Monday July 15th, 2019 Gary Larson

Theme: COLD FRONT (56A. Harbinger of lower temperatures, and a hint to the answers to starred clues)

16A. *Metaphorical tablet for the overly nervous: CHILL PILL.

37A. *Flattering deception: SNOW JOB.

10D. *2005 Disney figure-skating film: ICE PRINCESS.

 24D. *Stop-action effect: FREEZE FRAME.

Boomer here. 

Yes indeed a chilly theme. Reminds me of about 4 months of Minnesota weather.  We have two seasons in Minnesota - bowling season and golf season. Sometimes they overlap. However I want to send sympathy and good wishes to those in the gulf coast states who once again are ravaged by hurricanes and tropical storms. We may freeze here in the north, and have occasional tornadoes, but we are never ravaged by hurricanes or earthquakes.  Wishing the best to those down south.

Across:

1. Chums: PALS.  We have a baseball card shop in Andover MN named Pals.

5. Lacks the ability to: CAN'T. No spot for apostrophe in a crossword grid.

9. Not spicy, as wings: MILD.  The weather we are having up north right now.

13. On the Pacific: ASEA.

14. China's continent: ASIA.

15. Potato-prep kitchen tool: RICER.

18. Ancient Greek theater: ODEON.

19. Sailors' yeses: AYES.  I think you need two of these for one yes.

20. Trinidadian music genre: CALYPSO.

22. Batman's butler: ALFRED.  Played by Michael Gough.  His surname in the Batman shows was Pennyworth.

25. Buyer's opposite: SELLER.  We hear these two terms about now in the Major League baseball season as the trade deadline approaches. Teams at the top become "Buyers" from lower teams with star players who want to "Sell".

26. Fishing boat: DORY.

27. Actress Pinkett Smith: JADA.  I have enjoyed Will Smith movies.  I hope they are doing well.

28. Troubles: AILS.  Buy a boat and SAIL away what AILS you.

31. Trouble: WOE.

32. Sacred: HOLY.  "And the three Men I admire the most, the Father, Son, and HOLY Ghost, - They caught the last train for the coast, the day - the music … died.  (Don McClean, Miss American Pie.)

34. C.S. Lewis' fantasy world: NARNIA. - The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, Oh my!

36. Mimic: APE.

39. Disney collectible: CEL.  Okay but if it is a phone, don't use it while driving.

40. Do a city planner's job: RE-ZONE.

42. Farm cluckers: HENS.  Reminds me of my great uncle Bill's farm in Siren, Wisconsin.  He had crops but also had a building of hens.  Each one would lay about 20 eggs per month.

43. "Bambi" doe: ENA.  Doe, a deer, a female deer.  (Sound of Music)

44. Biblical garden site: EDEN.  The bible says it was a great place to live, except for that darn apple tree.  Many cities have adopted the name.  We have an Eden Prairie in Minnesota.  A nice place to visit, but we can't afford to live there.

45. Riyadh resident: ARAB.

47. Played for a sap: USED.  Interesting lot at most car dealers.

48. Influential moneybags: FAT CAT.  Most of these rich "Cats" are not really fat.

50. Tousles, as hair: MUSSES.

52. Old-fashioned, close-fitting undergarments: CORSETS.  When my back was under repair, I had to wear a hard plastic one.  Very uncomfortable.

54. Diamond Head's island: OAHU. Gesundheit!  Hawaiian God bless you.

55. Let up: ABATE.

61. Nero or Claudius: ROMAN.  First date rebuke.  No ROMAN hands or Russian fingers.

62. Running shoe brand: AVIA.

63. __ Lackawanna Railway: ERIE.  Silly me.  I thought it was a Great Lake.

64. Look intently (at): PEER.  I always thought Peer Gynt was a third base coach for the Boston Red Sox.  Turns out it was a play.

65. Come dramatically into view: LOOM.  Summer activities.  We would string loops onto a LOOM and make a potholder for Mom.

66. __ between the lines: READ.

Down:

1. Lobbying gp.: PAC.

2. Tapped-off cigarette part: ASH. Believe it or not, there was a tobacco store in a mall called "Ashes".  The fellow who owned it was George Ash who also happened to be a little league umpire.

3. Luau garland: LEI.

4. Weekly pay, say: SALARY.  Of course if you're hungry, you may use your SALARY to buy CELERY.

5. Dressed like many a superhero: CAPED.  We heard about the butler, now we see the CAPED Crusader.  Keep your eye open for the Bat phone or that fancy car.

6. Without warranty: AS IS.  See the USED car lot mentioned above.

7. No goals, in soccer: NIL.

8. Sprinkled with baby powder: TALCED.

9. Halfway-through-the-term exam: MIDYEAR. Maybe in high school.  In college we had mid terms about every 4-5 weeks.  Maybe that's why I only lasted a year.

11. Some July babies: LEOS.  Interesting sign of the Zodiac, but also the name of a Lion - (Not Burt Lahr).  Could be a man's name.  In fact I bowled with a great bowler named Leo Mann.  So that would make it a Mann's name also.

12. Bond villain who attended med school: DR NO.  It sounds like you show up for a scheduled surgery and the doctor talks you out of it.

15. Sushi __: ROLL.

17. Corrosive chemical: LYE.

21. Support group for families of drinkers: AL-ANON.  I used to enjoy a cocktail now and then but it never hooked me.  I feel sorry for those fighting this disease.  I was told "NO BOOZE" because it does not agree with the cancer meds.  I donated the full bottles as door prizes to my bowling league and gave the open bottles to friends.

22. Pop-up-producing program: ADWARE.  This pops up everywhere all the time.  Welcome to the 21st century.

23. Like a lasso's business end: LOOPED.

25. "Come again?": SAY WHAT.  I don't know who started this response but I wanted to tar and feather him.

27. Former "Idol" judge, familiarly: J-LO.  The big stars all have abbreviated handles.  If you don't believe me, you can ask Tony O about Puck, and Killer.

29. One with a collateral loan: LIENEE.

30. Caesar and Cobb: SALADS.  Julius and Ty.

32. TV shopper's channel: HSN.  Why watch this if you have Amazon.com??

33. Type of short play: ONE-ACT.

35. Tummy muscles: ABS.  We all have them.  Short for abdominal.

38. Ex-Florida governor Bush: JEB.  I heard his Dad and brother did pretty well

41. Astronomical way to wish: ON A STAR.  When you wish on one, it makes no difference who you are.  - Jiminy Cricket.

46. Imp: RASCAL.  Spanky, Alfalfa, Darla, etc.  Also known as Our Gang.

47. Loan shark: USURER.  I have lost count of the number of emails I get with an offer to lend money.

49. High-schooler, typically: TEEN.  She was just seventeen, You know what I mean - (I saw her standing there.)

50. Palindromic title: MADAM.  "She took me in a washed away my childhood" - Statler Brothers.

51. Old TV dial letters: UHF.

52. Kvetch like a fish?: CARP.  I guess it means complaining,  But we have many Carp in our 10,000 lakes, and if you catch one you are not allowed to throw it back.

53. Bassoon kin: OBOE.

54. Varied mixture: OLIO.  Food sharing, however people in Wisconsin's dairyland will not share their OLEO

57. Ab __: from the beginning: OVO.

58. Salem is its cap.: ORE.  I have never been to Oregon.  Seems like a nice place to visit.  I am sure they have bowling centers and golf courses.  Rumor has it that it may have D.B. Cooper's body also.

59. Actress Long: NIA.

60. Texas senator Cruz: TED.  A narrow victory over Beto in 2018.

 Boomer

Sunday June 2, 2019 Gary Larson

Theme: "Getting Along" - A-long. Short A sound becomes long A sound, changing spellings as needed.

22A. Bash in a boxcar?: FREIGHT PARTY. Frat party.

24A. Capillary?: MINI VEIN. Minivan.

45A. Senior taking lessons?: GRAYED STUDENT. Grad student.

68A. Minor combat injuries?: BATTLE ACHES. Battle axes.

92A. Endure a Moscow heat wave?: BAKE IN THE USSR. Back in the USSR.

119A. Poorly executed karate move?: LAME CHOP. Lamb chop.

121A. Pretend a true story is made-up?: FEIGN FICTION. Fan fiction.

38D. Pancake cookbook photo session?: CREPE SHOOT. Crapshoot.

47D. Source of elegance?: GRACE ROOTS. Grassroots.

So consistent. All the key words change spellings. I'm always amazed at the creativity of constructors for this type of them with extra spelling change layer.

The six black squares at this grid were added later in the filling process. This grid started with 72 or even 68 black squires.

Across:

1. Observing Yom Kippur, say: ON A FAST. Never fasted. Takes discipline.

8. Gumbo pod: OKRA.

12. Location tools: RADARS.

18. Fiction genre: ROMANCE. And 2. 18-Across writer Roberts: NORA.

19. Complain: MOAN.

20. Radioactive element: URANIUM.

26. __ Mae: FANNIE.

27. Till fill: ONES.

28. Auditing pros: CPAS.

29. Back in the day, back in the day: ERST.

30. Some research aids: TOMES.

32. "My Way" lyricist: ANKA.

34. Tourist trap trinkets: KITSCH. Consonant-rich.

36. "I need a few __": SECS.

39. Continuously: EVER.

41. Entered carefully: EASED IN.

44. White wine apéritif: KIR.

47. Dubious "gift": GAB.

50. Goodnight woman of song: IRENE.

52. Marsh plant: CATTAIL.

53. California town whose name means "the river": EL RIO. Helpful clue. It's in Ventura County.

55. Stops: DEPOTS.

57. Field with many partners: LAW. Nice clue.

58. Golfer Trevino: LEE. He was in Minnesota every year for the 3M Championship (senior tour). Always in the same group as Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. Now it's called 3M Open. Regular PGA Tour stop.

59. Understands, as a radio message: READS.

60. Gas supplied in Canada by Imperial Oil: ESSO.

61. Provide money for: ENDOW.

64. Cat food source: TUNA CAN. Any of you allergic to canned tuna?

66. Bind with a line: LASH.

72. Hideouts: DENS.

73. Aboveboard: ETHICAL.

75. Fluff or flub: ERROR.

76. Dubai dignitary: EMIR.

78. Birch of "American Beauty": THORA. The girl on the left.

79. __ result: AS A.

82. Title for Robinson: MRS.

83. Heavy rain aftermath: RUNOFF.

86. Riots: HOOTS.

87. Some discriminators: SEXISTS.

90. Capri, locally: ISOLA.

91. N.C. winter hours: EST.

97. Browning result: TAN. What's your favorite sunscreen?  Here's mine. No white cast.

98. How some desserts are served: A LA MODE.

99. Gait between walk and canter: TROT.

100. Invites: ASKS.

101. Longtime Indian leader: GANDHI. Featured in their banknotes.

105. May honorees: MOMS.

107. Tailgating fare: BRATS.

109. Biblical birthright seller: ESAU.

110. Transcript stats: GPAS.

113. Plant for a pet?: CHIA. Cute.

115. __ d'hôtel: MAITRE.

123. Small sizes: PETITES.

124. First name in scat: ELLA. Fitzgerald.

125. Like the darkest night: INKIEST.

126. In order that one might: SO AS TO.

127. Wings you can't eat: ELLS.

128. Refuses: NAYSAYS.

Down:

1. "Carmina Burana" composer: ORFF (Carl)

3. "Absolutely!": AMEN.

4. Passes out: FAINTS.

5. Cardio procedure: ANGIO.

6. One creating plots: SCHEMER.

7. Asian holiday: TET. Traditional Tet food.

8. Land on its own gulf: OMAN.

9. Divided land: KOREA. Traditional Korean Lunar New Year food (same day as Tet).

10. Disorderly place: RAT'S NEST.

11. Vague number: ANY.

12. Beef cut: RUMP.

13. Song for a diva: ARIA.

14. Women's workout wear brand: DANSKIN. You can get them at Walmart.

15. Young Skywalker's nickname: ANI.

16. Fix firmly: RIVET.

17. Court figures: SUERS.

21. Catchall category: Abbr.: MISC.

23. "Best in Show" actress Parker __: POSEY.

25. Maximum: NTH.

28. Invitation notation: CASUAL.

31. Sister of Zsa Zsa: EVA.

33. William of "Carrie": KATT. Unknown figure to me.

35. Supervised hospital resident: INTERN.

36. Cause of a road mark: SKID.

37. The Auld Sod: EIRE.

40. Take back: RECANT.

42. Falco of "The Sopranos": EDIE.

43. Computer key: DELETE.

45. Comes down with: GETS.

46. Opposite of rush: DAWDLE.

48. Actor Quinn: AIDAN.

49. Petty officers, briefly: BOSNS.

51. First line of a three-line eatery sign: NO  SHIRT. "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service".

54. Introductions: LEAD-INS.

56. Japanese noodle: SOBA. Japanese for "buckwheat". Cold soba is very popular in Japan/Korea in summer months.

Soba noodles, Japanese style

Soba noodles, Korean Style

57. Tennis call: LET.

62. Done, to Donne: OER.

63. Hospitality: WARMTH.

65. Geek Squad client: USER.

66. Underworld river: LETHE. River of forgetfulness.

67. One of a Dumas trio: ATHOS.

69. Denali National Park state: ALASKA.

70. Victoria's Secret purchase: CORSET. Kim Kardashian wore one under her Met Gala gown. This is not a doctored picture, guys!

71. Store posting: Abbr.: HRS.

74. Algiers citadel: CASBAH.

77. "Our National Parks" author: MUIR (John)

80. Look: SEEM.

81. Geometry basics: AXIOMS.

84. Criticism: FLAK.

85. They're often for the home team: FANS.

88. __-European: INDO.

89. Recent medical research subject: STEM CELL. Great fill.

93. Sets down: ALIGHTS.

94. __ sprawl: URBAN.

95. Frat. counterpart: SOR.

96. Marathoner's need: STAMINA. Here is the amazing Iceman Wim Hof. He ran a marathon barefoot on ice and snow.

100. If nothing changes: AS IT IS.

101. Salon supply: GEL.

102. Stat relative: ASAP.

103. Directory entries: NAMES.

104. Because of: DUE TO.

106. Con man's partner: SHILL.

108. Tasteless: TACKY.

111. "Every great architect is ... a great __": Wright: POET.

112. Lhasa __: APSO. Lhasa  is Tibetan for "place of gods", Apso is "bearded".

114. Some groceries: IGAS.

116. "__ yellow ribbon ... ": TIE A.

117. Promising: ROSY.

118. Tolkien creatures: ENTS.

120. "Argo" spy gp.: CIA.

121. Doctor's charge: FEE.

122. Omen in "Jaws" (besides the music): FIN.

C.C.

Sunday April 21, 2019 Gary Larson

Theme: "It's All in the Game Show" - Each theme answer sounds like a game show. 

22A. [Bee home + Venus + heron kin]: HIVE GODDESS EGRET.  I've Got A Secret.

39A. ["Star Trek" villain + mailed + light beam + take pains to avoid]: KHAN SENT RAY SHUN. Concentration.

52A. [Sass, in slang + inferno + turkey + Babe with a bat]: TUDE HELL DUD RUTH. To Tell The Truth. 

76A [Legume + yank + pound sound + bee product]: PEA PULL ARF HONEY. People Are Funny.

93A. [Cutlet meat + statute + quartet + goatee site]: VEAL LAW FOUR CHIN. Wheel Of Fortune

114A. [Utter + cherish + old laundry detergent + harm]: SAY LOVE DUZ INJURY. Sale Of The Century.

Did you guys all get the theme? 

