google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Sunday, Feb 28, 2016 Jeffrey Wechsler

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Feb 28, 2016

Sunday, Feb 28, 2016 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: "Putting in Overtime" - OT is added to each theme answer.

21A. Cold weather moisturizer? : THE LOTION IN WINTER. "The Lion in Winter". I discovered this two winters ago. Very moisturizing.


36A. Moor's money pool? : OTHELLO KITTY. Hello Kitty.

57A. Best Western fishing amenities? : MOTEL BROOKS. Mel Brooks.

66A. Business where lines are discouraged? : BOTOX OFFICE. Box office.

88A. Child-friendly? : SUITED TO A TOT. Suited to a T.

106A. Queen's body double? : OTHER ROYAL MAJESTY. Her Royal Majesty.
 
14D. Spoils at your neighbor's house? : THE BOOTY NEXT DOOR. The Boy Next Door.

35D. Did away with voting? : DROPPED THE BALLOT. Dropped the ball.

I think this is Jeffrey's first Sunday puzzle. Congrats, Jeffrey! 

Despite heavy themage, Jeffrey packed a bunch of long fill in this 138-word grid. Two 10's, two 9's and ten 8's, four of which are placed side by side, which is very hard to pull off cleanly.

I also liked lots of today's clues, esp 91. Periods in sentences : TERMS

Across:
     
1. __ Picchu : MACHU

6. Library fixture : LAMP. Not BOOK or DESK.

10. Early name in late TV : PAAR (Jack)

14. Bit : TAD

17. They help define a lot : ACRES

18. "Eraserhead" star Jack : NANCE. Unknown figure to me.

19. __ à manger: dining room : SALLE. "Room" in French.

20. Pink, for example : HUE

24. "More of the same" letters : ETC

25. Boards : STEPS ONTO

26. Trig function : SINE

27. Real Madrid's game : FUTBOL. Called Zu Qiu in Chinese. Literally "foot's ball".

29. Bar offerings : SHOTS

30. Campus challenges : FINALS

32. Judd of country music : NAOMI. We had her last Sunday.

33. Freed (of) : RID

39. Zen paradox : KOAN. Any of you familiar with the Japanese anime Ikkyu san? Very popular in my teens. Ikkyu is a little monk.


40. Features of some traffic signals : ARROWS

42. Charged atoms : IONS

43. Hi-__ image : RES

44. Mini- analog : ETTE

45. Sheltered spots : NOOKS

46. Lionel Hampton's instrument : VIBES. Vibraphones. Google shows that he was called "King of Vibes".


48. Fulfill the requirements : QUALIFY. Easy crossing QUO (48. Status __ ). Otherwise, I might not have got it.

50. Econ. statistics : GNPs. Of course I had GDPs first.

51. Target of icing : CAKE. 52. Target of icing : PUCK. Nice clue echo.

53. Linguistic source of "pajamas" : HINDI. Also "guru", "shampoo", "pundit" and a few more. We also have 110. Dish name from the Tamil for "sauce" : CURRY

56. Ability scorned by many : ESP
 
60. Unhidden : OVERT

61. Affixed, in a way : TIED ON

63. Voyage segment : LEG

64. Top spots : APEXES

65. Not as expected : ODDER. The answer is indeed "Not as expected".

72. Defunct carrier : TWA

73. Seller of chew toys : PETCO

74. From scratch : ANEW

75. Secretary of Education Duncan : ARNE. Not any more. Needs "former".

76. Shaft access : ADIT. Also 99. Needle holder : ETUI. Our old friends are back.

77. Flattering : HONEYED

79. Meir's successor : RABIN

81. Go on and on, with "on" : DRONE

82. Maker of Veriton computers : ACER. My monitor is an Acer. Great quality.

84. "How could I not see that?!" : DOH!

85. Assistant to millions : SIRI. Did you get this immediately, Gary?

86. Some factory workers : ROBOTS

87. Noodle variety : SOBA. Made of buckwheat flour. Often served cold.


92. Poppycock : ROT

93. Steaming : IRATE

95. European travel guide author Rick __ : STEVES. He's on NPR a few times. So glad we don't need to clue it as a plural given name any more.

