Crossword Puzzle Blogging

L. A. Times Crossword Puzzle


Wednesday, November 25, 2009 Gareth Bain

Theme: RAMA LAMA DING DONG

Yikes!  I never imagined seeing that here.  Or anywhere else, for that matter.

17A 360 degree artwork: CYCLORAMA.  Never heard of it

26A Former resident of Lhasa's Potala Palace:  DALAI LAMA  Easy answer. Hard to spell. Had to rely on perps.

41A Wildly exciting in slang: RING-A-DING.  OK, I guess - but not very common.

52 A Long Time Chinese Leader:  MAO ZE DONG.  Another easy answer, but a real spelling challenge.

And 43D  Named for a car model, group who sang the 1961 hit formed by the end of 17-, 26-, 41-, and 52-Across: EDSELS.  I went from Freshman to Sophomore in High School in 1961.  I remember the song, almost, and the car, but not the group.  The YouTube link says 1957-58, not 1961, and that sounds right to me.

Hi, gang - it's Jazzbumpa, your displaced OHIOAN trombonist.  Let's dedicate today's puzzle to Buckeye and Crockett.  Hope I didn't miss anyone.

Rather a fun puzzle.  I had no clue on the theme until I got to 43 D.

Quite a few long fills and nice 5-stacks.  I counted 36 black squares.  Let's work it out.




Across:

1A Workout room: GYM.  Dennis can give us the details.

4A Bit of hardware: SCREW.  I think of it as a machine part, but hardware is OK, too.  Other meanings are possible.

9A Suffix with sea: SCAPE.  I wasn't sure what to expect here.  Had to get perp help.

14A Extinct ostrich like bird: MOA.  The MOA, the merrier.  Too bad they're gone

15A Games authority: HOYLE.  He wrote the book on many card games.

16A Give_________: care: A HOOT.  I tried A DAMN first, thinking about Rhett and Scarlet.  Then I got A____T from the perps, and was a bit concerned for a while.

19A Hardly the gregarious type:  LONER.  Thought of this guy.  Wonder if he's in solitary confinement?

20 Buckeye: OHIOAN.  Needs no explanation.   But here, anyway.   I have a semi-closely related horse chestnut tree in my backyard.  I think Buckeyes were declared illegal in Michigan last Saturday.  We had a great time at the game and tailgating, but the outcome was sure hard on the locals.

21A "Skip the sordid details."  SPARE ME.  Or a bowler requesting assistance on a 7-10, perhaps.

23A Like many Airports: Abbr.: INTL.  Internal, like near the center of a continent.  Oh, wait - maybe it's international.

24 A  ________  FIRMA:  TERRA.  Well, what else could it be?

25A Well fluids: INKS.  The stuff in the ink well.  Nice, clever clue, it you're old enough to remember ink wells.  Did anybody under about 50 have trouble with this?

30 A  God of hawks: ARES.  We think of him as the god of war, and therefore hawks =  warmongers.  But Wikipedia points out that ARES is the god of bloodlust and slaughter.  Lovely.

31 A  Gear part: COG.  A single tooth, a cogwheel, or someone like Mongo, only pawn in game of life.

32 A  Frank:  WEENIE.  I stumbled all over this one.  Like Diogenes, I was looking for an honest man.  Or at least some nice buns.

33A Fanzine, e.g. MAG  Abbrv. fr. Mgzn. I gss.

34 Limerick's place: IRELAND.  The Emerald Isle. Ye Olde Sod.  Home of Guinness.   Oddly, I have a limerick on my blog today.  First one ever.  Go figure

36A Old Prizm automaker: GEO.  And 1D Canyon or Sierra: GMC.  Correct, and correct.  This time there can be no dispute.

37A Represent as Identical: EQUATE.  Do you equate EQUATE with "make identical?"   How about correspond, match, similar or analogous?  Just askin . . .

