Monday December 6, 2021 Kevin Christian & Andrea Carla Michaels

Theme: 62. "C'mon, get serious!" ... and an admonition evidently ignored by the starts of the answers to starred clues: DON'T BE SILLY. - The first part of each theme entry can follow "Silly".

  

17. *Cage for a bunny: RABBIT HUTCH. Silly Rabbit.

26. *Tool for filling in holes in the wall: PUTTY KNIFE. Silly Putty.

40. *Bow users' musical ensemble: STRING ORCHESTRA. Silly String

49. *Skin response to fear or cold: GOOSEFLESH. Silly goose.

Boomer here.  

Silly Rabbit - Trix are for kids.  Who has never had that little egg with Silly Putty in it, and copied a comic?  Silly String comes in a spray can.  Careful - do not spray on your hair.  And my friend Andrea is a silly goose from Minnesota.  Hello!!

Boomer, C.C., Tom Pepper, Andrea Carla Michaels

May 26, 2021

Across:

1. Mexican dip: SALSA.

6. Kitten-lifting spot: NAPE.  I am pretty sure that those cats don't like it, but they have no choice.

10. "Notorious" Supreme Court justice, initially: RBG.  We lost Ruth a little over a year ago.

13. Gold miner's staked-out land: CLAIM.  I have a claim on my backyard, but all I found is dirt and grass.

14. Polishes, as text: EDITS.  I am polishing this blog right now.  Hope I don't screw it up.

16. Botch the job, say: ERR.  "To ERR is human", unless you're a shortstop.

19. Actress Zadora: PIA.

20. Moody music genre: EMO.

21. __ Grey tea: EARL.  "As I, walk through this world, Nothing can stop the Duke of EARL."

22. Wasn't feeling well: AILED.

24. Early bird's reward: WORM.  I am not that early.  I settle for Wheat Chex.

29. Blackjack card: ACE.  Get a face card and you win!

31. "Superman"' actor Christopher: REEVE.  

32. Hooded snake: COBRA.

35. Final Four org.: NCAA.  A big hit for Basketball fans, and office "Pick Winners", which I never won.

37. Dutch cheese town: EDAM.

43. "The jig __": IS UP.  My golf scores are UP, bowling scores are Down.

44. Double-reed wind: OBOE.

45. Trio in H2O: ATOMS. Three atoms.  Two Hydrogen and one Oxygen and you're all wet.

46. Barnes' bookselling partner: NOBLE.  We have stopped there many times.  They have the Beckett baseball card price guide plus Sudoku.  They also have a coffee bar but I don't pay their price for coffee.

48. Italian three: TRE.

53. Applies with a Q-tip: DABS.  "A little one will do ya" (Brylcreem commercial).

57. Finance whiz Suze: ORMAN.  We do not do much with financial planners.  Sometimes I watch CNBC but you just cannot predict the tricky DOW.

58. Christmas song: NOEL.  "The first NOEL, the Angels did say, was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay".  (19 days and counting,)

60. Rapper __ Kim: LIL.

61. Oral health initials: ADA.

66. Part of mph: PER.  OR Price per Gallon.  It's about $3.10 in Minnesota but I have heard we are lower then most USA states at this time.

67. Promised to tell the truth: SWORE.  Or hit a bad golf shot, or leave a split.  (#@!&%#@)

68. "There's no such thing as a free lunch," e.g.: ADAGE.  This has been a LONG Medicare Ad AGE.  Hopefully it ends on Wednesday.

69. Hosp. triage areas: ERS.  My first trip to the VA emergency room was for pain I could not take anymore.  Then the bad news - three years ago.  The "C" word.

70. Still-life subject: EWER. "It's a still life water color, of a now-late afternoon .. . and we sit and drink our coffee".  Dangling Conversation. Simon and Garfunkel.

71. Printer supply: TONER.

Down:

1. Carpenter's fastener: SCREW.

2. Mission to remember: ALAMO.  "High up, Santa Ana, We're killing your soldiers below.  So the rest of Texas will know --- And remember the ALAMO."

