Sunday March 20, 2022 Ed Sessa

Theme: "Freakonomics!" - Each economic term is humorously rephrased as if it's a dreaded term for the person in the clue.

23A. "Surgeon freaks out over higher __!": OPERATING COSTS.

36A. "Cattle rancher freaks out over __!": STOCK MARKET DIP.

56A. "Landscaper freaks out over cut back __"!: HEDGE FUND.

78A. "Shrimper captain freaks out over __!": NET LOSSES.

93. "Restaurant owner freaks out over __!": CONSUMPTION TAX.

112. "Car rental agency franchisee freaks out over __!": BUDGET DEFICITS.

17D. "Balloonist freaks out over __!": HYPERINFLATION.

49D. "Electrician freaks out over drop in his __!": CURRENT ACCOUNT.

What a great title! 

I love 36A, 112A and 17D the best as they're really economic problems.

Ed gave us another low 140-word grid, with only 69 black squares. I always need a 144-word grid with 76 or 78 squares to make a Sunday puzzle.

Across:

1. Big do: SHINDIG.

8. Attacks: SETS AT.

14. Discusses, with "out": HASHES.

20. Traditional Eastern garments: KIMONOS. You can rent a kimono in Tokyo. Hi there, MitziMouse!

21. Arch support: INSOLE.

22. 1974 Top 10 Ringo Starr hit: OH MY MY.

25. Dish out messily, as goulash: SLOP ON. We have rotini, corn and Ragu sauce for our goulash.

26. Email clutter: SPAM.

27. Nerve cell transmitter: AXON.

28. Bring comfort to: SOOTHE.

30. Jared of "Fight Club": LETO. You won't find him in a USA Today crossword.

 31. Luv: HON.

32. TV Drs. Isles and Quincy: MES. OK, Medical Examiners.

34. Build-it-yourself furniture chain: IKEA.

35. Scott in an 1857 case: DRED. Dred Scott v. Sandford,

43. Estate planning list: HEIRS.

44. White option, briefly: CHARD. Chardonnay

45. "__ go down to the seas again": Masefield: I MUST.

46. Put on notice: WARN.

47. Ones at home on the range: ARCHERS. Archery range.

50. Stock seller, often: BEAR.

51. Hesitant sounds: UMS.

52. Vaccine safety agcy.: FDA. Xi'an has a few new COVID cases again. Andy lives in the 7th floor. The guy on the 4th floor came into contact with a known COVID case, then government sealed his house from outside. He's quarantining inside.

55. It may accompany vertigo: NAUSEA.

59. Open, as an envelope: SLIT.

60. Write "mispell," e.g.: ERR.

61. Hard-to-move type: STOIC. No one is more stoic than Seneca. 

 63. Hawks: SELLS.

64. Popeye's stop: AVAST.

65. Country singer Haggard: MERLE.

67. Mekong River land: LAOS.

69. Grammy, alternatively: NANA. It's "nai nai" in Chinese.

70. All, in scores: TUTTI.

71. Curved moldings: OGEES.

72. Ski resort near Montpelier: STOWE.

74. "Let me sleep on it": MAYBE.

76. Dr. Seuss' Sam-__: I AM.

77. Billionth: Pref.: NANO.

80. Punk rock's Joey or Dee Dee: RAMONE.

82. No. on a landscaper's doc: EST. Our association is polling on whether we want new driveways. Pretty expensive, but our driveways are so bad.

83. Came out on top: WON.

84. Newspaper stand?: OP-ED. Fresh clue.

85. Some fictional turtles: MUTANTS.  "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"

86. Name in early Genesis chapters: ADAM.

88. Auricle, in anatomy: PINNA. We had this before.

90. Sombrero wearer's title, often: SENOR.

91. Breakfast strips: BACON.

97. Aunties' mates: UNCS.

98. Card relative?: RIOT.

99. NBA great Ming: YAO. Now the head of the Chinese Basketball Association.

100. La-la preceder: TRA.

102. New Mexico art colony: TAOS.

103. Julie with multiple Tonys and Emmys: HARRIS.

106. TriBeCa neighbor: SOHO.

109. How many ER orders are given: STAT.

110. Perceptiveness: ACUITY.

115. Common workday starting hr.: NINE AM.

116. "Swan Lake" heroine: ODETTE. The white swan

117. Longtime "General Hospital" actress: ANNA LEE.

118. Major course: ENTREE.

119. Affirmatives: YESSES. There are 64 households in our association. They need 35 Yeses for the new driveway proposal.

120. Taco truck fare: TOSTADA.

Down:

2. "Hungry, hungry" game beasts: HIPPOS.

