PUZZLES
Saturday, December 11, 2021
Sandwiched In by Jack Murtagh
Universal Crossword edited by David Steinberg
ACROSS
1 “u CANNOT b
serious!”
4 Weird Al’s “___ to
a Superhero”
7 Bird that may
screech
10 Bird that may
screech
13 Rapper ___ Kim
14 Checkmate your
opponent, e.g.
15 Animal that
sounds like you?
16 Pal of Pooh
17 23andMe offering
19 Chicken strips
21 Baby food,
essentially
22 Graceless
24 Oxen harness
25 On the ocean
27 Couples’ cruise
ship?
28 Not just happen
once
29 “I know kung fu”
speaker, in “The
Matrix”
30 Dangerous
current
33 Black ___ (covert
missions)
34 Got out of Dodge
36 “Assuming that’s
correct ...”
38 Baby 15-Across
40 Forestland units
41 Gave the go-
ahead
44 An empty seat is
reserved for him
at a Seder
46 Mouthwatering
stuff?
48 The whole
shebang
49 Hunt down
50 Grab a bite
51 Muslim ascetics
53 Big name in
private planes
55 Event for
debutantes
56 Honeydew
relative
59 Graduate of
Barnard or
Spelman
63 People go under
while on top of
them
64 Scrub, as digital
evidence
65 Former sections
of SATs
DOWN
1 Dad
2 It passes in 60
seconds
3 Pairing with 10-
Down
4 Need to pay
5 Part of DJ
6 Lure into crime
7 Bouncy watercraft
8 Fills with wonder
9 Money in Kobe
10 Stackable snacks
depicted in this
puzzle’s grid
... and whose
middle layer is
spelled by the
grid’s uncrossed
letters
11 Generate, as a
lather
12 Proverbial
weepers
18 Start of many
book titles
20 Ombre liquid
23 Child’s macaroni
creation
26 “I know you ___,
but what am I?”
28 One who
monitors
traveling?
31 University in
Pocatello
32 Break away
(from)
35 Prez who
established
Medicare
37 It precedes la
38 Maple part on the
Canadian flag
39 Spaghetti ___
carbonara
42 “Dear ___
Hansen”
43 Numbers to
crunch
45 Tightrope walker,
e.g.
47 Iris rings
52 “That matters to
me!”
54 Oscar season
oversights
56 Fish known for its
liver
57 Yoshi : dinosaur
:: Donkey Kong :
___
58 Salt, to a French
chef
60 Scholarly style
org.
61 Napoleonic
marshal
(anagram of
9-Down)
62 A male one is
called a jack
International Numbers by Paul Coulter
Universal Crossword edited by Amanda Rafkin
ACROSS
1 World’s highest
capital city
6 Note between fa
and la
9 Low-end
instrument?
13 Ancient counting
devices
14 Caffeine-rich nut
15 ___ wolf
(independent
person)
16 ESPN host Katie
17 Modify, like a
paper
18 Sunburn soother
19 Lysol, Clorox
and Pledge,
to a German
language
learner?
22 GPS guess
23 Photo ___ (media
events)
24 Continues
28 Puts back on
eBay
31 Chitchat
32 Commotion
33 Ding on a fender
34 Grad
36 Did extremely
well on
37 Coors, Miller,
Dos Equis,
Corona, Modelo,
Lagunitas,
Sapporo and
Bell’s, to a
French language
learner?
40 Warty critter
43 Luxury brand
hidden in “Jedi
order”
44 Brand with a
swoosh logo
47 Row, row, row
your boat
48 Saturated ___
49 Keri of “The
Americans”
52 Not broadcasting
54 That guy’s
55 Mood music?
56 Oxygen,
hydrogen
and helium,
to a Spanish
language
learner?
60 Barking marine
mammal
63 Go yachting,
perhaps
64 Cellphone
notification
65 Smurf with a
white beard
66 City where Taj
Mahotsav is
celebrated
67 That’s a plus!
68 Dance and
painting, e.g.
69 “Absolutely!”
70 Name akin to
Matthew
26 Tribute poem
27 Nonverbal
approval
29 Far from pixelated
30 “Rugrats” dad
31 Like some low-
budget films
35 Wall St. takeover
36 Flea market
caveat
38 “It seems to me ...”
DOWN
39 Colleagues of
1 Spacecraft on a
M.D.s
planet’s surface
40 Also
2 Scrubbed, like a
41 Buffoon
launch
42 “Woof” relative
3 Rhyming pub
45 Most astute
order
46 Stately source of
4 Berry whose
shade
name is 3/4
48 Christmas conifer
vowels
50 Apply
5 Metal in many
51 Was defeated by
daily vitamins
53 Earth, bound?
6 Fountain drinks
7 Lena of “Chocolat” 54 People who get
what’s coming to
8 Near the end of a
them?
sports match
57 Stuffing herb
9 World-weary
58 Palindromic
10 “You’ve got mail”
address
ISP
59 Idina’s role in
11 ___-Caps
“Frozen”
12 “I told you so!”
60 Place to get a
14 Perseveres
Tok-Sen massage
20 Place to park
61 Body part that’s
21 Burglarize
25 Cuttlefish’s ink
“lent”
holder
62 Fitting
East Oregonian
B3
HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY MATHIS
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2021 Sun Square Neptune
The future is bound by certain rules, one of them being
it cannot bring more of the same. Change is the very
nature of the future. It may move us slowly, imperceptibly
even, but move us it will. Today, it’s not hard to see the
direction because the shove is swift and sure. This
cosmic service announcement was brought to you by the
sun square Neptune.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). What you love will come
alive in your world, influencing how you behave, your
future plans and the company you keep. You’ll feel a
real connection to a new aspect of your interest, or new
interest entirely.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). When you have
someone to share a pleasure with, the joy will double
up on you. Meet with people who think like you and
appreciate the same things.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Steer clear of anything
involving justice. Unless you are paid to judge, it will not
serve you to offer advice. You can offer support, love and
a safe place to land without offering an opinion.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). Most people are
sophisticated enough to know how to talk and behave in
various settings with you. There are those who will break
the rules. Your gracious handling will not be appreciated
in the moment, but in time, they’ll get it.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Money can’t buy intelligence,
and dollars don’t add up to savvy. But what money can
buy is experiences to teach the willing student. You’ll
bring astute awareness to the classroom of life.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Just as parents chasten
the ones they love most, it seems you are being scolded
by the fates. You can take this as proof positive that you
are a beloved child of the universe.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). This used to be your
adventure time. That you’ve gotten used to it doesn’t
mean it’s time for a new adventure, but a deeper one is
certainly called for.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Stay away from
questions like, “What’s the point?” “Why?” “What does it
mean?” Queries like these will only send you on a circular
path when you would really rather go somewhere new.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). One thing not
to do is confuse power with control. The boss may not
know what the inner workings are, and those with their
hands on the joystick may not reflect the motives of an
entire organization.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). To throw good effort
to the unappreciative is a waste. Then again, you don’t
know until you do it and get nothing back. When you
focus on a worthy candidate, you’ll get back everything
you put in and more.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You could gather
more information but it wouldn’t make you any more
prepared. Your best guess is good enough. This is as
certain as you’ll be. Move on with what you know.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You’re interesting to
someone and because of this, you’re being observed.
Don’t worry about projecting an image; you’re living it.
You are who you are.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Dec. 12). In gaming matters,
you level up skills and advance your station. Many of your
purposes are as far away from the world of competition
as can be. To score poetry and soul, love and art would
be a reduction of joy and potential. Your expansive mind
and dancing spirit create beautiful relationships in such
realms. Leo and Virgo adore you. Your lucky numbers
are: 9, 8, 11, 4, 38 and 13.
Universal SUDOKU
SOLUTIONS
HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY MATHIS
MONDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2021 Mars and Mercury at the Punchbowl
Mars joins the party in expansive Sagittarius, and
Mercury slides into Capricorn, the sign of designated
drivers. It’s the birth of actionable ideas. One person’s
imagination can produce wonders. Once a big idea is
born, it’s forever part of the world. “An invasion of armies
can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come.”
-- Victor Hugo
ARIES (March 21-April 19). Do you feel like the only
sane one in the room? You bought a ticket to the circus,
and these are the clowns. Sit back and enjoy, then make a
quick departure before the tiger act arrives.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You will make alliances
to benefit you and yours. It could be as simple as a
friendly conversation or as complex as a legal agreement,
the implications of which will be relaxation and leisure.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You can’t believe all you
hear around the proverbial watercooler, and that goes
double when the “watercooler” is social media. One out
of 10 stories will be false. Enjoy them but don’t act on
them.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). Do the others know
where you stand? Dare to express your opinion even
when it doesn’t appear to be a popular one. An honest
difference is better than a dishonest agreement.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). If you’ve ever had a dream you
didn’t want to wake up from, you know that illusion can be
the sweetest pleasure. Your imagination is so active now,
and your daydreams have brilliant potential application
to the real world.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). In the normal function
of relationships, people project their hopes and wishes
on each other. Later, with a more accurate picture of what
the person is actually like, some of it won’t fit. So, how
versatile are you?
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). When you’re the strongest,
you’ll step up. When there’s another who knows more,
you’ll back down and learn. With the honest assessment
of strengths, everyone will be raised.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Your gifts are meant for
sharing. You’ll go where things seem more interesting, or
problematic even, because that’s where your smarts will
be most useful.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You’ve the
freedom to walk away from what’s misaligned with your
principles or purposes. There are many in the world who
don’t have the luxury; when you exercise your rights, you
do it for them, too.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Consider giving
your message to someone else to deliver. Familiars will
respond better to someone from the outside. The proverb
says, no one is a prophet in his own land.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Your taste is exquisite
but it’s a hard thing to prove without a tangible expression.
If you can’t yet afford what you want, collect pictures from
magazines to make a vision board.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You’re unlikely to take
part in events without contributing something that makes
a difference. You may not be aware of what exactly that
difference is, but rest assured you’re a force for good.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Dec. 13). This solar return
sees you make good on your potential, lift your group
and introduce new hopes and dreams. Three standout
events will serve as memory-making markers on the
journey. Alliances will be solidified, though note that you
don’t have to totally agree to unify and make a difference
together. Cancer and Gemini adore you. Your lucky
numbers are: 3, 29, 10, 4 and 18.
Universal SUDOKU
SOLUTIONS