L.A. Times Crossword January 15, 2020 Kevin Christian

Theme: A Day In The Life -- of a Dog.  Each theme entry interprets a canine action as a means of communication.

20A. Dog, barking: DANGER ALERT.

Only maybe

30. Dog, begging: TREAT PLEASE.

Make it stop

46. Dog, ears erect: WHAT WAS THAT?

The dog's attention is engaged

55. Dog, tail wagging: WELCOME HOME.

Not necessarily

These don't require a lot of elaboration, though some of them can - and sometimes should - be interpreted in other ways.  Dogs do have a rather limited vocabulary.

Hi Gang, JazzBumpa here as today's game warden.  I've never had a dog, but our four kids all have a canine companion in their families, sometimes referred to as our grand dogs. Let's unleash our minds and pound our way through today's puzzle.

Across:

1. Minor misunderstanding: TIFF.  Less severe than a spat

5. Long part of an arrow: SHAFT.  Feathers at one end, point at the other.

10. Pride Month letters: LGBT. Now LGBQTIA+, referring to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, and asexual or allied, with a + sign in case anyone was missed.  Don't judge.

14. Sticky pod: OKRA.  An edible plant part coming from abelmoschus esculentus, a flowering plant cultivated in warm to tropical regions around the globe.

15. Grammy winner Jones: NORAH. [b 1979] Ravi Shankar's daughter.

16. Channel marker: BUOY.  An anchored float acting as a navigation mark.

17. Letter starter: DEAR ______.  The salutation.

18. Speechify: ORATE.  Speak to an audience.

19. Soda __: fountain worker: JERK.  Maker of sodas, malts and shakes.

23. "Understand?": SEE?  Get it?

24. Common Scrabble tile value: ONE.  Used with the most commonly occurring letters.

25. Afflicts: AILS. Causes health or other kinds of problems.

27. Satisfied sigh sound: AAH.

36. Driving problem: GLARE.  This is why dash panel tops are dark.  The reflection of a light colored object on the windshield obscures the view through the glass.  The technical term is "veiling glare."  Of course there can also be direct glare, as when driving into the morning or late afternoon sun.

38. Sinewy: WIRY.  Slender and muscular.

39. Rio contents: AGUA.  Spanish water.

40. Burton of "Star Trek: TNG": LEVAR.  Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr.  [b 1957] is an American actor, author and producer. He also played Kunta Kinte in the 1977 ABC minseries ROOTS.

41. Rhea cousin: EMU.  Large, flightless birds.

42. Harry's mom Lily __ Potter: EVANS. The unrequited love of Severus Snape.

43. Not buttoned, as a shirt: OPEN.

He's just showing off

44. "Bummer!": DRAT.  Exclamation of disappointment.

45. It flows below the Pont Neuf: SEINE.  French river, full of eau.

49. Nada: NIL.  Zero.

50. Steel-toe item: BOOT.  Protective footware.

51. "Just a __!": SEC. Hang on, I'll be right there.

53. Southeast airport code: ATL.  Atlanta.

62. Thigh muscle, briefly: QUAD. A group of 4 muscles in the front thigh that connect just below the knee cap.  They straighten and also bend the knee.

How to get sexy legs

64. "Outlander" series novelist Gabaldon: DIANA. [b 1952] Her books merge multiple genres: historical fiction, romance, mystery, adventure, etc.

65. Big name in big projections: IMAX.   A proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately 1.43:1 & 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating.  [Wikipedia]

66. Bear overhead: URSA.  Either of two constellations, named as bears in Latin.  Not the highway patrol in a helicopter.

67. Sprinter Bolt: USAIN. [b 1986] Jamaican sprinter who holds the world records in 100, 200, and 4x100 relays.

Lightning Bolt?

68. Daughter in the 2019 film "Judy": LIZA. Garland and Minelli, respectively.

69. Unwelcome diners: ANTS.  At picnics and in pantries.

70. __ hose: PANTY.   Close-fitting legwear covering the wearer's body from the waist to the toes.

Winter sale - act now

71. Agenda bullet: ITEM.  Keep the meeting on track.

Down:

1. Mary __ Lincoln: TODD. [1818-1882]  Before marrying Abraham Lincoln and becoming first lady, she was courted by his political opponent Steven A Douglas.

