Monday November 11, 2019 Kevin Christian

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

20. Sheepless nursery rhyme character: LITTLE BO PEEP.

34. Irish allegiance shout: ERIN GO BRAGH.

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

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

Boomer here.  

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

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

Across:

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

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

10. Like a bug in a rug: SNUG.

14. "I understand now": AH SO.

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

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

17. Spaghetti sauce brand: RAGU.  My favorite.

18. Composer Ned: ROREM.

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

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

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

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

31. Bric-a-__: BRAC.

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

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

37. Cold and damp: DANK.

38. Many millennia: EON.

39. Auditioner's goal: ROLE.

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

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

46. __ legs: rear pair: HIND.

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

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

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

58. Apple's virtual assistant: SIRI.

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

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

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

64. Make used (to): ENURE.

65. Spy __ Hari: MATA.

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

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

Boomer, Burnikel Road

68. Scratches (out): EKES.

Down:

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

2. Bangkok native: THAI.

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

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

5. Go along with: AGREE TO.

6. __ tube: TV: BOOB.

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

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

9. Streaming delay: TIME LAG.

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

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

12. Actress Hagen: UTA.

13. Carefree: GAY.

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

22. Apiece: EACH.

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

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

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

28. Passover meals: SEDERS.

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

30. Dead __: look-alike: RINGER.

31. __-shouldered: BROAD.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

52. Author Morrison: TONI.

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

54. "No prob": SURE.

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

C.C. & Boomer, April 2002

56. Nick at __: NITE.

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

58. Drink sampling: SIP.

59. Altar affirmative: I DO.

60. Rock's __ Speedwagon: REO.

Boomer

Notes from C.C.:

Here are two pictures from Boomer's Army days.

Monday November 4, 2019 Matt Skoczen

Theme: KEWPIE (48D. Collectible doll, and a phonetic hint to four long puzzle answers) - Each theme entry is in the pattern of Q* P*:

17A. Market report detail: QUOTED PRICE.

58A. 2:15 p.m., e.g.: QUARTER PAST.

11D. "Shh!": QUIET PLEASE.

25D. "The $64,000 Question," e.g.: QUIZ PROGRAM.

Boomer here. I suggest you use a Quality Pencil rather than a Quill Pen. How about them Nationals? I cannot believe we witnessed the first 7 game World Series where all games were won by the visiting team. And ... The last time a Washington team won a World Series, Calvin Coolidge was president. 

Across:

1. Meh: SO SO.

5. Rubs out a mistake: ERASES.  I wish a ten pin could be rubbed out.

11. Four times daily, in an Rx: QID.  This stands for quater in die.  Latin always invades pharmacy.

14. Isaac's eldest son: ESAU. Sorry but the history of these twins, Jacob and Esau is like a soap opera "Days of our Lives".

15. "Scooby-Doo" friend of Velma, Fred and Shaggy: DAPHNE.

16. Former Egypt-Syria confed.: UAR. United Arab Republic.

19. Texter's "I think": IMO.  In my opinion, this is not a word. More like something the emu says in the Liberty Mutual commercials.

20. Genetic messengers: RNAS.  Quite a few acronyms in this puzz.

21. Give, as a citation: ISSUE TO.  My last one was for speeding in 1992.  I hate fines.

23. Southwestern native that rhymes with 53-Down: YAQUI. 53D. Here, in Spanish: AQUI.

26. Breakfast grain: OAT. Cheerios entered the world as "Cheerioats" in 1941. The name was changed to Cheerios after the big war.  No I was not around then, but we live 10 miles north of General Mills Headquarters, and I bowl with a General Mills retiree.

28. Word on an octagonal sign: STOP.  I think they are all red now, but I remember when they were yellow.  Do You?

29. Plentiful amount: ABUNDANCE.

31. Bank takebacks, briefly: REPOS.  Sad, but you really have to make your payments.

32. Home run stat: RBI.  An acronym that everyone knows.

33. "That's gross!": UGH.

34. 12th Jewish month: ELUL.

