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