Sunday May 18, 2025 Ed Sessa

Theme: "Work in Progress" - The last word of each common phrase has extra syllables added and becomes a profession.

26A. One minding everyone's p's and q's?: ALPHABET SUPERVISOR. Alphabet soup.

42A. Cruise ship physician?: FLOATING DOCTOR. Floating dock.

53A. Luncheonette worker?: COUNTER WAITER. Counterweight.

78A. Banker offering a penny for your thoughts?: MEMORY CASHIER. Memory cache.

89A. Artisan who specializes in life-size replicas of bison?: BUFFALO BUILDER. Buffalo Bill.

108A. Character in "Driving Miss Piggy"?: THE MUPPET CHAUFFEUR. The Muppet Show.

32D. One working with flower and dough?: BOTANY BAKER. Botany Bay.

42D. Couturier for Tinker Bell?: FAIRY TAILOR. Fairy tale.

This is not a simple *DRIVE then DRIVER transformation. All of them have spelling changes. Very creative. Hallmark of Ed's puzzles.

Loved the grid design also. I could picture the smile on Ed's face when he made four of the theme entries intersect.


Across:

1. Insurer with a fowl mascot: AFLAC.

6. LED screen alternative: LCD TV. 6. Unlike a 6-Across, say: LO-RES. Low resolution.

11. Fourth-yr. students: SRS.

14. Slice and dice, perhaps: PREP.

18. Stylish Geoffrey: BEENE.

19. Chicago hub: O'HARE.

20. Aim: GOAL.

21. Holiday lights spot: EAVE.

22. Trumpet sounds: BLATS.

23. Decor updates: RE-DOS.

24. Old school: ALMA MATER. We often just get ALMA. 

29. Most articles in The Onion: SATIRES.

30. Shaft on a unicycle: AXLE.

31. Place of rapid development: HOTBED.

35. Short, made shorter: LIL.

36. One of 30 in septiembre: DIA.

39. Pub order: PINT.

41. Aerial footage provider: DRONE.

46. British school since 1440: ETON. Rich Hong Kongese send their kids to Eton.

47. Bikini tops: BRAS.

49. Biblical prophet: HOSEA.

50. Hit the deck again?: RE-DEALT.

52. Palais figure: ROI.

58. "Magic 3" rapper: NAS.

59. Utterly destroyed: IN RUINS.

61. __-Dame de Paris: NOTRE.

62. Happy cry: YAY.

64. Ancient pyramid builders: MAYANS.

65. Hair product that creates a wet look: GEL. I had this hairstyle for a short period. Preferred mousse. 

68. Formerly named: NEE.

69. Tiny listening device: EARBUD.

72. Beginning of time?: TEE. Time.

73. Tri-tip, e.g.: STEAK.

75. Balaclava: SKI MASK.

76. Barnyard bleat: MAA.

83. Doll once sold with mustache and sideburn decals: KEN.

84. Jack Ma's company: ALI BABA. The middle guy is Jack Ma, who speaks fluent English. Ma disappeared from the public spotlight for a few years after criticizing China's financial system. Back now.

86. Name on a rap sheet: ALIAS. 114. Letters before an 86-Across: AKA.

87. Inventor/actress Lamarr: HEDY.

88. Most populous city in southwest Colombia: CALI.

95. Asteroids named for a Roman god: AMORS.

97. Covered in gold: GILT.

98. Subj. for some immigrants: ESL.

99. Browser address: URL. 13. Punctuation in a 99-Across: SLASH.

100. Passed in tedious fashion: WORE ON.

102. Upswing: BOOM.

104. Finger painting?: NAIL ART. 4. Digs for bugs?: ANTHILLS. Great clues.

113. Idylls: PASTORALS.

116. Accounts: TALES.

117. Info on a museum placard: TITLE.

118. Seller of Storå loft beds: IKEA.

119. High-chair feature: TRAY.

120. Put on a pedestal: EXALT.

121. Sea eagles: ERNES.

122. NL East team with a "curly W" logo: NATS.

123. Rte. displays: STS.

124. Charmingly silly: DIPPY.

125. Beloved ones: DEARS.

Down:

1. Arafat's successor: ABBAS.

2. Guy: FELLA.

3. Navigated furniture in a game of the floor is lava, say: LEAPT.

5. Viola's false identity in "Twelfth Night": CESARIO. Learning moment for me.

7. Guitarist Atkins known as the "Country Gentleman": CHET.

8. Root beer brand: DAD'S.

9. Pants, in slang: TROU.

10. Scooter whose name means "wasp" in Italian: VESPA. Fresh clue!

11. Out of debt: SOLVENT.

12. Oscar winner Malek: RAMI.

14. Orchard figure: PEAR TREE.

15. Rodent in some zodiacs: RAT. Chinese and Vietnamese.

16. Sistine Chapel figure: EVE.

17. "As __ my last email ... ": PER.

