Wednesday, Feb 12th, 2025 ~ Hoang-Kim Vu

 STRANGE DAYS

1995 Movie starring Ralph Fiennes - the Wiki

I was attempting to find another movie/TV show with seconds, days, weeks or months in the title, and some obvious ones came to mind - e.g., 9-1/2 weeks, Gone in Sixty Seconds, but I wanted to keep with the "half of the theme answer" concept.  I liked Strange Days, saw it when it came out 30 years ago.  Mr. Vu is a prolific constructor with several LA Times puzzles alone.  Today we have no circles, 24 4LWs, and very few names, but I still got done in by one - see the red square in the solution at the bottom - all in a standard 15 x 15 grid.  The themers;

20. Olsen twins teen comedy set in the Big Apple: NEW YORK MINUTE -  The reveal is "half" of the themer, and New York is "one" thing, but it is "two" words, IMHO.  Just sayin'.

35. Jackie Chan/Chris Tucker buddy cop film with two sequels: RUSH HOUR - I have sat through a couple of these movies; Jackie Chan is just amazing, did most of his own stunts; Chris Tucker is just annoying.

42. Amy Adams rom-com about a February 29 tradition: LEAP YEAR - I know nothing about this one, so here's the IMDb

58. Highlights of many bowl games, and an apt description of 20-, 35-, and 42-Across?: HALF-TIME SHOWS - Here is the Wiki on all the halftime performances at the Super Bowl; none of these artists made me want to sit through what was most likely a lip-sync show; I DO know that C.C. was probably most pleased 10 years ago when Bruno Mars was the headliner; and let us not forget the "wardrobe malfunction" 20 years ago . . . .half-time is a rhythmic feel with the beat on 2 and 4; if you want to be more confused, check this drummer's YouTube video.  Here's a song with the half-time feel at the end of the chorus;

The Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive - twice in one week~!

And Away We go~!

ACROSS:

1. Random __ of kindness: ACTS

5. Range for a yodeler: ALPS - not fooled by the mountain range vs. pitch range

9. Instrument in Hindi cinema: SITAR - I like the "sitar-style" solo in the song below - there's a less "sitar-ish" solo in the live performance on YouTube; the only reason I bring it up is that the show aired on my 2nd Birthday - 52 years and three days ago

Steely Dan - Do It Again

14. Engage in costumed gaming, slangily: LARP - Live-Action Role Playing - sort of like this....

My short-lived marriage started with a Medieval Wedding

15. The Big Easy, for short: NOLA - New Orleans, LouisianA - Caesar's Super Dome just hosted the LIX Super Bowl

16. Start with a clean slate?: ERASE

17. Omnia vincit __: AMOR - Love Conquers All - Latin

18. Morose: DOUR

19. Solemn recitations: OATHS

23. Wrath: IRE - AND - 10D. Apoplectic: IRATE - FLW: Lucina, I cashed in my "trial" IRA that I never actually funded - its net worth dropped since it was opened, down to a mere $696.  The one I have with the Pipe Organ company has a 5% match, so that's rocking right now.  And I feel your pain - my mother's bank accounts are proving to be a nightmare to close because they, too, changed ownership right when she died, and NYS is now requiring I "prove" how I distributed the money - why~?  What if I said I built a deck with the money~?  Will they deny me this last account~?  Feel my IRE, I am IRATE

24. Apply crudely: DAUB

25. Some phone notifications: ALERTS

28. Common part of a lunch combo: SALAD - I usually get the SOUP

30. Inca Trail to Machu Picchu locale: PERU - I did not see the word "locale" when I was solving the puzzle, so I thought we were looking for the NAME of the trail|

South America - I could go for a tour of the place

  32. Cal. column: THUrsday

33. Grab a chair: SIT

38. Ice hockey gear: SKATES

41. Absolute gems: BEAUTS

44. Syst. in which "A" is a closed fist: ASL - American Sign Language

45. Ga. capital: ATLanta

46. Has a debt: OWES

48. Hard __ to break: HABIT - Also the title of this Chicago song

Smoking, drinking and sexual overtones; ah, the 80's

52. "Just suppose ... ": "WHAT IF..." - What if I went with "Ten Seconds to Love" for the blog title~?

