Saturday, January 12, 2019, Craig Stowe

A THEMELESS SATURDAY BY CRAIG STOWE

Today is a natural fit for the many tea connoisseurs on this site. This is one of many areas where my tastes are quite plebeian and can be satisfied with generic Lipton that you can see my green friend savoring below. I can hear C.C. and Steve roll their eyes right now! My mother's stock remedy for a cold was tea and toast. 

Our neighbor did bring us a large supply of Tazo tea for minding her house while she was in Minneapolis and it is delicious as well. Do you have a favorite?

Today's constructor is our Canadian friend Craig Stowe. I last blogged one of his wonderful themeless Saturday puzzles on U.S. Navy Day October 13, 2018. My start today was in the SW and then built quickly to a satisfying "got 'er done"

Across:

1. Likelihood of success: PROSPECTS - Kids are quickly learning what training or degrees greatly increase their PROSPECTS of success

10. __ change: CHUMP - CHUMP change to me and Warren Buffet are two very different commodities 

15. Ritz offering: HOTEL ROOM - Segue - Speaking of famous people from Omaha, Fred Astaire had a big hit in 1946 with this Irving Berlin song  written in 1927 about the opulent Ritz apartment/hotel at 465 Park Avenue in NYC. 

16. Award, say: HONOR.

17. Confides in: OPENS UP TO - Be careful what info you solicit

18. Invest, as with a quality: ENDUE - Not a common word for me

19. Word reportedly coined in Seuss' "If I Ran the Zoo": NERD - At the time it was just an silly imaginary animal -  And then, just to show them, I'll sail to Ka-Troo/And Bring Back an It-Kutch, a Preep, and a Proo,/A Nerkle, a NERD, and a Seersucker too!"

20. Glimpse: PEEK - What is the kitty glimpsing?

21. Ideal places: EDENS.

22. Puts on the right track: ORIENTS - My legally blind friend must be ORIENTED for every golf shot but does very well!

24. Trade talk subjects: EXPORTS 

26. Qtr. components: MOS - Your estimated tax payments for the 2018's fourth QTR are due in the MO of January, 2019

27. 1991 political thriller with eight Oscar nominations: JFK - Rotten Tomatoes consensus: "As history, Oliver Stone's JFK is dubious, but as filmmaking it's electric"

28. It may be flat: FEE - Not TAX as it turns out

29. Latin 101 word: AMAT - A fun one-minute chant

31. Sensitive subjects: SORE SPOTS.

34. It doesn't require a long answer: QUICK QUESTION.

36. One may include three kings: FULL HOUSE - Appropriate in the season of Epiphany?

37. Official records: ACTA - Learned (and almost forgotten) in cwd's

38. Chinese zodiac critter: RAT - The next Year Of The Rat is 2020

39. Hit in a box: BAT - This batter is out because his foot is completely out of the batter's box when he contacted the ball

40. Cartoonist Browne: DIK - When Mort Walker spun off Hi and Lois from his Beetle Bailey strip (Lois was Beetle's sister), he recruited Dik to do the art work while he came up with the gags. Dik eventually started his own iconic strip Hagar.

41. Flies: AVIATES.

44. Party store stock: PINATAS - Paul Coulter's Sunday's puzzle clued this as "One getting smashed at a bash"

48. British bishop's topper: MITRE - Some will recognize this MITRE-wearing bishop who had his own 1950's TV show. Answer at the bottom *

49. Hustles: HIES - Lady Macbeth to Macbeth - Hie thee hither, That I may pour my spirits in thine ear (Hurry home, so I can talk to you)

51. Essence: CORE.

52. Conservatory exercise: ETUDE - This looks like some serious exercise

53. Strength, in a "1984" slogan: IGNORANCE - Explanation of all three

55. Gas that glows when condensed: RADON - It is usually not made to glow because it is so radioactive

56. Connected on LinkedIn, say: NETWORKED - It seems to make it easier to make a connection in the business world; much like Match.com does in the dating world. 

57. Clairvoyants: SEERS - A mathematician at Temple University coined the phrase "Jean Dixon Effect" where an occasional correct prediction by someone like Jeane Dixon is celebrated and their many wrong ones are overlooked 

58. Family guys: GRANDDADS - A proud appellation for many here!


Down:

1. Player of singles: PHONO - Mine was always stacked pretty high!

2. Rodeo competitor: ROPER - A hard event for me to watch

3. "Scary Movie" actress Cheri: OTERI - She is not on this poster and is listed way down in the credits. Fellow SNL cheerleader with Ferrell must have seemed too easy for Rich on a Saturday

4. Correspond, in a way: SEND E MAIL where you may find 5. TY may follow it: PLS - PleaSe and Thank You used by 43. Some Gen Z-ers: TEENS.

6. Goes off: ERUPTS which 13. The Italians call it Mongibello: MOUNT ETNA - Just last Christmas Eve

7. Manages: COPES - MIL has COPED with living alone as a widow for over thirty years

8. Lug: TOTE - Before collaborating with Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II wrote "TOTE that barge, lift that bale" for Showboat with Jerome Kern supplying the melody

9. Like many American workplaces: SMOKE FREE and restaurants, airplanes, bowling alleys and best of all for me - teacher's lounges!

10. Pet store sound: CHEEP.

11. 1953 John Wayne film: HONDO - Also a CSO to our Skip 

12. In the way: UNDERFOOT - One day of Kindergarten subbing cured me

14. Pushes (for): PRESSES.

25. Classic sports cars: XKES - In my teens our town's only doctor drove what is easily the most  23. Top-__: NOTCH  vehicle seen there then and since

27. Tilter's milieu: JOUST - Henry II famously lost an eye and subsequently died after a JOUST in 1559

29. Eau de vie counterpart: AQUA VITAE  (a-kwə-ˈvī-tē) - a strong alcoholic liquor (such as brandy)

30. Legion: MULTITUDE.

31. Suppressing: SQUASHING.

32. Soil: STAIN.

33. Magician's directive: PICK A CARD - A cool trick. Give it 30 seconds

35. Asian beef source: KOBE - If you are willing to pay $350 for KOBE beef, you can get this steak in The Old Homestead Steakhouse in NYC even though it is not on the menu. My lovely bride would 40. Repudiate: DISOWN me if I ordered it

36. Constitution bigwigs: FRAMERS - Legislators and judges have twisted and turned the 18th century words chosen 230 years ago

42. Passion: ARDOR.

44. Prefix with gram: PENTA - Religious symbolism in many sects including wiccans 

45. Maker of the Mighty Dump: TONKA - 1960's toy nirvana! (Name came from Lake MinneTONKA) 

46. Curving: ARCED - This blindfolded Globetrotter ARCED the ball perfectly

47. Cluster of sunflowers: SEEDS  - They are so closely associated with ball players, they are  in every dugout in bags or...

