Wednesday, February 6, 2019 Jerry Edelstein

Theme: THE TANGLED STRAP.  Each theme entry has circled letters spanning two words, which, when untangled can spell the word STRAP, though I might have that backwards.

17. Does really well, for a weekend golfer: SHOOTS PAR.  Each golf hole has a par rating, between 3 and 5 strokes, depending on tee to green length.  Typical par for 18 holes is 72. The letters of STRAP occur at the end of the phrase.

22. "Next time's for real": JUST PRACTICING.  I practice a lot, but have a hard time coming up with a real life situation where one might utter these words.  There are, however, memes that use the phrase, if you care to look for them.  The letters of STRAP span the two words, and are internal.  Same as in the next two entries.

36. Cardiologist: HEART SPECIALIST.  A specific kind of medical doctor. 

46. Jewish deli meat: KOSHER PASTRAMI. Read all about it.

56. "America's Got Talent" judges' concern: STAR POWER.  That elusive combination of poise, talent, stage presense, sex appeal and a certain je ne sais quoi, perhaps. Here, the letters occur at the beginning of the phrase, offering a nice symmetry, where the first shall be last, and the last first.

58. With 62-Across, handyman's assortment, and a hint to what's in each set of circles: LOOSE.

62. See 58-Across: PARTS.  Here we have a rare two-part unifier, in which it is revealed that the circled letters represent a scrambled word, as indicated by the suggestive modifier LOOSE, and that STRAP is PARTS. 

Very thematically rich array, with a central grid spanner, two others just a letter short, and even the shorter entries having nine letters each. And the final - central - initial placement of the circled letters is an elegant touch.

But there are a couple problems.  First, LOOSE PARTS does not appear to be an in-the-language phrase meaning what the clues suggest. Or, if it is, I'm failing to find any evidence of it.   Instead, it indicates a group of resources that provide children with an intellectually stimulating outlet for creative play.

Second - and this might be just a nit - but KOSHER PASTRAMI can also be parsed this way, with the PARTS not straddling both words.  Is anyone else bothered by this?

Hi gang, It's JazzBumpa, perhaps in an overly-critical mood.  Grab your STRAPS and PARTS and lets see what we can uncover.

Across:

1. Area with pews: NAVE.  The central area of a church.

5. It's saved for a rainy day: TARP.   Covering to protect the infield of a baseball stadium from rain.

9. Monster party: BASH.  A better than average party, with more excitement or better accessories.

13. Constrain: HEM IN.  Enclose something, or prevent it from moving.

14. Singer Adams: EDIE.  Her husband was Ernie Kovacs.

Having way too much fun

15. Spanish "this": ESTA.  Literal.

16. In first place: AHEAD.  At the head of the pack.

19. Sophs, come Sep.: JRS.  2nd and 3rd Yr students, respectively.

20. "Who Dat Girl" rapper __ Rida: FLO.  It's on You Tube, if you're interested.

21. Corkscrew pasta: ROTINI.  Descriptive name - Italian for "spirals.".

Anybody hungry?

26. Hurry, old-style: HIE.  To rush or hasten, from Old English hīgian "strive, pant", of unknown origin.

27. Leaf-clearing tool: RAKE.  To clean them up when they fall in the Fall.

28. Hairy spider: TARANTULA.   I refuse to post a picture.

33. It stings: BEE.  I was always told that if I leave it alone then it will leave me alone.  Opinions?

40. Energy unit: ERG.  A minuscule unit of energy equal to 10⁻⁷  Joule.  An erg is the amount of work done by a force of one dyne exerted for a distance of one centimeter.  One of my college profs described it as the amount of energy exerted when one fly does one push up in one second.

