Tuesday, March 23, 2021 Peter Koetters

A Wrap by any other name ...  Just stay warm and fashionable.

17-Across. Midas stock item: MUFFLER ASSEMBLY.  A muffler is typically a scarf that is warn to keep one warm.  If you wear a muffler all day, will you be exhausted?

23-Across. Left surreptitiously: STOLE AWAY.  Fur stoles were once considered high fashion.

36-Across. Simple New England houses: CAPE COD COTTAGES.

48-Across. Gobble up: SCARF DOWN.  A scarf may be worn to keep one warm, but may also have decorative, protective, or religious purposes.

55-Across. Director's "We're done for today, people" ... and hint to the start of 17-, 23-, 36- and 48-Across: THAT'S A WRAP FOLKS.  The first word of each theme answer is another word for something you might wrap around you if you get cold.  And, yes, there are technical differences between each of these items.  Everything you wanted to know about the differences, but didn't know to ask.

Across:

1. Insult: SLUR.

5. Golden fruit that, legend has it, started the Trojan War: APPLE.  A brief history of how the Golden Apple instigated the Trojan War.

10. Heat in "The Heat": COPS.  The Heat was a 2013 Comedy-Action film that starred Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy.

14. First-rate: A-ONE.

15. Stands at lectures: PODIA.  Plural of Podium.  It is derived from the Greek word meaning Foot.

16. Like some hygiene: ORAL.

20. Slept noisily: SNORED.

21. Period in office: TERM.

22. Leered at: OGLED.

28. Beatty and Kelly: NEDs.   Ned Beatty (né Ned Thomas Beatty; b. July 6, 1937) is an American actor.  Kazie taught me about Ned Kelly (1855 ~ Nov. 11, 1880), who was an Australian outlaw and gang leader.

29. "Walking in Memphis" Grammy winner Marc: COHN.  Marc Craig Cohn (b. July 5, 1959) is an American folk rock singer-songwriter.

30. Bill for svc. rendered: INV.  I am guessing that this means a Bill for Services Rendered, which would be an Invoice.

31. Berry who played Storm in "X-Men": HALLE.  Halle Berry (née Maria Halle Berry; b. Aug. 14, 1966) won an Oscar for Best Actress in the 2001 movie Monster's Ball.

33. Israeli or Arab: SEMITE.  The word Semite comes from Shem, the eldest son of the Biblical Noah.

40. From dawn to dusk: ALL DAY.

41. '90s candidate __ Perot: H. ROSS.  H. Ross Perot (né Henry Ross Perot; June 27, 1930 ~ July 9, 2019) ran in the 1992 and 1996 Presidential campaigns.

42. Buzzer in a swarm: BEE.

43. Half-moon tide: NEAP.

44. Office fill-in: TEMP.  As in a Temporary employee.

52. "Wherefore art thou" guy: ROMEO.

53. Weighty Kuwaiti?: EMIR.

54. Girl-asks-guy dances, informally: SADIES.  Sadie Hawkins was a character in a Li'l Abner cartoon.

60. Bequest beneficiary: HEIR.

61. Linney of "Ozark": LAURA.  Laura Leggett Linney (b. Feb. 5, 1964) portrayed Wendy Byrde in the  TV crime drama Ozark.

62. "Blue" or "White" African river: NILE.

63. "This is __ a test": ONLY.

64. Matches audio to video, e.g.: SYNCS.

65. Verbalizes: SAYS.

Down:

1. Lover of Delilah: SAMSON.  A Biblical reference from the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible.  Samson was known for his great strength.  If, however, his long hair was ever cut, he would lose his strength.  His lover, Delilah, betrayed him to the Philistines, and his hair was cut while he was sleeping.  This scenario is often portrayed in art, such as the one below by Anthony Van Dyck (1599 ~ 1641).

2. Airport waiting area: LOUNGE.  On my initial trip a couple of weeks ago, the airport lounge was not very crowded, however, on my return trip the lounge was crowed and the plane was packed.

3. Prepare to use, as a lawn chair: UNFOLD.

4. Updated, as a Web page: REFRESHED.

5. Mimicked: APED.  This has become a crossword staple.

6. For, to Fernando: POR.  Today's Spanish lesson.

7. "Get a room!" evoker, initially: PDA.  Textspeak for Public Display of Affection.

