Saturday, April 13, 2024, Enrique Henestroza Anguiano

Saturday Themeless by Enrique Henestroza Anguiano

This is my fourth LA Saturday themeless with Enrique who has a background in computational linguistics.The puzzle gave me fits as some of the cluing was, to borrow a crossword we have seen here

         

Yes, Enrique has a lot of white real estate in his construction with 98 open squares (squares that don't touch a border or a block). The stack of three grid spanners is impressive! 

As usual, I skated around and enjoyed most of the puzzle, however, I had one Natick at 27 Down/Across and could not come up with a Japanese breaded cutlet or a 3-letter name for an actor named Penn. I'll take my one bad cell and try to face tomorrow! 

This just in: Yeah, I know we had KATSU in Tuesday's puzzle but I did Enrique's puzzle before Zachary's Tuesday construction. The consolation is that I did get KATSU on Tuesday. 😊

Across:

1. Way to play music that's a hit?: SLAP BASS 😀 - Yup, he's hitting or SLAPPING that BASS

9. Words after a deep breath: I'M CALM.

15. Where the action is?: MOVIE SET 😀

16. The __ Brothers: "Black Water" band: DOOBIE - A fun listen

17. Egg option: OVER EASY.

18. Position: ORIENT - A recent activity of mine

19. Mulligans: REDOS - In a friendly game of golf you can request a mulligan or to REDO a shot. Our group allows one on the front 9 and one on the back. Some guys never take one. It can also be used if you say or do anything you wish you had not, "I'd like to take a mulligan on that!"

20. Lavender brew: HERBAL TEA.

22. Jacob's twin: ESAU.

23. Unagi roll fish: EELS.

24. "Food's getting cold!": EAT.

27. "The Namesake" actor Penn: KAL - When I looked him up, he was more familiar to me as Kumar of Harold and Kumar but I still would not have had to guess at the first letter of his name.

28. Big Mac rivals?: PCS 🤨 - Enrique, I have never called my Mac computer big! Yeah, I know, it's a big rival not a Big Mac. 

31. Four-part cooking series starring Samin Nosrat: SALT FAT ACID HEAT.

37. "How's about this instead!?": I GOT A BETTER IDEA - I had to swap out ANOTHER for A BETTER. 

38. Election system that gets the press involved?: PAPERLESS VOTING - 😀 Yes, you press a button or icon and do not put a mark on a piece of paper.

39. Alums-to-be: SRS - The SRS where I teach are handing out grad party invites this time of year.

40. Big bird: EMU.

41. Shortish releases: EPS - Back when vinyl ruled the world, Extended PlayS held more music than a 45 but less than an album. This group made one with four songs, not two, you can get this EP record on eBay for $150.

42. Instrument once plucked with a quill: LUTE.

44. "Who's this under?": NAME 😀 Uh, Mr. and Mrs. John Smith...

48. Hot pockets?: EMPANADAS.

53. Sunny?: SOLAR 😀 - Some crops flourish under solar panels as their rotation following the sun gives just the right amount of sun and shade.

54. Friendly gesture: HAT TIP.

55. Ulaanbaatar's country: MONGOLIA.

VW96+R47 Unnamed Road, 
Ulaanbaatar 17025, Mongolia

57. "You're making me blush!": OH STOP.

58. Oktoberfest snacks: PRETZELS.

59. Pushes boundaries?: WIDENS.

60. Be reasonable: SEE SENSE.

Down:

1. Food contraction that omits "ome": S'MORE - Short for SOME MORE. A word invented in a 1938 summer camping manual

2. Melts for: LOVES - See picture above for melting everyone LOVES

3. Estée Lauder subsidiary: AVEDA.

4. Spin on a classic ballet performance?: PIROUETTE.

5. Some queens: BEES 😀

6. "Hugo" actor Butterfield: ASA - The Hindi version

7. Brief meeting?: SESH - Short for session and seen in cwds more and more frequently

8. Eye annoyance: STYE.

9. "We Shall Overcome" phrase: I DO BELIEVE.

10. Principled: MORAL.

11. Tesla stock?: COILS - Nikolai Tesla sat inside his invention for publicity. I had a smaller Tesla Coil in my classroom.