41. Looks through, as a keyhole: PEERS INTO.  Sounds sneaky.

42. Tennis immortal: ASHE.  Arthur [1943 - 1993]  He won 3 grand slam titles and retired in 1980.

45. Spanish "that": ESA.  Also literal

53. Learn from A to Z: MASTER.  Have complete knowledge and facility in some activity or endeavor.

54. Little newt: EFT.  It's a strange life cycle

From water to land to water again

55. Bloke: GUV.  Types of British slang for a man.

60. Latvian seaport: RIGA. Latvia's capital, on the Baltic sea at the mouth of the Daugava River.

61. De __: again: NOVO.  Anew, from the beginning.

63. Cocktail garnish: PEEL.  Typically of an orange or lemon

64. Gets the picture: SEES.  Comprehends.  Not necessarily a visual reference.

65. Keep up (with): STAY.  Be like an electrician, and  STAY on top of  current events.

Down:

1. '60s jacket style: NEHRU.  The Nehru jacket is a hip-length tailored coat for men or women, with a mandarin collar, and with its front modeled on the Indian achkan or sherwani, a garment worn by Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India from 1947 to 1964.   [Wikipedia .]

Fashion statement

2. "What __!": "Ick!": A MESS.  A situation or thing in a condition of disarray, and possibly unsanitary.

3. By way of: VIA.  From the same word in Latin meaning "way" or "road."

4. See 28-Down: END.  But, as you can see we still have a ways to go. Vide infra.

5. Musk's electric car brand: TESLA.  Named for this guy.

Sales of this model to begin next year

6. Limited in scope, as a committee: AD HOC.  Latin, literally, "to this, " designating a committee assembled for a specific purpose.

7. Grande opening: RIO.  Together these words make the name of a border river separating Texas from several Mexican States.  Lame clue.

8. Illinois city that symbolizes mainstream America: PEORIA.

But will it play there?

9. Lifelong pal: BESTIE.  From Best Friend.

10. Clinton's first Defense secretary: ASPIN.   Leslie Aspin, Jr. [1938 - 1995] was a representative from Wisconsin from 1971 to 1993, and Defense Secretary from January, 1993 to February, 1994.

11. Sporty Ford, to devotees: 'STANG.  Mustang.  I am not familiar with this slangy abbrv. but I guess it's real.

12. Big name in spydom: HARI. Margaretha Geertruida "Margreet" MacLeod [1876 - 1917] better known by the stage name Mata Hari, was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War I and executed by firing squad in France. [Wikipedia]

13. Pilgrimage to Mecca: HAJJ.  This takes place in the last month of the year, something all Muslims are expected to complete.

18. Clock sound: TOCK.  Or TICK

20. Guitar neck features: FRETS.  Metal strips inserted into the fingerboard to divide it into fixed segments.  Each fret represents one semi-tone in standard western equal tempering.  If you don't know about tempering and tuning systems, believe me, you are far better off.

Don't fret - it's just music

23. Whaling direction: THAR.  Evidently meaning "there."

Cetaceans don't get any privacy

24. Pub order: PINT.  Half a quart, or 0.473 liter.

Is anybody thirsty?

25. Copy on a transparent sheet: TRACE.

28. With 4-Down, fairy tale's last words: THE. Vide supra.  Anyway, I thought it was "They lived happily ever after."  But hang on; we're still not finished!

29. Fizzy prefix: AER-.  Indicating something to do with air, in this case inducing bubbles.

30. Tattered cloth: RAG.  

31. Word with class or case: UPPER.  UPPER class indicates having lots of money, irrespective of actual classiness. [Funny how that works.] Upper case indicates THIS KIND OF LETTERING.

32. Blues legend John __ Hooker: LEE.

Classic

33. Storage container: BIN.  Of Celtic origin, via Old English, indicating a container of no specific type.

34. Approximate fig.: ESTimate.

35. WWII arena: ETO.  European Theater of Operations.

37. "__ my case": I REST.  An indication that you [believe that you have] done enough to prove your point, and no more argument is necessary.  The origin is from courts of law, indicating that an attorney has finished presenting her case to the judge and/or jury.

38. Exec's hire, perhaps: ASST.  Assistant.  N.B. Abbrv.

39. "Tell the truth!": LIAR.  A command presumably issued with no sense of irony to someone you don't believe.

42. Starlike: ASTRAL.  From the Latin astrum, meaning "star."  Relating to actual stars in the sky; or to a supposed nonphysical realm of existence to which various psychic and paranormal phenomena are ascribed, and in which the physical human body is said to have a counterpart.

43. Fox News anchor Smith: SHEP.  [b 1964] He serves as the channel's chief news anchor and as managing editor of the breaking news division.

