Saturday, April 13, 2019, C.C. Burnikel

Themeless Saturday Puzzle By C.C. Burnikel

Other than National Crossword Day, what day could be more apropos here than National Scrabble Day? I am certain we have some expert players that reside here who would clean my clock at this game.

Generally I am very patient in doing crosswords and can stare at partially filled cells without frustration. However, I don't enjoy staring at a rack of impossible Scrabble tiles. 

I always seem to have an 26. Plentiful: AMPLE supply of consonants on my tile rack.

As usual, C.C.'s puzzle was a delight to work. As you can see below, she did not include any 8 or 10 point letters in her puzzle and had only one 5 pointer but still produced a very pleasing exercise!

Now lets's see what our Minneapolis mentor has for us today:

Across:

1. Bikini-ready physique, informally: BEACH BOD - Google at your pleasure. I'll wait until you're back

9. Missed an easy one: BLEW IT - Seattle coach Pete Carroll BLEW IT in Super Bowl XLIX when he called for a pass from the one-yard line that got intercepted and subsequently cost the Seahawks a Super Bowl win

15. One who finesses the tab, facetiously: EL CHEAPO - This San Diego locksmith claims it charges low rates. The ad also says El CHEAPO speaks Spanish for people who aren't offended by his lame business name.

16. Yale sobriquet: OLD ELI

17. Admits: ALLOWS IN

18. Compound in much tea: TANNIN - This compound in tea is said to promote calmness. In wines, several sites says it promotes bitterness and astringency.  

19. Pol. site: EUR - Yeah, Pol(and) is in EURope

20. Cyclotron bits: IONS - If you're interested 

22. Sacred musical work: MOTET - Usually unaccompanied sacred music 

23. Lascaux cave paintings, e.g.: ANCIENT ART - A series of paintings in SW France thought to be around 20,000 years old

29. Attraction: DRAW - Love him or hate him, he is a big DRAW

30. Trash: TOSS.

33. Postal motto conjunction: NOR - "Neither snow NOR rain..." However in Nebraska this spring...

34. Keeps in the email loop: CCS - C.C. sometimes CC's me into emails 

36. Fictional boxer Joe: PALOOKA - Ah, the Sunday comics of my yute

38. Prepare to spring: CROUCH 

40. Like some ice cream: NON FAT.

41. Relief for aching muscles: HOT SOAK - Getting there might be chilly

43. DOJ honchos: AGS - Attorneys General vs AG'S

44. Finished a dish: ATE.

45. Stadium vendor's stack: ONES.

46. Word to a service station attendant: FILL - Or...

48. Missed the note, say: ERRED.

50. Dejected words: I'M A FAILURE - A Beatles variation

53. "Hidden Figures" actress Janelle __: MONAE - Her IMDB info

55. Cinematographer Nykvist: SVEN - ...and Sven's too

64. __ Agron, Quinn portrayer on "Glee": DIANNA - ,,,and DIANNA's

56. Fried rice additive: MSG.

59. Spheres of influence: AMBITS - _ _ B I T S? This NASA guy put in ORBITS immediately!

61. Sandwich spread: EGG SALAD.

65. "The Big Bang Theory" main male characters, notably: TREKKIES - In one episode they were forced to hitchhike in TREKKIE costumes

66. Emulate YouTube: STREAM.

67. Zinfandel, for one: VARIETAL.

Down:

1. Arthur with Lead Actress Emmys for two different sitcoms: BEA - Along with her Golden Girls. She also won for Maude

2. Glamour rival: ELLE - Magazine whose name comes from French pronoun for "She"

3. Org. involved in many Supreme Court cases: ACLU 

4. Like some gospel music: CHORAL - Oh, Happy Day!!

5. Chop down: HEW.

6. Elementary: BASIC.

7. Modern crisis subject: OPIOIDS - It is now thought doctors 12. Overdid it: WENT TOO FAR in prescribing these powerful pain meds

8. Sierra Nevada's __ Pass: DONNER - The Donner party had each other over for dinner

9. Many a Tweeter: BOT - Need to know more?

10. Alpaca relative: LLAMA - Andean beasts of burden

11. Ralph Kramden's pal: ED NORTON - This golfer's favorite bit

13. Nastase of tennis: ILIE.

14. Window shade?: TINT.

21. Lose it: SNAP.

24. Longtime Clark Bar maker: NECCO.

25. Bluegrass sound: TWANG.

26. Dried chili pepper: ANCHO - The smaller pepper the hotter it is (higher on the Scoville Scale below)

27. No-brainer?: MORON.

28. Bodybuilder's snack: PROTEIN BAR

31. Stingray cousin: SKATE.

32. Gratified and then some: SATED.

35. Banter: CHAFF - Kind of down the list for definition especially here in farm country

37. Many a gambler: LOSER.

39. 1898 Havana Harbor sinker: USS MAINE - Hearst's yellow journalism helped spark what Secretary of State John Hay called "The splendid little war" against Spain

42. Rio and Soul: KIAS.

43. Pollen season drug brand: ALLEGRA 

47. Sportscast, usually: LIVE TV - The first baseball sportscast was Columbia vs Princeton that was broadcast to the 400 or so sets capable of receiving the signal in 1939

49. 2006's "Casino Royale," for example: REMAKE - David Niven replaced Sean Connery in 1967.  Well at least they kept Ursula Andress! In 2006, Daniel Craig became 007

51. Blue Cross alternative: AETNA.

52. Fussy Felix: UNGER.

53. Satirical issues since 1952: MADS - Vol. 1 Edition 1 can be yours for $3,000

54. Skip over: OMIT.

57. Skirt feature: SLIT.

58. Greek Mother Earth: GAEA 

60. Frodo's sidekick: SAM - No idea but here they are

62. Deal with moguls: SKI - Of course these moguls are ski bumps not CEO's

63. Broadband option, for short: DSL - We got DSL once but the phone company blamed our bad internet connection on our long distance from its downtown offices. Uh, not very effective. 

Now use the tiles below to figure out what you can leave for the rest of us on National Scrabble Day!

Friday, April 12, 2019, Joe Kidd

Title: Do you speak Thai Oo? KA!

We have the first 2019 puzzle from Mr. Kidd after he had 6 last year. His specialty seems to be to add letters and today is no exception. The bigram "KA" is inserted at the beginning of a word in a two-word phrase to create a new and whimsical fill. The cluing is also all fun. This week the consistency is A-B-B-A, with 11-10-10-11 letter themers. The base phrases are Friday hard to parse but once you got one, they all should fall in place. He also includes ALOOFLY. BACKRUB, MIDTERM, ONE BALL, TRAFFIC COPS, and SUPER MODELS as sparkly long fill. Getting these words in the grid is what makes gridding the trickiest part of puzzle creation, to me. Time to review the theme and the rest of the creation.

17A. Energetic jug band performer?: KAZOO ANIMAL (11). We have had a few jug band references lately, and I still do not have any great link, but here you can LEARN HOW.

29A. Skewered food cooked vertically?: PLUMB KABOB (10). We have the kebab/kabob hurdle to overcome, and you must know about the art of the PLUMB BOB.

46A. Doesn't get fixed?: STAYS KAPUT (10). A phrase no one would ever use, but I think we all know the concept from the German kaputt, perhaps via Yiddish קאַפּוט (kaput, “lost, dead”). The same word has also been borrowed by many other languages.

56A. Wile E. Coyote purchases from Acme?: KABOOM BOXES (11). My favorite for so many reasons, including our new recurring theme of Wile E. and his efforts to blow poor Roadrunner to smithereens. WATCH. I also like smithereens. 

Across:

1. Building unit: ACRE. A tricky 1A, as lot size is not the first thing to come to mind.

5. "Oh yeah?": THAT SO? Missing an "IS"?

11. Pranks, in a way, for short: TPS. Toilet papers. I never understood the joy of wrapping houses in toilet paper.

14. Industrial portmanteau: SMOG. Smoke/fog.

15. Movie leads, often: HEROES. A vague answer that took a bit of perpage.

16. Narrow inlet: RIA. We have this very often.

19. Mtn. stat: ALT. Mountain statistic - altitude.

20. Lodge: INN.

21. With indifference: ALOOFLY. Not a word I ever use.

23. Western formation?: POSSE. A clip from THE LAST POSSE.

26. "See ya later": TATA. Did you all see this MOVIE?

28. Some distance away: AFAR.

31. Caine and Connery: SIRS. Michael and Sean.

32. __ rally: PEP. The ones I attended were not this fancy.

33. What snobs may put on: AIRS. And Birkenstocks?

34. "Up to 3,000 lights" brand: BIC. Well flic my bic!

35. Do business with: SELL TO. Buy from?

37. Mississippi source: ITASCA. Itasca is a word coined by Henry Schoolcraft as a name for Lake Itasca, the source of the Mississippi River. Schoolcraft coined the name from a combination of the Latin words veritas ("truth") and caput ("head").

40. Seminarian's subj.: RELigion.

41. Like-minded group: BLOC. I have had this a few time this year.

42. It's worn with a kimono: OBI. What do you get when Alec Guiness loses his sash - a Wan Kenobi?

44. Himalayan priest: LAMA. The one L.

49. Off-kilter: ALOP. perhaps my least favorite "A" word.

50. Weymouth of Talking Heads: TINA. This is a bit obscure, but the letters filled themselves.

51. Oxidizes: RUSTS. In case you wondered where rust comes from, it is a reddish- or yellowish-brown flaky coating of iron oxide that is formed on iron or steel by oxidation, especially in the presence of moisture.

52. Like some elections: MIDTERM. We had some last year.

54. "This is __ chance": OUR. No, it is your chance to write whatever you want, except religion, politics or personal attacks.

55. Cooler cooler: ICE. Cute clue- sorry Tin.

62. Zero, to Man U: NIL. British...CSO to all of our over the pond contributors.

63. Online investment service: ETRADE. In 1982, William A. Porter and Bernard A. Newcomb founded TradePlus in Palo Alto, California, with $15,000 in capital. In 1991, Porter and Newcomb founded E-Trade Securities, Inc., with several hundred thousand dollars of startup capital from TradePlus.

64. Loan default risk: REPO.

65. Remote cells: AAS. Yes, lost remotes use these.

66. One who's determined to lose: DIETER. Or those who buy Powerball tickets.

67. Server's edge: AD IN. Advantage.

Down:

1. Suggest, as a price: ASK. If you are doing business with someone.

2. Org. that voted Keith Urban 2018 Entertainer of the Year: CMA. Apparently, the result was shocking even to Australian Keith.

3. "Monsters, Inc." raspy-voiced undercover agent: ROZ. I watched the movie, but remember nothing from it.

4. "I" swelling?: EGOISM. Another cute clue.

5. Word of comparison: THAN.

6. Farm female: HEN. It is time the chicken got some props.

7. Jackie O's second: ARI.

8. Original V8 base: TOMATO. This has led to CONTROVERSY.

9. Aquanaut's workplace: SEALAB.

10. Nobel Institute city: OSLO.

11. They sometimes help relieve congestion: TRAFFIC COPS. A very nice misleading Friday clue/fill combo.

12. Vertical Parthenon component: PILLAR. Column has the same number of letters.

13. Mythical man-goats: SATYRS. In Greek mythology, a satyr, also known as a silenos, is a male nature spirit with ears and a tail resembling those of a horse, as well as a permanent, exaggerated erection. But in Roman representations, they are depicted as a man with a goat's ears, tail, legs, and horns

18. Yellow pool table item: ONE BALL.

22. Caravan stopover: OASIS. A must on all your desert adventures,

23. Maximally soft, in music: PPP. This term equals pianississimo. New to me.

24. Fútbol cheers: OLES.



25. Celebs on runways: SUPERMODELS. I do not think there are any real ones any more, just media creations.

26. Poi plant: TARO.

27. Hunk's pride: ABS.

30. Build-it-yourself buy: KIT. Hey, Dennis, how are you?

34. Massage parlor service: BACKRUB. We do not mention this subject around Robert Kraft.

36. Sprang: LEAPT.

37. Three-time NHL All-Star Kovalchuk: ILYA. An unknown, but here he is.

38. Talking-__: lectures: TOS.

39. Be up against: ABUT.

41. Disallow: BAN.

43. "__ a deal!": ITS.

44. Thin layer: LAMINA. Latin -a thin layer, plate, or scale of sedimentary rock, organic tissue, or other material.

45. Jodie Foster's birth name: ALICIA. Jodie Foster was born Alicia Christian Foster on November 19, 1962, in Los Angeles.

46. Low clouds: STRATI. Latin -  a cloud of a class characterized by a gray, horizontal layer with a uniform base, found at a lower altitude than altostratus, usually below 8000 feet.

47. Musical tone quality: TIMBRE. This is a nice word, characteristic quality of a musical sound, from French timbre "quality of a sound," earlier "sound of a bell,

48. Natural light show: AURORA.

53. Barely managed, with "out": EKED.

54. Traditional Passover barley offering: OMER. A very timely clue/fill. READ.

57. Granola kernel: OAT.

58. Keats creation: ODE.

59. Marked, as a ballot: XED.

60. Prefix with -logue: EPI. Not the center this time.

61. Male issue: SON.

Joe was all over the place with this one, but once again it is in the record books. We still do not know his story but he can make a fun puzzle. A rose by any other name. Thank you JK. Thank you all who read and write here at the corner.

Note from C.C.:

Happy 74th birthday to WikWak! Hope all is well, Chuck. 

Abejo, WikWak, Madame DeFarge & TTP 7/19/2018

Thursday, April 11th 2019 Julian Kwan

Theme: Piscine Puzzle - The theme answers conceal a type of fish, as hinted at by the reveal:

68A. Kids' card game ... and a directive pertaining to the four longest puzzle answers: GO FISH!

20A. Drawer in the court: SKETCH ARTIST

28A. "You overreact when you're hungry" candy bar: SNICKERS ALMOND. I was going to grumble about this, as the campaign is usually known as "You're not you when you're hungry", but BBDO made a slight change for the Snickers Almond ads as I discovered on YouTube.

45A. It may contain curls and crunches: WORKOUT ROUTINE

52A. Clinic technician: LAB ASSISTANT

Straighforward enough theme here - go and look for the fish in the theme entries when you reach the reveal, which was the very last across entry, which I like - it keeps you guessing. All the fish span the two-word entries, which is nice, and three of the four theme entries have not appeared in any of the major puzzles according to the ever-helpful Cruciverb database. IRIS SCAN is new too, so some freshness in the puzzle which is always nice to see.

Again, I think we have a debutant in the LAT today, according to our blog records anyway, this is Julian's first, so congratulations! If it's the same chap, he competed as a rookie in the 42nd Annual American Crossword Puzzle tournament just a few weeks back.

Let's go ahead see what else pops out:

Across:

1. Sizzling Tex-Mex meat: FAJITA. Food! Usually skirt steak, chicken or shrimp. There are veggie options too.

7. Polling results: Abbr.: PCTS. Percentages.

11. Adams of "Vice": AMY

14. Boy whose wings melted in the sun: ICARUS

15. Four-star review: RAVE

16. Forest female: DOE

17. Gently used: NEWISH. Something could be newish, but trashed, I wouldn't all that "gentle" usage.

18. Salinger title teen: ESMÉ. The short story was "For Esmé—with Love and Squalor"

19. "Let's get out of here!": RUN

23. Isn't feeling 100%: AILS

26. Grafton's "__ for Alibi": A IS. You might as well print this one with the grid.

27. Ship stabilizer: KEEL

33. Brand of suit Bania gave Jerry in a memorable "Seinfeld" episode: ARMANI

34. Lamb's alias: ELIA

35. Indiana state flowers: PEONIES

37. Cast a spell on: ENCHANT

42. Banking biggie: CITI

44. Acrobatic dive: GAINER. I had to look this one up, I've never heard of it. It's a backwards somersault.

49. Nice dad?: PÉRE. The old Mediterranean resort misdirection. French city, French father.

50. MADD ad, e.g.: PSA

51. Holly genus: ILEX. Dug deep for this one, but dug it I did.

57. Singer DiFranco: ANI

58. Opera set in Egypt: AIDA

59. Ex-Met pitcher known as "Dr. K": GOODEN. With 2,293 Major League career strikeouts, you can see where the nickname comes from.

63. __ profit: NET

64. Pitch indicator: CLEF. These things. I only learned about the alto clef relatively recently. The piano and guitar music that I've seen use only the bass and treble clefs.

65. One way to travel: ON FOOT

66. Carpentry tool: ADZ

67. __ loser: SORE

Down:

1. Shark tip-off: FIN. Cue John William's iconic "Jaws" music!

2. Bandage brand: ACE

3. Boxer's target: JAW

4. Biometric identification technique: IRIS SCAN

5. Narwhal feature: TUSK

6. Queens tennis stadium: ASHE. Not convinced about this clue. It's "Arthur Ashe Stadium", I've never heard it called anything else. Take the Cincinnati Bengals - they play at Paul Brown Stadium, no one calls it "Brown".

7. Sharply defined: PRECISE

8. Transaction without financing: CASH SALE

9. "South Park" rating: TV-MA

10. Magic 8 Ball, some hope: SEER

11. Brody of "The Pianist": ADRIEN

12. Revealed the function of, with "over": MOUSED. Only if you've got a tool tip pop-up. You can mouse over the other stuff all day and it's not going to help you figure out what that particular control does.

13. Streisand title role: YENTL

21. La Brea __ Pits: TAR

22. Ref's ruling: TKO. Boxing's Technical Knock Out. The fighter cannot continue, according to the referee.

23. Quickly, quickly: ASAP

24. Memo lead-in: IN RE - "In the matter of" or "Regarding". I first came across this when I was reading a volume of collected letters from and to the great Hunter S. Thompson. There was some lively reading in there, as you can imagine.

25. Wheels for a celeb: LIMO

29. New York cager: KNICK. In the early days of professional basketball, the court was enclosed by a cage, and therefore never went out-of-bounds, hence "cager".

30. Farm follower?: E-I-E-I-O. "... and on that farm he had some ducks ...."

31. Jargon: LINGO

32. Former Portuguese colony in China: MACAU. A big gambling destination. Most of the famous Las Vegas casino brands have properties here, including Sands, The Rio, The Venetian and the Wynn. The finale of the recent season of Top Chef was filmed in Macau.

36. More senseless: STUPIDER

38. Had a great first date: HIT IT OFF

39. Deep blue dye: ANIL

40. Aloha State bird: NENE

41. "Jurassic World" predator, for short: T. REX

43. "The coast is clear": IT'S SAFE

45. Withdrew gradually: WEANED

46. Kayak alternative: ORBITZ. Orbitz is owned by Expedia, as are Travelocity, Trivago, Hotels.com, Hotwire and others. Kayak seems to be the only one to escape their clutches so far!

47. Actor Stephen who is a UNICEF Ireland Ambassador: REA

48. Traitor: RAT

49. Course before contingencies: PLAN A. Then comes Plan B.

53. Anatomical pouches: SACS

54. Storage cylinder: SILO

55. Excited: AGOG

56. Words said with a finger wag: NO NO. Dikembe Mutombo was famous for his "no no" finger wag when he blocked a shot:

60. "__ know you?": DO I

61. Canon SLR: EOS. Depending on the model, these can run you around $3,000, and that's just for the body.

62. Unspecified degree: NTH

And with that, my cruciverbalist chums, here's the grid:

Steve

Wednesday, April 10, 2019 Jeff Stillman

Theme: URBAN RENEWAL.  Steps in an aspect of property improvement are presented in their logical order.

18 A. Controversial excavation method: STRIP MINING.  Instead of digging tunnels, the top layers of soil are STRIPPED away, revealing an open pit from which ore or coal can be removed.  Forests, top soil, other plant life, and even entire mountain tops are removed.  This is a very environmentally hostile technique.  In theme context, we will STRIP off the old paint - or, perhaps, wall paper - to reveal a fresh surface for redecoration

20 A. Beach house?: SAND CASTLE.  Not a class home or rental on what 38A suggests, but an ephemeral bit of perhaps artistic handiwork near the shore line.  Check these out.  I couldn't pick one.  On a somewhat less grandiose scale here are some of my grandchildren filling the moat on their construction at Coldwater Lake in 2006.

You SAND the surface using SAND paper, to remove foreign material and provide a smooth substrate for the next steps.

38 A. Beachfront property, often: PRIME REAL ESTATE.  It's always pricey along the water.  At this point I was confused about the theme.  What did STRIP MINING have to do with expensive beach front property?  But the theme uses a different sense of the word PRIME.  To get a good, smooth finish, you often need to PRIME the surface. This seals pores in the material, provides better adhesion for the top coat, increases durability and provides more robust protection for the painted surface.

57 A. Breed of Tonto's Scout: PAINT HORSE.  This is a registered breed that developed from spotted horses with thoroughbred and quarter horse blood lines.  There are a few images on this Wikipedia page.  All of the preceding was preliminary to the finishing step, which is to PAINT the item that has received all this care and effort.

59. Handyman's work suggested by the starts of 18-, 20-, 38- and 57-Across: RESTORATION.  Returning something to its prior or original condition, or - in this case - making over and improving a property or item.  A new PAINT job can be a part of that freshening process.

Hi, Gang.  It's JazzBumpa here to supervise the job. We outsource this sort of work. It relieves me of a burden, and helps keep the economy moving. And to be honest, it gets done better.  Let us keep moving and see what we can uncover in the rest of the project.  

Across:

1. Punk rock subgenre: EMO.  More complex and emotionally driven than punk rock in general.

4. Catches red-handed: NABS.  Capturing the miscreant in flegrante delicto.  By analogy to catching  murderer with blood on his hands.

8. Medieval stringed instruments: REBECS.  As you can see here, there are two ways to hold it.

14. GoPro product, briefly: CAMera for taking action movies..

15. Many a homecoming attendee: ALUMnus/na.  A graduate of an educational institution.

16. Covent Garden offerings: OPERAS.  This place is London's main theater and entertainment district, and home to the Royal Opera House.

17. All-Star pitcher: ACE. the best starting pitcher on a baseball team, and generally the first in the rotation.

22. Little biter: GNAT. Any of many small two-winged flying insect that often form large swarms.  There are biting and non-biting varieties.

23. Bible book between Daniel and Joel: HOSEA.  The same 8th century B.C. Old Testament prophet of doom who appeared in my last blogging effort here.  Due to failing eyesight in his later years, he was often asked, "Hosea, can you see?"

24. Biblical pronoun: THY.  Wrinkle not THY nose at my attempts at Biblical humor.

25. Nursery cry: MAMA.  Baby talk.

26. Form 1040 agcy.: IRS.  Infernal Revenue Service, as they used to say on HeeHaw.  Or so I've been told by people who actually watched it,

28. Permanent sites?: SALONS.  Hair dos.

30. Sounds of contentment: AAHS.  Spa noises.

33. __ Fables: AESOP'S. He was an old Greek story teller.

37. Criticize harshly: RIP.  A figurative, not literal, rending.

41. Org. for netmen: ATP.  Association of Tennis Professionals.  They have an objective, merit-based system for determining entry qualifications and seeding in tournaments.

42. "Barney Miller" star Hal: LINDEN.  Harold Lipshitz [b 1931] began his career as a big band singer in the '50's.  The Barney Miller series, named for the character he portrayed, ran from 1975 to 1982.

43. Linear: ONE-D.  One dimensional.

44. Biathlon weapons: RIFLES.  This is hybrid sport that combines shooting for accuracy and cross country skiing for speed.

46. __ Bund: Swiss newspaper: DER.  Meaning THE Union, this publication has fallen on hard times in recent decades.

48. Skelton's Kadiddlehopper: CLEM.  A country bumpkin character who was slow witted and kind hearted.

49. Merit badge org.: BSA. Boy Scouts of America.

52. Tut-tutted: TSKED.  A tongue-clicking sign of disapproval.

56. Scottish family: CLAN.  A kinship group having a sense of shared identity.

61. Shortest surname in Cooperstown: OTT. Mel [1909-1958] played right field for the New York Giants from 1926 to 1947.  A 12-time star, he finished his career with a .304 bating average, 488 doubles and1860 RBIs.  He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1951.

62. Kin of jujitsu: AIKIDO.  a Japanese form of self-defense and martial art that uses locks, holds, throws, and the opponent's own movements.  "The name Aikido is composed of three Japanese words: ai, meaning harmony; ki, spirit or energy; and do, the path, system or way. Aikido is the way of the spirit of harmony. Martial arts are studied for self-defense and self-improvement but Aikido is different from other martial arts in that practitioners seek to defend themselves without causing injury to their attackers."

63. Yours, to Yves: ATOI. French

64. Once known as: NEE.  Referring to a married woman's maiden name.  Also French

65. Planted a red herring, say: MISLED.  Figuratively sending someone in a wrong direction.

66. Poolroom powder: TALC.  It's used to reduce moisture and friction in the pool players hand that is used as a bridge for the cue stick.

67. Drop the ball: ERR. A defensive mistake in baseball.

Down:

1. Cybermoney: E-CASH.

2. Chinese gambling mecca: MACAO. A former Portuguese colony that was returned to China in 1999.  It has a separate system of government from the rest of mainland China.

3. Forebodings: OMENS.  Events presumed to foretell ensuing good or evil.

4. Sprint Cup org.: NASCAR.  The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is headquartered in Daytona, Fla.

5. Utah ski resort: ALTA.

6. Break open: BURST.

7. Word for word?: SMITH. A wordSmith is a skilled user of words, but the sense of this clue escapes me.

8. Tiber River capital: ROME.  In Italy.

9. Center starter: EPI-.  Prefix for loanwords from Greek, meaning upon, over, at or near.  Center comes to us from Greek, via Latin.

10. Cincinnati player: BENGAL. Professional football.

11. "Happy Days" actress: ERIN MORAN.  [1960-2017] She played Joanie Cunningham.

12. Inhabitant of ancient Palestine: CANAANITE.  Any member of several ethnic groups who occupied parts of modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan during the bronze age and earlier.

13. NCO rank: SSGT.  A Staff Sergeant is a Non-commissioned officer.

19. Work at, as a trade: PLY. Related to "apply," meaning to work steadily at one's business or trade.

21. Reason-based faith: DEISM.  Belief in the existence of a creator as "first cause" that rejects notions of miracles, revelations, or a God that interacts with humans

25. Easter liturgy: MASS.  The liturgical service of the Christian Catholic church.  Masses are certainly held on Easter - as well as every other day of the year.  This is a very poor clue.

27. One-piece dresses: SARIS.  The SARI, or saree, is traditional garb from India.

You can buy it here

28. Go through: SPEND.  Use up one's funds.

29. Floored it: SPED.  Pushing the gas pedal to the floor boards.

30. On __ with: A PAR.  Equivalent or similar.

31. Constitution section that creates the executive branch: ARTICLE II.  Article I creates the legislative branch.  Article III creates the judicial branch.

32. On-the-sly alcohol containers: HIP FLASKS. A container that can be slipped into a pocket.

34. Poetic time: E'EN. Evening.

35. Downcast: SAD.  Unhappy or depressed.

36. Bullfight cheer: OLE. From Spanish-speaking countries.

39. K thru 6: ELEMentary school grades.

40. Upper body: TORSO.  The trunk of the body, exclusive of the head and limbs.

45. Soup legume: LENTIL. A small, round, lens-shaped bean.  As a food crop, the majority comes from India, Canada and Australia.

47. Cultural, as cuisine: ETHNIC.  Relating to a population subgroup with a common national or cultural tradition.

49. Sheep's cry: BAA. Or MAA.  You never know.

50. Occupy, as a desk: SIT AT.

51. Santa __ racetrack: ANITA.  The Santa ANITA park is located in Arcadia, CA.

53. Scandinavian coin: KRONE.  Currently equal to about  $0.12.

54. Fragrant compound: ESTER. They occur in many natural products and provide the aromas of most fresh fruits.

55. Discourage: DETER. Block, impede, hamper.

56. Pull an all-nighter: CRAM.  Last minute studying for a big test.  Probably not a very good ides.

57. Urge: PROD.  Poke, jab, nudge.

58. Item in a kit: TOOL. A device or implement - in this case hand held - used to carry out a particular function

60. "__ to My Right Knee": Rita Dove poem: ODE.  A lyric poem in elevated style addressing a particular object.  This one is not exactly an homage.

That completes this project.  Hope the results are pleasing.

Cool regards!
JzB

Tuesday, April 9, 2019 John Lampkin

"ANT COLONY"

17. *Employee insurance coverage, briefly: WORKERS COMP. 

60. *Unmanned aerial attack: DRONE STRIKE.

11. *Hotel bed choice: QUEEN SIZE.

32. *Persist despite difficulty: SOLDIER ON.

46. Symbolic Egyptian snake, which includes the start of a hint to the answers to starred clues: ASP.

Look at the hind end of this ant:

"The Crematogaster genus of ants has a cute heart-shaped gaster which gives it one of its common names, the Saint Valentine’s Ant."  - John Lampkin

After noticing worker,  drone,  queen and soldier as answers in the starred clues,  I first thought "Bees" but I had never heard of soldier bees.    John threw me for a loop with ASP.    What does ASP have to do with bees ?   At that point, I paid attention to the circles and reread the reveal.   ANT COLONY might have been hard to spot without the circles.

Clever puzzle and design.   I like how ANT COLONY is arranged so that it represents a mound.  We had plenty of fire ant mounds in the pastures and yards in Central Texas.  Dang things were so hard to get rid of.   It was like playing Whac-A-Mole.

    
Across:

1. "Star Wars" warrior: JEDI.  All you want to know and more at Wookiepedia, the Star Wars Wiki.

5. Treaded winter vehicle: SNO-CAT.  

11. "Proven," in proofs: QED.  Quod Erat Demonstrandum.  Latin, from the buzzwords used by great Greek mathematicians,  such as Euclid and Archimedes.

14. Laptop brand that sounds like a top tennis player: ACER.  Cure clue.

15. Pays homage to: HONORS.  Pays respect to.

16. Prefix with corn or cycle: UNI.  As a preteen, my gangly friend Brian became an accomplished unicycle rider in our hilly little town.   He turned out to be a pretty good basketball player on our high school team. 

19. It may be bruised: EGO.   8 Ways to Overcome a Blow to Your Ego

20. Blight-stricken tree: ELM.  A fungal disease spread by bark beetles.   "This disease is not of Dutch origin, but because early work on the disease was done by Dutch pathologists in the 1920s, the disease has been called Dutch elm disease (DED)." - Morton Arboretum

21. Deceived: LIED TO.

22. Lo __: noodle dish: MEIN.  Lo mein - soft boiled noodles.  Chow mein - crispy fried noodles.

23. Church officers: DEACONS.  Not germane to the clue for any other reason than Deacon is in it:


25. "Valley of the Dolls" author Jacqueline: SUSANN.  A best selling book about three pill-popping women.   It was later adapted into a movie of the same name.

27. Animal that can learn sign language: APE.

28. Parting site in Exodus: RED SEA.

30. "Who's there?" response: IT'S ME.  Pretty song:


33. Rank above maj.: COL.  Major /  Colonel.   Colonels have two grades in the Army.  "Light"(Lieutenant Colonel - grade O-5, silver oak leaf insignia) and "Full Bird" (Colonel - grade O-6, silver eagle insignia).

36. Makes an effort: TRIES.

37. Small store: SHOP.   My parents small store was in a 6600 sq. ft. two story building my dad and his contractor buddies built.  Antiques, Furniture Stripping & Refinishing.  That's why I can tell people I used to be a stripper.

38. Serious no-no: TABOO.   Women's fragrance: Tabu.

40. Poet Pound: EZRA.

41. Be under the weather: AIL.

42. 11 p.m. personality: NEWSMAN.  10 p.m. Central. 

44. Mentalist's "gift": ESP.   Every Single Perp was not required for this initialism of Extrasensory Perception.

45. Installs, as a minister: ORDAINS.  Ordains, as a deacon:  Deacons.

47. Sound like an ass: BRAY.  I'm not touching this one.

49. Blu-ray buy: DISC.   lu- added to bray above.

50. Quick breaths: GASPS.

54. "To reiterate ... ": I REPEAT.

57. Like sunset-silhouetted scenery: REAR LIT.  A photog like John Lampkin knows how to get the perfect shots .

59. Golfer's goal: PAR.   Unless you are a tour player.   Then you are looking for birdies or better.  Canadian Corey Conners qualified last Monday to play in the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio.  He birdied six of nine coming in on Sunday to win the tournament.  It was the first time in the last 9 years that a Monday qualifier won a PGA Tour event.

62. From __ Z: A TO.  An idiom for beginning to end. 

63. Shrek's kiss made Fiona one for good: OGRESS.

64. Hint of the future: OMEN.  I don't believe in them. 

65. Home in the woods: DEN.   I'd prefer a cabin.

66. Treating kindly: GOOD TO.

67. Sunset direction: WEST.  On this planet.  I assume the same for the others in our solar system.

Down:

1. Ranted (at): JAWED. It's baseball season. So many great clips to choose from.   Let's look at this blast from the past for a good example of a couple of guys that jawed at each other:


2. French school: ECOLE.

3. Skin care prefix: DERMA.

4. Annoy: IRK.

5. Sacred place: SHRINE.  I wonder if the PGA Tour players had time to stop by the Alamo, and perhaps stroll along the River Walk.

"San Anto"

6. Carrots, for snowmen: NOSES.

7. Like one's prized music collection, perhaps: ON CD.

8. Small water birds: COOTS.  Thank you perps.  An internet search tells me they are closely related to the moorhen, which didn't really help me.   A group of them is known as a covert or a cover.    I don't remember when I was first told that girls had cooties, but  I asked my mom and she said it wasn't true.   We didn't have the internet back in those days.  

9. Big name in canned meat: ARMOUR.   Hormel too. 

10. Baking soda amt.: TSP. 

12. Amtrak employees: ENGINEERS.

13. "My Heart Will Go On" singer Celine: DION.   The theme song from Titanic:


18. Flee to wed: ELOPE.

22. Mexican mother: MADRE.

24. Sleep in a bag, maybe: CAMP.

26. Gig component: SET.

29. "Pronto" letters: ASAP.

30. Japanese golf great Aoki : ISAO.  Isao Aoki with Arnold Palmer.  

I had the exact same clue and answer on March 20th, 2018.  Here's the exact same picture and comments:

He credits watching Arnold Palmer for giving him the inspiration to pursue a golfing career.

"Isao Aoki only plays with golf balls marked with the number 5.  That number is pronounced “Go” in Japanese and it also represents the worst score he wants to make."

He was elected into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2004.  Source - World Golf Hall of Fame.

31. Hardly the best: THIRD RATE.

33. Sounds like a crow: CAWS.

34. Docs who deliver: OBs.  Obstetrician. 

35. Bausch partner: LOMB.

38. On a scale of one to __: TEN.

39. Sculler's need: OAR.

42. "Please don't bite me!": NICE DOG.

43. Persistently worry: NAG AT.

48. Peter of Peter, Paul & Mary: YARROW.   Friend and fellow Cornell student Leonard Lipton wrote a poem in 1959 that Peter Yarrow put into lyrics for this 1962 song that had nothing to do about smoking marijuana or other drug use. - paraphrased from Wikipedia.  Our own Bill G went to Cornell. 


51. Snail trail: SLIME.

52. Colorado's __ Peak: PIKES.   Aaron Kaufman of the Discovery Channel's Fast N' Loud narrates this short clip of him racing up Pikes Peak a few years ago in his '63 Falcon. 


53. Cardiologist's implant: STENT.

54. Apple tablet: IPAD.

55. Jason's ship: ARGO.  He was searching for the Golden Fleece.  Greek mythology.   Not my cuppa, but here is an article that shed some light on the story line and players involved.   I had no idea that Hercules was an oarsman on the Argo.

56. Lawn mower brand: TORO.    I keep thinking about replacing my old John Deere rider.   It's a yellow deck STX-38.  It was built to last and it has.   Faithful service for nearly 30 years. 

57. Take a load off: REST.

58. Exxon, formerly: ESSO. 

61. Homer's neighbor: NED.  Homer Simpson and Ned ("Okilly-dokilly!") Flanders.

Here's the grid !

Notes from C.C.: 

1) Lovely grid, John!

2) So what did you shoot yesterday, TTP?  80s?

3) Dear Agnes (Irish Miss) had to spend 5 hours in the ER yesterday due to the excruciating foot pain from the fall she suffered a few weeks ago. She's going to see her GP tomorrow and an orthopedic doctor soon. It's been tough few weeks for Agnes, who lives alone. Please send positive thoughts and love to Troy, New York!

Monday April 8, 2019 Robert E. Lee Morris

Theme: REAR WINDOW (63. Hitchcock classic, and a hint to 17-, 25-, 38- and 51-Across) -The last word can precede "window".

 17. Broad decision-making perspective: BIG PICTURE. Picture window.

 25. Social media barrage: TWEET STORM. Storm window.

 38. Home of many a blue crab: CHESAPEAKE BAY. Bay window.

51. Announcer's voice, metaphorically: MEAL TICKET. Ticket window.

 

Boomer here.  

Wow!!  I may have mentioned before that C.C. and I visited US Bank Stadium several years ago.  It was not for a football game, but a Graybar Electric trade show.  It is impressive how they have dressed it up for the Final Four. Of course they brought in a basketball court, (duh) but also they have added many thousands of courtside bleachers.  The seats look fairly uncomfortable, but I bet tickets sold for more than $5.00 each.

Boomer, 10/6/2016

Across:

1. Separated from each other: APART.  Once I had a part in a high school play.  It was Noye's Fludde by Benjamin Britten.  I was Noah, a guy from De LaSalle was God. And the entire balance of the cast were girls from Regina High School in South Minneapolis.  Most of the Catholic schools in Minnesota have merged to become coed.  I now coach bowling at Benilde/St. Margaret's.

6. Composer Stravinsky: IGOR.  Oh boy Igor Stravinsky, Oh Boy Bo Belinsky - Allan Sherman.

10. Ashen: PALE.

14. Reclusive sort: LONER.

15. Nickname for grandma: NANA. NANA - Hay ay ay, Good by

16. Baseball Hall of Famer Slaughter: ENOS.  Famous "Country" for the St. Louis Cardinals in the fifties, but then he spent a few years in the American League.

19. New Haven school: YALE.  Also a famous lock

20. Silent communication syst.: ASL.

21. Intoxicated: BOOZY. I am not sure if Boozy is a word.  I'll bet most of you tried "DRUNK" first.

22. Org. with a five-ring logo: IOC. The Olympics will be back around June, 2020.  A bunch of sissy sports, nothing about bowling.

23. Christmas song: NOEL.  This will be around in only 7 months

29. Slammin' Sammy of golf: SNEAD.  Now that's a guy who could have won a gold medal if Olympics had golf earlier.

31. "Let me in!": OPEN UP.  Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin.

32. Figure it out: CATCH ON.

37. Cavity filler's deg.: DDS.  Don't need one anymore. But I can say that I used to think Fixodent was an auto body repair shop.

42. Trivial amount: SOU.  Is this smaller than an "IOU"

43. Daily grind: RAT RACE.  I have been a runner in this for a long time.

44. Except if: UNLESS.

47. Desert retreats: OASES.  This is plural, but I remember an "Oasis" brand of cigarettes.  I think they were menthol. I wonder if they are still around.  I don't think I ever smoked one.

56. All-thumbs message, often: TEXT.  We do have a cell phone, but I am old school. I never figured out how to text with it, and never will.

57. Barn bundle: HAY.  Make it while the sun shines.

58. Peter of "The Maltese Falcon": LORRE.

60. Mimic: APE.  Harry was a hairy one.

61. Waffle House alternative: IHOP.  Seen this before.  The acronym is "International House of Pancakes", and they are pretty good.  I cannot have syrup on mine though.  Have to use fake sugar.

65. "Famous" cookie guy: AMOS.

66. Angelic aura: HALO.  A very famous brand of lighting fixtures.  We have about six feet of track lighting in the hallway.  I have a terrible ego - I use the light fixtures to shine on my 300 game and 800 series plaques hanging on the wall.

67. Calf-roping loop: NOOSE.  Reminds me of Clint Eastwood in "Hang 'Em High".

68. "Ain't gonna happen": NOPE.

69. Taken by mouth, as meds: ORAL.  Not to complain - but I am taking an oral chemo med every day.  Four large pills on an empty stomach.  I am NOT complaining.  They seem to be keeping things under control, AND I had a 227 last week.  Not bragging though.  My other games were garbage.

70. Defeated narrowly: EDGED.  OR if you purchase a Ford small SUV.

Down:

1. Saint __: English cathedral city: ALBANS.  Also a town in Vermont

2. Arsenic, e.g.: POISON.

3. "Life of Pi" director: ANG LEE.  From Taiwan.  He won an academy award for "Life of Pi"

4. Exercise unit: REP.  Exercise??  I thought this was the person we elected to Congress.

5. Chicago paper, for short: TRIB.  Minneapolis used to have a "Tribune" in the morning and a "Star" in the afternoon.  Now we just have a "StarTrib" on the front step in the morning.  It has two crossword puzzles, a New York Times and a Universal Syndicate.  I can never finish either of these.  Especially the hard ones by Zhouqin Burnikel.  But I can do the Sudoku.

6. Hitched to the back of the truck: IN TOW.

7. First-aid kit item: GAUZE.

8. How corned beef is often served: ON RYE. and with Swiss cheese and Sauerkraut.

9. Actress Charlotte: RAE.  Of course I am old and remember Martha Raye.

10. Desert hallucinogen: PEYOTE.  I was thinking more of a Dessert hallucinogen.  Visions of sugar plums dancing.  Or a big dish of ice cream.

11. Amazon crusher: ANACONDA.  Always hated snakes.  We do not have any killers in Minnesota, I don't think.

12. Facebook chuckle: LOL.

13. Opposite of WNW: ESE.

18. Simple bed: COT.

22. AOL, for one: ISP.   They were one of the first.

24. Lingerie material: LACE.  "Arsenic and old Lace"  For you Cary Grant fans.  It was a little before my time.

26. Big name in little trucks: TONKA.  I used to drive by the plant frequently.  It was in Mound, Minnesota, (Home of pro wrestler, Vern Gagne) located near Lake Minnetonka.  Very famous toys, but the plant is gone.  I believe Tonka Toys is now headquartered in St. Louis Park, MN.  (About twenty miles from Lake Minnetonka.)

27. Former NYC mayor Giuliani: RUDY.  Famous Minnesota Senator Rudy Boschwitz.

28. Base cops, briefly: MPS.  Military Police. I liked the ones in "Stripes" with Bill Murray.  Did you see him at Pebble Beach?  He has not aged well.

30. Prosecutors: Abbr.: DAS.  District Attorney Adam Schiff on "Law and Order"  Coincidentally a chairman of the same name on the Judiciary committee.

33. Foot bones: TARSI.

34. Tax pro: CPA.  Did you visit one of them this year?  I did our own - waiting for the refund.  No one has asked to see any of my returns.

35. All __ up: excited: HET.

36. Dinghy mover: OAR.  Row, row, row, your dinghy, Gently down the stream.

38. Baskin-Robbins treat: CONE.  31 flavors!!  I'll have vanilla.

39. Classic Wham-O toy: HULA HOOP. A HUGE seller in 1958.  Somebody made a fortune.  We had several in my family growing up. (And so did you if you're over 60).

40. Prefix with logical: ECO.

41. Rhythm: BEAT.  Ed Sullivan had a unique way of introducing the BEATles.

42. 4, in 2 + 2 = 4: SUM.  "What did you learn in school today, dear little boys of mine"  Tom Paxton.

45. Pass, as time: ELAPSE.  "You must remember this, A kiss is still a kiss, A sigh is just a sigh"

As Time Goes by

46. Barnyard enclosure: STY.  I think the three little pigs built their sty with bricks

48. Old salt: SEA DOG.

49. Revealing news story: EXPOSE.  The New York Times and Washington Post seem to compete. Never never the National Inquirer.  I wonder why people even buy it.  It does not have a crossword puzzle!!

50. Slow-boiled: STEWED.  Just made beef stew on Saturday.  Works great in a slow cooker.

52. Blue-skies forecast word: CLEAR.  Sorry but this always reminds me of Clear Lake, Iowa and the Surf Ballroom.  I visited there once, just to pay respects to Buddy Holly and the Crickets.  Buddy's home was Lubbock, Texas.  Also the home of Final two team Texas Tech Red Raiders.

53. Cute Down Under critter: KOALA.

54. Swashbuckling Flynn: ERROL. A swashbuckling heartthrob of the ladies. 

55. Experian, formerly: TRW.

59. Mozart's "__ kleine Nachtmusik": EINE.  This is "ONE".  I think the rest is a little bit of nighttime music.

61. Author Fleming: IAN.  I think I saw every James Bond movies in the 60s.  But when Sean Connery split, so did I.

62. Medical ins. plan: HMO.

63. Letter after pi: RHO.  That's Greek to me.

64. Head-bobbing acknowledgment: NOD.

Okay, the stage is set for tonight.  Virginia against Texas Tech.  Saturday's games were very competitive so it's difficult to pick a winner.  I did not fill out a bracket contest so I guess I do not care who wins.  So for a prediction, I flipped a coin. It came up heads.

 

Boomer

Sunday April 7, 2019 Paul Coulter

Theme: "Just Desserts" - One word in each common phrase is replaced by a soundalike dessert.

22A. Sure sign that Spot got into today's dessert?: PUDDING ON THE DOG. Putting on the dog.

35A. Krispy Kreme rep's agenda?: DOUGHNUT CALL LIST. Do Not Call list.

52A. Ice cream order toppings?: SUNDAE SUPPLEMENTS. Sunday supplements. I call it "Sunday magazines".

77A. Final roadside stop for an eggy treat?: CUSTARDS' LAST STAND. Custer's Last Stand.

92A. "You've made the Heath bar perfectly!"?: THAT'S A REAL TOFFEE.

113A. "Nice apple tart, Christopher"?: GOOD PIE, COLUMBUS. Goodbye, Columbus.

Is the original phrase for 92A "That's a real doozy"?
 
Paul is a very creative constructor who loves food and find inspirations in his food. Remember this "Top This" puzzle? See how he approaches his food themes so differently.

Paul Coulter/Matt G Contest

Across:

1. "Beat it!": SCAT.

5. Rubberneck: GAWK.

9. Preserve, in a way: SALT. You all know I love pickled veggies. Herrings too.

13. Grammar topic: USAGE.

18. "East of Eden" director Kazan: ELIA.

19. Only part of Egypt in Asia: SINAI.

20. Brio: ELAN.

21. Bedouin, e.g.: NOMAD.

25. Doubtful story: FABLE.

26. Cause of a stir?: TEASPOON. Nice clue.

27. Nutritious beans: SOYAS. Countable?

28. Metaphorical fate of a hatchet?: BURIAL. Bury the hatchet.

29. HuffPost owner: AOL.

30. Prefix with phobia: ACRO.

31. Damage: MAR.

32. APO mail recipients: GIS.

43. Medicinal plants: SENNAS. Laxative.

45. Beams: RAYS.

46. Give birth to: HAVE.

47. Boris Godunov, for one: TSAR.

48. Broadcast sign: ON AIR.

49. NFL six-pointers: TDS.

50. Kopf, across the border: TETE. German/French for "head".

51. Agitate: RILE.

58. Prof's aides: TAS.

59. Appear that way: SEEM SO.

60. Record holder: LINER.

61. Rose garden pests: APHIDS.

63. Run out, as a subscription: LAPSE. We need our local Star Tribune. Important part of our morning routine.

65. NYSE debut: IPO.

66. Request before a shot: SMILE.

68. Remain at home: STAY IN.

71. Coil of yarn: SKEIN.

73. Passes: ENACTS.

76. Campaign trail pro: POL.

82. Ness, for example: LOCH.

84. Soviet news acronym: TASS. Xinhua for China. Literally "new China". Largest news agency in the world.

85. Double curve: ESS.

86. One washing off the driveway: HOSER.

87. Langston Hughes poem: I TOO.

88. Light-seeking flier: MOTH.

89. Slew: SCAD.

91. __ Beach: South Carolina resort: MYRTLE. Boomer and I went there for a golf trip hundreds of years ago.

96. One of two in seven: Abbr.: SYL. Syllable.

97. Exist: ARE.

98. Blows it: ERRS.

99. Bygone Ford: LTD.

101. Tropical lizard: IGUANA.

105. "The __ Witch Project": BLAIR.

107. Italian almond biscuits: AMARETTI. Never had it.

112. Boy with a bow: CUPID.

115. Chip away at: ERODE.

116. It's sometimes enough: ONCE.

117. They're not idlers: DOERS.

118. "Buddenbrooks" author: MANN.

119. One tweaking pitches: TUNER.

120. Style: VEIN.

121. "As I Lay Dying" father: ANSE. Regular in our old Tribune Media days.

122. Q.E.D. part: ERAT.

Down:

1. Half of quatorze: SEPT. 14/7 in French.

2. Whodunit game: CLUE.

3. "O patria mia" singer: AIDA.

4. Young boys: TADS.

5. Paid male escort: GIGOLO. I learned this word from the Richard Gere movie.

6. Like some quotes: Abbr.: ANON.

7. Pale: WAN.

8. Like plastic pink flamingos: KITSCHY.

9. "Later": SEE YOU.

10. "The West Wing" actor: ALDA.

11. Golden Triangle country: LAOS. They eat long-grain sticky rice every day. In China, we mostly use sticky rice (short grain) in desserts.

12. Sci-fi spin-off before "DS9": TNG. The Next Generation.

13. Roll out: UNFURL.

14. Enjoy a view from on high: SOAR.

15. Both: Pref.: AMBI.

16. Big party: GALA.

17. Henry James biographer Leon: EDEL. Another old regular.

19. Hair holders: SNOODS.

23. Draft pick: IPA.

24. They're heard in jams: HORNS. Traffic jams.

28. Barn bundle: BALE.  Spitzboov grew up on a farm.

30. Dumbfounded: AGASP.

31. Expert: MAVEN.

32. Classification between family and species: GENUS.

33. Absurd: INANE.

34. Dudley's toon foe: SNIDELY. Where's our Dudley?

36. Hindustani language: URDU.

37. English assignment: THEME.

38. Does a reception job: CATERS.

39. Env. enclosure: LTR.

40. Query in Matthew: IS IT I.

41. Food at a bar: SALAD. Have any of you tried lotus root salad? Delicious! Lotus roots are hard to harvest and are very expensive here in our Asian stores.

Harvesting Lotus Roots

42. Head lock: TRESS.

43. "Help!": SOS.

44. Biblical language: ARAMAIC.

49. Chinese menu possessive: TSO'S.

50. Mortise inserts: TENONS.

53. "College Football Live" channel: ESPNU.

54. Grasping tool: PLIERS.

55. Fat, e.g.: LIPID.

56. Corrupt: TAINT.

57. Ostentatious: SPLASHY.

62. Bullies: HECTORS.

64. Focus of an heir war?: ESTATE. Air war.

67. Clutter: MESS.

68. Small Champagne bottle: SPLIT. Learning moment for me.

69. Zipper part: TOOTH.

70. Big name in kitchen foil: ALCOA.

72. Buckwheat porridge: KASHA. I need to try this some day.

74. "Yum!": TASTY.

75. Fishhook fastener: SNELL.

78. Supply: STORE.

79. Flips (through): LEAFS.

80. Typist's left hand home keys: ASDF. Sunday grids need a few gluey entries.

81. "__ Day": 1993 rap hit: DRE.

83. All the rage: HOT.

88. Kate of "The Martian": MARA.

89. Bacon portion: STRIP.

90. Contest with picadors: CORRIDA.

91. Iron and zinc: METALS.

93. Carpenter's need: SANDER.

94. Dull gray, as winter skies: LEADEN.

95. "Get Shorty" novelist __ Leonard: ELMORE. Terry Gross had a terrific interview with him.

100. R&B group __ Hill: DRU.

101. "Rhyme Pays" rapper: ICE-T.

102. Expert: GURU.

103. Informed about: UPON.

104. Right hand: AIDE.

105. Cram, with "up": BONE.

106. Centers of activity: LOCI.

107. First-rate: ACES.

108. Plus-size supermodel: EMME.

109. Alpine transport: T BAR.

110. Toon Charlie, memorably: TUNA.

111. "This __ working": ISN'T.

113. Statehouse VIP: GOV.

114. Long, long time: EON.

C.C.