Sunday January 30, 2022 Matt Skoczen

Theme: "Making A Dent" - DING is added to each theme entry.

23. Fraudulent budget increase for cleaning supplies?: BRILLO PADDING. Brillo pad.

33. Those waiting for Facebook friend acceptance?: PENDING PALS. Pen pals.

40. Pre-flight pandemonium?: WILD BOARDING. Wild boar.

65. Banking at a beach ATM?: FUNDING IN THE SUN. Fun in the sun.

91. Growing bulb?: BUDDING LIGHT. Bud Light.

97. Major curves on a mountain road?: EPIC WINDING. Epic win.

113. Ocean trip for relationship strengthening?: BONDING VOYAGE. Bon voyage.

I remember we had a DING deletion theme a while ago. Not a DING addition.

Great title! Our standard Sunday word, black square count. A bit heavier on names in the fill.

Across:

1. Hankered (for): ITCHED.

7. Honi's comics dad: HAGAR. "Hägar the Horrible".

12. Jungian concerns: PSYCHES.

19. Ricky Martin's surname, by birth: MORALES. Enrique "Ricky" Martín Morales.

21. Mindless: INANE.

22. Stuffed meat dish: ROULADE. Is it a familiar dish to you?

25. Together: EN MASSE.

26. Walk in the park, say: AMBLE.

27. Ending with neur-: OSES.

28. Role for Ingrid: ILSA.  "Casablanca".

30. False __: STEP.

31. Lucie's dad: DESI. Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem play Lucy and Ricky in "Being the Ricardos".

32. Start of a classic dramatic question: ET TU.

36. Iain's negative: NAE.

38. Concerning: IN REGARD TO. Or "with regard to".

44. Big spreads: ESTATES.

49. Challenge, as testimony: IMPEACH.

50. Air issues org.: EPA.

51. "I knew it __ you": WAS.

53. "Oy vey!": AH ME.

54. Seal the deal: SIGN.

55. Hungry request: MORE. Next Tuesday is Chinese Spring Festival. I'm hungry for jiazi.

57. Fire: CAN.

58. Folding ladder feature: A FRAME.

60. H, to Kronos: ETA. Who's Kronos? I'm more familiar with Cronus spelling.

61. Word of accusation: LIAR.

63. Mil. rhyme for "Yahtzee": ROTC. New clue angle.

64. Lost steam: SLOWED.

69. Shape-fitting game: TETRIS.

72. "The __ Show": GONG. Here's Gong Li, the most famous Chinese actress.

73. Feed bag bits: OATS.

74. Deg. of distinction: PHD.

77. Just about: ALMOST.

78. Letters to a lender: IOU.

79. Part of CPA: Abbr.: CERT. Certified.

81. Modeling supply: GLUE.

82. Stray: ROAM.

83. Atl.-based network: CNN.

84. Shut out: BAN.

85. Embrace, as a custom: ESPOUSE.

88. Ancient Assyrian capital: NINEVEH. No idea. Wikipedia says it "was the largest city in the world for approximately fifty years until the year 612 BC. Today, it is a common name for the half of Mosul that lies on the eastern bank of the Tigris."

93. First Black person to host a successful TV variety show: FLIP WILSON.

96. Whole lot: TON.

101. Record speeds, for short: RPMS.

103. "__ Smile": Hall & Oates hit: SARA.

107. Park way: PATH.

108. Scott of "Hawaii Five-0": CAAN.

109. "Oh": I SEE.

110. Statehouse official: Abbr.: LT GOV.

111. At Notre Dame, say: IN PARIS. Notre Dame de Paris.

117. Saw-toothed: SERRATE.

118. Strand at a chalet, say: ICE IN.

119. More frivolous: SILLIER.

120. Like a best friend: CLOSEST.

121. One of the Allman Brothers: GREGG. He was married to Cher for sometime.

122. Lots: PLENTY.

Down: 

1. Boast in a 1987 Michael Jackson hit: I'M BAD.

2. "Chestnuts roasting ..." co-writer: TORME.