44. Wading birds: HERONS.  There are 64 known species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns.

I got this pic of a great blue heron on the grounds where my mom was in hospice in 2015.

46. Five-time Olympic swimming gold medalist Ledecky: KATIE.

From Bethesda

47. Missouri river: OSAGE.   A 276-mile-long tributary of the Missouri River in central Missouri, draining a mostly rural area of 15,300 square miles.

48. "Pet" irritation: PEEVE.  We all have one, right?  My petty pet PEEVE is gratuitous verberization - the morphing of perfectly fine nouns into completely unneeded verbs.  "Parenting" frex.  Grrrrrrr!   What's yours?

49. High dos: AFROS.  Hair dos, a la Jackson Five.

50. Greek marketplace: AGORA.  A public space used for assemblies and markets.

51. Smelling of mold: MUSTY.  A damp, vaguely unpleasant odor associated with mold, mildew or decay.

52. Lithographer James: IVES. [1824 - 1895]  He oversaw the business and financial side of the Currier and Ives print-making firm.

53. No. on a new car window: MSRP.  Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price.

57. Misery: WOE.  Great sorrow or distress.

58. CD predecessors: LPS.  Differently formatted discs for recording and playback of music or other audio presentations.

59. Breakfast grain: OAT. A cereal grain, Avena Sativa, grown for its seed.  It is suitable for both humans and livestock.

On that nutritious note, our journey ends.  A very well constructed, thematically rich puzzle, though I had my nits.  Hope it gets your Wednesday off to a good start.

Cool regards, 
JzB

Tuesday, February 5, 2019 Tyler Lian & Jeff Chen

"You're gonna need a bigger boat !"

17. Immigrant's ID: GREEN CARD.   Card shark.  Card sharp to some.  Traditionally, someone skilled in cheating at cards.   The definition has been transitioning to simply mean someone skilled in playing cards. 

27. Tuition-paying aid: STUDENT LOAN.   Loan shark.  A usurer. 

42. Competitive swimming venue: OLYMPIC POOL.   Pool shark.   A pool hustler.   In the vein of Minnesota Fats, Willie Mosconi, et al.

56. Emmy-winning reality series for entrepreneurs ... and a place for the ends of 17-, 27- and 42-Across?: SHARK TANK.    Now in the 10th Season.   Sundays at 10/9c on ABC.

I thought this puzzle had a pretty good bite to it after I got my jaws around it and sunk my teeth in.

I don't recall solving a puzzle by Tyler Lian before.   Plenty of Jeff Chen solves though.   I wonder if Jeff is mentoring Tyler.   Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Let's wade into the depths, and see what else is lurking beneath the surface.

Across:

1. Ring ref's decision: TKO.  Technical Knock Out. 

4. Hindu division: CASTE.

9. Rig up: EQUIP.

14. Hankering: YEN.   Japanese cabbage: Yen.

15. Aquaman's realm: OCEAN.    The DC Comics superhero is King of the Seven Seas.

"A founding member of the Justice League of America, Aquaman has fought alongside Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman and held his own against the biggest threats the universe has ever seen. Despite being misunderstood by many as someone who merely “talks to fish,” Aquaman’s super-strength and fighting prowess alone make him a force to be reckoned with.   His telepathic abilities make him one of the most powerful minds on the planet.   If one chooses to underestimate the sea king, they do so at their own peril."

16. "Grey's Anatomy" staffer: NURSE.

19. Extend the library borrowing term: RENEW.

20. Tries to hit: AIMS FOR.

21. Low singers: BASSES.

22. Blackjack elevens: ACES.   I learned that in Blackjack, the ace card can be used as either for a point value of either one or eleven. 

23. Not fitting: INAPT.

25. Title for Jose or Diego?: SAN.   San Jose and San Diego.  San translates to Saint.  I think.

32. Rude and crude: CRASS.

34. "Begone, feline!": SCAT.

