It’s great to be back in the LA Times, and I’m excited to share my take on one of the most iconic themeless patterns of recent memory with you this weekend.
I started with a NE crossing of PR BLITZ & ZEDONKS, which I thought was a fun, lively and scrabbly launching point for my creative thinking (though it didn’t survive my final edits). When I moved south and got JALISCO/JUKEBOX/XY PLANE to work in the SE, I knew I was onto something. My favorite clues that survived edits are 18A (which I owe to Brad Wilber), 41A and 41D, while my favorite entries are 15A, 1D and 8D.
Ultimately, I’m delighted by the end product, a feeling not based on how I might judge a “fun” or “lively” crossword, but instead rooted in the variety of words and phrases I was able to fit into the puzzle. The grid’s 36 7-letter entries give ample opportunity for a constructor to push themselves to develop an engaging picture of our world using many parts of life and culture, forcing solvers to stretch their brain and use all their knowledge to get to a victorious finish. In just one corner of this grid you get Mexican geography, French language, English playwriting, two musical entries that couldn’t be more different, some math, a cleaning agent and a tedious synonym. That kind of diversity is what makes me the happiest when reminiscing on this year-old crossword.
Thank you for taking a crossword journey with me on this fine Saturday, and I hope you enjoyed the puzzle!
My email adrian johnson 435 at gmail.com is open to anyone wanting to chat about crossword stuff, or life in general. I’d love to hear from you!
-AJ
8. Dumpling cooker, perhaps: STEAMER - I wrote to C.C. and told her I'd bet a lot of money that she has a bamboo STEAMER. Her reply: "You lose! We have a small kitchen. These steamers are so bulky. In China, all families have steamers. Chinese don't bake bread. We steam mantou (Chinese bread)."
15. So cool it hurts: UBER HIP.
16. Cost of winging it?: AIRFARE - A fun Adrian clue.
17. Court figures: LAWYERS - William Jennings Bryan v. Clarence Darrow is a very famous pairing
18. Bistro cheese?: MAITRED - A MAÎTRE D is a "big cheese" in a restaurant. I struggled for the name of a cheese and then for recognizing the French word i generated but got 'er done.
19. "90 Day Fiancé" airer: TLC - Google if you must
20. Fireballs, e.g.: METEORS - Pieces of space rock that usually just burn up in the Earth's atmosphere can be streaking across the sky in this long exposure picture
22. Kings, on NBA scoreboards: SAC - Even Omaha was a part of this family tree from 1973 - 1975
25. Music with conga drums: SALSA - Desi Arnaz's/Ricky Ricardo's instrument of choice
26. Nigerian pop star: SADE - Let's take a nice, smooth jazz break
27. Get a tat: INK UP.
29. Connection: TIE.
30. ESPN analyst Rose: JALEN and 47. Net support: RIM - Those RIMS are now spring loaded so they don't break off when guys like JALEN Rose used to dunk on them
31. Adolescents: TEENERS - Okay, if Merriman Webster says so...
33. Samovar transport: TEA CART.
35. Bit of hope: RAY.
36. German gripe: ACH.
37. Offered as proof: ADDUCED.
45. Director Sergio: LEONE.
48. Emotionless: STONY.
49. Streaming concerns: LAGS - A new ISP is coming to our town and promises much faster downloads
50. Skate park features: RAILS - What could possibly go wrong?
52. Leader of a popular breakfast trio: SNAP, Crackle and Pop. A great item in your Keto diet.
53. ER personnel: MDS.
54. "Heather Has Two __": 1989 children's book: MOMMIES - My neighbor's grandson has two MOMMIES and they are both lovely women.
56. Buck Henry was the first to host it five times, briefly: SNL - Who knew it would be a big hit in TV and crosswords?
57. "Do we have the ok?": IS IT A GO - Our constructors' conversations with Rich. Rich's reply, "Yeah, were' going to give it a 4. Shot: TRY."
59. Common cleanser: SAL SODA - It's been around for decades
61. Habitual surfer: NETIZEN.
62. Medieval trumpet: CLARION.
63. London area: EASTEND.
3. Unsuccessful rollout that tried to imitate Pepsi: NEW COKE - The Edsel of soft drinks
5. "I'm talking now": AHEM.
6. Rotation targets: TIRES - Most say you should rotate your tires every 7,500 miles
7. High-level H.S. math course: AP STATS.
8. Abenaki leader who first contacted Plymouth settlers: SAMOSET - He is said to have wandered into the Plymouth camp and asked for some beer in English which he learned from British sailors with whom he had had contact on the coast
9. Crown: TIARA.
10. Goddess of discord: ERIS - Here ya go
11. Sailor's direction: AFT.
12. Wine used to flavor zabaglione: MARSALA.
14. Trifling sum: RED CENT - Derivation
21. Certain Ivy Leaguer: ELI.
24. Community-building races: FUN RUNS - FUN and RUN in the same sentence?
26. Potpourri packets: SACHETS.
28. Parting word: PEACE - The one-word sign off word for the host of the original Today Show, Dave Garroway
30. Pickup game: JACKS - The set I had
32. Manhattan liquor: RYE - 2 oz RYE or Canadian whisky, 3/4 oz Sweet red vermouth, Dash Angostura bitters, Maraschino cherry (Garnish)
34. Café freebie: EAU
37. Hardly sharing words: ALL MINE.
38. Jordan River outlet: DEAD SEA.
39. Monitors a Lab, say: DOG SITS - Uh, that lab is a canine, not a scientific area
40. Place to play ball: DIAMOND.
41. State known for its tequila: JALISCO - Blue Agave plants used to make tequila in a field near Tequila, Mexico in the state of Jalisco
42. Lyon greeting: BON SOIR - Good Evening in Lyon and the rest of France
43. Without respite: ON AND ON.
44. Where many plots are made: XY PLANE - Plot these points in an XY PLANE (Cartesian Plane), join the points and you got yourself a triangle
50. Seth who played Wozniak in "Steve Jobs": ROGEN - ROGEN and Woz below
51. Makes watertight: SEALS.
54. Place to use an exit strategy: MAZE.
55. Rock quarry unit: SLAB - This quarry in Carrara, Italy produced the SLAB that Michelangelo used for the David
58. Start of a fair exchange: TIT - TIT for tat
60. Sign of success: SRO - Husker VB has a streak of 270 consecutive sellouts and so Standing Room Only tickets are all that are available for games
