Monday January 31, 2022 Will Tobias

Theme: GIS (70. USO show audience ... and a hint to the answers to starred clues)

20. *The Bible's golden calf, e.g.: GRAVEN IMAGE.

26. *Giving a higher mark than students deserve: GRADE INFLATION.

48. *It's not always the same as one's assigned sex at birth: GENDER IDENTITY.

56. *Intuition, often: GUT INSTINCT.

Boomer here.  

GI stands for Government Issue.  It's been a long time since I wore some of those clothes.  However I did finish with my Government Issue Radiation last Friday. I sure hope it will produce the desired result. 

Let's see? Coming to a TV set near you! Winter Olympics and a Super Bowl. Not even a COVID pandemic can cancel these money makers. 

 Across:

1. Relaxing retreat: SPA.  Never been to one.  I do have a recliner in the basement of our home.

4. Picket line crosser: SCAB.  Nasty slang.  Sometimes I get one underneath a Band-Aid.

8. Tied, as sneakers: LACED.  I remember Government Issued Combat boots.  Took about ten minutes to lace them up. 

13. Work like heck: TOIL. A la Elon Musk.

15. Arrived: CAME.  Got there.

16. Old piano key material: IVORY.  Soap that floats!

17. European car brand that sounds sort of like a Western greeting: AUDI.  Young Mr. Doody ?

18. Ordered like dictionary words: ALPHABETIC.  Long word for an Across answer.

22. Sound of fear: EEK.

23. Roadside haven: INN.

24. About 1/2000th of a euro, in 2002: LIRA.  I never really learned the value of the LIRA.

33. Slimy substance: GOO.

34. Dolphin family "killer": ORCA.

35. Inventor Otis: ELISHA.  Also the first name of Mr. Gray who invented the telephone within hours of Alexander Graham Cracker Bell.  Mr. Bell beat Mr. Gray to the patent office by a matter of minutes.  Mr. Bell suggested that his invention be answered "Ahoy".  Mr. Gray suggested "Good Morning Graybar!"

36. Roman moon goddess: LUNA.

38. Tease: KID.

40. Site of Napoleon's exile: ELBA.  Elba was indeed the site of Napoleon's exile.  But it also happens to be a small town in Minnesota.

41. Where Amin ruled: UGANDA.

44. Puffin relatives: AUKS.  You may call it an AUK if you like, but it looks like a penguin to me.

47. Geological time span: EON.  Half a billion years. The time it will take the Vikings to win a Super Bowl.

51. What a coach gives a base runner: SIGN.

52. Corn unit: EAR.  Well-known at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota.

53. Suffix with script: URE.

62. Cape Cod and Baja: PENINSULAS.  I usually think of Florida.

64. Former Neet rival: NAIR. Neet is now Veet. I just use a razor.

65. Two in a deck: DEUCE.  Actually there are four in every deck.

66. Evening, in ads: NITE.  NIGHT did not fit I guess.

67. Required bet: ANTE.  I think the ANTE actually precedes the betting.

68. Rubbed out, gang-style: OFFED.

69. NBA conference: EAST.

Down: 

1. Male deer: STAG.  They're the ones with the Antlers.

2. Serve the wine, say: POUR.  No thank you.  I never liked WINE.

3. Verdi classic: AIDA.

4. Medical diagnostic device: SCANNER.  Yup, I know what these are.  I have had MRIs, CT scans, and bone Scans. MRIs are the biggest hassles,  and I have another one coming up very soon.

5. Colombian metropolis: CALI.

6. Alarm clock toggle: AM PM.  I usually can figure it out by looking out the window.

7. On __ of: representing: BEHALF.

8. Loose, like a translation: LIBERAL.

9. D.C.'s Pennsylvania, e.g.: AVE.  1600 is the White House.

10. Pigeon shelter: COTE.

11. Shallowest Great Lake: ERIE.  Lake ERIE is the 4th largest Great Lake 

12. Flemish painter Sir Anthony van __: DYCK.

14. Wife of Augustus: LIVIA.

19. Light-footed: AGILE.  I used to be fairly AGILE.  But then I got old.

21. Prefix with scope: ENDO.

25. "It's __": "Nobody wins": A TIE.  It's what I wear to the Graybar banquets.

26. Charge triple, say: GOUGE.  Gasoline around here is a little over $3.00 per gallon.  Of course I remember the 60's when it was around .30 cents.

