LA Times Crossword 1 Oct 23, Sunday

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Constructed by: Rebecca Goldstein
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: Tick Tock

Themed clues are common, two-word phrases ending with “TIME”. Each is reinterpreted to give another common phrase as the answer:

  • 22A Screen time? : BACKGROUND CHECK
  • 41A Face time? : HAIR AND MAKEUP
  • 64A Flex time? : MR OLYMPIA
  • 87A Run time? : ULTRAMARATHON
  • 109A Party time? : PRIMARY ELECTION
  • 15D Set time? : OPEN MIC NIGHT
  • 57D Tee time? : CASUAL FRIDAY
  • Read on, or jump to …
    … a complete list of answers

    Bill’s time: 19m 15s

    Bill’s errors: 2

    • MR OLYMPIA (Mr. Olympic!)
    • COCA TEA (cocatec!)

    Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

    Across

    1 West Coast wine region : NAPA

    The first commercial winery in Napa Valley, California was established way back in 1858. However, premium wine production only dates back to the 1960s, with the region really hitting the big time after its success at the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976. The story of that famous blind wine tasting is told in the entertaining 2008 film “Bottle Shock”.

    14 Flower with hips : ROSE

    The fruit of the rose plant is known as the rose hip or rose haw. I remember drinking rose hip syrup when I was a kid …

    18 Tandoor, e.g. : OVEN

    A tandoor is a cylindrical clay or metal oven used in cuisines from several Asian locales, including India.

    19 Skateboard trick : OLLIE

    An ollie is a skateboarding trick invented in 1976 by Alan “Ollie” Gelfand. Apparently it’s a way of lifting the board off the ground, while standing on it, without touching the board with one’s hands. Yeah, I could do that …

    21 Stack next to a boombox : TAPES

    A boombox is a portable music player with speakers that includes an AM/FM radio as well as a recording device (originally cassette tapes, and later compact discs). The first boombox was introduced by Philips in 1966 as a “Radiorecorder”, a portable device that could record radio broadcasts without the need to use external cables and microphones. Boomboxes became very popular with young people in urban areas. The practice of playing loud music using boomboxes in neighborhoods led to the devices being labeled as “ghetto blasters”.

    29 Knock-__ : KNEED

    The condition known as “knock-knee” is more correctly referred to as “genu valgum”, which translates from Latin as “knee bent out”. That Latin name is a little confusing, as a “knock-knee” usually bends inwards.

    31 Not pizzicato : ARCO

    “Arco” is a musical direction instructing a string player to return to normal bowing technique after a passage played using some other technique (perhaps pizzicato).

    33 Ilhan of Congress : OMAR

    Ilhan Omar has been representing Minnesota’s 5th congressional district in the US House since 2019. At that time, she became one of the first two Muslim women, as well as the first Somali American, to serve in the US Congress.

    35 “Empire” actress Long : NIA

    Nia Long is an actress who is probably best known for playing Will Smith’s sometime girlfriend and fiancee Lisa Wilkes on the TV show “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air”.

    39 Like 33-Across : SOMALI
    [33 Ilhan of Congress : OMAR]

    Somalia is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Sadly, the nation is noted today for a devastating civil war and for its use as a base for pirates who prey on ships passing through the Indian Ocean along the Somali coast.

    45 Food with a Peruvian holiday in its honor : CEVICHE

    Ceviche is a raw seafood dish that is popular in South and Central America. Ceviche is typically made from fish marinated in lemon or lime juice and spiced with hot peppers.

    49 Green gamers : NOOBS

    “Noob” (sometimes “newb”) is a not-so-nice, slang term for a “newbie”, and often refers to someone who is new to an online community.

    57 Documentary filmmaker Erin Lee __ : CARR

    Erin Lee Carr is a documentary maker who has made some high-profile films. A notable one is “Britney vs Spears” that she made for Netflix, which chronicles the battles between Britney Spears and her father over her conservatorship.