20. Pasta sauce staple: GARLIC.

25. Subjunctive, e.g.: MOOD.

27. Banjoist Fleck: BELA.

28. "Star Wars" Celebration, e.g.: EXPO.

33. Sherlock's sister: ENOLA.

34. Big dings: DENTS.

36. Singer Celine: DION. "Because You Loved Me" is so beautiful.

37. Pt. of RIT: INST.

38. Outfielder Tommie who was AL Rookie of the Year in 1966: AGEE.

40. Rich layer cake: TORTE.

43. Therefore: THUS.

44. Mend with yarn: DARN.

45. Food writer Drummond: REE. "The Pioneer Woman".

 47. Cup edge: BRIM.

48. Novelist Jaffe: RONA.

51. Desert feature: DRY AIR.

53. Washington venue?: CINEMA. Oh, Denzel Washington.

54. Add-__: extras: ONS.

55. Finished first: WON. And 56. Finished off: ATE.

57. Outrage: IRE.

60. Dubai's country, briefly: UAE.

63. Sleeve: ARM.

65. 1960s muscle car: GTO.

66. Eternally, in verse: EER.

67. "__ it on me": LAY.

69. Squeeze (out): EKE.

70. Took advantage of: USED.

71. Big Apple fashion label: DKNY.

73. Tolkien dragon: SMAUG.

74. Heat meas.: KCAL. Kilocalorie.

75. Spanish "Yes, yes!": SI SI.

76. Bright parrot: MACAW.

77. Site of an 1836 siege: ALAMO.

79. Tidal movement: EBB.

80. Sunscreen additive: ALOE.

81. Bart, Lisa, and Maggie, e.g.: SIBS.

82. Transport by semi: HAUL.

85. Caps worn during conclave: BIRETTAS.

87. Inferno of the damned: HELLFIRE.

90. Leg bones: FIBULAS.

91. Mopsy's sister: FLOPSY.

92. Perched upon: ATOP.

93. Affair with ti leaves: LUAU.

94. Stared off into space: DRIFTED.

96. London district near Oxford Circus: SOHO.

101. "Dagnabbit": NERTS.

103. Portioned (out): METED.

104. "So gross!": NASTY.

105. MetLife competitor: AETNA.

106. Tool that's made to measure: RULER.

107. Hair piece?: TRESS.

109. K or Wal finale: MART.

110. Cab: TAXI.

111. Give a hand: CLAP. And 112. Lend a hand: HELP.

113. Brooch: PIN.

115. Good to go: SET.

 

Going to have my first infusion on Tuesday. Keep me in your thoughts and prayers. Been feeling a bit anxious after having the phone call with the RA nurse last week. They'll keep me for extra 30 minutes for observation. Hopefully I don't have any of the side effects.

C.C.

Saturday March 1, 2025, Dr. Ed Sessa

 Saturday Themeless by Dr. Ed Sessa

What a fun puzzle by the good doctor. How cool is it that he has three horizontal and three vertical grid spanners? Wow! As you can see in the colored grid, those spanners were pretty unique. 

You might remember that Dr. Sessa had his house on Sanibel Island wiped out by Hurricane Ian in 2022. Since then he has moved back to the mainland and this is what he told me.

Hi Gary,

We live now in Fort Myers just east of I75 which is out of the flood zone from the Gulf and Caloosahatchee River. Returning north just proved too much of a major move at this point in our lives. Warm regards to everyone at Crossword Corner.

Ed and Penny

Across:

1. Part of an underground network: SEWER.

6. HQs for F-16s: AFBS - These are parked at a Turkish AFB

10. Miles off: AFAR.

14. Opt out of a traditional union: ELOPE 😀

15. Plant: MOLE - Klaus Fuchs was a MOLE for the USSR at Alamogordo, NM where the Manhattan Project was building the atom bomb.

