L. A. Times Crossword Wednesday, February 23, 2022 Judy Hughes

Theme: Do you have the will to win? Let's see what it takes, starting with the unifier.

54 A. Work really hard for victory ... and a hint to the start of 20-, 31- and 39-Across: HAMMER OUT A WIN.  Not sure that this is an in-the-language phrase, but the meaning is clear enough.  I associate HAMMERING OUT with completing a difficult negotiation.  Presumably that is win-win.  Anyway, it does set the stage for for some dramatic winning situations.

20 A. Train vigorously: WHIP INTO SHAPE.  I've been exercising religiously for the past few months; so I guess I am doing that to this old body.  To WHIP an opponent is to decisively win the competition.

31. Show eager anticipation: LICK ONES CHOPS.  As if in anticipation of a hearty meal - or anything else earnestly desired.   To LICK an opponent is to soundly thrash them.

39. Search everywhere: BEAT THE BUSHES. To conduct an exhaustive search.  This term originally alluded to hunting, when beaters were hired to flush birds out of the brush. [1400s] Also see beat around the bush.

To BEAT an opponent all you have to do is score more points.  Unless you're playing golf.

Hi Gang, JazzBumpa here.  Let's dive into the puzzle and see if we can emerge victorious.

Across:

1. Pierre's st.: S. DAK.  This city is the capital of South DAKota.

5. Retro ski area sight: T-BAR.  A type of ski lift named for its shape

9. Sounding amazed: AGASP.  In a state of gasping for breath.

14. Dance at Jewish weddings: HORA.

15. Slippery: EELY.  

16. Not exactly a company person: LONER.  A person who prefers not to associate with others.

17. Like a GI doing dishes: ON KP. Kitchen Police - enlisted personnel detailed to help the cook by washing dishes, peeling vegetables, and performing other kitchen duties..

18. It starts the pot: ANTE.  A stake put up by a player in poker and similar games before receiving cards.

19. Former Portuguese territory in China: MACAO.  Macau is an autonomous region on the south coast of China, across the Pearl River Delta from Hong Kong. A Portuguese territory until 1999, it reflects a mix of cultural influences. 

23. Obscure: NO NAME.

24. Worldwide cultural org.: UNESCO.  The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialised agency of the United Nations aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences, and culture.

27. Part of a play: ACT.

29. Like wee bairns: SMA.  Spelling the Scottish dialect for small.

30. Street-paving goop: TAR.  

35. Citrus drinks: -ADES.  A CSO to our own Lemonade?

37. Brazil __: NUT.  Someone who is crazy about Brazil.  Or, alternatively, the edible seed from a large, long-lived tree in the Amazon valley.

38. Cookies-and-cream ingredient: OREO.  The crossword world's favorite cookie

44. Timeworn: OLD.

45. Paddle relative: OAR. Canoe mover.

46. Honor society starter: PHI. Then Beta, then Cf 4 d.

47. Subject of the Book of Proverbs: WISDOM.  The Bible says in Proverbs 4:6-7, "Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding."

49. Neither early nor late: ON TIME.

58. Classic mother-and-son statue: PIETA.  a work of Renaissance sculpture by Michelangelo Buonarroti, housed in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City. 

Wikipedia

60. Pub projectile: DART.

 

61. Yellowish green: LIME.  the color, not the fruit.

62. Primp: PREEN.  Spend time making minor adjustments to one's hair, makeup, or clothes.

63. Geometry product: AREA.  Calculation of the space enclosed by a given shape.

64. Techie, say: USER.  I think of a Techie as someone who helps a typical user of computers or apps.

65. Cline of country: PATSY. (born Virginia Patterson Hensley; 1932 – 1963) was an American singer. She is considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century and was one of the first country music artists to successfully cross over into pop music.  She died tragically in a plane crash in bad weather near Camden, Tennessee.  

66. Sail support: MAST.  Big pole in a ship

67. "Get lost!": SHOO.  Go away.

Down:

1. Exhibited, as a home for sale: SHOWN.  

2. Hawaiian singing legend: DON HO.  Donald Tai Loy Ho (1930 – 2007) was an American traditional pop musician, singer and entertainer.

