grumble that their players don't play basketball of much quality. They'd probably have done OK at Eurobasket in 1969 though.

7. Starbucks order: VENTI. I can never remember the sizes in Starbucks. I just go for small, medium and large. They seem to understand what I'm looking for.

8. Give a leg up: AID
.
9. Antlered animal: STAG

10. Ballet great Nureyev: RUDOLF

11. Psychoanalysis subject: EGO

12. Actor Mahershala __: ALI. Talented dude. Two Oscars, a slew of other awards and a studio rap album to boot. I'm catching up with "House of Cards" on NetFlix, he has a big role in the show.

13. Rapper __ Jon: LIL' Two rappers in close proximity.

19. High-tech worker: ROBOT

21. Affect: FEIGN

25. Pasture cry: BLEAT

27. Pull down: EARN

28. Opportunity: SHOT

29. Former Air France jets: SSTS. The supersonic Concorde. British Airways had them too, part of a joint venture between the British and French governments. When BA retired their fleet, Richard Branson tried to buy them for Virgin, but BA refused to sell. Odd, considering they didn't pay for them in the first place, the taxpayers did. Branson was livid.

31. Colorado snowboarding mecca: ASPEN

33. "Cotton Comes to Harlem" director Davis: OSSIE

35. Urban Dictionary content: SLANG. You come across some very weird things in there. Much like searching for "faun".

36. Iraq War weapon: Abbr.: I.E.D. Improvised Explosive Device. Usually a roadside bomb triggered underneath vehicles in a convoy in that conflict.

38. One to grow on: FARM

39. Et __: and others: ALII. I had ALIA first, I'm not sure I'll ever know whether to use ALII, ALIAE or ALIA. The first is masculine, the second feminine, and the third neuter. In this clue context, "others" would refer to masculine things. Gender-specific languages really make things difficult!

40. Hand-me-down: USED

42. Group at Asgard: AESIR. Not really, the AE is a diphthong or ligature - it's a single letter, Æ. Anyway, the æsir are a group of gods in Norse religion who reside at Asgard.

44. Cornea-reshaping surgery: LASIK. I can never remember which is which between lasik and lasix, the anti-asthma drug given to racehorses, so I wait for the cross.

45. One facing charges?: MATADOR. Nice clue.

47. Desert illusion: MIRAGE

49. Ready to roll: IN GEAR

50. Vietnamese-American poker star Scotty: NGUYEN. Never heard of him, but with the G and Y in place it was an easy guess.

51. Biological subdivisions: GENERA

54. Implored: URGED

55. Black: SABLE

58. Japanese soup: MISO

60. Lady of Spain: DAMA

61. Eng. channel: B.B.C. The state broadcaster in the UK, affectionately known as "the Beeb" or "Auntie".

62. Pal of Piglet: ROO. The Ashdown Forest, the real-life home of the Hundred Acre Wood, was scorched by wildfires recently. The temperatures in the UK reached 70F in February. What climate change?

63. Goof up: ERR

64. Extreme: NTH

Here's the grid, with the theme words highlighted in fetching pale yellow. And with that, I think I'm done!

Steve

Note from C.C.:

As a few solvers noticed, there's an extra B in TERRIBLE. Rich Norris, editor for our L.A. Times Daily Crossword editor, apologized for the mistake.

Rich has fixed the mistake. Please click here for the puz file. Here for the PDF.  Below is the new Answer Grid.

 

Wednesday, March 5 2019, Roland Huget

Theme: Three Sheets to the Wind

17. It may require a permission slip: SCHOOL EVENT.

27. Nearly one-third of Africa: SAHARA DESERT.

43. Gathering with much networking: SCHMOOZEFEST.

57. Table with columns, and what literally can be found in 17-, 27- and 43-Across: SPREADSHEET.

The word SHEET is S-P-R-E-A-D across each theme answer. Added and impressive bonus that each answer begins with S and ends with T. Constructors must be always thinking of theme ideas. I am in awe of their creativity.

