Wednesday August 7, 2019 Mark McClain

Theme: PLUMBERS (60. '70s covert White House intelligence group ... and, in a more conventional sense, a hint to the starts of the answers to starred clues)

17. *Secret stage exit: TRAPDOOR.

25. *Forte of Savion Glover and Gregory Hines: TAP DANCING.

35. *Impractical hope: PIPE DREAM.

51. *Pass/fail metaphor: SINK OR SWIM.

Boomer here, filling in another blog gap.

Hail, Hail the gang's all here. We are still concerned about a wicked hail storm we had on Monday this week.  Hoping our new replaced roof from last spring was not damaged.

Across:

1. "__ your age!": ACT.  If someone told me that, I would need to walk bent over and drool.  Maybe I could fall and not get up.

4. Many 4WD autos: SUVS. Got a Grand Caravan right now, but C.C. and I are considering an SUV.  I went through a Bronco and two Explorers in years gone by, but the van is providing us with dependable service, so we might wait a year or two. Vehicles are expensive and I really do not like the back and forth when buying a vehicle. Do any of you own a Hyundai Santa Fe?

8. Oafish: CLUMSY.

14. Feel badly about: RUE.  Wasn't she one of the Golden Girls??

15. Slightly: A BIT.  The plumber might need to change a bit to drill a hole in the wall.

16. 100-lawmaker group: SENATE.  After this weekend, I hope they can get together and pass some gun control legislation, but I don't have a lot of hope.

19. Gets ready to drive: TEES UP.  That is me about 10:00 AM today. Fore!!

20. Tempe sch.: ASU.

21. Out of the wind: ALEE.

23. A, in many orgs.: ASSN.

24. Frosts, as cupcakes: ICES. Not just cupcakes. You should see our 10,000 lakes in about 5 months.

28. Comes clean?: BATHES.  Taking advantage of the plumbing.

30. Persuaded: WON OVER.

31. Northern Iraqi city: MOSUL.

32. Indian flatbread: NAAN.

34. Botch the job: ERR.  To ERR is human, but it could cause an unearned run.

39. Brief writer, briefly: ATT. Boo! CBS is having some dispute with AT&T's DirecTV so I am unable to watch the end of PGA tournaments.  Hope they settle before the NFL season starts .

42. Blew away: AWED.

43. Pick up the tab: TREAT.  Are you hungry for a treat.  Want food that's fun to eat.  Then go to the Golden Arches, in your neighborhood ...

47. Low-cost product: CHEAPIE. We get great deals on watermelon at Aldi, but be careful.  Sometimes if you go for the Cheapie, you get what you asked for.

50. Midsize Chevy: IMPALA. My family had a 1962 model back then.  Two door hardtop, nice car.

54. Cruise stopover: ISLE.  Right in our Minneapolis city of lakes we have "Lake of the Isles".  You may have seen it on the intro of the Mary Tyler Moore show.  C.C. and I have walked that path many times.

Boomer, Lake of the Isles, 2016

55. Night in Paris: NUIT.

56. Array in a British pantry: TINS. I don't think you have to be British, although we don't have a pantry. We keep them in a drawer.

57. Lobster dinner accessory: BIB.

58. Become fond of: WARM TO.

63. Singer who was 15 in 2009 when his debut EP "My World" was released: BIEBER.  Of course I am into baseball cards, and I have to mention that Topps made a huge error on Cleveland pitcher Shane Bieber's 2019 baseball card, referring to him as "Justin" on the back of the card.

64. "Downton Abbey" title: EARL.  I think he was a Duke.

65. Droop: SAG.

66. Passions: ARDORS.

67. Salon colors: DYES.  Too strong, just use a tint.

68. "Inside the NBA" network: TNT. NBA has their own DirecTV channel but Ted Turner has a piece of everything.

Down:

1. Sotheby's showing: ART.  I cannot believe the prices they get at some of their auctions.

2. Liqueur named for an island: CURACAO.

3. Dollhouse dishes: TEA SETS.  I have three sisters. I believe each of them had one or two of these.

4. Downcast: SAD.

5. WWII subs: U-BOATS.

6. It's tuned an octave higher than a cello: VIOLA. Twins pitcher Frank helped win the World Series in 1987.  I was there.

7. Penicillin target: STREP.

8. Omaha winter hrs.: CST.  Same as Minneapolis and my friend Husker Gary.

9. Womack of country: LEEANN.  Leeann Chin is an Asian restaurant chain famous in Minnesota but has expanded to about 50 locations throughout the Midwest.

10. Worldwide cultural org.: UNESCO.

11. Enormous: MASSIVE.

12. Major upset, say: STUNNER. Even the 1962 Mets won 40 games. Lost 120, finished 60 games behind the pennant winning Giants, but got revenge in 1969.

13. Slangy "Sure": YEP.

18. Pecs builder: PUSHUP.  I was never able to do more than 30, now I would struggle to do 3.  Richard Gere did pretty well in "Officer and a Gentleman".

22. Name of eight English kings: EDWARD.  The Royals keep naming their kids after themselves.

24. PC pioneer: IBM.  They used to have a hand in everything electronic.  Now I think IBM stands for International BIG Machines. 

26. Tops: A-ONE.  I don't think I was ever A-ONE.  However in 1968 I was ONE-A and then I was Drafted.

27. Watchdog warning: GRR.

29. New Haven collegian: ELI.

32. Most recent: NEWEST.  Twins NEWEST member Sam Dyson, already on the IL with sore biceps.  He needs to get well and lower his 91.00 ERA.

33. Fruit drink suffix: ADE.  LemonADE in the shade.

36. Pliers unit: PAIR.  Never knew why they were called pairs since they are one piece. Not like shoes, socks, gloves, or dice.

37. Bill-filled device: ATM. My bank only dispenses 20s, In Las Vegas you can get 100s then you go to the craps table and turn them into 20s.

38. Onetime Dr Pepper rival: MR PIBB.

39. Apt. coolers: ACS.

40. Vanishing point?: THIN AIR.  See 100s in 37-Down.

41. Like many veteran professors: TENURED.  I am a tenured baseball card collector.  C.C. is a tenured crossword constructor.

44. Least challenging: EASIEST.

45. High-fiber Kellogg's cereal: ALL-BRAN. I have also seen their 40% Bran Flakes.  Makes about as much sense as if General Mills had 40% Cheerios.

46. __ kwon do: TAE.

48. With hands on hips: AKIMBO.

49. Wizard with a scar: POTTER.  M.A.S.H. Colonel Sherman Potter played by Harry Morgan.  I remember him from "Dragnet" also.

50. Confident reply: I'M SURE.

52. Cleaned with a cloth: WIPED.  I get fairly wiped out trying to finish Saturday's puzzles.

53. Woodwork pattern: INLAY.  I have not heard much about the Cathedral Notre Dame.  I am sure it had many INLAID treasures.

58. Fighters' org.: WBA.

59. "Grey's Anatomy" sets, briefly: ORS.  My father served in the Pacific islands as a medic in WWII. We had a copy of "Grey's Anatomy" on the bookshelf at home.  I never opened the book, I could not even pronounce the title. 

61. D.C. United org.: MLS.  I see kids playing soccer on the local fields, but I WILL NEVER attend a major league soccer game because they tore down one of my favorite bowling centers to build a stadium for the team.

62. Police dept. rank: SGT.  SGT. Joe Friday played by Jack Webb in "Dragnet"

Boomer

Monday, July 29, 2019, Mark McClain

Just Stringing Along.  The word String can precede the first word of each theme answer.

17-Across. *  Music course for budding composers: THEORY CLASS.  String Theory.

 

24-Across. *  Meatless taqueria item: BEAN BURRITO.  String Bean.  David Akeman (June 17, 1915 ~ Nov. 10, 1973), known as String Bean, was a musician and comedian on Hee Haw.  He and his wife were murdered by burglars in 1973.

Oh, a String Bean is also a vegetable.

39-Across. *  Closet accessory for neckwear: TIE RACK.  String Tie.

51-Across. *  Marshall Islands site of nuclear testing: BIKINI ATOLL.  String Bikini.

It looks complicated to get all those strings just right.

And the unifier:
62-Across. Like the starting team, and a hint to the answers to starred clues: FIRST STRING.

Hahtoolah, here.  Boomer and I are switching days for reasons that will become apparent tomorrow.  Fear not, however, Boomer will be back in his Monday position next week.  And a big Thank You to Boomer for filling in for me last week while I was attending a conference in NYC.

Across:

1. Polio vaccine pioneer: SABIN.  Albert Sabin (né Abram Saperstein; Aug. 26, 1906 ~ Mar. 3, 1993) was born in Baiłstok, Poland (then part of the Russian Empire).  His family left the old country and ultimately found their way to the United States.  In 1930, he became a US citizen.  He is best known for the development of the oral polio vaccine.  He also developed vaccines against other viral diseases, including vaccines for encephalitis and dengue fever.

6. Bacteria in undercooked meat: E. COLI.  The scientific name for this bacteria is Escherichia coli.   It is a group of bacteria that lives in the intestines of healthy people and animals.  Although often associated with illness, most varieties of E. coli are harmless.  It is a common bacteria used in high school and college biology labs.

11. Blot gently: DAB.  A little DAB'll do ya!

 

14. Budget prefix: ECONO.  Think of an Econo Lodge.

15. Gas in flashtubes: XENON.  Xenon in an inert gas.  It's chemical symbol is Xe and its atomic number is 54.

16. Pitcher's stat: ERA.  As in an Earned Run Average.

19. Animation frame: CEL.  This has become a crossword staple.

20. Mannheim mister: HERR.  Today's German lesson.

21. Non-discrimination want-ad letters: EOE.  As in Equal Opportunity Employer.

22. Rub out a pencil mark: ERASE.

28. Castilian hero: EL CID.  El Cid (né Rodrigo Díaz; born about 1043 ~ died 1099) was a Castilian military leader in medieval Spain.  His name, El Cid, is Spanish Arabic meaning "lord".  Over the centuries, he has become a mythical figure.

31. Gate securer: LATCH.

32. "Get lost!": BEAT IT!



 34. AT&T news channel: CNN.  As in the Cable News Network.

35. Entrepreneur Musk: ELON.  Elon Musk (né Elon Reeve Musk; b. June 28, 1971) is a technology entrepreneur who was born in South Africa.  He now holds South African, Canadian and US citizenship.  He is the co-founder and CEO of Tesla.

38. Tire inflator: AIR.

42. Señora Perón: EVA.  Eva Perón (née María Eva Duarte; May 7, 1919 ~ July 26, 1952) was the wife of Juan Perón.  Everything I know about her I learned from the musical Evita, so I take that with a grain of salt.

43. Washington MLB team: NATS. As in the Washington Nationals, the baseball team of Washington, D.C.

45. Bath tissue layer: PLY.

46. Like contentious discussions: HEATED.

48. Car music source: RADIO.  Car radios have so many options today.

50. Kagan of the Supreme Court: ELENA.  Elena Kagan (b. Apr. 28, 1960) is an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.  When she assumed the office in August 2010, she was only the 4th woman to serve as a Supreme Court Justice.  Prior to joining the Supreme Court, she was the first female dean of the Harvard Law School.

55. The "HD" in HDTV, briefly: HI-DEF.  As in High Definition.

56. "Wayne's World" catchword: NOT.  When you go to the dentist, you are having a good time ... NOT! 57. Director Kazan: ELIA.  Elia Kazan (né Elias Kazantzoglou; Sept. 7, 1909 ~ Sept. 28, 2003), was born in Istanbul, Turkey to Greek parent.  The family immigrated to the United States in 1913.  His first feature film was A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.  He is probably best known for directing On the Waterfront and A Streetcar Named Desire.

61. Incubation target: EGG.  On the farm, the mother hen is the incubator.

66. "The Simpsons" bartender: MOE.  Did you know that Moe actually has a surname?  His full name is Moammar Morris Szyslak, but he generally goes by just Moe.

67. Host onstage: EMCEE. 68. Banded marble: AGATE.  Agate is a crossword staple.  It is a translucent variety of quarts and is sometimes used as a semiprecious stone.

69. "__ now or never": IT'S.

 

 70. Author Dahl: ROALD.  In addition to being a novelist, Roald Dahl (Sept. 16, 1916 ~ Nov. 23, 1990) was a flying ace and intelligence officer during World War II.  He is best known to me for writing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  There was a fascinating article appeared in the Smithsonian about Roald Dahl a few years ago.  He had a very unique work space.

71. Sandwiches on pita: GYROS.  Yummers!

Down:
1. Eve's third son: SETH.  After Cain slew Abel, Adam and Eve had another child.  See Genesis 4:8.

2. Tooth pain: ACHE.  See 56-Across.

3. Dutch South African: BOER.  The word Boer is the Dutch and Afrikaans noun for farmer, and refers to the Dutch and Huguenot population that settled in South Africa in the late 17th century.

4. Circling the sun, as a planet: IN ORBIT.

5. Oslo's land: Abbr.: NOR.  Oslo is the capital of Norway.

6. Former inmate: EX-CON.

7. Tabloid figure, for short: CELEB.  As in a Celebrity.

8. Words before whim or hunch: ON A.  As in the phrase On a Whim, or On a Hunch.

9. __ Angeles: LOS.

10. Newspaper ad, often: INSERT.  These generally take up the bulk of the Sunday paper.

11. Track-and-field competitor in 10 events: DECATHLETE.  Can you name the 10 events in a Decathlon?  I'll give you a hint:  it consists 4 track events and 6 field events.  The Decathlon became an Olympic event in the 1912 Stockholm Summer Games.

12. Childish rebuttal: ARE SO!

13. Cotton unit: BALE.

18. Vote for passage: YEA.

23. Uncle Ben's boxful: RICE.

25. Fix, as text: EDIT.

26. Wrist-to-elbow bone: ULNA.

27. Big spread with cattle, say: RANCH.  One of the largest cattle ranches in the United States is the Parker Ranch on the Big Island of Hawaii.

28. Abba of Israel: EBAN.  Abba Eban (né Aubrey Solomon Meir Eban; Feb. 2, 1915 ~ Nov. 17, 2002) makes frequent guest appearances in the crosswords.  He was born in South Africa, but was not a Boer.

29. "Star Wars" heroine: LEIA.  She was portrayed by Carrie Fisher (née Carrie Frances Fisher; Oct. 21, 1956 ~ Dec. 27, 2016).

30. Printer toner containers: CARTRIDGES.

33. Second-chance basket: TIP IN.

34. Shed tears: CRY.

36. Pizza parlor appliance: OVEN.

37. Spanish "nothing": NADA.  Today's Spanish lesson.

40. H.G. Wells race: ELOI.  These fictional post-humans from the 1985 novel The Time Machine, have become a crossword staple.

41. Fall (over): KEEL.

 

44. "For Pete's __!": SAKE.

47. Reaction to pollen, e.g.: ALLERGY.

49. "I beg to __": "I don't agree": DIFFER.

51. Archie Bunker type: BIGOT.

52. Adams with a camera: ANSEL.  Ansel Adams (né Ansel Easton Adams; Feb. 20, 1902 ~ Apr. 22, 1984) was known for his black-and-white landscape photography, much of which was of the American West and the National Parks.

53. Hauled: TOTED.

54. Extra NBA periods: OTs.  As in Over Times.

55. Prefix with sphere meaning "half": HEMI-.  Think of a Hemisphere.

58. Tall story teller: LIAR.

59. Whip __ shape: INTO.

60. "For __ 3-5": toy box spec: AGES.  My grand-niece just turned 6 months, so I'll have to wait a bit to find toys in the 3-5 age range.

63. Texter's "I think": IMO.  Textspeak for In My Opinion.

64. Color TV pioneer: RCA.  RCA was originally founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America.

65. "You're it!" game: TAG.

Here's the Grid:

The 10 events making up the decathlon include: 100-meter sprint, 110-meter hurdles, 400-meter dash, 1500-meter run, long jump, high jump, shot put, discus throw, javelin throw and the pole vault.

I'll leave you with a QOD:  Take the high road.  No matter how much strife, and consternation, frustration and anger you might be confronted with ~ don’t go to that level.  ~  Tim Gunn (né Timothy MacKenzie Gunn; b. July 29, 1953)

Monday, Jul 22, 2019 Mark McClain

Theme: ON END (53. Without a break ... or what each word in 18-, 28-, 46- and 62-Across has) - Each theme entry is in the pattern of *ON *ON.

18. __ line: 18th-century dispute-resolving state border: MASON DIXON.

 

28. Fluffy, citrusy pie: LEMON CHIFFON.

46. Family car largely replaced by the minivan and SUV: STATION WAGON.

 

62. Ordinary-sounding state bird of Minnesota: COMMON LOON.

Boomer here.  

Hello Everyone. We had a glitch in our internet service on Wednesday. C.C. contacted our provider CenturyLink and they went on and on and on regarding the time the internet service would be restored. Finally we got back on and on and on line on Sunday. Happy to be back!!

Across:

1. Like some hygiene: ORAL.  Something you can get your teeth into.

5. Casual greeting: HI YA. Hi back atcha

9. House level accessed with pull-down stairs: ATTIC.  We have an attic but no pull down stairs.  We need to get a ladder but it is not worth going up there.  Just dust and insulation.

14. Folk singer Seeger: PETE.

15. Assist with a heist: ABET.  Casino dealer spins that roulette wheel and you need to make A BET before the little ball hits the middle.

16. Harry Potter nemesis __ Malfoy: DRACO.

17. "Around the Horn" channel: ESPN.  A favorite of many but we now have about 15 sports channels.  (MLB, NBA, NFL, FSN, FS1, GOLF and more.) 

20. "Awesome!": NEATO.  I think Maynard G. Krebs started this.

22. NFL analyst Tony: ROMO.  Used to be a darn good quarterback.

23. German "a": EINE.  We would go downtown to the Gasthaus and EINE BIER was the favorite request.

24. Kite-flying need: STRING.  You also need wind.

26. Puts on the line, as money: RISKS.  I remember when Kramer played RISK with Newman.

33. Lousy grade: DEE.  Better than EFF.

36. USN noncom: CPO.  Mr. Sharkey.

37. Devon delivery vehicle: LORRY.

38. "My mom and dad will kill me!": I'M TOAST.  Generally happens in the tenth frame when my opponent strikes out.

41. '90s prime-time soap "__ Place": MELROSE.  I am more familiar with Melrose Park, a suburb of Chicago.  Graybar had a large sales office there.

43. Less: MINUS.

44. License plate: TAG.  Many of my neighbors and I played this in the yard.

45. Acquired: GOT.

51. Brief movie role: CAMEO.  I liked Donald Sutherland in JFK

52. Sure winner: SHOO IN.  I always thought it was SHOE IN.

56. Too: ALSO.

59. Voices below soprani: ALTI.  Gimme a "D" !  ALDI is a great grocery store.  Really good watermelon.

61. __ Carlo: MONTE.  I never owned one, but I used to like the looks of the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, which hit the streets around 1970.

65. Pols from blue states, usually: DEMS.  Minnesota has been blue for quite some time.

66. Pecans and pistachios: TREES.  Are you sure these are not NUTS.

67. Overnight lodgings: INNS.  Not too fond of the current Trivago commercials.  Maybe I watch too much TV.

68. Tiny biting insect: GNAT.

69. Latin "that is": ID EST.

70. Fair-hiring agcy.: EEOC.

71. Slow Churned ice cream brand: EDY'S.

Down:

1. Bids first: OPENS.  Or bets first.

2. Go back to zero: RESET.  Do not pass go, do not collect $200

3. For the stock issue price: AT PAR.  At Par did not do it in this years British open.  I think Shane Lowry beat par by 15 shots.  I think it would take me 15 shots of something to play a course like that.

Shane Lowry

4. Soup legume: LENTIL.

5. Radio hobbyist: HAM.  One of Noah's sons.

6. Letter-shaped beam: I BAR.  That's where I could go to get those 15 shots.

7. "Decide now!": YES OR NO.  Okay, I pick YES.

8. Word with power or energy: ATOMIC.

9. Toss in: ADD.

10. Attempts to get: TRIES FOR.

11. Roll to a terminal: TAXI.  Danny DeVito was a great dispatcher.  I never watch that Philadelphia show he does now.

12. Clickable image: ICON.

13. Ice cream holder: CONE.  Mets pitcher David.  He was pretty darn good.

19. On-the-run snack: NOSH.

21. Number that's a square of itself: ONE.  Also a good score on any hole.  I know there was at least ONE ONE in the OPEN

25. Acadia and Yukon: GMCS.  We maybe look at an SUV soon, but not these monsters of the midway.

27. Pass idly, as time: KILL.  We had a Gopher Football coach named Jerry Kill.  I think he is on the west coast now.

29. Decide (to): OPT.

30. Kermit, for one: FROG.  Miss Piggy's best friend.

31. Estimate words: OR SO.  Reminds me of the restoration time given us by CenturyLink.

32. Dimitri's denial: NYET.  If they want to emphasize it do they say "NYET WAY !"

33. Switches to low beams: DIMS.

34. Send forth: EMIT.

35. Sicilian volcano: ETNA.

39. Results: OUTCOMES.  I miss the green frequently and OUT COMES the wedge.

40. Himalayan continent: ASIA. Sometimes it's called the Far East, but it's a few thousand miles West of Hawaii.

41. Nanny's bleat: MAA.  I thought it was BAA

42. They're laid in 55-Down: EGGS.  Visited my great uncle Bill's (no longer with us) farm last week on Burnikel Road in Siren Wisconsin. The barn and chicken coop were still there, but not in very good shape.  I did not see any animals but they had corn growing in the field.

Boomer, Burnikel Road, Siren, Wisconsin.

44. Black-and-white, say: TWO-TONE. 

47. Mideast sultanate: OMAN.

48. Journalist Bly: NELLIE.  The scene was in the jailhouse and if curfew rang that night.  Nell's dad in number 13 cell would go out like a light.  She knew her dad was innocent, so plucky little Nell.  She tied her tender torso to the Clapper of the bell.  Hang on the Bell Nellie.  (Chad Mitchell Trio.)

49. Resistance unit: OHM.

50. Annoying person: NOODGE.  I can think of a better name.

54. "__ come as no surprise ... ": IT MAY.

55. 42-Down holders: NESTS.  I remember Bill's hens would lay about 20 eggs per month.  It just happens, they don't even look pregnant.

56. Drama opening: ACT I.

57. Title for an earl: LORD.

58. Hook's cohort: SMEE.  I Haven't seen this name since Peter Pan.

60. Prefix with sphere: IONO.

63. East, in Essen: OST.

64. White House advisory gp.: NSC.  No Stupid Comments???

 

Boomer

Notes from C.C.:

Just want to thank Husker Gary and TTP for saving me again. Gary put up with my numerous calls on Thursday and TTP quickly converted the puzzles and sent the grids to our team members. Thank you so much, guys!