UNIVERSAL CROSSWORD
ACROSS
1 Hit the baseball
hard
6 Degree after an
M.A., often 9 Purse fastener 14 Clear, as browser history
Rogers on horseback
Fried Hanukkah treat
*What you may adjust your watch to after a flight
19 Was down
with a bug 20 Pitch black 21 Number of Astros’ World Series titles
(How dare you!) Title for Ian McKellen *Anonymous gift giver 28 Fragrant Chinese
blossom
30 Pony up 31 Pewter metal 32 Red carpet figure 33 Nervous twitch 34 Diplomatic success
*Soda with emojis on its bottles 39 Synagogue
cabinets
42 Down with a bug 43 Verdi opera set
in Egypt
46 Prefix for “political” or “thermal” Single-stranded genetic mol. 48 Crooner Tony 51 *“TRON: Legacy” co-star
“That hits the spot!”
55 Hairy jungle
swingers
56 Made holes 57 Head light? 58 Birth announce
ment bird
59 Alan of Federal Reserve fame, or a hint to the hues that bookend the starred answers
All keyed up Prefix for “service”
“Daily Planet”
15
16
17 22 23
24
35
47
54 61 62
63
reporter Kent 64 Stated further 65 “Gangnam Style”
singer
66 Uses Dollar, say
DOWN
1 Offer an unsold item on eBay again
2 O. Henry plot
devices 3 Hoarder
4 “By Jove!”
5 ___ Aviv 6 Britain’s William
or Harry 7 Simpson who
says “D’oh!” 8 Turn red, maybe 9 Like a gracious
loser
10 Boxer Ali who retired undefeated Georgia’s largest city
Doubting Thomas
___ XING
(street sign) 18 Wing tips’ tips 24 Like a poor loser 25 Grand in scale 26 Food in a shell 27 Little crawler 29 Knocks hard
11
12
13 33 Up to, briefly 34 Icy Hot target 36 ___ colada 37 Cabbage side
dish
38 Bowling alley
division 39 Before now 40 Like brothers
and sisters 41 Zen garden
feature with fish 44 Emotionless
humor type 45 Deep down 47 Gambled
48 Like B.B. King’s
music
49 Small lead 50 “Much obliged!” 52 Limerick, e.g. 53 Elba of “Thor: Ragnarok” Tropical vacation spot
58 Metro stop:
Abbr. 59 Macroeconom
ics stat.
60 Big ATM maker
57
This was my final deal from the 2000 Cavendish Invitational, played in the teams event.
My partner Seymon Deutsch was never a pessimist, and this deal required me to justify his rose-colored spectacles.
I received a club lead to the six and eight, which I won in hand to advance the spade jack, covered all around. A spade back to the king allowed the defense to exit with a third spade. That let me duck a club to East, who returned a heart to the 10 and king.
I cashed the club ace and the fourth club, both defenders pitching diamonds. I then came to hand with the fourth spade. West reduced to doubletons in each red suit, and East was squeezed. If he came down to two hearts and two diamonds, I would have exited with a heart and collected two diamonds in the end. So, East bared his diamond jack, and that let me lead the diamond queen out of my hand to pin the jack and collect two diamond tricks, to make the contract.
On the early heart shift, should West have found the line of taking the ace and returning the suit? That breaks up the endplay: If South wins the fourth spade in hand, he has no heart to exit with, and if he wins the fourth spade in dummy, East can safely come down to just one diamond.
At the other table, two spades collected plus 140, so this led to a decent pickup for the Deutsch team.
IF YOUR BIRTHDAY IS SATURDAY, JANUARY 23, 2021: Make adjustments at home and in your personal life that will bring you joy. Take responsibility for your happiness, and work on spending more time with upbeat people who are just as eager as you to make life better.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Reconnect with an old friend or colleague, and it will give insight into new possibilities. You’ll be able to put the past behind you if you choose to do something that offers mental stimulation. 4 stars
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): If you rush into something prematurely, you’ll have second thoughts. Too much of anything will set you back. You’ll get a better view of what’s going on if you are sensitive to other people’s needs. 3 stars
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Get involved in something that interests you. Do your best to improve your resume or lifestyle. A discussion you have with someone regarding work will give insight into possibilities. 3 stars
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Do what you can to help others, but don’t pay for someone else’s mistake. Offer love, support, innovative suggestions and hands-on help, but not your hard-earned cash. Tell someone you love how you feel. 3 stars
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Ask, and you shall receive. Refuse to let what others do interfere with your plans. Follow your heart. An optimistic attitude will create a stir that will attract people who have something to offer in return. 4 stars
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Put in overtime, and it will ease your mind and allow you to enjoy time with someone you love late in the day. A change of plans will turn out to be to your advantage. Don’t be afraid to make the first move. 2 stars
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Get your responsibilities out of the way, and offer to help a friend or relative. What you do for others will be appreciated. A change you make to the way you live will lead to personal growth. 5 stars
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Emotions will surface when interacting with old friends. Take action, and do your best to make things happen. Your input will be appreciated and will help shape the way personal situations unfold. 3 stars
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Change the way you handle money. Put a budget in place, and consider investments that will keep you from overspending. The less available cash you have on hand, the better. 3 stars
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Revisit the past, and you’ll avoid making the same mistake twice. Look over your options. A unique approach to health, fitness and how you handle your money will bring remarkable results. 3 stars
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Take your time, plan your actions and head in a direction that will satisfy you mentally, physically and financially. Say no to anyone asking for too much and yes to those offering equality. 5 stars
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Don’t make promises you are going to have trouble honoring. Make the changes that are within your financial means. A kind gesture you offer a friend or relative will make a difference. 2 stars