8. Sonny who lost to Clay in 1964: LISTON.  On February 25, 1964, Sonny Liston (né Charles L. Liston; 1930 ~ Dec. 1970) lost his title of heavyweight boxing champion to Cassius Clay (Jan. 17, 1942 ~ June 3, 2016).  Shortly after this fight, Clay announced that he would henceforth be known as Muhammad Ali.

9. Portraitist's prop: EASEL.

10. City-state separator: COMMA.  This clue and answer made me laugh.  New York, New York.

11. Globe: ORB.

12. Pay or pen follower: PAL.

13. Foxy: SLY.

18. Captained: LED.

19. "She desires to speak with you ... __ you go to bed": "Hamlet": ERE.

23. Realtor's favorite sign: SOLD.

24. 2010s cooking-themed talk show: THE CHEW.  I never heard of The Chew, which was apparently a daytime talk show for foodies.  It ran for several seasons.

25. Kristen of "Bridesmaids": WIIG.  Kristen Carroll Wigg (b. Aug. 22, 1973) joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 2005.  Six years later, she was one of the cast of Bridesmaids.

26. Required wager: ANTE.

27. The "Y" of YSL: YVES.  From fashion designer Yves Saint-Laurent (Aug. 1, 1936 ~ June 1, 2008).

29. Be saccharine: CLOY.

32. Here, in Havana: ACÁ.  More of today's Spanish lesson.

33. Octagonal sign: STOP.

34. Short aliens?: ETs.  As in ExtraTerrestials.

35. Extinct elephants: MASTODONS.

36. Uber competitors: CABS.

37. "Match Game" host Baldwin: ALEC.  Does this mean that the movie career of Alex Baldwin (né Alexander Rae Baldwin, III; b. Apr. 3, 1958) is over?

38. Earnest request: PLEA.

39. Algerian port: ORAN.

43. Land with fjords: NORWAY.

45. Clarke who played Daenerys on "Game of Thrones": EMILIA.  Emilia Isobel Euphemia Rose Clarke (b. Oct. 23, 1986) is a British actress.

46. Sheepishly: MEEKLY.

47. Deputized bands: POSSES.

49. Second attempt: RETRY.

50. Radio settings: FMs.

51. Circular dashboard devices: DIALS.  Don't touch that Dial!

52. U.K. fliers: RAF.  As in the Royal Air Force.

54. Restorative resorts: SPAS.

55. Albeit, briefly: THO.

56. Barnyard layer: HEN.

57. Disturb: AIL.

58. Operate: RUN.

59. Pendulum path: ARC.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

I am back home again after having a nice visit with my Dad.  And no, I didn't come home to this game!

Passover begins this weekend.  For those who celebrate, Happy Pesach!

Monday March 22, 2021 Val Melius & Jeff Chen

Theme: ONION RINGS (56. Circular fried food ... and what's in the circled letters) - The circled letters in each theme entry is a word that can precede ONION.

17. Accompanying dishes, like 56-Across: SIDE ORDERS. Those ONION words are on both sides of each answer.

23. Athenian now a citizen in Athens, Georgia, say: GREEK AMERICAN. Green onion.

30. Spraying gently, as plants: SPRITZING. Spring onion.

38. Expecting a baby, quaintly: WITH CHILD. Wild onion.

45. "... nothing more": PURE AND SIMPLE.  Purple onion.

Boomer here.  

SPRING arrived on Saturday, The grass is turning GREEN. And it won't be long before our WILD PURPLE Vikings will be trading those stupid cutouts with real people in the stands.

Across:

1. Bear's home: LAIR.  TTP:  I am wondering if the Chicago football team lives there.

5. Actress Winslet or Hudson: KATE.  If you're old like me, you may remember KATE Smith.

9. Clever tactic: PLOY.

13. Pig Latin negative: IXNAY.

15. Spoken: ORAL.  In High School we sometimes had ORAL tests.  Not my favorite.

16. Levitate: RISE.  RISE and shine!  Good Morning.

19. "Kapow!": BLAM.  It's a little early, but fourth of July will be here before you know it.

20. Air pressure meas.: PSI.  Per Square Inch.

21. College head: DEAN.  I bought our home from a realtor named Dean. He keeps me on his email list to let me know how much our neighbor's homes sell for.

22. Actress Lively of "Green Lantern": BLAKE.

27. Hillock: KNOLL.  There's a strip mall in St, Louis Park, MN called KNOLLwood Plaza.  It was pretty famous before Southdale and the Mall of America were built. 

