Saturday, November 23, 2019, Kevin Christian and Brad Wilber

Themeless Saturday by Kevin Christian and Brad Wilber

Today we have a worthy Saturday challenge from two veterans of the crossword wars - Kevin Christian and Brad Wilber.

Kevin Christian interview with C.C.

Brad Wilber interview with C.C.

The SW corner was a real struggle for me with TRIGRAM, MAZIER and RAGAS in one area but I just had to

1. "Dust yourself off and hang tough!": COWBOY UP  and get through it. Good advice to all puzzle solvers!

Let's see what else these two masters have concocted:

Across:

9. Ford muscle cars, familiarly: STANGS - Hmmm... Do I really need the 700+ HP in this street-legal 2019 MUSTANG?

15. Reluctant acquiescence: OKAY SURE - "Look, we can get by with a Ford Probe"

16. Walk-off hit situation, perhaps: TWO OUT - A walk-off occurs when the home team ends the game by taking the lead in the bottom of the last inning irrespective of the number of OUTS at the time

17. Note-taking aid: LEGAL PAD.

18. Country by the River Shribble: NARNIA - It's on the northern border of this literary country

19. "Hands off!" in an ad slogan: L'EGGO - A natural tie-in

20. "Hamburger Hill" setting, briefly: NAM.

22. Clue room: STUDY - "Professor Plum in the STUDY with a revolver?"

23. For __: not gratis: A FEE - I swear my lawyer would want a FEE to tell me the time of day

24. Had to miss school, perhaps: AILED - After many kids were missing school thursday, my school canceled for Friday

26. All over: ANEW - We Husker fans have been waiting for 20 years to start ANEW

27. Rare color: RED - I'm a medium kind of guy and would gladly send it back if the meat is brown all the way through

28. Bismarck's realm: PRUSSIA 

30. Sworn statement: I DO.

31. Fit: TRIM.

32. Having memorized the script, in theater lingo: OFF BOOK - Brando could not go OFF BOOK as he did not memorize his lines. Here you see Robert Duvall holding the lines for Marlon in The Godfather

34. "Funky Monkeys" musical: THE WIZ - The Funky Monkeys in the original Broadway production of THE WIZ. 

37. Pipe edge: FLANGE - Six FLANGES bolted together

38. Was unmanageable: RAN AMOK - Black Friday norm

40. Schnitzel meat: VEAL.

41. "__ seen better": I'VE.

42. Ready: ON ALERT.

44. __ pocket: HIP - Al Capone had many police officials and politicians in his HIP pocket

47. Start of something: GERM and 24. Brand that sells Arnold Palmers: ARIZONA - "Hey, somebody put lemonade in my iced tea! Wait a minute..."

49. More than fishy: AMISS.

50. Traje de __: Seville swimsuit: BANO - Spanish to English translation - bathing suit, swimming suit, bathing shorts, swim suit, swimming costume... including a 61. Small suit maker: SPEEDO 

51. Indian improvisations: RAGAS - Here ya go

53. __-country: music genre: ALT - Somewhere between Hank Williams and Brittney Spears

54. Boston and Chicago, but not San Francisco: BANDS.

55. Negative feeling: ANIMUS - Speaking of politics...


57. Triumphant GIF phrase: KILLIN' IT - She seems to think she's all that and a bag 'o chips

59. More intricate: MAZIER - One of my COWBOY UP moments

60. "Hate to run, but ... ": I GOTTA GO.

62. Suit seller: MEN'S SHOP.


Down:

1. Priesthood symbol: COLLAR.

2. Michael of "Caddyshack": O'KEEFE - Michael getting advice from Chevy Chase

3. Went back and forth: WAGGED - Dikembe Mutombo wagged his finger back and forth when he blocked a shot implying, "Don't try that against me!"

4. How a sommelier might sort wine: BY AGE.

5. Peace Prize city: OSLO.

6. "You betcha!": YUP.

