Thursday, September 30, 2021, Yoni Glatt & Dani Raymon

Hi kids!  Today we're visited by our old friends Yoni Glatt and Dani Raymon, who conduct a  reveal-less tour of

 The Musical Plant Kingdom

The themers for this tour are all musicians whose last names refer to plants in one way or another.  CAVEAT: I don't like to RAP constructors, but a couple of these numbers may not be your idea of SOUL music.

17A. "Fancy" (2014) singer: IGGY AZALEA.  Amethyst Amelia Kelly (born 7 June 1990), known professionally as Iggy Azalea, is an Australian rapper, singer-songwriter, and model.  As the French say, "a chacun a son goût",  but it's certainly not to my taste. 😞

22A. "November Rain" lead singer: AXL ROSE.  W. Axl Rose (born William Bruce Rose Jr.; born February 6, 1962)^[3] is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer.  He is best known for being the lead vocalist and lyricist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses

37A. "Whole Lotta Love" lead singer: ROBERT PLANT. The closest we get to a reveal.  Robert Anthony Plant CBE (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the English rock band Led Zeppelin for all of its existence from 1968 up until 1980.

53A. "Walk on the Wild Side" singer: LOU REED.   Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942 – October 27, 2013) was an American musician, singer, songwriter and poet. He was the guitarist, singer and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades.  The lyrics to this are a bit OUTRÉ, but at least it's music:

59A. "Johnny B. Goode" singer: CHUCK BERRY.  Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music.

And now the Animal and Mineral kingdoms:

Across:

1. Nursery piece: CRIB.

5. Orkin target: ROACH.

10. Cousin of a sari: TOGA.

14. Jay with lots of wheels: LENO.  Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno admire a 1958 Porsche 356 A Speedster (12 min):

15. Speed skater Ohno: APOLO.  Apolo Anton Ohno; born May 22, 1982) is an American retired^[6] short track speed skating competitor and an eight-time medalist (two gold, two silver, four bronze) in the Winter Olympics. Ohno is the most decorated American Olympian at the Winter Olympics and was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 2019.  But he only got a Silver Medal for this one:
 

 16. Like webs: SPUN.  What are spider webs made of?  And how do they spin them?

19. Sent up: APED.   Made fun of.

20. Bro, to sis: FAM.

21. Seminarian's subj.: REL.  The first seminaries were founded by the Catholic Church in the 16th century as a part of its internal reforms, needed to address the many real abuses that had given rise to the Protestant Reformation.  One of these was the need for a uniform way to educate new priests.

24. Back-pocket booze holder: FLASK.

26. One being hunted: PREY.

27. Org. concerned with secrets: NSA.  No Such Agency!

28. Barcelona-born muralist: SERT.  José Maria Sert (December 21, 1874, Barcelona - November 27, 1945, Barcelona) - Catalan muralist, unprecedentedly in demand during his lifetime and almost forgotten after his death.

29. Fiver: ABE. Plastic is making these obsolete, but I'll bet you Lucina sees lots of green and wrinkled ones  every week when she counts her church collections:

31. Show in a theater: SCREEN.

33. "How chic!": OO LA LA.  How chic?  Here's Rod Stewart with the Corrs:

36. Tears: RENDS.

39. Silvery food fish: SMELT.  It can be eaten by humans, or fed to other fish.

41. Most mature: RIPEST.  Constructors often add "est" to an adjective, instead of prefacing it with "most" to indicate a superlative.  RIPEST sounds okay to to me.

42. Handkerchief alternative: TISSUE.

44. Its capital is Sydney: Abbr.: NSW.  New South Wales is on the Southeast coast of Australia.
 

Sydney Opera House

45. End of a classic palindrome: ELBA. Legend has it that "Able was I ere I saw Elba", was attributed to the renowned French leader Napoleon Bonaparte, who was once exiled to the island of Elba.  This claim  first appeared in 1848 credited to someone with the initials "J.T.R" residing in Baltimore, Maryland.  Perhaps coincidentally Napoleon's  grand nephew Charles Bonaparte, who served under Teddy Roosevelt, built an estate in 1896 in Glen Arm, Maryland about 20 miles outside of Baltimore .

49. Very old: Abbr.: ANC.  Ancient?

50. Metallic residue: SLAG.  What's left over when you extract the metal from an ore.  Ground slag has several uses, e.g. as a filler in concrete:
 

Early slag from Denmark, c. 200-500 CE

52. Award-winning '80s-'90s soap opera actress Deborah: ADAIR.  Deborah Adair (born Deborah Adair Miller, May 23, 1952).  She has certainly led an interesting life.

55. Venomous snake: ASP.  Legend has it that Cleopatra used this snake to commit suicide:
 

Asp (Egyptian Cobra)

57. Trendy boot brand: UGG. 

58. Pulitzer-winning author James: AGEE.  James Rufus Agee; November 27, 1909 – May 16, 1955) was an American novelist, journalist, poet, and screenwriter. In the 1940s, he was one of the most influential film critics in the U.S. His autobiographical novel, A Death in the Family (1957), won the author a posthumous 1958 Pulitzer Prize. Here are his lyrics for Samuel Barber's work for voice and orchestra, Knoxville: Summer of 1915.

James Agee

62. Hanks Oscar role: GUMP.  Here's why Hanks got Best Actor in 1995:
 

63. Oscar winner Marisa: TOMEI.  And here's why Marisa got Best Supporting Actress in 1993:
 

64. Jessica of "Hitchcock": BIEL.  Jessica Claire Timberlake (née Biel; born March 3, 1982) is an American actress and model.  Hitchcock, the movie, was about the making of the film Psycho, directed by Sacha Gervasi.  Biel plays the actress Vera Miles.  This is Biel's take on the experience of working with the team of A-List actors, including Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson, and Danny Huston:
 

65. Dates: SEES.

66. Surgery souvenirs: SCARS.

67. George Eliot's "Adam __": BEDE.  Adam Bede was the first novel by Mary Ann Evans (George Eliot), and was published in 1859. It was published pseudonymously, even though Evans was a well-published and highly respected scholar of her time.

Down:
1. Dover attraction: CLIFFS.  The White Cliffs of Dover is the region of English coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. The cliff face, which reaches a height of 350 feet (110 m), owes its striking appearance to its composition of chalk accented by streaks of black flint.  The National Trust calls the cliffs "an icon of Britain", with "the white chalk face a symbol of home and wartime defense.  There was a popular song about the cliffs during WWII  that my Mother used to sing to us around the supper table.

The White Cliffs of Dover

2. Wine and dine: REGALE.

3. "The Seventh Seal" director Bergman: INGMAR.  Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film director, screenwriter, producer and playwright. Universally ranked among the most accomplished and influential filmmakers of all time.  In "The Seventh Seal', a knight played by  Max von Sydow, challenges the Devil to a game of chess (view scene on YouTube) .

4. Word before and after "oh": BOY.

5. Totally destroy: RAZE.  You can RAZE a barn, or you can RAISE a barn: two homophones with opposite meanings or ANTONYMIC HOMOPHONES.  Similar and even more interesting are CONTRONYMS, words that are spelled the same, but have opposite meanings.  Constructors love them!

6. Autumn gemstone: OPAL.  Opal is a hydrated amorphous form of silica (SiO₂·nH₂O); its water content may range from 3 to 21% by weight, but is usually between 6 and 10%. Because of its amorphous character, it is classed as a mineraloid, unlike crystalline forms of silica, which are classed as minerals.

Opal

7. Web pioneer: AOL.  AOL (stylized as Aol., formerly a company known as AOL Inc. and originally known as America Online) is an American web portal and online service provider based in New York City. It is a brand marketed by Yahoo, Inc.

AOL headquarters, 770 Broadway, NYC

8. Golf-friendly forecast: CLEAR. 

9. Counterfeits: HOAXES.

10. Former Russian ruler: TSAR. 

1. an emperor of Russia before 1917.  The last was "Tsar Nicholas II", who along with his family was executed by the Bolsheviks on July 17, 1918.
   
   
2. 
   

   a person appointed by government to advise on and coordinate policy in a particular area.

   "America's new drug czar"

11. Other side: OPPONENT.

12. Didn't know, but got it right: GUESSED.  We do a lot of that on the Corner.

13. Quechua speakers: ANDEAN'S.  The prevalent language of the inhabitants of the Andes, both today and in ancient times.

Quechuan Languages

18. Genesis transport: ARK.  Noah's Ark (Hebrew: תיבת נח‎; Biblical Hebrew: Tevat Noaḥ) is the vessel in the Genesis flood narrative (Genesis chapters 6–9) through which God spares Noah, his family, and examples of all the world's animals from a world-engulfing flood. 

Noah's Ark (1846)
by the American folk painter Edward Hicks.

There was also later vessel, sacred to the Hebrew people, called the Ark of the Covenant, used to hold the tablets of the Ten Commandments.

23. Stretchy fibers: LYCRAS.

25. Your legs may not touch the ground when you're on them: STOOLS. Hand up if you guessed STILTS first.

26. Snowball action: PELTING.

29. Pub brew: ALE.  Ale is a type of beer brewed using a warm fermentation method, resulting in a sweet, full-bodied and fruity taste.  Historically, the term referred to a drink brewed without hops.As with most beers, ale typically has a bittering agent to balance the malt and act as a preservative. Ale was originally bittered with gruit, a mixture of herbs or spices boiled in the wort before fermentation. Later, hops replaced gruit as the bittering agent.

Real Ale from an English Pub

30. Attorney General under Bush, Sr.: BARR.  William Pelham "Bill" Barr (born May 23, 1950) is an American attorney who served as the 77th and 85th United States attorney general in the administrations of Presidents George H. W. Bush and Donald Trump.

32. Chartered: RENTED.

34. Over 90 degrees, in a way: OBTUSE.  Today's math lesson.  Also a metaphor that shows up under lots of different guises.
 
35. Pixel purchases: APPS.

37. 2004-2011 TV series about firefighters: RESCUE ME.  Rescue Me is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on FX on July 21, 2004, and concluded on September 7, 2011. The series focuses on the professional and personal lives of a group of New York City firefighters, overshadowed by the aftermath of 9/11/2001.
 

38. __ Zealand, Muppet known for fish-throwing: LEW.  Lew Zealand’s act involves boomerang fish. "I throw them away, and they come back to me!" He has appeared in all of the Muppet movies except Kermit's Swamp Years.

Lew Zealand and his boomerang fish

39. WWII prison camps: STALAGS.  Lest we forget.

40. Kylie dubbed "Princess of Pop" by the European press: MINOGUE. Kylie Ann Minogue AO, OBE; born 28 May 1968), also known simply as Kylie, is an Australian singer and actress. Minogue is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 70 million records worldwide.
 

Kylie Minogue
at the Queens Birthday 2018

43. Gives a seat to: ELECTS.

46. Metcalf of "Lady Bird": LAURIE. Laura Elizabeth Metcalf (born June 16, 1955) is an American actress. Over the course of her four-decade career, she has won three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, and has been nominated for an Academy Award and British Academy Film Award.   Her standout performance in "Lady Bird" opened a lot of doors for her. 
 

Laurie Metcalf

47. Colorful Wrigley product: BIG RED.  It certainly looks big:

48. Footwear design: ARGYLE.  Colorful, patterned socks, much beloved by golfers.  Also a colorful blogger of more than 840 puzzles for the LA Times, and a Santa, much beloved by Cornerites:
 

Argyle
(Feb 20, 1945-April 30, 2018)

51. Committee type: AD HOC. I did my best to avoid committees when I was working  - for reasons why, consider this "basics" of committee work.  SOMEBODY has to do the actual work!

52. Urgent police msg.: APB.  All Points Bulletin.
"
54. Account execs: REPS.  As in REPRESENTATIVES.  Also REPETITIONS of an exercise.  Often accompanied by ABS.

55. Big name in PCs: ACER.

56. Pair on the slopes: SKIS.  A CSO to my partner in crime MalMan.  When he's not frolicking in lagoons, he's often out on the slopes:

60. Actress Thurman: UMA.  Third time for me.  I pass.

61. Decline: EBB.  I think I'll decline this one as well.  All done.

Here's the grid:

waseeley

Cheers,
Bill

And as always, thanks to Teri for proofreading and suggestions.

 

Notes from C.C.:

 

1) Thank you, Teri!

 

2) Happy Birthday to Pat and her husband, who were born in the same day and same year. I don't have a picture of the special couple, but here's a picture of Pat (right in pink T-shirt) and Java Mama at the shelter where they volunteer. They met on our little corner.

 

Wednesday, September 29, 20201, August Miller

Theme: TRAIL AFTER

18. *Steam: WATER VAPOR.

24. *Western capital: SALEM, OREGON.

40. *Systematic rumor spreading: WHISPER CAMPAIGN.

52. *Wite-Out alternative: LIQUID PAPER.

61. Hikers' starting points ... or what the ends of the answers to starred clues can be?: TRAIL HEADS.

The word TRAIL can follow the last word of each theme answer: VAPOR TRAIL, OREGON TRAIL, CAMPAIGN TRAIL, and PAPER TRAIL.

Across: 

1. A third of XXX, maybe?: TAC. One third of the phrase tic, tac, toe.

4. Rorschach image: BLOT. See the original images here.

8. Make oneself decent, so to speak: DRESS.

13. "That's rough": ALAS. One of those words we mostly see in books and crosswords.

15. Clothing store website category: MEN'S.

16. Spunk: MOXIE. Mr. Grant hates spunk.

 17. Colombian coin: PESO.

20. One in a Hollywood crowd: EXTRA.

22. Yoko who voiced a self-named character in 2018's "Isle of Dogs": ONO.

23. Sedate, say: DRUG. Verb, not adjective.

28. PC file suffix: EXE.  An executable file for Windows.

29. Skip over: ELIDE. Another word not heard very often. A second definition is to join together or merge.

30. Come clean, with "up": FESS.

32. __ buco: OSSO. Means "hollow bone." Traditionally made with veal but can also be made with beef.

34. Paul who founded a pet food company: IAMS. Perps - had no idea.

37. Utterly lost: AT SEA.

43. "Buffalo Stance" singer Cherry: NENEH. Had not heard of artist or this song, released in 1988.

44. Fail to enunciate: SLUR.

45. Love of money, to all evil?: ROOT. Good to see this correctly, as it's so often stated that money is root of all evil, rather than the love of money.

