Monday October 26, 2020 Jeff Stillman

Theme: TRAIL MIX (61. Backpacker's snack, and a hint to the circled letters) - Anagrammed letters of TRAIL span across each theme entry.

17. Astral-shaped wildflower of the American West: STAR LILY.

30. Business sector involving merchandise: RETAIL TRADE.

44. Lionel products: MODEL TRAINS.

Boomer here. Heading down the TRAIL of a Monday crossword.  

We had a little Minnesota problem last week. Eight inches of wet snow clogged our satellite dish, but shoveling used up some of TV time anyway.  Weather person reported that our average temperature this time of year is 56 degrees.  My golf clubs are safe and dry in the garage.

Across:

1. June honorees: PAS.  Some are grand!

4. Hissed "Hey!": PSST.

8. Tool for curved cutting: JIGSAW.  These puzzles are better than crosswords.  I have put together dozens.

14. Devoured, say: ATE.  How many eggs did you have for breakfast, Brute ??  I ATE eight.

15. State bordering Lake Erie: OHIO.  It's a big lake.  I think Michigan and New York are in the mix, but too many letters.

16. Dress like a justice: ENROBE.  "All Rise".

19. Whatsit: DOODAD.  I have thousands of boondoggle and baseball cards.  Will those count?

20. Really impressive, in slang: SICK.

21. Asking for a saucer of milk, maybe: MEOWING.

23. Soft fly ball: BLOOP.  It doesn't get any higher.

25. Utmost degree: NTH.  It doesn't get any higher than that either.

26. Helpful hint: TIP.  Or a few dollars to our newspaper delivery guy.  The news was on our front step around 5:00 AM.  Lot of snow on the ground and driveway at that time.  Plus there is not a lot of traffic on our street.  Low priority for the plows.  

29. Veer off course: YAW.

35. Performing in person: LIVE.  Live from New York, It's Saturday Night!

36. Walking on water, as Jesus did: MIRACLE.  Also a WHIP salad dressing.

37. Take for granted: ASSUME.  Makes an ASS out of U and ME.

40. Speak under one's breath: MUTTER.

41. Heated dispute: RHUBARB. A lot grown in the summer here.  We used to eat the stalks with a little salt.  Moms used to make a pie out of it.

 

43. Clark's coworker: LOIS.  "In Penny LANE there is a barber showing photographs." Beatles.

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

49. "Undoubtedly": YES.  "You say YES, I say NO, you say why, and I say I don't know"  Magical Mystery Tour - The Beatles again.

50. Key next to the space bar: ALT.

51. New Zealand native: MAORI.

53. Cite for speeding: WRITE UP.  I got a couple of these when I was young and stupid.  Now I am old and slow, but still stupid.

57. Advise of danger: WARN.

58. "Love" concoction: POTION.  I took my troubles down to Madame Rue.  You know that Gypsy with the Gold capped tooth.  She sold Love POTION number nine.  The Searchers.

63. First in a playoff series: OPENER.  World Series Tampa Bay Rays cannot sell beer at the ballpark because they lost the OPENER.

64. Biology lab gel: AGAR.

65. Genesis fruit eater: EVE.  The devil made her do it.

66. House speaker Nancy: PELOSI.  Two of my sisters live in her district in SF.

67. Ritual flammable pile: PYRE.

68. Checkers color: RED.  Not enough spaces for BLACK.

Down: 

1. Elapse, as time: PASS BY.

2. Number one Hun: ATTILA.  I don't know much about him but I don't want to either.

3. Underwater herbivore: SEA COW.  I have seen the SEA and I have seen a COW.

4. D.C. insider: POL.  Many many scramblers this week to keep their jobs.

5. Wedge-shaped leveling piece: SHIM.

6. End of Jane or June?: SILENT E. Letter E in Jane or June.

7. RAV4 automaker: TOYOTA.  Sorry, we went with a Santa Fe.

8. "Star Wars" warrior: JEDI.  I think my son, Bret, had the first three movies memorized.

9. A party to: IN ON.  "How do I know, I read it in the Daily News." Tom Paxton.  And you thought I only liked the Chad Mitchell Trio.

10. Pirate's rum drink: GROG.  "Away, away with rum by gum, the song of the temperance union."  Chad Mitchell Trio.

11. Nursery buy: SOD.

12. Lawyer's org.: ABA.  I will say nothing about this.  I don't want to get sued.

13. Exchange marriage vows: WED.  Middle of the week day.

18. Old MGM rival: RKO.  We had an RKO Orpheum movie theater in downtown Minneapolis years ago.

22. Sudden fancy: WHIM.

24. Kind of scream: PRIMAL.

26. Diplomacy: TACT.

27. Not scheduled to play, as a pro team: IDLE.  When the Santa Fe IDLES, it seems like the engine dies.

28. Look intently (at): PEER. I have no PEERS, they are all better than I.

31. Three-time Wimbledon winner Chris: EVERT.  Tennis is kind of a back and forth.  Not my favorite.

32. Spanish citrus fruit: LIMON.  I think this is a lemon spelled wrong.

33. Obvious observation: TRUISM.

34. Stinkers: RATS.  "Good Grief Charlie Brown!"

35. Garage job: LUBE.

37. Football rival of Navy: ARMY.  I thought this used to be a Thanksgiving game.  It has been moved to December 12, 2020.

