Monday May 13, 2019 Dan Margolis

Theme: This is Us - Each theme entry is in the pattern of U* S*:

  

19. *Anonymous Arlington honoree: UNKNOWN SOLDIER.

31. *Evil Cinderella sibling: UGLY STEPSISTER.

38. *Possibly the perp: UNDER SUSPICION

51. *Entryway conveniences for rain deflectors: UMBRELLA STANDS.

Reveal:

63. With 64-Across, NBC drama ... or, in four parts, a hint to the answers to starred clues: THIS. 64. See 63-Across: IS US

Boomer here.

Greetings from Minnesota where the fishing opener occurred Saturday. I only fish for golf balls these days.  I was able to play my first round of the year Friday. However, we have had so much rain (and snow) that the course would not allow carts on the fairways.  My front nine was pretty good (for me) however all that walking from the cart to the ball created incredible fatigue so the back nine was not so good. The energy that is sapped by my drugs had a hand in that also.

I'll try again this week, weather permitting. And as far as the rainfall goes, I am sure the courses in Houston are not even putting out the carts and the golfers need to use boats.  I hope my good friend desper-otto is doing okay.  Houston had to deal with a hurricane in recent past, and now this.  

   

Across:

1. After-bath powder: TALC.  I think there is a health warning out about this stuff.

5. Crunchy potato snack: CHIP.  One of "My Three Sons".

9. Stew (over): FRET.  I never learned guitar but I know it has several

13. Cookie in some Breyers Cookies & Cream: OREO.  I like these cookies although diabetes prevents me from eating more than two per year.  But they show up in crosswords more than twice per year and I have run out of comments.

14. Vintner's prefix: OENO.

15. Still in the running: ALIVE. And well and living in Minnesota.  Along with millions of fish that were not caught.

16. "The Twelve Days of Christmas" tree: PEAR.  With a partridge hidden in it. Traditional jigsaw puzzle at the Burnikel household.
 

17. Crooner Crosby: BING.  His best rendition was "White Christmas" I believe.

18. Entitled: NAMED.

22. Be worthwhile: PAY.  OR if you are worthwhile you may get paid.

23. Dispenser candy: PEZ.  I had these when I was a kid.  It was a plain dispenser.  Now some of them are collector's items.

24. Boot the ball: ERR.  Baseball slang.  I always call them errors.

25. Wall St. specialist: ARB.  Wall Street had a roller coaster ride last week.  I hope you all survived!

26. Fill to the gills: SATE.

28. __-Wan Kenobi: OBI.  A couple of Saturdays ago.  May the Fourth be with you. 

35. History Muse: CLIO.

36. Sean Lennon's mom Yoko: ONO. "Un Huh OH NO don't let the rain come down."

37. School orgs.: PTAS.  Remember Mrs. Johnson of Harper Valley..

43. Singer Carly __ Jepsen: RAE.

44. Where Cork is: EIRE.  I spell it Ireland but that did not fit

45. Bottom line: NET.  Nothing but …

46. Rowing implement: OAR.  Many were used in Minnesota this past weekend, but most fisherman have a motor.

47. Criticize harshly, as a film: PAN.

48. Freelancer's enc.: SAE.

56. Best man's best friend, often: GROOM.

57. MacFarlane of "Family Guy": SETH.

58. Lane at the Daily Planet: LOIS.  Look!  Up in the sky!  It's a Bird, It's a Plane, NO It's Lois's Boss, Clark.

59. Makes eyes at: OGLES.

60. Part of un opéra: ACTE.

61. "The African Queen" screenwriter James: AGEE.  Centerfielder Tommie of the 1969 Miracle Mets!!

62. Dogs, to dog owners: PETS.  Add CAN and you have a procedure that detects everything but the kitchen sink.

Down:

1. Refresh, as a cup of coffee: TOP UP.  I do this at least five times every morning, but the coffee is never as hot as the first cup.

