Theme: Having a go at it - or - disappointing Yoda. The last word of multi-word in-the-language phrases are all synonyms for striving to achieve something.
17 A. It may lead to an acquisition : TAKE OVER ATTEMPT. One corporation ATTEMPTS to take over another.
28 A. Coalition : JOINT ENDEAVOR. Working together for a common goal. Rather a different shade of meaning, as compared to ATTEMPT.
48 A. With "the," one's best shot : OLD COLLEGE TRY. This is a wild and desperate ATTEMPT to achieve something, perhaps with a bit of showboating along the way.
62. Sincere intention to be fair : GOOD FAITH EFFORT. This is actually a legal term, relating to "what a reasonable person would determine is a diligent and honest EFFORT under the same set of facts or circumstances." Troutt v. City of Lawrence, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 61641 (S.D. Ind. Aug. 8, 2008)
As I see it, all except JOINT ENDEAVOR carry some implication of failure, realized after the fact. Does that seem right?
Hi, gang, JazzBumpa here. Nicely constructed theme, with a couple of grid-spanners. The rest of the puzzle lies before us. Shall we do or not do?
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
L. A. Times Crossword Puzzle Blogging Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015 Kurt Krauss
Theme: DIVESTITURES, being the opposite of mergers, in which companies come together. For today's theme, they come apart. To make sense of this, let's part with tradition and start with the unifier.
38 A. Went different ways ... or what each of six sets of circled letters literally represents : PARTED COMPANY. Anyone who has an Ex or two can relate. But here, COMPANY means a profit oriented business organization. In the grid, COMPANY names are bookends in the theme fill, PARTED by the central letters. The letters in the names are indicated with circles in the grid. If you didn't get them, then the whole thing was probably baffling.
18 A. WWI aircraft : TRIPLANE. A fixed wing aircraft with three vertically stacked wing planes. TRANE COMPANY makes heating and air conditioning units for homes.
20 A. They may coordinate with floor mats : SEAT COVERS. Automotive interior accessories. SEARS is a chain of department stores founded in 1886
29 A. Bedstead part : FOOT BOARD. Bedstead is a word you don't see every day. It is the framework that holds the box springs and mattress. At a minimum, there will be a head board, FOOT BOARD and side rails of some nature. FORD is a venerable maker of automobiles and light trucks.
45 A. In the opposite order : VICE VERSA. Silly me. I thought this was about DF poetry. But no, it's a reversal. You can call me collect and VICE VERSA the charges. VISA is an American-based multi-national financial services company. Per Wikipedia, they "do not issue credit cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers; rather, Visa provides financial institutions with Visa-branded payment products that they then use to offer credit, debit, prepaid and cash-access programs to their customers."
58. Some deal closers : HAND SHAKES. One of my musician friends just got stiffed on a HAND SHAKE agreement. His advice, and I think our in-house legal staff would concur, is to always get it in writing. HANES is probably best known for their undergarments, but they also make other types of clothing for men, women, and children.
62. Hit-by-pitch consequence : DEAD BALL. Baseball. DEAD BALL is a type of official time out, when the ball is not playable, and runners may not advance farther than they are forced. In the hit-by-pitch situation, the hit batter is awarded first base. A runner on that base advances to 2nd base, but no farther. Runners on other bases stay put until play is again commenced.
Each company name consists of either 4 or 5 letters. The 4 letter names are parted 2 and 2, while the 5 letter words are parted either 2 and 3 or 3 and 2 - as close to the middle as you can get. The six theme entries are arranged symmetrically, with the unifier in the middle. It's a pretty elegant construction.
Hi, Gang - Jazzbumpa here. Let's see what else we can find.
Hi, Gang - Jazzbumpa here. Let's see what else we can find.
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