38. A tree helps it keep its shape: SHOE.  As long as it's not high heeled.

39. Soap bubbles: SUDS.  When you say Budweiser...

42. Obnoxious tyke: BRAT.  Sounds like a sausage to me.

43. Arrangement of church services: LITURGY.  My church still does not want old people with health conditions.  Something about Covid-19.

45. Brewpub fixture: ALE TAP.  I still drink the Canada Dry Ginger type.  It's not on tap.  It comes in cans.

46. Aimless sort: ROAMER.

47. Hit the big time: ARRIVE.  Last Sunday a famous sportswriter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune Sid Hartman (Age 100) passed away and hit the big time.  The Monday paper had about 12 pages of tribute obituary.  The Sports section also had a three page obit on the Vikings.

48. Brought bad luck to: JINXED.

52. Hole-making tool: AWL.

53. Skid row denizen: WINO.  Not me.  When I was allowed to consume, it was a VO Manhattan on the rocks with cherry juice.  After two of them I quit because I could not say that anymore.

54. Some reddish deer: ROES.

55. Crucifix letters: INRI.

56. Jack who preceded Carson on late-night TV: PAAR.  Yes I am old enough to remember Jack.

58. Burst: POP.  Diet Pepsi please.

59. Reveal, in verse: OPE.

60. Business card abbr.: TEL.

62. Embitterment: IRE.

Boomer

Wednesday, October 14, 2020, Jeff Stillman

Theme: 

♫ ♬ 

LET'S GO SURFING NOW ...

Wednesday September 30, 2020 Jeff Stillman

Theme: SAY UNCLE (57A. Give up, or what you might do before the starts of the answers to starred clues)

 

20A. *Founding Father who inherited a malthouse: SAM ADAMS. Uncle Sam.

25A. *"War and Peace" author: LEO TOLSTOY. Uncle Leo from "Seinfeld".

37A. *"Hee Haw" cohost: BUCK OWENS. Uncle Buck.

51A. *Outlaw associate of Cole Younger: JESSE JAMES. Uncle Jesse from "Full House".

 

Boomer here again, filling in another blog slot. A big shot for a blog slot! 

 

Sam Adams is a brand of beer sold in over 50 places in Minneapolis. Not to me though.  I liked Uncle Leo in Seinfeld.  Uncle Buck was John Candy and he now appears in costume on Discover ads.  Jesse James robbed a bank in Northfield Minnesota.  There is now a bowling center in Northfield called Jesse James Lanes.  I finished second in a senior tournament there a few years ago. Also as a Graybar sales rep, I called on Carlton and St. Olaf Colleges.  Both very upscale institutions of learning.  Have you ever heard of "Malt O'Meal?"  Yup, factory is in Northfield.

 

Across:

 
1. Contentious marketing clash: AD WAR. As we near the election there are always plenty of AD WARS on TV.

6. Firmly fixed: FAST.  Stop eating between meals during Lent.

10. "Capisce?" response: I SEE.   

14. Hang loosely: DRAPE.  We use the plastic shades about 8 inches wide.  I had to fight with several stores before someone would sell them to me.  They have been fine for 23 years.

15. Lunch box treat: OREO.  This sounds like one of those black and white cookies that people with diabetes (me) need to stay away from.

16. Work at a keyboard: TYPE.  My blood is O neg.  I am a universal donor.

17. Cliff dwelling: AERIE.

 

18. Caboose: REAR.  It always looks like a little house on wheels.  Do train employees really ride in it.  So do they play poker or something to keep them busy??

19. Kuwaiti ruler: EMIR.

22. Packs down: TAMPS.

24. Many corp. logos: TMS.  Trademarks. Or Some kind of magnetic stimulation performed at the Mayo Clinic.  I have been by there in Rochester, MN but I never had the pleasure of being a guest.  I suppose that's a good thing because they treat nasty diseases.

28. Student's second try: RETEST.  We never got that option, just an "F".

31. Went undercover: HID.

32. Poem of homage: ODE.  "It was the 3rd of June another sleepy, dusty, Delta Day". ODE to Billie Joe (Bobbie Gentry).

33. Kitchen enticement: AROMA.  A nicer word than smell.

34. Demean: ABASE.

36. Litter sound: MEW.  "And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon, Little Boy Blue in the man in the moon."  Harry Chapin.

40. Backboard attachment: RIM.  That's the thing that most of my shots bounced off from.    

43. Snaky formations: COILS.  Lots and lots of wire.

44. Type of pool or wave: TIDAL.  California could probably use one of these to put out the fires.   The marijuana plants are burning! 

48. Make a move: ACT.

49. QB's miss, maybe: INT.  Don't mention football in Viking's territory.

50. Former Spanish currency: PESETA.

55. Wondering word: WHY.  "WHY are there so many songs about rainbows, and what's on the other side?" Kermit.

56. Extremely small: MICRO.  I grew up 65 years ago without a MICROwave.  So I go without one now.

60. Class of merchandise: LINE.  Also the thing on the end of a fishing rod.

61. Day for Caesar to beware: IDES.  Around the middle of March - "How many eggs did you have for breakfast Caesar ?  Et tu Brute."

63. Track specialist: MILER.  After Jim Ryun in 1968, I sort of lost track of track.

64. Mathematician Turing: ALAN.

65. "Great shot!": NICE.  I think shots are good. Putts are nice.

