google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Ross Trudeau

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Showing posts with label Ross Trudeau. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ross Trudeau. Show all posts

Jan 26, 2023

Thursday, January 26, 2023, Katherine Baicker & Ross Trudeau

 

Katherine Baicker has had 3 LAT outings and Ross Trudeau has had 10, plus 54 with the NYT, including a collaboration with his Dad, whom you may recognize.  I think this is the first time Katherine and Ross have teamed together for the LAT and for today's theme they present us with 4 iconic mascots on a

FAST TRACK
TO THE TOP

But let's begin at the bottom:

58A. Marketing strategies, and what the mascots in this puzzle have all been given?: SALES PROMOTIONS.

17A. Mascot who pursued the Hamburglar: DETECTIVE BIG MAC.  He started out as a beat cop who  always got his HAM and was eventually promoted to the rank of

Detective Big Mac

23A. Mascot with a goatee and a string tie: GENERAL SANDERS.  This humble COLONEL leveraged his good looks and Southern charm to get promoted to the rank of

 
General Sanders

36A. Mascot "born in the Sea of Milk": ADMIRAL CRUNCH.  He started as CAPTAIN CRUNCH and his gimmick was a free whistle in every box.   He was quickly promoted to the rank of
Admiral Crunch
 ... because the box also included free, unlimited long distance phone calls!

50A. Mascot who says, "I want to eat your cereal!": MARQUIS CHOCULA.  He started out as a lowly COUNT but was promoted to royalty because he was willing to work night shifts and he really sank his teeth into his job:
 
Marquis Chocula
Here's the grid:


Here's the rest:

Across:

1. Intro courses?: APPSAPPetizers?

5. Female turkeys: HENS. Their mates are called TOMS.

9. Features of some islands: SINKS.  These islands are not in el Océano (see 45A), but in the middle of your kitchen:


14. Attract: DRAW.

15. Lotion ingredient: ALOESNORE.  Oops, next clue!

16. Sleeper's rumble: SNORE.  May be a sign of sleep APNEA.  A sleep study can confirm whether you have it, but in my experience they are elaborate affairs.  Basically they bundle you up in a cocoon of wires and sleep sensors and expect you to sleep comfortably while they monitor you overnight.  Somebody could make a bundle if they invented reusable, wireless sensors, e.g. bluetooth enabled.

[Theme clue]

20. Dutch cheese: EDAM.  Crosswordcheese.

21. Right at sea?: AYE.  Whatever you say Admiral!  See also 57A.

22. So last year: OUT. "Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months" - Oscar Wilde.

[Theme clue]

28. Flying fig.: ALTALTitude.

29. Carve up a black diamond?: SKI.  A former haunt for Malodorous Manatee.  These days he likes to lounge in the lodge sipping hot toddies. 😁

30. Currier and __: IVESCurrier and Ives was a New York City printmaking business that operated between 1835 and 1907. Founded by Nathaniel Currier, the company designed and sold inexpensive, hand painted lithographic works based on news events, views of popular culture and Americana.  The corporate name was changed in 1857 to "Currier and Ives" with the addition of James Merritt Ives.
A Brush for the Lead
31. Entreaty: PLEA.

33. Shade tree: ELM.

35. Service charge: FEE.

[Theme clue]

41. Choice indicators: ORSRNS and MDS are not options.

42. English pronoun: SHE.  See 24D.

43. Excursion: TRIP.

45. Océano contents: AGUAWATER.  Spanish lesson #1.

47. "Sorta": ISH.

49. Estadio cheer: OLE

[Theme clue]

55. Samantha Bee's former network: TBSSamantha Anne Bee (born in Toronto, Ontario on October 25, 1969) is a Canadian-American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actress, and television host. A CSO to CanadianEh!
Samantha Bee
56. Calgary summer hrs.: MDT.  Hi again CanadianEh!  The Mountain Time Zone of North America keeps time by subtracting seven hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) when standard time (UTC−07:00) is in effect, and by subtracting six hours during daylight saving time (UTC−06:00).  Calgary, Alberta is due South of Edmonton on this map:

Mountain Time Zone

57. Left at sea?: PORTSee 21A.

[Theme reveal]

64. With 40-Down, legal scholar played by Kerry Washington in HBO's "Confirmation": ANITA.  and 40-Down HILLConfirmation is a 2016 American television political thriller film, directed by Rick Famuyiwa and written by Susannah Grant.  The YouTube trailers were way too political, so you'll have to settle for this:

  BUT IN THIS  CASE IT DIDN'T!