Melissa here. When I flew out to my daughter's last Thursday our power had just been restored following a freak snowstorm, and we had to shovel the driveway to get out. I returned last night and there's still snow everywhere but roads are clear and most everyone has power again. Some were without for a full week. It reminds me how spoiled I am, so accustomed to modern conveniences.

Across:

1. Nurse Barton: CLARA. She founded the Red Cross.

6. Work with a libretto: OPERA. Sneaky - noun, not verb.

11. Capture: BAG.

14. Spring for a drink?: OASIS.

15. Piece of info: DATUM.

16. "What __ the odds?": ARE.

19. "Narcos" org.: DEA.

20. First encounter in a romcom: MEET CUTE. I had not heard this term before. Wikipedia: "In film and television, a meet cute is a scene in which the two people who will form a future romantic couple meet for the first time. This type of scene is a staple of romantic comedies." At right is from You've Got Mail. I may be the last person to have seen the newest movie version of A Star is Born, which contains a meet cute that sets the tone for the relationship between Jackson and Ally. I love the stripped down look of Lady Gaga. The encore version with 12 extra minutes is in theaters for only one week, beginning March 1st. So good.

21. Open, as a gate latch: UNBAR. Interesting discussion here regarding castle gates. About halfway down are four pictures of real castle gates, and some points about barred gate doors.

23. Pigs out (on), briefly: ODS. Overdoses.

24. Believer's suffix: IST. Buddhist.

25. General sense: TENOR.

31. Roadside business: MOTEL. Motels differ from hotels in that they have fewer rooms, are typically one or two levels, and guests access their rooms from outside rather than a corridor.

34. Decorating job on "Cake Boss": ICER.

35. Coin-op gas station machine output: AIR. No free air any more.

36. Grand-scale production: EPIC.

37. Extra feature: ADD-ON.

39. "And your point is?": OK, SO?

40. Drumstick: LEG.

41. Guys-only party: STAG. Stag vs. Buck.

42. Let up: EASED.

47. Neutral shade: TAUPE.

48. __Clean: stain remover: OXI.

49. Tarzan raiser: APE. My daughter's baby shower last Saturday included a game to match Disney characters with their parents. I now know that Tarzan's (adoptive) mother was an ape named Kala. They have their own meet cute.

52. Razor sharpener: STROP.

54. Time-out: BREATHER.

56. Seek the affections of: WOO. I like this word.

60. Rock concert need: AMP. Short for amplifier.

61. Angel who directs Satan to Earth in "Paradise Lost": URIEL.

62. Speak formally: ORATE.

63. "__-haw!": YEE.

64. Diver's gem: PEARL.

65. Renoir subjects: NUDES.

Down:

1. Pink drink, for short: COSMO.

2. Tied, as sneakers: LACED.

3. Volcanic particles: ASHES.

4. Real hoot: RIOT.

5. Hardly gregarious: ASOCIAL.

6. One-named folk singer: ODETTA.

7. Make car-friendly: PAVE.

8. Saison that starts in juin: ETE. French for Summer. Wiktionary.

9. Diamond score: RUN. Baseball.

10. Radio component: AM TUNER.

11. Instances of rotten luck: BAD BREAKS.

12. Carpet calculation: AREA.

13. PRNDL selection: GEAR. Park, Reverse, Neutral, Drive, Low.

18. Like rainforests: LUSH.

22. Turndowns: NOS.

25. Tex-Mex snack: TACO. Tex Mex vs. Mexican food.

26. Genesis place: EDEN.

27. Jiffy: SEC.

28. Blue __ Mountains: RIDGE. I heard John Denver's Country Road lyrics in my head. If Only John Denver Had a Map.

29. Prepare to sing an anthem: RISE.

30. Stepped (on): TROD.

31. "Alice" diner: MELS. Interesting facts about the movie and spinoff tv series.