    58 Singer Del Rey : LANA

    “Lana Del Rey” is the stage name of singer/songwriter Elizabeth Grant. Del Rey calls herself a “self-styled gangsta Nancy Sinatra”. Nice …

    63 Genius Bar devices : MACS

    The technical support desk found in Apple Retail Stores is rather inventively called the Genius Bar. The certified support technicians are known as “Geniuses”. The trainees are called GYOs: Grow-Your-Own-Geniuses.

    64 Flex time? : MR OLYMPIA

    The Mr. Olympia bodybuilding competition featured in the 1977 movie “Pumping Iron”. It was this film that gave Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno a start to their acting careers.

    70 “The Show Goes On” rapper __ Fiasco : LUPE

    “Lupe Fiasco” is the stage name of rap artist Wasalu Muhammad Jaco. Jaco uses his real name when performing with the rock band Japanese Cartoon.

    72 PC gaming hardware company : ASUS

    Asus is a Taiwanese manufacturer of computing and networking hardware. The company name was chosen as the last four letters of “Pegasus”, the winged horse of Greek mythology.

    73 Nash of “Never Have I Ever” : NIECY

    Niecy Nash is a comedian and actress who played Deputy Raineesha Williams in the comedy show “Reno 911!” Nash is one of the celebrities to have participated in the reality competition “Dancing with the Stars”, taking fifth place in the tenth season.

    79 Pampering place for a boxer : PET SPA

    The boxer breed of dog (one of my favorites) originated in Germany. My first dog was a boxer/Labrador mix, a beautiful combination. Our current family dog is a boxer/pug mix, and is another gorgeous animal.

    80 Former planet : PLUTO

    Pluto was discovered in 1930, and was welcomed as the ninth planet in our solar system. Pluto is relatively small in size, just one fifth of the mass of our own moon. In the seventies, astronomers began to discover more large objects in the solar system, including Eris, a “scattered disc object” at the outer reaches. Given that Eris is actually bigger than Pluto, and other objects really aren’t that much smaller, Pluto’s status as a planet was drawn into question. In 2006 there was a scientific definition for a “planet” agreed for the first time, resulting in Pluto being relegated to the status of “dwarf planet”, along with Eris. This relegation led to the word “pluto” being used as a noun meaning “give a less important position than before”.

    81 Vanilla extract amts. : TSPS

    The flavor extract that we call “vanilla” comes from the pod-like fruit of climbing orchids belonging to the genus Vanilla. Genuine vanilla is a relatively expensive spice, second only to saffron, due to the amount of work required to grow and harvest the fruit (also called “beans” and “pods”). Spanish and Portuguese explorers came across the Vanilla orchid while exploring the Gulf Coast of Mexico. They gave it the name “vainilla” meaning “little pod”.

    85 Sports injury : ACL TEAR

    The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of four major ligaments that support the knee. It is located in the center of the knee and connects the femur (thigh bone) to the tibia (shin bone).

    87 Run time? : ULTRAMARATHON

    The term “ultramarathon” describes a race that is longer than the 26.2 miles of a traditional marathon. “Ultra running” falls into two categories. Some races cover a specified distance or route, while others last for a specified time, with the winner covering the most distance in that time.

    92 Home to Pha That Luang : LAOS

    Pha That Luang is a beautiful Buddhist stupa in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. A Buddhist stupa is a round structure or building that Houses relics, often the remains of monks or nuns. Pha That Luang is a remarkable gold-covered edifice. It has become a national symbol for Laos, and is featured in the nation’s national emblem.

    94 Comm. from some interpreters : ASL

    It’s really quite unfortunate that American Sign Language (ASL) and British Sign Language (BSL) are very different, and someone who has learned to sign in one cannot understand someone signing in the other.

    100 Advil competitor : ALEVE

    “Aleve” is a brand name used for the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug Naproxen sodium.