35. Unsubscribes, with "out": OPTS.

36. Jazz trumpeter Al: HIRT.  I must admit that as a youth I confused Al Hirt and Herb Albert.


37. Indian prime minister mentored by Gandhi: NEHRU.

38. Eric Carle's "The __ Hungry Caterpillar": VERY.   No clue at the first reading, but easily guessed.  The picture book has sold 30 million copies and has been translated into 40 languages.   I guess I've been living in a cocoon. I wasn't at all familiar with it.   Here's a quick slideshow of the story. 

39. Viral internet item: MEME.  Remember Grumpy Cat ?

40. Improve text: EDIT.

41. Porto-Novo's land: BENIN.     There's a Portonovo, Spain,  a Portonovo, Italy,  a Porto Novo, Portugal and more.   Porto Novo means new port.  The hyphenated Porto-Novo is the capital of Benin.

BBC News - Country Profile: Benin

45. Cul-de-__: SAC.

46. Sniffling maladies: COLDS.

47. Mother's Day gift holder: VASE.

49. Old phone company nickname: MA BELL.  "Collectively, the family of companies associated with American Telephone & Telegraph, providing telephone service in the United States for many years through 1983."  - Wiktionary.

52. Biblical opening: GENESIS.

55. Food recall culprit: E. coli.  Escherichia coli.   It seems I get this every other week.   Not the bacterial infection.   I get E. coli as an answer or in a clue.  

58. Biblical verb: SHALT.   Used in 80 % of the Ten Commandments. 

59. Fictional Swiss miss: HEIDI.  Translated into 50 languages and over 50 million copies sold.

60. "Excusez-__": MOI.

61. Frankfurt's state: HESSE.   Frankfort's state: Kentucky.    The one in this clue is the major city of Frankfurt am Main, which translates to  Frankfurt on the Main (river).  

62. How ballerinas dance: ON TOE.

63. Sinus doc: ENT.    Otolaryngologists.   Easier to remember Ear, Nose and Throat specialists.

Down:

1. Rapper whose name sounds like an endangered cat: TYGA.  "Micheal Ray Stevenson (born November 19, 1989), known by his stage name Tyga (a backronym for Thank you God always),is an American rapper."   - Wikipedia

2. "The Americans" co-star Russell: KERI.   The Americans was a series on the FX channel.   She and Matthew Rhys played deep cover KGB agents living in Virginia as a married American couple.

3. Many an action film hero: ONE MAN ARMY.  John Rambo comes to mind.

4. Admit: CONFESS.

5. Greet aggressively: ACCOST.

6. Burn a little: SEAR.  Burn a lot: seethe. 

7. Road covering: TAR.

8. Conclude: END.

9. Fascinated: ENRAPT.

10. The Roots' frontman on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon": QUESTLOVE.  - "Ahmir Khalib Thompson, known professionally as Questlove, is an American musician and music journalist.   He is the drummer and joint frontman for the Grammy Award-winning band The Roots.   The Roots have been serving as the in-house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon since February 17, 2014."   Wikipedia.

11. Big coffeepots: URNS.

12. "Noted": I SEE.

13. Church rows: PEWS.

18. PC panic key: ESC.

21. African language group: BANTU.   "More than 240 million people speak Bantu languages across Central, East, and Southern Africa but the exact number of languages differs according to who’s counting.   More than 250 Bantu languages exist by the criterion of mutual intelligibility, though some accounts list 535 distinct languages."  -  Moguldom.com

23. Tracking implants, for short: ID CHIPS.  I think first of dogs and cats...

24. A few feet from: NEAR TO.

25. Blockhead: SCHMO.

26. Princess who gives up her voice to be human: ARIEL.

28. Vintage music purchase: USED CD.

29. Magical access words: OPEN SESAME.

30. Glass-roofed lobbies: ATRIA.  The glass-roofed atrium at the Houston Galleria.

31. Timberlake's former band: NSYNC.  A young Justin Timberlake when he was with NSYNC.

33. Biological building blocks: STEM CELLS.

37. Sam of "Peaky Blinders": NEILL.  I am familiar with the actor, but not the BBC television series.

41. Tot's comforter, affectionately: BLANKIE.   Binky too.

43. Not at all 32-Across: POLITE.

44. Work too hard: OVER DO.   My wife says that I over do it.   I over did it cutting a channel through the snow in the ditch line.  We were supposed to get a lot of rain.   Didn't want the culvert to freeze up and cause an upheaval in the blacktop.  Now the forecast isn't bad, so the only thing I got out it was a sore back. 

48. Opposite of rise: SET.

49. Screen door material: MESH.

50. Aleve target: ACHE.

51. Jungle squeezers: BOAS.

52. Canter or gallop: GAIT.  Neither a canter nor a gallop.  Like a ballerina.

53. A party to, as a private joke: IN ON.

54. Classroom acting: SKIT.

56. "Shameless" network, briefly: SHO.  

57. Egg layer: HEN.

Monday February 4, 2019 Winston Emmons

Theme: NO NO (59. Forbidden thing, and what each of four long answers is?)

  

20. Misdeed exculpation: NO HARM NO FOUL.

29. Done tidily and without stress: NO MUSS NO FUSS.

46. Precisely: NO MORE NO LESS.

56. Exercise mantra: NO PAIN NO GAIN.

Boomer here.

I noticed that there were ten (count'em) TEN "nos" in today's puzzle.  I believe that is a no no.  I hope you all had a great Groudhog Day and if you missed the Bill Murray movie, I think it was on 6 cable channels Saturday. We had a typical Minnesota week this past 7 days, but I also noticed that a huge section of the country had the same.  We got about 30 below on Tuesday and Wednesday, then a thaw on Saturday and Sunday.  

Exploding toilet tank & Frozen noodles

My bowling was postponed due to weather last Monday and Thursday was not the best or worse. 

Last but not least, condolences to the L.A. Rams.  They played a pretty good game but were scratched by the Superb Owl and upended by the Brady Bunch.  I was disappointed by the commercials.  Although nothing will ever compare to Betty White playing football with Abe Vigoda. Shame on Budweiser for hiring someone to sing "Blowin' in the Wind" while trying to sound like our Minnesota native Robert Zimmerman, aka Bob Dylan.  I have listened to Mr. Dylan for years and that was not his voice in the Bud Commercial.
 

Across:

1. Gather in a pile: AMASS. I go every Sunday but we don't pile into the church.

6. City transport: BUS. Add an "S" and you may have a fuse.

9. Assume the role of: ACT AS.

14. Dashed in the direction of: RAN TO.  Sounds like a role for Sylvester Stallone.

15. Fireplace remnants: ASH.  Once there was a tobacco store in a mall in Minnesota.  The proprietor was George Ash. The name of the store was Ashes. Really! You could bring in your pipe and sample his stuff.

16. Baseball's home __: PLATE.  Yeah, but it is made of rubber, and not the shape of  a glass or ceramic plate.

17. Military decoration: MEDAL.  Everyone who serves gets one or two, however a bronze star or silver star is special.

18. China : cha :: U.S. : __: TEA.  "Cha for two and two for cha"

19. Resistance member: REBEL.  Johnny Yuma was one.

23. Garden product word: GRO. Really have never seen this.  But be careful with "Roundup"

26. Lyricist Gershwin: IRA.  If you have money in one, it is not taxable … yet.

27. Ages and ages: EON.  Should it not be "EONS" ?

28. Word after photo or black: OPS.  Reminds me of Donald Sutherland in "JFK"

33. Skillful: ADEPT.

34. Early riser?: SUN.  I notice it does not rise so early in winter.  Maybe Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow.  Then we will only have 5 weeks and 6 days of winter left.

35. Wyatt of the Old West: EARP.  My sister Barbara was a HUGE Hugh O'Brian fan.

39. Bedouin abode: TENT.  How much is Five T plus Five T. 

40. Takes out the sloop: SAILS.  Beach Boys sailed on the Sloop John B.

42. Classic cookie: OREO. The favorite treat of Crossword constructors everywhere.

43. Mediocre: SO SO.  The favorite denial of my wife, C.C.

44. Suffix with alp: INE.  If you have not yet heard, Minnesota's favorite woman ALPINE skier, Lindsey Vonn has announced retirement.

