Monday February 26, 2024 Chris Gross

  

Theme:                It's a Horse ... Of Course!  

Mr. Ed Theme

Howdy, everyone! sumdaze here with a puzzle by The Corner's own Chris Gross, a.k.a. Chairman Moe. I am sure I am not the only one delighted to see Chris' name on today's grid.

There are three themers. Each is a familiar, three-word phrase:

20 Across. "Focus on the future now": NO LOOKING BACK.

25 Across. "Never in a million years!": WHEN PIGS FLY.

45 Across. Easy to set up, as a computer: PLUG AND PLAY.

What do they have in common? It's a HORSE...of course!

Let's look at the reveal:

51 Across. Equestrian transport vehicles, and what the last words of 20-, 25-, and 45-Across can be: HORSE TRAILERS.

When we place the last words in each of the themed clues after (in other words trailing) the word HORSE, we get:

• HORSEBACK: (adj.) done while on a horse; (adv.) on a horse.
• HORSEFLY:  any of a family of large dipteran flies with bloodsucking females.
• HORSEPLAY:  rough play in which people push and hit each other or behave in a silly way. 

This theme set reminds me of the time I was HORSEBACK with my friend Kelli and her daughter. We were holding the herd and, to pass the time, PLAYed a game where we whacked HORSEFLies with our romals and kept score. We all got into the double digits. I have never been around that many HORSEFLies before or since that day.

I'll stop stalling now and move on to the other clues:

Across:
1. "Golly!": GOSH.

5. Infuriated with: MAD AT.  I thought I'd flip the script with this one and use it to cue a love song by Madness.  

Madness It Must Be Love  (1981)

Note:  Imagine my surprise when Madness turned up as a clue in last Saturday's puzzle!

 

10. Light on one's feet: SPRY.  

14. "It's __ you": "You decide": UP TO.  

15. Justice Kagan of the Supreme Court: ELENA.

16. Metals from a mine: ORES.

17. "Jeopardy!" creator Griffin: MERV.  He also created Wheel of Fortune. Here' a fun 1:27 min. video about when Merv hired Pat Sajak.  

18. Piccata ingredient: LEMON.  

This is that -- LEMONs and all.
(Those little green things are capers.)

19. Christmas song: NOEL.  The first one, they say, was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay.

23. Top-notch: A-ONE.

24. "__ you listening?": ARE.  This is a line from another Christmas song.

Sleigh bells ring ... 🎵

31. Barely lit: DIM.

34. Makes cursed: HEXES.  

35. Some clip-on accessories: TIES.

36. Game with Skip and Reverse cards: UNO.

37. "Need You Tonight" band: INXS.

38. Cover story: ALIBI.  A fun play on a magazine's cover story!

This Lefty Frizzell song always gets to me.  

Long Black Veil  (1959)

"The judge said son what is your ALIBI?

If you were somewhere else then you won't have to die."

40. Pakistani language: URDU.  This is what UNSECO says about URDU.

41. Theater sign on a busy night: SRO.  Standing Room Only

Last week we learned it can also mean Single Room Occupancy in the hotel biz.

42. Shortly: SOON.

43. "Delta of Venus" author Nin: ANAIS.  goodreads link

44. Family: KIN.

48. Deg. for an exec: MBA.  An executive might have a Master of Business degree.

50. Went by bike: RODE.  Watch these professional cyclists show what it takes to ride in the French Alps. (3:15 min.) 

57. Desert in southern Mongolia: GOBI.  It ranks #5 on this List of the 10 Largest Deserts.

58. Clueless gamers: NOOBS.  N00BS are "new" to something. IIRC, -T told us to spell it with two zeros -- but that wouldn't perp this time.

59. Go first: LEAD.     and its clecho     2 Down. Go first: OPEN.  (like when one band OPENs for the main attraction band)

61. Surrounded by: AMID.

62. Connecticut Ivy Leaguer: YALIE.  A student at Yale University is called a YALIE. Another nickname is Elis after Elihu Yale, the school's namesake.

63. Spanish "she": ELLA.  Spanish "he" is only two letters so él no está aquí.

64. Brazilian soccer legend: PELÉ.  Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento on October 23, 1940, Pelé was named Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee in 1999. He scored 1,279 goals in 1,363 games. The world mourned his passing on December 29, 2022.

65. Book of maps: ATLAS.  

66. Like purple hair: DYED.  

Are you sure it's not natural?

