PUZZLES
Thursday, January 7, 2021
Skip Jack by Paul Coulter
Universal Crossword edited by David Steinberg
ACROSS
1 Figuratively tickle
6 Mushroom
feature
9 “Well, well, well!”
12 Like kimchi
14 Some NYC roads
16 Bobblehead’s
movement
17 “The Road Not
Taken” poet
19 Words from a
groom
20 Big name in skin
care
21 Road salt
22 One may help
you move
forward
23 Grannies
25 El ___ (Spanish
hero)
26 Author Patchett
or Beattie
28 Appropriate
30 64-Across
deposits
33 Military plane’s
place: Abbr.
36 Brilliant feats
39 Desert in
southern
Mongolia
40 Santana hit with
the lyric “Got
your spell on me
baby”
44 Straw bundle
45 Hawaiian island
or porch
46 E reader at a
checkup?
47 Exploit, as power
49 Stomach muscles
50 Cardinals’ letters
51 January hrs. in
Chicago
53 “Se ___ espanol”
58 Cambridge sch.
60 Everyone except
you
63 Diving great
Louganis
64 Bonanza find
65 Rescued soldier
in a 1998 film
67 Guessing
competition
container
68 Gutter locale
69 Anxiety
70 Switch positions
71 Ballpoint ___
72 Bumper problems
DOWN
1 Ohio city near
Canton
2 Money, in slang
3 Full of
skyscrapers,
perhaps
4 “Later!”
5 Floppy part of a
rabbit
6 *”Going Back to
___” (note how
each starred
answer “skips”
one letter)
7 *Like an
enthusiastic fan
8 *Cat or goldfish
9 St. Basil’s
Cathedral feature
10 “Today” co-host
Kotb
11 It really stinks
13 Utmost degree
15 *Elite Navy
member
18 *”___ results may
vary”
24 *Cul-de-___
27 Scrubbed, as a
rocket launch
29 Fluffy toy dog, for
short
31 “Buy It Now” site
32 Cosecant’s
reciprocal
33 *Lawyers’ org.
34 *___ Four (the
Beatles)
35 *Talks loudly and
boastfully
37 Green org.?
38 Frank of the Rat
Pack
41 *Approx.
42 Vehicle to hail
43 Desire
48 Run off to the
chapel
51 Fleck that may be
mixed into sour
cream
52 Sum of this clue’s
digits
54 *”A Death in the
Family” author
James
55 *High-fiber muffin
type
56 *In case
57 *Gets on in years
58 Magic charm
59 Country whose
name could
be parsed as a
sentence
61 Mouth, informally
62 Nickname
between R and V
66 Call off
Critical Thinking by Kyra Wilson
Universal Crossword edited by David Steinberg
ACROSS
1 Highway roller?
4 Cozy inn,
informally
9 Feature of a fire
station
13 Plumbing
problem
15 ‘60s activist
Hoffman
16 18-Down, to
Gabriel Garcia
Marquez
17 Series of
remarks like
“Your message
is loaded with
typos!”?
19 Golden Rule
word
20 Cause of kids’
eye rolls, perhaps
21 “This is
heavenly!”
23 Jakarta’s
Indonesian island
24 Victimizes, with
“on”
25 Part of an act
27 Series of remarks
like “Mary never
liked you much
anyway!”?
31 Ripped
32 Present topper
33 Mother of the
Shakers (rhymes
with “Stanley”)
34 Students’ cards,
briefly
35 Bit of gel
36 Suffix for
“percent”
37 Belg. neighbor
38 An insect may
smell with one
40 IM chortle
41 Secretive “Hey!”
42 Series of remarks
like “Your donut
tastes awful!”?
44 Word after “wild”
or “educated”
45 Skin exfoliant
46 Fender blemish
47 “Bet you can’t
beat me!”
50 “Do my eyes
deceive me?”
53 Inactive
54 Series of remarks
like “Your sonnet
is 11 on the
boring meter!”?
56 12 p.m.
57 “Quick!”
58 Captain’s place
59 Crafts’ partner
60 Restroom division
61 Handyperson’s
initials
DOWN
1 Sent a dupe to
2 ___ mater
3 Away game attire
4 Braided cake
5 Up to the task
6 Org. for Steph
Curry
7 Take weapons
from
8 Golf mantra from
“Caddyshack”
9 Sarah of
“Ratched”
10 Upscale hotel
chain
11 Boatloads
12 Cupid, to the
Greeks
14 1997 film about
a woman who
trains to be a
Navy SEAL
18 Passionate
feeling
22 Rose who played
Gloria Steinem
24 Cat’s foot
25 Leave no tip for
26 Tech start-up
employee
27 Toss with a high
arc
28 “Done moving
in?”
29 Children’s Dr.?
30 What some prefer
to phone calls
32 Charts with
rectangles
35 Dame Judi
36 Particle like Na+
39 Pays attention
40 Chemist’s
workplace
41 Say “No TV
for a week” to,
perhaps
43 Extinguish
44 Millennials, briefly
46 Hannah of
“Splash”
47 Comedian Fey
48 Febreze target
49 Scheme
50 Lower-left PC key
51 Denpasar’s
Indonesian island
52 Award for
“Schitt’s Creek”
55 Softball pitcher’s
stat
East Oregonian
A11
HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY MATHIS
FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2021 The Cosmic Hendrix Situation
Active skies. Mercury enters Aquarius. Venus enters
Capricorn. Mercury squares Mars. If today were a
song, it would be “Crosstown Traffic” by The Jimi
Hendrix Experience. Even though there is very little
congestion on the actual roads of this pandemic
traffic flow, still, many will lament, “It’s so hard to get
through to you.”
ARIES (March 21-April 19). What happens all of the
sudden is exciting for several reasons, the foremost
being that you don’t have time to think. Your animal
self takes over, and you do what you were designed
to do.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). When the student is
ready, the master appears. You feel ready, and yet
there is still a piece you haven’t committed to yet.
You’ll read it, work it or do whatever needs doing.
Then your teacher will arrive.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Make a decision and
stick with it for three days. There is no such thing as
a perfect choice. Don’t waste energy trying to find it.
You don’t know who is watching your bravery, but
later, this will be significant.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). Add heat or time and
you’ll notice that the reduction of things is unique to
the object. Some things become more concentrated,
some less, the universal principal being that
everything changes.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). They love you, but they don’t
know how to show you. This is a bittersweet theme
that you can make all sweet by telling them what you
want and need and making it easy for them to give
it to you.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Asking for help when you
need it isn’t a sign of weakness; rather, it’s the picture
of effectiveness. Strength is the result of a willful
force coming up against a worthy adversary.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Different forums have
different structures. Sports favor the one with the
most points. Entertainment favors the ones with the
most followers. In the forum you’re navigating today,
charm wins, so you have the home-team advantage.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). There are so few people
in the world who are actually funny. You discount the
gift because you were born with it and it is common
to you. You won’t discount it today. Your humor helps
people, and you’ll share it.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You don’t need
to reinvent the wheel here. Figure out what you did
right back there, and just do more of that. It’s not hard
to spot. What’s harder is taking the time to be with
yourself, recognize and note it.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Your people are
coming out of the woodwork. When you think about
it, that is a slightly creepy concept, and yet it is the
most fitting image. You’re an organic creature calling
to the same.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You thought you
had the time to work things out, and maybe you
misjudged that. It’s a common problem. Things can
be worked out. Just know that everything you do is
being counted.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Test it. Go there.
Something is going to happen – something
uncomfortable, maybe even painful for a moment. But
what if this is your one and only life? Whatcha got?
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Jan. 8). How are you putting
your skills out there? This is the year that amplifies
what you are good at, lifts your effervescent spirit into
the ether and calls into the beauty of your kindreds.
Together, you will be like a wave, providing a voyage,
a ride, a mix-up of energies and processes. You’re
a proud pulse in the beautiful swell. Aquarius and
Pisces adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 8, 40, 22,
19 and 38.
Universal SUDOKU
SOLUTIONS
HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY MATHIS
SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2021 Venus & Mars Call for Heroic Love
The sign says, “Love like you’ve never been hurt.” Of
course, that kind of love is worthless. To love like your
skin has been peeled off before – and it’s about to
happen again – that’s worth something. The cosmic
call of today’s Venus and Mars trine is for heart-hardy
heroes only. It’s for those who know what’s at stake
and go forward anyway.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). As much as you want a
situation, territory or person to be yours, some things
can’t be owned. Nevertheless, it won’t hurt to put
your stamp on it and see what happens. Perhaps, the
unownable thing can be borrowed for a while.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). If you’re in need of
support, then ask for it. You don’t like to be in the
down position, but maybe you are thinking of it in a
limited way. “Help me” is an opportunity for someone.
Are you willing to give someone an opportunity?
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). One way to show
someone you like them is to tease them. Teasing
requires knowledge of a person. It requires that you
know someone enough to know what’s going to snag
and engage their attention. You’ll play it like a master.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). Who is curious enough?
That is the burning question of the day because so
much will go unexamined. Stuff that ruins the world
for humans goes unexamined every minute. Who is
curious enough to solve it?
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You like drama and can spot
it from a mile away. The question is if you should
become a part of it or just be a spectator? Should you
make it your own? Only you know the answer.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Maybe it boils down to
work ethic. You see something amazing and beautiful
and now you must decide if it is good enough for you
to throw down your energy and effort to make it a part
of your own personal scenery.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You’re proud of how little
you want from others, but consider that sometimes
asking for help is actually a gift. People need to feel
useful. What they do for you gives something back
to them.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You always have a
choice about on whom to spend your attention. To
give to the one that demands it is, in all its urgency,
still a choice. Think twice and then love your decision.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Rainbow illusions
will drive the day. It’s not that the pot of gold doesn’t
exist; it’s that the end of the rainbow, being illusory,
is an unquantifiable number. Set your goals on more
tangible figures.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You love. You don’t
agree. That’s OK. Love doesn’t come with the implicit
agreement-only package. It does come with a
tolerance package that suggests you’ll work things
out in time.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You get to be the
person you want to be because you A) thought it out,
and then B) tried it on in your own private way and
later C) projected it onto the world. Keep it up. You’re
on to something.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You’re not someone
who lets everything blend into the scenery of life.
You’re focused on what matters. When you see that
something’s wrong, call it out and make sure that
others see it, too.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Jan. 9). You create loveliness
in your personal environment, not because you’re an
artistic elitist but because you have taste and style
that naturally shines through you. Keep working on
the things that look good to you, as your senses are
supernaturally attuned to make wonders happen for
yourself and others. Gemini and Aries adore you. Your
lucky numbers are: 3, 33, 22, 14 and 18.
Universal SUDOKU
SOLUTIONS