Sunday March 28, 2021 Morton J. Mendelson

Theme:  "Body Language" - Hilarious quip.

22. Start of a quip: WHEN SHE LISTENED TO

30. Quip, part 2: MY RIB-TICKLING

37. Quip, part 3: SIDE SPLITTERS

59. Quip, part 4: AND MY GUT-BUSTING

68. Quip, part 5: KNEE-SLAPPERS, SHE

91. Quip, part 6: STOPPED CRYING

97. Quip, part 7: HER EYES OUT AND.

113. End of the quip: LAUGHED HER HEAD OFF

This brings back the old Tribune Media Daily days. We got a quip/quote puzzle every Thursday. But Alan P. Olschwang always used others' quips/quotes. Evan Esar quotes, Reader's Digest (Quotable Quotes), Forbes Quote, etc. 

I think this quip is Morton's own creation. Pretty funny. Creating a quip puzzle is not as easy as it look.

Across:

1. South American capital: LIMA.

5. Cinnamon roll appeal: AROMA.

10. Staff lines?: MEMOS. Notes to the staff. Great clue.

15. Sit-up targets: ABS.

18. Coolers that sound really cool: YETIS. The annual Graybar retiree Las Vegas gathering had this as a raffle prize one year.  They also give us a Grizzly Grip Cup with Graybar logo every year.

19. Disgust: REPEL.

20. Trump who had a cameo in "The First Wives Club": IVANA.

21. Lousy start?: MAL. Malpractice, e.g.

25. Obamacare, briefly: ACA.

26. Was a piece of cake: CAME EASY.

27. Like brackish water: SALINE. I did now know the meaning of "brackish". Wiktionary says it's "Salty or slightly salty, as a mixture of fresh and sea water, such as that found in estuaries."

28. George Orwell's alma mater: ETON. And 33. Approximately 2,200 pounds: TONNE.

29. Fiery felonies: ARSONS.

36. Series of natl. concerts: US TOUR.

44. Remuneration reported in SEC Form 10-K, part 3: CEO-PAY. Maybe a gimme for D-Otto. He knows all those forms. Could not have done our tax without his advice.

48. Excessively expensive: TOO STEEP. Like some of the skincare products.

49. MLB statistic: RBI.

50. To's partner: FRO.

52. "And so on" word: YADA.

53. Perfect agreement: UNISON.

54. Author Fleming: IAN.

55. May, to Peter Parker: AUNT. Aunt May in "Spider-Man".

57. Write: PEN.

58. __ noire: BETE.

64. Cell centers: NUCLEI.

67. Trivial: PALTRY.

74. Type type: PICA.

78. Drift (off): NOD.

79. Afghanistan's Tora __ region: BORA. Always associate this place with Taliban.

80. Thieves' hideout: DEN.

81. Knows about: IS IN ON.

83. Cries of approval: OLES.

85. Tee options, initially: SML.

86. Pasta suffix: INI.

87. How a college resident advisor lives: RENT-FREE.

89. Site of Kubla Khan's palace: XANADU. Kubla Khan was the grandson of Genghis Khan. Kubla Khan founded Yuan dynasty in China. Did you see me there?

 

93. Overly vivid: GARISH.

96. See 14-Down: PAULO. 14. With 96-Across, Brazilian city: SAO.

103. Shabbily dressed: IN RAGS.

108. D.C.'s Pennsylvania and Wisconsin: AVES.

109. Rose hip infusion, e.g.: TISANE. Herbal tea.

110. Landlocked Asian country: MONGOLIA. Genghis Khan founded the Mongol Empire. Inner Mongolia is part of China.

112. FB upload: PIC.

116. Class-conscious gp.?: PTA. Good old clue.

117. Jeff of ELO: LYNNE.

118. Longtime senator Hatch: ORRIN.

119. What's left, in Lyon: RESTE. Rest.

120. "You betcha!": YEP.

121. Feinted on ice: DEKED.

122. Eastwood co-star in "In the Line of Fire": RUSSO. I watched the Chinese version ages ago. John Malkovich killed this girl simply because she's from Minneapolis. This is how I learned the city Minneapolis in the first place.

123. Forest floor growth: MOSS.

Down:

1. "The Merry Widow" composer: LEHAR. Franz.