28. J, F or K, in "JFK": Abbr.: INIT. Initial.

29. Fancy farewells: CIAOS.

35. Crush consistently in competition: OWN.  I used to OWN the bowlers in my league.  Now I am OWNED by others.

36. Did a stable job: SHOED.

37. Long of "Boiler Room": NIA.

41. Capture: CATCH.  Our Twins have captured two decent CATCHers this year.

43. Mayberry youngster: OPIE.  Good grief!  I watch reruns of Andy Griffith shows and I see a young Ron Howard. The credits call him Ronnie.  What a career he has had !! 

44. Secret stash: CACHE.  I have a secret stash of baseball cards and golf balls in the basement.  I also have a few golf balls in my bag which I kept in my bag in the garage that Mother Nature kept at minus 20 or minus 10 degrees for most of the winter.  Anybody know if that makes them fly further when golf season opens??

50. Tablets with preloaded FaceTime: iPADS.

51. Skin care additive: ALOE.

52. Decisive boxing victories: KOs.  Knock Out a Home Run, Shout a Hip Hurray! Cheer for the Minnesota Twins Today!

55. Bonkers: LOCO.  Maybe we should change the name of a Home Run to a Bonker.

59. Again: ANEW.

60. Tea and coffee servers: URNS.  I've seen these in restaurants, but I am happy with our plain old Mr. Coffee drip coffee maker

61. Treat with disdain: SCORN.  Plant your CORN in rows instead of S's and maybe they won't treat you with disdain.

62. Fronded office greenery: FERN.  There once was a bar and restaurant where my Mom worked called Bursch's Cafe.  Her friend, Fern Itens played and ran the Piano Bar. Yup, I was a customer.

63. Assign stars to: RATE.

64. Sheepish animals?: EWES.

Down:

1. Issue for a speech coach, perhaps: LISP.

2. x, y or z, in geometry: AXIS.  I thought this was what the world turned on.

3. Like one saying "Well, I never!": INDIGNANT.  Not me.  I just quietly turn my back and say one of those four letter words.

4. Singer Carly __ Jepsen: RAE.

5. George Eastman's camera: KODAK.  I know there are others, but I cannot imagine anyone over 40 who has not used a KODAK camera sometime in their life.

6. Bowl game venue: ARENA.  Nope, we call it a Bowling Center and I am rolling three games this morning.

7. Gravel driveway alternative: TAR.  I like TAR better than gravel but ours is so old and broken up, it's hard to tell the difference.

8. Golf great Ernie: ELS.  On the Champions tour now, and frequently in a crossword regular.

9. Massive awareness campaign, for short: PR BLITZ.  I watch the news channels and I get tired of all the PR BLITZES every day.

10. Lavender cousin: LILAC.  "Love like the LILACS can change colors too." Burl Ives and others.

11. Japanese financial hub: OSAKA.

12. Country south of Saudi Arabia: YEMEN.

14. Alpine songs: YODELS.  ODE EL LADY WHO !  (How'd I do ?)

18. React to a shock: REEL.  In Minnesota it is used for fishing.

22. "Old chap" speaker: BRIT.

24. Kanga's kid: ROO.  I think I remember Captain Kangaroo having a pet named Roo Roo.

25. Stuck (in): MIRED.

26. Oklahoma city that, when reversed, is a synonym for "eat": ENID.

27. New Zealander: KIWI.

29. Dairy farm animal: COW.  Of course my late great Uncle Bill (on Burnikel Road) in Siren Wisconsin had a few COWS but now I think my cousins only plant corn. 

30. Recoiled: SHIED.

31. D.C. dealmaker: POL.

32. Having exclusive information: IN THE KNOW.  Congratulations to all of you "IN THE KNOW" puzzlers who completed in record time!   

33. "Cool!": NICE.

34. "Dilbert" cry: GAH.

36. Leg part guarded in soccer: SHIN.  Mine feel a little funny.  Especially climbing stairs.

39. Square dance milieu: HOEDOWN.

40. TurboTax pros: CPAS.  We use TurboTax so we don't have to hire a CPA.

41. Chicken piccata toppers: CAPERS.

42. Knee injury initials: ACL.  My legs are a little funny for bowling but the ACLs are fine.

44. "Get moving!": C'MON.