46. Faltering step: TRIP.

48. Condescend: DEIGN.

50. "So pretty!": OOH.

57. Made fun of: APED. I guess so.

59. Zero-__ game: SUM.

60. Hyundai sedan no longer sold in the U.S.: AZERA. Discontinued in 2018.

65. Work on text, maybe: EDIT.

66. They're rarely worth splitting: HAIRS. True enough.

67. Blue prints, e.g.?: SMUT. Haha. An informal definition of blue is pornographic or profane.

68. Do a fall chore: RAKE.

69. Tear up: SHRED.

70. With everything in its place: TIDY.

71. Young guy: LAD.

Down: 

1. Records, old-style: TAPES. Verb.

2. Siri counterpart: ALEXA. Alexa vs. Google vs. Siri.

3. Daydreams: CASTLES IN THE AIR.

4. Munich-based automaker: BMW.

5. Bucolic setting: LEA.

6. En pointe: ON TOE. Ballet.

7. Taiwanese golfer Yani __, youngest to win five majors: TSENG.

8. It's known for lines, briefly: DMV. Department of Motor Vehicles. True story.

9. Fork locale: ROAD. The proverbial fork in the road.

10. Steel guitar device: EXPRESSION PEDAL.

11. Dakota tribe: SIOUX. The Sioux Name and Dialects.

12. Suit material: SERGE.

14. Postgame griper: SORE LOSER.

19. It may be pitched: ROOF.

21. ProvenÁal pal: AMI.

25. Dog in the comics: ODIE.

26. Raises: REARS.

27. Half-moon tide: NEAP.

31. Telescope toter: STAR GAZER. My favorite astrophysicist. Love the nod to Carl Sagan's pale blue dot at 2:18.

 

32. Come clean, with "up": OWN.

33. __-crab soup: SHE. Made with lump crabmeat and crab roe.

35. Commonly injured ligament for NFLers: MCL. A sprain or tear to the medial collateral ligament - which is a band of tissue on the inside of the knee that connects the thigh bone to the lower leg. The MCL keeps the knee from bending inward.

 
36. Riyadh native: SAUDI.

38. Freudian focus: EGO. Sigmund Freud's Id, Ego, and Superego.

39. Carpenter __: ANT.

41. Singer Collins: PHIL.

42. TV's talking horse: MR. ED.

47. "Don't be silly!": PISH.

49. Brewpub initials: IPA. India Pale Ale. 11 Questions about IPA You're Too Embarrassed to Ask, Answered.

50. They're taken on stands: OATHS.

51. Daytime TV mogul: OPRAH.

53. Knight adventure: QUEST.

54. MSG flavor: UMAMI.

55. "Get Out" actress Alexander: ERIKA. Greta in A Nightmare on Elm Street 5.

56. Like books on goodreads.com: RATED. Meet Your Next Favorite Book.

58. Very serious indeed: DIRE.

62. Drug whose effects are similar to psilocybin: LSD. Where I Stand on Magic Mushrooms by Michael Pollan.

63. July 4th letdown: DUD.

64. Pigs' digs: STY.

Tuesday September 28, 2021 Catherine Cetta

 Theme: 56. With 58-Across, salad fixings ... and what you'll find aptly hidden in puzzle rows 4, 6 and 10: CHOPPED. And 58. See 56-Across: VEGGIES. (Onion, Tomato and Carrot are chopped up by the black squares.)

20. Typically tricolored ice cream dessert: SPUMONI. And 22. Really tough, as tasks: ONEROUS.

26. Made to order: CUSTOM. And  29. Do penance: ATONE.

47. Witty Wilde: OSCAR.And 48. Bad to the core: ROTTEN.

Boomer here again. Hahtoolah will be back next Tuesday. She had a long drive back home from New England.  

Just a note about Spumoni Ice Cream.  I was addicted when my Mom worked at a pizza place they served it on the dessert menu, and I was hooked.  Later when I worked for a different pizza restaurant, desserts were not on the menu.

Across:

1. Hissed "Over here, behind the sofa!": PSST.  That's what a mouse might say.

5. Notable Titanic casualty: ASTOR.  The Waldorf - Astoria is named for him.  

10. Stir up: RILE.  Sometimes I like to RILE a dish of ice cream.

14. Latin "others": ALIA.  Four years of High School Latin and I did not know this.

15. Actress __ Neal of "Law & Order: SVU": DIANE.  ADA Casey Novak.

16. Give off: EMIT.

17. Unrefined sort: BOOR.

18. Trooper automaker: ISUZU.  They quit making cars in 2009.  I think they might still make trucks.

19. "Ooh, fun!": WHEE.  Okay to say on a roller coaster, but please stop saying it at the bowling center.

24. Either Bush, e.g.: TEXAN.  Always in the news.  Some good and some not.

25. Exhausts: DOES IN.

32. FreeCell or Snapchat: APP.

35. Sewn line: SEAM.

36. Multilevel, as wedding cakes: TIERED.  I watched the Gophers blow one at "Huntington Bank" Stadium last Saturday.  The Stadium was TIERED and the fans were TEARED up.

