L.A. Times Crossword Wednesday, May 20, 2026 Steve Jopek

Theme: The Pressure Is On!   Here we have an unusual theme where the entries are united by something that happens to them.  Let's start with the unifier.

59 A. Feeling the squeeze, or what 17-, 23-, 37-, and 48-Across may be: HARD PRESSED.   This means to face a lot of difficulty, distress, or burden—usually because you are lacking time, money, or resources. It is also frequently used in the phrase "hard-pressed to do something," which means you would find it very difficult or unlikely to achieve a specific task.  More literally, it means to be subjected to physical pressure.

17 A. LP or 45: VINYL RECORD.  These are old-style phonograph records that have recently made a comeback.  My youngest granddaughter has some featuring her favorite modern artists.  

This is how it is done

23 A. Emergency feature on a car's key fob: PANIC BUTTON.   A key fob panic button is a safety feature, often labeled in red, that triggers a vehicle's horn and lights to blare continuously to attract attention during emergencies.  You have to press it.  I'm not sure how hard.

37 A. Ham-and-cheese concoctions with Florida origins: CUBAN SANDWICHES.   Warm, pressed ham and cheese sandwiches featuring roast pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard on crusty Cuban bread. Popularized by Cuban immigrants in Florida, it is typically grilled in a plancha (panini press) until the bread is crisp and the cheese melts.

48 A. Waterless treatment for some clothes: DRY CLEANING.  Dry cleaning is a professional cleaning process that uses special liquid chemical solvents instead of water to remove dirt, stains, and oils from fabric. Despite the name, clothes do get wet, but they are never submerged in water, which prevents delicate fabrics from shrinking, swelling, or losing their shape.   To finish the process, garments are expertly steamed and pressed using automated machinery or hand irons for a crisp, wrinkle-free finish.

Hi, Gang, JazzBunpa here to push us through this puzzle.  The pressure is on, so let us press on.

Here is today's theme song, once available on a Vinyl Record.

Across:

1. Pesters: NAGS.   Annoys, bothers, or persistently urges someone by constantly finding fault or making complaints.   What is it called if you annoy an old and overworked horse?

5. "Break a leg" addressee: ACTOR.  An actor is a performer in a play or movie.  "Break a leg" is a theatrical idiom used to wish performers good luck before a show. Because actors are notoriously superstitious and believe wishing good luck directly will cause the opposite, they use this phrase instead.

10. Minor quibble: NIT.  A minor or trivial complaint.  Not to be confused with an insect's egg.

13. Regions: AREAS.   Broad geographical, spatial, or conceptual areas defined by shared characteristics. 

15. Sulu portrayer on "Star Trek": TAKEI.   George Takei [b. 1937] is an American actor, author, activist, and director. He's best known for his role as Hikaru Sulu, the USS Enterprise's helmsman in the original Star Trek series and several films.

16. Prior to today: AGO.  Once upon a time.

19. Category: ILK.  Type.  Moose are not elks, but they are of the elk ilk.  Oh, deer!

20. "From my point of view ... ": AS I SEE IT.   IMHO.

21. Gin infusion berry: SLOE.   A small, sour, bluish-black fruit that grows on the blackthorn bush (Prunus spinosa). Because the raw fruit is highly astringently bitter, it is rarely eaten fresh but is famously used to make jams, preserves, and liqueurs like sloe gin.

22. Filmmaker Spike: LEE.   Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American filmmaker, actor, and tenured professor at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1957, Lee is known for his provocative and uncompromising approach to controversial topics. His films often explore themes of race relations, urban discontent, and diversity within Black communities. 

27. The Falcons, on scoreboards: ATL.  Atlanta, GA is home to the Falcons of the National Football League..  They also have a pretty good baseball team

28. Squabble: ARGUE.  Quibble, perhaps pick nits.

29. Sandler of "Uncut Gems": ADAM.  Adam Richard Sandler [b. 1966] is an American actor, comedian, producer, musician, and screenwriter. He's known for his comedic roles in movies like Happy Gilmore, The Wedding Singer, and Little Nicky, but has also taken on dramatic roles like in Reign Over Me. His films often explore themes related to his Jewish heritage and range from romantic comedies to animated features like the Hotel Transylvania series. 

32. Plywood sheet: PANEL.    A flat, rectangular piece of building material (like plywood or sheet metal) used to form a surface or structure.

34. PC core: CPU.  Central Processing Unit.  The primary "brain" of a computer or smart device. It processes instructions, performs calculations, and manages the flow of data across all hardware and software.

41. Partner of flow: EBB.   The movement of the tide going out or retreating from the shore. Metaphorically, it is used to describe a gradual decline, lessening, or weakening of something over time (such as energy, morale, or emotion).

42. Wee: EENSY.  Teeny, itsey-bitsy.  A non-word meaning tiny.

43. Most populous continent: ASIA.  Asia is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area.

44. Online birthday greeting: E-CARD.    A digital version of a traditional greeting card. Sent via email, text, or messaging app,

46. A billion years: EON.   A unit of time representing an indefinitely long, immeasurable period. Might be a billion.  But who counts?

52. Bullpen stat: ERA.  Earned Run Average, representing the average number of runs an opposing team scores against them per nine innings .  

55. Jam-packed containers?: JARS.  Cylindrical glass or ceramic containers with wide openings, used for storing items like food, or food-like substances.  Jam is a fruit spread that can be packed into a jar. 

56. Like some work in a teacher's stack: UNGRADED.  Refers to something has not been assigned a grade, score, or classification level.  Alternatively,  dirt or gravel roads that have not been leveled, smoothed, or paved.

58. Vow renewal vow: I DO.  For marriage renewal.  Did it not take the first time?

62. Actress Peeples: NIA.   Virenia Gwendolyn Peeples [b. 1961], known professionally as Nia Peeples, is an American actress, singer, and producer. Peeples transitioned to acting in the early 1980s, gaining recognition for her role as Nicole Chapman on the TV show Fame. She's also known for her roles as Pam Fields on Pretty Little Liars, Karen Taylor Winters on The Young and the Restless, and Sydney Cooke on Walker, Texas Ranger. 

63. Proverb: ADAGE.   A short, memorable saying that expresses a well-known truth or common observation about life.  Frex: A bird in the hand saves nine.

64. Conchiglie pasta shape: SHELL.  A conch is a marine snail with a spiral shell.  I assume it is the eponym for this style of pasta, which comes in various sizes.

65. Zeus or Poseidon: GOD.  Zeus was the chief god of the Greek pantheon.  Poseidon, god of the sea, was his brother.

66. Saudi Arabia neighbor: YEMEN.   Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Including the Socotra Archipelago, mainland Yemen is located in southern Arabia; bordering Saudi Arabia to the north, and Oman to the northeast.  Yemen is the second largest country on the Arabian Peninsula by area, and the largest by population.

67. "If all __ fails ... ": ELSE.   This means that if every other planned action, preferred solution, or attempt you have tried is unsuccessful, you will move to your final fallback option or backup plan.