 

 3. Alan of "Argo": ARKIN.  Alan Wolf Arkin [b 1934] is an American actor, director and screenwriter. Throughout his career spanning over six decades, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe Award.

4. Honor society ender: KAPPA.   Completing 46 a.

5. Town where the New Jersey (now Brooklyn) Nets played home games for their first year: TEANECK.  A township in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, and a suburb in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 39,776

6. Twisted: BENT.  Crooked.

7. The "A" in SATB: ALTO.  Along with soprano, tenor and bass.

8. Bar shelf lineup: RYES.  American Whisky made from a mash containing at least 51% rye grain.

9. Annual fact book: ALMANAC.

10. Act bonkers: GO APE.  Melt down, lose it.

11. Family tree members: ANCESTORS. Your grand parents' grandparents, free.

12. North __: SEA.   A sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying on the European continental shelf between Great Britain and the continent.

13. Play-for-pay: PRO.  A PRO is anyone who makes a livelihood performing an activity.  As an adjective, which is what I take to be the intent here, it describes such an individual, typically involved in sports.  But the clue makes it look like a verb, so maybe I'm missing something.

21. Apple desktop: iMAC.  

22. Sings without lyrics: HUMS.  The Black Eyed Peas can sing us a song.  The chick peas can only humus one.

25. Common superhero garb: CAPE.  Though not always.

26. Estimate qualifier: OR SO.  Circa, more or less.

28. Printer supply: TONER.  A substance (such as a thermoplastic powder) used especially to develop an image (such as a latent xerographic image) on a piece of paper

29. Prep: SET UP.  Get ready

31. Bare bones musical notation: LEAD SHEET.  The manuscript of a song consisting of the melody, words, and indication of the basic harmony written in simple form.

32. Loyal end?: IST.   Cutsey suffix clue.  Meh!  A loyalist is one who is or remains loyal especially to a political cause, party, government, or sovereign.

33. Heart: NUB.  As, free., of a matter.

34. Garden tool: HOE.  A tool with a thin flat blade on a long handle used especially for cultivating, weeding, or loosening the earth around plants.

35. Take __: acknowledge applause: A BOW.  

36. Business with a slicer: DELI.   A store where ready-to-eat food products (such as cooked meats and prepared salads) are sold.

 
40. More than needed: TOO MANY.  An unnecessary surplus.

41. Soccer great Mia: HAMM.    Mariel Margaret Hamm, (b. 1972, Selma, Alabama, U.S.), American football (soccer) player who became the first international star of the women’s game. Playing forward, she starred on the U.S. national team that won World Cup championships in 1991 and 1999 and Olympic gold medals in 1996 and 2004. 

Britannica

42. Call to from a distance: SHOUT AT.  In my experience, this was mainly an expression of anger, but as indicated also works.

43. Clue: HINT.  

48. Sources of high school jitters: DATES.  Agreements to go somewhere and do something as a couple.

50. Anklebone: TALUS.

Wikipedia

51. "If only": I WISH.  

52. Old copy machine: MIMEO.

53. Four before mayo: ENERO.  January and May en Español.

55. Dutch cheese: EDAM.  Cross words favorite cheese.

56. __ avis: RARA. Literally, a rare bird; used to describe someone outstanding of unusual. 

57. Mining targets: ORES.  Pay dirt.

58. Very softly, in music: PPP.  Abbreviation of pianississimo meaning "very, very soft."  A trombonist in this aural region would be a RARA AVIS.

59. Sr.'s nest egg: IRA.  Individual Retirement Account.

That's all, folks.  Hope this puzzle didn't beat you up.

Cool regards!

JzB

L.A. Times Crossword - Wednesday, February 9, 2022 Peter A. Collins

Theme: The Heat is on.  Each theme clue has a HOT answer.  Sewn together, they make an article of clothing.

24 A. *1977 Rod Stewart hit: HOT LEGS.

They had way too much fun making this.

26 A. *Difficult spot: HOT SEAT.  The position of someone who is in trouble or is being asked many difficult or embarrassing questions.  Many examples there days, but we won't go there 

45. *Microwaveable turnovers: HOTPOCKETS.  Thinking a lot about nutrition these days.  These are probably not the best.

