Tuesday, February 16, 2021 Johh Witzke and Pawel Fludzinski

A Rose by Any Other Name.

17-Across. If Nicholson sang, danced and acted, he might be called __: JACK OF ALL TRADES.  Jack Nicholson (né John Joseph Nicholso; b. Apr. 22, 1937) is an actor who has a played wide range of roles, so he probably can sing and dance as well as act.

40-Across. If Robinson left En Vogue to sing in Jerry Garcia's group, she might be called __: DAWN OF THE DEAD.  Although I had heard of the group En Vogue, I was not familiar with Dawn Robinson (née Dawn Shreese Robinson; b. Nov. 24, 1965).

59-Across. If Tomlin came from San Fernando, she might be called __: LILY OF THE VALLEY.  Lily Tomlin (née Mary Gean Tomlin; b. Sept. 1, 1939) is an actress and stand-up comedian.  She played Ruth Ann on Rowan & Martin.

Across:

1. Tripoli's country: LIBYA.

6. College grad: ALUM.

10. Kill, as a dragon: SLAY.  St. George, the patron saint of England, is said to have been a dragon-slayer.  Surprising fact: Dragons don't exist!

14. Thorny plant: BRIAR.

15. Latina toon explorer: DORA.  Dora the Explorer

16. Scrabble piece: TILE.

20. GQ or Cosmo: MAG.  Both are magazines, one for men and the other for women.

21. Photographed: SHOT.

22. Inhumane: BARBARIC.

27. Salty drops: TEARS.

31. Big name in PCs: ACER.  I learned of Acer computers from doing the crossword puzzles.

32. __ pork: Chinese dish with pancakes: MOO SHU.  Hubby likes Moo Shu Chicken.

35. "High" afternoon meal: TEA.

36. Forbidden: TABOO.  Not to be confused with Tattoo, which is a common crossword word.

38. Series of missed calls: PHONE TAG.

43. Dog food seller: PET STORE.

44. Crop up: ARISE.

46. Soul, to Sartre: ÂME.  Today's French lesson.  Jean-Paul Sartre (June 21, 1905 ~ Apr. 15, 1980) was a French extentialialism philosopher.  I had to read some of his work in college, but I don't remember anything now.

47. Polar parka: ANORAK.  I need one today.  Icy rain is coming down now, even as I type this.  We covered all of our fruit trees last night.  Hope they will survive.

50. Passionate about: INTO.

51. Winona of "Stranger Things": RYDER.  Winona Ryder (née Winona Laura Horowitz; b. Oct. 29, 1971) was born in Winona, Minnesota.  She has starred in many movies and television shows, including Stranger Things, which is a sci-fi horror mystery television series.

53. Brings good luck to: SMILES ON.

55. Taunt: GIBE.

58. Drone or worker: BEE.

67. Trim, as a photo: CROP.  It's so easy to do on your computer.

68. Dry forecast: FAIR.

69. Religious doctrine: DOGMA.  Also the name of a 1999 movie that starred Matt Damon and Ben Aflack.

70. Credit card balance, say: DEBT.

71. Benchmarks: Abbr.: STDs.  As in Standards.

72. Jerk or twitch: SPASM.

Down:

1. JFK's successor: LBJ.  Lyndon Baines Johnson (Aug. 27, 1908 ~ Jan. 22, 1973) succeeded John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 ~ Nov. 22, 1963).  As a kid, I thought Johnson was really old, and yet he died at only 64.

2. Nest egg initials: IRA.  As in an Individual Retirement Account.

3. Flickable lighter: BIC.

4. Go on and on: YAK.

5. Kitchen allure: AROMA.

6. Samuel Barber's "__ for Strings": ADAGIO.  Samuel Osmond Barber, II (Mar. 9, 1910 ~ Jan. 23, 1981) was an American composer, conductor and pianist.  This piece has been used in a number of movies and television shows, from Platoon to episodes of The Simpsons.

7. Cyberchortle: LOL.  Laughing Out Loud.  Apparently this has been used for over 30 years.

8. Web addresses: URLs.  The Uniform Resource Locator has become a crossword staple.

9. Subject with numbers: MATH.

10. Georgia or Washington: STATE.  In this map, both states are the same color.

11. Pot cover: LID.

12. It may be blonde or pale: ALE.  Everything you wanted to know about beers, but were afraid to ask.

13. "Roundabout" rockers with a positive name: YES.

18. Word before hand or land: FARM.

19. Capitol feature: ROTUNDA.  It's a majestic building.  Photographs don't do it justice.

22. Cave hanger: BAT.

23. Plato's school, with "the": ACADEMY.

24. Paid back, as a purchase incentive: REBATED.

25. Tweezer targets: BROWS.

26. Whirlybirds: 'COPTERS.  Also the name of a carnival ride.

28. Realizes, as a goal: ATTAINS.

29. Entertains with a bedtime story: READS TO.

30. Give in to gravity: SAG.

33. Recital rebuke: SHH.

34. Flower bed tool: HOE.

37. Province on four Great Lakes: ONTARIO.  Hi, CanadianEh!  Is this your Province?  Ontario touches upon Lakes Superior, Huron, Erie, and Ontario.

39. Spooky: EERIE.  Not one of the Great Lakes.

41. Bass ending: -OON.  As in a Bassoon.

42. Pendulum direction?: FRO.  The Foucault Pendulum at the Boston Science Museum.

43. Links standard: PAR.

45. Seemingly forever: EON.  A crossword staple.

48. Orange-yellow gemstones: AMBERS.  They are often embeded with insects.

49. Ukraine's capital: KIEV.  The people of Ukraine prefer to spell the name of the capital as Kyiv.  Kiev is a transliteration of the Russian name, whereas Kyiv is the Ukrianian transliteration.

52. The Nile runs through it: EGYPT.  Several years, we took a boat ride up the Nile.

54. Detectives' aids: LEADS.

56. Bosom buds, in texts: BFFs.  Textspeak for Best Friends Forever.

57. Nouveau-Mexique, par exemple: ÉTAT.  More of today's French lesson.  Contrary to what some people think, New Mexico not a foreign country, but a State in the American Southwest.

Carte des États-Unis avec le Nouveau-Mexique en rouge.

59. TV screen type: LCD.  As in Liquid-Crystal Display.

60. Fury: IRE.

61. Easy throw: LOB.  Not to be confused with 63-Down: Cut (off): LOP.

62. Laid low: HID.

64. JFK alternative: LGA.  Both the LaGuardia Airport and the JFK Airports service the New York Area.  The airport in Newark also services the New York Area.

65. Maximum borders?: EMs.  As in the letter M.  Maximum.

66. Oft-candied veggie: YAM.  I'll pass on this dish.  I never understood why people liked yams with marshmellows.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Happy Mardi Gras, Y'all!  You can still celebrate.  Only the parades have been cancelled.  This is the coldest Mardi Gras in recent memory, however.

Monday February 15, 2021 Stella Zawistowski

Theme: SWIPE LEFT (57. Express lack of interest on Tinder ... or a hint to the answers to starred clues) - The left word of each theme is a synonym of "steal".

17. *Test of hand strength: PINCH GRIP.

29. *Ski resort purchase: LIFT TICKET.

43. *Accidentally call without touching one's cellphone: POCKET DIAL.

Boomer here. A couple of years ago, we SWIPED RIGHT.

Happy Monday all! No news is good news. Working off the Covid vaccine with no after effects.  Waiting for baseball season.  I wonder if Topps will be coming through with baseball cards.

Across:

1. Impertinent talk: SASS.  "Zip your lip"!

5. Man __: 1920 Horse of the Year: O' WAR.  I was not around for that Derby, were you ?

9. Avoid failing: PASS.  Tom Brady proved that last week.

13. Sunburn-soothing balm: ALOE.

14. Earring holder: LOBE.  I am very happy that that was never my choice for jewelry.

15. __ God: earthquake, e.g.: ACT OF.

19. Danger: PERIL.

20. "It's the __ I can do": LEAST.  Since retiring, I have been doing my LEAST for a long time. 

21. Grown-up: MATURE.

22. Take place: OCCUR.

25. Refine, as skills: HONE.

27. Drink with a polar bear mascot: ICEE.  I have never liked these. I guess when it's below zero outside I will pass.

28. Gave voice to: SAID.  Yes I SAID BELOW ZERO

31. Diagram for Web navigation: SITE MAP.

33. "Game of Thrones" channel: HBO.  I have not purchased HBO. They pester me a lot but I decided to save my money for bowling and golf.

34. At some future point: ONE DAY.

35. It's given in the form of a question on "Jeopardy!": ANSWER.  I manage to turn in every afternoon.  Ken Jennings has replaced Alex for a few weeks but I have heard that other guest hosts are coming soon.

40. Soccer official: REF.  Some of the shows on the "Game Show" channel could use a REF to cut down on all the screaming and whooping.

42. "Goosebumps" series author: R L STINE.

48. Contributes: ADDS. "Two and Two are four, Four and four are eight.". "What did you learn in school today" by  Tom Paxton.  

49. Ohio border lake: ERIE.  Part of the huge network of Great Lakes! 

50. Pungent flavor: TANG.  Never liked it.  Was this invented for astronauts?

51. Brittany port city: BREST.

52. Give in (to): ACCEDE.

54. Patronized, as a diner: ATE AT.  I prefer buffets or pizza places.  C.C. is with me only on the buffets.

56. Circle or polygon: SHAPE.  Since my illness, I have SHAPED down to about 175.

61. Downy duck: EIDER.

62. Compress, with "down": TAMP.

63. Idris of "The Wire": ELBA.

64. Fix, as socks: DARN.  My sox are fixed just as they are.

65. Salon selections: DYES.

66. Lose traction: SKID.  Careful Northern states.  Roads can be very icy.

Down:

1. Maple-syrup-to-be: SAP.  This is an acronym for a computer software used when I was working.  Caused me a lot of headaches since I am not a computer-savvy.

2. "Baby Cobra" comic Wong: ALI.  "In the clearing stands a boxer and a fighter by his trade, and he carries the reminders of every glove that laid him down ... " Simon and Garfunkel.

3. Jaden, to Will Smith: SON.

4. Peacefully hidden, as a retreat: SECLUDED.

5. Lingerie brand: OLGA. I'll never forget Ms. Korbut and her Olympic fame of 1972.

6. Bow down to, perhaps: WORSHIP.  I suppose now that I have received shot one of the vaccine I better think about going back to church.  Maybe after the second shot.

7. Not very much: A BIT OF.

8. Sales agent: REP.  Or  435 lawmakers in the House.

9. Daddy: PAPA.  "Oh My Papa, to me he was so wonderful".  Eddie Fisher - a long time ago.

10. Acid type found in vinegar: ACETIC.

11. Found in abundance, as oil: STRUCK. Or three was the end of an at bat.

12. Evening party: SOIREE.

16. Group of ships: FLEET.  We shop sometimes at FLEET Farm.  They have great walnuts and cashews.

18. Billy Joel's "Tell __ About It": HER.

21. NYC museum's fundraising gala: MET BALL.  Played at Citi Field in NYC

22. Bone, in Bologna: OSSO.

23. Biblical brother: CAIN. The Bible says he killed his brother Abel.  I think he got away with it because there were no courts, judges, or jails back then.

24. Make mention of: CITE.

26. High math degree: NTH.  End of inning number 10.

29. Baby shower gift: LAYETTE.

30. Charged particles: IONS.

32. Female in a stable: MARE.  The old gray one ain't what she used to be.

36. Takes by surprise: STARTLES.  I was really surprised when my Doc hooked me up with shot number one last Wednesday and a replay the first week of March.

37. Double-__ trailer: WIDE.

38. What means may justify: ENDS.  You have to make them meet.

39. "Don't play" symbol, in music: REST.

41. Med-approving agcy.: FDA.  Food and Drug Administration

42. Scott Joplin's music: RAGTIME.  The roughest, toughest, man by far is RAGTIME cowboy Joe. The Chipmunks.

43. "__ porridge hot ... ": PEASE.  It gets cold in nine days.

44. Corsage flower: ORCHID.

45. Loud insect: CICADA.

46. Lighthouse guardian: KEEPER.  Cain asked "Am I my brother's KEEPER" - after he killed Abel

47. Sort of: IN A WAY.

51. Modern honey: BAE.

53. Laura who won an Oscar for "Marriage Story": DERN.

55. Omar of "House": EPPS.

57. Part of EST: Abbr.: STD.

58. Rockies bugler: ELK.  I joined an ELKS Lodge in the 1980s when they sponsored my son's Little League team.  Sees that all they sold was liquor and pull tabs.

59. DOJ division: FBI.

60. Wee amount: TAD.

Boomer

Sunday February 14, 2021 Jake Braun

Theme: "Love Is ... "  -  Famous people who defined what "love" is.

24A. "... the beauty of the soul": SAINT AUGUSTINE.

55A. "... a fruit in season at all times": MOTHER TERESA.

70A. "... an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired": ROBERT FROST.

89A. "... an act of endless forgiveness": PETER USTINOV.

119A. "... eternal, infinite ... equal and pure": HONORE DE BALZAC.

5D. "... a flower, you got to let it grow": JOHN LENNON.

80D. "... the truth more first than sun, more last than star": E E CUMMINGS.

Normally a name theme tends to get "listy", but this one is sweet and fitting. Happy Valentine's Day!  Still remember Jake's  "Cherish the Thought" we had a few years ago?

Low in black squares. Only 68. I always manage to crank up to 78.

Across:

1. Honshu high pt.: MT FUJI. Slight dupe with  48. Oregon's highest point: MOUNT HOOD.

7. King of Maine: STEPHEN. Great clue. The author.

14. Alpine Olympics event: SKIING.

20. Playground denial: ARE NOT.

21. Former SAG president Gilbert: MELISSA. She played Laura Ingalls Wilder.

22. Like many garages: TWO-CAR.

23. Discipline involving slow movement: TAI CHI. Have you heard of Shaolin?

26. Equivalent wd.: SYN. Synonym.

27. 22.5 deg.: NNE.

29. Spam-spreading program: BOT.

30. Games gp. that added a "P" to its initials in 2019: USOC. United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee.

31. Frank behind a bookcase: ANNE.

32. Colosseum warrior: GLADIATOR.

35. Sommer of cinema: ELKE.

37. Literally, the sci. of women: GYN. Gynecology.

38. Origami bird: CRANE.

41. Manhattan, e.g.: Abbr.: ISL.

42. Progress: HEADWAY.

45. Airport not far from the Common: LOGAN. OK, Boston Common.

46. Native ceremonial pipe: CALUMET. New to me. It looks like this.

49. Emphatic type: ITALIC.

53. Forever, with "an": ETERNITY. Been a tough two-week stretch in our area. Temp right now (Sunday morning 5:30am). Wind Chill Warning until lunch hours.

58. Leopardlike cats: OCELOTS.

59. Touch: ABUT.

60. German coal valley: RUHR.

61. Author Rand: AYN.

62. Suffix with salt: INE. Cracker with soup is very American.

63. "Yes!": AMEN.

64. Med. office titles: DRS.

65. WWI Belgian battle site: YPRES. Have not seen this fill for a long time.

67. Very big: HUGE.

74. Inner: Pref.: ENTO.

75. Sky blue: AZURE.

77. Audio units: Abbr.: DBS. Decibels.

78. Word with cut or pin: HAIR.

79. Dripping __: WET.

81. TD scorers: RBS. Running backs,

82. High style: UPDO.

84. Dish put away with a spoon: SOUP. Ha ha, I still use chopsticks.

85. Two-year periods: BIENNIA. Plural of "biennium".

92. Bleachers critiques: CATCALLS.

93. First U.S. space station: SKYLAB.  Launched in 1973.

94. Court conference the jury doesn't hear: SIDEBAR.

96. Bay State sch.: UMASS.

97. Source of emergency light: OIL LAMP.

100. Tats: INK.

101. Used for a tryst: MET AT.

102. AOL, e.g.: ISP.

105. Makes stuff up: LIES.

106. Elite tactical units: SWAT TEAMS. Created by Daryl Gates, the LAPD guy.

110. Congeal: CLOT.

112. Pitch-raising guitar device: CAPO.

114. Payroll service co.: ADP.

115. Agnus __: DEI.

116. Response to overhearing?: TMI. Too Much Information.

123. Hostile advance: INROAD.

125. Bad way to be led: ASTRAY.

126. Oakley skill: RIFLERY.

127. Model railroad scale: O GAUGE.

128. Ideal partner: THE ONE.

129. Swears to: ATTESTS.

130. Password partner: USER ID.

Down:

1. Yoga needs: MATS.

2. Cafeteria convenience: TRAY.

3. Sinn __: FEIN.  Political party in Ireland. Irish for "We Ourselves".

4. Auntie's hubby: UNC. Uncle.

6. Rock memoir: I TINA.

7. Texting format, briefly: SMS.

8. Perforated orb holding leaves: TEA BALL. This one has way too much leaves.

9. "Cats" poet: ELIOT.

10. Spotted horse: PINTO.

11. Post-WWII pres.: HST.

12. Genesis twin: ESAU.

13. Whale-watching woe: NAUSEA. Never went whale-watching.

14. Wouldn't go back on: STUCK WITH.

15. Elec. units: KWS.

16. Greek "i": IOTA.

17. Cake topping: ICING. No icing on Chinese taro or radish cakes, super popular during Spring Festival.

18. Childcare employee: NANNY.

19. Place to putt: GREEN.

25. Top medal: GOLD.

28. Orders from on high: EDICTS.

32. Way more cool: GNARLIER.

33. "By Jove!": I SAY.

34. Bonnie Blue's dad: RHETT. "Gone With the Wind".

36. Place to have a meal: EATERY.  My friend Carmen and her family celebrated the Spring Festival  two days ago. Noticed those red Fu decorations on the wall? Fu means "good fortune".

 

38. Queen of the Nile, familiarly: CLEO. Cleopatra.

39. Campus mil. unit: ROTC.

40. Screenwriter James: AGEE.  "A Death in the Family".

43. Horn of Africa country: Abbr.: ETH. Ethiopia.

44. Pirate's cry: YAR.

47. "Burnt" pigment: UMBER.

50. Absorb in class: LEARN.

51. "... __ to come": IS YET.

52. Kid's assertion: CAN SO.

54. Road to the Forum: ITER.

56. Goof or gaffe: ERROR.

57. Tamblyn of "West Side Story" (1961): RUSS. Saw the movie ages ago. Don't recall him though.

59. Iowa State city: AMES.

63. Monastery VIP: ABBOT.

64. Sign of a slow leak: DRIP.

66. Honey and Sugar: PET NAMES.

67. 80-pound concert instruments: HARPS. Wow, that heavy?

68. Turkic native: UZBEK.

69. Like winds in storms: GUSTY.

71. Gambler's calculation: ODDS.

72. Raoul Dufy, stylistically: FAUVE. Wiki says Raoul Dufy was a French Fauvist painter. Here is his "Le Cavalier blanc".

73. Silly goose: TWIT.

76. Continental travel pass: EURAIL.

83. Limelight: PUBLIC EYE. Another great fill.

84. Salon cuts: SNIPS.

85. Warned one's master, perhaps: BARKED.

86. Line above the equator: Abbr.: N LAT. Latitude.

87. "Sing it, Sam" speaker: ILSA.

88. DA's aide: ASST.

90. "Xanadu" rock gp.: ELO.

91. Suffix with Catholic: ISM.

92. Jargon: CANT.

95. Very small role: BIT PART.

98. Starring role: LEAD.

99. Ad astra per __: Kansas motto: AS PERA.

102. Phased-out Apple messaging tool: ICHAT. Just Messages now.

103. Wade noisily: SLOSH.

104. Florence's __ Vecchio: PONTE.

107. Pixar title robot: WALL-E.

108. Wood shapers: ADZES.

109. Half-serious sequence?: AEIOU. Letters orderly contained in "Half-serious".

111. Spanish bull: TORO.

113. Final notice: OBIT.

116. Sightseeing trip: TOUR.

117. Christmas trio: MAGI.

118. Fingered: ID'ED.

120. Operated: RAN.

121. Back at sea: AFT.

122. Hall of Famer Young et al.: CYS.

124. Issa of "Insecure": RAE.

C.C.