45. Models for some Adam and Eve art: NUDES.

50. Texter's "I believe": IMO.

53. Louis XIV, par exemple: ROI.

54. Badminton partition: NET.

55. Originally called: NEE.  Maybe too many three letter answers ??

60. Minotaur's island: CRETE.  This was a question in Saturday's Pogo Trivial Pursuit.

61. Overtime cause, in sports: TIE.  Also neckwear of which I have thirty, and wear one or two per year.

62. Seashore: COAST.  This is C.C.'s favorite soap bar.  I like Irish Spring.

66. Brother of Moses: AARON. Also the surname of Hank who hit 755 MLB home runs.  Coincidentally, now there is AARON Judge who may approach Hank's record someday.

67. Right-angled pipe shape: ELL.  Generally 90 degrees.

68. Came to a conclusion: ENDED.

69. Slope: SLANT.

70. Prefix with -lexic: DYS.

71. Gives medicine to: DOSES. We covered this last week.

Down:

1. Pitcher's asset: ARM. And probably a million dollar home and a BMW.

2. West of "My Little Chickadee": MAE.

3. Plus: AND. "Two AND two are four, four AND four are eight. AND what did you learn in school today, dear little boys of mine?"  (Tom Paxton)

4. Ollie's partner: STAN. Oh how I loved the reruns of Laurel and Hardy when I was a kid.  When I visit a friend in the hospital, I always bring hard boiled eggs and nuts.

5. Single singer: SOLOIST.  Yes I was, in the Benilde High School Glee Club.  My best was Poor Old Charlie on the "MTA".

6. WWII Philippine battleground: BATAAN.  Very tough duty.  My father served there as a medic.

7. Manipulative sort: USER.

8. Causing disgrace: SHAMEFUL.

9. Cooks' protective wear: APRONS.

10. Sheet music symbol: CLEF.

11. Forbidden: TABOO.

12. Consumed eagerly: ATE UP.

13. Disposes of on eBay: SELLS.  "She sells sea shells on the sea shore".  Say it 5 times really fast.

21. 60-min. periods: HRS.  Hank Aaron and Aaron Judge's stats. 

22. Subjects, usually, in grammar class: NOUNS. "Twas' the night before Christmas and all through the house..  NO UNS was sleeping, not even a mouse.  And not even Talullah's brudder in law and he's a rat."

23. Bitty biters: GNATS.  The DC MLB Baseball team is sometimes called the Gnats.

24. Show with horses and bulls: RODEO.

25. Warning signs: OMENS.

30. Model Kate married to Justin Verlander: UPTON.  Pitchers get all the girls.

31. Willow twig: OSIER.

32. South Korea's capital: SEOUL.

36. Elizabeth of cosmetics: ARDEN.

37. Creator of yummy "pieces": REESE.  Creator of yummy Yankee stories, Pee Wee.

38. Entourage: POSSE.

40. Do what he says or you lose: SIMON.  Simon says "The words of the profits are written on the subway walls,"  and Garfunkel says , "And tenement halls."

41. Made sacred, as with oil: ANOINTED.

45. Observed: NOTICED.

47. "Murder on the __ Express": ORIENT.  Minneapolis story.  Years ago Northwest Airlines was "Northwest Orient" now it's known as "Delta".  Big airlines get swallowed up by bigger ones.

48. Marx co-author: ENGELS.

49. Cultural funding org.: NEA.

50. Machu Picchu builders: INCAS.  Remember Jimmy Durante ?  Inca Dinka Do.

51. Point of a fable: MORAL.

52. Wagner work: OPERA.  Spend a night there in 1935 with the Marx Brothers. Were Groucho, Zeppo, Chico and Harpo their real names??

57. Huge amount, as of homework: A TON.  Load 16 of them and Whaddaya get.  Another day older and deeper in debt.  Was "Tennessee his real first name"?

58. Slick, like a garage floor: OILY.  If your oil pan leaks and you don't get it fixed you may deserve to slip on your garage floor, after you buy a new engine.

63. Spots on television: ADS. "Spots" is very kind.  Some last over a minute and all are BORING !

64. Understand: SEE.

65. NFL scores: TDS. A scant one in this years big game.

Boomer

Sunday February 3, 2019 Pam Amick Klawitter

Theme:"Retirement" - Five different beds make a downturn in the grid.