Down:
1. Bubble blower's mouthful: GUM.  Fun clue!  

3. Houston MLBer: STRO.  "Major League Baseball player" is abbreviated, so is "ASTRO".

4. Rush-hour traffic conveniences: HOV LANES.  High-Occupancy Vehicle. Nice fill! I checked Crossword Tracker. It showed HOVLANE but not it's plural.  

SoCal news anchors chat about this violator on "The 210".

5. Christopher of "Law & Order: SVU": MELONI.  

Oh, yeah, that guy.
Catch him in an 11-Down.

6. Pub barrel: ALE KEG.

7. "Cool for the Summer" singer Lovato: DEMI.

8. "We don't know who wrote this" abbreviation: ANON.  Multiple CSOs!

9. Cranberry juice quality: TANG.  Hand up for TArt before TANG.

10. Sunken ship finder: SONAR.

11. Many a TV crime drama: PROCEDURAL.  In television, this specifically refers to a genre of programs in which a problem is introduced, investigated, and solved all within the same episode. These shows tend to be hour-long dramas, and are often (though not always) police or crime related.

12. Assault the nose: REEK.  not a punch on the nose  

13. Fashion monogram: YSL.  

You can buy this YSL purse at Neiman Marcus for $1,790.

21. Unwelcome word from a barber: OOPS.  Cute!

22. Large coastal inlets: BAYS.   

I live next to this one.

25. Batter blender: WHISK.  Whimsical Wording!

26. "Three Bathers" painter Matisse: HENRI.  (Dec. 31, 1869 - Nov. 3, 1954) It turns out Matisse owned Cézanne's painting for forty years. article

(L to R) Three Bathers by Paul Cézanne (1879-1882)
Three Bathers by Henri Matisse (1907)
Henri Matisse's three cats (who look like they just finished bathing)

27. S&P 100 company that's a descendant of Standard Oil: EXXONMOBIL.  John D. Rockefeller formed the Standard Oil Company in 1870. Exxon and Mobil merged in 1999.  timeline

28. On-the-job risk for a beekeeper: STING.  I recommend The Honey Bus, a book by Meredith May about her beekeeper grandfather.

29. White lie: FIB.

30. Sweet-smelling garland: LEI.  My Yellow Ginger Lei is a Hawaiian classic.  

32. Nepal neighbor: INDIA.  

33. Hardly assertive: MOUSY.  Def.:  nervous, shy, or timid.

38. Email pioneer: AOL.  America Online

39. Baseball Hall of Famer Gehrig: LOU.  Boomer knew all about the cards.  

40. Still having a rind: UNPEELED.  The Orange Peel Theory  is trending. Basically you test someone's love for you by asking them to do something simple like peeling an orange for you. Personally, I do not think we should test others' love for us.

42. Health resorts: SPAS.

43. Not incl.: ADD'L.  If it is not included, there might be an ADDitionaL charge.

46. Saudi __: ARABIA.

47. Beeps and peeps: NOISES.

49. Wedding bouquet tosser: BRIDE.  

OOPS!

51. Base runner's goal: HOME.

52. Irish New Age singer: ENYA.  RosE and I are fans.  

Long Long Journey  (2005)

53. Precisely: TO A T.  Read as "To a Tee".  

Mr. T, accessorized TO A T

54. Tootsie __: ROLL.

55. Depend (on): RELY.

56. Cyber Monday event: SALE.

57. Generation __: GAP.  This can be an issue with XWD solvers.

60. Family guy: DAD.  or son or unc or pop or bro

Peter Griffin is the patriarch on the TV show Family Guy.

Well, that's enough horsing around from me. I'll attach the grid then I'm oat-a here!

Wednesday January 31, 2024. Chris Gross

Theme Buried Culinary Treasures.  Common in-the-language phrases contain, that is to say, have room for,  tasty postprandial delights.

20 A. *Bakery employees who offer free samples?: CUPCAKE HOLDERS. The surface meaning is a person holding cupcakes to be distributed.  A CUP HOLDER is a device for holding a plastic cup or other drinking container, as in the console of a motor vehicle, or an item if furniture.  The hidden desert is a CAKE an item of soft, sweet food made from a mixture of flour, shortening, eggs, sugar, and other ingredients, baked and often decorated. And this fill is a CAKE holder in more ways than one. A bit involuted, but tasty.  Do those bakery folks have frosting on their fingers?

