PUZZLES Saturday, July 30, 2022 Universal Freestyle 31 by Evan Mulvihill Universal Crossword edited by David Steinberg ACROSS 1 Serious kudos 11 Participate in a regatta 15 Place to see the Phantom menace? 16 Ye ___ Shoppe 17 Decorative 18 Speck on a Lab coat, perhaps 19 Was aware 20 Sprite that you can’t drink 21 Matcha and oolong, e.g. 22 Set straight 24 Novelist Hoag 25 It’s put on winter roads 26 Number of lives cats are said to have 27 Shirley Ann Jackson’s alma mater 28 Arab leaders 30 “Totally!” 31 An idolatrous person might worship them 33 It has a punch line 34 Puppy pickup place 35 Parents who can do it all 37 Org. that might confiscate gel insoles 40 Type of cheese with eyes 41 Mike and ___ 42 Demonstrate 43 Stylish 44 “Chess” opening? 46 Rib 47 Widespread 48 Language similar to Thai 49 Champagne name 50 Makes a choice 51 Taxing job? 55 Nintendo Switch preceder 56 Like unfavorable odds 57 Small unit of progress 58 “That’s delicious!” DOWN 1 “Quit yanking my udder!” 2 Month after Mar. 3 “If Beale Street Could Talk” writer- director Barry 4 Color of a traffic cone 5 It might be made with tonkotsu broth 6 “That was a close one!” 7 ___ Stoppable (Kim Possible’s pal) 8 Consumes more than 9 Sacred song 10 Ability to take amazing front- facing photos 11 Gentler part of one’s personality 12 Eager to listen 13 Standards of excellence 14 Bare minimum 22 “Pick a card, ___ card!” 23 Stretch the truth 24 Person tearing up the dance floor, maybe? 27 What Santa does before Christmas 29 Cleans up a spill 31 Fancy dressers 32 Long, thin mushroom in Japanese cuisine 33 Charges, like a cellphone 35 Fan who might need to calm down when “You Need To Calm Down” comes on 36 Cell division process 37 “Another great point” 38 “Send help!” 39 “That was incredible” feeling 40 Wish for a coupling between two characters 42 Going steady with 43 Black birds 45 Actress Gugino 46 Everybody, in Spanish 49 “You’re on ___” (Zoom reminder) 52 Gal. or qt. 53 Singer-songwriter Yoko 54 Wine selection Themeless Sunday 8 by Rafael Musa Universal Crossword edited by Amanda Rafkin ACROSS 1 Susceptible to a scalp sunburn 5 Act overdramatically 10 Katy Perry hit with the lyric “Louder, louder than a lion” 14 Texter’s guffaw 15 Muffuletta meat 17 Share a border 18 Dessert featuring creme and ice cream 19 Note that tests a singer’s range 21 Facet 22 Attachment ___ (relationship analysis framework) 24 “Things aren’t looking good ...” 28 ___ culpa 29 Clucking bird 31 Game with +2 cards 32 Result of a critical error? 36 Two-finger peace gesture 38 Thingamajig 40 Dulce de ___ 41 Short-term stock transactions 42 “___ Pray Love” 43 Attracted to all genders, for short 44 Outer edge 45 Emergency prioritization 48 Syrian city at one end of the ancient Silk Road 51 Summery footwear item 54 Embitters 56 “Definitely!” 60 Hence 61 Piece of safety gear for a cyclist 62 Rip 63 Proxima Centauri, for one 64 University officials 65 Email folder 6 Type of eel 7 Galena and bauxite 8 Sporty car roof 9 Enter slowly 10 Moms and dads, slangily 11 Ancient 12 In the manner of 13 Actress Issa 16 Heating tube 20 Persuade with pressure 23 Impulsive 25 Make a Lego house, maybe 26 Radio personality Martinez 27 Do’s and ___ 29 Homo sapiens 30 Site that acquired an NFT marketplace in DOWN 2022 1 Meh 32 Hooting hatchling 2 Scope 3 Have the last ___ 33 Gather wool from 4 “You can figure it 34 Saguaro and prickly pear out” 35 “De ___” (“You’re 5 “Sugar, We’re welcome,” in Goin Down” Spanish) genre 36 Goes up and down, say 37 Spoken word competitors 39 SZA album that shares a name with a PC key 43 Wrote 46 Fall flower 47 Wound that might require bandaging 48 Strange and unfamiliar 49 Tomato ___ (pizza sauce base) 50 Instrument in a church 52 ___ Whip (pineapple dessert) 53 Lead-in to “mater” 55 Put in order 56 “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee” network 57 Top 40 song 58 Sorority or alias letters 59 Milky Way visitors, e.g. East Oregonian A9 HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY MATHIS SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2022 Lucky Solar Trine to Jupiter To be presented with more information than can be processed is a given of the information age. On the plus side, this teaches us to focus ourselves better. There is no need to carve away irrelevant bits; that would give them too much attention. Instead, make the most of the solar trine to Jupiter by focusing exclusively on what you want. ARIES (March 21-April 19). You make the extra effort to see someone. It’s actually good if it’s a little inconvenient to do so because it shows that you value the other person. The benefits of keeping up with relationships will far outweigh the trouble you go to. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Too often, you carry more than your load. This is a day to carry only what you need to get through the day. Less will be more. Better yet, carry what you’ll need this hour. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). List three things you can do to move forward and execute it. Even if they are the wrong three things, you will still progress and learn enough to choose a more effective list tomorrow. CANCER (June 22-July 22). There’s a role to fill, and you’re an excellent casting director, but there’s no perfect person for this. You’d have a better probability of finding Bigfoot. So, when you land on a pretty good fit, take it, and move to the next challenge. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). The more structures and plans you have in place the better, as it makes you feel both secure and free to be very clear about your options. You don’t have to leave room for the unexpected; it will happen anyway. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You’re not always in the mood to be acknowledged. Because it sometimes feels embarrassing and unnecessary to have the attention on you, you might decide to keep your contributions low-key or completely anonymous. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). A relationship paradox: You can’t always do what you want to do and what they want to do at the same time. Sacrifices will be made. You will give up a bit of autonomy and personal freedom at the altar of the relationship. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). The game you’re playing has a prize you hadn’t considered, and you’re catching up to it, too. This is getting interesting! Of course, you stopped playing for the prize a long time ago. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). People use any number of methods for attention and leverage. A manipulator may be apologetic, offended, ill or desperate. You have a sense about these things today and can avoid nuisance by heeding it. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You’re like a hybrid car, toggling between different types of fuel to keep your wheels spinning. Energy sources may be emotional, inspirational, nutritional and caffeinated. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Keep your impressions in check. Be careful not to glorify anyone just because they do a few things right. Likely, they struggle with better and lesser impulses, just like everyone else trying to rise to the moment. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). People develop expectations of you that you cannot control. Subsequently, they may get their feelings hurt by the reality of the situation. You’ll draw on your deep wells of compassion. TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (July 31). You’ll travel lighter emotionally and physically. Your cosmic birthday gift is a spotlight on the essentials; you’ll let go of what you don’t need. With energy rising, you’ll attract a crew of co-creators and get to work on a new project. While you’re busy making new things possible for the next generation, you’ll build a legacy. Scorpio and Virgo adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 8, 44, 4, 11 and 16. Universal SUDOKU SOLUTIONS HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY MATHIS MONDAY, AUGUST 1, 2022 Words Light Fuses Mars and Uranus are in a precariously incendiary position. What lights the fuse? Words. Lucky are those who favor the pristine expression of silence. The loop of thought to breath to vocal cords uses energy but often isn’t worth the expenditure. While caught up in one’s owns opinions, it’s easy to miss key details. In short, talk less, listen more. ARIES (March 21-April 19). You’ll deal with a tangled mess that appears to have the power of a strong net. Yes, you could get caught up in it or even trapped. But the power of your spontaneous impulse will help you dissolve the tangles and break free. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You’ll find out how supportive your support system is. Lean in a bit and see who is there, ready to catch you. Also, you’ll consider how you show up for other people, and who you’re willing to go out of the way for. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Whether a person feels innately talented or innately disadvantaged is beside the point. Either way, they can improve. You believe everyone is capable of getting a little better, and you’ll therefore bring hope to others. CANCER (June 22-July 22). Some say the first step is the hardest part of the journey, but this won’t ring true for you. Without hesitation, you’ll follow an intuition. The first stretch of the road will be a blur as you hit the ground running. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You’re starting to treat yourself differently. You may not even realize it at first, but the changes become evident in the way others treat you, which is always a reflection of what’s going on between you and you. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). If you don’t ask, the answer will be no. But asking is not so simple. Before you reveal what you want with a request, think about what the other person wants that you might be able to offer in exchange. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Important events have a way of rolling out sans fanfare. Even so, maybe the challenge is as glorious as the battles of dragon slayers in days of yore. However ordinary the task may look, don’t be fooled; fight the gallant fight. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Putting your heart on the line is risky business. Taking that chance and living with the adrenaline, fear and thrill of it can be overwhelming to the point that love can become mixed with other feelings. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Because someone feels free to be themselves around you, you’ll be privy to the best and the less endearing sides. Hidden qualities, habits and behaviors that get on your nerves can coexist with the love you feel. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Your outcome will depend not only on your knowledge of what you’re trying to do before you do it but also your understanding of why. If your “why” is solid, everything else will fall into place. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You’re on a discovery mission. You could ask the person what you want to know about them, but questions produce defensiveness and suspicion. Try revealing something about yourself. You’ll give trust to get trust. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Though you know that compromise is not punishment, meeting the other person halfway still entails giving up some of your personal freedom. Sacrifice when you’re ready and when you know you won’t resent it. TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Aug. 1). The right job will combine your many talents. You do not treat science and art as opposites. You will meld logic and feeling in your endeavors, finding an auspicious arrangement of fact to fantasy. As a result, you create strange and lucky scenarios. People are drawn into your truly original world, and you’ll be well-loved. Capricorn and Gemini adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 2, 5, 49, 6 and 28. Universal SUDOKU SOLUTIONS