Monday April 17, 2020 Amy Johnson

 Theme: In a Zone - Zone can follow the first word in each theme entry.

18A. Baked mac and cheese, for many: COMFORT FOOD. Comfort zone.

28A. Hit pay dirt: STRIKE IT RICH. Strike zone.

47A. "Aladdin" song whose title lyric follows "You ain't never had a": FRIEND LIKE ME. Friend zone.

62A. Buried record for future generations: TIME CAPSULE. Time zone.

Reveal:

68A. With 60-Down, on one's game ... and hint to the start of this puzzle's longest answers: IN A.

60D. See 68-Across: ZONE.

Boomer here. 

I used to bowl at the Brunswick Zone, however, some company purchased them and renamed them to Bowlero. Never Mind, I still use my Combat Zone, a reactive ball that works pretty well. Now I am waiting for a vaccine. Both of my teams have voted for a delay in the start of bowling. The Big 10+4, the PAC 12, and the SEC cannot be wrong.

Across:

1. Storied December shelf dweller: ELF.  Santa's helper

4. Kind of gun that catches speeders: RADAR. Fortunately, I have never been caught.  Maybe it's because I do not speed.

9. Burning crime: ARSON.

14. Pooh pal in a pouch: ROO.  Roo Roo the Kangaroo.

15. Spanish month: ENERO.  January.

16. Colorful tank fish: TETRA.  Nice looking fish.  I think they are foreign.  I've never seen one in a Minnesota lake.

17. Cow call: MOO.  I seem to remember that this was a Sorority in "Animal House".

20. When an after-lunch meeting might start: AT TWO.  Or a tee time?

22. Blender maker: OSTER.  I think it was a pioneer and most famous.  Graybar sold thousands of them back in the 70s.

23. Deux halved: UNE.

24. Ones paid to play: PROS.  I guess the loot is coming from TV ads this year.  No tickets have been sold.  Bar owners of locations around stadium are hurting.

26. Something that affects a result: FACTOR.  I guess Aaron Judge's 9 home runs are a FACTOR

33. Issue, as light: EMIT.

34. Memo opening words: IN RE.  I have seen and heard it but it seems redundant.  Wouldn't "RE" be enough.

35. Kid's bear: TEDDY.  Also a face on Mount Rushmore.

39. Willy Wonka portrayer Wilder: GENE.  Famous movie star.  My favorite was "Blazing Saddles."

40. Doctor's order?: SAY AH.  I thought only dentists say AH.  My doctor has me pull up my shirt so the lady can give me a needle shot in my stomach.  It doesn't hurt much.

42. __ avis: RARA.

43. Leading the league: ON TOP.  The Twins were there last week.  Then they dropped four in a row so I'm not too sure now.

45. Plant stem joint: NODE.  "Deal or NO DEal".

46. Of the mouth: ORAL.  Now SAY AH !

50. Social blunders: GAFFES.

53. Carded at the door, briefly: ID'ED.  Never happened to us.  C.C. and I do not patronize those questionable places.  Or maybe we are too old to be carded.

54. Christian sch. in Tulsa: ORU.

55. One way to read: ALOUD.  Grade school chore, mostly.

59. TV host Gibbons: LEEZA.

65. OED book, e.g.: VOL. Volume.

66. Newborn's lack, usually: TEETH.  But they still say "AH".

67. Big name in racing: UNSER.  Bobby, Al, and Al Jr.  are all millionaire race drivers that go real fast.

69. Analyze, as ore: ASSAY.

70. Fills fully: SATES.

71. "__ Misérables": LES.

Down:

1. Funny Bombeck: ERMA.  I used to like her stuff when published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.  She was a clever humorist. We lost her in 1996 due to kidney problems.

2. Pirate's take: LOOT.

3. Clue in the mud: FOOTPRINT.  "in the Heat of the Night" - Lonnie Jamison makes cement casts to catch criminals.

4. Fix dinner?: RE-COOK.  Usually cooking once is enough.

5. 15-Across starts it: ANO.  Another Discover card commercial.

6. Free game version, maybe: DEMO.  Do car dealers still let customers take out DEMOs?

7. Lab greetings: ARFS.

8. Word with square or cube: ROOT. Add an "S".  I enjoyed that movie.

9. What opposites do, it's said: ATTRACT.

10. NBA official: REF.  They finally got their job back.

11. Dark beer: STOUT.

12. Maine campus town: ORONO.  We also have an ORONO city in Minnesota. Very exclusive.  Multimillionaire Irwin Jacobs who owned Grain Belt Brewery and a stake in the Vikings was known to commit a murder - suicide on his wife and himself in April of 2019.

13. Consumer advocate Ralph: NADER.  A consumer protection guy.  He went after GM's Chevy Corvair and Ford's Pinto.

19. APR-reducing loan: RE-FI.  Okay to lower your interest rate, but there are probably closing costs and other fees.

21. Bad loan, to an accountant: WRITE OFF.

25. Cinco y uno: SEIS.  "Two and two are four, five and one are six, and ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOP.  So What did you learn in school today, dear little boys of mine??  Tom Paxton.

27. Nation within Oklahoma: CHEROKEE.

28. Utah lily: SEGO.

29. IRS enforcers: T MEN.  They would scare me.

30. Silly: INANE.

31. Test for fit in the changing room: TRY ON.  Tough for me to find pants that fit.  All are too big or too small.

32. Double-check, as totals: RE-ADD.  I have to RE-ADD our checkbook every month because I never write the numbers after the decimal point.  Over .50 round up and under .50 round down.

36. Stunt double, e.g.: DAREDEVIL.  Remember Evel Knievel??

37. Wee bit o' whisky, say: DRAM.  I thought it might be SHOT.

38. Clinton's alma mater: YALE.

41. Prefix with pad: HELI.

44. Holier-than-thou: PREACHY.  My priests have still not invited me back.  I guess churches are borderline safe.  I do not miss the PREACHY sermons though.

48. Puerto Rico, por ejemplo: ISLA.

49. Loafers: IDLERS.

50. "I __ go!": "Ciao!": GOTTA.

51. Astrological Ram: ARIES.  Not a Los Angeles Football player.  ARIES shows up on the first day of spring.

52. Running on __: weary: FUMES.  When the needle hits "E" you better stop for gas.  (Less than $2.00 per gallon here in Minnesota.)

56. Numbered work: OPUS.

57. Ensign-in-training inst.: USNA.  US Naval Academy producing officers for the Navy. Like Spitzboov.

58. Tidy up a bit: DUST.  If you want to "Tidy up" you might want to remove the dust.

61. Woeful cry: ALAS.

63. LAX calculation: ETA.

64. "To Kill a Mockingbird" author Harper: LEE.  "Shoot all the Blue Jays you want, but it's a sin to Kill a Mockingbird."  Harper Lee.

Boomer

Sunday August 16, 2020 MaryEllen Uthlaut

Theme:  "Attracting the Wrong Type" - Each theme entry is humorously clued as if the profession fits the job descriptions.

 

23. The ad said "seasonal work" ... and we got an __!: EXECUTIVE CHEF, who deals with seasonings in the kitchen.

35. ... "flexible hours" ... and we got a __!: CONTORTIONIST, who's very flexible.

56. ... "fast-paced environment" ... and we got a __!: RACE CAR DRIVER, who's very fast.

70. ... "good driving record" ... and we got a __!: PRO GOLFER, who tees up and drives on most long holes.

83. ... "high-energy position" ... and we got a __!: TRAPEZE ARTIST, who jumps high in the air.

107. ... "service-minded attitude" ... and we got a __!: WORSHIP LEADER, who holds services.

121. ... "strong verbal skills" and we got a __!: DRILL SERGEANT. I don't quite get this one.

MaryEllen Uthlaut seems to be specialized on Sundays. This is her 4th Sunday this year.

Across:

1. Prepare for sushi, in a way: CHOP. Chop the whole roll into bite-sized pieces.

5. Experienced: OLD.

8. "Milk's Favorite Cookie": OREO. So have you tried oreos with mustard?

12. __ light: IDIOT.

17. Nevada casino city: RENO. Boomer likes the Peppermill there.

18. Taro paste: POI.

19. La. or Dak., once: TERR.

20. Parodies: SEND-UPS.

26. Island wine: MADEIRA.

27. Ewoks' forest moon: ENDOR.

28. Asian New Year: TET. I've mentioned a few times. Same day as Chinese Spring Festival. Vietnam also celebrates our Mid-Autumn Festival. They have their own version of mooncakes.

29. Did very well in: ACED.

31. Fan: ROOTER.

32. Turned up ground: DUG.

33. One of two presidents between a James and an Andrew: ABE. Who's the other one?

38. Team that's won six Super Bowls: STEELERS.

41. NFL linemen: RGS.

42. Open court hearing, in law: OYER.

43. "__ the ramparts ... ": O'ER.

44. Cape Town's home: Abbr.: RSA. Republic of South Africa.

45. Songwriter Redding: OTIS.

47. Rescue plea: SOS.

48. Start to build a pot: ANTE. Poker pot.

49. Prohibition: BAN.

51. Programming classroom: PC LAB.  In high school, Gary?

53. Tuneful: MELODIC.

59. Fitting tightly: NESTING.

63. Boomerang's path: ARC.

64. Natural soother: ALOE. Not fond of the smell. Ruined one sunscreen for me.

65. Bearded flower: IRIS.

67. Tootsy protector: BOOTEE. Cute.

68. Haphazard application: SMEAR.

74. Bodybuilder's asset: BRAWN.

75. In single file: TANDEM.

77. Wind catcher: SAIL. Do you guy still remember Jeannie? The beautiful blonde girl who loved sailing and used to be very active on our blog? I just found out that she passed way a few months ago.  Rest in Peace, Jeannie!

78. Very small amount: IOTA.

80. Protective shelter: LEE.

81. Horns usually shed once a year: ANTLERS.

87. Covered, in a way: INSURED.

89. Caper film subject: HEIST.

90. "Eat Better, Eat Together" mo.: OCT.  Happy to learn this.

91. Door support: JAMB.

94. One living an orderly life?: NUN. Nice clue.

95. Poetic period: MORN.

96. Hard pull: TUG.

98. Opposite of WSW: ENE.

99. Carp family fish: CHUB. And 115. Long-bodied fish: EEL.

101. Fifth-century invader: HUN.

102. Smoke dispensers, at times: GRENADES.

111. Be mistaken: ERR.

112. "__ Been Thinking About You": 1991 #1 hit: I'VE.

113. Copy __: EDITOR.

114. Author Bagnold: ENID.

117. A channel may lead to one: INLET.

119. Shaving cream additive: LANOLIN.

124. Ljubljana language: SLOVENE. Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia. Pretty.

125. Honoring verses: ODES.

126. Word between two cards?: ANY. Pick a card, any card.

127. Germany's von Bismarck: OTTO.

128. Coat material: SERGE.

129. Microsoft product: WORD.

130. Versatile truck, informally: UTE.

131. Loch with a legend: NESS.

Down:

1. Statements of faith: CREEDS.

2. Six-sided fastener: HEX NUT. Hexagonal shape.

3. Keyed up: ON EDGE.

4. Musical modifier: POCO.

5. Make a choice: OPT.

6. Linger idly: LOITER.

7. __ bar: DIVE.

8. Non-Rx: OTC.

9. Puts back up: REHANGS.

10. Sets upright: ERECTS.

11. Gluck's "__ ed Euridice": ORFEO. Orpheus and Eurydice.

12. Belief system: ISM.

13. Sweetheart: DEARIE.

14. Like some sports: INDOOR. Boomer and I ventured out and visited the Mighty Mississippi last week.

15. Ancient music hall: ODEON.

16. School income source: TUITION.

21. Program in advance: PRESET.

22. "Hell is other people" French dramatist: SARTRE. With Simone de Beauvoir here.

24. Eurasian range: URALS.

25. "Yada, yada, yada" letters: ETC.

30. Visibly anticipate, with "over": DROOL.

34. "Little help here, bud?": BE A PAL.

36. African antelope: ORIBI. Hello!

37. "Iron Mike" in the ring: TYSON.

39. Coastal bird: ERNE.

40. Does a metalworking job: SOLDERS.

46. Sailor: TAR.

47. Letter embellishment: SERIF.

48. One given the part: ACTOR.

49. Drink mixer, in Manchester: BARMAN.

50. Stress: ACCENT.

52. Farm product: CROP.

53. Reagle of "Wordplay": MERL. True genius.

54. Nebraska senator Fischer: DEB. I only know Ben Sasse thanks to Gary.

55. Weather map line: ISOBAR.

56. Bob Marley, e.g.: RASTA. When I lived in Guangzhou, the bars there loved playing his "No Woman, No Cry".

57. Sway on a curve: CAREEN.

58. Common quartet instrument: VIOLA.

60. Emphatic type: ITALIC.

61. Late to the max: NEWEST.

62. "The Balcony" playwright: GENET (Jean). Not a familiar name to me.

66. Taking with force: SEIZING.

69. Deliver spontaneously: AD LIB.

71. Like granola bars: OATEN.

72. Surround: GIRD.

73. Small deer: ROES.

76. __ Puff: SpongeBob's driving teacher: MRS. Also new to me.

79. Shred: TATTER.

82. Something to crow about?: SUN UP. Fun clue.

84. Cell, nowadays: PHONE.

85. Always, to a poet: EER.

86. Cover-up in Nero's time: TOGA.

88. Russian note: RUBLE.

91. Royal ornaments: JEWELS.

92. Of a battery terminal: ANODAL.

93. Sources of fine wool: MERINOS.

95. Less clear: MUDDIER.

97. Strip of equipment: UNRIG.

99. Anger: CHOLER.

100. Putting on the payroll: HIRING.

101. Job for a stylist: HAIRDO. Just don't feel safe to go to a hair salon. Maybe next year.

103. Let up: RELENT.

104. Pupils do it in the dark: DILATE.

105. They happen: EVENTS.

106. Brief scuffles: SET-TOS.

108. Franklin's burned wood: STOVE.

109. Provide with funding: ENDOW.

110. Member of the fam.: REL.

116. Name possibly derived from the Arabic for "hairy": ESAU.

118. Colorless gas for colorful signs: NEON.

120. Born, in Brest: NEE.

122. "Acid": LSD.

123. Pumpernickel grain: RYE.

We're going to have a new Blogger interface next Sunday (8/23/2020). The blog write-ups might be glitchy at times. So be prepared. The blog should look the same, and mobile device users should have an easier time to comment.

Thanks to the great and powerful Anon-T and TTP for making the transition easier. Thank you so much for the time and efforts you've spent to make our life easier.

C.C.

Saturday, August 15, 2020, Christopher Adams

Themeless Saturday by Christopher Adams

Another Saturday themeless from Chris Adams. Refresher: Chris got his Masters at Iowa and is now sitting out before tackling his Phd. He is still in Iowa City as a "townie"and working in test scoring for The Pearson Education Company there.

Here is what Chris provided us about this challenging puzzle: 

Gary, thanks for the email. Gotta love that I find out the publication date from you (though I'm sure I'll get an email from Patti and/or Rich any moment now). Curious to see what clues of mine they kept, but I guess I'll find out in a week or so.

Quick notes on this puzzle: I wanted to make a stagger stack of some entries that I liked and had been wanting to use for awhile. Originally started w/ YACHT ROCK (one of my favorite genres of music), NON-BINARY, and ARYA STARK from "Game of Thrones", but in trying to open up the middle and work in long answers through that stack, switched it to TONY STARK. Wasn't a fan of TTS (and neither were Rich and Patti) but it was worth the rest of the down answers through the middle.

I had some options in arranging the black squares at the top / bottom of the grid after that; I though about breaking up those areas into two corners each with three squares coming down (e.g. where TBS or ARI is) but liked the idea of having fifteens through there. Needed a few cheater squares to make those larger corners work, though I'm happy with the results throughout, even with some iffier short fill. But I particularly like the lower right, which has a lot of personal flourishes and flavor that I like.

Chris's puzzles always have some fresh, contemporary items and that keeps us all learning. My last fill was the R in TONY STA_K/PETER A_NO. CHOOSING UP SIDES was my first long fill. Its twin TRIGGER WARNINGS was a new phrase for me but pretty easy to suss.

Across:

1. Sony videocassette brand developed in 1982: BETA CAM - When these two formats came out, I chose the wrong one

8. Wedding memento: ALBUM.

13. Wide-brimmed hat: SOMBRERO.

14. Plunder: BOOTY.

15. Making teams, in a way: CHOOSING UP SIDES - Getting picked last is one of the real traumas of growing up

17. "Out of the Cellar" rock band: RATT - It's a hoot when anti-establishment groups of years ago are now making commercials

18. Hit the gym, with "up": TONE.

19. Last ruler of the Julio-Claudian dynasty: NERO.

20. Organisms that move via pseudopodia: AMOEBAS 

23. Sporty Audis: TTS - Chris's reluctant fill 

25. A show may have a long one: RUN - Until COVID-19, Phantom Of The Opera has been RUNNING on Broadway since 1988. No Broadway shows will reopen until at least Jan 3, 2021

