Theme: MIDDLE EAST (57. Arabian Peninsula region, and what 16-, 20-, 36- and 50-Across literally have) - EAST spans across each theme answer.
16. Sellers of build-it-yourself furniture: IKEA STORES.
20. Mets' home before Citi Field: SHEA STADIUM.
36. Five-armed ocean creature: SEA STAR.
50. Leaves-catching brewing sieve: TEA STRAINER.
Boomer here.
East is east, and west is west. My friend Matt McNeil headed east to Detroit for the World Series of Bowling. He struggled a bit, leaving too many 7 pins, (Matt is a lefty) but managed to finish fourth in the Cheetah preliminary, and third in the big final tournament. I am sure he cashed a couple of decent checks and made a good name for Minnesota.
East is east, and west is west. My friend Matt McNeil headed east to Detroit for the World Series of Bowling. He struggled a bit, leaving too many 7 pins, (Matt is a lefty) but managed to finish fourth in the Cheetah preliminary, and third in the big final tournament. I am sure he cashed a couple of decent checks and made a good name for Minnesota.
Across:
1. Super bargain: STEAL.
Reminds me that MLB starts this Thursday and we have Byron Buxton. I
think he can steal a lot of bases if only he can figure out how to get
on first, first.
6. Effective on: AS OF.
10. Ed.'s backlog: MSS.
13. Bisect: HALVE. I remember as a kid we had to TRISECT a Three Musketeers bar.
14. "Good Morning America" co-anchor Spencer: LARA.
15. Boarding site: GATE. I'm not sure if I would show up if a Boeing 737 Max was at the gate.
18. Mythical monster: OGRE.
19. Delt neighbor: PEC. Could be a personal electronic computer
22. Enemies: FOES. Between Threes and fives.
23. Puts up, as a skyscraper: ERECTS. Yup, I had an erector set when I was a kid also. LEGO had not been invented yet.
24. Climate-affecting Pacific current: EL NINO.
I think I have mentioned that I once had a Storm El Nino bowling ball.
It may still be in the garage in my used bowling ball cemetery.
27. Citrus-flavored soda, on its labels: MTN DEW. Never liked it much. I prefer Diet Pepsi.
29. Minnesota's state bird: LOON. I've seen many of these birds on the lake. They emit a goofy call sound.
30. Final Four org.: NCAA.
All over the TV networks this week. It will become more focused as 68
teams become "Sweet Sixteen" survivors. My Gophers bowed out after
making it to the round of 32. It was not much of a contest, One of our
best players could only last 4 minutes due to injury, but that's no
excuse. Michigan State proved why some teams are seeded 2 and others
are 10. But the Gophers have some very good underclassmen coming back.
See you next year, Sweet Sixteen.
32. Eye-boggling work: OP-ART. Look closely and you might see a hawk eating a chicken.
35. __-di-dah: pretentious: LAH. Hey - A - A, Good by
38. ''I'll pass'': NAH. I am Naht sure if this is a word.
39. Decree: EDICT.
41. Wander about: ROAM. Anywhere I roam, where I lay my head is home.
42. Warehouse gds.: MDSE.
43. East Asian home of Acer and Asus: TAIWAN. When I worked Pizza, we used to get mushrooms from Taiwan. Silly me, I thought that Taiwan was China.
45. Like partly melted snow: SLUSHY. I think you can get these at 7-11.
47. Merkel of Germany: ANGELA.
49. Molecule component: ATOM. We have A Tom participating on this blog. Actually two of them.
53. Drag to court: SUE. My name is SUE, How do you do. - Johnny Cash, "A boy named Sue".
56. Witty Bombeck: ERMA. Fascinating lady whose column appeared in nearly every paper that had a crossword puzzle. Sadly left us in 1996.
59. Done with: OVER.
Airline pilot "Captain Oveur" in "Airplane" played by Peter Graves.
Peter Graves was born in Minneapolis and was the younger brother of
James "Matt Dillon" Arness.
60. Falco of "Nurse Jackie": EDIE. Wife of Mr. Lou Grant of Mary Tyler Moore Show fame.
61. Wheel connectors: AXLES.
62. Mario Bros. console: NES.
Of course I had a Nintendo. The Mario Brothers drove me nuts and then
along came the "Adventures of Link." Don't lie if you ever had one.
