Sunday May 7, 2023 Trent H. Evans

Theme: "Meditation Break" - OM is added to each common phrase.

23. Illumination in the Sugarhill Gang's car?: RAPPER'S DOME LIGHT. Rapper's Delight. The Sugarhill Gang song.

34. Critique of an overstuffed pillow?: TOO MUCH DOWN. Touch down.

47. Scriptures published in a garage?: HOME BREW BIBLE. Hebrew Bible.

66. Headline announcing a generous Butterball donation by an Oscar winner?: TOM HANKS' GIVING TURKEYS. Thanksgiving turkeys.

85. All-clear announcement near the Colosseum?: ROMAN RIOT OVER. Ran riot over.

99. Trite remark of the future?: BROMIDE-TO-BE. Bride-to-be.

110. Employee's explanation for intentional incompetence?: JUST DOOMING MY JOB. Just doing my job. 

I mentioned before that Trent has his own website (Grid Therapy) where he regularly publishes puzzles. 

Such a creative theme. I would never thought of Tom Hanks for Thanks. Talk about imagination. Quite a few cross-conferences in this puzzle. Might be Trent's style.

Across:

1. Wafer brand: NECCO.

6. Con: SCAM.

10. Count in jazz: BASIE. Count Basie. First African-American to win a Grammy.

15. Artisan's online marketplace: ETSY.

19. Charity golf tourney: PRO-AM.

20. "Otello" baritone: IAGO.

21. Build up: AMASS.

22. "I like it!": NICE.

26. Michael of "The Lego Batman Movie": CERA. Robin.

27. __ pan: SAUTE.

28. Source of many quotes, for short: ANON.

29. Apple device?: CORER. Really apple.

30. Bones, perhaps: DOG TREATS.

38. Advance: INROAD.

39. Vientiane language: LAO. Our Asian store now carries both pork larb and beef larb.

41. Tirades: SCREEDS.

42. Floor: STUN.

43. "Gosh!": DEAR ME.

46. Toi et moi: NOUS.

51. Vexes: NETTLES.

56. Casual agreement: YEP.

57. Fish bait: LURES.

58. Nobelist Pavlov: IVAN. Died in 1936. Pavlov's dog. Conditioned reflex. 

60. Some Indian music: RAGA. Also 89. Tikka masala bread: NAAN.

61. Heredity unit: GENE.

62. Anglican minister: VICAR. Father Charlie is Vicar General. So glad he was able to visit us during Boomer's last days.

64. Porch seats: SWINGS.

72. Snobbish: SNOOTY.

73. Aspect: FACET.

74. Tahiti sweetie: AMIE.

75. Athletic tear spots, for short: ACLS. Anterior Cruciate Ligament.

76. Carnival ride destination: PORT.

77. Schism results: SECTS.

79. Corner PC key: ESC.

82. Cause of some delays: RED TAPE. Social Security is a bit bureaucratic.

91. Least likely to be found: RAREST.

92. Kotb of "Today": HODA.

93. Literal and metaphorical danger spot: THIN ICE.

96. Not quite the worst grade: DEE.

97. Pickleball smashes: SPIKES. And 90. Pickleball barrier: NET.

102. Press corps members: REPORTERS.

105. Cheek colorer: ROUGE.

106. Squat: NADA.

108. Filing jobs, briefly: MANIS.

109. Lhasa __: APSO.

117. Invite information: WHEN.

118. Habitual: USUAL.

119. Bagpiper's garb: KILT.

120. French wine valley: LOIRE.

121. Wall St. index, familiarly: NYSE.

122. Like some rom-coms: SAPPY.

123. Goes: SAYS.

124. Maxwell House alternative: YUBAN. Boomer liked Folgers.

Down:

1. "Sunday Puzzle" airer: NPR. 40. Shapiro of 1-Down: ARI.

2. The Carter __: ERA.

3. "What a __-out!": COP.

4. Crowning achievement: CAPSTONE.

5. Mark in the World Golf Hall of Fame: OMEARA. Used to be very close to Tiger.

6. Blues great __ Monica Parker: SISTA. Learning moment for me.

7. Academy trainee: CADET.

8. In the past: AGO.

9. NYC cultural center: MOMA. The Starry Night is there.

10. "The Jungle Book" bear: BALOO.

11. __ acid: AMINO.

12. Droop: SAG.

13. "Kinda": ISH.

14. Approximate fig.: EST.

15. Make secret, in a way: ENCODE.

16. Steering system part: TIE ROD.

17. Threaded fasteners: SCREWS.

18. Thirst (for): YEARN.

24. Wished for a do-over: RUED.

25. Lay to rest: ENTOMB.

29. Lungs locale: CHEST.

30. Full of gossip: DISHY.

31. Doing a pirouette, say: ON TOE.

32. Oscar the Grouch, e.g.: GRUMP.

33. Hunks: SLABS.

35. AOL rival: MSN.

36. The NCAA's Huskies: U CONN. Women's basketball powerhouse.

37. One of two words with an umlaut in a metal band's name: CRUE. Mötley Crüe.

43. Actor Jacobi: DEREK.

44. Lea grazer: EWE. 48. 44-Down's sound: BLEAT.

45. Call forth: ELICIT.

49. Far from hard-boiled: RUNNY. And 54. Like soufflés: EGGY.

50. __ Rachel Wood of "Westworld": EVAN.

52. Tot's transport: TRIKE.

53. Alley assignment: LANE.

55. Lip: SASS.

59. Evita's land: Abbr.: ARG.

61. Drop without warning, in a way: GHOST. As in text, e.g.

62. Triumphant one: VICTOR. 93. Prize for a 62-Down: TROPHY.

63. "__ seen better": I'VE.

64. Total: SUM TO.

65. Place for a bangle: WRIST. Jade bangles are very popular in Guangzhou. Real jade can be pricey. Lao Pan gifted Carmen a light green one for her birthday a few years ago. It cost RMB9,0000 ($1,300).

66. Nicholas II title: TSAR.

67. Previously: ONCE.

68. Orthodontist's creation: MOLD.

69. Airport with a BART station: SFO.

70. Teri of "Oh, God!": GARR.

71. Unspoken: TACIT.

76. Harmony: PEACE.

77. Show scorn: SNEER.

78. Hosp. areas: ERS.

79. Call forth: EVOKE.

80. Meal with vegetables dipped in salt water: SEDER.

81. Boorish: CRASS.

83. "Little Girls" musical: ANNIE.

84. Took care of dinner, say: PAID.

86. Got by: MADE DO.

87. "__ we there yet?": ARE.

88. Cold open?: OH IT'S YOU. I like the clue/answer.

94. Green Monopoly pieces: HOUSES.

95. "That's it for me!": I'M GONE.

97. Playlist unit: SONG.

98. In a rigidly formal way: PRIMLY.

99. Muscle: BRAWN.

100. Handy: ON TAP.

101. "This'll end __": BADLY.

103. Post of propriety: EMILY. Emily Post.

104. Trousers: PANTS.

107. Astronaut's go-aheads: A-OKS.

110. Prime rib au __: JUS.

111. Forever Stamp letters: USA.

112. "Yo": SUP.

113. Actress Wasikowska: MIA. She's an Australian.

114. Triangular sail: JIB.

115. British singer Rita: ORA.

116. Big __: London landmark: BEN. Did any of you see our Steve at the Coronation? He's been in the UK for a few days.

I had a great walk at Springbrook Nature Reserve last Thursday with my sister-in-law Connie and our friend Tom Pepper, the crossword constructor based here in Minnesota. Afterwards Tom treated us to a delicious Thai lunch. I had the most amazing papaya salad, mild version of course, as I can't handle the hot pepper. Thai chili is something else.

C.C. & Connie

Tom & C.C., 5/4/2023

Saturday, May 6, 2023, Adrian Johnson

 Saturday Themeless by Adrian Johnson

Our Wyoming native who went to college in Minnesota is now doing great work for a startup group called BetterFi, a nonprofit working to end predatory lending in Tennessee. 

The last puzzle of AJ's I had was on9/24/23 and like that  puzzle, this one was 

full of fun word play. If a clue seemed too simple, I knew I had to rethink what else he might be getting at and was never disappointed by the fill!

Across:

1. Light touch from a decorator: ACCENT LAMP 😀

11. Zabaglione base: EGGS - Talk about yer Saturday cluing! 

15. "That's what my intuition was telling me": I HAD A HUNCH that 11 Across might be hard for some 

16. Wolfe of "Black Orchids": NERO - Saturday cluing for a familiar fill but Wolfe was a tipoff for me

17. Game-changing: MONUMENTAL - This was the theme of Susan Gelfand's 5/26/23 puzzle. 

18. Old autocrat: TSAR.

19. Floating junk: SPACE WASTE - Also called space junk or space debris. It's all going thousands of miles per hour

20. Cutest of the litter, maybe: RUNT - My wife would seek out the RUNT

21. Noise: ADO.

22. Secretive group?: GLANDS 😀 - Yes, add an "e" and secret becomes the verb secrete and glands do secrete useful chemicals

24. Jazz drummer Blakey: ART.

26. City on the James River: RICHMOND - McClellan's ill-fated attempt to take RICHMOND in 1862 took place on the peninsula with the James River on the south and the York River on the north

30. Boxer's mouth piece?: SQUEAK TOY 😀 I had to suss out what AJ wanted for the dog

32. Gender option on some surveys: OTHER - When I started teaching in 1968, we asked the kids to put down their gender, religion and race.

35. One committed to an orderly society?: NUN -  😀 The NUNS at my daughter's school are in the order of School Sisters Of Christ The King

36. Of no help: USELESS - Some hilarious "You're as useless as..." lines. ...ejection seats in a helicopter made me laugh out loud.

38. French summer: ETE - Hmmm... Not a Nice summer.

39. Race-ready, in a way: LANED - If you look closely, you can see the Jamaican women LANED in 3, 4 and 7 got the gold, silver and bronze in this 100m final.

41. Classical piece that's the basis of the 1965 hit "A Lover's Concerto": MINUET IN G - Here are both of them

     

43. Biometric reading: IRIS SCAN - This iPhone allows you to charge a purchase using an IRIS SCAN

45. GPS prediction: ETA.

46. Last stop before leaving for vacation, perhaps: KENNEL - Joann would leave me at the KENNEL before she would leave Lily

48. Racket of lamb: BAA 😀

50. Fad: RAGE.

51. Doug Wright's "I Am My Own Wife," e.g.: ONE MAN SHOW - More info. Last Saturday we had Robert Morse's ONE MAN SHOW in Tru

58. Some fluffy slippers: UGGS - At one time, Tom Brady was their spokesman. 

59. Dolphin kin: PILOT WHALE - They can be docile or aggressive with humans, so...

60. Source of smoky notes in whiskey: PEAT.

61. Uplifting historical figure?: ELISHA OTIS - He did not invent the elevator. He simply made it safe for passengers with his safety brake.

62. Cornstarch brand: ARGO - A box from 1919

63. Mythological swimmer: SEA SERPENT - Uh, we're gonna need a bigger boat

Down:

1. Targets: AIMS.

2. Veal cut: CHOP.

3. Veronese's "The Wedding Feast at __": CANA - Where it is said Christ changed water into wine

4. Train conductors, say: EDUCATE - Train is a verb and not an adjective for conductors

5. Tagged: NAMED.

6. All available options: THE WORKS.

7. __ Bar: nutritional snack: LUNA.

8. Myrmecologist's study: ANTS - From the Greek for ANT: Murmex 

9. Exam for future residents: Abbr.: MCAT - These residents are of course doctors

10. Physiological humor believed to cause sluggishness: PHLEGM - 😀 Oh, that kind of humor 

11. Competitor: ENTRANT - Ya gotta be in it to win it

12. Response during allergy season: GESUNDHEIT - Gesundheit was borrowed from German, where it literally means "health"; it was formed by a combination of gesund ("healthy") and -heit ("-hood"). Wishing a person good health when they sneezed was traditionally believed to forestall the illness that a sneeze often portends. You're welcome

13. Majestic: GRAND.

14. Out of __: SORTS.

23. Like some change: LOOSE - I never carry any coins any more

24. Cerulean kin: AQUA - This color

Cerulean colored clothing

25. Calvin's increasingly outrageous snow art, in "Calvin and Hobbes," e.g.: RUNNING GAG - 

27. Objects: ITEMS.

28. Baby ailment: COLIC.

29. Pet for Harley Quinn: HYENA - Harley is in the DC Comics stable and her two HYENAS are named Bud and Lou. I'll bet most of us get that reference, but if you don't, see the bottom of the write-up.

30. Ego Nwodim's show, for short: SNL.

31. Journalist Cornish: AUDIE.

33. Italian volcano: ETNA.

34. Rule, for short: REG.

37. Go for the bronze?: SUNBATHE - Very different from the sprinter in Lane 7 above.

40. Miranda whose case inspired the Miranda warning: ERNESTO - ERNESTO's conviction got thrown out by the Earl Warren Supreme Court because of what they judged to be a coerced confession. He was retried and convicted with other evidence.

42. Place to pick up leaves: TEA SHOP - I wonder if C.C. has ever been in this one in Xian, China 

44. Pitches: SLOPES - The pitch of a roof might depend on how much snow your area gets

46. Gene dubbed the "Founding Father of the Modern Drum Set" by Modern Drummer: KRUPA.

47. Avid: EAGER.

49. Nobelist Sadat: ANWAR - ANWAR Sadat, Jimmy Carter and Menachem Begin 

52. African flower?: NILE - 😀 AJ chose to use flower as a noun from the verb flow.

53. Kazan with an honorary Oscar: ELIA - Many remembered how ELIA had named 8 people who had joined the communist party to the HUAC committee in the 50's and refused to stand or applaud when he got this award

54. Flowerless plant: MOSS - FERNS also do not have flowers (the blooming kind)

55. Spike Lee's "She __ Me": HATE - In Spanish 

56. "Chocolat" actress: OLIN.

57. __ Point: WEST.