55. Attention to detail: CARE

57. Single: ONE

61. Animal also called the zebra giraffe: OKAPI

63. Resting on: ATOP

64. Word said while pointing: THAT 👈

65. Concur: AGREE

66. Astronauts' org.: NASA

67. Additional: MORE

68. "Fun, Fun, Fun" car: T-BIRD - The Beach Boys are not normally my musical thing, but I listened and it's "Chuck Berry blues" - the link here - and anything guitar I can learn from is a good thing; I like the Ford Thunderbird - I had one just like the picture, ridiculously quick, but had to let it go because it had some bizarre Teves Swedish ABS system that failed, $1400 plus labor to replace 😟

1986 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe; I paid $1200 for it in 1998

69. Kill it on the runway, say: SLAY - I would not know - I have never attended a fashion show - oh wait - are we talking about a plane crash runway~?

Tenerife, Canary Islands, 1977 - most fatal airplane accident - Air Disasters

70. Ore deposit: LODE


DOWN:

1. "Jagged Little Pill" singer Morissette: ALANIS - this being her third album, it was a huge success, including the single "You Outta Know" - NSFW

2. Kodak innovation: CAMERA - I was today years old when I learned that Kodak is not Polaroid

3. Garden tool: TROWEL - for those 'heavy makeup days'

4. Agile: SPRY

5. "The United States vs. Billie Holiday" Oscar nominee Day: ANDRA - my last crossing, as one can see in the solution below - I had an "E" for the last letter, not knowing who Andra Day is - the WIki

6. "It's right above your head!": "LOOK UP~!" - I started "UP THERE", but it didn't fit

7. Expert at handling snakes?: PLUMBER - ah, yes, the plumber's snake

There's the drill type and the full-on power ones, as well

8. Dress in Hindi cinema: SARI

9. South Korean capital: SEOUL - twice this week

11. Curly fry alternative: TATER TOT

12. Some barbecue remains: ASH

13. Low-__: RES - we had "Hi _" on Monday

21. Quirky thing: ODDITY

22. Queasy feeling: NAUSEA - Quirky & Queasy - but no Q in the fill . . . .

And now there is~! Star Trek: TNG

26. Ergo: THUS

27. __ La Table: cookware retailer: SUR - I have never shopped here

29. "Now!" letters: ASAP - here we go; NOW means STAT, not "as soon as possible"

31. Massage: RUB

34. Begin a round of golf: TEE OFF - also the polite way to say one is "irate"

36. Figures (out): HASHES - I tried SUSSES - that's 50% correct

37. Polynesian dance: HULA

38. MacFarlane of "Family Guy": SETH - I happen to like his creations, not just Family Guy and American Dad~!, but his Star Trek homage "The Orville" was a great show, too

39. Desert that covers much of Botswana: KALAHARI 

40. Adage: SAW

42. Murphy's __: LAW - rhyming sequential answers

43. Solo performance: RECITAL

47. Appetizer before a curry, maybe: SAMOSA - filled via perps; a recipe here

49. "Cry me a river!": "BOO-HOO~!"

50. To the middle: INWARD

51. Proctor's charge: TESTEE - 😝 a test taker

53. Dwindle (down): TAPER

54. "OK, that was untrue": "I LIED."

56. Settle a debt: REPAY 

59. Basks in the sun: TANS - does an iguana "tan"~?

60. Webpage medium: HTML - filled via perps; HyperText Markup Language

61. Muesli morsel: OAT

62. Old CIA foe: KGB - The new Russian intelligence agencies are here

Thank you all for the B-day comments~!

Splynter

Thursday, April 18, 2024, Hoang-Kim Vu, Jessica Zetzman

 Farmers' Market

Each Spring we can't wait for the Misty Valley truck farm to open, and we usually stop there on Sundays after church.  Their Eastern Shore Silver Queen corn is to die for and their cantaloupes are the sweetest!

And it looks like today's veteran constructors Hoang-Kim Vu and Jessica Zetzman do their shopping for themers at a local farmer's market, ever on the look out for fresh, tasty local puns. And depending on the venue you might hear  these quips [followed by unpunned explanations] ...

17. At the market, farmers often __: SWAP MEATS.  "I'll trade you a pound of this HAM for that T-BONE steak".   [per Merriam-Websters].

28. At the orchard, farmers are often __: WORKING IN PEARS.  "BOSC me no questions ANJOU'll get no lies".  [How small farmers can work together to improve their situation].

48. In the field, farmers often specialize in __: BEET GENERATION.  "If money is the ROOT of all evil -- give me some of the ROOT!".   [There was nothing prosaic about the beat poets].

65. At the state fair, farmers often __: SHOW THYME. "THYME Flies Like an Arrow; Fruit Flies Like a Banana".  Something like this phrase was used by Jazzbumpa in a recent review.  Quote Investigator reveals that its actual origin may have been in [an early experiment in automated language translation] *(see below for another one).

Here's the field after it's been plowed ...

Here's the rest ...

Across:

1. Page, in a way: PING.  A versatile word.  The clue implies sending a signal just to see if someone or something is there.  It could be an underwater object ...

... it could be an Internet utility used to see if a network device is reachable.  Of course the duffers on the Corner will know it as a brand of premium golf clubs.

5. Weary response to incessant cries of "Look at me, look at me!": I SAW.

9. Timesheet units: HOURS.  The HOURS have been a metaphor for life throughout the ages.  Here's the finale from the ballet The Dance of the Hours from Ponchielli's opera La Gioconda.

If you want something a little deeper here's the Act II trio from the The Hours based on the Virginia Woolf  novel Mrs. Dalloway.  The performers are Renée Fleming, Kelli O’Hara, and Joyce DiDonato, as Clarissa Vaughan, Laura Brown, and Virginia Woolf respectively ...

14. __ list: TO DO.  If you create one, be sure to lay in a supply of these ...

15. Wrestler John who has fulfilled more than 650 Make-A-Wish requests: CENA.   On September 27, 2022 John Cena set a new Guinness World record by granting 650 Make-A-Wish wishes.

John Cena

16. Alt, perhaps: INDIE.  Here are the Traveling Wilburys, an "INDIE" band who escaped fame to ride under the rock radar ...

17. [Theme clue]

19. Hurry along: SCOOT.

20. Broth in Japanese cuisine: DASHI.  UMAMI in a bottle.

21. Place where two sides come together: SEAM.

23. Unwelcome picnic guests: ANTS.

24. Red Muppet: ELMO.

26. Gear for a grip: BOOM.  What's a grip, a best boy grip and a key grip?  What's a BOOM?  They sound like different specialties to me: video and audio respectively.

28. [Theme clue]

34. Turf: SOD.

35. MiLB level: AAA.  Minor League Baseball.  Rookie 2nd Baseman Jackson Holliday recently came up from the Orioles AAA farm team and his first ML hit helped the O's beat the Brewers.

36. Bit at the bottom of a tub: KERNEL.  Not a bathtub.  This kind of tub ...

37. Sends sprawling: TRIPS.

40. Pres. whose library is in Austin, Texas: LBJ. Lyndon Baines Johnson August 27, 1908 – January 22, 1973) was the 36th President.  He was John F. Kennedy's Vice President and assumed the Presidency after the latter's assassination on November 22, 1963.

Lyndon Baines Johnson

42. Oyster layer: NACRE.  AKA Mother of Pearl.

43. In dreamland: ASLEEP.

45. "Don't __ me down!": LET.  From a rehearsal for the album Let it Be  ...

47. Ate: HAD.

48. [Theme clue]

52. Epic tale: SAGA.

53. Composer Jerome: KERN.  Here's Fred Astaire playing an old Jerome Kern standard ...

54. "Why not __?": BOTH.

57. U.S. Pacific island: GUAM.  Guam is an unincorporated territory of the United States in the North Pacific Ocean, the largest, most populous, and southernmost of the Mariana Islands. It lies about 5,800 miles west of San Francisco and 1,600 miles east of Manila.

59. Southern, for one: OCEAN.  AKA the Antarctic Ocean, it's about 6258 miles South of Guam.

63. Groupthink?: ETHOS.  I just wish there were more than two.  😒

65. [Theme clue]

67. Familiar plot device: TROPE.  This is not the correct clue for TROPE.  Somebody changed the original meaning of the word while we weren't looking (not the fault of the constructors or the editor).  Pay attention, this can get confusing ...!