32. Oil org.: OPEC. Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries

33. Metaphor for a precarious course: TIGHTROPE.

37. Surmounting: ATOP.

38. Bewildered state: DAZE.

39. Granola bar morsel: OAT.

41. Makes more powerful: SOUPS UP. I always thought of this phrase as enhancing the appearance, but most definitions I found lead with increasing power.

42. Co-host of the sports radio show "Boomer and Gio": ESIASON. Was not aware of this show.

44. Chinese chairman: MAO.

45. Last words of the Pledge of Allegiance: FOR ALL. "[...] with liberty and justice for all." An honorable goal - I wish it were really true.

46. Deleted, with "out": EXED.

49. In the future: AHEAD.

50. Golfer Calvin: PEETE.

51. Some Deco collectibles: ERTES. Unmistakable style.

52. Persuade: SWAY.

53. Big volume: TOME.

54. Stein filler: BEER.

55. By way of, briefly: THRU. "Briefly" indicates a shortened spelling. Through vs. Thru.

58. Register opening?: PRE.

59. River inlet: RIA.

Note from C.C.:

As Melissa mentioned earlier, she visited her daughter last week. Here are two gorgeous pictures. They just look like from a fairy tale. Jaelyn's little sister, Harper Rose, is expected sometime around 5/2/19.


This is going to be a beautiful year for Melissa, who's been working hard for years championing Adopt an Inmate.

Tuesday, March 5, 2019 MaryEllen Uthlaut

"MIXING BOWL"

17. Smartphone condition resolved by recharging: LOW BATTERY.  My cell phone only works when it is plugged in. 

32. Unable to see because of reflected sunlight: SNOW BLIND.   Dr Bruce Haight might diagnose this condition as photokeratitis,  but I'm guessing he probably doesn't see many cases in his southern California practice.

38. "The West Wing" actor: ROB LOWE.

46. Martin Waddell book about birds missing their mother: OWL BABIES.


61. Baker's staple, and a hint to this puzzle's circles: MIXING BOWL.

My site search of the Corner suggests that MaryEllen doesn't construct for the LA Times very often but when she does,  it's always pleasant, and fresh.    I enjoyed the cluing and seeing some answers we don't encounter very often.   

Across:

1. Like a pendulum's path: ARCED.

6. Tinted: HUED.

10. Loading platform: DOCK.

14. Question before "Yes, you!": WHO ME ?  Simple but lovely.

15. Gumbo pod: OKRA.

16. Dark purple berry: ACAI.  ah-sigh-EE.   Today I learned that they are dark purple and how to pronounce the word.

19. Geeky type: NERD.   I have geeky tendencies that came with the career.

20. Succulent plant genus: ALOE.

21. Went out in the sloop: SAILED.  I can't help but think of John B when I read that word.  It's the only association this landlubber has for it.


23. Not quite closed: AJAR. Hahtoolah has a joke for this word that is rated G - All Audiences.

26. Antlered grazers: ELKS.

29. Brawl: MELEE.   Often seen in Ice Hockey games.  Field Hockey,  not so much. 

30. Short-legged Welsh dog breed: CORGI.  The Queen's favorites. 

34. Quimby girl of kid-lit: RAMONA.  "...when Cleary wrote from Ramona's point of view, all of the little girl's actions made perfect sense."

36. "The Time Machine" race: ELOI.   H.G. Wells  popularized the enduring Sci Fi trope of time travel, just as Mary Shelley popularized the motif of mad scientists in Frankenstein. 

37. Letters after ems: ENS.   Plurals of the 13th and 14th letters of the English alphabet.  I doubt we would see a similar clue for the 16th letter. 

40. Press into service: USE.

43. __ history: ORAL.

44. Buy eagerly, as discount goods: SNAP UP.

51. One getting private instruction: TUTEE.  Tutor/tutee.  Mentor/mentee. 

52. Pottery remnant: SHARD.

53. What snakes' tongues sense: ODOR. 

55. Take a nap: DOZE.   Anonymous T !  Wake up !

56. Brunch cocktail: MIMOSA.  Tinbeni can wet his whistle if he likes champagne with his brunch.

58. Hawaiian feast: LUAU.  Poi, pig, poke, pineapple and punch, and hopefully some music to set the mood. 

60. Mishmash: OLIO.  Hodgepodge.

67. Texter's button: SEND.  Please don't text while driving.  Spread the word. 

68. __ out a living: EKED.

69. Bee product: HONEY.

70. Neither calm nor collected: EDGY.

71. Loch __ monster: NESS.   Nellie. 

72. Cell terminal: ANODE.   The other terminal is the cathode.   I ordered a new battery for my cell phone. 

Down:

1. Tool for making eyelet holes: AWL.

2. P-like Greek letter: RHO.

3. "Eat Mor Chikin" sign holder in Chick-fil-A ads: COW.

An iconic advertising campaign that started with a pair of rebel cows painting a billboard.


4. Trade restriction: EMBARGO.

5. Word with fair and square: DEAL.  And real.

6. Lodging spots: HOTELS.

7. 58-Across instrument: UKE.   Good choice for a luau. 

8. Go wrong: ERR.   I don't know whether the ad agency was promoting the dress or the clutch,  but I'm pretty sure that mirrors don't work that way.

9. Common work shift: DAYS.

10. Explorer Boone: DANIEL. 

11. Eyelike spots: OCELLI.    Not your common Tuesday crossword word.  

The Peacock's 'Tuneful' Tail Feathers

12. Tilt dangerously around corners: CAREEN.  A Google site search indicates this word has been an answer in only three LA Times crosswords since C.C. started this blog.   

13. Teased: KIDDED.

18. Sock part: TOE.

22. Atmospheric kind of music: AMBIENT.   We had ambience as an answer in Bruce Haight's puzzle last Thursday,  and it is an uncommon answer,  but we've seen ambient as an answer even less.  We mostly see it as a clue, as in "Ambient music pioneer Brian ___."

23. Plot measure: ACRE.

24. Author Didion: JOAN.  Author, The Year of Magical Thinking

25. Weaponry: ARMS.

27. Tolled mournfully: KNELLED.  A rare answer in LA Times crossword puzzles.  The only occurrence I could find was a Jeffrey Weschler Friday puzzle in 2014.

28. By oneself: SOLO.

31. Sudden attacks: INROADS.  2nd definition.  I think more in terms of the 1st:  Bits of progress, advancements. 

33. Dazzles: WOWS.

35. 50-50 choice, perhaps: A OR B. 

39. Scott of "Happy Days": BAIO.    He played Chachi. 

40. __-the-minute: UP TO.  I'm jaded by the major news TV outlets and all of the "Breaking News" headlines that are anything but. 

41. Canal in a 1956 dispute: SUEZ. 

42. Fencing sword: EPEE.

45. Society named for an ornithologist: AUDUBON.   The only occurrence I could find was a Pam Amick Klawitter Friday puzzle in 2016.

46. Seep slowly through: OSMOSE.   Another rare answer.  A Brad Wilber Saturday and a Bruce Haight Wednesday. 

47. Caused to pass (away), as time: WHILED.  A Google site search proved to me that I've never seen this in a clue or an answer for LA Times crossword puzzle.  Only in comments. 

48. Causing to limp, say: LAMING.   Pretty much the same as above, but as far I can tell, no one has ever used this word even in the comments section. 

49. Feeling depressed: BROODY.   We've seen the word in clues, but I couldn't find it as an answer.

50. Geometric category: SOLIDS.

54. Sprint: RUN.

57. "Yes indeed!": AMEN.   You can say that again. 

59. Muslim honorific: AGHA.

62. '50s White House nickname: IKE.   DDE becomes CIC of the country.

63. Simple signatures: XES.

64. Yoko from Tokyo: ONO.

65. United in marriage: WED.

66. Cleaning chemical: LYE.

It's not as if there wasn't a lot of common crossword fill.   There was, and that's not unusual for a Tuesday puzzle.   But I was struck by the uncommon answers, and it added to my enjoyment.   I hope you enjoyed it as well.