Sunday March 13, 2022 Mark McClain

Theme:  "Hi, C!" - SH is changed into SC in each phrase.

22. Disturbance on the cruise ship pool deck?: LIDO SCUFFLE. Lido Shuffle. 1977 Boz Scaggs song. New to me.

32. Youth organization skills contest?: SCOUTING MATCH. Shouting match.

51. Fraud involving bedding?: PILLOW SCAM. Pillow sham.

70. Prison guard's subjugation, slangily?: THE TAMING OF THE SCREW. "The Taming of the Shrew".

93. Hardly a bountiful burg?: SCANTY TOWN. Shanty town.

110. Transport for old-fashioned folks?: SQUARE SCOOTER. Square shooter.

126. Passenger leaving Edinburgh Airport?: PARTING SCOT. Parting shot.

Can you explain the title to me? To me, H is C here, not HI.

Always to see Mark's byline. He's a mentor and friend to many constructors. Super tight theme, some would have just gone with H to C change, but Mark added the extra S layer.

Across:

1. Wood that means "raft" in Spanish: BALSA. Good to know.

6. Small openings: PORES.

11. B-boy connector: AS IN.

15. TV father of Rod and Todd Flanders: NED. From "The Simpsons".

18. Japanese brew: ASAHI. 朝日. Meaning "morning sun".

19. Virtuous sort: SAINT.

20. Words said with a finger wag: NO NO.

21. Vatican figure: POPE.

24. Bet using inside info: ACT ON A TIP. Fantastic fill.

26. Chicken tikka __: curry dish: MASALA.

27. Fixed look: STARE.

29. Pleasure seeker: HEDONIST. Where's Tinbeni?

30. Not as much: LESS.

34. 5 mL, in recipes: TSP.

37. Avoid: SHUN.

39. Cork coin word: EIRE. Cork, Island.  Here's an Irish euro coin.

40. Cowboys or Broncos: TEAM.

41. Lotion additive: ALOE.

43. Prep for publication: EDIT.

45. Oxford notables: DONS. My favorite Don. My mentor.

47. Valleys: DALES.

54. Rigs on the road: SEMIS.

57. Put in the mail: SENT.

58. Surrey racecourse town: EPSOM.

59. Massive: EPIC.

61. Pack (down): TAMP.

62. Poetic tribute: ODE.

63. The Arno runs through it: PISA. Oh, our other Pisa guy. Sorry for the loss of your father-in-law, Picard!

Picard, Eiffel Tower 2015

66. Overnight spot: INN.

67. Resorts with springs: SPAS.

69. "Stat!": NOW.

76. Run out of juice: DIE.

77. Bro and sis: SIBS.

78. Shoe part: TOE. I bought these ice cleats from Amazon earlier this year. I feel safer going to our mail box or take out the garbage over the icy roads.

79. Texter's "Too funny!": LMAO.

80. "Do __ solid": ME A.

81. Bouncy tune: LILT.

83. Quaint oath: EGAD.

85. Montague teen: ROMEO.

89. Island that's the westernmost point of Alaska: ATTU.

91. More than one would hope to pay: STEEP. Price.

96. Seventh-century pope: JOHN V.

98. Arduous journey: SLOG.

100. Red-wearing duck triplet: HUEY.

 101. Minor quarrel: SPAT.

102. __ High Stadium: MILE. Demolished in 2002.

105. Blockhead: CLOD.

107. Strong lager: BOCK.

109. __-Caps: SNO.

115. Puckery: SOUR. Have any of you tried Trader Joe's Golden Berries? They're a bit tangy. Taste like the baby of a pineapple and a tomato.