27. Journalist Farrow: RONAN. Mia's son.

28. "Disgusting!": ICK.  YUCK did not fit.

29. Water nymph: NAIAD.

30. Speck in the ocean: ISLET.  Sounds like Hawaii?

31. "That's exciting!": OH BOY.  Alan Sherman - "We'd like to know what you think"  OH BOY.  Thunderbirds and Cadillacs, OH BOY !! April 15 Income Tax  OH BOY.

32. Indian bread: NAAN.

33. Water cooler sound: GLUG.

37. "No ifs, __ or buts": ANDS.

39. Payable now: DUE.  Income Tax is coming soon.  They expect payments of taxes due before the refunds are coming out.

42. Condescended: DEIGNED.  "Deign to be great !!"

43. Jason's shipbuilder: ARGUS. "Jason and the Argonauts".

45. Israeli parliament: KNESSET.

46. RBI or ERA: STAT.  Wins, Losses, Strikeouts, Walks, Stolen Bases, Baseball has more stats than football games have commercials.

49. On key: IN TUNE.  "Tiptoe through the tulips"  Tiny Tim was not.

50. Russian supermodel Shayk: IRINA.

53. High hairstyle: UPDO.  I remember the old days when all hair fit under the football helmets.

54. Great Barrier __: REEF.

55. Plenty, phonetically: ENUF.  Okay, ENUF fake words.  It's only Monday.

57. Pelvic bones: ILIA.

58. D.C. baseball team: NATS.  Replaced the old Senators who became the Twins after moving.

59. Vietnam's Da __: NANG.  "DaNANG, Da NANG me"  (Robin Williams.)

60. Banking giant: CITI.  Never used this.  We have local credit unions that do the job.

61. Uno y dos: TRES.

63. Rapper __ Cube: ICE.  Or ICE T on Law and Order SVU.

Boomer

Notes from C.C.:

Happy birthday to Bill G! So happy to see you on the blog from time to time, Bill! We all care about you and miss your posts when you're away.

Here is a picture of Barbara, Bill and their three grandkids. This picture was taken long time ago when Bill still went out daily for his bike ride and coffee.

Sunday January 30, 2022 Matt Skoczen

Theme: "Making A Dent" - DING is added to each theme entry.

23. Fraudulent budget increase for cleaning supplies?: BRILLO PADDING. Brillo pad.

33. Those waiting for Facebook friend acceptance?: PENDING PALS. Pen pals.

40. Pre-flight pandemonium?: WILD BOARDING. Wild boar.

65. Banking at a beach ATM?: FUNDING IN THE SUN. Fun in the sun.

91. Growing bulb?: BUDDING LIGHT. Bud Light.

97. Major curves on a mountain road?: EPIC WINDING. Epic win.

113. Ocean trip for relationship strengthening?: BONDING VOYAGE. Bon voyage.

I remember we had a DING deletion theme a while ago. Not a DING addition.

Great title! Our standard Sunday word, black square count. A bit heavier on names in the fill.

Across:

1. Hankered (for): ITCHED.

7. Honi's comics dad: HAGAR. "Hägar the Horrible".

12. Jungian concerns: PSYCHES.

19. Ricky Martin's surname, by birth: MORALES. Enrique "Ricky" Martín Morales.

21. Mindless: INANE.

22. Stuffed meat dish: ROULADE. Is it a familiar dish to you?

25. Together: EN MASSE.

26. Walk in the park, say: AMBLE.

27. Ending with neur-: OSES.

28. Role for Ingrid: ILSA.  "Casablanca".

30. False __: STEP.

31. Lucie's dad: DESI. Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem play Lucy and Ricky in "Being the Ricardos".

32. Start of a classic dramatic question: ET TU.

36. Iain's negative: NAE.

38. Concerning: IN REGARD TO. Or "with regard to".

44. Big spreads: ESTATES.

49. Challenge, as testimony: IMPEACH.

50. Air issues org.: EPA.

51. "I knew it __ you": WAS.

53. "Oy vey!": AH ME.

54. Seal the deal: SIGN.

55. Hungry request: MORE. Next Tuesday is Chinese Spring Festival. I'm hungry for jiazi.

57. Fire: CAN.

58. Folding ladder feature: A FRAME.

60. H, to Kronos: ETA. Who's Kronos? I'm more familiar with Cronus spelling.

61. Word of accusation: LIAR.

63. Mil. rhyme for "Yahtzee": ROTC. New clue angle.

64. Lost steam: SLOWED.

69. Shape-fitting game: TETRIS.

72. "The __ Show": GONG. Here's Gong Li, the most famous Chinese actress.

