Monday, August 26, 2013 Billie Truitt

Theme: It's all mud after it rains for a week - Various terms for the stuff under our feet...or under our nails.

17A. Home country : NATIVE SOIL

23A. Out of touch with reality : IN LA-LA LAND

37A. Get one's head out of the clouds : COME DOWN TO EARTH

47A. Strike it rich : HIT PAY DIRT

58A. Position of moral superiority : HIGH GROUND

Argyle here with a solid Monday puzzle. In the words of Goldilocks, not too easy, not too hard but just right. All in language phrases, although I had to change 17-Across when 23-Across showed up. I like to see a grid spanner on a Monday, also. Fertile loam for those mash-ups that some of you do so well.

Across:

1. "Pay attention!" : "FOCUS!". "Look here!"

6. Taj Mahal city : AGRA

10. __ of Arc : JOAN

14. Tokyo automaker with a liar named Joe in its old ads : ISUZU

15. Forehead : BROW. The spot for smashing V-8 cans.

16. Neutral shade : ECRU

19. Amble : WALK

20. Add blonde highlights to, say : DYE

21. Whole bunch : SLEW

22. Free-for-all : MELEE

26. Musical with nightclub scenes : CABARET

31. Men of the future? : BOYS

32. Take to the soapbox : ORATE

33. Disco brothers' name : GIBB. The Bee Gees, brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb.

34. Church seat : PEW. 34D. Seek guidance in a 34-Across : PRAY

41. Tooth tender's org. : ADA. (American Dental Association) Cute pun in the clue.

42. Trim, as a photo : CROP

43. Any one of New England's six : STATE

44. Fly alone : SOLO

45. So far : AS OF YET

51. Stave off : AVERT

52. March Madness org. : NCAA. (National Collegiate Athletic Association)

54. Performing pair : DUO

57. Missing : GONE

61. Bear in the sky : URSA

62. Clarinet cousin : OBOE

63. "Rubber Duckie" Muppet : ERNIE

64. Checked out : EYED

65. 911 responders: Abbr. : EMTs. (Emergency Medical Technician)

66. Helps, as a perp : ABETS

Down:

1. Discover : FIND

2. Anthem start : "O, SAY..."

3. Just darling : CUTE

4. Israeli weapon : UZI

5. Honda Pilot and Ford Explorer, briefly : SUVs. (sport utility vehicle)

6. Not there : ABSENT

7. Watchdog's warning : [GROWL]

8. "Vive le __!" : ROI. "Long Live The King!"

9. Piercing tool : AWL

10. Tiara sparklers : JEWELS

11. Central Florida city : OCALA

12. Specter formerly of the Senate : ARLEN. Not usually in a Monday puzzle.

13. Microwaved : NUKED

18. "Night" author Wiesel : ELIE. His vowel rich name shows up on any day of the week.

22. "It's possible" : "MAYBE SO". "Would I lie", J.Isuzu

24. Slightly : A BIT

25. Gray wolf : LOBO

26. __-Cola : COCA

27. Longtime infield partner of Jeter, familiarly : A-ROD. And now known as A-Roid.

28. Ole Miss rival : 'BAMA

29. Downed : ATE

30. Minuteman enemy : REDCOAT

 33. Econ. yardstick : GNP. (Gross National Product)

35. Suffix with sermon : ETTE

36. Sharpen : WHET

38. Air France destination : ORLY. "We'll always have Paris."

39. Lumber : WOOD

40. DOJ division : ATF. (Department of Justice / Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives)

44. Butter or mayo : SPREAD

45. McDonald's golden symbol : ARCHES

46. Without a date : STAG

47. World Court site, with "The" : HAGUE. MAP

48. Old white-key material : IVORY. If it's new, it's illegal.

49. Anxious : TENSE

50. Gold bar : INGOT

53. Geometry calculation : AREA

54. Sandy slope : DUNE

55. Military squad : UNIT

56. Keats works : ODES

58. Whack weeds the old-fashioned way : HOE

59. "Big Blue" : IBM

60. Sphere : ORB

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

1) Happy Birthday to dear Montana, a retired math & science teacher based in Montana. I'm waiting for some updated pictures. But here is a great one from her Oregon Trail trek last year. Click here for more.

