Friday, August 4, 2023, Taylor Johnson, Christina Iverson

 

Good Morning Crucibverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here once again with a recap of a Friday puzzle.   Today's puzzle setters are Taylor Johnson and Christina Iverson.  We have previously seen puzzles by each of them in the L.A. Times.

Today's "theme" is something of an odd duck and I find it to be a bit difficult to explain.  First of all, it is meta.  At five places within the grid (each clue ending with a question mark for a bit of added helpfulness), portions of the clues themselves are used to form the answers.  In each case the letters that are employed in this capacity frame the opening portion of the clue.  The relationship that each answer has to its clue is the "letter play"and the use of words such as border, case, frame, etc,.  Let's look at the first example and see if things might not become a bit clearer.

17 Across:  Op-ed column feature?:  OPEN BORDER.   If we look at OP-ED COLUMN we see that the O P E and N form the word OPEN.  OPEN forms, and frames, the left BORDER of the clue (exclusive of the word "feature").

25 Across:  Spa service feature?: SPACE CASE.  .   In the second-from-the-top themed clue/answer, we are presented with  SPA SERVICE in the clue.   The S,P, A, C, and E of the answer (SPACE CASE) originate in the clue.  They could be said the enCASE the clue.  The fact that we have two C's and two E's from which to chose might be a wee bit confusing but since we are going with edges and sides we'll go with the first C and the last E for the highlighting, below. Making things a bit more interesting or confusing is that, in this instance, SPACE can  frame both the clue and the answer.

The other three theme answers are:

35 Across:  Free booze feature?: FREEZE FRAME.  FREE BOOZE.    As with the previous theme answer, things are a bit more interesting / confusing because FREEZE FRAMEs both the clue and the answer.

48 Across:  Lotus pose feature?:  LOOSE ENDS.  LOOSE frames the ENDS of the clue LOTUS POSE.

58 Across:  Chocolate mousse feature?: CHOSE SIDES.  CHOCOLATE MOUSSE.

I found the theme, and its execution, to be both clever and a bit unwieldy.  YMMV.

In the grid things look like this:

Now, if we are not tuckered out from exploring the machinations of the theme, we can take a look at the rest of the puzzle.

Across:

1. Neck, in Nottingham: SNOG.   Neck as in canoodle.  We have seen this bit of British English before. 

5. Antlered ruminants: STAGS.

10. European range: ALPS.

14. Cab, for one: WINE.  Not a taxi, CABernet Sauvignon.

15. Young trainee: CADET.

16. Spring, essentially: COIL.

19. "Un-Break My Heart" singer Braxton: TONI.

20. Reply "stop" to a text message campaign, say: OPT OUT.

21. One of a kind: UNIT.  Not a "one off" but one of many (of a type or kind).

23. Nickname that drops -in: KEV.

24. MIT __: business school: SLOAN.  

27. Mother clucker: HEN.   Also the name of quite a few restaurants.

28. School of whales: GAM.  Hand up for first going with POD.

30. __ sauce: seafood dressing: TARTAR.  COCKTAIL would not fit the allotted space.

31. Garnish in Mexican cuisine: PEPITA.  A subset of pumpkin seeds.

34. Rascals: IMPS.

38. Singer Parks with the 2023 album "My Soft Machine": ARLO.  A clue for the newer kids on the block.  Most of us would have gone with Guthrie.

40. Tick off: ENRAGE.

41. Rose ominously: LOOMED.

44. Poetic contraction: O'ER.  Over.

45. Path: WAY.  Had up for wondering if it might be TAO.

51. Lyric poem: EPODE.  Fortunately, we have previously seen this one in our puzzles so it was easier to perp than would otherwise have been the case.

53. Former Russian orbiter: MIR.  MIR means peace or world.

The MIR Space Station

54. Plotting spot: LAIR.  Often clued with an animal reference but, hey, it's Friday.  Criminals plot capers in their LAIRs, I suppose.

55. __ wheel: FERRIS.

56. Some early PCs: IBMS.

IBM PC AT

60. "Marriage Story" writer/director Baumbach: NOAH.  Unknown to this solver.  Thanks perps.

61. Desert refuges: OASES.  Plural clue, plural answer.

62. Pivot around: SLUE.

63. Jimmy V Award for Perseverance, for one: ESPY.  Named in honor of North Carolina basketball coach Jim Valvano.

64. Some piercing spots: NOSES.  First thought was LOBES.  Three out of five wasn't going to work out.

65. Toy (with): MESS.

Down:

1. Sportswear logo: SWOOSH.  A Nike athletic apparel reference.

2. Baby bottle topper: NIPPLE.

3. Pickup spec: ONE TON.  Not a pickup bar reference.  A truck reference.

4. Ligurian port on a namesake gulf: GENOA.  Often clued with a salami reference but, hey, it's Friday.

5. Glasgow citizen: SCOT.

6. Road goo: TAR.

7. Total: ADD UP.  If this had been a truck reference the answer could have been WRECK.

8. Davis of "Beetlejuice": GEENA.

9. Stern: STRICT.

10. Pretend: ACT.

11. Cry for attention: LOOK AT ME.

12. Turpentine ingredient: PINE SAP.  First went with PINE TAR.

13. Tweezers targets: SLIVERS.  SPLINTERS was too long.

18. Jumper cable?: BUNGEE.

22. 39-Down, e.g.: TEA.

