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

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May 26, 2019

Sunday May 26, 2019 Kevin Salat

Theme: "Abracadabra!"- IT is added then removed from each consecutive theme entry.

23A. For-display-only Greek deli items?: FAUX PITAS. Faux pas.

25A. Twenty minutes of juggling and acrobatics?: SHORT CIRCUS. Short circuit.

46A. Alien with high heat tolerance?: SUN VISITOR. Sun visor.

48A. Einstein's asset?: GREAT BRAIN. Great Britain.

87A. Play part for a giant god?: TITAN LINES. Tan lines.

89A. Bachelor pad?: SINGLE DIGS. Single digits.

111A. Musician evoking compassion?: PITIED PIPER. Pied Piper.

113A. Resist extra calories at Thanksgiving?: DEFY GRAVY. Defy gravity.

Reveal:

68. Magic words ... and a hint to four side-by-side pairs of puzzle answers: NOW YOU SEE IT NOW YOU DON'T.

We've seen dropping IT and adding IT theme before, but never in the same puzzle.

Keven also elevated this puzzle by putting theme entries consecutively. Such an elegant way to display the theme. As a result, we have one grid spanner and four 20-worders. 


Across:

1. Mosque leader: IMAM.

5. Language from which "cummerbund" is derived: URDU.

9. Banjo sound: TWANG. Wish I had never seen "Deliverance".

14. Social division: CASTE.

19. Nixed, at NASA: NO GO.

20. Sisters: NUNS.

21. Oklahoma Air Force base: VANCE.

22. Lift up: HOIST.

27. Live: ON AIR.

28. Stumble over: TRIP ON.

30. Capital south of Oklahoma City: AUSTIN.

31. Like things that go bump in the night: EERIE.

34. Pasture sound: MOO.

35. Cubs' org.: MLB.

36. Actor Alda who wrote the best-seller "If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?": ALAN. Such a long title.


38. Game winner: OOO.

41. Dietary claim: LESS FAT.

43. Salsa singer Cruz: CELIA.

45. "If u ask me ... ": IMO

50. Backup group: B TEAM.

51. Starts after a crash: REBOOTS.

53. Get a feeling: SENSE.

54. Racetrack ratios: ODDS.

55. "SpongeBob SquarePants" setting: SEA.

58. Maryland coll. team: TERPS.

59. Season trio: Abbr.: MOS. Months.

60. Milne hopper: ROO.

61. Herculean acts: FEATS.

63. It may be matched: SET.

64. Hogwarts' first High Inquisitor __ Umbridge: DOLORES. We just had this name yesterday. Related to dolor.


72. Hosp. triage expert: ER NURSE.

73. Ear piece?: COB.

74. Rush's Neil known for his 360-degree drum set: PEART. Learning moment for me.


75. Foxlike: SLY.

76. Shares an email with: CCS. And 79. Driller's deg.: DDS.

77. It's fed on streets: METER.

80. Recover: HEAL.

81. Old calculators: ABACI. I'm probably the only one on the blog who used the abacus at school.

84. Tranquilized: SEDATED.

86. New Zealand native: MAORI.

93. NBA's Magic: ORL.

94. Cats in Cádiz: GATOS.

95. Simon & Garfunkel genre: POP FOLK.  I thought it's "Folk rock".

96. Rent: LET.

97. Palindromic bread: NAAN.

99. "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown" channel: CNN. Anyone tried his classic spaghetti with garlic, anchovies, and parsley?


100. Toon collectible: CEL.

101. Après-ski drink: COCOA.

103. Bills featuring Ben: C NOTES.

105. Five o'clock phenomenon?: SHADOW. Five-o'clock shadow.

107. Microwaved: NUKED.

116. Poker strategy: RAISE.

117. Ten out of ten: IDEAL.

118. Standard Oil brand: ESSO.

119. On the calm side: ALEE.

120. Daily Planet name: OLSEN. Jimmy Olsen.

121. Pond critters: NEWTS.

122. Flabbergast: STUN.

123. Camera component: LENS.

Down:

1. Facts and figures: INFO. And 40. Info in this puzzle?: ONE DOWN.

2. Lamentation: MOAN.

3. Lo que un desierto no tiene: AGUA.

4. Spunk: MOXIE.

5. Aussie college: UNI. British college too.

6. Boring routine: RUT.

7. MyHeritage service: DNA TEST. No need for me. Just Han Chinese in my blood. Did you know China is shaped like a rooster?