63. Ruby and scarlet: REDS. I would have clued: "Pete Rose and Johnny Bench, for two".
64. Suspicious (of): LEERY.
Down:
1. Cruise vessel: SHIP. "We sail the ocean blue, in our saucy ship of beauty." Gilbert and Sullivan - HMS Pinafore.
2. Box office income: TAKE. Sports venues hardly have box offices any more. Seems you buy your ticket online, and pay with your smart cellphone.
3. Monthly util. bill: ELEC.
4. "Selma" director DuVernay: AVA. Or Ms. Gardner
5. Classroom session: LESSON. Some teachers used to teach a lesson with a paddle.
6. Soothing medicinal plants: ALOES. I think Alexander G. Bell wanted everyone to answer the phone "Hoy Hoy"
7. __ Lee cakes: SARA. "Everybody doesn't like something, but nobody doesn't like Sara Lee."
8. Mine extractions: ORES. Minnesota has a large industry of taconite mining. Taconite is a low grade iron ore.
9. Make secure, as a seat belt: FASTEN. Hard to believe, when I got my driver's license, no cars even had seat belts.
10. "Presto!" sticks: MAGIC WANDS. We did not have magic wands either, We had to go to Andy's gang and "plunk our magic twanger"
11. Peacock's gait: STRUT.
12. Appears to be: SEEMS. Things are seldom what they seem. Skim milk masquerades as cream.
15. Try for a long pass, in football lingo: GO DEEP.
17. Romantic ideal: THE ONE.
21. Fervent feeling: ARDOR.
22. Dolphin feature: FIN. Also a detective on "Law and Order SVU"
24. Vogue competitor: ELLE.
25. Laundry batch: LOAD. "Fry up another batch of bullheads Muriel - Here comes another load of voters" - Hubert Humphrey.
26. Pitching masterpieces: NO-HIT GAMES.
Clay Buchholz tossed a no hitter for Boston in his second MLB start. I
think he was guest of Dustin Johnson at the Valspar golf tourney this
weekend.
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27. Bricklayer: MASON.
28. "Ciao!": TA TA. No, my sister still ends here emails with CIAO. (she told me she does not do crosswords, only Sudoku.)
31. Irene of "Fame": CARA.
33. Poison ivy symptom: RASH. There's a PBA bowler named Sean Rash. He created some issues early in his career and other pros nicknamed him "Diaper".
34. Rock music's __ Might Be Giants: THEY. Brandon Belt and Buster Posey might be Giants too.
36. Prop for a clown: STILT. I've walked on stilts when I was young. Not any more, now I am lucky if my legs are working.
37. Dutch beer brand: AMSTEL.
40. Ides of March victim: CAESAR. How many croutons did you have on your salad Caesar ?? Et tu
42. Tight-lipped: MUM.
44. Not as cold: WARMER.
We are getting there here in Minnesota. First days of Spring are
producing mid-to- high 40s. People in the know are saying the melting of
snow is moderate and could prohibit serious flooding. I don't know
about that. The snow piles are pretty huge. I wish safety to those who
may live in a flood plain.
46. Parent of Maybelline: LOREAL.
47. Used, as china: ATE ON. Did you ever go to McDonald's and eat on your lap??
48. Chutzpah: NERVE.
49. South American mountain range: ANDES.
Jorge, a bowling and golf friend of mine is from Chile. The Andes
mountain range to the east is just in the way. Chile is a very
versatile country on the Pacific coast
 |
| C.C. & Jorge, 7/7/2012 |
51. Staff assistant: AIDE.
52. "Look what __!": "Yay me!": I DID. You can holler this when you finish this puzzle.
53. Bargain hunter's delight: SALE. Major League baseball again, Pitcher Chris of the Red Sox.
54. App downloader: USER.
55. Site for handmade art: ETSY.
58. Application file suffix: EXE.
Boomer
Note from C.C.:
Mike Alpern, the host of the Cru Dinner, kindly sent me this picture of him and our Jeffrey Wechsler at the ACPT. You can also read Deb Amlen's article here about the tournament and the Cru Dinner. Rookies all received a free copy of signed crossword book. I'll link Mike's photo album when they become available.
Mike Alpern, the host of the Cru Dinner, kindly sent me this picture of him and our Jeffrey Wechsler at the ACPT. You can also read Deb Amlen's article here about the tournament and the Cru Dinner. Rookies all received a free copy of signed crossword book. I'll link Mike's photo album when they become available.
A wizard there was from TAIWAN
ReplyDeleteCrawled the taverns to tie one on.
His MAGIC WAND was his light
As he ROAMED thru the night,
Till the battery died and his wand went wan!
If "I DID IT" you want to crow
I know just the place you can go!
It's not the Jumble,
Won't make you feel humble,
Click here, and then let us know!
Good morning yous guys.
ReplyDeleteHappy Monday with an easy CW from C.C. Thank you madam.
Pair her fun with Boomer's witty review, and my week is off to a good start.
The University of Kentucky has made it to the Sweet Sixteen.
Friday, March 29
Midwest: No. 2 Kentucky vs. No. 3 Houston, 9:59 p.m.* (TBS)
*start time is approximate, following earlier game
Go Big Blue!
Ðave
Another Burnikel doubleheader to begin the work week. Always appreciated! I bet Boomer is not the only one n that household ready for the baseball season to start on Wednesday.
ReplyDeleteThe only slowdowns were caused by me, putting in instead of AVA . Not a single upset in the NCAA yesterday, though my youngest's alma mater gave DUKE more than they wanted before missing two last-second makeable shots.
Thank you for the puzzle and the picture of the ACPT and Boomer for the tour through your mind field.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteWent through this one so fast that I missed a whole slew of already-filled-in clue/answers. No Wite-Out required. Looked sideways at TEAST RAINER before the penny dropped. Only noticed the theme after the reveal. Thanx, C.C. Very droll, Boomer.
Great day comming up. ! Frosty now but the sun will fix that .
ReplyDeleteNo big hang ups but what is ETSY?
Also I suppose MSS is Manuscripts?
Cheers
Good Morning.
ReplyDeleteA perfect start to the week with wit and wisdom from the Burnikel household. My fave today was the C & A for TEA STRAINER. I was really stuck there and really had to work the SW corner. I read RAINER as Ranier and knew that only Mount would work, especially since the T was in place for MounT. I needed one of those giant V-8 cans, but I think they only use bottles for the 32 ozs.
Thank you C.C. and Boomer.
BEAUTIFUL sunrise today. Not the red sky in the morning warning, but amazing pastels and fast moving clouds picking up the colors. What a joy! Have a wonderful day.
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteNo problems today. Top to bottom solve. Had the first two long across fills in and saw the EAST and wondered if that would be today's theme. 57a, MIDDLE EAST confirmed it. Went ahead and pre-filled part of SEA STAR. Favorite clue and fill was for 17d; THE ONE. (once I parsed it correctly.)
Didn't know MTN DEW was abbreviated that way. One of our bridge group drinks only that.
Have a great day.
Good Morning, Boomer and friends. Fun Monday puzzle. After getting the MIDDLE EAST, it was easy to fill the other theme answers. I had a bit of a stumble in New England. I wanted my Boarding Site to be a Dock, and not being familiar with football terms, GO DEEP didn't come immediately.
ReplyDeleteStar Fish is more common to me than SEA STAR, but that didn't hold me up too much.
Strong rain storms are predicted to pass through today.
QOD: Discussion is an exchange of knowledge; an argument is an exchange of ignorance. ~ Robert Quillen (Mar. 25, 1887 ~ Dec. 9, 1948), American journalist and humorist
In my house the phone is answered with "Halo. Statue?"
ReplyDeleteCC I enjoyed your collaboration with Stephanie Kim this morning on the Universal Crossword, well done!
ReplyDeleteMarvellous Monday. Thanks for the fun, C.C. and Boomer.
ReplyDeleteI DID it in good Monday time with nary an inkblot. I did have a few pauses - why does IKEA have ten squares?, is it Ness or OGRE, itch or RASH?, what kind of a STAR is that ocean creature? (LAH and NAH bracketing SEASTAR was cute.)
Did you all spell CAESAR properly after my comment last week?
I smiled when I got here to see that this was a C.C. creation. Of course, we have baseball with STEAL, SHEA STADIUM, NO HITTER, but also football (GO DEEP), and basketball (NCAA). Plus her home state of Minnesota. (The LOON is also the official bird of Ontario.)
I have several types of TEA STRAINERS (ball, spoon, cup) used when I have tea leaves instead of RED Rose.
Have you seen the video of the cruise SHIP and helicopter rescues off the coast of Norway? I'll try to link later when I am on my Acer not my iPad. That might make people LEERY of booking a cruise.
We are still SLUSHY and not much WARMER than the freezing point today. But the sunshine is encouraging. I'm afraid that I rarely arise early enough to see the beautiful sunrise that MadeD was describing.
Enjoy the day and say "I'm worth it" (L'OREAL slogan).
Darn autocorrect - that was MadameD describing the sunrise!
ReplyDeleteOas- yes MSS is short for Manuscripts. ETSY is an online site where people can sell their handcrafts. You can find some very unique items.
Musings
ReplyDelete-A wonderful start of the week with the word firm of Burnikel and Burnikel
-How IKEA makes you a furniture maker
-STEAL anagrams the gimmick
-I thought of calling the Burnikels when we were delayed at an MSP GATE
-Wealthy kids had ERECTOR sets, I had Lincoln Logs
-Betting greatly enhances interest in the NCAA tourney and NFL games
-ANGELA has a hard G just like Georg in Sound of Music
-People should have been more LEERY of building on/near rivers here
-It seems Cruise SHIPS have big problems very frequently recently
-The LESSON for me to teach today doth use a Romeo and Juliet DVD. Last month she was doing CAESAR
-Peacocks (and peahens) STRUT free at Omaha’s Zoo
-A bad shot in basketball is called a “brick”. Bad shooters are therefore called bricklayers
Husker, I think the kids at George Mason started that.
ReplyDeleteHusker- How is STEAL an anagram of EAST?
ReplyDeleteTALES, LEAST, STALE, SLATE, TEALS, TESLA, yes, but not EAST.
It's a lot of fun, but can be a pain in the neck to love anagrams. A pain because so often while reading you're creating an anagram of the words that appear. Draws your attention away.
Sorry for this guys... GO DEEP... DOG PEE
ReplyDeleteWonderful Monday puzzle from C.C. and Boomer added his usual artistry to the expo. BTW, Boomer, do you get to review C.C.'s puzzles before she submits them to the newspapers?
I had a few erasures (electronic ones) today, but it didn't slow me down too much. I had DORM as a boarding site before the down clues changed it to GATE. I also wanted STARFISH but it was too long, so it had to be SEASTAR.
I didn't see the theme because I had finished the puzzle without having to go through all of the clues. Neat theme though.
I thought Alexander Graham Bell wanted to use Ahoy-Ahoy as the standard phone greeting, but it was Ahoy-Hoy before hello was adopted.
Let's hope the rains slow down and the water recedes quickly in the heartland.
Here's the link I promised for those who missed this news.
ReplyDeleteCruiseShipRescue
Just finished C.C’s fun WSJ puzzle and now her LA puzzle great way to start the day. Off to Tai Chi.
ReplyDeleteThank you C eh?
ReplyDeleteGood morning. Thank you C.C. and thank you Boomer.
ReplyDeleteWas w/o Internet this morning...
A fast fill, but not without a few stumbles. Had to typeover:
till for TAKE,
Ramp for GATE,
itch for RASH and
NO HItters for NO HIT GAMES.
Didn't notice the EASTs until the reveal
Boomer, I was able to watch the Cheetah, Scorpion and Chameleon games each of those nights last week, and when I got home from bowling on Thursday, watched the replay of the final. So I was able to watch Matt McNiel bowl in the Cheetah Championship and in the Steppladder. He is so smooth. If he would have gotten just one break in the Stepladder semifinal, he would have defeated Butturff.
The Hammer Real Deal was working Thursday night. That ball hits hard. 224-235-226 for 685 and high series on our pair. Had 2 eight counts. Had a 4-10 in the first game and missed a 10 pin in the third game for 2 opens all night. 5 bagger to start the third before that missed 10 pin. 7 strikes in each game. I'd like to bowl like that every week. I'll probably return to reality this Thursday night.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteSeeing CC's byline is always appreciated but on Boomer Mondays, even more so. The theme was easy enough to spot but I was overthinking and thought it was going to be something to do with Seat; there again, the eyes seeing what they want to see. Anyway, the reveal was a nice surprise. No w/os or unknowns, so smooth sailing.
Thanks, CC and Boomer, for an enjoyable solve and summary. Boomer, you're in fine fettle, as usual. CC, thanks for the photos, especially the one of Jeffrey W, our much admired Word Wizard.
I think my brothers had Lincoln Logs and Tinker Toys. Weren't Tinker Toys a poor man's Erector Set?
CanadianEh, they would have to sedate me before I would be able to be get into a harness and be air lifted by a helicopter. I can't imagine what those people went through, even before their harrowing rescue.
We have lots of bright sunshine but it's quite windy, typical March weather.
Have a great day.
Woohoo! Woohoo! A C.C. and Boomer Monday! A week doesn't start any better than this. Delightful puzzle with enough clever cluing that I didn't just breeze through it, and had to think a little here and there. But no erasures, and in the end it all worked out perfectly--even with all those sports references. Nice to know most of the names like ANGELA and ERMA and EDIE, and LARA filled in (I don't watch morning TV). Took a bit to figure out THE ONE for the Romantic ideal, but it worked. Anyway, lots of fun, C.C.--many thanks. And clever commentary, as always, Boomer.
ReplyDeleteHave a good week, everybody!
Muy Buenos dias!
ReplyDeleteIt's a cheerful Monday with the Burnikels! Thank you, Boomer and C.C.! Boomer, I almost spit out my coffee at "et tu".
Like Misty, I finished it in spite of the many sports references. My only write overs were at TATA/TADA and NO HIT GAMES which started as NO HITTERS until running out of letters then I realized my error. I'm learning the lingo.
YR:
FLN, What a terrible ordeal for your DIL! She must have suffered great pain. Those falls are dangerous.
Take good care, everyone!
ReplyDeleteThis as a nice Monday puzzle.
Didn’t look for or notice the theme, saw it here.
Markovers....cannot believe I had CAESER/CAESAR....geez.
Have a great day.
Anonymous PVX, in our little town we have a street named Caesar's Circle. We locals refer to it as the Caesarian Section. Well, some of us do.
ReplyDeleteAw Nuts!
ReplyDeleteHow can I make fun of this puzzle
without getting political?
It's like the ice bucket challenge for CED...
I dunno Boomer, you had me wondering what you meant
when you said:
10. "Presto!" sticks: MAGIC WANDS. We did not have magic wands either, We had to go to Andy's gang and "plunk our magic twanger"
I had to go look it up...
Way before my time...
( I thought you meant something completely different by "plunk you magic twanger"...)
Speaking of before my time,
I never had Legos. (guess my parents did not want to step on them...)
& I had heard of erector sets, but had never seen one.
I was given one of these...
Like all the baseball references in Boomer’s writeup. My team is the Red Sox - just signed Chris Sale to a 5 year $145M extension, good for him! I remember Buchholz’s no-hitter also. He turned out to be an enigma wrapped in an enigma. He is with the Blue Jays this year.
ReplyDeleteActually, now that I think of it...
ReplyDeleteI cannot really say I never had an Erector Set.
When Daughter #1 was about 5, we gave her a Knex set.
& we built ferris wheels, merry-go-rounds, all sorts of neat stuff.
But when (We) built a Motorcycle,
I just could not take it apart.
It's been sitting on the top shelf of my closet for the past 20 years...
I enjoyed this puzzle, as I usually do.
ReplyDeleteHi All!
ReplyDeleteThanks C.C. and Boomer for the fun Monday run. Pretty cool to find EAST in the MIDDLE of all the phrases after the unifier appeared.
WO: NO HITTERS- oops, NO HIT GAME
ESP: LARA
Fav: Oh, I loves me some THEY Might be Giants. John and John (and Jon) are brilliant. I got to see TMBG @Houston's Numbers in '99.
TMBG's I Palindrome I on Letterman.
{A, C+ (I need FlashPlayer?!?)}
FLN - YR, How's your DIL? The double-break is awful... At least your sense of humour is there with 'Merlot ME.'
