Thursday, October 20th, 2022 - David Alfred Bywaters

Going Down?

 

M.C. Escher's Relativity (1953)

David offers us descending phrases that literally go down the grid. Each themer is amusingly clued. Let's take a look.

All Downs:
3. Committee members parachuting from an airplane?: DIVING BOARD. Or BOARD members tanking their company. #Enron

9. Feathers during a no-holds-barred pillow fight?: DROPPING DOWN. Did you know there are no-holds-barred pillow fights?
//I learned about it from Ronny Chieng three weeks ago [The Daily Show]

21. Church steeple in hurricane-strength winds?: TIPPING POINT. Also a book by Malcom Gladwell.

27. Ball carrier on a wet football field?: FALLING BACK. The end of Daylight Saving Time. I think this is also a reference to football.

Football Positions - there's at least 3 BACKS on the offense.

Across:
1. Realm surrounded by the Styx: HADES. Styx is the mythical river between ours and the underworld. Being dipped in it will protect you. Just be sure to dip your son's Achilles heal in too.

Thetis dipping Achilles in the River Styx

Styx was also a popular band so the realm coulda been an 'arena'.

Styx - Renegade

6. Didn't release: HELD. Styx released Renegade in '78. I bought the album Pieces of Eight.

10. Preliminary race: HEAT. Royals would warm their steeds on the track before the final race. Now preliminary races are called heats. [cite]

14. Serving a purpose: UTILE. Useful.

15. Gulf States ruler: EMIR. A crossword staple.

16. Pennsylvania city on I-90: ERIE. ibid.

17. Piercing site: NAVEL. Ouch!

18. Plot-heavy work: MELODRAMA. Nothing mellow about it; just all drama.

20. Table protector: TRIVET. Protects your table or countertop from hot dishes.

Pretty

22. Swift: RAPID. Who else was thinking Jonathan the satirist first?   Misty?

23. Moral lapse: SIN. You throw the first stone.

24. Trivial thing: NIT. Sometimes they're picked here at The Corner.

26. Audit firm exec: CPA. Certified Public Accountant. I waited on perps to make sure it wasn't CFO (Chief Financial Officer).

27. Non-magical source of invisibility: FOG. Cute.

30. Sales meeting diagrams: GRAPHS. #DeathByPowerPoint.

33. Enter en masse: INVADE.

35. Udon kin: SOBA. The difference between udon & soba.  //The TL;DR - wheat flour (udon) v. buckwheat (soba).

37. "To __ it mildly": PUT. The harsh truth - GLOSSY'd over.

38. Affix with a hammer: NAIL IN. If your only tool is a hammer, every job is a nail.

Pete Seeger

39. MBA field: ECON. Master of Business Administration and Economics.

40. Choosing from a lineup: ID'ING. I'm not sure how to punctuate ID'ING. It's IDentifying the perpetrator from a lineup. A Dragnet staple.
 

Jack Webb & Harry Morgan

42. Fail to enunciate: SLUR. Elide is a letter to long.

43. Make tidy: NEATEN. Hide the mess; I hear Mom!.

45. Curtain holder: ROD. Yep.

46. News magazine since 1923: TIME. It's TIME they stopped Person of the Year, no?

47. Loose garment: SARONG.

Sarong

48. The 1973 Mets' "Ya Gotta Believe!," e.g.: SLOGAN. With Willie Mays, Tom Seaver, Rusty Staub, Cleon Jones, et.al. managed by Yogi, "Ya Gotta Believe." They lost the World Series to Oakland's A's.

50. Finish: END. Sorry readers, I'm not even close.

51. Tailless simian: APE. I waited on the perps 'cuz I was thinkin' "man."

53. Leatherwork tool: AWL.  I call mine a pokie-tool.

Awww, these are real nice.

54. Controversial agribusiness letters: GMO. Genetically Modified Organism. While some folks are afraid of 'Franken Foods,' science feeds the world.

57. Treat with disdain: SCORN. Like some folks at me after my above comment? ;-)

59. "I've seen worse": NOT BAD. "I've had worse." [Monty Python - The Black Knight (@3:10)]

61. Words from the weary: I'M SO TIRED. Me on Friday afternoons.

65. Play group reminder: SHARE. #Mine!

From Finding Nemo

66. Midday: NOON.

67. "You've Got Mail" director Ephron: NORA.

Trailer

68. Political leader?: SOCIO. Prefix for 'political.' Sociopolitical is combination of of social and political factors.

69. Agrees quietly: NODS. Smile & Wave boys... Smile & wave.

From DreamWorks' Madagascar

70. Took steps: TROD. Cute.

71. Whitehorse's territory: YUKON. Whitehorse is the largest city in the Canada's Yukon Territory.

Down:
1. Looks (for): HUNTS.

2. Classic arcade name: ATARI. So much misspent-youth INSERTing COINS. APM's How I Built This: From Pong to Chuck E. Cheese. [47m]

3. [See: theme]

4. Alt.: ELEV. ALTitude / ELEVation.

5. Gomez of "Only Murders in the Building": SELENA. If you have Hulu, this show is a must-see.

6. Garment edge: HEM.

7. Like a retired prof.: EMER. Emeritus. Like Misty & OMK.

8. Amethyst hue: LILAC. A sweet lady on my paper route had lilac bushes. The smell of those in the Spring -- sugar in your nose.

9. [See: theme]

10. Bunch of buffalo: HERD. I heard that.

11. Pitching stat: ERA. Earned Run Average. This is the number of runs scored against a pitcher per nine innings pitched. i.e (9 x earned runs)/innings pitched. A good pitcher has an ERA below 3. An Ace's ERA is typically less than 2. #Baseball!

12. Objective: AIM. Pitchers AIM for the strike-zone; batters AIM for the fences.

13. Leaves in a bag: TEA. DAB didn't fool me but for 7 seconds.

19. "Outlander" series novelist Gabaldon: DIANA. Perps for the win.

21. [See: theme]

25. Impact sound: THUD. Who can't think of Wile E. Coyote here?

via GIPHY

27. [See: theme]

28. Intense dislike: ODIUM. ? Odium (n.) general or widespread hatred or disgust directed at someone as a result of their actions. Oh, OK.

29. Britcom or bromance: GENRE. British Comedies and (male) buddys who are close.

31. Wound up costing: RAN TO. Add the window-etching, under-body rust protection, extended-warranty...

32. Arouses: STIRS.

34. Panoramic view: VISTA. The views around Cinque Terre blew me away.

35. Intuit: SENSE. I feel this clue/answer has something going for it.

36. Setting for much of "Aquaman": OCEAN. He's a fishORman, right?
//Eat your heart out, Ray-O :-)

41. The Big Easy, for short: NOLA. A CSO to "you know who" and one of the best places in America to visit. The Bourbon Orleans hotel is *chef's kiss*.

44. Put on the books: ENACT. Oh, not a loss or gain | red nor black ink, but a law. As if we needed another...

49. Shiny print: GLOSSY. Arlo ran into problems with the 27 8x10 color GLOSSY prints with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one.
For being a litterbug.
Eventually, he was on the Group "W" bench. [See: Alice's Restaurant]

52. Mistake: ERROR. C.C.'s for letting me blog another crossword puzzle :-)
//Love to you, C.C. & Boomer.

55. NHL great Lemieux: MARIO. Thank you perps. Read more at Wikipedia.

56. Ancient Greek theater: ODEON. We disdain these 'cuz... Oh, not ODIUM. #Untie!

57. "I Will Wait" band Mumford & __: SONS.

58. Fictional Wolfe: NERO. I've never read the books but the TV show on A&E was good.

60. Second person of old: THOU. Thy was too short.

61. Travel guide listing: INN. One year, for our anniversary, we went leaf-peeping in VT. DW always finds the best places to stay.

The INN at Round Barn Farm

62. Dairy farm noise: MOO. On that same trip, we hit Ben & Jerry's dairy and creamery. They have real cows at the factory! But, the cows were lowing.

63. Landscaping layer: SOD. Also, derogatory UK slang.

64. Pops: DAD. Pop is my 2nd-best friend. DW is #1.

The Grid

My Recap:
WO: ODEOm
ESP: ODIUM
Fav: Hard to pick one. It was just a peach to break DOWN the puzzle for y'all.

Now it's your turn to do the same.

Cheers, -T

Wednesday, August 24, 2022 David Alfred Bywaters

Theme:  Double or NO thing.  Each theme answer is a unique phrase that you might never see anywhere else; and it contains a duplicated word.  But you have to surgically remove a certain letter combination: that NO thing, in order to see it.  Let's start with the unifier.

69 A. "Find another way out" sign and a feature of four answers in this puzzle: NO EXIT.  The type of wording you might see over an entrance-only doorway.  And here it indicates that the "NO" letter combo must be excised from the answer.

20 A. Teatime treat topped with shaved ice?: SNO-CONE SCONE.  This is a frosty treat you're not liable to find any time soon.  But it might be good.  Let me know.  Maybe have two, for a SCONE SCONE

33 A. Feature of King Arthur's court?: NOTABLE TABLE.  The notable thing about King Arthur's table was that it was round.  So nobody was seated at the head nor the foot; and all were equal.  So anyone at the TABLE could TABLE the discussion.

41 A. Gaggle native to northern Italy?: GENOESE GEESE.  Genoa is the northern-most city on the western shore of the Italian peninsula.  Do GEESE there mate for life?  Maybe I'm thinking of swans.  Anyway, you get a pair of gaggles here.  And maybe a giggle or two.

54 A. Trainee's bad habits?: NOVICES' VICES.  A NOVICE is a person new to or inexperienced in a field or situation.  I've been playing the trombone for decades and, sadly, still have bad habits.  Perhaps the novice can overcome hers.  Or she might double down and Get caught in the VICE'S Jaws.

Hi, gang. JazzBumpa, your humble blogger for the day, is in awe of this theme.  It combines the duplicated word idea with the removable syllable technique, with a resulting variable degree of silliness.  I can't imagine how David found these examples.  Seriously -- Wow!

Let's move on and see what else is notable.

Across:

1. State with conviction: ASSERT.  AVER and AVOW are both too short.

7. Adventurous: BOLD.  Willing to take risks and do new things.

11. Hit the slopes: SKI.  Slide down a hill side on wooden slats attached to your feet.  I tried this once. The slope hit back.

