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

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Apr 23, 2017

Sunday April 23, 2017 Craig Stowe

Theme: "Labor Disputes" - Each theme entry is punnily re-imagined as what the union group did during contract talks.

23A. During contract talks, a marching band __ : STEPPED OUT OF LINE. Craig could put the 17-letter or 13-letter theme entry in this slot also, but we would have had more 3-letter entries to deal with.

33A. During contract talks, a cruise ship's crew __ : MISSED THE BOAT

47A. During contract talks, a postal union __ : PUSHED THE ENVELOPE. The actions are all related to the clue occupations of course.

64A. During contract talks, a veterinarians' association __ : FOUGHT LIKE CATS AND DOGS. Sparkly grid-spanner.

78A. During contract talks, a divers' group __ : WENT OFF THE DEEP END

94A. During contract talks, an opera company __ : FACED THE MUSIC

107A. During contract talks, a fighters' club __ : TOOK THE GLOVES OFF

I think this is Craig's first Sunday puzzle. Congratulations! Are you this Craig?

What a fun theme. Very John Lampkin-like. Heavy themage too. Total 113 theme squares and only 140 words.

Across:

1. "Yowza!" : JEEZ.  "Yowza!"= Lucina. "Woohoo!" = Misty.

5. Virtuous : CHASTE

11. Numéro avant six : CINQ. French for five. Also 103. Avril follower : MAI. April/May.

15. __ speak : SO TO

19. "Amarantine" Grammy winner : ENYA

20. Stopped : HALTED

21. Diamond family name : ALOU. Vowel-rich.

22. Nile menace : CROC. No ASP/ASPS today.

26. All ears : RAPT

27. __ story : SOB

28. One awarding stars, perhaps : RATER

29. Peter Fonda title role : ULEE. Ulee's Gold.  Quite a moving movie.


30. Nimble : LITHE. Not AGILE.

31. Thomas associate : ALITO. Clarence Thomas.

37. Woody and others : ALLENs

39. Caribou, e.g. : DEER. We also have 109. Disney doe : ENA

40. Ducks : AVERTS

41. Fragrant shrub : LILAC. Spring has finally arrived in MN. The two trails we explored this week are greening up.

42. Panache : STYLE

45. Shuts up, with "down" : PIPES

51. Beach letters : SPF

54. Bouncing babies? : JOEYS. Cute clue.

55. Plot twist : IRONY

56. Part of BC: Abbr. : COLL. Boston College. I thought BC was referring to British Columbia. 

57. Yogurt topping : GRANOLA

61. Dental problem : DECAY. My hygienist told me to use these proxy brushes from inside out, as she found pockets on the inner side of my teeth. I found it impossible to follow her instructions.

63. Unlucky gambler's wishful words : I'M DUE. Keep dreaming.

69. Get ready to surf : LOG ON

70. Not just happen once : RECUR

71. Crude : BOORISH

72. City north of Des Moines : AMES

73. Mythical hunter : DIANA. Thought of ORION first.

75. "Canst thou not minister to __ diseased": Macbeth : A MIND

77. One-handed Norse god : TYR. Tuesday god.


85. Paris divider : SEINE

86. Wash off : RINSE

87. Spelunkers' haunts : CAVES

88. Drops off : ABATES

91. Pierre's st. : S DAK.  The abbr. told you the answer won't be ETAT.

93. Most artful : SLIEST

98. Winner of the first two Super Bowl MVPs : STARR (Bart). Here he is with Brett Favre in 2015.


99. Runs through a sieve : RICES

100. Instrument with a flared bell : OBOE. New clue angle.

101. Part of a cast : ACTOR

106. On : ATOP

111. Jazzman Saunders : MERL. Unknown to me.


112. Clog or pump : SHOE

113. Common soccer score : ONE ONE. Or ONE NIL.

114. Memorable times : ERAS

115. Vortex : EDDY

116. Oenophile's adjective : OAKY

117. Fritters away : WASTES

118. Squat : ZERO. Also  68. Squat : NONE

Down:

1. Zooey's role in "New Girl" : JESS. Easy crosses.

2. Prefix with dermal : ENTO

3. Gives the once-over : EYEBALLS

4. Nuke : ZAP

5. Breaks the rules : CHEATS. You have to know the rules to break them.

6. Didn't get a say : HAD TO

7. Lotion additive : ALOE

8. __ und Drang : STURM

9. Annual Vietnamese celebration : TET. Same date as Chinese New Year.

10. Pre-1868 Tokyo : EDO. Lots of Japanese movies we watched in the late 1980's were set in the Edo Period.

11. Square dance figure : CALLER

12. Admission of deceit : I LIED

13. Large chamber group : NONET. We also have 18. Large chamber groups : OCTETS

14. N.Y. neighbor : QUE (Quebec)

15. Copyists of yore : SCRIBES

16. Webster, notably : ORATOR

17. One of the original Monopoly tokens still in use : TOP HAT. Got via crosses.

24. Robin Hood foe : PRINCE JOHN. Fresh fill!

25. __ box : FUSE. Fill-in-the-blank clue can be hard. Too many choices.

30. Bank insurance? : LEVEE. Great clue.

32. Jacob's first wife : LEAH. Our Chickie's real name.

34. Inactive : IDLE

35. Spotted : SEEN

36. __ hour : HAPPY

37. Peak seen from Grindelwald : ALP

38. Greater N.Y. school : LIU (Long Island University)

42. Lift : STEAL

43. Your of yore : THY

44. Last word of Joyce's "Ulysses" : YES. Below is the last line. Lots of YESes there, Misty!
"I was a Flower of the mountain yes when I put the rose in my hair like the Andalusian girls used or shall I wear a red yes and how he kissed me under the Moorish wall and I thought well as well him as another… then he asked me would I yes to say yes my mountain flower and first I put my arms around him yes and drew him down to me so he could feel my breasts all perfume yes and his heart was going like mad and yes I said yes I will Yes."

45. Ruses : PLOYS

46. Physics particle : ION

48. Numbskull : DOLT

49. Anglican priest : VICAR

50. Latin 101 word : ERAT. E in QED.

51. "Me too!" : SO DO I. Not SO AM I.

52. Power connections : PLUGS

53. Blood relative? : FLESH.  Oh, flesh and blood. 

56. Starfleet VIP : CMDR (Commander). Spitzboov's rank when he retired. Commander Al. Very cool.

57. Key above F : G FLAT

58. Spacious : ROOMY

59. Boring bit :AUGER

60. Private nonprofits: Abbr. : NGOS. NGO= Non-Governmental Organization. Common abbr. in news media.

61. After-dinner drink : DECAF

62. Old French coin : ECU

63. "Isn't that something!" : I DO DECLARE. Great fill.

65. Steamed : IRATE

66. Number-picker's game : KENO. Every casino has it.

67. Stomach : ABIDE

73. Jefferson, theologically : DEIST

74. B&B, e.g. : INN

75. Philip of "Kung Fu" : AHN.  I mentioned a while ago that AHN (Korean) = ANG (As in Ang Lee)


76. Enero, por ejemplo : MES. Month.

78. Lawn invaders : WEEDS

79. Monastic titles : FRAS

80. "Kon-__" : TIKI

81. Good "pocket" holding in Hold 'em : PAIR

82. Eternally : EVERMORE

83. Video game letters : NES

84. Summer hrs. : DST

85. In a precipitous fashion : STEEPLY. I finally received the 25% subsidy on my health insurance. It's retroactive of Jan 2017, so I did not need to pay anything this month. Yay! What a big relief.

88. Many a chalet : A-FRAME

89. Set, as a trap : BAITED

90. Pact : ACCORD

91. Bandit chaser of film : SMOKEY. Police.

92. 1983-'84 #1 hit "Say Say Say," say : DUET

93. Potbellies : STOVES

95. Ruckus : HOO-HA

96. Modern read : E-BOOK.  What are you reading now, D-Otto?

97. Zoo sights : CAGES

98. __ Age : STONE

102. Coagulate : CLOT

104. Miles away : AFAR

105. "That being the case ... " : IF SO

107. General of culinary fame : TSO

108. Reporter's query : HOW.  Watch this clip. NBC News did a short piece on Will Shortz two days ago. Wouldn't be refreshing to see a piece on Rich Norris?

110. "__ who?" : SEZ