2. Sports venue: ARENA.

3. Hardly watertight: LEAKY.   We had a leaky shower that damaged our garage ceiling. We had it fixed and it only cost an arm and a leg,

4. Succotash kernel: CORN. This is Minnesota's second largest crop but it may surpass soybeans this year

5. Attic accumulation: COBWEBS.

6. "57 Varieties" brand: HEINZ.  "Our soup costs no more than other kinds, and you know it's good because it is Heinz !"  I cannot name all of the 57 varieties -- Can you??

7. Overnight places: INNS.  My favorite is the C'mon Inn in Billings, Montana.

8. Possum in comics: POGO. 

9. Natural aptitude: FLAIR.  Reminds me of Ric Flair, pro wrestler in the WWE.  Now I have heard of Charlotte Flair.  I do not know if they are related.

10. Icy winter coating: RIME.  Funny way to spell SNOW.

11. In any way: EVER.  If you're EVER in a jam, here I am. 

12. Media mogul Turner: TED.  He owns a TV network AND a major league baseball team.  I only have a pile of Atlanta Braves baseball cards.

15. Peace Nobelist Sakharov: ANDREI.

20. Grand Ole __: OPRY.  Fort Campbell was only about 60 miles from Nashville.  I never went to the Opry, but we listened on the radio most Saturdays.

21. "Shall we?" response: LETS.

25. Burn soother: ALOE.  When Alexander Graham Bell inventor of the telephone suggested folks answer with AHOY, I think Elisha Gray (founder of Graybar) wanted his phone answered ALOE.

26. Sight or smell: SENSE.

27. Per unit: A POP.

28. Director Preminger: OTTO.  Young Otto Warmbier was sent home from North Korea a few days before his death.  Then Kim sent us a bill for 2 million dollars.  What is this world coming to?

29. Noggin: BEAN.  Orson was a frequent guest of Johnny Carson.

31. Bone parallel to the radius: ULNA.

32. "The Immoralist" author André: GIDE.

33. Sightseeing outing: TOUR.

34. Roasting rod: SPIT.  Back in the days of the HHH Metrodome in Minneapolis, players were not allowed to spit on the Astroturf.  (Tobacco stains).

35. Mangy mutt: CUR.

39. Provides with more weapons: REARMS.

40. Beget: SIRE.  This would be the father of Maximum Security, turning his nose up at the Preakness.  I don't blame him.

41. Reduced to rubble, as by a fire: IN ASHES.

42. Penny: CENT.  "If you haven't got a penny, a half penny will do, If you haven't got a half penny, then God bless you!'

46. Instruments among the reeds: OBOES.

47. Singer LaBelle: PATTI.  I remember Patti Page and see her occasionally on those half hour ad shows that try to sell you CDs of old time hits.

48. Canoodles, in Britain: SNOGS.

49. French bye word: ADIEU. "Adieu, Adieu my friends adieu.  I can no longer stay with you" - Then something about drinking wine.

50. Letters after ars: ESSES.

51. Advocate: URGE.

52. Shed skin: MOLT.

53. Future atty.'s hurdle: LSAT.

54. Solidarity leader Walesa: LECH.  Highly controversial, but I think he represented poor workers very well in Poland and improved their status.  Holler at me if I am wrong.

55. Jai __: ALAI.

56. Republican org.: GOP.  Grand Old Party.  Interesting nickname.

Boomer

Monday May 6, 2019 Brock Wilson

Theme: Vowel Movement - Each theme entry start with P? LL.

17. Coffin carrier: PALLBEARER.

31. College student's federal subsidy: PELL GRANT.

38. Prescription meds scheduling aid: PILL ORGANIZER.

43. One sampling opinions: POLL TAKER.

60. One whose batted balls rarely go to the opposite field, in baseball lingo: PULL HITTER.

 

Boomer here.

Well, I thought I had picked the winner of the Kentucky Derby but luckily I was too cheap to bet.  The Derby is billed as the most exciting two minutes in sports. I always thought that was Justin Morneau hitting a triple. Speaking of winners, how about James Holzhauer, who has pocketed over 1.6 million $$ on Jeopardy. I cannot believe how much he knows.  I'll bet he could finish a Saturday crossword in less than 5 minutes.

