Sunday October 27, 2019 Robin Stears

Theme: - "What About Bob?" - Each theme entry is in the pattern of B* O* B*.

23. Flop: BOX OFFICE BOMB.

34. Colorful Bobby Vinton album (and hit song): BLUE ON BLUE.

49. 1936 Edward G. Robinson gangster film: BULLETS OR BALLOTS.

68. Sun metaphor: BIG ORANGE BALL.

89. Make extreme efforts: BEND OVER BACKWARD.

103. 1998 Stephen King "haunted love story": BAG OF BONES.

118. "You're in my space, pal!": BACK OFF, BUSTER!

Great to see Robin back.

The middle O's are all different. That's the key to this theme.

Do you feel this puzzle is more challenging than our normal Sundays?

Across:

1. Narratives of deeds: ACTA. Waited for cosses.

5. Dental alloys: AMALGAMS.

13. Hamlet relative: VILLAGE. Not Shakespeare's Hamlet.

20. Bubbly name: MOET.

21. Attacked aggressively: TORE INTO.

22. It's usually taken in twos: ASPIRIN.

25. He plays Armstrong in "First Man": GOSLING (Ryan) 

26. Cub : bear :: cria : __: LLAMA.

27. Not quite cuatro: TRES. 4/3.

28. Relative of tsk: TUT.

29. Silent letters?: ASL. "Handy talk: Abbr." is another way to mislead us.

30. Article in Die Zeit: EIN.

31. English class assignment: ESSAY.

38. Certain flower cultivator: ROSARIAN. Oh, one who cultivates roses.

40. Town __: CRIER.

42. Eur. land on the Atlantic: POR. Portugal.

43. Gravlax herb: DILL. Wiki said "Gravlax" is a Nordic dish consisting of raw salmon, cured in salt, sugar, and dill."  I love pickled herrings. I probably will like this too.

44. Perform at the Improv, say: AD LIB.

45. Blows: ERUPTS.

55. Troon turndowns: NAES. Scottish for "no".

56. It borders three oceans: ASIA.

57. Carpet layer's concern: AREA. Do you guys all use those robot vacuums? Are they good?

58. Entirely fill: SATE.

59. Fine-tunes: HONES.

60. Baseball's "Stan the Man": MUSIAL.

63. Gillian's role on "The X-Files": DANA.

65. Justification: REASON.

67. Finesse: ART.

73. Like sashimi: RAW. Steve makes his own sushi rolls. Not sure of sashimi.

75. Currency replaced by the euro: PESETA.

77. Two-master: YAWL.

78. Search for provisions: FORAGE.

80. Waiter's handouts: MENUS.

81. Medication container: VIAL.

85. Usher: LEAD.

87. Sign sometimes upsetting: OMEN.

88. Clobber: DRUB.

93. Shoot for, with "to": ASPIRE.

95. Use a password, say: LOG IN. Test your internet speed here. Go! What's your number? I don't think any of you can top TTP.

96. 1985 movie with three possible endings: CLUE.

97. Asian holiday: TET. January 25, 2020.

98. Something in the air: AROMA.

99. Lemonade-and-lager drinks: SHANDIES. Not a term familiar o me.

107. Mike __, "Glee" character: CHANG. Also unknown to me.

108. "United Shades of America" channel: CNN.

109. "Xanadu" gp.: ELO.

110. Pub pal: LAD.

111. "Lucky Guy" playwright Ephron: NORA.

113. "Band of Gold" singer Payne: FREDA. Read more here.

115. Help: BENEFIT.

122. Like many a covered bridge: ONE LANE.

123. Selfish: EGOISTIC.

124. Saltimbocca meat: VEAL.

125. Time frames: PERIODS.

126. Property tax payer, e.g.: ASSESSEE. Expensive to live in Guangzhou now. Carmen's apartment is about 540 square feet, cost RMB1,500,000 (about $211,000). And she lives in the suburb. The downtown prices are forbidding.

127. Links numbers: PARS.

Down:

1. "Epitaph for a Spy" author Eric: AMBLER.

2. "Gangsta's Paradise" rapper: COOLIO. We had him before. This one is easy: 16. Rapper __ Nas X: LIL.

3. AFC South team: TEXANS.

4. Elementary particle: ATOM.

5. DOJ division: ATF.

6. Miss Piggy tagline: MOI.

7. Trig function: ARC TAN.

8. Suspicious: LEERY.

9. Taunt: GIBE.

10. Muchos meses: ANOS. Many months.

11. "Newhart" production co.: MTM.

12. Audible sign of distress: SOB.

13. Hard to pin down: VAGUE.

14. U-235 and C-14: ISOTOPES.

15. Records in a collection: LPS.

17. Sans-serif typeface: ARIAL.

18. Infomercial cutlery brand: GINSU.

19. Author Madeleine L'__: ENGLE. "A Wrinkle in Time" author.

24. Spenser's "The __ Queene": FAERIE.

28. Round-bodied flatfish: TURBOT. Another stranger.

32. Bank deposit: SILT.

33. Huevos rancheros condiment: SALSA.

34. Collector's items?: BILLS.

35. Girl in Byron's "Don Juan": LEILA.

36. Postal creed word: NOR.

37. Former Alabama-based grocery chain: BRUNO'S. Wiki says "The chain was acquired by Birmingham-based Belle Foods which discontinued the brand in 2012" .

39. He lost to Ike twice: ADLAI (Stevenson)

40. Pool room: CABANA.

41. Nutritional amt.: RDA.

46. Broad view: PANORAMA.

47. Many a "Stranger Things" character: TEENAGER.

48. Old draft org.: SSS.

49. Ole Miss rival: BAMA.

50. Ones taking things the wrong way: USURPERS.

51. "I'm only going to say this once": LISTEN UP.

52. Great Seal word: ORDO. Novus ordo seclorum.

53. Raise: REAR.

54. Giga- x 1,000: TERA.

59. Angels baseball cap feature: HALO.

61. Five-spots: ABES.

62. Inebriated: LIT.

64. Whatever or whichever: ANY.

66. Polar worker: ELF.

69. Yielded: GAVE.

70. Ore that's a source of silver: GALENA.

71. Piece in a still-life: EWER.

72. Tell all: BLAB.

74. Make (one's way): WEND.

76. Suddenly, in music: SUBITO. No idea.

79. Crossed the lake, in a way: ROWED.

80. "Jerry's Kids" telethon org.: MDA. OK. Muscular Dystrophy Association.

82. Not near the coast: INLAND.

83. Cherish: ADORE.

84. Apple's apple and Target's target: LOGOS.

86. Russian cottage: DACHA.

89. Wager without looking at one's cards: BET BLIND. One moire learning moment.

90. Energetic spirit: VIM.

91. Close-knit group: CLAN.

92. Panda's skill, in a 2008 film: KUNG FU.

94. Foul caller: REF.

99. Vertical mine accesses: SHAFTS.

100. Summer cooler: ICE TEA.

101. Win the love of: ENDEAR.

102. Corgi complaints: SNARLS.

103. Name probably derived from scat singing: BEBOP.

104. Coeur d'__: ALENE.

105. Hopeless case: GONER.

106. "them" author: OATES. Joyce Carol Oates.

107. Snappish: CROSS.

111. Barracks bosses, briefly: NCOS.

112. "The Grapes of Wrath" figure: OKIE.

114. Invitation letters: RSVP.

116. Peyton's quarterback brother: ELI.

117. __ Schwarz: FAO.

118. Actress Arthur: BEA.

119. Reno and others: Abbr.: AGS.

120. Shakespearean cry of disgust: FIE.

121. Pre-A.D.: BCE.

Happy 72nd birthday to Boomer, the absolute center of my universe. He had two treatments on a Friday morning last month, then in the afternoon he went to coach the kids again. He takes his coaching responsibilities very seriously. Three times a week, he's always there. And of course, he's been here for us every Monday, even when he was going the daily radiation.

We went to Mystic Lake the day on Friday as the casino is always a zoo on weekends. Boomer loves the nickel poker there. 

Boomer, 10/25/2019

The buffet is also fantastic.  Here is my plate. The big pile in front is coleslaw (red cabbage, carrot, walnut and cranberry). So good. I went back for seconds. The one on top left is Cajun Salmon (a bit dry), the white in the middle is cod. A few slices of radish with guacamole. Then a slice of char siu, so delicious! Then some kind of Italian pasta salad. Orzo, I think. At the end of the fork is a piece of  marinated artichoke.