14. Less abundant: SPARER.  A condition of having no excess.  Not sure there can be degrees of spareness.  A comparative based on a root ending in -R always seems awkward.

15. Purple berry from Brazilian palms: ACAI.  The açaí palm, Euterpe oleracea, is a species of palm tree cultivated for its fruit, hearts of palm, leaves, and trunk wood. Global demand for the fruit has expanded rapidly in the 21st century, and the tree is cultivated for that purpose primarily.

16. Midmorning hour: TEN.  That's when I like to be on the treadmill; though the word "like" is used rather ironically here.

17. State that's an archipelago: HAWAII.  Located about 2000 miles from the U.S. mainland, the Hawaiian archipelago contains 137 volcanic islands spanning 1,500 miles. 

18. Went on and on: YAMMERED.  Yadda, yada, yada . . .

22. Bistro: CAFE.  A small restaurant.

25. Spanish article: UNA.  Meaning "one," or the English article "a."

26. Wind quintet wind: OBOE.  A woodwind instrument with a double-reed mouthpiece, a slender tubular body, and holes stopped by keys.  Can also be used as a drumstick -- at least once.

27. Pub order: ALE.  Bottoms up.

28. Played the part of: ACTED AS.  Either in a play, or some real life situation.

32. Put a stop to: END.  Make it quit.

36. Buffet fuel: STERNO.  Flammable hydrocarbon jelly supplied in cans for use as fuel for cooking stoves or chafing dishes.

37. Farfalle shape: BOWTIE.  Small pieces of pasta shaped like bows or butterflies' wings.

45. Augment with superfluous verbiage: PAD.  Lengthen a speech, piece of writing, etc. with unnecessary material.  Hence the admonition to write tight.

48. Runs again: REPLAYS.  As a TV program or sports highlight.

49. "It's __ good": ALL.  Phrase used to express a sense of general approval, despite a perceived slight, sometimes used ironically.

50. Biblical land west of Nod: EDEN.   EDEN is the biblical earthly paradise inhabited by the first created man and woman, Adam and Eve, prior to their expulsion for disobeying the commandments of God.  After killing his brother, Cain was exiled to the land of Nod.  "Nod" (נוד‎) is the Hebrew root of the verb "to wander" (לנדוד‎). Therefore, to dwell in the land of Nod can mean to live a wandering life. Perhaps this suggests that Cain would not know peace.

52. Part of t.i.d., on an Rx: TER.  Three.  T.I. D. is short for ter in die. three times a day.

53. Lover of Aphrodite: ARES.  It's complicated.  Aphrodite was the wife of Hephaestus.  It did not go well.

59. Microscope blobs: PROTOZOA. An informal term for a group of single-celled eukaryotes, either free-living or parasitic, that feed on organic matter such as other microorganisms or organic tissues and debris.

60. Excuses: ALIBIS.  An ALIBI is a claim or piece of evidence that one was elsewhere when an act, typically a criminal one, is alleged to have taken place.  An excuse is an attempt to lessen the blame attaching to (a fault or offense); seek to defend or justify.  These are not even close equivalents.

64. Folk singer DiFranco: ANI.  Angela Maria "Ani" DiFranco (b. 1970) is an American singer-songwriter. She has released more than 20 albums. DiFranco's music has been classified as folk rock and alternative rock, although it has additional influences from punk, funk, hip hop and jazz. She has released all her albums on her own record label, Righteous Babe.

65. Champagne designation: BRUT.  The word Brut is French for “dry” which means that Brut Champagne is a dry, sparkling wine. 

66. "That's it for me!": I'M DONE.  Can be literal, meaning some task is finished, or as an expression of  anger or exasperation. 

67. Drug in Michael Pollan's "How to Change Your Mind": LSD.  A synthetic crystalline compound,  Lysergic Acid Diethyl amide, that is a potent hallucinogenic drug.

68. Feed adequately: SATE.  Satisfy (a desire or an appetite) to the full.

Down:

1. Tennis star Barty who announced her retirement in 2022, familiarly: ASH.   Ashleigh Barty (b. 1996) is an Australian retired professional tennis player and cricketer. She was the second Australian tennis player to be ranked No. 1 in the world in singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) after fellow Aboriginal Australian Evonne Goolagong Cawley, holding the ranking for 121 weeks overall. 

2. Day __: SPA.   A business that provides a variety of services for the purpose of improving health, beauty, and relaxation through personal care treatments.

3. Adage: SAW.  A proverb or short statement expressing a general truth.

4. Wipe out: ERASE.  Remove or eliminate.

5. Halter attachment: REIN.  A long, narrow strap attached at one end to a horse's bit, typically used in pairs to guide or check a horse while riding or driving.

6. Half a sextet: TRIO.  A group of three individuals engaged in a collective activity.

7. Rifle attachment: BAYONET.  A blade that may be fixed to the muzzle of a rifle and used to stab an opponent in hand-to-hand fighting.

8. Anthem with the line "The True North strong and free": O CANADA.   A genuinely great anthem.

  

 9. Fabric with metallic threads: LAMÉ.  Fabric with interwoven gold or silver threads.

10. Turns down: DIMS.  As, frex., a lamp.

11. Flashing light: STROBE.   A type of specialized lamp that produces a continuous series of short, bright flashes of light.

