Monday January 4, 2020 Gail Grabowski & Bruce Venzke

Theme: C AND W (67. Grand Ole Opry genre, briefly, that's also a hint to 21-, 33-, 41- and 51-Across) - Each theme entry is in the pattern of C* W*.

21. Comfy clothing: CASUAL WEAR. 32. T-__: 21-Across item: SHIRT.

33. Fowl fencing material: CHICKEN WIRE.

41. Forecast that calls for a scarf and gloves: COLD WEATHER. 49. Like extreme 41-Across: HARSH.

51. Circle with primary and secondary hues: COLOR WHEEL.

Boomer here. I am familiar with all of these entries, especially COLD WEATHER!

For those readers who were not here last week, our beloved constructor Gail Grabowski passed away on Christmas eve. 

C.C. said that this theme idea was Gail's, since her name comes first in the byline. Bruce filled the grid and Gail clued the whole thing. This is how the legendary constructing team GAB (Gail and Bruce) collaborated.

Gail and Bruce

Across: 

1. Play for time: STALL.  Also a horse's bedroom.

6. Soup aisle array: CANS.  We have a cupboard full of  soup, vegetables, and other stuff that C.C. does not eat.  I think she is afraid of our electric can opener.

10. Murder mystery staple: BODY.  Of course, "Mr. Boddy" was the victim in the game of Clue.  "I think it was done by Professor Plum, in the kitchen, with the knife." 

14. Apex predators of the sea: ORCAS.

15. "I __ my wit's end!": AM AT. 

16. Sacred Nile bird: IBIS.

17. Many a Mumbai resident: HINDU.

18. Triangle ratio: SINE.  "About binomial theorem I am teeming with a lot 'O' news with  many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse," (Gilbert & Sullivan.)  

19. Hand over: GIVE.  "GIVE me a break for a Kit Kat bar."  Not me, too much sugar.

20. Do as told: OBEY.

23. Dog walker's need: LEASH.  We do not have a dog.  We had to catch a mouse with one of those glue traps.  He deserved to be caught, he started to think that he lived with us. 

25. "Little ol' me?": MOI.

26. Supernatural: OCCULT.

29. Appetizer platter items: VEGGIES.  Yup, gotta eat those green things every day..

36. Morse "T": DAH.

37. Gas container: TANK.  Ours stays pretty full.  We do not travel much in the pandemic, and the grocery store is about one mile from home.  Maybe I can use a bit more gas when golf season opens.

38. Abu Dhabi's fed.: UAE.  I guess Emirate is just another word for state. 

39. Nativity scene threesome: MAGI.  I believe the three Kings visit to the manger is celebrated on January 6.  They brought gold, frankincense. and myrrh.  Now guys just bring cigars.

40. Red Cross offering: AID.

45. Plasterboard: DRYWALL.  We had some water damage to our garage ceiling.  We hired a DRYWALL handyman last fall and he fixed it up very well.

47. Separate by type: ASSORT.

48. LAX : Los Angeles :: __ : Chicago: ORD.  Funny name for an airport.

55. Variety show lineup: ACTS.

59. Apple gadget with playlists: IPOD.  C.C. had one.  I don't know how it works.

60. Sinuous swimmers: EELS.

61. Letter-shaped opening: T SLOT.  I struggle to fasten my seat belt in the Santa Fe.  It's not a T slot but it sure seems like one.

62. Column before ones: TENS.  "If you bought a premier seat to "'Hamilton" for $850.00 cash, how many Hamiltons would you need to pay the bill.  They asked this on "Common Knowledge" and none of the six players had the correct answer.

63. Pudding starch: SAGO.

64. Prefix for Rome's country: ITALO.

65. Jittery: EDGY.

66. Spiderweb, e.g.: TRAP.

Down:

1. Artsy Manhattan area: SOHO.  North Pole area - "HO HO".

2. Chicago daily, for short: TRIB.  Our Minneapolis daily is StarTRIB.  We used to have a morning Tribune and an evening STAR.  They combined many years ago. 

3. Proactiv+ target: ACNE.

4. Female symbol of good fortune: LADY LUCK.  A fun Casino in down town Las Vegas.  I went to see Melinda's magic act there years ago.

5. The SEC's Tigers: LSU.

6. Acapulco abodes: CASAS.

7. Pennsylvania sect: AMISH.

8. Half a Mork-to-Orson farewell: NANU.  Robin Williams aka Mork from Ork left us in 2014.

9. Soft-shell clam: STEAMER.  Stanley's last name.

10. Kingpin: BIGWIG.  In the movie "Kingpin" Bill Murray was a lousy bowler.  They should have cast Pete Weber or maybe Parker Bohn.

11. NYC drama award: OBIE.

12. Female opera star: DIVA.

13. Belgian river: YSER.

21. Blanchett of "Ocean's 8": CATE.  Probably the only actress who ever cut herself with a chain saw.

22. Theater tier: LOGE.  This is where the cigarette smokers used to sit.  Not any more.

24. Deer in a lodge logo: ELK.  I joined a lodge many years ago.  They sponsored a Little League team that I coached.  However it seemed that in the lodge they just sold low-priced drinks and pull tabs.

26. Set of eight: OCTAD.  Years ago I had an OCTAD of teeth.  Now I have a set of two dentures.

27. Committee head: CHAIR.

28. Williams of "Laverne & Shirley": CINDY.  Lots of reruns on cable TV now.  Years ago, at the Graybar City Desk we used to have two customers I called Lenny and Squiggy.  Cracked everybody up. 

29. Beach house selling point: VIEW.  Minnesota has miles and miles of lake shoreline, but not too many beach houses.  The ones that exist are way overpriced. 

30. Boise's state: IDAHO.  I have two cousins that live in Twin Falls of the potato state.

31. All fired up: EAGER.

34. Void partner: NULL.

35. Fistful of dollars: WAD.  Does anyone use dollars anymore??

39. Calif. Cascades peak: MT SHASTA.

41. Author Caleb: CARR.

42. OK Corral setting: OLD WEST.  Three deaths in October, 1881, and Wyatt Earp got his own TV show in the sixties.

43. British noble: EARL.

44. Donkey: ASS.  Very impolite answer to the clue, I would say.

46. Like a forest: WOODSY.

49. Hägar's comics wife: HELGA.

50. Writer of tales with talking animals: AESOP.  A famous Greek who told a lot more stories than me.

51. Name in a footnote: CITE.

52. Page with opinions: OP-ED.  I usually skip this page in the StarTrib..  Most Opinions usually do not match with mine.

53. Time-consuming: LONG.

54. Catch wind of: HEAR.

56. Tartan-sporting family: CLAN.

57. Broke the news to: TOLD.  "Though it never made the New York Times, in the Daily News the caption read - Save the life of my child."  (Simon and Garfunkel).

58. Store securely: STOW.

61. Personal quirk: TIC.

Boomer

Sunday January 3, 2020 Trent H. Evans

Theme: "Career Counseling" - Common phrases are humorously reinterpreted as if they're the advice given to the person in the clue.

22. Advice to an aspiring preacher?: SPEAK OF THE DEVIL.

39. Advice to an aspiring organizer?: DON'T THROW IT ALL AWAY.

57. Advice to an aspiring journalist?: DON'T FORGET TO WRITE.

83. Advice to an aspiring ballet dancer?: LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP.

99. Advice to an aspiring history professor?: THERE'S NO FUTURE IN IT. Made me chuckle.

121. Advice to an aspiring stationer?: PUSH THE ENVELOPE.

Did I miss anything extra? A full set of  "Don't" advice would be a tighter set, but probably Trent found them repetitive and too simple.

This is Trent's first Sunday puzzle for the LA Times. Perfect 100 theme squares. So many sparkling fill & fun clues, typical of his grids. You can find more of his work at  Grid Therapy.

Trent Evans

Across:

1. Movers, but hopefully not shakers: VANS. I'll just highlight a few more great clues: 30A. Star sometimes eclipsing Venus?: SERENA. The Williams sisters. 35A. Support for wind energy?: MAST. 62A. Head of MI6?: LOO 11D. Head of MI6?: LAV Toilet. Not real head.. 76A. Zoom lens?: WEBCAM. Zoom meetings.

5. Hawkeye's title workplace: MASH.

9. Global warming word: MELT.

13. Stumbling block: SNAG.

17. "Are you hurt?" response: I'M OK. After the painful slip last year, I bought these Yaktrax grips.

18. Soprano showpiece: ARIA.

19. Far from clueless: AWARE.

21. It's not a bear: KOALA. Anyone else tried this salt? It has eucalyptus in it. Smells nice.

25. Gives the boot: OUSTS. And 26. Give a lift: ELATE.

27. Finger-wagging word: SHAME.

28. It's nothing to Caesar: NIHIL.

32. Esteem to the extreme: IDOLIZE.

44. NFL's Falcons: ATL.

47. Vatican farewell: CIAO.

48. Messy place: STY.

49. Fictitious: MYTHIC.

50. Dalai Lama's former home: LHASA. And  53. China's Zhou __: ENLAI. Most respected & loved politician in China. Also 5. Red Warhol subject?: MAO.

56. "Watch me do this!": HERE I GO. And 59. "You can't be serious": OH C'MON. 89. "You betcha!": SURE WILL. Love these colloquial phrases.

63. 2020, for many: ORDEAL. Vaccines are coming.

64. "I know! I know!": OOH OOH.

65. Philly Ivy: PENN.

66. Middle schooler, probably: PRE-TEEN.

70. Prairie howlers: COYOTES.

73. Collars, as a perp: NABS.

78. Seyfried of "Big Love": AMANDA.

82. "We __ Farmer's, bum ba dum bum bum bum bum": ARE.

88. Salts, say: SEASONS.

90. Govt. security: T NOTE.

91. Unexpected mug shot feature: SMILE.

92. Bring into harmony: ATTUNE.

93. Exec concerned with hacking: CIO. Chief Information Officer.

96. "__ girl!": ATTA.

98. First name in supervillains: LEX. Luthor.

105. Simple meteorological tool: VANE.

106. Treater's adamant words: I INSIST.

107. Rap caps, perhaps: DO-RAGS.

111. Breaks down: WEEPS.

113. Cosmic comeuppance: KARMA.

117. Devoid of any pleasure: NO FUN. 3. Musical deficiency: NO EAR.

118. Aim high: GO BIG.

125. Speed skater Ohno: APOLO. Also won "Dancing with the Stars".

126. Some fitness ctrs.: YMCAS.

127. Hawaiian seafood salad: POKE. Diced raw fish.

128. Tolkien trilogy, initially: LOTR. The Lord of the Rings.

129. Radio piece: DIAL.

130. Kindle display: E INK. Learned from doing an old NYT puzzle.

131. Ruth's sultanate?: SWAT. Babe Ruth is called "Sultan of Swat"

132. Greens in regulation, e.g.: STAT. And 42. Tiger's target: HOLE. Tiger Woods.

Down:

1. Tools with jaws: VISES.

2. Quite big enough: AMPLE.

4. Got by on one's reputation alone, perhaps: SKATED.

6. Canine chorus: ARFS.

7. Evil sci-fi order: SITH.

8. LOL, verbalized: HA HA.

9. Used what was available: MADE DO.

10. Sheep related to you?: EWE. Homophone.

12. Holy threesome: TRINITY.

13. The one: SOULMATE.

14. "Old Town Road" rapper Lil __ X: NAS.

15. PC shortcut key: ALT.

16. Teslas don't need it: GAS.

20. "My Fair Lady" lady: ELIZA.

21. Japanese garden fish: KOI.

23. Lotto cousin: KENO.

24. Gulf States bigwig: EMIR.

29. Ram's protection: HELMET. LA Ram, right?

31. Mandela's org.: ANC. African National Congress.

33. Painful sequence: OWS.

34. Illuminated: LIT.

36. For a bit: A WHILE.

37. Vietnam War hot spot: SAIGON.

38. Mogul: TYCOON.

40. Cake level: TIER.

41. Drink mix made famous by NASA: TANG. Also 123. Frenemy of Lando: HAN. My hometown Xi'an was the capital city of four Chinese dynasties: Zhou, Qin, Han, Tang. I have Zhouqin. Our puzzle has HAN & TANG.

 43. Harp relative: LYRE.

44. Big name in footwear: ALDO.

45. Son of Odin: THOR.

46. Touch down: LAND.

51. Dance moves: STEPS.

52. Nowhere close: AFAR.

54. Right this minute: AT ONCE.

55. Olympic skating medalist Midori: ITO.

56. Kermit's greeting: HI HO.

58. Praise for a torero: OLE.

60. Seek the affections of: WOO.

61. Rob __: ROY.

65. One of a biblical 150: PSALM.

67. Jefferson bills: TWOS.

68. "OMG, a mouse!": EEK. We finally caught the mouse with our glue traps. Wow, he was sneaky.

69. Ease up: EBB.

71. Eastern "way": TAO. We say "Dao" in China.

72. Birds that boom and grunt: EMUS. Wow, I don't know. Sounds so noisy.

73. Channel that provided coverage of the New Horizons Pluto flyby: NASA TV. Gary probably watches it regularly.

74. Respectful singer?: ARETHA. One of her songs is "Respect".

75. Taken down: BEATEN.

77. Back on the boat: AFT.

79. Scientist __ deGrasse Tyson: NEIL. Harvard classmate of constructor Andrea Carla Michaels.

80. View from a hill: DALE.

81. Top of a hill: APEX.

83. Like the Texas flag's star: LONE. Hi there my Texas T's!

84. Baby's outfit: ONESIE.

85. Crowd eruption: ROAR.

86. Rock ending?: ETTE. Rockette.

87. Mountain legend: YETI.

93. Take over or take in: CONSUME.

94. Hypotheticals: IFS.

95. Yes, to Yves: OUI.

97. "Your point is?": AND.

100. Chilly: NIPPY.

101. Finger-wagging sound: TSK TSK.

102. Four Corners state: UTAH.

103. Skye of "Say Anything...": IONE.

104. Fishes, in a way: TROLLS.

108. On, as Sherlock's game: AFOOT.

109. Sanjay of CNN: GUPTA. Is this a common Indian surname, Vidwan? We have a Dr. Gupta in our VA hospital also.

110. Hägar's dog: SNERT.

112. Film director's challenge: EGO.

114. Gym set: REPS.

115. "May I have some tuna, please?": MEOW. Such a polite cat.

116. "My Way" lyricist: ANKA.

118. Wander (about): GAD.

119. Big name in nail polish: OPI.

120. Slithery squeezer: BOA.

122. Bio or chem: SCI.

124. Lab coat checker?: VET. Labrador.

C.C.

Saturday, January 2, 2021, Craig Stowe

 Themeless Saturday by Craig Stowe

Another Canadian drops in for the first Saturday puzzle of what will hopefully be a much better year!

Previous remarks from Craig: 

As always, thanks to Rich et al. for accepting my work and improving on it. I am always amazed when a puzzle is published. 

I've posted a bit about myself before but in case you missed it... I was born and raised in a small town in Newfoundland, Canada (you'll find two Newfoundland references in Craig's puzzle) but have lived in Toronto, Ontario since 2000 (you are all welcome to visit anytime; shout out to all my Canadian neighbours!) I work as a kitchen porter in a rather large hotel, which is even less exciting than it sounds. I solve and construct crosswords in my spare time. 

Cheers!

Across:

1. Payments to some volunteers: HONORARIA - I've given lots of free NASA presentations. HONORARIA? Uh, no, unless you count stale pastries and coffee.

10. Band wind instruments: JUGS - Briscoe Darling always played one on The Andy Griffin Show

14. "Is everything resolved now?": ARE WE GOOD?

15. Peel out, maybe: GUN IT.

16. 1994 Chuck Norris movie: HELLBOUND.

17. Pope's "An __ on Criticism": ESSAY - The manuscript as sent to the printer in 1711 along with notes to the printer

18. Apiece, in scores: ALL - 74 ALL. Looks like OT!

19. Art Deco icon: ERTE, 35. Eastern nurse: AMAH and 55. Grandson of Abraham: ESAU three cwd stalwarts

20. Reconcile: ATTUNE 

21. Entertainer with a desk: CLASS CLOWN 

23. Spectrum: SCALE - The visible spectrum of radiation is on a scale from about 400 nanometers to 700 nanometers

25. Neologism: COINAGE - A neologism is literally a new word or phrase that is coined. Our constructor Chuck Deodene is also a reader for the Oxford English Dictionary and is always on the lookout for these.

27. Megan of "The Blacklist": BOONE.

28. Robert __, unsuccessful 1987 Supreme Court nominee: BORK - His treatment by the senate became a neologism in 1982 

29. Poet's preposition: THRO - I hath ne'er slept THRO an alarm

31. Without delay: RAPIDLY.

33. Drop: DESCEND - They DESCEND the same in the vacuum of the Moon

36. Pac-12 team since 2011: UTES - On March 3rd of this year, the UTE Indian tribe signed an agreement to let Utah University continue to use UTE as a mascot

38. "Me __!": THREE.

39. Tools used on the way up: ICE AXES - This autographed replica of Sir Edmund Hilary's ICE AXE he used to summit Everest can be yours for $5,000. When Sir Edmund was signing these, I'm sure someone said 42. "Just one more": ALMOST DONE.

41. Island birthplace of Pythagoras: SAMOS - 14 hrs via ferry and an hour by plane from Athens

44. Poor: SUBPAR - My golf game is SUBPAR because I can't shoot SUBPAR scores

46. Jazz phrase: RIFF - $8 at Amazon

47. Electrify: ZAP.

50. Sanctions: OKAYS - Sanctions is a contronym

51. Small driers, to Brits: TEA TOWELS.

53. "Jay __ Garage": Emmy-winning reality show: LENOS.

54. Reveres: VENERATES - Jay VENERATES cars

56. Refuse to budge: STAND FAST - General McAuliffe told the Germans this when they demanded he surrender at Bastogne during the Battle Of The Bulge

  

Down:

1. "Funny not funny": HA HA - Sarcasm 101

2. Russian city: OREL (Oryo) - Just a nice drive SSW of Moscow on the M-2 and E-105

3. Dudley Do-Right's love: NELL - Can you pick her out?

4. Symbol of Athena: OWL - Athena and Glaukopis

5. Rose up: REBELLED.

6. Hellenic gathering places: AGORAE - Ruins of ancient AGORAE can be found on Samos

7. Creams: ROUTS - The Nationals did Cream/ROUT the Mets in this game

8. "Rhinoceros" playwright: IONESCO - Bio of Eugène Ionesco

9. Cookbook directive: ADD.

10. "Pay attention and see how it's done": JUST WATCH ME - "Final words for some"

11. One who didn't get what they deserved: UNSUNG HERO - Every Doctor, EMT, Nurse and first responder!

12. 17th-century sculptor Bernini: GIAN - GIAN Bernini's design of St. Peter's Square includes Doric columns that represent the embrace of the Mother Church

13. Ocular woe: STYE.

15. Board: GET ON.

20. Matching in many ways: ALIKE -  This animal and the background look so much ALIKE it is hard to pick him out (*answer at bottom of write-up)

21. Offer to a customer: CAN I HELP YOU? Jack Benny could never shake this guy

22. Wood lots: CORDS.

23. "Same here": SO AM I.

24. Manilow hit featuring Tony and Lola: COPACABANA - Live on GMA

26. White-tailed fliers: ERNES.

27. Hood accessory: BRA - A GAT is an accessory for the wrong kind of hood. This BRA is what I had for the hood on my Mazda Miata.

28. Units usually prefixed: BYTES.

30. Poetic tribute: ODE.

32. Vegas hotel that once had a King Tut's Tomb replica: LUXOR - It is said that the light at the top of LUXOR's pyramid can be seen by pilots 30o miles from Vegas.

34. Home of the Cardinal: STANFORD - In 1971 STANFORD abandoned its Indian mascot for the Cardinal

37. Where the Boss' band once rehearsed: E-STREET E-Street runs northeast through the New Jersey shore town of Belmar. According to Springsteenlore, the band took its name from the street because original keyboard player David Sancious's mother lived there and allowed the band to rehearse in her house.

40. Corral: AMASS - Politicians have just finished the season of trying to (insert appropriate verb) votes

41. Give in a bit: SOFTEN.

43. Mythical hunter: DIANA - ORION gives way to a lady hunter 

44. Exclusive: SOLE.

45. Bari __: low-pitched strings: UKES - A portmanteau of baritone and ukelele 

47. Sixth of 24: ZETA - A group of 24 makes you think Greek alphabet

48. Porters, e.g.: ALES.

49. Sibilant "Hey!": PSST - Sibilant means hissing so...

51. Sharp offerings: TVS - Sharp's first color TV in 1960

52. Post-WWII feminine flier: WAF - WAF is in the small print but it is a "keen" sign!

*A wolf is peeking around a tree just to the left of the center of the picture.