Wednesday, May 28th, 2025 ~ Sala Wanetick & Emily Biegas

 IT'S A TRAP~!

Star Wars, The Return of the Jedi, It's a trap #1

Once more we have the duo of Sala and Emily offering up our Wednesday workout, and I can literally take my review from their last construction ( here on Mar 5th ) and post it word for word, as today's crossword practically duplicated that one; it felt like deja vu all over again.  I do the Down clues first, so this grid, like the one in March, opened with a muscial concept I could grasp, but also like the last one, it had a plethora of names, two of which formed a Natick ( I'm looking at you, 16A/11D. )  which did me in this Monday's puzzle, as well.  Sigh.  YMMV, but, like thier last consturction, I felt the theme was weak and just didn't hit the mark for me.  It was suggested the last time I did a review of the girls' construction that I be "honest", so that all constructors could improve upon their puzzles ( I myself have had a couple of co-created, published crosswords ) - I say, keep trying, ladies~!  The themers - three "set ups" - and reveal;

17. Potentially awkward encounter: BLIND DATE - I was "threatened" with a blind date the last time I was on Long Island; my friend's wife "really thought I should get together with this friend of hers."

26. Deceptive undercover ploy: STING OPERATION - this is the "poster song" for any "STING"

The Entertainer - Scott Joplin

43. "American Ninja Warrior" feature: OBSTACLE COURSE - I've been diligent in the month of May - went to the gym every other day, then walked 30-40mins in my neighborhood on the off days - and I would love to get into shape just be able to attempt this . . . .

59. "We've been fooled!," or what can be said about 17-, 26-, or 43-Across: "IT'S A SET-UP~!" - I certainly feel like I've been "had"

Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, "It's a trap" #2

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Move from the freezer to the sink, perhaps: THAW

5. Pod that may be pickled: OKRA

9. Barbershop sharpening tool: STROP

14. Hall of Fame golfer Isao: AOKI - name #1 - a crossword staple, with all those vowels - I only knew this name because I learned who he is by doing crosswords; he's the same age as the man who started the Pipe Organ company

15. Some summer babies, astrologically: LEOS - a bit 'meh' in the plural

16. "Defying Gravity" singer Cynthia: ERIVO - name #2, got me - see the little black triangle in the grid solution below.  Natick.  Pure. And. Simple. Period.  Her web page - I do like the album cover

19. Come-ons: LURES - not RUSES; I was 60% correct

20. Burned a bit: SINGED - I once sing-ed a song for karaoke . . . .

21. Stimulant in some soft drinks: CAFFEINE 

I'm fine, no really, I'm good, I just need a cup of coffee

23. Jumbo suffix: TRON - as in Jumbotron, the big screen at sports arenas, etc.; I'm feeling 'meh' about this, too

25. Cooling systs.: A/Cs

33. Coffee mug defect: CHIP

Yup, definitely "chipped"

34. Square-jawed canine: BOXER

35. Supersecretive org.: NSA - Dah~! Not CIA; 33% correct

36. Chicago airport code: ORD - due to O'Hare originally being Orchard Field - the Wiki

37. Gallivant: TRAIPSE - now here are good $2 words for clue/answer

39. Beanie, e.g.: CAP

40. Pool stick: CUE - had this Monday, too

41. Pay bump: RAISE

42. Sheet in a book: PAGE - at least it's not a name; i.e., Jimmy PAGE

47. "C'est la __!": VIE

48. Adjust the pitch of: TUNE

49. Musical place for a partridge: PEAR TREE - another good clue/answer

54. Tennessee NFL team: TITANS

58. Frowned upon: TABOO

61. Shady garden area: ARBOR

62. "Shoot": "DANG."

