L. A. Times Crossword puzzle Blogging Wednesday, October 19, 201 Bruce Haight

Theme: NUMBERS GAME.  The theme answers can be parsed by splitting off the last few letters, which in each case then constitute the spelt out name of a number.  These also appear in numerical order, which is a nice, elegant touch.  For some of them the pronunciation changes.  Fun theme for me, since I get a kick out of alternate parsings.

17 A. Does well at the casino? : BREAKS EVEN.   Since the house has a persistent advantage, one who BREAKS EVEN actually is doing well.  SEVEN is considered by some to be a lucky number.  So parsing this letter grouping to split off the number SEVEN might actually be a lucky BREAK.

25 A. Cereal box factoid : NET WEIGHT.   This is the WEIGHT of the contents of the box.  The weight of the container is called the tare, and added together they give you the total WEIGHT.  Maybe you'll get EIGHT servings, and eating them might affect your WEIGHT.

50 A. Opera house level : MEZZANINE.  This traces back to the Latin word for median, and refers to a building level between two floors, in this case the main auditorium and the balcony.  NINE is the number of either ladies dancing on the stage, or the Nazgul, though I'm not sure how that is relevant.

60 A. Bullied : BROW-BEATEN.  Influenced by verbal or psychological intimidation and abuse, rather than physical harm, though that might be threatened.   This can happen because the TEN Commandments did not include "Thou Salt Not BROW BEAT."

And the unifier -- 37 A. Concert finale ... and what 17-, 25-, 50- and 60-Across have in common: CLOSING NUMBER.  That's the last song of the performance, and points us to the tail end of each theme answer.  Having the unifier in the middle makes for nice symmetry, but can give away too much too soon, if you're filling in with top down sequence.

Good closing number - but we're just getting started!

Hi gang, JazzBumba on the job, though I'm not much of a numerologist.  Let's go check out the words and letters.  That's more my speed.

Across

1. Unlike this clue, obviously : LAST.  So, the LAST really will be first - at least in the context of this grid.

5. Driving force? : MOTOR.  Usually this phrase is figurative, but here, it is literal, since a MOTOR provides the driving force for a vehicle or some other kind of machine.  So why the question mark?

10. Bar regulars, and then some : SOTS.  Habitual drunkards.  The word originates in medieval Latin, coming to us via late Old English, where it referred to a foolish person.  The current meaning dates for the late 16th century.

14. Bible book before Romans : ACTS. Of The Apostles.

15. One-named singer with 10 Grammys : ADELE.

16. William of "Broadcast News" : HURT. [b 1950]

19. On : ATOP.  Sitting upon.

20. URL ending : COM.  For a commercial enterprise. Others are EDU for schools and ORG for organizations.

21. Bridge call : AHOY.   The bridge of a ship, not something uttered in a card game.

22. Hang loosely : DRAPE.  

23. Star's statuette : OSCAR.  For Academy Award winners.

28. Mushroom cloud makers : A-TESTS.    Of explosive nuclear devices.

30. Pale : WAN.  Strangely, this traces back to an Old English word meaning dark black.  Go figure.

31. __ shadow : EYE.   Cosmetic type.

32. Tip to one side : TILT.  Lean over.

33. Etiquette expert Baldrige who was Jackie Kennedy's social secretary : LETITIA. [1926-2012]  Author of 20 books and a newspaper column who also ran her own PR firm.

41. Comes back with : REPLIES.  Not RETORTS, I discovered.

42. Hardly scads : A DAB.  Some undefined small quantity

44. Beer choice, briefly : IPA.  India Pale Ale - a hoppy brew originally formulated to be stable on the long sea voyage from Mother England.

47. Part of un mes : DIA.   Spanish month and day.

48. Ready for the piano recital : IN TUNE.  I could go on and on about this, but the comma of Pythagorus is too difficult to explain.

54. "Ugh!" : YECCH.  An expression of disgust, and my reaction to this fill.

55. Climbed aboard : GOT ON.   Could also be GOT IN.

56. Some Neruda poems : ODES.  Pablo Neruda was the pen name and later legal name of Chilean poet, diplomat and politician Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto [1904 - 1973.]

