Tuesday, May 4, 2021 Prasanna Keshava

Won't you be my friend.

19-Across. Aid for shade at the shore: BEACH UMBRELLA.  Chum.

29-Across. Award first won by Naughty by Nature: BEST RAP ALBUM.    Pal.

39-Across. "Breaking news!" teaser: FILM AT ELEVEN.  Mate.

And the unifier:

50-Across. Facebook invite ... to which the circled letters respond: FRIEND REQUEST.

Across:

1. Hit the jackpot: GET RICH.

8. One with faulty "I" sight?: EGOTIST.

15. Deficiency of red blood cells, across the pond: ANAEMIA.  Too many letters for Americans.  Here it is spelled Anemia.

16. Pasta specification: AL DENTE.  Today's Italian lesson.  Al Dente comes from the Italian phrase which means "to the tooth."  When cooked, pasta should be tender, but still firm to the bite.

17. Symbol on the "5" key: PER CENT.

18. Handyman's carryall: TOOLBOX.

21. Abdomen neighbor: GROIN.

23. Parisian article: LES.  Today's French lesson.

24. Pool sticks: CUES.  //  And 45-Across. Pool hall triangle: RACK.

25. Chain with links: iHOP.

26. Nine-digit ID: SSN.  As in Social Security Number.

28. Rivals: FOES.

33. Scrooge's cry: BAH.

34. Norwegian pop band that sounds like a revelation: A-HA.  A-Ha is considered a synth-pop band and has been around since 1982.  You have probably heard this song.  I know I have, I just didn't know the band.

35. "http" often begins one: URL.  The Uniform Resource Locator often finds its way into the crossword puzzles.

36. Judoka's belt: OBI.  A Judoka is one who practices Judo.

42. Washer cycle: SPIN.

44. Rx item: MED.

46. Jefferson's vice president: BURR.  Aaron Burr, Jr. (Feb. 6, 1756 ~ Sept. 14, 1836) is probably best known for killing Alexander Hamilton (1750s ~ July 12, 1804) in a duel.

47. News agcy.: UPI.  As in United Press International.

49. Obstinate: BALKY.

54. Area sheltered from the wind: LEE SIDE.

55. Former weekly with home viewing listings: TV GUIDE.  I think it may still be available.

58. Most of Google's revenue: AD SALES.

59. Had a hankering: YEARNED.

60. Wobbles: TOTTERS.

61. Glossy cottons: SATEENS.

Down:

1. Generation divide: GAP.

2. LA-to-Denver dir.: ENE.  If you are going from Los Angeles to Denver, then you are going East-North-East.

However, if you are going from the other LA (Louisiana to Denver), then you are going West-North-West.

3. Hat similar to a fez: TARBOOSH.  Is there a difference?

4. Proof of purchase: RECEIPT.

5. "Let me explain ... ": I MEAN.

6. Prez's title: CINC.  As in the Commander in Chief.  I'm not sure I have ever seen this abbreviation.

7. Biblical word of possession: HATH.

8. Cake's instruction to Alice: EAT ME.

9. Chunks: GLOBS.

10. Prominent garlic feature: ODOR.

11. Verizon's biz: TELE-COM.

12. Dressed like many Union soldiers: IN BLUE.  A reference to the American Civil War.  The Union Army uniforms were blue and the Confederate uniforms were gray.

13. Mink wraps: STOLES.

14. Laredo's state: TEXAS.

20. Forearm bone: ULNA.  

21. Barry, Robin or Maurice of pop music: GIBB.  I'll spare you the musical interlude.  Sadly, however, Barry (b. Sept. 1, 1946) is the only surviving brother of the band.

22. Seehorn of "Better Call Saul": RHEA.  I never watched Better Call Saul and never heard of Rhea Seehorn (née Deborah Rhea Seehorn; b. May 12, 1972).

26. Humorist Mort: SAHL.  Mort Sahl (né Morton Lyon Sahl; b. May 11, 1927) will celebrate his 94th birthday next Tuesday.  He was a political satirist.