Down:

1. Part of USNA: NAVAL.  United States Naval Acadamy.

2. Respond to reveille: ARISE.  Wake up, Sad Sack.

3. "Aladdin" role for Robin Williams: GENIE.  Spirit in a bottle.   Don't rub it the wrong way.

4. Simon __: SAYS.  "Simon Says" is a classic listening game where players follow the leader's physical commands only if the phrase begins with the words "Simon says".

5. Used Grubhub, say: ATE IN.  Had a meal at home, in this case delivered from somewhere.

6. Some succulents: CACTI.   Succulents are drought-resistant plants that store water in their fleshy leaves, stems, or roots. The term comes from the Latin word sucus, meaning "juice" or "sap". They are not one specific family of plants, but rather a survival adaptation shared across roughly 60 different plant families.  Cactus plants are members of the succulent plant family Cactaceae, native primarily to the Americas. They are uniquely adapted to hot, arid environments, featuring thick, fleshy stems that store water, and sharp spines instead of traditional leaves to conserve moisture and deter animals

7. Ref's ring call, for short: TKO.  Technical Knock Out, a term used in combat sports like boxing, MMA, and wrestling to describe the end of a match when a referee, ringside physician, or a fighter's corner stops the fight because a competitor can no longer safely defend themselves

8. Opposite of 'neath: O'ER. Beneath and over - realtive p'sit'ns.

9. Divest (of): RID.  to strip, rid, or deprive someone or something of a possession, right, or quality. In business and finance, it specifically refers to the act of selling off assets, investments, or subsidiary companies, often for financial restructuring, ethical reasons, or to refocus on core operations

10. Mani-pedi pros: NAIL TECHS.     Licensed beauty professionals who specialize in the cosmetic care, grooming, and beautification of fingernails and toenails. 

11. Yeti rival: IGLOO.  Brands of coolers - cases for keeping food and drinks cold.

12. Game piece: TOKEN.    A physical or digital object used in games to represent value, assets, currency, or a player's standing.

14. Got some shut-eye: SLEPT.  Cut a few Z's

18. Honest-to-goodness: REAL.  Actual or truthful.

21. "Rugrats" dad: STU.  Never watched it, and couldn't find a clip worth sharing.

24. Smarties and Nerds: CANDY.  Not types of people.  In the US, Smarties are a tart, sweet, and powdery tablet candy pressed into small, colorful rolls.   Nerds are a popular American candy consisting of tiny, tangy, crunchy pebbles. Each piece is essentially a shaped sugar crystal coated in a thin, fruit-flavored layer. 

25. Make, as beer: BREW.    Make beverages like beer, ale, coffee, or tea by steeping, boiling, or fermenting. 

26. Wrinkly citrus fruit: UGLI.    A natural hybrid citrus native to Jamaica, made from a cross between a tangerine, a grapefruit, and an orange. The name is a play on the word "ugly," referring to its rough, wrinkled, and misshapen rind.

27. Org. whose symbol is a snake around a pole: AMA.  American Medical Assosiation.  It is the largest professional association and lobbying group for physicians and medical students in the U.S. Founded in 1847 and headquartered in Chicago, its core mission is to promote the art and science of medicine and improve public health.

29. Unreturned tennis serve: ACE.  Like this.

30. Add new audio to: DUB.    To add or replace the dialogue, music or sound effects in a video, movie, or broadcast. 

31. Street on a 1969 Beatles album: ABBEY ROAD.   The real Abbey Road is a famous thoroughfare located in St John's Wood, North London, UK. It runs through the City of Westminster and the borough of Camden.   The street is universally famous for two main landmarks, which sit right next to each other:  The Zebra Crossing: This is the exact crossing featured on the iconic 1969 Beatles album cover, Abbey Road. It has since been granted Grade II listed status for its cultural and historical importance.

Abbey Road Studios: Located at 3 Abbey Road, this legendary recording studio is where The Beatles and many other musical icons recorded their work.

You can listen to the entire album.  It was originally available as a vinyl record.

32. Bamboo eater: PANDA.   The giant panda, also known as the panda bear or simply panda, is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its white coat with black patches around the eyes, ears, legs and shoulders. Its body is rotund; adult individuals weigh 100 to 115 kg and are typically 1.2 to 1.9 m long.

33. Ques. response: ANS.   Question and answer, abbrvd.

35. Architect I.M. __: PEI.  Ieoh Ming Pei [1917 - 2019] was a Chinese-American architect. Born in Guangzhou into a Chinese family, Pei drew inspiration at an early age from the garden villas at Suzhou, the traditional retreat of the scholar-gentry to which his family belonged.

36. Can. neighbor: USA. North American countries and hickey rivals.

38. Sci-fi author Stephenson: NEAL.  Neal Town Stephenson [b. 1959] is an American writer known for his works of speculative fiction. His novels have been categorized as science fiction, historical fiction, cyberpunk, and baroque. Stephenson's work explores mathematics, cryptography, linguistics, philosophy, currency, and the history of science.

39. Withered from drought: SERE.   Dry, withered, or parched, typically used to describe landscapes, climates, or vegetation lacking moisture.

40. Is able to: CAN.   Have the ability, right or permission to do something.

45. Shares an email with: CCS.  Carbon Copies.  Though the technology has moved on, the vocabulary hasn't.

46. Many a tech school grad: ENGR.  Engineer.

47. Fairy tale monsters: OGRES.  They're like onions.

48. Working a dance party, say: DJ - ING.  Working as a disc jockey, spinning vinyl records, maybe.

49. Marconi medium: RADIO.   A technology that uses electromagnetic waves (radio waves) to transmit and receive signals through the air without connecting wires. It can refer to the underlying communication technology, the broadcasting industry, or the electronic device used to receive and play audio.   Guglielmo Giovanni Maria Marconi [1874-1937], 1st Marquess, was an Italian radio-frequency engineer, inventor, and politician known for his creation of a practical radio wave-based wireless telegraph system.

50. Elbow gently: NUDGE.   A gentle touch, push, or subtle prompting used to attract attention or encourage someone toward a specific action.  Less intense than a prod.

51. Confident way to solve a crossword: IN PEN.  I had IN INK.  Didn't work.

52. Famous Ford flop: EDSEL.  The Edsel was an automobile marque produced by the Ford Motor Company for the 1958 through 1960 model years. Named after Henry Ford's son, Edsel Ford, it is infamous for being a massive corporate failure and a textbook case of ill-timed marketing and product design.  But all these years later, it is a valued collector's item.

53. Highland dances: REELS.  

They're reel good

54. Bewilder: ADDLE.   To make someone feel confused, disoriented, or unable to think clearly. 

57. Court legend Arthur: ASHE.   Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. [1943 - 1993] was an American professional tennis player. He won three Grand Slam titles in singles and two in doubles. Ashe was the first Black player selected to the United States Davis Cup team, and the only Black man ever to win the singles titles at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open.

59. Stable staple: HAY.   Hay typically refers to grass, clover, or alfalfa that has been cut and dried. It is primarily used as stored fodder (animal food) for livestock like cattle, horses, and sheep, or as nibble and bedding for smaller pets like rabbits and guinea pigs.   I had OAT.  That was not helpful.

60. Summer refresher suffix: -ADE.  As in, frex., lemonede.

61. SoFi Stadium NFL player: RAM.   The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League as a member of the National Football Conference West division.

This wraps up today's puzzle.    I hope it made a good impression.

Cool regards!

JzB

Today's Dan Naddor Crossword Puzzle

Complete blog post on this terrific puzzle can be found at THE CORNER.
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Crossword Puzzle Blogging

I'm not going to post Crossword blogging here anymore.  In fact, I've already quit.  Those items are now directly posted at the Crossword Corner.  Here is my most recent entry.

Crossword Puzzle Blogging

Wednesday January 19, 2011  Michael Sharp and Angela Olson Halsted

Theme: TANKS A LOT! Theme entries are all vertical today, and all start, or are topped, with some type of a TANK - and a different type of tank in each case.

3. *"Heads up!" : THINK FAST - a warning to react quickly. A THINK TANK is an organization designed to influence policy.

8. *Pioneering Frank King comic strip featuring Walt and Skeezix : GASOLINE ALLEY. I have vague recollections of this strip from my long-ago youth Skeezix gave it away. A GASOLINE TANK stores fuel in your vehicle, unless you use some type of alternate fuel.

17. *Award-winning author of "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" : SHERMAN ALEXIE. The first of many unknowns for me. He is a novelist and poet. Here is his web site.   The SHERMAN TANK is an armored war vehicle prominently used in WW II by the U.S. and allied forces.  It fired a 75 mm SHELL (not 10 D.)  The German Tiger fired an 88 mm shell.

UPDATE: See Tux's note in comments.

33. *Trendy place for a breather? : OXYGEN BAR, per Wikipedia, an establishment, that sells oxygen for recreational use.  I am not making this up.  An OXYGEN TANK is a simple utilitarian device that allows divers to go underwater without having to hold their breath, and astronauts to complete space walks.

And the unifier, 24 D. Sleeveless summer wear, or what each answer to a starred clue might be said to have : TANK TOP.  Worthy of a picture.

Hi, gang, JazzBumpa here.  This is a great puzzle from a constructing team that I don't recognize, but it gave me fits: way too many unknowns for my little pea brain to cope with. 

UPDATE:

(Note from C.C.: Michael Sharp is Rex Parker. Angela Olson Halsted is PuzzleGirl. Congratulations on the LA Times debut!)

L.A. Times Crossword Puzzle Blogging

Wed, Dec 29, 2010 Gary Cee

Theme: After our discussion on themes yesterday, and despite other temptations, Eye-yi-yi, I'll just go with the unifier,  EYE OPENER.  For the asterisked clues, the first word of a common two-word answer can precede the word "EYE," yielding a totally different type of two-word phrase.   Lots of times these are RIB TICKLERS, but today they're pretty straight forward.

17 A. *Unquestioning devotion : BLIND FAITH.  Belief in something, in the absence of evidence, or even disregarding contrary evidence.  Don't get me started.  BLIND EYE:  What the devotee turns to the imperfections of the object of his devotion.

63 A. *Knee-slapper : RIB TICKLER.  An amusing joke or story that gets gets your ribs moving with a series of tee-hees.  RIB EYE:  A boneless, well-marbled steak, cut from the top of a standing rib roast.  Cf. 23 D!

10 D. *Pitchers and tumblers : GLASS WARE.  The clue defines them very well.  Vessels made of glass, suitable for transporting libations to and from the table, and thence to the lips.  GLASS EYE.  A non-functional ocular prosthesis: an artificial EYE made of GLASS, the best material for this application.  Sammy Davis Jr. had one.  Since I'm an EYE GLASS WEARER, I was tempted to go with the childhood taunt "FOUR EYES" for the theme, but, alas, "EYE" only shows up once - in the unifier.

34 D. *Like treatment for visiting dignitaries : RED CARPET.  It is literally rolled out for heads of state, and at gala celebrity events.  Less formally, it indicates giving someone an unusually high level of hospitality.  RED EYE: An overnight flight from point A to point B, implying discomfort and lack of sleep, hence the RED EYES.  Probably not the usual means of transportation for someone about to walk the RED CARPET.

And, of course, the unifier, 38 A.  A 5- or 40-Down ... or what the start of each answer to a starred clue can be : EYEOPENER.  This has a few different meanings.  The first is a startling revelation that gets one to see something in a new and unanticipated way. (Those with unquestioning devotion are immune.)  The second is an alcoholic drink consumed early in the day, presumable to get one up and at 'em.  Third, the stimulants in 5 and 49 D.   But, here, it also uses a common cross-word trope to cleverly indicate that the beginning of each theme answer can precede "EYE."

Hi gang, It's JazzBumpa, with a tumbler of ginger ale at my elbow.  Glenkinchie will come a little later.  I don't recognize Gary Cee's byline.  This puzzle was a lot of fun, and seemed pretty fresh to me, despite a few common entries.  I've been anticipating AGLET for a long time, but don't recall seeing it in a puzzle before.  The pinwheel theme answer  arrangement is uncommon, as is placing the unifier in the center of the grid.


Across


1. Sound return : ECHO.  I was thinking of investment returns.  Now I have my eye open for clechoes!

5. Suspension bridge support : CABLE.  Here is an example I get to drive across going to and from visiting my mother.

10. Obtain forcibly : GRAB

14. Miller, for one : BEER.  I thought it would be a teller of a Canterbury Tale.  But the miller was drunk, so it kind of fits.

15. Shoelace tip : AGLET.  For some odd reason, I love this word.  "Mom, they're tying the whole world together!"

16. Stubbs of the Four Tops : LEVI.  News to me.  But he might have just what you need.

19. Scored 100 on : ACED.  Perfect!

20. Bozo : GOOF.  Or a clown.

21. "When the smog clears in California, UCLA," e.g. :PUN.  Sheesh.  I read right through this and didn't get it.

22. Hitchcock title : SIR.  Good night! I didn't know that.  Nice misdirection for the director.

23. Dice-rolling game : YAHTZEE.  I haven't played this game in years, and don't recall liking it very much.

26. The King or Prince : POPSTAR.  A royally clever clue.  I think we had Jacko, the King of Pop not too long ago.  Prince is the artist formerly known as "The artist Formerly known As Prince," which makes him the once and future Prince, I suppose.  Never was a big fan of either.  Feel free to provide links in comments.

29. Repugnant reaction : UGH.  Not now.  I just took a sip of the Glenkinchie!

30. Pound sounds : YIPS.  Rhyme time for puppy noises.

32. Treatment plant input : SEWAGE.  Now -- UGH!

33. Tie up, in a way : MOOR.  I have no idea why this caused me a problem.  Maybe our boaters can explain the origin if this word.

35. Home of Duke U. : N CAR.  The Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill region of North Carolina, a beautiful part of the world with a lot of traffic.  Note Abrv. n Cl. & Ans.

37. Looks bad, comparatively : PALES.  Someone or something can PALE in comparison.  But - no politics - moving right along . . .

41. Parisian daily, with "Le" : MONDE.  Lucky guess.  No idea where in Le Monde it came from.

44. Singer Amos : TORI.  Never paid any attention to her.  Here is a song for the season.

45. Latin 101 verb : ESSE.   Stock fill.

49. Signs into law : ENACTS.  Rumor has it that making law is like making sausage.  If you won't ask, I won't tell.

51. Pool room supply : RACK.  It's that triangle-shaped thingie that you put all the balls into, then take away so you can hit them.

53. Amigo : PAL.  That's right friendly!

54. Reaches : ATTAINS.  I always like it in those old westerns when the bad guy pulls out his gun and says, "Attain the sky."

56. Chesapeake Bay city : NORFOLK.  Just across the James River is Hampton, where my step son Tom used to live.  Now, home is in FLA, and he should be back there by Friday.

58. Televise : AIR.  Hmmm.  Don't they also AIR radio broadcasts?
And
36. Aired again : RERAN.   Is it a clecho if the clue echoes an earlier answer, or just an inelegance?

59. Physicians' org. : AMA.  The American Medical Association.  Note Abrv.

61. Precisely : TO A "T."  Sometimes it's just a "T" and sometimes it's a "TEE."  Either way, the origin is disputed.

62. Fall : DROP.  I always think of the stock market drop in the FALL of '29.

67. Green climber : VINE.

68. Title owner of a sitcom bookstore : ELLEN.  Beats me.  I haven't watched sit-coms in 30 years.

69. Homeland of the folk-singing Clancy Brothers : EIRE.  Always need perp help to decide between EIRE and ERIN.

70. Two out of three, say : MOST.  Is the GLASSWARE MOST full or MOST empty?

71. Teacher's directive : SEE ME.  It means (s)he wants to talk.  Hope it's something you want to hear.

72. Pringles-like Lay's product : STAX.  I really cannot understand what justifies the existence of the Pringle, let alone a competitive product from a company that makes real chips.

Down

1. Flow back : EBB.  Like the tide.

2. Place to see Bugs? : CEL.  Gary got me here.  A CEL is a transparent sheet that animation figures are drawn on.  CEL is derived from celluloid, a plastic made from cellulose.  Today, the CEL is a relic, due to CGI.

3. Dwarfs' song : HEIGH-HO.  Spelling this was a guess.  Disney stopped using CELS in 1990, but this was long before.  

4. Self-contradictory afterthought : OR NOT.   I'm never sure if I should say this, OR NOT.

5. Joe's stimulant : CAFFEINE.   A bitter tasting crystalline xanthine alkaloid which occurs in the beans, leaves, and fruits of some plants, notably coffee, aka JOE.

6. Turkish authority : AGA.   If you can't do it, the AGA KAHN.

7. Plane, in a control tower : BLIP.  On a radar screen.

8. Relax : LET UP.  Or ease up, stop applying so much pressure.

9. Cultural group : ETHNOS.  Per the Free Dictionary, "people of the same race or nationality who share a distinctive culture."

11. Conservatory event : RECITAL.  Typically a solo musical performance by a singer or instrumentalist.

12. Like Joe? : AVERAGE.  He just an average Joe - but he's also a clecho!

13. Bridge action : BID.  The action is an auction, and the players get to bid for the contract.  Suits me!

18. Half asleep : DOZY.  Pretty much the same thing as DROWSY.

23. "De-lish!" : YUM.  RIB EYE, anyone?

24. Gone by:  AGO.  Long ago, in a galaxie far, far away . . .

25. Theme park acronym : EPCOT. Disney's "Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow."  I can never remember that.

27. Toon Le Pew : PEPE.  An amorous pole cat with an accent.

28. Hi-__ graphics : RES.  For good pictures of THINGS!

31. Flavor : SAPOR.  I think we've been disconcerted in the past by SAPID.  This looks like the root of all SAPIDITY.  SAPOR is the quality of a substance to produce flavor.  A hungry insomniac might want a saporific soporific to get DOZY.

39. Bigfoot cousin : YETI.  A very distant cousin, since bigfoot is from North America, and the Yeti lives in the Himalayas.  Though sometimes he can be found in a CEL with Bugs.

40. Smoker's stimulant : NICOTINE.   Another plant alkaloid, found in the nightshade family, and another clecho!  It is what causes tobacco addiction.

41. "Give __ holler!" : ME A.  Give me an "H" . . .  That's not very good.  My bad.  I mean ME A CULPA.

42. Province bordering four Great Lakes : ONTARIO.  One of the lakes has the same name.  Which Great Lake does it not touch?

43. League of __ : NATIONS.  "Distinguished gentlemen" wouldn't fit.

46. What a "Me and My Shadow" singer might be :SPOTLIT.  In the lime light, so to speak.  Here we have the star of yesterday's theme and the man with a glass eye.

47. Mineo in movies : SAL.  He was a singer, too

48. Mountain lion prey : ELK.  Pretty ambitious snack, if you ask me, but probably a lot of YUM!

50. Catches : SNARES.  Or some drums.

52. Ray who said, "It requires a certain kind of mind to see beauty in a hamburger bun" : KROC.  Ray Kroc founded McDonald's.  To him I say, "That's a crock!"

55. The parenthesis in :-) : SMILE.  Your basic emoticon.

57. Counterfeits : FAKES.  We call them ERSATZ.

60. Competent : ABLE.  Having a useful skill.  One of Adam's sons was competent.  The other was ABEL.

62. Pet physician's deg. : DVM.  Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.  Note Abrvs.   They do not belong to the AMA.

64. Pro __: for now : TEM.  Like a committee, PRO TEM, usually set up for a single purpose and dissolved when the task is complete.

65. Pitcher's stat : ERA.  'Nother Abrv.  Earned Run Average.

66. Oscar winner Harrison : REX.  He was a fair lady's man.

That was fun and interesting.  Hope you liked it too.

Cheers!
JzB

Cross-posted at The Corner.
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More on Noel

It's when to see Nick at Night!

Plus . . . 

Keeping track of how Santa keeps track.

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L.A. Times Crossword Puzzle Blogging

Wednesday, December 15, 2010 Julian Lim

Theme:  PURPLE HAZE ALL IN MY BRAIN!   (This will become clear later.)

16. Words of protest : WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?  Sarcasm - the idea isn't big at all.  I heard this so many times when I was kid!


21. King's memorable words : I HAVE A DREAM.  One of the most famous quotes of the 20th century, from a speech on August 28, 1963 by the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr, who really did have big ideas.


33. Lennon's last album released before his death : DOUBLE FANTASY.  Not familiar with it.  Three weeks after it's release in 1980, John Lennon was killed on my birthday.


49. Pensive state : DEEP THOUGHT.  Also, the mega computer in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.  At the time, it was a play on "Deep Throat."


And, of course, the unifier:  55. Sports psychologist's mantra ... or what can be said about the last word of 16-, 21-, 33- or 49-Across : IT'S ALL IN THE MIND.  Like a purple haze.

Hi gang, it's JazzBumpa, able to spend some quality time at The Corner and devote what's between my ears to puzzledom, now that the December performances are in the past tense.  Rather a rich musical sub-theme to this puzzle, too as we'll see and hear.  Is it in tune?  Let's find out.

ACROSS


1. 2007 Oscar winner (Best Original Screenplay) about a pregnant teenager : JUNO.  Didn't see it.

5. Greenish-blue : AQUA

9. Astronaut's thumbs-ups : A-OKS

13. "Gimme __": "Be right with you" : A SEC.  Short for a second, of course.  Someone who wants to take a little longer might say, "Gimme some secs."

14. Turn one's nose up at : SPURN.  Hell hath no fury like a woman who has been turned down, or whose nose has been turned up.  Yes, I know that's SCORNED not SPURNED, but - hey - close enough.

15. __ the fat : CHEW.   To CHEW the fat is to engage in idle chatter. Does anyone know the origin of this interesting expression?

19. High nest : AERIE.   I never know how to spell this word, so it always gives me an eerie feeling.

20. Very capable : ADEPT.  Like some left handed guitarists.

26. Sound during a massage : AAH.   Or, perhaps, "OOF!"  That depends on how deeply she's digging into my levator scapula.

27. Do a goalkeeper's job : DEFEND.  In soccer or hockey.   Get the puck out of here!  If you combined soccer with hockey, would it be sockey or hocker?

28. Island in the French West Indies, familiarly : ST. BART'S  According to Wikipedia, "officially the Collectivity of Saint Barthelemy (French: Collectivité de Saint-Barthélemy), is an overseas collectivity of France. Often abbreviated to Saint-Barth in French, or St. Barts in English, the collectivity is one of the four territories among the Leeward Islands in the northeastern Caribbean that comprise the French West Indies, along with Guadeloupe, Martinique and Saint Martin."  And, to complete our Caribbean holiday,
42. Island nation west of Haiti : JAMAICA.   JAMAICA is due south of Cuba, ST. BART'S is in the island chain due east of Puerto Rico.

30. Hockey great : ORR.  Bobby ORR was a Boston Bruin for many years. He was a defense man, but not a goalkeeper.  If it's hockey and 3 letters, fill in ORR and move on.  I wonder why we never see Borje Salming in X-words? 

31. Elect : VOTE IN.  You can be disappointed right away if your candidate loses, or later on if (s)he wins.

39. Uses a LaserJet : PRINTS.  Sadly, mine went kablooey last week, after 14 years of faithful service.

40. "Oh, what a tangled __ we weave": Scott : WEB.  " . . .When first we practise to deceive!"  From Canto VI, XVII of Sir Walter Scott's epic poem, Marmion: A Tale of Flodden Field.  I can't wait to see "XVII" so clued!

45. Mineral used in glassmaking : SILICA, better known as sand.   Common window glass is called soda-lime-silica glass, after it's major components.  Attempts to substitute lemon for the lime have never been successful.  Soda - lime- gin in a glass is almost, but not quite, a gimlet.

48. "... man __ mouse?" : OR A.  The first of two really awkward partials.  A sour note, in my opinion.

52. Nairobi is its capital : KENYA.  A country in East-central Africa.

54. Kingdom : REALM.  Literally, the dominion of a king, from the old French  reaume.

61. Time for lunch : NOON. Synonymous, more or less.

62. Machu Picchu's range : ANDES.  The mountain range forming the backbone of South America.

63. Theater honor : OBIE.  Off-Broadway theater awards. 

64. Instrument in a Chinese temple : GONG.  I wanted to link to a YouTube vid, but they all seem to be several minutes long.  More long GONGing than I'm wanting.

65. Makes slick, in a way : OILS.  Lubricates with oil.

66. Letters at the end of a love letter : XOXO.  Hugs and kisses - retro textese.  Sok Csok in Hungarian.

DOWN

1. Boxer's target : JAW.  Occasionally, they seem to be made of soda-lime-silica.

2. Escort to a seat, in slang : USH.  Ish - a back formation:  to this way of thinking, an USHER is one who USHES; until the house falls, I suppose.

3. Cultural funding gp. : NEA.  The National Endowment for the Arts.

4. C to C, e.g. : OCTAVE.  Sadly, your resident trombonist need perp help for this one.   And I just improvised 16 measures against a C7 chord Monday night - using the G diminished scale.  Sounded weird, even to me.

5. Nuisance to gardeners : APHID.  Yesterday we had ant lions, today we have ant cows. 

6. Kooky : QUEER.  Strange, odd, outre, out of the ordinary.  "This is the rather old-fashioned and only slightly pejorative sense of the word," Tom  said, gaily.

7. Suffix with sub : URB.  According to Wikipedia a SUBURB can be a residential area within a city.  I have never heard it used that way.  In my experience, a SUBURB is a residential area within commuting distance of  a city. Also, the best place for a dressmaker's shop: on the outskirts of town.

8. Singer/songwriter DiFranco : ANI.  I guess this song is about Howard Johnson.

9. Low-pH substance : ACID.  If you must know, pH is the negative log of hydrated hydrogen ion concentration.  The scale runs from 0 to 14, with smaller number indicating higher acidity.  The neutral point is 7, and numbers between 7 and 14 are alkaline.  I'll let Al decide if there's going to be a quiz.

10. "Goodness!" : OH, DEAR, what can the matter be?

11. Try and try again : KEEP AT.  My motto is, If at first you don't succeed, the hell with it!

12. Mowed strips : SWATHS

14. Pricey strings, for short : STRAD.   A Stradivarius violin.   These instruments made by members of the Stradivari family in the late 1600's are valued in the millions.  You can get a decent used trombone for a few hundred bucks.

17. Witnessed : SEEN.   "I was witnessed," not "I witnessed.'  Passive voice is used in a tricky way here.

18. Chess sacrifice : GAMBIT. Not exactly. A GAMBIT might  involve a sacrifice, or just be a tricky move that presents your opponent with a bewildering array of alternatives.

21. Altar words : I DO.   The LW and I spoke these words at the Court House in Dearborn.  Not the best decision we ever made.  The venue, I mean.  The decision to get married was one of our best.

22. Gnus' group : HERD.  Heard of Gnus?  Could there be a wilder beast?   That is one tough mama!

23. Hairstyle for Hendrix : AFRO.  "Excuse me while I kiss this guy,"  and the explanation for today's theme.

24. These, in Juarez : ESTAS.  I wanted ESSOS.  Another spelling conundrum.

25. "... two fives for __?" : A TEN.  You decide if  this is a good trade.

29. Prefix with gram : ANA.   Aha! - An Anagram!  Jerome, we need you . . .

31. __ cavae: large blood vessels : VENAE.   Collectively, these are the superior VENA cava and inferior VENA cava, large veins that carry deoxygenated blood into the right auricle of the heart.

32. Frequently, to a bard : OFT.  "Often" is OFT thusly truncated - or so they would have us believe.

34. Dance-storm link : UP A.  The second awkward partial.  Which do think is superior or inferior?

35. Like some showers : BRIDAL.  The BRIDE-to-be is showered with gifts.  This is neither a rain storm not a wet t-shirt contest.

36. Wingless parasites : LICE.  I will not link.  The ant lion was bad enough.

37. Gulp from a flask : SWIG.  "Pass the paper bag that holds the bottle."

38. "Gross!" : YECH.  You might want to wipe it off before taking a SWIG.

41. Creature that "sees" using echolocation : BAT. The "blind as a BAT" creature uses it's own natural sonar to navigate.

42. Pulling one's leg : JOKING.   Another curious expression.

43. Schoolyard argument retort : ARE TOO.  You are one.  You and I are too!

44. Controversial rocker Marilyn : MANSON.  Not his real name, and not worthy of  link.

45. Old Persian rulers : SHAHS. 

46. Heracles' beloved : IOLE.  No idea.

47. Klutz : LUMMOX.  The origin of this clumsy word is unknown.  But it did lead me here.  Has anyone used this site?

50. Gearshift letters : PRNDL.  Acronym of Park, Reverse, Neutral, Drive, Low, pronouced "prindle," almost like ersatz potato chips.

51. Heads, to Henri : TETES.  Alliteration suggests a foreign word, Henri suggests that it's French.   And inside those TETES is another possible connection to the theme.

53. Partner of yin : YANG.  Each completes the other.  "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."  AHH - poetry!

56. __-tzu : LAO.  A mystic philosopher of ancient China, author of the Tao Te Ching, who also exists in many variant spellings.

57. Pasta ending : INI.  An interesting non-self-referential affix clue.  An example would be ROTINI, since we were speaking of spirals.

58. Native of Nigeria : IBO.  The IBO, IGBO or IBOE are largest ethnic group in Nigeria.

59. Prohibit : NIX.  This comes to us from the German word "Nichts" meaning "nothing."  It is also a treatment for 36D (the answer, not a lingerie reference.)   Ixnay on the icelay!

60. "Gloria in Excelsis __" : DEO.  Glory to God in the highest.  "And peace to his people on earth," the words continue.  A prayerful and joyous end to today's puzzle.

There you have it folks, a nice Wednesday puzzle, fun to solve and fun to write up. Hope you enjoyed it.

Cheers!
JzB (who really does know it's "kiss the sky.")

Cross-posted at the Corner.

L.A. Times Crossword Puzzle Blogging

Wednesday, November 17, 2010 Fred Piscop

Theme:  WURST PUZZLE EVER.  Add "WURST" to the first part of the theme answers, and you get some variety of sausage.  Vegetarians might find this the WURST PUZZLE EVER, but to an omnivore like me, it's quite tasty.

17. Lennon had one : LIVERPOOL ACCENT.  The fab four hailed from LIVERPOOL (nasty image if you think about it.) LIVERWURST, from the German Leberwurst, is liver sausage, obviously.  Love it or hate it, this staple of northern and eastern Europe is spreadable, high in fat, and contains pig's liver.  In Hungary, my ancestral home, it's used with cheese as a filling for baked pancakes.  The things you learn . . .

25. Go from pillar to post : KNOCK ABOUT.  This is not a great correspondence.  KNOCK ABOUT means travel widely or wander aimlessly.  To "go from pillar to post" is to search widely or be driven by circumstances beyond one's control.  KNOCKWURST is a soft sausage made of pork and beef spiced with garlic and other seasonings.  And, lest you BARQUE up the wrong tree, here is another KNOCKABOUT.

50. Josephine Tey title orphan : BRAT FARRAR.  "BRAT FARRAR is the story of a young man who takes part in a swindle, and suddenly finds himself the champion of the missing heir that he is impersonating against his victim's conceited twin brother." Tey was a Scottish author of mystery novels.  BRAT FARRAR might be her best and most famous.  BRATWURST is a sausage made of veal and pork.  To a purist, it is made with veal only.  I guess I'm not a purist.

And the Unifier:
66. Based on the starts of 17-, 25- and 50-Across, what this crossword might be? : WURST PUZZLE EVER.  Reminds me of this.

Hi, gang, it JzB, your Hungarian, pig-devouring, Toledo trombonist.  I have to repost Dennis's "Did you know?" from yesterday.  "The average American eats the equivalent of 28 pigs in his or her lifetime."  We could do WURST, I suppose.

L.A. Times Crossword Puzzle Blogging

 Friday October 29, 2010 Jonathan Porat

Theme: EXTRA MAYO.  The letters M, A, Y, and O, respectively, are added at the beginnings of common phrases to yield new, uncommon phrases, of variable wackiness. 

19A. Designed for ancient sorcerers? : MAGE SPECIFIC.  M plus age specific - for discriminating mature audiences, perhaps.   Mages had exact size and weight specs for eye of newt.


27A. Pranks at the Bohr Institute? : ATOM FOOLERY.  A plus Tom foolery.  Why Tom and not, oh -- say, Ron, for instance?   The Bohr Institute is a center for research in astronomy, geophysics, and nanotechnology at the University of Copenhagen, named for physicist Neils Bohr, a developer of quantum theory.


46A. Genesis baking ingredient? : YEAST OF EDEN.  Y plus East of Eden, a 1955 movie I never saw, directed by Elia Kazan, and based on the second half of a John Steinbeck novel I never read.  Am I missing anything?  Also the only three-word theme answer, and my favorite, for it's general silliness.  In those days, unleavened bread had not yet been invented.

54A. Banning CFC production, e.g.? : OZONE DEFENSE.  O plus zone defense - defensive strategies in football and other sports, where the defenders are responsible for covering regions of the playing field, rather than specific offensive opponents, as in man-to-man defense.  CFC's are chlorofluorocarbon compounds, such as Freon 12, that deplete the earth's protective ozone layer.  This one is serious.

And, of course the unifier:   35A. Sandwich request, and a literal hint to how the answers at 19-, 27-, 46- and 54-Across are formed : EXTRA M-A-Y-O.  I don't recall ever seeing a unifier like this one, getting parsed out and allotted to the theme answers - highly clever and original.  I like Miracle Whip,BTW,  but can't stand MAYO. 

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here after a strange and rather busy day.  This is a terrific puzzle that defeated me pretty badly.  Let's survey the damages.

L.A. Times Crossword Puzzle Blogging

Friday, October 1, 2010 Scott Atkinson

Theme: HEAVE HO. To get rid of something, a forcible dismissal, as throwing something overboard. Heave, by itself, means "throw." Here the thing thrown is the letter combination HO, from a common phrase, leaving a humorous new uncommon phrase.  As much as I love puns, these might have SPANNED a bit too far.

18. *Ancient Chinese cote occupant? : MING PIGEON.  Homing Pigeon - a bird that always finds it's way back to the coop - or "cote." Here, one from the MING dynasty.

25. *Observation after a Bush walk? : W'S ON FIRST.  Who's on first - from the famous Abbot and Costello routine.   Here, W is an affectionate term for our 43rd President, who was the managing general partner of the Texas Rangers from 1989 to 1994, best known for trading away Sammy Sosa.  Afterwards, he said, "Big Texas (Nolan Ryan) is here. The reason I like to keep Nolan around is he is a reminder that when we got done with the Sammy Sosa trade, there was still some talent on the Rangers."

36. *Nickname for a so-so Navy officer? : CAPTAIN OK.   Captain Hook, whose associate Mr. Smee is an occasional visitor to puzzles.  I thought this one was actually funny.

57. *Kenyan healthcare worker? : RN OF AFRICA.  Horn of Africa. A peninsula jutting from East Africa, into the Arabian Sea.  Lots of hardship there.   Not sure who the Registered Nurse would be, but they could probably use her.

50. *Habitually drunk panda? : BAMBOO SOT.  Bamboo shoot.  We all know about the panda who eats, shoots, an leaves.  I didn't know he was drunk.

And, of course, the unifier:  42 D. Dismissal, and a hint to how the answers to starred clues were derived : HEAVE HO.  This may conjure a variety of images. Discuss in comments, if you dare.

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here, feeling quite beat-up by this tough puzzle.  Lots of technical assistance required to get through it in reasonable time.  I found the theme to be deeply opaque, and never would have sussed it without the unifier.  Technically, very impressive: besides the theme, just 1 Q away from a pangram, a tight cluster of 4 Z's, and a dozen 7-letter non-theme answers.  Alas, a total of 39 three or four letter answers reduce the average length to 4.91.

L.A. Times Crossword Puzzle Blogging

Friday September 10, 2010   John McInturff

Theme:  EY DROPS.   The letters EY are dropped from the end of the first word of easily recognizable phrases, to yield a new phrase with a comical twist.

A 20. Faultfinding brother? : MONK ON ONE'S BACK. Monkey on one's back. This expression goes back to ancient Egypt, originally meaning a guiding spirit or source of inspiration. More recently, it's some sort of burden, affliction, or addiction. I wanted a sibling brother, but a MONK will do just fine.

A 29. Debris in the hayloft? : BARN RUBBLE. Barney Rubble, Fred Flintstone's pal.

A 38. Impervious to chutzpah? : GALLPROOF. This one's my favorite.  Galley proof: the final proof copy of a page being typeset for printing, before it is set as a page of a book or booklet. 

A 50. What Michelle Kwan might do in a financial emergency? : HOCK SKATES. Hockey skates: essential hardware for the Buffalo Sabres.  Somehow, I don't think Michelle will ever be in that position.

A 59. Haystack-hiding Ottoman? : TURK IN THE STRAW. Turkey In The Straw.  Musical Americana.

No unifier, but five brilliant theme entries, two of them almost grid-spanning, along with ten 7-letter answers.  Wow!

Hi gang, Jazzbumpa here, aka JzB, more formally, Mr. Bumpa, or just plain Bumpa to my 11 favorite youngsters. But you can call me Ron.

This is a hard puzzle, and I never got on John McInturff's wave length. Even after I sussed the theme, I couldn't get TURK IN THE STRAW, due to errors in the perps. So, I was reduced to technical assistance for many requested answers.

L.A. Times Crossword Puzzle Blogging

Wednesday, August 18, 2010, Dan Naddor

Theme: ALTERATIONS. The second word of each two word theme answer indicates someone or something that causes some sort of transformation, in plural form.

16. Some den boxes : CABLE CONVERTERS. "Den box" gave me pause. This is the box that allows your old non-cable-ready TV to hook up to cable. CONVERTERS can also change thier religions, or transform things.

22. Hookups to many electronic devices : POWER ADAPTORS. They change the voltage from line current to whatever your device requires.

35. Jacob Riis et al. : SOCIAL REFORMERS. They try to make things better.  Riis' cause was the impoverished of New York City, 100 years ago.

44. Currency pros : MONEY CHANGERS. They'll convert your Sheckles to Denarii - for a price.  But the pros have their cons, and might get chased out of an inappropriate venue by an activist SOCIAL REFORMER, who might even try to CONVERT them.

55. Insurance investigators : CLAIMS ADJUSTERS. Per Wikipedia, they "investigate insurance claims by interviewing the claimant and witnesses, consulting police and hospital records, and inspecting property damage to determine the extent of the company’s liability."   Otherwise, an adjustment is often a small scale fine-tuning, as to your radio dial or 6th cervical vertebra.

Hi gang, it's JazzBumpa, the Toledo Trombonist, blessed to have a Dan Naddor puzzle to share with you. Today, Dan gave us three grid-spanning theme answers, plus two more at 13 letters each, making for an extremely dense and rich blend. With 36 blocks (4 cheaters,) 74 words, and an averages length of 5.11, this is technically very close to a Thursday puzzle. Difficulty seems about right for a Wednesday, though.  I chunked through in 14:43. I had a feeling we were due for one of Dan's, but didn't recognize this as his style. The cluing seems a bit straight-forward, not the normal Devious Dan Delights. But this is a superb puzzle: the theme is tight and coherent, and the long down fill is exquisite.

Question of the Day

This is prompted by seeing the Word AVER, clued as "state firmly," in yesterday's L.A. Times Crossword by the always brilliant Jerome Gunderson.

Is the thing that you AVER an AVERAGE? And if what you AVER is characterized by malice, would it be a MEAN AVERAGE?

.

L. A. Times Crossword puzzle Blogging

Wed July 7 Gareth Bain

Theme: Never give up.  Six symmetrically placed theme entries all begin with synonyms for the key word, TRY

17A. *Prepare to drink, as a can of beer : CRACK OPEN.  Have a CRACK at it.
21A. *Say goodbye, quaintly : BID ADIEU.  Place one's BID, I suppose.  Or issue a command or invitation.  Doesn't seem as tight a fit as the others.   Am I missing something?
26A. *Betrayal : STAB IN THE BACK.  Take a STAB at it.
49A. *Nixed : SHOT DOWN.  Have a SHOT at it.
44A. *Do what others prefer : GO WITH THE FLOW.  Have a GO at it.
59A. *It involves a lot of writing : ESSAY TEST.  ESSAY the possibilities of it.
And
61A. Synonym for the starts of the answers to starred clues : TRY.  If at first you don't succeed, have a beer and call it a night. TRY, TRY again.

With six theme answers and a key word entry, this is a very thematically rich and persistently active puzzle.

Hi gang, it's JazzBumpa, your humble trombonist. I BID us to have a STAB at CRACKING this puzzle.

L.A. Times Crossword Puzzle Blogging

Cross-posted at the L.A. Times Crossword Corner.


Wednesday June 16, 2010 Pancho Harrison

Theme: MUSIC, MAN! - Three long theme answers, two of them grid-spanning, employ puns to transform mundane phrases into humorous musical references.

17 A. Songs by German wolves? LIEDER OF THE PACK.  Play on "leader of the pack.  LIED (pl LIEDER) is the German word for song.  So - songs of the pack.  This got a chuckle and a groan.

36 A. Obvious melody?: AIR APPARENT.  Play on "heir apparent," the most likely successor.  An AIR is a melody, obviously.

58 A. Intonations from the monastery locker room?: CHANTS OF SHOWERS.  Oh my.  "Chance of showers," meaning it's probably going to rain.  Or, here, some very clean Gregorian chant.

Each play is on the first word in the phrase, substituting a near-homophone. Nice and tight. YMMV on puns and their quality. I thought these were rather long stretches; but that doesn't make me like them any less.  And I do like them, quite a lot.

Plus, these musical encores:

57 A. Haggard of country music: MERLE
39 D. Roxy Music alum Brian: ENO.
53 D. Jerry or Jerry Lee: LEWIS

Not being a country music maven (I'm more of a city boy) I'll leave it someone in the know to find the best links for Merle and Jerry Lee. And, yes, comedian Jerry Lewis did also sing, occasionally.  I actually know nothing about Brian ENO, except he's in puzzles a lot.

Hi gang, it's JazzBumpa, your humble resident trombonist and music appreciator.  I was pretty much in tune with this one, and able to wood-shed it in 15:27. Pancho Harrison has composed a verbal symphony for us today with only a few sour notes. Let's get inside the score.

L. A. Times Crossword puzzle Blogging

Wednesday, May 26, 2010  Dan Naddor

Theme:  WORLD LEADERS or TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER, since the world leader is always who the little green man wants to meet.   The first part of each  theme entry can also precede "WORLD" to give a different slice of a real or imagined universe.

17A. *Happy-go-lucky:  FREE AND EASY - not a care in the world - any of the worlds.  FREE WORLD - a cold war era term for every place outside the iron and bamboo curtains, i.e. non-communist countries.   

26A. *Scandal involving plumbers:  WATERGATE - I had forgotten that the Watergate crew was called the plumbers.  Their original asssignment was to stop leaks to the media during the Nixon administration, but they branched into illegal activities. WATER WORLD - a Kevin Costner movie I never bothered to see.  I think it had bad revues.

45A. *Something to touch before getting home?:  THIRD BASE - this home is home plate, in baseball.  Or is this totally DF?  THIRD WORLD - Here's a learning moment.  I always thought this was a label generally applied to developing (read poor) nations.  Actually, it is a cold war term for those nations who did not align with either the First World of NATO, etc. (aka the FREE WORLD) or the Second World of the SOVIET BLOCK. 
 
5D. *Genuine article:  REAL McCOY - does anybody know where this comes from?  Could it be the Hatfields and the McCoys?  REAL WORLD - what can you say about the real world?  It is what it is.  Nice pairing with -

11D. *Baseball fan's dream come true:  FANTASY CAMP - an opportunity to go through training and play a game with the big leaguers.  It's not limited to baseball.  One of my friends went to the Red Wings fantasy camp a few years ago.   FANTASY WORLD - a place where delights are only limited by your imagination.

25D. *Letter writer, formally:  UNDERSIGNED - Formal, indeed:  I, the undersigned, do solemnly attest that this is one fine puzzle.  UNDERWORLD - this can mean several things: the mythological land of the dead; the criminal sphere of activity from gangster film noir; an actual place, like the London Underground; or a FANTASY WORLD, like the imagined London Underground of Neil Gaiman's novel NEVERWHERE.

35D. *Veterans:  OLD TIMERS - they've been there and done that.  Maybe even a long time ago.  OLD WORLD - regions of the globe known to European and Asian civilizations of the 15 Century, as distinct from the New World revealed by the next century's (give or take a decade) voyages of discovery.  

And the unifier:

54A. Summit attendee, and what the first word can be in each answer to a starred clue:  WORLD LEADERS.  And each theme "leader" can also a world "leader."  Pretty tidy.

 Hi, gang.  It's Jazzbumpa, and I'm delight to participate in a stellar week of puzzling: wonderful entries by Johnathon and Jerome, and now one from our gone, but not forgotten friend Dan.  With

L.A. Times Crossword Puzzle Blogging

Friday, April  30, 2010  Gareth Bain

Theme NEWBIE, or New B-ginnings.  Familiar phrases are prefixed with the letter "B" to give a whole new, rather humerous meaning.

17 A . Daring track official? BOLD TIMER. "Old timer." No comment.

63 A . Online journalist's retreat?: BLOG CABIN. "Log Cabin." But as a blogger, I love this one.

10 D . Clinton enjoying some R and R?:  BILL AT EASE.  "Ill at ease" - uncomfortable.  I seem to recall Bill having some uncomfortable moments.  Might have been that Tiger in his tank.

31. Immortal comedian's donkey imitation?:  BRAY OF HOPE.  "Ray of Hope."  The light at the end of the tunnel.  Also, the second play on Bob Hope's name this week.

49. Tyro, and a hint to this puzzle's theme:  NEWBIE, or a new "B," if you will.

Hi gang, it's JazzBumpa, reporting from the quiet security of my BLOG CABIN.  This is a top-notch puzzle with a clever theme, and lots of wit.  Let's explore it together.

L.A. Times Crossword Puzzle Blogging

Saturday, March 27, 2010, Brad Wilbur

Theme: None

Total words: 70

Total blocks: 28

No extra-long stacks this week.  More words and fewer blocks than last Saturday.  Pretty open-looking grid. These are not details I usually pay much attention to.  Hi gang, it's JazzBumpa taking a big step out of the comfort zone.  C.C. wished a Brad Wilbur puzzle on me, and her wish came true.  Regular readers will know themeless Saturday Puzzles are not my favorite.  This one seems perhaps a bit easier than usual, though I went for technical assistance early and often, in the interest of getting to bed before dawn.

Pretty good puzzle.  By my reckoning, a Q and X away from a pangram.

Crossword Puzzle Blogging

 Friday, February 26, 2010   Doug Peterson

Theme: C and H kick S.

Each theme answer is a common phrase, where a final "S" has been replaced with a "CH" to humorous effect.  Do you think they're GROANERS?  I loved them all!


20. Taking pictures of potatoes and pasta?:  SHOOTING STARCH, from "shooting stars."  Watch your carbs

30. Trapdoor in an Old West saloon?:  COWBOY HATCH, from "cowboy hat." Ten gallon capacity

40. Group of show-offs?:  HOT DOG BUNCH, from "hot dog buns."  

54. Spiel from a maestro?:   ORCHESTRA PITCH, from "orchestra pit.

HI THERE gang.  I've been in a few orchestra pits, and occasionally have trouble with pitch, so I can relate.  It's JazzBumpa, your KEMOSABE trombonist.   I had all kinds of trouble, and went for red letters all over the place.

L.A. Times Crossword Puzzle Blooging

Wednesday, January 6, 2010  Gareth Bain

Theme: Classic Music Contracts, A-List - Classic Rock songs with verb contractions followed by "A" in the titles.

17A  1966 Monkey's Hit:  I'M A BELIEVER.  Written by the Lovely Wife's favorite, Neil Diamond

65 A  1968 Impressions Hit:  WE'RE A WINNER.  Must not have impressed me. No recollection of it.

11D 1971 Tom Jones Hit:  SHE'S A LADY.  Or at least a woman.  What's new, PusSycat?

1962 Hit attributed to the Crystals but sung by the Blossoms:  HE'S A REBEL.  Here are the Crystals

And, at no extra charge,
50A  Original iPod, as it's now known:    CLASSIC.  Not really part of the theme, but I co-opted it, so there.

But wait, there's more -

31A Put on the HiFi:  PLAY.   Spin them platters!