Wed, Dec. 25th, 2024 ~ Samantha Podos Nowak

 THE STOCKINGS . . .

. . . . HANG in Splynter's "Family Room"

This would be the third publication from Samantha for the LA Times, but my first blog for her as my puzzle constructor.  Not a holiday theme as I expected, but I did my best to add in a seasonal reference.  A 'normal' grid for a change, no circles, a handful of names, and more 4LW than TLW.  The themers;

17. Work space?: ART GALLERY - "Works" of art HANG in a gallery

25. Brew house?: COFFEE SHOP - "Friends" characters would HANG at "Central Perk"

49. TV station?: FAMILY ROOM - watch cartoons and HANG out in the den

59. Jacket pocket?: COAT CLOSET - my jacket, hoodies and heavy coat HANG over the radiator in my kitchen; the clue refers to where one ( at least, I do ) keeps the seasonal hat and gloves - in the "coat closet" - and that pleasant surprise I get every December when I would find a $5 bill jammed in a pocket from last winter

I love putting on a warm coat in the morning

36. "Don't give up," and a suggestion that can apply to 17-, 25-, 49-, and 59 Across?:
HANG IN THERE - Luke says, "Leia, hear me~!"

You weren't expecting a cat, were you~?

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Cherry-picks, perhaps: CULLS - this word had a different connotation when I was an employee at Grossmans Lumber - we would CULL the bowed, cupped, crooked, & checked "27D.'s", etc., so not really "cherry-picking", more like "unsellable" merchandise

6. Exam for HS jrs.: PSAT - the practice SAT

10. Classic road trip game: "I SPY" - "I spy" something in red - Ho-Ho-Ho~!

14. Pickled garnish in a Gibson: ONION - if it didn't start out pickled . . .

. . . swimming in gin & vodka will certainly do it

15. Dayton's state: OHIO - I worked for a cleaning company when I lived in Cincinnati, but on occasion we had some "new construction" homes to tidy up in Dayton as well

Bottom left - not "180° from SSW"

16. Readily available: NEAR

19. Ballpark figures?: FANS - no "abbr", therefore no "ESTS", etc., so I waited 

20. Harden, as glue: SET 

21. Fancy fete: GALA

22. Sneeze inducer: DUST

23. Like a giant redwood: TALL

I'd like to visit

29. What a new parent often craves: SLEEP - I never had the pleasure of sleepless nights and potty-training

31. Spot for the first caller, perhaps: LINE ONE - think landline business phones; "lumber department, pick up line one."

32. PBS funder: NEA - I liked the newbies highlight idea from sumdaze, so I am going to adopt it, too; Public Broadcasting Service, and the National Education Association

34. Bugs: NAGS

35. Account exec: REP

39. Big name in pasta sauce: RAO - never heard of this brand; these onions are getting around....

Does look good

41. Inlet: COVE

42. Chinese menu general: TSO - It's my go-to when I order Chinese - no onions, though

43. Interlace: ENTWINE

45. Where the heart is?: TORSO - um, yeah

53. Tarot reader: SEER

54. Blue or red part of 3D glasses: LENS - reminds me of this secondary character ↙

I did not know that the guy between Biff and George was played by Billy Zane

55. Salon sound: SNIP

57. "Lover" or "Red," for Taylor Swift: ERA

58. Reddish-brown horse: ROAN

62. Jamaican citrus fruit: UGLI

63. Seltzer starter: ALKA - plop-plop, fizz-fizz . . . .

64. Dunne of "Love Affair": IRENE

65. IPO option: NYSE - a dupe from yesterday; Initial Public Offering, and the New York Stock Exchange

66. Tide type: NEAP

67. Abated: EASED


DOWN:

1. Moves effortlessly: COASTS - SLIDES, GLIDES~?  Bzzzt.

2. "That's wild!": "UNREAL~!"

3. Itty-bitty: LITTLE - I was expecting something like "TEENSY"

4. Fireplace fuel: LOG - Ah.  Not "GAS"

5. Fly in the ointment: SNAG

6. __ al ajillo: Spanish chicken dish: POLLO - a recipe, if you care

These onions are everywhere....

7. Bunch of papers: SHEAF

8. Pool float filler: AIR

9. Item on a tot's Christmas list: TOY - but you'll get coal if you're naughty

10. Make chili oil, perhaps: INFUSE - I had to find out more - the Wiki

11. Sandcastle building site: SEASHORE

12. Company whose Color of the Year 2024 is Peach Fuzz: PANTONE - a list of colors in years past

13. Decade divs.: YRs

18. Body of water in the French Alps: LAC - Frawnche for "lake"

22. Like osmium compared to all other stable elements: DENSEST - learning moment for me - the Wiki

24. Olin of "Chocolat": LENA

26. No longer fizzy: FLAT - I can drink flat soda, but flat seltzer is just "weird water"

27. Two-by-four?: EIGHT - literally, 2x4 = 8

28. Zest: PEP

30. Golf course freebies: PENCILS - Mulligans didn't fit . . . .

33. "The __ and the Ecstasy": novel about Michelangelo: AGONY - Goodreads link

34. 180º from SSW: NNE

36. Soup kitchen offerings: HOT MEALS

37. Indie folk artist Bon __: IVER - no clue, 3 of 4 letters filled via perps, and the "V" was my last entry; the Wiki

38. Oz hoppers: ROOS - Kanga - roos -  Oz = Australia

39. Make calls on the court: REF

40. Explanatory tool: ANALOGY - Kissing her was like a garbage truck getting hit by an onion train.   The onions again.  

44. Danica's role on "The Wonder Years": WINNIE

w/Fred Savage as Kevin Arnold

46. __ Peanut Butter Cups: REESE'S - I loves me some PB & chocolate - I bought the "trees"

47. Like a meditation spot, hopefully: SERENE - ah. Not "SILENT", but I was 50% correct

48. Stumped: ORATED - Ah.  That kind of stumped

50. Japanese port city: OSAKA - good WAG on my part: WAG = Wild A** Guess

51. Readily available: ON TAP - Samantha had this answer in her first puzzle

52. Karaoke need: MICrophone - and a little nerve, or liquid confidence

56. Basic barre bend: PLIÉ

58. Manage: RUN

59. __-do attitude: CAN

60. Cheer after un gol: OLÉ

61. Rita featured on DJ Fresh's "Hot Right Now": ORA - note the headline

Rocking the Stocking(s)

From last week: YooperPhil, we do tune those NYC instruments, and we had the opportunity to "bid" on the upkeep of the Radio City Wurlitzer - the man who started my company has a Wurlitzer in his house, so he's partial to those ( they run on higher pressure than most church organs ); Irish Miss - I check weekly to see what dogs have arrived at the local rescue shelter; it's still in the works~!; unclefred, I saw the "60 Minutes" report on Notre Dame - when we rebuild an organ, we wash every pipe - for the National Cathedral, some of those pipes are huge

Pedal Bourdon, 32ft

Splynter

!~ MERRY CHRISTMAS ~ HAPPY HOLIDAYS ~ !

Wednesday, Dec 18th, 2024 ~ Daniel Hrynick

 SKYFALL

I prefer THIS opening & theme song, however, but

a gratuitous Daniel Craig for C.C.

A clever puzzle from a constructor I've had the pleasure to blog before, Juneteenth this year.  The same "word" moving - that is, falling - through the grid, yet always in the same position relative to the edge of the puzzle.  Not an easy task to accomplish without using the "word" as itself and stay within the vernacular, too.  The grid has mirror symmetry, four unique fills (*) a handful of names ( but ones we see constantly in crosswords ) the same # of TLW & 4LWs (22), and a Moe ( per Splynter ) rating of 4 out of 5⭐.   The theme fill falls thusly;

20. "Take time to consider ... ": *                                                                                ASK YOURSELF

 

40. 1983 Tom Cruise teen comedy: *                                                                        RISKY BUSINESS

47. Hangout for a long-distance couple: *                                                                SKYPE DATE

60. Chicken Little's warning, and an apt title for this puzzle?:                           THE SKY IS FALLING

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Lawyer Goodman in the "Breaking Bad" franchise: SAUL - With the spin-off series "Better Call Saul" - I have watched neither series, and reduced my TV bill from $105/mo. to $20/mo. by "dropping" Disney and ESPN - I just don't watch much TV

5. Brazen: BRASH - a bit 'meh' with both words starting with 'B-R-A-'

10. Deliberate loss: DIVE - TANK did not fit with my DOWNS

14. Workforce addition: HIRE - usually with "new"

15. New __, India: DELHI

16. Gulf States title: EMIR

17. Actor Idris: ELBA - name #1, but we see it all the time

18. City in Provence: ARLES

Bottom left on the map

19. Energizer options: AAAs - I just got a 12-pack from Amazon

23. "Tiny Bubbles" singer: DON HO - we had this recently; name #2

25. Scepter companion: ORB - The Crown Jewels of the UK - more here

"I am your king"/"well I didn't vote for you."

26. Under-the-sink piece: P-TRAP

29. "Looking for" shorthand: ISO - In Search Of . . . . also a TV series hosted by Leonard Nimoy and "Skinner" from the X-files, with its own spin-off  (if you will ) called "Ancient Aliens"

30. Bandleader of the Electric Mayhem on "The Muppet Show": DR. TEETH - name #3

"Animal" on the drums

33. Fitting: APT

34. Sunday __: dread of returning to work on Monday: SCARIES - I had the Sunday Scaries for school when I was a youngster - hearing the theme of the PBS show "All Creatures Great & Small" starting up for the closing credits meant bedtime, and I knew I hadn't done my book report . . . .

The theme song

36. Fossil-preserving spots: TAR PITS

38. Fast-__ restaurant: CASUAL - never heard of this; filled via perps

39. Shaped: MOLDED - I had FORMED first

44. NNW opposite: SSE

45. Tempe sch.: ASU - Arizona State University

46. Automated spammer: 'BOT

52. "Pokémon" protagonist Ketchum: ASH - no clue; the "S" was my last fill; name #4

55. "Mangia!": "EAT~!"

56. Newcastle Brown __: ALE

57. Shearing day sound: BAA

64. Code with dits and dahs: MORSE

65. "The Batman" actress Kravitz: ZOE - Daughter of Lenny Kravitz & Lisa Bonet; name #5

66. Barista canvas: LATTE - canvas as in the "art" in the cream/froth atop an espresso

67. Imminently: SOON

68. Stop: END

69. Pollinators that can see in the ultraviolet spectrum: BEES


DOWN:

1. Feminine pronoun: SHE -or "HER"~?  I do the DOWNS first, but I WAGed correctly

SHE's got legs

2. Feel rotten: AIL

3. Green spot in a concrete jungle: URBAN OASIS * - I see this is an HGTV show, too

4. Obedience school item: LEASH - I'm going to need me some dog food & supplies soon

5. Dec. 25, for Justin Trudeau: BDAY - Dah~!  I was going to fill in "B-DAY", but I thought I was the only one who abbreviated it this way....

6. Digs into new digs, say: REROOTS - not MOVES IN

7. Magnetic power: ALLURE - my buddy Adam owns a restaurant of this name, sorta

A Lure, Southold, NY - the "SKY" is very blue

8. Frozen dessert: SHERBET - I read this as DESERT, and TUNDRA did not fit . . . .

9. Radiator sound: HISS - my house has baseboards, but they still "radiate" - much preferred over the forced-air system in my parents house

10. Gave a hand: DEALT - not AIDED  -- a "hand" as in a poker game.  Very clever

11. "Sorry, but it's true": "I'M AFRAID SO." - two of the last three clues fooled me~?  I'm afraid so. . . .

12. Passing through: VIA

13. Hosp. triage units: ERs

21. Alaskan bear: KODIAK

22. Filmmaker Nora: EPHRON - I am sure you've seen at least ONE of her movies - her IMDb; name #6

23. __ jockey: DISC

24. Academy honors: OSCARS - I had the wrong academy in mind - see below, 37D.

27. Subj.-specific exam for the college-bound: AP TEST - Advanced Placement - I took the classes, but only one of the tests

28. Condition that may be treated with exposure therapy, for short: PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - George Carlin's take on the "words" - ** WARNING** may be considered "political" 

31. Count (on): RELY

32. Roman of "The Ms. Pat Show": TAMI - no idea; filled via perps; her IMDb; name #7

35. Sly tactics: RUSES

37. Academy cadet: PLEBE

41. Christen: BAPTIZE

42. Play for a pawn: USE

43. Decongestant brand: SUDAFED

48. Palmer of "Nope": KEKE - also no clue, her Wiki; name #8

49. "Woo-hoo!": "YAY~!"

50. __ mode: À LA

51. Bluffer's giveaway: TELL - more poker

52. Cash dispensers: ATMs

53. Wave away: "SHOO~!"

54. Foot-long sandwich: HERO - I just had one for the first time in a looong time for lunch Friday

57. Orthodontist's instruction: BITE - yeah. but meh.

58. Poker game starter: ANTE - and yet more poker

59. Range listed on board games: AGES - ah; did not make sense until it filled in 

Parker Brothers RISK is appropriate for AGES 10 to Adult

61. Tax form ID: SSN - Social Security Number

62. Daughter's brother: SON - did you have to "think" about this~?  I did - too funny.  How about this~?  My aunt married the brother of her mother's second husband - try and figure that one out . . . .

63. Bunsen burner setting: LAB - ah. Not "LOW"

Splynter

One Week 'til Christmas~!

Wednesday, Dec 4th, 2024 ~ Jay Silverman

  TO GO

A bottle of anything, and a glazed donut - to go~!

This is my second Jay Silverman puzzle this year, AND yet another 15 x 16 grid on a Wednesday . . . . The "4LWs" outnumbered the TLWs today, just a handful of names - but I knew them - and no circles.  On to the reveal first; 

41A. Speedy meal option, and what the answers to the starred clues literally are?: FAST FOOD

18A. *Speedy dinner option?: INSTANT RAMEN

Ah - the connoisseur version

66A. *Speedy beverage option?: BRISK ICED TEA - a tad meh; I usually think "brisk" means chilly, bracing, refreshing - but there's more here

12D. *Speedy breakfast option?: QUICK GRITS

I almost had grits when I lived in Jacksonville, FL

31D. *Speedy side dish option?: MINUTE RICE

I have this product in my kitchen for when I make General Tso's Chicken

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Whisky, e.g.: SCOTCH

Indiana Jones is not particular about the type...

7. Business entities: FIRMS

12. HSN alternative: QVC

15. Santa's laugh: HO-HO-HO - a timely clue; three weeks til Christmas~!

16. Wide open: AGAPE - I started with APART, but thought better of it

17. Dubai's fed.: UAE - United Arab Emirates

20. __-at-ease: ILL

21. Prefix with natal: NEO - neonatal

22. Bodies of water: SEAS

23. Didn't make the team's final roster: GOT CUT

25. Somewhat ruddy: REDDISH

28. Tools for fall guys?: RAKES - Har-har

29. Pop in for a scene, say: CAMEO

32. Hip-hop's __ Clan: WU TANG - One of their songs comes up on my Pandora station, but I cannot think of the title - and it's not Hip-Hop

34. Dover landmarks: CLIFFS - while listening to the radio waaay back in 1990, I heard this song in my headphones working for Grossmans Lumber, and prayed the FM radio DJ would mention the artist's name, and he did  - Eric Johnson; I went out and immediately bought the record; here's the full track, and this is Juliana Wilson doing the ridiculously fast and difficult intro

Cliffs of Dover - note the finger stretches

36. Wistful sound: SIGH - I have been doing a lot of this lately

37. Singer Kristofferson: KRIS - sadly passed Sep 28th, 2024 ( on my hiring anniversary date at the pipe organ company ); I remember him most for his role as the big boss in the movie Payback

40. Forever, figuratively: EON

44. Texter's "No clue": IDK - I Don't Know - Ozzy & Randy can tell you more . . . .

From the album Blizzard of Ozz, released in the US in 1981

after he was kicked out of Black Sabbath

45. Two, in Trois-Rivières: DEUX - Frawnche

47. Tidy: NEAT - ah, our friend Tinbeni took his 1A. this way . . . .

48. Strength of character: METTLE - I'm into Heavy Mettle

50. Wall Street figure: TRADER

52. Checked out before a heist: CASED - usually with "the joint"

53. Suffix with home or farm: STEAD - homestead, farmstead

55. Moisturizer target: DRY SKIN - AND - 30D. Ingredient in some 55-Across treatments: ALOE

Never gets old, Hahtoolah

59. Skeptical about: WARY OF - like maybe my humor~?

61. "Just joshing!": "I KID~!" - I really do~!

62. Pampering place: SPA

65. Japanese sash: OBI

70. __-A-Fella Records: Jay-Z label: ROC - not the extinct bird

71. Goose-bumps-causing: EERIE

72. Minolta partner: KONICA - not just high-end cameras - their Wiki

73. Mama deer: DOE

74. Pedometer units: STEPS - I did a lot of dog walking while visiting my brother on Thanksgiving - his fiancée has an Australian Shepherd, and I want a dog now~!

Cooper~!

75. Makes catty comments: SNARKS

DOWN:

1. Lower leg: SHIN - or CALF~?  Had to wait on perps

2. Gelato receptacle: CONE

3. Exceedingly: OH SO

4. Little one: TOT - little tater

5. Drive away: CHASE OFF

6. Made sharper: HONED

7. Iranian tongue: FARSI

8. Polish tennis star Swiatek: IGA - recently busted for doping - probably before the puzzle was submitted for publication - her Wiki

9. Male sheep: RAM - and the Zodiac sign Aries

10. Video file format: MPEG - Moving Picture Experts Group - the format's website here

11. Spanish title: SEÑORA

13. Hold in esteem: VALUE

14. Boston NBA team, colloquially: CELTS - the Celtics - not a basketball fan, at all

19. Bit: TAD

24. Scuba necessity: TANK - I am thinking about installing an in-wall TANK for fish

Technically, a Fish Tank Media Wall....

25. NFL flag thrower: REF

26. Taylor who was Time's 2023 Person of the Year: SWIFT - I cannot watch the KC Chiefs because any broadcast of that team focuses way too much on her; I don't go to a Van Halen concert to see a football game on the big screen behind them . . . .

27. "Les Misérables" novelist Victor: HUGO

29. Included on an email: CCed

33. Yorke of Radiohead: THOM - Not a fan; the only song I know from them is "Creep"

35. __ dollar: SAND

36. Comic strip reporter Brenda: STARR - I did not know it was a movie with Brooke Shields

38. Not busy: IDLE - Dah~! not FREE

39. List of appts.: SKED - abbr for schedule

42. Beginning of an idea: SEED - I had the "seed" for a song in a dream last week - what I heard was the lyric "the horses in the barn"  

43. Opt for: DECIDE ON

46. Dentist's procedure: X-RAY

49. Khaki kin: TAN

51. Some haciendas: ADOBES - I never actually read up on what a 'hacienda' really is - the Wiki

53. Excalibur, for one: SWORD

Why Arthur is King, according to Monty Python

54. Beyond discouraged: TABOO

56. "Jeepers!": "YIKES~!"

57. Hit the slopes: SKI

58. Sneakers, informally: KICKS

60. Guitar part: FRET - body, neck, and head work, too

62. __ the pot: STIR - I have to restrain myself from "stirring the pot" at work

63. Brief kiss: PECK

64. Smallish batteries: AAAs - anything smaller, and we're into hearing aid/watch batteries

67. Wrath: IRE

68. Small intake: SIP

69. CSI sample: DNA

Splynter