Monday July 4th, 2022 Catherine Cetta

 

Theme: FIRECRACKER (59. Fourth of July noisemaker ... and the function of the black squares in lines 3, 6, and 10) - FIRE is broken up in 3 different ways.

16. Half-__: rhyming coffee order: CAF and 17. Closing line after presenting an argument: I REST MY CASE.

28. Nebula Award genre: SCI-FI And 30. One way to get caught: RED-HANDED.

47. North American evergreen: BALSAM FIR And 50. Say "I do" without the ado: ELOPE.

Boomer here. 

I hope all of you are having a great three-day weekend. I am taking the day off with you. No VA appointments on this holiday.  I think our city has a fireworks show, but we are usually sleeping by that time.

Across:

1. Remind repeatedly: NAG.

4. Girl __ Cookies: SCOUT.  I like the chocolate mint ones.

9. Journalist Swisher: KARA.

13. "My man!": BRO.  He ain't heavy, he's my BRO.

14. Alpha __ Alpha sorority: KAPPA.  I thought it was "Phi Beta ____"

15. Lubricated: OILED.  I cannot believe the price of an oil change these days.

19. Elsie the Cow's dairy brand: BORDEN.

21. "Questions welcome": ASK ME.  I don't know.  Ask someone else.

22. Ireland, to the Irish: EIRE.

23. "The Dancing Class" painter Edgar: DEGAS.

26. Cedar Rapids state: IOWA.  Cedar is a tree, Rapids is a spot in a river, and IOWA is only famous once every four years when they try to pick a president.

32. Silky fabrics: SATINS.

34. Island home of the Hana Highway: MAUI.  Over 700 square miles, a big section of Hawaii.

35. Magazine VIPs: EDS.  Mr. Sullivan and Mr.  R. Murrow.

36. Pinches pennies: SCRIMPS.  Pinch 500 and you may buy a gallon of gas.

38. "Now I get it!": AHA.

41. Holier-__-thou: THAN.

42. Scheduled: SLATED.  Twins are done with Guardians for awhile.  I wish they would change up their Pigpen ....... I mean bullpen.

51. Quaint "once": ERST.

52. Lets up: EASES.  I wish our hotter than normal Minnesota weather would ease up.

54. __ and proper: PRIM.

55. Fatherly nickname: POPPA.  There are restaurants called Poppa(s).

57. Hide-and-seek hideout: CLOSET.  No room to hide in mine.

62. "That hurt!": OOF.  Do not move my left arm!  Thanks.

64. Future DAs' exams: LSATS.

65. Member-owned grocery stores: CO-OPS.  Farmer-owned chicken houses.

66. Actress Thurman: UMA.  Odd first name.

67. Eclectic online digest: UTNE.  Utah or Nebraska.

68. Arizona's __ National Forest: TONTO.  Lone Ranger's buddy.

69. __-Mex cuisine: TEX.  A lot seems to go wrong in that state.

Down:

1. "This Is Us" TV network: NBC.

2. Coffee bean variety: ARABICA.  We buy coffee that is already ground.  Not sure what bean it is.

3. "Pursue your dream!": GO FOR IT.  Green under 200 yards away?  GO FOR IT!

4. Slide on an icy road: SKID. Yup, icy road season is just a few months ahead here.

5. Was concerned: CARED.

6. First game of the season: OPENER.  Baseball is here.  Football openers are coming soon.

7. Emotional highs: UPS.  Delivery company.

8. Body ink, for short: TAT.

9. Begin to take effect, as medicine: KICK IN.  Football openers are coming soon.

10. Dessert menu phrase: A LA MODE.  I scream for ice cream!

11. Mended for a second time: RE-SEWED.

12. Citrus drink suffix: ADE.  Lemon, Orange, or Kool.

15. Yiddish laments: OYS.

18. Songs made by mixing two songs: MASH-UPS.

20. Mortgage adjustment, for short: RE-FI.  It could cost you these days.

22. Twisty letter: ESS.  SSS.

24. Some spring babies: GEMINIS.  Twins.

25. Driver at the Oscars: ADAM.  We live close to A DAM on the Mississippi.  It's where we get some of our electric power.

