PUZZLES
Thursday, September 23, 2021
Theater of the Absurd by Bill Conner
Universal Crossword edited by David Steinberg
ACROSS
1 Pink cocktail, for
short
6 “Deck the Halls”
contraction
9 Cognizant
14 Far from flushed
15 Eon’s subdivision
16 Like a jet’s boom
17 Stage
presentation
about a
manicurist?
20 In check
21 Drain, as of
energy
22 Crowded
convention
center, say
23 “Hanna” star
Creed-Miles
25 Flat-topped
landform
28 Stage
presentation
with a trio of
takeaways?
34 Pronoun for
Batwoman
35 Bronze
component
36 Bygone Chrysler
division named
for an explorer
37 Stop
job conditions
3 Close tightly
4 The U.S., e.g., to
the U.N.
5 Safe, at the
ballpark
6 Earl Grey, for one
7 Apt name for
a florist or
optometrist
8 Italian sub meat
9 Inquire
10 Anguish
11 Dreamworks’ first
film (1998)
12 Puerto ___
13 Agree with, as
sentiments
18 Citi Field
ballplayer, briefly
19 Buy stuff
24 Really
outstanding
26 Cherry leftover
27 Lhasa ___
28 It’s between eta
and iota
29 Gets better
30 When some
right turns are
permitted
DOWN
31 State-run game
1 “Indoor” or
32 Opted for home
“outdoor” pet
cooking
2 Org. that monitors 33 Textspeak for
40 ___-Magnon
42 Roadside
stopover
43 “Finally!”
45 Clean air org.
47 Uncle, in Uruguay
48 Stage
presentation
about a religious
service?
52 Shears sound
53 Idolize, informally
54 F1 neighbor
57 Canada’s
smallest prov.
59 Ocean predators
62 Stage
presentation
about mountain
climbing?
67 Art class fixture
68 Lang. with no
widely accepted
writing system
69 ___ Martin (007’s
car)
70 Poem of lament
71 Grass grown on a
farm
72 IOUs
“seize the day”
34 “Account
temporarily
suspended”
email, usually
38 Typical teen’s talk
39 “NFL Live”
channel
41 Composer’s
numbered work
44 Baloney, or a
meat dish
46 Oscar hopeful
49 “Aida” and
“Carmen”
50 Airport takeoff
area
51 One way to pay
54 Fencing sword
55 Close very tightly
56 Genitive, for one
58 “Assuming I’m
right ...”
60 Prefix for “toxin”
61 Edinburgh native
63 Barrel with a tap
64 Practice, as a
trade
65 ___ English
Sheepdog
66 Half of the word
“inning”
Encircled by Prasanna Keshava
Universal Crossword edited by David Steinberg
ACROSS
1 ___ ghanoush
5 “Desus & Mero”
network, for short
8 Loud kiss
13 Letters in an
urgent request
14 PC brand
15 Use for a snooze
16 Chance to
accompany a
firefighter
18 Between, in Paris
19 Sheep sound
20 Celine whose first
and last initials
are apt?
21 One absorbs
things quickly
22 Path toward
redemption
25 Blemish on a
shirt
26 Luau garlands
27 Nasal noise
28 Like an even
match?
30 Awesome, to the
Beatles
33 Broadcasts
34 Captivates
35 The Big Easy, in
brief
36 Modern driving
aid: Abbr.
37 Laborious
undertakings
38 Comes to room
temperature, say
39 Ollie’s pal in
classic comedy
40 Temple honoree
41 Gem from a farm
46 Tie in a low-
scoring game
47 Slippery
swimmers
48 Praise in verse
51 It can come after
“tea” or “table”
52 Up to speed,
and like all but
four bookending
letters of 16-, 22-
or 41-Across
54 Trace of color
55 Berry whose
name is 75%
vowels
56 The Irish Sea’s
___ of Man
57 Sinister smile
58 Org. for Penguins
and Sharks
59 Brazilian soccer
great
DOWN
1 Wire fence
feature
2 Bengaluru’s
continent
3 Trouble-makers
4 King Kong, for
one
5 2020 movie about
a cartoon canine
6 Dye used for a
bridal tattoo
7 URL ending for a
nonprofit
8 Ignored the alarm
9 People who are
under 18
10 Health insurance
giant
11 Welsh ___ (dog
breed)
12 Prepare to pray,
perhaps
14 Extraterrestrial
17 Let in, or let on
21 Biases
23 Rowboat
propellers
24 Is polite after a
boring play
25 Sound heard at a
salon
27 Droop
28 High-tech
29
30
31
32
34
35
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
49
50
52
53
photography
gadget
Fix, as a
gambling game
1984 movie set in
a town with a ban
on dancing
Friend in battle
Common
undergrad
degrees
Night driving
hazard
Pinot ___
Something
shocking
Discontinue
Fall guy
New ___, India
Expenses
Detach, like a
corsage
Sierra ___
(African country)
“As Time Goes
By” actress Judi
“She loves me
not” flower part
Tiny house
resident?