2) To regular commentators: Please email me (crosswordc@gmail.com) if you have pictures to share or your birthday is not in my Blog Birthday List.

Monday, July 22, 2013 Billie Truitt

Theme: It will floor you - The last letters of these two word phrases will knock you out, K. O.

17A. Genre with listener participation : TALK RADIO

25A. Homeric protagonist : GREEK HERO

38A. Some fight endings, and a hint to the word endings in 17-, 25-, 46- and 60-Across : KNOCKOUT PUNCHES

46A. Three-time Masters winner : NICK FALDO. Congratulations to Phil Mickelson on his British Open victory.

60A. Enter forcibly, as a home : BREAK INTO

Argyle here. Tough Monday (in more ways than one). Cool span reveal that didn't help me until it was too late. Just something about the way the clue was written that I didn't get. Your mileage may vary.

Across:

1. "__ to you, buddy!" : SAME

5. Mon. or Jan., e.g. : ABBR. abbreviation, not date

9. Ringo of the Fab Four : STARR

14. Fan club focus : IDOL

15. Painfully tender : SORE

16. __ for: sublime : TO DIE. Sublime - exalted, noble.

19. Cook in an oven : ROAST

20. Clean air org. : EPA

21. Olympics sword : EPEE

22. Harboring a grudge : BITTER. Looks like a place for the QOD.

23. Milkshake insert : STRAW. But not hay. Glad we got that straightened out.

27. Den piece : SOFA. It's what bears sleep on during hibernation.

29. Pitching whiz : ACE

30. Outfielder Suzuki : ICHIRO. Plays for the Yankees.

33. Mexican Mrs. : SRA. Señora

34. Ice cream drink : SODA

41. Tonsillitis-treating MDs : ENTs. (ear, nose, throat)

42. Have a bite of : TRY

43. Boozehounds : SOUSES

44. "__ Believer": Monkees hit : I'M A

45. "Class dismissed" sound : BELL

51. Very very : ULTRA

55. Like some clothing patches : IRON-ON

56. Grand-scale tale : EPIC

58. Have a bite : EAT

59. Eva of Argentina : PERON

62. Leaving nothing out : IN ALL

63. "__ your pardon" : I BEG

64. Rain like crazy : TEEM

65. Singer Furtado : NELLY. Sorry about the ad. Update: The 30 sec. ad only appears if you watch it directly on YouTube.

66. Keyboard goof : TYPO

67. Avg. levels : STDs (standards)

Down:

1. Web destinations : SITES

2. Get used to new conditions : ADAPT

3. Place for a dental crown : MOLAR

4. Broad-antlered deer : ELK

5. On the double, in memos : ASAP

6. Latino corner store : BODEGA

7. Prickly shrub : BRIER

8. Vintage touring car : REO. Vintage crossword.

9. Swing and a miss, say : STRIKE

10. Incisor, for one : TOOTH

11. See 61-Down : ... A DATE". 61D. With 11-Down, "See you then!" : "IT'S ...

12. Choir platform : RISER

13. Nostalgically styled : RETRO

18. Edit considerably : REWORK

22. All-purpose answer to "Why?" : "BECAUSE!"

24. Sneaker brand : ASICS. Colorful.

26. Lawman Wyatt : EARP

28. Butler's underling : FOOTMAN

30. Prez after Harry : IKE

31. MSNBC rival : CNN

32. Sweltering : HOT

33. Pig's place : STY

34. Racing shell : SCULL

35. Sounds of surprise : OHs

36. Barely passing grade : DEE

37. Donkey : ASS

39. __ Mountains: Eurasian border range : URAL

40. "Can't catch a break" : "NO LUCK"

44. "Wouldn't that be nice!" : "IF ONLY!" These two seem to fit together.

