Sunday September 15, 2024 Jill Singer

Theme: "Financial Literacy" - Each financial term is rephrased.

22A. Sleep journal?: RETIREMENT ACCOUNT.

39A. Necessity for a chemistry major?: COMPOUND INTEREST.

 

67A. Problem with 007's acting skills?: BOND ISSUE.

 

89A. Truly spectacular collision in a hockey game?: OUTSTANDING CHECK.

 

111A. Reason for swiping right?: ASSET APPRECIATION.

 

14D. Spring migration?: ANNUAL RETURN.

59D. Task for a relocating electrician?: WIRE TRANSFER.

I like this type of rephrase type of theme. You don't need to be knowledgeable in finance, or baseball, or fashion, and you can still solve the puzzle.

Only 7 theme entries. But most of them are very long. Total 99 theme squares. Perfect for a Sunday.

Across:

1. Multimeter units: OHMS. Never used a multimeter, which can measure voltage, resistance, and current, according to Wikipedia.

5. Compadre: AMIGO.

10. "__-Dick; or, The Whale": MOBY.

14. Audible sighs: AHS.

17. "Can you __ a secret?": KEEP.

18. Form-al starting place?: LINE A. Fun "-al" addition.

19. Weasel relatives: SABLES.

21. "I don't wanna": NAW.

25. "Science Guy" Bill: NYE.

26. College app data: AP SCORES. App indicates a shortened answer.

27. Blasts: BLARES.

28. Luxurious Honda: ACURA.

30. Refined fellow: GENT.

31. First-class: PRIMO.

32. Winter coiffure risk: HAT HAIR. Beanie hair for me. My hair froze one morning when I left the pool.

34. Fake: FRAUD.

36. "So sad": ALAS.

37. Novelist Deighton: LEN.

38. "M*A*S*H" star: ALDA.

44. Worry: FRET.

45. Cedar Rapids college: COE. 57. About half of 45-Across attendees: IOWANS.

46. "Whose __ are you on?": SIDE.

47. Whole lot: SLEW.

48. SETI search subject: LIFE.

50. Johnson and Jonson: POETS. Samuel Johnson.  Ben Jonson.

52. "LOTR" collection, maybe: DVD SET.

54. President pro __: TEM.

60. Capital on the Tamsui River: TAIPEI. Tamsui means "fresh water".

64. Expungement: ERASURE.

66. Frodo's home, with "the": SHIRE.

69. Turkish coins: LIRAS.

70. TV advertiser's purchase: AIR TIME.

72. __ heel: KITTEN.

73. Team briefly known as the Gothams: GIANTS. New York/San Francisco Giants. Did not know this trivia.

74. Sadness: WOE.

75. Disney duck: DONALD.

77. "Vamoose!": SCRAM.

79. Way to ski uphill: T-BAR.

81. Explorer Erikson: LEIF. Son of Erik the Red.

83. Skylight piece: PANE.

84. State of matter: GAS.

87. Apple pie prep step: PARE. Just got some SweeTango last week. So good.

94. Bibliography abbr.: ET AL.

95. Play's sign of success, for short: SRO.

96. "Frog and __ Are Friends": classic children's book: TOAD.

97. Before sunrise: EARLY.

98. Bit of camping gear: TENT PEG.

100. Blockheads: DOLTS.

102. Plus: ALSO.

103. German author Hermann: HESSE. He wrote "Siddhartha" and "Steppenwolf".

104. Thin mushrooms: ENOKIS. Soooo pricey these days.

106. Discrepancy: VARIANCE.

110. Org. that targets illicit liquor: ATF.

114. Golf ball holder: TEE.

115. "__ Tunes": LOONEY.

116. Hayao Miyazaki genre: ANIME. He founded Studio Ghibli.

117. Disclaimer letters: IMHO.

118. Do wrong: ERR.

119. Change for a five: ONES.

120. Long locks: MANES.

121. Lots: TONS.

Down:

1. Creole pod: OKRA.

2. Uriah __: Dickens villain: HEEP. In "David Copperfield".

3. Event at Citi Field: METS GAME.

4. Make more exciting: SPICE UP.

5. Like a guard on duty: ALERT.

6. Expert in body language?: MIME. Another creative clue.

7. Bridal gown designer Di Santo: INES. Unknown to me.

8. X, Y, or Z intro: GEN.

9. Gluten-free muffin ingredient: OAT BRAN.

10. Spreadsheet shortcut: MACRO.

11. Instrument that represents the duck in "Peter and the Wolf": OBOE.

12. Looks embarrassed: BLUSHES.

13. Hankering: YEN. I dream of shrimp cheung fun often. Cheap street food in Guangzhou.

15. Harvest celebration activity: HAYRIDE.

16. Curse out: SWEAR AT.

19. Pyramid scheme: SCAM.

20. Datum for a sports podcast: STAT. John the Master timed me: 30 seconds for 25 meters.

 

23. Concerto movement: RONDO.

24. First choices: A-LISTS.

29. Grain husks: CHAFF. Left, mostly.

31. Beginner's ballet move: PLIE.

33. Buck's weapon: ANTLER.

34. TV regulator: FCC.

35. Little friend of Pooh: ROO.

36. Augments: ADDS TO.

37. Lascivious: LEWD.

40. Tool's selling points: USES.

41. Small complaint: NIT.

42. Like Prince William or Malia Obama: ELDEST. Me too.

43. Look to improve: REVISE.

49. Milano locale: ITALIA.

50. AutoZone purchase: PART.

51. People in the Iroquois Confederacy: ONEIDA. And 84. Apache leader: GERONIMO.

53. Understand: SEE.

55. Quod __ demonstrandum: ERAT.

56. Private meal spot?: MESS. Good, old clue.

57. Second part of a Caesarean boast: I SAW.

58. Home of Cuyahoga Valley National Park: OHIO.

61. They're just over two feet: ANKLES. Not length.

62. Proud words: I DID IT.

63. Conductor's place: PIT.

65. "The King and I" setting: SIAM. Tai is one of the 56 ethic groups in China. Many of them left China in 6th century and settled in Southeast Asia. Tai = Thai.

67. Obi-Wan's alias: BEN.

68. Implicit: UNSAID.

71. Gloomy: MOROSE.

73. Actor Kinnear: GREG.

76. Voice above tenor: ALTO.

78. Dana Bash's channel: CNN. She was married to John King for a while.

80. Sings with passion: BELTS.

82. Injury from a fistfight: FAT LIP.

83. PalmPilots, e.g.: Abbr.: PDAS.

85. Knee surgery target, for short: ACL.

86. Wild blue yonder: SKY.

87. Little annoyance, to a Brit: PET HATE. Learning moment also.

88. Off balance, quaintly: ATEETER.

90. Encourages: URGES ON.

91. Email designation: NOT SPAM.

92. Salsa singer Cruz: CELIA.

93. Takes up the challenge: HAS AT IT.

99. Bell sound: PEAL.

100. Loves (on): DOTES.

101. " ... Fine.": OKAY.

102. Taurus preceder: ARIES.

105. Hawaiian waterfowl: NENE.

106. Blood vessel: VEIN.

107. Mountaineer's goal: ACME.

108. Political analyst Nate: COHN. Did not know him. Wikipedia says he's the "chief political analyst for "The Upshot" at The New York Times."

109. Genesis grandson: ENOS.

112. Broadway star Phillipa: SOO.

113. Messenger molecule: RNA.

C.C.

Saturday, September 14, 2024, Adrian Johnson

 Saturday Themeless by Adrian Johnson 

                

Our Wyoming native who went to college in Minnesota is now doing great work for a startup group called BetterFi, a nonprofit working to end predatory lending in Tennessee. 

Across:

1. Car whose interior "looks like Darth Vader's bathroom," per Michael Knight: KITT - KITT was the car and The Hoff played Michael Knight 

 

5. "Figure it out": DO THE MATH - They could and did.

       

14. Shine: GLEAM.

16. Hugh Grant film based on a Nick Hornby novel: ABOUT A BOY  - Nick probably has some credit in the small print 

17. Lively presence in Hollywood?: BLAKE.

18. Bends and stretches: LIMBERS UP.

19. Georgia O'Keeffe's "Jimson __/White Flower No. 1": WEED - Saturday cluing for a common word. I have heard of Jimson WEED but had no clue about Ms. O'Keefe's painting.

