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

Monday March 11, 2019 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: WATER BREAK (58. Time for a drink at the gym... or what can literally be seen in 17-, 24-, 35- and 49-Across) - WATER bookends each theme entry.

 

17. Movie buff's collectible: WALL POSTER.

24. Warm winter wear: WOOL SWEATER.

35. Tool for whacking unwanted grasses: WEED EATER.

49. Looked after: WATCHED OVER.

Boomer here. 

"Cool Clear Water - Oh Dad can't you see that big green tree, where the WATER's runnin' free and it's waitin' there for you and me." 

In my travels around Minnesota, of course I can not go too far without noticing water in one of our 10,000 lakes. However, another thing catching my eye are mammoth apartment buildings being erected everywhere. I lived in an apartment for about ten years of my life, but it was a small building with eight units. I was just in Ramsey MN last week and I swear I saw two individual buildings that will hold about 400 apartments each. Ramsey is a community of many square miles of prairie land and I cannot see why anyone would want to live piled one on top of another. What's it like where you live?

One footnote regarding last week. I do not have any brothers, but three great sisters. One older and two younger.  I am sure they all wanted to kill me at one time or another, but I am still here.

Across:

1. Jet trail: VAPOR.

6. Torino ta-ta: CIAO. My sister speaks Italian and ends her emails with this strange word.  We used to say it in the Army when it was time to eat, but I don't think we spelled it that way.

10. Lima or soya: BEAN.

14. Conductor Seiji: OZAWA.

15. Poker hand buy-in: ANTE.  We used to play for nickels when I was a caddy.  Sometimes we would carry a bag and earn $4.00 then get in the card game and go home with $8.00. (or nothing).

16.  Rifle range supply: AMMO - Drop an "M" and you have the first Latin word I ever learned. 

19. Like spider webs: SPUN.  "Oh what a tangled web we weave."

20. Trees devastated by a "Dutch" disease: ELMS.  I don't think the disease is Dutch, I think the tree is.

21. Go kaput: DIE.

22. Manually clutch: GRASP.  This clue reminds me of the manual transmission Chevy we had when I was learning to drive.  Yeah, I think my dad GRASPED something. (Especially on the left turns)

23. Late July zodiac sign: LEO.  Could be a lion or a Pope

27. Popeye, for one: SAILOR.  " I would gladly pay you Tuesday for some spinach today."

29. Ramen : Japan :: __ : Vietnam: PHO.

30. Med. care group: HMO.  Is this really a Health Maintenance Organization or just a fancy acronym for health insurance ??

31. Croat or Serb: SLAV.

32. Capri or Wight: ISLE.  "Every summer we can build a cottage in the Isle of Wight" - when I'm Sixty-four.

34. All in favor: AYES. Opposed? Nay

38. Puppies' bites: NIPS.  Hey, I like cheese nips and I don't have a dog.

41. Friend in battle: ALLY.  Add an "E" and you have a car path behind a bowling CENTER !

42. Damon of "True Grit" (2010): MATT. Matt Fitzpatrick did well at Arnie Palmer's Tournament this weekend.

45. "__, please": box office request from a single patron: ONE.

46. Orlando-to-Miami dir.: SSE. These direction clue and ans. are usually the only ones I get immediately.

47. Some October babies: LIBRAS.  Not me, I am a Scorpio.  (And now I am a Cancer too),

53. High dudgeon: IRE.

54. "Aw, shucks!": OH GEE.  Wasn't Oh Gee Wan Kenobee in Star Wars ?

55. No-winner situation: TIE.  I have many in my closet.  Some are winners, I think.

56. Start of a play: ACT I.

57. Betting group: POOL. We used to pool money when the Power Ball got in the millions. I think once we won $50,  so everyone got about $1.50 back for the $5.00 we each bet.

61. Airline with an all-kosher menu: EL AL.  I have trouble wondering why anyone would eat airline food. I never liked it when it was included in the ride. I just figured it was there to keep the flight attendants busy.

62. "Close one!": WHEW.

63. Copy, briefly: REPRO.

64. Driving range barriers: NETS.  I never hit it far enough to hit the net.  (But I have hit a few parallels on the side of the range).

65. Ironically, some are "civil": WARS. What are they good for?  Absolutely nothing.

66. Caravan stops: OASES.

Down:

1. The word "America" has four of them: VOWELS.

2. Rhododendron shrubs: AZALEAS.

3. Saturated vegetable fat: PALM OIL. If you have it, you might want to wear gloves when you bowl or play golf.

4. Big-eyed birds: OWLS. WHO ??

5. Drake genre: RAP.

6. Electronic calculator pioneer: CASIO.  I remember my first one. Wiped out 4 years of grade school math.

7. Pentium processor maker: INTEL.

8. Gobbled up: ATE.  Oh You Turkey!!

9. "__ the ramparts ... ": OER.  Speaking of which - I wish guests at sporting events would sing the National Anthem with reverence and stop trying to make it a Broadway production.

10. Port in southeastern Iraq: BASRA.

11. Capacity to relate: EMPATHY.

12. "Say something funny!": AMUSE ME.

13. Amateurs: NON-PROS.

18. Smell: ODOR.  Rougned of the Rangers, you're wanted in a crossword.

22. Nat __ Wild: cable channel: GEO.

24. Worked on a loom: WOVE.  When I was a kid, we made potholders on them.  I never saw a real fancy loom though.

25. Spread out, as fingers: SPLAY.

26. Stimulate: WHET.  There's a hole in the bucket, dear Liza.  So whet the knife, Henry and fix it!

28. Felons violate them: LAWS. 

32. Ran in neutral: IDLED.  In the old days we always warmed the car up in the winter.  Now I guess it's not necessary.

33. Poivre partner: SEL.

34. Graceful horse: ARAB.

36. Lack of difficulty: EASE.

37. Kuwait potentate: EMIR.  Our Gophers have Amir Coffey.  He does not have the money of an Emir, but he could get there in the NBA.

38. Sign on a new store: NOW OPEN.  I am waiting for that sign on the Minnesota golf courses.

39. Losing big at the casino, say: IN A HOLE. (See above - I'll bring my putter.)

40. Bleating companion: PET GOAT.  Remember Pontiac?  Those who owned a GTO were said to have a pet goat.

43. "Three-headed" arm muscle: TRICEPS.

44. Raw steak style: TARTARE. Raw fish - needs a lot of tartar sauce.

46. Ship's pronoun: SHE.

47. Creepy look: LEER.

48. Japanese watches: SEIKOS.  Got my mother one for Christmas in 1990.  Still keeps time.

50. Rooms behind bars?: CELLS.  I don't think you can call it a room unless it has a rug or a coffee pot.

51. Playful marine animal: OTTER.  Remember Eric Stratton in "Animal House"?  Otter, played by Tim somebody.

52. Vantage points: VIEWS.

56. Office space calculation: AREA.

58. Letters in a URL: WWW.  World Wide Wrestling??

59. ''Now I get it!'': AHA.

60. Dude: BRO.

Boomer

Note from C.C.:

JD sent me this wonderful pictures of her grandsons. She said:

"Last evening the league had their opening ceremonies. The boys have just completed their flag football and basketball, and now....even though it is still chilly and rainy...the baseball season is upon us. Watched 1st game this morning with a few showers. As you can see, Grady and his brother Truman are on the same team. Dylan has no desire for any team sport yet. He needs a bicycle team. Time just flies by."

Monday March 4, 2019 Kurt Mengel & Jan-Michele Gianette

Theme: Where's My Car? - S is added to the given name of each famous person whose last name is a car.

17. Poet's Rambler?: OGDEN'S NASH.

23. "High Noon" actor's Mini?: GARY'S COOPER.

36. President's Continental?: ABRAHAM'S LINCOLN.

47. "Pillow Talk" actor's Hornet?: ROCK'S HUDSON.

56. First lady's Mustang?: BETTY'S FORD.

Boomer here.  

I am done complaining about the weather. A sign of Spring, the Topps Heritage baseball cards for 2019 showed up Saturday. I only purchased two boxes.  (So far).  I have been a collector for many years and was a store owner and card show dealer in the past. Not so much anymore. 

Speaking of the past, my mother drove a Nash back in the fifties and I also remember the Hudson Hornet. I do not like the current Mini Cooper ad on TV when the guy substitutes "tall concrete" for "cottonwood trees" in "Don't Fence Me In".  "I hate it when they get the words wrong!"  spoken by Crash Davis in "Bull Durham".  

Bowling is improving. Last Thursday I had two games over 200 in my three game set. First time since I went on the DL.  No 600s yet but stay tuned.

Across:

1. Moorehead of "Bewitched": AGNES.  Darrin was not a big fan of Endora. Shout-out to our blog Agnes (Irish Miss).

Eileen (sister of Agnes) and Agnes, 11/22/2013

6. Whole bunch: SCAD.  Move the S behind the D and you might have some luxury cars, but not a whole bunch of them.

10. This is one: CLUE.  I think it was done by Miss Scarlett in the Kitchen with a knife.

14. Sparkling topper: TIARA.

15. Extremely: OH SO.  I think he is a Japanese baseball player with the Angels.

16. "With this __ ... ": RING. I thee wed.

19. Gas brand in Canada: ESSO.  I have seen this before, initially in Germany.

20. Ronan Farrow's mom: MIA. Most famous for "Rosemary's Baby" in my opinion.  Was hitched to Frank Sinatra for a year or two.

21. Ding in a car: DENT.  Yankee shortstop BUCKY was a World Series MVP in 1978.

22. Parcels (out): METES.

26. Most-feared Hun: ATTILA.  Of Course he was the most feared.  How many names of Huns can you remember ?

 31. Canonized pope who kept 26-Across from invading Rome: ST LEO. "The Great"

29. 2001 scandal company: ENRON. As the collector that I am and have said before, I have some Enron golf balls. Maybe they will be worth something some day.  (Of course, I also still have some Mark McGwire rookie cards.)

30. Deity with goat legs: FAUN.

33. Gumshoe: TEC.  They left out some letters de tive.

40. Stocking flaw: RUN. to the city of refuge.

41. La Scala solos: ARIAS.

42. Dijon darling: AMIE.

43. Touch of color: TINCT.

45. Most slippery, as roads: ICIEST.  Plenty of these all across the upper Midwest.

50. Complex tales: SAGAS.  I thought this was "SuperAmerica Gas".  But they changed the name to Speedway.

51. Tale teller: LIAR.  Pants on fire.

52. Tour gp. with tees: PGA.  Watched the "Bear Trap" over the weekend.  I do not have enough balls to play a course like that.

55. School attended by many English statesmen: ETON.

59. Has a cold, say: AILS.  Ail Ail, the gangs all here.

60. Rowboat movers: OARS.  Gently down the stream.

61. Like horror film music: EERIE.  One of the Spooky Great Lakes.

62. Fuss: TO-DO.  I think this is two words about nothing.

63. Cloudy: GRAY.

64. Most high schoolers: TEENS.

Down:

1. Split bit: ATOM.  Mr. Terrific was A Tom.

2. 1958 Chevalier musical: GIGI.  I thought a 1958 Chevalier was a General Motors compact car.

3. Nothing, in Spain: NA DA.  It's nothing in the USA as well.

4. Before, poetically: ERE.  A poetic Great Lake.

5. Open-toed shoe: SANDAL.

6. Cher's singing partner: SONNY.  I Got You Babe.  Sadly lost an argument with a tree while skiing.

7. Online talks: CHATS.

8. Beast of burden: ASS.  Okay, I won't make a comment on this one today.

9. Head-slapping word from Homer: DOH. I can honestly say that I have never watched a full episode of "The Simpson's".

10. Sleazy sort, in slang: CREEPO.

11. "Pay attention when I speak": LISTEN TO ME.  I hate it when people say this.

12. Racing family name: UNSER.  I have heard of Bobby and Al.  I guess there were a few more drivers.

13. They may clash on film sets: EGOS.

18. Toxin fighters: SERA.

22. Dummy: MORON.  Famous word uttered by Rex Tillerson.

23. Actress Torres of "Firefly": GINA.

24. Phones in pockets or purses: CELLS.  I think you can even have a smart or a flip.

25. "That's __ haven't heard": ONE I.

26. A distant place: AFAR. We three kings of Orient are, bearing gifts we traverse AFAR.

27. "Forbidden" perfume: TABU. In my address book it's the TAB between T and V

28. What things do when touched by Midas: TURN TO GOLD.  Except at the muffler shop, where the only thing is how many ounces you will need to pay the bill.

31. Actress Jada Pinkett __: SMITH. Pretty common name. We have Senator Tina Smith from Minnesota. She took Al Franken's place.

32. Flight safety org.: TSA. Visited a few of them on Feb. 10.  Passed through with flying colors.

34. Fans of college sports' Bulldogs: ELIS.

35. Tech product review website: CNET.

37. Actor Tom who said, "There's no crying in baseball": HANKS. "A League of Their Own".  Enjoyed him better in "Forrest Gump."

38. Curved parts: ARCS.

39. Eve's firstborn: CAIN. The story goes that he killed his younger brother, Abel.  Glad I did not have an older brother.

44. "No problem for me!": I CAN SO.  We always said "I Can Too."  How about you?

45. "By Jove!": I SAY.

46. Tight undergarment: CORSET.  Not sure why anyone would wear one of these.  Doctor had me wearing a big plastic corset for about 6 weeks and I hated it.

47. Betting odds, e.g.: RATIO.  Odds are usually expressed in whole numbers. 2-1, 3-1, 6-5, etc.  A ratio is usually expressed in fractions.  Mathematics professors may bite my head off if I am wrong.

48. Michelob diet beer: ULTRA.  I suppose there is no corn syrup in it.

49. Rattlebrained: DITSY.  Brother of ITSY and BITSY.

50. Chair or sofa: SEAT.

52. Skin opening: PORE.

53. Broad smile: GRIN. and Bear it.

54. Citrus drinks: ADES.

56. Peat source: BOG.

57. Organ with a drum: EAR.  If you hear with an ear, and speak with a beak, why is your nose not called a Mell

58. Lawyer's charge: FEE.  Some may call it a fee, others may call it a ransom.

Boomer

Notes from C.C.:

I mentioned last Wednesday about the 42nd American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (March 22 to March 24, Stamford Marriott in Stamford, Connecticut). Mike Alpern, who organized the annual  Cru Dinner, told me that "The response has been great and next week, an invitation to all tournament rookies will go out which should fill the remaining spots. If you would, please let your fans know that if they're thinking of attending the Cru Dinner, the time to do it is now."

So contact Luca's grandpa Mike soon. You don't want to miss a precious mingling opportunity with other solvers and constructors. If you're a rookie, you'll get a nice surprise gift.