2. Tabloid couples: ITEMS.

3. Sal of "Rebel Without a Cause": MINEO.

4. Okays: ASSENTS TO.

5. Greek counterpart of Mars: ARES.

6. Fall back (on): RELY.

7. Cosmetics company that began as Odontorium Products Inc.: OPI.

8. Like some breakups: MESSY.

9. Promising spot?: ALTAR. Sweet. Boomer and I were married by a judge in 2001.

10. Shuttle, perhaps: MINIBUS.

11. Shot put and javelin: EVENTS.

12. Got to the top: MADE IT.

13. Can.'s southernmost point is in it: ONT.

15. First-class strings: AMATI.

16. Symbolic food to bring home: BACON.

17. Challenge for a language learner: SLANG. For sure.

18. Fem. advocacy group: YWCA.

23. Doesn't fill, as calendar slots: HAS OPEN.

24. New Haven alum: ELI.

28. Jetson at the Little Dipper School: ELROY.

30. Citi Field player: MET. 34. 30-Down's div.: NLE. National League East.

31. Milk source: COCONUT.

32. Letter before ar: KUE. Gluey.

35. Chill in the air: NIP.

37. Theater memento: STUB.

38. Actress Skye: IONE.

39. "No more procrastinating!": DO IT.

40. Ancient Qumran denizen: ESSENE.

41. Piping, perhaps: TRIM.

42. Company with a four-color lowercase logo: EBAY.

43. Match site: RING.

45. Big __: baseball's David Ortiz: PAPI. Was a Twin once.

46. Mideast gulf port: ADEN.

47. Yin and __: YANG.

50. Party chaired by Mahmoud Abbas: FATAH.

51. Russian capital: RUBLE.

56. Original D&D co.: TSR.

59. Warning sound: ALARM.

60. The Himalayan monal is its national bird: NEPAL. Did not know the bird.  Such bright plumage.

61. Onion __: DIP.

62. P.O. alternative: UPS.

63. Epitomize: TYPIFY.

65. Port letters: USB.

66. Feeling of finality: CLOSURE.

68. Fortune-filled fort: KNOX. Fort Knox.

69. "A Streetcar Named Desire" setting, informally: NOLA.

70. Prime real estate?: EDEN. Another great clue.

71. Dele and stet, say: EDIT.

72. Apt "casino" rhyme: RENO.

73. Sassy sort: SNIP.

75. Crucifix letters: INRI.

76. Either of two filmmaking brothers: COEN. From MN. Joel Coen is married to actress "Fargo" actress Frances McDormand.

77. Uncommon blood type: Abbr.: A NEG.

81. Slope: INCLINE.

82. Coerce: STRONG-ARM.

84. Wise ones: SAGES.

87. Blues-rocker Chris: REA.

88. End of a Brigham Young address?: EDU.

90. Wedding __: DAY. May 25. For us.

91. Quieted, but often not quietly: SHUSHED.

92. Opposite of COD: PPD.

94. "My performance was awful!": I STUNK.

95. Elegantly groomed: SOIGNE. New word to me also.

97. Smiling, probably: HAPPY. So happy for you, Oo. I know the amount of work involved.

98. Text with an RSVP: E-VITE.

99. Sportscast staple: RECAP.

100. __ Bo: TAE.

101. Dual conjunction: AND/OR.

102. '60s jacket style: NEHRU.

104. Copland ballet with a hoedown: RODEO.

105. At __: clueless: A LOSS.

106. Natural talents: GIFTS. I'm amazed at the talents of our blogging team. They really rock.

107. One way to play it: SAFE.

110. 3-D med. tools: MRIS.

111. "Oops!": OH NO.

113. Honorary legal deg.: LLD.

114. Bit of bridge obedience: AYE.

115. Um cousins: ERS.

C.C.

Saturday, March 27, 2021, Craig Stowe

 Saturday Themeless by Craig Stowe

A challenging Saturday offering from our native Newfoundlander who is now a Torontonian. Here are Craig's comments: 

Hi Gary, 

Thanks for the email and all the work you and the other bloggers put into this site.    

