L. A. Times Crossword Wednesday, September 21, 2022 Bonnie Eisenman

Theme: A DASH OF HABERDASHERY - or - YOU'RE PUTTING ME ON.  Theme answers are not quite homonyms for in-the-language phrases, and refer to articles of apparel. Let's try them on for size.

But first, today's theme song.

 

20. Impractical way to get dressed?: SHOES ON FIRST.  They're likely to get caught up in one's pant legs.  I assume everyone gets the reference.

31. Planning meeting for the costume department?: CLOTHES CALL.  I guess it's a zoom meeting, not face to face, since it'a CALL.  Anyway, this is a narrow escape

42. Disappointing sign on a store selling warm-weather garments?: OUT OF SHORTS.  So, alas, we are forced to wear long pants.  That has us feeling not quite right.

53. Really pulls off a jacket?: ROCKS THE COAT.  Not removing it, but rather to wear, display, or feature it in a striking, distinctive, or attractive manner.  Not like rocking the boat, which means disturbing the status quo.

 

Hi Gang, JazzBunpa here to escort you to the fitting room.  Let's find out if anything needs alteration.

Across:

 1. Thwack: SLAP.  Strike with the palm of the hand or a flat object.  Ouch!

5. Informed (of): AWARE.  On to.

10. Compensation: WAGE.  Regular payment for a steady job.

14. Tuck out of view: HIDE.  Conceal something.

15. Wrinkled: LINED. Having undesired slight folds.

16. Many a univ. donor: ALUM.  Grad.  Note abrvs.

17. 365 days: YEAR.  One solar circuit.

18. Rub ingredient: SPICE.  An aromatic or pungent vegetable substance used to flavor food, 

19. HBO political satire starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus: VEEP. 

 

23. Barack and Michelle's eldest daughter: MALIA.  Lots of pics here.

26. Family room: DEN.  A room in a house or apartment, used for activities not involving work:

27. Impatient: ANTSY.  Agitated; a blend of eager and anxious.

28. Lives: EXISTS.  Is alive.

30. Cookie fruit: FIG.  The edible fruit of Ficus carica, a species of small tree in the flowering plant family Moraceae. Native to the Mediterranean and western Asia, it has been cultivated since ancient times and is now widely grown throughout the world, both for its fruit and as an ornamental plant. 

35. "Stop filming!": CUT.  This signifies the end of a take and a call to stop the action. It's crucial for the actor to keep the acting and action going until the director calls “cut” or they risk messing up a great shot. It is never up to the actor to stop what they're doing without the “cut” call from the director.

38. Broody sorts?: HENS.  They sit on their eggs until they hatch. Not sure what mood they are in.

39. Sir or sri: TITLE.   Words designating rank, office, or nobility; terms of address (Mr., Mrs.); initials for an academic degree (MBA, Dr), or terms of respect.

40. More than dislike: HATE.   An intense or passionate negative feeling.

41. Donkey: ASS.  Beast of burden. 

44. GPS display: MAP.  "The map is not the territory."  -- Ned Stark

45. Small village: HAMLET.  Derived from Old French, meaning a settlement smaller than a village.

46. Food cart snacks in South Asia: CHAAT.   A family of savoury snacks that originated in India, typically served as an hors d'oeuvre or at roadside tracks from stalls or food carts across South Asia in India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh.  Now you know.

49. Texting letters: SMS.   SMS, or "Short Message Service," refers to standard text messages that are sent using a cellular signal instead of an internet connection, unlike iMessage or other web-based messaging services. SMS messages are limited to 160 characters, which is why longer SMS messages are typically broken into parts.

52. Swerves: VEERS.  Sharply changes direction.

56. Initial poker bet: ANTE.  Pay to play.

57. Japanese noodle dish: RAMEN.   Quick-cooking noodles, typically served in a broth with meat and vegetables.

58. Carried debt: OWED.   Was in the red.

62. Appear to be: SEEM.  Give the impression of being a particular kind of person or thing. 

63. "You __ kidding!": ARENT.  Contraction of. are not.

64. Grow tiresome: WEAR.   Exhaust one's patience or tolerance.

65. Jekyll's counterpart: HYDE.  A duel-personality character featured in a Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, first published in 1886. 

