Tuesday November 19, 2019 Susan Smolinsky & C.C. Burnikel

Theme: A TO Z (56D. All-inclusive, and a hint to 20-, 28-, 49- and 56-Across) - Each theme entry starts with A and ends with Z.

20. #1 in Major League Baseball career earnings: ALEX RODRIGUEZ.

28. 1970s joint U.S.-Soviet space flight: APOLLO SOYUZ.

 

49. Math class surprise: ALGEBRA QUIZ.

56. Musical genre of Tito Puente and Dizzy Gillespie: AFRO-CUBAN JAZZ.

Boomer here. Here I am on Tuesday, blogging on a puzzle by Hahtoolah and C.C.. This is their second collaboration.

Hahtoolah (Susan)

Across:

1. Longstocking of kiddie lit: PIPPI.

6. "Jason Bourne" star Damon: MATT.  I prefer MATT Dillon played by fellow Minnesotan, James Arness.

10. Shell rowers: CREW.  Speaking of the frozen tundra, CREW neck sweatshirts are appropriate attire this time of year.

14. Biting, as criticism: ACERB.

15. Sound reduced by carpeting: ECHO.  ECHO was a vehicle from Toyota.  I believe it failed.  It was the size of a roller skate.

16. Hill worker: AIDE.

17. Earl Grey relative: PEKOE.  C.C. loves tea.  I used to like an occasional orange PEKOE.

18. Old Roman fiddler: NERO.  I thought he was an Emperor.  Didn't know he fiddled around.

19. Buttonlike earring: STUD.  I used to see these sometimes on guys. Not me, I already have enough holes in my head.

23. Puppy's cry: YIP.  Give it a bottle, shut it up.

24. Chaney of "The Phantom of the Opera" (1925): LON.  Made a living being a spooky, scary guy.

25. Acidity nos.: PHS.  Not for me. I get a PSA blood test every month.

35. Function: ROLE.  I was in a high school production once. My ROLE was Noah.  I think P.J. Fleck wanted me to "Row the boat."

37. Actors' union, briefly: SAG.  Of course if your body start's to SAG, they'll retire you.

38. Remove from office: DEPOSE. Many government officials are being deposed with questions from Congress. But they are not being removed from office.

39. Fortified city of Castile and León: AVILA.

41. Diamond stat: RBI.  Anything over 100 is great in my humble opinion.

43. "MASH" corporal: RADAR.  Gary Burghoff played a great role.  Remember his first name on M.A.S.H. ??  Walter.

44. "Cape Fear" star: DE NIRO.  My all time favorite De Niro Movie was "Casino".  Hated Joe Pesci. glad he got whacked at the end.

46. Spinning toy: TOP.  "STOP HEY What's that sound, Everybody look what's going down."  (Buffalo Springfield).

48. Building bricks brand: LEGO.  LEGO my Eggo!

52. Arles article: LES.

53. Salad dressing ingredient: OIL.  That reminds me.  My van is due for a change.

54. Sis or bro: SIB.

63. "See ya!": TA TA.  "Well GO baby GO.  And I leaned back, and I closed my eyes ... and she left.  "The Hip Song" - Chad Mitchell Trio.

65. Acting independently: LONE.  Clayton Moore was the LONE Ranger.  I wanted to thank him.

66. "For real!": NO LIE.

67. "Um, that's fine": OH OK.

68. Villainous: EVIL.

69. Par-three clubs, often: IRONS.  Most par threes are over 100 yards.  I normally use a 7 or 9 wood which I carry.  What can I say??  I am old and the irons just don't hit the Titleist too far anymore.

70. Route-finding app: WAZE.  I usually just use Google.

71. Risqué message: SEXT.  Not me.  I don't text and I don't tweet.  I am too old to learn.

72. Common teen phase: ANGST.

Down:

1. Hemingway moniker: PAPA.

2. Eur. island country: ICEL.  Minnesota climate is pretty close this year.

3. Chow kin, briefly: PEKE.

4. Voting substitute: PROXY.  I always show up at the polls in November.  I did have to Proxy a vote for Hubert Humphrey in 1968 from Fort Campbell.

5. Spanish airline: IBERIA.

6. Darn: MEND.  Those Darn Hawkeyes spoiled the Gophers perfect record

7. Asian PC brand: ACER.  I did not know it was Asian.  I am looking at one right now.

8. Really excite: THRILL.  THRILL of victory, the agony of defeat.

9. "I can't top that": TOO GOOD. To be true. My High School Junior Varsity bowling team that I coach finished second in the conference final last Friday.  We had the lead with one game to go, and the other team shot a 187 to our 150.  Too bad there is no defense in bowling.

10. Job for a judge: CASE.

11. Upscale hotel: RITZ.  I bring these crackers to bowling on Mondays. My buddy brings the peanut butter and we snack between frames.

