Monday December 9, 2019 Kurt Mengel & Jan-Michele Gianette

Theme: MEAT OF THE MATTER (60. Issue's most important element ... and a hint to 17-, 30-, 36- and 47-Across) - The start of each theme entry is a type of meat.

 

17. Career-boosting political spending on local projects: PORK BARREL BILLS.

30. Amateur radio hobbyist: HAM OPERATOR.

36. Zeros: GOOSE EGGS.

47. Paltry sum: CHICKEN FEED.

Boomer here.

Greetings all and happy Monday. This puzzle is not a TURKEY but instead a nice piece of FILET MIGNON, medium rare. I had my quarterly visit with my oncologist Friday and had pretty good news. My blood numbers deserved an "attaboy" and he discontinued the Zometa chemo.  He said I have had enough, and I agreed with him, (and did not throw up yesterday,)  He also cut my steroid dose in half to help control my blood sugar.

And by the way, confidential to TTP and other bowlers, last Monday was 184-215-223 - 622.  My first 600 series since before my diagnosis.  As you read this, I am trying for another one this morning.  

Across:

1. "Georgia on My Mind" singer Charles: RAY.  Willie Nelson sings this too.  A little scratchier than Ray.

4. Party music mix, briefly: DJ SET.  DJ used to stand foe Disc Jockey back when disks were 45 RPM records.  I suppose CDs count too.

9. Keep from having kittens, say: SPAY.  I guess they don't have birth control pills for cats.

13. "Big Band" and "Jazz" periods: ERAS.  A low one could earn a pitcher a Cy Young award. I could probably hang a baseball remark on half of the answers,  but C.C. won't let me.

15. Easily fooled: NAIVE.

16. __-in-one: golfer's ace: HOLE.  I have come close a couple of times, but never knocked one in.

20. Speaker sound: AUDIO.

21. Smitten: IN LOVE.  I have a sister who really liked the song "Once in love with Amy".

22. Dancer Duncan: ISADORA.  Wow, there's a name out of the past.  Born in San Francisco and died at age 50 a couple of years before our stock market crashed.  

25. Thurman who played The Bride in "Kill Bill" films: UMA.  I have a bowling buddy, William Whitenour, who hates those films.

26. Chill in the air: NIP.  Looks like PIN spelled backwards.  You really have to hit them hard to get them in the air.

29. Pos. opposite: NEG.

33. "Cats" poet's monogram: TSE.

34. Chief Norse god: ODIN.

35. "Great" dog: DANE.

40. Polite address to a woman: MA'AM.  I think MISS is more polite.  MA'AM is a contraction for MADAM, and we all know what they do for a living.

43. Creme-filled cookie: OREO.  "The Wizard of OZ" is making the rounds on the cable channels.  I think the soldiers that are guiding the Wizard's castle chant OREO.

44. Rx: MED.  5mg LESS of daily Prednisone for me.

51. Madison in NYC, e.g.: AVE.  Named after U.S. 4th President.

52. Polite way to address a man: SIR.  In the Army, this is what we called officers. Everyone else was "Hey You".  Once in a while at the VA Medical Center, someone might call me SIR.  I tell them I was an enlisted man so they don't need to call me sir.

53. Positive vote: AYE.

54. Aspen getaway: SKI TRIP.  "Well they called him Super Skier, as he lined up on the sundeck.  He thought that he would never take a spill.  When they finally brought him down they had to use three toboggans to carry all the pieces of the hill".  (Chad Mitchell Trio)

56. To a greater extent: MORE SO.

59. "There you have it!": VOILA.  I have to reverse two letters to bring up Frank Viola of the 1987 Twins.  Winning pitcher of two games in the World Series vs. the Cardinals.

64. Leave out: OMIT.  I think a catcher for the Baltimore Orioles wears one of these.

65. Prefix with sonic: ULTRA. There is a cosmetics store near our home called ULTA. They charge ULTRA prices.

66. Sunrise direction: EAST.  Here in Minnesota, we have to stare EAST for a long time this time of year.  However the sun never fails to rise, it just sleeps late.