35. Wows: DAZZLES.  Reminds me of Bill Murray's "Razzle Dazzle" in "Stripes".

38. Examine for flaws: INSPECT. I cannot remember the General who was inspecting Winger's  platoon.

41. Scissors unit: PAIR.  Here we go again to start another argument.  How come scissors and pliers are called "pairs" when there is only one of them ?

42. Single: ONE.  Our Rod Carew was famous for singles.

43. French friend: AMI.

44. Harsh-smelling: ACRID.

46. Babe __ Zaharias, multi-sport athlete with two Olympic golds (1932) and 10 LPGA major championships: DIDRIKSON.  This lady was the Annika of the thirties.

49. Not good at all: POOR.  "Blessed are the POOR in spirit, for they shall inherit the earth."  I'm not sure they would want it.

50. Yale student: ELI.  No kidding, I thought he was a Manning brother.

51. Davis of "A League of Their Own": GEENA.  This movie was great.  Kind of the "Bull Durham" of female baseball.

52. Beauty contest: PAGEANT.

55. Cornfield bird: CROW.

57. Say "Oopsie," say: ERR.  So when I miss a ten pin, should I say "Oopsie" ?

63. __ rule: usually: AS A.  ASA Hutchinson is governor of Arkansas.  Not related to my Great Great Grandfather, Asa Hutchinson of the Hutchinson Family singers who founded Hutchinson, Minnesota about 150 years ago.

64. Part of 16-Across: UNITED.  Pardon the pun, but United is "up in the air" about replacing their fleet of 757s with the newer 737 MAX which are currently on the ground.

65. "All good here": I'M OK.

66. Sleep acronym: REM.

67. Requiring help: IN NEED.  A Friend IN NEED is a friend indeed.

68. Canadian gas: ESSO.  Fill er up eh

Down:

1. Follow-up film: Abbr.: SEQ.  "Stripes" and "Bull Durham" were sooo good that they did not need a sequel.

2. Sch. in Columbus: OSU.  Ohio State has been a Big Ten powerhouse. Gophers are challenging but chances are slim. 

3. __ Paulo: SAO.

4. Beat in a meet: OUTRUN.  Gophers need to OUTRUN Penn State this Saturday to have a chance.

5. Icelandic literary work: EDDA.

6. Drake musical numbers: RAP SONGS.  Not me.  I like Folk and Country.

7. Mo. with showers: APR. Brings May flowers.  Except in 2018, Minnesota's "April Showers" were 20 inches of snow. 

8. Certain Muslim: SHIITE.  Careful how you pronounce this.

9. SASEs, e.g.: ENCS.

10. Observes: SEES.  I remember a teacher in 4th grade used to ask the class "How many sees?"

12. "Me, also": I AM TOO.  A young child may say this after their second birthday. They haven't picked up spelling yet.

13. Hangs limply: DROOPS.

18. City west of Tulsa: ENID.  "OOHHHKLAHOMA where the wind comes sweeping down the plains."

22. Exhaust: USE UP.  If you USE UP the toilet paper please set up a new roll.

23. Three feet: YARD.  Our YARD is finally fairly free of leaves.

24. Swedish pop band: ABBA.

27. German gripe: ACH.  This is an acronym for automated clearing house.  I use it to automatically pay monthly bills.  No wonder the German's gripe about it. 

30. Heifetz's teacher: AUER.

31. Mr. Hyde creator's monogram: RLS.  Forgot to mention Jekyll.

34. Fed. power dept.: ENER.  We get decent service from XCEL energy.  However I recently learned that our electric bill may increase by $10.00 monthly while they develop wind power and various other forms of eco-friendly power. I expect that will result in business for Graybar so I'll pay the $awbuck and wait for a dividend.

36. The Congo, formerly: ZAIRE.

37. Thing on top of things: LID.

38. One charged with a crime: INDICTEE.

39. "Follow me!": C'MON.  I know I've mentioned it, but I still remember a nice stay at the C'mon Inn in Billings, MT.

40. Funny Fey: TINA. She did the best Sarah Palin I ever saw on SNL.

42. Frying liquid: OIL.  I try not to use much.  Makes the food heavy.

44. Materialize: APPEAR.  "I am the great and powerful Wizard of Oz"

45. Needing smoothing: COARSE.  Not to be confused with a golf COURSE which could also need smoothing, especially on the greens.