45. Savory rice dish: PILAF.

46. Barely ahead: UP ONE.

47. Indy competitor: RACER.  Memorial Day is coming.  Are they having the race this year??

48. New Orleans NFLer: SAINT.  Last week we honored SAINT Patrick (Mar 17) and SAINT Joseph (MAR 19).

49. "Uncle!": I LOSE.  No! I ain't down.

53. "Puss in Boots" monster: OGRE.

54. Nine-digit IDs: SSNS.  It is nine for sure, but you only need to memorize the last four.  That's all I am ever asked.  Except for one time at Kohl's department store.  I don't go there any more.

56. "Give us this day __ daily bread": Matthew: OUR. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

57. Gun lobby org.: NRA.

58. Rocks in a bar: ICE.

Boomer

  

Note from C.C.:

 

Today we celebrate the big 80th birthday of Pat (PK on our blog). Had to steal this perfect cake from CrossEyedDave again. So glad you're back on the blog now, PK. We all treasure you.

 

Sunday March 21, 2021 Gary Larson

Theme:  "Oh, That Changes Things!" - O sound is added to the end of each common phrase, changing spelling as needed.

25A. Sketching an infamous emperor?: DRAWING NERO. Drawing near.

27A. Outdoor barbecue area for wings?: CHICKEN PATIO. Chicken patty.

48A. iPad, iPod and iPhone?: APPLE TRIO. Apple tree.

71A. Theme park beast, perhaps?: ARTIFICIAL HIPPO. Artificial hip.

97A. Intoxicated to the point at which getting a tattoo sounds like a good idea?: INK BLOTTO. Ink blot.

121A. 100 centavos?: CHANGE OF PESO. Change of pace.

123A. Twin peaks?: MOUNTAIN DUO. Mountain Dew.

3D. On one's own?: LIVING SOLO. Living soul.

80D. Spur-of-the-moment Tinder profile?: IMPULSE BIO. Impulse buy.

We've had a few O addition themes, but I don't remember one with spelling changes in the end. You need creativity and imagination for this type of theme.

Quite theme-heavy, with 9 entries. Two of Down entries intersect two Across ones. I like when this happens. It eases the gridding, thought at times it creates fill constraints. 

Across:

1. Gretchen of "Boardwalk Empire": MOL. A few other proper names in this puzzle: 18A. Dr. __ Skoda, J.K. Simmons' "Law & Order" role: EMIL. 55A. Funny Fey: TINA. 75A. Actress Woodard: ALFRE. 106A. Former New Mexico senator with an Uncle Mo: TOM UDALL.129A. Indy racing family: UNSERS. 28D. Clinton running mate: KAINE. 29D. Revered Mother: TERESA.37D. Charlotte of "The Facts of Life": RAE. 39D. Six-time N.L. home run champ: OTT. Here's our Gretchen Mol.

 

 

4. Takes steps: ACTS.

8. Takes time drinking: NURSES. And 22. Whiskey cocktail: SOUR. And 103. Martini go-with?: ROSSI. Vermouth.

 14. Tiff: SPAT.

20. Dory, e.g.: BOAT.

21. Pricing word: A PIECE. Moe just explained this two days ago.

23. "Must-see" review: RAVE.

24. Cheese with an edible rind: BRIE.

30. Loses it: GOES MAD.

31. Yemen's capital: SANAA. Vowel-rich.

32. Conger catchers: EELERS. Vowel-rich.

33. Georgia et al., once: SSRS. We also have 99. Blog feed letters: RSS. 135. WWII spy org.: OSS. And 4. IRS ID's: SSNS.

34. More coarse, as sandpaper: GRITTIER.

36. Named time span: ERA.

38. Big brand in card collections: TOPPS. I think this is the most expensive Topps card.

43. Stubborn equine: ASS.

45. Albany is its cap.: NYS.

46. Brave opponent: RED. Atalanta Braves. Cincinnati Reds.

51. More relaxed: LOOSER.

53. "Word on the street is ... ": SOME SAY.

