Sunday January 1, 2023 Laura Effinger-Dean & Christina Iverson

Theme: "Before Tea" ( "B for T") - T is changed into B in each familiar phrase.

22A. Give orders, even while dreaming?: BOSS IN ONE'S SLEEP. Toss is one's sleep.

42A. Request from one robot to another in "Futurama"?: LOVE ME BENDER. Love Me Tender

70A. One who starts a fight over the last crustacean at a seafood buffet?: SHRIMP BRAWLER. Shrimp trawler.

99A. Decorations for a "Bob the Builder" birthday cake?: BRICK CANDLES. Trick candles.

120A. "Oh, you're not acting so brave now, are you!"?: LOOK WHO'S BALKING. Look Who's Talking?

15D. Maintain forest health with a planned fire?: DO A GOOD BURN. Do a good turn.

69D. Illustrative tools in a neuroscience lab?: MODEL BRAINS. Model trains.

Looks like Laura's LAT debut. Congratulations! You all know Christiana, who used to be Patti's assistant. 

Such a great title! I'd be at loss. Slight tweak on a classical pinwheel Sunday design. This one has eight 9-letter fill!

 
Across:

1. Humidifier output: VAPOR.

6. Ratio phrase: IS TO. :

10. Dweeb: DORK.

14. Hubbubs: ADOS. And 78. Bobs and weaves: DOS.

18. Angry: IRATE. And 20. Fencing implement: EPEE. We see IRE, IRA, IRATE & EPEE frequently due to their friendly letter combo.

19. Twosome: PAIR.

21. Dark beer: STOUT. And 29. Light beer: LAGER. And 104. Brewpub handle: ALE TAP.

25. Muse of poetry: ERATO.

26. Tolkien creature: ENT. Tree being.

27. Contributes: ADDS.

28. Swiss chocolatier: LINDT.

30. Tanning bed fixtures: LAMPS.

33. Stripped (of): DIVESTED.

35. Bauxite, e.g.: ORE.

36. "Don't lose hope!": CHIN UP.

38. Mining engineer who became president in 1929: HOOVER. I did not know this.

40. Maine college town: ORONO.

44. In the center of: AMIDST.

47. List unit: ITEM.

48. Flit: DART.

49. Update, as charts: RE-MAP.

53. Vintage ski lift: T BAR.

54. Davis of "Grumpy Old Men": OSSIE.

56. 2022 World Cup city: DOHA. Argentina won the Cup.

58. "Dune" director Villeneuve: DENIS.

60. Ancient character: RUNE.

61. Small battery: AAA.

63. Target of some bark beetles: ELM.

65. Gets there in no time?: TELEPORTS. Nice clue/fill.

67. Rapper will.__: I AM.

74. "Hip Hop Is Dead" rapper: NAS.

75. Episodic option in some games: STORY MODE. Like this.

77. Feel crummy: AIL.

80. Put on board: LADE.

81. Colleague of Sonia and Ketanji: ELENA.

83. Latch (onto): GLOM.

86. Like Wiccans and Druids: PAGAN.

90. Domain: AREA.

91. Diploma word: LAUDE. Here's a typical Chinese diploma.

93. Monogram pt.: INIT.

95. Humorist Barry: DAVE.

96. Not as harsh: MILDER.

102. Via ship, e.g.: BY SEA.

105. Large grinders: MOLARS.

106. Polite title: SIR.

108. Face up to: CONFRONT.

110. Found loathsome: HATED.

111. Poet who wrote, "The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt": PLATH. Sylvia.

113. __-Roman: GRECO.

114. Darling: DEAR.

116. Narrow inlet: RIA.

119. Chateau-dotted valley: LOIRE.

124. Word with circle and tube: INNER. And 16. Word with space and planet: OUTER.

125. Capri, for one: ISLE. My sister-in-law Connie might have visited the place. She spent a few years in Italy and she still goes back there every year.

126. Voting no: ANTI.

127. Pizza slice, say: PIECE.

128. Charge (with): TASK.

129. Really, really overcook: CHAR.

130. Deli array: MEAT. Followed by 131. Introductory course: SALAD.

Down:

1. Hard-to-describe feeling: VIBE.

2. "East of Eden" brother: ARON. Cal's brother.

3. Old incarnations: PAST LIVES. Buddhists believe in reincarnation.

4. Extra NFL periods: OTS.

5. Outdoor gear giant: REI.

6. Old Apple devices: IPODS. Do you guys listen to Sam Harris?

7. Beachfront property?: SAND. Good clue also.

8. Links: TIES.

9. RN workplaces: ORS.

10. Came through: DELIVERED. Like this guy in black. Always came through. Always comes through. Do you like his bag?

 

11. First act: OPENER.

12. Swamp grasses: REEDS.

13. Didn't stray from: KEPT TO.

14. Razor brand: ATRA.

17. Put away for later: STORE.  D-Otto got me this onsen powder.  I have more coming. I'll never run out of this again.

21. Rarely: SELDOM.

23. Was out briefly: NAPPED.

24. Thin shard: SLIVER.

31. Iron deficiency: ANEMIA.

32. Fall flower, for short: MUM.

33. Pentagon org.: DOD.

34. "Mrs. America" political cause, briefly: ERA. The Equal Rights Amendment.

36. Advertising award: CLIO.

37. Red __: spicy candies: HOTS.

38. Protagonist: HERO.

39. Available, in a way: ON THE MENU. The Eucharistic Minister Bill and his wife invited me to their house for lunch on Friday. I had Cane's Chicken Fingers for the first time. Boomer would have loved them.

41. Drag racer's fuel, briefly: NITRO.

43. Awful: BAD.

45. Sleigh driver: SANTA.

46. Lock of hair: TRESS.

50. "Enter Sandman" band: METALLICA. I think Splynter likes this band. How are you doing, Splynter?

51. Fresh: ANEW.

52. Caplet: PILL.

55. "Gentle, gentle": EASY.

57. Jungfrau, e.g.: ALP.

59. Germ: SEED.

62. Sighed line: AH ME. Do you actually say this phrase?

64. Many an exec: MBA.

66. Hold (up): PROP.

67. Quran faith: ISLAM.

68. Breakout gaming company: ATARI.

71. Wallpaper unit: ROLL.

72. Inkling: IDEA.

73. Fix unlawfully: RIG.

76. Hide-and-seek word: READY.

79. Prepare to ride, in a way: SADDLE.

82. Ghostery, for one: AD BLOCKER.

84. Cleaning up the mess, say: ON KP.

85. Audio jack abbr.: MIC.

87. Cate Blanchett's "The Lord of the Rings" role: GALADRIEL. Ethereal.

 

88. Declare: AVER.

89. "Queer Eye" expert Jonathan Van __: NESS.

92. Prior to today, poetically: ERENOW.

94. "The Savages" filmmaker Jenkins: TAMARA. Learning moment for me.

97. Artist known for optical illusions: ESCHER. That M.C. guy.

98. __ Speedwagon: REO.

100. Hairy Addams cousin: ITT.

101. "__ so fast!": NOT.

103. Old English: ANGLIC.

104. Ring of color: AREOLA. I can't link this again. Will cause our blog trouble.

106. Go 50-50 on: SPLIT.

107. Massey of old films: ILONA.

109. College newbie: FROSH.

110. Sister's attire: HABIT.

112. Long haul: TREK.

114. Thoroughly cooked: DONE.

115. "¿Cómo __ usted?": ESTA. Ni hao ma?

117. Ancient Cuzco dweller: INCA.

118. Like much cheddar: AGED.

121. Hawaiian-style pizza topping: HAM. And pineapple.

122. Record collector's collection: LPS.

123. Carnival maker: KIA. Why did they stop using Sedona?

A few extra notes:

I gained access to our account for a few days with a temp code. But the code lost its magic yesterday. I really need the post office to hurry up their piled-up mail and get me my ATM card. The credit card was also a mess also due to our address "84 1/2 Ave. No." Wells Fargo site does not allow dash marks and the local banker was simply too incompetent to solve my glitches. Very frustrating.