Wow, I was at a total loss. Asked D-Otto, who spelled out each original game show for me. He thought I would have got 93A myself. Nope. 

Across:

1. Roll of dough: WAD.

4. Covert agents: SPIES.

9. ||, on a remote: PAUSE.

14. Melt: THAW. The last patch of snow on our yard was finally gone on Friday.

18. Bar order: ALE.

19. Ain't right?: AREN'T. ARE for [Modern art?] often confuses some.

20. Beach wear: TRUNKS.

21. Pixar clownfish: NEMO.

25. Crime film genre: NOIR.

26. In the same place, in footnotes: IBIDEM.

27. State as fact: AVER.

28. Kitten's cry: MEW.

29. NFL ball carriers: RBS. Running backs.

30. E Street Band guitarist Lofgren: NILS.

31. Actor Davis: OSSIE.41. A few other grid-friendly names: Anderson of "WKRP in Cincinnati": LONI.  48. Ward on TV: SELA.  50. Lennon's love: ONO. 81. Wray of "King Kong": FAY. 90. "The Raven" writer: POE. 106. "Scream" star Campbell: NEVE. 108. "This Is India" novelist Santha Rama __: RAU. 112. Author Dinesen: ISAK.

33. Stereotypical shipwreck site: DESERT ISLE. Great fill.

37. City near Düsseldorf: ESSEN.

43. Take effect, as meds: ACT.

44. Binges: SPREES.

45. Org. funded by FICA: SSA.

51. Everyday article: THE.

57. Flavor: SAPOR. Not a word I use.

62. O.T. book after Amos: OBAD. Obadiah. Before Jonah.

63. They may be vacant: LOTS.

64. Furrow maker: HOE.

65. Run off to wed: ELOPE.

 

66. Harry Potter's forte: MAGIC. We normally don't have "Harry" on Sundays.

68. Junkyard dogs: CURS.

69. Benefit: SAKE.

70. Hardly bold: TIMID.

71. Gladiator's venue: ARENA. Do you think these gladiator shoes look cool?

72. Has too much, for short: ODS.

73. Aretha's queendom: SOUL.

74. Musical pitch: TONE.

75. Lazy __: SUSAN. Not our Hahtoolah, who's super efficient.

83. Anger: IRE. And 84. Angry: SORE.

85. Suffix with cannon: ADE.

86. Level between kingdom and class: PHYLUM.

91. What's expected: NORM.

99. Instrument with movable frets: SITAR.

103. Poker pros, say: CARD SHARPS. I call them SHARKS.

104. Snap course: EASY A.

107. Opposite of COD: PPD. Prepaid.

109. Raggedy dolls: ANNS.

110. Advanced: LOANED.

117. __ stick: POGO.

118. Climber's tool: ICE AXE.

119. Hit the road: LEAVE.

120. Itinerary abbr.: RTE.

121. Fed. power dept.: ENER.

122. "Napoleon Dynamite" sidekick Sánchez: PEDRO. Learning moment for me. The guy on the left.

123. Borders: EDGES.

124. Slalom segment: ESS.

Down:

1. Female surfer: WAHINE. What is a male surfer then?

2. Suspects' stories: ALIBIS.

3. New Jersey NHL team: DEVILS.

4. "Parsley, __, rosemary ... ": SAGE. I never knew how these herbs are related to the girl he still loves. But it sounds sweet. Do you have a herb garden, TTP?

5. Teaser: PROMO.

6. Mil. roadside hazard: IED.

7. Hyphen cousin: EN DASH.

8. Lydia's sugar substitute on "Breaking Bad": STEVIA. Boomer uses Equal.

9. __-op: PRE.

10. Enlarge: AUGMENT.

11. Turmoil: UNREST.

12. Kebab holder: SKEWER. Mine always have pineapple chunks. Do any of you make tacos al pastor at home?

13. Body shop fig.: EST.

14. Spike TV, once: TNN.

15. Flexible pronoun substitute: HE OR SHE.

16. 1929 title words following "Now he's gone, and we're through": AM I BLUE.

17. Deteriorates: WORSENS.

20. Original D&D co.: TSR. Dungeons & Dragons.

23. Ford flop: EDSEL.

24. Gone out with: SEEN.

32. Talent: SKILL. I'd like to be a handyman in my next life. Fixing others' leaking faucet. Install a grab bar. Solve others' little problems. Bring smiles to others.

33. Designer's concern: DECOR.

34. Itchy red area: RASH.

35. Work on galleys: TYPESET.

36. Neighbor of Syr.: ISR.

38. Quick snack: NOSH.

40. Smooths in woodshop: SANDS.

42. Maiden name preceder: NEE.

45. Plant pores: STOMAS. Wiki says this is a tomato leaf.  Looks like freshly soaked and plumped-up wakame seaweed.

46. Outback automaker: SUBARU.

47. Sayings like "Haste makes waste": ADAGES.

49. Refer (to): ALLUDE.

50. Scoreboard count: OUTS.

51. What you used to be?: THEE. I used to be like this.

C.C., 1987

53. Minneapolis suburb: EDINA. Constructor Tom Pepper lives in Edina.

54. Backs, anatomically: DORSA.

55. Moving brand: U HAUL.

56. Stein's confidante: TOKLAS. Died in poverty.

58. 2006 Supreme Court appointee: ALITO.