63. Connecting point: NODE

64. Bombards with texts, say: SPAMS - again, in the plural, a bit 'meh'.

65. Michigan's __ Royale National Park: ISLE - I'm betting Jazzbumpa knew this one

66. Chatted privately, briefly: DMed - Direct Messaged

DOWN:

1. Guitar player's aid: TABS - short for tabulature, which shows the fret number you hold with your finger(s) on the "lines" representing the strings on the neck; it's how I learned to play, but lately, I have gotten better with the actual note names

"Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love" - Van Halen

2. Colorful Hindu festival: HOLI - I had this back on Apr 16th

3. Related (to): AKIN

4. Shape of some eyeliner applications: WINGTIP - this makeup detail

At least it wasn't the shoes

5. One who's past the age of learning, in a saying: OLD DOG - that is, you can't teach an - - - new tricks

6. Hawaii's Mauna __: KEA - geographic name - LOA, or KEA~?

7. Campus mil. group: ROTC - Reserve Officers' Training Corps - more here

8. Offshore: ASEA - yeah, but meh.

9. Focus of a "me day": SELF CARE - I figured it was something like "SPA - - -"

10. Most authentic: TRUEST

11. "SOS" singer, to fans: RiRi - OK, I get it, I'm old.... The artist Rihanna; the song, which samples MY generation's "Tainted Love" from Soft Cell, this 80s one-hit-wonder.  RiRi's Wiki; name #3

12. Tandoor, for one: OVEN - More here

13. Sit (for): POSE

18. "Marriage Story" Oscar winner Laura: DERN - name #4

22. Kayak listing: FARES - Tried HOTEL; the website - Kayak choice would have been more deceptive

24. Goal of some criminal justice reform efforts: NO BAIL - had N, O, L via perps, so a WAG on my part

26. Hedge element: SHRUB - a shrubbery~!

MP and the Holy Grail

27. Gravitational phenomena: TIDES

28. Composure: POISE

29. Anticipate: EXPECT

30. Quechua speakers: INCAS - name(ish)

31. "August: __ County": Meryl Streep film: OSAGE - no clue, so I'm calling name #5

32. Area hidden by a turtleneck: NAPE - could not be "neck" because it was in the clue

33. American tennis phenom Gauff: COCO - the Frawnche Open is this week; like the British open, known as "Wimbledon", the offical name of this tennis championship is Roland-Garros - name #6

37. Turncoats: TRAITORS

38. 5K participant: RACER - I knew we were looking for a "runner", which didn't fit; I tried MILER

42. Make believe: PRETEND

44. Den: TV ROOM - mancave didn't fit

45. Power interruption: OUTAGE - a nuisance, if you're watching a movie in your 44D.

46. Colleges, to Aussies: UNIversitieS

49. School fundraising orgs.: PTAs - again, the plural is a bit 'meh'

50. "Tombstone" character Wyatt: EARP - even if I know this, it's still a name, #7

51. "SOS" singers: ABBA - the "other" SOS song - still a name, #8

52. Cash gift given on Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha: EIDI  - Islamic holidays - more here.  Really~? on Wednesday~?   Sheesh.  The Wiki

53. Waze figs.: ETAs - Waze, the driving app, a cute play on "WAYS"

55. Basic particle: ATOM

56. Like a streaker: NUDE

57. Stepped on the gas: SPED

60. Marcello Hernández's show, for short: SNL - his IMDb - name #9

Splynter

Wednesday, May 14th, 2025 ~ Brian Callahan & Tim Giannetti

 MORNIN', SUNSHINE~!