65. Past regulation, briefly: IN OTOver Time.

66. Smooch in a lift: SNOGLIFT is Brit for elevator.  As long as the two of you are alone it's not a PDA.

67. Cat collar dangler: ID TAG.   If you're really attached to your pet you can have them micro-chipped in case they get lost and lose their ID TAG.   We're next!

68. Affixes a patch, say: SEWS.

69. Hushed "Hey!": PSST.

Down:

1. Verb on a dipstick: ADD.   But not too much.  You might blow a gasket.

2. Paid intro?: PRE.

3. Protected, in a way: PATENTED.  Both PATENTS and TRADE MARKS are protected by the USPTO in Alexandria, VA, where I worked for a couple of years.  They are one of the few government agencies that pays for itself through the fees it collects for research and licensing.

4. Greta Thunberg, notably: SWEDE.  The day before this was written she was arrested for a protest at a German coal mine

Greta Thunberg

5. Ones who work with bowlers and boaters: HAT MAKERS.
Bowler               Boater
 
6. Yalie: ELI.  Nicknamed for this guy:
Elihu Yale
7. Super stars: NOVAS. A supernova is the biggest explosion that humans have ever seen. Each blast is the extremely bright, super-powerful explosion of a star.  During the lifetime of stars their primary constituent hydrogen is fused into heavier elements.  The debris from supernovae explosions are captured during planetary formation and many of these elements are the basis for the creation and maintenance of life.
Artist rendering of a Supernova
Image credit: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss
8. "Buh-bye!": SEE YA.

9. Govt. stipend: SSISupplemental Security Income.  A tip 'o the hat to TTP for pointing out my confusion between SSI and Social Security benefits.  Here's the difference.  Both are administered at the SSA Headquarters in Woodlawn, MD, about 2 miles from our house ...
Social Security Headquarters

10. Dutch banking giant with an orange lion logo: INGThe ING Group is a Dutch multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered in Amsterdam. Its primary businesses are retail banking, direct banking, commercial banking, investment banking, wholesale banking, private banking, asset management, and insurance services. With total assets of US $1.1 trillion, it is one of the biggest banks in the world, and consistently ranks among the top 30 largest banks globally.  Here's their logo:

I was happy to find that ING is also a major charitable organization, a supporter of the arts, and they happen to be sponsors of the world renowned Royal Concertgebouw  Orchestra, which performed this brass chorale from Mahler's 2nd Symphony ("The Resurrection")

11. "I give!": NO MORE.
 
12. Alison in the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame: KRAUSSAlison Maria Krauss (born July 23, 1971) is an American bluegrass-country singer and musician. She entered the music industry at an early age, competing in local contests by the age of eight and recording for the first time at 14.  Here's her song Down To The River To Pray used in the soundtrack to the 2000 Joel and Ethan Coen film O Brother, Where Art Thou?

13. Chip off the old flock?: SECT.  Clever clue.

18. Sonata and Cadenza: CARS. This one really had me stumped for a while.  Sonatas are solo pieces, e.g. for piano or violin, whereas a cadenza is usually a virtuoso solo interlude within a larger orchestral work, such as a piano concerto.  But the second movement of Beethoven's Sonata 32 published in 1822 has an incredibly virtuosic passage that I think qualifies as a cadenza.  It was almost 70 years ahead of its time and is reminiscent of ragtime piano.   This 2 minute interlude is popularly known as the "boogie-woogie" variation.  Take it for a test drive and see if you don't agree:

19. "__-Hur": BENBen-Hur is a 1959 American religious epic film directed by William Wyler, produced by Sam Zimbalist, and starring Charlton Heston as the title character.  It was adapted from Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.  It won 11 Academy awards and it even has an EPIC trailer ...
23. Missing segment: GAP.

24. Spanish pronoun: ELLASHE.  Spanish lesson #2.  A bi-lingual dupe with 43A?

25. Singer/activist Downs: LILA.  Spanish lesson #3.  Ana Lila Downs Sánchez (born 9 September 1968) is a Mexican singer-songwriter/activist. She performs her own compositions and the works of others in multiple genres, as well as tapping into Mexican traditional and popular music.  Here's her Zapata Se Queda

26. French Lord: DIEU.  Not the aristocrat, the poor guy.  French lesson #1.

27. __ planner: EVENT.

32. Affaire de coeur: AMOURLOVE. French lesson #2.

34. NYC FC's org.: MLS.  The New York City Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in New York City that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), the highest level of American soccer, as a member of the league's Eastern Conference.


35. Just-brewed carafes of coffee, e.g.: FRESH POTS

37. Kirkuk's country: IRAQKirkuk (Arabic: كركوك, Kurdish: کەرکووک) is a city in Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate, located 238 kilometres (148 miles) north of Baghdad. The city is home to a diverse population of Turkmens, Arabs, Kurds, and Assyrians.
Iraq
38. Smart: CHIC.  See 22A.

39. Salad topping: CROUTONSCROÛTONS.  French lesson #3 (you get extra points for the ^)

40. See 64-Across: HILL.

44. Storied cause of royal insomnia: PEAIn case you slept through it ...

45. Radio setting: AM BANDAM FM and ALARM were too short.

46. Like the streets in some period pieces: GAS LIT.

48. Nocturnal call: HOOT.  Another CSO to Ray - O.  This makes two weeks in a row.

51. Strike caller: UMP.

52. Elba of "The Suicide Squad": IDRISElba is definitely not risk aversive.  The Suicide Squad is a 2021 American superhero film based on the DC Comics team Suicide Squad.  Imagine that.

53. Curling target: STONE.  Also called "Chess on ice", curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles.  Oh and BTW, according to this article, the Olympic rules actually call the target area a house.
US Olympic Curler Vicky Persinger
54. Brittle: CRISP.

55. Taiwan's first female president: TSAITsai Ing-wen grew up in Taipei and studied law and international trade.  She later studied law at the London School of Economics and Political Science, with her thesis titled "Unfair trade practices and safeguard actions", and was awarded a Ph.D. in law from the University of London.
Tsai Ing-wen
59. "When do u get in?": ETA.

60. Old futon problem: SAG.  A new clue for old crosswordese?

61. Lower a pitch?: MOW"Pitch" is a term used by the groundsmen for the NYC FC (see 34D)

62. Figs.: NOS.
 
63. "__ Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band": SGT.   The clue didn't indicate if it was just for the first track or the eponymous album.  This link will take you to the play list and you can click   Play all   to cycle through the whole album (with 1 sec ad blips) or you can pick and choose what you like.  Enjoy!

Cheers,
Bill

As always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.  
 
waseeley
 

Dec 20, 2020

Sunday December 20, 2020 Ross Trudeau

 

Theme: "Pop Quiz" - Pop songs start with the Five W's and How.

23. Question 1 (Baha Men, 2000): WHO LET THE DOGS OUT. "Who, who, who, who, who?
Who let the dogs out...". We see BAHA at grid from time to time.

38. Question 2 (Third Eye Blind, 1997): HOW'S IT GONNA BE. Not familiar with the song or the band. Wiki gives the title "How's It Going to Be".

48. With 79-Across, Question 3 (War, 1975): WHY CAN'T WE. And 79. See 48-Across: BEFRIENDS.

61. Question 4 (Jagged Edge featuring Nelly, 2001): WHERE THE PARTY AT.

85. Question 5 (Justin Bieber, 2015): WHAT DO YOU MEAN. Ah, we all know this song. 

102. Question 6 (Linda Ronstadt, 1975): WHEN WILL I BE LOVED. Argyle liked Linda Ronstadt.

What a great title! So apt. Ross always finds ways to tighten up a theme. This is a perfect example.

This puzzle only has 138 words. Our standard is 144. Ross is a real pro in grid-designing and filling.

Ross Trudeau

Across:

1. Broody genre: EMO.

4. Bothersome sort: PEST.

8. Writ word: HABEAS. Habeas corpus.

14. "Yeah, right!": I BET.

18. Traveler's app that can use crowdsourced data: WAZE. GPS navigation app. Found in Israel. Owned by Google now.

20. Creep (along): INCH.

21. "Little Miss Dynamite" Lee: BRENDA.

22. Gold rush animal: MULE.

26. Gainsborough's "The Blue Boy" et al.: OILS.

27. Flustered: IN A STEW.

28. Book of Mormon prophet: ENOS. And 11. Musician Brian: ENO.

29. iPod and iPad: APPLES. My iPod (Classic) finally died. The battery quit.

31. Ability of Marvel's Professor X: ESP.

32. Use sparingly: RATION. I used my iPod every day for over 12 years. It did not have WiFi.  So outdated, but it fit my needs perfectly. 


34. Did an aria, say: SOLOED.

36. Like some river bottoms: SILTY.

42. Smoothie berry: ACAI. Vowel-rich, hence its frequent appearance.

43. Like Cheerios: OATEN.

46. Shouldered: BORNE.

47. Crafty sort: FOX.

50. Hall of Famer Reese: PEEWEE. And another Hall of Famer 57. Bobby on ice: ORR.

52. Get behind something, maybe: HIDE.

53. Golf club part: TOE.

54. Goldberg who drew complex "machines": RUBE.

55. Petrol measures: LITRES.

56. Buenos __: AIRES. This sounds very pretty in Chinese. Minneapolis and Annapolis also sound pretty. I think I mentioned before, in Chinese, America is "beautiful country".

58. Romanov title: TSAR.

59. End of a ball game?: ALAI. Jai alai.

60. "Despicable Me" orphan: AGNES. New to me. Shout out to the Notorious Agnes on our blog.

65. Thunders: ROARS.

67. Assistant: AIDE.

68. Electrical units: OHMS.

69. __ es Salaam: DAR.

72. Housing choice: CONDO.

73. Sign of spring: TAURUS.

75. Pod contents: PEAS. My iPod is full of great podcasts. Many classic Maron episodes.

76. Legal org.: ABA.

77. Activity centers: HUBS.

78. Temptation for a gambler: HOT TIP.

81. In the past: AGO.

82. "Pearly Shells" singer: DON HO.

83. Ish: SORTA.

84. Victoria's Secret spec: C CUP.

89. Contests that take seconds?: DUELS. Great clue.

90. Lassos: RIATAS.

91. "The Communist Manifesto" co-author: ENGELS. This poster of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin & Mao was in our classrooms for many years.


94. "O, __ fortune's fool!": Romeo: I AM.

95. Beatnik address: DADDY-O.

97. Little bit: IOTA.

98. Noble realm: EARLDOM.

101. Et __: ALII.

107. Philosopher Descartes: RENE. "Cogito ergo sum" guy.

108. Chief: LEADER.

109. Zipped through: ACED.

110. "Biggest Little City in the World": RENO. Boomer loves the food at Peppermill Reno & Vegas.

111. Brewery units: KEGS.

112. Walked proudly: STRODE.

113. What many players shoot for: PARS. On a golf course.

114. Common doo-wop solo instrument: SAX.

Down:

1. "Ick": EWW.

2. Half a menu fish: MAHI.

3. Stratospheric shield: OZONE LAYER.

4. Brad of "12 Monkeys": PITT.

5. Formal "Door's open": ENTER.

6. Unstressed vowel sound: SCHWA.

7. Not just any: THE.

8. Netflix competitor: HBO NOW.

9. Gases in some bulbs: ARGONS. Plurable?

10. Porgy's beloved: BESS.

12. Ghanian-born soccer great: ADU. Freddy. So highly touted.



13. Got stood up at the café, say: SAT ALONE.

14. Words while checking one's calendar: I'M OPEN.

15. Jack London classic, with "To": BUILD A FIRE.



16. Fashion monthly: ELLE.

17. Hardy heroine: TESS.

19. Springy: ELASTIC.

24. Spot: ESPY.

25. Two-sport Sanders: DEION. NFL/MLB.



30. Bread in a skillet: PONE.

33. You, biblically: THEE.

34. Vermont ski resort: STOWE.

35. Scary beasts: OGRES.

36. Handled: SAW TO.

37. Blood of the Greek gods: ICHOR.What color is it?



39. Madrid's peninsula: IBERIA.

40. Portends: BODES.

41. Subjects of split decisions?: EXES. Another great clue.

43. Disagreeable necessities: ONUSES.

44. Being litigated: AT BAR.

45. Poetic contraction: 'TWERE.

49. Prefix with pod or scope: ARTHRO. "Joint".

50. Accumulated: PILED UP.

51. Military camps: ETAPES.

52. Crossword title, often: HINT.

55. "Interpreter of Maladies" Pulitzer author Jhumpa __: LAHIRI. Indian-American.



56. Tennis legend Andre: AGASSI.

60. Language or people of the central Andes: AYMARA. Learning moment for me.

61. Rolls of money: WADS.

62. "Amélie" star Audrey: TAUTOU.  Such a whimsical film.


63. Rodeo competitor: ROPER.

64. Lifting, maybe: THEFT.

65. Golfer's "tall stuff": ROUGH.

66. Orientation procedure: ON BOARDING.

69. Steps on the floor?: DANCE MOVES. Lovely fill and clue.

70. Singer Paula: ABDUL.

71. Talks hoarsely: RASPS.

72. Wad of tobacco: CHAW.

73. Skater Harding: TONYA.

74. Dumas' Count de la Fère: ATHOS.

78. Nocturnal hunters: HOOT OWLS.

79. Radius, for one: BONE.

80. Galápagos Islands' country: ECUADOR.

82. Time for action: D DAY.

83. Katey of "Sons of Anarchy": SAGAL.

86. Spruces (up): TIDIES.

87. Asked for a tuna treat, maybe: MEOWED. We just had MEWL yesterday.

88. Whole: ENTIRE.

89. Pickle flavoring: DILL.

92. High-end camera: LEICA.

93. Cavalry blade: SABER.

95. Like grim humor: DARK.

96. Sheltered, at sea: ALEE.

97. Chinese leader?: INDO. Indo-Chinese.

99. Chianti and Bordeaux: REDS.

100. Actress Suvari: MENA."American Beauty"/"American Pie"

103. Worked (up): HET.

104. Canal site: EAR.

105. Cozy cat seat: LAP.

106. Publish identifying material about on the Web: DOX. Read more here. Doxing can be toxic.



Nov 24, 2020

Tuesday, November 24, 2020 / Evelyn Rubin and Ross Trudeau

Bell Bottom Blues.  In today's puzzle, the theme clues are all in the Down position.  The last or "Bottom" word in each theme answer is a type of Bell.  Note, too, that the theme answers are closely related to their corresponding Bell.

3-Down. "Tuesday" special with fowl filling: CHICKEN TACO.  Can you get a Chicken Taco at TACO BELL?

5-Down. Underwater snorkeling done behind metal bars: SHARK CAGE DIVING.  Aristotle recorded accounts of Diving Bells way back in the 4th Century BCE.


9-Down. 19th-century French gift to New York City: STATUE OF LIBERTY.  A brief history of the Statue of Liberty.  In 1915, the Liberty Bell travelled across the United States.


And the Unifier:

25-Down. '70s fashion trend ... and features of 3-, 5- and 9-Down: BELL BOTTOMS.


Across:
1. Risqué: RACY.

5. Blunders: SLIPS.




10. Occupied: BUSY.

14. Return from a cave?: ECHO.  Fun clue.

15. Lets loose on: HAS AT.

16. App downloader: USER.

17. Waikiki neckwear: LEIs.


18. Property valuations: APPRAISALS.

20. Fruit tree grouping: ORCHARD.  When I was a kid, the whole family would go to the university orchards and pick apples.  That was always so much fun.


22. Corner PC key: CTRL.   On the Mac, the Control Key is near the corner.


23. Hose problem: KINK.  My initial answer was Leak.


24. Eco-friendly, as a container: REUSABLE.  Due the the pandemic, Trader Joe's doesn't allow customers to bring their own bags anymore. 


28. "That's what __ said!": SHE.


30. Eaves dropping?: ICICLE.


32. Not e'en once: NE'ER.

33. Author Fleming: IAN.  Ian Fleming (né Ian Lancaster Fleming; May 28, 1908 ~ Aug. 12, 1964) was a British naval intelligence officer during World War II.  In 1952, his first Bond novel, Casino Royale, was published.  He died of a massive heart attack at age 53.  The first actor to portray James Bond on Screen was Sean Connery (Aug. 25, 1930 ~ Oct. 31, 2020), who recently died at age 90.


34. Actress Rooney __: MARA.  Rooney Mara (née Patricia Rooney Mara; b. Apr. 17, 1985) is probably best known for her role as Lisbeth Salander in the movie The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.  I found the novel too disturbing, so had no desire to see the movie.


35. End of a threat: OR ELSE.

37. Wile E. Coyote explosive: TNT.

38. It precedes beauty, per a saying: AGE.


39. Photog's deg.: MFA.  As in a Master of Fine Arts degree.  Many years ago, I lived across the park from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.  There was a school associated with the museum and I took some photography classes there.  I wasn't very good, but it was fun to learn the arts of developing film.


40. Partnership abbr.: LLC.  Technically, an LLC is a Limited Liability Company.  The clue cries out for an LLP, which is a Limited Liability Partnership.  For those interested, you can read about the differences LLC vs LLP.

41. Not up to the task: UNABLE.

43. Ego: SELF.
44. Vegas action: BET.

45. Fashion designer Rabanne: PACO.  Paco Rabanne (né Francisco Rabaneda Cuervo; b. Feb. 18, 1934) is a Basque fashion designer.  He opened his fashion house in the mid-1960s.  He later began a perfume line, which is where I have seen his name at the cosmetics counter.


46. Mild expletive: DANG IT!

48. Words before "vey" and "gevalt": OYs.  Oy isn't just a word, it is an entire vocabulary.  As a stand-alone, it can mean anything from surprise to joy to horror.  Oy Vey literally means "oh, the pain", but it, too can express any thing from delight to woe and sadness.  It's the Yiddish version of I Am Groot.  The phrase Oy Gevalt is more of a cry of help or protest.




49. Lola in a Manilow song, e.g.: SHOW GIRL.


51. Sing strongly: BELT.  What Barry Manilow was doing above.

53. "Chuck" star Zachary: LEVI.  I am familiar with neither Chuck nor Zachary Levi (né Zachary Levi Pugh; b. Sept. 29, 1980), but he was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana.



54. Deserved: MERITED.

57. Officially give, as a exam: ADMINISTER.


61. "Get out of the way!": MOVE.

62. Item of interest?: LOAN.

63. SALT topic: N-TEST.  The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks were about attempts to control nuclear weapons.

64. Sign of things to come: OMEN.

65. Slack-jawed: AGOG.

66. Beaujolais grape: GAMAY.  Everything you wanted to know about Gamay Wine, but were afraid to ask.

67. Nine-digit IDs: SSNs.  As in Social Security Numbers.  This has become a crossword staple.

Down:
1. Realtor's move: RE-LO.  As in Relocation.  This has become a crossword staple.

2. Taiwanese laptop brand: ACER.  I learned of this brand of laptop from doing the crossword puzzles.  It appears with some frequency.

4. Super Mario's dinosaur: YOSHI.  I have heard of Super Mario, but didn't know he had a dinasaur.




6. W. Coast cop force: LAPD.  As in the Los Angeles Police Department.

7. Web access co.: ISP.  As in Internet Service Provider.  We see this often in the puzzles.

8. Package: PARCEL.  With the holidays coming up, and with the pandemic, there will be fewer gatherings and more sending of parcels to family and friends.


10. Road section for public transit vehicles: BUS LANE.


11. 50-st. country: USA.


12. French salt: SEL.  Today's French lesson.

13. Wall cal. periods: YRs.  As in Years.

19. Org. that handles returns: IRS.  As in the Internal Revenue Service.

21. Kangaroo or kinkajou: ANIMAL.  My first thought was Mammal, but I wasn't sure whether or not a  Kinkajou was a mammal,  It is, but the perps led me to Animal as the correct answer.  The Kinkajou is a cute little critter.


24. Early electronics co.: RCA.


26. TV journalist Stahl: LESLEY.  Lesley Rene Stahl (b. Dec. 16, 1941) is a long-time journalist and a reporter on 60 Minutes.


27. Puts up: ERECTS.

28. Crunch cousins: SIT UPS.

29. ESPN journalist Storm: HANNAH.  Hannah Storm (née Hannah Lynn Storne; b. June 13, 1962) began her career as the first female host on CNN Sports Tonight, where she worked from 1989 until 1992.


31. Wrath: IRE.

36. Roof support beam: RAFTER.




39. Ryan of "You've Got Mail": MEG.  Meg Ryan (née Margaret Mary Emily Hyra; b. Nov. 19, 1961) just celebrated her 59th birthday.  She starred in You've Got Mail with Tom Hanks.


42. Game with strikes and a ball: BOWLING.  Hi. Boomer!

43. NBC revue that gave us "More Cowbell": SNL.  As in Saturday Night Live.

47. Label for two "Aretha" albums: ARISTA.

50. Mil. head honcho: GEN.  As in a General.

52. Stretches at a wedding?: LIMOs.  As in a Limousine.



54. Tableland: MESA.  Hi, Lucina!


55. Like some oxymoronic odds: EVEN.  Funny!

56. Lairs: DENS.


57. Mobile home: Abbr.: ALA.  Cute clue!  The city of Mobile is on the Alabama coast.  The George Wallace Tunnel on I-10 goes through mobile.  The traffic is always back-up there.


58. Boxer or Borzoi: DOG.  I wasn't fooled by this clue even thought I was not familiar with the Borzoi.  The dog is also known as the Russian Hunting Sighthound, but I never heard of that either.


59. Chairman mentioned in the Beatles' "Revolution": MAO.


60. Pro __: TEM.  Today's Latin lesson.  The phrase means "for the time being."

Here's the Grid:



Happy Thanksgiving!  It will be a quiet one for us with no family gathering, but we are thankful for all the little joys in our lives.