59. Cal Poly city: POMONA.

60. Expressed a view: OPINED.

61. Flight named for its effect on fliers: RED EYE.

67. Flower-watering amounts: CANFULS.

68. Backup: COPY.

69. One and only fish?: SOLE. Cute.

73. More reliable: SURER.

77. Devout: PIOUS.

78. Opie portrayer Howard: RONNY.

79. To and __: FRO.

80. For the woman: HERS.

82. Asian nurse: AMAH. Popular term in Hong Kong. Lots of expats there hire amahs from Philippines, who speak good English and have low salary requirements. Locals are too expensive. You can see lots of amahs gathering every Sunday (Maids Day Off).

86. Material for drainage lines: PVC PIPE.

87. Adds and adds: HEAPS ON.

88. Golf hole measure: YARDAGE.

89. Honorary law deg.: LLD.

90. Well-liked: POPULAR. I finally tried these Trade Joe's shishito peppers. Very mild. You need fresh lemons.

92. Rapper Nicki: MINAJ.

94. The Red Baron, e.g.: WAR ACE.

95. Unraveled: FRAYED.

96. Suffix with Pleisto-: CENE.

97. Take care of: HANDLE.

98. Put out, as a magazine: ISSUED.

100. Prof's security: TENURE.

101. Wards off: AVERTS.

102. Colors again, as hair: REDYES.

105. Still in the game: ALIVE.

109. Fifth in NYC, e.g.: AVE.

111. Till bills: ONES.

113. "MASH" setting: Abbr.: KOR.

114. Drink sampling: SIP. I'm enjoying this kombucha right now.

115. Kitchenware brand: OXO.

116. Zig partner: ZAG.

C.C.

Tuesday, March 12, 2019 Gary Larson

SIDE BY SIDE


17. *Wall-hidden sliding portal: POCKET DOOR.  Side pocket and door side. 

39. *Serve, as stew: DISH OUT.  Side dish and outside.

11. *Fixture on a ceiling rail: TRACK LIGHT.  Sidetrack and sidelight.

28. *Google Maps option: STREET VIEW. Street side and sideview.

60. Together, and a hint to both parts of the answers to starred clues: SIDE BY SIDE.

I guess we could also have side door, track side and side street.  Any others ?

Across:

1. "We burger as good as we pancake" chain: IHOP.   The International House of Pancakes' publicity stunt of changing their logo to IHOb and using social media to create the buzz turned out to be marketing magic.  Hamburger sales quadrupled and same-store sales increased nearly 1 percent.


5. Ring-shaped reef: ATOLL.

10. www code: HTML.   An initialism for Hypertext Markup Language.   Click the blue hypertext link to read the Wikepedia article on the co-inventor of the concept of markup languages.

14. The "M" of MSG: MONO.  Monosodium glutamate.  The flavor enhancer.   The MSG Symptom Complex - No definitive evidence.

15. Greek played by Anthony Quinn: ZORBA.


16. Badly damaged Asian sea: ARAL.

19. Food truck snack: TACO.  and 5d,  Ancient Mexican: AZTEC.   Aztec Dave's is a popular rolling cocina Mexicano in Chicago.

20. Prepared (oneself), as for a difficult task: STEELED. 

21. Planned with little detail: SKETCHY.

23. Thanksgiving Day Parade sponsor: MACY'S. 

25. Pedaled in a triathlon: BIKED.   Swim, cycle and run.

26. Trowel wielder: MASON.  My friend enlisted in the Air Force and signed up for electronics.  Testing revealed he was shade blind, so they made him a mason instead.  After the Air Force he became a programmer.  He still denies that he is shade blind.  The colors clash on the walls in his home.

29. Remove the rind from: UNPEEL.


32. Letter-routing abbr.: ATTN.

33. "The Bathers" painter: RENOIR.  Easily perped.  Wouldn't have known it from the clue.

35. Suppositions: IFs.  A few IFs in this Easy Listening song:


38. Feb. follower: MAR.

40. Old Prizm maker: GEO.  Under the trimmings, the Prizm was basically a Toyota Corolla

41. Sports drink suffix: ADE.

42. Wedding venues: ALTARS.  According to Wikipedia, the aforementioned song by Bread, If, became very popular at weddings and receptions.

43. Back in the day: THEN.

44. Writer Hemingway: ERNEST.

46. Like craft shows: ARTSY.  Etsy is full of artsy creations.  You knew that.

47. Sean who played a hobbit: ASTIN.  He played Samwise Gamgee.  Wilbur Charles probably knew that. 

49. Reef explorer's gear: SCUBA.  My first exposure to scuba was on the TV program Sea Hunt, starring Lloyd Bridges. 

52. Split, as the loot: DIVVY UP.  Chicagoans and her suburbanites know Divvy as the bicycle sharing program.

55. Oyster season, so they say: R MONTHS.  Months that have the letter R.

59. "Would __ to you?": I LIE.   The Eurythmics.  Annie Lennox and David Stewart.  Synthopop and R&B.   Jinx referenced another hit song for the Eurythmics yesterday in his comments.  That was their "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" song.  


62. Above: OVER.

63. Gladden: ELATE.   Dan Gladden of the Minnesota Twins elated fans with his Game 1 Grand Slam in the '87 World Series, and with his aggressive base running that led to the only run scored in Game 7 of the '91 World Series.   The Twins won both World Series, besting the Atlanta Braves each time in 7 games.   The 1991 World Series has been hailed by ESPN as the Greatest World Series of All Time.

64. "My treat": ON ME.

65. Wood cutters: SAWS.

66. Meal with matzo: SEDER.

67. "Downton Abbey" employee: MAID.

Down:

1. Rascals: IMPS.

2. Laugh-a-minute: HOOT.

3. __ and for all: ONCE.   Expressed using other words...  "Now, and for the last time."

4. Critters hunted in a 2016 mobile app: POKEMON.  Pokemon Go was an augmented reality game that launched in 2016.  Wildly popular among gamers,  it was much criticized by authorities as trespasses, accidents and fatalities ensued.

6. Hot spiced drink: TODDY.   Irish Whisky, Honey, Lemon and a dash of Cloves.

7. "__ y Plata": Montana motto: ORO.

8. Wall St. deals: LBOs.  Leveraged Buyouts at Investopedia.

9. Small songbird: LARK.

10. McDaniel of "Gone With the Wind": HATTIE.  No idea. Perps.

12. Papier-__: MACHE.  Fun for children and the artsy-crafty people that sell on Etsy.

13. Frank __ Wright: LLOYD.

18. Panache: ELAN.  As exhibited by the 2019 Supra that will be coming to showrooms later this year.

22. Movie critic Roger: EBERT.

24. Broad-brimmed beach bonnets: SUN HATS.    I don wide-brimmed straw hats when mowing the lawn and gardening.  Yeah, that sounds awkward.  "I wear " sounds better.   Just don't forget to doff your hat to the ladies.

26. Cry from a crib: MAMA.

27. Just barely: A TAD.  

30. American-born Jordanian queen: NOOR.  Queen Noor of Jordan at Biography.com

31. Name of 12 popes: PIUS.  The list is copied from Wikipedia.

There have been 12 Roman Catholic Popes named Pius.  Click the links if you want to learn about each papacy.

• Pope Pius I (c. 140–154; officially listed as 142/146 – 157/161)
• Pope Pius II (1458–1464)
• Pope Pius III (1503)
• Pope Pius IV (1559–1565)
• Pope Pius V (1566–1572)
• Pope Pius VI (1775–1799)
• Pope Pius VII (1800–1823)
• Pope Pius VIII (1829–1830)
• Pope Pius IX (1846–1878)
• Pope Pius X (1903–1914)
• Pope Pius XI (1922–1939)
• Pope Pius XII (1939–1958)

 33. Really anger: RILE.

34. Appraisal amts.: ESTS.  Amounts / Estimates.

36. Professional charges: FEES.

37. PlayStation maker: SONY.  Is this the the original ?

39. "__ Boy": Irish song: DANNY.  

43. Narrow window: TRANSOM.   Typically over doors and windows, as shown here with a pair of sidelights adjacent the door.

45. Mississippi and Missouri: RIVERS.  A couple of ems, and a lot of esses and ies.

46. "It's __!": nursery cry: A BOY.

47. Pablo's parting: ADIOS.  Actually,  Pablo was bi-lingual, and had crossed the Pyrenees to visit friends in France.  Upon leaving, he bade his friends adieu.   That's my excuse for having to change the answer when the perps didn't fit.

48. Thriller writer Daniel: SILVA.  No clue for me, but the perps were solid.   Daniel Silva Books: The Complete Listing

50. Minos' kingdom: CRETE.   It's all Greek (mythology) to me.   Only a passing interest.

51. "Raw" pigment: UMBER.  Originally from the region of Umbria, Italy.  

53. Applications: USES.

54. Heap: PILE.

56. Singer Turner: TINA.  Here with Ike singing Proud Mary:


57. Port on many TVs: HDMI.   High-Definition Multimedia Interface.   The proprietary digital implementation replacing analog video signals.

58. Start of a flower: SEED.

61. Family man: DAD.

Thursday, March 7th 2019 Gary Larson

Theme: The Great Divide - four rows of the puzzle contain theme words divided by the black squares, as the reveal tells us what to look for:

61A. #3 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time (as of 2016) ... and a hint to what the black squares are doing in four rows of this puzzle: BREAKING BAD

Firstly ...

17A. Teacher on call: SUB. Our friend Husker Gary knows all about this.

18A. John D. Rockefeller's company: STANDARD OIL

... followed by ...

23A. Record: ENTER

24A. Umbrella part: RIB

26A. Grace word: BLESS

... also ...

38A. Woodland goat-man: FAUN. Be careful doing an image search for this, you might get more than you bargained for.

41A. Arraignment answers: PLEAS

42A. Kitchen pests: ANTS

... and finally

52A. Calf-length skirts: MIDIS

53A. 61-Across kingpin __ Fring: GUS. Cross-referencing the reveal, nicely done.

56A. Subtle shade: TINGE

Well, I liked the theme, one of those which doesn't become apparent until you've filled most of the grid and read the reveal. I did think the reveal was clued in a really clunky way "... (as of 2016)" - surely there's a cleaner and more elegant way to refer to the show rather han a clue which is date-specific.

I watched the first few episodes of the show and got bored with it, I know it garnered all kinds of awards and critical acclaim, but it just didn't grab me.