It sold for $44M

20. Otherworldly visitors: ETS.

21. "Ghosts" actress McIver: ROSE - Saturday cluing for a common word.

A cable TV series from Paramount+

22. Sandwiches since 1967: BIG MACS - I'm embarrassed/ashamed I remember all these lyrics about the burger Ray Kroc said was the answer to The Whopper

24. Film stock: STILLS.

26. Boxing trainer Dundee: ANGELO - The trainer for Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali is obscure to some, well known to me

 

27. Make sense for: BEHOOVE.

29. Common source of revenue for podcasts: ADS.

30. Spiced coffeehouse order: CHAI LATTE.

32. Inflatable swan, e.g.: POOL FLOAT.

33. 2023 Pink album: TRUSTFALL and a funny one

  
     

34. Metric speed meas.: KPH.

37. Basic shelters: LEAN-TO'S - On the primitive side

38. Land between the Atlantic and the Pyrenees: IBERIA.

40. Shows confidence in, in a way: ELECTS 😀

41. Trapper's task: SNARING.

42. Try to make angry: BAIT.

43. Comm. system in the film "CODA": ASL - 94% at Rotten Tomatoes

45. Passable, at best: SO SO.

46. Follower of an aperitivo: ANTIPASTO 

49. Hunt of "Mission: Impossible": ETHAN - Played by this guy

51. Cereal mascot once voiced by Mel Blanc: TOUCAN SAM - One of so many in Mel's repertoire 

52. Lacks buoyancy: SINKS.

53. Language whose name translates to "one who hopes": ESPERANTO.

54. Residencia: CASA.

Down:

1. Security org. dismantled in 1991: KGB.

2. Bringer of misfortune, so they say: ILL WIND. 

Falstaff. What wind blew you hither, Pistol?

Pistol. Not the ILL WIND which blows no man to good.

Shakespeare: 2 Henry IV. act v. sc. 3.

3. Chinese snacks with a marbled pattern: TEA EGGS  - Tea egg is a typical Chinese savory food commonly sold as a snack, in which a boiled egg is cracked slightly and then boiled again in tea, and sauce or spices. It is also known as marble egg because cracks in the egg shell create darkened lines with marble-like patterns. You're welcome.

4. "I want to go too!": TAKE ME.

5. Low areas: DALES - Over hill, over DALE...

6. Late notice?: OBIT 😀

7. Accessories company with a "one for one" business model: TOMS.

8. Nerve center: HUB.

9. French summer: ETE.

10. The Ritz-Carlton owner: MARRIOTT.

11. Pardon: ABSOLVE.

12. Dishevel: TOUSLE.

13. Builds up: HYPES.

15. Olympic chart: MEDAL COUNT.

22. What do ewe say?: BAA 😀

23. Party leaders?: CO-HOSTS.

24. Historic Buddhist monastery in the Songshan mountains: SHAOLIN - The birthplace of Kung Fu.

25. Career number for sluggers: TOTAL BASES and 44. 25-Down, for one: STAT - Leaders for active players

27. Slugs: BIFFS.

28. Spanish pronoun: ELLA.

31. El __: second-largest city in Bolivia: ALTO - El ALTO has a population of nearly a million and is the highest major city in the world with an average elevation of 13,000'.

32. Drill: PRACTICE.

33. "Let's go for a drive!": TEE IT UP 😀

34. God celebrated on Janmashtami: KRISHNA - More

35. Ornamental trees with acorns: PIN OAKS - They get very yellow (chlorotic) in our town but are lovely in Lincoln.

36. Evil Queen's disguise in "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs": HAG.

37. Peruvian prairies: LLANOS - My diligent search showed LLANOS mostly in these countries 

39. Hot: EROTIC.

40. Online discount: E-BATE.

41. Sportscast tech: SLO MO - This device can do that or even freeze the frame

43. WNBA pt.: ASSN - All sports peeps know what caused this

47. Norm: PAR - For my golf game, it's a goal, not a norm. 😀

48. Tennis star Ivanovic: ANA.

50. DOD arm: NSA - The NSA doesn't take credit or blame for their activities