33 A. *Mistakes made while preparing a simple breakfast?: POPTART FOULS.  How wold one foul a Poptart?  By dousing it in pickle juice, perhaps. In baseball, a POP FOUL is a ball hit high in the air for not much distance that lands in foul territory.  Our dessert here is a TART - an open pastry case containing a filling.   Don't mess it up.

43 A. *Comfort food with a high price tag?: POTPIE OF GOLD.   I've heard of gilding the lily. Hmmm. Perhaps made with gold electroplated pastry dough? A POT OF GOLD is a large amount of money, especially one that is unattainable or illusory.  A dessert PIE is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that contains a filling of various sweet or savory ingredients.  As distinguished from a TART, the PIE has a top crust. Probably not made of gold, though

58. Question from a server, or what was needed to create the answer to each starred clue: ROOM FOR DESSERT.   Chris made room in each of these phrases to tuck in a sweet treat.  The server would be asking of you are too full to participate.

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here, in the throes of a dramatic glucose spike.  Let's get going and work off some of those carbs.

Across:

1. Tracks: CUTS.  Album tracks.  Wasn't my first thought.

14. "Pronto" letters: ASAP.  As Soon As Possible.  Take your time, but hurry.

15. Delight: ELATE. Make very happy.

16. Rachel Maddow's field: NEWS.   Information about current events.  What's happening now.

17. Simon or Garfunkel: NAME.  Ditto Smith and Jones.  Again, not what one would expect from the clue

18. Terra __: COTTA.  A clay-based non-vitreous ceramic, fired at relatively low temperatures.  Earthenware.

19. Small valley: DELL.  Often in a wooded area.

23. Purpose: USE.  The reason for which something exists.

24. Shed: LOSE.  Give off, discharge or expel.  During the hurricane my yard shed its shed.

25. Summer hrs. in Portsmouth: EDT.  Eastern Daylight Time

26. Some DEA employees: NARCS.  Slang shorthand for narcotics agent, who specializes in laws dealing with illegal drugs.

28. Smallest state in India: GOA.   Goa is a state in western India with coastlines stretching along the Arabian Sea. Its long history as a Portuguese colony prior to 1961 is evident in its preserved 17th-century churches and the area’s tropical spice plantations.

30. Stable staple: OAT.   A nutritious breakfast for both horses and people.

38. "Frozen" sister: ELSA.  Elsa is the Queen of Arendelle in the Disney cartoon feature, Frozen.  I think this clue should point to her sister Anna, since Elsa is the star of the show.

41. Misstep: ERROR.  Faux pas, Fingerfehler.  Oops.

42. Water waster: DRIP.  From a not-properly-shut-off faucet.

46. Back: AGO. In the past.

47. "The A-Team" actor: MR T.   Laurence Tureaud [b. 1952] is an American actor. He is known for his roles as B. A. Baracus in the 1980s television series The A-Team and as boxer Clubber Lang in the 1982 film Rocky III.

48. Abbr. before a year: ESTAB.  Established - referring to the year something was founded. 

52. Fundraising org.: PTA.  Parent-Teachers Association, a network of of families, students, teachers, administrators, and business and community leaders devoted to the educational success of children and the promotion of family engagement in schools.   

54. Gets faint: DIMS.   Reduces in brightness or image clarity.

57. Laundry brand: ERA.  A P&G product.

62. Soap brand: LAVA.  Lava is a heavy-duty hand cleaner in soap bar form manufactured by the WD-40 Company. Unlike typical soap bars, Lava contains ground pumice, which gave the soap its name. The soap and pumice combination is intended to scour tar, engine grease, paint, dirt, grime, filth, and similar substances from the skin.

63. French 101 infinitive: AVOIR.  Meaning to have.

64. Last remarks?: OBIT.  Not a last utterance, but funereal comments about the recently departed.

65. Improves in a cellar, say: AGES.  As wine or cheese.

66. Barbershop quartet part: TENOR.  Unlike choral harmony in which the parts from top down are soprano, alto, tenor and bass, with the melody usually in the soprano part; in barbershop harmony the tenor sings a harmony part that is consistently above the melody, which is sung by the lead.  Below that are baritone and bass.  So the voices from top down are tenor, lead, baritone and bass.

67. Soap brand: DOVE.  A brand of facial soap made by Unilever that comes in a variety of specialized uses.  Dove chocolate tastes better than any of them.

68. Pigeon fancier on "Sesame Street": BERT.  This was not a great success.

69. Adversary: ENEMY.  One that contends with, opposes, or resists.

70. Took a hatchet to: AXED.  Hewed or chopped.

Down:

1. Tourist destination on the Yucatan: CANCUN.   Cancún, a Mexican city on the Yucatán Peninsula bordering the Caribbean Sea, is known for its beaches, numerous resorts and nightlife. It’s composed of 2 distinct areas: the more traditional downtown area, El Centro, and Zona Hotelera, a long, beachfront strip of high-rise hotels, nightclubs, shops and restaurants. 

2. Chant for the red, white, and blue: USA-USA.  Often heard at the Olympics.

3. Mess (with): TAMPER.  Interfere with something in order to cause damage or make unauthorized alterations.

4. Job detail, for short: SPEC.  Specification - a detailed description of the design and materials used to make something.

5. Geico icon: GECKO.  I don't know which I hate more - the Geico adds with the gecko or without the gecko.

6. Medicinal plants: ALOES.   Aloe vera is a succulent plant species of the genus Aloe. It is widely distributed, and is considered an invasive species in many world regions. An evergreen perennial, it originates from the Arabian Peninsula, but also grows wild in tropical, semi-tropical, and arid climates around the world.   The leaves of Aloe vera contain significant amounts of the polysaccharide gel acemannan, which can be used for topical purposes. Aloe skin contains aloin which is toxic. Products made from Aloe vera usually only use the gel.

7. Come clean?: BATHE.   Instead of admitting to some wrong-doing, here we make us of, for example, Dove or Lava soap.

8. "A Man Called __":  OTTO.  Tom Hanks film based on a Fredrik Backman novelm, A Man Called Ove.   When a lively young family moves in next door, grumpy widower Otto Anderson meets his match in a quick-witted, pregnant woman named Marisol, leading to an unlikely friendship that turns his world upside down.

9. Down-to-earth: REAL.   With no illusions or pretensions; practical and realistic.

10. Done: ENDED.  Finished.

11. Excursion where one might see something brewing?: BEER TOUR.   As you visit each brewery, you will learn how they differ from each other, and how their beers make them distinct from the others. You will also get to taste different kinds of beer and know each brewery's bestseller and award-winning beers.

12. Pointed tools: AWLS.    Tools with which holes can be punctured in a variety of materials, or existing holes can be enlarged. They are also used for sewing heavy materials, such as leather or canvas. They have a thin, tapered metal shaft, coming to a sharp point, either straight or slightly bent.

13. Designer monogram: YSL.   The initials of Yves Saint Laurent.  I will wear clothes with his monogram when he wears clothes with the RLT monogram.

21. To boot: ALSO.  The term comes from the Old English to bote, which was once used as part of a legal term in English law, meaning something extra that is added as part of a bargain or compensation.  
You don't hear this expression much here in the States.  But I watch a lot of hockey, and it seems quite common in Canada

22. Like many students at Gallaudet University: DEAF.  Gallaudet University is a private federally chartered university in Washington, D.C., for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing. It was founded in 1864 as a grammar school for both deaf and blind children.

27. Sleep apnea apparatus, initially: CPAP.   CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) is a machine that uses mild air pressure to keep breathing airways open while you sleep. Your healthcare provider may prescribe CPAP to treat sleep-related breathing disorders including sleep apnea.

28. High seas quaff: GROG.   A strong alcoholic drink, originally rum, mixed with water

29. Other, in Oaxaca: OTRO.   Spanish.

31. Wong of "Birds of Prey": ALI.    Alexandra Dawn Wong [b. 1982] is an American stand-up comedian, actress, writer, producer, and director. She is best known for her Netflix stand-up specials Baby Cobra, Hard Knock Wife, and Don Wong. She has also starred in the romantic comedy film Always Be My Maybe, on which she also served as a writer and producer.

I think I'll pass

32. Recipe amt.: TSP.  Teaspoon.

34. Equal: PEER.   One that is of equal standing with another 

35. Relaxed pace: TROT.  A pace faster than a walk

36. Dog park sound: ARF.  Barking.

37. Likelihood: ODDS.  Probability that something will happen.

38. BEACH Act org.: EPA.  Environmental Protection Agency

39. Record: LOG.  Enter (an incident or fact) in the log of a ship or aircraft or in another systematic record.

40. Brief visit: STOP OVER.   To stay at a place for a short period of time on the way to somewhere else or before returning home.

44. Islamic leader: IMAM.   Any of various rulers that claim descent from Muhammad and exercise spiritual and temporal leadership over a Muslim region

45. "Not that much": LESS.  Comparatively not as much.

49. Place to drive: TEE BOX.   In golf,  the start of each hole where you take your first swing.

50. Show up: ARRIVE.  Reach a place at the end of a journey or a stage in a journey.

51. Part of RBI: BATTED.  RBIs are Runs batted in: a run that is scored as a result of a specific batter's hit, walk, sacrifice, etc. 

53. Canapé base, maybe: TOAST.  A canapé is a small piece of bread or pastry with a savory topping, often served with drinks at a reception or formal party.

54. Worker with a monotonous routine: DRONE.   a person who is obliged to do menial, routine or boring work 

55. Cold feet or hot seat: IDIOM.   A type of phrase or expression that has a meaning that can't be deciphered by defining the individual words. Appropriately, the word “idiom” is derived from the ancient Greek word “idioma,” which means “peculiar phraseology.”

56. Full of cheer: MERRY.  Cheerful and lively.

58. Breathe fire, say: RAGE.  Be extremely angry and vocal.  Another example of an idiom.

59. Inevitable end: FATE.  The development of events beyond a person's control, regarded as determined by a supernatural power.

60. Pizza place: OVEN.  Where it is cooked, not where it is eaten.

61. Bartender's supply: SODA.  Bubbly water.

62. Chocolate __: LAB.  The Hershey product research facility. No, wait -- The Chocolate Lab is a brown colored variety of Labrador Retriever,  a friendly, confident and loving dog with great character and huge appeal as a pet.

And on that friendly note we draw today's treats to a close.  We had some fun snacks and a few opportunities to clean up.  Hope you found it satisfying.

Cool regards!

JzB

Monday October 4, 2021 Chris Gross

Theme: ENDS IN A TIE (59. Concludes with no clear winner ... and what each answer to a starred clue does?)

17. *Yellow tomato with red swirls: BIG RAINBOW.

27. *"Our group doesn't agree": WE THINK NOT.

44. *Phillie Phanatic, notably: TEAM MASCOT.

Boomer here. Chris Gross is our own Chairman Moe, who blogs the Friday puzzles for our blog. This is the LA Times debut for Moe. Congrats!

Moe and his girlfriend Margaret

    

Congrats to the Benilde Saint Margaret's High School Bowling team for chalking up a few victories in the best of five matches on Fridays. I get to be one of the coaches.

Across:

1. Card that loses to a trey: DEUCE.  Unless it is wild!

6. Equine control: REIN.

10. Dazzled: AWED.

14. Boo-boo: ERROR.  I miss those stupid ten pin spares frequently but I don't call it a Boo Boo.

15. Besides that: ELSE.  Nothing ELSE is more frustrating. Especially since I just bought a new plastic spare ball from Greg of A-Z Pro Shop.

 Greg & Boomer 9/28/2021

16. Waterslide cry: WHEE.  A bit East of Minnesota is a place called "Wisconsin Dells".  They have huge water park slides that I am afraid of but I like the Miniature Putt Putt golf.

19. Dismiss from work: FIRE.  You should not have started that FIRE in your waste basket!

20. __ coffee: cool drink: ICED.  Marilyn Monroe and Tony Curtis liked it HOT!

21. Anonymous Jane: DOE.  A Deer, A female deer.  Sound of Music.

22. One-on-one teacher: TUTOR.  I am ONE for about 12 young bowlers.

23. Mortarboard hanger: TASSEL.  Congratulations graduates!

25. Flier's seat choice: AISLE. You can use your cell phone to find the AISLE for the stuff you want to buy.

31. Heed, with "by": ABIDE.

35. Couple's pronoun: OURS.  Not always - "What's hers is hers and what's mine is hers too."

36. Currency for 19 states: EURO.  I bought a few of these when they were first issued.  I thought they might be worth something but they are lying in a box.

38. Dull movie, say: BORE.  "Go off to see the Wizard"  Never a dull moment!

39. "Spider-Man" actress Kirsten: DUNST.

40. Staircase part: STEP.

41. Fish that complains a lot?: CARP.  Catch one in Minnesota?  They are not good to eat but you are not allowed to toss them back into the lake. 

42. One less than nona-: OCTA.  Then how come OCTober is the tenth month?

43. Liability offset on a balance sheet: ASSET.  Seems as though September 2021 reduced a few sheets this year.

47. Environmentally friendly: GREEN.  A place to putt.

48. Highway divider: MEDIAN.  Much safer than a double yellow line.

53. Opposite of old age: YOUTH.  I am really offended clues with "Old Age" in them.

55. Long, long time: EON.  "What more could I do, I'm so inspired by you, I haven't been there for the Longest Time".  Billy Joel.

57. About, on a memo: IN RE.

58. Inuit word for "house": IGLU.  I used to spell it IGLOO.

62. Bosc or Anjou: PEAR.  Bosc and Anjou are a PAIR of PEARS.

63. Snail __: letter carrier's burden: MAIL.  It is not as bad here as it is in say rural Montana, but sometimes we get our MAIL around ten o'clock AM and the next day maybe at suppertime? 

64. Golfer Sam: SNEAD.  A little before my time, but I have some neat Arnie Palmer postage stamps.

65. Arid: SERE.  Is this the lady in the cell phone that tells others where to go?

66. "Do __ others ... ": UNTO.

67. Singer __ Rae Jepsen: CARLY.

Down:

1. Ledger entry: DEBIT.  Wall street hands them out frequently.

2. "Fear of Flying" author Jong: ERICA.

3. Impulses: URGES.  I get them twice a week, to BOWL.

4. Firewood units: CORDS.  As I have mentioned before, I do not use the basement fireplace in our home anymore.  Not worth the mess.

5. Victorian or Elizabethan: ERA.  We older folks are in the IRA ERA.

6. Janet __, attorney general after Barr: RENO.  Great Bowling Center, Buffets, and casinos, but it ain't that other city further south.  

7. Hamburg's river: ELBE.

8. Prefix with metric: ISO.

9. Never been used: NEW.  Now I know "What's New"?

10. Terrible quality: AWFULNESS.  Just throw it away and take the loss.

11. Low-visibility snow events: WHITEOUTS.  We have those in Minnesota.  A little rough on the driving but nowhere near the catastrophe of hurricane IDA in the South and East. 

12. Gateway Arch designer Saarinen: EERO.

13. Bucks in a forest: DEER.  Those are the animals with the horns.  You are not allowed to shoot DOES in Minnesota..

18. Doing nothing: IDLE.  I cannot remember the last time I did nothing.

22. "For shame!": TSK.

24. Meadow mom: EWE.  Those are the sheep without horns.

25. Respiratory cavity: AIR SAC.  Do not let Covid get in them.

26. MIT's "I": Abbr.: INST.

28. Froot Loops mascot __ Sam: TOUCAN.  Kellogg's seems to haff forgooten how to spell Fruit.

29. Fox-and-hounds pursuits: HUNTS.

30. Shade provider: TREE. We just had our back yard elm tree thinned out. It seems to have been providing too much shade.

31. Alphabet sequence symbolizing ease: ABC.  Monday puzzles for our faithful are found to be as easy as ABC. Not me.

32. Word with row or sail: BOAT.  "Gently down the stream",

33. Imperfect, as sale goods: IRREGULAR.

34. Arrival's opposite: DEPARTURE.  At least you do not have to go through a TSA line after an Arrival .

37. Choose (to): OPT.

39. Capitol feature: DOME.  Our Twins and Vikings used to share the Hubert H. Humphrey MetroDOME but it's gone now and both teams have new places to play.  No snow at U.S. Bank stadium in the late fall, but you never know about the Twins in open air Target Field.

43. Absorbed, as a cost: ATE.  I Absorbed breakfast this morning.

45. [Yawn]: MEH.

46. Upscale hotel: OMNI.

49. Ross or Rigg: DIANA.

50. Prefix meaning "between": INTER.  I thought an INTERSTATE Highway meant both states.

51. Sans-serif font: ARIAL.

52. Impoverished: NEEDY.

53. Golfer's putting jitters, with "the": YIPS.  I can miss putts without having YIPS.

54. Curved molding: OGEE.  OH GEE, I missed another ten pin.

55. Do some prose-tightening: EDIT.

56. Nobel Peace Prize city: OSLO.  Norway seldom receives headlines.  Many of my ancestors are from there.

59. Big Aussie bird: EMU.  I really do not like Liberty Mutual commercials!

60. Indian bread: NAN.

61. Pres. advisory group: NSC.  North and South Carolina??

Happy wishes to our sweet Irish Miss - may the doctors and meds bring a smile to your face and ours. 

 

Boomer