A couple of clunkers/obscurities in the fill, but mostly OK. Let's take a tour.

Across:

1. Cleared (of): RID

4. Tote bag material: CANVAS

10. Down-to-earth: REAL

14. Chemical suffix: -IDE

15. Even though: ALBEIT. I think this was my word-of-the-day, there's something very satisfying about it.

16. Wrinkly hybrid fruit: UGLI. Also known as a Jamaican tangelo. Ugli is a proprietary name, which really is a play on the word "ugly". It's a grapefruit/tangerine hybrid.

20. Cutlery collection: KNIFE SET

22. Moo __ gai pan: GOO. Food! A stir-fry with chicken and veggies.

30. Bilingual "Sesame Street" Muppet: ROSITA. I didn't know this, but it seemed reasonable that it would be a latino or latina name. I had ROS- in place, and the rest came naturally.

32. Bath sponges: LOOFAHS

34. Most babbling: GASSIEST. Really?

37. Bunk: ROT

43. Racing Unsers: ALS. Al Unser Sr, and, very inventively, Al Unser Jr. Of course, there's a III as well.

44. Preparation period: LEAD TIME

46. German mathematician Bernhard: RIEMANN. Who? I was terrible at math in school, so I never came across this gentleman.

48. Softening: EASING

57. Glass lip: RIM

59. Speed trap equipment: RADAR GUN

65. Check out: EYE

66. "Star Trek" race: BORG

67. Mariner's patron: ST ELMO. He of the fire. He likes to mess with airplanes as well as ship's masts:

68. __ Lingus: AER. The Irish national carrier.

69. Pineapple center: CORE

70. "Mercy me!": OH DEAR!

71. Genetic material: RNA. -NA and wait for the cross.

Down:

1. One who agrees to a dare: RISKER. Yuk. "You risker, you!" said no-one, ever.

2. "Got me": I DUNNO

3. Ledger entries: DEBITS

4. Italian city whose Royal Palace has been used as a set in two "Star Wars" films: CASERTA. I'd never heard of it. 76,000 people live there though, so at least they've heard of it. It also hosted the Eurobasket basketball tourney in 1969, so that's a righteous claim to fame. The palace is big though, it looks like all 76,000 residents could live in it and they could host the tournament in the driveway.

5. Hgts.: ALTS. That's an abbreviation for "heights", apparently, so "altitudes" is the answer. I'd be interested in anyone coming up with an example of Hgts or Alts being used. Washington Hgts or other place names don't count

6. Net or Knick: NBAER. Basketball player, although some fans of those teams might grumble that their players don't play basketball of much quality. They'd probably have done OK at Eurobasket in 1969 though.

7. Starbucks order: VENTI. I can never remember the sizes in Starbucks. I just go for small, medium and large. They seem to understand what I'm looking for.

8. Give a leg up: AID
.
9. Antlered animal: STAG

10. Ballet great Nureyev: RUDOLF

11. Psychoanalysis subject: EGO

12. Actor Mahershala __: ALI. Talented dude. Two Oscars, a slew of other awards and a studio rap album to boot. I'm catching up with "House of Cards" on NetFlix, he has a big role in the show.

13. Rapper __ Jon: LIL' Two rappers in close proximity.

19. High-tech worker: ROBOT

21. Affect: FEIGN

25. Pasture cry: BLEAT

27. Pull down: EARN

28. Opportunity: SHOT

29. Former Air France jets: SSTS. The supersonic Concorde. British Airways had them too, part of a joint venture between the British and French governments. When BA retired their fleet, Richard Branson tried to buy them for Virgin, but BA refused to sell. Odd, considering they didn't pay for them in the first place, the taxpayers did. Branson was livid.

31. Colorado snowboarding mecca: ASPEN

33. "Cotton Comes to Harlem" director Davis: OSSIE

35. Urban Dictionary content: SLANG. You come across some very weird things in there. Much like searching for "faun".

36. Iraq War weapon: Abbr.: I.E.D. Improvised Explosive Device. Usually a roadside bomb triggered underneath vehicles in a convoy in that conflict.

38. One to grow on: FARM

39. Et __: and others: ALII. I had ALIA first, I'm not sure I'll ever know whether to use ALII, ALIAE or ALIA. The first is masculine, the second feminine, and the third neuter. In this clue context, "others" would refer to masculine things. Gender-specific languages really make things difficult!

40. Hand-me-down: USED

42. Group at Asgard: AESIR. Not really, the AE is a diphthong or ligature - it's a single letter, Æ. Anyway, the æsir are a group of gods in Norse religion who reside at Asgard.

44. Cornea-reshaping surgery: LASIK. I can never remember which is which between lasik and lasix, the anti-asthma drug given to racehorses, so I wait for the cross.

45. One facing charges?: MATADOR. Nice clue.

47. Desert illusion: MIRAGE

49. Ready to roll: IN GEAR

50. Vietnamese-American poker star Scotty: NGUYEN. Never heard of him, but with the G and Y in place it was an easy guess.

51. Biological subdivisions: GENERA

54. Implored: URGED

55. Black: SABLE

58. Japanese soup: MISO

60. Lady of Spain: DAMA

61. Eng. channel: B.B.C. The state broadcaster in the UK, affectionately known as "the Beeb" or "Auntie".

62. Pal of Piglet: ROO. The Ashdown Forest, the real-life home of the Hundred Acre Wood, was scorched by wildfires recently. The temperatures in the UK reached 70F in February. What climate change?

63. Goof up: ERR

64. Extreme: NTH

Here's the grid, with the theme words highlighted in fetching pale yellow. And with that, I think I'm done!

Steve

Note from C.C.:

As a few solvers noticed, there's an extra B in TERRIBLE. Rich Norris, editor for our L.A. Times Daily Crossword editor, apologized for the mistake.

Rich has fixed the mistake. Please click here for the puz file. Here for the PDF.  Below is the new Answer Grid.

 

Tuesday, January 15, 2019 Gary Larson

"Make Certain"

17. Single-digit temps, for most: COLD SPELL.  Spell check  - Worth the read. 

24. 1984 Prince hit: PURPLE RAIN.  Rain check

36. Body of water between Connecticut and southeastern New York: LONG ISLAND SOUND.  Soundcheck.   SRV Soundcheck

52. At close range: POINT BLANK.  Blank check

61. Grandmaster's last word ... and what the last word in 17-, 24-, 36- and 52-Across can be: CHECKMATE.   An indisputable victory.

Across:

1. Half-__: coffee with a little less kick: CAF.

4. Chocolate-making bean: CACAO.

9. Polynesian people: MAORI.

14. Darth, as a youth: ANI.  Star Wars stuff.  The Wookieepedia at Fandom.

15. Suspect's excuse: ALIBI.

16. Muslim religion: ISLAM.

19. Exams for would-be attys.: LSATS.

20. Try to whack: HIT AT.

21. Jazz great Blake: EUBIE.


23. Cabinet dept. concerned with nukes: ENER.

29. Picket line participant: STRIKER.  Or a forward in soccer.

31. Fierce public protest: OUTCRY.

32. Jot down: NOTATE.

35. Napkin's place: LAP.  Napkin Etiquette

42. Skater Midori: ITO.  Master of the triple jump.

43. Muscle injury: STRAIN.

44. Small river: STREAM. 

48. Tribulations: ORDEALS.

55. Bushels: A LOT.  Gobs.

56. Ponzi scheme, e.g.: FRAUD.

57. Ann __, Michigan: ARBOR. The town plat was filed under the name of Annarbour.  Home of the University of Michigan.

58. California/Nevada resort lake: TAHOE.

64. Milky gemstones: OPALS.

65. Breed that's Welsh for "dwarf dog": CORGI. The Cardigan and the Pembroke


66. Fresh: NEW.

67. George of "Cheers": WENDT.  Norm !


68. Trap during a winter storm, say: ICE IN.

69. Dozens of mos.: YRS.

Down:

1. Secret supplies: CACHES.

2. Bless using oil: ANOINT. 

3. Color-altering camera lens accessory: FILTER.

4. Actors in a show: CAST.

5. European mountain: ALP.

6. Paris corp.: CIE.  Company abbr = co.     Compagnie abbr = cie.  

7. More adept: ABLER.

8. Prepare to shine in a bodybuilding contest?: OIL UP.

9. Cultural setting: MILIEU.

10. State with conviction: ASSERT.

11. Suffix with pay: OLA. 

12. Templeton in "Charlotte's Web," e.g.: RAT.

13. Cyberchats, briefly: IMs.   Instant Messages.  Also,  IM is the abbreviation sometimes used here at the corner for our dear and caring Irish Miss, so CSO !  

18. Adventurous: DARING.

22. Rain-__ bubble gum: BLO.    Gobs of bubble gum balls.   The flavor matches the color.

24. Animals at home: PETS.

25. Eurasian border mountains: URALS.

26. Rights advocacy org.: ACLU.

27. "Reading Lolita in Tehran" setting: IRAN.  "Heather Hewett of the Christian Science Monitor notes the book's "passionate defense of literature" that will "resonate with anyone who loves books, or who wants (or needs) to be reminded why books matter." - Wikipedia

28. Big Apple law gp.: NYPD.

30. Japanese carp: KOI.

33. Skin pic: TAT.

34. Noted 2001 bankruptcy: ENRON.  Financially devastating to so many.

36. Talk like Daffy: LISP.

37. Director Preminger: OTTO.  Cruciverbalist Desper- ______

38. More formal "Me neither!": NOR I.

39. Lacking light: DARK.

40. Bully in the "Toy Story" films: SID.  Phillips.  The antagonist. 

41. Like challenging push-ups: ONE ARM.   Strength and balance are required.

45. Surround: ENFOLD.

46. Taking a break: AT REST.

47. Management deg.: MBA.

49. Capital on the Hudson: ALBANY.  "Albany is known for its rich history, commerce, culture, architecture, and institutions of higher education."


50. Thief during a riot: LOOTER.

51. Scatters, as seeds: STREWS.

53. Soap star Susan: LUCCI.

54. For a specific purpose, as a committee: AD HOC.

57. Comparable (to): AKIN.

58. Aid for a disabled auto: TOW.

59. Big lug: APE.

60. Solo of "Star Wars": HAN. More Star Wars.

62. Before, in verse: ERE.

63. Cinematic FX: CGI.  Computer Generated Imagery.  As seen in Star Wars etc.

Note from C.C.:

Another sweet treat for us. Here's a picture from JD's 75th birthday celebration.