I loved this theme~!  We have two authors today; Mr. Callahan has been a frequent co-collaborator for the LA Times, and this appears to be Mr. Giannetti's debut - well done, sirs~!  The theme, again in the Downs for me ( I had a similar puzzle Apr 16 - plus circles ), is a graphical depiction of the word STAR as it "rises" from the bottom of the answer phrase through the middle phrases, and finishing up at the top of the final phrase.  I felt it was a tidy construction, lots of names and circumreferential clues, yet at the same time sort of weird - as if it were an exercise in obsucrity AND a texbook array of crossword entries with chunky corners; the result being a puzzle that didn't feel like a Wednesday level, but that's exactly where it needed to be.  The best I can do to "express" the theme;

9. Secret passed down by Nonna, perhaps: PASTA RECIPE - Nonna = Granny in my family

                        11. "Don't try to do everything at once": START SMALL

                                                      20. Some turnpike turnoffs: REST AREAS

                                                                   23. Certain business quota: SALES TARGET

29. Up-and-comer, or a progression found in 29-, 23-, 20-, 9-, and 11-Down: RISING STAR

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. HS class with many average lessons?: AP STATS - I did not know this class was available

8. Twitches: SPASMS - As I get older, I can no longer have caffeine late in the day - otherwise, my legs twitch when I go to bed

14. Greeted from afar: WAVED HI - um, yeah - such an odd fill, but OK

15. MSU athlete: SPARTAN - MSU = Michigan State University; their website

16. Top rank in a tournament: ONE SEED

17. Can compete with the best: HAS GAME - the only "game" I have is Monopoly

18. Fisheye __: LENS

M.C. Escher, Three Spheres

19. Blood bank fluids: SERA

21. Crooner Mel: TORMÉ - name #1

22. "__ live and breathe!": "AS I . . ."

24. Thompson of "Men in Black: International": EMMA - name #2 - AND - 4D. Thompson of "Men in Black: International": TESSA - not the same "Thompson" - name #3

26. Paving goo: TAR

27. World Autism Mo.: APRil

30. Roadie's charges: AMPS

32. Planets, poetically: ORBS

34. __ tai: MAI

35. Future JD's exam: LSAT - crossword staple, Law School Admissions Test

36. Fishy fellow: MERMAN

Family Guy

39. "I'm home!": "IT'S ME~!"

41. Chem class site: LAB

43. __ Case: White Castle purchase: CRAVE

Man, I have not had White Castle in long, long time - now I AM craving

44. Branch of Islam: SHI'ISM

46. "The Amateur" actor Malek: RAMI - and the "bad guy" Lyutsifer Safin in the last James Bond movie; his IMDb - name #4

48. Fabrication: LIE

49. Quick scribble: NOTE

50. O.K. Corral surname: EARP - name #5

51. Acid letters: LSD - LySergic Acid Diethylamide -the Wiki

52. URL option: ORG

54. Actress Jessica: ALBA - frequent grid visitor; name #6

56. 36-Across's realm: SEA

58. Civil rights activist Chavez: CESAR - name #7

60. Brief "Get it done!": A.S.A.P.

62. "Frozen" princess: ELSA - name #8 - AND - 3D. "Frozen" reindeer: SVEN - name #9

"The Blonde & The Beast"

66. Immune response trigger: ANTIGEN - the Wiki, if you're curious

68. Stressful situation: HOT SEAT

70. Heads: LEADERS

71. NASA or NASCAR: ACRONYM

72. "Gosh darn it!": AW RATS

73. Ticket for a black diamond enthusiast: SKI PASS

DOWN:

1. Mil. no-show: AWOL - Absent WithOut Leave

2. Window installer's unit: PANE - I had one break on me last year; no sense in fixing or replacing it - I plan to replace both windows with a set of French ( Frawnche ) doors

It broke when I opened the window in a near-perfect arch

5. Sports drink suffix: ADE - GatorADE, e.g.

6. PC game with Livin' Large and Hot Date expansion packs: THE SIMS - I have not played much of this game - I preferred being the Mayor of my own Sim City

7. Hash browns, e.g.: SIDE

8. Club with cucumber slices?: SPA - Nice.  I was contemplating "BLT" - but I like this fresh clue

10. Golden Fleece vessel: ARGO - name(ish)

12. ABBA's "__ Mia!": MAMMA - AND -  25D. Lisa Bonet, to Zoë Kravitz: MOM - a couple of days too late for this past Sunday

13. Vile smile: SNEER

15. Part of a bedding set: SHAM - the part I never bother with when I buy a set; I hardly use the top sheet, in fact - it's the fitted bottom sheet, with side pockets that I like best - I can hang my electric blanket controller there

27. Brest friends: AMIs - I missed the "r" on the first pass in Brest ( France )

Frawnche Friends

28. Way: PATH

31. Buddy: PAL

33. "I c-c-can't feel my t-t-toes": "BRR~!"