66. Basil-based sauce: PESTO.   A sauce originating in Genoa, the capital city of Liguria, Italy. It traditionally consists of crushed garlic, European pine nuts, coarse salt, basil leaves, and hard cheese such as Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Sardo, all blended with olive oil.

67. Yields, as a profit: NETS.   Gain determined by income less expenses.

Down:

1. Bashful: SHY.   Being reserved or having or showing nervousness or timidity in the company of other people.

2. Blip on a polygraph, maybe: LIE.   This is properly regarded as pseudo-science, but sadly is credible in legal proceedings.

3. Hugo-nominated novelist Palmer: ADA.   She is an American historian and writer and winner of the 2017 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. Her first novel Too Like the Lightning was published in May 2016. The work has been well received by critics and was a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Novel. 

4. Continues: PERSISTS.  Continues firmly or obstinately in an opinion or a course of action in spite of difficulty, opposition, or failure.

5. "One more thing ... ": ALSO.   Besides that; in addition . . .

6. Totally beat: WIPED.  Exhausted.

7. Ouzo flavoring: ANISE.   Anise (Pimpinella anisum) is one of the oldest known spice plants. It grows in the Mediterranean, Spain, West Asia, Mexico, Egypt, and the Middle East. Anise contains chemicals that might have estrogen-like effects, decrease swelling, and help fight off insects.   Does it taste god or awful -- you decide.

8. Scouting mission, briefly: RECON.   Short for reconnaissance, the military observation of a region to locate an enemy or ascertain strategic features.

9. Garden with forbidden fruit: EDEN.   Original home of Adam and Eve, as the story goes.  Sadly, it was snake infested.

10. Fluttering in the wind: WAVING.   Moving to and fro with a swaying or undulating motion while remaining fixed to one point.

11. Warning signal: ALERT.   A warning of a danger, threat, or problem, typically with the intention of having it avoided or dealt with.

12. Ballpark figure: GUESS.   Should be a closer estimate than a mere guess.

13. Like cans in a recycling bin, hopefully: EMPTY.  You don't generally throw them out when they're full.

21. Doth own: HATH.  Possesses, old style.

22. Fall flat: FAIL.   be unsuccessful in achieving one's goal.

23. Anime genre featuring giant robots: MECHA.   Anime in Japan is any animated work, regardless of style.  Mecha is anime featuring robots in battle.

24. Wheel-connecting rods: AXLES.    A central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear. On wheeled vehicles, the axle may be fixed to the wheels, rotating with them, or fixed to the vehicle, with the wheels rotating around the axle. 

25. NFL team whose mascot is named Roary: LIONS.  See him here.  They hung on for the win this week.

29. Punchline lead-in: SETUP.   A lead-in line that prepares the listener for the joke, often with misdirection.

30. __ and blood: FLESH.  Used to emphasize that a person is a physical, living being with human emotions or frailties, often in contrast to something abstract, spiritual, or mechanical.  Fire doesn't fit.

32. "Pull up a chair": SIT.  Take a load off our feet.

33. Corp. computer exec: CTO.   Chief Technical Officer.

34. Fuzzy sitcom star of the 1980s: ALF.  Acronym for Alien Life Form.   Gordon Shumway [aka ALF] is an alien from the planet Melmac who follows an amateur radio signal to Earth and crash-lands into the garage of the Tanners, a suburban middle-class family who live in the San Fernando Valley area of California. 

35. "The Grouchy Ladybug" writer/illustrator: CARLE.   The Grouchy Ladybug, also known as The Very Grouchy Ladybug, is a 1977 children's book written by Eric Carle, best known as the author of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and published by Greenwillow Books.  Eric Carle [1929 - 2021] was an American author, designer and illustrator of children's books.

36. Out-and-out: UTTER.   Complete; absolute.

37. Tries, as one's patience: TESTS.   Persists in annoying behavior.

40. Place of origin: HOMETOWN.   Straight forward.

42. Cheerios grains: OATS.   The oat, sometimes called the common oat, is a species of cereal grain grown for its seed, which is known by the same name. While oats are suitable for human consumption as oatmeal and rolled oats, one of the most common uses is as livestock feed.

43. "__ Nagila": Israeli folk song: HAVA.  Let us rejoice - a song of celebration.