117. Audio tape making a comeback: CASSETTE.

118. Living room staples: SOFAS.

120. Low tie: ONE ALL.

124. Observed Passover, in a way: ATE KOSHER. Another solid fill.

128. They may be black or yellow: LABS.

129. Fleck with a banjo: BELA.

130. Heist film series surname: OCEAN. Danny Ocean.

131. Full of passion: FIERY.

132. Martini order: DRY.

133. God of love: EROS.

134. Earth, in some sci-fi: TERRA.

135. Over-__: sports bet: UNDER.

Down:

1. Lip help: BALM. Try Laneige's lip mask. Amazing.

 

2. Sri Lanka locale: ASIA.

3. Blokes: LADS.

4. Submerged ridge: SHOAL.

5. Supermarket sections: AISLES. Boomer is particular about what he eats and I often buy the wrong kind. He only likes Golden Tater Tots, but I've mis-bought Golden Crispy Crowns, Golden Crispers and Tater Tots Minis. I'm getting closer. They all look similar to me.

6. The Big Ten's Nittany Lions: Abbr.: PSU.

7. Clumsy sorts: OAFS.

8. Splits: RIFTS.

9. Wrap around: ENLACE.

10. MLB's __ era: STEROID. I don't like Jose Canseco.

11. Actress Gasteyer: ANA.

12. Russian city that hosted the 2014 Olympics: SOCHI.

13. Purpose: INTENT.

14. Pester: NOODGE.

15. Tag cry: NOT IT.

16. Anglican denom.: EPISC. Episcopal.

17. Poor essay's lack: DEPTH.

21. Tropical toppers: PANAMAS.

23. Nut from the tropics: CASHEW.  Great with chicken.

 

25. Wanderer: NOMAD.

28. Continental coins: EUROS.

31. Brewski: SUDS.

33. Basic principle: TENET. Palindrome.

34. Sticky or ticker: TAPE.

35. Minor error: SLIP.

36. D.C. veterans: POLS.

38. French Riviera city: NICE.

42. Emulate Monroe and DiMaggio: ELOPE.  "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you ..."

44. Easy putt: TAP IN.

46. Many a tennis winner: SMASH.

48. Spaghetti Western director Sergio: LEONE.

49. Fund for the long haul: ENDOW.

50. Meal in a bowl: STEW.

52. Forgets about, maybe: OMITS.

53. Artistic Chinese dynasty: MING. From 1368 to 1644. My hometown Xi'an was part of the dynasty then. Tibet was not.

55. Push forward: IMPEL.

56. Jerk: SPASM.

60. Monetary nickname based on a Roman numeral: C NOTE. C=100.

64. Heads out of port: SAILS.

65. Scope: AMBIT.

68. Spine-tingling, maybe: SCARY. And 73. Confused states: FOGS. Reminds me of the first day when Boomer was out of the hospital. He asked for a pill so Wicked Witch would not kill Dorothy. 

70. Connect with: TIE TO.

71. Hershey's __ bar: HEATH.

72. Dots on some charts: ISLES.

74. Give lessons: TEACH.

75. Ancestry: ROOTS. Sorry about your tooth trouble, D-Otto!

76. Key of Brahms' Symphony No. 2: D MAJ.

82. Phone service outfit: TELCO.

84. Apply crudely: DAUB.

86. Janitorial tools: MOPS.

87. Scottish Gaelic John: EWAN. Here's the most famous one. Ewan McGregor

88. "I'm __ your scheme!": ONTO.