58. Hawaiian tuna : AHI.  Yellowfin tuna.

59. Snack since 1912 : OREO.   Creme filling between two chocolate coolie layers.

63. Musée Marc Chagall city : NICE.  In France.

64. Ancient Greek region : IONIA.  In present day Turkey.

65. Conversation piece? : WORD.  Sentence fragment.  Make sure you parse it properly.

66. __ chair : EASY.  A place to relax.

67. Minute : TEENY. Tiny.

68. Archer of myth : EROS. Bringer of love.  This is why it's called arrowticism.

Down

1. Researcher's garb : LAB COAT.  For chemists, doctors, and lab workers.

Protects your clothes from blood and chemicals

2. Puzzle with a quote : ACROSTIC.  Explained here.

3. Recent medical research subject : STEM CELL.  An undifferentiated cell that is capable of developing into any of a variety of specific cell types.

4. Org. operating full-body scanners : TSA.  The Transportation Security Administration.

5. Prepare, as avocados for guacamole : MASH.  Guac a al Bumpa:  Two avocados, mashed; one 10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies; two tomatillas; chopped cilantro, onion and garlic to taste.  Magnifico!

6. Ancient theater : ODEON.   Greek.

7. "Tradition" singer : TEVYE.  From Fiddler On The Roof.

He does have quite a bit of help

8. "Bravo!" : OLE. Cheers heard in sports arenas where Spanish is spoken.

9. "You eediot!" speaker of cartoons : REN.  Stimpy's costar.

10. Ventriloquist Lewis : SHARI.  

11. Delighted state? : OUTAGE.

12. Prize in a case : TROPHY.

13. Fla. city : ST. PETErsburg.

18. Go-__ : KART.  A small racing car with a lightweight or skeleton body.

22. Overalls material : DENIM.  Also blue jeans.

24. Financier aboard the Titanic : ASTOR.  John Jacob. [1864-1912]  He went down with the ship.

26. Strong string : TWINE.  From the same root as two and twin, a strong string made from two or more strands twisted together.

27. 1960s dance : WATUSI.

29. Add sneakily : SLIP IN.  As when late for a meeting, hoping to not be noticed.

34. China's Zhou __ : EN LAI. [1898 - 1976]   First Premier of the People's Republic of China, serving from 1949 until his death.

35. "In Here, It's Always Friday" letters : TGI.  From the Restaurant chain TGI Friday's.

36. Diminish : ABATE.  Reduce in magnitude or intensity.

38. Enterprise choice : SEDAN.   Rental car, having nothing to do with Star Trek.

39. Academic figure : EDUCATOR.  Teacher.

40. Southwestern farm owner : RANCHERO.  Spanish for rancher.  

43. Rear ends : BEHINDS.

Everybody has one

44. "See ya!" : I'M GONE.  Not quite - gotta finish the downs.

45. Everycity, USA : PEORIA.   This idea originated in one of Horatio Alger's plays.

46. Tenochtitlán natives : AZTECS.   They dominated meso-America in the 14th through 16th centuries and are noted for the practice of human sacrifice.

49. Where to see IBM and JNJ : NYSE.   Stock symbols on the New York Stock Exchange.

51. Deschanel of the musical duo She & Him : ZOOEY.

52. Whom to trust, in "The X-Files" : NO ONE.  Closing tag line used in certain episodes.

53. Astronomer Hubble : EDWIN. [1889 - 1953]  American astronomer who showed that the universe is expanding, and provided evidence that far off objects considered to be nebulae were actually galaxies. 

57. PayPal's former parent : EBAY.  

60. Morsel : BIT.  Or bite, perhaps an ort.

61. Salmon eggs : ROE.  Fish eggs, in general are referred to as ROE.

62. More than impress : AWE.  A reaction of wonder to something grand, sublime or powerful.

And thus ends this little number.  Hope you enjoyed it.  Mind your traditions and go in peace, my friends.

L.A. Times Crossword Puzzle Blogging Wednesday, October 5, Julian Lim

Theme: GRAVITY, MAGNETISM and FRICTION, or MASS x ACCELERATION.  The 2nd word of common two-word phrases combines with the word FORCE to indicate a body of people organized for a particular activity.   I FORCED those physics related ideas on you, but will not apologize.