46. Keep in custody: DETAIN.

47. "Young Frankenstein" helper: IGOR.  I did not see any trick-or- treaters in IGOR costumes last week.

54. Ex-Georgia senator Sam: NUNN.  Served 6 terms (24 years).  Retired in 1996.  A Democrat from Georgia and still living.  Probably glad to be out of the Senate rat race.

56. Comedian Foxx: REDD. Fred Sanford on TV. But on a recording - His horse race bit was hilarious but I cannot repeat most of it here. "There goes bubble gum sticking to the rail"  That's all I can repeat.

59. 66, notably: Abbr.: RTE.  My older sister loved "Route 66" on TV.  I think she had a crush on Martin Milner.

60. Morning hrs.: AMS.  Did all of you turn your clocks back an hour yesterday at two AM ??

61. "Help!" at sea: SOS.  ... --- ...

62. Boxing ref's decision: TKO.  At last - The final acronym. 

Boomer

Monday October 28, 2019 Craig Stowe

Theme:  MIDDLE GROUND.(52. Compromising standpoint ... and what the answers to starred clues contain?) - LAND is in the middle of each theme entry.

20. *Do business shrewdly: WHEEL AND DEAL.

28. *Murmur lovingly: BILL AND COO.

34. *Basic experimentation method: TRIAL AND ERROR.

41. *Like a typical walking stride: HEEL AND TOE.

Boomer here.

Land Ho!!  Enjoy the Monday puzzle!  First of all, I wish to thank C.C. and all of you faithful Crossword Corner member bloggers for all of the fine birthday wishes I received yesterday.  Also, I have been enjoying the World Series without favoring one team or the other. But I do find it incredible that the visiting team has won every game so far.  I do not remember that ever being the case in a World Series, but sometimes, at my age, I have trouble remembering what I had for breakfast. I have not heard if the Astros asked to stay in Washington for game 6, but I think they are watching the "Wizard of Oz" and trying on the ruby slippers and clicking the heals and repeat, "There's no place like home, There's no place like home." 

Across:

1. Gives in to gravity: SAGS. Old folks like me fight this gravity problem constantly. Some of us are losing the fight.

5. Annoying little kids: IMPS.

9. Hunter's plastic duck, e.g.: DECOY.  I am not a hunter. I have seen these but I don't think they work.  You cannot fool a duck.

14. Clear off the road, as snow: PLOW.  This season is coming to our home in Minnesota soon.  part of the reason why our taxes are on the high side.  It's expensive to keep the roads clean.

15. Actress Gilbert of "The Conners": SARA.

16. Make amends: ATONE.

17. What "Ten-hut!" is short for: ATTENTION.  I thought it was a row of Quonset huts on a Marine base.

19. Income __: TAXES.  The season is coming next April.  About time the flu season subsides. 

22. Tidy up: NEATEN.

23. "__ you kidding?": ARE.  No I am not.  I wish there was a tax shot to buy.

24. Off-the-wall: ODD.  Add an "S" and my mind wanders to the craps table.  I know the odds for every number.  I learned them the hard way.  You can make a 4, 6, 8,or 10 the hard way.  You may get 30 to one, but correct odds are 35 to one.

27. Walmart warehouse club: SAM'S.  We have one of these west of our home, but it does not seem much different than Walmart, except I think you have to purchase a membership. Like Costco

32. Muslim mystic: SUFI.

33. Lake near Carson City: TAHOE.  This is a beautiful lake in the higher elevation of Nevada.  I never went to Carson City, but we visited Harrah's club in Tahoe after bowling in Reno.

39. Sea item sold by 39-Down, in a tongue-twister: SHELL. 39. See 39-Across: SHE.  She sells sea shells by the seashore.  Say that real fast three times.

40. Say no to: DENY.

44. Bygone Japanese audio brand: AIWA.  I don't remember them.  I think Sony acquired them.

48. Conclusion: END.  It's not the end.  We still have the "down" clues.

49. Boardroom VIP: CEO.  Interesting - in the 19th century, native Americans had a chief, and the military had officers.  Not sure where the executives came from.

50. The Lone __: RANGER.  At a bowling center I used to patronize, there was an autographed photo of Clayton Moore.  "Who was that masked man? I don't know, I wanted to thank him."

55. Deck alternative: PATIO.  Our home does not have a patio.  We have a raised deck that serves us well.  Except I don't know how the squirrels get up on it.

58. Belittle: DENIGRATE.

59. 17-syllable Japanese poem: HAIKU.

60. Suffix with major: ETTE.  "Halftime brings on pretty girls, with little short skirts and long blonde curls. - But who's got time for majorettes, when NBC has got the Jets and I just can't afford two sets."

61. Auth. unknown: ANON.

62. Desert retreats: OASES.  Singular OASIS was a brand of cigarettes,  I don't see them anymore.

63. Monica's brother on "Friends": ROSS.  "Also the surname of George's fiance on Seinfeld."  I don't watch "Friends".  I've had enough.

64. German thinker Immanuel: KANT.

Down:

1. Reproduces like salmon: SPAWNS.  If salmon reproduces so much, how come it's so expensive ?

2. __ Gibson, first African-American to win a Grand Slam tennis title: ALTHEA.  Virgil Tibbs wife on "In the Heat of the Night".

3. Pep rally cheer: GO TEAM.  "Go Wild, and take the Timberwolves with you!"

4. Candy and such: SWEETS. Then there was Wilson Sweet, also on "In the Heat of the Night."

5. Turkey's largest city: ISTANBUL.  I thought it was Constantinople. I am old.

6. Principal: MAIN.  I will bet this is the most common name for a street.

7. Spur to action: PROD.

8. Beach footwear: SANDAL.

9. Job of typing in facts and figures: DATA ENTRY.

10. List-shortening abbr.: ET AL.  What's the difference between ET AL and ETC.? One letter of course.

11. Courtney who played Monica on "Friends": COX.  I do not watch "Friends".  I remember a timid comedian named Wally, and also Courtney had a bit role on a Seinfeld episode, before she got famous and rich.

12. Single: ONE.  Gotta pick up those single pins.

13. "By all means!": YES.

18. Phillies' div.: NLE.  It seems there is a team called NATS in that division doing quite well,

21. Significant stretch of time: ERA.  Mainly because their pitchers have low ERAs.

24. Twice cuatro: OCHO.  If this were German I would say Gesundheit.

25. Way in: DOOR.  Add an "S" "Light my Fire"

26. Forest female: DOE.  A deer, a female deer - The hills are alive, with the "Sound of Music".

29. "__ tree falls in the forest ... ": IF A.  With no one around, does it still make a sound??

30. High-end chocolatier: LINDT.

31. __ es Salaam: DAR.

32. Lustful: SALACIOUS.

34. At that time: THEN.

35. Oboe or clarinet: REED.  I remember Donna Reed.  This was back in the day when some of the sitcom was named after the leading actor or actress.  Isn't that right, LUCY?

36. Not feeling well: ILL.  The Great State of TTP,  Notice in campaign season, All states are great.

37. __ volente: God willing: DEO.

38. Vigorous qualities to put into one's work: ENERGIES.  Our power supplier is XCEL Energy.  They serve us very well.

42. Nancy Drew's beau: NED.

43. Walk feebly: DODDER.  That's how I walk, especially upstairs. I just didn't know what it was called.

44. Arctic jacket: ANORAK.

45. Exotic lizard kept as a pet: IGUANA.

46. Was happening: WENT ON.  Fires in California wine country seem to go on and on.  Hope folks up there are safe.

47. Passionate: ARDENT.

51. Buenos Aires' country: Abbr.: ARG.  With all the problems in the middle east we don't hear about unrest in South America. Except recently there was hubbub in Santiago, Chile - A spinoff of a subway fare increase.  Reminds me of Poor Old Charlie on the MTA.  "Did he ever return?"

52. Karaoke prop that often ends in "c" nowadays: MIKE.  "Mike, Mike, Mike what day is it??  Hump day".  Don't get me wrong, I am still no fan of car insurance commercials.

53. Jared of "Dallas Buyers Club": LETO.

54. Tolkien creatures: ENTS.

55. Vietnamese soup: PHO.

56. Small battery: AAA.  These are not that small.  I have things in my possession that take those little round batteries that have a four digit number for their name.

57. "__ the season ... ": 'TIS.  To be Jolly, Fa la la la la la la la la.

Boomer

Monday October 21, 2019 Kevin Salat

Theme: MIXED SIGNALS (62. Communication confusion ... or what's literally found in this puzzle's three sets of circles) - SIGNAL is scrambled in the middle of each theme entry.

17. Vessel for Bond: MARTINI GLASS.

28. "... for the remainder of my days": AS LONG AS I LIVE.

 

47. Places to get bronzed skin: TANNING SALONS.

Boomer here. 

I am pretty sure that I have played my last round of golf for 2019 last Thursday.  We had a nice weekend but the weatherman says that the future is not looking too warm or dry. Well, our Gophers remained undefeated on the football field while Wisconsin took one on the chin from Lovee's crew.  The door is open to Pasadena. The last time the Gophers were in the Rose Bowl, I watched it on our 19" black and white TV.

In 1961, Calvin Griffith moved the Washington Senators to Minnesota and they became the Twins.  Washington was without Major League Baseball until the Montreal Expos moved to the nations Capital in 2005.  D.C. has not seen a World Series since before I was born and I am pretty old.  It was pretty impressive the way the Nats took care of the Dodgers and Cardinals. Houston has their hands full and it should be fun to watch.

Across:

1. Thespian's platform: STAGE.  The last one out of town ??

6. English Derby site: EPSOM.  I believe the salt is named after this site.

11. Earlier: AGO.  "A long, long time AGO, I can still remember how the music used to make me smile. Don McLean - American Pie.

14. Handsome god: APOLLO.  APOLLO CREED, a Heavyweight champ that ran into Rocky.

15. "Me too!": DITTO.  One of the Flagston kids.

16. Coffee hour vessel: URN.  I have heard of this, but I get my coffee from a pot.

19. Sigma follower: TAU.

20. Golf tournament kickoff: PRO-AM.  I have bowled many PRO AMs as a bowler.  Recently bowled with Parker Bohn III at Treasure Island (in MN).  Parker was the PRO, I was the AM.

21. Clairvoyant: SEER.

22. B-ball: HOOPS.  We have Timberwolves in Minnesota.  They are not too good with HOOPS.

24. Spanish "month": MES. See 31. Twelve 24-Acrosses: ANO.

25. Money in the middle of a poker table: POT.  This used to describe my belly, but then I thinned up.

27. Smoke for Sherlock: PIPE.  I tried this after I quit cigarettes in 2001.  It did not last long.

34. No-holds-__: BARRED.  A lot of Viking opponents get "BARRED" by Anthony.

Anthony Barr

37. "Like it __ ... ": OR NOT.

38. 2020 Super Bowl number: LIV.  We had LII in Minneapolis.

39. Lemony Snicket's evil count: OLAF.  We have a St. Olaf College in Northfield, south of Minneapolis. You may have heard of it.  Jesse James wishes he had not.

40. Celestial shower component: METEOR.

42. Ice cream holder: CONE.  David was a great pitcher for the Mets.

David Cone

43. "The Greatest" boxer: ALI.  This guy only pitched his greatest to the media, but he was pretty good.

44. Painter of café scenes: MANET.

45. John of "Three's Company": RITTER.  The son of country singer Tex Ritter.  He had a great career on the sit-com but passed away early at the age of 55.

50. Adolescent: TEEN.  "Well, I'm just eighTEEN got a ruptured spleen and I always carry a purse."  Draft Dodger Blues - The Chad Mitchell Trio.

51. Cuteness reactions: AWS.

52. State-of-the-__: ART.  Mr. Garfunkel.

55. "Me too!": SO DO I.

56. Give off: EMIT.

59. Debate topic: ISSUE.

61. Game with Draw Two cards: UNO.  I think everyone had one of these games when I was a kid.

65. Quito's country, to the IOC: ECU.  That would be Ecuador, down by the Equator.

66. "Time is money," e.g.: ADAGE.

67. Texting devices: PHONES.  It's odd. I mentioned to three of my bowling coach buddies that I mentioned them in "My Nickel's Worth" column on mnbowling.com.  All three took out their phones and read the column.

68. Filming site: SET.  Six wins in a tennis match or another name for a TV.

69. Tibetan priests: LAMAS.  Okay a man became a monk in Tibet in an order that allowed only two words after five years. So after the first five years he visited the monk superior and said "I'm Hungry".  "No problem brother, we'll see that you receive more food".  After another five years he said "I'm cold."  Once again the head monk said "No problem, we will get you more blankets."  After the third five year period he proclaimed "I Quit".  The head monk said "Brother, I am not surprised,  You have done nothing but complain ever since you got here."

70. Engaged in battle: AT WAR.

Down:

1. Fifth tire: SPARE.  No, everyone knows that it's when you leave a ten pin and pick it up on your next ball.

2. Pamplona runners: TOROS.  We have a TORO company in Northern Minnesota that makes lawn mowers and great snow throwers.

3. Utah ski resort: ALTA.  One letter off from a vaping product called ALTO.  I could not help but notice that since the Medicare season is upon us, it seems as though there are a dozen health care commercials on TV every hour.  One of them was followed by one of these ads for ALTO.  I could not help but think if you buy one, you better have the other paid up also.

4. Quick look: GLIMPSE.

5. Ages and ages: EON.

6. Beat by a bit: EDGE.  A smaller Ford SUV.  I once owned an Explorer, but they are really huge now.

7. Paperwork accumulation: PILE.  Not Gomer, his name was PYLE.

8. "A __ Is Born": STAR.  "When you wish upon a STAR, makes no difference who you are."

9. Tense NBA periods: OTS.  It takes a tie game to get there and the Timberwolves seldom squeak out a tie.

10. Slam-dancing area: MOSH PIT.

11. Tesla self-driving car system: AUTOPILOT.  Reminds me of the movie Airplane and the blow up doll named OTTO.

12. Fruity metaphor for a rumor mill: GRAPEVINE.

13. Burden: ONUS.

14. Clock radio toggle: AM PM.

18. "No one __ blame": IS TO.  That's what Rocco said when the Yankees kicked our Twins butts.

23. Crude in a tanker: OIL.

26. 2018 Best Actor Gary: OLDMAN.  Now this puzzle is getting personal.

28. Dog's bark: ARF.  Dennis the Menace says his dog goes "RUFF".

29. What students take at lectures: NOTES.

30. Legendary Garbo: GRETA.

32. Melancholy: SORROW.  "Only one thing that money can't buy, True Love will never die. All my sorrows, soon forgotten." Kingston Trio.

33. Of all time: EVER.  "If you're ever in a jam, here I am." I don't know who sang that one.

34. Yacht or ferry: BOAT.  I once owned a boat, and took my son fishing a lot in the summer.  Now he owns a boat and lives by a lake.  C.C. and I used to go for pan fish off a fishing dock in a small town called Annandale, MN.  Now we go to Cub and buy walleye from the freezer.

35. Suddenly: ALL AT ONCE.  It's a strike if you knock the pins down ALL AT ONCE

36. Postponed, as a ball game: RAINED OUT.  Sometimes it's also a golf game.

41. U.K. language: ENG.

42. Dime's 10: Abbr.: CTS.  Jeopardy's James Holzhauer called a dime, $1,000.00.  Must be Las Vegas talk.

44. Barely enough: MINIMAL.

46. Acumen: INSIGHT.  A Honda Hybrid car.

48. Prefix with liberal: NEO.

49. Pull-up muscles, briefly: LATS.

52. Yoga posture: ASANA.

53. Measuring stick: RULER.

54. Hardy's "__ of the D'Urbervilles": TESS.

55. Takes to court: SUES.  Johnny Cash once touted, "My Name is Sue, How do you do".  Then Elaine Benes of Seinfeld said "Don't call him SUES."

56. More than a quiz: EXAM.

57. Prefix between kilo- and giga-: MEGA.  There's a lottery game called "Mega Millions".  C.C. and I do not play. Once in awhile we might buy a $2.00 ticket and we would be happy to double our money.

58. March 15, notably: IDES.

60. Skiing surface: SNOW.  I think I have heard of this.  I think it was Chrissy's surname in "Three's Company."

63. Wash. neighbor: IDA.  I have a cousin that lives in Twin Falls.  He told me his golf season is not yet over.  I'm not sure if he hits golf balls or potatoes.

64. Hoppy brew, for short: IPA.

Boomer

Monday, Oct 14, 2019 Paul Coulter

Theme: ON THE MONEY (59. Exactly right ... and where parts of 17-, 24- and 47-Across appear)

17. Toy component of a miniature cabin ($5): LINCOLN LOG.

24. One applying for a financial gift ($50): GRANT WRITER.

47. Popular Wyoming mountain resort ($20): JACKSON HOLE.

Boomer here.  

What a week!!  Twins are history and I don't think it matters because Houston would not like to play in 30 degree weather.  Since this blog covers most of North America, I wish to mention sympathy to those in Southern California who were damaged by the fires. Also to those up north from Fargo to Theodore Roosevelt National Park who were pelted with an October blizzard. Finally prayers and good wishes to Dennis in Florida who is undergoing a serious medical procedure.  

 

Now on to the puzzle.  Our constructor seemed to leave out the George Washington bill, the one to which I am most familiar.

Across:

1. Livens (up): PEPS.  Add an "I" and I am drinking one.

5. River through the Lake of the Ozarks: OSAGE.  "Oh SAGE" Thanksgiving is only about six weeks away.  My favorite spice in the Turkey stuffing.

10. GPS diagrams: MAPS.  Spell it backwards and you have that military meat from Austin, MN.

14. Teen heartthrob: IDOL.  Singer Billy with funny hair.

15. Rocker Eddie Van __: HALEN.

16. Tennis great Arthur who wrote "A Hard Road to Glory": ASHE.

19. Actor Gosling: RYAN.  How about Nolan who had about 324 wins and over 5000 strikeouts?

20. "__ suggestions?": ANY.

21. Mindless repetition: ROTE.  Hope you are not tired of pro athletes yet, but Kyle Rote was a wide receiver for the New York Giants.  My claim to his fame is we share the same birthday, (However not the same year of course.)

22. "You __ grounded!": ARE SO.

23. Jack Sprat no-no: FAT.  His wife could eat no lean.

27. "What __ state of affairs!": A SAD.

29. Frosty coating: RIME.  I did not know what it was called. We had a bit of RIME on our deck yesterday.  Winter comes early in Minnesota,

30. Par __: via airmail, in Arles: AVION.

32. Intend to say: MEAN.  Jesse Ventura used to call Gene Okerlund (wrestling sports caster) MEAN GENE.

34. WWII turning point: D DAY.

38. Doozy: LULU.  "To sir, with Love."

39. High-tech eye surgery: LASIK.  Too high tech for me, I need glasses to read the paper and the internet.

40. Self-defense spray: MACE.  Get this in your eye and I don't think LASIK will help.

41. Roach or termite: PEST.

42. Stuntman Knievel: EVEL.  I remember 1974 when the world was watching him to jump a motorcycle over the Snake River Canyon somewhere in Idaho.  I don't remember if he made it but he must have because he performed many jumps after that.

43. Like Cheerios, grain-wise: OATEN.  General Mills offices are near our home. I used to eat Cheerios but I have changed my attention to CHEX.

44. Fine-tune, as skills: HONE.

46. Author Rice: ANNE.

52. Myrna of "The Thin Man": LOY.  The "Thin Man" became a TV series in the late 50s. with Peter Lawford. Lawford was a brother-in-law of JFK and also a member of the so called "Rat Pack" who hung out at The Sands in Las Vegas.

55. High hairdos: AFROS.  Not to be confused with the Houston Team that is taking on the Yanks in the ALCS.

56. Greek "i": IOTA.

57. Simpson trial judge: ITO.  Ah yes, The most famous judge of the O.J. Simpson era.

58. Unfocused image: BLUR.  Maybe they should try LASIK.

62. First, in "Who's on First?": BASE.  What's on second, I don't know's on third.

63. Worse, as excuses go: LAMER.

64. "I, Claudius" role: NERO.

65. "__ girl!": ATTA.

66. Accomplishments: DEEDS.  Get as many Monopoly cards as you can.  Collect rent and win the game.

67. "No warranties": AS IS.

Down:

1. Seasoned rice dish: PILAF.

2. Patsy's "Ab Fab" pal: EDINA.  This would be a southwest suburb of Minneapolis.

3. Hairstyles named for an equine feature: PONYTAILS.  My older sister had one for years.  A common style in the 50s and 60s but I still see a few around today.

4. Utah luggage tag initials: SLC.  Salt Lake City,  I've been through there a few times on I-80.  They sure have a big lake there.  Bigger than all Minnesota lakes except Superior I suppose.

5. "Dear God!": OH LORD.

6. Reindeer reins holder: SANTA.  My church had a priest named Father Santa.  He transferred to Michigan, but at Christmas he got lots of mail.

7. Filmmaker Woody: ALLEN.

8. Former Prizm maker: GEO.  Interesting history, the car was a joint venture with GM and some Japanese automakers.  I think Chevy took it over in the early 2000s but it did not last long.

9. London lang.: ENG.  When I was a young American, I thought "English" was a foreign language.

10. Guy wearing a ring, perhaps: MARRIED MAN.

11. Until now: AS YET.

12. New moon, e.g.: PHASE.  This word comes up in electricity all the time.  Your home is probably single phase, but three phase is for the bigger power users.

13. Mexican title: SENOR.

18. Church keyboard: ORGAN.  My church replaced ours with a piano.  Not my favorite.

22. Escort's offer: ARM.

25. Oregon or Chisholm: TRAIL.  I wonder how many "TRAILS" are in the U.S.

26. Bat one eye: WINK.

28. Place to eat Seoul food: SOUTH KOREA.  I get it, a play on words.  I know I am constantly guilty of it.  Sorry.

30. Mont Blanc, e.g.: ALP.

31. Saturn SUV: VUE.  This was replaced by the "Outlook", but now I think Saturn has been swallowed up by GM and you have to go to Chevy to get an SUV.

32. Expert: MAVEN.

33. Language suffix: ESE.  Minneapolis to Lake Superior compass direction.

35. Starts of many news stories: DATELINES.  Also known as "Breaking News" which is every report on MSNBC, CNN, and FOX (less Shepard Smith).

36. Expert: ACE.  A great start to the game of 21 aka Blackjack.

37. Strong desire: YEN.  Japanese money.  It takes a whole bunch to equal a U.S. dollar.

39. Jay of late-night TV: LENO.  Used to be on "Tonight", now his show is in a garage.

43. Late hr. to turn in: ONE AM.  This is when I get up to take pills, but I am back in the sack by 1:01 AM.

45. CIA forerunner: OSS.  WWII era, Office of Secret Services.

46. Changes: ALTERS.

47. __ the Hutt of "Star Wars": JABBA.  Star Wars of the future.  If this were in the stone age, Fred Flintstone might holler "Jabba Jabba Dooo".

48. Note after G: A FLAT.  I almost had "A FLAT" when my tire picked up a nail last Spring.

49. Pizza feature: CRUST.  I used to make and bake pizzas.  We called the base a crust but it was not crusty.  Not like the frozen kind you get at the Grocery store.

50. Blackjack request: HIT ME.  A dangerous move with 15 or 16.

51. __ and aahed: OOHED.

53. Comical Cheri: OTERI.

54. Up-and-down toys: YO-YOS.  Everyone had a "Duncan" when I was a kid.  We could make them sleep or go "around the world".

59. Ancient: OLD.  I am not there yet, but getting close.

60. Dumfries denial: NAE.

61. Words before roll or streak: ON A.  Could be a bowling term for XXXXXXX.

Boomer