45. She lost her sheep : BO PEEP. (nursery rhyme)

46. __ the bud : NIP IN

47. Goodnight girl of song : IRENE

48. Snorkeler's vista : CORAL

49. Hillock : KNOLL

50. Churchill Downs event : DERBY. at Louisville, Kentucky.

52. Basis of a creed : TENET

53. Given four stars, say : RATED

54. Tiny elemental components : ATOMS

57. Othello's confidant : IAGO

60. Bridle mouthpiece : BIT

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

JD's new grandson Dylan Flint arrived on July 19th Friday evening "just in time for Grandma to slip in to witness his arrival". JD said: "Words cannot express that miracle. He weighed in at  8'9".

Hello, Crossword Corner!

 Big brother Cameron, Dylan & the proud Dad

Tuesday, February 21, 2012 Billie Truitt

Theme: Bummer - Four grid spanners that start off badly. (synonyms for bad)

16A. Airport security canine : BOMB SNIFFING DOG

23A. Thanksgiving serving : TURKEY DRUMSTICK

41A. Frothy citrus dessert : LEMON CHIFFON PIE

56A. Women's swimsuit size factor : BUST MEASUREMENT. A sideline for Dennis?

Argyle here. The discussion about day of the week appropriateness for a word may continue today. There are some doozies.

The long entries (SEE STARS and EAU DE VIE) adjacent to the top and bottom theme entries are quite sparkly.

Across:

1. Baseball's Hammerin' Hank : AARON. Rookie card. Note he signed it Henry Aaron.

6. Bad color for ink? : RED

9. Sunlight unit : BEAM

13. Vegetation : FLORA

14. Ward of "Sisters" : SELA. Her IMDb page.

15. Notion : IDEA

19. React to a whack : SEE STARS

20. "You're not the only one!" : "SO CAN I!"

21. Ending for mass or pass : IVE

22. Talking bird : MYNA

31. Agenda details : ITEMS

32. Cool-cucumber link : AS A

33. Lake Mich. city : CHIcago. The Windy City.

34. Semana septet : DIAs. Spanish week/days

35. "Divine Comedy" poet : DANTE

37. Phlebotomist's target : VEIN

38. With 48-Across, shout at the station : ALL, 48A. See 38-Across : ABOARD. Do they still do that?

39. Byrnes of "Grease" : EDD. His IMDb page.

40. Quake site : FAULT. (earthquake)

46. Pothole's place : ROAD

47. Jimmy's successor : RON (Jimmy Carter/Ron Reagan)

51. Type of brandy whose name means "water of life" : EAU DE VIE. Upon reading the explanation, I remember having this before. Basically, it is a brandy NOT made from grapes but some other kind of fruit.

58. Capri, for one : ISLE. In the Bay of Naples, southeast of Rome.

59. Puppy bites : NIPS

60. Mascara problem : SMEAR

61. Ring decisions, briefly : TKOs. Boxing rings/technical knockouts.

62. Sample : TRY

63. Sample : TASTE. Classic clecho.

Down:

1. Langley and Travis: Abbr. : AFBS. (Air Force Bases)

2. Botanical skin treatment ingredient : ALOE

3. "Julius Caesar" setting : ROME

4. Globes : ORBS

5. Bad guys : NASTIES

6. Flag throwers : REFs. Is there a sport besides football where the refs throw a flag?

7. Many a "Lord of the Rings" character : ELF

8. Dogpatch gal : DAISY MAE. Edie Adams won a Tony Award for playing the original Daisy Mae in the Broadway musical "Li'l Abner". 1956