    104 Dashboard readout : GAUGE

    Back in the 1800s, “dashboard” was the name given to a board placed at the front of a carriage to stop mud from “dashing” against the passengers in the carriage, mud that was kicked up by the hooves of the horses. Quite interesting …

    106 Badenov’s partner in cartoon crime : FATALE

    Fearless Leader, Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale are all characters in the cartoon show “Rocky and Bullwinkle”. Fearless Leader is the dictatorial ruler of Pottsylvania, and Boris and Natasha are two of his minions, two inept government agents.

    109 Party time? : PRIMARY ELECTION

    The US is one of just a few countries that uses primary elections, selections of party candidates by popular vote. In the runup to most national elections outside of the US, political parties select their own candidates. Indeed, primaries weren’t introduced into the US until relatively recently. The first presidential primary took place in 1920, in New Hampshire.

    114 Lead-in to some bad news : WELP …

    “Welp” is a slang term used at the beginning of a sentence to indicate disappointment. “Welp” is used in the same way that we use the interjection “well”.

  • Well, that worked out.
  • Welp, that didn’t work out.
  • 116 Calle __ Festival: annual event in Miami’s Little Havana : OCHO

    The Miami neighborhood known as Little Havana is home to many migrants from Cuba, hence the name. It is located immediately west of Downtown Miami. The main drag in Little Havana is “Calle Ocho” (Eighth Street).

    117 Taylor-Joy of “The Menu” : ANYA

    Actress Anya Taylor-Joy had quite the international upbringing. She was born in Miami, and raised in Buenos Aires and then London. She is perhaps best known for playing the title character in the 2020 film adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Emma”, and the lead role in the Netflix miniseries “The Queen’s Gambit”.

    “The Menu” is a 2022 comedy horror movie starring Ralph Fiennes as a celebrity chef with an exclusive restaurant. I’m afraid that I don’t do horror, not even comedy horror …

    120 Inert gas : NEON

    Neon (Ne) was discovered in 1898 by two British chemists, Sir William Ramsay and Morris Travers. They chilled a sample of air, turning it into a liquid. They then warmed that liquid and separated out the gases that boiled off. Along with nitrogen, oxygen and argon (already known), the pair of scientists discovered two new gases. The first they called “krypton” and the second “neon”. “Krypton” is Greek for “the hidden one” and “neon” is Greek for “new”.

    Down

    1 Noodle : NOB

    The slang term “nob” has been used for “head” for over 300 years, and is a variant of “knob”.

    2 “Abbott Elementary” principal : AVA

    “Abbott Elementary” is a sitcom in the mockumentary genre. The show was created by and stars Quinta Brunson as a cup-half-full second-grade teacher in a Philadelphia public school. The premise of “Abbott Elementary” is that a film crew is making a documentary about the lives of teachers working in underfunded schools.

    3 Gooey, nutty dessert : PECAN PIE

    The pecan is the state nut of Alabama, Arkansas and California. Also, the pecan is the state tree of Texas.

    4 Talus locale : ANKLE

    The collection of seven bones in the foot just below the ankle are known collectively as the tarsus. One of those bones is the talus (plural “tali”), more commonly called “ankle bone”. The talus is the lower part of the ankle joint and articulates with the lower ends of the tibia and fibula in the lower leg.

    7 Mollusk with a banana variety : SLUG

    Banana slugs can be a bright yellow color. They also are shaped like the fruit, hence the name “banana slug”.

    8 Diarist Anaïs : NIN

    Anaïs Nin was a French author who was famous for the journals that she wrote for over sixty years from the age of 11 right up to her death. Nin also wrote highly regarded erotica and cited D. H. Lawrence as someone from whom she drew inspiration. Nin was married to banker and artist Hugh Parker Guiler in 1923. Decades later in 1955, Nin married former actor Rupert Pole, even though she was still married to Guiler. Nin and Pole had their marriage annulled in 1966, but just for legal reasons, and they continued to live together as husband and wife until Nin passed away in 1977.

    9 “Ideas worth spreading” lectures : TED TALKS

    The acronym “TED” stands for “Technology, Entertainment and Design”. TED is a set of conferences held around the world by a non-profit group called the Sapling Foundation. The conference subjects are varied, and the meetings are often led by big names such as Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Bill Gates and Jane Goodall. The Sapling Foundation then makes recordings of the conferences available for free online with the intent of disseminating the ideas globally. These conferences are known as “TED Talks”. There are also TEDx events, which are locally-run talks presented under license from TED.

    11 “Barbie” director Gerwig : GRETA

    Greta Gerwig is an actress, screenwriter and director from Sacramento whose best-known acting role is probably opposite Russell Brand in the remake of the film “Arthur”. Gerwig has turned to directing, and was at the helm for the 2019 movie “Little Women”. And then, she co-wrote and directed the hit 2023 film “Barbie”.

    13 Wapiti : ELK

    Wapiti, also known as elk, are one of the largest species of deer found in North America and East Asia. They are social animals and live in herds of up to 400 individuals. The herds are usually led by a dominant male, known as a bull, who defends his harem of females during the mating season.

    16 Casper competitor : SERTA

    Serta was founded in 1931 when a group of 13 mattress manufacturers came together, essentially forming a cooperative. Today, the Serta company is owned by eight independent licensees in a similar arrangement. Serta advertisements feature the Serta Counting Sheep. Each numbered sheep has a different personality, such as:

    • #1 The Leader of the Flock
    • #½ The Tweener
    • #13 Mr. Bad Luck
    • #53 The Pessimist
    • #86 Benedict Arnold

    17 To be, in Bogotá : ESTAR

    Bogotá is the capital city of Colombia. Noted for having many libraries and universities, Bogotá is sometimes referred to as “The Athens of South America”.

    23 Davis of “A League of Their Own” : GEENA

    Hollywood actress Geena Davis established the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media in 2004 after noticing the lack of female characters on television shows while watching with her young daughter. According to Davis:

    The fact is women are seriously underrepresented in nearly all sectors of society across the globe, not just on screen, but, for the most part, we are simply not aware to this reality, and media images exert a powerful influence in perpetuating our unconscious bias.

    “A League of Their Own” is a comedy drama film released in 1992 that tells a tale about the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League active during WWII. The lead actors were Tom Hanks and Geena Davis. The film spawned one of the most famous quotes in movie history: “There’s no crying in baseball!”

    24 Cord cutters’ lack : CABLE

    Cord-cutting is moving away from subscription TV service offered by cable and satellite providers, and moving to streaming services offered over the Internet. I made the move some years ago, and saved a LOT of money. But, the providers of streaming services are smart, and my TV-viewing costs are rising steadily …

    28 Grapefruit kin : POMELOS

    A pomelo is a very large, pear-shaped citrus fruit that is native to Southeast Asia.

    29 Korean coupes : KIAS

    Kia Motors is the second-largest manufacturer of cars in South Korea, behind Hyundai (and Hyundai is a part owner in Kia now). Kia was founded in 1944 as a manufacturer of bicycle parts, and did indeed produce Korea’s first domestic bicycle. The company’s original name was Kyungsung Precision Industry, with the Kia name introduced in 1952.

    30 Toy derived from the Chinese yo-yo : DIABOLO

    A diabolo is a toy that is somewhat like a yo-yo. The main difference with the yo-yo is that the object is spun with a string that isn’t attached. The object has the shape of an egg timer, and the string has sticks at the ends that are held in the hand. Diabolos are often used in juggling acts.

    32 South American herbal brew : COCA TEA

    Coca tea is made by steeping the leaves of the coca plant, either raw or dried, in hot water. It is a mild stimulant, as the leaves do contain a small quantity of the alkaloids that are extracted to produce cocaine. Coca tea is illegal in the US, unless you can get hold of some from which the alkaloids have been removed.

    34 Gritty’s team, on scoreboards : PHI

    Gritty is the mascot of the Philadelphia Flyers hockey team. He is a youngster, relative to other NHL mascots, having made his debut appearance in 2018.

    42 Works with black boxes : REDACTS

    Our word “redact”, meaning to revise or edit, comes from the past participle of the Latin “redigere” meaning “to reduce”.

    43 Zinger : MOT

    “Bon mot” translates from French as “good word”. We use “bon mot” (and sometimes just “mot”) to mean “quip, witticism”.

    44 Luau dish : POI

    Nowadays, the word “luau” denotes almost any kind of party on the Hawaiian Islands, but to the purist a luau is a feast that always includes a serving of poi, the bulbous underground stems of taro.

    46 Cornball : HOKEY

    “To hoke” is a slang term meaning “to create a false impression”. The term derives from the noun “hokum”. “Hokum” was originally theater slang, meaning “melodramatic, exaggerated acting”. Now the term just means “empty talk”. It is also the root for our word “hokey” meaning “silly, old-fashioned”.

    56 Angela of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” : BASSETT

    Angela Bassett is an actress from New York whose breakthrough role was playing Tina Turner in the 1993 film about the pop icon’s life “What’s Love Got to Do with It”. Bassett married fellow actor Courtney B. Vance in 1997, having first met him while both were studying at Yale School of Drama.

    “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is a 2022 superhero movie that is a sequel to 2018’s “Black Panther”. Chadwick Boseman portrayed Black Panther in the original, and the plans were for him to appear in a sequel. Sadly, Boseman passed away from colon cancer in 2020. Rather than simply recast Boseman’s role, a new storyline was developed for the sequel which thrust Shuri, the princess of Wakanda to the forefront. Shuri had a significant role in the original as well, and is portrayed by Letitia Wright in both films.

    57 Tee time? : CASUAL FRIDAY

    The practice of dressing down at work on “Casual Fridays” arose at the end of the 20th century. The custom is rooted in the tradition known as “Aloha Friday” that started in Hawaii in 1966. The official designation of Aloha Friday was the result of a successful lobbying campaign by the manufacturing association known as the Hawaiian Fashion Guild.

    60 Campus near NoHo : NYU

    The main campus of the private New York University (NYU) is located right in Manhattan, in Washington Square in the heart of Greenwich Village. NYU has over 12,000 resident students, the largest number of residents in a private school in the whole country. NYU’s sports teams are known as the Violets, a reference to the violet and white colors that are worn in competition. Since the 1980s, the school’s mascot has been a bobcat. “Bobcat” had been the familiar name given to NYU’s Bobst Library computerized catalog.

    “NoHo” is short for “North of Houston (street)”, and is the equivalent area to SoHo, South of Houston, both of which are in New York City.

    62 “Better Call __” : SAUL

    “Better Call Saul” is a spin-off drama series from the hit show “Breaking Bad”. The main character is small-time lawyer Saul Goodman, played by Bob Odenkirk, who featured in the original series. “Better Call Saul” is set six years before Goodman makes an appearance in the “Breaking Bad” storyline. The lawyer’s real name is James Morgan McGill, and his pseudonym is a play on the words “S’all good, man!”

    64 Front of house position : MAITRE’D

    The full title of a maître d’ is “maître d’hôtel”, which means “master of the hotel”.

    65 Some cover crops : RYES

    Cover crops are planted by farmers to help manage the soil, rather than being harvested as a cash crop. Soil management includes prevention of soil erosion, improvement of soil fertility, retention of water and control of weeds. Examples of commonly used cover crops are annual ryegrass, buckwheat and red clover.

    71 Sneaker inserts : ODOR-EATERS

    Odor-Eaters insoles were introduced in the early seventies, and are manufactured by Combe. Combe sponsors a national contest held every year in Montpelier, Vermont, called “The Odor-Eaters Rotten Sneaker Contest”. Very pleasant …

    74 PC core : CPU

    The central processing unit (CPU) is the main component on the motherboard of a computer. The CPU is the part of the computer that carries out most of the functions required by a program. Nowadays you can get CPUs in everything from cars to telephones.

    76 Piña colada need : RUM

    “Piña colada” is a Spanish term that translates into “strained pineapple”. The piña colada cocktail was introduced in the Caribe Hilton San Juan in 1954, and since 1978 it has been the official beverage of Puerto Rico. The mocktail version of the drink is known as a nada colada.

    80 Book after Psalms : PROVERBS

    The Book of Proverbs is in the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. The original Hebrew title for the book translates as “Proverbs of Solomon”. It was likely compiled by multiple authors over a long period of time, with some proverbs back to the time of King Solomon in the 10th century BCE.

    82 Frozen Hawaiian treat : SHAVE ICE

    Hawaiian shave ice is a dessert made by shaving a block of ice and adding a sweet syrup for flavor. The related snow cone is made with crushed rather than shaved ice.

    84 Sarah Sherman’s show, for short : SNL

    Sarah Sherman is a comedian and actress who uses the stage name “Sarah Squirm”. She joined the cast of “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) in 2021.

    86 Open-faced taco : TOSTADA

    In Mexican cuisine, a tostada is a flat or bowl-shaped tortilla

    88 Subarctic biome : TAIGA

    The word “taiga” is used for an ecosystem largely covered in coniferous forests that exists in northern regions around the world. “Taiga” is Mongolian in origin, and is sometimes used interchangeably with “boreal forest”.

    89 Insurance company with a spokesgoose : AFLAC

    In 1999, Aflac (American Family Life Assurance Company) was huge in the world of insurance but it wasn’t a household name, so a New York advertising agency was given the task of making the Aflac brand more memorable. One of the agency’s art directors, while walking around Central Park one lunchtime, heard a duck quacking and in his mind linked it with “Aflac”, and that duck has been “Aflacking” ever since …

    95 Game whose outdoor version can be five feet tall : JENGA

    Jenga is a relatively simple but entertaining game, one in which one stacks wooden blocks as high as possible until the resulting tower collapses. “Jenga” is the Swahili word for “to build”

    101 Pop star John : ELTON

    “Elton John” is the stage name of English singer and pianist Reginald Dwight. John is an avid football (soccer) supporter, and is especially enthusiastic about Watford Football Club, which was his local team growing up. After he achieved financial success, John was able to purchase Watford FC, and owned the club from 1976 to 1987, and again from 1997 until 2002.

    103 Summer on the Riviera : ETE

    “Riviera” is an Italian word meaning “coastline”. The term is often applied to a coastline that is sunny and popular with tourists. The term “the Riviera” is usually reserved for the French Riviera (the Mediterranean coastline in southeastern France), and the Italian Riviera (the Mediterranean coastline centered on Genoa).

    107 Smart __ : ALEC

    Apparently, the original “smart Alec” (sometimes “Aleck”) was one Alec Hoag, a pimp, thief and confidence trickster who plied his trade in New York City in the 1840s.

    109 Destroy in esports : PWN

    “To pwn” is online gamer-speak for “to own, defeat easily”. It’s likely that “pwn” evolved from “own” as it is a common typo caused by the close proximity of the o- and p-keys on a computer keyboard. “Pwn” is pronounced like “pone”.

    112 Toulouse turndown : NON

    Toulouse is the fourth largest city in France, and is located in the southwest of the country. These days, Toulouse is noted as home to the Airbus headquarters and is known as the center of the European aerospace industry.

    Complete List of Clues/Answers

    Across

    1 West Coast wine region : NAPA
    5 “It __ me” : WASN’T
    10 Mythical beast : OGRE
    14 Flower with hips : ROSE
    18 Tandoor, e.g. : OVEN
    19 Skateboard trick : OLLIE
    20 Mouth-y? : ORAL
    21 Stack next to a boombox : TAPES
    22 Screen time? : BACKGROUND CHECK
    25 Narrowly avoid : AVERT
    26 Tapped container : ALE KEG
    27 Small sip : TASTE
    28 Departure spot : POINT A
    29 Knock-__ : KNEED
    30 Smidge : DAB
    31 Not pizzicato : ARCO
    33 Ilhan of Congress : OMAR
    34 Die dot : PIP
    35 “Empire” actress Long : NIA
    37 Aches and pains : ILLS
    39 Like 33-Across : SOMALI
    41 Face time? : HAIR AND MAKEUP
    45 Food with a Peruvian holiday in its honor : CEVICHE
    48 Line of sight? : I SEE
    49 Green gamers : NOOBS
    50 “I reject your offer” : NO SALE
    52 “Pronto!” : NOW!
    53 Inflicts on : DOES TO
    55 Deceive verbally : LIE TO
    56 Cycle : BIKE
    57 Documentary filmmaker Erin Lee __ : CARR
    58 Singer Del Rey : LANA
    61 Direct or instant things : MESSAGES
    63 Genius Bar devices : MACS
    64 Flex time? : MR OLYMPIA
    67 Like a used fireplace : ASHY
    68 Not great : JUST OKAY
    70 “The Show Goes On” rapper __ Fiasco : LUPE
    71 Kick out of a seat : OUST
    72 PC gaming hardware company : ASUS
    73 Nash of “Never Have I Ever” : NIECY
    75 Nursery furniture : CRADLE
    78 By way of : VIA
    79 Pampering place for a boxer : PET SPA
    80 Former planet : PLUTO
    81 Vanilla extract amts. : TSPS
    85 Sports injury : ACL TEAR
    87 Run time? : ULTRAMARATHON
    90 Crossed, as a stream : FORDED
    92 Home to Pha That Luang : LAOS
    93 “Totes” : DEF
    94 Comm. from some interpreters : ASL
    95 Glasses, in a pinch : JARS
    97 Genesis garden : EDEN
    99 ER drips : IVS
    100 Advil competitor : ALEVE
    102 Made a long story short? : EDITED
    104 Dashboard readout : GAUGE
    106 Badenov’s partner in cartoon crime : FATALE
    108 Acknowledge silently : NOD AT
    109 Party time? : PRIMARY ELECTION
    113 Test result : GRADE
    114 Lead-in to some bad news : WELP …
    115 Dog to beware : BITER
    116 Calle __ Festival: annual event in Miami’s Little Havana : OCHO
    117 Taylor-Joy of “The Menu” : ANYA
    118 Noun suffix : -NESS
    119 Technical deets : SPECS
    120 Inert gas : NEON