12. Heavily into: KEEN ON.  Very enthusiastic or excited about. 

13. "No doubt": INDEED.   Used to emphasize a statement or response confirming something already suggested.

19. Prefix with friendly: ECO-.    Not harmful to the environment.

21. Adorable: CUTE.   Attractive in a pretty or endearing way.

22. Some recyclables: CANS.  Along with bottles and paper.

23. Much: A LOT.   An indefinite large quantity

24. Big party: FETE.   A celebration or festival.

28. Doubleday incorrectly credited with inventing baseball: ABNER.  Abner Doubleday (1819 – 1893) was a career United States Army officer and Union major general in the American Civil War. He fired the first shot in defense of Fort Sumter, the opening battle of the war, and had a pivotal role in the early fighting at the Battle of Gettysburg.  In San Francisco, after the war, he obtained a patent on the cable car railway that still runs there.   In 1908, 15 years after his death, Doubleday was declared by the Mills Commission to have invented the game of baseball (a claim never made by Doubleday during his lifetime). This claim has been thoroughly debunked by baseball historians.

29. Knockoff: CLONE.    A product that is very similar to another one that it was copied from.

30. Westminster landmark: ABBEY.   Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is a large, mainly Gothic abbey church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United Kingdom's most notable religious buildings and the traditional place of coronation and a burial site for English and, later, British monarchs.   Construction of the present church began in 1245 on the orders of King Henry III.

31. Tedious journeys: SLOGS.   A spell of difficult, tiring work or travelling.

34. Bol. neighbor: ARG.  South American countries Bolivia and Argentina.

35. Short-horned bighorn: EWE.  The female of any ovine species.

38. Hot streak: TEAR.  Having great success over a period of time 

39. Land in the water: ISLE.  Not making a splash [a verb], but instead, a part of the earth's surface [a noun] extended above the surface of a body of water.

40. Slithery fish: EELS.  A snake-like fish with a slender elongated body and poorly developed fins, proverbial for its slipperiness.

42. Chooses not to participate: OPTS OUT.  Just so.

43. Raise: ELEVATE.  Move to a higher level, either literally or figuratively.

44. South Asian garb: SARI.   A garment consisting of a length of cotton or silk elaborately draped around the body, traditionally worn by women from South Asia.

Instruction on how to do it

45. Epistolary friend: PEN PAL.   A person with whom one becomes friendly by exchanging letters, especially someone in a foreign country whom one has never met.

46. Festoons: ADORNS.  Decorates.

47. Without, with "of": DEVOID.  Entirely lacking or free from.

51. Minor issue: NIT.   A small imperfection or a minor glitch in a system or piece of software.

53. Out of the way: ASIDE.  Literal.

55. Picnic discards: COBS.  From ears of corn.

56. "The Snowy Day" Caldecott winner __ Jack Keats: EZRA.  Ezra Jack Keats (né Jacob Ezra Katz; 1916 – 1983) was an American writer and illustrator of children's books. He won the 1963 Caldecott Medal for illustrating The Snowy Day, which he also wrote. 

57. Adam's eldest: CAIN.  In Genesis, Cain was the first human offspring.  He murdered his younger brother, Abel.  Cf also 50 A.

58. Red Muppet with a pet goldfish named Dorothy: ELMO.

61. Amazon.com delivery: BOX.  A container full of stuff, used for transporting said stuff.

62. Suffix on some pasta names: -INI.  As in rotini, linguini, etc.

63. Good to go: SET.  Prepared to do something.

That wraps up another Wednesday.  Let's get set for whatever the next adventure might be.

Cool regards!

JzB

Sunday May 29, 2022 David Alfred Bywaters

Theme: "Day Trading" - The first letters of each paired theme entries are swapped.

23. First the chardonnay, then the merlot, then the cabernet?: TASTER PLAN. Master plan.

25. Invisible walls?: MIME LIMITS. Time limits. Monday/Tuesday trade.

54. Inept caner's resource?: WICKER TAPE. Ticker tape.

57. Meteorology lectures?: TALKS ON AIR. Talks on air. Tuesday & Wednesday trade.

91. Bungalow owner's challenge to a roofer?: THATCH THIS. Watch this.

95. Makes doubly sure everyone's in on the joke?: WINKS TWICE. Thinks twice. Wednesday and Thursday trade.

124. Appreciative sound from the alumni luxury box?: FUNDER CLAP. Thunder clap.

128. Water cooler?: THIRST BASE. First base. Thursday & Friday trade.

Today we have eight 10-letter theme entries. Two of them are placed in the same row so the theme is better displayed. The starting letters are traded orderly, from Monday to Friday. So elegantly done!

David also took advantage of the light themeage and gave us a very clean grid.

Across:

1. Prepare for parking or driving: PAVE.

5. Stared open-mouthed: GAPED. Amazing what Michelob Ultra did for this beer guy. I thought of our Gary and Big Easy.

10. Liabilities: DEBTS.

15. Did laps: SWAM.

19. Mountain goat: IBEX. Look at his curly horns.

20. Not out of contention yet: ALIVE.

21. Word for a lei-person?: ALOHA. Ha ha.

22. "Hmm ... I doubt that": UH NO.

27. Be there for: ATTEND.

28. Sandler of "Uncut Gems": ADAM.

30. Brewpub pour: BEER. Free beer for that Michelob Ultra Guy.

31. Ran across: MET.

32. Mystical gathering: SEANCE. Also French for "session".

33. Felt hats: FEDORAS.

36. Has a good cry: SOBS.

38. Vocal quality: TONE.

40. Land: ALIGHT.

42. Imitate a horse: NEIGH.

45. Place for a deep-tissue massage: SPA. I tried a neck massager a while ago. Even the lightest setting is too strong for me.

48. Hands out cards: DEALS.

51. Unwrapped with enthusiasm: TORE AT.

53. Land parcel: ACRE.

59. Voting no: ANTI.

60. Fleet parts: SHIPS.

62. Have followers: LEAD.

63. British co.: LTD. And 70. WSJ headline topic: IPO.

64. Fair shelters: BOOTHS.

67. Cookbook offering: RECIPE.

71. Watches on Hulu, say: STREAMS.

73. Like farmers' market veggies: LOCAL. Ours opens at July 6th this year. Thanks to the Hmong farmers, I'm able to enjoy purple yams every fall.

74. River through Reno: TRUCKEE.

79. __ and vigor: VIM.

80. Intervene: STEP IN.

82. Quick post office run, say: ERRAND.

83. Subj. for a non-native speaker: ESL.

86. Ear-related: OTIC.

88. "Time is money" or "money is power": MAXIM.

90. Greek Cupid: EROS.

98. World Baseball Classic team: CUBA. See more here.

99. Came off as: SEEMED.

101. Chopper blade: ROTOR.

102. Org. followed by "puckheads": NHL. Guessable.

103. Outkast hit single: HEY YA.

105. Touch-screen gestures: SWIPES.

107. Puts into words: SAYS.

109. CrossFit sets: REPS.

111. Embassy employee: ATTACHE.

114. Snap, crackle, and pop: NOISES.

118. Sashimi choice: AHI. Been ages since I had sashimi.

120. Ticket remnant: STUB.

122. Revived villain in Domino's ads, with "the": NOID. Is this gimme for you?

123. Food critic Hines whose name is on cake mixes: DUNCAN.

130. Midrange voice: ALTO.

131. Wide-awake: ALERT.

132. Chocolate source: CACAO. I saw mole sauce at Aldi. Never tried it.

133. Region: AREA.

134. Cheers: RAHS.

135. Lasagna staple: PASTA.

136. Part of a protected URL: HTTPS. Like our blog.

137. Office surface: DESK.

Down:

1. Fillable flatbreads: PITAS. Pink turnip slices. Pickled together with beets.

 

2. Taper off: ABATE.

3. Roman goddess of the hearth: VESTA.

4. Range: EXTENT.

5. Person who makes beds?: GARDENER. Garden bed.

6. European mountain: ALP.

7. Rice dish: PILAF.

8. Get around: EVADE.

9. "Gracias" response: DE NADA.

10. Beaver creation: DAM.

11. Pharmaceutical giant __ Lilly: ELI.

12. 2019 film starring Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly: BOMBSHELL.

13. "Good News" rapper Megan __ Stallion: THEE.

14. BOGO events: SALES.

15. Dim __: SUM. Har gow (shrimp dumplings) are my favorites.

16. Amusingly capricious: WHIMSICAL. Lovely entry.

17. Upfront stake: ANTE.

18. More than half: MOST.

24. Provide privacy protection, in a way: ENCODE.

26. Remove wrinkles from: IRON.

29. Slip some skin: MOLT.

34. Laugh-a-minute sort: RIOT.

35. Taj Mahal site: AGRA.

37. "The Martian" actor Sean: BEAN. Also in "Game of Thrones".

39. Has for lunch: EATS.

41. "Here!": TAKE IT.

43. Determination: GRIT.

44. Do the impossible with cats, proverbially: HERD.

45. DNA lab items: SWABS.

46. Wine grape: PINOT.

47. One in a cast: ACTOR.

49. Cowardly Lion portrayer: LAHR (Bert)

50. Pitches to customers: SPIELS.

52. Term with a check mark on an airport sign: TSA PRE.

55. Beach toy for a windy day: KITE.

56. Florida theme park with a geodesic dome: EPCOT.

58. Poorly ventilated theatre phenomenon: ODOUR. Noticed the "theatre" spelling.

61. Command to an attack dog: SIC EM.

65. Utter chaos: HAVOC.

66. Metalworkers: SMITHS.

68. Green-skinned tropical fruit: PAPAW. Never had it. Looks like a papaya.

69. Cure-all mixture: ELIXIR.

72. Wallops, quaintly: SMITES.

75. All hands on deck: CREW.

76. "Pieces of Her" novelist Slaughter: KARIN.

77. "How to Get Away With Murder" actor Alfred __: ENOCH. Unknown to me. Wikipedia says he's a British-Brazilian actor.

78. Unsuccessful Ford model: EDSEL.

81. Spanish boy: NINO.

83. Mark for good: ETCH.

84. Actress Elisabeth: SHUE.

85. Maze: LABYRINTH.

87. Pills for pets, often: CHEWABLES.

89. NYSE, NASDAQ, etc.: MKTS.

92. Diggs of "Empire": TAYE. He's Winston in "How Stella Got Her Groove Back".

93. "There's no one else": I'M IT.