17. *Project with many obstacles : UPHILL TASK.  Something difficult to accomplish.  I suppose the referent here is Sisyphus.  You might need some helpers to accomplish that thing - hence a TASK FORCE, an ad hoc group devoted to completing a specific assignment.

22. *E! talk show focused on celebrity outfits : FASHION POLICE.   Clothing critics, and a TV show based on their commentary about the dress modes of celebrities.  It's amazing how much time some people have on their hands.  Police FORCES are units of government charged with the prevention or detection of crime and the maintenance of public order.

47. *Britannica, e.g. : REFERENCE WORK.  A book or other repository of useful information.  Many years ago I contributed a chapter on automotive plastics and elastomers to such a book.  The WORK FORCE refers to people engaged in or available as labor within some geographic unit, industry, or business.

55. Team up ... or, literally, what the last words of the answers to starred clues can do : JOIN FORCES.  As indicated in 17 A,  to get together for some purpose.  The target words JOIN with FORCE to fulfill the theme concept.

Hi, Gang, JazzBumpa here, getting together with you to make our way through today's puzzle.  Let's have at it.

Down

1. One of seven in "Jabberwocky" : STANZA.   A nonsense poem include in Lewis Carroll's action-adventure novel Though The Looking Glass.  You can read all 7 quatrains here.

7. Shabbat celebrant : JEW.   Shabbat is the biblical day of rest, and the source of the English word sabbath.  Rosh Hashana, the JEWish New Year celebration was from Sunday through Tuesday, so l'shana tova to all.

10. "Baby __": 2008 Fey/Poehler comedy : MAMA.   A conflict comedy involving an adoptive mother and the surrogate mother she hires.  That's more than I know about it.

14. Like some classroom aids : VISUAL.

15. Angst-filled rock genre : EMO.  Quasi-punkish emotion-laden pop music.

16. Disembarked : ALIT.  To descend, land or dismount, in past tense form.

19. Wheels for a star : LIMO.  

20. __ Grey tea : EARL.  My fav!

21. Vacation abode : CABIN.  If you can't afford a resort or luxury hotel.

26. Longest reigning Brit. monarch : ELIZabeth II.  born in 1926, and still goin'.

28. Neighbor of Venezuela : GUYANA.  A small, English-speaking country on the north coast of South America, nestled among Venezuela, Surinam, Brazil and the Atlantic Ocean, but culturally connected to the Caribbean Islands.

29. Discriminatory, as in hiring : SEXIST.  One of several possible discrimination types.

32. Pet adoption org. : SPCA. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

33. Deg. for a suit : MBA.  Masters of Business Administration.  I have one, but never qualified as a suit.

36. Annexation : SEIZURE.  Taking something by FORCE.

38. Put on a pedestal : DEIFIED.

40. Morsel : ORT.  Specifically, one left over from a meal.

41. Printed scorecard numbers : PARS.  PAR indicates the expected number of strokes a first class player would require to complete a particular golf hole or course.

43. Went (on) monotonously : DRONED.  Spoke at length in a boring manner.

44. Monotony : TEDIUM.  Possibly the result of the previous.

46. Gp. with mail trucks : USPS.  United States Postal Service.   Several of my relatives worked there.

52. Cutting : AXING.  In my 7 decades of existence on this planet, I have never heard anyone use the word AX as a verb.

53. Leaderless : TIED.  This is tricky.  With the score TIED, neither competing team is in the lead.

54. Strengthen : GIRD.   This is not quite right.  To gird is to encircle, or secure with a belt or a sash.  You can kind of see where the error comes from.

61. Giggly Muppet : ELMO.

62. To and __ : FRO.  Back and forth.

63. Poker challenge : I RAISE.  This increases the size of an existing bet in any round.  Other players must match the total bet or fold.

64. Academic leader in NBC's "Community" : DEAN.   A sit-com with an ensemble cast based on life and experiences in a fictional small junior college town in Colorado.

65. Author Kesey : KEN. [1935-2001]  Counter-culture figure, experimental drug user and author of the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. 

66. Kind of tax : ESTATE.  A tax levied on inheritances totaling more than $5.45 million in value. 

Down

1. "Law & Order: __" : Special Victims Unit.  Never watched it

2. It often comes to those who wait : TIP.  For the restaurant wait staff.  Nice misdirection.

3. Volcanic fallout : ASH.   Solid residue from an eruption, Cf Pompeii.

4. Rapa __: Easter Island : NUI.  This name refers to the island itself, the Polynesian inhabitants of the island, and the language that they speak.

5. Popular mall jewelry store : ZALES.  U. S. jewelry retailer started in 1924 in Wichita Falls, Texas.

6. Mosque-goer's deity : ALLAH.  Same God, different language.

7. Like Cain, of Abel : JEALOUS.  The adjectival form of a destructive emotion relating to desire about someone else's position, possessions, or relationships.

8. Leading characters in "Mork & Mindy"? : EMS.  Characters, as in the repeated alphabet letter beginning the two subject words.  I am deeply annoyed by this type of self-referential clue.

9. Stir-fry pan : WOK.  Shallow round bottomed cook ware item.

10. __ Yousafzai, sharer of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize : MALALA.   Pakistani activist for female education.

11. Cover story : ALIBI.   A claim that you were not at a crime scene when the event took place

12. Copycat : MIMIC.  One who lacks originality in thought and action.

13. Make things right : ATONE.   Make amends.  But will it erase hard feelings?

18. Course where tangents are relevant : TRIG.   No indication that trigonometry should be abbreviated? This is not the sort of tangent off upon which one may go rambling, but rather the mathematic function that is equal to the ratio of the lengths of the sides opposite and adjacent to an angle in a right triangle.

21. *1997 movie partly set on a plane called the Jailbird : CONAIR.

If you're into that sort of a thing

22. Handy "Mr." : FIXIT.   Home improvement and DIY maven.  I do not qualify.

23. "Master of None" star __ Ansari : AZIZ.  He also created and writes this Netflix series, the G-Man tells me.

24. "Law & Order" gp. : NYPD.  New York Police Department, in custody of a chlecho.

25. Couldn't sit still, say : PACED.  Walked nervously in some relatively small space.

26. Exxon, once : ESSO.  Mega corporation and petroleum products retail outlet.

27. Lustful look : LEER.  I prefer to Ogle.

30. *High-speed skiing event, familiarly : SUPER G.   Set on a down hill course with widely set gates, with more turns than the down hill event, and greater speed than the giant slalom.

31. Discipline : TRADE.   The only sense I can make of this is that one definition of "discipline" is "a branch of knowledge," and a trade is a job category requiring skills and training, so there is that kind of a connection.  Still seems like a stretch.  Do you think of plumbing as a discipline?

33. Capital of Belarus : MINSK.  This city has existed for over 1000 years and now has a population over 2 million.   Belarus is located east of Poland and south of Lithuania and Latvia. 

34. Honk : BEEP.  Blow your own horn.  

35. Tacks on : ADDS.

37. Green land? : ERIN.  The Emerald Isle, The Auld Sod, etc.

39. Bridge table quorum : FOUR.  A four-handed card game.

42. Vacuum effect : SUCTION.

44. Ligament kin : TENDON.  Both are types of connective tissue. Ligaments connect bones or cartilages, or hold joints together.  Tendons connect muscle tissue to bones. 

45. Lo __: noodle dish : MEIN.   Mein refers to noodles made from wheat flour.  Maybe someone who know more about it should elaborate.

47. Threw a fit : RAGED.  Anger

48. Forced absence : EXILE.   An order to go away and stay away, banishment, as punishment for some offense.

49. Terra __ : FIRMA.   Sold ground, good old Mother Earth.

50. Cellphone self-pic of a group, slangily : WEFIE.  Evidently the collective equivalent of a selfie.  Who knew?

51. Smells : ODORS.  Aromas.  All suggest different nuances of meaning.

55. N.Y. airport since 1963 : JFK.  The eponym was president during the 60's and assassinated while in office.

56. Miner's matter : ORE.  Pay dirt.  Can you dig it?

57. Chinese zodiac animal : RAT.  By this reckoning, my Lovely Wife is a RAT and I am a dog.  Arf!

58. "The World Factbook" org. : CIA.  Central Intelligence Agency, where the word "Intelligence" reference to gathered information, not intellectual capability.

59. Inexact fig. : ESTimate.  An approximation that should be better than a guess.

60. Get : SEE.  Understand.  Do you see it?

Well, that ends this little get together.  I had my nits, but overall - not bad.

Cool regards!
JzB