50. Disney CEO since 2005: IGER - He has announced that a Star Wars Land will open at Disney Studios in Orlando this year at a cost of a billion dollars after some older attractions are demolished. I may have to make my 41st visit.

54. Angling need: ROD - Equipped with a reel

*Bishop Fulton J. Sheen is the MITRE wearer

Friday, January 11, 2019, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Y?

Jeffrey gives us a substitution puzzle, where LE is replaced by Y. Which seems like a random concept, until you see the wit that inspired the choice. Each of the fill is a very funny play on words. Once again he uses the expedient of adding a column to create a 15 x 16 grid. The seed entry is likely one of the grid-spanning fill; my guess is  NEEDY IN A HAYSTACK, but that is just a guess. 66 theme squares are a challenge and limit some of the fill, but we still get  ASKED OF, THEATRE, AQUARIAN, COAT TREE, TICKETED and TRAINS IN.

18A. Indigent ones hiding among bales?: NEEDY IN A HAYSTACK (16). You are more likely to have an indigent person hide in your haystack than a needle anyway.

29A. Holders of poor-taste gifts?: TACKY BOXES (10). For all the fisher people a tackle box is needed. I think a bad gift can come in a nice box. 

35A. Result of smashing a piñata during a hurricane?: CANDY IN THE WIND (14). A very amusing image of candy flying everywhere with Elton JOHN in the background.

44A. Script for an absurdist play?: BATTY LINES (10). Battle lines are drawn but hopefully not quartered.

59A. Concept for creating difficult crossword puzzles?: TRICKY DOWN THEORY (16).  Trickle Down Theory of economics is a political hot topic. So no COMMENT.

Across:

1. Old gas station freebie: MAP. It has been a long time since free maps were given out. In fact, there are MANY things no longer at gas stations.

4. One holding all the cards?: WALLET. A wonderfully deceptive clue.

10. "__ run!": GOTTA.

15. Texter's cautioning letters: IMO. In My Opinion.

16. Take to the skies: AVIATE. We had this clued last August by Paul Coulter, as Do the Wright thing?

17. "The Phantom of the Opera" setting: PARIS. The Paris Opera (French: Opéra de Paris; French) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the Académie d'Opéra.

21. Like much ordinary history: UNTOLD. Who cares what people ate for lunch on October 10, 1975.

22. Japanese volcano: ASO. Nice to see a fill other than LOA or KEA. Aso volcano has produced more explosive eruptions than any other volcano in the world. Aso is a caldera about 12 miles (20 km) in diameter. The first documented eruption in Japan was at Naka-dake in 553.

23. Long walk: HIKE. To get to the top of the volcano, I guess. Ask JOE.

24. Author Jong: ERICA.

25. Ascended: GONE UP.

28. Stark in "Game of Thrones": NED. Birth name Eddard played brilliantly by Sean Bean, I liked him also in the Frankenstein Chronicles.



31. Must: HAS TO.

33. Presidential nickname: ABE.

34. Type of pitcher: RELIEF. Not to drink from but for baseball.

41. Food industry headgear: TOQUES. We have seen many clues for this chef's hat.

42. Barrel contents: OIL. Sometimes.

43. __ cuisine: HAUTE. From the French for high dinging. For years the French chefs (many of whom wore toques) were considered the world's best and their culinary schools as well. Not so much anymore.

51. PHL stat: ETA. Estimated Time of Arrival. Crossword glue.

52. Calls: PHONES. Verb, not noun.

54. Lavender asset: AROMA. Do you like the SMELL?

55. Gillette brand: ATRA.

57. Like Dorothy Parker's humor: WRY. The original use for the adjective wry was to describe something that was bent or twisted, so a sprained ankle could be described as "a wry ankle." Wry humor and wry wit both describe a sense of humor that is a little twisted from the norm. JW?

58. Pollen site: STAMEN.

63. Gaucho's tool: REATA.

64. Gift to an audience: ENCORE. An odd concept when the crowd is demanding it.

65. "Road to __": Hope/Crosby film: RIO.

66. Wee, jocularly: EENSY. The eensy weensy spider went up the water spout. Down came the rain and washed the spider out. Out came the sun and dried up all the rain. Then the eensy weensy spider went up the spout again.

67. Ancient eponymous advisor: NESTOR. Eponymous because the word has become, like kleenex a generic term for a wise man. He was a Greek leader who appeared in the Iliad, now noted for his wisdom and his talkativeness, both of which increased as he aged. These days, a nestor is not necessarily long-winded, but merely wise and generous with his advice.

68. Ernie with irons: ELS. Golf.

Down:

1. Stately dance: MINUET.

2. Ancient Egyptian deity: AMEN-RA. He was a god in whom Amen and Ra were combined: the god of the universe and the supreme Egyptian god during the period of Theban political supremacy.

3. How one might wax, but not wane: POETIC. 32D. 3-Down pugilist: ALI.
There live a great man named Joe
who was belittled by a loudmouth foe.
While his rival would taunt and tease
Joe silently bore the stings.
And then fought like gladiator in the ring.

4. Ambush: WAYLAY.

5. Passionate: AVID. Like Gary and his golf, or Picard his picture taking.

6. Architect Maya __: LIN. American architect and sculptor concerned with environmental themes who is best known for her design of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., designed when she was only 21 and at Yale. The daughter of intellectuals who had fled China in 1948,

7. 2002 W.S. champs, nowadays: LAA. Los Angeles Angels.

8. Hydrocarbon gas: ETHANE.

9. Kids: TEASES.

10. Traveler's aid, briefly: GPS. Global Positioning System.

11. Censor's target: OATH. Bad words, not hand on the bible. Swearing not swearing.

12. Prepares for, as a profession: TRAINS IN. I miss the old days with apprentices.

13. Cited on the road: TICKETED. Always a bad feeling getting stopped.

14. Required from: ASKED OF.

19. Harbor sight: DOCK.

20. The Gershwins' "Embraceable __": YOU. One of the most recorded songs of all time by so many different artists. I picked...

25. Arid Asian region: GOBI. In the desert,  you do not see many...

26. Pair in a field: OXEN. But you do hear ...

27. "Is it ever hot today!": PHEW.

30. Hudson and James: BAYS.

34. Count (on): RELY.

35. Foyer convenience: COAT TREE.

36. Winter birth, perhaps: AQUARIAN.

37. Commonly hexagonal hardware: NUT. A hexagonal nut is a type of metal fastener that has six sides. Most nuts are cut in a hexagonal shape since it seems to be the easiest shape to grasp.

