Monday June 11, 2018 Matt McKinley

Theme: Blow by Blow, from Freeze to Gale.

17A. "That was easy!": WHAT A BREEZE.

26A. Move to Canada to avoid military service: DODGE THE DRAFT.

 

45A. Top-10 1978 hit for Kansas: DUST IN THE WIND.

61A. Girl who went to Oz: DOROTHY GALE.

Boomer here. 

"The wind began to switch, the house to pitch".  Hope this puzzle was a breeze to you all.  I could have done it, "If I only had a brain".  I have a complaint. Saturday morning my newspaper said post time at the Belmont was 5:30 PM Central time.  NBC always runs a 2 1/2 hour program to show a two minute horse race so I watched pro bowling on ESPN then tuned to NBC at 5:30. 47 commercials later they were "OFF" at about 5:55.  Canterbury Downs was built in Minnesota around 1985 and I made a few trips there back then. I won a few bucks on a ride by Mike Smith occasionally so I applaud his success.  I wonder if NBC can JUSTIFY the time discrepancy. 

Across:

1. Speechless performers: MIMES.

6. Love to bits: ADORE.

11. Hem and __: HAW. Famous TV reruns HEE ___.  I have to admit I watch it.  Where did you think I get all these stupid one liners ?

14. Overplay the scene: EMOTE.

15. NBA coach Pat who trademarked "three-peat": RILEY.  Who might remember William Bendix in "The Life of Riley" ?

16. Hole-in-one: ACE.  I have never had one of these on the golf course.  Came as close as 6 inches once.  But I have had one in a pair of socks.

19. "__ Loves You": Beatles: SHE. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah.  I just learned Saturday that the Beatles chose their name in respect of Buddy Holly's "Crickets". Oh Boy !

20. Beethoven's "Moonlight," e.g.: SONATA.

21. Lawn mower housing: TOOL SHED.  If you don't have one, leave it in your garage.

23. Come to a close: END.

25. Actor Cage, in tabloids: NIC.

33. Sea of __: Black Sea arm: AZOV.

35. Midwestern tribe: OTOE.  I have a big toe and a little toe on each foot.  Never heard of an Otoe.

36. Finalize, as a deal: SEW UP.

37. Smart-alecky: CUTE.  So is a bug in a rug a smart aleck?

38. Aired again on TV: RERAN. See HEE HAW above. Plus I have most of the "Law and Order" and "Seinfeld" shows memorized.

40. Policy expert: WONK.

41. Give a heads-up: ALERT. Also means you have only one lert.

43. NASCAR's Yarborough: CALE.  Very popular NASCAR champion with many wins.

44. Bothers a lot: IRKS. One of my Mom's favorite expressions.  I guess I irked her a lot.

48. Nest egg acronym: IRA.

49. Prefix with appear: DIS.  I might DISagree with this clue.

50. Longtime bubble gum wrap: WAX PAPER.  This is an all time misnomer!  Paper is not made from wax.  It should be called Waxed paper.

55. Slowly diminished, as strength: SAPPED.  Warren Sapp was a defensive tackle with Tampa Bay and Oakland.  Many quarterbacks got Sapped.

60. Smooth machinery sound: HUM.

63. Mine extraction: ORE. Also the abbreviation for a state south of Washington.  The Beavers took care of our Gophers on the baseball diamond this weekend.

64. Cream of the crop: ELITE.

65. George's fiancée on "Seinfeld": SUSAN. Yes I would know this without using Google or a blog.

66. Fellow: MAN.

67. Brand for nasal congestion: SINEX.

68. Australian gems: OPALS.  I think this is the October birthstone.

Down:

1. Kitten cries: MEWS. Sounds like MEOW to me.

2. Texter's "As I see it ... ": IMHO. In My Humble Opinion.

3. Pained sound: MOAN.

4. Soul singer James: ETTA. 

5. Helped by an usher: SEATED.  They have Ushers in church and at ballparks. They don't seem to seat many people, just stand in the back and chat with other ushers.  (Sorry if I offended any ushers out there).

6. LAX incoming flight: ARR.

7. Food restriction: DIET.  I have lots of restrictions, but Diet Pepsi is okay.

8. Toast topper: OLEO.  This is Margarine, a corn oil product.  It was popular in Iowa, but not sold in America's Dairyland, Wisconsin.  At one time it was white and looked like Crisco.  Then I remember it in a bag with a little red button.  You needed to squeeze the button and massage the bag to turn it yellow.  Hey, I never see SQUEEZE in a crossword - 25 points in Scrabble!

9. Change the district boundaries of: REZONE.

10. Peepers' closers: EYELIDS.

11. Corned beef concoction: HASH.  Hash always seems to have a Corned Beef tagalong. When I was a kid, we had one of those metal things with a crank handle and made hash out of roast beef, etc.

12. Pain: ACHE.  I won't bother you with mine.

13. Lawn invader: WEED.  C.C. likes dandelions the most.

18. Maine city: BANGOR.

22. Attach to a light bulb socket: SCREW IN.  "Clear Choice" dental work.

24. Find out about: DETECT.

26. Showers affection (on): DOTES.  Mairzy dotes and Dozey dotes and little lambs eat Ivy.  

27. Be exorbitant with the gratuity: OVER-TIP. Many may over-tip the bartender and then tip over.

28. Hebrew scroll: TORAH.

29. Restored to health: HEALED.

30. "I need to tell you something": A WORD.  Reminded me of "Let me tell you something!"  A famous intro on TV from Pro Wrestler Jesse Ventura. (Before he became governor.)

31. Dejected spell: FUNK.  Fred Funk is a good golfer with an odd name

32. Toll rds.: TPKS.

33. Air Force sch.: ACAD.

34. NATO alphabet ender: ZULU.

39. Fairly recent: NEWISH.  This seems like a newish word, made-up.

42. Long rants: TIRADES.

46. City SE of Roma: NAPOLI.  Italian for Naples I suppose.

47. Mom's emphatic words after "Because": I SAY SO.

50. "For __ the Bell Tolls": WHOM

51. Surrounding glow: AURA.

52. Marvel Comics superheroes: X-MEN.

53. The Emerald Isle: ERIN.

54. Mechanical learning method: ROTE. Kyle Rote was a running back for the New York Giants when I was a kid.

56. Scrolling PC key: PGUP.  This sounds like a gurgle before throwing up.

57. "¿Qué __?": PASA.

58. Airline with only kosher meals: EL AL.

59. TV-watching rooms: DENS. I watch mine in the basement.  It's cooler down there.

62. One of two sts. with bordering panhandles: TEX.

Boomer

Sunday June 3, 2018 Matt McKinley

Theme: "Emergency Room Staff"-  ER is added to each theme entry.

23A. Proposed explanation for oversize British sausage?: BIG BANGER THEORY. Big Bang Theory.

41A. Kiss in the rink?: HOCKEY PUCKER. Hockey puck.
 

62A. Screwballs hanging out at the end of the block?: CORNER FLAKES. Corn Flakes.

84A. Dollhouse porch chair?: LITTLE ROCKER. Little Rock.

104A. Lackadaisical soccer shot?: SLEEPY HEADER. Sleepy head.

123A. Dark ale expert?: PORTER AUTHORITY. Port authority.

15D. Dive at the governor's mansion pool?: CAPITAL GAINER. Capital gain.

61D. Fishing pro?: ALL-STAR CASTER. All-star cast.

The gainer in 15D is new to me, but I'm glad it has a different meaning, otherwise, the root word does not change much.

Quite a lot of themage. Total 104 squares.

Across:

1. Garments with hooks: BRAS.

5. Metro regions: URBS. Never used this word. You?

9. Complaint: BEEF.

13. Metals industry acronym: ALCOA. Kicked out of Dow a while ago.

18. Ocular cleaning brand: RENU.

19. Hilarious type: RIOT.

20. Lewis lion: ASLAN.

22. Destined (to): MEANT.

26. One in a newsstand stack: PAPER. Hard to a find a New York Times in our local gas stations or Barnes & Noble. The Wall Street Journal is everywhere though.

27. News agcy.: UPI.

28. Like rainy London skies: GREY.

29. Zagros Mountains country: IRAQ. Wiki says the Zagros Mountains form the largest mountain range in Iran, Iraq and southeastern Turkey.

31. Stack: PILE.

32. Rap sheet list: PRIORS.

35. Scotland, in Scottish Gaelic: ALBA. Learning moment.

38. Spanish hillsides: CUESTAS. Learning moment.

40. Highly regarded speakers: BOSE.I was thinking of House Speakers.

46. Germane: APT.

47. Name of two 134-Acrosses: JOHN PAUL. 134. Religious leader: POPE.

49. Dupe: REPRO. Reproduction.

50. U.K. governing body: PARL. Parliament. Gluey.

52. Vital conduits: AORTAS.

54. Self-serve fast-food item: SODA.

56. Farming prefix: AGRI.

59. Greener Living org.: EPA.

66. City on the Orne: CAEN.

67. "The first thing you must know ... ": RULE ONE. You do not talk about Fight Club.

69. "You __ on My Mind": 1965 hit: WERE. We Five.

70. Reducing big-time: SLASHING. The local high-end chain Herberger's is closing all its stores.

72. DuPont acrylic: ORLON.

73. Outer __: SPACE.

75. Near the hour: TEN TO.

76. Summer time?: DISCO ERA. Great clue. Donna Summer.

80. Slate, for one: E-MAG.

81. Greet warmly: SMILE AT.

83. Ferrara family name: ESTE.

87. "Kidnapped" monogram: RLS. Robert Louis Stevenson.

88. Country suffix: STAN. 7 nations.

89. Reason for an R: GORE. R-Rating.

90. Prime minister after Begin: SHAMIR. Yitzhak.

92. Stigmatic fictional symbol: RED A. Also 98. Expiate: ATONE FOR.

94. Ham it up: EMOTE.

102. "Mad Men" network: AMC.

107. Diminish slowly: FADE.

108. Wild Blue Yonder seller since 2003: CRAYOLA. Did not know Wild Blue Yonder is a Crayola color.

110. Quiet time: LULL. Quiet most of the time at our garage sale. Those framed pictures are Boomer's jigsaw puzzles. Someone actually bought one. I was amazed.

111. Gives rise to: YIELDS.

113. Canadian tank fillers: ESSO.

114. Marine predator: ORCA.

117. Bounce: ECHO.

120. No and Phil: DRS.

121. Ballet attire: TUTUS.

129. Brand for pain: ALEVE

130. Baking staple: SUGAR. Have any of you tried these mountain yams? Sugared mountain yams used to be our Chinese Spring Festival treats.

131. Ballet bend: PLIE.

132. Picked do: AFRO.

133. What bait does: LURES.

135. Door sign: PUSH.

136. Like eyes "you can't hide," in an Eagles hit: LYIN'.

Down:

1. Texter's "Need a short break": BRB. Be Right Back. One of the little words Argyle liked to use.

2. Portuguese king: REI.

3. Distress: ANGUISH.

4. Order in the court: SUBPOENA.

5. Keats subject: URN.

6. TV's Mrs. Peel: RIGG.

7. Orange Free State settler: BOER.

8. Hot time: STREAK.

9. Rats relative?: BAH.  The expletive "rats!".

10. Saskatoon-to-Winnipeg dir.: ESE.

11. Fair-haired sci-fi race: ELOI. 7 "The Time Machine" race.

12. Castmate of Alda and Swit: FARR.

13. Rev (up): AMP.

14. Quantum events?: LEAPS.

16. Pool unit: ONE LAP.

17. Immobile: AT REST.

21. New York City suburb on the Hudson: NYACK. Forgot. We had this before.

24. Fresh __: AIR.

25. Perry who created Madea: TYLER.

30. "'Sup, Juan?": QUE PASA?

32. Lunchbox staple, casually: PBJ.

33. Kanga's kid: ROO.

34. Gless of "Cagney & Lacey": SHARON.

36. Playoffs privilege: BYE.

37. Kindle download: APP.

39. Mound meas.: ERA. Pitcher's mound. More stuff from our garage sale. The Santana and  Gardenhire bobbleheads are gone.

42. Strange: OUTRE.

43. Extended family: CLAN.

44. Celestial bear: URSA.

45. "Order up!" callers: COOKS.

48. Pennsylvania's __ Mountains: POCONO.

51. Mother of Joseph: RACHEL.

53. Finalizes, with "up": SEWS.

55. Dover's st.: DEL.

57. Enterprise offering: RENTAL. We went back to Payless this year.

58. Closely watched bars: INGOTS. Gold bars.

59. Eats into: ERODES.

60. Strict observer: PURIST.

63. Turn back: REPEL.

64. Bowling unit: FRAME.

65. Aptly named Renault: LE CAR.

68. Dawn-of-mammals epoch: EOCENE.

71. Recipe words: STIR IN.

74. They may clash on the lot: EGOS.

77. "The Fantasticks" narrator whose name translates to "The Rooster": EL GALLO. I know Pico de gallo. Did not know "gallo" means "rooster" in Spanish.

78. Atlantic resort city: RIO.

79. Kilmer's famous last words?: A TREE. OK, the last line is "But only God can make a tree".

81. Glide on blades: SKATE.

82. Computer's abundance: MEMORY.

85. Holiday hire: TEMP.

86. Libya neighbor: CHAD.

91. Common HMO requirement: REFERRAL.

93. U.K. military award: DSO. Distinguished Service Order.

95. Olive not found in martinis: OYL.

96. Cal. column: THU.

97. Conger catcher: EELER. This old EELER is the only eel catcher I know of. 

99. Fake: FALSIFY.

100. Atypical: ODD.

101. Hi-__ image: RES.

102. Perfumery compound: ACETAL.

103. Enterprise helmsman: MR SULU.

105. Old West brothers: EARPS.

106. Fearless Fosdick's creator: AL CAPP. Unfamiliar with Fearless Fosdick.

109. "__ grown": YOU'VE. Not FULLY.

112. Altar promise: I DO.

115. Clever maneuver: COUP.

116. 2012 Best Picture: ARGO.

118. "The Handmaid's Tale" airer: HULU. Any fans on our blog?

119. Bluesy Redding: OTIS.

122. French possessive: SES. His.

124. Wire intrusion: TAP.

125. Ode preposition: ERE.

126. Sneaky laugh: HEH.

127. __-tip: beef cut: TRI.

128. "Round __ virgin ... ": YON.

Happy birthday to Owen, who does not like birthday celebrations. Thank you for so many years of joy and creative inspiration, Owen! Stay healthy for us!

C.C.

Monday April 30, 2018 Matt McKinley

Theme: THIRTY DAYS (58. Feature of the time periods hinted at by the starting letters of 17-, 23-, 38- and 47-Across) - Apr, Jun, Sep and Nov starts each theme answer.

17A. Fruity 12-Down topping: APRICOT JAM.

23A. Craftsperson using scrap metal, glass, etc.: JUNK ARTIST.

38A. Tax filing option for married couples: SEPARATE RETURNS.

47A. Restriction for quarantined patients: NO VISITORS.

Boomer here. And happy good morning to one and all.  I see some month abbreviations, including April.  I am not sorry to say good riddance to April this year.  Not only did the weatherman dump a ton of snow on us, but our Minnesota Twins had 4 games postponed, and managed to lose nine more in a row.  Hello May! Garden fence is ready and the dirt is rejuvenated.  We have yet to see the perennial Asian lily or the rose bush return for the summer.  

Best wishes to Argyle for a speedy rehab recovery.  Now... On with the show!  

Across:

1. Harley rider: BIKER. I had a bike when I was a kid, but it was not a Harley. I always felt that calling a Harley a bike was like calling a battery jumper cable clamp a paper clip.

6. Approved: OK'ED.

10. "The lady __ protest ... ": "Hamlet": DOTH.

14. Where one may be taken for a private word: ASIDE. To the dungeon.

15. Golfer's warning: FORE.  I often wondered where this came from.  I just holler "Look out", and that's before I swing the club.

16. Slender woodwind: OBOE. Well what's new ? A four letter word with three vowels.

19. Drive or reverse: GEAR.

20. The "S" in "CBS": Abbr.: SYST.

21. Little green veggie: PEA. Split 'em and make soup.

22. Vast chasm: ABYSS.

26. "400 Richest Americans" magazine: FORBES. No I am not in there. It's brutal to be 401st in anything. 

30. Nagging troubles: WOES.  Briefly, there is not enough room on the page to list my nagging woes.

31. Nimble: AGILE. Jack be agile, Jack be quick.

32. Stick a toothpick in, as a snack: STAB.  I'm not sure about toothpicks.  I think a knife or fork is more appropriate. 

34. "Bye, Luigi!": CIAO.  My sister has been to Italy a number of times.  She always ends her emails to me with this four letter Italian word (with three vowels).  I think she does the LA Times crossword frequently.

41. High-school kid: TEEN.

42. "On Golden __": POND.  Henry Fonda and his daughter Jane, as well as a star-studded cast.  Fonda sort of reminds me of Walter (Grumpy Old Man) Matthau and his buddy Jack Lemmon.

43. Rodeo lasso: RIATA.

44. Film critic Pauline: KAEL.

46. "Town Without Pity" singer Gene: PITNEY.  It isn't very pretty what a town without PITNEY can do.

51. One who's done for: GONER.

52. Old studio letters: RKO. It's an acronym for Radio-Keith-Orpheum.  What's interesting is downtown Minneapolis had a theatre called RKO Orpheum. Redundant and it's not there anymore.

53. Olympic sword: EPEE. Widely used in crosswords, I suspect because it's a four letter word with three vowels.  Okay, I am boring all.  I won't mention it again.

57. Ridesharing company: UBER. There are 12,000 Uber drivers now in the US.

61. Range in Europe: ALPS.

62. Country's McEntire: REBA.

63. Cove, e.g.: INLET.

64. Viral internet phenomenon: MEME. "Class, Who wants to get out at noon?"

65. Former couples: EXES. Goes first at tic tac toe.

66. Like yesterday's fashions: PASSE. 

Down:

1. Parts of cote tales?: BAAS.

2. Kids' road-trip game: I SPY. Now in a heap of trouble, "I Spy" was Bill Cosby's first TV show with Robert Culp in 1965,  You need to be as old as I to remember it.

3. White wine apéritifs: KIRS.

4. Cut and paste, e.g.: EDIT.

5. Word with room or center: REC.

6. Plenty of times: OFTEN.  OFTEN is a lot.  One OF TEN, not so much

7. TV cop with a lollipop: KOJAK. Telly Savalas played detective Kojak.  His first name was Theo, which I always considered it to be half a name.  Then along came Andy Sipowicz  who named his kid Theo.

8. Big Band __: ERA.

9. Rep.'s opponent: DEM. Politics, - Elephants and Donkeys

10. Bone-shaped treat: DOG BISCUIT.

11. Follows orders: OBEYS. If someone ORDERS a PIZZA, I might follow it out to the table.

12. Browned bread: TOAST. Ein Prosit.  "Here's to the guy who couldn't think small. Here's to the biggest embezzler of all..."  I am sure Tom can name that tune.

13. Word sewn on a towel: HERS.

18. Composer's work: OPUS.  This is interesting.  There is a business complex called OPUS in the city where I grew up.  So I googled Opus and sure enough it's a commercial real estate conglomerate.  Not sure about the composer clue.

22. Dined: ATE. Unscramble the letters and you have EAT.  A lot of people ATE between seven and nine.  

23. Spectator's bit of disapproval: JEER. Add a "T" in the middle and you have shortstop Derek, who was seldom Jeered at Yankee Stadium.

24. Tony or Hugo: AWARD.

25. Judge's apparel: ROBE. New York Yankee Aaron does not wear a robe, but when he comes to bat, the fans "All Rise".

26. Like greyhounds: FAST.

27. S-shaped molding: OGEE.

28. Ready on the vine: RIPE. The garden is coming soon.  How do you tell if green beans are ripe?

29. Poetry that doesn't rhyme: BLANK VERSE.

32. Popular vodka, popularly: STOLI.

33. Square root of 100: TEN. O GEE Whatever happened to Bo Derek ?

35. Persia, today: IRAN.

36. Required poker bet: ANTE.

37. "__, can you see ... ": O SAY. I believe the correct spelling is "OH SAY" - can you see?

39. Zoo primates: APES.

40. "Divergent" films heroine: TRIS.

45. Oxygen is about 21% of it: AIR. In large cities, I think the rest is smog.

46. Luther's sect: Abbr.: PROT.

47. Duke or earl: NOBLE.

48. Hr. after noon: ONE PM. Eleven on the West Coast.

49. Many a casino-owning group: TRIBE. We have several Native American casinos in Minnesota and they do very well.  I don't go too often because I think the house percentage is much higher than Nevada.  But one of the casinos has 24 bowling lanes.  Been there, done that.

50. Gumbo vegetables: OKRAS.

51. U.S. island territory: GUAM.

53. Author Ferber: EDNA.  A name from the roaring twenties.  She wrote at least two books that were made into movies.  If you can name them, you are older than I.

54. Buddies: PALS.

55. Seers?: EYES.  I like SNAKE ____.  (A roll of 2 at the craps table).

56. Ninety degrees from norte: ESTE.

58. Luigi's three: TRE. The second appearance of Luigi in the clues today.  Isn't he Mario's buddy ?

59. Whammy: HEX. This crossword clue has a hundred different answers.  Hope you had the ACROSS before you got to it.

60. Cry from a pup: YIP.

Boomer

Notes from C.C.:

Spitzboov (Al) and his wife Betty visited dear Argyle on Saturday April 28, 2018. Spitzboov brought this great Marine "At Their Core" to Santa, who was a Marine.

Click here to see Spitzboov's write-up. Thank you, Spitzboov and Betty,  for visiting Argyle and letting him know that he's sorely missed. 

Please continue keeping Argyle in your thoughts and prayers. Please send cards to below address. Argyle's friend Jennifer wanted me to tell you that "he enjoys the cards that everyone sends especially with notes in them".

D. Scott Nichols

Room #219
Wesley Health Care Center
131 Lawrence St.
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

Argyle

Sunday March 18, 2018 Matt McKinley

Theme:   "PT Exercise" - P is converted into T, changing spelling as needed.