2. Swedish superstore: IKEA.  Purveyor of knocked down furniture and many other household items.

3. San __: Cal. city nickname: FRAN.  Properly, San Francisco.  The region is known to have been occupied 5000 years ago. The city was founded by Spanish settlers in 1776.

4. FX series inspired by a Coen brothers film: FARGO.

5. Noisy bedmate: SNORER.  Guilty.

6. Traditional group dance: HORA.  A circular folk dance that originated in the balkans.

7. Decimated Asian sea: ARAL.  Formerly the 4th largest lake in the world, it has been shrinking since the 1960's due to Soviet irrigation projects diverting the rivers that fed it.  Large portions of its four basins had dried by 1997.  A restoration project by Kazakhstan had raised the water level by 12 meters between 2003 and 2008.  You can read much more about it here.

8. Karma: FATE.  The universe giving you what you deserve.

9. Course of treatment: THERAPY.

10. JFK-RMN link: LBJ.  Readily recognizable U.S. Presidents.

11. "No, still not right": GUESS AGAIN.  Try harder.

12. Snooze inducer: BORE. An uninteresting event.

13. Tot: TYKE.  Moppet.

21. Go in: ENTER.  Also a computer key

22. Up to, briefly: TIL.  Until, more longly.

26. Split: LEAVE.  Slang.

27. Luminous: AGLOW. Radiant, dazzling.

28. First Hebrew letter: ALEPH.  More here.

29. Enjoy oneself immensely: HAVE A BLAST.  TNT not required.

31. Fancy pitchers: EWERS.  Large, wide-mouthed jugs

32. Focus on, as a bull's-eye: AIM AT.

33. Alternative to dare: TRUTH.  TRUTH or dare is a game in which players must either answer a question truthfully or perform a dare.  In one variant, the questions and dares are written on slips of paper, and the player must choose one of these, sight unseen, and cannot switch.

Also, a documentary movie about Madonna's 1990 Blonde Ambition world tour.

34. Branch of Islam: SUNNI.  The larger of the 2 main branches.  The other is Shia.

35. Watercolor prop: EASEL.  An upright support typically used for working on or displaying paintings.

37. Totaled, as costs: RAN TO.

42. First name in beauty products: ESTEE. Lauder, née Josephine Esther Mentzer [1906 – 2004] was an American businesswoman.  With her husband Joseph she founded the cosmetics company for which she is the eponym.

44. Went out with someone wealthier, say: DATED UP.  Went out with someone higher on the social ladder.

47. Amaze: WOW.  Impress excessively.

48. The same number: AS MANY.   Equality.

52. __ dog: CHILI.  In the Detroit metro area they're called coneys, and it's hard to get more than a mile away from a place that sells them.  We like the Senate on Plymouth Rd.

53. Teal relative: AQUA.  Blue-green shades.

54. Go bad: TURN.  Turn sour, as milk or wine.

56. Legal thriller writer Scottoline: LISA. [b 1955] A cum laude grad in her B.A. and law degrees, both from the university of Pennsylvania.  She was a legal clerk and litigator until the birth of her daughter when she left the law firm and took up writing.  She has since written over 30 best selling novels.

57. Scott of "Hawaii Five-0": CAAN. [b 1976] The son of James Caan.  He's been with Hawaii Five-0 since 2010

58. Tending to the matter: ON IT.  Or at it.

59. Exclude: OMIT.  Leave out.

60. Puzzle with dead ends: MAZE.  A network of paths and barriers which one is supposed to find one's way through, into the center of, or out of.

61. Checkup: EXAM.  Medical appointment

63. Prosecutors, briefly: DAS. District Attorneys.

That concludes another Wednesday.  Hope this puzzle didn't bite, and you had a doggone good time.

Cool regards!
JzB

L.A. Times Crossword January 8, 2020 Robin Stears

Theme - Letter Openers Redux - or - The First of the Last.  Similar to this recent puzzle we have in each clue fill a name which is a homophone of its initial letter; or, you might say, the name is that letter spelt out.  Back in October, it was done with first names, and this time with last names.

