Monday April 22, 2019 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: SCREEN TIME (55A. Amount of TV watching limited by parents, and a hint to the last word of the answers to starred clues) - Last word is a type of screen.

16A. *Last bit of decoration: FINAL TOUCH. Touchscreen.

34A. *Coastal wetland often exposed at low tide: MUD FLAT. Flat screen.

 

10D. *Talks big: BLOWS SMOKE. Smoke screen.

26D. *Lone Ranger's shout: HI YO SILVER. Silver screen.

Boomer here.

Hello everyone. I seem to have another C.C. puzzle to review. I certainly hope everyone had an enjoyable Easter.  Our snow is all gone, and I hope it stays that way. I had an opportunity to prepare our garden area on Saturday and I'm looking forward to getting a few flowers in the ground before Mother's Day.  We also keep a small plot in our back yard for a few vegetables.  Tomatoes work very well and I hope to revive the green beans which failed last year.

Across:

1. River-end formation: DELTA.  Not Sun Country.

6. Sprinted: RAN.

9. "Dancing Queen" group: ABBA. Or - "Take a Chance on me".

13. Disney mermaid: ARIEL.  Walt Disney was amazing!

14. "A Doll's House" heroine: NORA.

15. Snow remover: PLOW. All winter they came. Now in the spring I found little pieces of driveway on the lawn.

18. "Dirty Jobs" host Mike: ROWE.  I remember Dad taking me fishing, and my dirty job was to "Rowe" the boat.

19. Casual tops: TEES.  Interesting clue, because these are the things I will be putting in the ground shortly to make the ball easier to hit.  I will be wearing a tee shirt when I play.

20. Pressure cooker sound: HISS.  Just remember this, a hiss is just a hiss, a snake is just a snake.

21. New Zealand fruits: KIWIS.  Available in a six pack at Aldi.  C.C. likes them, I'd rather not, thank you.

22. Standing tall: ERECT.  Made me think of the Erector set I had.  I could not build a windmill though because my set did not have a motor.

24. Off the leash: LOOSE.

25. Sentence part: PHRASE.  Needs a subject and a predicate.  What the heck is a predicate??

27. Ones gathering for a will reading: HEIRS. This is a bit of a morbid clue. How about "Ones gathering for Easter?"

28. Kimono-clad entertainer: GEISHA.

29. Droop: SAG.  Keep from drooping. Step on the GAS.

30. Little devils: IMPS.

33. Pony up: PAY.  The Kentucky Derby is in the near future.  I believe you need to pony up at the betting window there.  Lotsa Luck.

37. Corrida cry: OLE. Ole went up to his boss Sven and asked for a day off to attend a Norwegian wedding.  Sven granted the day off, but Ole did not return for three days.  "Vhere da heck haff you been barked Sven.  "Vell", Ole said "At da vedding, I won second prize at the banquet, Three days and nights vit da bride."  "Holy smoke!" uttered Sven." Vhat da heck vas first prize then?"  Ole replied, "Twenty pounds of Lutefisk !"

   

38. Moving like sloths: SLOW.  "Slow down, you move too fast, Ya got to make the morning last!"  Simon and Garfunkel, "Feelin' Groovy"

40. Spanish river: RIO.  There were a few questionable things going on there three years ago at the Summer Games. 

41. Heart-shaped photo holder: LOCKET.  Rhymes with "Davy Crockett", king of the wild frontier.

43. Suddenly became attentive: SAT UP.

45. Beat the goalie: SCORED. There have been many hockey and soccer announcers that take several minutes to say this word.

46. Rural storage buildings: SILOS.  We have many of these in Minnesota.  Sadly this year they are full of unsold soybeans.

47. Serta alternative: SEALY.  I remember visiting a San Francisco beach that was very sealy.

48. Church ringers: BELLS.  "There were bells, on the hill, but I never heard them ringing."  Professor Harold Hill's on hand and River City's Gonna have a boys band !  "CASH for the chickens and the pickens and the flypaper."  You can talk, you can bicker !

49. Gives a hand: AIDS.

50. Religious subdivision: SECT.

54. Like many ESPN broadcasts: LIVE.  "From New York, It's Saturday Night!!"

57. "__-doke!": OKEY.  I think the clue should be ____dokey.  But what do I know.

58. Harbor structure: PIER.

59. Slugger Judge: AARON.  I think he joined a dozen Yankees on the DL this week.  "Slugger Hank" would be a better clue.  Probably too easy.

60. Party pooper: BORE.

61. Pop-up annoyances: ADS.  Especially on Pogo games.  Also annoying on TV but I suppose the money moves the world.  I noticed during the Final Four, there we none of the annoying "Ask your doctor" ads.  Clever ones about Larry BIRD and Charles BARKley .

62. Mix: BLEND.

Down:

1. Nutty: DAFT.  I try.

2. Only Great Lake that borders Pennsylvania: ERIE.  I believe I have said enough about this wet clue.  Since it is C.C.'s puzzle, I am trying to be nice.

3. Ticket booth annoyance: LINE.  Let me tell you -- Sun Country check in LINE is the world record annoyance.

4. Commercial lures: TEASERS.  I am still trying to figure out how EVERY company can save you money on car insurance.

5. Every bit (of): ALL.  I think there's a laundry detergent that can clean ALL of your clothes.

6. Awaken rudely: ROUST.  Reminded me of Basic Training at Fort Campbell.

7. Fly ball trajectories: ARCS.  Goi, Goin, Going, GONE !!

8. "Don't think so": NAH. Nah Nah Nah Nah Hey ay ay, Good bye !

9. Presupposed by experience: A PRIORI.

11. "Space Oddity" rocker David: BOWIE.  I don't think he made the knife used at the Alamo.

12. Fills with wonder: AWES.

14. "Hold the rocks": NO ICE.  Reason to cancel the January outdoor fishing contest.

17. Synonym-loaded reference: THESAURUS.

21. Zen garden fish: KOI.  Would not have caught any of these at the fishing contest anyway.

23. __ Emanuel, Obama's first Chief of Staff: RAHM.  There is also a PGA pro named Jon Rahm who is pretty good.