Sporting sword
Fleming who
created James
Bond
Sass
East Oregonian
A11
HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY MATHIS
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021 Impulsive Lunar Aspects
The moon, Venus and Uranus do little for impulse
control. When it seems that short-sightedness and self-
centeredness are ever-present, consider what it means
to be noble-minded. Solitude and contemplation make
space for quality thoughts, the sort that expand to include
a higher good, a great number of people and a long span
of time.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). Having been lost at
different points in your life, you consider it a blessing to
know your purpose and fulfill it. Daily structures provide
health-inspiring rhythms, even if the actions themselves
aren’t astoundingly healthful.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Needs are not weakness,
and limits are not always negotiable. Pay attention to what
your body is telling you. Sometimes, the tougher move is
to take care of yourself instead of muscling through.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). In all matters of
construction, including relationships, companies and
physical structures, stability is the first tenant of the
build. Do not lay a foundation on anything but the most
solid ground.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). The only makeover
worth taking on is your own, as you’ll get to steer the
process, learn the lessons and enjoy the results. As for
the others, inspiring them will be much more effective
than trying to change them.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). It’s a time to stop comparing
yourself and focus on what you have at hand. In addition
to a unique collection of talents and resources, you are
truly gifted with a sharp mind and the ability to quickly
learn what you need to do to succeed.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). The rules will go out
the window, and everyone will act according to their
understanding and feelings in the moment, allowing a
prime opportunity for you to cleverly arrange things to
benefit you and yours.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). When a baby cries in
public, it activates all mothers within earshot to care.
This is how you respond to the cry of a soul. Your heart
reaches out to all cries within your radius of feeling.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Energy flows through
everything. Though perhaps there is not “good” and
“bad” energy, there is certainly energy more or less
conducive to your thriving. Invite that kind, and make an
unobstructed path for it to enter your world.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Activities are only
as productive as they are healthy because the cost of
anything that wears away at your health outweighs the
benefits. What gets done is far less important than the
spirit in which it is done.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You want to be the
reason someone smiles today. It’s easy for you because
you’ve gotten in the habit of watching what people enjoy
and looking for the opportunities to put it in their path.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). If only conflict were
like a pest you could trap and carry far away from you
and set free in some distant field. Well, maybe it is. Give
it time and distance and see what happens.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Faith keeps you going
when you lack evidence that your efforts will pay off. But
don’t rely on faith alone. Keep acquiring more experience
until you see tangible results.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Sept. 24). You focus on
enjoying people, and you dedicate yourself to the causes
that improve their lives. It’s a social value that keeps your
days interesting and filled with love. A private wish will
become a public prize. Apply new strategies for work and
finance in 2022. There’s more than one reason to learn
and ride trends. Pisces and Gemini adore you. Your lucky
numbers are: 1, 4, 33, 8 and 19.
Universal SUDOKU
SOLUTIONS
HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY MATHIS
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2021 Countdown to Mercury Retrograde
The intent of words is often in conflict with their literal
meaning, which matters a little today and a lot tomorrow.
Listening better will be required. Mars and Saturn
put a spin on the countdown to Mercury retrograde
with intellectual energy triangulated to challenge our
notions of intelligence, communication and contextual
awareness.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). You’re capable of great
self-sacrifice, but why sign up for it unless it’s totally
necessary to the situation? Take the easy good times
when they are handed to you, and live them guilt-free.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You intimately know a
game because you’ve played it. When you celebrate the
winner, you know exactly why. There’s almost no glory in
the trophy because nearly all the glory is in everything
that comes before it.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Because there’s no
guarantee that getting there will be any fun, the journey is
a test of character. “Happiness is not a station you arrive
at but a manner of traveling.” -- Margaret Lee Runbeck
CANCER (June 22-July 22). Rushing leads to
overindulgence. Moderation is more easily achieved
when you actually appreciate the qualities of a thing.
Slow down and enjoy.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Once the cards are properly
shuffled and dealt, there is nothing anyone can do about
which ones end up in hand. The skill is in getting behind
anything you’re handed and playing it with confidence.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Mark Twain suggested,
“In his private heart, no man much respects himself.”
Give yourself a little more love and credit today. Only the
delusional forget to struggle with self-doubt.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Your project is picking up
momentum, and there’s plenty of “if they could see me
now” energy around you. But of course “they” can see
you, and they are definitely impressed, though perhaps
not showing it yet.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Better to have frequent
pops of minor joy than hold out for payoffs in the far-
flung future. Big events will be wonderful when they
happen, but cultivate pleasantries, too. For the most part,
happiness is sustained in small daily rushes.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). The experts and
gurus may have good information, but the very best
teacher by far is your own personal history. Think about
what went so right and what actions can be repeated to
continue the trend.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Much will be lost
due to pride, arrogance and intolerance, but not by
you. While it brings you no pleasure to benefit from the
failings of others, when justice is served, you would be
wise to accept what’s rightfully yours.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You believe in luck,
flirt with it, cultivate and conjure it. Even so, you know
better than to count on it. You will work hard in the
knowledge that your sweat will contribute to your good
luck when it happens to come around.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Getting lost in series or
book is preferrable now to real-life drama, which is messy
and often comes with unpredictable, uncontrollable and
far-reaching effects.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Sept. 25). As intangible and
mysterious as love is, it’s hard to love accurately, though
easier to love fully. You’ll give your all in a variety of
relationships and reap benefits friendly and financial,
romantic and practical. An unachieved goal from way
back will circle around; this year, the timing is much
better. Capricorn and Pisces adore you. Your lucky
numbers are: 12, 2, 9, 3 and 13.
Universal SUDOKU
SOLUTIONS