Wednesday, Jul 2nd, 2025 ~ John Kugelman

 YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT

This is John Kugelman's debut puzzle for the LA Times, but HE ( I checked, just to be sure this time ) has had several published in other places - from what I can see, he has constructed mostly Sunday grids - today's puzzle is 15 x 16, with mirror symmetry; somewhat Saturday in nature, and all we are missing is the "Z" for a pangram~!  No circles, a fair number of names, 30 TLWs, and a geometrical theme of  'boxy' morsels for the three meals of the day - breakfast, lunch and dinner, in order.  Well done~!  The three polygonal treats and the reveal;

19. Breakfast: cereal: RICE CHEX

31. Lunch: fast-food sandwich: WENDY'S BURGER

52. Dinner: seafood pasta: LOBSTER RAVIOLI

Mmm-Mmm good~!

My plates are square, too - but don't rotate in the microwave :7((

63. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, or what 19-, 31-, and 52-Across literally are:
        THREE SQUARE MEALS

Now that's my idea of a "Square Meal", but my trainer keeps telling me

I have to stop hanging with the baron - the Red Baron, that is

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Makeshift instrument: JUG - I had "JIG" to start, thinking of a woodworking instument - and they're usually makeshift

4. Chess champion Garry: KASPAROV - name #1 - I do the DOWN clues first, so half of this was already filled in

12. First down yardage amount: TEN - we're in July - just two months to football season~!

15. "Float like a butterfly" boxer: ALI - name #2, but a crossword staple

16. Forget to set the oven timer, maybe: OVERBAKE - surprised to find out this is a unique fill

17. Wrath: IRE

18. "Headbangers Ball" airer: MTV - I want my MTV~! This was about the only segment I could watch

Most of the intro clips were S.O.D. songs - I'd link "What's That Noise" - but NSFW

20. Gaping opening: MAW - ooops - I put in GAP, but those three letters start the clue

21. Made, as beer: BREWED

23. Reader's __: DIGEST

25. Malia's sister: SASHA - name(s) #3 - the Obama kids

26. "A Fine Romance" composer Jerome: KERN - name #4 - I have heard of this guy, despite never seeing/hearing anything from him - but I now know he wrote some classic musical pieces 

30. "No __": "Perfect!": NOTES - this is new for me; any review or evaluation with "no notes" is a good thing - e.g., a script

Autumn At Apple Hill - The Hallmark Channel

34. Gravitate (toward): LEAN

36. Camry competitor: ALTIMA - Japanese automakers Toyota and Nissan

I am partial to Toyota - I drive a Prius "C" 2, and I would definitely get THIS

37. Seemingly never-ending story: SAGA - I love Star Wars, but even I am getting overwhelmed with the amount of "universe" that is presented to us

40. Poison __: IVY - either this or OAK - I guessed correctly

41. Letter between pi and sigma: RHO

42. Cyclops feature: EYE

44. Sacred oath: VOW

45. Curriculum __: VITAE - Latin for 'course of life', it's a detailed resume, essentially

47. Backside: REAR

50. First-year cadet: PLEBE

55. "That's my experience too": "I CAN RELATE."

56. Like windshields on winter mornings: ICED UP - God bless the fact that I can NOT relate to this - my Prius and Dodge Grand Caravan ( I call them Pixie and Daphne ) are both parked in my garage; they no longer "ICE UP", and in the winter, get COLDER as I drive to work~!  I had one of the guys at the pipe organ place suggest leaving the van out for a bigger workshop - I never had a garage growing up, so I am using it for its intended purpose.

59. Like 1% milk: LOW-FAT

68. Org. chasing Jason Bourne: CIA - I have seen the movies, and I think they have the best edited fight scenes of any movie out there - this one from the Bourne Supremacy; I need to read the books now

WARNING~! - Some violence

69. Opening stage: ROUND ONE

70. Letters on Megan Rapinoe's jersey: USA - name(ish) - I had  _ S A, so . . . .

71. Contains: HAS

72. Heard things?: NOISES

73. Neither partner: NOR - or SWEdish partner~?

DOWN:

1. Places for mezuzahs: JAMBS - I learned this from working on a movie set back in 1997; I was tasked with making one that would crumble, indicating a "bad sign" to our Rabbi; a girl named Susan May came up with one she "OVER BAKED", the director loved it, and used hers instead; I was very jealous . . . .