16. Lone: SOLE.

17. Like a land baron: ACRED - Hmmm...

18. Former attorney general Holder: ERIC - This first black US Attorney General called himself Obama's "wingman".

19. Chi-town pub: TRIB - This pub means publication 

20. Comes on the scene: MAKES AN ENTRANCE - Chandler and Joey do just that (:07)

23. Unlikely donor: MISER - A famous one in literature.

Bah Humbug!

24. Device with a rotating handle: VISE. 😀

25. Cruet filler: OIL and perhaps vinegar

26. Storage container: BIN.

27. Word on a coeur de bonbon: AIME - My granddaughter's translation of the text below is, "I love you more than candy"

29. Punic tunics: TOGAS - Love the rhyme!

31. "Young Frankenstein" role: INGA - It's mandatory to include this scene

33. Vassal: SERF.

35. Yoko from Tokyo: ONO - Things were falling apart for The Beatles before she showed up but she accelerated it.

36. Parlor choice: DOUBLE SCOOP CONE - I first got the word DOUBLE and thought this was about a betting parlor but not so much. Butter brickle is my favorite. 

41. Chess, for one: PIE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

42. Pahlavi dynasty title: SHAH.

43. Cheese often served with pale ale: EDAM.

44. Ranchero rope: RIATA.

46. Designer Schiaparelli: ELSA - She and Salvador. Together they made the famous (to someone) Lobster Dress.

 

48. Road houses?: RVS 😀

49. Anthology series that begins with "Murder House," familiarly: AHS ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

50. Option in Hawaiian-style fried rice: SPAM - A pineapple, fried rice and SPAM. What says Hawaii more than this? 😀

53. London road of pop fame: ABBEY.

55. Workplace perk for pet owners: PAWTERNITY LEAVE - Some companies allow employees to get time off to adopt a pet or take one to the vet.

59. Concept: IDEA.

60. Danish shoe brand: ECCO.

61. Stand in front of an audience: EASEL 😀 Stand as a noun.

62. Citation abbr.: ET AL.

63. Herring kin: SHAD.

64. Coin collectors: SLOTS 😀

65. Learning method: ROTE - Sometimes it is good but sometimes...

66. Brought on board: SOLD - If you are SOLD on something you might be brought on board.

67. Like fans during a tight championship game: TENSE.

Down:

1. Clothes line: SEAM.

2. "Breaking Bad" epilogue: EL CAMINO - The sequence.

3. Toiling away: WORKING UP A SWEAT.

4. Pentathlon gear: EPEES.

5. Waters in the Great Rift Valley: RED SEA 

6. Devotional period?: AMEN The end of a printed prayer can be a period 😀

7. Pervasive environmental hazard: FOREVER CHEMICAL.

8. Smoked salmon accompaniers: BLINI.

9. Schism units: SECTS.

10. "Black Clover" action hero: ASTA - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  Nick and Nora's dog? Not so much...

11. Just because: FOR NO GOOD REASON.

12. Vikander of "Irma Vep": ALICIA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

13. Enemies of the Galactic Empire: REBELS.

21. Pop up: ARISE.

22. Pave over: RETOP.

26. Use a paddle, perhaps: BID - Yeah, I'm the only one who first put in ROW

28. MASH potatoes, etc.: MESS - M*A*S*H was where we had an army MESS that served mashedpotatoes 😀

30. As soon as: ONCE - Do it at ONCE!

32. Not too much: A BIT.

34. One with a stable upbringing: FOAL 😀

37. Rental agreement: LEASE.

38. "Y'know, I've been thinking ... ": OH SAY.

39. O'Hare and JFK, e.g.: NAVY VETS - Edward (Butch) O'Hare and JFK are two NAVY VETS who had major airports named after them

40. Pair in gin rummy?: EMS - Meta clue ruMMy

44. Slender sword: RAPIER.

45. "What other choices were there?": I HAD TO.

47. Most fit: ABLEST.

51. Clear clothes lines, in a way: PRESS 😀

52. Dried poblano: ANCHO - When a poblano pepper is dried, it becomes an ANCHO pepper

54. Memphis street of blues fame: BEALE - You'll find this statue of Elvis at 117 BEALE Street

56. Fish story: TALE - "You should'a seen the one that got away!"

57. Maiden name of an 1860s first lady: TODD.

Mary TODD Lincoln

58. "Or __ what?": ELSE.