25. Portmanteau coined by Tyra Banks on "America's Next Top Model": SMIZE.  Smile with your eyes.  Perhaps in some circles Tyra-isms are as accepted as Yogi-isms are in other circles.  However, at this point in the solve the only thing my eyes were doing was rolling.

26. Harlan Coben genre: CRIME.

29. Simian: APE.  What do you call a simian who lives in a ventilation system?  A duct APE.

31. Dances with queens: PROMS.  Dances is used here as a plural noun.

Julie Brown

32. Sundial X: TEN.  Roman numeral.

33. Some natural hairstyles: AFROS.

35. Blueprint: FLOOR MAP.  More often, FLOOR PLAN but that would not fit.

36. "Black Beatles" hip-hop duo __ Sremmurd: RAE.  Ear Drummers spelled backwards.  Yo!

37. Matches: AGREES.
 
38. "None for you!": ALL MINE.

39. Herbal red 22-Down: ROOIBOS.  A new one for me but, apparently, not all that obscure.

42. Unadon fish: EEL.  A sushi reference.

43. Church official: DEACON.  A couple of locals DEACONs stood by the side of the road holding up a sign that read, “The End is Near! Turn yourself around now before it’s too late!” They held up the sign to each passing car.  “Leave us alone you religious nuts!” yelled the first driver as he sped by. From around the curve they heard a big splash.  “Do you think,” said one DEACON to the other, “we should just put up a sign that says ‘bridge is out’ instead?

45. Guessing game where the answer can be false, but not true?: WORDLE.  A gimme for many here.  Tough for many others.

46. Farewells: ADIEUS.  Could have been ADIEUX.

47. Approvals: YESSES.

49. Hangzhou "Hello": NI HAO.  Today's mandarin lesson.

50. Metallic waste: DROSS.  SLAG was too short.

52. Spectrum-maker: PRISM.

55. Own (up): FESS.  It might have been clued as "Actor and wine maker ____  Parker".

57. Short: SHY.  Not a height reference.  As in to owe money that one does not have.

59. "The thing is ... ": SEE.

The thing is... that about wraps things up for today.  Have a great weekend, everyone.  I will be traveling and taking time off from blogging for a while.  See you in September.

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Friday, May 12, 2023, Taylor Johnson

 

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with today's recap of a puzzle by Taylor Johnson who first appeared in this venue just a few days shy of one year ago (on 22 May 2022, per Bill).  Taylor has also had puzzles published in other venues.  Previously, he has employed themes where letters have to be removed from common words and phrases in order to form appropriate (and humorous) answers to the clues.  Today, in an example of, arguably, increased efficiency, nothing has to be removed.  A single letter merely has to be moved over from the start of one word to the end of the preceding word.  He provides the key at:

59 Across:  Makes room, and when parsed differently, an instruction for four answers in this puzzle: MOVES OVER.  Or, as intended here, MOVE  S  OVER.

He applies this methodology at four places in the grid:

17 Across:  Leg muscle of a mathlete?: GEEK'S QUAD.  Geek Squad (techies) is modified by moving the S from the beginning of the word SQUAD to the end of the word GEEK thereby making GEEK possessive.  At the risk of being redundant, GEEK SQUAD  morphs into GEEK'S QUAD (as in quadriceps).

31 Across:  Fruity pastry made by a movie boxer?: ROCKY'S TART.  Similarly, ROCKY START becomes ROCKY'S TART.  What Adrian certainly was not?

Theme From Rocky XIII

35 Across:  Pub pour for an enlisted soldier?: PRIVATE'S ALE.  Parsed differently, PRIVATE SALE.

42 Across:  Vacation for a stand-up performer?: COMIC'S TRIP.  COMIC STRIP.

Comic's (and POTUS's) Trip

Here is how this looks in the grid:

. . . and here are the rest of the clues/answers:

Across:

1. Informant: RAT.  Hollywood gangster movie jargon.

4. MGM part: METRO.

9. Labor leader Chavez: CESAR.  His granddaughter was recently tapped to be the current president's reelection campaign manager.

14. Goof: ERR.

15. Sprinter Bolt: USAIN.  Among other accomplishments, an eight-time gold medalist at the Olympics.

16. Enough: AMPLE.  Knock.  Knock.  Who's there?  Four eggs.  Four eggs who?  Four eggs AMPLE.

19. Stacked: BUILT.  A bit of a stretch.  In slang, both stacked and BUILT have another meaning.  Perhaps that's what was intended here.

20. "Don't you agree?," informally: INNIT.  Punt!

21. Darn things: SEW.  Darn, here, is used as a verb as in to mend.

23. However, poetically: THO.

24. Game requiring plug-ins?: MAD LIBS.  You plug your words into the blanks without knowing the context (a second participant asks you for a noun, a verb, an adjective, etc.).  The results can sometimes be hilarious.

27,  Idle Talk:  CHATTER

30. International gas brand: ESSO.  From Standard Oil.  S.O.

33. Source of a low blow?: TUBA.  A bit of word play.  A wind instrument that plays low notes.  Hand up for first thinking of KNEE,

34. "History of the World, Part II" actress/writer Wanda: SYKES.  The Hulu TV series is meant to be a sequel to the 1981 Mel Brooks movie.  It's good to be the king.

39. Like part of some fusion cuisine: ASIAN.

41. Semisoft cheese: EDAM.  Not all cheeses are made in the same manner.  In fact, EDAM is made backwards.

45. Shirt part with a button: CUFF.

49. Tip: POINTER.

50. ESPN Deportes language: ESPANOL.  The clue employs the Spanish language so the answer does also.

52. Small bill: ONE.  As in legal tender, currency.

53. Crossed (out): XED

55. __ board: EMERY.  A SURF board was too short.  A CUTTING board was too large.  Ouija board fit but didn't work.  Thanks, again, perps.

56. Pegasus pair: WINGS.  The mythical winged horse.

62. First name in cosmetics: ESTEE.  ESTEE Lauder visits us frequently.

63. Netflix crime drama set in Missouri: OZARK.

64. Self-regard: EGO.

65. River in a van Gogh painting: RHONE.

66. Event of passing interest?: RELAY.  RELAY race.  Pass the baton.  Literally.

67. Silent approval: NOD.

Down:

1. Ruling period: REGIME.  It can be used to mean the time period although more often it refers to the government in power.

2. Entertainment centers?: ARENAS.  A bit of word play.  Places where you might go for entertainment.  Not something like this:

3. Directions: TRENDS.  Would one ever say that current directions are in the right, or wrong, direction?

4. "You honestly need me to do that?": MUST I.  Quotation clues provide much flexibility.

5. Letters on some office suite doors: ESQ.  ESQuire is an honorific for an attorney.  Collectively, we're still working out the approriate honorific as esquiress does not seem to have caught on.

6. Sigma follower: TAU.  It helps to know the Greek alphabet if one likes to solve crossword puzzles . . . or at least print it out and keep that sheet of paper handy.

7. Narrow inlets: RIAS.  Crosswordese.

8. Next: ON DECK.  Best known as a baseball reference.  The next batter up is said to be ON DECK.

9. Indie rockers Death __ for Cutie: CAB.  Often clued with a reference to wine or Uber.

10. Cassowary cousin: EMU.

11. Classic bit of slapstick: SPIT TAKE.  A SPIT TAKE is a comedic technique or reaction in which someone spits a drink, or sometimes food, out of their mouth as a reaction to a surprising or funny statement.

12. "Everyone's accounted for": ALL HERE.

13. Fires back, in a way: RETORTS.  Verbal bantering.

18. K, in the NATO alphabet: KILO.  Same tip as for 6 Down, above.

  

22. Frequent question from a toddler: WHY

25. British dude: BRUV.  Brother --> Brudder - -> Bruvver --> BRUV.  Unfamiliar to this solver.  Thanks, perps.

26. Buckwheat noodle: SOBA.

28. Indian state near Bhutan: ASSAM.  An oft visited place in crosswords.  Sometimes clued with a reference to tea. 

29. Brief sign-off: TTYL.  Talk To You Later.  Hand up for first trying TA TA.  Cheerio!

32. Cover the spread?: CATER.  Provide the food on the table as in "that's a nice spread."

33. Hint of color: TINCT.  Hand up for TINGE.

35. Olive stuffing: PIMIENTO.   A red, heart-shaped pepper.

36. Cloudburst: RAIN.

37. Singer Brickell: EDIE.   She knows what she knows if you know what I mean.  Married to Paul Simon. 

38. Drains: SAPS.  SAP is another word with multiple meanings.

39. Household outlet output: AC POWER.  Alternating Current.

40. "In a few": SOONISH.  Acceptable . . . ish.

43. __ ed: SEX.  No longer limited to those "social disease" films that they showed us in high school.

44. Shiver: TREMOR.

45. Hunting garb: CAMO.  CAMOuflage

46. Bumpy: UNEVEN.

47. Precede: FOREGO.  Although it is usually employed to mean relinquish or go without, FOREGO can also mean to go before.

48. Casting option: FLY ROD.  Sculpture (lost wax casting)?  Hollywood ensemble?  To throw?  To watch your cellphone screen on your TV?  Nope.  A fishing reference.

51. Annoying: PESKY.  Where does the word "politics" come from?  From the Greek "poly" for many and the English "ticks" for PESKY parasites.

54. Nap: DOZE.

57. Mil. title: GEN.  GENeral  Abbr / Abbr

58. Match, in poker: SEE.

60. Kilmer of film: VAL.

Nick Rivers Straightens That Rug

61. Cy Young stat: ERA.  A baseball reference.  Earned Run Average.  The Cy Young award is given annually to the best pitcher in each of the two major leagues.

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