26. French pointillist: SEURAT - That's a lotta points!

27. Cookout options: WEENIES.

29. Honolulu setting: Abbr.: HST - The Japanese Zeros first appeared around 8 a.m. Hawaiian Standard Time on the date that will live in infamy

30. Genre originally called the West Coast Sound: YACHT ROCK - Kenny Loggins, et al. The definition and 17 examples

32. Gender identity spectrum: NON-BINARY - Ruby Rose is said to be "gender fluid" and can wake up any day as male or female

33. "I am Iron Man" speaker: TONY STARK - A role played by Robert Downey Jr.

34. MLB "twin killings": DPS - Double Plays are called a "pitcher's best friend"

37. Involve deeply: IMMERSE.

38. Exclusive MLB cap supplier: NEW ERA - A NEW ERA Washington National hat online is $39.95. I bought mine from a street vendor across from Ford's Theater for $9.95

40. Med. insurance plan: HMO.

41. ["Is this thing on?"]: TAP.

42. Wave that maintains its shape and speed through collisions: SOLITON - Gee, Gary, I'd love to see a 3 min video about this. Or not...

43. Swedish pop band: ABBA - Let's see, our names are Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny and Anni-Frid. What could we call our group? 

45. Peter of reggae: TOSH - His website

47. Advance: LEND - Did you ever ask for an advance on your pay/allowance

48. Alerts about potentially disturbing content: TRIGGER WARNINGS- Someone with PTSD might need such a warning before watching a movie like Full Metal Jacket

52. "Elements of Algebra" author: EULER - Here's another one of his page turners

53. Emulate a bookie: TAKE BETS.

54. Dodger Pee Wee: REESE - This statue in Brooklyn commemorates Kentuckian Pee Wee REESE's support of Jackie Robinson in his first major league season

55. Sneaky programs: SPYWARE.


Down:

1. Eject: BOOT OUT 

2. Glowing star, say?: EMOTER - Stella!

3. "Full Frontal" network: TBS - A Samantha Bee show

4. NL West team, on scoreboards: ARI - The Fenway scoreboard shows that the ARI - COL game had not yet started 

5. Pair in a view?: CENTS - I love this! When you express your view, you are putting in your two (pair) CENTS worth

6. 2012 Affleck thriller: ARGO.

7. Hephaestus' workshop was said to be under it: MOUNT ETNA - Here ya go! Okay, not all of Chris's references are contemporary

8. Pilates targets: ABS.

9. Butcher buy: LOIN.

10. "10" co-star: BO DEREK - OMG, that was 41 years ago!

11. Development site: UTERUS - Another clever clue

12. Last words of Kipling's "If": MY SON 

13. Disgraces: SHAMES.

15. Computer problem: CRASH.

16. Longtime New Yorker cartoonist: PETER ARNO - I think the golfer is the only guy going in the right direction

21. Sharp weapon: BAYONET.

22. "Regardless ... ": AT ANY RATE.

24. Diving device: SNORKEL.

27. Wintry, in a way: WHITE - Things are so GREEN right now and not 28. Wintry, in a way: ICY.

31. Longtime Masters TV venue: CBS SPORTS - Until this spring it was a sure harbinger of spring

32. Snarfing sound: NOM 

33. It acquired the naming rights for the former Safeco Field: T-MOBILE - 7 minutes south of the Space Needle

34. Cold War warm-up: DETENTE 

35. Fine points: PRONGS.

36. Smooths, in a way: SANDS.

37. Saturate: IMBRUE - Definition

39. More cunning: WILIER.

40. Twitter malcontent: HATER.

42. Unstable: SHAKY.

44. Rusts or grays: AGES - My hair is acquiring the latter

46. Quid pro quo: SWAP.

49. Its General Test consists of six sections: Abbr.: GRE - One of several test acronyms used for cwd fill

50. Fire TV button: Abbr.: REW - Sometimes, no letters no just arrows

51. Kawhi Leonard's org.: NBA - He went to Toronto for one season, got them a championship and then left for the LA Clippers. He turned down a huge salary, free housing and free groceries Toronto offered him to stay.

How 'bout some comments for Chris: