Sunday Janaury 7, 2024 Jordan Hildebrandt

Theme: "Following Protocol" - Each HTTP error is re-phrased as knight-related:

22. HTTP 504: Knight fails to return to castle before portcullis closes for curfew: GATEWAY TIME OUT.

 35. HTTP 403: Knight not approved to embark on second search for the Holy Grail: FORBIDDEN REQUEST.

49. HTTP 419: Knight's squire's apprenticeship no longer in force: PAGE EXPIRED.

80. HTTP 500: Knight fails to tip waitstaff at banquet: SERVER ERROR.

96. HTTP 405: Knight illegally aims for opponent's head during joust: METHOD NOT ALLOWED.

Reveal:

113. Medieval protocol for knights, or an alternate title for this puzzle?: CODE OF CHIVALRY.

I bet D-Otto and Anon-T enjoyed this puzzle. They know all the errors. Thankfully you don't need to know those error messages to solve this grid. 

Don't recall seeing such a theme anywhere before. Love the freshness and originality.

Across:

1. Totally wiped: BEAT.

5. College Board exam for jrs.: PSAT.

9. Fondant colorer: DYE. I did not know the meaning of "fondant", cake icing.

12. Dream big: ASPIRE.

18. Roman aqueduct section: ARCH.

19. Active volcano on Sicily: ETNA.

20. Timely benefit: BOON.

21. Bedouin, e.g.: ROAMER. Brave souls, those who live in the Sahara.

25. Soft cotton fabric: MUSLIN.

26. Literary comparisons: SIMILES.

27. Organs that affect balance: EARS. 39. Swab for 27-Across: Q-TIP.

28. Boutonniere counterpart: CORSAGE.

29. Bed cover: DUVET.

30. "Turn up the heat!": BRR. Bill & Margret's new co-op place is toasty. And I feel so safe and loved.  Margaret painted these.

 

31. Fade, say: WEAR.

33. Triangles on a map, typically: Abbr.: MTNS.

34. Flower in some O'Keeffe paintings: IRIS.

40. Snap veggies: PEAS.

41. Sign into law: ENACT.

42. Push notifications: E-ALERTS. Not a word I use. All my notifications are off. I check when I want to check.

43. DOJ staffers: ATTYS.

45. Ryan of "Star Trek: Picard": JERI.

46. Puglia lang.: ITAL. Not familiar with Puglia.

53. Gets fit: SHAPES UP.

57. Routine material: JOKES. Stand-up routine.

58. Store securely: STOW.

59. Blues label based in Memphis: STAX.

60. Icy layer: RIME.

61. "Pressure" singer Lennox: ARI.

62. Tennis unit: SET.

65. Some fossils: TEETH.

67. Citi player: MET. Patti is long-time Mets fan.

69. 16th POTUS: ABE.

70. Baby carrier: WOMB.

72. Spindly: BONY.

74. Villain's hideaway: LAIR.

76. "The Sparks Brothers" director Wright: EDGAR. He often collaborates with Simon Pegg.

78. Commuters' region: SUBURBIA.

83. Meh: SO SO.

84. Lump of soil: CLOD.

86. Finnish tech giant: NOKIA.

87. Lowered a lot, as prices: SLASHED.

90. New cadet: PLEBE.

92. Rowdy crowds: MOBS.

100. French friend: AMIE.

101. Fairy tale meanie: OGRE.

102. White peg in Battleship: MISS.

103. Car port?: AUX. Connection port. 

104. Waterfall on a doughnut production line: GLAZE.

105. Fuel mining site: COAL PIT.

107. Angry speech: RANT.

109. Toyota sedan: COROLLA.

112. Suggest: HINT AT.

116. Rise: ASCENT.

117. "Sadly ... ": ALAS.

118. Spark interest?: LEND. Great clue.

119. For a __ pittance: MERE.

120. Hi-fi system: STEREO.

121. Civil rights initialism: BLM. Black Lives Matters.

122. Brouhahas: ADOS.

123. 115-Down votes: AYES. 115. Affirmative: YES.

Down:

1. Sack: BAG.

2. Error remnant: ERASURE.

3. Probiotic yogurt brand: ACTIVIA.

4. Rap anthem by Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five: THE MESSAGE. 1982. Another learning moment for me.

5. Ring out: PEAL.

6. Warm compress target, maybe: STYE.

7. Termite eaters: ANTS.

8. Mai __: cocktail: TAI.

9. "Monsters, Inc." factory product: DOOR.

10. "Pinkie promise?": YOU SWEAR. Also 14. Make the grade: PASS MUSTER. 71. Place for a pick-me-up?: BUS SHELTER. 85. "Time to blow this popsicle stand": LET'S ROLL. Excellent entries.

11. Isengard attacker: ENT.

12. Weapons expert: ARMORER.

13. Sweet and __: SOUR.

15. "Better get a move on!": I'M LATE.

16. Royal tenures: REIGNS.

17. "Ready Player One" author Cline: ERNEST.

20. Santa costume need: BEARD.

23. Sharp quality: WIT.

24. Warrant: MERIT.

28. Attention: CARE.

29. Swing dance move: DIP.

30. "The Graham Norton Show" airer: BBC.

32. Recruit: ENLIST.

35. Big bash: FETE.

36. Agate kin: ONYX.

37. Speaks with a sore throat: RASPS.

38. "No good __ goes unpunished": DEED.

44. Model/activist Holliday: TESS.

45. Like tiaras: JEWELED.

47. Parmesan substitute: ASIAGO.

48. __ support: LUMBAR.

49. Like a sponge: POROUS.

50. With hands on hips: AKIMBO.

51. Teensy: ITTY.

52. Fishy topping: ROE.

54. Goofy sort: HAM.

55. Splitting tool: AXE.

56. Coeval: PEER. Is "coeval" a common word?

57. Spielberg shark thriller: JAWS.

59. Sister on "Succession": SHIV. Unknown to me. Happy for the new clue angle.

63. Flow partner: EBB.

64. You, in Montréal: TOI.

66. Driveway-patching gunk: TAR.

68. Actress Hatcher: TERI.

73. Cheesy layered snack: NACHOS.

75. Keep up on the issues?: RENEW.

77. One prone to histrionics, informally: DRAMA LLAMA. Learned from doing crosswords.

79. Hershey caramel candy: ROLO.

80. Faygo or Fanta: SODA. Wikipedia says Faygo is "a soft drink company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan."

81. Get-up on Sunday morning?: ROBE. Sweet clue also.

82. __ out a living: EKED.

88. Come clean about: ADMIT TO.

89. Sulky mood: SNIT.

90. Ninth planet, until 2006: PLUTO.

91. Fishy topping: LOX.

93. Ill-fated "Grey's Anatomy" resident George: O'MALLEY.

94. Nutty: BIZARRE.

95. Match at the poker table: SEE.

96. Coffee-and-chocolate concoctions: MOCHAS.

97. Narcissist: EGOIST.

98. Hypnotic state: TRANCE.

99. Areas of expertise: LANES. Splynter's lane is wide.

104. Sen.'s domain: GOV.

106. Greenhouse unit: PANE.

108. Genesis figure: ADAM.

109. Included in an email thread: CC'ED.

110. "How terrible!": OH NO.

111. Divests (of): RIDS.

113. Uber or Lyft alternative: CAB.

114. Tampa's st.: FLA.

C.C.

I was very sad to learn that Old Man Keith passed away. He was an active member of our blog for so many years. Always a gentleman. You can learn more his life here.

Monday June 22, 2020 Jordan Hildebrandt

Theme: FRIED RICE (62. Chinese menu standard, or what's literally found in the circled letters?) - Letters of RICE are scrambled up.

17. Boss on a red truck: FIRE CHIEF.

25. Writer of arcade entertainment reviews: GAME CRITIC.

38. Frozen food biggie: MARIE CALLENDER'S.

50. National STEM Competition for middle school visionaries: FUTURE CITY. According to Wikipedia, Future City Competition is a national competition in the United States that focuses on improving students' math, engineering, and science skills. The program is open to students in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades who attend a public, private or home school.

Boomer here. 

C.C. said this is Jordan Hildebrandt's LA Times debut. Congratulations, Jordan!

June 22 has good and bad memories for me. My first child, by a previous marriage, Deborah was born on June 22, 1970.  That's the good memory.  Sadly Debbie passed away from heart disease at the age of ten on June 25, 1980.  I cannot imagine her at age 50.  Rest in peace my sweet little girl.

Across:

1. Transplant to a new container: REPOT. No pots for us. Our plants and flowers are in the garden.

6. Wd. modifying a noun: ADJ.

9. Triumphant shouts: TADAS.  Might have been a few at the RBC Heritage last weekend, but I did not hear any.

14. Appliance maker: AMANA.  Made in our neighbor to the south, Amana, Iowa.  Home of the Wurst Festival.

15. CT scan relative: MRI.  I suspect Abejo can tell you about his.  I will never forget mine two years ago.

16. Room on the Clue board: STUDY.

19. Tuesday fare?: TACOS.  I have seen the ads for Taco John's. We have not purchased restaurant food since the virus shutdown. Anyway, I mentioned before, C.C. and I prefer buffets, The Mystic Lake Casino has excellent tacos in their buffet, but it is not yet open. You need to gamble hungry.

20. Letters before "Fridays" in a restaurant name: TGI.  I think the Minnesota ones have closed.

21. Campus party garb: TOGA.  Good old "Animal House" - I miss John Belushi.

22. Arrange in order: SORT. I cannot even try to remember how many hours I spent sorting baseball cards. A labor of love.

23. Divisions of history: ERAS. Or  "Pitcher's stats".  On the backs of their baseball cards.

29. Detox facility: REHAB.

31. Long __ of the law: ARM. Saw a few of these in Tulsa on Saturday.

32. In the past: AGO.  "A long, long time AGO, I can still remember how the music used to make me smile."  Don McClean - "American Pie"

33. Riotous spree: RAMPAGE.

37. Per item: A POP.  I am having A POP as I write this. It's diet Ginger Ale.

42. Desktop image: ICON.

43. Premier League powerhouse: ARSENAL.  I thought this was a stash of weapons and ammo.

44. Progressive spokeswoman: FLO. Yup I have Progressive. I rate them third in stupid car insurance commercials.  Behind #1 Liberty Mutual, and #2 GEICO.

45. Toward the stern: AFT.  In a big ship.  The kind I saw docked at Harbor Town last weekend.  In the fishing boats that I commanded the motor was "AFT" (Pronounced MOTOR, Not MO TORE)

46. French fathers: PERES.

55. Eye care brand: RENU.  I wear glasses.  C.C. likes contacts and I think she uses this.

56. Sword's sharp part: EDGE.  Ford makes a mini SUV called an EDGE.  No payments for three months. and I have no interest in this car.

57. 1857 litigant Scott: DRED.  We studied some of this in High School and it should be a topic for today's "Black Lives Matter" movement.  Dred was a black American in Missouri.  He sued for his freedom and it got to the Supreme Court but they ruled against 7 - 2.  By the way, in case you have not heard, the Minnesota Twins removed the statue of previous owner Calvin Griffith.  He was a cheap bigot and there is no reason to honor his memory.

59. Road goo: TAR.

60. Super-excited: GIDDY.

64. Disney's Little Mermaid: ARIEL.

65. Sass: LIP.  TU of them make a flower.

66. Hilda and Zelda, to TV's Sabrina: AUNTS.  I remember playing the "Legend of Zelda" for hours on my Nintendo game.

67. Category in iTunes: GENRE.

68. Employ: USE.

69. Dough raiser: YEAST.  Great Stuff!!  I made pizza for a few years and we had to use yeast to tenderize the crust.

Down:

1. Roofing support: RAFTER.

2. Political refugee: EMIGRE.  I guess dreamers are not in that group and are here to stay. Thank you 5 of the big robes!

3. Outcast: PARIAH.

4. Number of beers that fall off the wall in each round of the song: ONE.  It takes about thirty miles in the car to finish this song.  I don't think I ever finished.  Did you like "Take one down and pass it around" or "If one of those bottles should happen to fall."  ??

5. Diplomat's skill: TACT.

6. Latina friend: AMIGA.  My buddy Jorge from Chile calls me AMIGO. 

7. "I Have a __": MLK: DREAM.  Again another timely reference.  I know I mentioned a couple of weeks ago regarding my experience at Fort Campbell on April 4, 1968.

8. Skippy rival: JIF. When I was young, my Cub Scout troop toured the Skippy factory in St. Louis Park, MN.  At the end of the tour we received a small jar.  The factory is gone now, but I am still loyal to the brand.

9. Noisy weather event, briefly: T-STORM.  We had a big one last week.  Thunder shook our house.

10. Arcade pioneer: ATARI.  Is this the same as Nintendo ??

11. All-purpose roll: DUCT TAPE.  Many uses, We have used a lot!

12. Hubbub: ADO.  Much ADO about nothing.

13. Part of CBS: Abbr.: SYS.  Looks like CBS has landed the PGA tournaments with no fans on the course.

18. Harley, e.g.: HOG.  They are a bit noisy, just like real HOGS.

22. It allows air but keeps out bugs: SCREEN. We have them, but once in awhile a Minnesota mosquito sneaks in and drives C.C. crazy.

24. Deadly nerve gas: SARIN.

26. Great Seal bird: EAGLE.  This would be two under par on one hole.  something I did once about 30-40 years ago on a par five.  On in two and one putt - about a 30 footer.

27. "Young Frankenstein" aide: IGOR.  "Oh Boy IGOR Stravinsky, Oh Boy, Bo Belinsky."  Allan Sherman.

28. Many "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" characters: COPS.

30. Sweetie, in slang: BAE.

34. Antivirus giant: MCAFEE.  Maybe we could take some for the Covid-19.  Just kidding, Do not try it.

35. Medicare Advantage, familiarly: PART C.  I have Medicare but don't use it.  Why are there SO MANY commercials for these add on plans.  Joe Namath - Don't you have anything to do??

36. Pacino and Roker: ALS.  Roker is a Joker.

37. Sherlock Holmes adversary Irene: ADLER.

38. Offend slightly: MIFF.

39. Civil rights org.: ACLU.  "Civil Rights Leaders are a pain in the neck, Can't hold a candle to Chiang Kai Shek, How do I know, I read it in the Daily News."  Tom Paxton.

40. Based on, as opinions vis-à-vis faith: ROOTED IN.

41. Daytime snooze: NAP.  No time, always have stuff to do.

45. Diamond pattern: ARGYLE.  No one will ever forget our Santa.

47. Light-sensitive eye layer: RETINA.

48. Passes, as laws: ENACTS.  Our Supreme Court has been busy lately. Not passing laws but deciding if they are okay.

49. Most certain: SUREST.

51. Part of a cow the milk comes from: UDDER.  Which cow?  This one or the UDDER one.??

52. Elba who played Mandela: IDRIS.

53. Total rubbish: TRIPE.  I always thought TRIPE was the part of the fish you toss away while cleaning it.

54. "__-haw!": YEE.  I used to watch "HEE-HAW"  YEE HAW sounds Chinese, I'll check with C.C.

58. June 6, 1944: D DAY.  I was not yet alive, But this day in history will long be remembered.

60. Gift at a white elephant exchange, say: GAG.

61. Wrath: IRE.

62. Annual shot target: FLU.  Hopefully the annual shot target in the future will be Covid-19.

63. Parisian street: RUE.  Or, one of the "Golden Girls".

Boomer