3. Exam no-nos: CRIBS.

4. Tony winner who portrayed TV's Barney Miller: HAL LINDEN.

5. Vogue alternative: ELLE.

6. __ gratias: DEO.

7. Use to conceal, as a bed: HIDE UNDER.

8. Added conditions: ANDS.

9. Chicken, in a Cantonese dish: GAI. Moo goo gai pan.

10. Wilson of Heart: ANN.

11. Saskatchewan capital: REGINA.

12. What a chair does: PRESIDES. Chairperson.

13. Spoken sounds: SONANTS. Learning moment for me.

14. "Delish!": YUM. Yummers on our blog.

15. Simple fastener: CLASP.

16. "__ mañana": HASTA.

17. Car that didn't go far: EDSEL.

18. Percolates: SEEPS.

20. Precise location: SPOT.

24. Moving: ASTIR.

29. Pres. or CEO: LDR. Leader.

32. Fed. anti-discrimination org.: EEOC.

33. __ Palace: castle on the Portuguese Riviera: PENA. Another learning moment. 

34. Word with white or cream: EGG.

35. "America's __ Talent": GOT.

37. Legal gp.: ABA.

39. Ready: RIPE.

40. One way to crack: WISE.

41. "You found the right person": I'M IT.

42. Patti Tavatanakit was its Rookie of the Year for 2021: Abbr.: LPGA. She's a Thai.

43. Jazz pianist __ Jamal: AHMAD.

45. Quarterback Rodgers: AARON. Packers.

46. Soften: THAW.

47. One-named body-image advocate: EMME.

48. Sesame __: SEED.

51. Bulb measure: WATT.

52. Nightly news figure: ANCHOR.

56. Where it all started: ORIGIN.

57. One side of an issue: CON. And PRO.

58. Mgr.'s second-in-command: ASST.

59. Wintry strains: FLUS.

61. California's San __ Obispo: LUIS.

62. Part of MIT: Abbr.: INST.

63. Fix: RIG.

65. "The most striking figure in Starkfield," in a Wharton classic: FROME. Ethan Frome.

66. Twelve, half the time: NOON.

67. African antelope: GNU.

68. Polished off: EATEN.

69. Alpine lake: TARN.

70. Weena's race, in a Wells classic: ELOI. "The Time Machine". Morlocks eat them.

71. IRS agent: T MAN.

74. Bit of talk show self-promotion: PLUG.

75. One may fall over a crowd: HUSH.

76. Something specific, informally: DEET. Detail.

79. Heels: CADS.

80. Showing support for: ENDORSING.

81. Take a limo, say: GO IN STYLE.

83. Special occasion service: CHINA SET. Carmen's special Spring Festival flowers. I don't know the name of the flowers in that big red Fortune vase, Carmen said they were very pricey.

84. Sofia's home: Abbr.: BULG. Bulgaria. They produce the best roses.

86. Some NCOs: SGTS.

87. Arafat's gp., once: PLO.

89. Group for ex-GIs: VFW.

90. Brings forth: ELICITS.

91. Recycling receptacle: BIN.

92. How deals are usually sealed: IN PEN.

94. Kissing at the bar, briefly: PDA. Public Display of Affection.

95. Hit the jackpot: WIN BIG.

97. Protestant denom.: EPISC.

98. Group of experts: PANEL.

99. Geek Squad member, for short: IT PRO.

100. Burns a little: CHARS.

102. Parts of gigs: MEGS.

104. Word from a coach: AGAIN.

105. Where to find words for words: ROGET.

106. Label giant: AVERY. By the way, where do you get your return address labels?

109. "Gotcha, man": I DIG.

110. Loaf: LOLL.

112. Pop's Carly __ Jepsen: RAE.  "Call Me Maybe" .

114. Text-scanning tech.: OCR.

115. Called before: NEE.

116. Limo passenger: VIP.

Boomer's radiation went well last week. He did scare me on Monday when he had a fall inside the radiation room. His left knee sometimes buckles, even with the walker. Thankfully no more accidents after that. He handled the extreme cold and long walks like the old Boomer!

We start more rounds of VA hospital visits on Feb 7, not daily, just two to three times a week for his PT, OT, chemo (will know more soon), MRI and other scans, neurosurgeon follow-up, spinal cord injury follow-up, diabetes visit, etc.

C.C.

Saturday January 29, 2022, Brian E. Paquin

 Saturday Themeless by Brian E. Paquin 

Brian has produced yet another Saturday source of entertainment from the shores of Lake Ontario. I had some very nice exchanges with Brian and on the write-up I will point out some of Brian's original clues and Rich's where our editor attempts to "Saturdayize" our puzzle. Here are Brian's comments: 

Hi Gary,

Nice to hear from you, as always!  

I submitted this puzzle in May of 2020, almost 2 years ago.   It got lost in the machinery for a long time, but finally found its way to the paper.   As with many of my puzzles, I worked on getting sparkly entries that pass through the center, then worked on the corners.   One might think that I built the puzzle around 7D MindOnesPsAndQs, but that was kind of an offshoot from the three long Across entries in the middle, which came first.   Sometimes you get lucky that way.

I used more black squares than normal, but I think that I just needed them to make the puzzle work.   I'm thinking particularly about the two cheater squares in each of the NE and SW corners.   I figure that extra black squares are better than gluey, obscure fill entries.

I hope that you and your readers are riding out the pandemic safely.  This should be the last year of it, one hopes!

Brian

The Shoal Tower built in the 1840's by the 
British to protect the Kingston Harbor against 
a feared attack by the Americans 

Across:

1. Biography beginning?: AUTO - The difference?

5. Energy: VIM.

8. It may be fictional: ALIBI.

13. Works on walls: GRAFFITI - The Berlin Wall has been called the world's longest art gallery and the more conventional 17. Works on walls: PAINTS 

15. Where "Madama Butterfly" premiered: MILAN - A 1904 poster for Puccini's Madam Butterfly premiering at The Teatro alla Scala in Milan

16. What spies often do: LISTEN IN.

19. Cereal bit: OAT.

20. Prisoner's place, in an 1894 adventure novel: ZENDA - This first edition, first issue can be purchased for $3,125

22. Most coins have them: RADII - All round coins have RADII. Brian's clue was "Circle parts"

23. Make sharp: WHET - When I worked at the nursery, we all carried these WHET stones in our pockets

25. 2004 World Golf Hall of Fame inductee Isao __: AOKI - Our frequent crossword visitor should go into the Vowel Hall Of Fame.

27. Titled woman: DAME - The spouse of a DAME does not have a title. That spouse is simply Mr. or Mrs. or whatever works today

28. Radiation Protection Program org.: EPA - In yesterday's puzzle they were monitoring our water

31. Las Palmas lad: NINO - Las Palmas is a Spanish city in the Canary Islands and a boy there would be a NIÑO

33. Badger: NAG.

34. Celebrity's arrival, perhaps: GRAND ENTRANCE.

37. In the negative, unlikely to be fooled: BORN YESTERDAY - Judy Holliday plays a naive woman in this great movie. With a little education, she soon discovers that she was not BORN YESTERDAY (97% on Rotten Tomatoes)

38. Bet, in a way: PLAY THE PONIES - Don't quit your day job

39. "Alley __": OOP.

40. Works on, as a lawn: SODS.

41. Five mL, in medicine: TSP.

42. Is beholden to: OWES - This solver/blogger OWES a lot to a lovely Asian lady in Minneapolis

44. __ sauce: WEAK - A slang insult for a person or an item shown here by the inverted syntax of our crossword friend YODA

46. Oodles: TONS.

50. Musical skill: CHOPS - From the word EMBOUCHURE. It has progressed from the skill of wind instrument players to manipulate their mouth and lips to other musicians and even other disciplines. Brian definitely has crossword CHOPS

52. Sign up, in Salisbury: ENROL - The Salisbury Plain in England has Stonehenge but no use for another L in ENROL.

55. Zilch: NIL.

56. Wanting success?: HAVING - Brian's clue was "Dining on". He and I discussed our take for Rich's cluing here and arrived at: Wanting something means you don't have it and HAVING it is a successful outcome of the wanting. 

58. Assign responsibility: DELEGATE.

60. Summary: RECAP.

61. Serious predicament: QUAGMIRE.

62. Wine residue: DREGS - A poignant look at a life from "the brim to the DREGS"

63. Modern marshal's milieu: SKY - Now they must also deal with mask issues

64. Text translation: TROT - Saturdayizing to the max: Brian had "Jog along" for the clue but Rich came up with something a little farther down the list of definitions 

Down:

1. Radiant: AGLOW.

2. First name in a Dickens classic: URIAH.

3. Preference: TASTE.

4. "For the apparel __ proclaims the man": Polonius: OFT - Hamlet, Act I, Scene III

Polonius advises his son to buy clothes ("habits") which are as good as he can afford but to avoid buying clothes that are showy ("gaudy"). The phrase "the apparel oft proclaims the man" means that the type of clothes one wears tell a lot about the wearer; showy clothes may suggest that the wearer is a superficial type of person.

5. Wisteria, e.g.: VINE.

6. Memoir that led to the movie "What's Love Got to Do With It": I TINA - All you need to know

7. Act mannerly: MIND ONE'S P'S AND Q'S - Brian said this long fill just happened to work out with his long horizontal middle fill

8. Music box, maybe: AMP - What roadies have to move

9. Yarn spinner: LIAR.

10. Homeric epic: ILIAD.

11. Versatile head-neck garb: BANDANNAS - Talk about yer versatility!

12. Getting very close: INTIMACY.

14. Tasseled hat: FEZ.

18. Extended attack: SIEGE - Grant's successful SIEGE of Vicksburg,MS and Meade's win at Gettysburg both occurred around the Fourth of July, 1863.  Vicksburg did not celebrate Independence Day again until 1945,

21. Like: AKIN TO.

24. Looped fabric: TERRY - TERRY Looping

26. Strongly focused: INTENT.

29. What a hot dog or 38. Dog: POOCH.does?: PANTS.

30. "But I digress ... ": ANYHOW.

32. Root in perfumery: ORRIS.

Worth The Wait

Iris is a beautiful flower with origins in Italy and Morocco. It takes on all the colours of the rainbow but is most commonly known for it’s purple and blue petals. The flower itself actually carries little scent. It is the roots (ORRIS) that hold the scented magic but only one species is used in fragrance – Iris pallida. When the iris is picked, it is left to dry for up to 6 years! In our opinion, it’s well worth the wait. Like a fine wine, the scent of iris gets better with age.

34. Wig out about: GO APE OVER.

35. Clinton press secretary Myers: DEE DEE - The first woman to get that job

36. Crackerjack: ADEPT.

37. Windbag: BLOWHARD 

43. Food flavoring: SPICE.

45. "Smallville" actress Kristin: KREUK 

47. Studio sign: ON AIR.

48. Explosive, briefly: NITRO.

49. Letter carrier's challenge: SLEET.

51. Catch-22: SNAG

53. Skin care brand: OLAY

54. Relay part: LEG - When Usain Bolt is running anchor (the last LEG), ya gotta like your chances to win.

57. Family docs: GP'S.

59. Clock-setting std.: GMT - The International Space Station passes over each time zone 16 times/day. Therefore they simply use Greenwich Mean Time for their schedules. The Current GMT

Friday, January 28, 2022, Dan Schoenholz

  Welcome to Dan Schoenholz' world where things always fit together; or do they? 

This is his 9th LAT publication along with 26 NYTs of which 11 are Sundays. He started here with a Sunday back in 2010 and has never ventured into end of the week themeless grids. He has commented that he likes "interlocking" theme answers and this is a doozy. (Maybe?) How to "suss" his fill? 

We start with 

16A. Reason for a robot's knee trouble?: JOINT RUST (9). Well that makes sense, but JOINT TRUST is also a real method of Estate Planning. You just need to borrow the T. hmm.

So we moved on to 

29A. Drinking espresso before bed, say?: NIGHT ERROR. another simple fill as strong coffee  will keep most awake, but NIGHT TERROR is also very real as night terror, also called sleep terror, a sleep disorder causing feelings of panic or dread. (I had my sleep study on Monday, results in 10 days). hmm2

Next we find

36A. Flushing problem?: TOILET ISSUE would be a difficulty if you could not flush, but TOILET TISSUE is very much an important concept in the loo. hmm3

Next

43A. Babe who never lied?: HONEST RUTH; I never heard that about the ballplayer but I do know of the phrase HONEST TRUTH which is a bit redundant. hmm4

Finally 

57A. Mom and dad's rhythmic genre?: PARENT RAP, my kids have never needed to fear hearing style of music from their parents but the Movie  PARENT TRAP (twins seperated at birth) did further Haley Mills' career and then spawn the Patty Duke Show (identical cousins). hmm5

Thank you C.C. for teaching me how to deal with the new rules for using the XWord info site which allowed me to show these long non-theme fill: ARSENAL, PGA TOUR, PODCAST, SPHERES, TREEBOA, ON PATROL, SANTA ANA, BEG FOR MERCY and NINTENDO WII. An impressive array. If Dan does not stop by we are our own, and may never know what he had in mind, but I had fun.

Across:

1. Exhibit wanderlust: ROAM. It was for me and many others I guess a joy to start with filling 1A.

5. Graceless sort: OAF. Boom, there was 5A and we are going great.

8. Settled things: DEBTS. Oops, time to begin to work. The noun not the verb.

13. Revolution site: AXLE. The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round Now we already are confronting Friday misdirection, not a coup, but a coo.

14. Church niche: APSE. If you have been in a church you know the  large semicircular or polygonal recess where the altar is. If not, now you do.

15. Beethoven wrote just one: OPERA. The STORY.  The music.

                            

18. Behind bars: CAGED. This is easy fill if you think of historic zoos; a bit dicey thinking about human prisoners; not very popular thse days for either group. mb, thoughts?

19. Figure (out): SUSS. A word crossword solvers could not exist without that was stolen by a famous constructor...

20. "Gross!": ICK. This first appeared in this quotation in 1965. "Together we dragged [the fish] flopping on the grassy bank, where it smacked its tail and made Lecia sidestep with an odd daintiness. She actually said ick. "— Mary Karr. ICKY goes back to 1929.

22. Gratified: FED. If you think of an ego this makes more sense.

23. Run things: MANAGE. That is why they are called managers.

26. Ad for a good cause,  briefly: PSA. Public Service Announcement.                                      

27. Japanese port city: KOBE. We leave out basketball and beef for this old CITY.

28. Yellowfin tuna: AHI. Aha! Ahi is back. All you need to know to be a bit more informed and confused. LINK.

32. Orange County seat: SANTA  ANA. The double A caught my eye but was not part of the theme.

35. Tibetan priest: LAMA. The one "L" one; hello Dahli.

39. Hang: PEND. Many judges do not rule on the spot. 

40. Like beat cops: ON PATROL. This concept dates back to the 1690s and is from the French words meaning "to go the rounds in a camp or garrison, march about as a guard," from patrouiller ‘paddle in mud.'

46. Greek X: CHI. So much to know about a single LETTER.

47. Chances: ODDS. 

48. Vacuum's lack: AIR. Or hoses.

49. Biological catalyst: ENZYME. A substance produced by a living organism which acts as a catalyst to bring about a specific biochemical reaction. Dictionary.

52. Sgt., e.g.: NCO. Non-Commissioned Officer.

53. Little mischief maker: IMP. The definition of an imp is a young demon (historically) or a child (in modern times) who misbehaves just for the fun of misbehaving. An example of an historic imp is a very small mythical creature that plays tricks on people. An example of a modern imp is a five year old child who hides from their mother in a grocery store.

54. Penélope who is the only Spanish actress with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: CRUZ.

55. Georgia rivals of the Tide: DAWGS. Georgia won the big game this year.

62. Like many elephants: ASIAN. Both species are endagered.  In Africa, there are approximately 415,000 individuals left whilst in Asia, a mere 40,000.

                                    

63. Former partners: EXES. 
                                        

64. Flow like lava: OOZE. 

65. Clown elevator: STILT. I really like this clue.

66. Source of early glistening: DEW. 

Dew Is Glistening

dew is glistening, morning Sun

caressing Earth where we are one

step away from feeling something new

by Lawrence

67. Low-level worker: PEON. I hope I never get peed on.

Down:

1. Indian friend of Sheldon and Leonard: RAJ. Koothrappali. In real life he married a beauty queen.

2. Big name in kitchenware: OXO. A very common fill.

3. Ring master: ALI. Not the circus but the boxing ring. Muhammed and his daughter Laila.

4. Organization name that means "table" in Latin: MENSA. The word mensa translates “table” in Latin; similarly, mens means “mind” and mensis means “month.” The name “Mensa” is reminiscent of “mind, table, month."

5. Magnum __: OPUS. The plural is opera.

6. Animal in some fables: ASS.  Aesop's moral of the ass who dressed in a lion skin to scare others, "A fool may deceive by his dress and appearance, but his words will soon show what he really is."

7. Amulet: FETISH. This is an inanimate object worshiped for its supposed magical powers or because it is considered to be inhabited by a spirit. Similar: juju, talisman, charm, totem, icon, idol or image. Think about that when you look at your icon.

8. Park on the water?: DOCK. Another fun clue/fill. 

9. Clean Air Act org.: EPA. Environmental Protection Agency.

10. Seek leniency: BEG FOR MERCY. This is a debut in the LA Times. 

11. Amazonian arboreal snake: TREE BOA. This appeared in the LA Times only in a Sunday, February 24, 2013.

12. Further down?: SADDER. So true.

14. Longtime Tottenham football rival: ARSENAL. Do we have many football fans here besides or British contingent?

17. Pull: TUG.

21. Popular adoptee: CAT. What you need to KNOW.

23. Miguel's more: MAS. Spanish lesson.

24. Reaction to a light bulb turning on?: AHA. Metaphorically? An idea? Or finding your partner in someone else embrace?

25. GameCube successor: NINTENDO WII. Wiki's HISTORY.

26. Gp. with many of the best drivers: PGA TOUR. Gold for HG, Moe and others.

27. Brat go-with: KRAUT. A bad word in the 30s and 40s.

30D. Like Beethoven's Sonata Op. 109: IN E.

31. Snow queen in "Frozen": ELSA. My granddaughters have been obsessed with the sisters.

33. Eases, with "down": TONES. If you are going to complain, do it reasonably; tone down your attack.

34. Helps out: AIDS. From the French.

37. Acct. earnings: INTerest.

38. Ranges of influence: SPHERES. Your sphere of influence (“SOI” or “sphere”) are the people in your personal and professional network with whom your opinion holds some weight. More to it in politics.

39. Online entertainment: PODCAST. My oldest boy loves them as he drives.

41. Omega, in physics: OHM. Ohm on the range.

42. Fail to be straight: LIE. A bit obscure. 

43. Pilots on the road: HONDAS. Where else would you find an automobile?

44. One might be doffed in Dundee: TAM. Tam o'shanter cap.

45. Muscular: RIPPED.

50. "The Sound of Music" extra: NUN. 

51. "Tres Hombres" band: ZZTOP. The full album.

53. Ain't proper?: ISNT. An old favorite clue/fill.

54. Captain's help: CREW. Make it so.

56. Milk purch.: GALlon.

58. Let go: AXE. Fire, a spray deodorant, or my old band client.

59. Anonymous plaintiff in a landmark case: ROE. No politics! 

60. __ dye: AZO. They create pretty colors but are DANGEROUS.

61. Home near a barn: PEN. Do not be a pig about it.

Another month about to slide into the record books; HBDTY nephew Jonathan; good luck to the world and all of us; keep Boomer and any who ail in your thoughts and prayers and take time to enjoy life. Thank you Dan, Lemonade out