google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner

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Sep 14, 2014

Sunday September 14, 2014 Matt Skoczen

 Theme:  "You Oughta Be in Pictures" - U is added to each movie.

 23A. Heroic medal whose recipient didn't feel worthy of it? : THE RUED BADGE OF COURAGE. The Red Badge of Courage. 

37A. Formal acknowledgment of the end of the calla season? : A FAREWELL TO ARUMS. A Farewell to Arms.
 
50A. Warnings for Rio sailors? : BUOYS FROM BRAZIL. Boys from Brazil. Unfamiliar to me. Google shows this entry misses "The".

71A. Not a colorful restaurant list? : MENU IN BLACK. Men in Black.

94A. Midnight distress call? : A SHOUT IN THE DARK. A Shot in the Dark.

104A. Clever maneuver by a grade school class? : KINDERGARTEN COUP. Kindergarten Cop.
  
127A. Classy vehicle for actor Elliott? : THE SOLID GOULD CADILLAC. The Solid Gold Cadillac. Elliott Gould.

Very tight and focused theme set, all movies.

Construction-wise, this grid is very demanding, with 115 theme squares (I can handle up to 100). And 6 of the 7 theme entries are pretty long. Often grid-spanning 15's make things easier on a weekday grid, but grid-spanning 21's are nightmares.
    
Across:    

1. Impedes : RETARDS.  Put in ?E???DS, then moved on.

8. Trendy : A LA MODE

15. Break the law, in a way : SPEED. Nice clue.

20. Like some reasoning : A PRIORI. I like everything in the NW corner, except LOTTED (30A. Divided into groups for auction). Not a word I use.

21. In vino __ : VERITAS. In wine, there's truth. Similar to a Chinese saying "Drink in, truth out".

22. Threshold : VERGE

26. Distinguishing quality : TRAIT

27. "Mangia!" : EAT

28. Heavy weight : ONE TON. ONE Dupe with 107D. A hundred bucks : ONE C.

29. Cognac bottle letters : VSOP. Very Special Old Pale or Very Superior Old Pale.

32. Argue : JAW 

34. Rampant : RIFE

36. "And Winter Came..." album maker : ENYA. Guessed.

46. Game with marriage and kids : LIFE. Never played it.

48. Count in music : BASIE. Count Basie.

49. River rat : NUTRIA. This guy probably knows D-Otto's various cats. How many are in your care now, Tom?



56. Hurdles for future attys. : LSATS

57. Justice Dept. arm : ATF

58. Wonder Woman portrayer Carter : LYNDA

59. __ historique: opera genre : FAIT.  Complete stranger.

61. USN officers : LTS. Lieutenants.

62. Jackie's predecessor : MAMIE

64. Bay, say : INLET
 
68. Role for Ingrid : ILSA. "Casablanca".

70. Throat-clearing sound : AHEM

75. Stat for getting people home : RBIs.  Where were you thinking?
 
79. Like D's, gradewise : POOR

81. __ buddy : BOSOM

82. Body __ : IMAGE

83. Shade of blue : SKY
 
86. Capital overlooking the Pacific : LIMA

88. Breeze (through) : COAST

91. Garden tool : HOE

92. Save like mad : HOARD. I don't waste stuff, but I don't hoard either.

100. Many a ski house : A-FRAME

102. Tasteless : TACKY

103. Weary : TIRE

108. Cat in a casa : GATO

112. About, legally : IN RE. I used to be stumped by INRI all the time.

113. South end? : ERN. Southern.

114. Pitcher known as "Tom Terrific" : SEAVER. The only Hall of Famer wearing a Mets cap.

116. Doesn't seed, perhaps : SODS

119. 1998 Masters champion : O'MEARA (Mark). Tiger's old buddy. Good old times. Been to the Masters, Husker Gary/Big Easy/Chairman Moe?


124. NRC forerunner : AEC. Atomic Energy Commission. NRC is Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

126. One of the Allmans : DUANE. Same letter count as GREGG, ex of Cher.

131. Cravat cousin : ASCOT

132. Not on any side : NEUTRAL

133. Folksy TV attorney : MATLOCK. Played by Andy Griffith. I drew a blank.

134. Benefits : BOONS

135. Where some ticket selling is done : IN A CAGE. Oh, this is like how they sell tickets at our state fair.

136. Ancient ascetics : ESSENES. Learned from doing crosswords.
 
Down:

1. Jar : RATTLE

2. Either "You've Got Mail" co-screenwriter : EPHRON. Nora and Delia.

3. Accord : TREATY

4. Carrier that merged with Meridiana in 2013 : AIR ITALY. Got via crosses.

5. Itinerary component : ROUTE

6. Rap Dr. : DRE

7. Team : SIDE

8. Online self-image : AVATAR.  Hi there "Stud Chicken"!

9. Conducted : LED

10. Vessel for Jason : ARGO. Hi there, Charlotte's grandpa! Lucky you, Thai chef girlfriend!

11. Countenance : MIEN. This looks like it should be French for "mine", doesn't it?

12. Native Nebraskan : OTOE

13. Foolish : DAFT

14. Usher : ESCORT

15. "Law & Order: __" : SVU

16. Deliberately misconstrues : PERVERTS. Always use this word as a noun.

17. Big times : ERAS

18. "WARMING! Keep within reach of children" brand : EGGO. Never had Eggo. Jayce, I  saw a box of eggless mooncakes in our Asian store two weeks ago. It's like having salsa without tomatoes.



19. __ South : DEEP

24. Cabo's peninsula : BAJA

25. Cause of kitchen tears : ONION. So, what's your signature dish, Anon-T? You sound like a great cook.

31. 77-year-old duck : DAFFY. He was born in 1937 then.

33. Friday player : WEBB (Jack)

35. Groundbreaking discoveries? : FAULTS. Great clue.

38. Fronded plant : FERN

39. Major conflict : WAR

40. That, in Taxco : ESA

41. Tina's "30 Rock" role : LIZ

42. First name in exploring : LEIF. Son of Eric the Red.

43. Kazakhstan river : URAL

44. Diamond tool : MITT. Baseball diamond.

45. Get wise with : SASS

47. Vacation site : ISLE

50. Ole Miss rival : BAMA

51. Where I-15 and I-80 intersect : UTAH

52. "For the life __ ..." : OF ME

53. Asgard head : ODIN

54. Premier League soccer team, briefly : MANU. Short for Manchester United?

55. Nonclerical : LAIC

60. Sort : ILK

63. Devil : IMP

65. Lending inst. : LIB

66. Bowie's "Berlin Trilogy" collaborator : ENO (Brian). I was unaware of this trivia.

67. "Very funny" TV station : TBS

69. Slot machine's one : ARM

71. Word spoken in mock indignation : MOI

72. Funny Bombeck : ERMA

73. Places : LOCI

74. Main Theban deity : AMON. Quite a few 4-letter Egyptian deities.

76. Island band The __ Men : BAHA. Famous for their "Who Let the Dogs Out?".

77. Composer Stravinsky : IGOR

78. Go for : SEEK

80. "Grumpy" film title characters : OLD MEN

82. Old Roman road : ITER. Nailed it!

83. Often-seen abbr. in English drama : SHAK. I sure need a "Bard" hint.

84. Ex-UN chief Annan : KOFI

85. Tale : YARN

87. Film dog : ASTA

89. Alaskan site of the only WWII battle on U.S. soil : ATTU. No idea. See here. 

90. Sends, in a way : SHIPS

93. Minnesota-based hotel chain : RADISSON. Yay! For me.

95. Laughing sound : HAR

96. Birth mo. for some Scorpios : OCT

97. Island strings : UKE

98. Actress Daly : TYNE

99. President with an airport named for him : DE GAULLE. Did not expect a French president.

101. Flynn of film : ERROL

105. Sign of spring : GEMINI

106. Rocking place : CRADLE

109. Toyota model : AVALON

110. Bridge holding : TENACE. I can never remember this word, Spitzboov!

111. Hoover rivals : ORECKS 

115. Fixes a column, say : EDITS

116. Try : STAB

117. Very : OH SO

118. Like San Francisco's Coit Tower : DECO. Pretty in the evening.


120. Paradise : EDEN

121. South-of-the-border water : AGUA

122. Univ. military program : ROTC

123. Ghostly glow : AURA

125. Occurred : CAME

128. 5-min. NHL periods : OTs

129. Fall behind : LAG

130. "Law & Order" figs. : DAs
 
C.C.