27. Email filter target: SPAM.

28. __ moon: FULL.

30. Word before check or forest: RAIN.

31. Minstrel's strings: LUTE.

32. Raised, as cattle: BRED.

36. Malt drink since 1904: OVALTINE.  Yummers!  This brings back childhood memories.

37. At one's __ and call: BECK.

38. Pac-Man ghost: INKY.

39. Tries to hit, as a rifle range target: FIRES AT.

40. Friendly femme: AMIE.  Today's French lesson.

41. Evidence of an error: ERASURE.

42. "You bet!": SURE DO!

43. Mass leader: PRIEST.

46. Note above A: B FLAT.

47. Farm milk "dispenser": UDDER.

48. Newspaper media: PRESS.

49. Sired, biblically: BEGAT.

51. Giza's river: NILE.  Giza is home to the Great Pyramids.

52. Col. headings on many spreadsheets: QTYS.  Quantity.  Meh!

53. Iris layer: UVEA.  Eye anatomy.

56. Lair: DEN.

57. Newsroom staff members, for short: EDs.  As in Editors

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Monday May 3, 2021 Gail Grabowski & Bruce Venzke

Theme: R AND B (69. Ray Charles' genre, and a hint to the answers to starred clues) - Each theme entry is in the patter of R* B*.

 17. *Dilapidated car: RUST BUCKET.

 27. *Bowling alley's "start over" device: RESET BUTTON.

 46. *Unscrupulous 19th-century tycoon: ROBBER BARON.

 62. *High-fiber cereal with dried fruit: RAISIN BRAN.

Boomer here. This  is probably the last grid Gail Grabowski & Bruce Venzke (GAB) created together. May she rest in peace.

Gail and Bruce

I certainly can relate to RUST BUCKET as I was the proud owner of a 1953 Dodge that could not make a trip over 20 miles without overheating.  I junked it and bought a 1955 Oldsmobile which served me a bit better.  This was in 1964 because you needed to be 16 to get a driver's license in MN. 

I have not changed my attitude of the Twins, although they did have a 5 or 6 home run game against Cleveland.  I thought Cleveland was going to change their nickname out of respect for Native Americans   How about the GROVERS? 

 Across:

1. Quench, as thirst: SLAKE.  In our 10,000 lakes, I am sure you might find in an "S" shape.

6. Musical pause: REST.  Who said anything about MUSICAL?  C.C. and I planted some flowers in our front garden which required a lot of REST.

10. Osbourne of heavy metal: OZZY.  Reminded me of OZZIE and Harriet Nelson. I'm old.

14. Item sold in reams: PAPER.  Our stores seem to be well stocked with Toilet PAPER again.  One year ago was a different story.

15. Nevada city: ELKO.  Traveled through several times on I-80 on my way to the National Bowling Stadium in Reno.

16. London lavs: LOOS.

19. Cooked just right: DONE.

20. __-Z: classic Camaro: IROC.  As I mentioned my 1955 Olds, I could only drool when passed by an IROC.  However I assume that I received less speeding tickets.

21. Lively Irish dance: REEL.  It can hold your fishing line in the land of 10,000 lakes.

22. Discourage: DETER.

23. Fuel-eating cars: GAS HOGS.  Speaking of IROCs, I think the Z-28 had a 350 cubic inch engine with a four barrel carb.  Can you say "Oink, Oink"?

25. Listening organ: EAR.  Yup, I listen to the organ at church over the weekend.

33. Irregularly sharp-edged: JAGGED.  "On top of Old Smokey".

37. Fiber source: ROUGHAGE.  PIZZA did not have enough letters.

38. Man's name that's a green fruit spelled backwards: EMIL. Lime.

39. Persistent noise: DIN.  What? I cannot hear you.

40. Assures, as a win: ICES.  Or knocks the puck down to the other end of the hockey rink.

41. Personifies: EMBODIES.

44. Butts, in slang: TUSHES.

48. Early Olds auto: REO.  A lot earlier than my 1955 4-door sedan.

49. Very excited: AROUSED.  When I get out of bed in the morning, I would not call it "very excited".

54. Anglo-__: SAXON.

58. Mark Harmon CBS series: NCIS.

60. Bull or ram: MALE.  Okay guys, which one are you??  I decided that I am a Bull because I am full of it.

61. Tree branch: LIMB.

64. Jai __: court game: ALAI.  I think that this is only popular in Florida.

65. Late evening, informally: NITE.  I'm Hairy noon and NITEY, NITE,NITE. The Cowsills.

66. "Whooping" bird: CRANE.

67. Attention-getting whisper: PSST.

68. Bellicose Greek god: ARES.

Down:

1. Parsley or sage piece: SPRIG.  I thought Sage was a black powder.

2. With 42-Down, Best Supporting Actress Oscar winner in "Marriage Story": LAURA. 42. See 2-Down: DERN.

3. Lhasa __: Tibetan dogs: APSOS.

4. Two-masted vessel: KETCH.  A two-masted sailboat that they would pull UP from the sea and put it on hamburgers.

5. "Tarzan" creator's monogram: ERB. Edgar Rice Burroughs.

6. Students' play period: RECESS.  Those were the days.  We would have a softball game every day, weather permitting.

7. Sommer of "A Shot in the Dark": ELKE.  Some times I would pull over in ELKO on my way to Reno and take "a shot in the" casino.

8. Bony-looking Halloween costume: SKELETON.  Trick or Treat.

9. Tyke on a trike: TOT.

10. Word often seen before "shoppe": OLDE. Some people just have trouble with spelling.

11. __ suit: '40s apparel: ZOOT.  I am way too young to wear one of these.

12. The "Z" in ZIP Code: ZONE.  I heard on the news that the Postal service is a bit screwed up, so we are no longer to expect ZIPpy service.

13. Belgian river: YSER.

18. More than suggested: URGED.

22. The "D" in FDA: DRUG.  Also a big part of my lunch.

24. Lode load: ORE.  These loads of lode are mainly loaded in Oregon.

26. __ Dhabi: ABU.

28. 1974 pension plan legislation: ERISA.  Employment Retiree Income Security Act.  Graybar has treated me well.  Have you seen the sign in the left center outfield at Bush Stadium, St. Louis ??

29. "What's __ about?": THIS.  It's about advertising on a major league baseball fence.  I was there once for Game 5 of the 1987 World Series - Twins vs. Cardinals.  We lost that game but went home and took two games for the title.

30. It measures rpm: TACH.  Have they designed one yet to measure R.P.M.s of  a golf ball?? 

31. Curved molding: OGEE.  O GEE, I suppose I have to hit it first.

32. Monster's loch: NESS.

33. Taunting cry: JEER.  I suppose most non-Yankee fans might JEER JETER..

34. Rifle range rounds: AMMO.

35. Bee Gees surname: GIBB. "Ooh it's a HOLIDAY" The Bee Gees.

36. Lump of clay, say: GLOB.

39. Sophisticated and charming: DEBONAIR.

43. Angry feeling: IRE.  I'm sure people from Ireland and Notre Dame must hate this word.

44. Body trunks: TORSI. Torso plural.

45. Crazy Eights cousin: UNO.  I never liked this game.

47. Poker strategies: RAISES.  Not too happy about poker RAISES either.

50. Planetary shadow: UMBRA.

51. Cling wrap brand: SARAN.  Drives me nuts.  I cannot reel off a piece without it sticking to itself.

52. African antelope: ELAND.

53. Huge star in Cygnus: DENEB.

54. Open-handed hit: SLAP.  Really hard and fast hockey shot.

55. Is hurting: AILS.

56. Dec. 25: XMAS.

57. Closing words?: OBIT.

59. Formally commend, as for bravery: CITE.

62. Cellular messenger: RNA.

63. ATM maker: NCR.  Another black man was shot in Minnesota, and protesters ripped off the ATM at our Wells Fargo bank.  The bank was boarded up for over two weeks, but now protests have subsided.

Boomer

Sunday May 2, 2021 Paul Coulter

Theme: "Success Stories" - Winning phrases are punnily clued, fitting the location in each clue.

 23A. Triumph in the schoolroom?: CHALK UP A VICTORY.

 38A. Triumph at a hockey arena?: SAVE THE DAY.

 60A. Triumph in a bakery?: TAKE THE CAKE.

 84A. Triumph on drums?: BEAT THE ODDS

 102A. Triumph at the mountain summit?: END UP ON TOP.

 122A. Triumph at a comedy club?: GET THE LAST LAUGH.

 16D Triumph at a salon?: MAKE THE CUT.

 76D. Triumph at the winery?: WIN BY A NOSE.

I wonder why 84A was not clued with a place name. The clues would have been very consistent then.

Only 73 black squares in this grid. If you've been solving Paul's puzzles, you know that this is a big step for him.

Across:

1. Nutty green sauce: PESTO. Pine nuts.

6. Balance scale pair: PANS. My mom's older brother was a doctor in traditional Chinese medicines. His scale was like this.

10. Blockheads: OAFS.

14. Brazilian music genre: SAMBA.

19. Church part: ALTAR.

20. Create a diversion for, maybe: ABET. And 21. Connive: PLOT.

22. Egg producer: OVARY.

26. Black tea variety: PEKOE. Favorite of Abejo. We also have 28. Herbal tea: TISANE.

27. Flier in the wind: KITE.

29. Spill the beans: TELL.

31. British stables: MEWS. New to me. Wiki says "Mews is a British name for a row or courtyard of stables and carriage houses with living quarters above them, built behind large city houses before motor vehicles replaced horses in the early twentieth century. Mews are usually located in desirable residential areas having been built to cater for the horses, coachmen and stable-servants of prosperous residents."

32. She, in Siena: ESSA.

34. Noses out: EDGES.

36. Crusty ocean growth: SEA MAT. Also new to me.

41. Dr.'s order?: AMA. I always associate "order" with monks or nuns.

43. Hit a few pubs: BARHOP.

46. "Aladdin" prince: ALI.

47. Commercial suffix with wheat: ENA. Does this refer to "Wheatena"?

48. Figureheads may be seen on them: PROWS. Ship "figurehead".

50. Legal encumbrances: LIENS.

51. Edison rival: TESLA.

53. Like some relations: SPATIAL.

57. Order including whales and dolphins: CETACEA. The adjective is CETACEAN.

59. Words to live by: AXIOM.

62. Final: Abbr.: ULT.

63. Alliance acronym: NATO.

64. Catalog: LIST.

65. GPS suggestions: RTES.

66. "American Dad!" channel: TBS.

67. Digression: TANGENT.

71. Got it right, luckily: GUESSED.

74. Rural turndown: NAW.

77. Drummer Ulrich: LARS. Metallica drummer.

78. Take a chance: DARE.

79. Some from France: UNES.

83. Prefix for the birds: AVI.

88. Corrupt: TAINT.

89. Words that can be generous yet uncompromising: I INSIST. If you insist.

91. One making a big withdrawal?: RECLUSE. Nice clue.

92. "Ragged Dick" author: ALGER (Horatio)

93. Truman veep Barkley: ALBEN. Did not know him either.

94. Budget, in brand names: ECONO.

96. Youngest woman to serve in the U.S. Congress, familiarly: AOC.

98. Eur. realm until 1806: HRE.

99. Orville Wright's birth city: DAYTON.

101. Author Beattie: ANN.

106. Catalog: ASSORT.

108. Black cattle breed: ANGUS.

110. "Hang on __ ... ": A SEC.

111. It follows copper on the periodic table: ZINC.

113. Astronaut's insignia: NASA.

115. Sagittarius, e.g.: ARCHER.

117. Romances: WOOS. And 120. Love, in Rome: AMORE.

125. Asked: POSED.

126. Brontë heroine: EYRE.

127. Rockefeller Center muralist: SERT. Jose Maria Sert.

128. Be on the same page: AGREE.

129. Unfairly presents: SKEWS.

130. Campus bigwig: DEAN.

131. Doesn't guzzle: SIPS. I love young coconuts. They're too hard to open.

132. Parcels (out): METES.

Down:

1. Prepare for a trip: PACK.

2. K-12, in education: EL HI. Elementary and High school.

3. Occasion for pomp at a national capital: STATE VISIT.

4. "Honor Thy Father" author: TALESE.

5. Mork's planet: ORK.

6. Red Sox star Big __: PAPI. Used to be with the Twins.

7. Degraded: ABASED.

8. Locally, its first "a" is pronounced as in "trap": NEVADA. How do you pronounce "Nevada" then?

9. Scroogean: STINGY.

10. Decide to leave, with "out": OPT.

11. Almost all the time: A LOT.

12. Anticipated: FORESAW.

13. Class: STYLE.

14. Absorb, with "up": SOP.

15. Prayer set to music by Schubert and Gounod: AVE MARIA.

17. Sweat spot: BROW.

18. Roll call calls: AYES.

24. Many a Mormon: UTAHN. What the local prefers. Not Utahan.

25. Average mark: CEE.

30. Chocolate __: LAB.

33. Cook, as clams: STEAM. Chinese use steamers for everything. Our daily mantou (Chinese bread) are steamed. Not baked.

35. Connor of "Terminator" films: SARAH.

37. White lap dog: MALTESE.

38. "Paradise Lost" figure: SATAN.

39. Singer/songwriter __ Ray Joel: ALEXA.

40. How Phileas Fogg traveled: EAST.

42. Infiltrator: MOLE.

44. Deli counter qty.: ONE LB.

45. HS exams: PSATS.

48. "Moneyball" co-star: PITT (Brad)

49. Beats it: SCATS.

52. Haul from a job: LOOT.

54. Least healthy-looking: PALEST.

55. Analogous: AKIN.

56. Road __: TEST.

58. Barely gets, with "out": EKES.

61. Doctrines to live by: CREEDS.

68. Some rats: ALBINOS.

69. Scot's nots: NAES.

70. Fireplace piece: GRATE.

71. London lockup: GAOL. Jail.

72. Language of Lahore: URDU.

73. Word with control or purpose: DUAL.

74. River nymph: NAIAD.

75. Hometown of St. Teresa: AVILA.

78. Like New York's Chrysler Building: DECO.

80. '80s-'90s Harry Anderson sitcom: NIGHT COURT.

81. Año starter: ENERO.

82. Throat condition: STREP.

85. 2010 sci-fi sequel subtitled "Legacy": TRON.

86. Salon coloring: HENNA.

87. 12-time NFL Pro Bowler Junior: SEAU.

88. Tuesday dish?: TACOS. Taco Tuesday.

90. Tightening device: SET SCREW.

95. Colorful marble: CAT'S EYE.

97. Eyeball-bending display: OP-ART.

100. Nice turndown?: NON. The city Nice, France.

102. Barnum "attraction": EGRESS.

103. Cores: NUCLEI.

104. E-flat equivalent: D SHARP.

105. Meditative music genre: NEW AGE.

107. Continued violently, as a storm: RAGED.

109. "Bad idea": NAH.

111. Nukes: ZAPS.

112. "Don't worry about me": I'M OK.

114. Trac II cousin: ATRA.

116. Ballpark figs.: ESTS.

118. S-shaped molding: OGEE.

119. "__ Gotta Have It": Spike Lee film: SHE'S.

121. Masthead contents, briefly: EDS (Editors)

123. Gymnast's goal: TEN.

124. Speedy escape: LAM.

C.C.