I started with ALL JOKING ASIDE.  There’s a trove of unused 14-letter phrases that are just waiting to be placed in puzzles, the problem being it is an awkward number to construct a grid around.  In this case I needed the corresponding entry before I could begin on the rest of the fill.  DEAD SEA 

SCROLLS seemed like a good choice at the time though it resulted in a block of names in the NE corner.   Filling a themeless puzzle is a balancing act between using crosswordese, abbreviations/affixes and proper names.  The fewer the better.  I did well on the first two at the expense of the third, I think.  Hopefully a few of the names will be familiar to folks. 

A quick thank-you to Rich and his team who make puzzles sparkle.  Favorite change for me was “Black Sabbath devotee, say” from my original “Tool fanatic.”  I guess my clue for CPA (“No. wonder”) wasn’t as clever as I thought! 

Cheers, 

Craig

Across

1. Heard but not seen, as sound effects: OFF CAMERA - Norm's wife Vera on Cheers was heard OFF CAMERA but never seen. When she was "seen" she had a pumpkin pie on her face from a Thanksgiving food fight.

10. Disconcerts: JARS and 14. In a fog: PERPLEXED describes Richard Gere when Julia Roberts did  19. Stand up: JILT him

15. Shore seen on TV: DINAH - We boomers remember this show and her Chevy theme song 

16. Tests: TRIAL RUNS.

17. Film composer Morricone: ENNIO - I've posted this Morricone piece before but it is an amazing film title song! It features many human voices but no words.

18. __-Caps: SNO - A frequent cwd treat

20. __ Waters, most senior Black woman in Congress: MAXINE.

21. Reached the nadir, with "out": BOTTOMED - Good golfers have the club BOTTOM OUT in front of where the ball is lying, about where the tee is.

23. Waffle center?: EFS - waFFle

24. __ spot: WEAK - Football coaches look for WEAK Spots in defenses

26. Court figures: SUERS.

27. Bluffer's objective: POT - The M*A*S*H poker players soon realized every time Charles was bluffing he started whistling. They cleaned him out.

28. Casual Fridays attire, perhaps: KHAKIS.

30. Account: TALE.

31. __ Valley: Tucson suburb: ORO.

32. Begrudges: RESENTS.

34. Breville product: TOASTER - More than we would pay

36. "__ luck?": ANY.

37. Five carats: GRAM.

39. Tswana for "fly": TSE TSE - Tswana is a Bantu-speaking ethnic group native to Southern Africa

40. Bridge action: BID.

41. Sights seen by seers, maybe: AURAS - Here's how

43. Throw: CAST - Some fun Saturday listening

44. Doce meses: ANO - Hay meses en un ANO en Español (There are twelve months in a year in Spanish)

45. Valiant: STALWART.

47. Abstract: PRECIS.

49. Plant with corms: TARO - A new word cluing an old cwd favorite 

50. Greek letter used in the Shrödinger equation: PSI - Ok, but is his cat alive?

53. Put forward: POSED - I POSED POSIT as the correct fill

54. Black Sabbath devotee, say: METAL HEAD - Is Heavy Metal music your thing?

56. Hirsch of "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood": EMILE - He plays Jay Sebring who was the ex-boyfriend of Sharon Tate played by Margot Robbie

57. Fair-haired: ASH BLONDE.

58. Estonian neighbor: LETT 28. Fourth-grade teacher in Springfield Elementary School: KRABAPPEL (kruh·baa·pl) - I had to change the last two letters of Bart Simpson's teacher to get LETT

59. Reels: SEES STARS - What a typical Mike Tyson opponent experienced 

Down:

1. Decides: OPTS.

2. Flowerless plant: FERN - Here ya go!

3. Texas river named for its chilly waters: FRIO.

4. Busy pro around this time: CPA - My taxes take a half-hour since I can never itemize above the new standard deduction 

5. "Seriously ... ": ALL JOKING ASIDE.

6. Distinction: MERIT - or...

7. Celebrates big-time: EXULTS.

8. Let: RENT OUT - "Trailers for sale or RENT, Rooms to let fifty cents" I'll bet you know the next line

9. They're seen in some wars: ADS.

10. Spell: JINX - One of the unwritten rules of baseball is "Don't talk to a pitcher who is throwing a no-hitter" because it will JINX him.