37. Auditioner's hope: PART.

39. Barcelona buddy: AMIGO.  My golf and bowling buddy, JORGE from Chile calls me AMIGO.

41. Rig on the road: SEMI.  Does that mean it is half a truck??

42. Sounds from sties: SNORTS.

44. Gaming novice, slangily: NOOB. Newbie.

46. Bambi's mother: DOE.  "A Deer, a female deer, Re, a drop of golden sun"  The hills are alive with "The Sound of Music".

50. Crowns for some queens: TIARAS.

52. Andes or Rockies: RANGE.  Hotpoint or General Electric?

60. For all of us: OURS.  In our home it is "For both of us."

61. __ curls: arm exercises: BICEP.  I do not do this.  Too weak.

63. Observes: SEES.

64. Unmitigated joy: GLEE.  Spent a few years in the Benilde H.S. GLEE Club.  I had a few solos.

65. Together: AS ONE.

66. Teen woe: ACNE.  Never had it when I was young, but now the cancer med is causing a few bumps.

67. Bathtub bubbles: SUDS.

68. __ Island Rams: Atlantic 10 conference baseball team: RHODE.

69. Chai and rooibos: TEAS.  C.C. is the TEA expert in our home.  I drink Folgers.

Down:

1. Part of PBR: PABST.  "What'll you have??"  Not me.  Years ago when I lived in Hardheim Germany I drank wine.  Never developed a taste for beer.  "Old King Cole was a merry old soul and a merry old soul was he.  He called for his pipe and he called for his bowl and he called for his privates three.  Beer, beer, beer said the privates happy men are we.  There's none so fair as can compare to the fighting infantry."   

2. Slippery __: risky course of action: SLOPE.  "We'll have real ones in Minnesota soon"

3. Iowa's __ City: SIOUX.  I have been through there, also the city in South Dakota named after the Sioux.

4. Airport surface: TARMAC.

5. Favorable score for a server: AD IN.  They do not have "AD IN" in bowling or golf.

6. Maria's ayes: SISI.

7. Letter after sigma: TAU.

8. Like many 2020 meetings: ON ZOOM.  I have heard about this but never used it. Although sometimes I hit the gas pedal a bit too hard.

9. Meet up in 25 years, maybe: REUNE.  Just had my 56th High School last month.  We spelled it differently though. I'm 9th from the left on the back row.

 

10. Second drafts, say: REWRITES.

11. "This is very flattering!": I'M HONORED.

12. Stead: LIEU.

13. Nice summers: ETES. French city Nice.

21. Burden: ONUS.

23. "Ozark" actor Morales: ESAI.  I liked him in NYPD Blue.

25. Pizza Hut competitor: DOMINO'S.  I can make better at home with product from Trader Joe's.

27. Red and Black: SEAS.  I have been watching the Ryder Cup last weekend from Whistling Straits in Wisconsin. I suggest they call Lake Michigan a SEA.

28. Scot's cap: TAM.  Goes great with a bagpipe.

30. Memorable captain's name that's a sign backwards: NEMO. Omen.

31. Actress Falco: EDIE.

32. Lhasa __: APSO.

33. Thumbs-down reviews: PANS.  Teflon are the best.

34. Monitored, as an exam: PROCTORED.

36. Little honk: TOOT.

38. Walks aimlessly: TRAIPSES.  I am not drunk, it's that doggone oral chemo - 4 capsules each day.

40. Understood: GOT.

43. Tough-to-get-out-of situation: TRAP.

45. Glacier chunk: BERG.

48. Peppery root: RADISH.  Goes great in potato salad.

49. Bugs: NAGS AT.

51. Concrete-reinforcing rod: REBAR.

53. Dorothy, to Em: NIECE.  "We're off to see the Wizard ..."

54. Thelma portrayer Davis: GEENA.

55. Mississippi quartet: ESSES.  Lots of things named after our river.  Even a whole state down south.

56. Wheel teeth: COGS.  I don't think they put studs on tires any more.  I think they ruined the roads.

57. "Castle Rock" airer: HULU.

58. Sell: VEND.  Out of a machine.

59. Duel tool: EPEE.

62. Pigeon sound: COO.  I thought a dove made it too.

Boomer

Monday September 27, 2021 Rebecca Goldstein

Theme: 33. With 35-Across, anonymous voting method, and a hint to each set of circled letters: SECRET. & 35. See 33-across: BALLOT - YEA & NAY are hidden in the four long answers.

17. Hard-to-please dinner guest: PICKY EATER

25. Did some storytelling: SPUN A YARN.

46. Photobomb of a sort involving a V sign: BUNNY EARS.

52. Early "SNL" star who was one of the Blues Brothers: DAN AYKROYD.

Boomer here. 

YEA! I Got my booster shot last Tuesday.  If anyone out there is on the fence, I can honestly say that I did not encounter any side effects from the booster shot. So, do not say BOO to the Booster.  Signed BOOMER

VA, 9/21/2021

 Across:

1. "Like that's gonna happen!": AS IF.  "AS IF" Winter will not be here too soon!

5. Sleeps under the stars: CAMPS.  Preparing to build a cabin in Northern Minnesota, I spent many nights sleeping in the back of a station wagon in a sleeping bag.

10. Kid-lit author Silverstein: SHEL.

14. Clif Bar brand marketed to women: LUNA.

15. Catherine of "Best in Show": O'HARA.

16. Maître d's question: NAME.  I suppose they need to know who you are before you can eat.

19. "Metamorphoses" poet: OVID.

20. Take, as advice: HEED.  I seldom do this.  When you get to be my age you no longer need advice.  You have seen it all.  So instead you just give it.

21. "Time for us to leave?": CAN WE GO.  Or stay as long as you like.

23. Unadorned: PLAIN.

27. Poet: BARD.  He's a poet but he doesn't know it, but his feet show it, they're long fellows.

28. Honk: TOOT.

29. Handy bag: TOTE.  I have one FOR my bowling equipment.  Sometimes I cannot even believe how much stuff I have in the bag, or why I have it.  

30. Moderate running pace: JOG.  Sorry, I am now pretty much down to a slow walk.

31. Bit of eye lubricant: DROP.  My eyes seem to lubricate themselves.

32. Prattle: JAW.  "We're going to need a bigger boat."

38. "Listen up, Luis!": OYE. Spanish.

39. Google Maps alternative: WAZE.

40. Colorful carp: KOI.  In Minnesota, we are not supposed to throw carp back into the lake.

42. Study, with "over": PORE.

44. Name on an iconic New York deli: KATZ.

45. Zeus' jealous wife: HERA.

48. Entrance: WAY IN.  Sometimes at the VA I have to "WEIGH IN".

49. Periodic table item: ELEMENT.

50. Noble title: LORD.  I think in the USA we call them Senators. or just Harry.

51. Land in un lago: ISLA.

57. "Oh, brother!": GEEZ.  GEE WHIZ, people make a contraction out of everything.

58. Skating, often: ON ICE.  Hockey season is away ON ICE. 

59. Swedish furniture chain: IKEA.

60. Advantage: EDGE.  Ford makes one. Very small for me.

61. Polishes, as a floor: WAXES.

62. Stitches: SEWS.

Down:

1. Matterhorn, e.g.: ALP.  There's a nice one in Disneyland.

2. Fashion designer Anna: SUI.  Apologies to Anna, we use this word to call pigs home.

3. Calling the shots: IN CHARGE.

4. Spy's passport, say: FAKE ID.

5. Like Columbia University, since 1983: CO-ED.  The University may be, but the football team is not.

6. Cry of realization: AHA.

7. Yoga studio item: MAT.

8. Like jigsaw puzzles: PRE-CUT.  I used to do these all the time.  My favorite is one of a bunch of old, old baseball cards.

9. Cling wrap brand: SARAN.  Careful, it sticks to itself.

10. Flying polar predator: SNOWY OWL.  We do not have many owls around Minnesota.  In the winter they may wake up snowy,

11. Attack: HAVE AT.  I HAVE AT the lanes on Monday and Thursday.

12. Political fugitive: EMIGRE.

13. Strung along: LED ON.

18. Hankering: YEN. 1172 of these equals one U.S. Dollar.

22. Venetian Christmas: NATALE.  "Buon Natale!"

23. Classic sandwich initials: PBJ.  Peanut Butter and Jelly.  Many times in my lunch on Fridays.

24. Vietnam neighbor: LAOS.

25. Chimney coating: SOOT.  Probably why I do not use the fireplace in the basement any more.

26. Pal of Snap and Crackle: POP.  I have not eaten Rice Krispies for a long time.  I like General Mills Chex.

28. Forest grower: TREE.  We just had one removed from our yard. What a mess!

31. Visine target: DRY EYE.

32. Ella Fitzgerald's genre: JAZZ.

34. Ears you can get lost in: CORN MAZE.  Most of the corn this year did not grow tall enough for a MAZE.  They are harvesting now and I think it may be going to feed animals that are not people.

35. Baseball clubs: BATS.  I still say that Louisville Sluggers are the best.

36. "All righty then": OKEY-DOKE.

