Monday January 10 2022 Daniel Bodily

Theme: STRIKE ZONE (59. Home plate ump's concern ... or what the answer to each starred clue can be?)

17. *Sensei's studio: KARATE DOJO.

22. *Loud, wet weather event: THUNDERSTORM.

37. *Source of crude: OIL WELL.

49. *Site of spares and splits: BOWLING ALLEY.

Boomer here. 

Yup, it's really me. I begged my way out of the hospital last Monday and now I let C.C. think she is taking care of me. I need to use a walker but beside that life goes on with three meals per day and some of the coldest Minnesota weather.  

Also, I imagine that 17A, 22A, and 37A could possibly produce a STRIKE, but I have never heard of 49A.  The ALLEY is outdoors, usually behind the Bowling Center.

Oh another bit of shocking news,  When I checked out of the hospital they weighed me at 160 pounds.  I used to be 237, and when I got diabetes I went down to 185.  I guess the malignant tumor that  they whacked out of me, must have weighed 25 pounds?

 Across:

1. It may be acute, obtuse or right: ANGLE.

6. Lee with desserts: SARA.  "Everybody doesn't like something, but nobody doesn't like Sara Lee."

 

10. Way cool, in the '90s: PHAT.  As above, maybe I was PHAT in the 90's

14. High school experiment site: SCIENCE LAB.  Ours was Chemistry, and it always smelled like smoke and fire.

16. Mishmash dish: HASH.  Not my favorite.  At least the hospital did not try that on me.

18. Poker pot starter: ANTE. Five cents in the caddy shack.

19. Khan of Khan Academy: SAL.

20. Greek T: TAU.

21. Rage: ANGER.  After two weeks I had to hold it in.  Finally a great occupational therapy doc was on my side and fixed me up with a discharge without an AMA (Against Medical Advice).

26. Big jets: JUMBOS.  747, a great 3 game score.

29. Fictional lawyer Perry: MASON.  A favorite show in the 1950s.  I still watch reruns.

30. Leave red-faced: ABASH.

31. Central points: FOCI.

33. Hat-tipper's word: MA'AM.

36. Beer barrel: KEG.  KEG parties were big when I was younger.  However I never acquired a taste for beer.

40. Edible hero: SUB.  I pass by the SUBWAY fast food.  My mouth is not that big,

41. Stonestreet of "Modern Family": ERIC.

43. Climbing plant: VINE.

44. "In __, there is always too much singing": Debussy: OPERA.  Noye's Fludde by Benjamin Briton. See also 10. "The __ of the 44-Across": PHANTOM.

46. Game with settlers: CATAN.

48. Noisy quarrel: FRACAS.  The MLB channel has many reruns.  Managers always lose to the men in blue.

53. Fed. security: T NOTE.  Not in my portfolio.

54. What the ewe said: BAA.  Poor little lambs who have lost their way.

55. Cashew or almond: NUT.  Or Boomer?

58. Emerald Isle: EIRE.

63. "High Voltage" band: AC/DC.  I think they were popular in the 90s.  But not for me.

64. Places for astronomy buffs: PLANETARIA.  Plural of planetarium. I think we visited a place like this in San Francisco, years ago.

65. Screen door stuff: MESH.

66. Wile E. Coyote's supplier: ACME.

67. Funny sketches: SKITS.  Been there, done that.

Down:

1. More than wonders: ASKS.

2. Final Four org.: NCAA.  The big tournament is coming soon, unless COVID won't let it.

3. One of a group who "just wanna have fu-un": Cyndi Lauper: GIRL. "Girls Just Want to Have Fun".

4. Meadow: LEA. Minnesota has a city named Albert LEA.  I never knew the LEA meant meadow.

5. Sinus doc: ENT.

6. Four-door, usually: SEDAN.  You do not hear this much any more.  SUVs have taken over.

7. Not whispered: ALOUD.  What?

8. Koothrappali on "The Big Bang Theory": RAJ.

9. Blood type letters: ABO.  I am O negative.  They say that is universal.

11. "Wait, I'll be right there!": HANG ON A SEC.  I just call C.C. and she helps me move.

12. Daisylike flower: ASTER.

13. Unit of heat energy: THERM.  Not many of these flying around Minnesota the past few days.   Brrr!

15. Whale constellation (anagram of CUTES): CETUS.

21. Stubborn animal: ASS.  No comment.

22. "American Dad!" channel: TBS.   I watch it sometimes.  I think it is out of Georgia.