The meaning/use of a mezuzah

2. Extreme: ULTRA

3. Steps aside for: GIVES WAY TO - $2 fill, but not a unique one

4. The "K" of K-drama: KOREAN - Figured it was the same as "K-POP"

5. Eager: AVID

6. "Wait just a __": "SEC~!"

7. Beginning of history?: PRE - PREhistory

8. Kimmel's network: ABC - Dah~!  I thought he was N - b - c

9. Rally cry: RAH~!

10. Approved: OKed

11. Like some brain teasers: VEXING - also a unique fill; huh.

12. Leap years?: TIME TRAVEL - yes, very clever

13. Rub out: ERASE

14. Stream skitterers: NEWTS - I tried ROCKS, as in skipping

22. Line on an invite: WHEN - my brother's wedding is when~?  The Saturday after next

24. "Who __ there?": GOES - "It is I, Arthur..."

"No, they'd have to have it on a line..."

26. Son of Han Solo and Princess Leia: KYLO REN - name #5, from the Star Wars sequels

27. Approximate fig.: ESTimate

28. Hitter's stat: RBI

29. Digit: NUMERAL - Ah.  I could not get NUMBER to fit

32. "Well, lah-di-__!": DAH~! - not the same as my "Dah~!" of poorly chosen fill . . . .

33. Cartilaginous fish that may have a whiplike tail: RAY - Dah~!  Not EEL

34. Tyler of "The Leftovers": LIV - name #6 - I figured it was HER, but waited on crossings

35. Really bad: EVIL

38. Mongolian desert: GOBI - name(ish)

39. Wonderment: AWE

41. One running toward disaster, presumably: RESCUER

43. Embodiment: EPITOME - the embodiment of beauty, IMHO

It's EPIc TO ME~!

46. Put up with: ABIDE

48. Goof up: ERR

49. "__ you sure?": "ARE~?"

51. Lerner's partner on Broadway: LOEWE - name(s) #7 - more here

53. Tests, as a microphone: TAPS ON - not CHECKS

54. "La Bamba" singer Ritchie: VALENS - name #8, but this one I knew

56. Hydrocortisone cream target: ITCH - oh, right, that's not for an ACHE

57. Kombucha seeds: CHIA - filled via perps

58. Presidential spans: ERAS

60. Half-man, half-goat: FAUN - I wanted Satyr, but this works too - the Wiki

61. "Plus ... ": ALSO...

62. Russian monarch: TSAR

64. Status __: QUO

65. Oxford, e.g., to locals: UNIversity - British, as opposed to American "college"

66. Podcast interrupters: ADS

67. Tobiko or masago: ROE - again, filled via perps; sort of Saturday cluing, IMO

Splynter

Wednesday, Jul 25th, 2025 ~ Dana Edwards

 KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF

More my kind of music

This looks to be Dana's debut puzzle for the LA Times - congratulations~!  She has manufactured a muscial medley of clues & answers, and a rare 15 x 14 Grid, which makes up for the long line of grids 15 x 16 that I have blogged on a regular basis for several Wednesday crosswords in the past.  No circles, a handful of easy-enough names, and twice the # of 4LW to 3LWs.  Two of the themers are unique*, as are two of the longer Down fills.  The theme, and the centered reveal; 

16. Plant that can cause an itchy rash: POISON IVY - I get the rash just looking at it....

22. Piece at the Met or the Louvre: MUSEUM ARTWORK*

45. Furry helper who often wears a vest: SERVICE ANIMAL* - this "no touching" thing was never the case when I was growing up; I could always pet a service animal - what happened~?

55. Power source for some trains: THIRD RAIL - for those who prefer rap to rock and blues, Erik B. & Rakim had this track, which has the lyric "the stage is a cage/the mic is a third rail" @3:05

34. MC Hammer hit, and an important reminder about 16-, 22-, 45-, and 55-Across: 
U CAN'T TOUCH THIS - sampling my generation's  Super Freak by Rick James, this rap took Stanley Kirk Burrell ( and his signature pants ) all the way to best R&B and rap solo for the year 1990; the "DEETS" are here at Wiki

All things being equal, it IS a catchy number

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. "Waterloo" group: ABBA - crossword musical fodder to start us off

5. Sported: WORE

9. HS exams with many multiple-choice questions: SATs

13. Big chunk: SLAB

14. Milky gemstone: OPAL

15. Bloke: CHAP

18. Morning TV host Kelly: RIPA

19. Green roll: SOD

20. Pouty expression: MOUE - My last correction before the "ta-DA~!"; I had moPe

21. "Old Time Rock and Roll" singer Bob: SEGER - this might come as a surprise, but I am not a Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band fan - I'll leave it to the Cornerites for any links

25. 57-Across product: TNT - AND - 57A. Cartoon manufacturer of explosive tennis balls: ACME

Makers of fine ANVILS, too

26. Statement that may follow "Not to toot my own horn, but ... ": BOAST

27. Absurdist art movement: DADA - Here's the Wiki; I happen to like "fountain" by Marcel Duchamp

Yes, that's exactly what it is . . . .

30. Red __: cinnamon candies: HOTS - I like cinnamon in candy, gum, mouthwash, etc., and Fire Water was my go-to shot in days of yore - but it seems to be hard to find these days

31. Nickname for Ernesto Guevara: CHE

38. "Yo!": "HEY~!"

39. __ and parcel: PART

40. Inclined plane: RAMP

41. Good bargains: DEALS

43. Swiatek who was the first Polish tennis player to win a major singles title: IGA - she likes AC/DC and Pink Floyd - more here from WTA Tennis

50. Fight grime: CLEAN - clever play on word

51. Fail to enunciate: SLUR - especially if you've consumed copious amounts of Fire Water

52. "Yo!": "S'UP~!"

54. Turn over a new leaf?: READ - I just finished "An Absolutely Remarkable Thing" by Hank Green - a well-written Sci-Fi story

58. Big name in headphones: BOSE

59. Boundary: EDGE

60. Med. condition once called shell shock: PTSD - Post-Trumatic Stress Disorder; here's George Carlin's skit referring to both terms

61. Full collections: SETS

62. Like some internships: PAID

DOWN:

1. Venomous snakes: ASPS

2. Bouquet element: BLOOM - ROSE, FLOWER, STEM~?  Ah, that floral word

3. Tech giant known as the "Google of China": BAIDU - I've never heard of this company before today - here again is the Wiki 

4. Muscles worked in boat pose: ABs - I have my second "weigh-in" tomorrow with my trainer

5. Triumphed: WON OUT

6. Yves Saint Laurent fragrance: OPIUM - I bought a sample of "Scent of Dark", the fragrance from Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath - and it's quite alluring - not what you'd expect, if you were expecting "heavy metal on-stage sweat & body odour" 😜

Here's the website where one can buy the fragrance

7. Sing the praises of: RAVE ABOUT*

8. "Tarzan" actor Ron: ELY - I somehow recalled this; I guess I must have seen some Tarzan movie on a Saturday afternoon, long ago

9. Nail alternatives: SCREWS - a more betterer fastener, IMO

10. "Oh, understood": "AH, I GOTCHA.*"

11. Gradually decrease: TAPER - Dah~!  Not ABATE

12. Chemistry, so to speak: SPARK - as in romance and relationships

17. Gathering of crows, to some: OMEN - not MURDER - the official name for a group of crows

21. Secret stock: STASH - Dah~! Not CACHE

23. Megafan: STAN - 21st century-speak; a reference to an Eminem song, if you care to listen to this rap - might be a bit too 'unsettling' for some

24. Univ. military gp.: ROTC - Reserve Officers' Training Corps - had this a couple weeks ago

27. "Obvi!": "DUH~!"

28. Whiz: ACE

29. Fantasizes: DAY-DREAMS

30. Lawn game item pitched at a stake: HORSESHOE - semi-meh; we always called the GAME horseshoeS

32. "That bloke": "HIM~!" - "You~! Yes, You~! Stand still, laddie~!"

33. Telepath's talent: ESP - crosswordese

35. "Bartender" singer: T-PAIN - Cringe - I triple-dog dare you to listen through to the end - I could not.  Warning~!  No foul language, but a not-very-deep, excessive abuse of Auto-Tune hip-hop song

36. Soft silicate: TALC

37. Vehicle with cables: TRAM - good WAG, but then again, STREETCAR was almost a grid-spanner

42. Dodged: EVADED - HA~!  I risked filling this in, knowing that it could have been ELUDED, etc.

43. Accustoms (to): INURES - Wednesday's $2 word - You have to use it in a sentence in a convo today

44. Steel (oneself): GIRD - especially your loins

45. Leftover bit: SCRAP

46. Vote in: ELECT

47. Most sought-after, as party guests: A-LIST - "That's why I invited clients instead of friends" -who said this~? What movie~? - See below.

48. Carne __ burrito: ASADA

49. Mario character in green: LUIGI

In NYC while on a job, I was once called "Luigi" by

some anon on the street because I had on grey overalls

53. Declared in court: PLED

55. Samantha Bee's former network: TBS

56. Agt.: REP

Splynter

Louis Tully, Ghostbusters, @ 0:42

Sunday, Jun 22nd, 2025 ~ Christina Iverson

 GENRE FUSION
OR
"I WANNA ROCK GARDEN"

Twisted Sister, "I wanna rock" garden

Splynter here, subbing for our unhappy hostess, who had her infusion done this past week, and was not feeling well.  This is my first time blogging a Sunday grid, but not my first Christina Iverson puzzle - her last LA Times contribution was Memorial Day this year; I blogged her Wednesday crossword back in Nov 2024.  Since I have no reference to any previous Sunday statistics, I can say that we have no circles, a few names, 50 four- but not foul- letter words, and not only are all the theme answers unique, but two of the 9-letter Downs are unique* as well.  I thought this was a well-made, clever crossword - the theme answers are a playful 'expansion' that ties an in-the-language phrase to a musical genre; 

23. Title of a memoir written by Madonna's daughter?: MOM AND POP MUSIC

39. Young and adorable Twisted Sister enthusiast?: PRECIOUS METAL HEAD

56. Exclamation upon finding "Honky Tonkin'" in the dumpster?: IT'S A FREE COUNTRY ALBUM

75. Spend every waking moment in one's Rolling Stones-themed bedroom?: 

LIVE UNDER A ROCK POSTER - I grew up with Iron Maiden, who had the best posters

The Trooper & Aces High, two of their coolest

89. Accidentally books the hip-hopper with no rhythm?: GETS A BAD RAP ARTIST

111. Go-to for Pete Seeger or Woody Guthrie?: COMMON FOLK SONG

 My favorite was not the Metal or ROCK reference, but the one genre I probably like the least - 

IT'S A FREE COUNTRY ALBUM~!