3. Materials partner on a repair bill: LABOR.

4. Member of the fam: SIB.

5. Gallic girlfriend: AMIE.

6. Indira Gandhi's father: NEHRU.  Also a funny looking jacket that I never wore.

7. Grownup: ADULT.  Classification for some Movies that I never went to.

8. Racetrack stop: PIT.  Wow -- can those guys ever change tires in seconds!

9. And so on, briefly: ETC.

10. Answered, as an email: REPLIED TO.  Easier than answering regular mail.

11. Lawyer's filing: BRIEF.  Yes but they are hardly ever BRIEF.

12. Student's mark: GRADE.  My High School always gave numerical grades.  100 was great - 70 was passing.  Below 70 was trouble.  

15. Ice cream drink: SHAKE.  Used to be 20 cents at McDonald's in the 1960s.  Now I cannot afford them any more.

18. Scotch or masking: TAPE.  I like the Curad stuff to strengthen my bowling hand.

23. Played the market: INVESTED.  Believe me, it is NOT playing.  However sometimes I PLAY Craps. About the same results. 

25. California county that contains parts of Yosemite National Park: MARIPOSA.

27. Copy on transparent paper: TRACE.

28. "You betcha!": YEAH.

30. Recycle bin item: CAN.  We recycle so much paper that there is hardly room for CANS.

32. CBS forensic series: CSI.

33. NFL tiebreakers: OTS.  I sat through a few of these this year.   

34. Multiple Grammy winner featured on "Uptown Funk": BRUNO MARS.

35. Prize since 1901: NOBEL.

36. __-Magnon: CRO.  This was not the best looking guy to maybe put on a coin.

38. Vaccination spot: ARM.  C.C. was sore for a day or two.  I did not have any side effects but I wish people would Knuckle down and get their shots.  Last week we had an Omicron case here in Minn.

39. More, in Madrid: MAS.

41. Game with putting: GOLF.  Of course our courses are closed for the season, but our fall is lasting a long time. No complaints. We had a day of 52 degrees with a bit of rain.  No kidding and no snow!

42. Lend an __: listen: EAR.  What? Huh?  You talkin' to me?

47. Is flexible: BENDS.

48. You, biblically: THEE.  "America, America, God shed his grace on THEE!"

49. Flip out: GO APE.

50. Trial judge's demand: ORDER.  I think I have most of the "LAW and ORDER" episodes memorized.

51. Between, in French: ENTRE.

52. Like a designated driver: SOBER.  Like me forever.

54. Poe's middle name: ALLAN.  Edgar.

55. Ship's hull region: BILGE.  These must be most of those parked in the Pacific Ocean that have Christmas gifts on them.

56. More cunning: SLYER.

59. Aspiring DA's exam: LSAT.

63. Be obligated to: OWE.  "I OWE- I OWE, so off to work I go"

64. "Don't delay!": NOW.

65. Pre-marital (just barely) promise: I DO.

Boomer

Notes from C.C.:

Happy 84th birthday to Lucina! Lucina used to travel to CA regularly and met up with our California blog regulars JD, Chickie, Clear Ayes and Garlic Gal. Sadly both Dodo and Clear Ayes have passed away. JD, Chickie and Garlic Gal are still in close contact.

L-R back row: Chickie, Clear Ayes, Garlic Gal
   Front: JD, Lucina, Dodo (June 23, 2011)

Tuesday, November 9, 2021 Michael Wiesenberg and Andrea Carla Michaels

Chopped Salad with Sliced Veggies.  The letters in the circle spell out a vegetable that is "sliced".  I'm not sure I would consider "slicing" maize, but the word itself is sliced in half.

20-Across. December holiday mailing: CHRISTMAS CARD.  CHARD.

28-Across. Orca: KILLER WHALE.  KALE

46-Across. Significant other: MAIN SQUEEZE.  MAIZE.

And the unifier:

57-Across. Salad crudités ... and a hint to each row of circled letters:  SLICED VEGGIES.

Across:

1. "__: Ragnarok": 2017 superhero film: THOR.  I just learned from watching the sit-com Ghosts, that the word Ragnarok basically is interpreted to mean the "final destruction of the world."

5. Mob boss: CAPO.

9. Popular pudding brand: JELL-O.  If you want to know more about Jell-O and its various products, you can visit the Jell-O Museum in Le Roy, New York.

14. Fit for harvesting: RIPE.

15. Six-sided state: UTAH.

16. Be of use to: AVAIL.

17. Suitable for all __: game rating: AGES.

18. Actress Petty: LORI.  Lori Petty (b. Oct. 14, 1963) was in the 1992 movie A League of Their Own, and more recently in the Netflix show Orange is the New Black.