71. Sexy '70s fad ... and where the answers to starred clues might be found?: HOT PANTS. Here is a brief view.

Hi, Gang - Jazzbumpa here to set the fashion trend for today's adventure.  This theme brings back fond memories of long ago.  Before we dive into the rest of the puzzle, let's take note of some of the unusual features of today's grid.  First, the longest fill is not a part of the theme.  You almost never see that.  Rows 9 and 10 have long strings of dark blocks. The symmetry is only bilateral around a vertical center line.  Grids often have rotational symmetry as well. 

OK, let's get going.  Wear you summer clothes - things are going to get HOT. 

Across:

1. Kid lit elephant: BABAR.

Wikipedia

6. Lend support to: HELP.

10. Outdoor sitting area: PORCH.  A covered area adjoining the entrance to a building.

15. Love: ADORE.

16. Dunkable snack: OREO.  Crosswords' favorite trear

17. Leave no trace of: ERASE.  Wipe out completely

18. Feature that 4-Down lacks: SERIF.  A slight projection finishing off a stroke of a letter in certain typefaces.  

19. Prefix with type: LINO.  LINOTYPE  is a composing machine producing lines of words as single strips of metal, used chiefly for newspapers. It is now rarely used.

20. Some pastries: TARTS.  Small filled pastries without top crusts.

21. Measure used by navigators: NAUTICAL MILE.   Nautical miles are used to measure the distance traveled through the water. A nautical mile is slightly longer than a mile on land, equaling 1.1508 land-measured (or statute) miles. The nautical mile is based on the Earth's longitude and latitude coordinates, with one nautical mile equaling one minute of latitude.  Also, this puzzle's longest fill

29. NYSE debut: IPO.  Initial Public Offering.

30. Versed in creative writing: LITERATE.That's one definition.  Another is simply able to read and write.

33. Turkish title: AGA.   A military commander or official.

34. Semester: TERM.  A fixed time period.

36. Usually dramatic symphony ending: FINALE.  The last part of a piece of music, a performance, or a public event, especially when particularly dramatic or exciting.

37. "Miracle on 34th Street" hero Kringle: KRIS.  Aka, Santa Claus.

38. More than unkind: CRUEL.   Evil, mean and wicked, bad and nasty.

40. Part of Batman's outfit: COWL.  His head covering.

41. Owner's document: TITLE. This is probably more that you care to know.

42. Horse-drawn cab: HANSOM.  A kind of horse-drawn carriage designed and patented in 1834 by Joseph Hansom, an architect from York.

44. Cuts needing stitches: GASHES.  Long, deep cuts or wounds.

50. Not out: SAFE.  Able to reach a base in baseball.

53. Minor, as a sin: VENIAL.  A relatively slight sin that that does not entail damnation of the soul.

54. Twin Falls-to-Sioux Falls direction: EAST.  Map lore.

58. Old Route 66 city: TULSA.  In Oklahoma

60. Gets some sun: TANS. Body baking.

61. Army leader sometimes seen in a bunker?: ARNIE.  Golfer Arnold Palmer.  His fans were called Arnie's Army.

62. Crest box abbr.: ADA. American Dental Association.

63. Sat atop: RESTED ON.

66. Bother: VEX.  Annoy

67. Wheel edge: RIM.  

68. Petitioner: CLAIMANT.  A person making a claim, especially in a lawsuit or for a government-sponsored benefit.

69. Food store letters: IGA.  Independent Grocers Alliance.  Where we get groceries on vacation.

70. Tip of a wing tip: TOE.  Front end of a shoe.

72. "__ MisÈrables": LES.  a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century.  Also adapted into movies and a long running musical drama

Down:

1. Humanities degs.: BAs.  Batchelors of Arts.

2. Fruit drink suffix: -ADE.

3. 1975 Springsteen hit: BORN TO RUN.  

4. No-frills typeface: ARIAL. Looks like this.

5. Fill 'er up ... again: REFUEL. 

6. Like mind-and-body medicine: HOLISTIC.  Characterized by the treatment of the whole person, taking into account mental and social factors, rather than just the symptoms of a disease.

