Sunday February 13, 2022 Pam Amick Klawitter

Theme: "Make Mine a Triple" - All three words can precede "room" in each theme entry.

22A. *Game piece with a "6" on it: GREEN BILLIARD BALL. Greenroom. Billiard room. Ball room.

64A. *Camp sleeping arrangement: DOUBLE BUNK BED. Double room. Bunk room. Bedroom.

108A. *Where women once learned to stitch: LADIES SEWING CLASS. Ladies room. Sewing room. Classroom.

13D. *Primary concern of a Four Seasons chef: HOTEL GUEST DINING. Hotel room. Guest room. Dining room.

37D. *'50s-'60s ad competition: LAUNDRY POWDER WAR. Laundry room. Powder room. War room.

Reveal:

120. One of three found in each answer to a starred clue: ROOM.

I only know bunk bed, not bunk room. I guess our university dorms were all bunk rooms then.

For this type of three-part theme, the entries are often wobbly. It's impossible to find a set with all solid in-the-language answers.

Across:

1. Willing partner: ABLE. Willing and able.

5. Dapper dudes: FOPS.

9. Break-even transaction: WASH. It's a wash.

13. "__ Eye Is on the Sparrow": hymn: HIS.

16. Easily played: NAIVE.

18. Hilarious sort: RIOT. Also 8. What a comedy show might have you in: STITCHES. Boomer's grouchy & fun answers often make the PT lady chuckle. Here he is at the Spinal Cord Injury PT room last Monday.

19. Thelma, to Louise, or vice versa: GAL PAL.

21. __ Mae: Whoopi's "Ghost" role: ODA. Love the movie.

25. "3x" on an Rx: TER. Sometimes it's TID.

26. Baskin-Robbins treats: SUNDAES.

27. 27-member gp.: THE EU. NATO has 30 members.

28. Good way to plan: AHEAD.

30. GPS command: TURN.

31. Toon maker of a female road runner costume: ACME.

32. Garland's girl: MINNELLI. Liza. Judy Garland.

35. Tee sizes, initially: SML. Small.

38. Curtain holder: ROD.

39. Pool hustler: SHARK. I only know one: Minnesota Fats

41. It's found in a fizz: SLOE GIN.

42. __-Dazs: HAAGEN.

44. Like many a bow: TIED.

45. Selfish pair?: ESSES. Just the two letters in "Selfish".

47. Take advantage of: USE.

48. Fluish symptoms: AGUES.

49. Lends a hand: AIDS.

50. Do some road repairs: RE-TAR. Winter is brutal on our roads.

51. Add to the pot: BET.

52. Yard opening: VINE. Vineyard. Also 75. Chute opener?: PARA. Parachute.

53. Skin soother: ALOE.

54. Name above "The Lady and Her Music" on a 1981 Broadway poster: LENA. Horne.

55. Kikkoman sauces: SOYS. Odd in plural form.

57. One of two field borders: END ZONE.

59. Where it's at: LOCALE.

61. "I will if you will": LET'S.

63. Neither partner: NOR.

68. Pops: DAD.

70. Hardly a vet: TYRO. or NOOB.

72. "... __, short and stout": TEAPOT.

73. As-the-crow-flies route: BEELINE.

77. FedEx rounds, briefly: RTES.

78. Hollywood brothers' name: COEN. Joel or Ethan. From St. Louis Park, Minnesota.

80. Extras: ANDS.

81. __ town: COW.

82. It needs a driver: SCREW. Screwdriver.

84. __ dog: SLED.

85. Cook-off bowlful: CHILI. Boomer likes beans in his chili.

86. Stomach: MAW.

87. Thumbs-ups: OKAYS.

88. Move quickly, as clouds: SCUD. Hence scud missile, I guess.

89. Big name in theaters: WARNER.

90. Literally, "going," in scores: ANDANTE. Walking pace.

92. Sierra Nevada lake: TAHOE.

94. Man Ray contemporary: ARP. Jean. Both Dadaists.

95. Higher ed hurdle: GRE.

96. Some union acquisitions: STEPSONS.

98. Poet: BARD.

99. Lowry of kid lit: LOIS.

101. __ firma: TERRA.

102. Pulls an all-nighter: CRAMS.

104. Fictional pilot who said, "Never tell me the odds": HAN SOLO.

107. "TMI!!": EEW.

113. Stranded letters?: RNA. Single-stranded.

114. Disguise, in a way: ENCODE.

115. Wrap that sounds apologetic: SARI. So pretty.

116. Giant's NFL foe: EAGLE. The New York Giants.

117. Belarus, once: Abbr.: SSR.

118. El __: NINO.

119. Parted partners: EXES.

Down:

1. "Gemini Man" director Lee: ANG. Here with his wife. His ANG is the same character as the "an" in my hometown "Xi'an".

2. Signal-strength display: BARS.

3. "In __ of gifts ... ": LIEU.

4. Occasion: EVENT.

5. One on a Facebook list: FRIEND.

6. Spa supplies: OILS. Tiny clue/answer dupe: 11. Cruise amenity: SPA.

7. Pro in a party: POL. Politician.

9. Get one's feet wet: WADE.

10. Book of memories: ALBUM.

12. Actor Linden: HAL. "Barney Miller".

14. One with a vision: IDEALIST.

15. Metaphorical rush-hour subway rider: SARDINE.

17. Stands the test of time: ENDURES.

19. Garson of "Mrs. Miniver": GREER. Wikipedia says she's the fourth most-nominated woman for the Best Actress Oscar.

20. Plains, in Peru: LLANOS. Or PAMPAS.

23. Industry tycoon: BARON.

24. Sportscaster Rashad: AHMAD.

29. "__ Haw": HEE.

31. In reserve: ASIDE.

33. Rae of "The Lovebirds": ISSA.

34. Reds and Cards, briefly: NLers. National Leaguers.

35. Shadowless?: SHAVEN. Going to get Boomer an electric shaver today. Quite a few changes due to the new chemo.

36. French military leader with an eponymous line: MAGINOT. Maginot Line along the French-German border.

40. Actor Wynn: KEENAN.

43. "__ Louise!": GEEZ.

44. Andalusian uncle: TIO. And 53. Mayo is in it: ANO.

46. Celery piece: STALK.

49. Early seal hunter: ALEUT.

50. Shorten further: RE-CUT.

51. "I'm outta here": BYE.

54. Timber wolves: LOBOS.

56. Quaint shoppe adjective: OLDE.

58. Notable feature of 59-Down: ODOR. 59. Toon with a 58-Down: LE PEW.

60. Subsided: EBBED.

62. Adam of "Grown Ups" films: SANDLER.

65. Smoothie fruit: BERRY. Shout-out to our sweet Ohio reader Janice. I wonder if anyone else on our blog knows Paczki.

Janice and her daughter at an Indians Game Pre-COVID

66. Most up-to-date: LATEST.

67. Dusk, to Donne: EEN.

69. Hankering: DESIRE.

71. Like clams on the half shell: RAW. I have not eaten any raw clams for a long time.

74. Bert in Oz: LAHR.

76. "I didn't __ be here": ASK TO.

78. Informed, with "in": CLUED.

79. Ref. that added "chapstick" in 2021: OED. This late?

81. Base bars: CANTEENS.

83. City on the Orne: CAEN. Used to appear in our grids regularly in the old Tribune Daily days.

84. "Taxi Driver" director: SCORSESE.

85. Tony Soprano's "Got it?": CAPISCE.

86. Really nails: MASTERS.

87. Marked down: ON SALE. Our local grocery store had walleye on sale last week. $8.00 for the one-pound bag. Normally it's between $12.99 to $14.99 for the bag. Wild-caught in Canada. So tasty.

88. Trickeries: SHAMS.

89. "Don't think so": WRONG.

91. Aries mo.: APR.

93. Put down: ABASE.

94. Grammy winner Morissette: ALANIS. "Thank U!"

97. Offspring: SCION.

100. Word with panel or system: SOLAR.

103. Overhaul: REDO.

104. Bring on board: HIRE.

105. Maracaibo, por ejemplo: LAGO. Lake in Venezuela. Largest in South America. 

106. Munch Museum city: OSLO.

109. Fashionable Taylor: ANN.

110. Caesar's 601: DCI.

111. Tussaud's medium: WAX.

112. School yr. division: SEM. Semester.

Boomer had a busy week. We were at the VA hospital every day for various scheduled and unexpected appointments. The good news is that Boomer got the chemo infusion on Friday and he did not suffer nausea or lack of appetite the past two days. He'll receive his next chemo on March 3. 

He'll continue his regular PT and OT next Monday and Tuesday. And an MRI, ordered by the neurosurgeon.

Thanks again for all your warm messages, wishes, prayers and cards. They really cheer up Boomer and me during this difficulty time.

C.C.

Saturday, February 12, 2022, Chase Dittrich and Jeff Chen

  Saturday Themeless by Chase Dittrich and Jeff Chen 

Chase with Tiny Tina and JB

My research shows that Chase has had three solo Tuesday puzzles in the LA Times but today he teams up with a familiar mentor, Jeff Chen, for this entertaining themeless entry. Hmmm...a guy who was a math major and likes kitties and crosswords? I can dig it!

Hi Gary! 

Since I’m the one writing this, and for once Jeff can’t comment, I’ll just assume what he would have said. 

Jeff: “Despite less time in the field, Chase is by far the better constructor. He’s superior in every way and is definitely better at tennis and trivia. I probably owe him several beers.”

Wow, thanks Jeff. That means a lot.  

As for this puzzle, the seed was THE QUEENS GAMBIT – it also happens to have my favorite clue. I loved the show and wanted to pay some homage to it, so I teamed up with Jeff since this was my first themeless attempt (we’ve made about a dozen or so puzzles together at this point)

It’s funny that we ended up with STOP AT NOTHING being the other long entry, because that’s the revealer to another puzzle Jeff and I made around the same time. I think we likely had the phrase on our minds when we built this.

Despite Jeff’s lavish praise above, the man is a humble pro and knows good fill. As a relative rookie, I tend to still want to justify some questionable fill here and there, but he won’t have it. In the end I was very happy with how this came out. I hope solvers enjoy it!

I've included a photo of me with my two cats and our Patriots blanket...and if you look hard enough you just might find JC.

Personal info:I grew up in Maine and majored in 

Amazon Hdqrs Seattle

math at Trinity College (please don't test my math skills), then joined the Marine Corps and got out as a Captain in 2013. Headed off to Columbia Business School and moved out to LA for a logistics job at a video game company. And I just started work as a Program Manager at Amazon in Seattle (coincidentally the same city Jeff lives in!). Been here two months.

Across:

1. Gets debriefed?: STRIPS - High school nightmare

7. One that may come from Yale: PADLOCK.

1870's Version

14. Exactly as planned: TO A TEE - Origin

15. Hot sauce with a rooster logo: SRIRACHA - A type of hot sauce or chili sauce made from a paste of chili peppers, distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar, and salt. One report has it that the sauce was first produced by a Thai woman named Thanom Chakkapak in the town of Si Racha (or Sriracha, Thailand)

16. __ Ravenclaw, founder of a Hogwarts house: ROWENA - Here ya go

17. Like one who can't even hit an easy pitch: TONE DEAF.

18. Matter makeup: ATOMS.

19. Galoot: LOUT.

20. Like some humor or meat: DARK. Here is some DARK humor from Sara Bernhardt using both words 48. Care: MIND

21. Causes: WHYS and 29. Behave: ACT. - We teachers can see how kids ACT but we have to determine the WHYS that generate that behavior.

22. Conciliatory gestures: SOPS - Usually too little, too late

23. "Enemy of the State" org.: NSA 

National Security Agency movie
that got a 78% on Rotten Tomatoes

24. Snacks on: HAS.

25. They circle worlds: EQUATORS - As you can see, Apollo 15 and 17 landed quite a ways north of the Moon's EQUATOR

30. Stopped working, as an engine: QUIT.

31. Celebratory bar buys: ROUNDS - After my hole-in-one, I bought a single ROUND

35. Miniseries given a 5-star rating (out of 6) by Magnus Carlsen: THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT - A fortuitous discovery by me on Netflix and a seed entry for Chase.

38. Croatia neighbor: SERBIA - Europe's reaction to an assassination by a young SERBIAN in 1914 was  WWI.

39. Autumn gemstone: OPAL.

40. Carrier to Osaka: ANA.

41. Wide receiver, historically: SPLIT END - Player X is a SPLIT END. He is on the line but is SPLIT out wide. Player Y is a tight END because he is right next to the rest of the line.

43. Scuba diver's item: FIN.

44. Name-linking trio: AKA - Zhouqin Also Known As C.C. 

47. "__ a Bad Mama Jama": 1981 Carl Carlton hit: SHE'S - The beat is great but the lyrics 8. Informal negative: AIN'T Gershwin

49. Norse prankster: LOKI - Learned this in cwd's

51. Stopped at a base, in a way: SLID or not.

52. 1980 Crichton lost-world novel: CONGO.

53. Exam involving a pupil: IRIS SCAN - No password needed

55. Lake on the California/Arizona border: HAVASU - The city paid $10M to have the London Bridge dismantled, shipped and reconstructed at Lake HAVASU. It is now the second most popular tourist attraction in Arizona after The Grand Canyon. 

56. Comics hero's weapon: BATARANG.

57. Folded Dish: OMELT

58. Briefly: IN A WORD and 28. (In) brief: SUM.

59. Razzie winners: WORSTS - *Correct question below

Down:

1. Boaters, e.g.: STRAW HATS - Boaters and the wonderful Buffalo Bills!

2. Canine woe: TOOTHACHE - Oh, the ones next to my incisors 

3. Shucked edible: RAW OYSTER - In land-locked Nebraska we shuck raw corn

4. Express lane sign word: ITEMS 

5. Source of some black and blue marks: PENS 

6. Java __: SEA - If you fly from Indonesia to Borneo, you will fly over the Java SEA

7. "Remembrance of Things Past" author: PROUST - A seven-volume work whose original title was In Search Of Lost Time (À la Recherche Du Temps Perdu) but became Remembrance Of Things Past when translated from the French. 

9. Dr. without a degree: DRE.

10. Actress Cheryl: LADD.

11. Indian __: OCEAN - A more familiar body of water than the JAVA Sea

12. Seals in the juices of: CHARS.

13. "All language is but a poor translation" author: KAFKA - Semantics was a college course that changed my life and annoyed my girl friend 

15. Do whatever it takes: STOP AT NOTHING 

19. Disney duck: LOUIE - I'll bet you know Donald Duck's other two nephews as well

22. Delighted sound: SQUEAL.

25. Furnish: EQUIP.

26. Hearts, e.g.: ORGANS - Last month modified pig heart was transplanted into this 57-yr-old man. Results are still unknown but twenty people per day die waiting for a heart transplant

27. "The BFG" author Dahl: ROALD - The story of a Big Friendly Giant and a ten-yr-old girl

32. Bulls dominated them in the '90s: NBA FINALS - Michael Jordan "retired" for the '94 - '95 seasons 

33. China can be found in one: DINING SET.

34. Humdingers: STANDOUTS 

36. Montana et al.: Abbr.: QBS - Signed Joe Montana helmets

37. Arrival time factor: SPEED - I just calculated that I can get to Lincoln one minute and fifteen seconds faster at 74 mph instead of the legal 70 mph

42. Kitchen prep spot: ISLAND.

44. It may check out: ALIBI - Did OJ's ALIBI check out? Google at will

45. Arabic holy book: KORAN.

46. Breed in "Hachi: A Dog's Tale": AKITA.

48. Dolly user: MOVER.

0. Part of Caesar's boast: I SAW - "Veni, vidi, Comedi" "I Came, I SAW, I Ate"

51. Toon lion voiced by Jeremy Irons: SCAR.

Life imitating art?

52. Grunt wear: CAMO.

54. Sellout letters: SRO - Standing Room Only tickets for Husker VB are not cheap! Every one of the 8,500 seats for every match are already sold. They are one of two college VB programs that actually make money

55. Method: HOW.

* From 59 Across: The correct question for  "Three-razzie winner" is "What was The Love Guru?".  BTW, it lost $20M and Mike Myers hasn't made a movie of his own since

Friday, February 11, 2022, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: No Duh!

We have a somewhat unusual offering from our JW that features only three (3) themers! Is our reliable one slowing down? Not at all, as this puzzle is chock full of wonderful elements. 

1. The long non-theme fill are gorgeous. I have highlighted in my usual coloring chart - FRAGMENT, SUBTRACT, FOR A PRICE, GEOMETRIC, GONE TO POT, and RAY LIOTTA. The purple been in the LAT twice before; the blue has appeared but once (a 2009 Sunday); the red are making their first appearance here with the BOLDED a first appearance in any major publication. Considering how many puzzles are now published this selection is awesome.

2. The themers are each a five letter word ending in D paired with another word(s) that creates a familiar phrase, but by removing the D the fill is silly and evocative. 

3.    Most impressively, each of the remaining 4 letter words are an animal. The before and after phrases have nothing but letters in common. The baby reveal

60D. Silent assent ... or, in two parts, a hint to three long answers: NO D.

Can you come up with a similar concept that is put together so tightly? 

So here we go, the theme:

21A. Yogi's barber?: BEARD TRIMMER (11). I did LOL trying to picture Yogi and BooBoo in the salon. I think painting of toenails would be in order.

36A. Tusker as tutor?: BOARD OF EDUCATION (15). I have had boring teachers and I see this as a bonus pun within a pun. 

53A. Function of a straw man?: CROWD CONTROL (11). My favorite. 

The rest:

1. "Smooth Operator" artist: SADE. "Shaday" is a very impressive performer LINK.

5. Play groups: CASTS. A performance for an audience not just kids.

10. Pop of punk: IGGY. A one-time icon 

14. Miso go-with, often: UDON. Udon noodles are made out of wheat flour; they are thick and white in color. Best as fresh, they are soft and chewy. On the other hand, soba noodles are made out of buckwheat, with a strong nutty flavor. Many though have wheat in them also, which means they are not gluten-free.

15. Sean who played Samwise: ASTIN. He is the step-son of actor John Astin and his mother Patty Duke who appeared here recently.

16. Many August births: LEOS. Not all, I am a Virgo.

17. Panache: ZING. 

18. Grand __: PIANO. So many five letter choices. E.G.; GRAND PIANO, GRAND STAND, GRAND HOTEL, GRAND OPERA, GRAND TOTAL, GRAND DADDY, GRAND CANAL, GRAND FORKS, GRAND TETON, GRANDCHILD and more

19. Unique: LONE. This was the lone correct answer.

20. Desire: YEN. Do Japanese Yen for Yen?

23. Cheesy Mexican appetizer: QUESO. Per WikiDiff: As nouns the difference between cheese and queso is that cheese is (uncountable) a dairy product made from curdled or cultured milk or cheese can be (slang) wealth, fame, excellence, importance while queso is melted cheese, used for instance as a dipping sauce.

25. One found among blocks: STREET. Nice misdirection, again not kids toys.

26. Related on mom's side: ENATE. We all know "natal." E is for girls, AG is for boys.

30. Tiffs: SET TOS. I do not think this phrase is as common as it was in 1743,  "bout, fight,"originally pugilistic slang,

32. Break into pieces: FRAGMENT. I did not even get to the 8 letter fill.

35. Troy, N.Y., campus: RPI. A CSO to our two Rensselaer Polytech graduates; do you recall who they are?

40. "Nice __!": TRY. THis clue is trying to suck you into the French trickery.

41. Do the math, perhaps: SUBTRACT. The second of the fun 8 letter fill.

42. Light courses: SALADS. That depends on the dressing.

46. "A moveable feast," to Hemingway: PARIS. A wonderful post-humously published look of his world and all the people who he interacted with in the 20s in Paris. I do not know if he was lampooning the religious connotation.

47. They work in lofty places: PILOTS.
Ha ha.

49. Scratching (out): EKING.

57. Ginza agreement: HAI. A simple yes will do in Japan in the Ginza section of Tokyo.

58. Formality: RITE. But are they really right?

59. California coastal county: MARIN. Chief Marin was the tribal leader of the indigenous in this wonderful area NW of San Francisco. A beautiful area with many beautiful  people.

60. Super star: NOVA. I thought noone like those cars? 

61. It precedes Romans: ACTS. Significant writings by early Christian authors to explain aspects of the Gospel. Those who are religious see them as sacred.

62. Hardly a libertine: PRUDE. This is a simple antonym. 

63. Word with season or mind: OPEN. Interesting choice as open season has some negative connotations while open mind is an important part of growth.

64. Vanquished: BEAT. And if they defeat me are they beat'nicks?

65. Trim and graceful: SLEEK. 

66. Bench press muscle: DELToid. The shoulder.

Down:

1. Bygone Devil Dog competitor: SUZYQ. Hostess brings back classic Suzy Q's after fans complain. The people have spoken and Hostess has answered. ... The iconic cake was originally released in 1961. 

2. One-consonant parting: ADIEU.

3. "Any man's death diminishes me" writer: DONNE. A religious philospher and poet who wondered as did Hemingway, for whom the bell tolls.

4. University dept.: ENGineer. A CSO to many of our regulars; you know who you are.

5. __ May: CAPE. Billed by New Jersey as America's original resort.

6. K2 locale: ASIA. Climb that mountain and try not to die.

7. Leading: STAR. Not my favorite clue/fill but I get it.

8. Adds sepia to, say: TINTS. Why sepia? 

9. Is bullish?: SNORTS. A very fun clue/fill, I can picture the bull getting ready to gore somebody.

10. "__ by moonlight, proud Titania" : Shak.: ILL MET. JW's continued inclusion of Will, this time from A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 2, scene 1, said by Oberon.

11. Like art using circles, squares, etc.: GEOMETRIC. I love this pair of nine letter fill.

12. Failed: GONE TO POT. Not initially related to marijuana but simply a cooking pot, but now the puns are endless.

13. River in Flanders: YSER. Our most common 4 letter river.

21. Old coffeehouse drum: BONGO.

22. Choler: IRE. In medieval science and medicine) one of the four bodily humors, identified with bile and believed to be associated with a peevish or irascible temperament. 

24. Blacken a bit: SEAR. Searing is a cooking style to preserve the juices in the food being grilled. 

27. Big letters in bowling: AMF. The American Machine and Foundry (known after 1970 as AMF, Inc.) moved into the bowling business after World War II, when AMF automated bowling equipment and bowling centers became profitable business ventures, and in subsequent years into many other manufacturing businesses. wiki. I hope Boomer comments, I grew up with the Brunswick/AMF rivalry.

28. Begins a round, with "off": TEES. From bowling to golf. If your first drive goes out of bounds you get teed off. Then you will...

29. Eventually become: ENDUP. Losing many golf balls.

31. Envy, say: SIN. Can any one but Bill name them from these?

32. "... but it isn't free": FOR A PRICE. More 9 letters and a multiple word fill.

33. Shoeless Joe Jackson portrayer in "Field of Dreams" : RAY LIOTTA. I loved him in GOODFELLAS as well and having his brain eaten. I find it surprising with his vowels he has not appeared more often.

34. Low wind: TUBA. Boom.

36. Band with members Jimin and Jin: BTS. The Korean Boy Band phenomenon. 


37. QB feeder: CTR. Center. 

38. Prospero's servant: ARIEL. More Shakespeare, this time from the TEMPEST.

39. Something to do: TASK.

43. Division with A's: AL WEST. A handy gluey fill.

44. Bugs address: DOC. What's Up?

45. Energetic dances: STOMPS.

48. Tie-up: SNARL. Traffic.

50. "Fingers crossed": I HOPE. Don't hope, do!

51. __ orange: NAVEL. I wonder how they get them out of the belly button.

52. Fairy tale figure: GIANT. Unless you live in New York, or San Francisco.

53. Maryland catch: CRAB. This is true, but if your careful and use condoms...oh you mean the seafood...nevermind.

54. Not subject to debate: TRUE. These days true no longer means not subject to debate.

55. Wheels: RIDE.  

56. Short jog: ONE-K. About 6/10 of a mile.

We are at the end of another tour and my typing and formatting skills have abandonment me. I had fun and hope you did; thanks Jeffrey and thank you all who read and write.