Sunday January 23, 2022 Michael Schlossberg

 

Theme: "Nuts!" - Each theme entry is punnily rephrased as if it's super-fan of something.

23. Hex nut?: WITCH DOCTOR.

32. Palm nut?: FORTUNE TELLER.

50. Date nut?: HISTORY BUFF.

65. Wing nut?: STUNT PILOT.

71. Butternut?: PASTRY CHEF.

91. Doughnut?: BANK MANAGER.

104. Wheel nut?: RACECAR DRIVER.

120. Chestnut?: BODYBUILDER.

Fun theme. It's tougher than it looks. First, each * nut must be an in-the-language phrase, then each answer is a person who can be a fan of the first part of the clue.

Across:

1. Spanish for "prairie": PAMPA. Not LLANO.

6. __ wind: SOLAR.

11. "Carmina Burana" composer: ORFF (Carl). German composer. Sometimes we see the  "O Fortuna" clue.

15. Breaks down: ROTS.

19. Verdi creations: ARIAS.

20. Milan fashion house: PRADA.

21. Letter-shaped support: I BAR.

22. Hose color: ECRU.

25. Paints the town red: LIVES IT UP. Great fill.

27. Sinus-clearing aids: NETIPOTS.

28. Boilermaker ingredient: BEER.  The beer & whiskey cocktail.

30. Go in for: REPLACE.

31. Cool, in a way: FAN. Verb "fan".

34. Encircle: HEM IN.

37. "__ Bop": Cyndi Lauper song: SHE.

39. Fiver: ABE.

40. "Curious George" co-author Margret: REY.

41. City on the Skunk: AMES.

42. Audrey of "The Da Vinci Code": TAUTOU.  Do you like her "Amélie"?

45. Flavorful: SAPID. Not a word I use.

47. It's almost always fishy: SEA.

52. Brewers' gadgets: TEA BALLS.

54. "Sorry, can't do it": ALAS NO.

55. Customary: STOCK.

58. Mischievous glance: SLY LOOK.

59. Bit: IOTA.

62. "Sorry not sorry": SUE ME. Also 34. "Funny not funny": HA HA.

64. Old Bruins nickname: ESPO. Phil Esposito. Boston Bruins.

74. Folksy Guthrie: ARLO.

75. Abdominal scar, actually: NAVEL. Boomer's scar is healing nicely.

77. Earth goddess: GAIA.

78. One in the alley's back row: NINE PIN.  Ha, alley!

81. Pueblo building material: ADOBE.

84. Breakfast cereal magnate: C.W. POST. Post cereals, headquartered here in MN.

89. Zigzagged, in a sport: SLALOMED.

94. Drink with a painful homophone: ALE. Ail.

95. Packed (with): LADEN.

97. "Phooey!": OH DARN.

98. Family figure?: TREE. Great clue.

99. Kind of blanket or paint: WET.

100. Bubbly prefix: AER. Oh OK, like aerate.

102. New Haven collegian: ELI.

103. FDR had three of them: VEEPS.

110. Card game cry: GIN.

111. "C'est magnifique!": OOH LA LA.

112. "How ya __?": DOIN'.

113. Punter's metric: HANG TIME.

118. Reggie Jackson nickname based on his postseason success: MR OCTOBER. Jeter is Mr. November.

122. Impress: ETCH.

123. "Game of Thrones," for one: SAGA.

124. Dodge: ELUDE.

125. Hawaiian veranda: LANAI.

126. Squirrels' haunts: OAKS.

127. Train station, e.g.: STOP.

128. Bob who was the voice of Future Ted Mosby in "How I Met Your Mother": SAGET. Sadly he's gone.

129. Muscular, in modern lingo: SWOLE. Instead of SWELLED.

Down:

1. First to move, usually: PAWN.

2. Indy champ Luyendyk: ARIE. Only two clue options for this fill.

3. Glove: MITT.

4. Protest group, perhaps: PACIFISTS.

5. Sooty receptacle: ASH PAN.

6. Allow as a handicap: SPOT. I don't get this clue.

7. "LOTR" menaces: ORCS.

8. Delt neighbor: LAT.

9. Tangy Mexican sauce: ADOBO. I just learned that it has paprika instead of the  red chili pepper. So it's not hot.

10. More desirable to collectors: RARER.

11. Massage parlor services: OIL RUBS.

12. Triple Crown stat: RBI.

13. Packers QB before Rodgers: FAVRE. Brett Favre. Aaron Rodgers.

14. Streaming service offer: FREE TRIAL.

15. "Match Game" regular Charles Nelson __: REILLY.

16. In base eight: OCTAL.

17. Fighters' pact: TRUCE.

18. Word that's its own synonym when a "b" is added to the end: SUPER. Superb.

24. Family title?: DON. Mafia family.

26. Fly past: SPEED BY.

29. Due-in hr.: ETA.

32. Former embryo: FETUS.

33. Bourbon order: NEAT.

35. Pianist Gilels: EMIL. We had him before. Soviet pianist.

36. Arizona College of Nursing city: MESA.

37. "Here's a thought ... ": SAY.

38. Center of activity: HUB.

42. Move en masse: TROOP.

43. Many times o'er: OFT.

44. Aerial enigmas: UFOS.

46. Old Spanish dough: PESETA. Replaced by EURO of course.

47. Splash (through): SLOSH.

48. Split to come together: ELOPE.

49. Request from: ASK OF. So what do you call this treat? Boomer calls it Bismarck.

51. "Will do": ON IT.

53. Novelist Waugh: ALEC.

56. Golf green insert: CUP.

57. Mauna __: KEA.

60. Preserved, as sardines: TINNED.

61. Like: ALA.

63. Chinese sauce additive: MSG. Xi'an has not had any new cases for a few days. Andy was able to visit the supermarket yesterday. He bought some kelp (for salad), sesame seeds, and this addictive Lao Gan Ma chili sauce.

65. Prefix with belt, in slacks: SANSA. Not familiar with Sansabelt. Jack is wearing the brand.

66. What a wavy line may mean in music: TRILL.

67. Long bones: ULNAE.

68. Advent air: NOEL.

69. Eggs in a lab: OVA.

70. "Chopped" host Allen: TED. I caught a few "Chopped" over the years.

72. Costa __: RICAN.

73. Sign of boredom: YAWN.

76. Western wolf: LOBO. Followed by 79. Skunk cousin: POLECAT.

80. "Haven't the foggiest": I'M AT A LOSS. Another great fill.

82. "Phooey!": BAH.

83. Week add-on: ENDER.

85. Inventor's protection: PATENT LAW.

86. Nasty sort: OGRE.

87. Ooze: SEEP.

88. A fourth of doce: TRES. 1/4 of 12.

90. Out of juice: DEAD.

92. Penn of the Harold & Kumar films: KAL.

93. Hosp. test in a tube: MRI.

96. MC Chris genre: NERD RAP. Google shows that "Simply put, it's any hip hop beat paired with an emcee (or multiple microphone fiends) rapping about geek culture."

 99. Big name in jam: WELCH'S.

101. Maracanã Stadium city: RIO.

103. Watches: VIGILS.

104. "Did my heart love till now?" speaker: ROMEO.

105. Main artery: AORTA.

106. As much as possible: CHOCK. Ful.

107. Capital near Casablanca: RABAT.

108. Empaths pick them up: VIBES. There was a psychic in the neighborhood where I grew up. People would give her money, or fresh fruit or other goodies so she could tell others what was wrong in their life.

109. __ Gay: ENOLA.

110. Serengeti bovine: GNU.

113. London's __ Park: HYDE.

114. Help in a risky way: ABET.

115. Passport fig.: ID NO.

116. It may include several courses: MEAL. Chinese Spring Festival is coming!

117. One in a wet quintet: ERIE. Nice clue angle.

119. __ trip: EGO.

121. Exposed, with "up": DUG.

We met with the SCI (Spinal Cord Injury) doctor at the VA hospital last Wednesday. Then Boomer had a PT session. He also had a session with the OT (Occupational Therapist) last Friday. He'll have weekly sessions with the PT/OT starting on Feb 7th. 

Boomer starts his radiation tomorrow morning. 

C.C.