8. KGB country: USSR.

9. Expensive Super Bowl purchase: TV SPOT.

10. "Yippee!": WAHOO.

11. Auth. unknown: ANON.

12. ATM maker: NCR.

13. Earn a perfect report card: GET ALL A'S.

14. Phi followers: CHIS.

15. Ventricular outlet: AORTA.

16. Archimedes, by birth: SICILIAN.

17. Dangerous waves: TSUNAMIS. Literally "harbor wave" in Japanese.



18. Sci-fi staples: ETS.

24. Qualifying match, briefly: PRELIM.

26. Ark unit: CUBIT.

29. Turkish hospice: IMARET. Our old regular.

32. High-__ monitor: RES.

33. Grammar best-seller "Woe __": IS I.

35. Crosses paths: MEETS. This is indeed our Hahtoolah (Susan) with llama. So nice to finally see her. She's always the mysterious Corn Poppy. 

 

37. Zilch: NONE.

38. "One of Us" singer Joan: OSBORNE. We had her before.

39. Like some pet cats: OUTDOOR.

42. Backing: FOR.

43. Midriff-exposing shirt: CROP TOP.

44. Ruby Red vodka brand: ABSOLUT.

47. Biological duct: VAS. Also stranger to me.

48. Eames' "Law & Order: CI" partner Bobby: GOREN. I've only watched the original "Law & Order".


49. Fix a lawn: RESOD.

52. Wisest choice: BEST BET.

55. Gertrude McFuzz creator: SEUSS.

56. Effortlessness: EASE.

57. "No thanks, I already __": ATE. Common Chinese greeting: "Have you eaten yet?"


59. Keeps from drifting: MOORS.

61. Compelling: FORCING.

62. Formally withdraws: SECEDES.

64. Group of two: DYAD.

65. Perfume ingredient: ROSE OIL.

66. Make bigger: ENLARGE.

67. Job that requires cutting class?: STYLIST. Ha.

69. Joshua tree genus: YUCCA.

70. Minuscule bits: IOTAS.

71. Marry: WED.

77. Runners occupying bases: MEN ON.

78. Like many used cars: RESOLD.

80. "You __ to be there": HAD.

81. Heaps: A TON.

82. Like some children of mixed marriages: BIRACIAL.

83. Athens attacker, in Plato: ATLANTIS.

84. Dizzying Playskool toy, at times: SIT N SPIN.


85. Word with party or skinny: DIP.

86. Vietnam's __ Delta: MEKONG. Look at what she found! Dragon fruit. Quite pricey here in the US.



88. Tied, as skates: LACED.

90. Rams' football gp.: NFC WEST.

91. Sticky stuff: GOO.

92. Partners' abbr.: LLC.

95. Diver's quest: PEARLS.

98. Racket: NOISE.

100. Copier, maybe: CHEAT. One who copies.

102. Hearing-related: AURAL.

104. Many a gamer: TEEN.

105. Eject: SPEW.

106. Poems of praise: ODES.

108. Healthy salad green: KALE.

109. "Why __ bother?": EVEN.

110. Indigo and henna: DYES.

111. Backing: PRO.

112. Suffix with chlor-: IDE.

114. Seminoles' sch.: FSU.

115. "... the dew of __ high eastward hill": "Hamlet": YON.

C.C.


Inanehiker (Nina) just wrote me yesterday with below message. She also sent me two Before and After pictures.

"We have had a wild ride here in Jefferson City since the tornado went through on Wednesday night.
Lots of destruction -but only a few injuries and no loss of life. One of our congregation had the roof taken off her apartment building - but her ceiling and apartment was amazingly intact!

We had been rehabbing a 100 year old house in a low income neighborhood - to move into when it was done probably December to minister to the neighborhood. But is now pile of rubble. Good thing for insurance which will help some- we are planning at this point to just clear it out and start a new build, but we will see. 

We were in our current house and fine.  We have been out helping clear trees brush and rubble from the area. Our church building is fine- but another friends church is rubble as well.  School finished for the year that day before- so no scramble to figure that out.

Just wanted to give you a quick update - not a lot of time to be on the blog :)"

 


Here is video that shows not all but a portion of the damage. 
 
At the end of this this article, there is a link to their denomination's crisis relief. Here is the address again:

EFCA
901 East 78th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55420-1300
Designate the check with the memo: Tornado Response 3890

Or you can donate to the American Red Cross - with direction to Jefferson City Tornado Relief.

Thanks for your help!

C.C.