9. Lion, for one : BIG CAT

10. Icelandic poetic work : EDDA

11. Really long time : AEON

12. Star followers : MAGI

14. Begat : SIRED

17. It's darker than royal blue : NAVY

18. Dijon denials : NONs. Dijon is southeast of Paris.

22. Is compelled to : MUST

23. __ wave : TIDAL

24. Of practical value : UTILE

25. Domain : REALM

26. Canadian rd. distances : KMs. (kilometre)

27. "Amazing" paranormal debunker : RANDI

28. Freeze over : ICE UP

29. Spicy bean dish : CHILI

30. Kunta __: Burton's "Roots" role : KINTE. LeVar Burton.

35. Morally degenerate : DECADENT

36. Condition treated with Ritalin, briefly : ADHD. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

37. Car for a large family : VAN

40. Most doting : FONDEST

42. Takes the podium : ORATEs

43. Standard : NORM

44. Munich matrons : FRAUs. German.

45. Typical barbershop complement : FOUR

48. Slightly : A BIT

49. Perform on sidewalks, in London : BUSK. The word "BUSK" comes from the Spanish root word "buscar", meaning "to seek" – buskers are literally seeking fame and fortune. per Wikipedia.

50. Scandinavian capital : OSLO

51. Glimpse : ESPY

52. Austen heroine : EMMA. Published in December 1815.

53. Victory signs : VEEs

54. __ the finish : IN AT

55. To be, in Brittany : ÊTRE. Peninsula west of Paris.

57. Balloon contents : AIR

Answer grid.

Argyle

Thursday, January 26, 2012 Billie Truitt

Theme: Ham and Jeez. Four cross-referential answers that hinge on the unifier for definition.

17A. See 38-Across : RADIO ENTHUSIAST. Ham radio operators are amateurs without any monetary interest, as opposed to commercial broadcasters.

26A. See 38-Across : SCENERY CHEWER. A ham is one who acts melodramatically. They "chew up the scenery" by focusing all attention on themselves, rather than the stage set or other actors.

43A. See 38-Across : HOLIDAY ENTREE. Most popular entrées for Christmas are ham or turkey. For Hanukkah (or Chanukah), I think it would be brisket? But I defer to Hahtool for that one.

57A. See 38-Across : NOAH'S WAYWARD SON. Noah begat Ham, Shem and Japheth when he was 500 years old. Wow! I want to know where he got his Cialis?

And the unifier:

38A. Clue for 17-, 26-, 43- and 57-Across : HAM. Jeez, how simple!

How about "GREEN EGGS SIDE"? Can you think of others to fit this theme?

Marti here, signing in for this Thursday's theatrics.

Across:

1. Utah's state gem : TOPAZ. November birthstone, and also a symbol of friendship. So gals, if he gives you a topaz ring instead of a diamond...better start looking elsewhere.

6. Stable newborn : FOAL

10. Emblem : ICON

14. "Don't try to be ___" : A HERO. "Billy, don't be...". That song was released by Paper Lace in 1974, so many thought it referred to the Vietnam war. It was actually a reference to the Civil War.

15. ___ jure : IPSO. "By the law itself"

16. Slicer's warning : FORE. Does a hooker also yell this?

20. Passed down, as folk mus. : TRAD itional. Abbr. of "music" suggests the correct answer.

21. Shop gripper : VISE. Workshop. Not a security guard in a store.

22. Four Holy Roman emproers : OTTOS. Starting with Otto I who died in 973, and ending with Otto IV who died in 1218.

23. '40s-'50s pitcher Maglie : SAL. He was known as "Sal the Barber" because he gave close shaves: i.e., he pitched inside to hitters. So, another baseball name to add to my ever-growing list!

24. Tangle of hair : MAT. Sometimes found on the bath mat.

25. P.D. alert : APB. "Police Department" All Points Bulletin.

33. Silver and gold : METALS. Anyone else fill in "medals"?

35. Absorb, as a loss : EAT. Eat it. Just too "Weird" for me to link...

36. Via, à la Burns : THRO. "Comin' thro the rye...". Did you know that the book by J.D. Salinger was named after this poem?

37. "___ you clever!" : AREN'T. Me? No. Jerome? Definitely, yes!

39. Intersect : CROSS. Like "perps".

40. Unlike Wellesley College : CO-ED. One of the "Seven Sisters" colleges in the Northeast. Without looking on Wiki, can you name any of the other six?

41. Board partner : BED. I usually think of "room and board", so this one eluded me for a while.

42. Downloadable media player : I-TUNES

46. Clunker : DUD

47. Cruet fluid : OIL. "Vinegar" wouldn't fit...

48. Corn serving : EAR

51. That and that : THOSE. Clever clue!

54. Proverbial equine escape site : BARN. To "close the barn door after the horse has bolted" means doing too little, too late.

56. Sharp part : EDGE. Like a knife edge.

60. Plotting : UP TO. Whenever we were quiet, my mother would always yell from the other room, "What are you kids up to?"

61. Head start? : IDEA.

62. Neutral shade : BEIGE

63. Dry run : TEST

64. No sweat : EASY...peasy lemon squeezy.

65. Being pulled : IN TOW

Down

1. Knave of Heart's loot : TARTS.

"...The Knave of Hearts

He stole those tarts,

And took them clean away..."

2. Fictional plantation owner : O'HARA. Frankly, I don't give a damn...

3. Guitar played with hands and feet : PEDAL STEEL. This was a total unknown for me. Maybe Jazzbumpa knows?

4. Dry : ARID.

5. San Diego attraction : ZOO. J.D. just visited it with her grandsons last week on her birthday visit. How was it?

6. Having limits : FINITE

7. Makes a choice : OPTS

8. U.S. Open stadium : ASHE. Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, NY.

9. Rickey broke his stolen base record in 1991 : LOU. Lou Brock was outdone by Rickey Henley Henderson, known as "The Man of Steal". His 1,406 career steals record is 50% higher than the previous record of 938 by Lou. (Did I get it right, C.C.??) (From C.C.: Just one short of 50% more than Brock's. Rickey Henderson holds quite a few MLB records, including leadoff home runs, stolen bases in a single season.)

10. "Assuming that's accurate," biblically :IF IT BE TRUE.

11. Winter garb : COAT. We don't need them so often this year, but I can live with that!

12. Guesstimate words : OR SO.

13. Takes home : NETS

18. Rogers's partner : EVANS. Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. "Hammerstein" wouldn't fit...

19. Last year's frosh : SOPH

24. Hot sandwich : MELT. Yummm, tuna melt!

25. Sequence of scenes : ACT

27. It's not posed : CANDID SHOT. Like this?

28. Aptly named author : READE. Charles, best known for "The Cloister and the Hearth". Has anyone reade it?

29. Holiday tuber : YAM. To go with the ham?

30. Dismissive bit of rhetoric : WHO NEEDS IT?

31. Highland tongue : ERSE

32. Legendary seamstress : ROSS. Betsy, famous flag seamstress.

33. Eponymous physicist Ernst ___ : MACH. Austrian physicist who studied shock waves. You wanna mach something of it?

34. Switch add-on : EROO. Ah yes, the old switch-eroo.

38. "I'm talking to you!" : HEY! (Yes, you!)

39. PC key below Shift : CTRL. On my Macbook, it's "Fn"

41. Wicked : BAD. Not the play...

42. Turner memoir : I, TINA

44. Member's payment : DUES

45. Where kroner are spent : NORWAY

49. Disco era term : A-GO-GO

50. Sign up for more : RENEW

51. Letter-shaped fastener : T-NUT. C-clamp, U-bolt, L-bar, S-hook, I-beam...???

52. Optimism : HOPE

53. Granola grain : OATS

54. ___ Bing!: "The Sopranos" nightclub : BA-DA

55. Some votes : AYES

56. First lady's garden site? : EDEN. Not this "rose" garden.

58. Golfer Michelle : WIE

59. Hitter's stat : RBI. Ha! Nailed this one. Hitter = Runs, ergo: Runs Batted In.

Answer grid.