37. Singer __ Amos: TORI.  Twins outfielder TORII Hunter has an extra I.

39. Card-vs.-card game: WAR.

41. Actor McKellen: IAN.

42. Throbbed: PULSED.

43. What a flamingo often stands on: ONE LEG.  They are more versatile than I.  I have trouble standing on TWO legs.

44. Single-edged samurai sword: KATANA.

45. Biden's VP Kamala: HARRIS.

46. Light brown: BEIGE.

47. Subsidize: ENDOW.

48. Stir-fry pan: WOK.  C.C. uses this a lot.  However I taught her to call it what it is.  A "frying pan"

50. Caustic cleaners: LYES.

53. Veto: NIX.  Named after President Richard M.

54. Versatile blackjack card: ACE.  The place for local hardware.  OR Knock one in the hole from the tee.

55. Archery wood: YEW.

56. County prosecutors, briefly: DAS.  Jack McCoy, e.g.

Best wishes for Agnes. Please come back to us soon!

Boomer

Sunday September 26, 2021 Michael Lieberman

Theme: "Elongation" - EL is added to each common phrase. 

23. Censor of controversial parts of "Messiah"?: HANDEL SANITIZER. Hand sanitizer.

42. Cause of restaurant complaints?: SALAD DELAYS. Salad days.

48. Conventional rubies?: ORTHODOX JEWELS. Orthodox Jews.

69. Sign of a cat burglar?: FELINE PRINT. Fine print.

90. What people and leopards have in common?: VOWEL OF SILENCE. Vow of silence.

98. Stallone hero putting more film in his camera?: ROCKY RELOAD. Rocky Road.

119. Enjoy the track meet?: CATCH A FEW RELAYS. Catch a few rays.

Tried and true theme. I bet every constructor thought of adding EL or removal EL ("Noel") in their construction career. 

Smooth grid for a 140-worder. Low 3-letter count (24), the limit for a weekday 15x15 grid.

Across:

1. Chunk: SLAB.

5. Spill stopper: LID.

8. Beetle in Egyptian hieroglyphs: SCARAB. 

 

14. Old Eurasian rulers: TSARS.

19. Many a restaurant website page: MENU.

20. Addr. line ending: AVE.

21. Brother of Scar: MUFASA. In "The Lion King".

22. Juice box go-with: STRAW.

26. Hold forth: ORATE.

27. "Top Chef" host Lakshmi: PADMA. India-born. Once married to Salman Rushdie.

28. Knish seller: DELI.

29. __ Morris, "Saved by the Bell" protagonist: ZACK. Unknown to me.

31. Award for good plays: OBIE.  Theatrical play.

32. Bagel feature: HOLE.

34. Spots: SEES.

36. Emergency delivery method: AIRLIFT.

38. Family tree woman: GREAT-AUNT. My grandma's younger sister used to visit us once a year.  She could not walk much due to her bound feet. Hideous practice those days. My poor grandma used layers and layers of cloth to wrap her feet.

45. Intraoffice IT system: LAN.

46. Memo start: IN RE.

47. Get around: FINESSE.

53. Choir accompaniment: ORGAN.

57. 20th-century Argentine leader: PERON. Juan and Eva.

58. Room in Clue: STUDY. 64. Family room: DEN.

59. Original "Star Trek" actor: TAKEI (George)

62. Nice way to say yes?: OUI. Nice the city.

63. Stubborn animal: ASS.

65. Group email function: REPLY ALL.

67. A, in Aachen: EINE.

74. Shoppe modifier: OLDE.

75. Brand mentioned in the Beatles' "Come Together": COCA COLA.

77. Golf club part: TOE.

78. "I pity the fool" speaker: MR T.

79. Word that's a homophone of its first letter: OWE.

80. Willing subjects: HEIRS. The estate will.

82. Melodious: TONAL.

85. BILLY bookcase sellers: IKEAS.

88. Big dipper: LADLE.

93. Gallery event: ART SALE.

96. __ top: TANK.

97. Kinshasa's country, briefly: DRC. The Democratic Republic of the Congo. Not a common abbr.

102. Research staples: DATABASES.

104. Sister of Laertes: OPHELIA. "Hamlet".

105. Like yellow bananas: RIPE. Bill G mentioned that he only likes green bananas. Are you still there, Bill?

107. Look for gifts, say: SHOP.

108. Green and white: TEAS.

109. Almost never: ONCE. Try to blog a Thursday LAT once, you'll know the amount of work MM, Bill and all my other team members put on their writeups. So grateful to them, week after week.

112. Greenish-blue: TEAL.

114. Allow to fluctuate, as a currency: UNPEG. Yuan is pegged to the US Dollar.

117. Type of navel: INNIE.

123. Can't live without: NEEDS.

124. Bible book read during Purim: ESTHER. Also 49. Book after Daniel: HOSEA.

125. Hardly walking distance: FAR.

126. Neutral shade: ECRU.

127. Doesn't do much: IDLES.

128. What a broken escalator can serve as, aptly: STAIRS. I wish our townhome were one-level. It would be easier for Boomer to maneuver.

129. "Go for it!": TRY.

130. Loafer, e.g.: SHOE.

Down:

1. "This can't be," in texts: SMH. Shaking My Head.

2. Faithful spring?: LEAP. Leap of faith.

3. Actress Kendrick: ANNA.

4. Founder of an Eastern religion: BUDDHA. My favorite Buddha quote.

5. Euphoria: LA LA LAND. Great fill.

6. Providers of liquid assets?: IVS. I always look away when they jab Boomer.

7. Out of juice: DEAD.

8. Cheese alternative?: SMILE. Say "cheese".

9. Adorable ones: CUTIES.

10. "100 Years... 100 Movies" org.: AFI. American Film Institute.

11. Heckle: RAZZ.

12. On the briny: ASEA.

13. Chain of pubs with beer and video games: BARCADE.

14. General on a menu: TSO.

15. Tot toter: STROLLER.

16. Peninsula between the Red Sea and Persian Gulf: ARABIA.

17. Sanction: RATIFY.

18. Candy store buys: SWEETS.

24. Personified things in Pixar's "Inside Out": EMOTIONS. Mindy Kaling voiced Disgust.

25. Sticky home?: NEST. Home with sticks.

30. Isn't serious: KIDS.

33. Money in Münster: EUROS. Münster, Germany.

35. It may be cracked: SAFE.

37. Prepare for new planting, as a garden: RE-SOIL.

38. Zero-star fare: GLOP.

39. Not seen often: RARE.

40. Spellbound: ENTRANCED.

41. On deck: NEXT.

43. Upbeat melody: LILT.

44. "Master of None" co-creator Aziz __: ANSARI.  Me too always derailed his career.

50. Dame Dench: JUDI.

51. First place: EDEN.

52. Musical Lynn contemporary: WYNETTE (Tammy). Loretta Lynn.

54. Commits a hoops violation: GOALTENDS. Here's Wikipedia's goaltending explanation: "In basketball, goaltending is the violation of interfering with the ball while it is on its way to the basket and it is (a) in a downward flight (b) above the basket ring and within the imaginary cylinder and (c) not touching the rim."

55. "__ Lang Syne": AULD.

56. River to the Mediterranean: NILE.

60. "The Masked Singer" panelist Jeong: KEN. He also hosts "I Can See Your Voice".

61. Able, facetiously: EPT. Apt?

66. Radiohead lead singer/songwriter Thom: YORKE.

67. Subj. including the study of extinctions: ECOL. Ecology.

68. Field of Dreams setting: IOWA. "If you build it, they will come..."

69. Nemesis, e.g.: FOE.

70. Late philanthropist Broad: ELI. Some names are gimmes for me because I do clue research on a regular basis.

71. Like tadpoles: LARVAL.

72. Combine: POOL.

73. A.G. under Clinton: RENO.

76. "Curb Your Enthusiasm" actress Hines: CHERYL.

78. Biscuit whose name describes its shape: MILK-BONE.

81. Part for one: SOLO.

83. Men's grooming brand: AFTA.

84. Exams for future attys.: LSATS.

86. Decent-sized lot: ACRE.

87. Brief periods: SECS.

89. Summer cabin site: LAKESIDE. Before Boomer's cancer, we used to set up at Annadale Flea market. Lots lots of lake homes there.

91. Sport: WEAR.

92. Racing the deadline: IN A HURRY.

94. Chamber music work: TRIO.

95. Spirited events?: SEANCES. Good old clue.

98. Corkscrew pasta: ROTINI.

99. Warmed up the crowd: OPENED.

100. French fashion house: CHANEL. You can buy their bags as long as you have money. For Hermès Birkin bags, you have to be on a waiting list. Huge status symbol for many Asian girls.

101. Agitated state: DITHER.

102. Like Beethoven, late in life: DEAF.

103. Pie fruit: APPLES. And 106. Pie fruit: PEARS.

110. Ones getting a lot of props?: CAST. Stage props.

111. "At Last" singer James: ETTA.

113. Split: LEFT.

115. A pop: EACH.

116. Halal cart offering: GYRO.

118. Supergirl symbol: ESS.

120. Greek X: CHI.

121. Tolstoy title word: WAR.

122. Refuse to settle: SUE.

A few extra notes:

1) Here's a happy picture of Dr. Nina (Inanehiker) and her mom Jorae, who turned 90 years old on Friday (Sept 24th). See the crossword she's solving? Nina and I made it together!

2) Happy birthday to Dennis, who helped me greatly in the earlier years of this blog. Dennis was always the first one to post on the blog, followed by Kathy, who was married shortly after and Crockett1947 (Richard), who still posts here from time to time. Dennis fought a scary heath battle in 2019 and is doing great now. 

Dennis, Jan 2010

3) Please continue to keep Agnes (Irish Miss) in your thoughts and prayers. It hurts me so much to see her suffer. I'm so used to reading her bubbly email with cheerful emojis. 

She'll see an oncologist on Oct 7th and hopefully we'll know more about the next steps. Please email me (crosswordc@gmail.com) if you want to send Agnes an email or a card. We miss your presence on the blog, Agnes, stay strong!

C.C.