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Card game also called contract whist: OH HELL - new one to me; more here

7. Jerks: SPASMS

13. Southwestern people: APACHE

19. Affectionate knuckle rub: NOOGIE

20. Many a social media opinion: HOT TAKE - Essentially, statements that play Devil's Advocate by raising people's ire - e.g., anything political posted here on the Corner

22. Comedy series starring Bob Odenkirk and David Cross: MR. SHOW - never heard of this; I do know David Cross, as he appeared in Men in Black 1 & 2

25. Trig function: COSINE

26. Scraped (by): EKED

27. Gawk: GAPE

28. Clarinet kin: OBOE

30. Antlered deer: BUCKS - STAGS didn't work

31. Plus: ASSET - AND - 119A. Column on a record: LOSSES - this second clue stumped me because with the musical references of the theme, I was thinking of "record" as "LP"

33. Premier League team, to fans: MAN U - Manchester United - English soccer/football

35. Taken __: startled: ABACK

37. FD employee: EMT - a change-up on the typical clue for this abbr answer

45. Like fuzzy fruit: MOLDY - ah, not PEACH or KIWIS, but the ones gone bad . . . .

47. Recipe nos.: AMTS

48. Dowser's objective: WELL - WATER was too many letters

49. Confidentiality doc: NDA - Non-Disclosure Agreement; I will need this for my board games

50. Actor Rickman: ALAN - He made a compelling villain in "Die Hard"

"Die Hard" IS a Christmas movie in my home

51. Brought forth: BEGAT - there's a lot of Biblical begatting, too

53. Some nonalcoholic pours: BEERS - Years ago, I drank a half-dozen O'Doul's at a gentlemens' club; all you get are trips to the bathroom and a nagging headache

55. Sound from an enthusiastic diner: MOAN - I guess; I personally don't usually associate a moan with something good - or - food

60. "Thanks a __!": "LOT~!"

61. Count (on): RELY

62. Thakhek locale: LAOS - More like Saturday cluing, filled via perps

63. __ bran: OAT

64. Amazes: WOWS

65. Be a cast member of: ACT IN

67. Scribbles (down): JOTS

69. Hat with a tassel: FEZ - everything you ever wanted to know about "The Fez"

Steely Dan from the album "The Royal Scam"

70. Inventor Sikorsky: IGOR - no, EYE-gor . . . .

71. Smudge on Santa's suit: SOOT

72. Letters on some protective lip balm: SPF - Sun Protection Factor

81. All the __: RAGE

82. Thick-__ boots: SOLED

83. Foil alternatives: ÉPÉES

84. Storybook bear: PAPA

85. German cry: ACH

86. French bean?: TETE - Frawnche for "head"

87. Transparent: OPEN

88. Colorful relative of a violet: PANSY

95. Knock: DIS - as in disrespect

96. Actress Hannah: DARYL - I know her from Blade Runner, Splash and Roxanne - her IMDb

97. Site with a Fashion Finds section: ETSY - the website here

98. Informal attempts: STABS

100. Like a Brit's proverbial milk: SPILT - as opposed to "Spilled"

102. Fashionably __: LATE

104. Prefix with fill or complete: AUTO - curses, Autocorrect~!

106. Italian musical phrase often abbreviated as "a2": A DUE - two players, in unison

109. Immature, in a way: LARVAL - $2 word

115. Playful aquatic mammals: OTTERS

116. One might end on a high note: SOPRANO

117. Bug with pincers and a flat body: EARWIG

118. Gym: PHYS. ED. - semi-meh; gym may be an abbr for gymnasium, but gym class - better

120. Biases: SLANTS

DOWN:

1. "I'll treat": "ON ME."

2. Bit of fishing gear: HOOK

3. "Finally, I can sleep in my own bed!": "HOME AT LAST~!" - appeared one other time in the NYT

4. "Golly!": "EGADS~!"

5. Maya who designed the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery: LIN - her Webpage

6. Actor Heath: LEDGER - I liked him in "A Knight's Tale", and as the Joker in "The Dark Knight" - died at 28yrs old from a prescription drug overdose in NYC - his Wiki