90. Bares, in a way: UNMASKS.

92. Golf shop array: POLOS.

94. Modernists, briefly: NEOS.

95. Leader that rhymes with a storm: TYCOON. Typhoon.

97. Small greenish songbird: VIREO.

99. Deteriorate: GO TO POT.

103. Doesn't disturb: LETS BE.

104. Old Testament queen: ESTHER. Queen of Persia. Book of Esther.

106. Cover with graffiti: DEFACE.

108. Panda's skill, in a 2008 film: KUNG FU. Panda. Po.

110. Burn badly: SCALD. Thanks for the New Skin info, Vidwan. Hope your procedure went smoothly last Friday.

111. Arabian Peninsula land: QATAR.

112. Words before some dates: USE BY.

113. Green with Grammys: CEELO.

114. More red, but not visibly: RARER.

116. Epoxy, e.g.: RESIN.

119. Cast topper, usually: STAR. Movie/TV cast.

121. Prevented a return from: ACED.

122. Tales of the past: LORE.

123. Astronomical dist.: LTYR.

125. Coll. dorm figures: RAS.

127. Words with nutshell and pickle: IN A.

We only went to the VA hospital twice last week: regular Monday PT and Tuesday OT. Both ladies eased up the therapy on Boomer since it's the first week after his chemo. They were very caring and constantly asked him how he was feeling after a few exercises, he would reply "I'm tired", "tired", "I'm just so tired". Broke my heart to see him so fatigued.

We think Dr. Downs might have upped the dosage a bit on Boomer's March 3 chemo. Not sure. Boomer seemed to have more pain this time.  We had to leave the church earlier again last night.

The good news is that Boomer will receive his next chemo at our local VA clinic. It's an easier drive. Only 20 miles away from our home.

Thanks again for your always encouraging comments, cards and letters. Some of them are from readers who never commented on our blog before. Boomer is so happy that he has many fans and supporters.

C.C.

Sunday October 3, 2021 Mark McClain

Theme:"Preparing for Takeoff" - Last words orderly describe a plane trip.

23. *Attraction with exotic animals: SAFARI PARK.

33. *Former NASA project: SPACE SHUTTLE.

47. *Jump-start connection point: BATTERY TERMINAL.

63. *IT executive's concern: NETWORK SECURITY.

84. *Berlin monument that's a symbol of Germany's reunification: BRANDENBURG GATE.

97. *Something to go back to when things aren't working out: DRAWING BOARD.

113. *Brew pub sampler: BEER FLIGHT.

This describes nicely our annual trip to Las Vegas in February. No shuttle in Minneapolis though. We use Sun Country. After we park, we take an elevator and arrive at the terminals. After we arrive in Vegas, we do need to take a shuttle to the car rental place.

Super smooth grid from Mark. He's not one of the constructors who go low on word count or black square count. I actually don't recall a Saturday grid from Mark. He won't stump you with strange Abbr. or obscure names. Total pro!

Across:

1. Brownie group?: BATCH. Mark wants to trick you with TROOP.

6. Francis, most recently: POPE.

10. Scornful comment: TAUNT.

15. Self-righteously proper sort: PRIG.

19. Fancy to extremes: ADORE. Argyle used to visit Agnes and sat in one of those chairs. He'd then email me about how neat Agnes's house was.

Agnes's Home

20. Caspian Sea feeder: URAL.

21. Come after: ENSUE.

22. Single: LONE.

25. It may be skipped: STONE. And maybe CLASS too, for these kids.

26. SLR setting: AUTO.

27. Self-absorbed: SMUG.

28. Works in a museum: OILS. Noun "Works".

29. Oops provoker: SLIP. Thanks for the various buttons, D-Otto! You're just a genius!

30. Got rid of: TOSSED.

32. Knob-handled tools: AWLS.

35. Range option: AMANA.

38. Massage therapist's employer: SPA. Our Melissa used to be a massage therapist. We also have 77. It may need massaging: EGO.

39. Dismiss casually, with "at": SNEEZE.

40. Piece of land: TRACT.

41. Release predecessors: BETAS.

43. Embellished: ADORNED.

52. Word on an Irish euro: EIRE.

53. Basics: ABCs

54. Tickle pink: ELATE. Friendly combo, hence its frequent appearance.

55. Silent __: White House nickname: CAL.

56. Pet store rodent: GERBIL.

58. "Grey's Anatomy" showrunner Rhimes: SHONDA. Her company is called Shondaland.

60. Flier in a show: AEROBAT.

62. Bishop's purview: SEE.

68. Go downhill fast: SKI.

71. Obsolescent wrong number cause: MIS-DIAL.

72. Omelet request: ONE EGG.

75. Move stealthily: TIPTOE.

78. Brown shade: BEIGE.

81. "Sunday Night Baseball" nickname: A-ROD. Now he co-owns Timberwolves. Why didn't he just buy a baseball team?