94. Labor Day mo.: SEPT.

96. Scoundrels: SO AND SOS.

97. Experiment with: TRY OUT. Picard, I love all kinds of persimmons, esp these dried ones with white powder on. They're specialties of my hometown Xi'an. So pricey on Amazon.

100. Academic VIP: DEAN.

104. Cathedral alcove: APSE.

106. Single-malt pour: SCOTCH. How I miss Argyle!

108. Storied sailor: SINBAD. Sinbad the Sailor from Baghdad.

110. Backpack holder: STRAP. You won't believe the amount of stuff in my backpack.

112. Drum kit cymbals: HI-HAT.

113. Official mandate: EDICT.

115. Induce fear in: SCARE.

116. Makes less harsh: EASES. Boomer has been taking Tylenol for pain control the past few days. Alas, it can't compare to Oxycodone, which is not allowed due to the impending surgery.

117. Be sly: SNEAK.

118. Way off: AFAR.

119. Polynesian dance: HULA.

121. Golden St. campus: UCLA.

125. Haircuts: DOS.

126. Fine print, e.g.: ART.

127. Sch. group: PTA.

129. Flo Milli's music genre: RAP.

 

We've been through one more round of prep the past few days. Two more showers and two 10-minute surgical scrubs tomorrow, then we'll be ready for Boomer's re-scheduled surgery on Tuesday morning (May 31) at the VA hospital in Minneapolis. Been a painful delay. We're eager to get this in our rear-view mirror.

C.C.

Monday May 9, 2022 David Alfred Bywaters

Theme: More to Follow - Last word, a synonym of "follower",  dupes the starting part of the first word. 

17. All-you-can-eat restaurant regular?: BUFFET BUFF.

28. Cemetery connoisseur?: HEADSTONE HEAD.

41. Obsessive Christmas-season ballet attendee?: NUTCRACKER NUT.

54. Trumpet flourish aficionado?: FANFARE FAN.

Boomer here again.  

I admit to being a BUFFET BUFF.  It's my second favorite activity in Las Vegas. (Of course the first would be the craps game).  C. C. and I have not been out there for over two years.  COVID sort of shut down the Graybar retirees reunion.

Across:

1. Got out of bed: AROSE. By any other name still smells the same, unless his name is Pete. 

 

 

6. "I double-dog __ you!": DARE.  To be great!

10. Inventor's need: IDEA. Alexander Bell invented a telephone and arrived at the patent office minutes before Elisha Gray. But, I wonder whom he called?

14. Off-the-wall: LOOPY.

15. Ill-fated biblical brother: ABEL.

16. Front page material: NEWS.  I read in the NEWS she buys booze by the vat.  What kind of life is that?

19. Discovery Channel's "Shark __": WEEK.

20. Water and Wall in NYC: STS.  Never thought much about abbreviations in crosswords.

21. Sunset locale: WEST.  Most of America is either west or east of the Mississippi.  C.C. and I are actually south of it.

22. Bit of advice: TIP.  Bit of pocket change.

23. Urge: YEN.  Still thinking of Las Vegas.

24. "I like it!": SUITS ME.

31. Asparagus unit: SPEAR.  Eat your green veggies.

33. IOUs: CHITS.

34. Software-made FX: CGI.

35. Late-night TV pioneer Jack: PAAR.  I never stayed up late enough to watch.

36. Capital city near the Sphinx: CAIRO.

37. __-a-brac: BRIC.

38. Earth Day mo.: APR.  Easter and Spring, normally.

39. Carried: BORNE.

40. Campaign poster imperative: ELECT.  Lots of voting is coming soon to a booth near you.

44. Fill to the brim: SATIATE.  And I have a large coffee cup.

45. The "A" of IPA: ALE.  I prefer Canada Dry.  It's not too sweet.

46. Elev.: HGT.

47. Epic story: SAGA.

49. In the past: AGO.  I can still remember how the music used to make me smile.  American Pie.

52. Greek queen of heaven: HERA.

57. Baking soda target: ODOR.  Orioles second baseman.

58. Deceitful sort: LIAR.  Pants on fire.

59. "Monty Python and the Holy __": GRAIL.

60. Taverns: PUBS.

61. Former constellation named for a mythological ship: ARGO.  Corn starch also.

62. Before the deadline: EARLY. We get up EARLY. Our paper usually arrives around 4:00 AM.  The L.A. Times has the largest circulation west of the Mississippi.  Our Minneapolis Star Tribune comes in second however.

Down:

1. Priestly robes: ALBS.  I do not see them wearing them anymore.

2. Embarrassing loss: ROUT.  Twins at Baltimore last Wednesday.

3. Punch-in-the-gut reactions: OOFS.

4. Sunscreen letters: SPF.

5. Glasses, monocles, etc.: EYEWEAR.  I only need mine to read.

6. Applies gently: DABS.

7. Be next to: ABUT.  Look behind you.

8. NFL arbiter: REF.

9. Will Ferrell Christmas film: ELF.

10. A crony of: IN WITH. The IN CROWD. 

11. Closely held confidence: DEEP SECRET.

12. Lamb nurser: EWE.

13. "That's a pretty big __": ASK.  And you shall receive.

18. Be inclined (to): TEND.

22. Bolos and ascots: TIES. I never wore either

23. 52 19-Acrosses: YEAR. 52 weeks.  In China, 2022 is the YEAR of the Tiger.  Not Detroit baseball nor Mr. Woods.

24. Evening party: SOIREE.

25. "Do __ others ... ": UNTO.  And they might do you back.

26. Marie Kondo's "The Life-Changing __ of Tidying Up": MAGIC.

27. Official order: EDICT.

28. Hunk on a magazine cover, e.g.: HEARTTHROB.  I never had one on Sports Illustrated.

29. Hard to find: SCARCE.  An Albert Pujols rookie card.

30. Rack one's brains: THINK.  I am convinced that a brain needs racking to finish a crossword.

31. Extends across: SPANS.  We have walked many times across the Mississippi.  Our northern bridge SPANS about a quarter mile.

32. __ New Guinea: PAPUA.

36. Dredge in flour before cooking, e.g.: COAT.  Chicken drumsticks work well.

37. Cookie Monster's color: BLUE.

39. Ill-behaved child: BRAT.

40. Make bigger: ENLARGE.  Portfolios were not ENLARGED last week.

42. Stogies: CIGARS.  Not bad, as long as you do not light 'em up!

43. Anoushka Shankar's music genre: RAGA.

47. Minor impediment: SNAG.  Bad news while fishing.

48. Frequent hairstyle for Diana Ross and Tracee Ellis Ross: AFRO.  I could never make my hair do this.  Now I don't have much hair left.

49. Off in the distance: AFAR.

50. "Wonder Woman" comic book writer Simone: GAIL.

51. Mere: ONLY.

52. Imitate a bunny: HOP.  House of Pancakes.

53. Academic address ending: EDU.

54. Ga. neighbor: FLA.  Played golf and visited Disney once in the 80s.  Fun vacation.

55. Balloon filler: AIR.

56. Stat for a pitcher: ERA.  Over 4.00 is not too good.

Boomer

 

Sunday April 3, 2022 David Alfred Bywaters

Theme: - "Coming to Terms" - COM is added to each familiar phrase.

23A. Grill a bit too long?: COMBUST ONE'S CHOPS. Bust one's chops.
 

39A. "No Time for Sergeants," e.g.?: NONCOM FICTION. Non-fiction.
 

57A. Palatial mansion navigation need?: HALL COMPASS. Hall pass.

 

69A. TV series with funny animals?: PET SITCOM. Pet sit.
 

79A. Fresh food fight?: FRUIT COMBAT. Fruit bat.
 

93A. Endorse certain property barriers?: COMMEND FENCES. Mend fences.

114A. Immortal confection?: COMFIT FOR THE GODS. Fit for the gods.

Some avid solvers might have guessed the letter addition gimmick after seeing David's byline. He has a distinctive style and he is brilliant in wordplay. Such a creative brain.

If you want to solve more puzzles, go to his website. He publishes a new puzzles every Saturday.

Across:

1. Well-trodden ways: PATHS.

6. Fountain favorite: MALTED.

12. Encountered: MET.

15. Darns, say: SEWS. 20. Go too far: OVERDO. I learned how to alter the waist size last year. But I overdid it. Boomer was so uncomfortable in the new shorts. 

 

19. In the area of: ABOUT. 26. 19-Across, on a memo: IN RE.

21. The Pac-12's Sun Devils: Abbr.: ASU.

22. Fall lead-in?: PRAT. Pratfall.

27. Title TV role for Sandra Oh: EVE. "Killing Eve".

28. Comme une jeune fille: PETITE. Like a young girl. 112. Miembro de la familia: TIO. All in.

29. Sound from a snorter: OINK.

30. Stairway alternative: RAMP.

31. Oppressive ruler: DESPOT.

33. Won't let go: DETAINS.

36. __ bean: PINTO. Do you like bean burritos?

37. Estimate words: OR SO.

42. Venomous slitherers: ASPS.

45. Text letters often in blue: URL.

47. Way more than drizzle: POUR. And 110. Saturate: DRENCH. We do need to fix our front bumper, fog light and a few other items. The quote just stunned us, even though TTP warned us before. Thankfully our car is still drivable. We'll need to stay dry though. Rain probably will rust the stuff inside.

48. Qtys.: AMTS.

49. One may be saved or taken: SEAT.

50. Stew veggies: PEAS.

52. Fishing nets: SEINES.

54. Tough H.S. tests: APS.

61. Old Norse poetic work: EDDA. Prose too.

62. Wild way to run: AMOK.

63. Dismiss contemptuously: SPURN.

64. Novel features: PLOTS.

66. Na+ or Cl-: ION.

67. "The Munsters" matriarch: LILY. There's a new film coming soon.

68. Sheltered from the sun: SHADY.

71. Host: EMCEE.

72. Make special mention of: NOTE.

73. Beer nickname: BUD.

74. Joan __: OF ARC.

75. Name on the "Robot" sci-fi series: ISAAC. Asimov.

76. Miner's finds: ORES.

77. Stuck in __: A RUT.

82. Go beyond dating: WED.

83. Neckwear accessory: TIE PIN.

85. Arid: SERE. Old regular.

86. Prefix with cumulus: ALTO.

87. Achy: SORE.

88. More than just comfortable: RICH. Shutout to our editor Rich Norris. Make sure you solve next Sunday's LAT. It's the last puzzle edited by Rich.

