L.A. Times Crossword Puzzle Blogging

 Wednesday, May 23, 2012  Jack McInturff

Theme:  "Where pride goeth."   The first word of each theme answer can precede the word "FALL" to yield a good, in-the-language phrase. 

17. *It's lower during dry seasons : WATER TABLE.  This is the level below which the ground is completely saturated.  Of course, in dry weather it will be lower, and you'll have to dig a deeper well. WATER FALL:  the world's highest is Venezuela's Angel Falls, AKA "Kerepakupai Vená."

23. *Index that measures skin sensation : WIND CHILL FACTOR.  Not sure what I was expecting, but it sure wasn't this.  Very apt description, though.  It's a measure of how cold windy air feels on the skin, as compared to a colder temperature in still air.  WINDFALL: an unexpected, unearned, or surprising gain or advantage.  This expression dates back to the bad old days when all land was owned by the nobility (a title category granted with no sense of irony) and the picking of fruit or felling of trees was forbidden.  But anything blown down by the wind was fair game.

36. *Road trip respite : PIT STOP.   From the world of racing, where pits stops are for refueling and tire changes done in less than a minute, to the vernacular.  When traveling the LW and I strategize according to the distance between highway plazas:  36 miles - I think we're OK; 62 miles - nope, we're stopping here.  PIT FALL: a trap placed or dug into the ground that captures whatever wanders into it.  In the vernacular, any hidden hazard.

 38. *Winter storm respite for some : SNOW DAY.  School is closed on account of snowy weather.  When a SNOW DAY is expected, some of the grandchildren have a ritual of placing white crayons on the window sills and wearing their pajamas backwards.  It doesn't always work.  SNOW FALL: just exactly what you think it is.

 47. *Knocked loopy : DOWN FOR THE COUNT.  Not like this.   Totally without hope, like a boxer knocked down for the referee's count of 10.  DOWNFALL:  A sudden loss of wealth, status, or reputation from a previously exalted position.  

And the unifier;  58. Lag, and a hint to what the starts of the answers to starred clues have in common : FALL BEHIND.  The expression should be self explanatory.  And, literally, the word FALL can go behind the first word each of five(!) theme answers - two of them grid spanning.  Good, solid tight theme.  Pretty impressive - no?

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here.  Let's see if we can get through this thematically rich puzzle without FALLING BEHIND.

Six Word Saturday

It was a day of dance! 

Granddaughter Amanda got a platinum rating on each of her solos in competition today.  It was a great day for her, and her entire studio.  (Only 4 platinums were awarded all day, and she took 2 of them!)

Then, she had her school dance performance this evening (she goes to a high school that offers a performing arts focus) and appeared in several numbers there, in groups with from three to a whole bunch of dancers.

Awesome performances all around.

Mom

My mom turned 91 today (5/16.)

Is she beautiful, or what!

Flowers courtesy of my sister's kids.

Sensational Haiku Wednesday - Fire

FIRE

Build small fire, sit close;

Or build big bonfire, and keep

Warm hauling much wood.

(Derived from a Native American saying.)