7. Heaviest naturally occurring element: URANIUM.

8. They often get depressed: PEDALS - Ford's Model A had a lot of them

9. Stop on a line: Abbr.: STN - On 81 days/baseball season, the Addison St. STN on the Red Line in Chicago gets a lot of activity

10. "__ wondrous pitiful": "Othello": TWAS - The full quote

11. Vital supply line: AORTA.

12. Unorganized, in a way: NON-UNION - When Hormel's went NON-UNION in our town, wages dropped precipitously

13. Unticketed plane passenger: GUIDE DOG - This one got to visit the cockpit

14. Be sensitive to social injustice, in slang: STAY WOKE.

21. Middle: Pref.: MESO.

25. Holds another view: DIFFERS.

28. Top-drawer: PRIMO.

29. Key of Chopin's first Opus 25 étude: A-FLAT - Winter Wind!!

31. Flier for 71 years: TWA - More if you're interested

33. Acct. amount: BAL(ance)

34. Most phone button groupings: TRIGRAMS - Groups of three consecutive letters, numbers or symbols. I had to COWBOY UP HERE too but it makes sense

35. Drop off midday, say: HAVE A NAP 

36. Fill with life: ENERGIZE.

39. Hindu god of desire: KAMA - KAMA Sutra, hmmm...

40. Trace: VESTIGE - You know that tail bone that you have...

43. Notorious B.I.G. discovered her in 1994: L'IL KIM - I googled her lyrics and,  yes, she can be as profane and violent as the male rappers.

44. Storm on ESPN: HANNAH.

45. Purplish blue: INDIGO - Listening to Duke Ellington's Mood INDIGO will be a welcome addition to your day

46. After surg.: POST OP.

48. Bess, __, Jackie ...: MAMIE - One of these women had an unquestionably faithful husband

50. Pushes the buttons of: BAITS - Nobody did it better!

52. Started an action: SUED.

54. Layered lunches: BLTS - You had me at Bacon

56. Sign of being packed?: SRO - Standing Room Only tickets for the Washington Nationals World Series Games last month cost hundreds of dollars

58. Actor Chaney: LON - The man of a thousand faces

Now COWBOY UP and share your thoughts with us:

Monday November 11, 2019 Kevin Christian

Theme: The middle word in each 3-word theme entry is ?O.

20. Sheepless nursery rhyme character: LITTLE BO PEEP.

34. Irish allegiance shout: ERIN GO BRAGH.

41. End of a proverb embodied by three monkeys: SPEAK NO EVIL.

51. "Why are you laughing?": WHAT'S SO FUNNY.

Boomer here.  

Happy to salute all veterans out there on this Veteran's day!  My Dad served in the Pacific in the Big War, and my son served in the Navy in the Persian Gulf (Iraq) scuffle. Yes I am in your group in a small way. Entered the Army in 1968 at the height of the Vietnam war. Suffered an improbable injury on the final day of basic training and ended up as a corpsman in the US Army hospital at Fort Campbell. Served there for about 18 months, then completed my service in Hardheim, Germany in a battalion owning a Nike Herc missile. I never got to see it, but I assume it was pointed at the Kremlin. 

Happy Veteran's Day to all who served, and a kudos to all family members who continue to support troops while they are away.
 

Across:

1. Craftsy website: ETSY.  Etsy Betsy, teenie weenie, yellow polka dot bikini?

5. Regarding: ABOUT.  Veteran's Day  "ABOUT FACE !"

10. Like a bug in a rug: SNUG.

14. "I understand now": AH SO.

15. Crime boss John known as "The Teflon Don": GOTTI.  He comes up now and then on "Law and Order".  I watch all the reruns - almost have them memorized.

16. Letter before kappa: IOTA.  This is NOT the state south of Minnesota.  Primary coming soon.

17. Spaghetti sauce brand: RAGU.  My favorite.

18. Composer Ned: ROREM.

19. Inside look at a hospital?: X-RAY.

23. Clod chopper: HOE.  Interesting clue. I was thinking of a three letter helicopter ?

24. Letter after kappa: LAMBDA. Times three - sorority house in "Revenge of the Nerds".

28. Usain Bolt race pace: SPRINT.  Usain owns enough world records to fill his bric-a-brac bag!

31. Bric-a-__: BRAC.

33. Tokyo dough: YEN.  One yen is almost worth a U.S. Cent.

36. British sports car, familiarly: JAG. The General Mills retired guy I mentioned last week (from my bowling team) drives a Jaguar.

37. Cold and damp: DANK.

38. Many millennia: EON.

39. Auditioner's goal: ROLE.

40. Over-easy item: EGG.  Keep it off your face.

45. Regret: RUE.  Rue McClanahan was Blanche on the Golden Girls.  Left us on 2010 - RIP.

46. __ legs: rear pair: HIND.

47. Twins Ashley and Mary-Kate: OLSENS.  Rich and famous.

48. Episodic story: SERIAL. A number on your folding money.

50. WWII female: WAC.  Happy Veteran's day to every WAC member also.

58. Apple's virtual assistant: SIRI.

61. Refill, as a partly drunk drink: TOP UP.  Tom and Jerry season is coming soon. Unfortunately I have to leave out the best part. Doctor's orders.

62. Actress Falco: EDIE.  Lou Grant's wife on the Mary Tyler Moore show.

63. Day to beware: IDES.  Julius Caesar did not listen.

64. Make used (to): ENURE.

65. Spy __ Hari: MATA.

66. Milne's "The House at __ Corner": POOH.  Where Christopher met Winnie.

67. Police car warning: SIREN. A small town in Western Wisconsin where my Dad grew up.  There's a "Burnikel Road" there off Highway 35. Named for my great uncle Bill.

Boomer, Burnikel Road

68. Scratches (out): EKES.

Down:

1. Jimmy Carter's middle name: EARL. Incredible man!  Building houses for "Habitat for Humanity" at age 95.

2. Bangkok native: THAI.

3. USAF NCO: SSGT.  Happy Veteran's Day to all SSGT's out there.

4. Sarcastic "Could that be more obvious?": YOU THINK.  I always pronounced it "Ya Think?"

5. Go along with: AGREE TO.

6. __ tube: TV: BOOB.

7. Mexican "other": OTRO.  I thought Mexicans spoke Spanish.

8. Sch. near the Rio Grande: UTEP.  Near where the disastrous shooting at Walmart occurred a few months ago.  I have a friend whose son-in-law was shot there.  He survived the injury.

9. Streaming delay: TIME LAG.

10. Typical dinner hr.: SIX PM.  Four PM for me.

11. Country with fjords: Abbr.: NOR.  Yah Sure !

12. Actress Hagen: UTA.

13. Carefree: GAY.

21. Like 1,225-page "War and Peace": LONG.  Another tip of the hat to veterans.

22. Apiece: EACH.

25. Quaint exclamation: BY JOVE. "I think I've got it!!"

26. Add (a player) to the poker game: DEAL IN.

27. Mike Trout's team: ANGELS.  Trout is a special player. 

28. Passover meals: SEDERS.

29. Czech capital city: PRAGUE.  We have a small town in Minnesota called New Prague.  Not too small, it has a bowling center.

30. Dead __: look-alike: RINGER.

31. __-shouldered: BROAD.

32. Captain, e.g.: RANK.  SSGT's are E-6.  I only made it to E-5.  Not a buck Sergeant.  My rank was "Specialist 5".

35. "Where have you __?": BEEN.  Billy Boy, Billy Boy.

39. 2004-2011 TV series about firefighters: RESCUE ME.

41. Ousted Iranian leader: SHAH.  I am not sure I would like the title of SHAH.  Sounds too much like Pshaw.

42. Core exercise system: PILATES.  C.C. has a core exercise system for me.

43. Sign on a new store: NOW OPEN.  In the evening do they have a "NOW CLOSED" sign?

44. Norwegian saint: OLAF.  He has a college named for him in Northfield, MN.  The city that Jesse James wishes he never visited.

49. "If only": I WISH.  "When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are."  Jiminy Cricket.

52. Author Morrison: TONI.

53. Egg on: SPUR.  Roy Rogers did not have egg on his spurs.

54. "No prob": SURE.

55. Minn. neighbor: N DAK.  Yup, Our neighbor to the northwest.  Home of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.  I hit a golf ball off a hill there once.

C.C. & Boomer, April 2002

56. Nick at __: NITE.

57. Nays' opposites: YEAS.  Sometimes, some just say "Present".

58. Drink sampling: SIP.

59. Altar affirmative: I DO.

60. Rock's __ Speedwagon: REO.

Boomer

Notes from C.C.:

Here are two pictures from Boomer's Army days.

Thursday, October 10th 2019 Kevin Christian.

Theme: Bent-o Boxes - BENT is, well BENT in each of the theme entries:

16A. Participated in a pub crawl: WENT BAR HOPPING. There is a Tube line in London which runs in a circle around town, called, very appropriately, the Circle Line. Back in my day, there were 27 stations on the continuous loop, and the "Circle Line Pub Crawl" was to ride the train for one lap, get off at each station and drink half a pint of beer at the nearest pub to the station. Back then, some stations actually had a bar on the platform, so that made life easy. For those of you doing the math, that meant downing thirteen-and-a-half pints during the ride.

24A. "Shadows of the Night" Grammy winner: PAT BENATAR. When I was a callow youth, never having seen her, I thought she was a guy. Women rockers were unusual in prehistoric times. Bass guitarist and Detroit bad-ass pop icon Suzi Quatro put me straight on the matter when I was around 13.

37A. Placating words before a confession: DON'T BE MAD ... I don't believe the placation has worked, ever. There's always a kicker too - "Don't me mad, I ran over the dog, but I got you a NEW PUPPY!"

53A. New and improved: EVEN BETTER. A new and improved family dog?

61A. Upset ... and what can be found in the four other longest answers?: BENT OUT OF SHAPE. Especially when the family dog has joined the choir celestial due to careless spousal driving.

Across:

1. Gold rush storyteller Bret: HARTE. All crosses, this made the north-west a struggle. A question - why do we refer to the "Pacific North-West" when describing that part of the country? I don't see many other north-wests?

6. Saints' org.: NFL The New Orleans Saints of the National Football League, he said, in an official tone.

9. Word pronounced like its middle letter: ARE.

12. "The Lion in Winter" co-star: O'TOOLE. For no good reason, I had GARP at 13D, so this was a struggle. I was puzzled that I didn't remember Costner in the movie. Eventually reason prevailed.

14. Senator Lisa Murkowski, notably: ALASKAN

18. Cleanse (of): RID

19. Afore: ERE "Able was I ere I saw Elba". Poor Napoleon, reduced to a palindrome, a complex and a cookie.

20. Video game pioneer: ATARI

22. Sch. playing home games in the Sun Bowl: U.T.E.P. Although I know full well that the Sun Bowl is in Texas, my left brain could not stop my knee-jerk-impulse brain filling in "UTAH" here. More corrective action required. Sorry, El Paso.

28. Numbs, as senses: DULLS

30. Bilingual TV explorer: DORA

31. File menu command: SAVE

32. Seiko Group printers: EPSONS. Had to wait a little for this one. With "----NS" in place, Canon and Epson had equal dibs on the fill.

34. Mountain myth: YETI

36. Flower location: BED

40. The Eiger, for one: ALP. Any Yeti in the Alps, or do they stick to being unproven in the Himalaya?

43. Scott who played Chachi: BAIO

44. Supplement: ENRICH

48. Snowblower brand: TORO. Pure guess, but "T" seemed to set things in motion. We see leaf blowers around here more than the snow cousins.

50. Schedule: PLAN. There's some English words I can't remember how to pronounce now depending on which side of the pond I'm on - this is one of them - SKED- or SHED-?

52. "Borat" star __ Baron Cohen: SACHA

56. Vegetable with Golden and Chioggia varieties: BEET. Food! (Sort of!). I know golden beets - Chioggia not so much.

57. San __, California: MATEO. One of the Bay Area bridges too.

58. "Fool (If You Think It's Over)" singer Chris: REA

60. __-di-dah: LAH

66. Nonworking time: LEISURE

67. Twain of country: SHANIA. I'd already got "HAT HAIR", so that required a rethink. A few do-overs today.

68. Bigger copy: Abbr.: ENL.argement.

69. Place to retire: INN. You have to drink thirteen-and-a-half pints before they let you go to bed though.

70. Over: ENDED

Down:

1. Indignant reaction: HOW RUDE!

2. Savored the flattery: ATE IT UP

3. Short poems: RONDELS. I had a N and an S. In went SONNETS. I was way too impulsive today. Here's Henry Austin Dobson having a crack at a rondel c.1877:

Love comes back to his vacant dwelling,

      The old, old Love that we knew of yore!

      We see him stand by the open door,

    With his great eyes sad, and his bosom swelling.

    He makes as though in our arms repelling

      He fain would lie as he lay before;

    Love comes back to his vacant dwelling,

      The old, old Love that we knew of yore!

    Ah ! who shall help us from over-spelling

      That sweet, forgotten, forbidden lore?

      E'en as we doubt, in our hearts once more,

    With a rush of tears to our eyelids welling,

    Love comes back to his vacant dwelling

4. Playdate participant: TOT

5. Hamburg's river: ELBE. "Eble was I 'ere I saw Elbe". "Eble" means "The condition of a person who has never visited Hamburg, nor seen its river". Apparently. Not.

6. "I don't wanna": NAH

7. Woman in Progressive ads: FLO. Is the character now moving beyond "irritating" to "mute the TV?"

8. One of 12 on a sitting jury?: LAP. Clever. 12 jurors sitting, making one lap each.

9. Tough dogs: AKITAS

10. Deferred payment at the pub: RAN A TAB. You can't do that on a pub crawl.

11. Impress deeply?: ENGRAVE

13. 1994 Costner role: EARP. So not GARP then? OK.

15. Go over: SPAN

17. Get lost in a book: READ

21. Ticked off: IRED. Nahhhh, c'mon, you're pulling me leg 'ere Guv'nor. There ain't no word "IRED" Mary Poppins! Unless, o' course, yer 'iring me to sweep yer chimney!

OK, enough of that. I haven't been on a pub crawl, honest, guv.

23. Lumber (along): PLOD

25. Bath time plaything: TOY BOAT. I had a toy deep sea diver when I was a kid, complete with helmet, dry suit, weighted boots and air supply. Sadly he was 12 inches tall, and there's not much more than 12 inches of water in a bathtub, so he didn't do much.

26. "Grimm" actress Turner: BREE

27. Wonderland cake words: EAT ME.

29. Elitist sort: SNOB

33. Harry Potter's potions teacher: SNAPE. Severus, brought to the screen by the fine, and sadly departed, Alan Rickman.

35. Fleming and Holm: IANS. I used to work for Fleming's, a private bank in London which was founded by the family. The bank had the largest collection of Scottish art in private hands, much of which was on display in the building. We had a bagpiper serenade us into work between 8:30 and 9. If you missed the piper, you were late. On the upside, the bank had its own pub, called the Scottish Pound.

38. Incline: TILT

39. Hardly lively: DRAB

40. "Lemme __!": AT 'EM

41. Precious: LOVABLE. One meaning of precious.

42. Many a middle schooler: PRE-TEEN

45. Most sparsely populated European country: ICELAND. But a footballing powerhouse despite only having a population of 300,000 and a coach who is a part-time dentist.

46. Inexpensive knockoff: CHEAPIE

47. Consequence of wearing a cap too long: HAT HEAD

49. Low soccer score: ONE NIL. And the score by which Iceland (reminder, population 300,000) beat England (population sixty-odd million) in the European Championships in 2016 to dump England out of the competition and force the resignation of the coach.

51. Sleuth Wolfe: NERO

54. Some spammers: BOTS. 

55. Two-legged zebras: REFS

59. 1975 Wimbledon winner: ASHE

62. Non's opposite: OUI

63. Coffee server: URN

64. Phil Rizzuto's retired number: TEN. Yankee shortstop "The Scooter". Why? No idea, ask C.C. (Steve: "Holy cow!")

65. Chewie's pal: HAN. Star Wars, Chewbacca the Wookie and Han Solo. The clue isn't really "correct" though - Chewie was a nickname, Han was Solo's first name. Details, details.

Right, that wraps it up for me. Onwards and gridwards!

Steve

Note from C.C.:

As Lemonade mentioned a few times, tomorrow's write-up will be unique. Be sure to come back and celebrate the special occasion of a blog favorite.

Monday August 26, 2019 Kevin Christian

Theme: Titleholders in Music

19. Nickname for Elvis Presley: KING OF ROCK 'N ROLL.

 

37. Nickname for Ella Fitzgerald: FIRST LADY OF SONG.

49. Nickname for James Brown: GODFATHER OF SOUL.

Boomer here. Greetings all. Those of us that follow Major League Baseball probably noticed that this was "Oreo" weekend.  All home team players wore very very white uniforms, while the visiting teams dressed in black.  Players were allowed to have their nicknames on the backs of their uniforms.  

It started to rain Saturday on the golf tournament so I switched TV to the Cubs - Nationals game.  There were no Cubs uniforms with "TTP" on the back.  I did not see a "Boomer" name on any uniform either.  I suppose none of the players were born in 1947. 

There were a couple of Black Hawk hockey players in the announcers booth and they led the 7th inning "Take Me Out to the Ballgame". I hope they play hockey better than they sing. I'm sure Harry Caray was spinning in his grave. 

Hey Elvis lovers try this:  "As the snow flies, on a cold and gray Chicago morn, another little baby Cub is born in a Wrigley." 

Across:

1. Meat shaped for a burger: PATTY.

6. Consider: DEEM.

10. Place to unwind: SPA.

13. Sound before "Bless you": ACHOO.

14. Food brand for Fido: ALPO.  I'll bet that dogs with other names eat it also,

15. Visa competitor, briefly: AMEX.  I don't think they have the cash back and travel miles deals to compete.

16. Like a wet day: RAINY.  The aforesaid golf tournament in Atlanta.

17. "Deal me a hand": I'M IN.  This is a new slogan for the Minnesota State lottery.  C.C. and I don't play because of the long odds, so "I'm Out."

18. __ slaw: COLE.  I am pretty sure that Nat King Cole belongs on the header list.

22. One rotation of Earth on its axis: DAY. Doris recorded "Sentimental Journey".  Not sure if she could be called a "Queen of  Soul".

23. Up until now: YET.

24. "I'll pay any price!": NAME IT.

28. Nod off: DOZE.  Previous Twins hero Brian Dozier was playing for the Nationals Saturday.  I  think his nickname is Doze, but I did not see it.

31. Not hers: HIS.

34. "We're having __!": retail come-on: A SALE.  Chris SALE is having a so so year for the Red Sox.

35. Jupiter's wife: JUNO.

36. Marriott rival: OMNI.  Dodge had an "OMNI Hatchback" on the market in the 70s.  They were small and ugly and have now been replaced by big and beautiful SUVs.

40. Scarlett's plantation: TARA. Also 60. Scarlett's last name: O'HARA.

41. Acme: APEX.

42. "Nevermore!" bird: RAVEN.  Edgar Allen Poe wrote this poem over 150 years ago, and it lives on.  I wrote "Zoilo, Tony and the Brew" about 35 years ago, and nobody cares. "The Mudcat, the Kitty and Old Blue, They knew them from Duluth to Waterloo.  Especially Zoilo, Tony and the Brew."

43. Boy in "Star Wars" prequel films: ANI. Darth Vader.

44. Currier and __: printmakers: IVES.  "These wonderful things are the things we remember all through our lives."

45. Seth of "SNL": MEYERS.

46. Ring or stud site: EAR.  No way anyone is EVER going to put a hole in my ear.

48. He wrote "The 42-Across": POE.  SEE!  Boomer not even mentioned.

58. Funny Bombeck: ERMA.  She left us in 1996.  The Minneapolis paper used to carry her column.

59. A4 automaker: AUDI.  A4 Is just the model name.  Maybe they misspelled "4A"

61. Close by: NEAR.

62. Marvel Comics mutants: X-MEN.

63. Post-op therapy: REHAB.

64. 2,000 pounds: TON. Load 16 of them, and what do you get.  Another day older and deeper in debt.

65. Ain't right?: ISN'T.  "So Ain't that too damn bad?"

66. Brutalizes: MAULS.

Down:

1. Place to spread a picnic blanket: PARK.  Not Fenway.

2. Smoothie berry: ACAI. These are healthy but very expensive.  Not as $$$ as health insurance though.

3. Slender: THIN.  Speaking of expensive food, I used to love Thin Mints.  Not anymore.  Now I just snack on Metformin.

4. Half a barbecuer's pair: TONG.  We have a pair in the kitchen.  Sometimes I use them to pick up something I dropped on the floor.  What can I say.  Sometimes older people need a little help.

5. Up-and-down weight loss effort: YO-YO DIET.  Not to be confused with Yo-Yo Ma, an accomplished cellist.

6. Grocery section with milk: DAIRY.

7. Red Muppet: ELMO.  He is tickled to be in this puzzle.

8. "Lawrence of Arabia," e.g.: EPIC.  This movie lasted nearly four hours!!  I preferred the 90 minute flicks at the Drive In.

9. 2000s OCD-afflicted TV sleuth: MONK.

10. Often sarcastic "Nice one!": SMOOTH MOVE.  Generally you should call "Nice one" on the golf course, whether it's a good shot or not.

11. __-mell: disorderly: PELL.  We used to call Pall Mall Cigs - Pell Mell.

12. Ice skater's jump: AXEL.

15. Property measure: ACRE.  Also can describe a bad tooth.

20. White part of beef: FAT.  Don't forget the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.  Celebrated heavily in New Orleans and Las Vegas.

21. "Science Guy" Bill: NYE.  Speaking of Las Vegas there is a "Nye" county just west northwest of the "Silver City". We stay at the "Orleans", but not during the Mardi Gras festivities.

C.C. & Boomer, Feb, 2019

24. 1990s commerce pact acronym: NAFTA.  "North Atlantic Free Trade."  Trade does not seem to be free any longer.

25. Thai or Laotian: ASIAN.  Occasionally I like Chow Mein for a meal.  But C.C. says it is not real Chinese food.

26. He's not single: MARRIED MAN.

27. Film lioness: ELSA.

28. Fellas: DUDES.  I am not a Dude.  I dress sloppy and have never been to one of their ranches.

29. Banded gemstone: ONYX.

30. Place to observe animals: ZOO.  We have two zoos in Minnesota, but they don't seem to compete.  Neither has a Panda or a purple cow.

32. __ circle: group of close advisers: INNER.

33. Omens: SIGNS.

35. Joke: JAPE.

36. "__, can you see ... ": O SAY.  This is our national anthem.  I really object to some of the performances allowed at special events.  Can you say Roseanne Barr ??

38. Loo: LAV.

39. Having an irregular design: FREE FORM.

44. "Roth" investment: IRA. The "Roth" seems very complicated, however tax-efficient I suppose.

45. Bovine sound: MOO.  This was a sorority in "Animal House".

47. Not at all close by: AFAR. "We three kings of Orient are; bearing gifts we traverse AFAR"

48. Make a hard copy of: PRINT.

49. Fellow: GENT.  Earlier in the puzzle he was a "Dude".

50. Black-and-white treat: OREO.  MLB games last weekend.

51. Uber alternative: TAXI.

52. Runs smoothly: HUMS.

53. Blissful Genesis place: EDEN.  I have mentioned this before.  We have a Minneapolis suburb of Eden Prairie.  It's about 40 miles south of us, and a very nice suburb.  I think Bud Grant lives there.

54. New York stadium dismantled in 2009: SHEA.  It is amazing that the Mets and formerly the Giants have gone through three ballparks.  So have the Twins and others.  While the Cubs and Red Sox live on in Wrigley and Fenway.

55. Honolulu's island: OAHU.

56. Eurasia's __ Mountains: URAL.

57. Chocolate dogs: LABS.  I have not seen a "Chocolate dog".  I have eaten chocolate bunny rabbits around Easter, but not any more. 

Boomer

Notes from C.C.:

Happy birthday to Montana,  a retired math & science teacher who lives in Montana. Here is a nice picture from her Oregon Trail trek back in 2012. 

Tuesday, August 20, 2019, Kevin Christian & Kristian House

You Can Bet Your Life.  Each word in the starred theme answer can come After the word Life to give a new phrase or concept.

17-Across. *  Pedigree ancestry: BLOOD LINE.  As in Lifeblood and Life Line.

 Lifeblood.

Life Line

25-Across. *  Suit tailor's concern: JACKET SIZE.  As in Life Jacket and Life Size.

Moses hands out Life Jackets before crossing the Red Sea.

Life Size.

35-Across. *  Nightly ritual for young children: STORY TIME.  As in Life Story and Life Time.

 Life Story.

Life Time.

49-Across. *  Teacher's outline: LESSON PLAN.  As in Life Lesson and Life Plan.

Life Lessons

Life Plan.

And the unifier:
58. "Field of Dreams" subject, and where both parts of the answers to starred clues can go: AFTERLIFE.  (Admit it, your first thought was Baseball, even though it was a letter short.)

Across:

1. New England fish: COD.  More than you ever wanted to know about the Atlantic COD.

4. Seriously injures: MAIMS.

9. Frosh, next year: SOPH.  This year's Freshman is next year's SOPHomore.

13. "Should I take that as __?": A NO.

14. Are: EXIST.

15. Boy Scout unit: TROOP.

19. Luxury Honda: ACURA.

20. "Eight Miles High" band, with "The": BYRDS.

21. Farm building: BARN.

23. Up to, in ads: TIL.

24. The Beatles' "__ Love Her": AND I.

28. Prospective elevator passenger's query: GOING UP?

30. Villain played by Josh Brolin in most "Avengers" films: THANOS.

31. Flock female: EWE.

32. Biblical paradise: EDEN.

34. Olympics segment: EVENT.

38. On the ocean: AT SEA.

41. Red Sox manager Alex: CORA.  José Alexander Cora (b. Oct. 18, 1975) has been the Red Sox manager since 2017.  He played for a number of MLB teams, including, but not limited to, the Red Sox, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Texas Rangers.

42. Topeka's st.: KAN.  Topeka is the capital of Kansas.

45. "I want to see": SHOW ME!  Missouri is known as the Show Me State.

47. "The Lord of the Rings" wizard: GANDALF.

52. "__ all work out": IT'LL.

53. Barcelona gold: ORO.  Today's Spanish lesson.

54. Field mouse: VOLE.

55. Diviner's deck: TAROT.

56. Opposite of sur: NORTE.  More of today's Spanish lesson.  North is the opposite of South.  Did anyone see the 1983 movie El Norte?  it was about a group of people from Guatemala fleeing from ethnic and political persecution during the Guatemalan Civil War.  They trek north to the United States hoping for a better life.

61. Movie legend Greta: GARBO.  Greta Garbo (née Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; Sept. 8, 1905 ~ Apr. 15, 1990) was a Swedish actress.

62. Appliance with burners: STOVE.

63. Actress Vardalos: NIA.  Nia Vardalos (née Antonia Eugenia Vardalos / Νία Βαρντάλος; b. Sept. 24, 1962) is a Canadian-Green actress, best known for her 2002 movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

64. Cannon of "Heaven Can Wait" (1978): DYAN.  Dyan Cannon (née Samille Diane Friesen; b. Jan. 4, 1937) was one of Cary Grant's 5 wives.  They were married for about 3 years in the 1960s.  There was a 33 year age gap between the two.

65. Sinatra classic with Anka lyrics: MY WAY.  My Way is without the video.

66. PIN requester: ATM.  Cute clue for the Automatic Teller Machine.

Down:

1. Sauerkraut, mainly: CABBAGE.  You, too, can make your own Sauerkraut.

2. "Just this second": ONLY NOW.

3. Desperate: DO OR DIE.

4. Drugs from docs: MEDS.  As in Medications.

5. Rose of Guns N' Roses: AXL.  Axl Rose (né William Bruce Rose, Jr.; b. Feb. 6, 1962) is the lead singer of the band referenced in the clue.

Axl is the one without the had.

6. Three on a sundial: III.

7. "Hardball" cable channel: MSNBC.

8. Rib eye, for one: STEAK.

9. Baseball great Musial's nickname: STAN THE MAN.  Stan Musial (né Stanley Frank Musial; Nov. 21, 1920 ~ Jan. 19, 2013) played for the St. Louis Cardinals for 22 years.

10. Beast fought by 47-Across: ORC.

11. Canadian french fries dish: POUTINE.  I had heard of this dish, which is basically french fries and cheese curds topped with gravy.  It is most closely associated with the cuisine of Quebec.  I had an opportunity to try it for the first time this past spring when I was up near the Quebec border.  It was interesting, but I probably wouldn't go out of my way to order it again.

12. Where land and sky seem to meet: HORIZON.

16. Most colorless: PALEST.

18. Chief Norse god: ODIN.  In Norse mythology, Odin is the god of wisdom, poetry, death and magic.

22. Like some mil. officers: RET.  As in Retired.  Fortunately, you don't have to be in the military to retire.

25. Weaponless self-defense: JUDO.

26. Mimic: APER.

27. Goalie's goal: SAVE.

29. "Hurry!": GET A MOVE ON.  My grandmother used that expression a lot.

33. It has both Kings and Queens counties, briefly: NYC.  As in New York City.  I was in Manhattan during the July heat wave.  I had to go through Queens from the airport.

35. Uses needle and thread: SEWS.

36. Roman robe: TOGA.

37. Persian Gulf republic: IRAN.

38. Comparable in duration: AS LONG.

39. "Not Taken" place in a Frost poem title: THE ROAD.

40. "My apologies": SO SORRY!

42. Catastrophic New Orleans hurricane: KATRINA.  Louisiana is still feeling the impact of this storm, which hit the state almost exactly 14 years ago.

43. The whole shebang: ALL OF IT.

44. Cardinals or Falcons: NFL TEAM.

46. Frequent co-producer of U2 albums: ENO.  Brian Eno (b. May 15, 1948) makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.

48. Dashboard feature: DIAL.

50. Suffix with proto- or cyto-: PLASM.  As in Protoplasm and Cytoplasm.

51. Southpaw: LEFTY.  Did you ever wonder where the term Southpaw originated?

55. Low card: TREY.

57. Sched. question mark: TBA.  As in To Be Announced.

59. Disabled car need: TOW.

60. "2 Fast 2 Furious" actress Mendes: EVA.  Eva Mandes (née Eva de la Caridad Méndez (b. Mar. 5, 1974) and Ryan Gosling (né Ryan Thomas Gosling b. Nov. 12, 1980) are a family unit.

Here's the Grid:

I'll leave you with a QOD:  If I didn’t do what I do, I wouldn’t be as young as I am.  ~ Robert Plant (né Robert Anthony Plant; b. August 20, 1948), British musician