27. Commercials: ADS.  The Game Show channel has a ton of them.

29. Lead-in to "gram" in social media: INSTA.

31. Ideological gap in Congress: AISLE.  And they don't seem to get along too well.

33. Bagel spread: SCHMEAR.

37. Nadal of tennis, familiarly: RAFA.

38. Actor Vigoda: ABE.  And President Lincoln.

39. Plucky member of an orchestra?: HARPIST.

40. Losing candidate: ALSO-RAN. Elections are coming this fall.

43. European peaks: ALPS.  Biggest and highest range in Europe.

44. Left in a big hurry: TORE OUT.  Many puzzles are TORE OUT and mailed to friends,

45. Perfect example: EPITOME.

46. Rep.'s opponent: DEM.  Elections are coming this fall.  oops I already said that.

48. Tampa Bay city, familiarly: ST PETE.  ERSBURG

49. __ with: take into consideration: RECKON.  I RECKON NOT!

53. Was out: SLEPT.  Gotta do this only on my right side for now.

56. Some HP products: PCS.

58. "In that neighborhood" phrase: OR SO.  Twins need ten relief pitchers OR SO.

59. Wintertime bug: FLU.

60. Do something: ACT.

61. Dove sound: COO.  Say it twice and it's a different bird.

63. Number on older business cards: FAX.

Boomer

Monday May 30, 2022 Catherine Cetta

Theme: TREEHUGGERS (55. Nature lovers, and what the answers to the starred clues literally are)

20. *Mahalia Jackson's genre: GOSPEL MUSIC.

29. *Colorful top with a tropical design: ALOHA SHIRT.

45. *Trial figure who can give a firsthand account: EYE WITNESS.

Boomer here.  

Happy and safe Memorial Day to one and all!  I noticed that there are tree tree-letter basic trees hidden in this puzzle.  Sometimes it is difficult to type an H when you can only use one hand.

Across:

1. Dart around like a hummingbird: FLIT.  I have seen them, but I never heard them hum.

 

 

5. Like 9-Across that has lost its fizz: FLAT.  No problem. Have iced tea or coffee.

9. Dark drink with fizz: COLA.  Diet Pepsi is my favorite. Or coffee.  However medical orders before surgery is NO caffeine!

13. Easier to write neatly on, probably: LINED.  Or run to bases or make a first down.

15. Like tinned sardines: OILY.  No thanks.

16. Las Vegas WNBA team: ACES.

17. "Drive Happy" car rental company: ALAMO.  Hi up Santa Anna, we're killing your soldiers below.  So the rest of Texas will know...  and remember the Alamo. 

18. Harvest: REAP.  C.C. planted some green beans in the garden.  I will let you know how they taste.  Maybe in August.

19. School gps.: PTAS. Parents Tell Teachers About Something.

23. Poem of praise: ODE.

24. "Passing" actress Thompson: TESSA.

25. "Friendly" cartoon ghost: CASPER.  Named after a city in Wyoming.

27. Abbr. between names: AKA.  Also Known As Boomer

32. Contributor with deep pockets: FAT CAT.

35. Esteem: VALUE.

36. Layers on tall wedding cakes: TIERS.  It may take a while to cut pieces.

37. Orchestra __: PIT.

38. Greek storyteller who coined "sour grapes": AESOP.  Sounds like a fable to me.

42. German steel city: ESSEN.  I was in Hardheim.  Not close to Essen.

 

 

44. Current influence on the weather?: EL NINO.

49. "__ Is a Woman": Ariana Grande song: GOD.

50. Hair gel alternative: MOUSSE.  I just use a can of spray, when I have hair. 

51. Joyous song: PAEAN.

54. Wrinkly pup: PUG.

60. Actor Guinness: ALEC.  Obi-Wan Kenobi!

62. Cathedral section: NAVE.  I've been going to church for years and I never heard the center called a NAVE!

63. Passion: ARDOR.

64. Fork prong: TINE.  Use all four to eat.

65. Mouse mover: USER.

66. Rational believer: DEIST.

67. Stiletto, for one: HEEL.  Walk carefully.  Do not fall!

68. "A __ formality": MERE.  So small.

69. One-named singer from County Donegal: ENYA.

Down:

1. Mark as important: FLAG.  Oh say can you see?

2. "__ & Stitch": LILO.