83. Jazz home: UTAH.

87. Sleeping bag alternative: BEDROLL. Never used it. Not a camping person.

90. Wonderland cake instruction: EAT ME.

91. Café lightener: LECHE. Spanish for "milk". Looks like this in Chinese. Most Chinese just drink soy milk.

92. Contemptible: ODIOUS.

95. Trauma ctrs.: ERS.

96. Causes of much yawning: BORES.

101. Moved like the wind: BLEW.

103. Potato color: RUSSET. We use Yukon Gold for potato salad.

104. Crop unit: ACRE.

105. Fireplace duct: FLUE.

106. Forget where one put: LOSE. Boomer always puts his keys and wallet over the fridge.

110. Golden rule word: UNTO.

111. Bert's chum: ERNIE.

115. Wise adviser: GURU.

116. Its code is BOS: LOGAN.

117. Murray with a star on both the Canada and Hollywood Walk of Fame: ANNE.

118. Judge who excelled in the Field of Dreams game: AARON. Boomer has riffed on his names many times. Here comes the Judge.

119. Notice: SPOT.

120. Avocet cousin: STILT.

121. Puts in: ADDS.

122. Climate activist Thunberg: GRETA. If she does not win Nobel Peace this year, then it's the WHO. We'll know next Friday.

 

Down:

1. String section instrument: BASS.

2. Fall figure: ADAM. The fall of man.

3. Vegan protein source: TOFU. My grandma used to make tofu & chives dumplings every Saturday when I was home from college.

4. Rocky projection: CRAG.

5. HRH part: HER.

6. Eye opening: PUPIL.

7. Rigorous exams: ORALS.

8. Scorecard standards: PARS. We used to have a couple's season ticket for Ceder Creeks. I was not long but I was always straight.

9. Moose cousin: ELK.

10. Model 3 maker: TESLA. Does anyone on our blog own a Tesla?

11. Marxian activities: ANTICS. OK, it refers the Marx brothers.

12. Arthur Ashe Stadium is its main court: US OPEN. The next largest is the Louis Armstrong Stadium. We also have 36. 12-Down contest: MATCH.

13. Sister: NUN.

14. Achieved a baby milestone: TEETHED.

15. Classic wall worker: PLASTERER. TTP is one. Total DIYer.

16. Awaken harshly: ROUST.

17. Mole's collection: INTEL.

18. Crystal-bearing rock: GEODE.

24. Hoover was the only president born there: IOWA. Gimme! No president was born in Minnesota.

29. Twitch, say: SPASM.

31. Taverna aperitif: OUZO.

32. Meridian opening: ANTE.Antemeridian. Before noon.

33. Trunk item: SPARE.

34. Aquatic carnivore: SEAL.

35. Iraqis, mostly: ARABS.

37. Doesn't ignore: ACTS ON.

38. Editor's "keep it": STET.

40. Sched. uncertainty: TBA.And  42. GPS projection: ETA.

41. Club rules: BYLAWS.

44. Avian bills: NIBS.

45. Pennsylvania county or its seat: ERIE. Hello, Abejo, can you see us?

46. Editor's "cut it": DELE.

48. "Power" accessory, perhaps: RED TIE.

49. Cold treat brand: ICEE.

50. Dealer's pursuer: NARC. Drug dealer.

51. First Dominican MLB manager Felipe: ALOU.

56. Somersaulting dive: GAINER.

57. Kitchen suffix: ETTE.

59. Dory's friend: NEMO. Voiced by Ellen DeGeneres in "Finding Nemo".

60. Gestural comm. syst.: ASL.

61. Sturdy shoe: BROGUE.

64. River through Frankfurt: ODER. Along the German/Poland border.

65. Capital of Latvia: RIGA.

66. Particle also called a K meson: KAON.

67. Sound barrier breaker Chuck: YEAGER.

68. E-ticket's lack: STUB.

69. __-Eating Tree: "Peanuts" phenomenon: KITE.

