Joseph Knecht

  Watch Your Step   Our constructor today is Dr. Matthew Luter, an Upper School English teacher at the St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Jackson, Mississippi .  While he is new to the Corner, he is definitely not new to crosswords, both as a solver and a constructor .  His latter efforts as an indie constructor are posted on his website , along with others by constructors whom I'm sure you'll recognize. Today he invites us to to navigate these 4 themers without the aid of asterisks, circles, or a reveal.  All you have to do is WATCH YOUR STEPS ... 20A. Device with steps: FITNESS TRACKER .  Here's a guide to selecting a fitness tracker . Some leading fitness trackers 24A. Activity with steps: BALLROOM DANCING .   From the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing , 2020, and a CSO to YellowRocks ... 46A. Structure with steps: SPIRAL STAIRCASE .  One of the most famous (and mysterious ) SPIRAL STAIRCASES is the one in the Loretto Chapel...

Youth and Love Ralph Vaughan Williams From Songs of Travel Lyrics by Robert Louis Stevenson John Shirley-Quirk, CBE , baritone In what are obviously dark times, our constructors Emily Biegas and Sala Wanetick and our editor Patti Varol offer us some rays of hope in the form of a puzzle theme about the hope of youth and love . It is fitting that both Emily and Sala are making their first appearance in the LA Times .  Here are both of their bios (along with some bonus puzzles), and here are the theme clues ... 17. *Posh quintet?: SPICE GIRLS .  Here's their 2 Become 1 from their debut album Spice ... 29. *"Robbers & Cowards" indie rock band: COLD WAR KIDS .  COLD WAR KIDS 2006 album Robbers & Cowards was their debut album.  Here's their Love is Mystical from their 2017 album  L.A. Divine ... 48. *Musical duo of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe: PET SHOP BOY...

  Working Title Today's constructors are David Distenfeld and Seth Weitberg .  David's December 10, 2020 puzzle is the first one I ever reviewed for C.C. See if you Dr. Who fans can spot the mistake I made on the very first page.  And here's a capsule bio from Husker's review of David's first LAT themeless .  And today Seth Weitberg is making his LAT debut.  Today David and Seth give us 4 theme clues about the different kinds of WORK that aspiring sports pros have to take on to support themselves while they're waiting for their big break, while still aggressively staying at the top of their game. Sometimes in order to make it they have to team up with a buddy, and sometimes, as we see in this Siskel and Ebert review of a film about a basketball star who partners with a martial arts expert things don't WORK out too well ( Tomato Meter 11% ) ... Here Roger's review in writing.  Not to keep you in suspe...