67. Sport played on horseback: POLO.  Makes me think of Marco in the GEICO commercial.

68. Africa's Sierra __: LEONE.

69. Sgts.' superiors: LTS.  Yup, you gotta call them SIR.

Down:

1. Change the wall color: REPAINT.  Buy really good paint and you won't have to do it so often.

2. Excites: AROUSES.

3. Football play measure: YARDAGE. Gophers are waiting for a bowl invitation. Probably just as well.  I think Ohio State would have pulverized them.

4. Forensic evidence: DNA. DNA is an acronym for some kind of acid that I cannot spell or pronounce.  But I noticed that you can buy DNA testing kits for outrageous prices.

5. Glass container: JAR. When is a door not a door?  When it's ajar.

6. iPhone assistant: SIRI.  I don't think SIRI knows anything about bowling.

7. Tie, as a score: EVEN UP.  Put an "S" in front of this and have something to drink.

8. "I have to know!": TELL ME.  Follow the yellow brick road,

9. Prison knife: SHIV.

10. Cornmeal dish: POLENTA.

11. "__ the President's Men": ALL.  Great movie about "Deep Throat" and Watergate.  Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman were terrific.

12. "I agree": YES.  Maybe the Wizard can give me a brain and a heart. I already have a lot of nerve.

14. Slide on the road: SKID.  Gotta be careful on Minnesota winter's roads.

18. Word of mock sadness: BOO HOO.  I guess I'll never get back to Kansas.

19. Wild hog: BOAR.

23. Swiss watch brand: RADO.  Never heard of this brand.  My wristwatch runs on a battery and I have to pay someone to replace it about every 20 months.  Whatever happened to "It takes a licking and keeps on ticking."

24. Friends in Lyon: AMIS.  This doesn't look like a word.  I think I'll just call them Munchkins.

27. + or - particle: ION.

28. Opposite of post-: PRE.

31. __ a kind: ONE OF.  Three of a kind may win the poker hand.

32. Commercials: ADS. The Medicare Open Enrollment ended Saturday.  PLEASE tell me the ads have ended also.

36. Yukon automaker: GMC.  I find the Model names of cars and SUVs are fascinating.  Who thinks of these?  Yukon, Equinox, Santa Fe, Tuscon, RAV4, Explorer, Bronco, Durango ??? 

37. "__ to you, matey!": ERES.  And "ERES to you, Mrs Robinson, Heaven holds a place for those who pray, Hey, Hey, Hey.  (Simon & Garfunkel)

38. Many a techie: GEEK.  Best Buy has a whole Squad of them.

39. Bare-naked Lady: GODIVA.  "Seventeen, a beauty queen, she made a ride, that caused a scene in the town."  (Peter and Gordon).

40. Variety show hosts, briefly: MCS.  I know that there are still Masters of Ceremonies, but are there still Variety shows??

41. Sushi tuna: AHI.  Not me- I may eat StarKist, but not too often.

42. Postal service: AIRMAIL.

44. Word before vows or status: MARITAL.

45. Most wicked: EVILEST.  I think the Snake River Canyon was the Evilest.

46. Leaves: DEPARTS.

48. Syrup brand since 1902: KARO.  Wow, we always had a bottle of this in the house when I was young.  I have not seen it for years.

49. Impressive sight: EYEFUL.

50. Quik maker: NESTLE. N-E-S-T-L-E-S  Nestle's makes the very best -- Chocolate.  I guess I watched too much TV when I was a kid.

55. Convenient bag: TOTE.  Dorothy had to TOTE TOTO on her way to OZ.

57. Director Preminger: OTTO.  Dorothy's little dog's anagram.

58. "__ be in England ... ": Browning: OH TO.

