Sunday June 5, 2022 Doug Peterson

Theme: "Mocktails" - Each cocktail is re-defined as its other meaning.

 22. ROB ROY: WALTER SCOTT NOVEL.

 32. MIMOSA: FLOWERING TREE.

 51. STINGER: SCORPIONS WEAPON.

 68. SIDECAR: MOTORCYCLE ACCESSORY.

 85. COSMOPOLITAN: FASHION MAGAZINE.

 101. MANHATTAN: NEW YORK ISLAND.

 116. GRASSHOPPER: CROP-EATING INSECT.

What other cocktails came to your mind? They have to be redefinable though. 

The clues are often in caps and the answers are often not in-the-language for this type of puzzle.

So nice to see Doug Peterson back with a Sunday grid. Been 8 years since I last blogged his puzzle. Doug is themeless master. He's known for his smooth and clean grids.

Doug Peterson

Across:

1. Stick in a nest: TWIG.

5. Box set elements: DVDS.

9. Arctic jacket: ANORAK. With fur-lined hood.

15. Zilch: NIL.

18. Very, very: OH SO.

19. Informal pricing words: A POP.

20. "Starsky & Hutch" Ford model: TORINO. What's so special about Gran Torino?

21. Miffed: SORE.

25. Like items at a garage sale: USED.

26. Dependable: STEADY.

27. Zen garden carp: KOI.

28. Writing to: EMAILING.

30. Submit, as a tax return: FILE.

36. "Here's a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)" singer Travis: TRITT.

39. Lenovo products: PCS. Originally called Legend. Lenovo is a portmanteau of "Le" (Legend) and "novo" (new).

41. Org. with Red Wings and Blue Jackets: NHL.

42. Prompt giver: CUER.

43. Word on Irish stamps: EIRE.

44. Longtime label for Elton John: MCA.

45. Ice cream measure: SCOOP. You can probably find mochi ice cream in your local Target or Trader Joe's. The outside is the chewy mochi (sticky rice). Chinese and Japanese like to use sticky rice for desserts.

47. Secret meetings: TRYSTS.

55. Contented sigh: AAH.

56. Decimal base: TEN.

57. Squid kin: OCTOPI.

58. Venerable British school: ETON. Rival of Harrow.

60. More, in adspeak: XTRA.

61. Marry, as metals: WELD.

63. Gossip blogger Hilton: PEREZ. See Paris there? That's where Perez got his name inspiration.

66. Pelican, for one: SEA BIRD.

72. Shade provider: PARASOL. I just call mine an umbrella.

73. Calyx part: SEPAL.

74. Head for the terminal: TAXI.

75. NASA go-aheads: A-OKS.

76. Gyro bread: PITA.

79. Linked (up): PAIRED.

81. Zilch: ZIP.

84. Not post-: PRE.

89. Respiratory cavity: AIR SAC.

93. Dull sounds: THUDS.

94. Pt. of ERA: AVG. Earned Run Average.

95. Sinusitis-treating MDs: ENTS.

96. "Sad to say ... ": ALAS.

98. Quaint "before": ERE.

99. Tool in the Portland Timbers logo: AXE. Fresh clue angle. Soccer team.

100. Specialized jargon: ARGOT.

106. Extinct flightless bird: DODO.

108. Priced to sell in a store: AT RETAIL.

109. "Shea Butter Baby" R&B singer Lennox: ARI.

111. Check out quickly: PEEK AT.

115. Pop diva who recorded the ABBA cover album "Dancing Queen": CHER.

121. Coop layers: HENS.

122. "Pride and Prejudice" novelist: AUSTEN.

123. Social sci. major: ECON.

124. Modest acknowledgment: I TRY.

125. Surgery ctrs.: ORS.

126. Duplicitous: SNEAKY.

127. Back of the neck: NAPE.

128. "The Great British Bake Off" co-presenter Fielding: NOEL. No idea.

Down:

1. Pulls behind: TOWS.

2. "Are you serious?": WHAT.

3. Small landmass: ISLE.

4. Started to nag persistently: GOT AFTER.

5. Actress Hannah: DARYL. She's in "Splash"

6. No. twos: VPS.

7. Connect with the space station, e.g.: DOCK.

8. Parodies: SPOOFS.

9. QB stat: ATT. I had to google: Total attempts.

10. Persona __ grata: NON.

11. __ y plata: Montana motto: ORO.

12. Missouri or Ohio: RIVER. Iowa too.

13. Lacking energy: ANEMIC. Boomer is anemic now, side effect of the cancer treatments.

14. Caffeine-rich seed: KOLA NUT.

15. Polite refusal: NO SIR.

16. "Fame" star Cara: IRENE.

17. Shelf: LEDGE.

21. Hot and muggy: SULTRY.

23. Exchange words?: EDIT. Nice clue.

24. Up to, casually: TIL.

29. Longtime Disney CEO Bob: IGER.

31. Home of Disney's World Showcase: EPCOT.

33. Never again: ONCE.

34. "Easy there!": WHOA.

35. Rush into a relationship?: ELOPE. Great clue also.

36. Trial run: TEST.

37. Basmati __: RICE. I'm so ingrained in my rice choice: only short-grained, whether sushi or sticky rice. Thai sticky rice is long-grained.

38. Supporting role in construction?: IRON-WORKER. OK, I get the supporting part.

40. Shade provider: CANOPY.

44. Confident gesture after a performance: MIC DROP.

45. Pattern in a marble rye: SWIRLS.

46. Poker prize: POT.

48. Sending up: SATIRIZING.

49. Dawdle: TARRY. So we arrived at the VA at 7:10am, thinking the surgery would start at 7:45am. Well, it started at 2:18 pm and ended around 5:48pm. I later learned that the delay is not unusual. The nurse said normally only the first surgery (the guy who arrives there at 5:30am) starts on time.

50. Roe source: SHAD.

52. Some shirts: POLOS.

53. Freelance detail, briefly: SPEC.

54. Bouquet: NOSE.

59. Financial planning result, hopefully: NEST EGG.

60. Microsoft console: XBOX.

62. In-flight figs.: ETAS.

64. Letters on some pumps: EEE. Shoes. Also 65. Shoe retailer owned by Amazon: ZAPPOS. Do any of you own New Balance 550 Green?  Look at the price here. Someone is selling them for $700 on eBay. I know D-Otto loves New Balance, but men's 550 are not that hot.

67. Carne __: burrito filling: ASADA.

68. New Zealand native: MAORI.

69. Energy bar brand with a rock climber in its logo: CLIF.

70. James of "Elf": CAAN.

71. Decisive point: CLIMAX.

72. Storybook bear: PAPA.

77. Pic that's costly to remove: TAT. You can have fake ones.

78. Sign of hearth burn: ASHES.

80. Carried on: RAVED.

82. Really digging: INTO.

83. Nudnik: PEST. "Nudnik" is new to me.

86. Fling: HURL.

87. Mental flash: IDEA.

88. Concentrates (on): ZEROES IN.

90. Novelist Dorothy who created Lord Peter Wimsey: SAYERS.

91. Heaps: A LOT.

92. Northernmost South American capital: CARACAS. Capital of Venezuela.

97. Winter resort course: SKI RUN.

99. Oscar winner Brody: ADRIEN. He won an Oscar for his "The Pianist" performance.

100. Yemeni port: ADEN.

101. Chip to dip: NACHO.

102. Bygone anesthetic: ETHER.

103. Small songbirds: WRENS.

104. Admission of defeat: I LOSE.

105. __ Geo Wild: NAT.

107. Express a view: OPINE.

110. Ancient Peruvian: INCA.

112. Ultra-low-carb diet, for short: KETO. Reminds me of our Fermat Prime, who follows Keto diet.

113. Good-sized plot: ACRE.

114. "bye 4 now": TTYL. Talk to You Later.

117. Fundraising org.: PTA.

118. Shrill shriek: EEK.

119. "__ more bright ideas?": ANY.

120. RNC group: GOP.

A few extra notes:

1) Over the years, Rich and Patti have kindly sent advance copies of the LA Times crosswords to all bloggers so we don't need to stay up late to blog the puzzles. Patti requires that we do not share the copies with others, including constructors. So, there will be no more embedded notes for the puzzles in our future write-ups. Of course, constructors are still welcome to comment on our blog. I'm sure Gary will continue to make his write-ups special.

2) Boomer's surgery went smoothly last Tuesday. He had quite a bit of blood loss, but no other complications. The bad news is that they found cancer cells in his left shoulder. The doctors and the spinal cord PT wanted him to stay longer at the hospital, but you all know Boomer. He was adamant about coming home on Thursday, so he did. 

The past few days have been extremely challenging, with his spinal cord issues, weak legs and shoulder pain, but he's been managing OK, no falls. Any day without a fall is a victory to me now.

Boomer, 5/31/2022