CROSSWORDS

ACROSS 1 “It __ Very Good

Year”; Sinatra hit 5 Wander away 10 Current letters 14 Prayer closing 15 Thin pancake 16 __ market; swap meet 17 Olympian’s goal 18 Crushing anguish 20 __ out a living; get by 21 __ to be; come across as 22 Soldier’s gun 23 Studies all night 25 Apple computer 26 Sierra Club’s concern 28 Opponents 31 Accused person’s defense 32 Stringed instrument 34 Tiny folklore fellow 36 Ruse 37 Gruesome 38 __ on; urge forward 39 Stealing or coveting 40 Exposed 41 Smithy’s furnace

Created by Jacqueline E. Mathews

42 Flee 44 Not at all boastful 45 Capone & others 46 Fragrant flower 47 Gets hurt on ice 50 Predicament 51 “The __”;

Boston’s nickname 54 Clavicle 57 Occurring seldom 58 Suffix for bear or tax 59 Might 60 Ginormous 61 Majority 62 Shapes

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63 Tip jar bills

DOWN 1 __ war; go to battle 2 Run __; go wild 3 Choices 4 “Pomp __

Circumstance” 5 Underhanded plan 6 Kilmer’s famous poem 7 Enlarge a hole 8 Calendar pg. 9 However 10 Chad’s place 11 Treble __; musical symbol 12 Pass out cards 13 Dessert choice 19 “Good job!” 21 Indira’s garb 24 Red gem 25 Obey 26 Short rests 27 TV’s “Kate & __” 28 Bug’s nemesis 29 Irish sprite 30 Garden pests 32 As __ as the driven snow 33 Outrage 35 Worry 37 Drinks like

Rover 38 __ pop; soft drink 40 Good wood for rafts 41 Pleat 43 Pill form 44 Seven Dwarfs, by trade 46 __ up; formed a queue 47 Ponzi scheme 48 Gray wolf 49 Trials & tribulations 50 Cereal dish 52 Implore 53 Buzzers 55 33 1/3, for a record album 56 Bronx cheer 57 Sorority letter

ACROSS 1 __ Alamos, NM 4 Cheese variety 9 Curtsies 13 Texas __; univ. in Lubbock 14 Permissible 15 Way out 16 Carve letters 17 Worldwide 19 Remote control battery, often 20 Nourishes 21 Refresh 22 Omits 24 “That’s funny!” for short 25 Telemarketers’ talks 27 Frank 30 Marry secretly 31 Bit of parsley 33 Capture 35 Rave’s partner, in phrase 36 Romero or

Chavez 37 Greek salad ingredient 38 “Not __ long shot!” 39 Take as the rightful owner 40 Allergic reaction 41 Zigzag skiing 43 Shade of red 44 Downcast 45 Wild animal 46 Deep gorge 49 Fit for a king 51 As white __ ghost 54 Beneficiaries 56 Be adjacent to 57 Lode discoveries 58 Wall recess 59 Escape 60 Mae or Adam 61 Pants parts 62 One of the

Kennedys

DOWN 1 “__ Smile Be

Your Umbrella”

Created by Jacqueline E. Mathews 7/30/21

©2021 Tribune Content Agency, LLC All Rights Reserved. 7/30/21

2 Infrequent 3 Request for silence 4 Snoozes 5 Ava, Mia & others, for

Sinatra 6 Frosted 7 Gentlemen 8 Eyelid swelling 9 Looked at 10 Plow pullers 11 Telegram 12 Crock-Pot meal, perhaps 13 Soothing drink 18 Incorrect 20 Smoothing tool 23 Held on to 24 Lion’s quarters 25 Belgrade native 26 Broadway shows 27 Stuff in 28 Sure to happen 29 Small fruits 31 __ ripper; tailor’s tool 32 Fraternity letter 34 Pedestal part 36 Clumsy yokel 37 Forest trees 39 Surgical tool 40 Make well 42 Lend a hand to 43 Stops 45 __ way; incidentally 46 Cornfield pest 47 Roll call response 48 King toppers 49 Harness strap 50 “__ upon a time…” 52 Dragged into court 53 Feasted on 55 Pen contents 56 Toward a plane’s tail

ACROSS 1 Unpleasant spouse 4 Nitwits 9 Clown around 13 Ending for who or what 15 Chris with a racket 16 “__ Breaky

Heart” 17 Merlot or

Chianti 18 Turning engine part 19 Facial feature 20 Bold criminal 22 Only 23 Petting zoo animal 24 __ down; reclined 26 Blood clot danger 29 Giant’s characteristic 34 Long-legged bird 35 Bridge & badminton 36 __ double take; look twice 37 Bug spray 38 Actress Eva 39 Lancelot or

Galahad 40 Everyone 41 Simon &

Newman 42 Looks toward

Created by Jacqueline E. Mathews

43 Good enough 45 Like snowy weather 46 Aide to Santa 47 Feral 48 Divan 51 Make fancier 56 TV’s “My Name

Is __” 57 Dinner course 58 Person, place or thing 60 Biblical pronoun 61 Treasure cache 62 Very excited 63 Took legal action 64 Seamstress 65 Essential;

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©2021 Tribune Content Agency, LLC All Rights Reserved. 7/31/21

crucial

DOWN 1 State-of-the-art 2 Gung ho 3 Man’s nickname 4 Calm 5 Off-white color 6 “…to St. Ives, I __ man…” 7 Nudge 8 Baby transport 9 Actress Smith 10 Reverberate 11 Leg part 12 Tim Daly’s sis 14 Answer 21 __ fun at; ridicule 25 Gore & others 26 Leftover piece 27 Refrain syllables 28 Train tracks 29 Board game players’ need 30 Biblical book 31 Royal decree 32 More resentful 33 Impudent 35 France’s region, once 38 Chatty get- togethers 39 Making planks smooth 41 Chum 42 __-in; substitute 44 Factory __; in an unopened package 45 Actor Gene 47 Use a loom 48 __ up; arranges 49 Setting for

“Magnum P.I.” 50 Unrestrained 52 Actress

Winningham 53 Hard hit 54 Enjoy a long bath 55 Gigantic 59 Certain vote

Dear Annie Written by Annie Lane

Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com. To find out more about Annie Lane, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Dear Annie: I am in my late 60s, and my boyfriend, "Mark," is in his early 70s. We have been living together in my house for a year and a half. We're both divorced and have adult children from our previous marriages. Mark communicates daily with all five children via phone calls and text messages. My problem is that he's also regularly in contact with his ex-wife, who lives in the same town as us. They talk at least once a week via phone call or text, usually when I'm not around. Mark always tells me about it. They've been divorced for many, many years, and it bothers me that they talk so often.

I've asked him what they have to discuss; he says that it's always about the children. But he's also shared that she tells him about trips she's going on and things like that.

She lives with a boyfriend, too, so she is not alone, and she also talks to all their children daily. So, I don't know what she needs from Mark. I guess I just find myself wondering, why do she and Mark have to communicate every week behind my back? Should I continue to give him his privacy? Am I being overly sensitive? Should they maybe talk on the phone or text in front of me instead? Because what bugs me is that it seems so secretive. I share everything with him. I tried suggesting that he limit his contact with his ex to just emergencies and matters regarding their kids, but he got upset. Should I let it go? -- Vexed By the Ex Texts Dear VBTET: In a word, yes. It sounds like he and his ex-wife are friends, and he probably talks to her when you're not around because he worries you'll get upset. He might be more open about it if you adopt a more accepting attitude toward their friendship. When you find yourself feeling insecure, gently bring your attention back to the facts: No. 1: He and his ex have been divorced for decades, and if they wanted to get back together, they would have done so a while ago.

No. 2: It's not a bad thing that he is friendly with the mother of his children. In fact, that's a great sign.

No. 3: You and he are in a committed, loving relationship and share a home together.

I know it's easier said than done, but it will get a little easier with the doing. Who knows -- you might end up befriending her, too.

Dear Annie: I recently referred a friend to another friend for a freelance web design job for a huge company. She got the job and just finished, and although I never told her I'd appreciate a referral fee for having introduced her to the opportunity, it would have been nice. I learned of another opportunity for this friend, but I'd like her to acknowledge that I recommended her. How do I kindly ask this friend for referral fees, for both this new job and the last one? -- Middlewoman

Dear Middle: You don't. As far as I'm concerned, friends help friends, and they don't charge commission. However, if I hear compelling testimony otherwise, I'll be sure to print it here.

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10 DAYS S&P 500 Close: 4,400.64 Change: -0.82 (flat)

F M A M J J 35,160 34,440 33,720 36,000 35,000 34,000 33,000 32,000 31,000 30,000 29,000

10 DAYS Dow Jones industrials Close: 34,930.93 Change: -127.59 (-0.4%)

F M A M J J

StocksRecap

NYSE N ASD

Vol. (in mil.) 3,835 Pvs. Volume 3,803 Advanced 1604 Declined 859 New Highs 98 New Lows 13 3,841 3,991 2535 768 55 54

HIGH LOW CLOSE CHG. %CHG. WK MO QTR YTD

DOW 35,116.37 34,876.84 34,930.93 -127.59 -0.36% s s s +14.13% DOW Trans. 14,502.54 14,230.45 14,359.80 -86.76 -0.60% t t t +14.81% DOW Util. 922.35 908.81 915.79 -5.15 -0.56% s s s +5.92% NYSE Comp. 16,628.94 16,490.65 16,573.56 +52.60 +0.32% s s s +14.11% NASDAQ 14,798.88 14,645.63 14,762.58 +102.01 +0.70% s s s +14.54% S&P 500 4,415.39 4,387.01 4,400.64 -0.82 -0.02% s s s +17.16% S&P 400 2,694.01 2,645.48 2,679.71 +19.13 +0.72% s t t +16.17% Wilshire 5000 45,989.47 45,695.08 45,830.74 +86.49 +0.19% s s s +16.15% Russell 2000 2,237.04 2,190.66 2,224.96 +33.13 +1.51% t t t +12.66%

The big toy squeeze

Heading into the second half of the year, the nation’s two biggest toy companies are navigating port congestions and other supply network issues as they keep pace with strong consumer demand for their products.

Mattel Inc. reported late Tuesday a 40% increase in revenue for the second quarter while Hasbro reported a 54% increase on Monday.

The strong reports come as U.S. toy industry sales increased 27% between January and April this year, compared with the year-ago period, says NPD Group Inc., a market research firm.

But like many companies, toy makers are scrambling to stock their stores with goods as shoppers go back to buying.

Many factories were closed in China when orders were cancelled, and it’s been hard for them to start up again. Outbreaks of the virus have also occurred in key manufacturing regions of China. Meanwhile, there have been port congestions and freight line constraints. The toy industry, in particular, has lot at stake. Most toys are produced in China, and companies are even more reliant on the fourth quarter, with up to 50% of their annual sales coming from the holiday season.

Outdoor & sports toys Games/puzzles Dolls Infant -- preschool toys Building sets Explorative & other toys Action figures & acc. Plush Vehicles Arts & crafts Youth electronics

Source: NPD Group 0 0.4 0.8 Jan. – Apr. Toy sales in U.S.

1.2 $1.6 billion

Anne D’Innocenzio; Jenni Sohn • AP