96. Geek Squad pros : TECHS

98. First named Atlantic storm in 10 different years to date : ARLENE. I don't understand the clue.

100. Johann : "Sehr gut" :: Jacques : "__ bien" : TRES. Very good.

101. Compel to accept, as ideas : FORCE UPON

105. Up to, on invites : TIL

109. Words with a certain ring : I DO. Sweet clue also.

111. Stymies : FOILS

112. Danny __, Shel Silverstein's "dancin' bear" : O'DARE. Unknown to me.


113. Crookshanks, in Harry Potter fiction : CAT. Learning moment as well.

114. Moves it : HIES

115. Animal rights issue : FURS

116. Utterly enchant : BESOT
  
Down:

1. Pilates class array : MATS

2. Zwei quadrupled : ACHT. Luckiest number in Chinese/Japanese culture.

3. First Nations tribe : CREE

4. Makes it easier : HELPS

5. Hope venues for 50 yrs. : USO SHOWS. Bob Hope.

6. Ancient Chinese sage : LAO-TSE. Quite a few different spellings. Lao-tzu seems to be more common in the west. It's just Lao-zi in China.


7. Latin dating word : ANNO

8. It merged with WorldCom in 1998 : MCI. Drew a blank also.

9. Retirement plans : PENSIONS

10. Classic delivery vehicle : PANEL TRUCK

11. Space bar neighbor : ALT

12. Beth preceder : ALEF. First Hebrew letter

13. TV Land fare : RERUN

15. Defunct self-serve eatery : AUTOMAT

16. Just say no : DECLINE

18. Like Pluto, once : NINTH. Simple in respect.

19. Exodus high point : SINAI

22. Attention-getters on the road : TOOTS. And 23. Attention-getters at a bar : WINKS

28. Relax : TAKE FIVE

30. Antarctic sight : FLOE

31. Outback fare : STEAKS

33. Kitchen remodeling selection : RANGETOP

34. '60s-'70s TV detective : IRONSIDE. Never saw it.

37. Fact-checking can help avoid it : LIBEL. Got via crosses.

38. Haute couture initials : YSL. I really like Mulberry.

41. Gives a thumbs-up : OKs

46. Brewery container : VAT

47. Harry's successor : IKE

49. Wishful words : I HOPE

51. Flimflam : CON

52. Possum pal of Porky Pine : POGO

54. Gradually made a member of : DREW INTO

55. "Just checking the alarm, folks" : IT'S A TEST. Nice pair of 8's.

57. Nincompoop : MORON

58. Squander : BLOW

59. "Toy Story" dinosaur : REX. Gimme for me.

62. Work on a tree, maybe : DECORATE. Christmas tree.

64. Blackjack need : ACE

66. Gulf Coast environs : BAYOUS

67. Nearly flawless diamond highlights : ONE-HITTERS. Loved the clue & answer.

68. Red Sox legend Williams : TED. Frozen. He might come back to life someday. Who knows.

69. One-named Milanese model : FABIO

70. Calendar abbr. : FRI

71. Holiday __ : INN

76. Wall St. hedger : ARB

78. Script fixers, for short : EDs (Editors)

79. Gets out of Dodge : RIDES OFF

80. Applied __ : ARTS. Not familiar wit the term. You?

81. Get it finished : DO THE JOB. Great entry.

82. Like some lions : ASIATIC

83. Contest with picadors : CORRIDA

85. Cut : SEVER

86. "CBS Sunday Morning" correspondent Mo : ROCCA. He appears on "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" regularly. Who's your favorite "Wait Wait ..." panelist? Paula Poundstone is hilarious.



89. Absorbent cloth : TERRY

90. Micronesia components : ATOLLS

94. Father of Methuselah : ENOCH

97. Blue shoe material of song : SUEDE

101. Pretty, maidenwise : FAIR. OK, I get it. Fair maiden.

102. Antismoking TV spots, e.g. : PSAs

103. Alberto's alternative, with "el" : OTRO. The other.

104. Omsk objection : NYET

107. Charlemagne's realm: Abbr. : HRE

108. "As __ Like It" : YOU

C.C. 


42 comments:

OwenKL said...