19. Event site: VENUE.

23. "__ do it": "Sorry": I CAN'T.

24. Arthur with two Emmys and a Tony: BEA.  Be Arthur (née Bernice Frankel; May 13, 1922 ~ Apr. 25, 2009), makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.  She also served as a Staff Sergeant in the Marines.

25. CO winter hrs.: MST.  As in Mountain Standard Time.

33. Indian music style adopted by the Beatles: RAGA.

37. "All in favor" vote: AYE.  //  And 30-Down. Bleaching agent: LYE.  I liked how these two rhyming words crossed.

38. Undercover cops may wear them: WIRES.  Did anyone watch The Wire?  We binged on this show during the Covid shutdown.

39. Flowerlike sea creature: ANEMONE.  They are beautiful creatures.

41. Airport kiosk printout: E-TICKET.  They are convenient when they are working properly.

43. Prefix with state or net: INTER-.  As in Interstate and Internet, both of which I seem to use daily.

44. __ Kippur: YOM.  Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement in Judaism.  Yom means "day" in Hebrew.  Kippur is translated to mean "Atonement", however, there is actually no literal translation to this Hebrew word.

45. Former fast fliers: Abbr.: SSTs.  We used to see these SuperSonic Transports in the crossword puzzles on a frequent basis.

50. Overnight option: INN.

51. Pence and Harris: Abbr.: VPs.  Mike Pence (né Michael Richard Pence; b. June 7, 1959) is the IPVP  (Immediate Past Vice President) and Kamala Harris (née Kamala Devi Harris; Oct. 20, 1964) is the current Vice President.  Enough said.

52. Letter after beta: GAMMA.

62. "Piece of cake," e.g.: IDIOM.

64. Diner sign element: NEON.

65. Actor Guinness: ALEC.  That's Sir Alec, to you.  Alec Guinness (né Alec Guinness de Cuffe; Apr. 2, 1914 ~ Aug. 5, 2000) was a great stage actor, but most of us recognize him as Obi Wan Kenobi from the Star Wars movies.

66. Patient no longer: FED UP.  I am Fed Up with FedEx!  Packages are delayed, and when they are delivered, the packages are all dented and partially ripped open.

67. Tyne of "Judging Amy": DALY.  Tyne Daly (née Ellen Tyne Daly; b. Feb. 21, 1946) asp stared in Cagney & Lacey.  Her brother is actor Tim Daly (né James Timothy Daly; Mar. 1, 1956).

68. Fascinated by: INTO.

69. Luge vehicles: SLEDS.

70. Mex. miss: SRTA.  Today's Spanish lesson.  Hi, Lucina!

71. Tree house: NEST.

Down:

1. "Baywatch" actress Bingham: TRACI.  I never watched Baywatch and I don't recognize Traci Bingham (b. Jan. 13, 1968).

2. Note for a soprano: HIGH-C.  //  Not to be confused with 32-Down. Minute Maid drinks: HI-Cs.

3. Rossini work: OPERA.  Gioachino Antonio Rossini (Feb. 29, 1792 ~ Nov. 13, 1868) wrote nearly 40 operas before he was 40 years old.

4. Varnish component: RESIN.

5. Like many midnight movies: CULT.  The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a classic cult film.

6. Quark place: ATOM.

7. Sunday school story: PARABLE.

8. "Yes, it's clear now": OH, I SEE!

9. Morning cup: JAVA.  Hi, Java Mama!

10. At any point: EVER.

11. Big Ben and the Golden Gate Bridge, e.g.: LANDMARKS.  How many world landmarks have you seen from this list?

12. Greater N.Y. school: LIU.  As in Long Island University.

13. Bullring "Bravo!": ¡OLÉ!  More of today's Spanish lesson.

21. NASDAQ buy: STK.    As in Stocks.

22. Jeep or Jetta: CAR.

26. Dangerous precipitation: SLEET.

27. What the doctor ordered: TESTS.

29. Golf commentator __ Baker-Finch: IAN.  Ian Baker-Finch (b. Oct. 24, 1960) is an Australian golfer and sports commentator.

31. 1910s conflict, briefly: WWI.  World War I lasted from July 28, 1914 until November 11, 1918.