17 A. "Killing Eve" star: SANDRA OH. [b 1971] Winner of many awards.

Exhausted

21 A. Award-winning "A Raisin in the Sun" actress: RUBY DEE. 1922-2014] Actress, poet, screenwriter and civil rights activist.  Also a winner of many awards, she was married to Ossie Davis, and often performed with him.

Best Play of 1959

36 A. "Full Frontal" host: SAMANTHA BEE. [b 1969] Yet another award winner. She was a regular correspondent on The Daily Show for 12 years.

Dual U.S. - Canadian citizen

55 A. First chief justice: JOHN JAY. [1745 - 1829]    He was "an American statesman, patriot, diplomat, Founding Father of the United States, abolitionist, negotiator and signatory of the Treaty of Paris of 1783, second Governor of New York, and the first Chief Justice of the United States (1789–1795). He directed U.S. foreign policy for much of the 1780s and was an important leader of the Federalist Party after the ratification of the United States Constitution in 1788." [Wikipedia]

61 A. "Take Good Care of My Baby" singer: BOBBY VEE. Robert Thomas Velline [1943 - 1916] was an American singer, songwriter and musician.  He had 6 gold singles in his career.

Hi Gang, and happy new year.  JazzBumpa here. Not quite on topic - before my sister got married her initials spelt her name - PAT.  It's a red letter day for the famous people featured in our theme. These are my initial thoughts.  Let's see what else is in store.

Across:

1. Clemson's NCAA div.: ACC. Atlantic Coast Conference.

4. Thom of shoes: MCAN.  Brand name and former chain store, founded in 1922.  The brand is now controlled by Sears.

8. Preposterous: ABSURD.  Not to be taken seriosly

14. Mexican Mrs.: SRA.  Abrv. for Señora.

15. "__ that the truth!": AIN'T.  Well, maybe it is and maybe it ain't.

16. Bullpen ace: CLOSER. In baseball, a pitcher brought in to secure a win in the last inning of play.

19. Remote: LONELY.  Far away form everything, as in lonely outpost, frex.

20. Cockpit figure: AVIATOR.  Aircraft pilot.

22. Yin partner: YANG.  Not Andrew.  A cosmic duality, sets of two opposing and complementing principles or cosmic energies that can be observed in nature.

Cosmic Duality

23. It's a long story: SAGA.  Originally a Norse story of heroic achievement.  Now any long and involved story.

25. Legal postponement: STAY.  A court ruling to stop a legal process.  Subsequently, the stay might or might not be lifted.

26. Terrific bargain: STEAL.  Figuratively speaking.

28. West with 21 Grammys: KANYE. [b 1977] American rapper, producer and fashion designer.

31. Sugar suffix: -OSE.  Generic ending for the names of various sugar molecules.  The Latin root means "full of," "given to," or "like."

32. Open __ night: MIC.  A live shoe in which audience members may participate.  Feel free to display your wisdom or foolishness.

34. Bathtub buildup: SCUM.  This occurs when hard water ions, like calcium or magnesium combine with the soap to make a hard, insoluble substance.

35. Spot for pillow talk: BED.  Or sleeping.  Your choice.

39. 23-campus West Coast ed. system: CSU. The California State University System

41. General Bradley: OMAR.  [1893 - 1981] He graduated from West Point in 1915, along with Dwight David Eisenhower.  In 1941 he became the commander of the United States Army Infantry School.  He saw extensive service during WW II, and was appointed as the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1950.

42. Ariz. neighbor: NEVada.  States in the western U.S.

43. Part of MYOB and BYOB: OWN. That which is yours.  Mind it, and bring it.

44. Justice Sotomayor: SONIA.  [b 1954]  You can read about her life and distinguished career here.

46. Big name in whisky: DEWAR.  An award winning brand of  Scotch whisky originally created in 1846, now owned by Bacardi.

50. Wine quality: NOSE. Aroma.

52. Long-running Mark Harmon military drama: NCIS. A police procedural TV drama based on special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.  It has aired for 16 full seasons and gone into syndication.