So, I hope this puzzle was a home run for you solvers? Friday is coming, and may not be so easy peasy lemon squeezy.!

Hugs,

Marti

Note from C.C.:

Re: Marti's comment on 5-Down: Here is wonderful picture from JD's visit to Safari Park on Jan 14. She said "The baby gorilla is playing with some kind of rodent who keeps coming out of his little hole. The baby touched him several times...no fear with either of them."

Here is a picture of the cute little Cameron looking at a sea turtle.

Monday March 14, 2011 Billie Truitt

Theme: What can I say? Each two-word theme answer consists of a present participle functioning as adjective & a three-letter noun ending in G. Did I miss something?

17A. Lather-holding cup : SHAVING MUG - I shave my mug every morning, but the lather comes from a can.

25A. Sock mender's tool : DARNING EGG - I'm not sure why it's called an egg. Looks more like a bowling pin to me. But then, everything looks like a bowling pin to me.

36A. Violin knob for pitch adjustments : TUNING PEG - The clue reminded me of Frankie "Sweet Music" Viola adjusting pitches in the 1987 World Series.

48A. Retriever or pointer : HUNTING DOG - Ours was a German Shorthair named Bruno. He could scare up pheasants 100 yards away.

57A. Joke that gets funnier with repetition : RUNNING GAG - See Jack Benny later in this blog.

Can you find a phrase in the above pattern but ending in a three-letter noun ?IG, which would allow us to   have different vowel variable in the last word.

Good Morning All. Argyle's computer is sick. This is the Boomer from snowy Minnesota, but Spring is in the air - finally.

Across:

1. World Wide __ : WEB- Gets more tangled every day.

4. Gunpowder element : SULFUR - that great firecracker smell on the 4th of July.

10. Turns seaward : EBBS - Hmmmm - I thought ebb just meant recede - like my hairline.

14. Firefighter's tool : AXE

15. Dream up : CREATE

16. Losing strategy? : DIET - Losing weight. I was trying to think of a four letter word defining the play of the NBA Timberwolves or Cavaliers.

19. Homely fruit : UGLI

20. Eye part containing the pupil : IRIS

21. Timeline divisions : ERAS - Eras divided by Timelines are indefinite. I would have used "Pitcher's stats"

23. Habit wearer : NUN - I was taught by the good Sisters of St. Joseph, and there is a great Benedictine Convent in Clyde, MO, but the long black robes are becoming a thing of the past, not worn by many sisters any longer.

24. Kimono sashes : OBIs

28. Magi : WISE MEN - Melchior, Caspar, and Balthasar.

30. Sweden neighbor : NORWAY - Ya sure, you betcha!

31. Utmost degree : NTH

32. Church instrument : ORGAN

35. Flag maker Betsy : ROSS

38. "__ to that!" : AMEN

40. Ecstatic way to walk : ON AIR

41. Roman 700 : DCC

44. 1992 Olympic skating champ Yamaguchi : KRISTI. A past champion of "Dancing with the Stars".

46. As an alternative : INSTEAD

51. Heidi's heights : ALPS - I liked her better on the "Good Ship, Lollipop".

52. 2011 minus year of birth, roughly : AGE

53. It replaced the franc : EURO

54. Handling the job : ON IT

55. Member of an Iraqi minority : KURD. 17% of Iraq's population.

61. "Now ___ me down ..." : I LAY

62. Complete : ENTIRE

63. Hurry, old-style : HIE

64. Clearance event : SALE - See 65A.

65. Smells to high heaven : STINKS - Yeah, Stinks could also be a "Clearance Event."

66. Blasting sply. : TNT - I wasn't sure of "sply". TNT is in a lot of puzzles.

Down:

1. Used to be : WAS

2. Lettered piece of court evidence : EXHIBIT - I get it. I watch "Law and Order" on TNT.

3. Pessimistic about Wall Street : BEARISH - Not sure about the bear, but Wall street has been "ISH" for a couple of years.

