Sunday September 8, 2024 Zhouqin Burnikel

Theme: "NBA Divisions" - Seven NBA team bookend the common phrase.

23A. Fijians and Hawaiians in Indiana?: PACIFIC ISLANDERS. Indiana Pacers.
 
39A. Small office printers in Los Angeles?: LABEL MAKERS. LA Lakers.

61A. Vehicles serving pale ales and pilsners in Milwaukee?: BEER TRUCKS. Milwaukee Bucks.

81A. Taps and reveille in Chicago?: BUGLE CALLS. Chicago Bulls.

98A. Nutritionist's plan in Miami?: HEALTHY DIET. Miami Heat.

120A. Attractive objects in Charlotte?: HORSESHOE MAGNETS. Charlotte Hornets.

38D. "Jeopardy!" host in Sacramento?: KEN JENNINGS. Sacramento Kings.

45D. Kitchen blade holders in New York?: KNIFE BLOCKS. New York Knicks.

I originally had circles in the grid (I know some of you hate circles!).  Patti thought circles made the theme too obvious for a Sunday grid. She added the city names to the clues. Sunday grid is big,  but the difficulty level is normally about LAT Thursday.

Across:

1. Harder to find: RARER.

6. Dry lip soothers: BALMS.

11. City with a tilted tower: PISA. Guess who this guy is.

 

15. Leave abruptly: BAIL.

19. Like a parkour athlete: AGILE.

20. Weak hit that may drop in for a single: BLOOP. Also 37. Popped (out): FLIED.

21. Berry from the Amazon: ACAI. A bit bitter for my taste.

22. __ Minor: URSA.

26. Festival shelter: TENT.

27. Pi, for one: RATIO.

28. Gosling parents: GEESE.
 
29. Univ. system with SF and LA campuses: CAL STATE. California State University.

31. John of pop music: ELTON.

33. __-Magnon: CRO.

35. Conscious beginning?: ECO. Eco-conscious.

36. Prez on the half-dollar: JFK.

44. Hopping joint?: ANKLE.

48. Apple Watch screen, for short: OLED.

50. "When pigs fly," for one: IDIOM. Me and Splynter.

51. "Oy __!": VEY.

52. Tablecloth fabric: LINEN.

53. Family tree information: LINEAGE.

56. Cold, pink drink: FROSE. Frozen Rosé.

58. Quiet moment for a nanny: NAP TIME.

60. Selena's genre: TEJANO.

63. Cub's coat: FUR.

64. Naval daily record: DECK LOG.

66. "All Things Considered" host Chang: AILSA. Her parents are from Taiwan.

67. Stout sleuth Wolfe: NERO.

68. Japanese masked drama: NOH.

69. Catchall abbr.: MISC.

72. Opti-Free rival: RENU.

73. Burglarize: ROB.

74. Olivia of "The Predator": MUNN. Her son is super cute.

76. "Yes __, Bob!": SIREE.

77. Shocks: APPALLS.

80. Poke bowl protein: AHI.

85. Common soccer score: ONE ONE.

87. City on the Italian Riviera: SAN REMO.

89. Home on the prairie: TEPEE. TIPI is the preferred spelling.

90. Fraud involving a forged painting, e.g.: ART SCAM.

91. Honey alternative: SUGAR.

92. "i can't believe u said this": SMH. Shaking My Head.

94. Covers with asphalt: PAVES.

96. Peruse quickly: SKIM.

97. Beast of Borden: ELSIE.

102. Conniving: SLY.

103. "Don't think so": NAH.

105. Enjoyed a salad: ATE.

106. Glitzy parties: GALAS.

108. Spotify creation: PLAYLIST.

112. Broth often made with kombu: DASHI. I mostly use kombu, occasionally dried sardines. And 111. Noodles in 112-Across, perhaps: SOBA.

116. "Good job!": BRAVO.

119. Clutched: HELD.

124. Numbers to crunch: DATA.

125. Lie right next to: ABUT.

126. Taco bar condiment: SALSA. Have any of you tried this Sambal Oelek? It's an Indonesian condiment.

127. Like a foggy forest: EERIE.

128. Fix, as a pet: SPAY.

129. Notebook flaps: TABS.

130. Silly sorts: TWITS.

131. Romantic rendezvous: TRYST.

Down:

1. Saweetie's genre: RAP. Cousin of Gabrielle Union.

 

2. Gelatin made from red algae: AGAR.

3. Costa __: RICA.

4. Upper crust: ELITE.

5. Request at a bar: REFILL.

6. "EastEnders" airer: BBC.

7. Set straight: ALIGNED.

8. Come in last: LOSE.

9. Source of leaks: MOLE.

10. Places for dermaplaning: SPAS. This picture can't be true.

11. Inflate artificially: PAD.

12. Glacier sample for paleoclimatologists: ICE CORE.

13. Bareilles of "Girls5eva": SARA.

14. Window alternative: AISLE.

15. "Not another word": BUTTON IT.

16. 97,813 square miles, for Wyoming: AREA. Never been there. You?

17. "Money __ everything": ISN'T.

18. In after the deadline: LATE.

24. Teeny amount: IOTA.

25. Head stand?: NECK. And 30. Head massage targets: SCALPS.

32. Theater honor: OBIE.

34. Daydream: REVERIE.

36. Sudden shock: JOLT.

40. "Story of my __!": LIFE.  So I've been sleeping on the basement floor due to the loud new 5501 renter (the last one was evicted quickly). Was worried that the mice might snack on me. They couldn't be less interested.

41. "Encore!": MORE.

42. Omnia vincit __: AMOR.

43. Matches, as audio to video: SYNCS UP.

46. Madagascar primate: LEMUR.

47. Febrero preceder: ENERO.

49. Church figure: DEACON.

54. Egyptian cross with a top loop: ANKH.

55. Shout in La Liga: GOL.

57. Galaxy member: STAR.

59. Alias indicator: AKA.

61. Female hip-hopper: B GIRL.

62. Forearm bones: ULNAS.

65. "Geez Louise!": OMIGOSH.

67. "... if you can believe it": NO LESS.

70. "Did you watch?": SEE THAT.

71. Gospel singer Winans: CECE. I had ONCE there, failing to notice the dupe with ONE. Patti caught it, of course.

73. Go on a tirade: RANT.

74. En __: together: MASSE.

75. Moving day rental: U HAUL.

76. Total amount: SUM.

78. "__ favor": POR.

79. Garden mollusk: SNAIL.

81. "Face facts!": BE REAL. If only I would listen to Agnes!

82. Date with a doc: APPT.

83. Actress Remini: LEAH.

84. Impose, as a tax: LEVY.

86. Award for "Ted Lasso": EMMY.

88. Saving time?: RAINY DAY. Patti's clue.

90. __ Minor: ASIA.

93. Barbecue spice blend: MEAT RUB.

95. Most provocative: EDGIEST. Been loving "Nasty" lately. Is somebody gonna match my freak?

99. News story intro: LEDE.

100. Idris of "Luther": ELBA.

101. Place for a bull's-eye: TARGET.

104. Part of a drum kit: HI HAT.

107. Less outlandish: SANER.

108. Some postgrad degs.: PHDs.

109. Take a big jump: LEAP.

110. Baja's opposite: ALTA.

113. Abbr. in job titles: ASST.

114. "Pygmalion" playwright: SHAW.

115. Hindu festival celebrated with water balloons: HOLI. There's a big Hindu Temple in Maple Grove, where my favorite pool and trails are. Big Holi celebration there every March.

117. Exceedingly: VERY.

118. Elevator innovator: OTIS.

121. Some GPS lines: STS.

122. Some postgrad degs.: MAS.

123. Stage design: SET.

C.C.

Saturday, September 7, 2024, Rich Norris

 Themeless Saturday by Rich Norris

Rich is back again with a puzzle that kept me going for way too long. MOLIERE and TOVAH were my last two entries among the slew of names. 

Some of Rich's cluing was cruel and unusual! Okay, I got 'em but laughed when I saw how they fit for my hard-earned "got 'er done".

Across:

1. Attractive bar, say: INSPOT - NYC's INSPOT of the 70's. Yeah, I went with magnet first. 

7. New parent, maybe: STEP DAD -  Mike was a new parent to half the bunch

14. Big star: POP IDOL.

16. French Tony equivalent: MOLIERE - MOLIERE is considered to be France's Shakespeare and 36. Cover name: ALIAS - Moliere was born Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, but changed it to his one-word pseudonym. 

17. Significant tennis term: OPEN ERA - It started in 1968 when pros were allowed into The Grand Slam events.

18. Reveals: EVINCES - It was good enough for Thomas Jefferson.

19. Faction: SECT.

20. Cub Scout leader: AKELA - Sir Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the Scouting movement, chose the wolf AKELA from Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book to be its leader.

22. Flightless island bird: KIWI - They live on the island of New Zealand

23. Sword holder: SHEATH - More info

24. Brit's clothespin: PEG - This is also what some people call a golf tee

25. Letters for a seaside vacation: SPF - Sun Protection Factor

28. Hieroglyphic figures: ASPS.

29. "Lost" antagonist: ETHAN.

31. Carmichael who composed "Heart and Soul": HOAGY - Like others, I learned the right hand only version of HOAGY's classic tune

33. "Jingle Bells" preposition: OER - ... OER the fields we go...

35. Display area: SHELF.

37. Computer add-on?: ESE.

38. Go a-wassailing: CAROL -  There is hot cider (wassail) being consumed and CAROLLING going on below 

39. Honorary Oscar recipient in 1955: GARBO - The reclusive actress never came to accept it

40. Old young king: TUT 😀 - Howard Carter's discovery of TUT's tomb was financed by Lord Carnarvon, the actual occupant of Downton Abbey (Highclere Castle) in 1922 .

41. Play area: ARENA - A recent puzzle had STAGE for this clue

42. Unpolished: CRASS.

43. Play thing: PROP - For the very few peeps who do not recognize this famous PROP from the movie of the same name, the answer is at the bottom of the write-up. *

45. Overnight development: DEW - 😀 We early golfers are sometimes called DEW sweepers.

46. Mil. defense letters: ABM - Anti Ballistic Missle system

47. Place for many a last-minute purchase, casually: C-STORE - Or so many others...

49. Royale and Flying Cloud: REOS - I'm sure you cwd peeps know REO stands for Ransom Eli Olds who invented the Oldsmobile. He left there and made his own car.

51. Lyon's river: RHONE - Originates in the Swiss Alps and empties into the Mediterranean 

52. Composer/conductor Lukas: FOSS - Everything you want to know

56. Pope who was a patron of Michelangelo and Copernicus: PAUL III - Pope Julius II forced Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo did The Last Judgement for  PAUL III in the same room.

58. "Nice one!": YOU  ROCK.

60. Triage pro: ER NURSE.

61. Strike goal, perhaps: MORE PAY.

62. Sandal features: T-STRAPS.

63. Fails to act: SITS BY - If you were among the many millions who watched the finale of Seinfeld, you know they went to jail for failing to act to help a man getting robbed.

Down:

1. Certain market launches, for short: IPOS - Initial Public Offering of stock 

2. "Try again": NOPE.

3. Brief detail: SPEC.

4. __ glass: PINT.

5. To work?: ODE.

6. Five-book scrolls: TORAHS.

7. Troutlike fish: SMELT.

Rainbow SMELT

8. Actress Feldshuh: TOVAH - I never knew her name but remember her playing a "tough as nails" defense lawyer Danielle Melnick in Law And Order

9. One "ManningCast" host: ELI - Peyton and ELI Manning bookend Will Ferell

10. "Trouble" Grammy winner: PINK.

11. Figured out: DECIPHERED - Alan Turing and his colleagues did some of  the most important DECIPHERING in human history in Hut 8 during WWII.

12. Lead-in to a secret: ARE WE ALONE. 😀

13. Problem that may be confused with operator error: DESIGN FLAW - Uh, there is this one issue with your new Pinto

15. One of several artists nicknamed for where they lived: LAKE POET - More

21. Approaches carefully: EASES UP TO.

23. Indisputable decisions: SAY SO'S - I am married to the person who has the SAY SO around here

25. Big pile on the floor: SHAG CARPET - 😀 A necessary accessory for big pile SHAG CARPET in the 70's.

26. Club members who break the ice with splashy entrances?: POLAR BEARS - Yikes! Not a club I am anxious to join. 

27. Negotiation objective: FAIR AMOUNT - Ask for too much and hope to get somewhere in the middle

29. Get away: ESCAPE.

30. Seagoing adverb: THAR - Adverbs can tell where, like this version of there.

32. Natters: GABS.

34. Snail mail, e.g.: RETRONYM.

44. Cereal promoted by the Creme Team: OREO O'S.

47. Burning result?: CRISP - I'm at an 8 or 9

48. Backs (away): SHIES.

50. Arc on a score: SLUR.

52. Violin's lack: FRET 😀

53. Slip indicator: OOPS.

54. Sign of healing: SCAB - Tina Fey got a SCAR on her chin when she was 5 years old

55. Finlandia rival: SKYY.

57. Yo La Tengo guitarist Kaplan: IRA - I Have It in English. A definite Saturday IRA in this onslaught of name from Rich or Patti. This IRA was number 12 on this list of famous IRA's

59. The Rams of the Atlantic 10, briefly: URI - A good guess for an Atlantic Coast School

From l to r, that is Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lorre, Mary Astor and Sidney Greenstreet perusing the Maltese Falcon.