33. Spider-Man films director: RAIMI.  Sam Raimi (né Samuel Raimi; b. Oct. 23, 1959) has been directing films since the late 1970s.

34. Kofi of the U.N.: ANNAN.  Kofi Annan (Apr. 8, 1938 ~ Aug. 18, 2018) served as the 7th Secretary-General of the United Nations, from January 1997 through December 2006.

35. Pick a lock, say: GET INSIDE.  Hmm... So it's not a crime?

36. "__ to that!": AMEN.

40. Surg. areas: ORs.  As in Operating Rooms.

41. Want-ad letters: EOE.  As in Equal Opportunity Employer.

42. Harvey Levin's online tabloid: TMZ.  Who knew?

44. Sighed agreement: YES, DEAR.

47. Home shopper's channel: QVC.  Quality Value Convenience.

48. Flips: UPENDS.

49. Silly Putty holder: EGG.

53. "Let's take it from the top": AGAIN.

54. Pooh creator: MILNE.  A.A. Milne (né Alan Alexander Milne; Jan. 18, 1882 ~ Jan. 31, 1956) write the Winnie-the-Pooh stories.  The backstory.

55. Runs into: MEETS.

56. Knotted neckwear: ASCOT.  This neckwear is becoming a crossword staple.

58. Overly bright, fashionwise: LOUD.

It's just wrong!

59. Rascals: IMPS.

60. Battery unit: VOLT.

61. Irish New Ager: ENYA.  Enya (b. May 17, 1961) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  Her given name is Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin, so you can see why she goes by Enya.

62. They aren't sure things: IFs.  If it doesn't rain tomorrow, I will go for a run.  NOT!

63. Ctrl-Alt-__: DEL.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Monday May 10, 2021 Andrea Carla Michaels

 

Theme: THE FOUR TOPS (62. "I Can't Help Myself" Motown group ... and what's comprised by 18-, 24-, 39- and 52-Across' starting words?)

18. Cloak-and-dagger spy: SECRET AGENT. Top secret.

24. Typically yellow tangy fruit: BANANA PEPPER. Top banana.

39. *Accessory metaphor for an accomplishment: NOTCH ON ONE'S BELT. Top notch.

52. Spaghetti-in-a-can icon: CHEF BOYARDEE. Top Chef.

Andrea Carla Michaels, Tom Pepper, C.C. and Boomer, 2015

Boomer here.  

A great photo.  Three extremely outstanding crossword constructors, and one old guy in a "National Senior Games" Bowling shirt from 2015.  I finished 6th in my division and got a ribbon.

TOP of the morning to all of you.  I did not receive a NOTCH on my belt for eating a BANANA but I do remember the Four Tops !  Told you I was an old guy.

Across:

1. Prefix with bar: ISO.  BEER did not fit.

4. Purple color named for a flower: LILAC.  I thought Green grows the LILACS all sparkling with dew.

9. Kind of minister or suspect: PRIME.  Or cut of beef.

14. Habit wearer: NUN.  The good sisters of St. Joseph taught grade school to me.

15. "Mutiny on the Bounty" captain: BLIGH. Captain William Bligh.

16. "Star Wars" director George: LUCAS.

17. Two-base hit: Abbr.: DBL.  Double. Also two strikes in a row on the lanes.

20. Heroic tale: EPIC.

22. Direction of the dawn: EAST.

23. Easter egg coloring: DYE.  Easter is in the rear view mirror.  Looking forward to Memorial Day.

29. Quivery vocal effect: TREMOLO.

30. Spanish eight: OCHO.  Gesuntheit

34. Of an arterial trunk: AORTAL.

38. Belle's suitor: BEAU.  Also son of President Biden.  RIP.

44. Gas leak giveaway: ODOR.  Rougned Odor is with the Yankees now. But on the DL at the moment.

45. "I'm clueless": NO IDEA.

46. City near Tahoe: RENO.  Home of the National Bowling Stadium, and some of my money.

47. Whiner: CRYBABY.  Yup I was a whiner instead of a winner.

57. Emails a dupe to: CCS.

60. Goddess for whom a month is named: MAIA.  Goddess of spring.

61. Theater segments: ROWS.  I still have not heard much about theaters.  Baseball parks are allowing 10,000 customers and the PGA golf courses have been crowded.  C.C. and I have still stayed away.

