L.A. Times Crossword Wednesday, June 22, 2022 Dave Taber and Laura Moll

Theme: Bon Apétit and Welcome Home!   This is - apparently - about as straight forward a theme as you'll ever see, with each entry providing part of a dinner.  Until you check the circles, which give it a whole new level of meaning.  If you didn't get the circles, this will be a revelation.

Let's start with the unifier, to make things clear.

63 A. Sequence of dishes such as 18-, 25-, 38-, and 55-Across, in more ways than one: HOME MADE MEAL.  The surface meaning is a MEAL you cook for yourself in your own kitchen.  But the circled letters spell the HOME of some critter.  

18 A. Healthy starter: GARDEN GREENS.  This describes the leafy vegetables of a salad, which might get your meal off to a good start. But it also contains a DEN - a place where a wild animal, such as a fox orbear might live. Or, perhaps, a non-thematic hang-out for thieves. You decide.

25 A. Baked side: POTATO WITH CHIVES.  I'd be tempted to add some butter and sour cream to this high-carb delight.  However - what you don't want in your POTATO, is a HIVE - the abode of insects, such as ants or wasps.

38 A. Meaty entrée: T-BONE STEAK. This is a steak of beef cut from the short loin, including a "T"-shaped lumbar vertebra with sections of abdominal internal oblique muscle on each side. Yum! The NEST is a home for any kind of bird. And, yes, this gives me an eyrie feeling. Maybe it's the Hitchcock influence.

55 A. Filled dessert: CHOCOLATE ECLAIRS.  These are oblong pastries made with choux dough filled with a cream and topped with a flavored icing - chocolate in this case. Here it is also filled with a LAIR - another wild animal home; typically that of a fierce or dangerous one, such as a lion or a dragon.

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here as the maitre'd for today's culinary delight.  Let's see what other tasty morsels we can discover.

  Across:

1. Praised: LAUDED.   Highly praised or admired.

 7. Stalagmite creator: DRIP.  A stalagmite is a mound or tapering column rising from the floor of a cave, formed of calcium salts deposited by dripping water and often uniting with a stalactite.

11. Spam holder: CAN.  Slight misdirection here as you might expect a file folder rather than a metal container for a sort-of meat product.  As I understand it, SPAM is very popular in Hawaii, and a genuine Hawaiian pizza is made with SPAM, not ham.  To each his own.

14. Periodic Pacific current: EL NIÑO.  And weather patters associated with that current.  During El Niño, trade winds weaken. Warm water is pushed back east, toward the west coast of the Americas.  El Niño can affect our weather significantly. The warmer waters cause the Pacific jet stream to move south of its neutral position. With this shift, areas in the northern U.S. and Canada are dryer and warmer than usual. But in the U.S. Gulf Coast and Southeast, these periods are wetter than usual and have increased flooding.

15. American Eagle Outfitters lingerie brand: AERIE.  Check it out here.

17. Whiz: ACE.  one highly skilled at something.

20. Zodiac animal with horns: RAM.  His name is Aries, not to be confused with 15A.

21. Thurman of "The War With Grandpa": UMA.  Uma Karuna Thurman [b 1070] is an American actress, producer and fashion model. Prolific in film and television productions encompassing a variety of genres.

 

 22. Actress Goldie: HAWN.  Goldie Jeanne Hawn b 1945] is an American actress, dancer, producer, and singer. She rose to fame on the NBC sketch comedy program Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, before going on to receive the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Cactus Flower.   

23. Vocation: TRADE.    An occupation to which a person is especially drawn or for which they are suited, trained, or qualified.

30. Floor model: DEMO.  A unit of a product displayed to show its capabilities.

31. Genuflect: KNEEL.  Knee bending gesture of respect or devotion.

32. Pool or polo: GAME.   A form of play or sport, especially a competitive one played according to rules and decided by skill, strength, or luck.

33. Red-wrapped cheeses: EDAMS.   A semi-hard cheese that originated in the Netherlands, and is named after the town of Edam in the province of North Holland. Edam is traditionally sold in flat-ended spheres with a pale yellow interior and a coat, or rind, of red paraffin wax.

35. Julia of "The Addams Family": RAUL.   Raúl Rafael Carlos Juliá Arcelay [1940 - 1994]was a Puerto Rican actor. Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he took an interest in acting while still in school and pursued the career upon completion of his studies.