60. Floor cleaner: MOP.

61. Broody music genre: EMO.

62. Geographical direction suffix: ERN.  Search me.  I thought it was Ernie Banks' nickname.

63. Daisy __: Li'l Abner's wife: MAE.  I loved all of the antics in Dogpatch.  RIP Al Capp.

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Hahtoolah (Susan), who has been with our blog for over 11 years and faithfully guided us on Tuesdays for the past year.

Susan  (Hahtoolah)

Monday, December 2, 2019 Adam Vincent

Theme: FOLLOWING ORDERS (39. Doing as told, in the military ... or what the starts of the answers to starred clues can literally have?) - The start of each theme entry can follow "order".

18. *Lucrative business: MONEYMAKER. Money order.

23. *Medieval entertainer: COURT JESTER. Court order.

54. *Hostel audience?: BACK PACKERS. Back order.

61. *Comedian's suppliers: GAG WRITERS. Gag order.

Boomer here.  C.C. said this is the LAT debut for Adam. Congratulations!

Well, we had to say goodbye and send Paul Bunyan's Axe back to Madison, Wisconsin.  P.J. Fleck's lingo changed from "Row the Boat" to "Pull the Sled".  If you had occasion to watch the game Saturday, you got to see the weather that Minnesota is expecting for the next three months.  But the other nine months are worth it.  Only 10 weeks until the groundhog peeks out for his shadow. 

Across:

1. Peruvian home: CASA.  Mi casa es su casa?

5. German philosopher who wrote "The Phenomenology of Spirit": HEGEL.

10. Microsoft Surface competitor: IPAD.  I have been able to live without one of these.

14. Chopped down: AXED.  What Wisconsin did to Gophers on Saturday.

15. Amazon assistant: ALEXA.  I have seen commercials but I don't need Alexa's help.

16. Italia's capital: ROMA.

17. Imperfection: FLAW.

20. Mai __: cocktail: TAI.  I have heard of these but I never had one.  Back in the day my call was a VO Manhattan on the rocks with cherry juice.  Now my call is Diet Pepsi.

22. Hard to erase, as markers: PERMANENT.  I thought it was a lady's hair style.

26. Ave. and tpk.: RDS.

27. Hard to believe: UNREAL.

28. Word with York or Jersey: NEW. " I read the NEWS today, Oh boy" (Beatles - "A Day in the Life") 

30. In shape: FIT.  Anybody own a FitBit?  C.C. and I have gone through about 5 cheap pedometers with disappointing results.

31. Forgetful moment: LAPSE.  I can't remember what LAPSE means.

35. First part of a play: ACT I.  I thought the first part of a play is to buy a ticket.

43. Mario Kart console, initially: SNES.  Gesundheit

44. "__, but no cigar": CLOSE.  Reminds me of when the County Fair used to come to town.  We could put a dime on a square and the carny would spin the wheel.  If our number hit we would win a pack of cigarettes!! We were about 13 years old.  If the number missed we were "close but no cigs" and we lost our dime.  

45. Pencil eraser, e.g.: NUB.

46. Christen, as a knight: DUB.  This is a golf term that I am familiar with.

49. Hurry up: HASTEN.  Dashing through the snow, with a football in my arms.

51. ISP option: DSL.

58. How chops or ribs are served: ON THE BONE.  Not in our home.  I buy boneless chops and ribs.

60. That girl: HER.

63. Modern in-flight amenity: WIFI.  Also in most malls.  We lost computer access due to a digging accident in the neighborhood last summer.  Had to go to a mall to keep in touch with all of you.

66. Earl __ tea: GREY.  I wonder who Earl Grey was??  Should I know him, is he a folk singer?

67. Etsy's biz, e.g.: ETAIL.  I heard that Costco's e-business server went down on Black Friday and it cost them $11,000,000 worth of business. Could be true. The news reported that there were "thousands" waiting for our Mall of America to open at 5:00 AM Friday.