66. Serving holder: PLATE.

67. "SNL" segment: SKIT.

68. Fresh talk: SASS.  Who me?? Never.

69. Embroidered, say: SEWED.

Down:

 
1. To the stars, in mottos: AD ASTRA.  Everyone likes Brad Pitt.

2. One with aspirations: DREAMER.  I think you need to be young to have aspirations.

3. Becomes fond of: WARMS TO.

4. Capital of Samoa: APIA.

5. Wetland plant: REED.  I think I saw all 275 episodes of the Donna Reed Show.  After all -- Shelley Fabares?

6. Gift recipient's surprised query: FOR ME.

7. Playground comeback: ARE SO.  ARE NOT !!!

8. __ of Tranquility: lunar plain: SEA.  Many people do not know this, but 45 years ago, Alan Shepard hit a golf ball on the moon.  It landed in the Sea of Tranquility and he took a two stroke penalty.

9. Fabled slowpoke: TORTOISE.  I thought he won the race because the hare goofed off.

10. Tabloid twosomes: ITEMS.  Well we have twosomes in golf now and then but avoid the tabloids.

11. Chills or fever: SYMPTOM.

12. Single show: EPISODE.

13. Poetic contraction: EER.  

21. Pilot's datum: Abbr.: ALT.

23. Pasta preference: AL DENTE.

26. Warming periods: THAWS.  I usually let it thaw and cook it before it gets warm.

27. Source of pliable wood: YEW.  Yew betcha !!

29. Diplomatic HQ: EMB.  I don't think we have an embassy in Minnesota.  Ve Yust let Da Svedes and Norvegians take their place in the land of 10,000 Lakes.  Ya Sure Dont'cha know.

30. Relatively risqué: SAUCIER.

34. Muscular Japanese dog: AKITA.

35. Big tin exporter of S.A.: BOL. Bolivia.

38. Brings together: CONJOINS.  "I now pronounce you Husband and Wife." 

39. Female in the fam: SIS.  I had three but no bros.

40. Indian friend of Sheldon and Leonard: RAJ.

41. Low-fat frozen dessert: ICE MILK.  I think you can get a great taste at Dairy Queen.

42. Pentateuch peak: Abbr.: MT SINAI.

45. Mammal's digit that doesn't touch the ground: DEWCLAW.

46. Wheaties box adorner: ATHLETE.  General Mills is the home of the "Breakfast of Champions" Wheaties.  The headquarters is about 10 miles from our home. I eat Wheat Chex which is also a General Mills product, since they purchased Ralston Purina.

47. Like lasagna, say: LAYERED.

50. "Gangnam Style" performer: PSY.

52. Manhunt pickup: SCENT.

53. There are 60,000 of them in a min.: MSECS.  Milliseconds.

54. Simplifies: EASES.

58. Rules on plays: UMPS.  Also known as REFs in Football.

59. Cairo's river: NILE.

60. Vegas opener: LAS.  We are skipping Las Vegas next year.  The virus looks threatening out there.

62. Lunes or martes: DIA.  Composed of Home, first, second and third Base

 

Boomer

Notes from C.C.:

 

Happy Birthday to Pat and her husband, who were born in the same day and same year. Pat is a few hours older than her husband.

 

Java Mama (left) and Pat at the shelter where they volunteer.

 

Monday July 6th, 2020 Jeff Stillman

Theme: Cartoon Catchwords

18. Catchwords from Bart Simpson: AY CARAMBA.

20. Catchwords from Ren: YOU EEDIOT.

35. Catchwords from Fred Flintstone: YABBA DABBA DOO.

52. Catchwords from Charlie Brown: GOOD GRIEF.

54. Catchword from a Ninja Turtle: COWABUNGA.

Boomer here.  

Happy Monday and I hope everyone stayed safe over the holiday weekend.  C.C. and I stayed pretty close to home while the southern part of our USA seemed to soar with Covid problems.  Last year here in Minnesota we had four days with a high temp of 90+ degrees.  We had that many last week with more to come. Our Monday golf was rained out, so a couple of friends and I played a par 72 course last Thursday. I was wiped out and I lost about 8 pounds. My clothes were so sweaty that C.C. helped me peel them off.  However I made it with no serious health reaction but I think my next round will be in the 80s.  The temp, not my score.

Across:

1. IRS form experts: CPAS. Certified Public Account however in my career with Graybar as a pricing manager our CPA was a Customer Price Authority.

5. Computer data unit: BYTE.

9. MLB's Indians, on scoreboards: CLE.  Rumor has it that this will change soon.  But first we may see a new name for the Washington NFL team.

12. Natural history museum piece: RELIC.

14. __ beef: ROAST.  I like ROAST beef, but I also enjoyed the Celebrity Roasts, mostly from Las Vegas.

16. Put on TV: AIR.  Some of it is Hot AIR, just like our weather.

17. First Hebrew letter: ALEPH.

22. Pretty pitcher: EWER.

23. Giant of a Giant Mel: OTT.  Hall of Famer who played a little before my time. In fact, his last season was the year I was born.

24. Rx orders: MEDS.  I get to take 8 prescribed pills daily plus a couple of over the counter MEDS.  They seem to be working so far.