70. 2010 Apple debut: IPAD. I first saw an iPad when Boomer's daughter-in-law visited us.

73. Common prayer: GRACE.

74. Invaders of ancient Rome: GOTHS.

76. Discards: THROWS OUT.

78. Trimming target: BEARD.

79. Thyroid MDs: ENTS.

80. "Big Blue": IBM.

82. Actor Billy __ Williams: DEE.

84. Poster's medium: BLOG.

 

85. Company with an antlered animal logo: DEERE.

86. Pleasant feeling: GLOW.

88. Pooch with a large tongue: ODIE.

89. Horizontal door beams: LINTELS. Directly over the door.

93. Congo tributary: UBANGI.

94. __ media: SOCIAL. In Chinese WeChat, you can see who likes your posts and who comments, but no one else can, unless it's from a mutual friend. For any of Carmen's posts, I can't see who likes or comments, unless it's from Lesley, since Lesley is also a friend of mine.

96. Major Nebraska product: BEEF.

97. Puts under: DRUGS.

98. Accumulate: RUN-UP.

99. Houston MLBer: ASTRO.

100. Ain't perfect?: AREN'T.

101. Barista's creation: BLEND.

102. Entices: LURES.

105. Ward (off): FEND.

106. Wearer of hot pants?: LIAR. Liar, pants on fire.

107. Fairy tale monster: OGRE.

108. Useless, now: SHOT.

109. Sicilian mount: ETNA.

112. Hogwash: ROT.

113. Shearing day sound: BAA.

114. Jet __: LAG. Proper ending!

Some extra notes:

1) Come here tomorrow for an exciting LAT debut of a regular on our blog!

2) Thank you so much for the cards and best wishes for our sweet Agnes! She's very encouraged. She's seeing her doctor on Wednesday then her oncologist on Thursday. Hopefully we'll know more about the next steps then. 

The road ahead will be tough, and she'll need our thoughts and prayers and songs.

C.C.

Tuesday, September 14, 2021 Mark McClain

Bourgeois Bohemians.  The circles provide the links to the two BOs found in each theme answer.

20-Across. 2002 Hugh Grant film based on a Nick Hornby novel: ABOUT A BOY.

30-Across. Gobbledygook: MUMBO JUMBO.

41-Across. Three-time All-Star outfielder whose son was a seven-time N.L. MVP: BOBBY BONDS.

And the Unifier:

55-Across. Birds with short finch-like bills ... or, what the sets of circled letters literally are?: BOBOLINKS.  Everything you ever wanted to know about these small songbirds.

I am placing the Grid here today, so you can easily see the "links" to the BOs.  The letters in the circles are just nonsense.

Across:

1. Sarah __, first woman governor of Alaska: PALIN.  Sarah Palin (b. Feb. 11, 1964) was the 9th Governor of Alaska.  She served as Governor from 2006 until she resigned 3 years later.  She looks alot like actress Tina Fey.

6. Academic acronym: STEM.  Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

10. Chem class rooms: LABS.  Chemistry is one of the S's in STEM classes.

14. Therapy prefix: AROMA.  Aromatherapy is a pseudoscience, so probably doesn't qualify for STEM.

15. Cardamom-infused tea: CHAI.  Here is one recipe for making your own Chai Tea.

16. Tierra en el mar: ISLA.  Today's Spanish lesson.  Land in the sea is an Island.  Hi, Lucina!

17. Blue Ribbon beer: PABST.  The history of the name of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer.

18. Heavenly bear: URSA.  Ursa Major is also known as the Big Dipper.

19. Small bottle: VIAL.

22. Ogre, for one: BEAST.  //  And 52-Across. Shrek's love: FIONA.

23. Post-injury regimen: REHAB.

24. Delicate: DAINTY.  In cleaning out my parents' house, I came across a delicate lace dress that belonged to my grandmother.  It is over 100 years old.  The dress looked a lot like the one pictured below.