73. Feed bag bits: OATS.

74. Deg. of distinction: PHD.

77. Just about: ALMOST.

78. Letters to a lender: IOU.

79. Part of CPA: Abbr.: CERT. Certified.

81. Modeling supply: GLUE.

82. Stray: ROAM.

83. Atl.-based network: CNN.

84. Shut out: BAN.

85. Embrace, as a custom: ESPOUSE.

88. Ancient Assyrian capital: NINEVEH. No idea. Wikipedia says it "was the largest city in the world for approximately fifty years until the year 612 BC. Today, it is a common name for the half of Mosul that lies on the eastern bank of the Tigris."

93. First Black person to host a successful TV variety show: FLIP WILSON.

96. Whole lot: TON.

101. Record speeds, for short: RPMS.

103. "__ Smile": Hall & Oates hit: SARA.

107. Park way: PATH.

108. Scott of "Hawaii Five-0": CAAN.

109. "Oh": I SEE.

110. Statehouse official: Abbr.: LT GOV.

111. At Notre Dame, say: IN PARIS. Notre Dame de Paris.

117. Saw-toothed: SERRATE.

118. Strand at a chalet, say: ICE IN.

119. More frivolous: SILLIER.

120. Like a best friend: CLOSEST.

121. One of the Allman Brothers: GREGG. He was married to Cher for sometime.

122. Lots: PLENTY.

Down: 

1. Boast in a 1987 Michael Jackson hit: I'M BAD.

2. "Chestnuts roasting ..." co-writer: TORME.

3. Exam no-nos: CRIBS.

4. Tony winner who portrayed TV's Barney Miller: HAL LINDEN.

5. Vogue alternative: ELLE.

6. __ gratias: DEO.

7. Use to conceal, as a bed: HIDE UNDER.

8. Added conditions: ANDS.

9. Chicken, in a Cantonese dish: GAI. Moo goo gai pan.

10. Wilson of Heart: ANN.

11. Saskatchewan capital: REGINA.

12. What a chair does: PRESIDES. Chairperson.

13. Spoken sounds: SONANTS. Learning moment for me.

14. "Delish!": YUM. Yummers on our blog.

15. Simple fastener: CLASP.

16. "__ mañana": HASTA.

17. Car that didn't go far: EDSEL.

18. Percolates: SEEPS.

20. Precise location: SPOT.

24. Moving: ASTIR.

29. Pres. or CEO: LDR. Leader.

32. Fed. anti-discrimination org.: EEOC.

33. __ Palace: castle on the Portuguese Riviera: PENA. Another learning moment. 

34. Word with white or cream: EGG.

35. "America's __ Talent": GOT.

37. Legal gp.: ABA.

39. Ready: RIPE.

40. One way to crack: WISE.

41. "You found the right person": I'M IT.

42. Patti Tavatanakit was its Rookie of the Year for 2021: Abbr.: LPGA. She's a Thai.

43. Jazz pianist __ Jamal: AHMAD.

45. Quarterback Rodgers: AARON. Packers.

46. Soften: THAW.

47. One-named body-image advocate: EMME.

48. Sesame __: SEED.

51. Bulb measure: WATT.

52. Nightly news figure: ANCHOR.

56. Where it all started: ORIGIN.

57. One side of an issue: CON. And PRO.

58. Mgr.'s second-in-command: ASST.

59. Wintry strains: FLUS.

61. California's San __ Obispo: LUIS.

62. Part of MIT: Abbr.: INST.

63. Fix: RIG.

65. "The most striking figure in Starkfield," in a Wharton classic: FROME. Ethan Frome.

66. Twelve, half the time: NOON.

67. African antelope: GNU.

68. Polished off: EATEN.

69. Alpine lake: TARN.

70. Weena's race, in a Wells classic: ELOI. "The Time Machine". Morlocks eat them.

71. IRS agent: T MAN.

74. Bit of talk show self-promotion: PLUG.

75. One may fall over a crowd: HUSH.

76. Something specific, informally: DEET. Detail.

79. Heels: CADS.

80. Showing support for: ENDORSING.

81. Take a limo, say: GO IN STYLE.

83. Special occasion service: CHINA SET. Carmen's special Spring Festival flowers. I don't know the name of the flowers in that big red Fortune vase, Carmen said they were very pricey.

84. Sofia's home: Abbr.: BULG. Bulgaria. They produce the best roses.

86. Some NCOs: SGTS.

87. Arafat's gp., once: PLO.

89. Group for ex-GIs: VFW.

90. Brings forth: ELICITS.

91. Recycling receptacle: BIN.

92. How deals are usually sealed: IN PEN.

94. Kissing at the bar, briefly: PDA. Public Display of Affection.

95. Hit the jackpot: WIN BIG.

97. Protestant denom.: EPISC.

98. Group of experts: PANEL.

99. Geek Squad member, for short: IT PRO.

100. Burns a little: CHARS.

102. Parts of gigs: MEGS.

104. Word from a coach: AGAIN.

105. Where to find words for words: ROGET.

106. Label giant: AVERY. By the way, where do you get your return address labels?

109. "Gotcha, man": I DIG.

110. Loaf: LOLL.

112. Pop's Carly __ Jepsen: RAE.  "Call Me Maybe" .

114. Text-scanning tech.: OCR.

115. Called before: NEE.

116. Limo passenger: VIP.

Boomer's radiation went well last week. He did scare me on Monday when he had a fall inside the radiation room. His left knee sometimes buckles, even with the walker. Thankfully no more accidents after that. He handled the extreme cold and long walks like the old Boomer!

We start more rounds of VA hospital visits on Feb 7, not daily, just two to three times a week for his PT, OT, chemo (will know more soon), MRI and other scans, neurosurgeon follow-up, spinal cord injury follow-up, diabetes visit, etc.

C.C.

Saturday January 29, 2022, Brian E. Paquin

 Saturday Themeless by Brian E. Paquin 

Brian has produced yet another Saturday source of entertainment from the shores of Lake Ontario. I had some very nice exchanges with Brian and on the write-up I will point out some of Brian's original clues and Rich's where our editor attempts to "Saturdayize" our puzzle. Here are Brian's comments: 

Hi Gary,

Nice to hear from you, as always!  

I submitted this puzzle in May of 2020, almost 2 years ago.   It got lost in the machinery for a long time, but finally found its way to the paper.   As with many of my puzzles, I worked on getting sparkly entries that pass through the center, then worked on the corners.   One might think that I built the puzzle around 7D MindOnesPsAndQs, but that was kind of an offshoot from the three long Across entries in the middle, which came first.   Sometimes you get lucky that way.

I used more black squares than normal, but I think that I just needed them to make the puzzle work.   I'm thinking particularly about the two cheater squares in each of the NE and SW corners.   I figure that extra black squares are better than gluey, obscure fill entries.

I hope that you and your readers are riding out the pandemic safely.  This should be the last year of it, one hopes!

Brian

The Shoal Tower built in the 1840's by the 
British to protect the Kingston Harbor against 
a feared attack by the Americans 

Across:

1. Biography beginning?: AUTO - The difference?

5. Energy: VIM.

8. It may be fictional: ALIBI.

13. Works on walls: GRAFFITI - The Berlin Wall has been called the world's longest art gallery and the more conventional 17. Works on walls: PAINTS 

15. Where "Madama Butterfly" premiered: MILAN - A 1904 poster for Puccini's Madam Butterfly premiering at The Teatro alla Scala in Milan

16. What spies often do: LISTEN IN.

19. Cereal bit: OAT.

20. Prisoner's place, in an 1894 adventure novel: ZENDA - This first edition, first issue can be purchased for $3,125

22. Most coins have them: RADII - All round coins have RADII. Brian's clue was "Circle parts"

23. Make sharp: WHET - When I worked at the nursery, we all carried these WHET stones in our pockets

25. 2004 World Golf Hall of Fame inductee Isao __: AOKI - Our frequent crossword visitor should go into the Vowel Hall Of Fame.

27. Titled woman: DAME - The spouse of a DAME does not have a title. That spouse is simply Mr. or Mrs. or whatever works today

28. Radiation Protection Program org.: EPA - In yesterday's puzzle they were monitoring our water

31. Las Palmas lad: NINO - Las Palmas is a Spanish city in the Canary Islands and a boy there would be a NIÑO

33. Badger: NAG.

34. Celebrity's arrival, perhaps: GRAND ENTRANCE.

37. In the negative, unlikely to be fooled: BORN YESTERDAY - Judy Holliday plays a naive woman in this great movie. With a little education, she soon discovers that she was not BORN YESTERDAY (97% on Rotten Tomatoes)

38. Bet, in a way: PLAY THE PONIES - Don't quit your day job

39. "Alley __": OOP.