24. Attorney's job: LEGAL CASE.   24 bottles of Bud I suppose.

25. Gong sound: PEAL.  Sadly, there was no peal of chimes at Notre Dame Cathedral yesterday.

27. "2001" computer: HAL.

28. Rte.-finding aid: GPS.

29. Bay Area airport letters: SFO.  Tony Bennett left his heart there.

31. Implored: PLED.

32. Good to go: SET.  At least six volleys in a tennis match.  About 650 baseball cards.

35. Guacamole, e.g.: DIP. 

36. Jack or hammer: TOOL.

39. State fish of South Dakota: WALLEYE. Wow, I would think C.C. would clue this as "Every holiday meal in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota".  I know South Dakota stole the State Fish moniker from us.  Wikipedia lists about 400 lakes in South Dakota.  We have over 10,000.  Where do most of the Walleyes call home ? 

42. Seer's __ ball: CRYSTAL.  If you have a crystal ball, you may see Billy Crystal.

44. How-__: DIY guides: TOS.

45. Meal at Passover: SEDER. And a blessed Passover to my Jewish friends on this blog.

46. Fancy watch brand: SEIKO.  I have my Mom's Seiko in a drawer.  Works fine.

47. Stable studs: SIRES.  Are they too old to participate in Louisville in a couple of weeks ?

48. Gooey mass: BLOB.

49. Etching fluid: ACID.

51. County Kerry country: EIRE.  This is Gaelic for Ireland or for people who do not wish to spend three extra letters of ink. 

52. "Let's do it!": C'MON.  I went to Billings, Montana several times for business and once to bowl in the USBC National tournament.  On all trips I stayed at the C'mon INN.  Nice place.

53. Take care of: TEND.  This could be the start of Ten Dollars.  Pay me.

55. Place for a massage: SPA.

56. Arrest, as a perp: NAB.

Boomer

Monday April 15, 2019 Paul Coulter

Theme: INNER PEACE (60. Meditation goal hinted at by this puzzle's circles) - Three peace words span across each theme entry.

 17. Ancient mariner's fear: SEA SERPENT.

 25. Chain reaction requirement: CRITICAL MASS.

 46. Nation that promotes its people's economic and social prosperity: WELFARE STATE.

Boomer here.

Tough to be calm here in Minnesota where we were blessed with about 10 inches of snow last week.  It is melting and does not affect the bowling season however golf is on hold for two or three weeks.  The Twins cleared Target Field and after one postponement they played in 40 degree weather.


Across:

1. Cuts off: LOPS.

5. Member of a strict Jewish sect: HASID.

10. Artistic Chinese dynasty: MING.  The Chinese are very good at that game - Ming Pong.

14. Ohio's Great Lake: ERIE.  Of the five great lakes, (Not counting Utah Salt) This one appears in crosswords more than any other.

15. Justice Kagan: ELENA.  Appears more often than other justices. Three vowels.

16. Egg-shaped: OVAL.

19. Flexible mineral sheet: MICA.

20. Persuade with flattery: SOFT SOAP.

21. Fossil resins: AMBERS.

23. "Beowulf," poem-wise: EPIC.

24. Rubs the wrong way?: ABRADES.  There once was a girl whose mom tied her braids so tight that when she cried, the tears ran down her back.  Her name was Bacteria.

29. Stagecoach puller: HORSE.  A horse is a horse, of course, of course, and no one can talk to a horse of course, unless of course the name of the horse is the famous Mr. Ed.

30. Allied gp. since 1948: OAS. Organization of American States.

31. Dangerous snakes: ASPS. So for all of her glamour and her whoop-tee-doo
And her house in the best neighborhood
Would you take that lousy life if it was offered to you
You can bet Cleopatra's asp, you would! (What kind of life is that - Chad Mitchell Trio)

35. Antipollution org.: EPA.

36. Hit, as a fly: SWATTED.  There were a few flies swatted at Target Field this past weekend.

40. Alphabetically first of two Hawaiian maunas: KEA. The other is LOA. Reminds me of a Korean SUV  Kia Sorento.

41. Like some coll. courses: REQ'D

43. Gp. getting many returns in April: IRS.  Supposed to be postmarked by midnight tonight, however some nice post offices will backdate it for you on Tuesday.

44. Regular's bar order, with "the": USUAL.  Mine used to be a VO Manhattan with cherry juice.  Now it is diet Pepsi.  Don't get me wrong, I was never a heavy drinker, but now the doctors told me no more alcohol with the pills I am taking.  So I donated two full bottles of gin and vodka from my booze closet to my Monday bowling banquet for door prizes, and was rewarded with a door prize of two rounds of golf on a cart at a local course, which of course I will share with my teammate and league secretary.

50. Malicious rumors: CANARDS.

53. "Do __ others ... ": UNTO. "As you would have others do unto you."

54. Judge, e.g.: HEARER. What ??

55. Like faces at a fireworks display: UPTURNED.  I never liked fireworks too much.  I was always afraid something would go wrong and I would get burned.  I am sure C.C. has stories. Although cities and groups spend a lot of money to the Chinese economy with the purchase of fireworks, many accidents happen in the factories that create them.

59. "Dream on!": AS IF.  AS IF you thought Tiger would win the Masters.  Yup, Surprised me too !

62. Wander: ROVE.  Mr. Karl Rove worked in the Whitehouse on George W 's staff.

63. Close-knit group: CADRE. This is what they called the G.I.'s who had permanent training positions at Fort Campbell. KY.

64. Fairway club: IRON.  I guess so.  I will normally take a five wood to hit a shot from 150 to 170 yards.  I notice the pros use a 7 Iron from 190.  All these years I have been using the wrong club!!

65. Didn't dillydally: SPED.

66. Act with excessive passion: EMOTE.

67. The Big Apple, in addresses: NY NY.  I usually spell it New York, NY.  It looks better.

Down:

1. Make-do amount?: LESS.  WKRP -- More music and Less Nessman

2. Two-tone cookie: OREO.  Congratulations to Nabisco!  This is the 12,365th time the cookie has appeared in a crossword.  A new world record!! ( It passed lake ERIE).