23. Santa's jolly syllables: HO HO.  OH OH, we won't see him again soon.

24. Awards show host: EMCEE.

25. Skateboard park feature: RAIL.

26. Actor Gyllenhaal: JAKE.

27. __ Eats: delivery service: UBER.  We had to use Uber when I left the hospital.  I did not want to leave the Santa Fe in the VA parking lot for two weeks.

28. Abracadabra et al.: MAGIC WORDS.  "You are free to go home" were the MAGIC WORDS for me.

31. Casual love affair: FLING.

32. Accept blame for: OWN.  I am not accepting blame for the cancer, but I guess I own it.

34. Celestial glow: AURA.

35. CFOs' degrees: MBAS.  Master of Business Administration.

38. Lendl of tennis: IVAN. 61 years old now.

39. Campfire stories, say: LORE.

42. Pasadena engineering sch.: CAL TECH.

45. Fork over: PAY.  I have Medicare and my VA card.  I guess I still have to fork over a bit.

47. Reason for extra innings: TIE.

48. Snow speck: FLAKE.  We have seen plenty this year, I would not call them SPECKS.

49. Second-string squad: B TEAM.

50. Chilling: ON ICE.  The Wild played one at Target Field last week - below zero!

51. The "A" in James A. Garfield: ABRAM.

52. Singer Frankie: LAINE.

55. Sushi roll wrap: NORI.

56. Inch or yard: UNIT. 

57. Tazo products: TEAS. for TWO?

59. Pampering place: SPA.  The hospital did not have a SPA.

60. Pampering, initially: TLC.  Tender Loving Care.

61. UFO crew: ETS.

62. Drummer Starkey, son of Ringo: ZAK.

Boomer

Tuesday, November 2, 2021 Daniel Bodily

Under the Weather.  Notice that each of the starred theme answers is in the Down position.  The first word of each theme answer describes a weather condition.  The second word, thus, is "under the weather." 

3-Down. *   1956 Burt Lancaster film, with "The": RAINMAKER.  The Rainmaker was a 1956 movie that starred Burt Lancaster (Nov. 2, 1913 ~ Oct. 20, 1994) and Katherine Hepburn (1907 ~ 2003).  The story took place during the Great Depression in a farming town in the mid-west that was suffering from a draught.  Burt Lancaster played a con man who promised he could make it rain.  It is appropriate that this clue and answer appeared in today's puzzle because today would have been Burt Lancaster's 108th birthday.

6-Down. *   Desperation gridiron pass: HAIL MARY.

8-Down. *   Big name in film festivals: SUNDANCE.  The Sundance Film Festival is the largest independent film festival in the United States.  It has been showing films since 1978.  The next festival will take place from January 20 through 30, 2022.

11-Down. *   Seven Dwarfs' housekeeper: SNOW WHITE.  The version the Brothers Grimm tells of Snow White is a tad darker than Disney's version.

Here's the unifier:

62. Out of sorts ... or where four answer-ending words (see starred clues) can be found?: UNDER THE WEATHER.

Across:
1. Fabled runner-up: HARE.  //  And 47. Like the 1-Across vis-à-vis the tortoise, ironically: SLOWER.

5. Deep cleft: CHASM.

10. "Tell me if you're coming" letters: RSVP.  Technically, this is today's French lesson as well as a lesson in manners.  Répondez s'il vous plaît, which translates into English as Please respond.

14. Pacific island ceded by Spain to the U.S. in 1899: GUAM.

15. The __: Europol headquarters: HAGUE.  Europol is the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement.

16. Meticulous to a fault: ANAL.  This word appears with some frequency in the puzzles.

17. Jazz club group: TRIO.  Everything you wanted to know about Jazz Trios, but didn't know to ask.

18. Detroit NFL team: LIONS.

19. Party hat shape: CONE.

20. Large-scale ride-sharing option: VANPOOL.  It's like a carpool, but bigger.

22. Limited-access internet area: DARK WEB.  Everything you wanted to know about the Dark Web, but didn't know to ask.

24. Surfing connection: MODEM.  Web surfing.

25. A bit off: ASKEW.

26. Hogwarts potions master: SNAPE.  Professor Severus Snape was played by Alan Rickman (February 21, 1946 ~ January 14, 2016) in the Harry Potter movies.

28. Raggedy doll: ANN.  I had a Raggedy Andy when I was a kid.

30. Significant __: partner: OTHER.

33. Acorn dropper: OAK.

34. How much it costs: PRICE.

36. Prez before JFK: IKE.  Dwight David Eisenhower, aka Ike (Oct. 14, 1890 ~ Mar. 28, 1969) was President  from 1953 until 1961.  John Fitzgerald Kennedy, aka Jack (May 29, 1917 ~ Nov. 22, 1963) was President from January 1961 until his assassination in November 1963.

37. Monopoly's Atlantic or Pacific: Abbr.: AVE.  As in Atlantic and Pacific Avenues.

38. __ ignition system: hi-tech car starter: KEYLESS.  I love having a keyless ignition system.

40. October's number: TEN.  Because October is now the 10th month on the calendar.  In the old Roman calendar, however, it was the 8th month, hence, the OCT in its name.

41. Fozzie Bear's frog pal: KERMIT.  //  Not to be confused with 53-Across. Claymation green guy: GUMBY.

43. If all goes right: AT BEST.

45. Sign of healing: SCAB.

47. Diamonds or clubs: SUIT.

48. Backbone: SPUNK.

51. "You've got mail" ISP: AOL.  As in America On Line.  //  And 42-Down. 51-Across alternative: MSN.  As in Microsoft Network.

57. "Proven," in proofs: QED.  Today's Latin lesson.  QED is an abbreviation for quod erat demonstrandum, which means "which was to be demonstrated".

58. Tune that stays in your head too long: EARWORM.

61. Huntsville's st.: ALA.  As in Alabama.  NASA's George C. Marshall Space Flight Center is located in Huntsville, Alabama.

65. Tops, as a cake: ICES.  My mother used frosting on a cake.

66. November tally: VOTES.

67. "Magic" prop: WAND.

68. Lahr of "The Wizard of Oz": BERT.  Bert Lahr (né Irving Lahrheim; Aug. 13, 1895 ~ Dec. 4, 1967), is best known for his role as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz.

69. Golf or tennis: SPORT.

70. Ransom of auto fame: OLDS.

Ransom Eil Olds (June 3, 1864 ~ Aug. 26, 1950)

Down:

1. Channel for home flippers: HGTV.

2. General feel: AURA.

4. Expressive music genre: EMO-POP.  The best Emo Pop songs?  You be the judge.

5. Techie on "24": CHLOE.  The actress who played Chloe is Mary Lynn Rajskub (b. June 22, 1971), and she appeared recently in another puzzle I wrote up on recently.

7. In the past: AGO.

9. Western plateaus: MESAS.  Hi, Lucina!

10. Tennis need: RACKET.

12. Wind indicator: VANE.

13. Roman commoner: PLEB.

21. Poet's tribute: ODE.  A crossword staple.

23. "It's a Wonderful Life" studio: RKO.  The initials stand for Radio-Keith-Orpheum.

26. Enjoy a Jacuzzi: SOAK.

27. Central church part: NAVE.

Anatomy of a Church

29. Zero, in soccer: NIL.

31. Barely gets (by): EKEs.

32. Tenant's expense: RENT.

34. Fur-protesting org.: PETA.  People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

35. Jacob's twin: ESAU.  A Biblical reference.  These brothers appear with some frequency in the puzzles.

38. Field goal expert, e.g.: KICKER.

39. Mark of shame: STIGMA.

44. A/C measure: BTU.  As in British Thermal Units.

46. Hit a bunch of pubs in one night: BARHOP.

48. News filler: SQUIB.  This was my last fill.

49. Trump's VP: PENCE.  Mike Pence (né Michael Richard Pence; b. June 7, 1959) also served as the Governor of Indiana.

50. Milker's handful: UDDER.  Not exactly.  If the milker is handling the Udder, he's not doing it right.

52. Be a debtor of: OWE TO.

54. Taj __: MAHAL.  India's most famous monument.

55. Button on a mixer: BLEND.

56. Football measures: YARDS.

59. Off-rd. transports: ATVs.

60. Catnap, e.g.: REST.

63. Ballpark fig.: EST.  As in an Estimate.

64. "Squared" power: TWO.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה