Tuesday March 9, 2021 Mark McClain

Everything Old is New Again!  The first word of each theme answer is the opposite of old.

17-Across. Wind of 19-24 mph, on the Beaufort scale: FRESH BREEZE.

59-Across. "The Hunger Games" trilogy, e.g.: NOVEL SERIES.

10-Down. Genre for a John Lewis quartet: MODERN JAZZ.

29-Down. Patriots' home: NEW ENGLAND.  As you are reading this, I am in New England.

And the clue that points us towards the theme:

65-Across. Unlike the starts of this puzzle's four longest answers: OLD.

Across:

1. Water filter brand: BRITA.

6. Voice below baritone: BASS.

10. Major Web portal: MSN.  As in MicroSoft Network.

13. Grows faint: FADES.

14. Informal okay: UH HUH.

16. "Now I get it!": OHO.

19. Reservoir structure: DAM.

20. Swimmer that may be furry: SEAL.

21. Inlet, vis-à-viss the sea: ARM.  You can see many inlets on Mount Desert Island in Maine.

22. Classic Lanvin scent: ARPÈGE.  Also the name of a fancy restaurant in Paris.  The perfume, however, was created in 1927 and is still available for purchase today.

24. In addition: ALSO.

26. Big name in bouillon cubes: KNORR.  If spelled with an umlaut, however, it becomes a Viking merchant ship.

27. Japanese living art form: BONSAI.  Bonsai literally means "planted in a container".  Bonsai are not genetically dwarfed plants.  Any tree can be used to grow one.

30. Iberian dance for two: FANDANGO.  It takes two to Fandango, but this clip has several dancers.

33. Summer on the Seine: ÉTÉ.  Today's French lesson.

34. Danes of "Homeland": CLAIRE.  Claire Catherine Danes (b. Apr. 12. 1979) played CIA operative Carrie Matthison in the first few seasons of Homeland.  It was an interesting show with a unique twist in the final episode.

36. Kept the party hopping, briefly: DJ'ED.  As in being a Disc Jockey.

37. Scenic road, maybe: BYWAY.  Byways in Louisiana, some of which are scenic.

39. Albuquerque sch.: UNM.  As in the University of New Mexico.

40. Dahl who wrote "Fantastic Mr Fox": ROALD.  An interesting article about the dark side of Roald Dahl (Sept. 13, 1916 ~ Nov. 23, 1990).

41. Ready for business: OPEN.

42. Present from birth: INNATE.

44. Zen opening?: ZEE.  As in the Letter "Z"

45. Pointy flags: PENNANTS.

47. Sports coat: BLAZER.  Also a Chevy vehicle.

49. Full of chutzpah: GUTSY.

50. States: SAYS.

51. What a voter fills out: BALLOT.  Many are now electronic.

53. Golf scorecard word: PAR.

54. Soybean product: TOFU.

58. Gershwin brother: IRA.  Ira Gershwin (né Israel Gershowitz; Dec. 6, 1896 ~ Aug. 17, 1983) was a lyricist and the older brother of composer George Gershwin (né Jacob Bruskin Gershowitz; Sept. 26, 1898 ~ July 11, 1937).

George and Ira Gershwin.  Ira is on the right.

62. Light brown: TAN.

63. Upright: ERECT.

64. "Divine Comedy" poet: DANTE.  Dante Alighieri (1265 ~ Sept. 14, 1321) was an Italian poet best known for Divine Comedy, which was written around 1320.  Can you name anything else Dante wrote?

66. Site for handmade gifts: ETSY.

67. Little ones: TYKES.

Down:

1. Inseparable pals, briefly: BFFS.  Textspeak for Best Friends Forever.

2. Seldom spotted: RARE.    Below is a RARE Spotless cheetah.

3. Half-baked thought, perhaps: IDEA.

4. Popular electric cars: TESLAs.

5. Shade of gray: ASH.

6. Grand Canyon pack animal: BURRO.  Does anyone remember this children's book by Marguerita Henry?

7. "May I say something?": AHEM.

