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Constructed by: Amie Walker & Hoang-Kim Vu
Edited by: Patti Varol
Today’s Theme: Gains
Each themed answers is a common phrase, but we have PUT SOME MUSCLE INTO IT, inserted the name of a muscle:
- 101A “Use all your strength!,” or an alternate title for this puzzle? : PUT SOME MUSCLE INTO IT
- 24A Nearly fails Poseidon’s shop class? : BARELY MAKES A TRIDENT (put a “tri” into “barely makes a dent”)
- 36A Karaoke outing that won’t allow Aretha’s classic song? : RESPECT-LESS NIGHT (put a “pec” into “restless night”)
- 57A Time in the Peace Corps? : SERVICE ABROAD (put an “ab” into “service road”)
- 63A The x- or y-axis, perhaps? : END OF QUADRANT (put a “quad” into “end of rant”)
- 83A Request to an ophthalmologist on a busy afternoon? : DILATE ANOTHER DAY (put a “lat” into “Die Another Day”)
Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers
Want to discuss the puzzle? Then …
… leave a comment
Bill’s time: 19m 51s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
5 Tapenade, e.g. : DIP
The dish known as tapenade is traditionally made from olives, capers, anchovies and olive oil. The name comes from the Provençal word for capers, i.e. “tapenas”.
8 Pride __ : FLAG
The best-known rainbow flag is the one representing gay pride. Such usage of the rainbow flag was popularized in 1978 by artist Gilbert Baker. The varying colors of the flag represent the diversity of the gay community.
12 Chicago daily, familiarly : TRIB
“The Chicago Tribune” was first published in 1847. The most famous edition of “The Trib” was probably in 1948 when the headline was “DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN”, on the occasion of that year’s presidential election. When it turned out that Truman had actually won, the victor picked up the paper with the erroneous headline and posed for photographs with it … a famous, famous photo, that must have stuck in the craw of the editor at the time.
16 Forum robe : TOGA
In ancient Rome, the color of a man’s toga could indicate the wearer’s social status. For example, a plain white toga (known as a “toga candida”) was worn by candidates for political office, while a “toga praetexta” with a purple border was worn by magistrates and certain priests. A “toga picta”, which was decorated with elaborate embroidery and gold trim, was reserved for victorious generals and triumphal processions.
17 Bread with falafel : PITA
Falafel is a ball of ground chickpeas or fava beans that has been deep fried and served in pita bread. I love chickpeas, but falafel is often too dry for me …
18 Princess Tiana costume topper : TIARA
“The Princess and the Frog” is an animated feature released in 2009 by Walt Disney Studios. The film is set in New Orleans in the twenties. A waitress called Tiana kisses a prince who had been turned into a frog, and then she herself turns into a frog.
19 Taiga or tundra : BIOME
I tend to think of “biome” as another word for “ecosystem”.
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”.
Tundra is an ecosystem that is treeless, or very nearly so. There are three types of tundra. Arctic and Antarctic tundra can’t support the growth of trees as the ground is pretty much frozen. Alpine tundra cannot support tree-growth due to high altitude.
20 Collage of fabric swatches, paint chips, etc. : MOOD BOARD
A mood board is a collage of objects and images assembled on a surface for the purpose of inspiring perhaps a design or a goal.
22 Birch kin : ALDER
Alders are deciduous (i.e. not evergreen) trees with fruit called catkins. The tree carries both male and female catkins that look very similar to each other, but the male catkin is longer than the female. Alders are pollinated by wind usually, although bees can play a role.
24 Nearly fails Poseidon’s shop class? : BARELY MAKES A TRIDENT (put a “tri” into “barely makes a dent”)
The triceps brachii muscle is found at the back of the upper arm. The muscle’s name translates from Latin to “three-headed arm muscle”, fitting as it is actually made up of three bundles of muscles.
Poseidon was the god of the sea in Greek mythology as well as the Earthshaker, the god responsible for earthquakes.
28 Iowa State town : AMES
Iowa State University of Science and Technology (ISU) is located in Ames, Iowa. Among many other notable milestones, ISU created the country’s first school of veterinary medicine, in 1879. The sports teams of ISU are known as the Cyclones.
29 Activity in a humidified room : HOT YOGA
Hot yoga is performed under relatively hot and humid conditions. The actual temperature and humidity levels are often chosen to resemble those found in India, where yoga originated.
31 Monopoly pair : DICE
The numbers on dice are arranged so that the opposite faces add up to seven. Given this arrangement, the numbers 1, 2 and 3 all meet at a common vertex. There are two ways of arranging the 1, 2 and 3 around the common vertex, a so-called right-handed die (clockwise 1-2-3) or a left-handed die (counterclockwise 1-2-3). Traditionally, dice used in Western cultures are right-handed, whereas Chinese dice are left-handed. Quite interesting …
36 Karaoke outing that won’t allow Aretha’s classic song? : RESPECT-LESS NIGHT (put a “pec” into “restless night”)
“Respect” is a song by Otis Redding, and one that he recorded himself in 1965. It became a hit when Aretha Franklin made her famous cover version in 1967. The Redding and Franklin versions have different storylines though, and different musical “feels”.
“Pecs” is the familiar name for the chest muscle, which is more correctly known as the pectoralis major muscle. “Pectus” is the Latin word for “breast, chest”.
46 __ Eisley: spaceport in the “Star Wars” universe : MOS
In the original “Star Wars” movie (later called “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope”), Mos Eisley is an outpost and hangout of less than reputable traders. The main drinking hole in the outpost is Chalmun’s Spaceport Cantina. Han Solo and Luke Skywalker get attacked there by Sandtroopers, but make their escape.
48 __ Island : RHODE
Rhode Island is the smallest state in the union, and is the second-most densely populated. (after New Jersey). Rhode Island is known as the Ocean State (and more informally “Little Rhody”), largely because about 14% of the state’s area is made up of ocean bays and inlets. Exactly how Rhode Island got its name is a little unclear. What is known is that way back in 1524, long before the Pilgrims came to New England, the Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano likened an island in the area to the Island of Rhodes in the Mediterranean. There were subsequent references to “Rhode Island” in English publications, before the colonists arrived.
49 Harris, e.g., informally : VEEP
Kamala Harris was a US Senator for California starting in 2017, after serving for six years as the Attorney General of California. In early 2019, Harris announced her run for the Democratic nomination for US president in the 2020 election. Although she dropped out of the race, she was chosen by eventual nominee Joe Biden as his vice-presidential running mate. When the Biden-Harris ticket won the election, Harris became the first female US vice president, and the highest-ranking female politician in the history of the nation.
50 Shout at the slots : I WON!
Slot machines earned the nickname “one-armed bandits” simply because they had “one arm”, the handle pulled to operate the machine. Well, they also rob your money!
54 Gretzky, once : OILER
Wayne Gretzky is regarded by many as the greatest ever player of ice hockey, and indeed he has the nickname “The Great One”.
57 Time in the Peace Corps? : SERVICE ABROAD (put an “ab” into “service road”)
The Peace Corps is an organization of American volunteers that is run by the US government. The Peace Corps was established by President Kennedy in 1961, and has a three-part mission:
- Providing technical assistance
- Helping people outside the US to understand American culture
- Helping Americans to understand the culture of other countries
The abdominal muscles (abs) are more correctly referred to as the rectus abdominis muscles. They might be referred to as a “six-pack”, or even a “ten-pack”, in a person who has developed the muscles and who has low body fat. In my case, more like a keg …
63 The x- or y-axis, perhaps? : END OF QUADRANT (put a “quad” into “end of rant”)
The quadriceps femoris is the muscle group at the front of the thigh. It is the strongest muscle in the human body, and is also the leanest. The “quads” are actually a group of four muscles in the upper leg, hence the use of the prefix “quad-”.
69 Fizz liquor : GIN
By definition, a cocktail known as a “fizz” includes lemon or lime juice and carbonated water. The most popular of the genre is the gin fizz, made from 3 parts gin, 2 parts lemon juice, 1 part sugar syrup and 5 parts soda water. There is also a variant known as a sloe gin fizz.
73 Native New Zealander : MAORI
The Māori are the indigenous people of New Zealand. They are eastern Polynesian in origin and began arriving in New Zealand relatively recently, starting some time in the late 13th century. The word “māori” simply means “normal”, distinguishing mortal humans from spiritual entities. The Māori refer to New Zealand as “Aotearoa”.
77 “The Powerpuff Girls” voice actress Strong : TARA
Actress Tara Strong is perhaps best known for her voice work. The list of her voice roles includes Dil Pickles on the TV series “Rugrats”.
“The Powerpuff Girls” is a children’s animated television show that airs on the Cartoon Network.
78 With 79-Across, entry in the periodic table’s last column : INERT … 79 See 78-Across : … GAS
An inert gas can be different from a noble gas. Both are relatively non-reactive, but a noble gas is an element. An inert gas might be a compound, i.e. made up of more than one element.
83 Request to an ophthalmologist on a busy afternoon? : DILATE ANOTHER DAY (put a “lat” into “Die Another Day”)
Ophthalmology is that branch of medicine dealing with the physiology and health of the eye. “Ophthalmos” is the Greek word for “eye”.
The muscles known as the “lats” are the “latissimi dorsi”, and are the broadest muscles in the back. “Latissimus” is Latin for “broadest”, and “dorsum” is Latin for “back”.
“Die Another Day” is a 2002 James Bond movie with Pierce Brosnan starring and Halle Berry as the “Bond Girl”.
88 Curling surface : ICE
I think curling is such a cool game (pun!). It’s somewhat like bowls, but played on a sheet of ice. The sport was supposedly invented in medieval Scotland, and is called curling because of the action of the granite stone as it moves across the ice. A player can make the stone take a curved path (“curl”) by causing it to slowly rotate as it slides.
90 “I Will Wait” band Mumford & __ : SONS
Mumford & Sons is a British folk rock band formed in 2007. They got their name from the lead singer Marcus Mumford’s family name, even though none of the other band members are related to him. My guess is that the group’s most famous song is the excellent “I Will Wait”, written by Mumford and released in 2012.
91 Io or Europa, for Jupiter : MOON
So far, Jupiter is known to have 67 moons, more than any other planet in the Solar System. The four largest moons (Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto) were discovered by Galileo in 1610, making them the first objects found that did not orbit either the Earth or the Sun.
92 NCAA champion swimmer Thomas : LIA
Lia Thomas is a competitive swimmer who won the NCAA Division I 500-yard freestyle national championship in 2022, while she was a student at the University of Pennsylvania. In doing so, Thomas became the first openly transgender athlete to win any NCAA Division I championship.
99 Pot sticker kin : WONTON
A wonton is a dumpling used in Chinese cooking. Wontons are often boiled and served in a wonton soup.
“Pot sticker” is the literal translation of “jiaozi”, the name of a Chinese dumpling.
106 Insertion mark : CARET
The character known as a caret (^) was originally a proofreading mark, one used to indicate where a punctuation mark was to be inserted. “Caret” is Latin for “it lacks”.
107 Carrot, so to speak : INCENTIVE
There is some debate about the “carrot/stick” metaphor. Some say that a carrot represents an incentive and a stick represents a threat, with the idea being that an incentive is more effective than a threat. Another version of the metaphor is that the carrot is dangled on a stick before a donkey, incentivizing the animal to move forward. There’s no threat, just a reward that never gets any more attainable …
110 Penn pals? : IVIES
The University of Pennsylvania (also “Penn” and “UPenn”) was founded in 1740 by Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia. Penn was the first school in the country to offer both graduate and undergraduate courses. Penn’s sports teams are known as the Quakers, and sometimes the Red & Blue.
111 Locale for llamas : ANDES
The Andes range is the longest continuous chain of mountains in the world. It runs down the length of the west coast of South America for about 4,300 miles, from Venezuela in the north to Chile in the south. The highest peak in the Andes is Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina, at an elevation of 22,841 feet. Interestingly, the peak of Mt. Chimborazo in Ecuador is the furthest point on the Earth’s surface from the center of the planet. That’s because of the equatorial “bulge” around the Earth’s “waist”.
116 52-Across honoree for “Fight for You” : HER
[52A Best Original Song, e.g. : OSCAR]
“Fight for You” is a 2021 song co-written and recorded by R&B singer H.E.R. It was written for the biographical crime drama film “Judas and the Black Messiah”, and won that season’s Best Original Song Oscar.
117 Fangorn Forest beings : ENTS
Fangorn Forest is a location in the fictional world of Middle-earth created by J.R.R. Tolkien. Notably, it is the home of the Ents, a race of beings who closely resemble trees.
Down
4 Federer rival : NADAL
Rafael Nadal is considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time, and he has some superstitions that help him focus on winning. For example, he has a unique pre-match ritual in which he arranges his water bottles in a very specific way. He always places them in a straight line with the labels facing the court, and he adjusts them so that they are perfectly aligned.
7 Lakshmi who wrote the children’s book “Tomatoes for Neela” : PADMA
Padma Lakshmi is a model from India. She is very much into cooking and has published an award-winning cookbook. Lakshmi is now the host of the American TV show “Top Chef”.
11 Brooks of country music : GARTH
Country singer Garth Brooks retired from recording and performing in 2001. He came back out of retirement in 2009, signing a five-year concert deal with the Encore Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.
12 Colorful garment that might feature a peace sign : TIE DYE SHIRT
The peace symbol that we tend to use today was born in the 1950s. It was originally created as the logo for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), an organization based in the UK. The CND symbol was designed by artist Gerald Holtom for a 1958 protest march from Trafalgar Square in London to the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment at Aldermaston in Berkshire, England. The use of the symbol simply spread throughout the world and was used by other disarmament and antiwar activists.
13 Shakespeare character in the lyrics of Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” : ROMEO
“Love Story” is a 2008 song written and recorded by Taylor Swift. It was inspired by a boy whom she knew, but never dated. After introducing him to family and friends, all of those around her expressed a lot of dislike for him. To Swift, this felt a little like the premise of “Romeo and Juliet”, and so she referenced Shakespeare’s tragedy as she penned the lyrics of “Love Story”.
15 Bright aquarium fish : BETTA
The betta is a small freshwater fish. It is quite colorful, and so is a popular fish for an aquarium. Bettas are aggressive little creatures, and are commonly called Siamese fighting fish. Apparently, housing two males in a relatively small aquarium will result in the death of one.
17 Wax finish? : … POETIC
The verb “to wax”, in phrases like “wax lyrical” and “wax poetic”, means “to grow”. “To wax” is the opposite of “to wane”, which means “to decrease”. We are probably most familiar with the “waxing and waning” of the moon.
19 Brolly carriers : BRITS
Our term “umbrella” ultimately derives from the Latin “umbra” meaning “shade, shadow”. Famously, British folks are likely to refer to the device as a “brolly”, a term that is just a shortening of “umbrella”.
21 “Say Yes to the Dress” figures : BRIDES
“Say Yes to the Dress” is a reality show about shipping for the perfect wedding dress. Each episode focuses on the staff and customers of Kleinfeld Bridal, a store in Manhattan.
27 Mixology tool : PEELER
A mixologist is someone who is well versed in the mixing of cocktails, said he, reaching for the shaker …
32 Pal of Big Bird and Julia : ELMO
Jim Henson’s ensemble of puppets known as the Muppets made their debut on the TV show “Sam and Friends” in the 1950s. Some Muppets started appearing in 1969 on “Sesame Street”, and then the troupe were given “The Muppet Show” in 1976. And today, there’s no sign of their popularity waning.
34 Decathlon equipment : DISCI
The decathlon event is a track and field competition, with the name “decathlon” coming from the Greek “deka” (ten) and “athlos” (contest). The ten events in the men’s decathlon are:
- 100 meters
- Long jump
- Shot put
- High jump
- 400 meters
- 110 meters hurdles
- Discus throw
- Pole vault
- Javelin throw
- 1500 meters
39 Avocado dish, for short : GUAC
Guacamole is one of my favorite dishes. It is prepared by mashing avocados and perhaps adding the likes of tomato, onion and lime juice. The guacamole recipe dates back as early as the 16th century, to the time of the Aztecs. “Guacamole” translates as “avocado sauce”.
42 Casual top : POLO
René Lacoste was a French tennis player who went into the clothing business, and came up with a more comfortable shirt that players could use. This became known as a “tennis shirt”. When it was adopted for use in the sport of polo, the shirts also became known as “polo shirts”. The “golf shirt” is basically the same thing. The Lacoste line of clothing features a crocodile logo, because René was nicknamed “The Crocodile”.
48 Batman’s boy friend : ROBIN
Batman and Robin are somewhat unique among their superhero compatriots in that they have no special powers, just a whole load of cool gadgets. Batman is sometimes referred to as the Caped Crusader, Robin as the Boy Wonder, and the pair as the Dynamic Duo.
50 Modern location of Nineveh : IRAQ
Nineveh was an ancient Assyrian city on the eastern bank of the Tigris River in modern-day Iraq. The ruins of the city are located just on the other side of the river from the Iraqi city of Mosul. At one time, Nineveh was the largest city in the world.
51 Evil doppelgänger in the Mario games : WALUIGI
In the “Mario” franchise of video games, Wario is the archrival to Mario, and Waluigi is Luigi’s archrival. Makes sense …
52 Some apex predators : ORCAS
An apex predator is at the top of a food chain, and has no other natural predators. Examples are the orca (“killer whale”) in the oceans, the lion in Africa, and the Tyrannosaurus in the days of the dinosaurs.
53 Reindeer pal of Olaf the snowman : SVEN
In the 2013 animated film “Frozen”, Olaf is a happy-go-lucky snowman who provides a lot of comic relief in the movie. He is voiced by actor and comedian Josh Gad.
66 __ Sea: former endorheic lake : ARAL
A drainage basin that retains water, allowing no outflow to other bodies of water, is known as a closed lake or endorheic basin. An exorheic basin, or open lake, drains into another body of water (usually a river) and ultimately into the ocean.
67 Rice pancakes served with sambar and chutney : DOSAS
A dosa is a thin, savory pancake from South Indian cuisine. Dosas are made using a fermented batter consisting of ground black lentils and rice. They are usually served hot, and often with chutney and sambar, a lentil-based vegetable stew.
70 L’Occitane product : HAND LOTION
L’Occitane en Provence is a French supplier of personal care products that was founded in 1976. The company name translates as “The Woman from Occitania in Provence”. Occitania is a historical region in Europe that covers much of the southern part of France, Monaco, and a small part of Spain and northern Italy.
76 Leslie __ Jr. of “Glass Onion” : ODOM
Leslie Odom Jr. is the actor and singer who originated the role of Aaron Burr in “Hamilton” on Broadway. More recently, he played Dr. Arbuthnot in the 2017 movie adaptation of Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express”.
“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” is a 2022 sequel to “Knives Out”, with both films written and directed by Rian Johnson and starring Daniel Craig as private investigator Benoit Blanc. Johnson wrote “Glass Onion” during the COVID-19 lockdown, and set the film against the backdrop of the pandemic. The score for both films was written by Nathan Johnson, Rian’s cousin.
80 Pho garnish : BASIL
Pho (pronounced “fuh”) is a noodle soup from Vietnam that is a popular street food. It is often ordered with a side of hanh dam, pickled white onions.
81 “Imagine” singer : LENNON
John Lennon’s magnus opus is his song “Imagine”, released in 1971. “Imagine” was quite successful at the time of its release, but sadly, it only became a number one hit after Lennon was murdered in 1980. According to Lennon, the message behind the song is very simple: a world without countries or religion would be a peaceful place. Love that song …
86 Longtime luxury sedan : TOWN CAR
The Lincoln brand “Town Car” is simply a translation of the French term that was already in use by Cadillac, namely “Sedan de Ville”.
94 Parte de un platillo “ranchero” : HUEVO
The popular breakfast dish huevos rancheros consists mainly of fried eggs served on tortillas and topped with salsa. The dish’s name translates as “eggs ranch-style”.
96 Coffee choice : DECAF
The first successful process for removing caffeine from coffee involved steaming the beans in salt water, and then extracting the caffeine using benzene (a potent carcinogen) as a solvent. Coffee processed this way was sold as Sanka here in the US. There are other processes used these days, and let’s hope they are safer …
103 Lahore language : URDU
Urdu is one of the two official languages of Pakistan (the other being English), and is one of the 22 scheduled languages in India. Urdu partly developed from Persian and is written from right to left.
Lahore is a large city in Pakistan that is second in size only to Karachi. It is known as the Garden of the Mughals (or in English, Moguls) because of its association with the Mughal Empire. The Mughals ruled much of India from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries.
109 Nine Inch Nails quartet? : ENS
There is a quartet of letters N (ens) in the band name “Nine Inch Nails”.
Nine Inch Nails is the name of a rock band that was founded in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988 by singer-songwriter Trent Reznor. Reznor chose the name “Nine Inch Nails” mainly because it abbreviated easily and succinctly, to “NIN”.
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 “Couldn’t agree more!” : AMEN!
5 Tapenade, e.g. : DIP
8 Pride __ : FLAG
12 Chicago daily, familiarly : TRIB
16 Forum robe : TOGA
17 Bread with falafel : PITA
18 Princess Tiana costume topper : TIARA
19 Taiga or tundra : BIOME
20 Collage of fabric swatches, paint chips, etc. : MOOD BOARD
22 Birch kin : ALDER
23 Send payment : REMIT
24 Nearly fails Poseidon’s shop class? : BARELY MAKES A TRIDENT (put a “tri” into “barely makes a dent”)
27 Considerate of others : POLITE
28 Iowa State town : AMES
29 Activity in a humidified room : HOT YOGA
30 Corp. leader : CEO
31 Monopoly pair : DICE
33 Desertlike : ARID
35 “What’s the __?” : USE
36 Karaoke outing that won’t allow Aretha’s classic song? : RESPECT-LESS NIGHT (put a “pec” into “restless night”)
41 Twirl : SPIN
45 Some saxes : ALTOS
46 __ Eisley: spaceport in the “Star Wars” universe : MOS
47 Take to court : SUE
48 __ Island : RHODE
49 Harris, e.g., informally : VEEP
50 Shout at the slots : I WON!
52 Best Original Song, e.g. : OSCAR
54 Gretzky, once : OILER
55 Blunder : ERR
56 Nursing __ : BRA
57 Time in the Peace Corps? : SERVICE ABROAD (put an “ab” into “service road”)
60 Close securely : SEAL
61 High card, often : ACE
62 Skeptical expression : IS IT?
63 The x- or y-axis, perhaps? : END OF QUADRANT (put a “quad” into “end of rant”)
69 Fizz liquor : GIN
70 Weeding tool : HOE
73 Native New Zealander : MAORI
74 Numbered clubs : IRONS
75 Pound sound : WOOF!
77 “The Powerpuff Girls” voice actress Strong : TARA
78 With 79-Across, entry in the periodic table’s last column : INERT …
79 See 78-Across : … GAS
80 Auction action : BID
81 Gets, as a job : LANDS
82 Flushed : ROSY
83 Request to an ophthalmologist on a busy afternoon? : DILATE ANOTHER DAY (put a “lat” into “Die Another Day”)
88 Curling surface : ICE
90 “I Will Wait” band Mumford & __ : SONS
91 Io or Europa, for Jupiter : MOON
92 NCAA champion swimmer Thomas : LIA
93 Clipped : SHEARED
97 Hurt feelings? : PAIN
99 Pot sticker kin : WONTON
101 “Use all your strength!,” or an alternate title for this puzzle? : PUT SOME MUSCLE INTO IT
105 Problems for pipes or PR firms : LEAKS
106 Insertion mark : CARET
107 Carrot, so to speak : INCENTIVE
110 Penn pals? : IVIES
111 Locale for llamas : ANDES
112 Alum : GRAD
113 Library offering : LOAN
114 Relayed : TOLD
115 Long-standing rivalry : FEUD
116 52-Across honoree for “Fight for You” : HER
117 Fangorn Forest beings : ENTS
Down
1 Note dispenser : ATM
2 Low in the field : MOO
3 Bit of self-promotion? : EGO BOOSTER
4 Federer rival : NADAL
5 Talk of the town? : DIALECT
6 “Nice job!” reply : I TRY!
7 Lakshmi who wrote the children’s book “Tomatoes for Neela” : PADMA
8 Enters one by one : FILES IN
9 Chaps : LADS
10 Zone : AREA
11 Brooks of country music : GARTH
12 Colorful garment that might feature a peace sign : TIE DYE SHIRT
13 Shakespeare character in the lyrics of Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” : ROMEO
14 Chatting online, for short : IM’ING
15 Bright aquarium fish : BETTA
17 Wax finish? : … POETIC
18 “Any __?”: “Who’s in?” : TAKERS
19 Brolly carriers : BRITS
21 “Say Yes to the Dress” figures : BRIDES
25 Stockpile : AMASS
26 Sound defeat : ROUT
27 Mixology tool : PEELER
30 Desire : CRAVE
32 Pal of Big Bird and Julia : ELMO
34 Decathlon equipment : DISCI
37 Fizzy drink : POP
38 Ages and ages : EONS
39 Avocado dish, for short : GUAC
40 “Wish me luck!” : HERE I GO!
42 Casual top : POLO
43 Brainchild : IDEA
44 Geeky type : NERD
48 Batman’s boy friend : ROBIN
50 Modern location of Nineveh : IRAQ
51 Evil doppelgänger in the Mario games : WALUIGI
52 Some apex predators : ORCAS
53 Reindeer pal of Olaf the snowman : SVEN
56 Suit well : BEFIT
58 Pocket : EARN
59 Skeptical expression : AS IF
60 “Didn’t mean to open that can of worms” : SORRY I ASKED
63 Mideast title : EMIR
64 Prefix between micro and pico : NANO
65 “Easy __ it” : DOES
66 __ Sea: former endorheic lake : ARAL
67 Rice pancakes served with sambar and chutney : DOSAS
68 Bed size : TWIN
70 L’Occitane product : HAND LOTION
71 Appoint, as a rabbi : ORDAIN
72 Undemanding class : EASY A
76 Leslie __ Jr. of “Glass Onion” : ODOM
77 Roof goo : TAR
80 Pho garnish : BASIL
81 “Imagine” singer : LENNON
83 View as : DEEM
84 Heavy favorite : TOP SEED
85 Passes, as legislation : ENACTS
86 Longtime luxury sedan : TOWN CAR
87 Partner of hollered : HOOTED
89 Irritable : CROSS
93 Share, as an appetizer : SPLIT
94 Parte de un platillo “ranchero” : HUEVO
95 Online business : E-TAIL
96 Coffee choice : DECAF
98 Whinny : NEIGH
100 Proof of ownership : TITLE
102 Thick tresses : MANE
103 Lahore language : URDU
104 Memo opener : IN RE …
108 Chocolate factory tub : VAT
109 Nine Inch Nails quartet? : ENS
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15 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword 10 Dec 23, Sunday”
Comments are closed.
No errors.! What a treat.
DISCI? Really? C’mon man…
For 57A , another possible outcome is SERVE ABROAD with IC being the muscle? Turns out IC is INTERSTITIAL CYSTITIS, a disorder in which the bladder is overly sensitive…. causing urination urgency. BOOM! (drop mic).
Ok, it’s a stretch but it was fun looking it up…
63A’s clue refers to the 4 quadrants formed by the x and y axes of a coordinate system (i.e.; a graph), not the quad muscles.
Thank You Mr. Bill Butler for the detailed explanations of most of the complex entries and clues and answers. That is soo enlightening !!!
I originally came here to find out the ( reason for … ) the answer of HER for 116 Acr. – Honoree for ‘Fight for you’. I was wondering if the honoree was actually for a ‘Her’ … meaning all womenkind.
Glad to know that H.E.R. is actually a female and (per Wiki ) her intention of her naming her music as … H.E.R. … was Having Everything Revealed… (?)
Despite all this, she is rather private about her personal life.
I also wanted to know why the answer to the 34 Down, …Decathalon Equipment is DISCI … why the extra I at the end ? Although you explained the Decathalon rules very clearly, the I in DISCI was not answered. 😉
Is that a ‘discus’ in Latin ?
Padma Lakshmi ( Padma meaning ‘Lotus’, Lakshmi – the Goddess of Wealth. ) was also once married to Salman Rushdie (from 2004 to 2007).
BTW, Mr. Rushdie who was attacked last year, in Chatauqua NY, did survive the assasination attempt , thank God, but lost an eye and the strength of one hand.
BTW, Sindhi is another one of India’s 22 ‘scheduled’ languages, which uses the Nastaliq (sp.?) script, an Arabic script, and is written from right to left … like Urdu. ** Note: Sindhis in Pakistan, who are mostly muslims, use the Persio-Arabic script …
…. but the Sindhi (mostly Hindu -) refugee population, in India use the common Devanagari script .. which is also used for Hindi.
However, the Sindhi language and grammer is based on the roots of Sanskrit ( and earlier Prakrit ) … whereas the Urdu language is based on the semitic Arabic. Sindh is still one of the ( five – ) major provinces (states ) of Pakistan, and Karachi is its capital.
Mr. Butler, thank you for your yeoman service in providing this wonderful blog and all the detailed information you provide us all !!!! … God Bless.
DISCI is a plural of DISCUS.
The DISCUS throw is a track and field event in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a DISCUS—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than their competitors.
About 30 minutes, no errors
Re 39D: Cuban-style guacamole contains mayo, too.
Approx. 1 hr. No errors.
18 mins, 21 sec, and 4 errors: I thought the pun on 36A was “RESEPECTDISSNIGHT”. That’s what happens with these dumb pun fills; it could be *anything*. That said, most of the grid was enjoyable and fun.
Hi Allen. While your observation could be correct in a stand alone clue the down answers bring clarity to the issue.
But “RESTDISS NIGHT” makes no sense, whereas “RESTLESS NIGHT” does. One needs to put some thought into how a gimmick works.
My home-delivered newspaper [a publication of the USA Today] had the following text for the clue for Down-51:
Evil doppelgŠnger in the Mario games
(doppelgŠnger s/b doppelgänger)
Did anyone ELSE experience this?
Same
Finished but didn’t bother to figure out the the theme, thanks Bill.
23:45 – no errors or lookups. False starts: ELDER>ALDER, BETAS>BETTA, DISCS>DISCI (really?), SEEM>DEEM, IAN>LIA (IAN was just a guess), COEDS>IVIES.
A few new items, but nothing terribly difficult, with their intersections.
Found all the muscle names, but the Gains title tie-in seems weak.
Duplicate cluing with “skeptical expression.”
Thank you again Bill!
And feel bad for me fellow puzzlers, who quickly filed in IRAN for 50 Down (location of Nineveh) and so could NOT fill in 63 across. (End of quadrant). I could not think of any muscles that started with N…
I dislike using the internet to help on the puzzle, but I finally looked up “is NUAD a muscle?” and saw quad…..
Haha so this is my end of rant.
Never got the theme. Glad I had Bill to explain it to me! Several tough clues, including Nine Inch Nails quartet.