PUZZLES Thursday, May 26, 2022 Keep Your Mitts Off! by Katherine Baicker and Laura Dershewitz Universal Crossword edited by David Steinberg ACROSS 1 Sun blocker 4 Leave isolated 10 Socially slight 14 Political strategist Navarro 15 Evening party 16 Salad with bacon and eggs 17 *It may follow first and ten 19 Mine finds 20 Frenzied way to run 21 ___ Perignon 22 Mission lead-in? 24 Fearful 26 *Place to buy fresh produce 29 Pet birds’ confines 31 “Exit full screen” key 32 What you ___ is what you get 33 Self-reflective question 36 Tortilla option 37 Unseen market force, or a hint to what can follow each starred answer’s first word and precede its last word 41 Nickname for Genevieve 42 Floppy-eared hound 43 Deserving three stars out of five 44 “___ my brother’s keeper?” 46 Gate fastener 49 *Subway power source 53 Devout 55 False name 56 Word before “coat” or “test” 58 Poet Lazarus 59 Reword, perhaps 60 *High-fat dairy product 63 Be an upstanding citizen? 64 Fancily decorated 65 Card game with an All Wild spinoff 66 $$$ dispensers 67 “Sneaky” animal 68 “Don’t text and drive” ad, e.g. DOWN 1 Gets to work on 2 Pale and tired, perhaps 3 City near Seattle 4 Govt. ID 5 Sondheim barber Sweeney 6 Free from 7 Scratch-and-sniff sticker feature 8 ___ and improved 9 Jeans 10 Activist Coretta ___ King 11 Unhelpful response to “Why?” 12 Geek among geeks 13 Dangerous pellets 18 “Fine, you win!” 23 Foreign policy grp. 25 Arnaz who loved Lucille Ball 27 Sizzle ___ (pitch tapes) 28 Rest room? 30 Solange, to Beyonce, informally 34 Bone that a shin guard protects 35 Credential for many a CFO 36 More spiteful 37 “To heck with this!” 38 Meaningless philosophy? 39 Subj. with conversation topics 40 Pile 41 911 responder: Abbr. 44 Major 1990 civil rights law, briefly 45 Former HBO series “with Bob and David” 47 Arise 48 Chimpanzees’ relatives 50 Wedding and bar mitzvah 51 “Broad City” star Glazer 52 Volcanic flows 54 Pago Pago, American ___ 57 Eight bits 59 Elizabethan or Victorian 61 Afore 62 Disney frame Liquid Assets by Matt Westman Universal Crossword edited by David Steinberg ACROSS 1 Scoped out 6 Former Swedish automaker 10 Play on repeat 14 Plentiful 15 Boundary 16 Present opener? 17 Self-serving use of government funds 19 Sobbed 20 Basketball legend Bird 21 Camembert cousin 22 Highest grade 23 Replacement on the mound 27 Affirmative votes 28 Hosp. diagnostic scan 29 Covers in Cottonelle, briefly 31 Co. leader 33 Short ___ (beef cut) 34 Shout of disapproval 35 Icon in Wikipedia’s search bar 40 3-letter “Wow!” 41 Fed a line to 42 Resource to refine 43 Church bench 44 Ctrl-___-Del 45 Moreover 48 He finds a Willy Wonka golden ticket 53 One may be stuffed at a Greek restaurant 54 Corporate symbol 55 Sashimi tuna 57 Participate in the 2022 midterms 58 Seems valid, or what the end of 17-, 23-, 35- or 48-Across does 61 Previously owned 62 Toddler’s injury 63 Alpaca relative 64 Flat-topped landform 65 “___ of the D’Urbervilles” 66 What aptly bookends “satisfies” DOWN 1 Baseball players’ headwear 2 Love, in 24-Down 3 Buying binge 4 Antlered animal 5 “Singin’ in the Rain” star Reynolds 6 What Helvetica and Arial lack 7 TV spot seller 8 Get more mature 9 “___ Canto” (Ann Patchett novel featuring an opera singer) 10 Highly acidic 11 Hotel brunch station 12 Deliberately 13 Peach parts 18 2D measurement 22 Scoring on a serve 24 French city with a big cat on its flag 25 “It’s showtime!” 26 Math course featuring angles 30 Distress signal 31 Almost made it 32 Clear ingredients at an 11-Down 33 Pot top 35 Floor cleaner 36 “Why should ___?” 37 F, on a gas gauge 38 Cryptozoological beast 39 Appearance 45 Dwellings 46 Carries with difficulty 47 Grumpy expressions 49 Vegan beauty brand 50 Historic New York island 51 Really annoy 52 Crossword feature, often 53 Female gamete 56 Some Fidelity plans, briefly 58 Sweltering 59 Be in debt 60 In the manner of East Oregonian A11 HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY MATHIS FRIDAY, MAY 27, 2022 Stars of Self-consciousness As Venus and Pluto square off, the biggest barrier to awareness is self-consciousness, which can manifest in nervousness, myopic vision, sensory processing problems, selective listening and the like. Self-consciousness is a form of fear. Techniques for dealing with fear can be applied to remedy the state. ARIES (March 21-April 19). Ambition and drive are cosmic gifts that sometimes can feel like a curse. You’ll do what it takes to make your plans happen as close to your imaginings as possible. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You’re well aware of the risks involved in a venture, which is why you prefer to be around the optimistic people who don’t mention danger at every turn. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). If the needle of time were to go back to the beginning of the record it would still play the same song. There’s no point to longing, regret or wishing things were any other way than they are right now. CANCER (June 22-July 22). You don’t always have the luxury of choosing what style you’ll receive your life in. Some things only come one way. The rarer a thing is, the fewer your options. All the more reason to appreciate this unique package. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You may not get the reaction you were going for because this isn’t a movie, and no one is following your script. Even so, roll with the improvisational moment and brilliance ensues. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). While accidentally ignoring things is a recipe for disaster, ignoring a thing on purpose will be an effective tactic for the win. Neglect is an especially useful state when applied to unwanted things. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). A deadline looms. A decision must be made. Here are your choices: Do it well, do it on time or do it within your budget. Pick two. Only two are possible. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Friends point to your strengths, critics point to your faults and loved ones accept you for both. Unconditional love is real. You know this because you give and receive it. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You can’t stick to the recipe when you don’t have all the ingredients. Lack leads to invention. You’ll change it up and create something better for the challenge. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You take on the issues of society like they were your own. It’s almost as though your connection to humanity carries a great weight of responsibility... yep. Now, why don’t the others seem to know this? AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You don’t have to have the necessary experience before you start. You’ll pick it up as you go, just as you always have. Each relationship teaches you something different. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Liking a person is one thing; the day-to-day of a committed relationship is quite another. No need to think too far into things, though. Relationship success is creating fun in one moment at a time. TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (May 27). A sale allows you to make a dream project your reality. You’ll get more productive even as you work less because you have a tremendous talent for setting the right goals and picking people who will help you achieve them. Gemini and Sagittarius adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 8, 4, 13, 16 and 9. Universal SUDOKU SOLUTIONS HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY MATHIS SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2022 Cosmic Cautionary Tale The Venus move into the sign of money comes with a warning. As exciting as it is to acquire things, we pay with little chunks of our freedom. Dogs must be walked, cars fueled, relationships tended. We’re wise to consider costs beyond the tag. Even in high-dollar situations, money is usually the easiest currency involved in a purchase. ARIES (March 21-April 19). Given the choice between a grand armchair adventure via video game or movie and a small, heartfelt gesture between friends, you’d take the latter every time. Your weekend plans will be proof of this. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). The question will arise: “Who would I be without my quirky fears?” Answer: “You, only more accomplished.” Don’t mistake neurosis for personality or let anxiety keep you from experiencing life to the fullest. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Take a step back from the race. With the benefit of distance, you’ll see how winnable this really is for you. You’ll also notice there is more than one way to win it. CANCER (June 22-July 22). You have a talent for warming people up and making them feel safe with you -- as though whatever happens, you’ll handle it. For this reason, the night will belong to you. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Your cosmic gift of the day is one of reading people at a glance. You’ll notice what they want. By the way, you’re under no obligation to give it. Just helping someone feel seen is a gift too. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You’ll notice that the more you enjoy yourself, the less it matters what you look like doing it. Your need for people to respond in a particular way to you seems to diminish with the pursuit of today’s endeavor. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You are well aware of the repellent effect of arrogance, and you also know how unappealing insecurity is. So, you walk a thin line, and your quiet confidence will be most attractive. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Commit to fun. Commit to folly. Commit to not knowing which is which. The important thing is to commit. Half in and half out will be completely nowhere. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Achilles had his heel, Samson had precarious hair, and you have your own version of a small vulnerability that has a disproportionately huge impact on your strength. Protect yourself accordingly. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). At some point your work leaves your hands and has a life of its own. You’ll find peace in the transition and joy in watching what used to belong to you go to the next person and the next and then the world at large. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). If you were to exceed expectations in all areas of life, you’d only annoy those around you. The specialty you’ve chosen will help those around you today, and as for the rest, you’ll let it go and enjoy the ensuing popularity. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). A new friendship brings unanticipated rewards. You didn’t strike up this relationship to expand your social influence, but it’s happened anyway. Don’t make much of it. Stay focused on what’s important. TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (May 28). Share your ideas. When you’re in that mood, your kind of smarts will light up a crowd. And when you’re not, there will be people around you to help and love, which is your favorite way of sharing your gifts. Nature figures into your good fortune, perhaps through the purchase or exploration of wild expanses. Cancer and Taurus adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 7, 20, 4, 44 and 17. Universal SUDOKU SOLUTIONS