8. The Beatles' "__ Loves You": SHE.

9. Somers who played Chrissy on "Three's Company": SUZANNE.  This show ran from March 1977 to September 1984.

11. Layered hairstyle: SHAG.  Joyce Dewitt, who also starred in Three's Company, sported a SHAG hairstyle.

12. Bering Sea port: NOME.

15. King in "Jesus Christ Superstar": HEROD.

18. Thai cuisine herb: BASIL.  Hi, Lemonade and Oo.

23. Madrid museum: PRADO.  You can see many masterpieces at the Prado.

25. Like some bridal dresses: LACY.

26. Destiny: KARMA.

27. Early form of 10-Down: BE-BOP.

28. Common blood group: O-TYPE.  Everything you need to known about the ABO blood-typing system.

30. Helsinki natives: FINNS.  A brief history of Finland.

31. Hair salon application: GELÉE.

32. More unusual: ODDER.  Not to be confused with Udder.

35. Mommy's sis: AUNTY.

38. Invalidate: ANNUL.

40. Depend (on): RELY.

42. About to happen: IN STORE.

43. Vintage ski lifts: T-BARS.

46. Make amends: ATONE.  This is becoming a crossword staple.

48. Off the right path: ASTRAY.  You may have to ATONE if you go too far ASTRAY.

50. Like sea water: SALTY.

51. __-Honey: candy bar: BIT-O.  Very chewy.  You may lose a filling from this sticky candy.

52. Depleted Eurasian sea: ARAL.   A history of the past half-century of the Aral Sea.

Aral Sea from 1960 to 2010.

53. Push-up targets: PECS.

55. Sow sound: OINK.

56. Big celebration: FÊTE.

57. Puts in the lineup: USES.

60. Racetrack doc: VET.  As in the Veterinarian.

61. D.C. summer hrs.: EDT.  Washington, D.C., is in the Eastern Time Zone, thus during the summer, it is in Eastern Daylight Time.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Monday March 8, 2021 Martha Kimes

Theme: OBEDIENCE SCHOOL (62. Where a puppy may learn the starts of 17-, 29- and 46-Across)

17. "Make yourself comfortable": SIT BACK AND RELAX.

29. "Don't be a stranger!": STAY IN TOUCH.

46. Regardless of how things go: COME WHAT MAY.

Boomer here.  Another debut. Congrats, Martha Kimes!

When I was young, many, many years ago, we had three dogs in succession, Corky, Bruno, and Napoleon.  We never could teach them any tricks but they all liked to jump on me when I was delivering food.

Well, I received my second shot of the Pfizer last Wednesday,  I asked the nurse to use the same hole as the first so it would not hurt.  No one laughs at my raw sense of humor anymore.  Anyway, fortunately, I did not have any side effects except I went to bed pretty early on Thursday and slept about a half overtime on Friday morning.

                                   VA Oncology has started St Patrick's Day celebration.

Good news from Minnesota.  We will be hitting highs of 60 degrees plus this week, and my bowling team added me back to the roster so today I am off to the bowling CENTER. 

 Across:

1. Pours to the brim: FILLS.  In my Mom's day, that is what Strikes and Spares were called.

6. Fit together: MESH.  Be careful or it might turn to MUSH.

10. __-à-porter: ready-to-wear: PRET.

14. Cellphone bill statistic: USAGE.  I do not waste USAGE.  We also have a land line.

15. Baseball's Moises: ALOU.  Felipe's son.  Felipe, Matty, and Jesus made history when all three brothers started in the outfield for a game in the outfield of the San Francisco Giants.

16. Resign, in chess: LOSE.  I lost many games in Bowling, Golf, and Chess, but I never Resigned.

20. Editor's "Don't change that": STET.

21. Lubricate: OIL.  I have just passed 1000 miles in the Santa Fe.  The dealership keeps bugging me to come in for maintenance.  I guess they are not aware that many people don't drive much during the pandemic.  I will probably add more miles to the Odometer now that I am bowling all over town, and golf season is near.  Did I mention that Minnesota is in the 60s this week? 

22. Start a journey: SET OUT.  I'll have to SET OUT to the bowling CENTER this week.  It's amazing that I have to visit Google to help remember where I am going.  My league is a traveling league so I go to 8 different places in 8 weeks.

23. Sine __ non: essential: QUA.

25. Quick bite: NOSH.

26. Personal connections: INS.

35. Maple tree fluid: SAP.  Just another reminder of Argyle's Maple Syrup.

36. Backless sofa: DIVAN.

37. "Cheers" actress Perlman: RHEA. Was married to Danny DeVito.