7. Mart: SHOP

8. Catholic leader: POPE

9. Bread box?: ATM - another alternative clue for an over-used fill

10. "The Simpsons" disco guy: STU

11. Workers who may use concrete saws: MASONS - I tried PAVERS

12. Slopes habitué: SKI BUM

13. Regal competitor: AMC - Movie theatres

14. The big leagues: PRO BALL

15. Given that: AS SUCH

16. Get cold feet: CHICKEN OUT

17. Beep: HONK - I tried "TOOT"

18. Some flock members: EWES - AND - 42D. Fancy jugs: EWERS

21. System starter: ECO - ECOsystem

24. Party spread: PÂTÉ - "What am I, chopped liver~?"

29. Spot to get a bite: EATERY - can I get some PATE~?

32. Mole: SPY

33. Words to live by: MOTTO - Dah~! Not CREDO

34. Swimming powerhouse in the Olympics, for short: AUStralia - I was not sure where this clue was going; even after it filled via perps, I had to check online; here's a medal count by country

36. Model material: BALSA

37. Drafts folder filler: E-MAIL

38. Very, to Vivaldi: MOLTO - Italian 

40. Not forthcoming: CAGEY

41. Big Apple product: iMAC - I tried iPAD

43. Savage of "MythBusters": ADAM - I know him....

44. Savage of "Savage Love": DAN - I do NOT know him

46. Genetic material: DNA

51. Cold __ coffee: BREW

52. Slithering swimmers: EELS

53. "Children of," in temple names: B'NAI - Hebrew

54. Berkshire school: ETON - I was thinking Berkeley, and tried UCLA - hey, I am EAST coast....

55. Degs. for entrepreneurs: MBAs

57. Panicked, perhaps: FROZE - Fight, Flight or Freeze~?

58. Super: ULTRA

59. Game of luck: LOTTO

64. "I don't believe __ met": "WE'VE"

65. Posthumous Pulitzer winner James: AGEE - good WAG on my part

66. Firewood quantity: CORD 

67. One might start with a knock: JOKE - As in, "Knock Knock, who's there~?"

68. "My bad!": "OOPS~!"

69. Hit below the belt: FIGHT DIRTY *- I tried SUCKER PUNC, ran out of spaces

70. Ran in place, maybe: IDLED

71. Trademarked element of Play-Doh: SCENT - HA~!  I tried "TASTE" first

72. Gives up: STANDS DOWN *- neat contradictory clue/answer

73. "Is __ OK?": response to a request for Coke: PEPSI - in the South, the question is always "What kind of Coke do you want~?" "I'll have a Diet Pepsi."

74. Becomes ragged: FRAYS

75. Weblike fabric: LACE

Ballerina Black Secret Scarlet Lace Tights

76. Milk carton phrase: USE BY

77. Some: NOT ALL - that would be the definition....

78. "How can I ever __ you?": REPAY

79. Abbr. on old phones: OPERator; here's a funny Millennial video

Four minutes to dial a number....

80. Place for a couples retreat: SPA

81. Joplin work: RAG - SCOTT Joplin - The Entertainer kind of rag

86. Steak __: TARTARE - Basically, raw beef - a recipe

87. Batter's stat: OPS - Baseball lingo for On-Base Plus Slugging

88. Gp. that might plan a readathon: PTA

90. Soothing balms: SALVES - ALOES was too short

91. Make more suitable: RETOOL

92. "Resume speed," to a musician: A TEMPO - definition

93. Colon, at times: IS TO - analogy; see 35A.

94. Wraps: STOLES

99. Iraqi port city: BASRA

100. Piggie's favorite dish in the "Elephant and Piggie" books: SLOP - makes sense

101. Line on a trail map: PATH

103. Bldg. coolers: A/Cs - gotta put my big window unit in; we are going to get close to 100° this week here in Connecticut 😝

104. Green Gables girl: ANNE

105. Blurry craft in tabloid pics: UFOs

107. Storage __: UNIT

108. Quiche need: EGGS

110. Acid letters: LSD

112. Peacock title: MRS. - Definitely Saturday cluing, and a reference to the board game Clue; I had an inkling this was what we were looking for; I also considered "MRT", as Mr. T was in the NBC "Peacock" show "The A-Team"

113. Western treaty gp.: OAS - Organziation of American States - the Wiki

114. Actor Penn: KAL - His IMDb; I knew of him from "House, M.D."

Splynter