68. Supply-and-demand sci.: ECON.

69. Cravings: YENS.  I don't have a YEN for Japanese money.

70. With a long face: SADLY.

71. Stink: REEK.

Down:

1. Campus eatery, for short: CAF.  At the University of Gophers, we called it Coffman Memorial Union.  They had vending machines on the basement floor.

2. Guns N' Roses frontman Rose: AXL.

3. Slow-moving coastal critter: SEA TURTLE.

4. Bothersome browser apps: ADWARE.  Bothersome, YES, Ridiculous?  A better term.

5. __ and eggs: HAM. Are the eggs green? I once owned a Dr. Suess book titled "If I Ran the Zoo."  It was autographed by the good doctor.  I met him at the San Diego zoo when I was too young to remember.  

6. Slip out to tie the knot: ELOPE.

7. Heredity units: GENES.  Mr. Hackman and Mr. Wilder.

8. Apply, as pressure: EXERT.

9. Joes who aren't pros: LAYMEN.

10. Persia, now: IRAN.  "If IRAN the Zoo said young Gerald McGrew, I'd make a few changes and here's what I'd do."

11. Rod for stirring a fire: POKER. Ante up!

12. Change for the better: AMEND.

13. Pub game: DARTS. This game has infiltrated the bar area of most of the bowling centers I frequent. 

19. Former filly: MARE.

21. Prefix for Venice's country: ITALO.  I'll have to check with my sister Connie.  She's been to Italy more than half a dozen times.

23. Perp's restraints: CUFFS.  I never got to wear them, but I remember when men's pants had them.

24. Bagel flavoring: ONION.  Also Chili, stuffing, and hamburgers.

25. "The Hunger Games" star, to fans: J-LAW. Jennifer Lawrence.

29. Roll of bills: WAD.  I thought a mouth of gum was in a wad.  I pay my bills and keep the green bills in my wallet.  I am pretty sure a wad would not fit.  Never had a wad to try.

32. Insta upload: PIC. Insta(gram).

33. NBC late-night weekend staple, familiarly: SNL.  I still miss Tina Fey.  But I am no longer up late on Saturdays so I do not know what I am missing.

34. Freudian focus: EGO.

36. Heart of the rink: CENTER ICE.  Wanna buy an "R"

37. More faithful: TRUER.

38. 13-digit pub. codes: ISBNS.

40. '60s hallucinogen: LSD.  LBJ took the IRT cross the USA, What did he see?  The youth of America on LSD,  Gimme a head with "HAIR".

41. Org. providing workplace safety posters: OSHA.

42. Attain: REACH.

47. Lyft competitor: UBER.  I suppose taxi companies are not too happy.  I heard that Uber stock is not doing too well. 

48. Bottle-fed tykes: BABIES.

50. Backyard chef's stick: SKEWER.  I used two of them in our Thanksgiving Turkey.

51. Pooch, to a tyke: DOGGY.  " How much is that Doggy in the window?"  Patti Page - maybe 65 years ago ??

52. Drum type: SNARE.  BONGO would have fit.

53. Three-star mil. officer: LT GEN.

55. Panna __: Italian dessert: COTTA.  Better clue maybe.  The Terra Cotta soldiers are sculptures depicting the armies of the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang.  They are located in a museum in Lintong, Xi'an China.

56. Work with dough: KNEAD.  What the dough said to the baker -"As long as he kneads me".

57. Danger: PERIL.

59. "I-" rds., e.g.: HWYS.  I am someone who was a kid during Eisenhower's term.  I remember two lane highways across the country. General IKE promoted the "Interstate Highway System".  Probably the best asset to America in the last 70 years,  

62. Crafty: SLY. Stallone -- Who can forget "Rocky".

64. Hardly a friend: FOE.

65. Confident crossword solver's choice: INK.  Don't forget the "Wite Out",

Boomer 

Tuesday, November 26, 2019 Kurt Krauss

Don't Go Away Mad, Just GO Outside!  Each two-word theme answer begins with the letter G and ends in O, hence the word "GO" is on the "outside" of each answer.

17-Across. Transmission specification: GEAR RATIO.  How to determine Gear Ratio:

25-Across. Stockholm-born three-time Best Actress nominee: GRETA GARBO.   This Swedish actress never actually said, "I want to be alone."  According to her, she said, "I want to be let alone."

Greta Garbo (née Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; Sept. 18, 1905 ~ Apr. 15, 1990)

36-Across. Longtime New Year's Eve bandleader: GUY LOMBARDO.  Guy Lombardo (né Gaetano Alberto Lombardo; June 19, 1902 ~ Nov. 5, 1977), was a Canadian-born musician.  In 1924, he formed the Royal Canadians along with his brothers.  He began his tradition of playing big band music on New Year's Eve in 1929.  His band could be heard on this date for the next 47 years ~ first on radio, then finally in the late 50s on television.

50-Across. Video game series with a Warriors of Rock edition: GUITAR HERO.

And the unifier:

59-Across. Leave the house ... and a literal feature of 17-, 25-, 36- and 50-Across: GO OUTSIDE.

Across:

1. Cigar residue: ASH.

4. "West Side Story" sides: GANGS.

9. Cul-__: dead-end street: DE-SAC.

14. Versatile truck, for short: UTE.

15. Head off: AVERT.

16. Oven emanation: AROMA.

19. Divided island of Southeast Asia: TIMOR.  The island is divided between East Timor and Indonesia.

20. Fielder's mishap: ERROR.  Think baseball.

21. Irish watering hole: PUB.  The Best Irish Pubs according to the Irish Post.

23. Trucker on a radio: CB-ER.

24. Catch one's breath: REST.

28. Barfly: SOT.

29. Run out of juice: DIE.

30. Weekend show with Aidy Bryant, to fans: SNL.  Aidy Bryant (née Aidan Mackenzy Bryant; b. May 7, 1987) is an American comedian who has been a cast member on Saturday Night Live since 2012.

31. "Dig in!": EAT.

32. Actress Berry: HALLE.  Halle Berry (née Maria Halle Berry; b. Aug. 14, 1966), is probably best known for her role in the 2001 movie Monster's Ball, which also starred Billy Bob Thornton.

34. Real estate units: ACRES.  Some Acres are Green.

39. Dalmatian marks: SPOTS.  This dog breed can actually trace its roots to the Dalmatia region of Croatia.  Can you Spot the Dalmatians on the book's cover?

41. Skin irritations: SORES.

42. PC key near Z: ALT.  The Alt key, or optional key, is used to change the function of another pressed key.  //  And 54-Across. Escape key function: UNDO.

43. Partners for mas: PAs.  Ma and Pa Kettle were a bit before my time, but I remember hearing about them.

46. Terminate: END.

47. Suffix with Brooklyn: -ESE.  As in Brooklyese, the dialect of speech associated with Brooklyn.

53. Dashing style: ELAN.  A crossword staple.

55. Comfy footwear: MOC.

56. Leave the chair: STAND.  Here's a chair with its stand.

57. Secret Service role: AGENT.

62. Rodeo rope: REATA.

63. Bring together: UNITE.

64. Gp. that isn't gun-shy: NRA.  As in the National Rifle Association.

65. Welles on-screen: ORSON.  Orson Welles (né George Orson Welles; May 6, 1915 ~ Oct. 10, 1985), is probably best known for his role as Charles Foster Kane in the 1941 movie, Citizen Kane.  The character of Kane was believed to have been modeled after the San Simeon Castle Builder of 3-Down: William Randolph HEARST.

66. Hall of Fame pitcher Ryan: NOLAN.  Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. (b. Jan. 31, 1947), had a 27 -year career in major league baseball.  He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.

67. Corn serving: EAR.

Down:

1. Hole-making tools: AUGERS.  Scary looking tools!

2. Den music system: STEREO.

3. San Simeon castle builder: HEARST.  See 65-Across.

William Randolph Hearst (Apr. 23, 1863 ~ Aug. 14, 1951)

4. Teri of "Young Frankenstein": GARR.  Teri Ann Garr (b. Dec. 11, 1944) was so funny in Young Frankenstein.

5. Gardner of the silver screen: AVA.  Ava Gardner (née Dec. 24, 1922 ~ Jan. 25, 1990) was one of Frank Sinatra's wives.  Her first marriage was to Mickey Rooney, then she married Artie Shaw.

6. Badminton divider: NET.

7. Beef: GRIPE.

8. Strong ales: STOUTS.

9. Not dis?: DAT.

10. CNN journalist Hill: ERICA.  Erica Ruth Hill (b. July 20, 1976) was the co-anchor of Weekend Today for several years.

11. Mariachi's hat: SOMBRERO.

12. One-celled swimmers: AMOEBAE.  Anatomy of an amoeba.  For a 1-celled critter, it sure has a lot of parts.

13. Orange veggies: CARROTS.  Anyone remember Captain Kangaroo and Bunny Rabbit?

18. Hogwash: ROT.

22. Keep out: BAN.

25. Fish organ: GILL.

26. Move, in realty ads: RE-LO.

27. Shone with a nearly blinding light: GLARED.

29. Pampering place: DAY SPA.  A nice place to be pampered.  Many day spas, however, can be very pricy.

32. Simple shelter: HUT.

33. Ambulance letters: EMS.  I initially tried EMT, for Emergency Medical Technician.  Unfortunately, that gave me Tores for Skin Irratations (41-Across).

35. S&L offerings: CDs.  As in Certificate of Deposits.

36. Looked through a home remodeling magazine, perhaps: GOT IDEAS.

37. Transvaal settler: BOER.  Transvaal is a province of South Africa.  The word Boer is the Dutch and Afrikaans noun for farmer, and refers to the Dutch and Huguenot population that settled in South Africa in the late 17th century.

38. Florence's river: ARNO.

The Ponte Vecchio over the Arno in Florence, Italy.

39. Arizona cactus: SAGUARO.

40. Tool that unclogs using suction: PLUNGER.

44. Chair part for elbow resting: ARM.

45. Feudal Japanese military ruler: SHŌGUN.  It's also the title of a novel by James Clavell.

47. "Seinfeld" regular: ELAINE.  The character of Elaine was played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus (b. Jan. 13, 1961).  She wasn't a very good dancer.

48. Former Justice __ Day O'Connor: SANDRA.  Sandra Day O'Connor (b. Mar.. 26, 1930) was the first female United States Supreme Court Justice.  She was nominated to the High Court by President Ronald Reagan.  She replaced Potter Stewart on the Court.  When she retired in 2006, after having served no the Court for nearly 25 years, Samuel Alito replaced her.

49. Make beloved: ENDEAR.

51. Lone Ranger's pal: TONTO.  The Lone Ranger ran on television from 1949 to 1957.

52. Affordable, in brand names: ECONO.  As in the Econo-Lodge.

53. Sci-fi beings: ETs.  As in ExtraTerrestials.

56. British firearm acronym: STEN.  I didn't realize that the STEN gun was an acronym.  It is named after its designers: Major Reginald V. Shepherd and Harold Turpin, and EN for Enfield, the government's rifle and arms factory in London's Borough of Enfield.

58. Color like khaki: TAN.

60. Black gold: OIL.

61. Hagen of Broadway: UTA.  Uta Thura Hagen (June 12, 1919 ~ Jan. 14, 2004) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.

Here's the Grid:

QOD:  We know we cannot plant seeds with closed fists.  To sow, we must open our hands.  ~  Adolfo Pérez Esquivel (b. Nov. 26, 1931), Argentine recipient of the 1980 Nobel Peace Prize