Sunday December 24, 2023 Robin Stears

Theme: "Reindeer Games" - Part of each common phrase is a reindeer.

23. Men's clothing retailer: HABERDASHER.

28. Elton John hit with the misheard lyric "Hold me closer, Tony Danza": TINY DANCER.

49. Fitness method with "a springy, rhythmic way of moving forward": PRANCERCISE. Unfamiliar to me.  

 58. Mythological fox destined never to be caught: CADMEAN VIXEN. Also new to me.

82. Celestial object next visible from Earth in 2061: HALLEY'S COMET.

92. Connie Francis hit with a rhyming title: STUPID CUPID.

115. Thor's son in the role-playing game Scion: ERIC DONNER.

122. German roadster that once held the world speed record: BLITZEN BENZ.

Timely theme from Robin. A bit name-heavy, but it's the nature of this theme. I'm amazed that she found a full set. 

 Across:

1. Monastery head: ABBOT.

6. Unrefined: CRUDE.

11. Devilish creatures: IMPS. Spitzboov was one.

August 23, 2014, Washington County Fair

15. Like some reports: ORAL.

19. Swap: TRADE.

20. More vast: HUGER.

21. Awkwafina's real first name: NORA. Nora Lum. Lum is the same character as Lin, meaning "forest".

22. Fried cornbread: PONE.

25. Action in Uno: DRAW.

26. Sicilian volcano: ETNA.

27. 2-Down accompaniers: OVATIONS. 2. "Great show!": BRAVO.

30. Not the worst: SO SO.

31. "__ I say more?": NEED.

33. Give comfort to: REASSURE.

34. Lunch hours, e.g.: MEALTIMES.

37. Messy handwriting: SCRAWL. Mine is so messy.

41. Teakettle output: STEAM. I invited the nice church couple Bill and Margret to our home for a Christmas lunch last week. They loved my matcha. Bill said my almond-crusted walleye was "perfection". They also enjoyed my wild rice salad. I put in black olives, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted bell peppers, sliced green onions and the amazing mixed nuts Agnes gifted to me. So good. Sure wish Agnes lived closer by.

44. Hanover Ivy: DARTMOUTH.

48. __ alai: JAI.

53. UPC bar code developer: IBM. Great trivia.

54. Public persona: IMAGE.

56. Cereal grain: OAT.

57. "Orinoco Flow" singer: ENYA.

61. Circle widths: DIAMETERS.

64. Agnus __: DEI.

65. Org. created by the 1957 Treaty of Rome: EEC.

66. Suffix akin to -ule: ETTE.

67. Physicist Newton: ISAAC.

69. Permanent marks: SCARS.

72. Longtime PBS "Mystery!" host Diana: RIGG.

76. Digital asset: Abbr.: NFT. Non-Fungible Token.

78. Dent or scratch: MAR.

80. Office supplier: STATIONER.

88. Sign: OMEN.

89. Singer DiFranco: ANI.

90. "Middlemarch" novelist: ELIOT.

91. Polish tennis champ Swiatek: IGA. Currently the No. 1 player. She was born in 2001.

95. Wall St. takeover: LBO.

96. Some errand runners on a yacht: CABIN BOYS.

99. Starts a fresh pot: ANTES.

100. Tungusic people of northeast China: MANCHU. I did not know the word "Tungusic". Wikipedia says they are "native to Siberia, China, and Mongolia". They're called "man zu" in China. Chinese map is shaped like a rooster.

102. Cat hair, pollen, dust mites, etc.: ALLERGENS.

106. One held for questioning: DETAINEE.

110. Plastic shoe wearer: DOLL.

111. __ Bora: Afghan region: TORA.

118. Greeted with a ceremonial bow: SALAAMED.

120. Dublin Murder Squad series novelist French: TANA.

121. "Shining Vale" actress Sorvino: MIRA.

125. Trains for a marathon, say: RUNS.

126. U.S. passport holder: AMER.

127. Flood defense: LEVEE.

128. Tank nuisance: ALGAE.

129. "What __ can I say?": ELSE.

130. Turner and Knight: TEDS.

131. Stadium levels: TIERS.

132. Marsh ducks: TEALS.

Down:

1. Aramis companion: ATHOS.

3. Rum-soaked cakes: BABAS.

4. Tribute in "Antigone": ODE TO MAN.  Sophocles tribute. Learning moment for me.

5. Hatcher of "Lois & Clark": TERI.

6. Fashion house whose logo is two interlocking C's: CHANEL. Their most iconic bag.

7. Oft-baked potato: RUSSET.

8. "That's gross!": UGH.

9. Low grade: DEE.

10. Make the team's blooper reel, perhaps: ERR.

11. Home to more than 1.4 billion people: INDIA.

12. Eves' counterparts: MORNS.

13. Appeals to a higher power: PRAYS.

14. Carpentry debris: SAWDUST.

15. Game 1: OPENER.

16. Campus mil. group: ROTC.

17. Celebrity chef Burrell: ANNE. Known for her spiky hair.

18. King who says to Cordelia, "Nothing can come of nothing": LEAR.

24. Portuguese title: DONA.

28. End-of-unit classroom event: TEST.

29. Gmail option: ARCHIVE.

32. "Rugrats" mom: DIDI. Pickles.

33. Go back to Chapter 1: RE-READ.

35. Ceremony host: EMCEE.

36. Counterpart of fem., in grammar: MASC.

38. "Stronger than dirt" brand: AJAX.

39. Payment for labor: WAGE.

40. Property claim: LIEN.

41. Name in fine china: SPODE.

42. Eye color, e.g.: TRAIT.

43. Trouble: EAT AT.

45. Does impressions: MIMICS.

46. Honor given by HM King Charles III: OBE. Order of the British Empire.  HM (His Majesty) suggests an Abbr.

47. Actress Thurman: UMA.

50. Thing: ENTITY.

51. Some deli loaves: RYES.

52. Irene of "Fame": CARA.

55. Extremely small: MICRO.

59. __ Moines, Iowa: DES.

60. Fit snugly inside: NESTED.

62. __ Park: Edison lab site: MENLO. New Jersey. The Facebook HQ is Menlo Park, CA.

63. Polynesian language: SAMOAN.

68. Word with sky or spy: CAM.

70. Upon: ATOP.

71. Malek of "Oppenheimer": RAMI.

73. Hardly appropriate: INAPT.

74. "Your wish is my command" speaker: GENIE.

75. Formula 1 starting positions: GRIDS.

77. Went to collect: FETCHED.

79. Fix a worn-out shoe: RESOLE.

81. Quechua speaker: INCAN.

82. Command post: HELM.

83. "Dark Angel" star Jessica: ALBA.

84. King of the jungle: LION.

85. Member of the fam: SIB.

86. Like the dinos in "Jurassic Park": CGI. Computer-Generated Imagery.

87. Texter's "I'm out!": TTYL.

93. Thrift shop condition: USED.

94. Not firmly fixed: UNSTABLE.

97. Bygone coin-op eatery: AUTOMAT.

98. Boxer Max: BAER. Have not seen this name for a long while.

101. Jewel box: CD CASE.

103. List: ROSTER.

104. Sugarcoats: GLAZES.

105. Vogue rival: ELLE.

107. "Demon Slayer" genre: ANIME.

108. How Santa dresses, mostly: IN RED. Our Santa.

109. Approaches: NEARS.

112. Luxury timepiece: OMEGA.

113. Kidney-related: RENAL.

114. Carving tools: ADZES.

115. Raison d'__: ETRE.

116. "The Addams Family" actor Julia: RAUL.

117. Road-trip stops: INNS.

119. Future dr.'s class: ANAT.

122. Diner fave: BLT.

123. Luau neckwear: LEI. Probably the most delicate gift I've ever received. JimmyB had it delivered from Hawaii directly the day our puzzle was published. So beautifully wrapped. Jim still solves the LAT every day.

124. "__ seen worse": I'VE.

Merry Christmas, everyone. I hope you're with your loved ones and your house is full of love.

C.C.

Saturday, December 23, 2023, Will Eisenberg

 Saturday Themeless by Will Eisenberg

Will has had a lifelong love of language and wordplay. He has recently taken the leap from solving crosswords to constructing them. Professionally he plays and teaches the French horn. He is the current 3rd horn of Orchestra Iowa and a founding member of the Minnesota Horn Quartet. Will has performed extensively at home and abroad from New York to Italy and China including solo performances at Ted Mann Concert Hall in Minneapolis and the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage in Washington D.C.

I sailed along the top half of the puzzle as PARABOLA and the James Webb SPACE TELESCOPE were gimmes for this math and physics guy! 

Then I hit some speed bumps in the bottom half. My ignorance of puffy bread and hip-hop artists (Currier's partner worked that out) slowed the bottom but eventually it all came together and all was right in my puzzling world. PAN SAUCE and PATTER SONG also took some doing but I enjoyed the exercise and learning.

As you might have suspected with ADZ, LEX, AQUA and JEN, Will's puzzle is a pangram and you can see this in the chart below the grid.

Across:

1. Leather accessory: CHAPS - My first fill of PURSE didn't quite make it!

6. Sandbox game items?: PAILS.

11. Rangers home, familiarly: MSG.

 

14. Cocoon fillers: PUPAE.

15. Actress MacDowell: ANDIE - Name this fun movie that was one of the highest grossing films of 1993 where ANDIE co-starred with Bill Murray. (*answer at bottom)

16. Took a course?: ATE 😀

17. Ancient Greek market: AGORA - A familiar cwd shopping area

18. Fed. security: T-NOTE - This 1891 T-NOTE recently sold for $2.3M

19. MSNBC's "Inside With __ Psaki": JEN - Yesterday's JEN was more obscure. 

20. James Webb, for one: SPACE TELESCOPE.

23. Really feel the heat: BAKE - BOIL and BURN? Not so much...

24. Introduces an MGM film?: ROARS - In 1928, Jackie the Lion provided MGM's mascot Leo's roar.

25. Hosted: HAD OVER and 10. Shows the door: SEES OUT - Hello/Good Bye

28. Arrests: HAULS IN 😀 Ya gotta love the car Steve McQueen used in this movie where he played a bounty hunter.

30. __ Polytechnique: ECOLE - More We see the French word for school quite often.

31. "Severance" actor: SCOTT - Adam is definitely Saturday cluing for SCOTT

33. Source of local produce, for short: CSA.

34. __ regia: gold-dissolving substance: AQUA - Keep your doubloons out of this

35. Puffy deep-fried bread: POORI.

36. Muscles worked in pull-ups and pull-downs: LATS.

37. Spice blend: RUB.

BBQ DRY RUB MIX INGREDIENTS

This barbecue rub goes great on pork, chicken, burgers, and especially pork ribs! The best part is you probably already have all of these ingredients in your cupboard right now!

• Smoked Paprika
• Brown Sugar
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Dry Mustard

38. "Black Skin, White Masks" writer Frantz: FANON.

39. __ mignon: FILET.

40. Inclined: TILTING.

42. Spelling practice?: SORCERY 😀

44. Receiving line?: HEIRS 😀

45. Layered snack: OREO.

46. Silent nemesis in "Peanuts": KITE EATING TREE 😀 - I loved this after it hit me.

51. Is for many: ARE 😀

52. Smoothie option: GUAVA.

53. Daniel who writes the Gabriel Allon spy novels: SILVA.

55. Luthor in the Legion of Doom: LEX - Through the years. I only know of Gene Hackman's great portrayal (top middle) in the original Superman movie.

56. Row of pawns, e.g.: OCTET 😀 We have recently had 15. The Ivies, e.g.: OCTAD and 19. Tarantula legs, e.g.: OCTAD 

57. Needed Advil, say: ACHED.

58. Superlative suffix: EST.

59. One-named rapper in the hip-hop collective Doomtree: DESSA - I had no chance on this fill but she's on the right.

60. "The Constant Gardener" Oscar winner: WEISZ - Rachel and Ralph Fiennes below

Down:

1. Pro concerned with returns: CPA - I'll bet there's a CPA who participates in CSA and PTA in the USA

2. Brings it in, in a way: HUGS 😀

3. Each: A POP.

4. y=2x² plot, e.g.: PARABOLA - I've taught about them many times. 

5. Coastal formation: SEA CAVE - A famous one we have visited 

6. Gilbert and Sullivan staple: PATTER SONG -The patter song is characterised by a moderately fast to very fast tempo with a rapid succession of rhythmic patterns in which each syllable of text corresponds to one note. You're welcome. Ya Got Trouble from The Music Man is also a very familiar one.

7. Rice, for one: ANNE

8. K-pop star, say: IDOL.

9. Book club?: LITERATI.

11. Pitches delivered in sequence?: MAJOR SCALE 😀

12. Member of a blended family: STEP SISTER - What Marcia was to Greg, Peter and Bobby.

13. Tiny inheritance?: GENE 😀

21. __ out: EKE.

22. Berkeley, familiarly: CAL.

25. "Barracuda" band: HEART - An incredible rock and roll anthem! 

26. Purchases a company to obtain talented employees: ACQUIHIRES - What a great portmanteau! 

27. Follow up too soon, perhaps: DOUBLE TEXT - Guilty (and impatient) as charged!

28. Beethoven composition for brass virtuoso Giovanni Punto: HORN SONATA - I tried for a long time to make this more diffficult.

29. Repugnant: NASTY.

32. Imitate a dove: COO.
 
35. Many a reduction: PAN SAUCE  

A pan sauce—made with just a handful of ingredients and in a matter of minutes—can look and taste nearly as rich as a classic, labor-intensive French sauce. The base of a pan sauce is the fond, or browned bits, clinging to the bottom of the skillet after sautéing or searing meat, poultry, or fish. You're welcome.

36. Good & Plenty flavor: LICORICE - This candy is like M&M's with LICORICE in the middle rather than chocolate.

38. Vulcan or Agni: FIREGOD - No Mr. Spock here

39. Tool for intricate cutting: FRET SAW.

41. Draw: TIE.

43. Part of some email addresses: ORG.

46. Vegetable baked for chips: KALE 

47. Parts of a sleeve: TATS.

48. Lithographer James Merritt: IVES - Partner of Nathaniel Currier

            Sleigh Ride

There's a happy feeling nothing

In the world can buy

As they pass around the coffee

And the pumpkin pie

It'll nearly be like a picture print

By Currier and IVES

These wonderful things are the things

We remember all through our lives

49. Precollege yrs.: ELHI 🤨

50. The before times?: EVES - Tomorrow is an important one.

54. Wood shaper: ADZ.

*Andie and Bill relived Ground Hog Day over and over