Monday July 4th, 2022 Catherine Cetta

 

Theme: FIRECRACKER (59. Fourth of July noisemaker ... and the function of the black squares in lines 3, 6, and 10) - FIRE is broken up in 3 different ways.

16. Half-__: rhyming coffee order: CAF and 17. Closing line after presenting an argument: I REST MY CASE.

28. Nebula Award genre: SCI-FI And 30. One way to get caught: RED-HANDED.

47. North American evergreen: BALSAM FIR And 50. Say "I do" without the ado: ELOPE.

Boomer here. 

I hope all of you are having a great three-day weekend. I am taking the day off with you. No VA appointments on this holiday.  I think our city has a fireworks show, but we are usually sleeping by that time.

Across:

1. Remind repeatedly: NAG.

4. Girl __ Cookies: SCOUT.  I like the chocolate mint ones.

9. Journalist Swisher: KARA.

13. "My man!": BRO.  He ain't heavy, he's my BRO.

14. Alpha __ Alpha sorority: KAPPA.  I thought it was "Phi Beta ____"

15. Lubricated: OILED.  I cannot believe the price of an oil change these days.

19. Elsie the Cow's dairy brand: BORDEN.

21. "Questions welcome": ASK ME.  I don't know.  Ask someone else.

22. Ireland, to the Irish: EIRE.

23. "The Dancing Class" painter Edgar: DEGAS.

26. Cedar Rapids state: IOWA.  Cedar is a tree, Rapids is a spot in a river, and IOWA is only famous once every four years when they try to pick a president.

32. Silky fabrics: SATINS.

34. Island home of the Hana Highway: MAUI.  Over 700 square miles, a big section of Hawaii.

35. Magazine VIPs: EDS.  Mr. Sullivan and Mr.  R. Murrow.

36. Pinches pennies: SCRIMPS.  Pinch 500 and you may buy a gallon of gas.

38. "Now I get it!": AHA.

41. Holier-__-thou: THAN.

42. Scheduled: SLATED.  Twins are done with Guardians for awhile.  I wish they would change up their Pigpen ....... I mean bullpen.

51. Quaint "once": ERST.

52. Lets up: EASES.  I wish our hotter than normal Minnesota weather would ease up.

54. __ and proper: PRIM.

55. Fatherly nickname: POPPA.  There are restaurants called Poppa(s).

57. Hide-and-seek hideout: CLOSET.  No room to hide in mine.

62. "That hurt!": OOF.  Do not move my left arm!  Thanks.

64. Future DAs' exams: LSATS.

65. Member-owned grocery stores: CO-OPS.  Farmer-owned chicken houses.

66. Actress Thurman: UMA.  Odd first name.

67. Eclectic online digest: UTNE.  Utah or Nebraska.

68. Arizona's __ National Forest: TONTO.  Lone Ranger's buddy.

69. __-Mex cuisine: TEX.  A lot seems to go wrong in that state.

Down:

1. "This Is Us" TV network: NBC.

2. Coffee bean variety: ARABICA.  We buy coffee that is already ground.  Not sure what bean it is.

3. "Pursue your dream!": GO FOR IT.  Green under 200 yards away?  GO FOR IT!

4. Slide on an icy road: SKID. Yup, icy road season is just a few months ahead here.

5. Was concerned: CARED.

6. First game of the season: OPENER.  Baseball is here.  Football openers are coming soon.

7. Emotional highs: UPS.  Delivery company.

8. Body ink, for short: TAT.

9. Begin to take effect, as medicine: KICK IN.  Football openers are coming soon.

10. Dessert menu phrase: A LA MODE.  I scream for ice cream!

11. Mended for a second time: RE-SEWED.

12. Citrus drink suffix: ADE.  Lemon, Orange, or Kool.

15. Yiddish laments: OYS.

18. Songs made by mixing two songs: MASH-UPS.

20. Mortgage adjustment, for short: RE-FI.  It could cost you these days.

22. Twisty letter: ESS.  SSS.

24. Some spring babies: GEMINIS.  Twins.

25. Driver at the Oscars: ADAM.  We live close to A DAM on the Mississippi.  It's where we get some of our electric power.

27. Commercials: ADS.  The Game Show channel has a ton of them.

29. Lead-in to "gram" in social media: INSTA.

31. Ideological gap in Congress: AISLE.  And they don't seem to get along too well.

33. Bagel spread: SCHMEAR.

37. Nadal of tennis, familiarly: RAFA.

38. Actor Vigoda: ABE.  And President Lincoln.

39. Plucky member of an orchestra?: HARPIST.

40. Losing candidate: ALSO-RAN. Elections are coming this fall.

43. European peaks: ALPS.  Biggest and highest range in Europe.

44. Left in a big hurry: TORE OUT.  Many puzzles are TORE OUT and mailed to friends,

45. Perfect example: EPITOME.

46. Rep.'s opponent: DEM.  Elections are coming this fall.  oops I already said that.

48. Tampa Bay city, familiarly: ST PETE.  ERSBURG

49. __ with: take into consideration: RECKON.  I RECKON NOT!

53. Was out: SLEPT.  Gotta do this only on my right side for now.

56. Some HP products: PCS.

58. "In that neighborhood" phrase: OR SO.  Twins need ten relief pitchers OR SO.

59. Wintertime bug: FLU.

60. Do something: ACT.

61. Dove sound: COO.  Say it twice and it's a different bird.

63. Number on older business cards: FAX.

Boomer

Sunday, July 3, 2022 Pam Amick Klawitter

Theme: "Ease Off" - Long E sound is replaced by a long A sound.

22A. Cleaner who doesn't bother with corners?: STRAIGHT SWEEPER. Street sweeper.

45A. Soft sounds from the barnyard?: GENTLE BRAYS. Gentle breeze.

68A. Gardeners who can tend a plot really, really fast?: SPADE DEMONS. Speed demons.

93A. Words on a sale poster?: PRICE PHRASE. Price freeze.

120A. Squabble over whose turn it is to get the car fixed?: MAINTENANCE FRAY. Maintenance-free.

15D. Interruption during the America's Cup?: SUSPENDED SAILING. Suspended ceiling.

37D. Race official?: JUSTICE OF THE PACE. Justice of the peace.

I really admire the creatively into this type of sound change theme. I can only do the letter replacement.

I think newbies can reference this grid when they design a seven-theme for the LAT. It's very well done. Pam is a total pro.

 
Across:

1. Pretend: FEIGN. Injury, interest, etc.

6. Came down: ALIT.

10. Sweets: HON.

13. Playwright Henrik: IBSEN. We have not seen GYNT for sometime.

18. Jetson canine: ASTRO.

19. Actor MacFarlane: SETH.

20. 92-Down base: RICE. 92. Ristorante dish: RISOTTO. Here's Blue Hen's cheater risotto recipe.

21. Timid: MOUSY.

25. Celeb's entourage: POSSE.

26. Epic journey: ODYSSEY. We made two VA trips on Wednesday due to an extra CT scan. Boomer was totally exhausted afterwards.

27. Long skirt: MAXI.

28. Director DuVernay: AVA. Just had her last Sunday.

30. Ad: SPOT.

31. Signature piece?: PEN. Great clue. 

32. Encore presentation: RERUN.

33. Nullify: NEGATE.

35. Army bigwigs: Abbr.: MAJS. Majors. I think 90% of the VA patients I've seen are guys.

38. __ Jima: IWO.

40. Nursery purchase: TREE.

42. Occasion: EVENT.

44. Terre Haute sch.: ISU. Indiana State University.

49. Urgent-care pro: ER DOC. Always takes a long long time to get discharged from the ER. Those doctors tend to disappear.

51. Cotton thread: LISLE.

53. Rosary unit: BEAD.

54. Sporty Chevy: VETTE.

56. Self-image: EGO.

57. Some D.C. pros: NATIONALS. I remember the craze over Bryce Harper's rookie card.

59. Many a middle schooler: PRETEEN.

61. Family man: DAD.

62. Head-scratcher: ENIGMA.

63. Fencing sword: EPEE.

65. Mortise inserts: TENONS.

67. Expert: ACE.

72. __ de cologne: EAU.

74. Deletes: ERASES.

76. Farm tower: SILO.

77. Accommodate: OBLIGE.

80. Loving murmur: COO.

82. Trio-quartet combos: SEPTETS.

84. Rainy day gear: UMBRELLAS.

87. "Walk me!": ARF.

88. More faithful: TRUER.

89. "The Checklist Manifesto" surgeon/author Gawande: ATUL.  Google shows that Atul has the Sanskrit origin, means "matchless or an incomparable person".

90. Besmirch: TAINT.

91. D.C. subway: METRO.

97. Confidentiality contract: Abbr.: NDA. Non-Disclosure Agreement.

98. "Keep your __ on!": SHIRT.

100. Applaud: CLAP.

101. __ Dhabi: ABU.

102. Thickener used in molecular gastronomy: AGAR. Not familiar with "molecular gastronomy", but "thickener" is enough a clue. Agar is widely used in Asian desserts.

103. Prose pieces: ESSAYS.

106. Cybersales: E-TAIL.

108. Helena hrs.: MST.

110. Tit for tat, say?: TYPO. Another great clue.

112. Furry friend: PET.

113. Broadcasts: AIRS.

114. Lactose-free coffee additive: OAT MILK. I use this extra creamy oat milk for my matcha latte.

118. Literature Nobelist who served in the Irish Senate: YEATS. I knew this!

123. Hard-to-handle plants: CACTI.

124. Goes astray: ERRS.

125. Alaskan seaport: NOME.

126. Earring in a Vermeer painting: PEARL. We also have 48. Dutch painter Jan: STEEN.

127. Creme-filled cookies: OREOS.

128. Surname separator: NEE.

129. Short "So long!": TTYL.

130. Common __: SENSE.

Down:

1. Burkina __: West African country: FASO. Capital city: Ouagadougou.

 

 

2. Cornerstone abbr.: ESTD.

3. "It was nothing": I TRY.

4. Understands: GRASPS.

5. __-canceling headphones: NOISE. Our new neighbor has a kid who likes to play basketball in their garage for hours.

6. Like a used firepit: ASHY.

7. Allowed: LET.

8. Personal identification?: IT'S ME.

9. Scuppered: THWARTED. Consonants-heavy.

10. With it: HIP.

11. "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous" novelist Vuong: OCEAN. Also famous for his "Night Sky with Exit Wounds". Here is why he's named Ocean. I have the same problem. My "bitch" and "beach" are the same.

12. Audacity: NERVE.

13. Troublemaking kid: IMP.

14. Second shot: BOOSTER.

16. Petro-Canada rival: ESSO.

17. Russian "no": NYET.

20. "The Princess Bride" director: REINER (Rob). "As you wish!". 

23. Fabled wish-granter: GENIE.

24. Outlying community: EXURB.

29. Info requested by winery websites: AGE. Also 111. Wine label number: YEAR.

32. Canned tomatoes brand: ROTEL. I just threw away an almost full jar of Ragu. I had no idea that the sauce only lasts a week in the fridge.

34. Active Naturals skin care brand: AVEENO. Oaty!

35. Writer who created Pooh and Roo: MILNE.

36. Seoul airline: ASIANA.

39. Org. whose 2021 MVP was Jonquel Jones: WNBA. Playing for the Connecticut Sun

41. Roof overhang: EAVE.

43. Easily improvised costume: TOGA.

45. Math subj.: GEOM.

46. Shined a light on?: LASED.

47. "The best is __ come": YET TO.

50. __ liver oil: COD.

52. Hybrid big cat: LIGER.

55. Stretching muscle: TENSOR.

58. Lake on the Nile: NASSER.

59. Mani-__: spa treatments: PEDIS.

60. Fishing line holder: REEL.

64. Irksome one: PEST.

66. Harlem Renaissance novelist Larsen: NELLA. Learning moment for me.

69. Caffeinate, perhaps: PEP UP.

70. Flower that sounds like a furrier: ASTER. And 75. Furriers who sound like flowers: ASTORS

71. River delta area: MOUTH.

73. Kenya neighbor: UGANDA.

78. __ noire: BETE.

79. Basic Spanish infinitive: ESTAR. To be.

80. GoPro product, briefly: CAM.

81. Mined finds: ORES.

83. Stonestreet of "Modern Family": ERIC.

85. Big picture?: MURAL. This works without the ? also.

86. Spill the beans: BLAB.

89. Plain to see: APPARENT.

94. Spruces up: CLEANS.

95. Totally face-plant: EAT IT. I overhead Boomer shouted "Take that, Janice" when he was watching a Twins & Guardians (Indians) game.

Janice and her daughter at an Indians Game Pre-COVID

96. Poison __: SUMAC. The one on the left is not poisonous.

99. Faucet: TAP.

102. Money paid to get money: ATM FEE.

104. Oman neighbor: YEMEN.

105. Fixed gaze: STARE.

107. Immature comeback: IS NOT.

109. Dance moves: STEPS.

110. Bygone name in toys: TYCO.

114. Turow book: ONE L.

115. Setting of the memoir "Reading Lolita in Tehran": IRAN.

116. Metallica drummer Ulrich: LARS.

117. "Friday Night Lights" actor Chandler: KYLE.

119. "__-boom-bah!": SIS.

121. Anger: IRE.

122. Minnesota senator Klobuchar: AMY.  We're a super blue state.

Thanks for the sweet birthday wishes. We were super busy that day with various appointments, but we enjoyed a chocolate cake, some red apricots (new to me) on a beautiful Minnesota summer day.

Boomer completed his radiation on Friday. Unfortunately his oncologist tested positive for COVID, so he was not able to get bone strengthener infusion, which is postponed to July 11th. 

Next week we'll meet with the spinal cord doctor. And his normal PT/OT. 

C.C.

Saturday, July 2, 2022, Angela Olson Halsted

 Saturday Themeless by Angela Olson

Angela Olson Halsted is a legal secretary in Washington, D.C., and the mother of two college students. She is also a baseball fan and her favorite team is the Washington Nationals.

Angela's puzzle contained some very interesting and fascinating fill for which I can say, I was "TODAY'S YEARS OLD" when I became enlightened! The Chase slide rule was fabulous! So now, while I'm still wondering how I knew about WARNERS intimates, let's explore Angela's puzzle.

Across:

1. Acknowledged mistakes: ERRATA - I had some but they self-corected

7. Leads: CHAIRS - CHAIRperson over CHAIRman is fine by me

13. Secure, in a way: SEAL OFF - How we SEAL OFF our garden from the bunnies

15. One cog in the Big Red Machine: GRIFFEY.

16. Bach work: CANTATA - What is a CANTATA?

17. Birthplace of Kamala Harris: OAKLAND - California, October 20, 1964

18. Ron Rifkin spy series: ALIAS - Ron and Jennifer Garner are front and center

19. Shortsighted one: MYOPE - Nearsightedness is MYOPIA so...

21. Number of Olympic medals won by Katie Ledecky: TEN - Here's some of them

22. Map marker: PIN.

23. Many chords: TRIADS - C E G

25. Saltimbocca flavor: SAGE - Mistaking Saltimbocca for the liquor Sambuca sent me into a blind alley before the herb appeared.

26. Spanish 101 word: ESTA.

28. Troubles: ILLS.

29. Chase with a slide rule: UTLEY - My favorite clue. This vicious slide by Chase UTLEY broke Ruben Tejada's fibula and so MLB rewrote the "slide rule" and it has informally been called the Chase UTLEY slide rule ever since. I knew the name and baseball fan Angela must have as well.

 

30. Age of enlightenment?: TODAY YEARS OLD - Another fun clue. I was TODAY YEARS OLD when I learned about the information below.

35. Oscar nominee who voiced Michelle Obama on "The Simpsons": ANGELA BASSETT.

33. Brody of "The O.C.": ADAM - Second from the left w/Saturday cluing 

34. Like one due for an inheritance?: MEEK - Another great clue! Yeah sure, you didn't first think of HEIR like I did. Unfortunately having HEIR in the clue violated crossword protocol. 

40. It may be pulled by an athlete: GROIN

41. Polo who played Rebecca on "Sports Night": TERI - Second from the left. I thought is was a smart, funny show but it couldn't find an audience after two seasons 

42. Emulate Kelly Slater: SURF.

44. __ buco: OSSO - Frequent crossword fare 

45. Beer mugs: STEINS.

47. Drag queen Bianca Del __: RIO.

48. Present mo.: DEC - The present (adj.) month is July but in DEC. you get presents (noun)

49. All thumbs: INEPT - Not him

50. Freezes, say: NUMBS.

52. Unavailable, in a way: ON ORDER - The couch for our sunroom has been ON ORDER since May 2.

54. Like Romeo and Juliet: AMOROUS.

56. "All You Need" intimates brand: WARNERS - Google if you must

57. Carriage return creation: NEW LINE - A remnant of manual typewriters with its own song.

58. Nats division: NL EAST - Angela's team.

59. Theologian for whom a Connecticut university is named: WESLEY - Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT. My Father's Day puzzle constructor was Dr. Fred Ohles who is the President Emeritus of Nebraska Wesleyan University. He also was the constructor for the Feb. 3, 2021 LA Times Crossword.

Down:

1. "__ at Dannemora": Arquette miniseries: ESCAPE.

2. Pragmatic sort: REALIST - They would choose possible over insisting on perfect.

3. Met: RAN INTO.

4. Resort near Deer Valley: ALTA - It looks like a one hour drive

5. Done for: TOAST - Custer was TOAST when he underestimated the Lakota and Cheyenne warriors at Little Big Horn

6. Back on board: AFT - Back of the boat

7. Casino game: CRAPS.

8. Sharp increase: HIKE - You want how much for a gallon of gas?

9. Samuel Gompers' org.: AFL.

10. "... maybe not even that": IF AT ALL.

11. Went back (on): RENEGED.

12. World's largest natural harbor: SYDNEY - If you look closely, you can see SYDNEY's most famous landmark jutting out into the harbor 

14. Jaleel White's show: FAMILY MATTERS - He was the irrepressible Urkel

15. Roadside assistant?: GOOD SAMARITAN.

20. Lupita Nyong'o's alma mater: YALE - From a 2/1/22 Julian Lim puzzle: "50-Across. Oscar-winning actress for "12 Years a Slave": LUPITA NYONG'O"

24. Saudi capital: RIYAL - Either of these meals will run you 20﷼ RIYALS ($5.33) in Riyadh 

25. Stirs up: STOKES.

27. Not quite lento: ADAGIO - Both are slow, ADAGIO is 66 - 76 beats/min and lento is 45 - 60 beats/min

29. Presses into service: USES.

31. Arabian port: ADEN - If you want to drive from ADEN to Riyadh for that McDonalds deal, it'll take a lot of gas.

32. Frankincense or myrrh: RESIN - Where can I get these?

35. Football club founded in 1886: ARSENAL - We say soccer, in London they say football

36. Love all?: NO SCORE - 0 - 0 in tennis's arcane scoring system

37. Honk: BEEP.

38. Unrest: TURMOIL.

39. Chicago daily: TRIBUNE.

40. Happen: GO DOWN - Everybody knew when the confrontation would GO DOWN in this minute-by-minute movie. 

43. "Woman in the Mists" subject: FOSSEY - Her book and a book about her

45. Comics dog in a Viking helmet: SNERT.

46. Olympia from Maine: SNOWE.

49. Time to beware: IDES - Last Saturday, Nova and Matthew had the very clever "55. Mid day?: IDES" 

51. Bing returns: URLS - Bing is a search engine 

53. Messenger __: RNA - Interested? Here's a 2 min. video

55. Catlike Pokémon: MEW - There are 905 Pokémons and I think you can pick MEW out of this limited assortment.

Angela, we would love to have you comment on your puzzle by clicking below.