L.A. Times Crossword Wednesday, April 20, 2022 C.C. Burnikel

Theme:  Challenges!  Here, the theme is displayed in the clues rather than the fill.  Each clue can be interpreted as a challenging expression, or perhaps a dare.  But then the associated fill responds to a quite different sense of the clue.  A very clever twist by our own fearless leader.

17. Top that!: WEDDING CAKE.  Do better if you can! [You can't.] A wedding cake is topped with frosting, of course, and often with little bride and groom statues.

30. Beat that!: STEEL DRUM.  Do better if you can! [Nope - It's unbeatable]. But you can beat a SRARE DRUM, my first choice; or, more melodically, the actual given fill.

46. Strike that!: POWER POSE . Take a swing. [You'll miss] But it still might be a great photo op.

63. Take that!: COFFEE BREAK.  Said while delivering a stout clout.  Then we can rest a bit, and have a cup.

Across:

1. Nail tech's layers: COATS.  Of polish

6. Open mic night host: EM CEE.  Master of Ceremonies.

11. Automated Twitter user: BOT.   A software application that runs automated tasks over the Internet, usually with the intent to emulate human activity on the Internet, such as messaging, on a large scale.

14. Fire in the belly: ARDOR.  Enthusiasm or passion.

15. Take one's sweet time: DALLY.  I prefer to dawdle.

16. Dedicated lines: ODE.  A lyric poem in the form of an address to a particular subject, often elevated in style or manner and written in varied or irregular meter.

19. Prefix with binary: NON-.  A negating prefix.  Non-binary is an umbrella term for gender identities that are neither male nor female‍—‌identities that are outside the gender binary.  It's complicated.

20. Fair: SO-SO.  Mediocre.

21. Consider: DEEM.  Make a judgment.

22. Kabocha or pumpkin, e.g.: GOURD.  A fleshy, typically large fruit with a hard skin, some varieties of which are edible.

24. Make-up artist?: LIAR.  Ha!  Someone who contrives untruths.

26. Mike who voices Shrek: MYERS.  Michael John Myers, OC (born May 25, 1963) is a Canadian actor, comedian, director, producer and screenwriter. His accolades include seven MTV Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2002, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2017, he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada for "his extensive and acclaimed body of comedic work as an actor, writer, and producer." [Wikipedia]
 
28. David Ortiz's 1,768, briefly: RBIS.   Runs Batted In.  You knew there would be baseball!  David Américo Ortiz Arias (born November 18, 1975), nicknamed "Big Papi", is a Dominican-American former professional baseball designated hitter and first baseman who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily with the Boston Red Sox. He also played for the Minnesota Twins. During his 14 seasons with the Red Sox, he was a ten-time All-Star, a three-time World Series champion, and a seven-time Silver Slugger winner. Ortiz also holds the Red Sox single-season record for home runs with 54, which he set during the 2006 season. [Wikipedia]

34. Park fixture for two: SEE-SAW.  It has its ups and downs.

36. SoFi Stadium player: RAM.  American football.

37. Half and half: ONE.  Simple addition, not from the creamery.

38. Caroline du Sud, e.g.: ETAT.  South Carolina is a State, but not in France.

39. Like some angles: ACUTE.  Less than 90 degrees.

41. Intestinal fortitude: GUTS.  Courage and perseverance; grit; pluck. 

42. __ on the side of caution: ERR.  Be careful.

43. Soon-to-be grads: SRS.  Seniors.

44. Realm entered through a wardrobe: NARNIA.  From the series of books by C. S. Lewis.

50. Miami-__ County: DADE.  In FLA.

51. "Count me out": I PASS.

52. Wee: ITSY.  Teeny tiny.

54. Test versions: BETAS.  A version of a piece of software that is made available for testing, typically by a limited number of users outside the company that is developing it, before its general release.

56. Farm skyscraper: SILO.  A tower on a farm used to store grain.

58. Hairstyle for Nina Simone: AFRO.  Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone, was an American singer, songwriter, musician, arranger, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, jazz, blues, folk, R&B, gospel and pop. [Wikipedia]

Source

62. "Kinda": ISH. More or less.

66. Hoover, for one: DAM.  Hold back the water.

67. Come about: ARISE. Happen, ensue.

68. Like a foggy trail path: EERIE.  Spooky.

69. Four-time WNBA champion Bird: SUE.  Suzanne Brigit Bird (born October 16, 1980) is an American-Israeli professional basketball player for the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).[1] Bird was drafted by the Storm first overall in the 2002 WNBA draft and is considered to be one of the greatest players in WNBA history. As of 2021, Bird is the only WNBA player to win titles in three different decades. She held a front office position for the NBA's Denver Nuggets as their Basketball Operations Associate. She has also played for three teams in Russia. She holds both U.S. and Israeli citizenship. [Wikipedia]

70. Divulge: LET ON.  Reveal.

71. Fine partner: DANDY.  Used to express agreement or approval 

Down:

1. Cornfield calls: CAWS.  Songs of crows

2. Cookie that has a lychee flavor in China: OREO.  Crossword favorite cookie - all over the world.

3. States further: ADDS.

4. Slate of chores: TO DO LIST.  Get busy.

5. __ Lanka: SRI.  Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, and southeast of the Arabian Sea; it is separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait.  [Wikipedia]

6. Trimming tools: EDGERS. 

7. Nutmeg spice: MACE.  Nutmegs are the actual seeds of the tree while mace is what is known as an airl—the protective coating of the seed.

8. Chewy chowder chunk: CLAM MEAT.  

9. Animal on Idaho's state seal: ELK.  The elk, also known as the wapiti, is one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America, as well as Central and East Asia. [Wikipedia]

10. Application that may help reduce crow's-feet: EYE GEL.

11. Game show climax, often: BONUS ROUND.

12. Garbage feature: ODOR.  Smell or reek.

13. Mind, as a bar: TEND.  To apply oneself to the care of something.

18. Doc intended to prevent leaks: NDA.  Non-Disclosure Agreement.

23. Windy City airport code: ORD.  Chicago O'hare International Airport.

25. Ariana Grande's "God __ Woman": IS A.

27. Gulf of Aden republic: YEMEN.    A country in Western Asia, on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It borders Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the northeast and shares maritime borders with Eritrea, Djibouti, Somaliland and Somalia.

28. Evoking the past: RETRO.

29. "Just wait a bit more!": BEAR WITH ME.  How much can you put up with?

31. Tie for roasting: TRUSS.  

32. Remove, as a ribbon: UNTIE.

33. Painted Desert landform: MESA.  Flat topped, steep sided hill.

34. Leak out slowly: SEEP.  As though a porous material or small holes/

35. Stinging insects: WASPS.   Winged insects related to the bee and ant that have a slender body with the abdomen attached by a narrow stalk and that in females and workers are capable of giving a very painful sting.

40. Regimen with Workouts of the Day: CROSS FIT.  A high-intensity fitness program incorporating elements from several sports and types of exercise.

41. Ambiguous point: GRAY AREA.  Region of uncertainty.

45. Podcast interrupters: ADS.  Annoyances.

47. Org. regulating pesticides: EPA.  Environmental Protection Agency/

48. Mischief-maker: RASCAL.

49. Freestyle skier Gu who won two gold medals at the 2022 Winter Olympics: EILEEN.  Eileen Feng Gu (born September 3, 2003), also known by her Chinese name Gu Ailing (Chinese: 谷爱凌), is an American-born freestyle skier, two-time Olympic gold medalist, and model. She has competed for China in halfpipe, slopestyle, and big air events since 2019.

Wikipedia

53. Where to wear a metti: TOE.  A toe ring.

54. Auction actions: BIDS.  Offer (a certain price) for something, especially at an auction.

55. Old Testament twin: ESAU.  Older brother of Jacob.

57. "In that case ... ": IF SO.  Well, maybe then . . .

59. Terrarium plant: FERN.   A class of nonflowering vascular plants that possess true roots, stems, and complex leaves and that reproduce by spores.

60. Bust: RAID.  As by narcotics police.

61. "__-dokey!": OKEY.  Phrase of agreement.

64. Foundry delivery: ORE.  To me smelted.

65. Place to retire: BED.  For the night, not permanently.

So ends another Wednesday.  Hope you were up to the challenge.

Afterthought: The last time I blogged I mentioned that granddaughter Amanda had informed me that sit-ups were a disfavored exercise.  This got some push back.  Yes, it's true that sit-ups and crunches have been around for a long time.  But it's also true that with the passage of time we occasionally  learn more and better information; and that the old way of doing things is not always the best.  My first thought was that someone who has recently earned professional certification in a certain field might actually know what she's talking about.  The reality is that a perfectly executed sit up might have some benefit in developing core muscles.  But in terms of risk and reward, it's a bad bargain. The risks are that if not perfectly done, sit-ups can cause a bulge in the lower abdomen - exactly the opposite of what is desired; and, even worse, damage the lower back.  Further, there are more effective exercises that do not pose these risks.  For more information you can google "don't do sit ups" and find several pages of detail.

Cool regards!

JzB