25. Proves to be false: BELIES.

27. "m" and "n" sounds: NASALS.  Another NASAL sound is blowing your nose.

29. "Far out, dude!": RAD.

30. Greatest possible degree: NTH.  Sounds like our Minnesota Temps last week.

31. Decorated the walls, in a way: PAPERED.  Our walls are all painted.

34. James of blues: ETTA.  I remember ETTA KETT in the comics in the 60s.

38. Speaker's place: DAIS.

39. In perfect circumstances: IDEALLY.  It's a wonderful toy, it's IDEAL

40. City trains above the street: ELS. Or one of my favorite Golfers, ERNIE.

41. React to sad news: CRY.

42. Twins Mary-Kate and Ashley: OLSENS.

46. Dudes: FELLAS.

48. Sheet of ice: FLOE.  I am sure it all melted here.  But ice fishing season is just around the corner.

50. By way of, in itineraries: VIA.

51. Lager or pilsner: BEER.  Beer, Beer, Beer said the privates, happy men are we.  There's none so fair as can compare with the fighting infantry.

56. Designer Nina: RICCI.  I only remember Toni RICCI who was Abby Carmichael's friend on "Law and Order".  RICCI was murdered in the episode.

57. Airline once owned by Howard Hughes: TWA.  I think TWA was one of Howard's toys.  He bought a few hotels and a bunch of land on Las Vegas Boulevard and made a ton of $$$$.

58. Done in, as a dragon: SLAIN.

59. Furry swimmer: OTTER.  I keep thinking of  "Animal House".

60. Cagey: SLY. and the Family Stone.

61. "Green" Vt. peaks: MTNS.  From the MTNS, to the Prairies, to the Ocean white with foam ...

62. To be, to Brutus: ESSE. 

Down:

1. Kid's coloring stick: CRAYON.  Crayola has been around a long time.  I had a box when I was young.

2. Jai alai ball: PELOTA.

3. Indigenous Alaskan islanders: ALEUTS.

4. '70s-'80s quarterback Brian: SIPE.  He managed 10 ordinary years with the Cleveland Browns.

5. Interweave, as hair: BRAID.  My hair is not long enough.

6. "Around the world" toys: YO-YOS.  Duncans were the best.  I could do Around the Worlds, Walk the dog, and a bunch more.

7. Mediator's forte: TACT.  As you can tell by my expos, I do not have a lot of TACT.

8. That, in Madrid: ESA.

9. Inherited, as a lot of money: CAME INTO. Not me, but I did win $80.00 in Las Vegas last February. Then they had to close the casinos.  I never thought I would strain them financially.

10. Opera text: LIBRETTO.

11. Chapter in history: ERA.

13. School course with beakers: CHEM LAB.  I cannot remember if I ever told this story.  We had a chem lab in high school and the teacher was Earl Thompson who was about 5 feet six inches tall.  Larry Mikan was in chemistry class and he may have been struggling and his father, George, of the Minneapolis Lakers came for a conference.  Sorry but I had to chuckle.

15. Trapped on a branch, say: TREED.

19. Hole-making tool: AWL.

21. Abandons all hope: DESPAIRS.  GIVES UP did not quite fit.

25. Hostile feelings, as between feuding families: BAD BLOOD.

26. __ Na Na: SHA.  That group used to sing some of my favorites.  Especially Bowser.

28. Alerts from the LAPD: APBS.  All Points Bulletins. Are there a lot of points in LA?

29. Country star McEntire: REBA.  Great singer!  I think she has done a couple of gigs at our State Fair in August. C.C. and I have been to the fair a few  times in St. Paul.  Unfortunately it has been cancelled this year.

32. Water whirled: EDDY.

33. Female name that's a body part backwards: RAE.  What ??  I have to turn around to hear you.

34. Ice cream brand: EDY'S.

35. Home of the Ivy League's Bulldogs: YALE BOWL.  I suppose YALE will be open in the fall.  It does not look good for BOWL Centers.  Do not call the building ALLEYS and those things inside the Bowling Centers are called LANES. Thank you. 

36. Warehouse passage: AISLEWAY.  This might be called a LANE also.

37. Swiftly, to Schubert: ALLEGRO.

38. Dict. meaning: DEF.  Definition of course.  I am old enough to remember dictionaries.  If you cannot, you can always Google one.

41. Atkins diet concern: CARBS.  I've been loading up to try and get the weight back I left on the golf course last Thursday.

43. Forces out: EVICTS.  Sadly there have been quite a few during the unemployment caused by the virus.  We have a few tent cities in some of our public city parks.

44. Nephews' sisters: NIECES.

45. "On Language" columnist William: SAFIRE.

47. Grazing locale: LEA.  Minnesota has the city of Albert Lea.  I think he was a founding citizen.  I don't think he grazed.

48. Paralyze with mist, as an airport: FOG IN.  We don't see much fog.  We did have a snow problem at MSP last February. Oddly, C.C. and I were delayed many hours.  MSP Airport these days probably says goodbye to one jet every hour.

49. Student financing options: LOANS.

52. Tiny biter: GNAT.

53. Baptism or bris: RITE.

54. Pennies: Abbr.: CTS.

55. Einstein's birth city: ULM.  Minnesota also has a city named NEW ULM.  Home of "Herman the German".  I bowled a State Tournament there once at their Bowling CENTER.

  

 Good luck to you, Abejo!

Abejo and Harvey, the Knights Templar, 2013

Boomer

Thursday, December 26th 2019 Jeff Stillman

Theme: Dance Moves

I've highlighted the four dances in the grid for you in case you didn't see them during your solve. The reveal rather painfully spells out what to look for, I'd have been inclined to leave out the row numbers and just let the solver go dance-hunting.

Let’s go clue-hunting!

Across:

1. [This is so frustrating!]: ARGH! Not the best of starts

5. Ceiling: LIMIT

10. Mail often diverted to a separate folder: SPAM. Microsoft's spam filter gets a little over-enthusiastic, I make a point to check my junk mail every couple of days, there's often something in there I should read. I had a couple of emails from Lemonade a few weeks ago that got the Microsoft treatment and he probably wondered why I was ignoring him.

14. Sainted pope called "the Great": LEO I. There were 13 Popes Leo, therefore ending with Leo XIII. All sorts of opportunity there for crossword compilers stuck for an entry. If you think about it, Leo I would never have heard the term. By the time there was a II, the original had joined the choir celestial a good couple of hundred years before.

15. Modern Persian: IRANI. I want the next pope to style himself "IRAN I" just to cause confusion.

16. Celestial bear: URSA

17. Mosque bigwig: IMAM, "I, Mam" the sequel to "I, Carly", featuring her mother.

18. Daring move: BOLD STROKE

20. Barnyard mom: SOW

21. Bath-loving Muppet: ERNIE

22. Priest's robe: ALB

23. KITT on "Knight Rider": TRANS-AM. Not necessarily. There are two KITT characters, the first from the original 1982 series which is a Trans-Am, and the second from the 2008 TV pilot for the series reboot which was a Ford Shelby GT500. This is the kind of obfuscation that causes fights during trivia contests.

25. Hanging Gardens site: BABYLON

29. "You can tell me": SAY IT

30. Inhabitants of a myrmecologist's farm: ANTS

32. Big time: ERA

33. Thompson of "Thor: Ragnarok": TESSA. Who knew? Not me.

35. Getty and Rockefeller: OIL MEN. Because "CENTERS" doesn't fit.

38. Street moves since the '70s ... and what the black squares on rows 3, 5, 11 and 13 do: BREAK DANCES. Remember "b-boys" from a couple of weeks ago?

40. Unfolds: BLOOMS

42. Pertaining to the small intestine: ILEAC. A bit odd really, as the ileum is one of three sections of the small intestine.

43. Chest bone: RIB

44. Fling: HURL

46. Hardship: RIGOR

50. Judicial self-disqualification: RECUSAL

53. Zoe of "Avatar": SALDANA. I had a sulk around this section. The mess of SALDANA, ILIAC, ICARLY, LECID, ATNOS and AMATO seemed very clumsy, and just inviting cries of "Natick Foul".

55. Genetics lab material: RNA

56. Ragged: TATTY

58. Floral garland: LEI

59. Three-flavor block: NEAPOLITAN. This was such a treat when we were kids. Chocolate, strawberry and vanilla ice cream ALL AT THE SAME TIME! I think we had to go to confession after eating it and plead forgiveness.

62. Mount Olympus group: GODS

63. "You Needed Me" singer Murray: ANNE. Thank you, crosses.

64. REO Speedwagon guitarist Dave: AMATO. Ditto

65. One is often hard to resist: URGE

66. Site in a Steinbeck title: EDEN

67. Network points: NODES

68. Financial aid criterion: NEED

Down:

1. Top celebrity groupings: A-LISTS. A-LISTER last week, A-LISTS today. Can be tricky to parse, especially in the downs.

2. Ride-hitching fish: REMORA

3. "Scram!": GO AWAY!

4. Word for a guy: HIM

5. Scales aloft: LIBRA

6. Facial apparatus in a Dumas novel: IRON MASK

7. Neighbor of Mauritania: MALI

8. Behind on bills: IN DEBT

9. Poetic contraction: 'TIS

10. Like a sourpuss: SURLY

11. Math test parts: PROBLEMS

12. Inquire or require: ASK

13. Novelist Rita __ Brown: MAE

19. File folder feature: TAB

21. Prize: ESTEEM

24. Explosion maker, briefly: NITRO

26. Not separately: AS ONE

27. Mine find: ORE

28. A Bobbsey twin: NAN

31. Rock bottom: NADIR

34. "Rizzoli & Isles" actress Alexander: SASHA

36. Nickelodeon sitcom starring Miranda Cosgrove: I, CARLY

37. Massenet opera about a Spanish hero: LE CID

38. "Hogan's Heroes" star: BOB CRANE

39. Auto insurance giant: ALLSTATE

40. Cold call?: BRR!

41. Fabrication: LIE

45. In the prior month: ULTIMO. Instant and proximo are its temporal cousins.

47. In great numbers: GALORE

48. Stressed out: ON EDGE

49. Elevated: RAISED

51. Let loose, as hogs: UNPEN

52. __ Tomé and Príncipe: SÃO. I discover this island nation is located off the central equatorial coast of west Africa. I was guessing that they were two islands off Brazil or Portugal. Wrong!

54. Chem. class data: AT. NOS. Atomic Numbers, apparently. I thought the Atomic Number abbreviation was simply "AN" but that appears to have been a figment of my chemistry teacher's imagination.

57. Not very much: A TAD

59. Rob Roy's refusal: NAE. When Kirkintilloch founded their football (fitba') team in 1878, they named themselves "Kirkintilloch Rob Roy" in his honor, and are still known thusly today, which I find rather splendid.

60. Boundary: END

61. PC-to-PC hookup: LAN

62. Rev: GUN. As in engine. If my last name were Gunn I'd become a preacher just so I'd be called "Rev Gunn". Or Counter. "The sermon was given by Rev. Counter".

Monday October 7, 2019 Jeff Stillman

Theme: Letter Openers - The first word in each person is also a letter spelled out.

20. Diane Keaton's role in "The Godfather" films: KAY CORLEONE.

33. "Maude" star: BEA ARTHUR.

39. Fitzgerald's "Great" title character: JAY GATSBY.

50. "Maleficent" actress: ELLE FANNING.

Boomer here.  OH GEE, I hope YOU ARE able to figure it out and have a cup of TEA. 

Up here in the Northland, we continue to set records for annual rainfall.  Sooo you know where it goes.. to a bunch of Minnesota streams and tributary rivers to the Mississippi. So If you are near Davenport Iowa or St. Louis Missouri and points further south.  Get ready, high water may be coming your way.  Worse than 1993.

Across:

1. Only president who was also chief justice: TAFT.  He was also the largest president, tipping the scales at over 330 lbs.

5. Storage structure for 30-Across: SHED. 30. Lawn cutters: MOWERS.  My family had no money for a shed.  We kept the mower in our garage.  Now our homeowners association hires a lawn service to cut the grass.  I am sure this year they are tired of the deluge of rain we have had all summer.  As for me, I can hardly get a dry day to play golf.  P.S. My golf clubs are in the garage.  We don't have a shed.

9. Hindu social division: CASTE.

14. Go back, on a PC: UNDO.  This must be a trick.  I don't see an UNDO key on our PC.

15. Arizona tribe: HOPI.

16. A, in Greece: ALPHA.

17. Match audio and video: SYNC.  If you do this in your bathroom, is it a bathroom sync?

18. Frat Pack actor Wilson: OWEN.

19. Fish stories: TALES.  Fish have tails.

23. Embitterment: IRE.

24. Raid targets: ANTS. Ants are interesting. I have never seen them in our home, but it is unbelievable how they can work right through our asphalt driveway and make a hill.

25. Gave speeches: ORATED.  We'll be hearing a lot of this up until November 2020.

27. Desert plant: CACTUS.

32. Southwestern crocks: OLLAS.

36. Boston Celtics' org.: NBA.  Notice the clue does not say "Timberwolves' org."  We have a lowly bunch of underperformers here in the Midwest.

37. Harness racing vehicle: SULKY.  We do have harness racing here after the regular season closes.  I never have been to one however.

38. Nest egg letters: IRA.  Yeah, I have an Individual Retirement Account.  But I never called it a nest egg.

 

42. Until now: SO FAR.

44. Jai alai ball: PELOTA.  It's a bit of a funny name, but I cannot talk.  Seems that bowling balls have funny names also.  I have a Virtual Gravity, an Asylum, a Combat Zone, A Lucid, and a Daredevil Trick.

45. Soft-hearted: GENTLE.  "Gentle On My Mind" (Glen Campbell)

46. Japanese religion: SHINTO.

48. Sheltered, at sea: ALEE.

49. Halloween headgear: WIG.  Speaking of odd names, I also have socks called WIGWAM.

56. On __: going wild: A TEAR.

58. Miniature image to click on: ICON.

59. Symphonic wind: OBOE.  "Oh Boy, Igor Stravinski, Oh Boy Bo Belinsky".  Allan Sherman.

60. Bond portrayer Roger: MOORE.  I liked Sean Connery.  The original is always the best.

61. Fitted with footwear: SHOD.  If you happen to be a horse. I don't think Thom McAn calls it that.

62. Final or midterm: TEST.

63. Private, as thoughts: INNER.

64. Stew cookers: POTS.  I don't use a pot.  I use one of those slow cookers. Works great.

65. Former spouses: EXES.  I suppose that this could be part of the theme, although it is plural.

Down:

1. Elephant tooth: TUSK.  Not sure if this is a tooth.  I thought that these were those things that protrude from the elephant's face and they are made of ivory.  It is illegal to harvest them.  They have to make piano keys out of plastic now. 

2. Author Seton: ANYA.

3. Gp. responding to Big Apple blazes: FDNY.  Many victims from 9/11.

4. Bach's "__ and Fugue in D Minor": TOCCATA.

5. 15-minute films, say: SHORTS.  What I wear to play golf.  Maybe not tomorrow though, forecast is pleasant, but a little chilly.  I am amazed that PGA players are NEVER allowed to wear shorts in tournaments.

6. Coyote cries: HOWLS.  I expect there might be some HOWLS at Target Field tonight.

7. Blunt sword: EPEE.

8. "The Flintstones" pet: DINO.  "Yabba Dabba Dooo".

9. Wedding hire: CATERER.

10. Pie-mode link: ALA.  Also sometimes it is in the path of a hurricane; or maybe not.

11. Workday with a longer-than-typical break: SPLIT SHIFT.

12. Over yonder: THERE.  Over there, Over there, Send the Word to Target Field Over there. That the Yanks are coming, The Yanks are coming !

13. Let up: EASED. " You fill my heart with gladness, take away all my sadness, EASE my troubles That's what you do."(Rod Stewart)

21. Heavy burden: ONUS.

22. "You gotta be kidding!": NO WAY.

26. Humanities major: ART.  Mr. Garfunkel

27. "Nor" or "or," in a dict.: CONJ. Conjunction.

28. "Sin City" actress Jessica: ALBA.

29. Trapshooter's target: CLAY PIGEON.  Interesting, these are round and I guess some are clay, but they look nothing like a pigeon.

30. Word before toast or after peach: MELBA.  I have heard of melba toast but never Peach Melba. Should I know her? Is she a folk singer?

31. Like wines aged in certain barrels: OAKY. From Muskogee.

33. Head-and-shoulders sculpture: BUST.  22 at the black jack table.

34. Eurasian border river: URAL.

35. Red in the middle, as steak: RARE.  21 at the black jack table.

37. Seat at the bar: STOOL.  I like these at bowling centers.  The last one I visited was a "Bowlero", the seating was about 18 inches from the floor.  Tough on an old guy but the kids didn't seem to mind.

40. Pentagon VIP: GEN.

41. Editor or tailor, e.g.: ALTERER.  I get it but I think it's a "Made up" word.

42. Perceived: SEEN.

43. Lacking variety, musically: ONE NOTE. "SKOL, SKOL".

45. Pituitary and thyroid: GLANDS.

46. Hindu guru: SWAMI.  This guy makes the Liberty Mutual commercial a candidate for worst ad of the decade.

47. Discover, as a solution: HIT ON.  Romeo to a pretty girl in a bar.

48. In progress, as Sherlock's "game": AFOOT.  12 inches.

51. Speech problem: LISP.

52. Repeat: ECHO.  A bit of a flop for Toyota, I don't think they have made them for 10 or more years.

53. Curly-horned goat: IBEX.

54. Sniffer: NOSE.  Your NOSE Knows.

55. Acquires: GETS.

57. "How __ you doing?": ARE.

Boomer

Note from C.C.:

Boomer finally got his Twins Homer Hanky yesterday. He said "No Hanky Panky here. Twins need to sweep the Hanky Yankees."

Thursday, October 3rd 2019 Jeff Stillman

Theme: Black Thursday - today's puzzle features some deep-discount bargains:

17A. Feature of an American flag purchased with 58-Across?: TWENTY-FIVE STARS. The Stars and Stripes as it would have appeared today if Arkansas was the last state to join the union back in 1836.

29A. Sidney Lumet film purchased with 58-Across?: SIX ANGRY MEN. If there were only six angry men, the verdict would have been "Guilty" - Henry Fonda, who cast the initial 'not guilty" vote was Juror #8. A great movie.

44A. Freight vehicle purchased with 58-Across?: NINE-WHEELER. That would make things a little lop-sided. An eighteen-wheeler actually has ten wheels, but eighteen rims and tires, just to keep things interesting. Here's two wheels, but four rims and tires:

and the unifier:

58A. Sales incentive: FIFTY PERCENT OFF. Here's a patriotic sign with 13 stars - let's call it the "Rhode Island" sales event:

Fun theme from Jeff, I got the themers before the reveal, so that's always nice. Good, solid fill too. Let's see what pops out:

Across:

1. Collect: AMASS. I've amassed quite a collection of cooking equipment over the years. I do follow the advice of Alton Brown and avoid any "single use" gadget, they take up too much space for their one function. Do you really need a garlic press, something to chop herbs with that isn't a knife or a melon baller when you already have measuring spoon the same size?

6. Stag: HART. Many pubs in England are called "The White Hart". The most common pub name in the UK is "The Red Lion". I've been to this "White Hart" in Overton, Hampshire:

10. Diminished gradually, with "off": WORE

14. Lake between the Silver State and Golden State: TAHOE. Gambling on the east side, weed on the west side. Pick your poison.

15. Promise, for one: OLEO. This confused me for a few moments, but remembered "Promise" is a brand of margarine.

16. Operation Solomon airline: EL AL. I didn't know the back story, but not hard to guess.

20. Raina Telgemeier graphic novel about a girl with braces: SMILE. Stab in the dark here, but when a couple of letters were provided by crosses, it wasn't hard to fill in the blanks.

21. Breeder's income source: STUD FEE

22. Names as a source: CITES. It's nice to receive a citation as a source, less pleasant to receive one for a traffic violation (or so I hear, I've never had one myself .... he lied).

25. Fizzy prefix: AER-

26. Decryption org.: N.S.A. National Security Agency, I always want to call it the National Spy Agency, but the CIA has dibs on that one.

34. Regatta racer: YACHT. I'm not sure when it was when I stopped trying to spell "yacht" with a "g' in there somewhere, but it was a happy day.

36. Paint store selections: HUES. I need to check out the hues at my local hardware store, I need to repaint my "hobby" room, I managed to overspray weathering paint onto the walls, not smart. They need a refresh anyway, so a good time.

37. Ristorante bottle: VINO. "In vino, veritas" according to the Romans. "In wine, truth". A poetic way to describe drunk texting, which rarely has a positive outcome.

38. Mandolin kin: LUTES

39. Loved, with "up": ATE

40. Dasani product: WATER. Dasani makes water? I doubt it. I think they bottle and sell it.

41. Carbon monoxide's lack: ODOR

42. Iditarod racer: SLED. Not for much longer if the planet keeps warming. It'll be a water-skier pulled by knee-deep huskies before too long.

43. Capital of Ghana: ACCRA

47. Coal scuttle: HOD. I'm more familiar with a hod being used to carry bricks to a bricklayer during construction of a wall. Same concept though.

48. "I have an idea!": AHA! It better be a good one.

49. Silas of the Continental Congress: DEANE. A little obscure, this one. The representatives of the original thirteen colonies (with the exception of Georgia) during the Revolutionary War formed the Continental Congress. Deane was one of the representatives from Connecticut, and is the only Silas I've heard of other than the Silas Marner of literature.

51. Deals with freebies: TWO-FERS. Same as 50% off! My local Ralph's market, part of the Kroger empire, have regular BOGO offers (Buy One, Get One) in the meat and seafood department. I can never resist those deals.

55. Museo Leonardiano city: VINCI. It would be odd if Vinci had a museum dedicated to any other Italian.

62. Everyone, in Essen: ALLE.

63. Mideast bigwig: EMIR

64. Mill input: GRIST. Grist for the mill - flour comes out, the chaff is blown away. I think.

65. "All in the Family" producer Norman: LEAR. If you say so, thank you, crosses.

66. Donnybrook: RIOT. From the Donnybrook Fair, first held 1204 in Dublin. It is sometimes described as "notoriously disorderly", but we're talking Irish, beer and fourteen days of festivities. It's small wonder that things occasionally got a little out of hand. I'm of Irish descent, so I can say that. The phrase "I went to a fight, but a wake broke out" is not spoken without a certain basis in fact. Donnybrook Fair can sound quite pleasant, according to an 18th century poem penned by that bard of prolific output, "Anon".

To Donnybrook steer, all you sons of Parnassus

Poor painters, poor poets, poor newsmen, poor knaves

To see what the fun is that all fun surpasses

The sorrow and sadness of green Erin's slaves

O Donnybrook, jewel, full of mirth is your quiver

Where all flock from Dublin to gape and to stare

At two elegant bridges, without e'er a river

So success to the humours of Donnybrook Fair

67. Church council: SYNOD

Down:

1. QB's stat: ATT. Pass attempts in American Football.

2. Big mouths: MAWS

3. Word of disapproval: AHEM

4. Sega's hedgehog: SONIC. Video game character of legend.

5. Band concert guides: SET LISTS. People collect them. Here's a "Joshua Tree" tour set list from U2 when I saw them at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena:

6. Cooperstown inst.: H.O.F. Hall Of Fame. Baseball, in Cooperstown's case.

7. "Rope-a-dope" boxer: ALI. He was "roping" Joe Frazier.

8. Races: REVS as in one's engine.

9. "CSI" IDs: TOE TAGS

10. Multi-use workshop tool: WET-DRY VAC. I'm not sure it's "multi-use" - it's a vacuum, it just vacuums a lot of different stuff.

11. Elsa and Anna's snowman pal: OLAF. From the "Frozen" movie, I never saw it, but I hear it's good.

12. Medium __: RARE. The "gold standard" for steak done-ness.

13. Besides that: ELSE

18. Mysterious Himalayan: YETI

19. Litigious type: SUER. Is that a word?

23. Yoga instruction: EXHALE

24. Cooked in a skillet: SAUTÉED

26. Guitar string option: NYLON. Steel guitar strings for me. Don't nylon ones go out of tune all the time?

27. King Salman, for one: SAUDI. Thank you, crosses.

28. Do something in response to: ACT ON

30. Tease: NEEDLE

31. Deadpan comic Hedberg: MITCH. More crosses.

32. Summer month in South America: ENERO. January

33. Annual Santa tracker: NORAD. North American Aerospace Defense Command. Super nice folks at Christmas.

35. From now on: HEREAFTER. I tried EVER AFTER, but that obviously didn't work out too well.

40. Alarms: WARNINGS

42. More on the ball: SHARPER

45. Miss Muffet fare: WHEY. I prefer curds, myself.

46. Outer wall protector: EAVE

50. Vestibule, e.g.: ENTRY

51. Nonstick kitchen brand: T-FAL

52. Sly trick: WILE

53. "Man __ Mancha": OF LA

54. Frozen Four game: SEMI. Final Four too, and every other sport in a knockout format.

56. Invent, in a way: COIN. To coin a phrase ...

57. "That being the case ... ": IF SO ...

59. Brazilian hot spot: RIO. I've been lucky enough to have had a few trips to Rio, a city of contrasts and some quite wonderful sights, sounds and food!

60. Old PC monitor: CRT. The old Cathode Ray Tube. Poor Cathode and Ray, they were the darlings of the tech business for so long, now long consigned to recycle (hopefully) or landfull (less pleasant).

61. Co. with a bouquet in its logo: FTD. "Florists's Transworld Delivery" to be posh. The UK branding was "Interflora". Same logo though.

And with the winged feet of Eros [edit - sorry, Mercury] and a bunch of flowers, I'll leave you with the grid.

Steve