38. Not superficial: DEEP.

39. Purse relative: TOTE.

40. Pop radio fodder: HITS.



41. London's Old Vic, for one: THEATRE. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Theatre, in 1871 it was rebuilt and reopened as the Royal Victoria Palace. It was taken over by Emma Cons in 1880 and formally named the Royal Victoria Hall, although by that time it was already known as the "Old Vic". wiki.

44. Corporate source of the Elmer's Glue logo: BORDEN.  It has been 80 years since 1939 when Borden introduces the iconic bull, Elmer, as the husband of their spokes cow, Elsie. The pair spends their first few years of marriage appearing in print ads espousing the many virtues of Borden dairy products.

45. Random individual: ANYONE.

46. Agitation metaphor: LATHER. Working up a...

47. Wrath, in a hymn: IRAE. Dies Irae.

48. "When!": NO MORE. From the concept of, "say when" to stop.

49. "Bam!" chef: EMERIL. I do not see Mr. Lagasse much these days.

50. Some HDTVs: SANYOS. On December 21, 2009, Panasonic completed a 400 billion yen ($4.5 billion) acquisition of a 50.2% stake in Sanyo, making Sanyo a subsidiary of Panasonic. Then, in 2011, Sanyo became a wholly owned subsidiary of Panasonic.

53. 1-Acr. marking: HWY. On the free map, you no longer get.

56. Book after John: ACTS. I do not have the books of the New Testament memorized but the King James version lists these in ORDER.

58. Minute Maid Park player, to fans: STRO. A Houston Astro.

60. Jewelry giant: KAY. They are owned by the British Company Signet Jewelers Kay Jewelers, Jared The Galleria of Jewelry and Zales.

61. Lavs: WCS. Water Closets. The famous Jack Paar joke that caused him to walk off his show. The STORY.

62. "Just kidding!": NOT. I really loved when this was popular. Not!

It is time to say goodbye after another wonderful Wechsler window into the wild world of words. It was nice to have JW back on Friday. Look forward to all of your comments and coming back next week. Lemonade out.

Thursday January 10th 2019 David Poole

Theme: Read My Lips. As the reveal explains:

59A. Common campaign promise, and what four black squares in this puzzle create: TAX BREAK.

Four pairs of theme entries conceal a type of tax, broken up by the intervening black square:

17A Pinch pennies: SCRIMP.
18A. Strictly religious: ORTHODOX. Import tax.

23A. Toklas' life partner: STEIN.
24A Cupid cohort: COMET. Two of Santa's reindeer. I was looking for something to do with Eros at first. Income tax.

38. Lowbrow stuff: KITSCH.
40A. 58-Across type meaning "black dragon": OOLONG. 烏龍茶 Learning moment regarding the tea.  School tax.

50A. Hallowed: BLEST.
52A. Starters: A-TEAM. Another little misdirection. I was trying to come up with a word for "appetizers".

It's a little easier to see the taxes looking at the grid at the foot of the blog, but there you have it.

This is one of those themes where it's extremely unlikely you're going to spot it while you're mid-solve, the challenge is to look back over the puzzle once you're done until you get the "Aha!" moment. Nicely done by David. Let's look over the fill:

Across:

1. Online shopping units: ORDERS. I get it, but "online" seems a little specific for something very generic.

7. 8 Series automaker: BMW. The base model for 2019 sets you back a cool $113,000 before you start adding upgrades. It's a good-looking car though, just a little outside my price range.

10. Comics possum: POGO. Cute little critter. I wasn't sure of the name, but the crosses quickly helped out.

14. Eagerly accept: LEAP AT.

15. Dinner table boors: REACHERS. Plain bad manners. My mom would have had a fit if any of us had tried that, along with eating off our knife, eating peas using the "shovel" technique and a myriad of other dire sins at the table.

19. __ out a living: EKE.

20. "My bad": I ADMIT IT. Difficult to parse at first.

22. "Kidding!": NOT!

28. "The Hunger Games" president Coriolanus __: SNOW. I think I should know this by now, it's pretty common in the puzzles Crosses to the rescue! Speaking of snow, did you see that Robert Frost's "Stopping by woods on a snowy evening" is now out of copyright, along with hundreds thousands of other works across the creative spectrum?

30. Flaps: ADOS.

32. "A Little Nightmare Music" composer P.D.Q. __: BACH. PDQ was my parent's version of stat! -pretty darn quick". This is an opera in one act by Peter Schickele - PDQ Bach is his pseudonym.

33. Hot under the collar: IRATE.

36. Canadian coin: LOONIE.

41. Disney's Montana: HANNAH.

42. Lamb's lament: BLEAT. I thought about Charles Lamb as my thought process's first port of call. I didn't stay there too long. "Lawyers, I suppose, were children once".

43. See 27-Down: URGE.

44. Whole lot: SCAD.

46. Hamburger's home: HAUS. The citizen, not the sandwich.

55. Durham sch.: U.N.H. University of New Hampshire. I got all confused here, jumping in with UNC, which was all kinds of wrong. Firstly, Duke is the school in Durham, NC - UNC is at nearby Chapel Hill.

56. '70s-'90s Pontiacs: SUNBIRDS. Why did I go for Sunfire? Some missteps for me today.

58. See 40-Across: TEA.

62. Tailor's measure: INSEAM.

64. Person-to-person: ONE-ON-ONE.

65. Rather thick: OBTUSE. I see obtuse more as being "stubbornly refusing to understand" than "thick". The dictionary doesn't agree with me though.

66. See 38-Down: MARX. Another one to annoy the x-ref dislikers.  Here's the memorial in the "new" cemetery. The "old" cemetery is across the road and is a nature reserve. It's a beautiful place.

67. Frowny-faced: SAD.

68. Chicken: SCARED.

Down:

1. Mary-Kate, Ashley and Elizabeth: OLSENS.

2. S'pose: RECKON.

3. "Do I __ eat a peach?": Eliot: DARE TO.

4. Prefix with graph or gram: EPI-

5. "Groundhog Day" director Harold: RAMIS.

6. Mid-Mar. honoree: ST PAT.

7. Trite saying: BROMIDE.

8. Sheep prized for its wool: MERINO.

9. Power unit: WATT.

10. Kiosk with a camera: PHOTO BOOTH.

11. Ref. work whose 2018 Word of the Year is "toxic": OED. Toxic environment, toxic workplace, toxic masculinity all got a good workout in 2018, along with the environmental toxicities.

12. Miracle-__: GRO.

13. Mac platform: OS X.

16. In vogue: CHIC.

21. First word in titles by Arthur Miller and Agatha Christie: DEATH. Death of a Salesman, and Death on the Nile for example.

25. Flutist Herbie: MANN.

26. Vaper's need, informally: E-CIG.

27. With 43-Across, feeling often fought: THE. The urge.  This one seems a little forced to me, but here it is.

29. British courtroom fixture: WITNESS BOX. I hadn't really considered that the witness box was typically British. I guess you take the witness stand here. Here's the interior of the Old Bailey in London, more properly the Central Criminal Court, scene of some famous trials:

31. Blackthorn plum: SLOE.

34. Bloemfontein's land: Abbr.: R.S.A. Republic of South Africa.

35. Rhine whines: ACHS.

37. Ipanema greeting: OLA. Portuguese drops the "H" in "Hola!".

38. With 66-Across, German philosopher buried in London's Highgate Cemetery: KARL.

39. "Bus Stop" dramatist: INGE. William Inge, the playwright. The 1956 movie of the same name with Marilyn Monroe was only loosely based on it.

40. Not as current: OLDER.

41. Busy airport: HUB.

42. Hand-dyed with wax: BATIKED.

45. Place to put on a suit: CABANA. A bathing suit. Cute clue.

47. Filmmaker with a unique style: AUTEUR.

48. Anxiety: UNEASE.

49. Disgraced: SHAMED.

51. Go sour: TURN.

53. "Hasta mañana": ADIOS.

54. "The Beat with Ari Melber" network: MSNBC. I never watch it. Seems popular though.

57. Avant-garde sorts: NEOS.

59. Hiddleston who plays Loki in Marvel films: TOM. Thank you, crosses. I'm pretty bad with proper names in film and TV.

60. Santa __: ANA. A sure-fire way to start an argument among southern Californians is to aver that the "Santa Ana Winds" are not Santa Anas at all, but "Satanás" from the Spanish for "winds".

61. Boomer's kid: XER. Generation X.

63. RR stop: STA.

Which brings us to the grid, laid out in all its colorful glory with the tax breaks. Hasta!

Steve

Wednesday January 9, 2019 Debbie Ellerin

Theme: Comedy, in the end, is where you find it.  Today you can find it at the end of the theme entries, indicated by the asterisks in their clues.  Let's check it out.

16 A. *"Righto!": YOU BETCHA.  Emphatic vernacular agreement, with some merriment at the end.

20 A. *Big boss: HEAD HONCHO.  Vernacular nomenclature for a corporate executive.  I've laughed at several - from behind.

34 A. *2005 Emma Thompson magical role: NANNY MCPHEE.   She is the grotesque looking woman who shows up in the home of widower Cedric Brown to bring order to his 7 unruly children.  Each time the children learn a lesson, she becomes a bit less ugly.  I won't give away any more of the plot - mainly because I don't know it.  It ends with comedy - at least in the context of this puzzle.

51 A. *Cold-water salmon-like fish: ARCTIC CHAR.  This fish lives in the far north, in rivers, lakes or the ocean, and always spawns in fresh water.  It is variable in color, and closely related to both salmon and lake trout, displaying characteristics of each. This is not only fishy, but also a fish with a funny tail.

And the unifier -- 56 A. Ultimate satisfaction, and a hint to the answers to starred clues: LAST LAUGH.  The early bird gets the worm; but the second mouse to the trap gets the cheese.   So the early LAUGHER might not be the one who ultimately prevails. There could be a moral here about delayed gratification.

Hi Gang, JazzBumpa here as your MC at the comedy club today.  Let's see if this puzzle is anything to LAUGH at.

Across:

1. Fall sign: LIBRA.  The 7th Zodiac sign, generally spanning from September 23 to October 23. 

6. Medic: DOC. Physician.  That's what I would name my dog, if I had one, so I could say, "Physician, heel thyself."

9. 6-Across's "Pronto!": STAT.  Quickly, with urgency, from the Latin statum, meaning immediately.

13. Keep clear of: AVOID. Or EVADE.  Always needs perps.

14. Sorta cousin: -ISH.  Suffix indicating in the manner of, or approximately similar to.

15. "Leaving on a Jet __": PLANE.  Peter Paul and Mary classic.

18. "Nick of Time" singer Bonnie: RAITT.

19. Enters the wrong area code, say: ERRS.  To err is human, and not just in baseball.

22. Unburdened (of): RID.  No longer having to deal with some unpleasant person or thing.

23. "Mean Girls" screenwriter Tina: FEY.   Of SNL fame

24. Coder's conditional construct: IF-THEN.  A hypothesis followed by a conclusion, noted as p -->q.  If p is true, then q is also true.  If this is the case, then the conditional statement is true.

25. Navy builder: SEABEE.  Derived from C. B. for Construction Battalion.  I'm trying to decide if this qualifies an an acronym.  Thoughts?

27. Ink spot?: TAT. Body art.  Can be found on almost any SPOT on the body.  I'll admit that the fascination with ritual mutilation baffles me.  In keeping with todays theme, I went in search of funny ones.  They are mostly not very laughable.  Here's one I'm willing to share.

54 more found here

29. Uses Google Hangouts, briefly: IMS.  Sends Instant Messages using the communication platform developed by Google which includes messaging, video chat, SMS [short message system] and VOIP [Voice Over Internet Protocol] features.

30. Apple's virtual assistant: SIRI.  Apple acquired SIRI in 2010.  The original development team had various explanations for the name.  Dag Kittlaus, the Norwegian-American CEO of SIRI, once considered using SIRI as the name of his child and liked the Norse meaning "beautiful woman who leads you to victory." It also means "beauty" in Sinhalese, and "secret" in Swahili.

31. Lose one's shirt: GO BUST.  To lose all of an investment.  More literally, expose one's bust.  Hmmm.

37. Hurricanes and blizzards: STORMS.  Violent disturbances of the atmosphere involving some combination of strong winds, thunder, lightening rain and/or snow.

38. Enjoy, as benefits: REAP.  Expanded from the original meaning of gathering a harvest.

40. Mauna __: KEA.  Or LOA, again requiring perp help.  Mauna KEA is a dormant volcano on the island of Hawaii, and at 4207 m. above sea level, the highest point in the State.  Muana LOA, another of the 5 volcanos that make up the island, is only slightly shorter at 4169 m.  It's most recent eruption was in 1984.

43. Mattel product: TOY.  Child's plaything.

44. Tippi of "The Birds": HEDREN.  Nathalie Kay Hedren [b 1930] is an American actress, animal rights activist and former fashion model.  Her daughter, Melanie Griffith, later married Tiipi's The Harrad Experiment costar, Don Johnson.

46. Parkway feature: ON RAMP.  Entrance to a limited access roadway.

49. Spring sign: BUD.  An emerging leaf, flower or shoot.

50. Con's opponent: PRO.  Against and for something or someone, respectively.

54. Summer sign?: PLUS.  "+"  Found in math, not the Zodiac, contra 1A.

55. High-tech eye surgery: LASIK.  Using a laser to correct vision by reshaping the cornea.

58. Far from klutzy: AGILE.  Dancing granddaughter Amanda is supple, limber, acrobatic and fleet of foot.  She also walks into walls.  Go figure.

59. Refuge for very old couples?: ARK.  Not old as in aged, but rather as in having been around a long time ago, as in this Old Testament story of a family saved from flooding on their ARK.

60. 1973 Stones ballad: ANGIE.  It characterizes the end of a romance.  There is speculation as to whether the title refers to an actual person, and what her identity might have been.

61. Dropped in the mail: SENT.  Using actual physical mail, SENT via the Postal Service.  How quaint.

62. Oui or hai: YES.  Affirmative declarations in French and Japanese, respectively.

63. Western flatlands: MESAS.  A flat topped hill with sheer sides.  Mesa is the Spanish word for table, and these are also called table lands.

Down:

1. Features of lasagna and tiramisu: LAYERS.  Alternating quantities of different component ingredients.

2. They may be tickled: IVORIES.  Refers to playing the piano.

3. Late host of "Parts Unknown": BOURDAIN.  Anthony Michael BOURDAIN [1956 - 2018] was an American TV personality, author, traveler and celebrity chef.

4. Corduroy ridges: RIBS.  Corduroy is a durable fabric made from parallel cords that are stitched together.

5. Citrus suffix: - ADE.  A drink made form a citrus fruit.

6. Unpredictable: DICEY.  Said of something uncertain, risky, and perhaps dangerous.

7. Whistleblower-protecting org.: OSHA. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

8. Landlocked African nation: CHAD.  The Republic of CHAD is surrounded by Lybia, Sudan, The Central African Republic, Camaroon, Nigeria and Niger.  Lake Chad, for which the country is named, and it's capital, N'Djamena, are both located along the western border, where the thin northern projection of Camaroon  separates it from Nigeria.

Troubled country

9. Bias: SLANT.  Both literally and figuratively

10. Meditative exercise regimen: TAI CHI.

11. Country music?: ANTHEM.  Every country has one.

12. "Grand" mountains: TETONS.  Google translate tells me this means "big nipples."

Imagination failure maybe, but I'm not seeing it

15. Duke VIP: PROF.  College PROFESSOR.

17. "How do I love __?": Browning: THEE.  Let me count the ways.

21. Ask (for), as money: HIT UP.   Not to be confused with HIT ON, which is a different kind of request.

23. Deceptive move: FEINT.  A deceptive or distractive move in boxing, fencing, or other activities, intended to create an opening that can be exploited.  In hockey, it's called a deke.

26. Tops in a lingerie catalog: BRAS.  Undergarments that cover and support a lady's bosom.  That is as delicate a description as I can contrive.

Mini-theme developing?

27. "Pinball Wizard" show: TOMMY.

28. Basic skills: ABCS.  Fundamentals of any discipline.

31. Greek lamb sandwich: GYRO.  Pronounced yeero, it is a sandwich on a pita made from a dense lamb meatloaf cooked on a vertically rotating skewer.  For my money, the best GYRO in the region is from the Senate Coney Island at the corner of Stark and Plymouth in Livonia.  They also have the best chicken-lemon-rice soup.  This has been an unpaid, unsolicited testimonial.

32. Rip to pieces: SHRED.  Cut up, tear up, grate, mince, macerate or grind.

33. Really annoyed, with "off": TEED. Couldn't come up with a sensible derivation, and that really bugs me.  First known use in this sense [rather than a golf stroke] is from 1951.

35. Unacceptable to some, for short: NOT PC. To be Politically Correct is to attempt to be neutral, sensitive and anodyne. Ironically, some people get TEED ODD by this behavior.

36. Protection from snorers: EAR PLUGS.  Inserts for the ear to eliminate or reduce external sounds.  I wear them as protection from the trumpets.  They don;t help with tinnitus.

39. Italian city that hosts the annual Eurochocolate Festival: PERUGIA.  The capital city of Umbria in central Italy.  The festival started in 1993, and draws over 1 million people each year.  Next event is Friday, Oct. 18 to Sunday, Oct.29, 2019, so plan ahead.

40. Eucalyptus munchers: KOALAS.  The eucalyptus provides the vast majority of the meager nutritional needs of these asocial, sedentary, arboreal Australian marsupials.

41. Really rile: ENRAGE.  Is this worse than TEEING someone OFF?

42. Inverse trig function: ARC SIN.  I'm not going to try to explain it.

44. Offended: HURT.  Cause someone to feel upset, annoyed or resentful.  A different sort of negative emotional reaction than being TEED OFF.  Perhaps as a reaction to something NOT PC.  Is this another mini-theme?  Is it annoying?

45. Snacks: NOSHES. Munchies.

47. Not straight up: ATILT.  Leaning, caused by a SLANT.

48. Greenberg or Golic of sports-talk radio: MIKE.  Both of ESPN, among other things.

49. Catches some rays: BASKS. Lies exposed to, as the warmth of the sun.

52. Potter's medium: CLAY.

53. His nap cost him the race: HARE.  From one of Aesop's fables.  Choose your nap time carefully.

54. Stained-glass piece: PANE.  Any sheet of flat glass, actually.

57. Felon's flight: LAM.  Flee and escape.

Well, I had a few smiles along the way.  Hope you found the experience to be somewhat amusing.

Cool regards!

JzB

Tuesday, January 8, 2019 Mark McClain

A M Words

17. National Portrait Gallery, e.g.: ART MUSEUM.

24. Freebies for tourists: AREA MAPS.

49. Rosary recital: AVE MARIA.

61. Puzzle solver's breakthrough, e.g.: AHA MOMENT.

3. Film often with chase scenes: ACTION MOVIE.

25. Inflatable bed for a guest: AIR MATTRESS.

38. Medium for many talk shows ... and an apt place to discuss six puzzle answers?: AM RADIO.

Mark is back to get some airtime with these A&M words.  The AM in AM RADIO is for Amplitude Modulation.  Talk radio is full of words and fills many of the AM frequencies.

My favorite is Aha Moment. 

Across:

1. Winter warm spell: THAW.

5. Simon & Garfunkel's "El Condor __": PASA.


9. Sneer (at): SCOFF.

14. Texas home of Baylor University: WACO.   In case you missed it, the # 8 Baylor Lady Bears knocked off the # 1 Connecticut Huskies on Jan 3rd in Waco by a score of 68 to 57.  It was the first regular season loss by the Huskies in 4 years and ended a 126 game winning streak.   Hondo Hurricane is a huge fan of the Huskies.  Please be sure to send your condolences. 

15. CPR pros: EMTs.

16. Jazz clarinetist Shaw: ARTIE.   54 Minutes of Swing and Jazz.


19. Ugh-inducing: NASTY.

20. Observes secretly: SPIES ON.

21. 67-Across exile: ADAM.
67. Genesis paradise: EDEN.