12. Help with a heist: ABET - Michael J. Pollard, on the right, played C.W. Moss who drove the getaway car for the 1967 movie Bonnie and Clyde. 

13. "I forgot what to say!": LINE - What an actor says when he is lost and needs a prompt 

14. Threads owner: META.

21. Posts a GIF, perhaps: REACTS - I do that often. A picture is worth a thousand words!                                               

25. Miles away: AFAR.

26. Some Apple Design Award winners: TABLET APPS.

27. Breaded cutlet dish: KATSU - Who knew (before last Tuesday)?

28. Mani-__: PEDI.

29. William the Conqueror's burial place: CAEN - 32 miles from Omaha Beach

30. Single party election?: STAG - These guys elected to have no women at this party

31. Small suctions on cups?: SIPS 😀

32. Vegan gelatin substitute: AGAR.

33. Cuts (off): LOPS.

34. Overflowed: TEEMED.

35. Release: DROP - A British airman in WWI gets ready to DROP a bomb from the gondola of an airship

36. Prepare to go out again?: 😀 HIT SNOOZE - This took me awhile.

42. Chai __: LATTE.

43. Labor group: UNION.

45. "It's Not Me, It's You" singer Lily: ALLEN.

46. Sends flying, perhaps: MAILS 

47. Rub off: ERASE.

48. Site with step-by-step guides: E-HOW.

49. Fish tacos choice, on menus: MAHI - Enrique, no hint on the double name in the clue? C'mon! 😀 Half fish taco choice...

50. Condition that may respond to CBT or LSD: PTSD - A thoughtful article

51. Boomers at a concert?: AMPS.

The Grateful Dead's Wall Of Sound

52. Sensitive: SORE.

53. NCOs who know the drill: SGTS.

56. Jennifer Affleck, __ Lopez: NEE - Yes, she changed her name.

Saturday, April 6, 2024, Zhouqin Burnikel

  Saturday Themeless by Zhouqin Burnikel

Zhouqin Burnikel- I got permission from 

C.C.to use this bio and picture of our lovely ring mistress that was printed in the program for the 2018 ACPT Competition: Zhoquin grew up in Xi'an, China, and moved to Minnesota in 2001. She started making crosswords in 2010, partly as a way to learn English, and was mentored by veteran constructor Don Gagliardo. Together they have made over 100 puzzles for various publications. Zhouqin created the L.A. Times Crossword Corner blog in 2008. The name Zhouqin comes from the first two great dynasties that ruled ancient Xi’an — the Zhou and the Qin. It is pronounced something like “ZHOH-chin.”

Across:

1. Squad whose Double-A affiliate is the Rumble Ponies: METS - A baseball lead off by C.C.!

5. Like black vinegar: AGED - This is a ten-year old bottle. C.C. says traditional Chinese vinegars are aged 6 - 10 years. 

9. Bit of shut eye?: BLINK 😀

14. Rink leap: AXEL - How 'bout a triple?

15. __-free: DUTY.

16. Shoyu dish: RAMEN Recipe

17. "Don't move": STAY WHERE YOU ARE.

20. Part that has a radius but no diameter: ARM - The radius joins the wrist on the thumb side of your hand.

21. Item that may wind up in a backyard: HOSE - Oh, that use of the phrase "wind up"!

22. Program-terminating command: END NOW.

23. Feature: ASPECT.

25. Seattle hrs.: PST.

26. Political network: C-SPAN - Is there a non-political one?

27. Media company that claims to be the largest producer of Spanish-language content: TELEVISA.

32. Hiding place: LAIR.

33. Chorizo, por ejemplo: CARNE - Meat. Ten things about Chorizo

35. Agnes, in Spain: INES.

36. Italian bread: EURO - Money not a bakery product 

37. Deal-maker: AGENT - AGENT Scott Boras has negotiated record $1.217 billion worth of contracts this winter. That’s about $121 million for Boras to keep for himself this winter. Team owners don't like to see him walk in the door.

38. "This can't be happening!": OH NO.