68. Overhanging part of a roof: EAVE.

69. New York canal: ERIE.  It's EERIE just how often this word shows up in crosswords. 

70. Put up: HOUSE.

71. Still 43-Across: ABED.

72. Acorn, essentially: SEED.  SEEDS are how farmers markets get their start. 

Down:

1. Condition that may be treated with SSRIs: PTSD.  Selective serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) are a treatment for depression, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

2. State that holds quadrennial caucuses: IOWA.

3. Confidentiality docs: NDAS. Confidential? Not a chance - "Information is like heat -- it always gets out!"

4. Garden tunneler: GOPHER.  We've never had GOPHERS in our garden, but I have had to deal with some pretty pesky GROUND HOGS.  Not a pretty story.

5. Freezer cubes: ICE.

6. Not always available: SEASONAL.  The foods available at farmers' markets are SEASONAL, which is why they taste so fresh.

7. Pre-deal payment: ANTE.

8. Pungent condiment: WASABI. AKA Japanese Dristan.   It's made from a Japanese horseradish and is the perfect excuse to eat sushi.  Most of the stuff you get in the restaurants is made from the dried, ground herb mixed into a paste.  We've only had fresh WASABI once, in the Omiza Restaurant on Main Street in landlocked Doylestown, PA.  It's like a completely different condiment ...

Wasabi japonica

9. Short hellos: HIS.

10. Recorded, say: ON CAMERA.  The editing of this review is ON CAMERA and will soon show up in suggestions by Google for new pages for me to view.

11. Noodle in Japanese cuisine: UDON.  A side dish for your WASABI.

12. Really great comedy act, e.g.: RIOT.  Between sumdaze and Hahtoolah, there's a RIOT on the Corner every Monday and Tuesday.

13. Hardens, in a way: SETS.

18. Cereal partner: MILK.

22. Part of an order, perhaps: MONK.  Clever clue.  There's a whole song cycle devoted to MONKS.  Here's the great Leontyne Price singing The Desire for Hermitage from Samuel Barber's Hermit Songs, accompanied by the composer ...

Lyrics

25. "Mamma __!": MIA.

27. Doing business: OPEN.

28. Inferior: WORSE.

29. "Swan Lake" role for Misty Copeland: ODILE.  Sorry, I couldn't find Misty doing ODILE (the Black Swan), so you'll have to settle for her ODETTE (the White Swan) ...

30. Overhanging part of a roof: GABLE.  What is the difference is between an EAVE and a GABLE end roof of a house?

31. Pepper used in mole sauce: ANCHO.  Some mole recipes.

32. Aired again: RERAN.

33. Iditarod vehicle: SLED.  The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, more commonly known as The Iditarod (/aɪˈdɪtərɒd/), is an annual long-distance sled dog race held in Alaska in early March. It travels from Anchorage to Nome. Mushers and a team of between 12 and 16 dogs, of which at least 5 must be on the towline at the finish line, cover the distance in 8–15 days or more. The Iditarod began in 1973 as an event to test the best sled dog mushers and teams but evolved into today's highly competitive race.

34. Attempt: STAB.

38. Rescue supply spots: PET SHOPS.  A CSO to PAT.

39. Genesis name: SEGA.  Who knew that EVE had triplets?  😀

41. "Really uncool, bro": JERK MOVE.  Not the first thing that entered my mind.

44. Simon of the "Mission: Impossible" film series: PEGG.  Simon John Pegg (né Beckingham; born 14 February 1970) is an English actor, comedian and screenwriter.  Pegg is one of the few performers to have achieved what has been called the "Holy Grail of Nerd-dom": playing popular supporting characters in Doctor Who, Star Trek, and Star Wars. He currently stars as Benji Dunn in the Mission: Impossible film series (2006–present).

Simon Pegg

46. __ kwon do: TAE.  Tae kwon do is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving punching and kicking techniques. The literal translation "kicking", "punching", and "the art or way of".  It sometimes involves the use of weapons.

Ouch!

49. Queasiness: NAUSEA.

50. Relaxed gait: TROT.

51. Crawls (along): INCHES.

54. "Little Women" woman: BETH.

55. "Al __ lado del río": Oscar-winning song by Jorge Drexler: OTRO.  Al otro lado del río (transl. "On the Other Side of the River") is a song by Uruguayan singer Jorge Drexler from the soundtrack album for the film The Motorcycle Diaries (2004).  It received the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 77th Academy Awards, becoming the first Spanish language song, the second in a foreign language, to receive such an honor, and the first by a Uruguayan artist ...

56. Quaint pronoun: THOU.  Also slang for a GRAND.

58. Literary captain: AHAB.  The protagonist of the great American novel, Hermann Melville's Moby Dick.  You can buy this first edition for only US$ 87,771.81 ...

Moby Dick 1851
Hermann Melville

 60. Literary governess: EYRE.  Jane Eyre is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The first American edition was published the following year by Harper & Brothers of New York. Jane Eyre is a bildungsroman that follows the experiences of its eponymous heroine, including her growth to adulthood and her love for Mr Rochester, the brooding master of Thornfield Hall.  A first edition of this work can set you back as much as US$ 100,000.  But this one is a steal for only US$ 65,000 ...

Jane Eyre 1847
Charlotte Brontë

Our constructors are very literary!

61. Dijon companion: AMIE.  Today's French lesson: Dijon is a city that serves as the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France.  As of 2017 the commune had a population of 156,920.

62. "__ a lift?": NEED.

64. Date: SEE.  Before you can 66D you usually have to do this (unless you buy a mail-order spouse!)

66. Make it official, in a way: WED.  ELOPE was too long.

* My favorite automated language translation story goes something like this:  The inventors were showing off their new program to some dignitaries, one of whom suggested "Show us the translation of 'Out of sight, out of mind' into Chinese".  The inventors ran it through their program and out popped some Chinese.  Dignitaries: "But how do we know that it's correct?  Translate it back to English".  The program responded: "Invisible Idiot". 😁

Cheers,
Bill

And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.

waseeley

Sunday December 10, 2023 Amie Walker & Hoang-Kim Vu

Theme: "Gains" - Five different muscles are inserted in to each common phrase.

24. Nearly fails Poseidon's shop class?: BARELY MAKES A TRIDENT. Barely makes a dent.

36. Karaoke outing that won't allow Aretha's classic song?: RESPECTLESS NIGHT. Restless night.

57. Time in the Peace Corps?: SERVICE ABROAD. Service road.

63. The x- or y-axis, perhaps?: END OF QUADRANT. End of rant.

83. Request to an ophthalmologist on a busy afternoon?: DILATE ANOTHER DAY. Die Another Day.

101. "Use all your strength!," or an alternate title for this puzzle?: PUT SOME MUSCLE IN TO IT.

TRI is used. I wonder why BI is not used. Then the reveal could be the title. We'd have a more muscly puzzle.

Across:

1. "Couldn't agree more!": AMEN.

5. Tapenade, e.g.: DIP.

8. Pride __: FLAG.

12. Chicago daily, familiarly: TRIB. We have Star Trib here.

16. Forum robe: TOGA.

17. Bread with falafel: PITA.

18. Princess Tiana costume topper: TIARA.

19. Taiga or tundra: BIOME.

20. Collage of fabric swatches, paint chips, etc.: MOOD BOARD. 

22. Birch kin: ALDER.

23. Send payment: REMIT.

27. Considerate of others: POLITE.

28. Iowa State town: AMES.

29. Activity in a humidified room: HOT YOGA. So many nice fill in this grid.

30. Corp. leader: CEO.

31. Monopoly pair: DICE.

33. Desertlike: ARID.

35. "What's the __?": USE.

41. Twirl: SPIN.

45. Some saxes: ALTOS.

46. __ Eisley: spaceport in the "Star Wars" universe: MOS.

 

47. Take to court: SUE.

48. __ Island: RHODE.

49. Harris, e.g., informally: VEEP.

50. Shout at the slots: I WON.

52. Best Original Song, e.g.: OSCAR. 116. 52-Across honoree for "Fight for You": HER.

54. Gretzky, once: OILER. Boomer used to have his rookie cards. And Mantle's. He had lots of stories of "I wish I kept his cards."

55. Blunder: ERR.

56. Nursing __: BRA.

60. Close securely: SEAL.

61. High card, often: ACE.

62. Skeptical expression: IS IT.

69. Fizz liquor: GIN.

70. Weeding tool: HOE.

73. Native New Zealander: MAORI.

74. Numbered clubs: IRONS.

75. Pound sound: WOOF.

77. "The Powerpuff Girls" voice actress Strong: TARA. She voiced Bubbles.

78. With 79-Across, entry in the periodic table's last column: INERT. 79. See 78-Across: GAS.

80. Auction action: BID.

81. Gets, as a job: LANDS.

82. Flushed: ROSY.

88. Curling surface: ICE.

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

91. Io or Europa, for Jupiter: MOON.

92. NCAA champion swimmer Thomas: LIA. First openly transgender athlete to win the title.

93. Clipped: SHEARED.

97. Hurt feelings?: PAIN.

99. Pot sticker kin: WONTON. I like plain wonton.

105. Problems for pipes or PR firms: LEAKS.

106. Insertion mark: CARET.

107. Carrot, so to speak: INCENTIVE.

110. Penn pals?: IVIES. 111. Locale for llamas: ANDES. 2. Low in the field: MOO. And 5. Talk of the town?: DIALECT. All nice clues.

112. Alum: GRAD.

113. Library offering: LOAN.

114. Relayed: TOLD.

115. Long-standing rivalry: FEUD.

117. Fangorn Forest beings: ENTS.

Down:

1. Note dispenser: ATM.

3. Bit of self-promotion?: EGO BOOSTER. Great fill/clue as well.

4. Federer rival: NADAL.

6. "Nice job!" reply: I TRY.

7. Lakshmi who wrote the children's book "Tomatoes for Neela": PADMA. She used to host "Top Chef".

8. Enters one by one: FILES IN.

9. Chaps: LADS.

10. Zone: AREA.

11. Brooks of country music: GARTH.

12. Colorful garment that might feature a peace sign: TIEDYE SHIRT.

13. Shakespeare character in the lyrics of Taylor Swift's "Love Story": ROMEO.

14. Chatting online, for short: IMING. Question: "What would you like for Christmas?" Me: "Ventilator". I meant "snorkel" but I forgot how to say it in English.

15. Bright aquarium fish: BETTA.

17. Wax finish?: POETIC. Wax poetic.

18. "Any __?": "Who's in?": TAKERS.

19. Brolly carriers: BRITS.

21. "Say Yes to the Dress" figures: BRIDES.

25. Stockpile: AMASS.

26. Sound defeat: ROUT.

27. Mixology tool: PEELER.

30. Desire: CRAVE. Had a sore throat for a few days. Sure wish I had some frozen durian. My mouth is watering just looking at this picture.

32. Pal of Big Bird and Julia: ELMO.

34. Decathlon equipment: DISCI.

37. Fizzy drink: POP.

38. Ages and ages: EONS.

39. Avocado dish, for short: GUAC.

40. "Wish me luck!": HERE I GO.

42. Casual top: POLO.

43. Brainchild: IDEA.

44. Geeky type: NERD.

48. Batman's boy friend: ROBIN.

50. Modern location of Nineveh: IRAQ.

51. Evil doppelgänger in the Mario games: WALUIGI.

52. Some apex predators: ORCAS.

53. Reindeer pal of Olaf the snowman: SVEN.

56. Suit well: BEFIT.

58. Pocket: EARN.

59. Skeptical expression: AS IF.

60. "Didn't mean to open that can of worms": SORRY I ASKED. Another great fill.

63. Mideast title: EMIR.

64. Prefix between micro and pico: NANO.

65. "Easy __ it": DOES.

66. __ Sea: former endorheic lake: ARAL.

67. Rice pancakes served with sambar and chutney: DOSAS. Looks tasty.

68. Bed size: TWIN.

70. L'Occitane product: HAND LOTION. I've tried them all.

71. Appoint, as a rabbi: ORDAIN.

72. Undemanding class: EASY A.

76. Leslie __ Jr. of "Glass Onion": ODOM.

77. Roof goo: TAR.

80. Pho garnish: BASIL.

81. "Imagine" singer: LENNON.

83. View as: DEEM.

84. Heavy favorite: TOP SEED.

85. Passes, as legislation: ENACTS.

86. Longtime luxury sedan: TOWN CAR.

87. Partner of hollered: HOOTED.

89. Irritable: CROSS.

93. Share, as an appetizer: SPLIT.

94. Parte de un platillo "ranchero": HUEVO.

95. Online business: ETAIL.

96. Coffee choice: DECAF.

98. Whinny: NEIGH.

100. Proof of ownership: TITLE.

102. Thick tresses: MANE.

103. Lahore language: URDU.

104. Memo opener: IN RE.

108. Chocolate factory tub: VAT.

109. Nine Inch Nails quartet?: ENS. The letters in Nine Inch Nails. 

Been a long, surreal year since I lost Boomer. Tears still fall when I'm vacuuming his man cave, or walking on his favorite trails, or in the pool. I sob at odd moments, for odd reasons. I'll forever miss him.

C.C.

Tuesday, October 31, 2023 Hoang-Kim Vu and Jessica Zetzman Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

19-Across. Restaurant that operates within another restaurant: GHOST KITCHEN.  Hand up if you knew of Ghost Kitchens.

27-Across. With 32-Across, embarrassing secret: SKELETON.  //  And 32. See 27-Across: IN THE CLOSET.  Together, this gives us a SKELETON IN THE CLOSET.

42-Across. Emmy-nominated TV series based on a Hilary Mantel novel: WOLF HALL.  That's Dame Hilary Mantel (July 6, 1952 ~ Sept. 22, 2022) to you.  She was best known for her historical fiction.  She wrote a trilogy about Thomas Cromwell's rise to power in the court of Henry VIII, King of England.  Wolf Hall was the first book in the series, followed by Bring Up the Bodies and The Mirror and the Light.   [Name # 1.]

And the unifier:

48-Across. Halloween attraction, or what 19-, 27-/32-, and 42-Across all might be a part of?: HAUNTED HOUSE.

And, what you might hear in a Haunted House:

36-Down. Evil laugh: MWA HA HA!

Across:

1. Hip-hop duo __ & Rakim: ERIC B.  I am not familiar with this duo of Eric B. (né Eric Barrier; b. Nov. 8, 1963) and Rakim (né William Michael Griffin, Jr.; b. Jan. 28, 1968).  The group was big in the late 1980s and early 1990s.   [Names # 2 and 3.]

6. Landlocked West African nation: MALI.  The United States Department of State currently lists Mali on its Do Not Travel list due to crime, kidnapping and terrorism.

10. Product prefix that evokes winter: SNO.

13. Gambling hub near Hong Kong: MACAU.  Everything you wanted to know about Macau but didn't know to ask.

14. Opinion piece: OP-ED.  Opposite the Editorial Page.

15. Cloverleaf feature: LOOP.

16. Eggs (on): SPURS.

17. Gem from Australia or Ethiopia: OPAL.  Hi, Kazie!  Is it bad luck to wear an Opal if it's not your birth stone?

18. Eclectic online digest: UTNE.  Its full name is the Utne Reader.  It was first published in 1984 and is named after its founder, Eric Utne.

22. Large cupboard: ARMOIRE.

25. Black belt discipline: KARATE.

26. Tosses: HEAVES.

29. Circle dances: HORAs.

30. "Finish the job!": DO IT.

31. Grass in a roll: SOD.

36. GI grub: MRE.  We had the Meals Ready to Eat last Tuesday.

38. Flair: ELAN.

39. Campfire residue: ASHES.

45. Texas border city: EL PASO.  The city and county of El Paso, Texas is in the Mountain Time Zone, where as most of the rest of Texas is in the Central Time Zone.

46. Glass raiser's opening: A TOAST.

47. Brother of Ophelia: LAERTES.  A reference to Willie the Shakes' play Hamlet.  I'll let our Shakespeare scholar expound on these characters.  [Names # 4 and 5.]

51. Fighting: AT IT.

52. Christian of fashion: DIOR.  Christian Ernest Dior (Jan. 21, 1905 ~ Oct. 24, 1957) was a French fashion designer.  He is best known for A-Line collection which made its debut in 1955.  [Name # 6.]

53. TV channel with election night coverage: MSNBC.  It's short for Microsoft and the National Broadcasting Corporation.

57. "For __ jolly ... ": HE'S A.

58. Not new: USED.

59. Like more than 4 billion people: ASIAN.

60. Fruit juice suffix: -ADE.  We miss you LemonADE!

61. Degs. for many profs: Ph.Ds.  Today's Latin lesson.  The abbreviation for Doctor of Philosophy, or in the original Latin: Philosophiae Doctor.

62. "Oppenheimer" director Christopher: NOLAN.  J. Robert Oppenheimer (né Julius Robert Oppenheimer; Apr. 22, 1904 ~ Feb. 18, 1967) was an American theoretical physicist and director of the Manhattan Project's Los Angeles lab.  He is sometime called the Father of the Atomic bomb.  Christopher Nolan (né Christopher Edward Nolan; b. July 30, 1970) is a British-born filmmaker who directed this past summer's blockbuster film about Oppenheimer and the atomic bomb.   [Names # 7 and 8.]

Down:

1. Ambulance gp.: EMs.  Emergency Medicine.  //  And 3-Down: Hosp. recovery area: ICU.  Intensive Care Unit.  //  And 20-Down. Surgery ctrs.: ORs.  Operating Rooms.

2. Knock sharply: RAP.

4. Moving day rental: CARGO VAN.

5. Most overgrown, say: BUSHIEST.

6. __ Tracks ice cream: MOOSE.  Vanilla ice cream with peanut butter cups and chocolate fudge.  Apparently the name was inspired by a mini golf course.

7. Spot on a sked: APPT.  An appointment is a spot on a schedule.

8. Plumbing problem: LEAK.

9. "That sounds tempting": I'D LIKE TO.

10. Phrase of finality: SO THAT'S THAT.

11. Far from: NONE TOO.  Meh!

12. Allowing for modification, as a mortgage: OPEN END.

15. Loot: LUCRE.

21. "She's So High" singer Bachman: TAL.  Tal Bachman (né Talmage Charles Robert Backman; b. Aug. 13, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is best known for She's So High.  [Name # 9.]

22. Sound at a spa: AHH!

23. __ Speedwagon: REO.  The band, which was formed in the late 1960s, was named after the REO Speed Wagon truck that first produced in 1915 by Ransom Eli Olds (June 3, 1864 ~ 1950) of Oldsmobile fame.  [Name # 9]

24. Duchess of Parma who was Napoleon's second wife: MARIE LOUISE.  Archduchess Marie Louise (Dec. 12, 1791 ~ Dec. 17, 1847) was the Duchess of Parma in her own right.  She reigned as the Duchess of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla from April 1814 until her death 33 years later.  In 1810, she married Napoleon (Aug. 15mm 1769 ~ May 5, 1821).  He was her first husband.  After his death, she married twice more.  [Names # 10 and 11.]

27. L.A.'s region: SO-CAL.  Southern California.

28. Pottery oven: KILN.

30. Big name in crossword puzzle magazines: DELL.  [Name adjacent.]

33. Warmed, as leftovers: HEATED UP.

34. Arthur Miller's "Death of a __": SALESMAN.  Arthur Asher Miller (Oct. 17, 1915 ~ Feb. 10, 2005) wrote many, many plays, but is probably best known for his short marriage to Marilyn Monroe (June 1, 1926 ~ Aug. 4, 1962).  She was the second of his three wives.  [Name # 12.]

35. Strong coffee in a tiny cup: ESPRESSO.  Yummers!

37. Went round and round: ROTATED.

40. WNW's opposite: ESE.

41. Emergency letters: SOS.  This is becoming a crossword staple.

43. Fruit soda brand: FANTA.  [Name Adjacent.]

44. Pres. after FDR: HST.  Harry S Truman (May 8, 1884 ~ Dec. 26, 1972) was Vice-President until the death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Jan. 30, 1882 ~ Apr. 12, 1945).  Roosevelt president to be elected for a 4th term.  Truman was his 3rd Vice-President.  His first Vice-President was John Nance (Nov. 22, 1868 ~ Nov. 7, 1967).  Nance served from 1933 until 1941, Roosevelt's first two terms.  Henry A Wallace (Oct. 7, 1888 ~ Mpv. 18, 1965) was Roosevelt second Vice-President.  He served from 1941 until 1945.  [Names # 13 and 14.]

45. __ de toilette: EAU.  Today's French lesson.  Everything you wanted to know about Water of the Toilette but didn't know to ask.

47. Some Parliament members: LORDS.

49. Dinner plate: DISH.

50. Did a garden chore: HOED.

54. Zero, in soccer: NIL.

55. Sheep call: BAA.

56. TV channel with election night coverage: CNN.  Cable News Network.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה