Tuesday, October 4, 2022 Rebecca Goldstein and Rachel Fabi

Cleanup in the Produce Aisle:  Lots of produce in today's theme.  Not only is the answer an item of produce, but each answer can be broken into two other food items.

20-Across. *   Bright yellow sandwich topping: BANANA PEPPER.

34-Across. *   Marinara ingredient: PLUM TOMATO.

44-Across. *   Citrusy herb in Thai cuisine: LEMON BASIL.  I really wanted Lemon Grass, but the perps let me know my initial thought was wrong.

And the unifier:

57-Across. Supermarket section containing each component of (as well as the complete answers to) the starred clues: PRODUCE AISLE.  We get 3 items of produce for the price of one!

And two bonus clues:

35-Down. 57-Across spray: MIST.

39-Down. Bad sound in the 57-Across:  SPLAT.

Across:

1. Short-legged Welsh dog breed: CORGI.  The Queen loved her Corgis.

6. Opera star: DIVA.  //  And 59-Down. Opera solo: ARIA.

10. Milk in a skinny latte: SKIM.

14. WNBA team in 53-Across: DREAM.  //  And 53. Ga. capital: ATL.  The Atlanta Dream is the women's American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia.

15. Minnesota representative Ilhan: OMAR.  Ilhan Oman (née Ilhan Abdullahi Omar; b. Oct. 4, 1982) is originally from Somalia, and is now a Congresswoman from Minnesota.  Today is her 40th birthday.  [Name # 1.]

16. Actress Olin: LENA.  Lena Olin (née Lena Maria Jonna Olin; b. Mar. 22, 1955) is a Swedish actress.  She makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.  [Name # 2.]

17. Cohort: CADRE.

18. Costa __: RICA.  Costa Rica is one of the countries in Central America.

19. Choir part: ALTO.

23. Broadway opening?: ACT ONE.

26. Sweet potato kin: YAM.  Everything you wanted to know about the differences between Sweet Potatoes and Yams but didn't know to ask.

27. Pt. of TGIF: FRI.  Thank Goodness It's Friday.

28. Low sound?: MOO.

29. Quran authority: IMAM.

32. Hostess snack: HO HO.  Apparently they come in a variety of flavors, including peanut butter.

37. Messes up: ERRS.

40. Actress Petty: LORI.  Lori Petty (b. Oct. 14, 1963) was a fairly big name in the 1990s.    She starred with Keanu Reeves in the 1991 surfing film Break Point.  [Name # 3.]

41. Quick qualifier: IMO.  Textspeak for In My Opinion.

42. Harvest: REAP.

43. Concludes: ENDS.

47. Blues guitarist Baker: ETTA.  Etta Baker (née Etta Lucille Reid; Mar. 31, 1913 ~ Sept. 23, 2006) is not our usual Tuesday guest.   [Name # 4.]

49. Longtime Swit co-star: ALDA.  A reference to Loretta Swit (née Loretta Jane Szwed; b. Nov. 4, 1937) and Alan Alda (né Alfonzo Joseph D'Abruzzo; b. Jan. 28, 2936) who both starred in M*A*S*H.  [Names # 5 and 6.]

50. Wanders in an airport?: TSA.  As in the Transportation Security Administration.

51. Sunscreen letters: SPF.  As in Sun Protection Factor.  Everything you wanted to know about SPF but didn't know to ask.

55. Ready to go: ALL SET.

61. Yesteryear: YORE.

62. Goat group: HERD.

63. Throwback diet: PALEO.  Also known as the Caveman Diet.

67. As soon as: ONCE.

68. __ Canalway Trail: 365-mile stretch in New York: ERIE.  Everything you wanted to know about the Erie Canalway Trail but didn't know to ask.

69. Zest alternative: IVORY.  Both are brands of soaps.  Ivory floats.

70. Require: NEED.

71. Group of two: DYAD.  Not a Tuesday word.

72. Word before tea and toast: TEXAS.  One you can consume, the other ...

Down:

1. Public health org. headed by Rochelle Walensky: CDC.  Center for Disease Control and Prevention.  Everyone knows of this agency now, but how many knew that Prevention is part of the name?  [Name # 7.]

2. British singer Rita: ORA.  I am not familiar with Rita Ora's (née Rita Sahatçiu Ora; b. Nov. 26, 1990).  She was born in Yugoslavia (now Kosovo), but her family moved to England for political reasons when she was an infant.  [Name # 8.]

3. Top stripe of a pride flag: RED.

4. Actress Greta: GARBO.  Greta Garbo (née Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; Sept. 18, 1905 ~ Apr. 15, 1990) was a Swedish actress.  The American Film Institute named her in the top 10 greatest female stars of classic Hollywood.  [Name # 9.]

5. "For real!": I MEAN IT.

6. Explorer in "The Lost City of Gold": DORA.  [Name # 10.]

7. Hacker's triumphant cry: I'M IN!

8. Time away, informally: VACAY.

9. Great Plains people: ARAPAHO.

10. Smack: SLAP.

11. Underwater ecosystems: KELP FORESTS.  Everything you wanted to know about a Kelp Forest but didn't know to ask.

12. Prefix with faith: INTER-.  Interfaith.

13. New Zealand native: MĀORI.

21. Pixar clownfish: NEMO.  [Name # 11.]

22. Punk subgenre: EMO.  Everything you wanted to know about Emo can be found in the video below.

23. More than sufficient: AMPLE.

24. Analogy punctuation: COLON.  Also a part of the anatomy.

25. Exceptional performance: TOUR DE FORCE.  Today's French lesson.

30. French friend: AMIE.  More of today's French lesson.

31. "__ Mia! Here We Go Again": MAMMA.

33. Greek goddess of marriage: HERA.  Everything you wanted to know about Hera but didn't know to ask.  [Name # 12.]

36. Hammer or saw: TOOL.  I see, said the blind man, as he picked up his hammer and saw.

38. __ the roof: RAISE.

44. Fastened, in a way: LATCHED.

45. Confidentiality contracts: Abbr.: NDAS.  As in Non-Disclosure AgreementS.

46. Colorful play area: BALL PIT.

48. Greek letter before upsilon: TAU.

51. Watch covertly: SPY ON.

52. Inclined (to): PRONE.

54. Wary (of): LEERY.

56. Depart: LEAVE.

58. Act: DEED.

60. Named, briefly: ID'ED.

64. Smoked salmon: LOX.  Yummers!  Hubby's Saturday morning breakfast fare.

65. Time period: ERA.

66. Noises of exasperation: OYs!

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

May all who observe have an easy fast on Yom Kippur, which starts at sundown today.

Monday October 3, 2022 Prasanna Keshava

Theme: AFTERMATH (60. Consequence, and where the ends of the answers to the starred clues can be found) - The last word can follow "math". 

 17. *Cracker topper from Kraft: CHEEZ WHIZ.

 24. *Expensive travel option: FIRST CLASS.

 36. *"Anything wrong?": IS THERE A PROBLEM?

 49. *Constellation that translates to "greater dog": CANIS MAJOR.

Boomer here. Math whiz. Math class. Math problem. Math major.  

The hurricane and its AFTERMATH in Florida makes me feel terrible for everyone in the Southeastern part of our country.  I wish you safety and recovery.

Across:

1. Visibility-reducing weather phenomenon: FOG.  Not so bad as a hurricane.

4. Like dive bars: SEEDY. Our lawn in the Spring.

9. Letters near a padlock in an address bar: HTTPS.

14. Quiet speech syst.: ASL. American Sign Language.

15. More than needed: EXTRA. EXTRA! Read all about it!

16. "Home Alone" actress Catherine: O'HARA.

19. Gathered, as leaves: RAKED.  That season is near.  Luckily, we have an association that hires the leaf disposal work to be done.

20. A's, Jays, or Rays: TEAM. Or Vikings!

21. Suffix with elephant or serpent: INE. 

22. Appease fully: SATE.

23. Beach pailful: SAND.  Also our driveway. Still waiting for asphalt.

28. Actor Guinness: ALEC.

30. Shoe lift: HEEL TAP.  Never heard of this.  Of course there are a lot of things that I have never heard of.

31. En __: as a group: MASSE.

34. Opponent: FOE. Cleveland Guardians. Wait 'til next year.

35. Lisbon greeting: OLA.  Spanish is HOLA!

41. Women's History Mo.: MAR.

42. Not new: OLD.  Not C.C. but Me.

43. Ships' tillers: HELMS.

44. Monogram part: INITIAL.

47. Meat and potatoes: FOOD.  Glorious FOOD! Hot sausage and mustard!

51. The Dalai __: LAMA.

55. Missing sections: GAPS.

56. Cardinals, on NFL scoreboards: ARI.

57. Quite a long time: AGES.  That hasn't happened for the longest time.

58. Part of TNT: NITRO.

62. Solos often sung in Italian: ARIAS.

63. Small game pieces: PAWNS.  16 of them in chess.

64. Ball-bearing peg: TEE.  Wooden summer golf tool.

65. Grown goslings: GEESE.

66. Easy running paces: TROTS.

67. Urgent care ctrs.: ERS.  I have had a few trips in the last few years. No fun!

Down:

1. __ and figures: FACTS.  Joe Friday "Just the facts". 

2. "Just Mercy" actor __ Jackson Jr.: O'SHEA.

3. Collect bit by bit: GLEAN.  Play a slot machine.

4. "Oh yeah? __ who?": SEZ.  I always thought it was spelled SAYS.

5. Former spouse: EX-WIFE.

6. Sharing a common culture: ETHNIC.

7. More in need of moisturizer: DRIER.  Happy that Minnesota is DRIER THAN FLORIDA these days!

8. Red Sox legend, to fans: YAZ.  Carl started his career as a Minneapolis Miller in the 1950s.

 

9. "Ars Poetica" poet: HORACE.

10. "__ teach 'em!": THAT'LL. be the day

11. Have cumulative negative effects: TAKE A TOLL.  Some medicines.

12. __-game show: PRE.  Too much TV.  Just show the football game.  Thanks.

13. "That's a shame": SAD.  For those in Florida.

18. Punctuation mark often used in pairs: EM DASH.

22. Use handlebars: STEER.  Or the wheel on the driver's side.

25. Hunt for bargains: SHOP.

26. Beaver State capital: SALEM.  Cigarettes.

27. Bombards with junk email: SPAMS.  We get it by the handful here.

29. "Da 5 Bloods" director Spike: LEE.

31. Ape: MIMIC.

32. Yoga pose: ASANA.

33. Thin neckwear: STRING TIE.  Not my favorite.  Never wore one.

34. Fleeting fashion: FAD.

37. Roves about: ROAMS.

38. Scat queen Fitzgerald: ELLA.  My Grandma's name.

39. "Caught you!": OHO.  Sounds like the name of a cracker.

40. Pandemonium: BEDLAM.  I am sure that's how the Floridians felt while leaving their homes.

45. Sparkly crowns: TIARAS.

46. "Reckon so": I 'SPOSE.

47. Like a table at a romantic restaurant: FOR TWO.  Order tea.

48. Point in the right direction: ORIENT.  Used to be a Northwest airline.

50. "Aladdin" villain: JAFAR.

52. Banded rock: AGATE.  Also where you lined up to board the plane.

53. Parking lot device: METER.  Used to be a penny or nickel.  Now you need a credit card!

54. Fire pit remains: ASHES. ASHES to ASHES, dust to dust.  They didn't believe in makin' no fuss.

58. Remind over and over again: NAG.

59. Rage: IRE.

60. Abbr. in a high-rise address: APT.  Not my favorite.  Bought a townhome in 1997.

61. __ feed: online news aggregator: RSS.

Boomer

 

 

Sunday October 2, 2022 Taylor Johnson

Theme: "Change the World" - One word in each common phrase is replaced by sound-alike city name.

22. Data collection in Germany?: COLOGNE SAMPLES. This one confuses me as "Cologne sample" is a real in-the-language phrase.

32. Boulder in the Czech Republic?: PRAGUE ROCK. Prog rock.

43. Census taker in India?: DELHI COUNTER. Deli counter.

64. Ancestry in Taiwan?: TAIPEI BLOOD. Type A blood.

71. Gems in Afghanistan?: KABUL STONES. Cobblestones.

95. Crooners in South Korea?: SEOUL SINGERS. Soul singers.

103. Serving dish in France?: BREST PLATE. Breast plate.

116. Cuisine in Ecuador?: QUITO-BASED DIET. Keto-based diet.

We've had SEOUL FOOD & SEOUL MATES in the past, but the other phrases are quite creative. Amazing TAIPEI!

As Husker Gary mentioned in his last writeup, Taylor is based in Minneapolis.

Across:

1. Mont Blanc's range: ALPS. Easy start.

5. __ and pans: POTS.

9. Urge: ITCH.

13. Vatican leaders: POPES.

18. Cheer (for): ROOT.

19. Estrada of "CHiPs": ERIK.

20. Grand Canyon animal: MULE.

21. Chests: BOSOMS.

25. Third-party account: ESCROW.

26. Japanese robe: KIMONO. The casual one is called yukata.

27. "Heat of the Moment" band: ASIA.

28. Step to the bar, for short?: LSAT. State bar.

29. Violin protector: CASE.

30. Former White House press secretary Psaki: JEN.

37. Smart __: ALECS.

39. Biblical peak: HOREB. Not SINAI.

41. Freebies from a party: SWAG.

42. "It's WonderWater" drink brand: BAI. Never had it. This word means "white" in Chinese.

46. ESPN datum: STAT. 91. Power hitter's 46-Across: RBI.

48. Hectic hosp. areas: ERS.

49. Egg: Prefix: OVI.

50. Sets (down): PUTS.

51. Declined: SAID NO.

53. Desolate areas: WILDS. Did you watch this movie?

55. Writes: PENS.

57. Short diner orders: BLTS.

59. Eye layer: UVEA.

60. Farm herder: COLLIE.

61. Start a golf hole: TEE UP.

63. "More or less": ISH.

66. Heats quickly: ZAPS.

68. Pastoral poems: IDYLS.

70. Garage sale caveat: AS IS.

75. Driveway surface: TAR. Hope to get the new driveway in mid-Oct.

77. Pushpins, e.g.: TACKS.

81. Battery-powered rides: eBIKES.

82. Place with nine circles, per Dante: HELL.

83. Bank deposit: SILT. Good old clue.

85. Cry of pain: YEOW.

86. Toyota subcompact discontinued in 2020: YARIS.

87. Beer named for a Dutch river: AMSTEL.

89. Rig behind a cab: SEMI.

92. ProFlowers parent co.: FTD.

93. "Barry" rating: TV MA.

98. "That's gonna leave a mark!": OOF.

99. ProActive Health brand: IAMS.

101. Window sections: PANES.

102. Priests with prayer wheels: LAMAS.

107. Sudoku fill: Abbr.: NOS.

108. Big name in 126-Across: TAZO. 126. Assam, oolong, pekoe, etc.: TEAS.

109. Raison d'__: ETRE.

110. "I got this!": ON IT.

112. Put on the right path: ORIENT.

114. "Sure, hon": OK DEAR.

120. Marketing gimmicks: TIE-INS.

121. State whose motto is "Industry": UTAH. Our state motto is "L'Étoile du Nord".  Minnesota used to have a hockey team named North Stars.

122. Post-gym feeling: ACHE.

123. Dynamic leader?: AERO. Aerodynamic.

124. Farm structures: BARNS.

125. Suffix with fluor-: ESCE. Hard to avoid gluey fill in a big grid.

127. Kitchen qtys.: TSPS.

Down:

1. Pop-up path: ARC.

2. "Check it out!": LOOK.

3. "Do not cross" area marked with yellow tape: POLICE LINE.

4. Handle: STOMACH.

5. __ alla vodka: PENNE.

6. Sweet sandwich: OREO.

7. Poetic contraction: TIS.

8. Reggae kin: SKA.

9. Mischief-makers: IMPS.

10. Dutch bulb: TULIP.

11. Nets: CLEARS.

12. Chaps: HES.

13. Entourage: POSSE.

14. NBA great Robertson nicknamed "The Big O": OSCAR.

15. Meaty mushroom: PORTOBELLO. And its symmetrical partner: 73. Backyard seed holder: BIRD FEEDER. Both great fill.

16. Motion City Soundtrack genre: EMO.

17. U-turn from NNE: SSW.

21. "Baby __": Raffi song about a whale: BELUGA. Helpful clue.

23. Scuttlebutt: GOSSIP.

24. Some Musée d'Orsay works: MANETS.

30. Uses a lance a lot: JOUSTS.

31. Sea eagle: ERN.

33. "Shoot!": AW SNAP.

34. Spanish cat: GATO. Cat is called "mao" in Chinese. Popular slogan in China in late 1990s.

35. Aerobic regimen, familiarly: CARDIO.

36. Barely touched: KISSED.

37. Vote to accept: ADOPT.

38. Flood preventer: LEVEE.

39. Catalog of personal favorites: HOT LIST.

40. A little extra shut-eye: BEAUTY SLEEP. Another great fill. Boomer gets quite a bit these days.

44. Ursa minor?: CUB. Cute.

45. Archenemy: RIVAL.

47. Insignificant: TWO BIT.

52. Certain people of faith: DEISTS.

54. "Amen to that!": I'LL SAY.

56. Japanese motorcycle brand: SUZUKI. Suzu= Bell. Ki = Tree/Wood in Japanese.

58. Rises to the top: SHINES.

60. Prefix with gender: CIS.

62. Least flush: PALEST.

65. Like certain monitor lizards: EARLESS.

67. Ltr. addenda: PSS.

69. Shoulder muscles, briefly: DELTS.

71. Unlocking device for a car: KEY FOB.

72. Nuisance remover, in law: ABATOR.

74. "Dang, baby!": OH MAMA.

76. Shopping centers?: AISLES.

78. Solemn rituals: CEREMONIES.

79. Brazilian muralist Eduardo: KOBRA. Learning moment for me. Wikipedia says "he has painted over 3,000 murals on five different continents."

80. Sandwich cheese: SWISS.

84. "OMG! Stop talking!": TMI.

87. International lawyer Clooney: AMAL. Very grid-friendly name.

88. Let use for a while: LOAN TO.

90. Like some tiles: INLAID.

94. Poisonous reptiles: VIPERS.

96. Card player's call: UNO.

97. Stared upon: GAZED AT.

100. Strong brews: STOUTS. And 104. Hofbrau mug: STEIN.

105. Prefix with gender: TRANS.

106. Room-sized computer unveiled in 1946: ENIAC.

108. Canopy makeup: TREES.

111. "Am __ only one?": I THE.

112. Workplace safety org.: OSHA.

113. Maryland athlete, for short: TERP.

114. Gambling venue letters: OTB.

115. Sportage automaker: KIA.

116. "¿__ pasa?": QUE.

117. Cricket club: BAT.

118. "Helpful hardware folks" company: ACE.

119. Talking-__: stern lectures: TOS.

A few extra notes:

1) Lemonade is safe and sound. He just had some computer issues. Hope it'll be resolved soon.

2) We had a good week. No falls. Plus, the butt sores that had been bothering Boomer for a few weeks eased up greatly. He probably won't need the dressing in a few days, esp with the Roho cushion he just got. We're going to the VA next Tuesday for more blood draw and meeting with the oncologist.

C.C.