D-O: you floor me - Caesarian Section is rich.
HG - first step-dad musta been rich 'cuz he (worked for Xerox) gave me an ERECTor set one Christmas. That, Tinker-Toys, Lincoln Logs, and American Bricks were the toys of my ute - until computers came along. //Asside - When Pop visited, he commented that our whole neighborhood looked like it was built with American Bricks. Pop has >4 sets and is building something in the attic...
CED - I never got an electronics kit until I bought my own in college. Instead, I took apart things ('oops, sorry 'bout the stereo Pop') for components to play with / make smoke come out of.
Cheers, -T
I'm with Boomer re. Diet Pepsi. Also Arrowhead sparkling waters...
ReplyDeleteTa ~ DA!
A nice one from C.C.--with the split EAST and all.
Never saw MAGIC WANDS called "'Presto!' sticks" before.
NCAA reminds me of the sad fate of my Anteaters at the hands (and feet & 6'9") of the Oregon Ducks last night. But at least our Cinderella fellas showed spirit--and a great 2nd half rally. Zot!
~ OMK
____________
DR: There is a single diagonal on the mirror side. But it's vowel-poor and won't give us an anagram. If I make the single vowel do double and triple duty, I can squeeze a few reluctant words, such as ...
"DARN STRAW SLAG"!
As I said, poor pickins'...
How Ikea got started... (3:56)
ReplyDeleteIf you are really into this, & want to do it yourself...
Here is a 23:21 more detailed video of How to build a buttscratcher...
Note,
You can buy the complete kit (with tools) from Ikea for $19.99,
but they still haven't solved the problem of dragging the whole
dang thingie for miles into the woods...
Re. UCF. Prior to the final misses, the Duke player did a two hand shove which the refs had to see but couldn't make the call. Deja Vu
ReplyDeleteI was in a big hurry to get through but when I saw CC's byline I knew why I enjoyed it
Gotta go
WC
TTP !! Congratulations ! 685 is huge. A helluva lot better than my 534 this morning. Just had a lot of 9 pin counts and only one double for the entire set. Glad you were able to watch my buddy Matt. I'm sure he was disappointed but he rolled it pretty well, just not very good carry. He'll be back. My travelling league stopped at Mermaid Lanes this morning, the house where my favorite pro shop is located. I mentioned to the proprietor that my average was down about 40 pins, but I'm not blaming the cancer. Only the lousy equipment that my pro shop sells to me. (We both had a good laugh - then I had 534.)
ReplyDeleteCrazy day at work followed by gym....supper and finally cruciverbal time. Nice easy and neatly filled out puzzle with no crossouts. Pretty as a picture. Easy Monday. Now time to catch up on DVR!!
ReplyDeleteFIR with no erasures. Boomer, my principal never used the term "paddle"; his expression was "bring the board of education to the seat of learning".
ReplyDeleteDave 2- Ditto on Go Big Blue. Don't think their prospects are very good unless PJ Washington can play. They'll never make the final 4 without him.
Back home from Florida. Spent a lot of time trying to get my Win 10 machines up to speed, since they had missed three monthly updates.
-T, Tinker Toys, Erector Set and Lincoln Logs for me too, but no American Bricks (Legos weren't invented yet, I think). Got a ham license at 12 and built a homebrew 4 watt 80 meter transmitter to go with my ARC5 surplus receiver. Next major stride was an Apple II (not a plus) circa 1978. Still have it in its original box.
Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. CC for the easy, fun Monday.
hi Y'all! Yippee, my favorite C.C. puzzle in a while! No unknowns, no red-letter runs! Made me feel smart for a nice change. Thanks, I needed that! Cute theme, unexpected until reveal.
ReplyDeleteGreat fun expo, Boomer!
My MIL knew she had an unusual son when she came in from outdoors and found the little 8 yr.old boy who would become my husband. He had taken apart the alarm clock to see how it worked. Parts were strung across the kitchen table. She didn't say anything to him (can you imagine). He started in and put the clock back together and it worked fine. In later life he could fix anything from delicate machines to huge tractors -- even manufactured some of his own parts. Sounds like some of you guys.
PK:
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful memories you have and how fortunate to have a husband like that!