 

26A. Royal title: HIS MAJESTY THE KING. Turns down to 28D. ---: KING.

40A. First hit, perhaps: DEBUT SINGLE. Turns down 43D. ---: SINGLE.

59A. Fred or George Weasley: IDENTICAL TWIN. Turns down to  62D. ---: TWIN.

83A. Kids' summer fun spot: SLEEPAWAY CAMP. Turns down to 87D. ---: CAMP.

104. War hero/actor who played himself in "To Hell and Back": AUDIE MURPHY. Turns down to  106D. ---: MURPHY.

 

Reveal:

118. Item on the housekeeping checklist, or a hint to completing five puzzle answers: TURN DOWN THE BED.

As I mentioned before, Across Lite can't handle blank clues. If you leave the down theme entry blank, Across Lite will show NO CLUE in the puzzle. So Rich normally just uses " ---". They should be blank in the newspaper format.

On the surface, not a ton of themage. But in reality, this type of turning theme is tricky to executive. Often you can't start with Row 3 due to turning action.

Across:

1. Baroque music family name: BACH.

5. Busy months for CPAs: APRILS. Taxing months For D-Otto too.

11. Lays into: ASSAILS.

18. AAA part: Abbr.: ASSOC.

20. Head huggers: BEANIES.

22. Obeyed a triangular sign: YIELDED.

23. Mountain dew source: STILL. Is this short for distillery?

24. Reaches via plane: LANDS AT.

25. Salad greens: ENDIVES. Which one do you like better: Curly endive or Belgian endive?

29. Toyland notables: BABES.

30. Poet's palindrome: ERE.

31. Common Market letters: EEC. European Economic Community.

32. "__ shall live your epitaph to make": Shak.: OR I

33. One-time filler: AT A.

34. First-ranked competitor: TOP SEED.

38. Polyester fabric: DACRON

44. Org. concerned with brownfields: EPA.

45. Class with angles: TRIG.

47. Step down: RESIGN.

49. Longfellow's bell town: ATRI. "The Bell of Atri".

50. Eye care brand: RENU.

52. Pampering spot: SPA.

54. Was in front: LED.

55. Painful sequence: OWS.

58. Suffix with ball: OON.

63. Brush fire op: EVAC.

64. NBA scoring stat: PPG. Points Per Game.

65. Corn holders: COBS.

66. Minimally adjusts: TWEAKS.

70. Aden Young's "Rectify" role: DANIEL. Not familiar with the TV drama.

72. It's fixed by a bank: CD RATE.

75. Milk sources: DAIRIES.

76. Tabloid material: SLEAZE.

77. Lord in a Christmas song, e.g.: LEAPER. I had to ask Boomer. "... ten lords a leaping" from "The 12 Days of Christmas".

78. Busy, as decor: ORNATE.

79. Casual Friday surprise: SUIT.

80. Pack animal: ASS.

81. Parasite in the dust: MITE.

88. Bit of broth: SIP. Classic Cantonese soup: pork ribs with corn, dates and carrots. Cantonese have a small bowl of soup with their dinner every day.

89. Do some carpentry: SAW.

90. Symbolic uncle: SAM.

93. Maple-syrup-to-be: SAP.

94. Words with bow or scarf: TIE A. Tiny partial.

95. Winter glider: SLED.

97. Amphibious assault troop carrier: AMTRAC. Dictionary says is stands for Am(phibious) + Trac(tor). Learning moment for me.

100. __ bar: TIKI.

103. Flow blocker: DAM.

107. Menu listing: OPTION.

109. Belgian diamond center: ANTWERP.

111. The Mustangs of Dallas coll. football: SMU. Bush 43 library is there.

112. When doubled, a hip-hop dance: NAE. Wiki shows me this GIF. Alright, we all can nae nae. 

113. Friend of Pooh: ROO.

115. Kinda-sorta cousin: ISH.

116. Dark side Darth: VADER.

124. Steep slopes: ESCARPS. Not a word I use. 

126. Gather dust: LIE IDLE.

127. Give one's address, maybe: ORATE. Nice clue.

128. Spot-on: SO RIGHT.

129. Took the deal: SETTLED.

130. Western Wyoming county: TETON.

131. Sign of alertness: OPEN EYE.

132. Hard rain metaphor: SHEETS.

133. Email folder: SENT.

Down:

1. Big do: BASH.

2. Spumante source: ASTI.

3. Forensic detectives, briefly: CSIs. OK, Crime Scene Investigators.

4. "A Study in Scarlet" detective: HOLMES.