67. Frito-__: LAY.

68. Old toga wearer: ROMAN.  Also the frat guys in "Animal House".

69. Frighten: SCARE.  BOO!  5 1/2 months until Halloween

70. Start for fab or fix: PRE.

71. Pinocchio's problem: LYING.  Your nose will grow!

72. Roll of the dice: THROW.  My favorite way to lose money in Nevada.  No wonder they named it Craps. 

73. "__ the DJ, I'm the Rapper": 1988 album: HE'S.

Down:

1. Behind on bills: IN DEBT.  I used to be.  Then I retired.

2. Not up to snuff: SUBPAR.  Not many SUBPAR rounds last weekend at the Wells Fargo PGA tournament.

3. Browsing the Web, say: ON LINE.

4. Scale units: Abbr.: LBS.  I am less than 200 LBS, even holding my bowling ball with me on the scale.

5. Land in la mer: ILE.

6. DMV certificate: LIC. License.

7. Go along (with): AGREE.  I tend to agree with Minnesota Governor Walz on Covid restrictions.  Seems things are opening a little too early and why does our state only have 52% vaccinated last time I looked?

8. Tightfisted: CHEAP.  There is no charge for the shots.  Can't get any cheaper.

9. Table setting item: PLATE.

10. Snug bug's place?: RUG.

11. Covered, as a cake: ICED.  Summertime is ICED tea weather in Minnesota.  No need to stock up.  Summer is very short up here.

12. Numerous: MANY.  How many putts did you take today, Boomer??

13. Punta del __, Uruguay: ESTE.

19. Recipe abbr.: TSP.

21. Cell pic taker: CAM.  I do not know how to do this.  C.C. helps.

25. Ark builder: NOAH.  "Right, What's a cubit ?" Bill Cosby.

26. Crazy as __: A LOON.  I think Minnesota's state bird is A LOON.  Maybe we are all crazy 

27. X-rated stuff: PORNO.

28. Lynda Bird's married name: ROBB.  "Lucy Baines, she is no Jackie but then who complains, she may be tacky but she is the brains behind our foreign policy"  Chad Mitchell Trio.

31. Average grade: CEE.  I got plenty of those.

32. Actor Holbrook: HAL.

33. Not in the office: OUT.  Hit 'em OUT, Byron Buxton.  Strike OUT Miguel Sano.

35. You, in French: TOI.

36. With unnamed partners, in bus. names: AND CO.

37. Suspicious (of): LEERY.

39. Neither's partner: NOR.  You cannot have a Neither without a NOR.

40. Wordsworth's "__ to Duty": ODE. It was the third of June, Another sleepy, dusty, Delta day.   (Bobbie Gentry)  "ODE to Billie Joe."

41. Trucker's unit: TON.  125 - 16 LB. Bowling balls

42. Gator kin: CROC.   Someone not telling the truth.

43. "Don't __ word!": "Shh!": SAY A.  Or say AAHH and have a Doctor put a stick down your throat.

48. "I'm freezing!": BRR.

49. Brewer Coors: ADOLPH.

50. Sign warning word about a watchdog: BEWARE.

51. "Absolutely!": YES YES.

53. Chinese ethnic group: HMONG.

54. Water, in Cannes: EAU.  EAU CLAIRE is a city east of us in Wisconsin.

55. At the head of the line: FIRST.  The old Washington Senators. "FIRST on land, FIRST on sea, and Last in the American league.  This team moved to Minneapolis in 1961 and are now trying to uphold that tradition.

56. Cookie baker's lot: BATCH.  "Please sir, may I have one"

57. Bottom-corner PC key: CTRL.

58. Bok __: Chinese cabbage: CHOY.

59. 18-wheeler: SEMI.  I always end up behind one on the highway.  I would not call it a SEMI though.  It looks like a whole truck to me.

63. One cheering for the team: FAN.  Most stadiums are limited to 10,000 FANs.  They may be lifting restrictions soon.

64. Sculler's prop: OAR.  When I was a kid we had a small boat on North Star Lake near Marcell Minnesota.  We replaced the OARS with a 5 horsepower Johnson.

65. Whiz: PRO.  I am no whiz, but I did bowl one senior PRO bowling tournament at Village North in Brooklyn Park around 1998.  10 games of qualifying and I averaged 207.  Not good enough to cash, but I was in the same tournament as a guy named Dick Weber. 

66. Stitch together: SEW.

Boomer