Across:

1. Meh: BLAH.  I did the Simon and Garfunkel thing from "Bookends" last week

5. Crude, as behavior: CRASS. Clumsy riding donkey ??

10. Journey: TRIP.  The light fantastic

14. "I wish __ told me": YOU'D.  "I told you SO".

15. Trash bag brand: HEFTY.

16. Oxen connector: YOKE.  These things come in eggs too.

19. Writer of verse: POET. He's a poet but he don't know it, but his feet show it. They're Longfellows.

20. Words before time or clip: AT A. 

21. MIT Chapel designer Saarinen: EERO.

22. Sewn dress edge: HEM. and Haw.

23. Chinese toy dog: SHIH TZU.  I know a lady who has one.  Be careful how you pronounce it.

25. Blood-typing letters: ABO.

27. Sales team member: REP.

30. Alien-seeking gp.: SETI.

34. Carry with effort: LUG.  These are nuts that hold tires in place. I am not sure how they got the name but you need a lug wrench to remove them.

37. Stirs up trouble: AGITATES.  Trouble in River City.  But professor Harold Hill's on hand and River City's going to have a boys band, and that band's gonna be in uniform.

41. Column base: PEDESTAL.

42. Prefix with graphic or centric: GEO.  Geo was a relatively unpopular car made by General Motors about 30 years ago.  No, I never had one.  I don't think three bowling balls and a set of golf clubs would have fit in it.

45. Early color TVs: RCAS.  When they hit the market my family could not afford one. I did not mind though, because I had a few friends who had one in their home, and the picture was terribly fuzzy.

49. Cold-sounding product prefix: SNO.  Add a "W" and you have six months of Minnesota weather.  Add an "A" between the S and N and you have a third baseman in the Twins minor league system who they think is getting ready for the "Show".  (That's what Crash Davis calls it.)

Miguel Sanó

50. Summer in Paris: ETE.

51. Veteran sailor: OLD SALT.

54. TiVo predecessor: VCR.  Video Cassette Recorder.  I still have many cassettes, but no player any more.

56. Baseball family name: ALOU.  Felipe, Matty, and Jesus.  Skip to Alou.

57. Progressive insurance spokeswoman: FLO.  Has now become a maid.

58. "Piano Man" Billy: JOEL. "What else could I do ?  I'm so inspired by you, That hasn't happened for the longest time."

63. Opposite of baja: ALTA.  We have three businesses in Minneapolis with the name Alta.  Planning and Design, Tube fabrication, and Technologies.

64. Where to find Delhi sandwiches: INDIA.  I get it -- Ha Ha.

65. Pay to a worker: WAGE.  Some words are interesting.  You earn wages, countries WAGE war      or you might go to Churchill Downs and place a wager.

66. Dog : woof :: cat : __: MEOW.

67. State sch. near Hartford: UCONN.  Famous for Women's Basketball.

68. Singles: ONES.

Down:

1. Road that avoids town traffic: BYPASS.  Minnesota claims they are working on the roads.  But maybe it's just a rumor so they can increase gasoline tax.

2. Hate: LOATHE.

3. Literally, "with milk," as café: AU LAIT.  I think they sing this on a British golf course but I don't think they spell it this way.

4. Good cholesterol, briefly: HDL.

5. __ Whiz: processed spread: CHEEZ.  A Kraft product.  I like Cheese but I do not like this stuff.

6. Rise defensively on two legs, as a horse: REAR UP.  I did not see any of this at Churchill Downs on Saturday. No, I was not there, just watched TV for about three hours waiting for "My Old Kentucky Home".  (Makes me think of Fort Campbell, KY.)

7. Picked hairdo: AFRO.  There is a pro bowler named Kyle Troup who has an outrageous Afro. (And quite a closet full of funny looking bowling outfits.  Like father - Guppy - like son)

8. Sault __ Marie: STE.

9. Damascus is its cap.: SYR.

10. Key in: TYPE.  When you "Key in" something into your computer, do they still call it typing??

11. Hotel cost per night: ROOM RATE.  Just say Bodda Book, Bodda Boom. (I still hate that commercial.

12. '50s White House nickname: IKE.  I was born during the Truman administration but Ike is the first prez that I remember.  I also remember a comedian in 1960 saying about the campaign that this was the first time in 8 years that we had a chance to vote for a president with hair.

13. Adopted cat, e.g.: PET.

18. Raise or call, say: BET.  Hope you did not put too much on Maximum Security.

22. Stymie, in a porcine way: HOGTIE.

24. Early Jewish scholar: HILLEL.

25. Pond organism: ALGA.  I have never seen a single algae.

26. Flashy jewelry: BLING.  Churchill Downs saw many flashy dresses and hats on the ladies.  I'll bet there was a bit of bling also.

28. U.S. dept. with a bolt on its seal: ENER.

29. TD's six: PTS.

32. Sharp-eyed bird: EAGLE.  Two under par on one hole!

33. Sideburns trimmers: RAZORS.  To look sharp, and feel sharp too.

35. Coat named for an Irish province: ULSTER.

36. Was able to reach: GOT AT.  High up on the apple tree, I couldn't hardly reach it.

38. Lowly worker: PEON.

39. "My pleasure!": I'D LOVE TO.

40. Tool with teeth: RAKE.  Time to get these out of the garage this week.

41. Second afterthought, in a ltr.: PPS.

44. Arrive, as fog: ROLLIN.  Reminded me of Rich Rollins, 3rd Baseman for the Twins, about 50 years ago.

46. Lounging robe: CAFTAN.

47. Assert sans proof: ALLEGE.

48. Target and Walmart: STORES.

52. Lindsay of "Freaky Friday": LOHAN.

53. MADD concern: DUI.  I never have done this because I cannot afford the penalty. I read outrageous stuff in the newspaper almost daily.  Last week it was a woman with her 10 and one year old kids in the car.

55. Curved hammer part: CLAW.

56. Designer Gucci: ALDO.

58. Fruity toast topper: JAM.  Too much sugar.

59. Fútbol cheer: OLE.  And British Golf.

60. More, musically: PIU.

61. Auntie's hubby: UNC.  A lot of three letter abbreviations in this puzzle, Don'tcha think? 24.

62. Not quite a crowd?: TWO.

Boomer

Monday April 29, 2019 Matt McKinley

Theme: MLB (66. Org. in which the start of five answers is a "central" player) - Each starting word is a AL or NL Central player.

 

16A. Advice columnists Ann and Abby, e.g. (AL Central): TWIN SISTERS.

37A. Monarch's self-referential plural pronoun (AL Central): ROYAL WE.

59A. Pride or greed, e.g. (NL Central): CARDINAL SIN.

 

9D. Preteens in a pack (NL Central): CUB SCOUTS.

32D. Warnings of serious danger (NL Central): RED ALERTS.

Boomer here.

A bit of a tough time last week. Our homeowners association hired a contractor to replace our roof shingles. Not only was the noise unbearable, but they also moved my Direct TV satellite dish off line and I had NO TV for three days!

C.C. and I spent several days out of the house, donating a little money to Mystic Lake casino, (a small gambling loss and feasting at their buffet for lunch two days.) We also made a stop at the famous Mall of America, however we did not buy much, MOA has tourist trap pricing in most stores. 

Across:

1. Britannica ref.: ENC. 

4. Singer LuPone: PATTI.  Not familiar with her, but I have heard of Patti Page.

9. Baseball hat: CAP.  I have quite a few.  Some are TC, Some are Vikings, and a lot are Golf.

12. Classic grape soda: NEHI.  I believe this was a favorite of Radar O'Reilly.

14. Sarge's command: TEN HUT.  Sarge's command for Attention.  Ten Huts is where we lived.

15. Put into play: USE.

18. "If I may digress ...," in texts: BTW.

19. Sprinted: RAN FAST.  When I was a kid, women wore nylon stockings that ran fast.

20. Jackie's Ari: ONASSIS.  Jackie could have written the book "How to Marry a Millionaire",

22. __ one's time: didn't rush: TOOK.

23. Sharp-tasting: ACIDIC.

24. King's tenure: REIGN.  "Uh Ha, Oh no, don't let the reign come down."  

27. Tiered Asian temple: PAGODA.

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, Xi'an, China

30. Apt.'s sleeping area: BDRM.  Still not fond of abbreviations.

33. "Bro!": DUDE.  "Hey Dude, Don't make it bad, Take a sad song, and make it better."

35. Hitch, as a ride: THUMB.  Wow, I did this so many times before I had a car.  My high school was 5 miles from my home, and if I needed to stay after school there was no activity bus.  Once I hitchhiked home from Sacramento to Minneapolis.

36. Commit perjury: LIE.

39. Shop __ you drop: TIL.  You can really get exhausted at good old Mall of America.

40. "The Giant" of wrestling: ANDRE.  He spent some time in Vern Gagne's AWA.  I remember his battle with Hulk Hogan in WrestleMania, however I do not think he ever fought (Governor) Jesse, "The Body" Ventura.  Andre was one year older than I but he passed in 1993.  Those seven foot 520 pounders don't seem to last as long as six foot two - 180 lbs. (But they make more $$$)

42. Food for hogs: SLOP.  Aw, don't call my dinner slop.

43. "Ohio" quartet, initially: CSNY. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

44. St. Peter's domain: HEAVEN.  I checked with Warren Beatty and "Heaven Can Wait" 

46. "The Lion King" hero: SIMBA.  I know lions are kings of the jungle, but I never saw one wearing a crown.

48. Chinese PC giant whose name is partly derived from the Latin for "new": LENOVO.  I am preparing these comments on our Lenovo, which has been very dependable over several years. 

50. Hertz rival: AVIS.  We always answer this clue with Avis. We don't often  see National, Budget, Dollar, Payless, Enterprise, Alamo, Advantage, or Thrifty.  Maybe Avis is the only four letter rental company. 

53. Faddish pursuit, after "all": THE RAGE.  Isn't this where kids go to smoke pot and listen to bands?  "Or is that only on Law & Order"?

55. Carefree antics: HIJINKS.  My Mother used to bowl on a team with a lady whose nickname was Jinks.  So when I saw her I said ---

58. "The Fault in __ Stars": 2014 film: OUR.

61. Obtain: GET.  That's why they say Go-getter, and not Go-obtainer.

62. Neatened (up): TIDIED.  Or clean up your wash.

63. Chekov bridgemate, in "Star Trek": SULU.

64. GEICO specialties?: ADS.  Not only GEICO.  I get a kick out of all those companies try to "Out funny" each other. I do laugh at their lies about how much money they can save us though. 

65. Little cuts: SNIPS. 

Down:

1. __'acte: intermission: ENTR.

2. A novice in: NEW AT.

3. Trouser material: CHINO.  Never had a pair and Santa, do NOT bring me one

4. Kid brother, at times: PEST.  I never had a brother and my sisters were not pests.  But here in Minnesota, we have plenty of mosquitoes.

5. Colony crawler: ANT. And ANTS

6. 2000s teen drama set in California: THE OC.  I have heard of this, it is something about Orange County.  But I think it's a stretch for a Monday puzzle.

7. Rutabaga, e.g.: TURNIP.

8. Tryst-confirming words: IT'S A DATE.  I try to avoid politics but I cannot resist.  An MSNBC guest the other day said that Cory Booker is trying so hard to be the next Obama, he was waiting for him to ask Michelle for a date.

10. Italian wine hub: ASTI.  I never liked wine.  Is Italian better than French.  I remember Christmas Eve my uncle would bring a quart of Mogen David to Grandma's and we would all have a sip.

11. Chapel seats: PEWS.  Correct, and they don't smell.

13. Bring up to speed: INFORM.  Step on the gas ??

14. "__ the season ... ": TIS.  To be Jolly Fa la la.  A little early, or late for this clue.

17. Sushi bar drink: SAKE.  Does this taste like Mogen David ??

21. [Ah, me!]: SIGH.  Once there was a silly old ram, thought he'd bust a hole in the fam.  But he had SIGH hopes.

23. "Furthermore ... ": AND ALSO.  I expect we will hear these words in many speeches next year.

25. Altar promise: I DO.

26. Five __: burger chain: GUYS.  I think I have heard of this.  Is one of the guys named McDonald ??

28. Key with one flat: Abbr.: D MIN.  Also on my Report Card.

29. With dexterity: ABLY.  Hope I can ABLY hit a golf ball if the weather warms up.  I think it was 40 on Saturday, but there was a prediction of snow and thankfully it did not show up.

30. "How dull": BLAH.  "Save the Life of my Child"  Simon and Garfunkel "Bookends"

Said officer MacDougal in dismay:
"The force can't do a decent job
'Cause the kids got no respect
For the law today (and blah blah blah)."

31. Enjoy fine food: DINE.  Okay, and what kind of wine??

34. Wells sci-fi race: ELOI.  "The Time Machine".

37. Performs in costume, as a Civil War battle: RE-ENACTS.  I think the Civil War was a terrible era of U.S. history and I am not a fan of any re-enactment or movie.

38. Typist's meas.: WPM.  Believe it or not, First Sergeant Chapman liked me and the Army taught me how to type and I became a Company Clerk along with Mail Clerk so everyone liked me.  I was the Radar O'Reilly of the 606th Medical Ambulance Company of Fort Campbell, Ky. 42223

41. KOA patron: RVER.  Never owned one.  There is a company in Iowa that makes Winnebago RVs.  They are expensive and huge. Many people spend a lot of money on vehicles and fuel, just so they don't have to stay in a hotel.   

43. Nitpicks: CAVILS.

45. Consequence of an absence of pain, in an exercise mantra: NO GAIN.  I have some exercises to try, hopefully to improve my balance. Thank you, Dr. Nina.

47. Mexicali's peninsula: BAJA.  This is an interesting peninsula.  It's a Mexican State which does not seem to be connected to Mexico.  Northern border is California with maybe just a touch of border with Mexico across the Colorado River.  I visited Tijuana once many years ago.  The entire city was a flea market.  Is it still that way?? 

49. "Rigoletto" composer: VERDI.

51. "To wrap up ... ": IN SUM.

52. Proficiency: SKILL.  Hope those of you with SKILL at crosswords got this far without using any cross words.

53. Frat party garb: TOGA.  Cannot help but thinking of John Belushi in "Animal House".

54. Tinted: HUED.

55. Makes haste, old-style: HIES.

56. Swing voter: Abbr.: IND.

57. Cold shoulder: SNUB.  Go a little lower and you'll get to BUNS

60. Quick swim: DIP.  Yup but this can also be an adjective.

Final season bowling report. My Thursday night league had an 8 team roll off which my team was not included.  So I competed with other outcasts in a three game no tap tournament.  No Tap is a form of bowling that when you knock any nine pins down on your first ball, it counts as a strike. The huge advantage is consecutive strikes will add to your score, plus you do not have to worry about missing the ten pin if you leave it.  I did encounter a pocket 7-10 which screws thing up, but my final was 224-189- and 258=671.  With my handicap I think I finished 3rd out of about 32 entries.  It's not a big money event, but I expect to receive maybe $20-$25 which of course I will split with my wonderful wife, C.C. so she can buy some Tofu.

Boomer

Note from C.C.:

Wendybird emailed me this question yesterday.

"For some reason, when I type my comment in the box and hit “publish”, it never appears. I thought I had indicated my “name” as Wendybird, but that doesn’t show up either.  I thought maybe I was supposed to hit “preview” first, so I did, but my comment just vanished."

I remember SwampCat or CanadianEh! experienced the same glitch a while ago with their iPhone or iPad. How did you guys solve the problem?

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