44. Defiant retort: MAKE ME.   Force me, if you can.

46. Cymbal sound: CRASH.  This one is pretty lame.

47. Bee product: HONEY.    S sweet, viscous food substance made by honey bees and some other bees.  Bees produce honey from the sugary secretions of plants (floral nectar) or from secretions of other insects (such as honeydew), by regurgitation, enzymatic activity, and water evaporation. 

48. Performed: ACTED.   Portrayed a character in a presentation.

49. Open up, in a way: SHARE.   To tell (thoughts, feelings, experiences, etc.) to others. 

50. Fast-spreading social media posts: MEMES.   An idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture.

51. Fragrance: SCENT.   These sound better than odor and smell.

54. Hip hop genre: TRAP.   A subgenre of hip hop music that originated in the Southern United States during the early 2000s. The genre gets its name from the Atlanta slang word "trap", a house used exclusively to sell drugs. It features drum machines and lyrical content that often focuses on drug use and urban violence.  

55. "I'm __ your tricks!": ON TO.   You can't fool me.

59. Pint-size: WEE.  Tiny.

60. "Mangia!": EAT.  In Italian.

61. Many profs: DRS.  Mostly PhDs.

That's it.  Hope you're looking and feeling dapper.

Cool regards!

JzB

L.A. Times Crossword Wednesday, September 7, 2022. Susan Gelfand

Theme: Music with Dinner.  Though, I might have that backwards.  Either way, it's both tasty and notable.  And maybe I'll have to sing for my supper.  Let's hope not.  So let's dive in.

20 A.   Favorite vegetable side dish of singer Donna?: SUMMER SQUASH.  This is a squash that is harvested when immature, while the rind is still tender and edible.  LaDonna Adrian Gaines (1948 –  2012), known professionally as Donna SUMMER, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Queen of Disco", while her music gained a global following.

31. Favorite leafy course of singer Al?: GREEN SALAD .    A SALAD is a dish consisting of mixed, mostly natural ingredients with at least one raw ingredient.  A GREEN SALAD consists of lettuce and other uncooked green vegetables.

Albert Leornes Greene (b. 1946), better known as Al GREEN, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s.  

42. Favorite fish entree of singer Carole?: KING SALMON.  The Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) is the largest and most valuable species of Pacific salmon in North America, as well as the largest in the genus Oncorhynchus.  Its common name is derived from the Chinookan peoples. Other vernacular names for the species include KING SALMON, Quinnat salmon, Tsumen, spring salmon, chrome hog, Blackmouth, and Tyee salmon.

Carole KING Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who has been active since 1958, initially as one of the staff songwriters at 1650 Broadway, and later as a solo artist. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential musicians of all time, King is the most successful female songwriter of the latter half of the 20th century in the US, having written or co-written 118 pop hits on the Billboard Hot 100.

 

53. Favorite fruity dessert of singer Fiona?: APPLE STRUDEL.  A STRUDEL is a type of layered pastry with a filling that is usually sweet, in this case sliced APPLES,  spices, and other optional ingredients.

Fiona APPLE McAfee-Maggart (b. 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. She has released five albums from 1996 to 2020, which have all reached the top 20 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. APPLE has received numerous awards and nominations, including three Grammy Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards, and a Billboard Music Award

   

Hi Gang, it's JazzBumpa here, today's maitre'd cum impresario.  Hope you enjoy the savory offerings from Chef Susan.  Let's see what other delights are on the menu.

 1. Truism: AXIOM.   A statement or proposition which is regarded as being established, accepted, or self-evidently true.

6. Scrape cover: SCAB.   A dry, rough protective crust that forms over a cut or wound during healing.

10. Runs or walks, e.g.: STAT.  Baseball statistics.

14. Subway to the Louvre: METRO.   A rapid transit system in the Paris metropolitan area, France. A symbol of the city, it is known for its density within the capital's territorial limits, uniform architecture and unique entrances influenced by Art Nouveau. It is mostly underground and 226.9 kilometres long.

15. Spanish lake: LAGO.  Literal translation.

16. One and only: LONE.  Having no companions; solitary or single.

17. Fuss at the mirror: PREEN.   Devote effort to making oneself look attractive and then admire one's appearance.

18. Many an Omani: ARAB.  Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of the Persian Gulf. 

19. Legendary: EPIC.  Of extraordinary scope or magnitude.

23. Go out, as the tide: EBB.  Recede, diminish.

26. Sail support: MAST.  A tall upright post, spar, or other structure on a ship or boat, in sailing vessels generally carrying a sail or sails.

27. Toepick-assisted skating leaps: LUTZES.

 

 28. More gloomy: DARKER.  As in some fiction or weather phenomena.

30. "Okey-dokey": YEAH.   Agreement or approval

34. Decide (to): OPT.  Make a choice to do something, or not

37. Contract negotiator: AGENT.  A person who acts on behalf of another person or group.

38. Family boy: SON.  Male offspring.
 
39. Bub: FELLA.   Some guy.

41. Crayola eight-pack choice: RED.  One of the primary colors.

44. Speaker's platform: DAIS.  A low platform for a lectern, seats of honor, or a throne.

46. Candy bar nut: ALMOND.  The oval edible nutlike seed (kernel) of the almond tree, growing in a woody shell, widely used as food.

47. Saunters: MOSEYS.  Walks or moves in a leisurely manner.

50. Some ceiling fixtures: FANS.   Twirly thing that moves air.

52. Big __ Conference: NCAA division that includes Montana: SKY.  A collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I with football competing in the Football Championship Subdivision.

56. Shoe inserts: FEET.  I wanted orthotics.  Oh, well.  If it fits, wear it.

57. Curling __: IRON.  Device for unstraightening hair.

58. Post-swim wrap: TOWEL.  A piece of thick absorbent cloth  used for drying oneself or wiping things dry.

62. Quechua speaker: INCA.     South American Indians who, at the time of the Spanish conquest in 1532, ruled an empire that extended along the Pacific coast and Andean highlands from the northern border of modern Ecuador to the Maule River in central Chile. 

63. Raven's retreat: NEST.   Bird's home.

64. Connect with: TIE TO.   Make a connection or relationship between two or more persons or things.

65. Queries: ASKS.  Requests an answer or some information.

66. Picks up on: GETS.  Understands.

67. Like draft beer: ON TAP.

Down:

1. Concert piece: AMP.  Sound amplifier.  Not a musical selection.

2. Gen __: XER.  the demographic cohort following the baby boomers and preceding the millennials, generally defined as people born from 1965 to 1980.  My kids are from 1970 and 1972.

3. Meteor follower: -ITE.   Cutesy clue for a suffix.   When meteoroids enter Earth's atmosphere (or that of another planet, like Mars) at high speed and burn up, the fireballs or “shooting stars” are called meteors. When a meteoroid survives a trip through the atmosphere and hits the ground, it's called a meteorite.

4. Raw metals: ORES.    Naturally occurring solid materials from which metals or valuable minerals can be profitably extracted.

5. __ Valley: puzzle game with optical illusions: MONUMENT.  Interesting game.  I played it a few years ago, then forgot about it more recently.

6. Closes with force: SLAMS.  As if in anger.

7. Keyboard symbol above 6: CARET.   This thing: ^

8. Food thickener: AGAR.   A jelly-like substance consisting of polysaccharides obtained from the cell walls of some species of red algae, primarily from ogonori and "tengusa". 

9. Winter Olympics racer: BOBSLED.   A team winter sport that involves making timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sleigh.

10. Nancy Drew, e.g.: SLEUTH.   A person who investigates crimes.

11. Birthstone after opal: TOPAZ.  For the months of October and November, respectively.

12. Pernod flavor: ANISE.  A Mediterranean plant of the parsley family, cultivated for its aromatic seeds which are used in cooking and herbal medicine.

13. Help desk pros: TECHS.  AKA nerds.

21. Red planet: MARS.   The 4th planet in our solar system.

22. Sine __ non: essential: QUA.  QUA means "in the capacity of."  The phrase refers to something that is absolutely necessary.

23. Mystery writers' award: EDGAR.   Named for Mr. Poe.

24. River transport: BARGE.   A flat-bottomed boat for carrying freight

25. Kennel club designation: BREED.   A stock of animals within a species having a distinctive appearance and typically having been developed by deliberate selection.

29. Fox Sports MLB reporter Rosenthal: KEN.   Ken Rosenthal (b. 1962) is an American sportswriter and reporter. He serves as a field reporter for Fox Major League Baseball since 2005, and was an in-studio reporter for MLB Network from 2009 to 2022. Since August 2017, he is a senior baseball writer for The Athletic.

30. Yin and __: YANG.  Yin and yang is a Chinese philosophical concept that describes interconnected opposite forces. In Chinese cosmology, the universe creates itself out of a primary chaos of material energy, organized into the cycles of yin and yang and formed into objects and lives.

I used this idea in a sonnet I wrote many years ago.

THE SUBSTITUTE

There are those whose lives are meant to be entwined,

Lovers thrust together by the force of destiny,

When choice and fate converge, that they may be

Connected at the soul, the heart, the mind.

Within their closed circumference one can find

Two curves in perfect fit -- his yang, her yin,

That in each cycle once again begin

To cluster into love's sweet spiral bind.

But consider -- if in the vast span of infinity

One of them becomes displaced in small degree;

Is born a decade late, perhaps is sent

To the farthest corner of the continent --

The distant echo of an unfelt touch, an unseen face.

Who will be the one who comes to take his place?

32. Seller's caveat: AS IS.  What you see is what you get.

33. Chaney of classic horror: LON.   Leonidas Frank "Lon" Chaney (1883 –1930) was an American actor, director, screenwriter and makeup artist. He is regarded as one of the most versatile and powerful actors of cinema, renowned for his characterizations of tortured, often grotesque and afflicted characters, and his groundbreaking artistry with makeup.  Chaney was known for his starring roles in such silent horror films as The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) and The Phantom of the Opera (1925). His ability to transform himself using makeup techniques that he developed earned him the nickname "The Man of a Thousand Faces".

34. "Mayans M.C." star Edward James __: OLMOS.   Edward James Olmos (b. 1947) is an American actor, director, producer, and activist. He is best known for his roles as Lieutenant Martin "Marty" Castillo in Miami Vice (1984–1989), actor in and director of American Me (1992), William Adama in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica (2004–2009), teacher Jaime Escalante in Stand and Deliver (1988), for which he received an Academy Award nomination, and Detective Gaff in Blade Runner (1982) and its sequel Blade Runner 2049 (2017). In 2018 through 2022, he has played the father of two members of an outlaw motorcycle club in the FX series Mayans MC.

35. Cheap wine, in British slang: PLONK.   Who knew?

36. Jessica of "Cocoon": TANDY.   Jessie Alice Tandy (1909 – 1994) was a British-American actress. Tandy appeared in over 100 stage productions and had more than 60 roles in film and TV, receiving an Academy Award, four Tony Awards, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. She acted as Blanche DuBois in the original Broadway production of A Streetcar Named Desire in 1948. Her films included Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds and The Gin Game. At 80, she became the oldest actress to receive the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Driving Miss Daisy.

39. Artificially high voice: FALSETTO.

 

 40. West __: high-end design retailer: ELM.   One of many brands owned by the Williams-Sonoma Co.

42. Smooching: KISSING.  Touching with the lips as a sign of love, sexual desire, reverence, or greeting.

43. Temporary castle material: SAND.   For when you're at the beach.

I especially like the arch

44. River mouth formations: DELTAS.    Landforms shaped like triangles, created by deposition of sediment that is carried by a river and enters slower-moving or stagnant water. This occurs where a river enters an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, or another river that cannot carry away the supplied sediment. 

45. Affirmative vote: AYE.  I see.

47. Criminal group: MAFIA.   An organized international body of criminals, operating originally in Sicily and now especially in Italy and the US and having a complex and ruthless behavioral code.

48. Debuts: OPENS.   As, frex., a play or movie

49. Tiny bit: SPECK.   Mote

50. Cold coat: FROST.  a deposit of small white ice crystals formed on the ground or other surfaces when the temperature falls below freezing.

51. Many godmothers: AUNTS.  Moms' sisters.  Or dads'.

54. Genealogy diagram: TREE.  A diagram showing the relationships between people in several generations of a family; a genealogical tree.

55. Meat cut: LOIN.  a cut from the part of the body on either side of the spine between the lowest ribs and the hipbones.

59. In need of a 58-Across: WET.  From swimming or getting caught in the rain.

60. Due-in hr.: ETA.   Estimated Time of Arrival

61. Cut (off): LOP.   To cut off (a branch, limb, or other protrusion) from the main body of a tree.  Can one lop a loin?

After today's tasty adventure, I will leave you to ponder that meaty question at your leisure.

Cool regards!

JzB