23A. Most highly regarded seasoning? : TARRAGON OF VIRTUE. Paragon of virtue.
 
46A. Brusque orchestral violinists? : TERSE STRINGS. Purse strings.

67A. Actress Helen with her personal programmer? : HUNT AND TECH. Hunt and peck.

91A. Kids responsible for breakfast bread? : TOASTER GIRLS. Poster girls.

114A. Well-ventilated chef's hat? : TOQUE FULL OF HOLES. Poke full of holes.
  
36D. Chocolate-loving gang? : COCOA TOUGHS. Cocoa puffs.

42D. Measurement for meat rotating on a spit? : ROAST TORQUE. Roast pork.
   
Four first-word changes. Three last-word changes. All went through considerable spelling changes while the sound remain the same. So consistent. Very creative approach.

I never head of "Poke full of holes", I figured it's "Pocketful of holes", which actually has plenty of  Google support. Then I asked D-Otto about the extra sound drop.

Across:       


1. Peaks : ACMES

6. Two-letter pop group : ABBA

10. Prepares potatoes, in a way : WHIPS. Here is how D-Otto prepares his potatoes. Authentic! Boomer said the dumplings we had in one of the buffets were made of potato flakes.

15. Card in a wallet : VISA

19. Zagreb native : CROAT

20. Vanishing sound : POOF

21. Seating option : AISLE. Boomer's spot. He needs to stretch often. So I'm always in the middle.

22. It gives you the big picture : IMAX

26. Side : EDGE

27. Call for icing, maybe : SWELL UP

28. Author Binchy : MAEVE

29. Limo amenity : MINI BAR

31. Literally, "shady side" : YIN. So in winter, I eat adzuki bean soup (Yang). In summer, I have mung bean soup (Yin). I don't really see the differences, but I was told to do so from an early age.

32. Like two Beethoven piano sonatas : IN E

33. Groom on a 1952 Life cover : ABNER. Stumper.

34. B, in a sandwich : BACON

37. Bridget Riley's "Movement in Squares," e.g. : OP-ART

40. 23rd of 24 : PSI. Greek alphabet.

41. Gets more friendly, with "up" : WARMS

45. __ collar : ETON

49. Alley in comics : OOP

50. Soft shoe : MOC

51. Portends : BODES

52. Bush boss : REAGAN. Bush Sr. So sad his reputation is tainted now.

53. Singer DiFranco : ANI

54. Card game shout : UNO

55. "Trinity" novelist : URIS

56. "__ Not There": Zombies hit : SHE'S

58. Child with a sponsor, maybe : GODSON

60. Homer's "Northeaster," for one : SEASCAPE

62. Wall covers : PANELS

65. Quick quality : WIT

66. Italian noble family : ESTE

70. One of a program dozen : STEP. Now AA has branches in China. We also have 78. Lit : SOUSED
 
73. Big-eyed bird : OWL

75. "Tristram Shandy" author : STERNE

76. Bag by the barbecue : CHARCOAL. Also in my face wash.

 
81. Honey beverage : MEAD

82. "Hamilton" award : TONY

83. 97-Across output : RTE. And 97. See 83-Across : GPS

84. Holiday drink : NOG

85. Knockoff hr. : FIVE PM. Mine is often 4:00pm.

88. Glittery rock : GEODE

89. Logician's letters : QED

90. Granite St. campus : UNH. University of New Hampshire.

94. Town : BURG

95. Low choristers : BASSI
 
98. Golf bag set : IRONS

99. "Not a chance!" : MY EYE

100. Pie nut : PECAN. Do you have Sweetgreen in your area? We don't. They have so many nice & hearty salad bowl choices.

102. Kiss at the mall, briefly : PDA

103. Security briefing org. : CIA

104. Lunch with fish : TUNA SUB

107. Large crosses : ROODS

109. Head honcho, e.g. : MAGNATE

113. Finished : OVER

117. It's often stained : DECK. Oh hey, I fixed our deck hole last year at the guidance of D-Otto and TTP.

118. Language that gives us "kayak" : INUIT

119. "The Clan of the Cave Bear" author : AUEL

120. Old Eurasian rulers : TSARS

121. Wine adjective : OAKY

122. Ideal areas : EDENS

123. Letters before Q? : LGBT. LGBTQ.

124. Limited-choice, as a question : YES-NO. Big Easy, at The Orleans, the extremely slow internet connection is part of the "Resort fee". You can also pay an extra $10/day, then you can have faster connection, download speed up to 25 Mbps. I think TTP has the fastest download speed in our corner.

Down:

1. John follower : ACTS

2. Sticking point? : CRAW

3. Extra : MORE

4. Near the start : EARLY ON

5. Yalta Conference notable : STALIN

6. Informal pricing words : A POP

7. __ vivant : BON

8. High time : BOOM

9. __ de coeur: amorous relationship : AFFAIRE. Funny how we write "heart" so differently.

10. Forgo : WAIVE

11. Put on : HIRE

12. Musician's suffix : IST. Oh, like pianist.

13. Pipes and such : PLUMBING

14. Welcome : SEE IN

15. Former "Today" co-host : VIEIRA

16. Source of film trivia : IMDB

17. Complex story : SAGA

18. Lumberyard supplier : AXER. Gluey fill.

24. Staple __ : GUN

25. Doesn't hold back : VENTS

30. Ski resort refreshment? : NEW SNOW. Still plenty of snow on our ground. No more please!

33. It borders three oceans : ASIA

34. Mystify : BEMUSE

35. Does penance (for) : ATONES

37. Rex in the classics : OEDIPUS

38. It may be given with a bow : PRESENT

39. Saddlebag carrier : ASS

40. Radio tuning shortcut : PRESET. Our Chrysler van clock loses a few minutes every year, so weird.

43. Like many Bing Crosby records : MONO

44. Slant : SPIN

46. Sacred scroll : TORAH

47. Got hot online : TRENDED. I figure those bitcoin mining machines get hot all the time, since mining is a 24/7 job.

48. Joke : GAG

51. Florida NFLer : BUC

56. Words often about details : SPARE ME. Guilty of oversharing at times. Forgive me.

57. Yogi Bear co-creator : HANNA

59. CD part : DISC

61. Bastes, say : SEWS

63. Talking point? : LECTERN. Great clue.
 
64. Educates : SCHOOLS

68. Lures : TEMPTS

69. Straights and flushes : HANDS

71. Place to grab a bite : EATERY. Really miss those neighborhood dim sum places in Guangzhou. So affordable. So fresh.

72. Promise : PLEDGE

74. Randy Johnson and Aroldis Chapman : LEFTIES. Kids these days probably don't know Sandy Koufax. We also have 88. Nats pitcher González : GIO

77. Deli choice : RYE

78. Oscar __ : SNUB

79. O'Neill's daughter : OONA

80. Giuseppe's god : DIO. Italian for "god".

86. Wanderer : VAGABOND

87. 80%-Disney-owned channel : ESPN
 
92. Done with : RID OF

93. Slow and steady : GRADUAL. My speed.
 
94. Just barely, at the track : BY A NOSE

96. Animated : SPARKY

99. Powerful : MIGHTY

101. Adorable one : CUTIE. Do you have these sweet Cuties in your local grocery store?

102. "Dead __ Society": 1989 film : POETS

103. Half-__: coffee order : CAF

104. Stink : TO DO

105. Middle eye layer : UVEA

106. Part of the woods? : NECK. Neck of the woods.

107. Really mess up : RUIN

108. Hit hard : SLUG

109. Shed : MOLT

110. Start of a sad tale : ALAS

111. Bird related to the noddy : TERN. Unfamiliar with "noddy". Jet black.

112. Brand that's a homophone of its company's initials : ESSO. Standard Oil.

115. N.Y. neighbor : QUE

116. Where some pounds are spent: Abbr. : LEB. I thought Lebanese use lira.

I'm so glad that PK's grandson Aaron has bounced back and Agnes' brother Jack (a retired firefighter) is responding better to the new antibiotic. Also relieved that Santa's surgery went smoothly and he's stable. Thanks for the love and care you've shown to our blog regulars. This means a lot to me.

I've removed last Sunday's puzzle from the cloud. Just email me (crosswordc@gmail.com) if you still need the PDF file. Please don't blame Rich Norris. It's the paper's fault. Rich won't make mistakes like this.

C.C.

Sunday January 14, 2018 Matt McKinley

Theme: "Plush Material" - Plus H Material.

23A. Tolerate shrubland? : STAND THE HEATH. Stand the heat.

45A. .3 rings? : CIRCUS TENTH. Circus tent.

71A. Texas team's fair exhibit? : COWBOY BOOTH. Cowboy boot.

99A. Loyalty from a farm bird? : TURKEY TROTH. Turkey trot.

123A. Successful religious conversion? : FAITH ACCOMPLI. Fait accompli.

17D. Apparatus that breeds laziness? : SLOTH MACHINE. Slot machine.

65D. Sound from a dying fire? : HEARTH MURMUR. Heart murmur.

Across    

1. "I'm waiting ... " : TAP, TAP

7. "Volunteers?" : ANYONE?

13. Bobbing refuse : FLOTSAM

20. Word with man or dope : INSIDE

21. Like typical laundromats : COIN-OP

22. Affluent San Diego community : LA JOLLA

25. Crowd-drawing bars : IN SPOTS

26. Ancient queen, familiarly : CLEO

27. Pot for paella : OLLA

28. Sicilian six : SEI

29. Sports figure : STAT

30. Sewer needs : PATTERNS

34. Hates : DEPLORES

37. MLB set a season record for them in 2017 : HRs

38. Times to call, in ads : EVES

39. Markers : IOUs

41. Submerged threat : REEF

42. Office supply quantity : REAM

44. Term in wrestling or bowling : PIN

48. Doctor's orders : X-RAYS

51. Receiver of many letters : SANTA

53. Actress Kathryn : ERBE

54. Pocket breads : PITAs

56. BCS org. : NCAA

57. Franklin's 1936 opponent : ALF. Alf Landon

59. Spanish coin : EURO

61. Local pic shower : NABE. desper-otto said the neighborhood movie theater is shortened in slang to the NABE.

62. Distress signal? : OH, MY!

63. One who's learned : SCHOLAR

67. Pres. after USG : RBH. Ulysses S. Grant / Rutherford B. Hayes

68. Langley org. : CIA

69. Online exchange, briefly : IMs

70. Troon turndowns : NAEs

75. Basie's "__'Clock Jump" : ONE O

76. Director DuVernay : AVA

77. Actor Vigoda : ABE

78. Bard's dusk : E'EN

79. Lumber mill workers : SAWYERs

81. BOLO target : PERP

83. It can be hammered out : DENT

85. Runway adornment : SASH

87. "__ me ae spark o' Nature's fire": Burns : GIE

88. London's __ Modern : TATE

89. Some Deco works : ERTÉs

91. Sea, with "the" : DEEP

93. Maestro Georg : SZELL

97. Different : OTHER

102. Overtake in a race, in a way : LAP

103. Grammy winner Jason : MRAZ

105. Schoolmarmish : PRIM

106. One given to forward looks : SEER

107. Similar : AKIN

108. East Lansing sch. : MSU. Michigan State University

110. "How clever of you!" : NEAT IDEA

113. Office supplies, or, minus a letter, a supplier of them : STAPLERS

115. Nashville attraction : OPRY

117. Spanish 116-Down : ANO

118. Howard's wife, to the Fonz : MRS. C

120. Letters before a view : IMHO

121. Half of nothing new? : SAME OLD

128. Peru neighbor : ECUADOR

129. "The Wind in the Willows" croaker : MR. TOAD

130. Shamed : ABASED

131. Saw-toothed : SERRATE. Serrate or serrated can be an adjective meaning having a notched edge or saw-like teeth, especially for cutting.

132. Blouse partners : SKIRTS

133. Already-seen fare : RERUNS

Down:

1. "'__ some visitor,' I muttered ... ": Poe : 'TIS

2. __ farm : ANT

3. TV awareness-raiser : PSA

4. Colors : TINCTs

5. Confuse : ADDLE

6. Teenage Russian emperor (1727-1730) : PETER II

7. Pitching staff leader : ACE

8. Acronymic NYC neighborhood : NOHO

9. Give in : YIELD

10. Ready : ON ALERT

11. "Shh!" : NOT A PEEP

12. N.T. book : EPH.

13. Paper under a wiper : FLIER

14. Man-made Georgia lake : LANIER

15. Screwdriver parts, for short : OJs

16. Best : TOPS

18. Union setting : ALTAR

19. Spinnaker holders : MASTS

24. Writer __ de Balzac : HONORÉ

28. Tortilla treat : SOFT TACO

30. Livens (up) : PEPs

31. Nike competitor : AVIA

32. N.C. neighbor : TENN.

33. Bolivian capital : SUCRE

35. Red Square honoree : LENIN

36. __ roles : SEX

40. Literally, "under city" : SUBURB

43. Ponte Vecchio's river : ARNO

45. See the bet : CALL

46. __-Croatian : SERBO

47. They're hard to break : HABITS

49. Whine : YAMMER

50. Decision makers have them : SAY SOs

52. New Mexico art hub : TAOS

55. Witch enemy of Popeye : SEA HAG

58. False front : FACADE

60. "Without a doubt" : OH, YES

63. Acknowledge the brass : SNAP TO

64. Admonition : CAVEAT

66. Stack seen on-screen : ROBERT

72. Approached : WENT UP TO

73. Small and glittering, like eyes : BEADY

74. Beginnings : ONSETs

75. Court cry : OYEZ

80. Something made on a star? : WISH

82. Jury member : PEER

84. Country singer Gibbs : TERRI

86. Glass-raised word : HERE'S

90. Accident investigation clue : SKID MARK

92. __ license : POETIC

94. Sommer of "The Prize" : ELKE

95. Animal house : LAIR

96. Hosp. personnel : LPNs

98. Headed up : RAN

100. Academic retirees : EMERITI

101. Ore carrier : TRAM CAR

104. Gung-ho type : ZEALOT

107. 10-time Gold Glove winner Roberto : ALOMAR.  He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as a Blue Jay. - CanadianEh!

108. Early receiver of tablets : MOSES

109. __ bar : SPACE

111. Netman Agassi : ANDRE

112. Fur tycoon : ASTOR

114. Suffix with xeno- : PHOBE

116. English 117-Across : YEAR

119. Series of 69-Across : CHAT

122. "Ghost" psychic __ Mae Brown : ODA

123. Radio settings : FMs

124. Reasons for some sportscast split screens : ADs

125. Big Ten sch. : PSU. Pennsylvania State University

126. Novelist Deighton : LEN

127. Picks out of a mug book : IDs

Sunday September 24, 2017 Matt McKinley

Theme:  "Encapsulating" - N is added to each theme entry.

23A. Designated meditation area? : CHANT ROOM. Chat room.

25A. Key to a discography including "Purple Rain"? : PRINCE INDEX. Price index. 

46A. Vacant look, e.g.? : TRANCE ELEMENT. Trace element.

69A. Tirade from an underground worker? : SEWER RANT. Sewer rat.

90A. Elegant knight's accoutrement? : SATIN AND LANCE. Satin and lace.

112A. New Englander from Lhasa? : TIBETAN YANK. Tibetan yak. We also have 34. Lhasa __: small dog : APSO

114A. Viper's bar order? : SNAKE PINT. Snake pit.

32D. What to click in response to an offensive tweet? : RESENT BUTTON. Reset button.

42D. Insufficient medley? : SCANT SINGING. Scat singing.

Most of N's are added after A, two are after I.

The grid is also very nicely designed, with 7 Across, 2 Downs. Four of the non-theme fill (all sparkly) are of the same length of the theme entries. Sometimes solvers can mistaken them for theme entries, but today's ? in the theme entries should make things clear.

Across:

      

1. Parcel of land : TRACT

6. Confused state : FOG

9. Chapter XXVIII of "Moby-Dick" : AHAB. Obtainable. Never read the book.

13. Creator of a quirky cartoon family : ADDAMS. The Addams Family.

19. Island veranda : LANAI. What a luxury.

20. Old cereal box no. : RDA. Also 75. Cereal brand since 1955 : SPECIAL K. Do you all eat cold cereal for breakfast? 

21. __ Alto : PALO

22. Vacation option : CRUISE. Lemonade just had a short one.

27. Writer known for his surprise endings : O. HENRY

28. Old lemon : EDSEL. Not our Lemonade.

29. Pick : ELECT

30. Longtime TV host Carol : BURNETT

33. Expansive : VAST

36. Dots in l'océan : ILEs

37. Lift : UPRAISE. I use RAISE UP.

40. Exist : ARE

41. Library attention-getter : PSST. I have not been to our local library for years.

45. Purity meas. : KTS (Karats)

49. Annual report VIP : CEO. And 77. 49-Acrosses lead them : COs

50. Quaint "before" : ERE

51. High school phase for many : ANGST

52. Testing site : LAB. I've been eating more meat. Hope my CBC results trend better next time. 

53. Oral dozen : MOLARs

55. Got out of the stable, say : RAN FREE

57. "Platoon" setting : NAM. Marc Maron had a great interview with Ken Burns and Lynn Novick.  

60. Atlantic and Pacific, e.g. : TIME ZONES. China only has one time zone: Beijing Standard Time.

62. Lincoln in-law : TODD

63. One who doesn't stay put : NOMAD

65. Bard's bedtime : EEN

66. __ Reader : UTNE

67. Southampton sword : SABRE. Alliteration.

71. Smartened (up) : WISED

72. Stopper : PLUG

73. Water control project : DAM. Tough hurricane season.

74. Hound attraction : SCENT

75. Spanish ayes : SI SI

76. Fashionable sort? : LATECOMER. Fashionably late.

79. Witch : HAG

80. In abundance : APLENTY

83. Emcee responsibilities : INTROS

84. Opposite of pref. : SUF. OK, suffix.

86. Dominated : OWNED

88. "That's surprising" : GEE

89. Loving murmur : COO

94. Tap choice, for short : IPA

95. Lombardy Castle city : ENNA. Have not seen this fill for a few months.

97. USO show audience : GIs

98. "Me too" : SO HAVE I

99. Tech news website : CNET

100. Browning, e.g. : POET

102. Rocky areas?: Abbr. : MTNs. Rocky Mountains.

103. Oversees : MANAGES

105. Unemotional : STOIC. My grandma was a stoic. Never complained about her bound feet.

108. Farewell that's bid : ADIEU

110. One of two using matched weapons : DUELER

118. Storied restaurant : ALICE'S. Alice's Restaurant.

119. Suit to __ : A TEE

120. Fallen space station : MIR

121. Rink fakes : DEKES

122. Hems in : BESETS

123. Hires competitor : DAD'S. Never had root beer.

124. BART stop, e.g. : STA

125. Rarely ordered food? : STEAK. Great clue!

Down:

  

1. Comfort during a tough time, for short : TLC

2. Bleachers sound : RAH

3. California's Santa __ River : ANA

4. Camera choices : CANONS

5. 10% donation : TITHE

6. Like the biggest stories : FRONT PAGE. Boomer has to have his breakfast with newspaper.

7. Smell : ODOR

8. Reminiscent of venison : GAMY

9. Soothe : APPEASE

10. Aggressive marketing : HARD SELL. CenturyLink has been aggressive.

11. Posh party invitees : A-LIST

12. Doggy bag item : BONE

13. Expert : ACE

14. Hangs on a line : DRIES

15. Longtime rubber company : DUNLOP. They make golf balls also.

16. Personal assistant : AIDE

17. PC speed unit : MSEC. Millisecond.

 

18. Suggestive message : SEXT. Hey, it's cool to own a flip phone. Look at Anna Wintour.

24. Took back : RETURNED

26. Shannon's county : CLARE

30. Yamaha user : BIKER

31. Extreme : ULTRA. Look at these dirty jeans at Nordstrom. $425. This will drive our PK nuts.

33. Fight (for) : VIE

35. Writers : PENMEN

38. ICU personnel : RNs

39. Infomercial urging : ACT NOW

40. Completely surrounding : AMBIENT

43. Calm : SERENE

44. Like green salads : TOSSED.  Dole's Sesame Asian salad kit is tasty.

46. Time for una siesta : TARDE. Afternoon.

47. Down : EAT

48. From A __ : TO Z

54. Title name that "Every little breeze seems to whisper," in a Chevalier song : LOUISE. Here it is. Boomer knows the song. I don't.

56. One may be exposed by an expert : FORGER

58. Iowa State city : AMES

59. Spring time : MARCH

61. First got acquainted : MET. Oh read this story (Facebook Figured Out My Family Secrets, And It Won't Tell Me How).

63. Serious foe : NEMESIS

64. De Matteo of "The Sopranos" : DREA

67. Do film editing work : SPLICE

68. Program with steps : AL-ANON. Good luck with the interview tomorrow, Splynter!

69. Green eggs advocate : SAM. And Ham.

70. Namibia neighbor : ANGOLA

71. Author who wrote "Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life" : WILDE

73. Two pills, perhaps : DOSAGE

78. More than trot : RUN

80. "Archie Bunker's Place" co-star : ANNE MEARA

81. Plains dwelling : TEPEE

82. Dublin-born poet : YEATS

85. Nailed, say : FASTENED

87. Sound file suffix : WAV. A la Wiki: Waveform Audio File Format (WAVE, or more commonly known as WAV due to its filename extension).

91. Business baron : TITAN

92. Cold War protest sign slogan : NO NUKES

93. They don't play the field: Abbr. : DHs (Designated Hitters)

96. Each : APIECE

99. Floor covering : CARPET

101. Two trios and a duo : OCTET. Eight-piece. Here is the Eight-Treasure Porridge I make in the cold months. You must have glutinous rice. I also prefer Aldi's Medjool dates.

102. Mazda sports car : MIATA

104. Requirements : NEEDS

105. Shot in the dark : STAB

106. Floor covering : TILE

107. Kimono holders : OBIs

109. Twosome : DYAD

110. Mil. awards : DSMs. DSM: Distinguished Service Medal.

111. Quart, say : UNIT

113. Pack animal : ASS

115. '50s White House nickname : IKE

116. 1995 Tony honoree for Excellence in the Theatre: Abbr. : NEA. Unaware of the trivia.

117. Sound of reproach : TSK

C.C.