Theme: "Cherish the Thought" - Valentine's Day puzzle.
33A. With 35- and 60-Across, request for today : BE. And 35A. See 33-Across : MY
60A. Today's honoree, nicknames for whom begin the answers to starred clues : VALENTINE
25D. Informal message for one's 60-Across: I LUV U. The only entry point to the heart formed by the black squares in the middle.
24A. *120-year-old candy : TOOTSIE ROLL
95A. *Ingénue's benefactor : SUGAR DADDY
98A. *Venezuelan wonder : ANGEL FALLS. Wiki says "they are named after Jimmie Angel, a US aviator, who was the first person to fly over the falls. Angel's ashes were scattered over the falls on 2 July 1960."
115A. *Weasel relative : HONEY BADGER. Looks mean and scary. Nothing "honey" about it.
16D. *Innocent : BABE IN THE WOODS
3D. *Offer that can't be refused : SWEETHEART DEAL
C.C. here. Thanks to dear Gary for covering me the past two Sundays.
I
figured we might get a Valentine's Day puzzle after Rich ran the
"Presidential Firsts" last Sunday. Presidents' Day tribute puzzle is
normally run today or tomorrow.
What a sweet puzzle.
So deftly designed. We have two two-letter entries and an unchecked
letter U in I LOVE U. But all theme answers are placed symmetrically in
this left to right mirror grid.
Across:
1. Kitchen qty. : TBSP. Steve might have this. Cute bamboo salt box.
5. Band of schemers : CABAL. Like China's Gang of Four, led by Chairman Mao's wife.
10. Orgs. on 84-Across signs : AGCYS. All crosses. 84. Sign of success : SOLD. Real estate agencies.
15. Touch : ABUT
19. Swerves at sea : YAWS
20. Pine Tree State campus town : ORONO
21. One who gives you chills : CREEP
22. Taberna snack : TAPA.I
wonder if someday we'll see Banchan, the Korean appetizers. Most are
veggies and seaweeds. Looks like roasted eel on the top left, Jayce.
23. Hunter's target : PREY
26. Way to the top : T-BAR
27. Put together : ERECTED
29. Chicago rumblers : ELS
30. Like a good waiter : PATIENT. And attentive.
32. Dumas duelist : ATHOS. "The Three Musketeers".
37. Withdrawn : TIMID
38. Hurt : ACHED
39. Puts on the air : TELEVISES
43. Isn't resolved : PENDS
45. Brought to court : SUED
46. Dishonesty : FRAUDULENCE. Sparkly one-word entry.
48. Cut it out : STOP
49. St. with both Lewis and Clark counties : IDA. We also have Clark County here in MN. But no Lewis. We have a city called ORONO (20A) also.
50. Rolls up, as a flag : FURLS
51. Covered with spots, in a way : ACNED
52. I-road? : HWY. No abbr. mark? Or is I- enough?
53. Jamie of "M*A*S*H" : FARR
55. Consumer protection org. : FTC
56. __ quandary : IN A
57. Coop group : HENS. Also 5. Farm houses : COTES. Not BARNS.
58. Butter container : TUB
66. Methodology word : HOW
67. Vet : OLD PRO
70. Runway activity : TAXIING
71. Jai alai ball : PELOTA. Nailed it. That basket is called CESTA.
74. Intensifies : DEEPENS
76. Get up : WAKEN
77. Indistinct : SHADOWY
78. Some trial evidence : DNA
79. Where she blows : THAR
81. Sea of France : MER. Also the brand of pricey facial cream. Brad Pitt knows.
82. It was orig. the State School of Mines and Metallurgy : UTEP. Unknown trivia to me.
83. Place for pips : DIE
86. Over : ANEW
88. Birth announcement words : A SON. 102A. "__ today is better than a hen tomorrow": Franklin : AN EGG. 113D. Take __: swing hard : A RIP. Three partials. Rich allows four in a Sunday grid.
89. IRS IDs : SSNS
90. Agree to pay later : RUN A TAB
93. Code : ENCRYPT
103. Gave one's word : SWORE
105. Clinton's FBI chief : FREEH. Learned from doing crosswords.
106. Start of a project : PHASE ONE
110. 1995 World Series winner: Abbr. : ATL. Not CLE. Two more baseball entries: 6D. Shortstop who made his MLB debut at age 18 : A-ROD And 59D. Two-time A.L. Cy Young Award winner Saberhagen : BRET. Easy crosses for non-baseball fans.
111. When many fans come out : HEAT WAVE. Not sports fans.
114. Dutch astronomer who lent his name to a cloud : OORT. You can't put this in Monday/Tuesday grid. Rich will ask you to remove it.
118. "Permit Me Voyage" poet James : AGEE. Avoided Tommie.
119. Learning method : ROTE
120. Frequently framed words : MOTTO
121. Lab dish eponym : PETRI
122. Sorry sort : RUER
123. Hershey's toffee bar : SKOR
124. Improv bit : SPOOF
125. Online admin : SYSOP
126. Mtg. with a therapist : SESS (Session)
Down:
1. Kind : TYPE
2. Double-dealer : BARRACUDA. Only know the fish meaning. Lovely entry.
4. Motivated, with "up" : PSYCHED
7. Cause of a start : BOO. That "start".
8. Tiny worker : ANT
9. Drop a game : LOSE
10. Hard-to-beat foursome : ACES. Cards.
11. "Get out of my yard!" : GRR
12. Corp. top banana : CEO
13. TripAdvisor alternative : YELP. Both sites review restaurants, hotels, etc.
14. Snowball impact sound : SPLAT
15. On occasion : AT TIMES
17. Fluctuating : UP AND DOWN. As I'm writing this post, Boomer's nerve pain flares up. The pain is like someone stabs at your foot with a needle every few seconds. This normally lasts 3 days. He just can't get much sleep. Breaks my heart to see him suffer.
18. Sharp-tasting : TART
28. "Dracula" (1931) director Browning : TOD
31. Racetrack edge : TIP. Learning moment for me.
33. University of Cincinnati athlete : BEARCAT
34. Month after Av : ELUL. Regular in our Wayne R. Williams days.
35. PC time meas. : MSEC
36. Craving : YENNING. Yen can be a verb??
38. "I sincerely doubt it!" : AS IF
39. "Storage Hunters" network : TRUTV. Unfamiliar with the show.
40. Masthead VIPs : EDs
41. Pier gp. : ILA
42. It may require a set change : SCENE. Nice clue.
44. 1974 CIA parody : S*P*Y*S. Wiki says this: The asterisks in the title are designed to remind users of M*A*S*H,
which also starred Gould and Sutherland, and whose title is generally
rendered with the same asterisks. Beyond this, there is no connection
between the films.
46. Musical climax letters : FFF. Opposite of PPP, right?
47. Author LeShan : EDA
54. College basketball coach with a trophy named for him : RUPP. Gimme for PK. I drew a blank.
57. Frustrating thing to be on : HOLD
61. __ firm : LAW
62. It's taken sitting down : EXAM. I smiled once I got it.
63. Swoosh company : NIKE
64. Level : TIER
65. Room renter : INN And 72. Hotel choice : TWIN. Beds.
66. Jalopy : HEAP
67. They may be long : ODDS. And 104. 67-Down poster, briefly : OTB
68. Carson's successor : LENO. Who's your current favorite comedian? I subscribed then unsubscribed to Nick DiPaolo's podcast in one day. So many F words.
69. In stock : ON HAND
71. Derived from benzene : PHENYL. Learning moment to me as well.
73. Agreements aboard : AYES
75. Capital near the Red Sea : SANA'A
77. Put away : STORE
80. Getting a pension: Abbr. : RET'D
82. Hurricane Katrina rescue gp. : USCG. Also 100. Overflow protection : LEVEES
85. Fast racer : DRAGSTER
87. Dough amounts : WADS
88. Poet Sexton : ANNE
89. 1977 film retitled in 1981 : STAR WARS. No idea. What was it called in 1977 then?
91. Push : URGE
92. Via : BY WAY OF
93. Winter warmers : EARLAPS
94. Sputtering sound : PFFT
95. Flavors : SAPORS. Did not know it's plurable, D-Otto!
96. Detach, as a trailer : UNHOOK
97. Tailor for : GEAR TO
99. Confederacy : LEAGUE
101. Changes course, as a ship : SHEERS. Did not know it can be a verb, Spitzboov!
107. Resistance units : OHMs
108. Slangy refusal : NOOP
109. Opposite of ecto- : ENTO. Prefix for "Inner". Also ENDO.
111. APB stats : HGTS (Heights)
112. Architect Saarinen : EERO
116. WWII command : ETO. European Theater of Operations.
117. Elder Partridge daughter player : DEY (Susan)
Happy
Birthday to dear Marti, who brought so much joy and love to us when she
was active on the blog. I thought of you the whole time while solving
this puzzle, Marti. We all miss you.
 |
| Allen and Marti |
C.C.