37. Area represented by Sen. Gillibrand: NYS.  New York State.  Kirsten Elizabeth Gillibrand [b 1966] is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from New York since 2009. 

42. Prez on a fiver: ABE.  Abraham Lincoln [1809 - 1865] was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865.  His likeness is found of the 5 dollar bill.

45. Whole lot: SCAD.  A large number or amount.

46. Muscle twitch: SPASM.   A sudden involuntary muscular contraction or convulsive movement.

49. Tank top kin, briefly: CAMI.  A woman's loose-fitting undergarment for the upper body, typically held up by shoulder straps and having decorative trimming.  An example here.

51. Créme de la créme: A-LIST.   The best person or thing of a particular kind.    the A-LIST is a group of individuals of the highest level of society, excellence, or eminence.

54. Writer Bombeck: ERMA.  Erma Louise Bombeck [1927 - 1996] was an American humorist who achieved great popularity for her newspaper humor column describing suburban home life, syndicated from 1965 to 1996. She also published 15 books, most of which became bestsellers.

59. "Taxi" mechanic: LATKA.  Portrayed by Andy Kaufman [1949 - 1984]

60. __ mortals: MERE.  Ordinary people.

61. Place for a "snake bite" piercing: LIP.  Two lower lip piercings.  Not at all common among trombone players

62. "What __, chopped liver?": AM I.   The earliest use of this phrase in its derogatory sense -- that is, ''something trivial; something to be scoffed at'' -- in the Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang is by Jimmy Durante on his 1954 CBS-TV show: ''Now that ain't chopped liver. ''

68. Actor McKellen: IAN. Sir Ian Murray McKellen [b 1939] CH CBE is an English actor. His career spans seven decades, having performed in genres ranging from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction.

69. Leading in a tight game: UP ONE.  Leading by a single point.

70. Barcelona's naciún: ESPAÑA.  Spain, in Spain.  

71. Flavor enhancer, for short: MSG.  MonoSodium Glutamate; the sodium salt of glutamic acid. MSG is found naturally in some foods including tomatoes and cheese in this glutamic acid form.

72. Buttonlike earring: STUD.

73. Squeaky ball, e.g.: DOG TOY.   Fun for your pup

Down:

1. Slight advantage: LEG UP.  Resulting from some assistance.

2. Apple pie order: ALA MODE.   Literally, fashionable or stylish.  On pie, it means topped with ice cream.

3. Starless?: UNRATED.  Of a movie, by critics.

4. "You __ your best": DID.  Sometimes it's not good enough.

5. Chicago-to-Toronto dir.: ENE. East, north-east.

6. Honolulu-born jet pilot who became a pop singer: DON HO.   Donald Tai Loy Ho [1930 - 2007] was an American traditional pop musician, singer and entertainer. He is best known for the song "Tiny Bubbles" from the album of the same name.

7. Galapagos Islands researcher: DARWIN.   Charles Robert Darwin [1809 - 1882] FRS FRGS FLS FZS was an English naturalist, geologist and biologist, best known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended from a common ancestor is now widely accepted and considered a fundamental concept in science.

8. Confirms, as a password: RE-ENTERS.   Enter and enter again.

9. Isl. with four provinces: IRE.   The four provinces of Ireland are Leinster, Ulster, Munster and Connaught.  Six of Ulster's 9 counties constitute Northern Ireland.

10. See 36-Down: PIN.

36. With 10-Down, politician's flag, often: LAPEL.  A lapel pin, also known as an enamel pin, is a small pin worn on clothing, often on the lapel of a jacket, attached to a bag, or displayed on a piece of fabric. Lapel pins can be ornamental or can indicate the wearer's affiliation with an organization or cause.

11. Traveling band: CARAVAN.   A group of people traveling together.  Originally, this referred to traders or pilgrims traveling across a desert in Asia or North Africa.

12. Private school: ACADEMY.   A place of higher education in a special field.

13. Foes that seem impossible to beat: NEMESES.   The inescapable agent of someone's or something's downfall.

16. Bk. read at Purim: ESTH.  ESTHER.  The book relates the story of a Hebrew woman in Persia, born as Hadassah but known as Esther, who becomes queen of Persia and thwarts a genocide of her people. The story forms the core of the Jewish festival of Purim, during which it is read aloud twice: once in the evening and again the following morning. 

19. Rubberneck: GAWK.  Stare openly and stupidly vs turn one's head to stare at something in a foolish manner.   Near equivalents, but not quite.

24. Tractor-trailer: RIG.   Big truck.

26. Amo, amas, __: AMAT. Conjugation of the the Latin verb meaning "to love."

27. Crypts: TOMBS.  Burial vaults, usually underground. 

28. "But it's a dry __": HEAT.  Presumably less uncomfortable due to low humidity.

29. Hints: CLUES.

34. Home of many L.A. Times readers: SO CAL.  Southern California.

39. "The Lion King" lion: NALA.    A fictional character in Disney's The Lion King film franchise. Introduced in the animated film The Lion King, Nala subsequently appears as a less prominent character in the film's sequels 

40. Word processor feature: EDIT MENU.  Where you can select text to copy or delete.

41. Melissa Benoist's role on "Supergirl": KARA.   Kara Danvers, also known as Kara Zor-El on her homeworld, is a fictional character in the Arrowverse franchise, mainly the television series Supergirl.

42. Accolades: ACCLAIM.  Enthusiastic and public praise.

43. Islands northeast of Cuba: BAHAMAS.   The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is a country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the archipelago's population.

44. Chewing the scenery: EMOTING.  Over-acting.

47. Welcome warmly: SMILE AT.

48. Rivera who holds the MLB record for career saves: MARIANO.   Mariano Rivera is a Panamanian-American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees, from 1995 to 2013. Nicknamed "Mo" and "Sandman", he spent most of his career as a relief pitcher and served as the Yankees' closer for 17 seasons.  He recorded 652 saves.

50. "Blech!": ICK.    Expressions of disgust or distaste.

52. Apparently was: SEEMED.  So it appeared.

53. Mega- squared: TERA.  Prefixes indicating large and even larger numbers or quantities.  Mega = 1 million, Tera = 1 trillion.

56. Hanauma Bay's island: OAHU.  Where Spam is popular, maybe.

57. Gave up: CEDED.   Relinquish control of possession of something, such as a territory, often unwillingly or because forced to do so:  

58. Fan out: SPLAY.  As fingers or limbs.

64. Photo __: OPS.   A photo op, short for photograph opportunity, is an arranged opportunity to take a photograph of a politician, a celebrity, or a notable event. The term was coined by the administration of US President Richard Nixon. William Safire credited its coinage to Bruce Whelihan, an aide to Nixon Press Secretary Ron Ziegler.

65. Clever remark: MOT.   Short for bon mot - a pithy or witty remark. 

66. Paul Anka's "__ Beso": ESO.  That kiss, from 1962.

 

 67. High hybrid stat: MPG.  A hybrid is a vehicle powered by both a gasoline engine and an electric motor.  It should achieve a high number of Miles Per Gallon of gasoline.

Thus ends our Wednesday repast.  Hope you didn't get indigestion.  I found it quite satisfying.

Cool regards, 

JzB

L.A. times crossword Wednesday, June 8, 2022 Huang-Kim Vu and Wendy L. Brandes

Theme:   Elementary, my dear Puzzle Solver.  One word of each them fill is a chemical element from the periodic table. 

17 A. There's an element of doubt to it?: WAFFLE IRON.  This is a kitchen device for pressing batter into a shape with dimpled surfaces.  IRON is a metallic element with the atomic number 26 and symbol Fe.  By mass, it is the most common element on earth.

23 A. There's an element of romance to it?: CARBON DATING.  This is the determination of the age or date of organic matter from the relative proportions of the CARBON [symbol C] isotopes carbon-12 and carbon-14 that it contains. The ratio between them changes as radioactive carbon-14 decays.  DATING is activity with someone - often, but not always, of the other gender - in pursuit of a romantic relationship. 

53 A. There's an element of mystery to it?: SILVER SCREEN.  Literally, the screen n which a motion picture is projected; by analogy, movies collectively, or the movie industry.  SILVER, beside being the Lone Ranger's horse, is a soft, white, lustrous transition metal with atomic number 47 and symbol Ag.  It has the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal.  Movies can be, among other things, mysteries, or dramas, or like 64 A.  I think this clue is a bit of a stretch.  But, then, silver is malleable.

64 A. There's an element of humor to it?: COMEDY GOLD.  This is common phrase describing something that is very funny.  GOLD  is a yellow metallic element with atomic number 79 and symbol Au, used especially in jewelry and decoration and to guarantee the value of currencies. 

Found this on Facebook

Hi, Gang - JazzBumpa here to analyze this elementary puzzle.  As someone with two long defunct chemistry degrees, I absolutely love this theme.  Let's see what other riches we can discover.

Across:

1. Where to hear cutting remarks?: SALON.  A place where a stylist can do your do.  Nicely clued.

6. Tiff: SPAT.  Quarrel.

10. "The one over there": THAT.   Indication of. specific thing.

14. "Gotta run!": I'M OFF.  Alternatively, "There's something wrong with me."

15. Sharpen: HONE.  As a knife edge or set of skins.

16. Corned beef __: HASH.  A mixture of chopped corned beef and potatoes.

19. Crazy about: INTO.  Relating to something you are involved with or enjoy.  Crazy about might be overstating it.

20. Prosecco kin: ASTI.   A pair od sparkling iotalian wines.

21. Start to matter?: ANTI-.  Anti-matter is a substance composed of subatomic particles that have the mass, electric charge, and magnetic moment of the electrons, protons, and neutrons of ordinary matter but for which the electric charge and magnetic moment are opposite in sign.  Matter can mean stuff, as a noun, or be of some importance, as a verb.  Despite the clever word play, this type of cutesy affix clue has long outlived it usefulness and amusement value.

22. Sing smoothly: CROON.

 

 26. Increased: ADDED TO.  Amped up.

29. Carving of a Polynesian god: TIKI.  In Polynesian mythology, tiki often represents the first human being on Earth created by the atua (deity) Tane, who, together with Hine-ahu-one, is considered humankind's progenitors. In areas of Polynesia, carved tiki figures were often thought to be a repository for a certain god's mana (prestige).

30. "Hips Don't __": Shakira hit: LIE.  Fairly sure this is not crooning.

 

There is no deceit in these body parts

 

31. "Yikes!": OH NO.  Exclamation of dismay.

33. Nana alternative: MEEMAW.  A grandmother's title, as bestowed by an infant.  This is what my son's kids called Gloria when they were learning to talk.  In contract, I remember, her son's oldest, Amanda, asking: "Do I have to call you that?"  We said she didn't.  

37. __ pressure: PEER.   Influence from members of one's peer group.  Can be good or bad.

39. Keebler baker: ELF.

 

 41. Gazpacho, por ejemplo: SOPA.  An example of soup - specifically, a cold soup made of raw, blended vegetables, of Spanish origin.

42. Fla. coastal city: ST. PETE.  More formally, St. Petersburg, on the Gulf coast, known as the sunshine city.

45. "The Daily Show" correspondent Lydic: DESI.   An American comedian and actress [b 1981] who is a correspondent on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. From 2011 to 2016, she starred as guidance counselor Valerie Marks on the MTV comedy-drama series Awkward. 

Correspondent

48. Fellows: MEN.  Guys.

49. __ Bradley bags: VERA.   This is an American luggage and handbag design company, founded by Barbara Bradley Baekgaard and Patricia R. Miller in 1982.

51. If nothing else: AT LEAST.  What you might have to settle for.

57. Leg joints: KNEES.   The joints between the thighs and the lower legs in humans.

58. Target on a putting green: HOLE.  Where you sink you putts.  And no gimmies!

59. "Got it": I SEE.  Understood.

63. Walkman descendant: I-POD.  A portable electronic device for playing and storing digital audio and video files.

66. Course catalog?: MENU.  The courses of a meal.  Another clever clue.

67. Father of Eros: ARES.  Ares is the Greek god of courage and war. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera.   Eros is the Greek god of love and sex.   Shakira reveals the truth about him.

68. Shoyu flavor: UMAMI.  Umami, or savoriness, is one of the five basic tastes. It has been described as savory and is characteristic of broths and cooked meats. People taste umami through taste receptors that typically respond to glutamates and nucleotides, which are widely present in meat broths and fermented products.

69. Cold spell: SNAP.  A weather event involving a cooling of the air, or the invasion of very cold air, over a large area. It is marked by a drop of average temperature well below the typical averages of a region.

70. Action at the track: BETS.  Wagers.

71. Analyze grammatically: PARSE.  Analyze a sentence into its parts and describe their syntactic roles.

Down:

1. Dancer/YouTube star JoJo __: SIWA.  Joelle Joanie "JoJo" Siwa [b2003] is an American dancer, singer, and YouTuber.  If interested, you can search her many videos on YouTube.

2. Reddit Q&A sessions: AMAs.  Ask Me Anythings.  [I might even answer.]

3. Ann Taylor __: LOFT.  Loft, originally Ann Taylor Loft, was established in 1996 as an extension of the original Ann Taylor brand, offers more relaxed fashions for work and home, in the "moderate" priced category.

4. One end of some commutes: OFFICE.  Work place for many.

5. Org. with Giants and Titans: NFL.  National Football League.

6. Tibia: SHIN BONE.  The tibia is the shinbone, the larger of the two bones in the lower leg. The top of the tibia connects to the knee joint and the bottom connects to the ankle joint. Although this bone carries the majority of the body's weight, it still needs the support of the fibula.  If hips dlm't lie, do fibula fib?

7. Coastal city on the Iberian Peninsula: PORTO.  Port in Spanish.

8. Choose, as a successor: ANOINT.   Figurative.  More literally, ceremonially confer divine or holy office upon (a priest or monarch) by smearing or rubbing with oil.

9. Uniform number for Sue Bird: TEN.   Suzanne Brigit Bird [b 1980] is an American-Israeli professional basketball player for the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association. 

10. Decade that is less than a decade away: THIRTIES.  We are now in the twenties.  They are not roaring.

11. Location of Hoan Kiem Lake: HANOI.  In Viet Nam

12. __ Martin: British car: ASTON.  Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC is an English manufacturer of luxury sports cars and grand tourers. 

13. Flip-flop: THONG.   A shoe that is held on by two straps that go next to the big toe. 

18. Habitat for humanity: EARTH.   Our home planet.

22. Celebratory slice: CAKE.  For birthdays, weddings, graduations, etc.

24. Big fuss: ADO.  A state of agitation or fuss, especially about something unimportant.

25. __ sum: bite-sized Chinese fare: DIM.  It is a large range of small Chinese dishes that are traditionally enjoyed in restaurants for brunch.

26. Range for yodelers?: ALPS.  Range can mean a number of things, depending on context.  Here it refers to mountains, not vocal tessitura. 

27. Nutrition regimen: DIET.  Foodstuffs selected in a nutritional strategy.

28. Profound: DEEP.  

32. Outdated: OLD.

34. NYC home of Frida Kahlo's "Self-Portrait With Cropped Hair": MOMA.  Museum Of Modern Art,  Frida came up the last time I blogged.

35. Chimps and gorillas: APES.   Any large primate that lacks a tail, including the gorilla, chimpanzee, orangutan, and gibbon.

36. Desire: WANT.

38. Really got going: REVVED UP.  Excited or enthused.

40. Like skeleton racers, seemingly: FEARLESS.   Skeleton is a winter sliding sport in which a person rides a small sled, known as a skeleton bobsled, down a frozen track while lying face down and head-first. 

43. Some concert merch: TEES.  Simple shirts, possibly with complex art work.

44. Mistakenly hit reply all, e.g.: ERR.  Make a mistake.

46. Trusty mount: STEED.  Just so.

47. __ de la Cité: Paris landmark: ILE.  An island in the river Seine in the center of Paris. In the 4th century, it was the site of the fortress of the Roman governor. In 508, Clovis I, the first King of the Franks, established his palace on the island.

50. On dry land: ASHORE.

52. Puzzle: ENIGMA. Something that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand.

53. Leafs (through): SKIMS. An act of reading something quickly or superficially.

54. How contracts are usually signed: IN PEN.  For permanence.  INK also fits.

55. "Bleeding Love" singer Lewis: LEONA.  Leona Louise Lewis [b, 1985] is a British singer, songwriter, actress, model and activist.

Lips can lie

56. Cleaner sold in green canisters: COMET.  

60. Rocket: SOAR.  Fly high.

61. Shady bunch?: ELMS.  Shade giving trees - they don't lie.

62. Singer Brickell: EDIE.  Edie Arlisa Brickell [b 1966] is an American singer-songwriter widely known for 1988's Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars, the debut album by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, which went to No. 4 on the Billboard albums chart. She is married to singer-songwriter Paul Simon.

64. Taxi: CAB.  A vehicle that carries paying passengers 

65. "You betcha": YUP.  Slangy agreement.

So ends another Wednesday's offering.  Hope you reacted well to it.

Cool regards!

JzB