Monday March 29, 2021 Don Gagliardo

Themes: Unique Signs

21. "Parking" image, on signs: P IN A SQUARE.

39. "Kosher" image, on labels: K IN A TRIANGLE.

59. "Registered" image, on product names: R IN A CIRCLE.

 

Boomer here. What a nice surprise to see Don G's byline.

Don and his wife Barbie

Three images in three different shapes in a rare 16x15 grid.  I was looking for a big B in the silhouette of a bowling pin. Great to see you, Don.  I have many memories of you showing C.C. the ropes of the crossword highs and lows!  Thank You. 

Across:

1. Buckwheat porridge: KASHA.  I guess I am only familiar with Cream of Wheat and Malt O' Meal.

6. Tears, as paper: RIPS.  Or Aaron Judge RIPS one out of Yankee Stadium.

10. Hobbyist's book: HOW-TO.  I have many books from Jim Beckett.  Baseball card hobby.

15. One submitting a tax return: FILER.  It's that  time of year for sure. The feds have changed the last date to file to May 15.  We don't care.  TurboTax got that monkey off our back. With help from Desper-otto.

16. Operatic solo: ARIA.

17. State bordering both Nevada and Canada: IDAHO.  I have cousins in Twin Falls.  My uncle left Minnesota with his family years ago to plant potatoes.

18. "Almost!": CLOSE.

19. Drink brand associated with NASA missions: TANG.  Of course I have had orange juice now and then, but I never tried TANG.   I never tried flying to the moon either.

20. Fight off: REPEL.  Here in the "Land of 10,000 mosquitoes we sometimes use "Off" to REPEL them.

24. "As I see it," to a texter: IMO.  In My Opinion.

25. Stay alcohol-free: ABSTAIN.  When I used to enjoy a cocktail I don't remember that it was ever free.  Now with the cancer meds I am taking, ALL alcohol is strictly forbidden.  So I save about $50 bucks a year.

27. Ad that spreads awareness, briefly: PSA.  Well I know this as Prostate Specific Antigen.  Mine has been hovering around 7, a little bit high.  Interestingly it also stands for grading of baseball cards.  Remember the Mantle rookie card photo that C.C. posted a while back.  It had been graded with a PSA9.  10 is the best. 

28. Baseball's Musial: STAN. 13. 28-Across nickname: THE MAN.  He was THE MAN.  A lifetime Cardinal with 3630 hits and 475 career home runs.  He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1969.  I saw one game at Busch Stadium.  It was a 1987 World Series Twins vs. Cardinals.  Of course Mr. Musial was retired by then, but I am sure he was in the ball park watching.  Later I went to the USBC Bowling hall of fame, but Stan was not there. 

29. Princess from a galaxy far, far away: LEIA.  I believe Star Wars was popular in 1987 also.  I was not into it, but my son ? Never mind.

30. Society newcomer: DEB.

32. Minnesota NFLer: VIKING.  What can I say?  Mike Zimmer is trying hard.  The first move was to fire the place kicker Dan Bailey.  That should help IF they find a better one.

34. Slacks: PANTS.  Golf courses are opening up here.  Soon its time to hang up the PANTS and break out the shorts.

36. Second drop-down list, say: SUB MENU.

42. Garage floor blemish: OIL SPOT.  Not in our garage.  Santa Fe dos not leak.  Neither did our Dodge van.

43. Wabbit hunter Fudd: ELMER.  Silly Wabbit, Trix are for Kids.

46. Forward, to Fellini: AVANTI.  Used to be a fancy Studebaker.  I don't think they make them anymore.

49. "Just a __!": SEC.

51. "Count on me!": I CAN.

52. Blubbers: SOBS.

53. "Pow!" relative: BAM.  I think BAM BAM was Pebbles boyfriend.

56. Potatoes often used for fries: RUSSETS.

58. Cape __, Mass.: COD.  Sounds like a great fishing spot to me. 

61. Draw out: EDUCE.

63. DIY furniture brand: IKEA.  A regular Crossword word.  We have an IKEA store near the Mall of America.  C.C. and I went there once,  That was enough.

64. Fridge forays: RAIDS.

67. Diet-friendly: NO-CAL.  I need the Pepsi version.  Trying to keep that glucose low.

68. Blab: TELL.

69. Boredom: ENNUI.

70. Eccentric: DOTTY.  DOTTIE Pepper was a great LPGA Pro.  Now she provides commentary for tournaments.

71. Creative pursuits, with "the": ARTS.

72. Yard-grooming tool: EDGER.  It's getting to be time to get those lawn tools out of the garage.

Down:

1. Fast-food co. serving buckets: KFC.  We have not been there for a long time.  KFC sold many of their restaurants to Popeye's.  I went once, never again.

2. Feel sick: AIL.

3. Aptly named clean-up basin: SLOP SINK.  We have two in our home.

4. Speaker's ers or ums: HESITATIONS.  A golfers nightmare.

5. Sports spot: ARENA.  Many a home for hockey and the NBA.

6. Some rodent homes: RAT'S NESTS.  Looks like my hair in the morning.

7. Baghdad's land: IRAQ.

8. Alluring poster: PIN-UP.

9. Long stories: SAGAS.

10. Add to the staff: HIRE.  MN Gophers new head basketball coach Ben Johnson.

11. Poetic salute: ODE.

12. Elk: WAPITI.

14. Chinese tea: OOLONG.  Great stuff.  Helps prevent diabetes.

22. Help: AID.

23. Poetic bird of one word: RAVEN.  Nevermore.

25. Mont Blanc, e.g.: ALP.

26. Arthur of "The Golden Girls": BEA.  Pretty good comedy.  Betty White is the only Girl to be still with us.

28. King Kong's home: SKULL ISLAND.

31. Patting-the-baby's-back goal: BURP.  Why not just put 7 Up in his or her bottle.

33. "Picnic" playwright: INGE.

35. Petulant state: SNIT.

37. Book jacket blurbs: BIOS.

38. "His Dark __": fantasy trilogy: MATERIALS.

40. Defendant's story: ALIBI.

41. Hosting the roast: EMCEEING.  I have not seen too many roasts lately.  I don't even see reruns.

44. Use the feed bag: EAT.  I just use a knife and fork.

45. OR attendants: RNS.  Also, I received my Pfizer shots from RNs at the VA.

46. Go up: ASCEND.

47. Ritualistic kind of doll: VOODOO.  Who Do?  You Do!

48. Kidnap: ABDUCT.

50. Surly mutt: CUR.

54. Singer Baker with eight Grammys: ANITA.

55. Manufacturer: MAKER.  Mr. Coffee provides me with a MAKER

57. Stony debris: SCREE.

59. Count (on): RELY.

60. Gael or Breton: CELT.  Boston NBA Player.

62. Lap-loving pet: CAT.

65. Past __: late: DUE.  Remember, Federal Tax return is DUE May 15!

66. __ Loin of Beef: Bugs Bunny character: SIR.

 

Boomer

 

Friday, October 30, 2015, Don Gagliardo

Theme: Who wants cake, or maybe a 7 layer theme?

I would like each of you to write up the theme , which I understand but do not know how to express. First we have a reveal early on with 16A. What each successive starting word of the answers to starred clues is to the starting word that precedes it : SYNONYM (8). We then get our first starred clue/fill, 19A. *Popular clubs : HOT SPOTS (8) but it tells us nothing because first we need a 'successive' clue which we get immediately with 20A. *Ty Cobb specialties : STOLEN BASES (11) and the light bulb goes off because HOT and STOLEN both mean something purloined. But here is the twist, the next pair is STOLEN and TAKEN from 31A. *Dressed down : TAKEN TO TASK (11) with STOLEN now a verb. 38A. *Didn't allow to remain in, as political office : REMOVED FROM (11) gives us TAKEN/REMOVED.  We  then have REMOVED/DISTANT from 46A. *It's ancient history : DISTANT PAST (11)  and we finish with DISTANT/COLD as in the b!@#$ acted so DISTANT. 50A. *They might be knocked down in a bar : COLD ONES (8) And to a second reveal of the brilliant ladder Don Hard G has built we have 56A. What the start of 50-Across is to the start of 19-Across : ANTONYM (8) which reminds us we have gone from the HOT to the COLD and from SYNONYM to ANTONYM. Awesome! 76 letters are theme related! And then he manages to work in AT LEAST,  CREATOR.  HAIRNET,  OVER PAR,  PATIENT, PINHEAD, SCIORRA,  SEASIDE, ASTINS, CHEAPO, EPILOG, HOOPLA, ON TIME, PANAMA SHANTY, SKYLIT,  SOBERS, and TOUPEE. I am worn out and have not even begun....

Across:

1. Birdbrain : PINHEAD.  Clecho 46D. Birdbrains : DOPES.

8. Crummy : CHEAPO.

14. Annabella of "Jungle Fever" : SCIORRA. This ACTRESS born in Connecticut has had a very successful career in both movies and TV.

15. Producer : CREATOR. Literally true, but I found the connection slow to come to mind.

17. Equestrian's head cover : HAIRNET. There is always something new to LEARN.

18. Newscaster Lindström : PIA.

24. The last Mrs. Chaplin : OONA. 4D. Hullabaloo : HOOPLA.  Really fun word and the equally fun.  54D. Hamlin's caveman : OOP.

25. Valuable extraction : ORE.

26. Pros with schedules : CPAS. IRS 1040 e.g.

30. Save : BUT.

35. Closing words : EPILOG. I never have used this spelling.

37. Hut : SHANTY.Has bad connotations.

42. Trouble : AIL.

43. Barely come (through) : SEEP.

44. Box "b" on a W-2: Abbr. : EIN. Employer Identification Number.

45. Magazine that published advance excerpts from Stephen King's "Firestarter" : OMNI. This was a fine MAGAZINE.

55. Like bogeys : OVER PAR. These days almost all the holes.

60. Playing the waiting game : PATIENT.

61. Resort site : SEASIDE.

62. Pass : ELAPSE.

63. Minimally : AT LEAST.

Down:

1. Some email enders : PSS. I have never used PS or any variation in an email.

2. Dangerous, in a way : ICY. Cold.

3. Writer who said "The only abnormality is the incapacity to love" : NIN. Anais was born  Angela Anaïs Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmell, of Cuban descent.  LINK.

5. Els with clubs : ERNIE. More golf.

6. Ancient Indo-European : ARYAN. Quite the HISTORY

7. Hydroelectric facility : DAM.

8. Pack up : CRATE. As a verb.

9. Five-time world champion skater Carol : HEISS.  More ICE, but I think even  Tin allows it for skating. A quick memory of our dear departed Clear Ayes and all our figure skaters who have come and gone.

10. 1994 Costner role : EARP. Wyatt.

11. 5 for B or 6 for C : ATNO. I think the clue needs at least a 'shortly' as neither B nor C as atomic symbols are actually abbreviations.

12. Orpheus, for one : POET.

13. Scraps : ORTS.

15. Elect : CHOSEN. This time not a verb.

19. Leaping critter : HARE. 36D. __-eared : LOP.  You like Lola?

20. Sleeps it off, with "up" : SOBERS.

21. Theatrical piece? : TOUPEE. Nice misdirection especially near HARE.

22. As scheduled : ON TIME. Airlines now over state time so they can appear on time.

23. __ choy : BOK.  A versatile vegetable.  LINK.

26. Windy City travel org. : CTA. I never have used Chicago transit.

27. Colombia neighbor : PANAMA.

28. Actors John and Sean : ASTINS. If you ever wondered why Samwise Gamgee did not look like Gomez Addams, they are not biologic father and son. It is a complicated STORY.

29. Naturally bright : SKYLIT. How many of you have a skylight in your home? I am in a second floor apartment, so...

31. Good, in Hebrew : TOV.  Yom tov.

32. Golden __ : AGE. Of comic books?

33. Musical org. based in Kawasaki : TSO.

34. Electrical measure : OHM.

39. Much of Nevada : DESERT.

40. Emotional spells : FITS. Is this now an un-pc term?

41. Strand under a microscope : RNA. Ribonucleic acid.

45. Resist : OPPOSE.

47. Silly : INANE.

48. Good-sized combo : NONET. Nine pieces.

49. Wreck big time : TOTAL. I had one car totaled when I was broadsided.

50. Deal : COPE.

51. Roundish : OVAL. ...ish.

52. "__ Smile Be Your Umbrella" : LET A. Who ever did it better?

53. Boring type : DRIP. A 1950s term.

56. Arkansas governor Hutchinson : ASA. How many obscure ASAs are there?

57. Actress Vardalos : NIA. My big fat Greek wallet after her success. We have this new Greek restaurant near our place and we want to eat there but whenever we walk over there are no customers...

58. Abbr. near a tee : YDS. Yards, as most of you read this I am in another charity golf tournament.

59. Assembled : MET. As opposed to a New York Met. Baseball in 50 degree weather....

A classic Don Hard G. Friday, so well put together. Have a safe Halloween and set your clocks back and enjoy the extra hour.

Lemonade out

1 P

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