38. Olympics venue: ARENA.  Plus a track, plus a 26 mile Marathon run plus a swimming pool, plus I wonder if they are continuing golf.

40. It tops a king: ACE.  and ACE Rothstein in "Casino" (Robert De Niro.)

41. Riyadh resident: SAUDI.

42. Pooh's Hundred __ Wood: ACRE.  I have a Hundred Yard wood called a Driver.  I am not sure what Bryson calls his.

43. Show gratitude to: THANK.  I want to THANK all of you who are reading this far.

45. Squealer: RAT.  "You Dirty RAT"  James Cagney said he never said it.  I am not old enough to remember.

49. Phoenix MLB team, on scoreboards: ARI.  The D'Backs were added to the National League in 1998.

50. New Look designer: DIOR.

51. U.S. Presidents, so far: MEN.  We shall see what Ms. Harris' future holds. 

53. Deprived (of): BEREFT.  "The John Birch Society"  "Be careful when you get there, we hate to be BEREFT.  But we're taking down the names of everybody turning left.  Chad Mitchell Trio.

56. Broke bread: ATE.  Usually I eat without breaking anything.

58. Machu Picchu builder: INCA.  INKA Dinka Do.  Jimmy Durante.

65. Stretched tight: TAUT.

66. Capital of Peru: LIMA.  They could not name it the capital city of Ohio.  The name did not start with a "C".

67. 2000s "American Idol" judge Abdul: PAULA.  PAULA (Jill Jackson) never married Paul (Ray Hildebrand) and they both lived happily ever after. 

68. Syringe, briefly: HYPO.  The VA tossed my vaccine HYPO away.  No souvenirs allowed I guess. 

69. Throwaway part of a cherry: STEM.

70. Annual Tournament of __ Parade: ROSES.  It's been awhile since our Gophers have been in that parade.

Down:

1. Commotion: FUSS.

2. "__ any wonder?": IS IT.  IS IT any wonder that I've made it this far ?

3. Out past curfew: LATE.  We used to have a curfew in the suburb where I grew up.  I seems no one ever followed it, but it gave the city fun to blow the siren I guess.

4. Pride parade letters: LGBTQ.

5. Caribbean, e.g.: SEA.  "He joined the Navy, to see the world, but what did he see, he saw the SEA."

6. Sushi roll type: MAKI.

7. Airline to Tel Aviv: EL AL.

8. Luke, to Darth: SON.

9. Big Apple river: HUDSON.  I know the "Big Apple" refers to New York, but I don't know why.  I guess it's center field at the Mets ballpark.

10. Large amount: PLETHORA.  Hoping for a PLETHORA of Pins today.

11. Chocolate-caramel candy brand: ROLO.

12. Jacob's twin: ESAU.  Crosswords seem to visit the B.C. era quite a bit.

13. Modern message: TEXT.  Now we get to the era of cellphones.

18. Raccoon relative: COATI.  Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton were Members of the Raccoons.

19. Sabbath activity: REST.

24. Meat safety agcy.: USDA.

25. Hr. when many workdays begin: NINE AM.  Bowling starts at 10:00 AM.

26. Writer Asimov: ISAAC.

27. DEA agent: NARCO.

28. Type of whale: SPERM.  This is one BIG FISH.  Their heads are larger that their tails.

30. Picture next to a username: AVATAR.

31. Luxury vessel: YACHT.  Never been on a YACHT.  We've been on a 14 foot aluminum fishing boat,

32. "Star Trek" lieutenant: UHURA.

33. Fragrant wood: CEDAR.

34. One side of Hispaniola: HAITI.

39. Had no choice: NEEDED TO.  We NEEDED TO pay income taxes. We had no choice.

41. Breed of terrier: SKYE.

44. Monikers: NAMES.

47. Coffeehouse amenity: WIFI.  I make my coffee at home.  Can you believe how much Starbucks charges?

48. Tripadvisor listings: HOTELS.

52. Mandarin greeting: NI HAO.

53. "Ice cream or cake?" response, perhaps: BOTH.

54. Online auction venue: EBAY. I used to use this a lot. I got burned a couple of times so then C.C. and I started to go to flea markets.  Now it's too much work for my health but we may have a garage sale.  You should see my basement and garage.