40. Works on, as a lawn: SODS.

41. Five mL, in medicine: TSP.

42. Is beholden to: OWES - This solver/blogger OWES a lot to a lovely Asian lady in Minneapolis

44. __ sauce: WEAK - A slang insult for a person or an item shown here by the inverted syntax of our crossword friend YODA

46. Oodles: TONS.

50. Musical skill: CHOPS - From the word EMBOUCHURE. It has progressed from the skill of wind instrument players to manipulate their mouth and lips to other musicians and even other disciplines. Brian definitely has crossword CHOPS

52. Sign up, in Salisbury: ENROL - The Salisbury Plain in England has Stonehenge but no use for another L in ENROL.

55. Zilch: NIL.

56. Wanting success?: HAVING - Brian's clue was "Dining on". He and I discussed our take for Rich's cluing here and arrived at: Wanting something means you don't have it and HAVING it is a successful outcome of the wanting. 

58. Assign responsibility: DELEGATE.

60. Summary: RECAP.

61. Serious predicament: QUAGMIRE.

62. Wine residue: DREGS - A poignant look at a life from "the brim to the DREGS"

63. Modern marshal's milieu: SKY - Now they must also deal with mask issues

64. Text translation: TROT - Saturdayizing to the max: Brian had "Jog along" for the clue but Rich came up with something a little farther down the list of definitions 

Down:

1. Radiant: AGLOW.

2. First name in a Dickens classic: URIAH.

3. Preference: TASTE.

4. "For the apparel __ proclaims the man": Polonius: OFT - Hamlet, Act I, Scene III

Polonius advises his son to buy clothes ("habits") which are as good as he can afford but to avoid buying clothes that are showy ("gaudy"). The phrase "the apparel oft proclaims the man" means that the type of clothes one wears tell a lot about the wearer; showy clothes may suggest that the wearer is a superficial type of person.

5. Wisteria, e.g.: VINE.

6. Memoir that led to the movie "What's Love Got to Do With It": I TINA - All you need to know

7. Act mannerly: MIND ONE'S P'S AND Q'S - Brian said this long fill just happened to work out with his long horizontal middle fill

8. Music box, maybe: AMP - What roadies have to move

9. Yarn spinner: LIAR.

10. Homeric epic: ILIAD.

11. Versatile head-neck garb: BANDANNAS - Talk about yer versatility!

12. Getting very close: INTIMACY.

14. Tasseled hat: FEZ.

18. Extended attack: SIEGE - Grant's successful SIEGE of Vicksburg,MS and Meade's win at Gettysburg both occurred around the Fourth of July, 1863.  Vicksburg did not celebrate Independence Day again until 1945,

21. Like: AKIN TO.

24. Looped fabric: TERRY - TERRY Looping

26. Strongly focused: INTENT.

29. What a hot dog or 38. Dog: POOCH.does?: PANTS.

30. "But I digress ... ": ANYHOW.

32. Root in perfumery: ORRIS.

Worth The Wait

Iris is a beautiful flower with origins in Italy and Morocco. It takes on all the colours of the rainbow but is most commonly known for it’s purple and blue petals. The flower itself actually carries little scent. It is the roots (ORRIS) that hold the scented magic but only one species is used in fragrance – Iris pallida. When the iris is picked, it is left to dry for up to 6 years! In our opinion, it’s well worth the wait. Like a fine wine, the scent of iris gets better with age.

34. Wig out about: GO APE OVER.

35. Clinton press secretary Myers: DEE DEE - The first woman to get that job

36. Crackerjack: ADEPT.

37. Windbag: BLOWHARD 

43. Food flavoring: SPICE.

45. "Smallville" actress Kristin: KREUK 

47. Studio sign: ON AIR.

48. Explosive, briefly: NITRO.

49. Letter carrier's challenge: SLEET.

51. Catch-22: SNAG

53. Skin care brand: OLAY

54. Relay part: LEG - When Usain Bolt is running anchor (the last LEG), ya gotta like your chances to win.

57. Family docs: GP'S.

59. Clock-setting std.: GMT - The International Space Station passes over each time zone 16 times/day. Therefore they simply use Greenwich Mean Time for their schedules. The Current GMT