4. Biol. and chem. : SCIs

5. Coffeepot for a crowd : URN

6. Jeans part : LEG

7. Hall of __: enshrined athlete : FAMER - My all time favorite is Harmon Killebrew, now fighting cancer. On his left is C.C.'s avatar Justin Morneau.

8. One-eighty : U-TURN

9. Win back : REGAIN

10. Campus e-mail address letters : EDU

11. Special report subject : BIG NEWS - Lots of special reports on CNN coming from Japan this week. Mother Nature can be nasty. I feel sad for those who lost loved ones, homes, and had their lives disrupted.

12. Sturgeon yielding expensive caviar : BELUGAS - I have heard of Beluga whales. The St. Croix River will sometimes yield Sturgeon over 90 pounds, but I had never heard of a beluga sturgeon. Also known as Huso huso, these sturgeon are found in the Caspian Sea, and their eggs are the most expensive caviar around. Would you believe $7,000 to $10,000 per kilo?

13. Tight-fisted : STINGY - This word was invented for Jack Benny. Once a crook held him up, saying "Your money or your life!". The robber became impatient with Benny's silence, until he finally responded - "I'm thinking, I'm thinking".

18. Workbench clamp : VISE

22. Noisy sleepers : SNORERS - I stayed up all last night to see if I was one, but I didn't hear me snore at all.

24. Part of BYOB : OWN

25. Bruce of "Coming Home" : DERN

26. Prefix with -plasty : ANGIO

27. Pirate's quaff : GROG - Those ballplayers from Pittsburgh haven't had champagne for a while, but Snowshoe grog is wonderful on a cold day. A mixture of brandy and peppermint schnapps - keeps you warm in the winter.

29. Canadian lawman on horseback : MOUNTIE - Of course the most famous was Dudley Do-Right, constantly in pursuit of Boris and Natasha.

33. Raggedy doll : ANN - A wonderful simple kid's toy from years gone by. She had a twin brother Andy.

34. Whodunit writer Marsh : NGAIO. A Kiwi writer.

36. Try out : TEST

37. Unwelcome engine sound : PING - Has anyone noticed an engine ping doesn't sound like a ping at all. I once had a Ping putter - that thing could really ping. They don't make them like they used to.

38. Peppery salad green : ARUGULA - I use green peppers, or grind some fresh black pepper. Arugula sounds more like a former relief pitcher for the Twins and Mets: Rick Aguilera.

39. Twenty Questions choice : MINERAL - Toss in Animal and Vegetable and you've already used up 3 questions.

41. "Afternoon __": suggestive #1 hit of 1976 : DELIGHT

42. Ship's leader : CAPTAIN - Okay, but most military branches have captains. Those big ships like the USS Nimitz are actually led by Admirals. I don't remember Captain Kangaroo leading a ship, but I do remember that Mr. Green Jeans' pants had legs.

43. Jewel box contents, briefly : CDs

44. Military pants : KHAKIS - Khaki is a strange word. I think it actually describes a color, which is a light brown. The khaki uniform was between fatigues and full dress, and consisted of pants, shirt, and a soft cap.

45. Hardens : INURES

47. Zesty taste : TANG - Also an orange drink that astronauts made famous.

49. McJob holder : GRUNT - A bit condescending - I sold burgers for a few years back when they were 15 cents. Earned money for a car, a date now and then, and tuition, but never felt I was a grunt - (until I went into the Army).

50. "__ know you?" : DON'T I

54. Vending machine bills : ONES - Sad but true. Used to be you could buy most anything from a vending machine for a quarter or less. Now they have slot machines that accept $100 bills!

56. Hair coloring agent : DYE

58. Author Anaïs : NIN

59. Rub the wrong way : IRK

60. Retrieve : GET

Answer grid.

Boomer