39 A _______ And outs. INS.   Are they talking about doorways, or something else?

40 A   East Berlin's Cold War Counterpart: BONN  The two capital cities.

43 A Guesses "true" when the answer is false: ERRS.  Or drops the ball.  It's only human.

44 A Pulizer winner Walker:  ALICE.   Won Pulizer Prize for "The Color Purple."  I forgot.

46A Golfer who won the 1992 U.S. Open:  TOM KITE.  I couldn't tell you who won the 2009 U.S. Open.

49A Prescription measure:  DOSE.  It's just the right amount.

51 A  Nebraska city:  OMAHA  Founded in 1854, the nations 42nd largest city.

55 A Boston Airport: LOGAN.  It's just about surrounded by water.

56 A Throw out: EXPEL.  Like, from school.

57 A  Nitrogen based dye:  AZO.  Al?  Dr. Dad?

58 A  Pork Cuts:  LOINS.  Them's good eatin'!

59 A  Essentials:  NEEDS.  If you need it, it's essential.

60 A  Go one better.  TOP.  Lions over Browns.  Crazy finish.

Down:

2 D  Toy on a string: YOYO.  Or a honker, dinger YOYO jamborie.

3 D  Rapid fire weapon:  MACHINE GUN.  Rat-a-tat-tat.

4 D  "Eats, ______, & Leaves" : Punctuation handbook:  SHOOTS.  Beware of koalas with MACHINE GUNS.

5 D  Reef Stuff: CORAL And starfish fodder.

6 D  "Saving Private ______"  RYAN  War really is hell.

7 D Common street name:  ELM  Formerly, a common tree.  Now ash is in trouble, too.

8 D  Cunning sort: WEASEL.  Seems wrong.  Should be "a sneaky, untrustworthy, or insincere person"

9 D  Not paid hourly: SALARIED.  Either way, it's take home pay.

10 D Bach Work:  CHORALE  Bah! I can't find a YouTube link to one actually being sung.  We'll have to settle for this.

11 D Superior: A ONE. Or Minnesota's Lake.

12 D Keats work: POEM  Better than a Yeats work, C.A.?

13 D Raison d'_________: Reason for being: ETRE.  A bit strained, IMHO.

18 D Golf course: LINKS.  Or breakfast before a round, perhaps.

22 D Shrimp like crustaceans: PRAWNS Anybody know the difference?

24 D "In space no one can hear you scream" for "Alien.":  TAG LINE  A memorable branding slogan used in advertising.

25 D  Mosul resident: IRAQI

26 D  Forest female: DOE.  And the start of a genuinely horrible song.  I won't link to it.

27 D  Source of mohair: ANGORA GOAT  Rather a handsome fellow

28 D  Bearings:  MIENS  I wanted more machine parts, not demeanor.

29 D  Near eternity: AEON  When you need a bunch of vowels, you need a bunch of vowels!

30 D  From the U.S.: AMER.  Abbrv. in Cl.  Abbrv. in Ans.

31 D Cash Alternative: CREDIT  Use it if you have it.

34 D Neopolitans, e.g. ITALIANS  Originating in Naples, or Napoli

35 D  Director Lee: ANG  Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Brokeback Mountain, etc.

38 D Shi'ite leader: AGA KHAN  The hereditary title of the Imam of the Nizārī Muslims,  I had no idea.

40 D  Server's basketful:  BREAD  In a retaurant, or at the sermon on the mount, with fish.

42 D Bygone bringers of cold blocks: ICE MEN  They were cool.

45 D Leaked Slowly:  OOZED.  The word sounds viscous and slimey.

46 D  Turnpike fee: TOLL  To pay for the snack, I suppose.

47 D  Melville Novel: OMOO.  Unknown outside of crosswords.

48 D "The gift of the___": MAGI  Sad, ironic story of loving and giving, by O Henry.

49 D Info: DOPE  I haven't heard it used this way in EAONS.

50 D Auto designer Ferrari:  ENZO.   Must have a picture.

53 D Stump creator: AXE  Sharp clue.

54 D Red State Org.:  GOP.  Grand Old Party.  The erstwhile party of Lincoln. 'Nuff said.

Cheers!

Cross posted at The Corner.

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