56. Shirt named for a game: POLO.

57. Land: ACREAGE. Santa still owned his childhood land when he passed away.

61. Grassy plain: LEA.

63. Admit, with "to": COP.

64. Never again: NO LONGER.

66. Ragout, e.g.: STEW. Never made this.

69. Leaves alone: STETS.

78. Spot in the Senate: SEAT.

79. Tattoo target: BARE SKIN.  This is pretty.

82. Road sign caution: SLO.

83. Great Lakes' __ Canals: SOO.

86. More inclined: STEEPER.

88. Gym site: YMCA.

90. Scarlett's plantation: TARA.

92. Windpipe: TRACHEA.

95. Woodlouse, e.g.: ISOPOD.

101. Simple sack: COT.

102. Play for a sap: USE.

104. Cries of pain: OWS.

109. Chowder morsel: CLAM. And 112. Iced pastry: ECLAIR.

114. Dukes seen in fights: FISTS. Not the noble Dukes. The slang for "fists".

117. Paradise: ELYSIUM.

126. Genetic lab samples: DNAS. Iffy in plural.

127. Support beam: I BAR.

128. Stallion's mate: MARE.

130. Notes after fa: SO LA.

131. Tabloid fodder: DIRT.

132. Start to build a pot: ANTE.

133. Navy builder: SEABEE.

134. __ child: ONLY. China ended its one-child policy in 2015. It started in 1979. Now it's two-child policy.

Down:

1. Former Ford autos, briefly: MERCS.

2. City on the Missouri: OMAHA. The Steaks!

4. French cleric: ABBE.

5. Trumpet kin: CORNETS.

6. Where Chiang ruled from 1950 on: TAIPEI. Chiang Kai-shek. Here with his wife Soong Mei-ling.

7. Thief: STEALER.

8. Rock bottom: NADIR.

9. Revolted: UPROSE.

10. Coastal inlet: RIA.

11. Work on a seam, say: SEW.

12. Vaping products, briefly: E-CIGS.

13. Man of La Mancha: SENOR.

15. Hardy work: POEM.

16. Certain something: AURA.

17. Walked over: TROD.

19. Aptly named Renault: LE CAR.

26. Chansons de __: medieval French poems: GESTE. Learning moment for me.

33. Weakens: SAPS.

35. Coup target, perhaps: TYRANT.

40. Number on a tag: PRICE.

41. __ noir: PINOT.

42. Bars not for drinking: SOAPS. Cute clue.

43. Swiss peak: ALP.

44. In a bit: SOON.

47. One watching a shepherd, say: DOG SITTER.

49. Amigo: PAL.

50. Cleaning chemical: LYE.

52. Renewable energy choice: SOLAR.

54. Physical opening: META. Metaphysical.

58. Some Hollywood FX: CGI.

59. Court arbiters: REFS. Basketball court.

60. Toledo's lake: ERIE.

62. Snakes in hieroglyphics: ASPS.

65. Valuable rocks: ORES.

67. River to the North Sea: ELBE.

68. Hard-hitting sound: WHAP.

70. Ginza locale: TOKYO.  Good old pre-COVID days.

72. Wallet contents: CASH.

73. Wrath: IRE.

74. J.R.R. Tolkien feature: PERIOD.

75. Up: ASTIR.

76. Peruvian plain: LLANO.

77. Travelers' decision points: FORKS.

81. Sgts. and such: NCOS.

84. Plains tribe: OTO.

85. Leftover morsel: ORT.

87. California locale where "Maria Maria" fell in love, in a Santana hit: EAST LA. "Oh Maria Maria/ She fell in love in East L.A./To the sounds of the guitar, yeah, yeah/Played by Carlos Santana..."

89. Vitamin C source: ADE.

91. Six-pack contents?: ABS.

93. Speck: ATOM.

94. Legendary fire starter: COW. Mrs. O'Leary's cow.

96. Office group: STAFF.

98. Permissible: LICIT.

100. Son-of-a-gun: SO AND SO.

101. It makes everything better, purportedly: CURE-ALL.

105. Safe and sound: SECURE.

107. Filet __: MIGNON.

108. Fat, say: LIPID.

110. Hawaiian feasts: LUAUS. That's poi in front, right? I eat taro often. Never tried poi.

111. Nitrogen compound: AMINE.

113. Selected: CHOSE.

115. Rulers before the Bolsheviks: TSARS.

116. Gets ready to file: SORTS.

117. Jane Austen novel: EMMA.

118. Student __: LOAN. Thankfully Chinese government paid for my college education.

119. Mongolian tent: YURT.

120. "The Mikado" weapon, briefly: SNEE.

122. Anthem opener: O SAY.

124. Eavesdropping org.: NSA.

125. Young socialite: DEB.

C.C.