11. She plays Sheldon's grandma (Meemaw) on "Young Sheldon": ANNIE POTTS - I remember her as the secretary in Ghostbusters

12. Much of Vancouver Island: RAIN FOREST - Two Vancouver Air float planes flying over the island

13. Skechers milieu: SHOE STORE - It was a while before I saw there was no "T" in Skechers. 

15. The Israel Museum display: DEAD SEA SCROLLS.

20. Wine denigrated in "Sideways": MERLOT - Merlot sales plummeted after this scene (f-bomb warning)

21. Make madeleines, e.g.: BAKE.

22. Heart: MEAT - Let's get to the HEART/MEAT of the matter!

24. Conformist's phrase: WHEN IN ROME - There's a "no shorts policy" in St. Peter's Basilica . Here an American is putting on paper trousers he bought for 1 Euro from  a street vendor.

25. "Not too much": EASY DOES IT.

29. Automotive suspension components: STRUTS - Here ya go

33. First name in desserts: SARA - Nobody doesn't like...

35. See 55-Down: SEAT and 55. With 35-Down, precarious place: HOT - I wonder how Craig came up with this juxtaposition 

38. Blue- or gray-furred cat: MALTESE - Any kitty is fine with me

42. Wrap snugly: SWATHE - Two weeks ago, Mary Lou Guizzo had this for 1 Across

46. Small-muzzled horses: ARABS - Some question the practice of breeding for such a small, upturned muzzle

48. TD Garden NBAer: CELT - This new Boston Celtic home has a parquet floor just like the one in the old Boston Garden where these two met. I'll bet you know who these two are and if you don't, the answer is below *

50. Four-time Gold Glove winner Tony: PENA - Tony's was identical to this one for Gary Carter.

51. __ City: Baghdad suburb: SADR - Just across the Tigris River

52. Ancient midpoint marker, more or less: IDES - The IDES of March was 12 days ago

54. Family figures: MAS.

* Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell

Friday, March 26, 2021, Gary Larson

 Title: Don't let this puzzle bug you because it is about a cartoon.

Gary has entered the fray seeking to publish scads of puzzles this year. I had the pleasure to blog two in January on the 15th and the 29th. He has been published in every major venue after his late 2018 debut in the NYT.  Today we are faced with the world of Phylum: Arthropoda (all arthropods), Class: Insecta (only the insects). Now if I only had John Lampkin's encyclopedic knowledge and picture library...but I digress. As it turns out, while I have heard of the movie, I never have seen it, Luckily, I do not believe that made the solving any harder. I could try to impress you with the knowledge that there are more than 900 MILLION species of bugs on earth or provide a LINK  to a wonderful British bug book (ok I love alliteration) instead it's time to actually talk about the puzzle.

It really does not play like a Friday, with a less than 5 letter per word average, but it is after all a tribute puzzle to the second film from the Disney/Pixar partnership. I have now watched it and am impressed with the theme as I initially thought Gary had taken actual parts of the movie to use. The long non-theme fill -  ACCOLADE, ATYPICAL, FORMERLY, MADE NICE,  RESTLESS, and TWIST TIE are all very nice. So let's examine the themers.

17A. Nightspot in "A Bug's Life"?: CRICKET CLUB (11). The question mark should have been enough to let me know it was not part of the movie. Marylebone Cricket Club, based at Lord's, developed the modern rules of play and conduct. Some HISTORY.

27A. Purse in "A Bug's Life"?: FLEA BAG (7) A literal clue for a pejorative in America for a very cheap, dirty hotel. It is now a hit British TV show. Fleabag.

37A. Fancy dance in "A Bug's Life"?: FLY BALL (7). Some baseball for Boomer and C.C. and some old South and dancing.

50A. Queue in "A Bug's Life"?: BEE LINE (7). By now we yanks have accepted the British queue for line, and while they might fly together I doubt they stand in line together.

58A. Fruity beverage in "A Bug's Life"?: BEETLE JUICE (11). I doubt that beetles or even Beatles would make a fruity juice but it does bring us good old-fashioned puzzle symmetry. We are not talking the Rolling Stones or David Bowie here. I guess I will never learn political correctness to give up on humor.

On to the rest...

Across:

1. Merged thespian union: AFTRA. I am too young to know of this union before the merger on September 17, 1952, when the Television Authority and AFRA (American Federation of Radio Artists) which had been formed big radio stars like Jack Benny, Eddie Cantor, and others, merged to create a new union: the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. During my off and on work repping musicians and models I have dealt with them. They have now merged with SAG.