55. Enlist again: RE-UP.  They asked me but I said no thank you.

56. Highest point: ACME.  Or some neat stuff owned by Wile. E. Coyote used to try to foil the Road Runner.  Meep Meep.

57. "There's no 'I' in __": TEAM.

59. Entre __: between us: NOUS.

60. Either of two "Unforgettable" singers: COLE.  Nat King and Natalie.

61. Wistful word: ALAS.  "ALAS, I left a split!"  I don't really say this but I cannot print what I really say.

63. Tiny complaint: NIT.

64. Bit of EMT expertise: CPR.  I have never needed this, thank you.

Boomer

 

Sunday March 7, 2021 Paul Coulter

Theme: "Outer Limits" - The book-ended letters in each theme entry can follow "outer".

22. It's "gravy" to some Italian Americans: SPAGHETTI SAUCE. Outer space.

41. "Melrose Place" complex: GARDEN APARTMENT. Outer garment.

48. Venus, at times: EVENING STAR. Outer ear.

68. Real estate listing datum: OFFERING PRICE. Outer office. Not familiar with this phrase. Google shows that it's the reception area of an office.

85. Grade school presentation: SHOW AND TELL. Outer shell. Also new to me. Chemistry stuff.

95. Favor asker's lead-in: WOULD YOU BE A DEAR. Outer wear. Similar to outer garment.

116. America's most popular dogs in 2017: BALLPARK FRANKS. Outer Banks.

Ah, I like this concept, so apt. Nice title also.

Book-ending is probably my favorite theme type. Fun to find those phrases and make the grid. Normally you can't intersect the themers as often the circles will cause confusion.

Across:

1. Include so other recipients don't know, briefly: BCC. Great to prevent "Reply All".

4. California neighbor, familiarly: BAJA.

8. Bulk: HEFT.

12. Gloomy: DISMAL.

18. Pleased sigh: AAH. Our winter is almost over. I'll miss stepping into hot bath. 

19. Genesis victim: ABEL. The brothers all have four-letter names: Cain, Abel & Seth. 

20. Train: TEACH.

21. Painful: ACHING. And 36. Tender spots: SORES. And 91. Responsive to treatment: CURABLE.

25. Tropical vines: LIANAS. Thank god for this Wiki pictures. So many LIANA images are copyrighted. Our blogging team often spend a long time just to hunt down a workable picture.

26. Frau's partner: HERR.

27. Hit one in the trees, maybe: SLICED. Sliced a golf shot to the right. You HOOK to the left.

28. Off course: AFIELD.

30. Bunch of bills: WAD.

32. Somme soul: AME. And 40. Dream, in Dijon: REVE. 83. Martinique et Guadeloupe: ILES. 69. Here, to Henri: ICI.

33. Gothic architecture feature: GABLE.

39. Preserved, in a way: FROZE. In case you missed Bill's Pho recipe. You can freeze the broth.

44. Derelict: REMISS.

46. Fine, lightweight cloth: BATISTE. According to Fabric.com: "It's a lightweight, plain weave fabric, semi-sheer and usually made of cotton or cotton blends, Batiste fabric is appropriate for heirloom sewing, baby clothes, sheer window treatments, lingerie and linings."

47. Obamacare, for short: ACA.

52. With passion: AVIDLY.

55. Mao's successor: DENG. Deng xiaoping. He proposed the One Country, Two Systems for Hong Kong and Macau. We had to hurry back home to listen to the very important speech Deng gave during the Tiananmen Square protest period.

56. Cartoonist Peter: ARNO.

57. AOL alternative: MSN.

60. Events with bulls and barrels: RODEOS.

61. Like desert climates, comparatively: DRIER.

62. Stern with a bow: ISAAC.

64. Bit of statuary: TORSO.

65. Like some pkgs.: PPD. OK, pre-paid.

71. D.C. bigwig: SEN.

72. Classical name of Troy: ILION. Troy's Greek name.

74. Fool: TRICK.

75. Fervently wishes: PRAYS.

76. "For honest men and bonie __": Burns: LASSES.

78. Star Wars initials: SDI. Strategic Defense Initiative.

79. Bar mitzvah staple: HORA.

80. Wells race: ELOI.

84. Tropical Chinese tree: LYCHEE. Best fruit in the world.

88. "I'll take what I can get," in classifieds: OBO. Or Best Offer.