I do have some good news. My best friend Carmen has improved greatly. She still has throat problems and body aches from COVID, but she feels good enough to WeChat me again.

I also found this clip of the musical fountain in the north square of the Great Wild Goose Pagoda, 30 minutes away from where I grew up. The guy who took the clip (and showed up in the end) happened to be my friend David, whom I last saw at the Gare Du Nord back in 2000. Thanks to our own Steve Marron, who's been in London for the holidays, David and I got reconnected. He now works in IT for the UK Cabinet Office.

Here are a couple pictures from David's archive. Both taken millions of years ago. I think the first one is in front of the Centre Pompidou. Pas certain. Does that bold red scene look familiar to any of you? I actually didn't recall having my picture taken with that sword guy, much to David's surprise.

Happy New Year! Wishing you lots of love and laughter in 2023!

C.C.

Tuesday December 21, 2021 Kurt Krauss

How much is that Doggy in the Window?

1-Across. *     With 4-Across, researcher's wear: LAB.  //  And 4-Acorss. *     See 1-Across: COAT.  Together we get a LAB COAT.

20-Across. *     Briefs alternative: BOXER SHORTS.

36-Across. *     Jewel-encrusted film noir title bird: MALTESE FALCON.  The Maltese Falcon was a 1930 detective novel by Dashiell Hammett (né Samuel Dashiell Hammett; May 27, 1894 ~ Jan. 10, 1961).  The book was later adapted into film noir, which starred Humphry Bogart (né Humphrey DeForest Bogart; Dec. 25, 1899 ~ Jan. 14, 1957).

56-Across. *     Sock hop attire: POODLE SKIRT.

And the Unifier:

68. With 69-Across, Iditarod front-runner ... and a hint to the answers to starred clues: LEAD.  //  And 69-Across. See 68-Across: DOG.  Together we get LEAD DOG.  Each of the theme answers Leads with a Dog breed.  Interesting, too, that the second word of 3 of the theme answers are articles of clothing.  I don't think a Falcon is an article of clothing.

The Iditarod Race this winter will begin on March 22, 2022.

I liked the symmetry of this puzzle.  The first theme answer and the Unifier were in the first and last positions and each were in two separate entries.

And, another thematic clue:

44-Across. Pound sound: ARF.

Across:

8. Nested newborns' noises: CHEEPS.

14. Be off: ERR.

15. Major employer?: ARMY.  Cute clue.

16. Like some quaint lamps: OIL LIT.

17. "Get it?": SEE?

18. Back: REAR.

19. Old-fashioned type: STODGE.

23. Soccer cheer: ¡OLÉ!  Hi, Lucina!

24. Lena of "Riviera": OLIN.  We haven't seen Lena Olin (b. Mar. 22, 1966) for quite a while.  She used to make very frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  Lena Maria Jonna Olin is a Swedish actress and has been in numerous movies and television shows.  Riviera was apparently a television series that ran from 2017 to 2020.

25. Feast with poi: LUAU.

26. 50 Cent piece, e.g.: RAP.

27. Send-ups: SATIRES.

31. Sixth sense: Abbr.: ESP.  As in ExtraSensory Perception.

32. 2021 World Series champs: Abbr.: ATL.  The Atlanta Braves bested the Houston Astros in the 2021 Baseball World Series.

33. Relish: SAVOR.

35. "Garfield" dog: ODIE.  I think Odie appeared in last Tuesday's puzzle.

41. Curly cabbage: KALE.  A trendy food.

42. Vocally twangy: NASAL.

43. Nothing: NIL.

47. Buffet with guacamole and salsa: TACO BAR.

51. Chekov's early "Star Trek" rank: Abbr.: ENS.  As in Ensign.  Hi, Picard!

52. Give (out) sparingly: DOLE.  Bob Dole (né Robert Joseph Dole; July 22, 1923 ~ Dec. 5, 2021) died earlier this month at age 98.