3. "Let me clarify ... ": I MEANT.

4. It's not unusual: NORM.

5. __ kit: DNA.

6. Itty bit: IOTA.

7. Unofficial EU leaders group: G SIX. France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the UK, which left EU. Now it's just G5.

8. Bottom-line name: SIGNER.

9. Letter abbr.: ENC.

10. General __ chicken: TSO'S.

11. Just okay: SO SO.

12. Tin mints: ALTOIDS.

13. Radon detection aid: TEST KIT.

14. Book before Joel: HOSEA.

15. Minor league rink org.: AHL. The American Hockey League. Iowa Wild is the minor league for our Minnesota Wild. I don't think they won the Calder Cup all these years.
 
16. Burn sans flames: SMOLDER.

18. Stage attention-getter: EMOTER.

19. Church councils: SYNODS.

24. Bedouin, e.g.: NOMAD.

29. With it, old-style: HEP.

33. Tackled moguls: SKIED. Eileen Gu has become an icon in China.

37. Folk legend Phil: OCHS.

38. Cocktail hour array: CHEESES.

39. Gold measure: KARAT.

40. Woolf's "__ Dalloway": MRS.

41. Salon and Slate: E-MAGS.

42. Large serving bowl: TUREEN. Pretty.

43. Is down with: HAS.

46. Subj. of arms negotiations: WMD.

47. Buttercup relative: ANEMONE.

48. Krypton, for one: RARE GAS.

50. Chill: BE COOL.

51. Retract: UNSAY.

53. A long ways off: DISTANT.

54. Now and then: AT TIMES.

56. "Perfectly Good Guitar" singer John: HIATT. Not a familiar name to me.

57. Attacked via email: FLAMED.

58. Arm bones: ULNAS.

59. "Law & Order: __": SVU.

62. Daily Planet name: OLSEN. Jimmy.

64. Gorged oneself: ATE A TON. Boomer does not snack during Lent.

66. Sign of summer: LEO.

68. Passes out: SWOONS.

73. College sports airer: ESPNU.

75. Netflix title puggle dog: BRUNO.

78. __ de guerre: alias: NOM.

79. Morally repugnant: SEAMY.

81. Trade center: MART.

83. Sickly looking: WAN.

85. Travis Tritt's "Tell __ Was Dreaming": ME I.

87. FBI file: DOSSIER.

88. Original name of a classic NOLA sandwich: POORBOY. I've yet to try a po' boy.

89. Offer an unwelcome opinion, maybe: INTRUDE.

90. Left one's seat: STOOD.

91. Lighter fluid: BUTANE.

92. Pain relief brand: ANACIN.

93. "Argo" spy org.: CIA.

94. Cuts partner: PASTES.

95. Fifth-century enemy of Rome: ATTILA. The Hun.

96. Explicit, in a way: X-RATED.

98. What's done for fun?: RHYME. Great fun clue.

101. On the briny: AT SEA.

104. Dire day for Caesar: IDES.

105. Pepper et al.: Abbr.: SGTS.

107. Pressure: HEAT.

108. __ consequence: OF NO.

109. "Beat it!": SCAT.

111. __ Bo: TAE.

113. Paris Jazz Festival saison: ETE. It's held in June-July.

114. Seat holders: INS.

We had a light week. Only PT and OT at the VA hospital in Minneapolis. Then we attended the Benilde-St. Margaret's bowling party in St. Louis Park. The school now names the bowling Coach's Award as the Burnikel Award. We were so moved by their gesture. He's has been coaching the kids for 9 years.

Boomer is going to have a blood draw tomorrow, then we're going to talk with Dr. Downs on Tuesday, then Boomer will have his third chemo on Thursday.  

C.C.