PUZZLES
Tuesday, August 23, 2022
Commercial-Free by Taylor Johnson & Dylan Merrill
Universal Crossword edited by David Steinberg
ACROSS
1 Collision sound
4 Sauvignon ___
(white wine)
9 Outset, slangily
14 Monster within
“armor-clad”
15 Home that’s
always cold
16 Exit sign symbol
17 Knee tissue, for
short
18 *Assignment to
pick up a laundry
detergent?
20 Part of a devil’s
head
22 Rink surface
23 QBs’ successes
24 *Workday-ending
performance?
29 Zealous
30 Eye part, or
something over
an eye
31 Half of bi-
32 Home for cubs
33 Self-referential
34 One born in the
early 2010s, in
2022
36 *Initial untruths?
38 Move in together,
with “up”
40 George of “CSI”
41 Drink from a bowl
of hot ramen
44 ___ system
(GPS)
45 “The Lion King”
lioness
46 Maniacal Melville
mariner
47 *Gown for a
presidential
ceremony?
51 ___ and downs
52 Make after taxes
53 Stops waiting
around
54 Product for carpet
stains, and a
theme hint
59 Spoke connector
61 Contradict
62 Delete
63 Australia’s
unofficial national
bird
64 Walk like a giant
65 Polite fellows
66 “Indubitably
DOWN
1 Squeezing snake
2 Record holder?
3 “Romantic” alias
in “Superbad”
4 Definitive
rejection
5 Queens airport
code
6 Mahershala of
“True Detective”
7 Prefix for “binary”
8 Stand-up people
9 Neon and xenon
10 Trauma centers:
Abbr.
11 Interval of three
whole steps, in
music
12 Ginnifer of “Once
Upon a Time”
13 Possesses
19 “Eww”
21 Like a literary
herring
24 It’s hot until it’s
not
25 Judge’s assistant
26 “Why don’t we!”
27 Killing it
28 Shades of color
33 Word before
“drop” or “check”
34 Powerful kind of
wave
35 Name hidden in
“narrow escape”
36 Broad kind of
bean
37 Syllables
repeated while
plugging one’s
ears
38 Bit of a
conversation
DOWN
1 Lead-in to
“enemy”
2 Countess
Crawley of
“Downton Abbey”
3 Lake Mead’s
creator
4 Intrinsic nature
5 Canonized
people: Abbr.
6 Lizard with a
dewlap
7 Fly catcher
8 Wide rd.
9 ___ student
(aspiring dr.)
10 Whine and
whimper
11 Middle Eastern
leaders
12 Two-time Oscar
winner Jessica
13 “Goodness
gracious!”
18 Like fall
temperatures,
often
19 Weary
24 Bleeds in the
wash
25 Penthouse perk
26 Deceitful
schemes
27 Rick’s “kid” in
“Casablanca”
28 Violin bow need
HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY MATHIS
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2022 Virgo Season Retrograde
In the passionate Leo season, it was harder to tame the
inner rebel. Now the Virgo sun and a Uranus retrograde
urge self-compliance through simple measures.
Instead of taking on the psychology of self-discipline,
think of your goals as merely logistical problems to
solve. Try making the tasks easier, possibly by altering
the environment.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). It makes sense to be
discerning in the early stages of a relationship. You go
out of your way to show up strong for your people, so
you want to make sure that new candidates are doing
the sorts of things you’ll love showing up for.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Something about an
interaction doesn’t seem quite right. Make a mental
note to consider in your private contemplations. Your
subconscious is alerting you, though it may not be
quite time yet to act on the information.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Blending in works well
for you now. You can be interesting and interested at
the same time. In fact, interesting people are usually
the ones who follow their curiosity, ask the questions
and listen very well to the answers.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). Sometimes your
own behavior can be a mystery to you, but you can
be sure the action serves you in some way, otherwise
you wouldn’t do it. You’ll get creative in this regard,
imagining other ways of handling a challenge.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). A fun goal will add sparkle
to your days leading up its realization. Plan an exciting
event about 90 days from now. It will be the sort of
target that puts a dozen other desires and aims into
alignment.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Though complaining
to the right people can be the first step in changing
a dynamic, the complaining itself is not what fixes
things. You’ll skip this step and go straight to coming
up with possible solutions.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). People stick to their own
agenda unless given something better to do. To get
what you need, you’ll first have to get their attention.
You’ve a keen sense of what people want, and you’ll
use it to charm and disarm them.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You exude warmth
and empathy. In your embodiment of loving qualities,
boundaries can still be maintained. Help people
set reasonable expectations of you by making your
preferences and limits known up front.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You’ve been
influenced by memorable people. If not for the lasting
impression they made, you wouldn’t still be following
their advice and examples. You’ll now consider how
you can create such memories for others.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Think about what
you need. It would be nice if people around you would
notice your situation and figure out how they can fit
into it, but you’ll probably have to be the one to come
up with deals, pitches and collaboration ideas.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Include more
people in your life and plans. There’s a point in which
involving too many will make things complicated and
cumbersome, but you have a long way before you hit
that number, so keep the invites rolling.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Keeping relationships
vibrant isn’t about doing what’s expected. It’s about
going beyond those expectations, which should
always be in a state of flux. You aim to surprise and
delight, and you’ll certainly deliver today.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Aug. 24). The year brings
deeper levels of self-acceptance and the integration of
things you celebrate about yourself with things you’re
working on. You’ll establish rhythms and relationships
to bring about optimal productivity and satisfaction.
More highlights: a juicy bit of poetic justice and finally
hearing words you yearned for. Gemini and Capricorn
adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 6, 15, 13, 9 and 18.
Universal SUDOKU
41 Trans person’s
pronoun pair,
perhaps
42 “That’s my guess”
43 “POV” network
45 Component of
pumpkin spice
SOLUTIONS
46 Lob trajectory
48 General
Assembly figure,
for short
49 “Aw, shucks!”
50 Takes a risk
51 Some PC ports
55 Actor Curry
56 Rock to assay
57 Moving vehicle?
58 Winter setting in
NYC
60 City tour vehicle
Universal Crossword edited by David Steinberg
42 Be on the ___
wavelength
44 N.Y. engineering
school
45 Ohio’s “Rubber
City”
47 1967 Aretha
Franklin hit
whose lyrics
mention a weak
link
51 Brass and bronze
54 Physics Nobelist
Bohr
55 The underworld,
to Hades
56 Hi-___ graphics
57 Centurion Card’s
corp.
60 Method used to
handle stress
64 180 degrees from
WSW
65 Liberty Mutual
rival
66 Mesa’s kin
67 Indian lentil dish
68 Prying tool
69 Hollywood’s
Hawke
A13
39 Chewbacca’s co-
pilot
Leading Edge by George Jasper
ACROSS
1 Dull pains
6 Islamic officials
11 Shade tree
14 Bird’s perch
15 Established fact
16 Fifth month
17 Back-and-
forth switching
between scenes,
in film
20 “___ you no
shame?”
21 Quaker grain
22 Sixth zodiac sign
23 Bankrupt energy
company in 2001
news
25 Knowledgeable
(in)
26 Jokey name for a
wastebasket
30 Like days of yore
31 Dedicated poem
32 Roaster setting?
36 Surveillance grp.
37 Playground
devices for two,
and a phonetic
hint to the starts
of 17-, 26-, 47-
and 60-Across
41 End of a prof’s
email address
East Oregonian
29 Pfizer overseer:
Abbr.
33 “Toys in the Attic”
band
34 Fan club focus
35 Basks by the pool
38 Historic times
39 Prefix for “center”
40 Word before
“house” or
“passage”
43 Meat recall
reason
46 Caffeine-rich
seed
48 Pew songbook
49 Like a small
garage
50 Carp or cod
51 Curved like a
rainbow
52 British pop singer
Lewis
53 Corsage place
56 Name hidden in
“bare necessities”
58 “Como ___
usted?”
59 Mutant heroes of
filmdom
61 “Goodness
gracious!”
62 VJ employer
63 “Honest” prez
HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY MATHIS
THURSDAY, AUGUST 25 Mercury Gets Collaborative
Babies, children and pets remind us that life is about the
moment. Amusements and curiosities abound but we can
miss them if we’re too focused on an agenda. Mercury
slips into Libra, a sign of creative and collaborative days
ahead. This aspect speaks to the value of balancing our
goal with an awareness of the needs and wants of others.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). If all this foolishness
has you tempted to put on a stoic face and just get
through it, you won’t be taking full advantage of the
situation. Have a little fun. Use the confusion like a
magician uses flash-pot powder.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). To advance you must
first to defend your current position. Take stock of your
assets; ask for what you need. Whether you get it or
not, you will work with what’s available and employ the
talents of those around you.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You can relax a bit
because there really is no way to force things to go
faster. You can force, but it will be the same outcome,
so you may as well conserve your energy. It’s simply
unnecessary to exert your will at this juncture.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). Your intuitive powers
are heightened. Act on a whim and you’ll stumble into
success. A friend in need may be a friend indeed,
but tonight’s unexpected delights are the outcome of
focusing on the ones who aren’t in need.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You’re highly motivated
with more than enough energy to get the job done.
Your thoughts and desires will seem to be right in line
with the universal agenda, so the way will be smooth.
Embrace love in its many forms.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Your creativity is
boundless, and this actually makes it more difficult to
finish your work. Lay down some rules for yourself and
all goes better. You’ll produce something that is both
novel and useful.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You’re still not sure how
much to trust someone. Giving faith arbitrarily won’t
make anyone a faithful person; rather, it makes for
foolishness. Trust is really a matter of knowing others so
well you can predict their behavior.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). The others may be
loyal and true, but they’ll never know you as well as
you know yourself. Since you’re the person you have to
spend time with every day, you may as well learn how to
make yourself comfortable and content.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). The things you
surround yourself with are meaningful to you and meant
to be observed and enjoyed -- except when this isn’t the
case at all. You’ll make things nicer by weeding out the
visual distractions.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You’ll honor the
tradition, follow the recipe, conform to the expectation --
and then change it all to your liking. The flourish and twist
will captivate your crowd and keep them coming back.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You may be surprised
at your own words, and perhaps you’ll notice yourself
expressing something you weren’t aware that you felt.
Your awareness of the conflict is fortuitous. You’ll be
rewarded for working through it.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You will thrive in the
in-between moments of unstructured time. Relaxing
your muscles is a way to relax your whole attitude
toward life. Start at the head and breathe out the tension
in each section until you get to your toes.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Aug. 25). Past lessons align
themselves with this fresh era and your work takes off.
Clear about what you want, the way becomes obvious,
and your motivation is built into the plan. More delights:
A holding pattern will finally be broken. You’ll enjoy time
in an environment that’s completely alien to what you’ve
known. Aquarius and Sagittarius adore you. Your lucky
numbers are: 9, 3, 13, 37 and 1.
Universal SUDOKU
SOLUTIONS