PUZZLES Thursday, April 14, 2022 A Word or Two by Gary Larson and Amy Ensz Universal Crossword edited by David Steinberg ACROSS 1 “Noodle” or “noggin,” for head 6 Droopy 10 Failed guess in Battleship 14 Chocolate maker’s tree 15 Berry in a purple smoothie, perhaps 16 Not pro- 17 Like a bartender tending bar? 19 Declare 20 “___ to Joy” 21 Research money 22 Lots and lots 23 Rides a bike 25 “For Your Eyes Only” singer Sheena 27 Word after “worry” or “prayer” 29 Sent an emoji, say 32 Elisabeth of “Leaving Las Vegas” 35 Actor Davis 37 Fury 38 Walked quietly 41 Organize neatly 43 Dot follower in UNICEF’s URL 44 Printing smudges 46 Frankenstein’s assistant, in film 47 Ancient empire known for its rugs 49 Coming up 52 Changes for the better 54 Practical 58 Windows precursor 60 Complete and total 62 Was in charge 63 Arab chieftain 64 Like a jockey who’s fed up? 66 Strengthen, with “up” 67 Once existed 68 Orange Muppet 69 Baker’s dozen? 70 Online crafts marketplace 71 Horse controllers DOWN 1 Exclusive story 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 18 22 24 26 28 30 31 32 33 Magna cum ___ Behaved Time out? Search engine originally called BackRub Spencer of “Good Morning America” Cold quality Ray in tropical waters Napoleon in “Animal Farm,” e.g. Tums alternative Like someone expressing anger while at home? Dish cooked in a pot Lancelot and Mix- a-Lot, for two ___ Major (bear constellation) Certain male cow Be an accomplice to Start to wake up Bird that had a repeating sound? Thus Does and bucks “Cut that out!” Bring on board 34 Like a teacher burning the midnight oil? 36 Wrap at a pageant 39 Awards with a Playwriting category 40 Flair 42 Opera set in Egypt 45 They try things for a living 48 Camping desserts 50 At any time 51 Less stuffy 53 Comforter 55 Pancakes served with sour cream 56 His tomb is in Red Square 57 Lawns’ sides 58 Allocate, with “out” 59 “Blanket” over Los Angeles 61 Parker of “South Park” fame 64 Be behind on bills 65 Nickname that anagrams to “red” It’s All Pretty Standard by Taylor Johnson Universal Crossword edited by David Steinberg ACROSS 1 Group of plotters 6 Browser bookmarks 10 Social position 14 Like a 14-degree angle 15 Look for 16 Orchestra tuner 17 Competition winner 20 ___ Field (Mets’ ballpark) 21 What gets you a hand? 22 Credits as a source 23 Record for later 25 River that starts in the Swiss Alps 27 Temporary retailers 31 Diet soda discontinued in 2020 34 Sidestep 35 Address that’s gender-neutral in “Battlestar Galactica” 36 State with caucuses 37 Give a darn 38 Looking shocked 40 Good bargain 41 Liberal ___ degree 42 Kind or type 43 Gem that may be milky 44 Empire State team, on the scoreboard 45 Trances 48 Partner of “fast” 50 Black Lives Matter co-founder Tometi 51 Piece of pizza 53 Musical ending 55 Revered figure 59 Region for Bismarck and Montgomery, and a hint to the middle three letters of 17-, 27- and 45-Across 62 “Go Hang a Salami! I’m a Lasagna Hog!” palindromist Jon 63 Steak, in a rhyming dish’s name 64 Word before “march” or “sign” 65 Not quite all 66 “Buy It Now” site 67 Did nothing DOWN 1 AP math subject 2 Superfruit from a palm 3 Get 22 in blackjack, say 4 Teens stereotypically have them 5 A fire sign 6 Early online forum 7 Take a breather 8 “Go for it!” 9 Genre that calypso influenced 10 “The Thinker” sculptor 11 What you may legally grab at the mall 12 Zilch 13 They’re “stood on” at frat parties 18 Gets a little shut- eye 19 CBS police procedural 24 Certain primate 26 “Catch!” 27 ___ sandies (nutty cookies) 28 Egg-producing organ 29 Many senators toe them 30 Tennis champion Naomi 32 In the know 33 Fancy dances 36 Painted a rosy picture of 38 Runs on TV 39 Singing group 43 After-school grp. with no kids 45 Not one to sit around 46 Alter 47 Folder for annoying emails 49 Band of eight 51 ___ Likely (annoying caller ID) 52 Toy brick 54 ___ vez (again, in Spanish) 56 Nonrenewable source of energy 57 Back in the day 58 Must-have 60 Enjoyed Froot Loops 61 Lead-in to “Pen” East Oregonian A11 HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY MATHIS FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 2022 Suggestions from a Balanced Moon The Libra lunar tides warn us of the ego’s tendency to keep us working for its vision. As soon as it gets what it wants, it comes up with a new list of demands. Happiness and freedom depend on restricting the ego’s power with modesty and service. Give the ego just enough to exist, but not enough to take over and run the show. ARIES (March 21-April 19). Fun is contagious, but it’s also subjective. Your success will depend on your ability to read the room. If you’re not in the room, as in an email or text situation, humor is a risk. The level of risk is commensurate with the payoff. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Your fantasy life is going strong. As for these castles in the air -- maybe you can’t live in them, but some of the ideas are practical enough to apply once you touch back down to earth. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Your mood: ambitious. You’ll push yourself. Because going after the larger experiences of life takes a great deal of focus and energy, it will require you to cut out distractions and bring your lower appetites into control. CANCER (June 22-July 22). Unless you are a DJ or a children’s party character, it’s probably not your job to make the people around you happy. So why not go where (SET ITAL) you’re (END ITAL) the happiest? Only you know the way. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Life gets messy. The unexpected bumps, spills and overlaps are clues that we are, indeed, alive. Your mettle will be tested, and you’ll get the opportunity to tidy up, compartmentalize and prove just how cool you can be. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). New projects gather steam. The work is really just beginning, but encouraging early results are a glimpse of what you’ll get if you keep this up for the long haul. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). The stage is set for rivalries to play out. Emotions run hot, alliances have been formed and the stakes are high. Even so, it’s not too late for mediation, negotiation and peaceful deal- making. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Shared creativity is a bond. Writing can unite people. Art can flirt with your eyeballs. A song can pierce you straight through and connect you with invisible thread to the others who hear and love it. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). As for the burdens laid on you by society, there’s always a way around it. If you can’t see it from where you stand, seek a perspective shift. Reading, travel and interviewing others are all valid ways to get there. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). If no one asks a question, nothing gets done. And if people keep asking questions, nothing gets done. Progress is asking the right question at the right time and getting answers before you move on to the next question. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You know what it’s like to be the one who loves more, sacrifices greater and maximizes small returns. But don’t worry; this will not be your destiny forever. Prepare for huge love. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You will somehow be able to see things as your loved one does and though you may not entirely agree, your understanding of the other point of view will lift the relationship to a new level of ease. TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (April 15). You’ll be publicly praised -- an event that makes such an impression, it alters the course of your work. Relationship building culminates in a lucrative deal. Though you’re very strategic in some areas of life, when it comes to love, all game goes out the window. You simply give everything and joy spills everywhere. Pisces and Gemini adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 7, 2, 14, 38 and 17. Universal SUDOKU SOLUTIONS HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY MATHIS SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 2022 Pink Moon Musings Albert Camus said it’s necessary to fall in love, “if only to provide an alibi for all the random despair you are going to feel anyway.” Can you think of times when you felt a certain way first and looked for reasons later? The full moon in Libra, the sign of relationships, offers the opposite directive -- claim hope and watch it blossom in your life. ARIES (March 21-April 19). Life is bustling and you’ll do what you can. As for the rest, instead of saying “I don’t have time,” try more empowering language like, “this is not my priority right now” and feel like an absolute boss. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Communicate about money. If you’re making wise decisions but your loved ones aren’t on the same page, they could counter your actions and thwart your progress. Alignment creates momentum. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Humans often equate attractiveness with goodness, but the correlation doesn’t exist. Though appearances may afford you many clues as to a person’s character traits, you’ll have to look deeper to know how good someone is. CANCER (June 22-July 22). You’ve a talent for understanding just how much you can and should take on. It’s natural to want to distance yourself from a harsh reality or distract yourself from pain. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). To believe in your ability to sense what the right thing to do is and trust yourself to act accordingly promotes confidence in who you are now. For even more confidence, extend the same courtesy backward to Past You. No regrets. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). As you make more of a distinction between what you have to do and what you choose to do, you understand that the list of “have-to’s” is actually quite small. You’ll examine your reasons for continuing with certain responsibilities. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Conscious living has a price. The highs and lows will be extreme and acute. But feeling everything life has to offer is better than the alternative -- walking around as though programmed, like a numb zombie-robot. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). We want what seems somewhat, but not entirely inaccessible. Complete inaccessibility inspires derision. Desire will be ignited where beauty meets the unfinished or unpolished. Rawness makes a thing accessible. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You’re highly influential today. With power comes responsibility. Before you make your pitch, lead your team or get involved in any situation, stop and ask yourself what’s best for all. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Even though a job is nearly complete, the refinements take almost as much time as the job itself did. Tending to details is hard work, but also very worth the effort. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You’re still navigating the complex matrix of another person. You’ll never know it completely, but your willingness to try will keep the relationship fresh. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Because you feel less pressure to conform to norms today your approach to problems will be very different. You’ll skip the usual solutions and come up with inventive and amusing fixes. TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (April 16). You’ll experience many environments and get the best of every world. Chaotic challenges shape you; calm, supportive places allow for intensive, focused work. You are brilliant without trying to be or do anything other than what comes naturally. Someone will travel far to see you -- the ultimate compliment. Scorpio and Aquarius adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 3, 28, 9, 45 and 15. Universal SUDOKU SOLUTIONS