54. Congregation area: NAVE.  The central part of a church structure, adjacent to the chancel or sanctuary.

58. Made a comeback: RALLIED.  A significant recovery after a period of weakness; said of an ill person, lagging sports team or equities market.

60. Synchronicity: UNISON. Nope.  Synchronicity is the idea of "meaningful coincidence:" that events could be connected by meaning, without a common cause.  This is a paranormal concept; whereas science considers such events to be spurious correlations or mere coincidences, since the concept is neither testable nor falsifiable.

62. Fame: RENOWN.  A wag once said that a celebrity is someone famous for being well know.  It's possible I have this backwards.

63. Luminous glow: AURA.

64. KC-to-NYC dir.: ENE.  East by North East - the very antithesis of a 1959 Alfred Hitchcock
thriller.

65. English Channel swimmer: EDERLE. Gertrude [1905 - 2003] accomplished this feat on Aug. 6 1926.  Whereas William the Conqueror sat on the continental side for months in 1066 waiting for a favorable wind.

66. Walk of Fame figure: STAR.  Any old star.

67. CD-__: ROM.  Digital data storage device.

Down:

1. Analyzes for purity: ASSAYS.  Conducts chemical tests for composition and quantity.

2. Decorative neckwear: CRAVAT.  Now a rather non-specific designation for various neck-ties, but originally as pictured.

You can buy one here

3. Bloodhound, e.g.: CANINE.  Any old dog.

4. Gas station store: MART.  Convenience store.  I like Wawa.

5. They're often exchanged in Venice: CIAOS.  Word of greeting or parting.

6. Hooded Arctic jacket: ANORAK.  Anorak is typically a waterproof, hooded, pull-over jacket whereas parka is a long weatherproof jacket with a fur-lined hood. Most importantly, a parka is typically longer than an anorak. Moreover, some anoraks have drawstrings at the waist or cuffs whereas parkas do not have drawstrings.  [If you're interested]

7. Unspecified degree: NTH. Unlike B.S. M.S. and Ph. D. which are all specified.

8. Org. with a "Speak Freely" blog: ACLU.  American Civil Liberties Union.

9. Gooey mass: BLOB.

Or see G.R.R.M.'s story A Song For Lya

10. Some HDTVs: SONYS. popular brand name.

11. Was: USED TO BE.  Formerly

12. Turn loose: RELEASE.  Uncage, untie.

13. Unmoved: DRY EYED.  Not in tears.

18. Portuguese explorer Vasco: DA GAMA.  [ca. 1460's - 1524] Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach india by sea, traveling around the souther coast of Africa. The first such voyage started in 1497.

21. Italian alternative: RANCH. Salad dressings.

24. Stomach-related: GASTRIC. The word traces back to Greek, via modern Latin.

27. Bridal party rides: LIMOS.  Large, luxurious, chauffeur-driven automobiles.

Girls just want to have fun

29. Chinese currency: YUAN. Approx. 0.14 U.S. Dollar

30. Insert into an email, as a video: EMBED.  Or into a blog post.

33. Commando garb, for short: CAMO.  Clothing with a combination of colors and patterns typical of camouflage, designed to blend in with surroundings.

36. Pleasant forecast word: SUNSHINE. A cloudless sky.

37. Live-in helper, perhaps: NANNY.  Children's care taker.

38. In equal shares: EVENLY.  It's only fair.

39. Cast a spell, say: CONJURE.  More exactly, call forth a spirit or demon.

40. Passed out: SWOONED. Fainted.

45. Freshen by opening windows: AIR OUT.  Let the stale air escape.

47. Written relinquishing of rights: WAIVER.

48. "Skin Mind Balance" brand: AVEENO.

49. Cash in: REDEEM. As coupons.

51. Former CNN journalist David: ENSOR.  He had a long and distinguished career in journalism and government. [reference]

53. Hummus brand: SABRA.  I have some in the fridge.

56. Lower jaw: JOWL.  The meaty part, not the bone.

57. Pulitzer poet Sexton: ANNE.

59. Letter-shaped brace: L-BAR. For mounting shelves, etc.

61. English lit degrees: BAS. Batchelor of Art.

We've come from the beginning to the end.  Hope your initial reactions were favorable.