54. Musical finale: CODA.  Everything you wanted to know about Codas, but didn't know to ask.

55. CPR expert: EMT.  Hopefully, the Emergency Medical Technician is well versed in CardioPulmonary Resuscitation.

60. Seize, as an opportunity: LEAP AT.

62. __ proprietor: SOLE.

63. Poe's "Annabel __": LEE.  You can read the poem here.

64. Infuriate: ENRAGE.

65. Latin 101 verb: ESSE.  Today's Latin Lesson.

66. Finish: END.

67. Checked for prints: DUSTED.

Down:

1. Sappho's island home: LESBOS.

2. Anatomical ring: AREOLA.

3. Secession approved in a 2016 U.K. referendum: BREXIT.

4. Three-time Grammy-winning singer Vikki: CARR.  Vikki Carr (née Florencia Bisenta de Casillas-Martínez Cardona; b. July 19, 1941) has a career that spans 60 years.

5. Valuable minerals: OREs.

6. Asian nurse: AMAH.

7. Alpine region in Italy and Austria: TYROL.  Everything you wanted to know about Tyrol, but didn't know to ask.

8. Sportscaster Bob with 29 Emmys: COSTAS.  Bob Costas (né Robert Quinlan Costa; b. Mar. 22, 1952) was with NBC Sports for nearly 30 years.

9. Asks (for), as a loan: HITS UP.  I think of this as hitting up dad for a loan, rather than a bank.

10. "Evil Woman" rock gp.: ELO.  Apropos that the Electric Light Orchestra is followed by 11-Down because that Eldorado is the title of the band's 4th studio album.

11. Legendary city of gold: EL DORADO.  If parsed as Eldorado, it's a Cadillac model.

12. Jargon with words ending in -ay: PIG LATIN.  Un-fay Uzzle-pay.

13. Church feature: STEEPLE.

21. Strand at sea: ENISLE.  Not a Tuesday word.  Webster's defines enisle as: (1) to place apart; isolate; or (2) to make an island of.  I read this clue and thought of someone being literally floating in the ocean, not left on an island.

22. Poe's __ Morgue: RUE.  The Murders in the Rue Morgue is often described as the first modern detective story.  It was a short story that was first published in April 1841.

28. Backstabber: RAT.

29. Christmas __: EVE.  Coming up this Friday night.

30. Aptly palindromic ABBA hit: SOS.

34. "The Last Jedi" villain Kylo: REN.  A reference to the Star Wars franchise.

35. The end of time?: O'CLOCK.  Did you know that O'Clock is an abbreviation for "Of the Clock"?

36. Top-level computer list: MAIN MENU.

37. Elite athletes: ALL STARS.

38. Lucrative, as a contract: FAT.

39. Smart-whip link: AS A.

40. Europe's __ de Genève: LAC.  In English, it would be written as Lake Geneva.  It is a deep lake located in the Alps on the border between Switzerland and France.

41. Prepared for a proposal: KNEELED.

44. Common Sunday newspaper insert: AD PAGE.

45. Supported from the bleachers, with "for": ROOTED.

46. Progressive spokeswoman: FLO.  Flo from the Progressive ads is portrayed by actress Stephanie Courtney (b. Feb. 8, 1970).

48. Heated to bubbling: BOILED.

49. Glandular prefix: ADRENO-.  Relating to the kidney.

50. Like family-friendly films: RATED G.

53. '50s Ford failure: EDSEL.  Why the Edsel was a failure.

57. "You snooze, you __": LOSE.

58. "Frozen II" sister: ELSA.

59. Gardener's purchase: SEED.

61. Tom Brady, before he became a Buc: PAT.  Tom Brady (né Thomas Edward Patrick Brady, Jr.; b. Aug. 3, 1977) was with the New England Patriots before he became a Buccaneer with Tampa Bay.  Hi, Tinbini!

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Notes from C.C.:

Please keep Boomer in your thoughts and prayers. He was admitted into the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis yesterday. He's going to have a surgery soon to repair his spinal chord. Boomer hates surgeries, but the doctors said that without the surgery, he would not be able to walk again. Poor Boomer, he also tested positive for COVID. So I could not visit him.

Boomer, VA Hospital ER, 12/20/2021