5. Competent: ABLE.

6. Porridge veggies, old-style: PEASE.

7. Went off on Twitter: RANTED.

8. Racing series including the "500": INDYCAR.

9. Agenda, e.g.: LIST.

10. Upright swimmer: SEAHORSE. Oh, hello!

11. Floor support?: AYE. House/Senate floor.

12. Mythical voyager: SINBAD.

13. Composed: SEDATE.

14. "Arabian Nights" character: ALI BABA.

15. Contraction with two apostrophes: I'D'VE.

16. Denim purchase: LEES. Here are the trends of 2019. I like decorated jeans. But wide jeans, no!

17. '60s antiwar gp.: SDS. Students for a Democratic Society.

19. Red wine choice: CLARET.

21. With 67-Down, controversial MLB period: STEROID. And 67. See 21-Down: ERA. Boomer has to take steroid every day, otherwise, he might have adrenal crisis. His body just does not produce enough adrenaline due to Zytiga.

27. Heckler's input: JEER.

34. Garr on screen: TERI.

35. Slanted column: OPED.

36. It's usually easy to see through: PANE.

37. DJ's collection: DISCS.

39. Cartoon frame: CEL.

41. Perfect spot: UTOPIA.

42. Saint-__: Riviera resort: TROPEZ.

46. Transcript no.: GPA.

48. Besides Jan., only month with two federal holidays: NOV. Here is a list of Chinese national holidays. Nothing in Nov. and Dec.

51. Open, in a way: UNCAP.

53. Union setting: ALTAR.

56. Rolls into a ball: WADS UP.

57. Gorsuch predecessor: SCALIA.

60. Pole emblems: TOTEMS.

61. Two-nation peninsula: IBERIA.

63. Shapely leader?: ESS. Just the letter S in Shapely.

68. Specks in a river: AITS.

69. Topples (over): KEELS.

71. Packaging abbr.: NET WT.

72. Minor league baseball level: CLASS A.

73. "The Untouchables" studio (1959-'63): DESILU. Desi & Lu(cille). I've only seen Kevin Costner's "The Untouchables".

74. Croaked: RASPED.

75. John in court: DOE.

79. Photo tint: SEPIA.

82. Defunct carrier: TWA.

84. Opposite of fast: EAT. Nice clue also.

85. Hill staffer: AIDE.

86. Senior __: YEAR.

90. Seat of the Bishop of London: ST PAUL'S.

91. Vital vessels: ARTERIES.

92. Juin preceder: MAI. French June/May. We also have 98. Peak in France: MONT.

96. Contempt: DISDAIN.

99. Propellant developed to replace gunpowder: CORDITE. Another learning moment.

101. Do some craftwork: KNIT.

102. Sweater's comment: IT'S HOT. Sweat-er.

105. Come out: EMERGE.

108. Pool toy: NOODLE. Wish I knew how to swim.

110. Start of the fire?: WHERE'S.

114. Big-eyed baby: OWLET.

116. Brandy bottle letters: VSOP.

117. Crop unit: ACRE.

119. The Hague's home: Abbr.: NETH.

120. Beatty and Kelly: NEDS.

121. Restrain: BATE.

122. Thames campus: ETON.

123. Wreck reminder: DENT.

124. That, in Tijuana: ESO.

125. Abbr. on some business cards: STE.

Agnes emailed me this gorgeous dining table centerpiece. She said she had it custom-designed by her local florist. So pretty! Dear Santa used to visit Agnes when he went to the big VA hospital. He would then tell me how neat Agnes' house was.

Belated Happy Birthday to Dear Bill G, who's been with this blog for over 10 years. So sorry I forgot your important milestone last Thursday, Bill! Did Barbara take you to a special restaurant to celebrate? What did you have?

Bill and his wife Barbara

C.C.