37. "We try harder" car rental chain: AVIS

38. "... should the __ arise": NEED

40. "'O Sole __": MIO - how 'bout Elvis' take on the melody~?

I dig the sideburns, man~! - the song Wiki

42. Farmyard bleat: BAA

45. Filmmaker Brooks: MEL - name #10

47. Vulcan salute giver: MR. SPOCK - name #11

52. Sunshine State city: OCALA - I made it as far as Jacksonville, FL - name #12

53. Subscribe again: RENEW

55. Prohibits: BANS

57. "The Tortoise and the Hare" teller: AESOP - the Fabulist

59. Verdi opera: AIDA

61. "I see now!" cries: "A-HAs~!" - the plural is a bit Meh.

63. Emmy winner Waithe: LENA - name #13; her IMDb

64. Declares: SAYS

65. Twentysomethings?: ATMs - A HA~!  Trying to find an alternative to this crossword constant, not as clever as the one for SPAs

67. MD workplaces: ERs

69. Tetra- minus one: TRI - Four, less one, in prefixes equals Three

Splynter

Wednesday, May 7th, 2025 ~ Parikshit S. Bhat

 BE the BRIDGE

This is P.S. Bhat's fourth LA Times contribution - and my first time working one of his constructions. The last one was on a Friday in 2021; the one prior to that was in 2018,  blogged by Santa ( Argyle ) on the editor' s (then) assistant Patti's B-day, and my anniversary, Jan 8th.  Yes, we have the circles again, outlining scrambled, or "troubled" bodies of water.  A handful of names, one of which I was totally "huh~?" about ( I am looking at you, 37D.), a mere 14 3LWs, a 'balance' of 22 4-letter and 20 5-letter words, and two of the four theme answers unique to crosswords.  The themers and reveal; 

19. Equanimity between nations: BALANCE OF POWER - OCEAN - my step-daughter's name, too

24. Technical support team's headache: COMPUTER VIRUS - RIVER

The acronym "PICNIC"

44. "Get Out" and "Nope" star: DANIEL KALUUYA - LAKE - no clue, and not who I envisioned; I figured his was more of a "Hawaiian" name - see 23A.  His IMDb 

More on the statue here

50. Difficult situation, or what can be found in each set of circled letters?: TROUBLED WATERS

Simon & Garfunkel - Paul explains his influences for the song here

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Nonspeaking Marx brother: HARPO - not a tough name, but #1