    Down

    1 Noodle : NOB
    2 “Abbott Elementary” principal : AVA
    3 Gooey, nutty dessert : PECAN PIE
    4 Talus locale : ANKLE
    5 Meal on an expense report : WORK DINNER
    6 Plant with a hedgehog variety : ALOE
    7 Mollusk with a banana variety : SLUG
    8 Diarist Anaïs : NIN
    9 “Ideas worth spreading” lectures : TED TALKS
    10 Utters delight : OOHS
    11 “Barbie” director Gerwig : GRETA
    12 Track figures : RACERS
    13 Wapiti : ELK
    14 Stuffed pasta : RAVIOLI
    15 Set time? : OPEN MIC NIGHT
    16 Casper competitor : SERTA
    17 To be, in Bogotá : ESTAR
    21 East Asian principle : TAO
    23 Davis of “A League of Their Own” : GEENA
    24 Cord cutters’ lack : CABLE
    28 Grapefruit kin : POMELOS
    29 Korean coupes : KIAS
    30 Toy derived from the Chinese yo-yo : DIABOLO
    32 South American herbal brew : COCA TEA
    34 Gritty’s team, on scoreboards : PHI
    36 Fusses : ADOS
    38 Light therapy box : SUNLAMP
    40 Map abbr. : AVE
    42 Works with black boxes : REDACTS
    43 Zinger : MOT
    44 Luau dish : POI
    46 Cornball : HOKEY
    47 Some lambs : EWES
    51 Trucker’s truck : SEMI
    54 Estimate qualifier : OR SO
    56 Angela of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” : BASSETT
    57 Tee time? : CASUAL FRIDAY
    59 Everyone in the South? : ALL Y’ALL
    60 Campus near NoHo : NYU
    62 “Better Call __” : SAUL
    63 Noted work? : MUSIC
    64 Front of house position : MAITRE’D
    65 Some cover crops : RYES
    66 Dodgeball setting : PE CLASS
    68 Coffee, colloquially : JAVA
    69 Tended to some knots : KNEADED
    71 Sneaker inserts : ODOR-EATERS
    74 PC core : CPU
    76 Piña colada need : RUM
    77 Somewhat : A TAD
    79 Apiece : PER
    80 Book after Psalms : PROVERBS
    82 Frozen Hawaiian treat : SHAVE ICE
    83 Model : POSE
    84 Sarah Sherman’s show, for short : SNL
    86 Open-faced taco : TOSTADA
    88 Subarctic biome : TAIGA
    89 Insurance company with a spokesgoose : AFLAC
    91 Thermometer unit : DEGREE
    95 Game whose outdoor version can be five feet tall : JENGA
    96 Bedazzle, say : ADORN
    98 Hammer targets : NAILS
    101 Pop star John : ELTON
    103 Summer on the Riviera : ETE
    105 Strike callers : UMPS
    106 Fancy function : FETE
    107 Smart __ : ALEC
    109 Destroy in esports : PWN
    110 Sharp bark : YIP
    111 “Well, well, well!” : OHO!
    112 Toulouse turndown : NON

    13 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword 1 Oct 23, Sunday”

    1. Well the theme wasn’t too tough…
      But what grid full of distracted cluing. I was dizzy with uncertainty trying to understand the clue.

      Got hit right off the bat with NOB. Then I didn’t know the principal of Abbot elementary. So I was messed up in that NW corner ADA for AVA.

      Then messed up 46D. Had HOMEY instead of HOKEY. did not see BIKE. just getting dizzier. Had TASSETT for 56D.

    2. 30 minutes, 2 seconds and DNF: 10 naticks in the NE corner and one at the very SW corner. Just couldn’t figure it out with the clues given.

    3. Guess I’m not in the target audience for this one. Seems like 20-25% of it was proper names from TMZ and People Mag. Another 10% lifted from foreign language dictionaries, and a smattering from internet glossary pages of social media jargon. And I thought the theme answers were actually supposed to relate to the theme.

    4. 2 Naticks so 4 errors. Never really got the
      clue so no help there. Couple of stretches
      with clues/answers. No fun this weekend ☹️

    5. Three days and a total of 32 hours and a big DNF. I’ve been doing LAT puzzles for over 40 years and this is only my fourth DNF.. I think Goldstein will need a Tincup if she again attempts another LAT. puzzle

    6. This is the worst puzzle I have ever done, and I have been doing puzzles for many many years. This puzzle is unsolvable and inconsiderate of people. Even the themed clues and explanations are confusing.

      1. Here it is Oct. 8, and I want to do this week’s puzzle, but first I attempted to finish the Oct. 1 puzzle, which I had abandoned. What a mess. Crossing a S. American drink with a Peruvian dish? Names names names. And the theme- I did understand the phrase before “time” had to be interpreted differently- but I just could not get hair and makeup for Face Time- or Mr Olympia. I finally gave up and saw how far off I was. I do these on paper with pencil and I can’t even read all my corrections.

      2. I totally agree with you. A very confusing puzzle. Strange words and definitions. I still don’t get the theme…. how does it relate to “time” ???

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