23. Dollar bills: ONEs.

28. Soda container: CAN.

30. List-shortening abbr.: ET AL.

31. The Emerald Isle: EIRE.

32. Ideology suffix: ISM.

33. Little fluid holder: VIAL.

35. Altered, as voting districts: REDREW.   Possibly gerrymandered.

37. Merged labor org.: CIO.   Congress of Industrial Organizations.  Created in 1935 under a slightly different name, broke away from and became a rival to the American Federation of Labor in 1938, and rejoined again in 1955 to form the AFL-CIO.

40. "Give __ break": ME A.  of that KitKat bar.

41. Soldiers' support gp. since 1944: AMVETS.  We donate.

43. Sign gas: NEON.

44. "Life of Pi" director Lee: ANG.

45. "How ya __?": DOIN.   Joey on Friends: "How YOU doin'?"

46. Not __ snuff: unsatisfactory: UP TO. 

48. "Cats" poet's monogram: TSE.  The poet, Thomas Stearns Eliot, more commonly as T.S. Eliot.    Also, an abbrv for transmissible spongiform encephalopathy.  One example would be mad cow disease.

51. Conveyer of tears: DUCT.  You say conveyer,  I say conveyor.  

54. Taiwan-based laptop giant: ACER.

55. Spanish island, to locals: MENORCA.  The four largest islands in the Islas Baleras archipelago east of Spain in the western Mediterranean are Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera.   Many minor islands and islets are close to the larger islands, including Cabrera, Dragonera, and S'Espalmador

58. Deep cleft: CHASM.

63. Tickle: AMUSE.

64. Dorothy's dog: TOTO.

Dorothy and Toto:

Also, a group of session musicians that gathered together and recorded prior to having a band name. According to legend, the drummer wrote "Toto" on their demo tapes only to differentiate them from other bands recording in the studio.  They decided to stay with the name. 


65. Tiny fraction of a min.: MSEC.  Millisecond.   One thousandth of a second.  Much much longer than a nanosecond. 

66. Jabs with a finger: POKES.

68. Concerning: AS TO.

Down:

1. First word of "A Visit From St. Nicholas": TWAS.

2. Large plucked instrument: HARP.  Our friend Laura playing one of her harps. 

4. Alumnae, e.g.: WOMEN.

5. Cuban coins: PESOS.

6. Blessing conclusion: AMEN.

7. Good name for a cook: STU.  Homophone of stew.

8. Eritrea's capital: ASMARA.

 Country Profile - BBC News

9. Yemen's capital: SANAA.

 Country Profile - BBC News

10. Hit the books at the last minute: CRAMMED.

11. Extra NBA periods: OTS.  Overtimes.

12. In top form: FIT.

13. "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot" actress Tina: FEY.

18. Put in the game: USE.

22. Texas border city: DEL RIO.  Went to school with a guy from Del Rio.

24. Home of the Braves: ATLANTA.   The Atlanta Braves of MLB.

26. Grooms, bird-style: PREENS. 

27. Municipal waste: SEWAGE.

28. Noisy summer insect: CICADA.

29. "I, Robot" author: ASIMOV. Isaac.

30. Organ with a lobe: EAR.

33. Napa Valley vessel: VAT.

34. "There's no doubt!": I'M SURE.   Lisa: I'm positive.  Vinny: How can you be so sure ? Lisa: Because there is no way that these tire marks were made by a '64 Buick Skylark convertible. These marks were made by a 1963 Pontiac Tempest.

36. Long, long time: EON.

39. "Gloria in Excelsis __": DEO.

42. All together: EN MASSE.   En bloc.   In toto. 

47. Illicit video producer: PIRATE. 

50. High points: ACMES.

51. Evil spirit: DEMON.

52. Card game inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame in 2018: UNO.

53. Pause-causing punctuation: COMMA.  Commas are important people.

55. Hand on deck: MATE.

56. Tech news site: CNET.

57. "I Got You Babe" label: ATCO.

 Link to a video of Sonny and Cher singing it for Big Easy

58. Ballplayer's hat: CAP.  These New Era baseball caps are in order.  Baseball fans will see it.

59. Managed care gp.: HMO.

60. Arctic seabird: AUK.

62. Coal scuttle: HOD.

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Patti Varol, editor for the Crosswords Club and Daily POP and Rich's assistant at LA Times. Whether a puzzle is accepted or rejected, Patti always gives constructive feedback. She's also a super crossword constructor and solver.

Monday Jan 7, 2019 Bruce Venzke & Gail Grabowski

Theme: WINDBREAKER (50. Lightweight jacket, and a hint to 21-, 26- and 44-Across) - WIND is broken up in 3 different ways.

21. Sommelier: WINE STEWARD.

26. Court spot for giving testimony: WITNESS STAND.

44. One constantly fretting: WORRYING KIND.

Boomer here.

I witnessed the WIND on the PGA tour in Hawaii, but no WIN for my friend Desper-otto's a bit unLUCKy Houston Texans, (who I identified as Oilers by mistake a few weeks ago.)  The same fate the Vikings handed me last week. Congrats to the LA Chargers, who took care of the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

Bowling - last Monday 525, Thursday 522. Feeling a little better about my game.  We'll see what happens this week.

Across:

1. "Forever" mail attachment: STAMP. Forever stamps price is going up to .55 on January 27.  Stock up because whatever forever stamps you own will be worth 5 cents more on the 27th.  Probably a better increase than the stocks you might own.

6. Time travel destination: PAST. Add an A if you are hungry.

10. __ and chips: FISH. Fishing is a year-round hobby for many in Minnesota. C.C. and I have drowned a few worms in the past. 

14. Deed holder: OWNER.

15. Drink with a polar bear mascot: ICEE. Drink it fast and your forehead will feel it.

16. "The __ Ranger": LONE. Who was that masked man? I wanted to thank him.  Clayton Moore.  There was a bowling center in St. Paul, West Side Lanes, which had many autographed 8 X 10s in their banquet room.  Clayton Moore was on that wall.

17. Specialized vocab: LINGO.

18. Workers with antennae: ANTS. Don't let them get in your pants!

19. Had bills to pay: OWED.  I owe, I owe, so off to work I go.

20. Psych 101 subject: EGO. Lego my Ego. (spelled it wrong on purpose to see if anyone complains.)

24. Range above tenor: ALTO. Okay but as I have complained before, I always knew Alto as a Female voice, and tenor - Male

25. '60s pop singer __ Lee: BRENDA.  I liked Skeeter Davis' rendition of "The End of the World", but Brenda Lee was okay too.

31. "The Gift of the Magi" author: O HENRY.  William Porter.  I think he invented a candy bar.