12. LSU URL letters: EDU.

13. Elope, say: WED.  This is between Tues and Thur.  You should probably wait for the weekend to elope.

21. They sometimes attract: Abbr.: OPPS.  I did not know opposites have nicknames.

22. Racing giant Bobby: UNSER.  Like father, like son.

25. Italian fashion house: PRADA.  The devil wears this.

26. Crude abode: HOVEL.  Add an "S" in front and you have a crude snow removal tool.

27. David's weapon: SLING.  All you need to go Goliath hunting.

29. 10-Across tool: OAR.  P.J. Flecks need these to "Row the Boat".

30. Rainbow flag letters: LGBTQ.

31. National gemstone of Australia: OPAL.  I think this is my October birthstone.

32. Alpine melody: YODEL.  LADY WHOO

33. Customary practice: USAGE.  Thanksgiving is coming USAGE in the stuffing.

34. Binary system digits: ZEROS.  There is only one in the Beetle Bailey strip.

36. Peace Nobelist Wiesel: ELIE.

40. Ann __, Michigan: ARBOR.  Wolverines took care of the Spartans there Saturday

42. Debtor's promise: IOU.  Ever wonder why this acronym is not IOY ??

45. Team nicknamed the Birds: ORIOLES.  Legendary Brooks Robinson and Cal Ripken Jr.  cannot help them anymore.

47. Italian tower town: PISA.

50. Niche: ALCOVE.

51. Alphabetically last flower on a list of familiar ones: ZINNIA.  Nice flowers.  We might try them next spring.

55. Tennis great Borg: BJORN.

57. The Piltdown Man, notably: FAKE.

58. Operating system since the '60s: UNIX.

59. Orion's __: BELT.  Pabst Blue Ribbon??

60. Sleep like __: A LOG.  Sometimes yes - Sometimes not so much.

61. Cab alternatives: ZINS.

62. Lemon peel: ZEST.  I used to use this soap in the shower.  I did not know it was a lemon peel.

63. AAA service: TOW.

64. "Eureka!": AHA.

Boomer

Tuesday, November 5, 2019 C.C. Burnikel

Is your name Google, because you have everything I want.  There is a dating app hidden in each of today's theme answers.  Apps didn't exist back in the dark ages when I was dating.  Do these apps replace bad pick-up lines?  Here is a fun puzzle from our very own C.C.

18-Across. Black-and-yellow pollinator: BUMBLE BEE.

24-Across. Tense tennis moment: MATCH POINT.

37-Across. Volatile situation: TINDER BOX.

54-Across. Body part that provides limited motion: HINGE JOINT.

And the Unifier:

61-Across. Mobile download for single people, and what the starts of 18-, 24-, 37- and 54-Across have in common: DATING APP.

Across:

1. Works on a quilt: SEWS.  My mother made over 500 quilts for the Linus Project ~ an organization that donates quilts to children in hospitals or are victims of disasters.  This is the last quilt my mother made.  She completed it just a few days before she was killed.

5. Team that won the Women's World Cup in 2019: USA.

8. Winter skating sites: PONDS.  Rinks also work, but some skating rinks are available all year long. Ponds are less reliable and the ice is never smooth.

13. Yawn-inducing: HO-HUM.

15. Melancholy: SAD.

16. Love to pieces: ADORE.

17. Burr, to Hamilton: ENEMY.  As in Aaron Burr (Feb. 6, 1756 ~ Sept.  14, 1836), Vice President under Thomas Jefferson, and Alexander Hamilton (Jan. 11, 1750s ~ July 12, 1804), the 1st United States Secretary of the Treasury.  The former shot and killed the latter in a duel.  Everything you ever wanted to know about the Hamilton-Burr duel.

20. Fodder for fantasy football: STATS.  As in Statistics.

22. Cause for a handshake: DEAL.

23. Waited to be found, maybe: HID.

26. Classroom staffer: AIDE.

27. Word after drinking or driving: AGE.  Are the Drinking Age and Driving Age same in your state?

28. Maple extract: SAP.  My family had friends who had a sugar house in northern Vermont.  When I was a kid, I used to go there during sugar season and we would have Sugar-on-Snow.  The sap would be heated to syrup, and while still hot would be poured on fresh snow.  It would immediately harden. It was so tasty!

29. Many an eBay user: SELLER.

31. Curtain holders: RODS.

33. Jack of "Dragnet": WEBB.  Jack Webb (né John Randolph Webb; Apr. 2, 1920 ~ Dec. 23, 1982), portrayed Sgt. Joe Friday on Dragnet.  He wanted just the facts, ma'am.

36. Honeycomb units: CELLS.

40. Lion in "The Chronicles of Narnia": ASLAN.  This critter has become a crossword staple.

43. Marquee name: STAR.

44. 24-hr. banking conveniences: ATMs.  Do you remember the first time you used an Automated Teller Machine?

48. Sits on the throne: REIGNS.

50. Picture file suffix: GIF.  Ever wonder what GIF means?  It is an abbreviation for Graphic Interchange Format.

52. Fish-to-be: ROE.  Roe, Roe, Roe your Fish ...

53. Batting practice area: CAGE.  Think Baseball.

58. Fire pit residue: ASH.

59. "Soldier of Love" Grammy winner: SADE.  Sade (née Hele Folasade Adu; b. Jan. 16, 1959) is a British-Nigerian singer.
 

60. Much paperwork: FORMS.  Everyone's favorite forms.

64. Takes a breather: RESTS.

66. Kagan on the bench: ELENA.  Elena Kagan (b. Apr. 28, 1960) is an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.  She joined the Court in August 2010.  She was the 4th woman to serve on the High Court.  She also makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.

67. "Take that!": HAH!

68. Chuckleheads: DOPES.  I don't think I have ever used this word to describe someone.

69. Guitarist's aid: STRAP.

70. Moth-eaten: OLD.  It's old, because holey didn't fit.

71. "Pretty Little Liars" series novelist Shepard: SARA.  I am not familiar with Sara Shepard (b. Apr. 8, 1977).

Down:

1. Pronoun for a mom: SHE.

2. Way, way back when: EONS AGO.

3. Sparked, as one's appetite: WHETTED.

4. "Poison" shrub: SUMAC.

The poison Sumac is on the left.

5. Flash drive port: USB.  The Universal Serial Bus makes frequent appearances in the crossword puzzles.

6. Riyadh resident: SAUDI.  Riyadh is the capital of Saudi Arabia.

7. Jingle-writing guys: AD MEN.  Do you know who wrote this little jingle?  *

8. Veil of gloom: PALL.

9. Poem from an admirer: ODE.

10. Ritzy San Francisco neighborhood: NOB HILL.  This neighborhood of San Francisco is home to many unique and historic buildings.

11. Hanukkah toy: DREIDEL.  [Note:  Because Chanukah is a transliteration of a Hebrew word, there are various spellings of the word in English.  The "CH" at the beginning of a transliteration indicates to the reader that the word is pronounced with a guttural "H" sound.]

12. Farm machines: SEEDERS.

Not intended for home use.

14. Traditional stories: MYTHS.

19. Dugout rack items: BATS.

21. Produce offspring: SPAWN.

24. Spoil: MAR.

25. Opinion pages: OP-EDs.  This has become a crossword staple.

26. Echo Dot assistant: ALEXA.  Amazon's assistant.  This one comes complete with a clock.

30. Prefix with friendly: ECO-.  As in Eco-friendly.

32. Place for a play: STAGE.  Nice clue.

34. Wager: BET.

35. North Carolina fort: BRAGG.  Fort Bragg is named for Confederate General Braxton Bragg (Mar. 22, 1817 ~ Sept. 27, 1876).  He had served in the United States Army, but resigned in 1856 to become a sugar plantation owner in Thibodaux, Louisiana.  He later joined the Confederate army, where he became a General.  He lost the plantation after the Civil War.  He died suddenly at age 59.

38. Place for a stay: INN.

39. Court filing: BRIEF.

40. Hangouts for video game players: ARCADES.

41. Chef's condiment: SEA SALT.  Sea Salt is made by evaporating seawater.  Some people claim is has healthful benefits, but there is no scientific evidence to support this theory.

42. Not as heavy: LIGHTER.

45. Dietary supplement once pitched by Anna Nicole Smith: TRIMSPA.

46. Centaur or chimera: MONSTER.

Centaur

Chimera

47. __ foot in: enter: SET.

49. Fluffy rug: SHAG.  Are these rugs still popular?

51. Norwegian inlet: FJORD.

55. Twin Falls' state: IDAHO.  Twin Falls is a town in Southern Idaho in the county of the same name.

56. Mount Everest is on its border with China: NEPAL.  Nepal is the only country in the world with a national non-quadrilateral flag.

57. Layered cookies: OREOS.  You can get Oreos in all sorts of flavors.

59. Piece of cake: SNAP.  I wanted Easy, but the perps objected.

62. Once __ while: IN A.

63. Deg. of distinction: Ph.D.  As in a Doctorate of Philosophy.

65. Retirees' benefits org.: SSA.  As in the Social Security Administration.

Here's the Grid:

*  Barry Manilow wrote a lot of ad jingles, including "I am Stuck on Band-aids."

If I don't comment on the blog, it's because a couple of weeks ago I really made a mess of my google account, and now it doesn't give me any options to comment when I am on my mobile device.

QOD:  Life it too short to work so hard.  ~  Vivien Leigh (née Vivian Mary Hartley; Nov. 5, 1913 ~ July 8, 1967)