Tuesday Jan 22, 2013 Jeff Stillman

(Note from C.C.: Due to a blog lock-down, we had to move to Ginger Roots blog to review the puzzle. Please click here to see our discussions on this crossword.)



Theme: - The first part of each theme entry phonetically spells out Hamlet's  "To be, or not to be"

18A. *Coffee drinker's complaint : TOO STRONG - Different "To" spelling in 51A.

26. *Direct path : BEELINE - Different "Be" spelling in 57A.

30. *Rowboat attachments : OAR LOCKS -

49A. *Flaw in a fence : KNOTHOLE -

51A. *Quarter : TWO BITS -

57A. *"The Golden Girls" co-star : BEA ARTHUR -

50D. Speaker of the first syllables of the answers to starred clues : HAMLET

Boomer here!  Pinch hitting for Argyle who is under the weather.  It's minus 4 here in the frozen tundra, and January is the month we shed those pounds that were added at Christmas time.  I am here to help.

Across:

1. Manila envelope feature : CLASP - you need to tape these down now so they don't get caught in the postal postmark machine. 

6. Baseball SS's stats : DPs - Dirty plays? - spikes don't fly much any more

9. Web money : E-CASH - Paypal was my first choice.  Too many letters though

14. Old Turkish bigwig : PASHA - The only old Turkey I know about was 3 days after Thanksgiving.

15. Dwarf with glasses : DOC - If you didn't know that, have a salad for lunch.

16. 2009 Panasonic acquisition : SANYO - Electronics from Japan.  Pretty good stuff.

17. "Something to Talk About" singer Bonnie : RAITT - Trouble with this clue?  Skip dessert.

20. Poet's before : ERE

22. Contest for lumberjacks : ROLEO - Call it that if you want.  Paul Bunyan never heard of it.

23. Nova __ : SCOTIA  -  Oh Canada

33. Key of Mozart's Requiem Mass : D MINOR

34. Juneau-to-Ketchikan dir. : SSE - I wonder if it's minus 4 up there tonight.

35. Some sorority women : THETAs. 

37. D.C. baseball team : NATS - The old DC team called themselves the Nationals in the mid 50s, but changed back to the Senators.  Those Senators became the Twins in 1961.  The new Senators expansion team was owned by Bob Short and became the Texas Rangers.  Great that DC has a team again.

38. Frittata base : EGGS - I have no idea what a frittata is.

40. Convent dweller : NUN - And devoted teachers for my sisters and me.

41. Painted Desert formation : MESA

42. Controversial apple spray : ALAR

43. Mexican state bordering Arizona : SONORA - Sounds like something you might hear during a siesta.

45. "Reading Rainbow" network : PBS - If you missed this, take two laps around the nearest mall.  (One lap if Mall of America).

47. Country with six time zones : CANADA - US has 5 or 6.  Not sure about Alaska.

53. Kitchen gadget : BEATER - Birdie with a yellow bill, Hopped upon my window sill, cocked a shining eye and said, "Hey, what did you do when your wife dropped the egg ... beater?"

54. Volleyball venue : BEACH - Or court

56. Street shader : ELM - If you missed this one, go downstairs and pedal four miles on that stationary bike. (Dust off the seat first).

61. Crème de la crème : ELITE - if internet $$$ is ECASH, then why isn't ELITE internet beer?  Just askin'

65. Big name in bars : CLARK - Superman's first name too.

66. "Do __ favor ..." : ME A

67. Lucky roll, usually : SEVEN - If you've ever played at the craps table, the seven is only good on the come out (first roll).  After that, it is not very lucky.

68. Teacher's group : CLASS _ trouble with this?  Do you have a treadmill?

69. Like a single shoe : ODD - I think I might have clued "Roulette bet".

70. Flair : STYLE

Down:

1. EMT's skill : CPR - have shredded wheat for breakfast and you may never need CPR.

2. Anaheim team, on scoreboards : LAA - Now known as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, how will they ever lose with Pujols, Trout, Weaver, and all.

3. "Take me __ am" : AS I

4. "Fiddler on the Roof" village : SHTETL - I saw that play, sure don't remember this anagram.

5. Hale and Revere, notably : PATRIOTS - Not Tom Brady?

6. EPA-banned pesticide : DDT

7. Not up to snuff : POOR

8. Shaggy's dog, to Shaggy : SCOOB - Scooby Doo - the animated Great Dane of Saturday AM TV.

9. Regard : ESTEEM - Not ESTEAM, which is internet water vapor.

10. "Sweet" woman in a Neil Diamond title : CAROLINE  

11. Yucatán year : ANO

12. Thesaurus entry: Abbr. : SYN

13. Sty dweller : HOG - Could have been PIG.  Hope you got the across clues first.

19. Winter transports : SLEDS - I Spent many hours sledding.  Now they just seem to have plastic saucers.

21. Individually : EACH - Trouble here?  Back to the Mall for a lap.  You may stop to buy running shoes, but stay out of the food court.

23. Urgent call at sea : SOS - Save Our Ship

24. Source of legal precedents : CASE LAW - Kind of makes you wonder how the first case was decided.

25. Tomato sauce herb : OREGANO - If this makes you think of Pizza or Spaghetti, get back on the bike until the thought goes away.

27. Up the creek : IN A SPOT

28. Distinguished : NOTABLE - It's notable that this also spells NOT ABLE which describes me trying to do crossword puzzles.

29. Stalling-for-time syllables : ERs - Uh, Like, you know, I mean, ER

31. Numbers game with 80 balls : KENO - You can win big bucks with a small bet.  But the odds are similar to Powerball.

32. Was so not worth seeing, as a movie : STUNK - Also describes me trying to do crossword puzzles.

36. Like many quotes: Abbr. : ANON

39. Safety rods in shower stalls : GRAB BARS

41. Without a partner : MATELESS - That was the card that ended up being the Old Maid.

42. Comic's routine : ACT - I suppose, but it could be a GIG.

43. Occupied, as a desk : SAT AT

44. Harry Potter costume : ROBE - I am too old for Harry, but the kids sure loved him.

46. Sun. delivery : SER - I guess this is short for SERMON.  Sometimes I wish the Sermons were shorter.

48. Country music star __ Bentley : DIERKS

52. Chowderhead : SCHMO - Shep and Moe were two of the Three Stooges.  Schmo must be their hybrid.

55. Shaded : HUED

57. Secretly keep in the email loop, briefly : BCC

58. Pipe bend : ELL - Slam dunk - ten jumping jacks

59. Battery type : AAA - Another EZ answer.  ten pushups

60. "Far out!" : RAD - Wow, no one has talked like that since the 60s.

62. Columbia, for one : IVY - Ivy league.  I might have clued Wrigley Wall covering.

63. Bus. card letters : TEL

64. Acetyl ending : ENE

Thanks for visiting.  Hope those jeans fit.

Boomer

Notes from C.C.:

1) Happy 67th Birthday to our talented constructor John Lampkin, who elevates every of his grids into an art. When I first started constructing in 2010, I asked John various questions on the blog. He was always very generous and patient with his explanations. Thank you, John. You don't know how much you helped me!

Lemonade & John Lampkin, March 21, 2012

2) Happy 81st Birthday to dear Marge! Hope you've recovered from the fall.