6. Respectful title in India: SRI

9. Meaty pasta sauce: RAGU

13. Enhance, in a way: ADORN

14. Sn, to a chemist: TIN - from the Latin stannum, "alloy" of silver & lead; the Wiki

15. Adjusts the strings on a guitar, e.g.: TUNES - this one takes a while....

My Epiphone SG-1275 6- & 12-string - inverted for Lefty

16. Surgical tool: LASER

17. Weird: ODD

18. Warning signs: OMENS

23. Island host of the annual Spam Jam festival: OAHU - filled via perps - just missed the 2025 one

29. MC battle genre: RAP

30. Elitist: SNOB

31. Moralist's teaching: TENET

33. Get ready to cook: PREP

35. Kisses, in Kensington: SNOGS - British buss - not a British bus

Kiss on a bus

38. Guacamole and queso: DIPS

39. "The Sound of Music" role: MARIA - name #2

41. Lena of "The Reader": OLIN - seen frequently in crosswords, name #3

43. Thanks for waiting?: TIP - Cute.

48. Indigenous people of Canada: CREE - name(ish)

49. TiVo products: DVRs - Digital Video Recorders

56. Texter's "All good?": HOW R U - AND - 22A. Tepid reply to 56-Across: "I'M OK."

57. Card game for two: WAR

58. Heep of "David Copperfield": URIAH - name #4

60. German autos: OPELS - my mom had one, waaay back ( and name(ish) )

A 1960s  model 1900 Sport Wagon

61. Brownie __ mode: Á LA - I have been making a "truffle" dessert from a recipe on the box of a Betty Crocker mix

62. Part of a wash cycle: RINSE

63. Ruby and rose: REDS 

64. "Totally!": "YEP~!"

65. Barely beats, with "out": EDGES - better than last week's hairS

DOWN:

1. Sci-fi AI villain: HAL - "Im sorry, Dave." ( name~? )

Oh, we are on our way, aren't we~?

2. Small amount, as of hair gel: A DAB - Meh.  I don't care for the floating "A"

3. Civil rights icon Parks: ROSA - name #6

4. Early match, for short: PRELIMinary, a game of a tournament, not this Chinese invention

5. Merging sites: ON-RAMPS

6. California gold rush town: STOCKTON - No clue, filled via perps - I am sure our West Coast crowd nailed this one -the Wiki if you are interested

7. Fair attraction: RIDE - I have done all sorts of rides in the past, even at the big amusement parks, but I am no fan of them; by the time I graduated high school I had developed vertigo

8. Not alfresco: INDOOR - Ah.  Now that I think about it, that would be the "antonym"; fresco is Itlalian "fresh"

9. Alleged (to be), to a Brit: RUMOURED - That's Brisitsh behaviour for you

10. From the top: ANEW

11. Heredity unit: GENE - at least is was not clued as "Simmons" of Kiss

Kiss on a bus - get it ~?

12. Letters in a Beatles classic: USSR - I started with HELP!, but that's sung, not spelled

15. First search result in a browser: TOP HIT

20. Basic grammar topic: NOUNS - Dah~!  I figured this was what the clue meant, but I didn't account for it being plural; clever

21. Most preferred, casually: FAVorite

24. Driving spot?: CAR AD - Har-har

The Porsche is nice, too

25. Gig for a tenor: OPERA - uh, well, I guess you'd call it a "gig"; "Hey, bro, where you performin' tonight~?" - "Some place called La Scala."

26. Paperless read: eBOOK - I ready every night before bed, fiction and non-fiction, and Kindle keeps track, but it can't tell when I've switched to an actual printed book

27. Teamwork trait: UNITY - Ah; so there IS an "I" in teamwork . . . .

28. Vintage photo tone: SEPIA

29. Speed fig.: RPM - Meh.  Yes, it's the "speed" of the engine, in revolutions, but still, meh.

32. Vanilla extract amt.: TSP - when I'm making my brownies, I pronounce this as a "TiSP" - the larger measurement is a "TiBbleSpiP"

34. Technique for making waves?: PIN CURLS - hair waves, that is - more here

36. Brand of plastic film: GLAD WRAP - HuskerG's go-to "cling" wrap, per his past Saturday

37. Luiz Inácio Lula da __: Brazilian president: SILVA - Geez.  A lot of clue for a non-theme answer

40. Helicopter giant based in France: AIRBUS - Ah.  I knew this was an airplane manufacturer, didn't know they did helicopters, too

42. Take under one's wing: NURTURE

45. Electric creature: EEL

46. Room to maneuver: LEEWAY

47. Password preceder: USER ID

50. Role for Chris Hemsworth: THOR - name #8

51. Clothesline, perhaps: ROPE

52. Was in the red: OWED

53. Valley: DALE

54. Wedding band: RING - there was the possibility that might be "TRIO"; that kind of band

55. Business letter encl.: SASE - Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope

59. "For __ a jolly good fellow": HE'S

Splynter