Rich and his wife Kim

91. Weaken: SAP.

92. Source of class struggle?: TEST. Nice clue.

98. Cut: PARE.

100. Opera highlights: ARIAS.

101. Commercial bigwigs: AD EXECS. Many ad agencies have moved their Asian Pacific HQs from Hong Kong to Shanghai.

103. Less verbose: TERSER.

107. Edges: RIMS.

108. Grooming style named for a continent: AFRO.

113. "Hunny" lover: POOH.

118. Besides that: ELSE.

119. Feel bad about: RUE.

120. Court errors: FAULTS.

121. Confused conflict: MELEE. Shanghai used to be a model for COVID control. Now it's a different story.

 

122. Oolong and pekoe: TEAS.

123. Boot a grounder, say: ERR.

124. Joint effort, briefly: COLLAB. Collaboration.

125. Visionaries: SEERS.

Down:

1. Measured, with "off": PACED.

2. Too good for: ABOVE.

3. Reference library array: TOMES. Here's our local library.

4. Wheel center: HUB.

5. Daze: STUPOR.

6. Apple juice eponym: MOTT.

7. Confront opposite: AVOID.

8. Far from festive: LENTEN.

9. Arboreal apex: TREETOP.

10. Harris and a horse: EDS. This clue make me chuck. Mr. Ed.

11. Happy companion?: DOC. The Seven Dwarfs.

12. 20th-century Chinese ideology: MAOISM. I just linked this last week. It says "Long Live Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought!" No idea why it's not called Maoism in China, always "Mao Zedong Thought".

13. "Around the Horn" channel: ESPN.

14. Elephant feature: TUSK.

15. Haunted house occupants, it's said: SPIRITS.

16. Titular Verdi bandit: ERNANI. We had this before.

17. Become fond of: WARM TO. 

18. Go faster, with "it": STEP ON.

24. Attacks: SETS UPON.

25. Award recipient: HONOREE.

32. Closing pieces: POSTLUDES.

34. Portuguese year: ANO. I only knew it's Spanish for "year". 

35. Post-op places: ICUS.

36. Chance-of-rain nos.: PCTS. Percentages.

38. Utah city that's an anagram of an Italian city: OREM. Rome.

40. Admirers, as a group: FANDOM.

41. "Let me clarify ... ": I MEAN.

42. Cigar end, in two senses: ASH. OK, in two senses.

43. Coast: SEASHORE.

44. Examined by touch: PALPATED.

46. Eagerly accepted, as compliments: LAPPED UP.

51. Shaker grains: SALT.

53. Foolish ways: IDIOCIES. Did not know it's plurable.

54. Friendly: AMICABLE.

55. Ferret relatives: POLECATS.

56. Largest of the Inner Hebrides: SKYE.

58. __ wolf: CRY.

59. Just fair: SO SO.

60. Word after scared or bored: STIFF. I'm just shaken when I'm scared.

62. Yale, for five U.S. presidents: ALMA MATER.

65. Big name: STAR.

68. Winter forecast: SNOW.

69. Mashed into a paste: PUREED.

70. French vineyards: CRUS.

71. "__ Beso": 1962 Anka hit: ESO.

73. Scot's tot: BAIRN.

75. Winter road hazard: ICE PATCH. So happy not to see it in our driveway now. 

 78. Done with, perhaps: TIRED OF.

80. Ensnare: TRAP.

81. Tyke on a trike: TOT.

83. One may stand on them to reach a high shelf: TOES. I have a step stool like this.

84. Prime time time: NINE.

87. Big hits: SMASHES.

89. Third-century date: CCX. 210. I'm 200.

90. Attentive: HEEDFUL.

93. "Arabian Nights" vehicle: CARPET.

94. Colorful songbird: ORIOLE.

95. Cocktail named for a plant: MIMOSA.

96. __ John: meat brand: FARMER.  Learning moment for me.

97. Book predecessor: SCROLL.

99. Fixes the edge of: RE-HEMS.

102. Sealy rival: SERTA.

104. Didn't take well?: STOLE.

105. Down source: EIDER.

106. Valentine's Day gift: ROSES.

108. Traditionally, amount of land plowable by one man in one day with a team of oxen: ACRE. Good to know this, thanks, David!

109. Common par: FOUR.

111. Govt. accident investigator: NTSB.

115. "Brockmire" network: IFC. Independent Film Channel.

116. Confucian path: TAO.

117. "I had no idea": GEE.

Last time I mentioned that Boomer responded very well to his first chemo, but his PSA shot up after the second chemo. Tomorrow we're going to VA Ramsey for one more blood draw to see if the third chemo worked. If his PSA goes down, he'll have his fourth chemo on April 14th. If not, we'll have more scans at the VA hospital in Minneapolis and Dr. Downs and his team will let us know the next steps.

Dr. Downs is retiring soon. He was just relocated to Houston a few months ago. We were surprised when he told us the news.

C.C.