PUZZLES
Tuesday, December 28, 2021
From A to B by Christina Iverson
Universal Crossword edited by David Steinberg
ACROSS
1 Alligator ___
(avocado)
5 Trite
10 What goes
sideways?
14 Instrument
described as “an
ill wind”
15 Justice Samuel
16 Prince Charles,
e.g.
17 Cheap beer to sip
while golfing?
20 Cared for a
friend’s cat, say
21 Harris who made
history in 2020
22 Mathematician
Lovelace
23 Issa of “Insecure”
25 “That hurt!”
26 Name within
“Benedict”
27 Chant from a
crowd that hates
Thunderbolt
ports?
30 “Frontline”
channel
32 Wintry mix
33 What may require
a 20-sided die:
Abbr.
36 Was on TV
38 Above, to a bard
39 Diet that avoids
processed food
41 Confucian path
42 Figurine of a
“notorious”
justice?
45 Santa ___,
California
46 Oddity
48 Slob’s opposite
50 Part of a
precarious chain
51 Hiss sources
52 Utensils for
detangling
spaghetti?
56 Dragon’s burst of
smoke
59 New Zealand
native
60 Toy for a windy
day
64 Great Plains
people
65 Flashiness,
informally
66 Bus. class
67 Special brownie
ingredient
68 Old Pontiac
69 Like pink hair
DOWN
1 Daddy’s partner,
maybe
2 Went out like the
tide
3 Major artery
4 Shot callers
5 They’re settled
when they’re
picked up
6 ___-country
(music genre)
7 Dr. Fauci’s agcy.
8 Breakfasted or
lunched
9 Strand, as one’s
babysitter
10 Buddy
11 Was on TV again
12 Lit path on a train
13 “Daily” food in a
prayer
18 Rowing tools
19 Uncultured
people
24 Memorial speech
25 “A Midsummer
Night’s Dream”
king
27 One of many for
a Q-tip
28 Pea, for a pea
plant
29 ThirdLove
undergarment
30 Upright or grand
31 Ride for a
Quidditch player
34 Endurance
exercise for abs
35 Wish granter
36 Ever so slightly
37 Liquid-Plumr
alternative
39 Morning-after pill
brand
40 Acorn makers
43 Word that means
“flowers,” with or
without “ss” at its
center
44 Musical set in
France, to fans
47 Less than
pleased
49 Assigned work to
53 “Rats!”
54 Cover in
chocolate, maybe
55 Ricelike pasta
56 “Bam!”
57 Colorado native
58 Enemy
61 Slick, as a road
62 One has a nail
63 Apt word for this
slot
Space Travel by Paul Coulter
Universal Crossword edited by Amanda Rafkin
ACROSS
1 Friend, in French
4 Flow out
7 Her partner,
sometimes?
10 Disguised form
for a vampire
13 Atrocious
14 Ballet footwear
16 Tavern order
17 Best club in
Vegas, often?
18 *Resolving a
Mafia dispute,
e.g.?
19 Martini ingredient
20 Bogus
22 Got down to pray,
perhaps
23 Midterm, e.g.
24 Polynesian
dances
26 Angsty genre
27 Alternatives to
suspenders
28 *Which campfire
treat are you
referring to?
31 Composer ___
Lloyd Webber
34 Says “Skip my
turn this round!”
38 Feathery
neckwear
39 Snuggly kitties
43 Shack
44 “Have some
food!”
45 Feature of italic
text
46 What might follow
you?
47 *Familiar TV
program?
52 Pioneering
astronaut
Jemison
53 Org. with a 3-1-1
rule
54 Pot-bellied pet,
perhaps
55 Refractors of light
58 Not abundant
61 Long, long time
62 *Lineup of
computer support
whizzes?
66 Charged particle
67 Mimic
68 Establishment
serving rice
wines
69 ___ of the land
70 Color of a blood
moon
71 African country
where the
Guerewol is
celebrated
72 Letters before an
alias
DOWN
1 Embarrass
2 ___ Picchu
3 Best-possible
4 “Wheels up”
guess: Abbr.
5 Reserve, like a
flight
6 “Pride and
Prejudice”
surname
7 Hello or goodbye,
in Hebrew
8 Emcee
9 “OMG a
cockroach!”
10 Food with an
everything variety
11 Top-tier
celebrities
12 They might be
pitched in the
backyard
15 Cherry parts that
might be tied with
a tongue
21 Bryn ___
23 Golfer’s props
25 Poet Silverstein
27 Bikini tops
29 Flooded
30 Decide you will
31 Drive a getaway
car, e.g.
32 Galvin of “The
Good Doctor”
33 Dug for digital
insights
35 Mythical
Himalayan utopia
36 French bread?
37 Gamjatang or
goulash, e.g.
40 Story line
41 Crow sounds
42 Taylor-Joy of
“Last Night in
Soho”
48 Aides for profs
49 18-wheelers
50 Keep a stiff ___
lip
51 Seoul-based Soul
maker
55 Fruit in a holiday
basket
56 Tug-of-war need
57 Jazz saxophonist
Getz
58 One of 50 on the
U.S. flag
59 Take a good, long
bath
60 “Only Time”
singer
63 Tackle a bunny
hill
64 Table part
65 16th prez
East Oregonian
A15
HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY MATHIS
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2021 Cosmic Kiss to Resolutions
Any New Year’s resolutions made today will be kissed by
the excellent omen of a Mercury and Venus conjunction.
This practical alliance in Capricorn illuminates our next
power moves and anoints them with an extra push of
auspicious awareness. The focus is on our routines.
Making a practice of what we love to do can change our
whole world.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). Though it’s fun to be
seduced, whether it’s a seduction to get you to buy a
product, join a group or be personally enticed, you’re no
easy mark. You want the truth more than the seduction.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Believe it or not, people
are paying attention to you. This is no time to misjudge
your own capabilities, underestimate your strength or be
clueless as to the charisma you wield.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Ask yourself why you’re
holding on to something. Is it because you’re afraid of
what will change if you let go? If fear is the only thing
holding you back, it’s a sign to get brave and make the
change.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). Being attached to the
appearance of things could get in the way of knowing
the real essence of them. To know what things are, forget
what they are supposed to be.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Even though the way a
person acts is a reflection of who they are, you still get
the strange feeling that you are someone other than the
person enacting your behavior. You are bigger than even
your best choices.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). It’s a time to muscle your
way through. When you feel depleted, don’t back down.
Instead, make a push. You’ll get a second wind and
accomplish something remarkable.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). How can you make it easy
for people to do the thing you really want them to do?
This is the secret to success that can be applied across
many areas of life.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You’re happy to be the
witness, not the judge. You may be asked to give a verdict
anyway, but think twice before you do. Even seemingly
innocuous opinions could have an unintended influence.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Emotions could
cause you to improperly or unhelpfully magnify or
minimize the impact of things. Make things as big or
small in your mind as you need them to be. Find the scale
that is easy for you to manage.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Creativity isn’t
something you acquire; it’s something you’ve had all
along. Like Dorothy’s ruby slippers, you only need to
know how to access the magic to be transported.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You’re appropriately
mild-mannered for most of the day. But there will be brief
moments when intense emotions will help you go at your
purpose harder, so don’t be afraid to feel your feelings.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You can never have
enough friends and connections. You don’t even have to
try to meet new people; it just happens naturally as you
go about your day.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Dec. 29). The prevailing
sense is one of belonging and purpose. You are more
certain than ever about what you have to offer and will be
empowered by your own generosity. A bold and righteous
move improves finances for yourself and many. Friends
send you in adventurous directions, and you’ll return with
gold. Gemini and Cancer adore you. Your lucky numbers
are: 1, 22, 15, 40 and 19.
Universal SUDOKU
SOLUTIONS
HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY MATHIS
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2021 Capricorn Collective
Forming a collective in Capricorn, Mercury, Venus and Pluto
push powerfully through the final days of the year. Many
will have astounding clarity about their path and purpose
for 2022. Instead of envisioning the prize, it’s the work itself
we can see -- the practice hours necessary, the tenacity we’ll
need. We can do hard things.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). A loved one will be there to
provide what you need when you need it. It’s moments like
these that make you realize you’ve made some good choices
about who belongs in your life.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You see what you want, and
you go for it. Things heat up quickly. The intensity fuels fast
action. Parts of life that were lacking color will get a shot of
excitement and glamour.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Anyone can see what’s going
wrong. You have an excellent eye for what’s going right.
Share your upbeat observations. Your optimism will have
far-reaching repercussions.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). The prize should go to the
one who most deserves it, but it won’t work that way. More
likely, the prize will go to the one who thinks to ask for it. So
be bold. Pose the question.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). A relationship improves. It’s like
you’re coasting along together on good roads in fair weather.
These easy, harmonious vibes just might be the new normal.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Research the people you
would like to know. As you learn more about your heroes,
you align yourself with them. You’ll find out that you’re
already alike in more ways than you would have guessed.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Just because you started
out one way doesn’t mean you can’t start over with different
rules. Consider changing the game or finding new terms for
an agreement.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You’re excellent at
prioritizing. You make the important things sacred. Two
things that don’t always fit nicely together will suddenly
blend better, for instance work and leisure.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Self-parenting will
be necessary. Tell yourself that you can “play” after you’ve
“finished your homework.” You’ll be amenable to your own
rules and requests.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Let your inward
confidence show in your style of speaking. If you are too
self-effacing, your credibility may be called into question.
Talk with certainty and others will be certain of you as well.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Your creativity and
intelligence will stretch into new realms. You’ll apply what
you learned in one area of life to a completely different
subject with great success.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You could use a mentor.
Actually, one is not enough. Show people your ideas. You’ll
love who’s receptive to your charm, who can spot your talent
and show you your own rich potential.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Dec. 30). While there are some
mighty influential and successful people around you, you
wouldn’t dream of adopting anything less than a completely
customized approach to life. You’ll make your own rules.
“The more the merrier” will be a theme and you’ll attract a
bustling scene. There’s money to be made in a crowd. Leo
and Scorpio adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 9, 25, 31,
17 and 44.
Universal SUDOKU
SOLUTIONS