Wednesday, Oct 30th, 2024 ~ Marshal Herrmann

"THE HEAT"

Labor Statistics on cooks, chefs & bakers

It would appear that today's crossword from Marshal Herrmann is his debut for the LA Times, and it's the closest we are going to get to a "Halloween" themed puzzle, as far as I can tell.  Three Across theme answers, plus the reveal, with two equally long 11-letter non-theme fills in the Down as well.  Double the number of four-letter words over TLWs, no circles, and a mere handful of names - though I did not know half of them.  I note, too, that several answers are straight definitions of the clues.  The theme answers;  

20. Chiles near the top of the Scoville scale: GHOST PEPPERS

36. Hard-boiled hors d'oeuvres: DEVILED EGGS

42. Citrus with red pulp: BLOOD ORANGE

56. Gordon Ramsay cooking competition that sounds like it should involve 20-, 36-, and 42-Across?: HELL'S KITCHEN - Devils, yes; Ghosts, likely; Blood, not so much . . . .

I actually watched the show, way back when it first aired

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Supermodel Banks: TYRA - name #1, but learned from Crosswords

5. Ritalin target: Abbr.: ADHD - Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder

9. The real deal: LEGIT

14. Zig or zag: VEER

15. Darling: DEAR

16. Many a resident of the Fertile Crescent: IRAQI - I tried iraNi first

17. Treadmill setting: PACE - I do the Downs first; the "P" made my 1D. wrong

Cat on a hot tread mill

18. Gumbo ingredient: OKRA - regular crossword ingredient

19. So last year: PASSÉ

23. Plant anchor: ROOT

24. Cornea locale: EYE

25. Concealed: HID

28. __ and reel: ROD - made my 28D. wrong

30. One of a set needed for a monopoly in Monopoly: DEED

This is the first time I have paid attention to the "Connecticut" square since

I moved to the state - right next to "jail"

33. Landform generally bigger than a gully but smaller than a valley: RAVINE

35. Curved path: ARC

38. Ernie's bestie: BERT - name #2, but who doesn't know this duo~?

40. Halloween night, to All Saints' Day: EVE - it's the Eve of the Eve - but not the theme

41. "Hot Girl Summer" rapper Megan __ Stallion: THEE - no clue, filled via perps, name #3

47. Not close: FAR

48. "Honest!": "I SWEAR~!"

49. Arise (from): STEM

50. Gallery collection: ART - I am slowly building a collection of art in my home

51. Fictional coach Lasso: TED - name #4, I know, but never watched the show

52. Light touch: TAP - not DAB

54. Pine for: MISS 

61. Off the cuff: AD LIB

64. Comparable (to): AKIN

65. Word on an Irish passport: EIRE - AND - 7D. Symbol on an Irish passport: HARP

66. Small crown: TIARA

67. Casserole pasta: ZITI

68. Eggy seasonal drinks: NOGS - with EGGS in a theme answer, I would have preferred a different clue for this fill

69. Taxi fare calculator: METER

70. Primatology subjects: APES

71. Grandson of Adam: ENOS - name #5


DOWN:

1. Common sitcom rating: TV-PG - I figured it was a little more mature; TV-MA . . . . 

2. "Sure," informally: "YEAH..."

3. Feature of a 2023 women's volleyball match at Nebraska's Memorial Stadium: RECORD CROWD - they moved the game to the football stadium to beat another record; watch to hear why . . . .

Did you make it to the game, HuskerG~?

4. Playground retort: "ARE SO~!" - oops, not AM TOO

5. Rescued dog, e.g.: ADOPTEE - I SO want to adopt a dog, but going on the road to install Pipe Organs, like I did for the last two weeks, this week, and next week, is not fair to the animal, even with a dog-sitter.  Here is the progress of the organ we are installing at St. Peters in Harwich, MA

Note the bourdon wood pipes laying flat against the back wall

6. Hockey feint: DEKE - I'd like to find a deck hockey league and play goalie again 

8. Hang, as a curtain: DRAPE

9. Watch what one says?: LIP READ - great clue / answer

10. Notable times: ERAS

11. Neon or xenon: GAS - noble, no less

12. Educ. testing data: IQs

13. Deadlock: TIE

21. Welker's "Meet the Press" predecessor: TODD - name #6, no clue

22. Brontë's "Jane __": EYRE - name #7, but a crossword standard

25. Haute couture: HIGH FASHION - Frawnche for "high sewing", according to Google translate

26. Ready to go: IN GEAR

27. Climate for Utah's "Mighty Five" national parks: DESERT - the website for Utah parks

28. Protein in a traditional paella: RABBIT - ah.  Not SHRIMP - rabbit in Spanish is coneja

29. Vague warning: OR ELSE - or else what~?

31. At any point: EVER

32. Prima donnas: DIVAS

34. Nov. honoree: VETerans Day - The History of why it's the 11th

37. Pre-Easter period: LENT

39. __ the line: TOE

43. Baked snack with dried fruit: DATE BAR

A recipe here

44. Spoken: ORAL

45. Some June babies: GEMINIs - Ha~!  CANCERS fit, too

46. Give off: EMIT

53. Public square: PLAZA

55. Part of an act: SCENE

56. Put on the payroll: HIRE

57. Button that plays the next song on a playlist: SKIP - ah.  Stumped me at first

58. Toy on a string: KITE - I toyed with YO-YO

59. Thus: ERGO

60. Loch __ monster: NESS

61. 20s dispenser: ATM

62. Stop working, as a battery: DIE

63. Long. counterpart: LAT - Longitude and Latitude

Splynter