3. Chanteuse Edith: PIAF.

4. Six-line stanzas: SESTETS.

5. Brave: HEROIC.

6. Llama relative: ALPACA.  I wonder if they use these photos when they join eharmony.

7. Ooze: SEEP.

8. Quaint stopover: INN.  Just say Bodda Book, Bodda Boom!  ( I cannot stand that commercial).

9. Sortable information source: DATABASE. I wonder where people kept their notes before computers.

10. Kenya's major port: MOMBASA.

11. Like Wrigley Field's walls: IVIED.  Yup, I have been there.  Saw the Cubs take the Dodgers.  It was before the lights, about 28 years ago.  I remember there was "already been chewed" wads of Wrigley's gum stuck under my seat.  I paid a local $10.00 to park on his lawn.  I wonder what they get now.  Maybe TTP knows.  

12. Mother-of-pearl: NACRE.

13. Water or wine vessel: GLASS.  It can also hold a VO Manhattan on the rocks with cherry juice.

18. Catches sight of: ESPIES.

22. Dash in a spice rack?: MRS.  A name brand seasoning.  Maybe they should change the name to Heinz now.  There must be about 57 different kinds.

24. Amo, amas, __: AMAT.  I love, You love, she loves this clue.

25. "Moonstruck" star: CHER.  "I got you babe"

26. Weapon in Clue: ROPE.  I think it was done by Professor Plum in the Ballroom.

27. Baghdad's land: IRAQ.

28. Gobs of: LOTSA.  There's an expensive frozen pizza called Lotzza Mozza.  I save by buying Jack's and adding more mozzarella before I slide it in the oven.

32. Arctic seabird: SKUA.

33. __ moss: PEAT.  Randy had too many letters

34. Markdown event: SALE.  Pitcher Chris of the Red Sox.

37. Whole-grain food: WILD RICE.  This is a notable Minnesota crop, mostly harvested by Native Americans.  (Where did you think they got the money to build those casinos ?) It generally takes an hour or more to prepare it, but it is delicious with walleye!

38. Pound sounds: ARFS.

39. Quarrel: DUST UP.

42. Towered over: DWARFED.

45. Preserve using barrels, as wine: STORE IN.

47. Bard's "before": ERE.  "And I heard him exclaim ere he rode out of sight, 'Next year wash your socks before you hang them up !'" 

48. Buffy the Vampire Slayer's "Watcher" __ Giles: RUPERT.  Notable Quotable.

49. Main course: ENTREE. That would be the walleye.

50. Burns a bit: CHARS.

51. Legendary fabulist: AESOP.  I have never met anyone named Aesop.  I think most people think his last name was Fables.

52. Easily deceived: NAIVE.

55. "Go back" PC command: UNDO.  I checked the entire keyboard and I do not have an "undo" or a "go back" key.  (I do have a funny looking left arrow on F2).

56. __ a one: none: NARY.  Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

57. Supply-and-demand subj.: ECON.

58. Reject as false: DENY.

61. "The Deer Hunter" war zone, for short: NAM.

No more Monday bowling until September.  Several more weeks on Thursday - Then defend my title in the 700 club tournament in May.  Yeah, I was healthier a year ago but you never know.  I am in the Geezer division.  (Over 70).

Boomer

Monday April 8, 2019 Robert E. Lee Morris

Theme: REAR WINDOW (63. Hitchcock classic, and a hint to 17-, 25-, 38- and 51-Across) -The last word can precede "window".

 17. Broad decision-making perspective: BIG PICTURE. Picture window.

 25. Social media barrage: TWEET STORM. Storm window.

 38. Home of many a blue crab: CHESAPEAKE BAY. Bay window.

51. Announcer's voice, metaphorically: MEAL TICKET. Ticket window.

 

Boomer here.  

Wow!!  I may have mentioned before that C.C. and I visited US Bank Stadium several years ago.  It was not for a football game, but a Graybar Electric trade show.  It is impressive how they have dressed it up for the Final Four. Of course they brought in a basketball court, (duh) but also they have added many thousands of courtside bleachers.  The seats look fairly uncomfortable, but I bet tickets sold for more than $5.00 each.

Boomer, 10/6/2016

Across:

1. Separated from each other: APART.  Once I had a part in a high school play.  It was Noye's Fludde by Benjamin Britten.  I was Noah, a guy from De LaSalle was God. And the entire balance of the cast were girls from Regina High School in South Minneapolis.  Most of the Catholic schools in Minnesota have merged to become coed.  I now coach bowling at Benilde/St. Margaret's.

6. Composer Stravinsky: IGOR.  Oh boy Igor Stravinsky, Oh Boy Bo Belinsky - Allan Sherman.

10. Ashen: PALE.

14. Reclusive sort: LONER.

15. Nickname for grandma: NANA. NANA - Hay ay ay, Good by

16. Baseball Hall of Famer Slaughter: ENOS.  Famous "Country" for the St. Louis Cardinals in the fifties, but then he spent a few years in the American League.

19. New Haven school: YALE.  Also a famous lock

20. Silent communication syst.: ASL.

21. Intoxicated: BOOZY. I am not sure if Boozy is a word.  I'll bet most of you tried "DRUNK" first.

22. Org. with a five-ring logo: IOC. The Olympics will be back around June, 2020.  A bunch of sissy sports, nothing about bowling.

23. Christmas song: NOEL.  This will be around in only 7 months

29. Slammin' Sammy of golf: SNEAD.  Now that's a guy who could have won a gold medal if Olympics had golf earlier.

31. "Let me in!": OPEN UP.  Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin.

32. Figure it out: CATCH ON.

37. Cavity filler's deg.: DDS.  Don't need one anymore. But I can say that I used to think Fixodent was an auto body repair shop.

42. Trivial amount: SOU.  Is this smaller than an "IOU"

43. Daily grind: RAT RACE.  I have been a runner in this for a long time.

44. Except if: UNLESS.

47. Desert retreats: OASES.  This is plural, but I remember an "Oasis" brand of cigarettes.  I think they were menthol. I wonder if they are still around.  I don't think I ever smoked one.

56. All-thumbs message, often: TEXT.  We do have a cell phone, but I am old school. I never figured out how to text with it, and never will.

57. Barn bundle: HAY.  Make it while the sun shines.

58. Peter of "The Maltese Falcon": LORRE.

60. Mimic: APE.  Harry was a hairy one.

61. Waffle House alternative: IHOP.  Seen this before.  The acronym is "International House of Pancakes", and they are pretty good.  I cannot have syrup on mine though.  Have to use fake sugar.

65. "Famous" cookie guy: AMOS.

66. Angelic aura: HALO.  A very famous brand of lighting fixtures.  We have about six feet of track lighting in the hallway.  I have a terrible ego - I use the light fixtures to shine on my 300 game and 800 series plaques hanging on the wall.

67. Calf-roping loop: NOOSE.  Reminds me of Clint Eastwood in "Hang 'Em High".

68. "Ain't gonna happen": NOPE.

69. Taken by mouth, as meds: ORAL.  Not to complain - but I am taking an oral chemo med every day.  Four large pills on an empty stomach.  I am NOT complaining.  They seem to be keeping things under control, AND I had a 227 last week.  Not bragging though.  My other games were garbage.

70. Defeated narrowly: EDGED.  OR if you purchase a Ford small SUV.

Down:

1. Saint __: English cathedral city: ALBANS.  Also a town in Vermont

2. Arsenic, e.g.: POISON.

3. "Life of Pi" director: ANG LEE.  From Taiwan.  He won an academy award for "Life of Pi"

4. Exercise unit: REP.  Exercise??  I thought this was the person we elected to Congress.

5. Chicago paper, for short: TRIB.  Minneapolis used to have a "Tribune" in the morning and a "Star" in the afternoon.  Now we just have a "StarTrib" on the front step in the morning.  It has two crossword puzzles, a New York Times and a Universal Syndicate.  I can never finish either of these.  Especially the hard ones by Zhouqin Burnikel.  But I can do the Sudoku.

6. Hitched to the back of the truck: IN TOW.

7. First-aid kit item: GAUZE.

8. How corned beef is often served: ON RYE. and with Swiss cheese and Sauerkraut.

9. Actress Charlotte: RAE.  Of course I am old and remember Martha Raye.

10. Desert hallucinogen: PEYOTE.  I was thinking more of a Dessert hallucinogen.  Visions of sugar plums dancing.  Or a big dish of ice cream.

11. Amazon crusher: ANACONDA.  Always hated snakes.  We do not have any killers in Minnesota, I don't think.

12. Facebook chuckle: LOL.

13. Opposite of WNW: ESE.

18. Simple bed: COT.

22. AOL, for one: ISP.   They were one of the first.

24. Lingerie material: LACE.  "Arsenic and old Lace"  For you Cary Grant fans.  It was a little before my time.

26. Big name in little trucks: TONKA.  I used to drive by the plant frequently.  It was in Mound, Minnesota, (Home of pro wrestler, Vern Gagne) located near Lake Minnetonka.  Very famous toys, but the plant is gone.  I believe Tonka Toys is now headquartered in St. Louis Park, MN.  (About twenty miles from Lake Minnetonka.)

27. Former NYC mayor Giuliani: RUDY.  Famous Minnesota Senator Rudy Boschwitz.

28. Base cops, briefly: MPS.  Military Police. I liked the ones in "Stripes" with Bill Murray.  Did you see him at Pebble Beach?  He has not aged well.

30. Prosecutors: Abbr.: DAS.  District Attorney Adam Schiff on "Law and Order"  Coincidentally a chairman of the same name on the Judiciary committee.

33. Foot bones: TARSI.

34. Tax pro: CPA.  Did you visit one of them this year?  I did our own - waiting for the refund.  No one has asked to see any of my returns.

35. All __ up: excited: HET.

36. Dinghy mover: OAR.  Row, row, row, your dinghy, Gently down the stream.

38. Baskin-Robbins treat: CONE.  31 flavors!!  I'll have vanilla.

39. Classic Wham-O toy: HULA HOOP. A HUGE seller in 1958.  Somebody made a fortune.  We had several in my family growing up. (And so did you if you're over 60).

40. Prefix with logical: ECO.

41. Rhythm: BEAT.  Ed Sullivan had a unique way of introducing the BEATles.

42. 4, in 2 + 2 = 4: SUM.  "What did you learn in school today, dear little boys of mine"  Tom Paxton.

45. Pass, as time: ELAPSE.  "You must remember this, A kiss is still a kiss, A sigh is just a sigh"

As Time Goes by

46. Barnyard enclosure: STY.  I think the three little pigs built their sty with bricks

48. Old salt: SEA DOG.

49. Revealing news story: EXPOSE.  The New York Times and Washington Post seem to compete. Never never the National Inquirer.  I wonder why people even buy it.  It does not have a crossword puzzle!!

50. Slow-boiled: STEWED.  Just made beef stew on Saturday.  Works great in a slow cooker.

52. Blue-skies forecast word: CLEAR.  Sorry but this always reminds me of Clear Lake, Iowa and the Surf Ballroom.  I visited there once, just to pay respects to Buddy Holly and the Crickets.  Buddy's home was Lubbock, Texas.  Also the home of Final two team Texas Tech Red Raiders.

53. Cute Down Under critter: KOALA.

54. Swashbuckling Flynn: ERROL. A swashbuckling heartthrob of the ladies. 

55. Experian, formerly: TRW.

59. Mozart's "__ kleine Nachtmusik": EINE.  This is "ONE".  I think the rest is a little bit of nighttime music.

61. Author Fleming: IAN.  I think I saw every James Bond movies in the 60s.  But when Sean Connery split, so did I.

62. Medical ins. plan: HMO.

63. Letter after pi: RHO.  That's Greek to me.

64. Head-bobbing acknowledgment: NOD.

Okay, the stage is set for tonight.  Virginia against Texas Tech.  Saturday's games were very competitive so it's difficult to pick a winner.  I did not fill out a bracket contest so I guess I do not care who wins.  So for a prediction, I flipped a coin. It came up heads.

 

Boomer

Monday April 1, 2019 Jake Braun

Theme: APRIL FOOL (64. Cry for today, and a hint to the starts of 17-, 25-, 37- and 54-Across)

 

17. Unpredictable leg joint problem: TRICK KNEE.

25. Beef named for a bone: RIBEYE STEAK.

37. Sally, to Charlie Brown: KID SISTER.

54. "Love, Simon" co-star: JOSH DUHAMEL.

  

Boomer here. Breaking news!! A heavy accumulation of snow has caused the roof of U.S. Bank stadium to collapse.  The NCAA Final Four has been moved to the new soccer stadium on University Avenue in St. Paul. Many fans are boycotting now because as you know, a bowling center was torn down on the land where the soccer park was built.

Mothers of River City, heed this warning before it's too late.  Watch for the telltale signs of corruption.  Check your sugar bowl for its contents before you scoop two spoonfuls on your cereal.

Across:

1. Half a fluid oz.: TBSP.  Check it first, it could be filled with salt.

5. Ancient Peruvian: INCA.  Dinka Doo  Jimmy Durante.

9. Jalopies: HEAPS.  You call my first car a heap ?  I'll call your Lincoln a dead president.

14. "I'm __ here!": "Adios!": OUT A.  There were few "Outa here" calls at Target Field last weekend.

15. "North by Northwest" actor Grant: CARY. C.C. said he's a favorite of Irish Miss.

16. Grownup: ADULT.

19. Coffee sweetener: SUGAR.  "On a day like today, we'll pass the time away" putting salt in the sugar bowl.

20. Be on the same page: AGREE.  I was never on the same page. Too busy looking at the pictures.

21. Butter square: PAT.  See 19A.  Mr. Pat Boone.

23. Old AT&T rival: MCI.

24. Camera largely replaced by its digital version, for short: SLR. "We have a Nikon Camera, gonna take a photograph.  Mama don't take my Kodachrome away."  Simon and Garfunkel.

30. Golfer's booking: TEE TIME.  Believe it or not, some courses have opened for play in Minnesota.  No carts yet and I still have three weeks of bowling left, so I think I will wait.

32. Diplomatic accord: ENTENTE.

33. Ancient Icelandic text: EDDA.

34. __ McMuffin: EGG.  Be careful today if your spouse tells you it is hard boiled.

36. "The Deep" director Peter: YATES.  From what rumors I have heard about ocean history, I often wonder how much gold bullion is 20,000 leagues under the sea.

41. Poe's one-word bird: RAVEN.  Nevermore

44. Stars are seen in it: SKY.

45. Bars on candy bars, e.g.: Abbr.: UPCS.  These are amazing! You go to the grocery market and the checkout cash register already knows the price of almost everything.  The clerk only had to tell the register the number on the banana sticker.

49. Disparaging word: EPITHET.  I am sure there were a few of them this weekend during the 30 degree windy weather at Target Field.  I watched on TV.  I don't know how many seats are at Target Field but it looked like 50,000 were empty.

52. "Let me say this again ... ": I REPEAT.  Check your sugar bowl!!

56. Lawyer's gp.: ABA.  Don't try to join.  You can get sued.

57. Inventor Whitney: ELI.  I tried some of that cotton gin.  It tastes lousy with tonic.

58. $200 Monopoly props.: RRS. "Railroad crossing look out for the cars.  Can you spell that without any Rs?"  T H A T

59. Fable writer: AESOP.

61. Hooves-on-cobblestone sounds: CLOPS.

67. Lone Ranger's pal: TONTO.  Jay Silverheels.  A very famous Canadian athlete and actor.

68. Con job: SCAM.  Not to be confused with SPAM. A con job by Hormel from Austin Minnesota convincing folks that it's good to eat.  Also half of the email I receive on a daily basis.         

69. Blend by melting: FUSE. Lousy clue. How about a Bussmann product.  Too easy ??

70. Actress Spacek: SISSY.

71. Locking device: HASP.

72. Went really fast: SPED.

Down:

1. How food may be salted: TO TASTE.  Sometimes out of the sugar bowl.

2. Broke into and stole from: BURGLED.  Burgled kind of sounds like you're choking on Pepto Bismol.

3. Mixed with a spoon: STIRRED.  After you put sugar in your coffee.  I hope it wasn't salt.

4. Walk nervously to and fro: PACE.  Also a slow adjective for a golf match or a baseball game.

5. "Eww!": ICK.

6. Indian bread: NAN.  I googled this and found it to be spelled NAAN.  I thought it was the money I left at the Native American Casino last fall.

7. French pancake: CREPE.

8. "Yes, captain": AYE AYE.  I wonder if they really say this on the ship, or only in the movies.

9. Is suffering from, as a cold: HAS. If the cold is pretty bad, then it's "I HAB a Code".

10. College address suffix: EDU.  Never mind if you cannot pass the SAT.  If you have enough money they will pretend you are a great soccer player and let you in. I think you can even pay a smart person to take the tests.

11. Make larger: AUGMENT.  I wish I could augment a few holes on the greens.

12. Appease: PLACATE.

13. Bowling x's: STRIKES.  I won't bother to explain this.

18. "Felicity" star Russell: KERI.

22. Bowling pin count: TEN.  A puzzle with TWO bowling clues??  No I did not rig it.  However can someone tell me why three strikes in a row is called a turkey?  ( I know why a fourbagger is called a hambone.  I don't like it, but I know who Rob Stone is.)

26. Chatted with online, briefly: IM'ED.

27. Pleads: BEGS.

28. Lid inflammation: STYE.  I have heard they are common and painful.  I am lucky to never have had one.

29. Rip to shreds: TEAR UP.

31. Opposite of giveth: TAKETH.  Biblical, but I'll allow.

35. USO show audience: GIS.  Believe it or not, I was in a USO group singing at EM and Top5 clubs at Fort Campbell, KY.  I was bass in "Sherrie" by the Four Seasons.  (Why don't you come out)

38. Broadcast with greater image resolution, as TV shows: IN HD.

39. Fat-free milk: SKIM.  Somehow I never got used to skim.  I prefer 1% - reasonably priced at ALDI

40. Spare in a Brit's boot: TYRE.  I get TYRED of foreign clues and answers.

41. Turns down: REJECTS.

42. Ill-fated 1967 moon mission: APOLLO I.  I remember this well.  A space capsule caught fire with three astronauts inside, and they could not be rescued.  Sad day for space missions.

43. "__ of sugar-plums danced in their heads": Moore: VISIONS.  When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from my recliner to see Vhat Da heck vas going on out dere.

46. Green bowlful: PEA SOUP.  Sorry, I cannot eat anything that looks like this.

47. Last train car: CABOOSE. My family had three children.  Barbara, Douglas, and Amy.  When my sister was born, Mom and Dad thought it would be alphabetical to use a name starting with "C".  My father suggested Caboose.  (But mother held out for Constance.)

48. Attached using a Swingline: STAPLED.

50. U.K.'s continent: EUR.

51. Defeat decisively: THRASH.  There was not a lot of Thrashing going on in the NCAA Tournament this weekend.  Most of the games were exciting and close.  I picked Virginia, Gonzaga, Kentucky, and Michigan State.  I was glad to see the Spartans knock off the Blue Devils, because Michigan State represents the Big 10 (+4) and they knocked my Gophers out in Round 2.  Now, if Michigan State wins, I can say the Gophers finished second but had a lousy placement in the bracket. 

53. Airline to Tel Aviv: EL AL. Hope they don't have any Boeing 737 Max planes.

55. Pet adoption org.: ASPCA.  I often wonder where they get the $$$ to buy all those nauseating commercials with half dead dogs in them.

60. Letters before gees: EFFS.  If I spelled it that way I would probably get an "F".

62. Halves of qts.: PTS.

63. Tofu source: SOY.  C.C. really likes this milk substitute.  But it has to be unsweetened, unflavored, and mixed with rum.

65. Dorm VIPs: RAS.

66. Mischief-maker: IMP.

Hope you enjoyed this first day of April, commonly known as April Fool's Day.  In case you did not figure it out, once upon time, many years ago, I filled the sugar bowl on our kitchen table with salt. My dear mother used it as sugar, and "Holy Moley was dreamboat sore". I never pulled that one again.
 

Boomer

Monday March 25, 2019 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: MIDDLE EAST (57. Arabian Peninsula region, and what 16-, 20-, 36- and 50-Across literally have) - EAST spans across each theme answer.

16. Sellers of build-it-yourself furniture: IKEA STORES.

 

20. Mets' home before Citi Field: SHEA STADIUM.

  

36. Five-armed ocean creature: SEA STAR.

50. Leaves-catching brewing sieve: TEA STRAINER.

Boomer here.

East is east, and west is west. My friend Matt McNeil headed east to Detroit for the World Series of Bowling. He struggled a bit, leaving too many 7 pins, (Matt is a lefty) but managed to finish fourth in the Cheetah preliminary, and third in the big final tournament.  I am sure he cashed a couple of decent checks and made a good name for Minnesota.

Across:

1. Super bargain: STEAL.  Reminds me that MLB starts this Thursday and we have Byron Buxton.  I think he can steal a lot of bases if only he can figure out how to get on first, first. 

6. Effective on: AS OF.

10. Ed.'s backlog: MSS.

13. Bisect: HALVE.  I remember as a kid we had to TRISECT a Three Musketeers bar.

14. "Good Morning America" co-anchor Spencer: LARA.

15. Boarding site: GATE.  I'm not sure if I would show up if a Boeing 737 Max was at the gate.

18. Mythical monster: OGRE.

19. Delt neighbor: PEC.  Could be a personal electronic computer

22. Enemies: FOES.  Between Threes and fives.

23. Puts up, as a skyscraper: ERECTS.  Yup, I had an erector set when I was a kid also.  LEGO had not been invented yet.

24. Climate-affecting Pacific current: EL NINO.  I think I have mentioned that I once had a Storm El Nino bowling ball. It may still be in the garage in my used bowling ball cemetery.

27. Citrus-flavored soda, on its labels: MTN DEW.  Never liked it much.  I prefer Diet Pepsi.

29. Minnesota's state bird: LOON.  I've seen many of these birds on the lake. They emit a goofy call sound.

30. Final Four org.: NCAA.  All over the TV networks this week.  It will become more focused as 68 teams become "Sweet Sixteen" survivors.  My Gophers bowed out after making it to the round of 32.  It was not much of a contest, One of our best players could only last 4 minutes due to injury, but that's no excuse.  Michigan State proved why some teams are seeded 2 and others are 10.  But the Gophers have some very good underclassmen coming back.  See you next year, Sweet Sixteen.  

32. Eye-boggling work: OP-ART.  Look closely and you might see a hawk eating a chicken.

35. __-di-dah: pretentious: LAH. Hey - A - A, Good by

38. ''I'll pass'': NAH.  I am Naht sure if this is a word.

39. Decree: EDICT.

41. Wander about: ROAM. Anywhere I roam, where I lay my head is home.

42. Warehouse gds.: MDSE.

43. East Asian home of Acer and Asus: TAIWAN.  When I worked Pizza, we used to get mushrooms from Taiwan. Silly me, I thought that Taiwan was China. 

45. Like partly melted snow: SLUSHY.  I think you can get these at 7-11.

47. Merkel of Germany: ANGELA.

49. Molecule component: ATOM.  We have A Tom participating on this blog. Actually two of them.

53. Drag to court: SUE.  My name is SUE, How do you do. - Johnny Cash, "A boy named Sue".

56. Witty Bombeck: ERMA.  Fascinating lady whose column appeared in nearly every paper that had a crossword puzzle.  Sadly left us in 1996. 

59. Done with: OVER.  Airline pilot "Captain Oveur" in "Airplane" played by Peter Graves.  Peter Graves was born in Minneapolis and was the younger brother of James "Matt Dillon" Arness.

60. Falco of "Nurse Jackie": EDIE.  Wife of Mr. Lou Grant of Mary Tyler Moore Show fame.

61. Wheel connectors: AXLES.

62. Mario Bros. console: NES.  Of course I had a Nintendo. The Mario Brothers drove me nuts and then along came the "Adventures of Link."  Don't lie if you ever had one.

63. Ruby and scarlet: REDS.  I would have clued: "Pete Rose and Johnny Bench, for two".

64. Suspicious (of): LEERY.

Down:

1. Cruise vessel: SHIP.  "We sail the ocean blue, in our saucy ship of beauty."  Gilbert and Sullivan - HMS Pinafore.

2. Box office income: TAKE.  Sports venues hardly have box offices any more.  Seems you buy your ticket online, and pay with your smart cellphone.

3. Monthly util. bill: ELEC.

4. "Selma" director DuVernay: AVA.  Or Ms. Gardner

5. Classroom session: LESSON.  Some teachers used to teach a lesson with a paddle.

6. Soothing medicinal plants: ALOES.  I think Alexander G. Bell wanted everyone to answer the phone "Hoy Hoy"

7. __ Lee cakes: SARA.  "Everybody doesn't like something, but nobody doesn't like Sara Lee."

8. Mine extractions: ORES.  Minnesota has a large industry of taconite mining.  Taconite is a low grade iron ore.

9. Make secure, as a seat belt: FASTEN.  Hard to believe, when I got my driver's license, no cars even had seat belts.

10. "Presto!" sticks: MAGIC WANDS.  We did not have magic wands either,  We had to go to Andy's gang and "plunk our magic twanger"

11. Peacock's gait: STRUT.

12. Appears to be: SEEMS.  Things are seldom what they seem.  Skim milk masquerades as cream.

15. Try for a long pass, in football lingo: GO DEEP.

17. Romantic ideal: THE ONE.

21. Fervent feeling: ARDOR.

22. Dolphin feature: FIN.  Also a detective on "Law and Order SVU"

24. Vogue competitor: ELLE.

25. Laundry batch: LOAD.  "Fry up another batch of bullheads Muriel - Here comes another load of voters"  - Hubert Humphrey.

26. Pitching masterpieces: NO-HIT GAMES.  Clay Buchholz tossed a no hitter for Boston in his second MLB start.  I think he was guest of Dustin Johnson at the Valspar golf tourney this weekend.

27. Bricklayer: MASON.

28. "Ciao!": TA TA.  No, my sister still ends here emails with CIAO.  (she told me she does not do crosswords, only Sudoku.)    

31. Irene of "Fame": CARA.

33. Poison ivy symptom: RASH.  There's a PBA bowler named Sean Rash.  He created some issues early in his career and other pros nicknamed him "Diaper".

34. Rock music's __ Might Be Giants: THEY.  Brandon Belt and Buster Posey might be Giants too.

36. Prop for a clown: STILT.  I've walked on stilts when I was young.  Not any more, now I am lucky if my legs are working.

37. Dutch beer brand: AMSTEL.

40. Ides of March victim: CAESAR.  How many croutons did you have on your salad Caesar ??         Et tu

42. Tight-lipped: MUM.

44. Not as cold: WARMER. We are getting there here in Minnesota. First days of Spring are producing mid-to- high 40s. People in the know are saying the melting of snow is moderate and could prohibit serious flooding.  I don't know about that.  The snow piles are pretty huge. I wish safety to those who may live in a flood plain.

46. Parent of Maybelline: LOREAL.

47. Used, as china: ATE ON.  Did you ever go to McDonald's and eat on your lap??

48. Chutzpah: NERVE.

49. South American mountain range: ANDES. Jorge, a bowling and golf friend of mine is from Chile.  The Andes mountain range to the east is just in the way.  Chile is a very versatile country on the Pacific coast

C.C. & Jorge, 7/7/2012

51. Staff assistant: AIDE.

52. "Look what __!": "Yay me!": I DID.  You can holler this when you finish this puzzle.

53. Bargain hunter's delight: SALE.  Major League baseball again, Pitcher Chris of the Red Sox.

54. App downloader: USER.

55. Site for handmade art: ETSY.

58. Application file suffix: EXE.

Boomer

Note from C.C.:

Mike Alpern, the host of the Cru Dinner, kindly sent me this picture of him and our Jeffrey Wechsler at the ACPT. You can also read Deb Amlen's article here about the tournament and the Cru Dinner. Rookies all received a free copy of signed crossword book. I'll link Mike's photo album when they become available.

Monday March 18, 2019 Kurt Mengel & Jan-Michele Gianette

Theme: Solo Act - The first words are synonyms of "only":

 

18. Tonto's friend, with "The": LONE RANGER.

23. Early Neil Diamond hit: SOLITARY MAN.

36. Offspring sans siblings: ONLY CHILD.

53. Used car selling point: SINGLE OWNER.

60. Something unlike any other: ONE OF A KIND.

Boomer here.  

I see SINGLE in the puzzle.  Reminds me that the Major League season begins March 28.  Baseball has always been my favorite sport, however I am taken aback by the contract given to Bryce Harper by the Phillies. $330 Million ????  I hope he can do something about his hair.  What bothers me the most is that one of my idols, Harmon Killebrew I believe earned $120,000 after his MVP year in 1969.  

I had a tough week at the VA hospital last week. A couple of treatments to fight cancer.  Very necessary but it knocked me on my butt for a few days. I even had to get a sub for bowling on Thursday.

Across:

1. Slick-talking: GLIB.

5. Crime organizations: GANGS.  Not always crime.  Reminds me of the "Gang of 8".  Four GOP and four Dems in the senate who wrote the prelude to border security and economic horizons for the U.S. 

10. On the Atlantic, say: ASEA.  "I joined the Navy to see the world, but what did I see?  I saw the sea."

14. Bow-and-arrow-carrying Hindu god: RAMA.

15. Spry: AGILE.

16. Running shoe brand: NIKE.  One of the PGA Players tournament commentators said Tommy Fleetwood looks like a homeless person who just robbed a Nike store.

17. Smartphone downloads: APPS

20. Copper-and-zinc alloy: BRASS.  Of course this was a group designation for all the officers in the Army.

22. Countries: NATIONS.

26. Fireworks reaction: OOH.  And don't forget AAH.

28. "Honest" prez: ABE.  Of course he presided before our time. But he will always be a benchmark President.

29. Suffix with ranch: ERO.  I had a few friends that drove Ford Rancheros.  It was kind of half sedan, and half pickup truck.  I thought it was a pretty good vehicle, but Ford discontinued it in the late 70s.

30. Work into a frenzy: STIR UP.  I think if you insert another "R", you have that nasty little thing on your cowboy boot to make your horse run faster.

32. Brother of Bobby Kennedy: TED.  Brother of John and Bobby.  Chappaquiddick did him in.

33. Lawman Wyatt: EARP.  Hugh O'Brien played him in adult western of the 60s.

35. Body art, briefly: TATS.  Never liked them.  But I respect others' choice.

40. Sheet music pitch indicator: CLEF.

43. Leaning Tower site: PISA.

44. "Survivor" station: CBS.  It also had the Big 10 (+4) hoops tournament.  Gophers made it to the semis and will get a nod for the NCAA March Madness.  Final Four will wrap up in Minneapolis next month.  I don't expect to see the Gophers there, but give them a couple of circles in your bracket.

47. Gauchos' lariats: REATAS.

50. Chair part: LEG.  Chairs have four, the rest of us have two.  If they don't work well, maybe a little GEL will help.

51. Paintings, etchings, etc.: ART.  Mr. Garfunkel.  I always wondered if that was his real surname.

52. 10-minute NFL periods, if they last that long: OTS.

57. Alike in many respects: SIMILAR.

59. Capital of Yemen: SANAA. Sha NaNaNa, hey ay ay Good bye

63. Repairs with turf, as a lawn: SODS.  Not sure if we still have a lawn.  I have not seen it for months.

64. Cap'n's mate: BOSN.  Could be a shortened "Old Spice" commercial

65. Birds in a gaggle: GEESE.

66. French cruise stops: ILES.

67. "The Simpsons" bus driver: OTTO. I suppose I OTTO watch "The Simpsons"some day so I get these clues.

68. __ Allan Poe: EDGAR.

69. Laundry brand: TIDE.  Tide is a year older than me - born in 1946.  Like me it has taken many baths and it still smells fine.

Down:

1. Clutches for: GRABS AT.

2. Carriage passenger's warmer: LAP ROBE.  Just do not feed "Rusty" Beef - a - reeno.

3. Stabbed by Buffy, as a vampire: IMPALED.

4. Voices below tenori: BASSI.  Beyond my expectations.  I only know tenor and bass.

5. Four qts.: GAL.

6. In days of yore: AGO.  A long, long time ago, I can still remember how the music used to make me smile.  Clear Lake Iowa, 1959

7. Fool: NINNY.

8. Eye twinkle: GLEAM.  When P & G made toothpaste, they spelled it wrong.  I don't think it's on the shelves anymore.

9. Sealy competitors: SERTAS.  It seems as though Mattresses last longer than cars.  Amazing how many ads are out there.

10. Year in Tuscany: ANNO.  Latin is a dead language, as dead as dead can be.  First it killed the Romans, and now it's killing me.

11. Lady of Italy: SIGNORA.

12. Barely manages, as a living: EKES OUT.  So if you are barely managing this puzzle, put some clothes on and eke it out.

13. Bubbly prefix: AER.

19. "__ That a Shame": AIN'T. My tears fell like rain.

21. Dutch painter Jan: STEEN.

24. Devastated Asian sea: ARAL.

25. Golfer McIlroy: RORY.  He was all over the TPC Sawgrass Saturday but managed to hang in there.

27. Some laptops: HPS.  I used to sell HPS Lamps - High Pressure Sodium.  The yellowish ones that replaced Mercury and Fluorescent in Street Lighting.

31. "__ be my pleasure": IT'D.

34. Angel dust, for short: PCP.  I cannot spell what the technical name is for this drug, but it can really take you for a loop.  Worse than Zoledronic Acid.

36. Shakespearean "frequently": OFT.

37. Jack and Jill went up one: HILL. Duh.

38. "Understood": I SEE.  I see said the blind man, but he really didn't.

39. Old Nigerian capital: LAGOS.  Was the Nigerian capital made of plastic blocks?  Oops, I am confused with the Legos at Mall of America.

40. __-Magnon: CRO. My gosh - these guys are hundreds of centuries old.  I'll bet not even Ancestry.com can find your Cro-Magnon ancestor, but they probably say they can.

41. "Better if we skip this": LET'S NOT. And say we did.

42. Most simple: EASIEST.

44. Tubular ricotta-filled pastry: CANNOLI.  The mob guys always order these on "Law and Order".

45. Covered with crumbs before cooking: BREADED.  I don't know about crumbs, but breaded fish fillets are tasty Friday meals.

46. Street in Berlin: STRASSE.  Also in Hardheim.  I lived at Sieben Eister Sandweg Strasse for a few months.  (They did not have enough room in the barracks.)

48. "Not likely!": AS IF.

49. Stored fodder: SILAGE.  There are silos as farm buildings in Minnesota.  Even with the hemispherical roofs, the snow is causing problems.

54. In one's birthday suit: NAKED.  Eke it out

55. "Norwegian Dances" composer: GRIEG.

56. "__ something I said?": WAS IT.

58. Pre-stereo: MONO.  We have had this before, and I had a MONO record player before and so did many of you.

60. "Name a price--I'm flexible," in ads: OBO.  I hate Best Offers on eBay.

61. Intel-gathering govt. group: NSA.

62. __ Spiegel: German magazine: DER.

Note to TTP and other bowlers on our blog:

The gentleman second from left is a young bowler from Minnesota. Around 8-10 years ago I was in a classic league with Matt McNeil and we both bowled anchor for our respective teams.  One night I swept three games from him with an 814 series. I think it was the only time in the league that anyone took three from Matt.  This week he has qualified second on the PBA tour and the finals will be on FS1 on Thursday at 7:00 PM Central time.  I do not recognize the 4th and 5th qualifier.  Third is Bill O'Neill and whoever survives the stepladder will face the master from Australia, Jason BelMonte. I will be watching.

Boomer