32. Years and years: EONS.

33. Litter cry: MEW.

36. Organic smoke detector: NOSE. A nose by any other name, still smells the same.

37. Uppercut target: JAW. Add an "S" and you might need a bigger boat.

38. Bavaria-based automaker: AUDI.

39. Adorns with Angel Soft, briefly: TPS.

40. Sandler of "Hotel Transylvania" films: ADAM. Happy Gilmore! A Hockey player joins the PGA.  (I won't tell you how it ends.)

42. Bit of corn: KERNEL.  There's a whole kernel of wheat, in every Wheaties flake. I drive by General Mills HQ 1-2 times every week.

46. Major road: ARTERY.

49. Strips of developed film, briefly: NEGS.

53. Proofs of age, for short: IDS.  We have an IDS Tower in Minneapolis. Built for Investor's Diversified Services.  (Now known as Ameriprise Financial.)  The tower was built in 1972 and is the height of about 910 feet.  It was behemoth at the time, and although many tall buildings have been added to the city, none are as tall as the IDS, I believe out of respect.

56. Hyped-up: AGOG.

57. Hard-to-resist feeling: URGE.

58. Harriet's TV hubby: OZZIE. Sitcom of the fifties.  Younger son Ricky Nelson, became a famous crooner who turned girls into swooners.  He competed quite well opposing stars like Elvis Presley and Pat Boone from 1957 - 1964.  His career hit a snag called the Beatles in 1964, yeah, yeah, yeah.  Ricky died in a plane crash in Texas in 1985.  RIP.  

60. Like kitten videos: CUTE.

61. Dark movie genre: NOIR.

62. Africa's Sierra __: LEONE. A relatively small country on the West Coast of Africa.

63. Risked a ticket: SPED.  I have had three or four lifetime speeding tickets, most when I was young and stupid and the fine was about $10.00. However, I got one when I was old and stupid and paid about $150.00.

64. Boys, to men: SONS.

65. Gave false hope to: LED ON.

Down:

1. Fish served "amandine": SOLE.  A member of the flounder family.  In our fishing expedition with C.C. in Minnesota, the goal was walleye or northern pike, however the result was usually sunfish.

2. Bit of kindling: TWIG. There once was a British model named after a Twig.

3. Part of A.D.: ANNO. The other half is Domini - Year of our Lord.  Told you I took four years of Latin.

4. "Little Women" woman: MEG.  Three letters, could have been Amy. Jo and Beth would not fit.

5. Cat, or cat burglar: PROWLER.

6. Upright and grand: PIANOS. I wish I would have learned to play the piano. But I was too busy bowling and playing golf.  Sigh.

7. Clearasil target: ACNE.

8. Tennis match segments: SETS. Or a set can be a complete run of Topps Heritage Chrome baseball cards.

9. Nuclear restraint topic: TEST BAN.  We don't hear much about test ban treaties anymore.  Unless you live near North Korea. 

10. Moved like water: FLOWED.

11. Hawkeye State resident: IOWAN. Just south of me, I've been there many times. Elizabeth Warren was there this weekend.  I hope she likes corn.

12. McCarthy's friend Mortimer: SNERD. We don't see ventriloquists on TV anymore. Where is Ed Sullivan when you need him ?

13. Ibsen's "__ Gabler": HEDDA.  Never heard of her, but I have heard of Ms. Hopper.

22. __-bitsy: ITSY. Teenie Weenie yellow polka dot bikini.  That she wore for the first time today.

23. Sea eagles: ERNS.

24. "Worst Cooks in America" judge Burrell: ANNE.

26. "This __ take long": WON'T. I hope you are not talking about a crossword puzzle. It usually takes me an hour to get about one third, then I give up.

27. Breakfast chain: IHOP.  Pumpkin Spice pancakes for Halloween. Now they have green pancakes to honor the Grinch. Ted Geisel was Dr. Seuss who wrote about the Grinch. I don't remember because I was 2 years old but I met Dr. Seuss in a San Diego library. My Mom purchased a copy of "If I Ran the Zoo", and Dr. Seuss autographed it.  I wish I still had it. 

28. Thomas Hardy heroine: TESS.

29. Disreputable: SEAMY.

30. Stranded driver's need: TOW.  Tow, Tow, Tow your car, Gently down the street.

33. City bond, informally: MUNI.  Tax free dividends.  You may wish you had these in a couple of months.

34. Garden locale in a Sistine Chapel mural: EDEN.

35. Like animals in the Serengeti: WILD.  Also a Minnesota NHL Hockey player.

37. Cookie container: JAR.  When is a door not a door?  When it's ajar.

38. Torah holders: ARKS. Noah's used boat lot.

40. Choice of two: A OR B. This choice occurs on "The Chase".  I cannot stand the shouting Brook Burns, and the Beast is no treat either.

41. Practice exercises: DRY RUNS.

42. Replaceable joint: KNEE.  The quarterback might take one or two with a lead at the end of the game.

43. Chinese appetizer: EGG ROLL.  I'll check with C.C.  A lot of American Chinese food is fake.

44. Squeezed (in): WEDGED.  Should have used a nine iron.

45. Comic book artists: INKERS.  I was a flyboy at a newspaper, but we had inkers too. They did not have comic books to read, or print though.

46. Spy plane acronym: AWACS. Airborne Warning and Control System.

47. Construct haphazardly: RIG UP. "Fry up another batch of bullheads, Muriel, I smell another election coming." Words of famous Minnesotan, Hubert Humphrey. Although the elections were NOT rigged up.

48. Govt. security: T NOTE.

51. Suffix with sock: EROO.  I think this started with the Kangaroo, but now we see the suffix every where.

52. Not fer: AGIN.  Someone has been watching too many "Beverly Hillbillies".

53. Longtime seller of Lacoste shirts: IZOD.

54. "The Flintstones" pet: DINO.  Remember the "Sinclair" gas stations ?

55. Observed: SEEN.

59. Middle of Arizona?: ZEE.  Arizona, Take off your rainbow shades, Arizona, hey won'tcha

go my way.

Boomer

Sunday Janaury 6, 2019 Garry Morse

Theme:  "But Is It Art?" - Quip theme.
 
22. Start of a quip: I WENT TO.

36. Quip, part 2: A MUSEUM WHERE THEY HAVE.

55. Quip, part 3: ALL THE HEADS AND.

66. Quip, part 4: ARMS.

79. Quip, part 5: FROM THE STATUES.

94. Quip, part 6: THAT ARE IN ALL THE OTHER.

117. End of the quip: MUSEUMS.

And origin of the quip (symmetrically placed):

8. With 123-Across, speaker of the quip: STEVEN.

123. See 8-Across: WRIGHT.

Rich rarely runs quote or quip puzzle, as it's not a popular theme type with solvers. But it's fun to get such a puzzle once in a while. In the old Star Tribune Media days, we used to get one by Alan P. Olschwang every Thursday.

I also don't recall a Sunday LAT grid with only 135 words. We often get 142 or 144. Sometimes 140.

Across:

1. Ohm reciprocal: SIEMENS. Named after Siemens, who founded Siemens, which has a few big plants in China.

14. Hybrid tableware: SPORK.

19. Black Sea country: ROMANIA.

20. Poke holes in, as a lawn: AERATE.

21. Judge of the Yankees: AARON. Aaron Judge. All Rise. Also 52. NYC line that stops at Yankee Stadium, familiarly: IRT.

23. Beauty goddesses: GRACES.

24. Crunchy snack: FRITO.

25. Big Apple restaurateur: SARDI. Sardi's.

26. Chef's amts.: TBSPS.

28. Dexterity: SLEIGHT.

30. "Wedding Bell Blues" soloist Marilyn: MCCOO. Forgot. We had her before.

32. Org. with an Acid Rain Program: EPA.

35. Three before kappa: ETA.

45. Monotony metaphor: RUT.

46. Heads of the Sorbonne: TETES. Just French for "heads".

47. Sticker: THORN.

48. Evil Luthor: LEX.

49. Bring out: ELICIT.

53. Truce: CEASEFIRE. Great fill.

58. Glee club member: TENOR.

59. Expected results: NORMS.

60. "__ so you!": IT'S.

61. Out of shape: BENT.

62. Boise's st.: IDA.

65. Email afterthoughts: PSS.

68. Short alias?: AKA.

71. European carrier: SAS. Scandinavian Airlines System.

72. Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge denizen: NENE.

74. Safari beast: GNU.

75. Maestro Ozawa: SEIJI.

77. Shrek creator William: STEIG. Unknown to me.

85. "My mom's gonna kill me!": I AM SO DEAD. Another great fill.

87. Air traffic mgmt. group: FAA.

88. Arts section regular: CRITIC.

89. __-fi: SCI.

90. Frayed: TATTY.

91. Either of two hearth borders?: AITCH. Just the edge letter: hearth

93. Altar constellation: ARA.

99. Rhyming boxer: ALI.

100. Work with thread: SEW.

101. Calrissian of "Star Wars" films: LANDO.

102. Putting out: ISSUING.

106. Laker or Raptor, briefly: NBAER.

109. Bass-baritone Simon: ESTES. Another learning moment.

113. Trolley sound: CLANG.

114. Lowest points: NADIRS.

119. "War of the Worlds" target: EARTH.

120. Play areas: ARENAS. Nice clue.

121. Entered stealthily, perhaps: EASED IN.

122. __ tie: TWIST.

124. Letters-to-the-editor writers: READERS.

Down:

1. Indian titles: SRIS. Also 104. Indian garment: SARI.

2. State admitted to the Union after Texas: IOWA.OK, let's see: December 29, 1845.

3. Hosp. "room": EMER.

4. 400+ million of them are produced daily: M AND M'S.

5. Draw in: ENTICE.

6. Insignificant point: NIT.

7. Príncipe's island partner: SAO TOME.

8. Droops: SAGS.

9. Former ACC Cavalier rival: TERP. University of Maryland.

10. Old-fashioned editing tool: ERASER.

11. Little sucker?: VAC. Fun clue.

12. Seine summer: ETE.

13. Loch with a legend: NESS.

14. Circus security: SAFETY NET. Have you seen a circus in person?

15. Outcast: PARIAH.

16. One may be left in a copier: Abbr.: ORIG.

17. __ IRA: ROTH.

18. One in a sailor's repertoire: KNOT.

27. Dressy pasta?: BOW TIES. Lovely clue.

29. Creepy looks: LEERS.

31. Fast sailing ships: CUTTERS.

33. Subjects of many online videos: PET CATS. Ask Dave.

34. Balkan capital: ATHENS. Balkan Peninsula.

36. Geographical measure: AREA.

37. Think (over): MULL.

38. Elec., e.g.: UTIL.

39. Mount Olympus VIP: HERA.

40. Town line sign abbr.: EST'D.

41. 1950s tennis great Lew: HOAD. No idea. Wiki says he won three majors in 1956.

42. Dior creations: A-LINES.

43. Shakespearean title city: VERONA.

44. Applies, as pressure: EXERTS.

50. Whse. unit: CTN. Whse = Warehouse, not a familiar abbr. to me.

51. Chain with syrup choices: IHOP.

54. Shortest mo.: FEB.

56. Eng. ship title: HMS.

57. __City: computer game: SIM.

62. Refuse to bargain: INSIST.

63. Separate: DETACH.

64. Lethargy cause: ANEMIA. When I grew up, we only ate meat during Spring Festival. Pork was so tasty then.

66. Pain reliever: ANODYNE.

67. Daiquiri liquor: RUM.

68. DDE opponent: AES. Adlai Ewing Stevenson.

69. Cooking show title word: KITCHEN. TTP's Honduran tamales reminded me of a Thai-style fish I used to like. It's baked in banana leaves. The restaurant is actually called Banana Leaf.

70. Barely open: AJAR.

73. Köln cooler: EIS. Ice.

74. Free: GRATIS.

75. Mariner's home: SEATTLE.

76. "Lord, is __?": Matthew: IT I.

78. Matchless one's question: GOT A LIGHT? Oh, one without a match.

79. Many a political party: FETE. Love this clue.

80. Giant in nonstick pans: T-FAL.

81. Call from the curb: HAIL.

82. Six-sided state: UTAH.

83. Country name that includes its own abbreviation: EIRE. OK, IE.

84. Permanent mark: SCAR.

86. "Splish Splash" singer: DARIN.

92. Con artist, often: CHARMER.

95. Jeers: TAUNTS.

96. Street shader: AWNING.

97. City east of El Paso: ODESSA. "Friday Night Lights".

98. How uncut grass goes: TO SEED.

102. "Law & Order: SVU" actor: ICE-T.

103. Sandwich side: SLAW. Asian style coleslaw. You can also add Ramen noodles.

105. Work on, as a bone: GNAW.

107. Buddy, in slang: BRAH. And 110. Bit of defiance, in slang: TUDE. Attitude.

108. No. 2: ASST.

111. Gulf States prince: EMIR.

112. "Last four" ID verifiers: SSNS.

115. Sea-Tac abbr.: ARR.

116. Agnus __: DEI.

118. Oil-rich fed.: UAE.

Boomer Updates:

Next Wednesday Boomer is having another blood draw, then followed by a VA Pharmay Care call. Hope we don't encounter another pill glitch again. Someone dropped the ball on this Zytiga thing the week before Christmas. I was so relieved when we finally received the pills via priority mail, but it was such a draining experience. Totally got what you went through, Jerome!

C.C.