7. __ the Red: ERIC.  Erik Thorvaldsson, known as Erik the Red, was a Norse explorer, described in medieval and Icelandic saga sources as having founded the first settlement in Greenland.  This happened while he was in the midst of a 3 year exile as a result of disputes involving murder and mayhem. 

8. Horne of jazz: LENA.  Not a saxophone.

9. Shark's hangout: POOL HALL.   A pool shark is one whose goal is to con money out of others by using a combination of deception, talent, and straight coercion, combined with the game of billiards, to take advantage of susceptible players.

10. Diminutive: PETITE.  Also, PETITE clothing is specifically designed for women whose frames are 5'4” and under, and the clothing has been cut proportionally to fit and flatter the petite women's frame.

11. Postgrad tests: ORALS.  A test involving spoken questions and answers.

12. Promethium's element class: RARE EARTH.  These are chemically similar metallic elements comprising the lanthanide series and (usually) scandium and yttrium. They are not especially rare, but they tend to occur together in nature and are difficult to separate from one another.

13. Chicago hrs.: CST.  Central Standard Time.

14. Bulls and bucks: HEs.  Male of any species.

22. "Yay, the weekend!": TGIF.  Thank God It's Friday.  Oops - it's only Wednesday.  Lo siento.

23. Tiny bit of dust: MOTE.  A single particle

24. Snag: HITCH.  What could possibly go wrong?

25. Soap __: OPERA.  A television or radio drama series dealing typically with daily events in the lives of the same group of characters.  So called because the sponsors were often commercial cleaning products.

27. Nimble: AGILE.  Spry

28. Shocks, in a way: TASES.  In a bad way.

31. Brian of ambient music: ENO.  Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno RDI [Royal Designer for Industry; b 1948] is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his pioneering work in ambient music and contributions to rock, pop and electronica

32. Cold and rainy: RAW.  Stormy weather.

 

 35. Interacts well: MESHES.  Fits nicely

37. One fond of smooching: KISSER.  Well - yeah.

39. Place to go in Gloucester: LOO.  Lavatory.

41. Bit of arm art: TAT.  Body ink.  My friend lets his wife color in his tats whenever she's upset.  She just needs a shoulder to crayon.

43. 1981 cable debut: MTV.  An American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks, a division of ViacomCBS.

44. Pompadour need: GEL.  Hair glop.

46. Cared for a cat, say: PET SAT. 

47. How stock may be bought: ON A TIP.  Usually not the best decision.

48. Movie house: CINEMA.

49. "The Big Chill" director: KASDAN.  Lawrence Edward Kasdan [b1949] is an American filmmaker. He is the co-writer of the Star Wars films The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, The Force Awakens, and Solo: A Star Wars Story.

50. Maze word: START.  

Don't get lost.

51. Zoom meeting component: AUDIO.  Also video.

52. Lover: FLAME.   finally - some heat!

55. Blacksmith's block: ANVIL. An anvil is a metalworking tool consisting of a large block of metal, with a flattened top surface, upon which another object is struck. Anvils are as massive as is practical, because the higher their inertia, the more efficiently they cause the energy of striking tools to be transferred to the work piece.  It appears at ca. 1:05 and 2:18.

56. Lengthy assault: SIEGE.

57. Where to find Katy and Austin: TEXAS.  Katy is just west of Houston.  Austin is about 2 1/2 hours northwest of Katy via US 290.

59. Part of a foot: ARCH.  The foot has three arches: two longitudinal (medial and lateral) arches and one anterior transverse arch. These arches are formed by the tarsal and metatarsal bones and are supported by the ligaments and tendons in the foot.

"So -- There are 3," he said, archly.

61. Colony members: ANTS.  Th hill, you say!

64. "Xanadu" rock gp.: ELO.  Electric Light Orchestra.

 

 65. Neighbor of N.Y. and Minn.: ONTaro, eh.

This wraps up another Wednesday.  Hope you didn't get scorched, or wind up hot and panting.

Hot regards!

JzB