6. Stares: GAPES. Not a word I like.

11. Sault __ Marie: STE.

14. Show fear: COWER. The etymology from Middle Low German kūren ‘lie in wait.’

15. Draw in the air: AROMA. Very tricky, a draw meaning something that attracts others.

16. Disadvantage: CON. 

19. Throw __: RUG. Why is it a small rug; several can be used in a room.

20. Meditation sounds: OMS.

21. "__ Alyscamps": van Gogh work: LES. 

                                                                    
22. Canon competitor: LEICA. Cameras before cell phones became so sophisticated.

24. Hang out in the sun: LET DRY. Down here it is way of life.

29. "Star Wars" droid: ARTOO.

30. Normandy battle town: ST LO.

32. "Raising Buchanan" star Auberjonois: RENE. The movie seems interesting. 

33. Not-so-VIP group: D-LIST. We are obsessed with ratings.
 
34. Garlicky sauces: AIOLIS. Very common fill.

36. Private __: EYE. My eyes are far from private as so many people are examining them these days.

39. Disfigure: MAR.

42. Skeleton's place?: CLOSET. But how do you keep them there/

43. Hopping mad: IRATE. An Easter clue?

45. Mythological ship: ARGO. Oh my, another CSO to me.

48. Recipe info: Abbr.: AMTS.

49. Frozen custard chain in 14 states: ANDY'S. We have one of these frozen CUSTARD businesses in Lakeland, Florida, This is the home of Publix which does not yet offer the product.

52. Swallow: ACCEPT. Or spit?

53. Winged, perhaps: AVIAN.

54. Down: EAT.

56. Zip: NIL.

57. Member of the fam: SIS.

63. Day before Thanksgiving, e.g.: EVE. Day before everything.

64. Woolly, say: OVINE. Sheep family; cows bovine. 

65. Ancient Peruvians: INCAS.

66. Actor Benicio __ Toro: DEL. A successful PUERTO RICAN actor.

67. Alprazolam brand: XANAX. Don't you know all their generic names?

68. Believes: FEELS. Meh

Down:

1. Four-star review, e.g.: ACCOLADE. Historically from early 17th century: French, from Provençal acolada, literally ‘embrace around the neck (when bestowing knighthood)’, from Latin ad- ‘at, to’ + collum ‘neck’.

2. At one time: FORMERLY.

3. Flexible fastener: TWIST TIE. 

4. __ hall: REC.

5. Ancient sanctuary: ARK. Does this mean Noah's Ark or the Ark of the Covenant? We appear to have many religious scholars here now. But not, 7D. Rainbows, say: ARCS. 

6. Box office take: GATE.

8. Party pro: POLitician.

9. Earthbound bird: EMU. Just not Lemu.

10. Valuable fur: SABLE.  VERSUS MINK.

11. Professional copyist: SCRIBE.

12. Colorful bird: TOUCAN. Play this game...

13. Occupy: ENGAGE.

18. Tarzan player Ron: ELY.

23. Good listeners?: EARS.

25. They're allowed: DOS.

26. Cracking-up letters: ROTFL. Rolling on the floor laughing.

27. Fountain orders: FLOATS.

28. Veg out: LOLL.

30. Bully's reply: SAYS ME.

31. Land with yaks: TIBET.

35. Like a pelvic artery: ILIAC.

38. Advance: LOAN.

39. Tried to get along: MADE NICE.

40. Irregular: ATYPICAL.

41. Fidgety: RESTLESS.

42. Tab, e.g.: COLA.

44. Org. with an elephant in its logo: RNC. Republic National Committee.

45. Put down: ABASED.

46. Bring back: REVIVE.

47. Dr. Seuss' real last name: GEISEL. THEODORE.

51. Mail collector: INBOX.

52. Had a bite: ATE.

54. Italian hot spot: ETNA.

55. "Jeopardy!" name for 36 years: ALEX. RIP. 

59. Actress Longoria: EVA.

60. German article: EIN.

61. Brand "choosy moms choose," in ads: JIF.

62. French article: UNE. Deux trois, time to go.

It ain't easy but I made it through another abbreviated write-up. It was a delightful puzzle and blessedly not too difficult. Thank you Gary and all of you, as we count down.

Today my wonderful, beautiful bride Oo was sworn in as an American citizen. She did it on her own