25. Strong, as a storm: SEVERE.  Like Hurricane Ida.

28. Reunion attendee: AUNT.

29. Signal from the wings: CUE.  Think of an actor on stage who needs help with his lines.

36. Symbol on several PC keys: ARROW.

39. Long-handled tool: HOE.

40. Puccini specialty: OPERA.  Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858 ~ Nov. 29, 1924) wrote numerous operas.  He is probably best known for La Bohème and Madama Butterfly.

44. Title for Richard Starkey: SIR.  That's Sir Ringo to you.

45. RPM indicator: TACH.

46. Drum kit cymbals: HI HATS.

49. Put under: SEDATE.

54. Blond hair, e.g.: TRAIT.

59. Come by honestly: EARN.

60. First name in desserts: SARA.  

61. Bull-riding venue: ARENA.  A dangerous sport.

62. "__ sow ... ": AS YE.  A Biblical phrase:  As ye sow, so shall ye reap ...

63. A bit open: AJAR.  When is a door not a door ...

64. Wastes time: IDLES.

65. Canasta combination: MELD.  Rules of Canasta.

66. Foots the bill: PAYS.

67. Parcels (out): DOLES.

Down:
1. Fairy tale bear: PAPA.

2. Part of UAE: ARAB.  As in the United Arab Emirates.

3. ESPN basketball analyst Rebecca: LOBO.  A lone BO.

4. "There's no doubt!": I'M SURE.

5. Talk aimlessly: NATTER.  Nattering nabobs of negativism.

6. Diving acronym: SCUBA.  Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.

7. Pulsate: THROB.

8. "Settle down!": EASY.

9. Soccer great Hamm: MIA.  Mia Hamm (née Mariel Margaret Hamm; b. Mar. 17, 1972) has now retired from playing soccer.

10. Have a ball: LIVE IT UP.

11. Lao or Thai: ASIAN.

12. __ from the past: nostalgic event: BLAST.

13. Like pretzels: SALTY.

21. "May I speak?": AHEM.

22. Bluegrass band staple: BANJO.

24. Hall & Oates, e.g.: DUO.

25. Nature's bandage: SCAB.  Yuck!

26. Costa del Sol coin: EURO.  Costa del Sol is in Spain, hence, the most common Euro you will find there will be one featuring Spanish designs.  Each Euro has a National side, which features pictures of its country.  Rather like the State Quarters that were minted in the United States.

27. Trick or treat: VERB.

28. Under the covers: ABED.

31. "This isn't good": UH, OH!

32. Part of "MNF," an in-season wkly. sports broadcast: MON.  As in Monday Night Football.

33. Spanish for "table": MESA.  Also the name of a town in Arizona and a CSO to our Arizona contingent.

34. One with a tyre in his boot, perhaps: BRIT.

35. Scull crew: OARS.

37. Managed to get: OBTAINED.

38. Tombstone first name: WYATT.

42. Letters in early dates: BCE.  Before the Common Era.

43. Chase away: SHOO.

47. Like mosaic tiles: INLAID.  We saw some of the most amazine mosaics at the Villa Romana del Casale in Sicily.

48. Salon creation: HAIR DO.

49. Teakettle output: STEAM.  Remove the A and you have STEM.

50. Backspace over: ERASE.

51. Hannah of "Splash": DARYL.  We never saw much more of Daryl Hannah (née Daryl Christine Hanna; b. Dec. 3, 1960) after this 1984 movie came out.

52. New venture: FORAY.

53. Structural beams: I-BARS.

55. Gulf of California peninsula: BAJA.

56. 1994 Jodie Foster title role: NELL.

57. "Trick" joint: KNEE.

58. Disrespectful talk: SASS.  This is becoming a crossword staple.

60. Botanical fluid: SAP.  This makes me think of the maple trees in Vermont.

That's all for today folks!  See you next week.

חתולה