3. Too worked up to relax: IN A STATE.  I am in Minnesota.  I'm sure most of you are in a state too.

4. City between Phoenix and Mesa: TEMPE.  Arizona gets almost as much snow as Minnesota.  But only in high elevation.

5. Like most proms: FORMAL.  I never had to rent a tux.  I just wore my white glee club outfit. I'm on the most right.

 

 6. In __ of: LIEU.

7. Word of sorrow: ALAS. A LAS Vegas word of sorrow.

8. "You're so predictable": TYPICAL.  You knew I might write my #7 comment.

9. Mushroom top: CAP.  Mine has a TC logo.

Boomer & Hall-of-Famer Tony Oliva, 11/21/2011

10. Sea creatures with eight arms: OCTOPI.

11. Front-runner: LEADER.  That's when I fell for ... The LEADER of the pack. Shangra-Las

12. Stand up for (oneself): ASSERT.

14. Female deer: DOES.  Re, a drop of golden sun.

21. Aspiring atty.'s exam: LSAT.  Never took that one, whew.

22. Unlike most proms: CASUAL.  Okay for sock hops.  Are they still called that, or am I showing old age?

26. High shine: SHEEN.  A bishop with a TV show years ago.

27. To the rear, at sea: AFT.

28. "Cobra __": Netflix series based on "The Karate Kid": KAI.

30. Just like ewe: OVINE.  Baa, Baa.

31. Beret, e.g.: HAT.  In the Army it was always required to have something besides hair on you head.

33. Rowing teams: CREWS.  I used to row a fishing boat all by myself.

34. Pass that leads to a successful basket: ASSIST. I am not much of an NBA fan

37. Signing-ceremony memento: PEN.  I collect Twins player autographs, but I never collected the pen. See more here.

39. Entered a username, say: SIGNED IN. 

40. Singer Yoko: ONO.  OH NO, it's ONO

41. Okra unit: POD.  Two peas in it.

43. Breastbone: STERNUM.

44. Biblical twin: ESAU.  Isaac's kid.  Jacob's brother.

45. One who feels another's pain: EMPATH.  My EMPATHY goes out to those families who lost children in Uvalde, Texas.

46. "That's not true!": YOU LIE.  Your nose will grow.

47. Oregon city on the Willamette: EUGENE.  My uncle Gus' first name.

48. Orb: SPHERE.

52. "My stars!": EGAD.

53. Match, as subjects and verbs: AGREE. 

56. Alleviate: EASE.

57. "Don't you __ stop!?": EVER.  NOPE

58. Pinkish: ROSY.  Like Ms. O'Donnell.

59. Spanish miss: Abbr.: SRTA.

61. Cartoon frame: CEL. Almost a phone.

Boomer

 

Tuesday, May 3, 2022 Catherine Cetta

For Book Lovers Only:  The word Book can come at the End of the word that the letters spell out to give us a new concept.  The circles make a nice Bookend for the letters in-between.

17-Across. "Almost!": NOT QUITE.  Notebook.

22-Across. Bargain hunter's event: RUMMAGE SALE.  Rule Book.

38-Across. Rush hour woe: COMMUTER TRAFFIC.  Comic Book.  Odd man out, since there are 3 letters at the beginning, and only 2 at the end of the answer.

49-Across. Lingers: HANGS AROUND.  Handbook.

And the Unifier:

61-Across. Items found on library shelves, and what are literally found in each set of circled letters: BOOKENDS.

Here's the Grid:

Across:

1. Prickly desert plants: CACTI.

6. Oolong and rooibos: TEAs.  Who knew there were so many types of teas.  Rooibos is a red tea and is considered an herbal tea because it is caffeine-free.

10. "The Problem With __": documentary about Indian stereotypes on "The Simpsons": APU.

13. In order to: SO THAT.  In order to complete this puzzle ...  So that I can complete this puzzle ...

14. Puts on edge: UNNERVES.

16. Springs for dinner: TREATS.

18. Distant: AFAR.

19. "Gorillas in the Mist" animal: APE.  Gorillas in the Mist is a 1988 film about Diann Fossey (Jan. 16, 1932 ~ Dec. 26, 1985) and her work in Rwanda with mountain gorillas.  Sadly, Fossey was murder in her research cabin in Rwanda.

21. Answering to: UNDER.  Think chain of command.

26. Dairy farm animal: COW.

27. Majestic homes: PALACES.  Do you know the difference between a Palace and a Castle?

32. As good as it gets: IDEAL.

36. News inits.: UPI.  United Press International.

37. __ Beds National Monument: LAVA.  I was not familiar with Lava Beds National Monument.  It looks beautiful and you can explore caves there.

42. Actress Falco: EDIE.  Edie Falco (née Edith Falco; b. July 5, 1963) is probably best known for her role as Carmela Soprano on the television series The Sopranos.

43. "I'm __ ears!": ALL.

44. Iona College athletes: GAELS.  Iona College is a private Catholic college in New Rochelle, New York.  The mascot looks a bit like a creepy Abe Lincoln.

45. Major plot twist in "The Wizard of Oz"?: TORNADO.  Cute clue!

47. Happy __ clam: AS A.

55. Permit: ALLOW.

59. Syst. with hand gestures: ASL.  As in American Sign Language.

60. Away from shore: ASEA.

64. Ludicrous: ABSURD.

66. Response to someone saying 65-Down, perhaps: BUNDLE UP.  //  And 65-Down: "It's c-c-cold": BRR!!!

67. Hairstyle that may be maintained by a professional "loctician": DREADS.

Bob Marley (Feb. 6, 1945 ~ May 11, 1981)

68. Had a bite: ATE.

69. Relay race segments: LEGS.

70. "R u for real?": SRSLY.  Text speak for Seriously.

Down:

1. Resort island in the Ionian Sea: CORFU.

2. First-stringers: A-TEAM.

3. __ City: Baltimore's nickname: CHARM.  Is this an ironic nickname for Baltimore?

4. Skin art, for short: TAT.

5. "We're on!": IT'S A GO.

6. Melodies: TUNES.

7. Roxy Music co-founder Brian: ENO.  Brian Eno (né Brian Peter George Eno; b. May 15, 1948) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.

Then and Now.

8. "__-Man and the Wasp": ANT.

9. Title with a "II," maybe: SEQUEL.  Do you think that there will be a sequel to 8-Down?

10. Passionate: AVID.

11. Transportation Secretary Buttigieg: PETE.  Pete Buttigieg (né Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg; b. Jan. 19, 1982) was the 32nd Mayor of South Bend, Indiana before he became the 19ht United States Secretary of Transportation.

12. Icon tapper: USER.

13. Polaris or Betelgeuse: STAR.

15. Part of RBI: RUN.  As in the baseball abbreviation for Runs Batted In.

20. Chapel bench: PEW.

23. Rights advocacy org.: ACLU.  As in the American Civil Liberties Union.  The ACLU has been around for over 100 years.

24. Datebook entry: Abbr.: APPT.

25. Wild animal's home: LAIR.

28. Communications code word for "A": ALFA. 

29. Casual eatery: CAFÉ.

30. Really, really bad: EVIL.

31. Biological pouches: SACS.

32. "Rhyme Pays" rapper: ICE-T.  Ice-T (né Tracy Lauren Marrow; b. Feb. 16, 1958) is known as Detective Tutuola on one of the Law & Order series.

33. Knucklehead: DODO.  CSO to our dear friend Dodo, who certainly wasn't a knucklehead.

34. Dubai dignitary: EMIR.  This is becoming a crossword staple.

35. "Right on!": AMEN.

36. http follower: URL.  The Uniform Resource Locator appears with some frequency in the puzzles.

39. "And here it is!": TA DA!

40. Musk of SpaceX: ELON.  Elon Musk (né Elon Reev Musk; b. June 28, 1971) has been the news a lot recently.  Enough said.

41. Seaweed gelatin: AGAR.  Agar makes the base for growing bacteria in the laboratory.

46. "Can't be helped": AH, WELL!

47. Pack animal: ASS.  This is becoming a crossword staple.

48. Light lunches: SALADS.

50. "Oh my gosh!" reactions: GASPS.

51. Fertile desert spots: OASES.

52. Garden-variety: USUAL.

53. Square: NERDY.

54. Both parents, in some families: DADS.

55. "Mamma Mia!" pop group: ABBA.

56. Boor: LOUT.

57. Only: LONE.

58. Approved, briefly: OK'D.

62. Word before a maiden name: NÉE.  Today's French lesson.

63. Really grooved on: DUG.

Now it's time to get back to my reading.

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