89. Hearing tube: COCHLEA.

94. Foray: SORTIE.

101. Archaeological site: RUINS.

102. Damascus' land: SYRIA.

103. Introduction: PROEM. Have not seen this entry for sometime.

104. '70s extremist gp.: SLA. Symbionese Liberation Army.

105. "The A-Team" actor: MR T.

106. WNBA great Weatherspoon: TERESA. Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer.

 

108. Off the wall: INSANE.

111. Playground retort: IS SO.

114. Long battles: SIEGES.

120. Go-ahead: ASSENT.

121. Big cat hybrid: LIGER.

122. Beauty chain with a salon inside each store: ULTA. Girls' heaven! Sephora is amazing also.

123. Black gold: OIL.

124. Assignations: TRYSTS.

125. Ages: ERAS.

126. Coordinate: MESH.

127. GATT successor: WTO.

Down:

1. Big blowout: BASH.

2. Superhero garb: CAPE.

3. Dickens' Mrs. Dilber and Andy Capp's wife Flo: CHARWOMEN. Cleaning lady.

4. "Phooey!": BAH.

5. Fins in registers: ABES.

6. Long-distance traveler's concern: JET LAG.

7. Nissan sedan: ALTIMA.

8. Caps, e.g.: HEADGEAR.

9. Évian water: EAU.

10. TV monitor: FCC.

11. Mont Blanc's range: THE ALPS.

12. Artist who created fashion designs for Schiaparelli: DALI.

13. Most frigid: ICIEST. Surprised to see: 24. "Happy birthday" writer, perhaps: ICER.

14. Hebrew hello ... and goodbye: SHALOM.

15. Some Vulcans, via melds: MIND READERS.

16. Gasteyer of "Mean Girls": ANA.

17. NFLers near centers: LGS. Left guards.

20. "The Waste Land" monogram: TSE.

23. Sampling the smorgasbord: GRAZING.

29. Accomplishment: FEAT.

31. First name in early TV: DESI.

34. Tiny queen: ANT.

35. Ling of "The Crow": BAI. She's from Chengdu, Sichuan. Sadly she ruined her own image.

37. Put inside: ENCLOSE.

38. Remains awhile: STAYS ON.

39. One of the Weasley twins: FRED.

42. Corporate alias abbr.: DBA. Doing Business As.

43. Back: REAR.

45. Gobble (up): SNARF.

49. Dirty money: GRIFT.

50. Bad looks: SNEERS.

51. Like the zone between two tropics: TORRID.

53. Many are mailed in: VOTES.

54. Altar avowal: I DO.

57. No __: menu notice: MSG. You can find bags of MSG at Asian store.

58. Plato's "tenth Muse": SAPPHO.

59. Thin: NARROW.

61. Beneficiary: DONEE. One who was donated. Looks strange.

62. Publicity, slangily: INK.

63. "Goodies" singer: CIARA.

65. Resting places in cases: PILLOWS.

66. Magazine with a lagomorph logo: PLAYBOY.

67. Rudeness: DISCOURTESY.

70. Printers' primary colors: CYANS.

73. __Kosh B'gosh: OSH.

77. Cabinet mem.: SECY. Secretary.

80. Ancient region of central Italy: ETRURIA.

81. When tripled, song that begins, "Oh, the weather outside is frightful": LET IT SNOW. Still thick stacks of snow in our yard. 

82. Lena of "Chocolat": OLIN.

85. Mariner's measures: SEA MILES.

86. Experienced, as fun: HAD.

87. Quad building: DORM.

90. Word after a drop: OOPS.

92. "Westworld" airer: HBO.

93. "Malcolm X" (1992) director: LEE. Spike Lee.

96. Feudal lords: LIEGES.

97. Lacks the courage to: DAREN'T. I just use DARE NOT.

98. She, in Italy: ESSA.

99. Old-fashioned warning: ALARUM. Alarm.

100. Stick in one's craw: RANKLE.

107. Contractors' figs.: ESTS.

109. Network with regular pledge drives: NPR.

110. Little newts: EFTS.

112. "Laugh-In" segment: SKIT.

113. Munch Museum city: OSLO.

114. Convened: SAT.

115. Leb. neighbor: ISR.

117. Put on TV: AIR.

118. NY airport named for a mayor: LGA.

119. "Go team!": RAH.

C.C.