HELLO KITTY was out walking one day
When she saw a LION was coming her way.
She politely waved hi,
Then dined with the guy --
Leo finished his meal with a Jell-O KITTY parfait!

Beware of a bakery with a white PANEL TRUCK
That deals in pastry that's iced by Canuck.
Up there people think
Life's a big skating rink,
So you might find your CAKE is an iced hockey PUCK!

Larry called all the tootsies in his favorite bar "TOOTS",
On the road, pretty lassies his car toodled "TOOTS".
He was wolfish with WINKS,
But alas, Larry stinks,
He eats mostly beans, so his tummy "TOOT-TOOTS!"

fermatprime said...

Greetings!

Thanks, Jeffrey and CC!

Fun theme!

Several perps and WAGs filled this in after much time.

They were: NANCE, KOAN, ARNE, O'DARE, CAT and ROCCA.

Cheers!

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Fun, punny theme today with just the right amount of crunch. Nearly got STYMIED at the bottom until knowing the theme actually helped me guess OTHER HER MAJESTY, which broke the whole section open. STEVES was a complete unknown, which is part of the reason I was having trouble down South, but that was about it. I knew CORRIDA, but it took a lot of perp help to actually remember it. I also had AFRICAN before ASIATIC, so that didn't help much in the SE until I took it out and started over.

Oh, one other speed bump was the crossing of ARNE and FRI. I had FEB off the initial F and thought the Secretary of Education could have been RENE. FABIO finally came to the rescue on that one.

Lemonade714 said...

Congratulations JW on your Sunday debut. There was lots of humor in the theme fill and some really fun CLUING like the icing clecho, and the attention getter

While the clue for ARLENE sounds like something Rich might add, it means only that since they started naming storms ten time the choice was Arlene.

There were some unknowns and a tiny Shakespeare so it felt like Jeffrey, and I enjoyed the AUTOMAT reference. One of the successor Horn and Hardart companies bought a company I worked for years ago.

Great write up for this sunny Sunday.

Argyle said...

Stormy. The first named storm is a reference to the fact that all the storms are named alphabetically and they were all females originally. Hence, Arlene has seen some use.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Yes for DESK. Another yes for GDPS. Tried BLACK for the 5-letter Jack, and tried to SATISFY the requirements. SOCCER had to morph into FUTBOL. Still, it all came together in normal Sunday time.

Not sure exactly what it means, C.C., but when I saw "Applied ____", ARTS immediately went in, so I guess I was familiar with the term. On that storm clue, since they are named alphabetically, the first named storm of the season must begin with an "A" -- Arlene.

Anonymous said...

Applied Arts is a type of college degree I think. Loved the puzzle

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, C.C. and friends. I found this to be a very challenging puzzle, although I knew enough from seeing the theme name to add OT to a common phrase. That helped.

MACHU PICCHU appears with some frequency in the puzzles. I changed my avatar to reflect a view of the buildings on Machu Picchu in the clouds from our visit their last year.

Latin Dating Word = ANNO was my favorite clue of the puzzle.

I see that ARLENE has been explained as a hurricane name. Andrew was the first hurricane that I experience first hand back in 1992.

The RABIN Center in Tel Aviv is a beautiful museum. Well worth the visit.

Mo Rocca was an occasional correspondent on The Daily Show. That is where I first heard of him.

Eraserhead is a 1977 cult classic on college campuses. David Lynch, the director, is the only name I associated with the film, though. Jack NANCE was a complete unknown to me.

QOD: I believe all complicated phenomena can be explained by simpler scientific principles. ~ Linus Pauling (Feb. 28, 1901 ~ Aug. 19, 1994)

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

Congrats, JW, on your Sunday debut. You outdid yourself with what must have been a difficult feat to pull off as neatly and as well-executed as this clever offering is. I'm not a big fan of Sunday puzzles because the time and effort spent in solving is not always proportionate to the enjoyment and satisfaction in completing it. Today was an exception; it was challenging enough, it had lots of great cluing and fresh fill and, most importantly, it was FUN!

Thanks and kudos to Jeffrey and thanks to CC for a wonderful write-up. All is right with the world on this beautiful, sunny February day! (I say this after a night of wild, wacky, and scary nightmares!)

Have a great day.

PK said...

Hi Y'all! Jeffrey must have been working Over-Time to jampack so much stuff into this puzzle. I HOPE we see more of his. Thanks, C.C. for all you do.

Since he moved the OT around, that caused me some confusion when I tried sticking an "O" in front of every stray "T" that showed up in long fills. This was another WAG & peck solve for me.

I still don't understand Mini- analog = ETTE?

I remember Lionel Hampton was popular when I was a teenager but thought he played the marimba so was confused. Took a long time to remember VIBraphone. When I did, I couldn't find the abbrev.

Didn't know ARNE, ROCCA, or SOBA.

Foist before FORCE UPON. Island before ATOLLS. Absorbed before DREW INTO.

I'd forgotten IRONSIDES. Watched it weekly because husband was a big fan. Used to watch Rick STEVES on PBS.

I resisted I HOPE a long time because of the Hope venue clue.

A degree in Applied ARTS usually has the name of the ART. My sis got a Master's Degree in Applied Organ. Think that didn't cause a lot of giggles and wise cracks? It was a church (mostly) music performance degree. I think the "Applied" designates a performance degree instead of a teaching degree.

JeffK21 said...

This seemed easy at first but I struggled in the center but finally got through it. I enjoyed the puzzle, it had the perfect amount of toughness. Nice job on your first one here!

Big Easy said...

Let me just say that I finished. I caught the theme at DROPPED THE BALL-OT with the left side being fairly easily filled but the rest was slow going. There were a words that I have never heard before- KOAN, HONEYED, SOBA- people I knew nothing about- NANCE, STEVES, ROCCA- and animals I didn't know- ODARE, Crookshanks CAT.

ALEF and beth- thank you perps. Applies ARTS- perps to the rescue; Applied 'sciences' is more familiar. Life would have been easier if I had read 58D's clue correctly and filled BLEW instead of BLOW and read 77A as 'flattered' and filled HONORED. DOH! I couldn't think of any word that ended with _OTEX other than the obvious and I knew it wouldn't make it into a 'friendly' newpaper puzzle.

Had a little trouble in the east filling ATTICS before APEXES corrected it. I had a V8 moment, wondering how anybody would know any female model from Milan and then it hit me after RABIN, SIRI, and ARNE were in place. FABIO.

IRONSIDES- Perry Mason in a wheelchair on the other side of the fence. Every client of Mason was always innocent and some 'MORON' jumped up in the court and confessed. IRONSIDES always solved the case.

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers -

Really enjoyed today's large Jeff Wex grid! Love the dense themeage, both across and down. More challenging than an average Sunday. I picked the wrong spelling for Lao Tse, had trouble remembering Rick Steves' name, and the Gulf environs really looked like Barges for a while. Got there eventually.

Morning, C.C., hand up for Paula Poundstone as the favorite Wait, Wait contestant. We saw her perform last week here in W. Mass, and she sure was funny.

Back in high school, when other kids were listening to head banging music, I preferred Big Band and vintage Jazz. Call me atypical. I was too young to drive one summer when Lionel Hampton and bassist George Duvivier were performing down in Connecticut, so my dad packed us in the car and off we went to Stratford to hear the session. Hamp could certainly get a crowd fired up!

Yellowrocks said...

I hit Shift C instead of Ctrl C to copy my earlier post before I deleted it to make a minor correction. Gone into the ether!
This puzzle was just crunchy enough for a Sunday and was solved faster than an average Sunday. I loved it. Great write up, CC.There were enough perps to suggest good wags for my unknowns. I hesitated a bit on STEVES, but it was the only answer possible. Googling it later, I found I have often seen Rick on TV. I just hadn't heard his last name.
When I visited the Automat as a kid with my Grandma I was fascinated to pick up each item from behind a little glass door. I was a country girl who almost never ate out.
I love cold SOBA noodles. I haven't used my Japanese cookbook in a long time. I will have to look them up and make them again. My DIL makes great CURRY. Surprisingly, the Japanese are big on curry.
BTW, have any of you HAIKU fans heard of TANKA from yesterday. I had not.

Yellowrocks said...

D/O, my first thought for applied___ was ARTS, as well. Wiki: "The applied arts are the application of design and decoration to everyday objects to make them aesthetically pleasing. The term is applied in distinction to the fine arts which aims to produce objects which are beautiful and/or provide intellectual stimulation. In practice, the two often overlap."
MINI is a diminutive, as is ETTE.
IRONSIDES is in reruns again. He never loses and the real culprit always confesses in the end.
PK, glad you have been sprung. I hope you continue to do well.

Husker Gary said...

The clever theme fill was mind-boggling to me and very helpful for DROP __ BA ___

Musings
-My 93-year-old MIL is a LION IN WINTER who sometimes bristles at having little say in her life
-His controversial opinions hurt him at the BOX OFFICE
-Spoils at your neighbor’s house is one of the clues that make you say, “HUH?” and then “DUH!”
-Perhaps Mariah should rethink her footwear when STEPping ONTO or OFF a boat
-Some women’s teams resent ETTE being added to their names, e.g. Tigerettes
-Check out these Olympic QUALIFYING marks
-Flying kids to Orlando via Houston from Omaha includes a LEG over lots of water
-SIRI and I are best buds. C.C.!
-ROBOTS are interesting until they get your job
-Anybody remember this ARLENE?
-We planned so four PENSION checks flow in here every month.
-Harry liked IKE until the general ran for president
-Dummy me thought CORRIDA was a place as in CORRIDA Cheer = OLE
-Winning a FAIR Lady advice

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Almost always like Jeffrey's weekday offerings. Now I like his Sunday ones, too.
Enjoyed all the clever fill and clever cluing, as well. Eventually got it all done; the central W was last.
15d - AUTOMAT. Ate at a Horn & Hardart Automat in NYC in 1948.
82a - ACER - Maple genus.
87a - SOBA - BH like them cold, too.

Anonymous said...

Hands up for thinking "corrida" was the place instead of the activity in the place.

maripro said...

Excellent puzzle Jeffrey and C.C.
If I remember correctly, Robert Ironside was played by Richard Burr. Loved that show.

Perry Mason said...

Incorrectly, Marilyn.

Bill G. said...

I really liked this puzzle! I patted myself on the back for sussing out the theme right away and using it to guess many of the theme answers. Clever clues. Excellent! Thanks Jeffrey and CC.

Me too for "Corrida."

I never cared much for the sound of a Vibraphone. Maybe others didn't either since its popularity seems to have died off.

I've eaten at an Automat once or twice back in the day. There was a different regular cafeteria-style restaurant near me growing up. They even served spoonbread!

I was glad to see Mo Rocca and Sunday Morning get some puzzle space. It's a welcome respite from 60 Minutes and the ceaseless political shows.

Yellowrocks said...

My posts here are being sent out as emails to various ones of you I have corresponded with in the past, without my consent. Then they are returned to me in my spam box with the notification that they cannot be sent. Do any of you ever receive emails that are the same as my posts? What gives?

Anonymous said...

MOTEL BROOKS? Huh? Wha'? Who goes to a Best Western to go fishing? They have pools for swimming.

And most lots are defined by fractions of ACRES, not by ACRES. If you have ACRES, you have a farm (or a palatial estate).

maripro said...

Oops - it was Raymond Burr.

Lucina said...

Hello, friends!

What a delightful puzzle from Jeffrey! And thank you, C.C. for your lovely expose. Most of the grid was done before I went to Church then finished afterward. When I caught the theme it helped with a couple of fill and I can't choose a favorite because there were many.

I don't recall ever hearing of Jack NANCE but it was a good WAG and I was sure Lionel Hampton played piano. That held me up for quite a while. LIBEL and FLOE corrected me. Like Bill G I was glad to see MO ROCCA. There is so much more in this richly constructed puzzle but you have all stated most of it.

Anyone who is looking for a literal interpretation in crossword puzzles should probably find another hobby as the play on words is the substance of puzzles.

I hope you are all enjoying your Sunday!

PK said...

Bill G: My DIL sent me videos of her son's marching band in state contest. With all the bands, there were several marimbas and maybe vibraphones lined up and played along the sidelines while the horns & drums were performing on the field. These mallet instruments may not be used in pop or rock music, although I have seen them relatively recently in the percussion sections of big symphony orchestras. I saw one once in a stage mariachi band. They aren't easy to learn.

YR: Thank you. I go for some "gait training" on Tuesday. That should be interesting.

Bill G. said...

Speaking of Sunday Morning, here is a great little story about a young girl from Maine and her duck who imprinted on her. A girl and her duck

Jayce said...

I'm with all of you who thought this was an excellent puzzle. I enjoyed it tremendously. As Irish Miss said so well, "...most importantly, it was FUN!"
Four years ago, when my boss was planning a business trip to Peru, I suggested to him he should try to get to Machu Picchu. His response was look at me as if I was speaking Greek or something, said "Huh?" and walked away. After he got back from Peru, he told everybody in a meeting that he had discovered this amazing place while he was there, and that it was called Machu Picchu. I damn near bit my tongue off.

CrossEyedDave said...

Bill G.,

I really enjoyed "A girl and her Duck."



To Yellowrocks it was said...

When you want to copy: Ctrl-C
When you want to paste: Ctrl-V
But if you erase it
And still want to save it
Get it all back: Ctrl-Z

Yellowrocks said...

Thanks for how to get it all back.I knew what I wanted to press,but I often get my finger in the wrong place, hence my typos.
Lucina, I agree about not taking the puns literally.

Dudley said...

Bill G, that's just too adorable. Thx!

Bill G. said...

Jayce, yep, I hate when that happens. That feeling seems very familiar to me.

Keep Calm and Carry On

I'm glad you liked the duck story. I guess when the duck goes to college, that will be another example of "the empty nest syndrome."

Misty said...

A Sunday delight--many thanks, Jeffrey! It took me much of the day, a little at a time, but I too got the theme early with DROPPED THE BALLOT and that helped a l[ot]. A great combination of old and new, things that were easy to get and unknown toughies that fell into place only when the surroundings were filled in. It doesn't get any better than this for a Sunday puzzle. And, of course, your Sunday expo is also always a delight, C.C., many thanks.

Now on to the Oscars! Have only seen "Brooklyn" out of all the nominees this year, but will try to catch up on the others as they become available on Netflix or on TV.

Have a great Sunday evening, everybody!

CrossEyedDave said...

Be careful what you wish for...

Bill G. said...

I was prepared to not like the Oscar telecast very much; thinking how much I missed the good old days with Billy Crystal and Johnny Carson before him. But I was wrong. I really liked Chris Rock; his monologue, his kids selling Girl Scout cookies, his jokes; "Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna's panties. I wasn't invited!" There were some other clever things that have slipped my mind at the moment. Anyway, he was gooder than I anticipated. I really enjoyed the show about a bunch of movies I haven't seen.

Lucina said...

I also enjoyed Chris Rock's monologue. He is genuinely funny. Tomorrow I am going to see Spotlight which I missed the first time around. The Revenant is the only one I had seen. Good show!

Anonymous T said...

Sunday lurker say...

How best to get to 'know' Mo Racca - Letterman? Big Think?, or Wait, Wait? [poor sound quality but his body language will make you laugh]. All links are >3m.

What I love about Mo is that he's really both smart & passionate about whatever he digs into and chases the rabbit all the way down the hole.

Bill G. - KID & duck was cute.

Hope y'all had a great Sunday. My chores are done.

Cheers, -T

Anonymous T said...

I suppose I should have hit refresh before posting... Bill G & Lucina - I don't think I've seen the Oscars since I was 11 or so but somehow it was on the TV tonight (I though I had CSPAN on). Chris Rock rock'd it. His monologue was spot on and LOL. C, -T

Lucina said...

AnonT:
CSpan? Really? Glad you enjoyed Chris Rock. I did, too.

Wilbur Charles said...

I invented a nww word ArIsTIC and spelled COReIDA so. I'm toying with learning Spanish just for Xword like my son learned Japanese for video gaming. I loved pogo but didn't remember PP. Tried to make USOtours work until ARROWS redlighted that. I'll also have to study Zen to unravel ZOAN. Nice to pop out* of the box with MACHU and PAAR.
* No baseball so I added some

Argyle said...

KOAN