39. Ingredient in some exfoliators: ACID - Contains Salicylic Acid, Exfoliating Body Lactic Acid and Hyaluronic Niacinamide

40. Tree huggers?: VINES.

41. Deal that generates interest: LOAN 

42. Investor's concern: NET YIELD - e.g. (exempli gratia - more Latin) 

44. Photo finish: MATTE.

45. Boo: BAE - Really?

46. "I want no part of this!": WHO'S WE.

48. Pastry choice: ECLAIR.

52. Fisher of "Shameless": NOEL - Saturday cluing

53. TripTik org.: AAA.

55. Sighed line: THAT'S THE WAY IT IS - C'mon, you thought of him too from back when TV News mostly hid their political views.

58. Poet on some 36-Across coins: DANTE.

59. 57-Down, for one: BEER and 57. Dogfish Head's Notorious H.O.P., for one: IPA.

60. Treat for one's dogs?: PEDI - These dogs are slang for feet

61. Symptoms: SIGNS.

62. Casino figures: ODDS.

63. Side by side?: AREA 😀 Length x Width = AREA

Down:

1. Atole ingredient: MASA - Atole: In Mexico, it is a drink typically includes MASA (corn hominy flour), water, piloncillo (unrefined cane sugar), cinnamon, vanilla, and optional chocolate or fruit. 

2. Trattoria request: EXTRA SAUCE - What is a trattoria? and 18. "That's enough": WHEN.

3. Rah-rah feeling: TEAM SPIRIT.

4. Cute: SLY.

5. Not permanent: AD HOC.

6. Not permanent: GUEST.

7. Infinitive of suis, sommes, etc.: ETRE.

8. Go green, say: DYE - The Chicago River on March 17

9. "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" novelist: BRONTE - A first edition that uses Anne Bronte's pseudonym of Acton Bell.

10. Talk up: LAUD.

11. Vellani of "The Marvels": IMAN.

12. Successor to Claudius: NERO - Did he fiddle while Rome burned? Tacitus suspends judgment on Nero's responsibility for the fire; he found that Nero was in Antium when the fire started, and returned to Rome to organize a relief effort, providing for the removal of bodies and debris, which he paid for from his own funds. After the fire, Nero opened his palaces to provide shelter for the homeless, and arranged for food supplies to be delivered in order to prevent starvation among the survivors.

13. Was certain of: KNEW.

19. "We totally should!": YES LET'S.

24. Send-up: PARODY - Weird Al leaped to my mind

25. Rasta pasta pasta: PENNE.

26. Washed up: CLEAN - Dishwasher indicator 

27. Influencer's concern: TREND - These are expert influencers who live on any new TREND

28. Trio in Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3: VIOLAS - As a full service blogger, I will link to some of that

29. Facing trouble: IN HOT WATER.

30. One who may face an up-Hill climb: SENATE AIDE 😀 - Oh, going up the capitol hill!

31. In lockstep: AS ONE - Certainly the U.S.M.C. Silent Drill Platoon does just that. 

33. Writing on the wall?: CAVE ART - This wonderful example of 17,000 year old CAVE ART is in the Lascaux Cave in south central France. It is no longer open to public tours.

34. Able to do splits, say: AGILE.

43. Birds that often nest with spoonbills: IBISES.

44. "Holy __!": MOLY.

46. Blown away: WOWED.

47. Picks up: HEARS - My kids loved using this parabolic reflector

48. Gate stats: ETDS - Airport gates

49. Masala __: CHAI - Masala chai is a popular beverage throughout South Asia, originating in the early modern Indian subcontinent. Chai is made by brewing black tea in milk and water and then sweetening with sugar. Adding aromatic herbs and spices creates chai, although chai is often prepared unspiced.  You're welcome.

50. "Constant Craving" singer: LANG.

51. Routing abbr.: ATTN.

52. Not just want: NEED - Teams that NEED a QB in this year's draft.

54. Continent with nine island nations: ASIA - The Island Nations of ASIA are: The Philippines, Sri Lanka, The Maldives, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, East Timor, Taiwan and Brunei. 

56. "True Detective" network: HBO.

Notes from C.C.:

Our Thursday Sherpa waseeley (William Seeley) and I made today's USA Today puzzle. It's edited by Jared Goudsmit. Click here to solve. Congrats on your worldwide puzzle debut, Bill!